Overview

Switchgrass utilization is an emerging market currently in the research and demonstration-project arena. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a summer perennial grass that is native to North America. It is a natural component of the tall grass prairie that covered most of the Great Plains, as well as the south and eastern United States. It is resistant to many pests and plant diseases, and it is capable of producing high yields with very low applications of fertilizer. This means that the need for agricultural chemicals to grow switchgrass is low to non-existent; however, fertilization may be necessary to maintain harvestable stands. Switchgrass also is very tolerant of poor soils, flooding and drought.

Switchgrass production can benefit farmers, taxpayers, industrial fiber producers, energy producers and energy consumers. Switchgrass is a valuable soil protection cover crop. It binds loose soils and provides valuable wildlife habitat. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that it could become a valuable fiber source for manufactured composite "wood" products and fiber-plastic composite materials. "Bioenergy" can be produced by co-firing switchgrass with coal to produce electricity in existing power plants, which offers a near-term energy production alternative, as does eventually using switchgrass as a feedstock in bio-reactors that produce bio-based fuels or industrially important chemicals. Pelletized switchgrass has been tested in pellet stoves for general home heating in some rural areas and has been discussed as having great potential as a clean-burning alternative to coal or imported fossil fuels; there are, however, lignin and ash issues with some combustion systems.  January 2008 . . . Switchgrass

Production

• All Eyes on Energy: Frequently Asked Questions About the Chariton Valley Biomass Project, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University - The Chariton Valley Biomass Project description with links to related Web sites. This includes links to two ISU Extension publications: Management Guide for the Production of Switchgrass for Biomass Fuel in Southern Iowa and Switchgrass Seeding Recommendations for the Production of Biomass Fuel in Southern Iowa.
• Benefits to Grassland Birds, 1998 - Research paper abstract for work documenting positive impact of biofuel fields for conservation and declining bird species protection.
• Briefing Paper on Switchgrass Production in the Eastern United States, Auburn University - This paper was a feature in the Office of Renewable Energy, Information Network, Feedstock Series.
• Cost of Producing Switchgrass for Biomass in Southern Iowa, Trends in New Crops and New Uses (supported by the U.S. Department of Energy), 2002 - Guide to the different costs associated with producing switchgrass in Iowa.

• Dell Point Alternative Energy Today - Canadian articles on pellet stoves and other alternative energy issues.

• Developing Switchgrass as a Bioenergy Crop, 1999 - Cooperative study to the Auburn site previously listed. This site has very good information on agronomics, bio-fuel conversion and economics, and a bibliography of relevant reports.

• Estimated Costs for Production, Storage, and Transportation of Switchgrass, Iowa State University Extension, 2007 - Switchgrass, a perennial warm-season grass, is one of the major plants being considered to produce ethanol. Alternative assumptions are presented to estimate the cost of production.

• Evaluation of Switchgrass Co-Firing for Utility Boiler Applications, Proceedings of JPGC'01, 2001 International Joint Power Generation Conference, New Orleans - Various abstracts and reports associated with a study conducted by Southern Company, Southern Research Institute, EPRI, and the U.S. Department of Energy to evaluate the feasibility, costs and benefits of co-firing switchgrass with coal in existing coal-fired power plants.

• Planting and Managing Switchgrass for Forage, Wildlife, and Conservation, Virginia Polytech Institute and State University, 1996.

• Management Guide for the Production of Switchgrass for Biomass Fuel, Iowa State University Extension (supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and State Energy Conservation Program), 2003 - Guide to establishing and maintaining quality stands.

• Switchgrass, Iowa State University Extension, 2007 - Discusses the production of switchgrass as a biomass crop for biofuel.

• Switchgrass, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS), College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin, 2001 - Overview of switchgrass bioenergy production and related issues.

• Switchgrass, The National Non-Food Crops Centre, Heslington, York, U.K.

• Switchgrass, Auburn University, courtesy of the Bioenergy Information Network of Oak Ridge National Laboratory - Overview of switchgrass production and utilization.

• Switchgrass: A Living Solar Battery for the Prairies, Ecological Agriculture Projects, McGill University, Canada, 1991 - Very good ethanol production analysis that points out the broad benefits of switchgrass fermentation. As a renewable biomass source of energy, switchgrass has tremendous potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions relative to other energy sources as well as meet all of Canada's fuel needs through domestic production.

• Switchgrass Production for Biomass, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS), College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin - One aspect of this study was an economic analysis comparing switchgrass to coal for energy production. The researchers found that on a heating value basis (based on 1997 prices) switchgrass cost about the same as natural gas but 3.7 times as much as coal. The cost of growing and harvesting the switchgrass was overstated in the study because of the small scale and transportation and storage complications. The researchers felt that fertilization or increased production efficiency could close this gap.

• Switchgrass Research Archives, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) - Search engine for switchgrass research.

• Switchgrass Research Project Overviews, ARS, USDA - Improved Plants and Production Practices for Grasslands and Biomass Crops in the Mid-Continental Area.

• Tennessee’s Bioenergy Initiative - Governor Phil Bredeson’s press release on the state’s alternative-energy initiative.

Businesses/Case Studies

• A Closer Look: McCord Consulting Group, BioEconomy Update, Iowa State University, 2006 - This Iowa consulting firm is researching the feasibility of blending switchgrass with plastic resins.
• Market Place: Switchgrass, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2001 - Transcript of a story that highlights switchgrass-pellet heating systems. The report stated that 1 acre of pelletized switchgrass is sufficient to heat the average Canadian home for one year.

 Links checked February 2008.