Miscanthus x giganteus has great potential as an alternative energy source

Recent findings from a study carried out by the University of Illinois has shown that Miscanthus x giganteus is a strong contender in the race to find the next source of ethanol. M. x giganteus is a bioenergy crop that can be grown to produce ethanol. The study investigated the establishment success, plant growth and dry biomass yield of the grass. Tom Voigt, lead scientist and associate professor in the U of I Department of Crop Sciences, said the overall goal is to promote biomass yield per acre for ethanol production using the fewest inputs with no environmental damage. Read more ...

Researchers show new technology in biomass conversion

University of Illinois researchers are to develop an educational and research facility that will be used to demonstrate the process of converting swine manure and algae into crude oil. Lance Schideman, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) at Illinois and Yuanhui Zhang, also a professor in ABE, have both spend a considerable length of time researching integrated algae systems for water purification and biomass production.

"With this system, we will first convert swine manure into crude oil in a hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) reactor," Professor Schideman said. "The resultant waste water contains nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which can be used to grow algae. These fast-growing algae will remove the excess nutrients and capture carbon dioxide. Finally, the algae will be fed back into the HTL reactor to be converted into additional biocrude oil." Read more ...