New Biomass & Bioenergy Fact Sheets
The office of Southern Regional Extension Forestry in collaboration with North Carolina State University recently published 3 new fact sheets concerning bioenergy and biomass through the Southeastern Partnership for Integrated Biomass Supply Systems (IBSS). The topics are biomass feedstock characteristics, bioenergy policy in the southeastern US, and technologies that produce light, heat, and fuel from biomass feedstocks.
Heat is just one product that can be generated from biomass, so it's appropriate that biomass and bioenergy are currently hot topics in the southeastern United States. As part of our mission to provide educational materials for use by Extension agents working for the 13 Southern Land-grant Universities, SREF has been commissioned by the Southeastern Partnership for Integrated Biomass Supply Systems (IBSS) to collaborate on a series of fact sheets explaining the benefits of using biomass, such as wood sustainably-harvested from working Southern forests, as an environmentally responsible method of producing fuel.
Extension Associate Leslie Boby and North Carolina State University Extension Associate Helene Cser recently completed and published three fact sheets for the project, each described below. Click on their titles to view them.
Biomass Feedstocks Characteristics
Bioenergy can be made from many different biomass feedstocks, or raw materials, ranging from trees and crops to yard and animal waste. Creating bioenergy begins with first acquiring the biomass, and then processing it for use in a bioenergy facility to produce heat and electricity (biopower) or liquid transportation fuels (biofuels). This fact sheet discusses the biomass feedstocks available to create energy or transportation fuels.Bioenergy in the Southeast: Current and Past Policies Driving Markets
This fact sheet is a synopsis of federal, state and foreign policies that may influence biomass and bioenergy production. The reader is encouraged to review these policies to ensure they are still the most current.
Technologies that Produce Electricity, Heat, and Fuel from Biomass Feedstocks
There are many conversion technologies that use biomass to produce heat, electricity, products, or fuel. This fact sheet explains the typical technologies used and the research underway to convert a wide variety of biomass feedstocks into useful forms of energy.
About IBSS
IBSS was developed in 2010 in response to the USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Request for Applications for Regional Coordinated Agricultural Projects (CAP). The AFRI Sustainable Bioenergy Program priorities include sustainable agriculture, forestry, renewable energy, and rural communities and entrepreneurship. In addition, AFRI is looking for "translational research and development" that supports these priorities and delivery of "science based knowledge to people". The University of Tennessee, along with multiple academic and industrial partners, submitted the IBSS Partnership proposal in alignment with USDA AFRI CAP purpose and priorities.
