Biofuels and Deforestation

Biofuels are seen as the eco-friendly, "green" version of fossil fuels. They are considered "carbon neutral" by some people, but are they really?

By the year 2022 the United States is supposed to produce 36 billion gallons of biofuel annually. In 2010 the U.S. produced 28 billion gallons, so we are well on our way to meeting the 2022 deadline. All of this biofuel production has put a strain on American farmers to meet not only the crop demands for human consumption but now the demands for biofuel production as well. Americans are producing more corn and less soybeans. This is causing countries in South America to try to pick up the "slack."

These countries are picking up the "slack" by tearing down rainforests to make room for more farmland. In between 2000-2005, 13 million hectares of forest was destroyed and replaced by farmland. All of those hectares of forest that absorb carbon, are lost and replaced with farmland, which generates a lot of greenhouse gasses through the process of agriculture. Over 283 gigatons (one million tons) of carbon is stored in the earths forests and each year, due to deforestation, 4.4 gigatons of carbon are not absorbed back into the forests. That is equivalent to the carbon dioxide emitted by 807 million vehicles, if each one emits 5 tons of carbon dioxide a year. This leads to higher temperatures across the world and lead to earlier and dryer planting seasons in the mid United States. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Summary Report and UN Food and Agriculture Organisation

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council deforestation causes more global warming pollution than all of the fossil fuel based forms of transportation in the world. In the United States alone deforestation causes more global warming pollution than cars, trucks, buses and airplanes combined.

On the other hand, we will at some point run out of fossil fuels and biofuels do have advantages. One advantage is that biofuels do not require any drastic change to a vehicle in order for it to run, unlike other sources of renewable power like wind and solar. They also help us to reduce our dependency on foreign fossil fuels. Another advantage is they are a renewable resource, so we can keep producing them. Fossil fuels are also cheaper and many governments are offering tax deductions if you buy greener cars that run on fossil fuels.

I think the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department here at North Dakota State University can offer guidelines for ABEN Engineers throughout the world. We are striving to develop biofuels and biofuel production processes that are environmentally friendly and produce the most biofuel per bushel of grain. In the long run this will help minimize the the amount of crops needed to produce biofuel and help to minimize deforestation.

Biofuels are doing a good job of helping us reduce our foreign oil dependency and maybe will eventually reduce the number of oil wells being drilled in the United States. I think we should continue to produce and develop biofuels, but I also think there needs to be regulations put in place to reduce and eventually stop deforestation, especially of the tropical rainforests. These rainforests play a major roll in absorbing carbon. We need to get these countries to stop deforestation, maybe by paying them to maintain the forests instead of destroying them. Simultaneously we would need to implement a plan to regulate the amount of crops being used for biofuel production and human consumption in the Untied States. I feel this would help reduce the strain on foreign countries and save the forests.

Biofuels: Bad for the enviroment?

Soybean oil

As global warming continues to increase, people are looking at alternate forms of power. Renewable energy sources like wind and solar power are becoming more popular with energy companies; but biofuels have the greatest potential, especially for the transportation industry. Biofuels are one of the best alternatives to fossil fuels because of their combustible nature and their compatible with already existing combustible engines. The United States has even increased the standard ethanol levels in gasoline from 10 percent to 15 percent.

In 2007, a governmental mandate increased biofuel production in the United States to 36 billion gallons a year by 2022. This was done in an effert to decrease the amount of fossil fuels the United States consumes. Because the demand for biofuels is increasing more, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers are being hired to help create alternative forms of fuel. They are also helping to improve the biofuel processes that are already established to have less of an impact on the environment by managing air and water pollution.

Increasing the use of biofuels is good for one part of the environment health, but the first draft of a report by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) suggests that biofuel production in the US is not as environmentally friendly as we think it is, especially the production of ethanol (both conventional and cellulosic) and bio-diesel.

Some concerns mentioned in the report are in the areas of air quality, water contamination due to chemical runoff, soil quality and conservation, water availability and ecosystem health.

Most of these concerns are in the farming stage of the biofuel production. The crops required to produce biofuel can be hard on the land. They can lower the water table and strip the land of all of the minerals that are required for your crops to grow. These concerns are minimized through governmental regulations and good farming habits. Some good farming habits include rotating your crops as to not strip the land, managing chemical use, and using fertilizer to increase the soil fertility when needed. These concerns are also minimized by ABEN engineers through the improvement of the machinery used in this stage. Some improvements include no till planters and systems that fertilize and plant simultaneously, which will save fuel and eliminates the need to make a second pass through the field.

Production of biofuels actually contributes to global warming, doing more harm that good. The United States demand for ethanol crops like corn, soybeans and switch grass increases the amount of deforestation and conversion of natural habitats increases. This land is being converted into farmland to keep up with the demand for corn, soybeans and switch grass, not only for ethanol production but for human consumption as well. When a natural habitat is destroyed it releases mass amounts of carbon dioxide into the air. This release of carbon is what contributes to global warming.

Most aspects of biofuel production are already regulated by the government. In their report, the EPA made some suggestions to further improve the biofuel production process. Some of the more important suggestions were improving cooperation between researchers (internationally as well as in the United States) and improving the ability of federal agencies to develop management and conservation practices.

If the United States and the rest of the world can find a balance between the use of crops for biofuel production and consumer consumption, as well as minimize the effects of what the production of the fuels does to the environment, we will be well on our way to minimize our dependance on fossil fuels.

oaspub.epa.gov/eims/eimscomm.getfile?p_download_id=500584

Horsch Anderson Planting Systems

Horsch Anderson Planting System

The Horsch Anderson company has created a new and improved planting system. It eliminates one of today’s major problems with air seeders, the trash flow. Trash flow is where the seeder or drill gets packed with crop residue. Heavy residues can cause uneven planting depths and can also cause the system to plug. The Horsch Anderson Planting System fixed this by making a 15'' shank configuration over 4 rows which leaves plenty of space for the residue to flow through. It also comes with a cutting coulter option, which is for heavy residue crops like corn.

In addition to planting, this system can also fertilize at the same time, eliminating the need to make a second pass through the field. When fertilizing, other air seeders just make a furrow in the ground and apply the fertilizer, like anhydrous ammonia. Without the furrow being packed again the fertilizer has a greater chance of evaporating. The Horsch Anderson system not only makes a furrow but packs the earth back over it to minimize the chance of evaporating.

This planting system is one of the most productive planting systems on the market today. It has a heavy frame for planting in dry conditions, a disc leveler system, and the capacity to move high volumes of product. This means you can plant at higher speeds and still maintain product placement. You also still get a smooth field when you are done. Planting at higher speeds allows you to plant more acres per day, which increases productivity.

5.5 in air tubes

As mentioned before this system has the capacity to move high volumes of product. It can do this because of it’s 5.5'' air tubes that bring the product from the commodities cart (cart that holds the product) to the planting system. The tubes then feed into the secondary manifolds that distribute the product. This system can easily be changed from small grain which requires 15'' shank spacing to row crops, 30'' shank spacing, by removing the unneeded openers in the secondary manifolds.

The Horsch Anderson Planting System uses has a disc leveling system. When you plant a field at high speeds this is an essential component. Other air seeders have a speed limit. When they are used at higher speeds they create a stepping effect and could also leave the furrows open. The disc leveling system works by controlling the soil moved when a furrow is created and it brings the soil back into the furrow after the seed/fertilizer is put in the ground. This prevents moisture loss to the product.

This system uses new ISOBUS technology. This technology is how the planting system communicates with the tractor. Most new tractors have ISO Virtual Terminals (VT's) in the cab. The new ISOBUS technology eliminates the need for additional monitors or VT's in the cab. The planting system plugs into the ISO connector at the back of the tractor.

It also has a walking tandem packing system. This type of system is essentially a row of wheels at the front of the planter that packs rows in the uneven ground so the product will planted at a consistent depth. For easier transport and storage the 60-15 and 40-15 models have a narrow 18.5 foot transporting width and an overall height of 16 ft. 

This planting system is efficient and precise at high speeds. It plants the crop and fertilizes it all in one pass, and it is easy to transport. The only drawback is the price. A used model will cost you anywhere from 150 to 300 thousand dollars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVOkAjX3VhE

What is Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering?

To start, I will explain how I got into this field of study. I love math and science and I grew up on a small farm. I knew I wanted to help people, especially farmers. I first discovered engineering in 9^th grade when I was talking to my high school counselor and decided that is what I wanted to do with my life. It was not until I visited North Dakota State University (NDSU) for the first time that I discovered there was a way I could achieve my goal.

I am a third year student in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering or (ABEN). I am asked about ABEN engineering all the time because it is a relatively small engineering discipline here at NDSU http://www.ndsu.edu/aben/. The official definition is "The application of math and science to improve production and processing of agricultural goods." That definition is always hard for me to remember so instead I remember the four F's: Food, Fuel, Fiber, and Feed. This means that anything produced from agricultural goods can be considered ABEN engineering and as a result this type of engineering is very diverse.

Here at NDSU ABEN has two separate concentrations of engineering.  First there is (AGEN) Agricultural Engineering and second is the (BSEN) Biosystems Engineering. There is considerable overlap between these concentrations but additional requirements for BSEN include a heavier emphasis on fundamental biology and chemistry. Where the AGEN has a heavier emphasis in the engineering sciences.

The BSEN concentration deals with the processing of biomass products for food, fuel, fiber and feed. Biosystems engineering uses different types of materials like starch and sugar crops, oil-seeds, algae and manure to produce bio-energy. Some examples of bio-energy are ethanol and bio-diesel. A new project currently being worked on is using algae as a bio-energy source. It can produce over 100 times the amount of energy than say starch crops can. The major draw back though is the way it is grown, (in small cylindrical glass/plexiglass tubes) which makes it very expensive. Biosystems Engineering is responsible for helping to minimize the dependence on fossil fuels throughout the world.

Within the AGEN concentration there are two sub-categories,  Agricultural Systems or Environmental Systems.

Within the Agricultural Systems sub-category there are several different emphasis’s that you can concentrate on. The power and machinery, structure and environment control, electrical, and computer aided design.  Those that put an emphasis in the power and machinery develop and improve already existing machinery in order to increase production or somehow improve the agricultural process in a way that saves money or time and the environment. Some possible jobs are designing tractors, combines and other farming equipment such as no-till planters. No-till planters are easier on the ground and soil because you do not till the ground before you plant your crop.

A person who puts emphasis in the electrical side of engineering is responsible for improving production in the agricultural process the same as the power/machinery.  They do it by improving or developing electrical systems like the precision GPS systems that can plant a field by itself. All the operator has to do is turn the tractor around. For the rest of the descriptions of the different emphasis’s go to http://www.ndsu.edu/aben/students/undergraduate_programs/aben/curriculum/agricultural_engineering_concentration/ 

Then there is the Environmental Systems sub-category which is what I am interested in. This sub-category deals with the conservation and management of soil and water resources and the impact farming, construction, or anything unnatural has on the land. This sub-category puts an emphasis on conservation, irrigation engineering and hydrology. Within this sub-category a person can get a number of jobs working for the NRCS (Natural Resource Conservation Service) or for the USDA. This sub-category is important because without suitable soil and water there would be very poor crops and as a result people would suffer. They would suffer because there would not be enough crops to provide for the growing population of the world.

Most engineers get in to engineering because they want to help people and improve their quality of life. ABEN is more specifically geared towards helping farmers and through the farmers we help the people. We are striving to help make farming easier on the land and on the farmers themselves. We are doing this through improvements of the machinery and fuel farmers use, and in our understanding of our most valuable resources; the land, water and air.