# Presentation: 759866

## USDA Research and Development and Emerging 

***USDA Research and Development and Emerging ***
***Bioeconomy***** : *****Challenges and Opportunities***
- Ghassem R. Asrar, Deputy Administrator
- Agricultural Research Service
- U.S. Department of Agriculture

- Agricultural Research Service

## 1862-2007 145 Years of Agricultural Research

**Notes:**
The US Department of Agriculture has been involved in scientific research that supports agriculture since 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln first established the USDA. 
Before their was an FDA, EPA, or NIH, USDA scientists were conducting research.  Some of the most important scientists of the time were working at USDA. 
Scientists like Theobald Smith, who is called the “greatest pioneer of American bacteriology” for his work on Texas fever in cattle. Smith  discovered the protozoan agent and the means of transmission by ticks, and opened the way for the explanation of the transmission of such human disease as yellow fever and African sleeping sickness. 
Harvey Wiley, crusader for food safety who became known as the "Father of the Pure Food and Drugs Act" when it became law in 1906. 
Marion Dorset who discovered the virus that causes hog cholera and later developed a serum to prevent it. 
William Olin Atwater, the “Father of Human Nutrition,” who persuaded the Federal Government to study nutrition and who founded and headed the Office of Experiment Stations. 
And Mary Engle Pennington, who did ground-breaking work in food safety and refrigeration. 
William Saunders, Superintendent of Propagating Gardens in the Department of Agriculture 

## USDA Bioenergy/Biofuels R&D

**USDA has a long history of research, development, and deployment in:**
**Biomass, biobased products, and bioenergy**
**Renewable energy for farms and ranches**
**Energy management and efficiency**

_***VISION -***_
***Agriculture and forestry as major providers of the Nation’s energy/fuel and industrial products and an agricultural sector less dependent on fossil fuels.***

**Notes:**
As you all know, the President’s Advanced Energy Initiative calls for changing the way we power homes, businesses, and automobiles by diversifying energy sources.  

The initiative also calls for breakthrough technologies needed to make cellulosic ethanol cost-competitive with corn-based ethanol by 2012. 

USDA will support the Advanced Energy Initiative by doing research that enables America’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners to replace a significant portion of current petroleum consumption with biomass while adequately serving their traditional markets in food, feed and fiber. USDA will also help diversify energy sources on farms and farm businesses, and work to reduce fossil fuel usage in farming operations. 

## BIOMASS

**Energy Production through Agriculture - **
**	*****Capture carbon dioxide and convert solar energy ***
***	******to fuels and products***** **

- FUELS

- CHEMICAL
- FEEDSTOCK

- VALUABLE
- COPRODUCTS &
- BIOPRODUCTS

**Tremendous opportunities for agriculture **

**Notes:**
Energy captured from the sun in the form of Biomass has tremendous potential to help mitigate effects of CO2 accumulation on the atmosphere, and well as help secure our energy supply through domestic production. Further, Biomass can serve as a feedstock for not only liquid fuels, but also future fuels, such as H2. Biomass can also be converted to numerous valuable coproducts and bioproducts, as well as chemical feedstocks. These product streams stand to significantly impact the economics of biofuel processing. 

## Biofuels Legislation –

**Biofuels Legislation –**
***National Directions***
_***Energy Title-2002 Farm Bill***_** **

- Established new programs
- and grants
- Reauthorized and broadened the bioenergy program

- Accompanied by Congress members, President George W. Bush
- signs the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 in the
- Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building May 13.

_***Research & Energy Titles-2007 Farm Bill***_** **
**Administration Proposed Title**
**Establish an Agricultural Bioenergy and Biobased Products Research **
**Initiative with $500 million over 10 years to advance fundamental scientific **
**knowledge for the improved production of renewable fuels and biobased **
**products. **
**Other energy proposals are contained within the Energy, **
**Conservation, and Rural Development titles.**

## USDA Bioenergy/Biofuels R&D

**Supports the President’s 20 in 10 initiative and goal.**
**Develops and deliver feedstock production systems that are sustainable and competitive.**
**Enables and improve commercial deployment of biomass conversion technologies.**
**Supports infrastructure development through assistance to communities and businesses.**
**Improve efficiency in agricultural and forestry operations.**
**Supports education and outreach.**
**Develops policy in support of bio-fuels and bio-products production and use.**

## Desired Outcomes and Impact 

**Improve national security and the U.S. balance of trade by reducing America’s dependence on imported petroleum.**
**Help America transition to renewable sources of energy and other goods.**
**Realize important environmental benefits such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing carbon sequestration, reclaiming unproductive lands, and rehabilitating unhealthy lands.**
**Realize significant, new, sustainable (environmentally, economically and socially) economic opportunities for rural America.**
**Realize secure sources of energy for rural America.**** **

## R&D Challenges/Opportunities

**Can we produce enough feedstocks?**
**Can we produce feedstocks sustainably?**
**Can we make biofuels competitive?**
**Can we enable a “Rural Renaissance?”**

**Transition to a bioeconomy – education, training, and outreach**
**Provide economic opportunities**
**Provide assistance**

**Optimize agronomic and silvicultural systems**
**Innovative conversion and delivery technology deployment**
**Bioproducts and coproducts**

**Maintain ecological integrity**
**Enhance environmental values**

**Enhance productivity**
**Not disrupt markets**
**Avoid land-use competition **

## USDA Contributing Agencies/Programs

**Office of the Under Secretary Research, Education and Economics**
**Agriculture Research Service**
**Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service**
**Economic Research Service**
**National Agricultural****Statistics Service**

**Agricultural Marketing Service**
**Farm Service Agency**
**Foreign Agricultural Service**
**Forest Service**
**Global Change Program Office**
**Natural Resources Conservation Service**
**Office of Budget and Program Analysis**
**Office of Communications**
**Office of Energy Policy and New Uses**
**Risk Management Agency**
**Rural Development**

## USDA’s Energy Council

**Purposes:**
**Oversight of implementation of President’s National Energy Plan including EPAct of 2005.**
**Coordination of USDA Energy Related Programs.**
**Review and evaluation of key policy and program decisions on energy matters.**
**Development of Initiatives to transform and generate alternative energy sources.**
**Assist and oversee continued implementation of Title IX of 2002 Farm Bill.**
**Chair: Tom Dorr, RD**
**Co-Vice Chairs: Keith Collins, OCE; Mark Rey, NRE**
**Ex-Officio Members: DOE, EPA, DOC, DOI, DOT**
**Methods:****	****	****	****	****	****	**
**Coordinate Secretary’s bi-weekly energy briefings**
**Established four standing oversight committees**
**Research and Development**
**Commercialization**
**Communication & Outreach**
**International Cooperation**

## Growing Energy and Opportunity in America – Linking Land Conservation, Innovation, and Value

**Office of Budget and Program Analysis   **
**Office of Energy Policy and New Uses**
**Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration Office of the Under Secretary ****for Research, Education and Economics   **
**Rural Business-Cooperative Service   **
**Rural Utilities Service   **

*http://www.ars.usda.gov/bbcc/*

**Agricultural Marketing Service   **
**Agricultural Research Service   **
**Cooperative State Research, Education ****and Extension Service **
**Farm Service Agency     **
**Foreign Agricultural Service   **
**Forest Service   **
**Global Change Program Office **

**Chair – Gale Buchanan, Under Secretary REE**
**Vice Chair – Rodger Conway, Director, OEPNU**
*Working Chair: Bob Fireovid (ARS), Working Vice Chair: Bill Goldner (CSREES), Secretary Marion Buford (FS)*

***Growing Energy and Opportunity in America – Linking Land Conservation, Innovation, and Value***

- _Biobased Products and Bioenergy Coordination Council (BBCC)_

## Biofuels Legislation –

***National Directions***
***Biomass Research and ***
***Development Act 2000***** **

**The Biomass R&D Act directed the Departments of Energy **
**and Agriculture to:**
**Integrate their biomass R&D**
**Create the Biomass Research and Development Board**
**Establish the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory **
**Committee (BTAC)**

**Notes:**
President Clinton signed the Biomass Research and Development Act of 2000, first example of dramatic legislative direction in the area of bioenergy. The enactment directed the Departments of Agriculture and Energy to integrate their biomass R&D efforts. It also created a Biomass Research and Development Board which is co chaired by USDA and DOE, designed to promote the use of biobased fuels and products. The Act also created the Technical Advisory Committee (BTAC) which provides guidance to the Biomass Research and Development Board on the technical focus of the Biomass Research and Development Initiative.  

## Biofuels Legislation –

_**Biofuels Legislation –**_
***National directions***
***Biomass Research and ***
***Development Act 2000***** **

**BR&Di and BTAC coordinate efforts across all federal  Agencies**
**to develop: **

**Notes:**
BRDI and BTAC have lead efforts to coordinate across all Federal Agencies, and have produced two National plans documents. The first ‘Vision’ document was published in 2006, which spelled out the research and development needs for a bioeconomy. The second document, entitled the National Biofuels Action Plan, is a product of a workshop held last fall, which brought together key scientists, administrators, and policy makers from several federal agencies to ‘put the pen to paper’ and identify responsibilities for the various departments and agencies. USDA was a major contributor to every section of the document, and USDA is identified as the Lead agency in many areas, including feedstock production, logistics and handling, as well as conversion. 

## Complimentary Capabilities of A Nationwide Network

_**Complimentary Capabilities of A Nationwide Network**_

***Agricultural Research Service (ARS)*** the in house research are of the USDA focuses on the development, production and logistics associated with existing and new biomass feedstocks, and on their efficient and economic conversion to energy, fuel and other  bioproducts.
***Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES)***, mobilizes the research resources of both small businesses and the nation’s higher-education community, especially the land-grant universities, to address the technical barriers associated with producing biomass feedstocks and converting them to biofuels and other bioproducts.
***Forest Service (FS)*** focuses on the production of woody biomass and its efficient conversion to bioenergy and bioproducts.
***Rural Development (RD) ***finances technologies needed to convert biomass into biobased products and bioenergy in a manner which is cost-competitive in large national and international markets.
***Economic Research Service (ERS)*** develops and monitors key indicators of the agricultural system and rural communities, providing market analysis, developing projections of commodity supply, demand and retail food prices.

## USDA CSREES R&D Activities

**Notes:**
CSREES works cooperatively with 104 Land Grant Universities located in all 50 states, the U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. Many, if not all of these Universities and Colleges have research programs in bioenergy and biobased products.

Many of these universities are collocated with many ARS laboratories and work closely with our in-house researchers, further leveraging our research resources.

## The Road to Cellulosic Ethanol

**Feedstocks**: Understand Critical Functions in Plant Growth and Maintenance
**Deconstruction:** Improved, inexpensive and robust enzymes with higher activity and longer lifetimes for breakdown of cellulose microfibrils to sugars
**Fermentation:** Improved biological organisms and enzymes capable of metabolizing both C-5 and C-6 sugars
**Co-Product Development:** Value-added uses for residual streams

- _USDA CSREES R&D Activities_

## USDA Forest Service R&D Activities

**	****planning, and decision tools**
**Biomass management and **
**	****utilization guidelines – **
**	****sustainability, site productivity, **
**	****and conservation practices**
**Improved economics – **
**	****biomass production, harvesting **
**	****and transportation, and processing/conversion**
**New uses for wood and advance technology– biobased products, forest biorefinery, and wood-based ethanol**
**Forest production systems and improved genetic material for short-rotation forestry**

- _USDA Forest Service R&D Activities_

**Conversion**
**Processes**

**- Forest Residues**
** ****Hazardous Fuel and **
**  ****Restoration Treatments**
**- Short Rotation****    Woody Crops**
** ****Wood Waste **
-  **Conventional Forest **
**  ****Production and Thinnings**

** ****Manufacturing**
** ****Co-firing**
** ****Combustion**
** ****Gasification **
** ****Enzymatic Fermentation**
** ****Gas/liquid Fermentation**
** ****Acid Hydrolysis/Fermentation****  **

** **

**- Biofuels:**
**    ****Diesel & Ethanol**
**- Electricity and Heat**
**- Biobased Products**
**    ****Composites**
**    ****Specialty Products**
**    ****Chemicals**
**- Traditional Products**

**Forest **
**Biomass**
**Feedstock**

**Uses**

- _USDA Forest Service R&D Activities_

**Notes:**
FS R&D is involved in the forest biomass management cycle – managing and producing biomass, converting, and developing markets.

## USDA-ARS Research Network

**Montpellier, France **
**Rome, Italy**
**Thessaloniki, Greece**

**Brisbane, Australia **
**Beijing, China**
**Hurlingham, Argentina**

## ARS’ Bioenergy Program

- Energy crop research
- Developing new plant varieties for biofuels feedstocks
- Ethanol
- Processing
- Developing new microbes and enzymes for conversion
- Developing valuable co-products from ethanol production

- Biodiesel
- Processing
- Quality and performance
- Other
- Methane from manure
- Thermo-chemical and biological conversion of biomass to hydrogen
- On-farm and remote renewable energy systems

## USDA Bioenergy Research Locations

_**USDA Bioenergy Research Locations**_

- Conversion Processes
- Biodiesel
- Ethanol
- Thermal
- Methane
- Citrus Waste
- Regional Research Center
- Feedstocks
- On-Farm Systems

## Can we produce enough feedstocks? Starch Based Feedstocks

- Investigate opportunities to
- expand starch feedstock options to
- include barley, sorghum, millet, and field
- peas

- Investigate means to increase
- grain yield

## Can we produce enough feedstocks? Oil Based Feedstocks

- Investigate methods to increase
- 	oil content
- Expand biodiesel feedstocks to
- 	include rendered animal
- 	fats and byproducts, restaurant
- 	waste fats/oils, greases, etc.

## Can we produce enough feedstocks? Cellulose Based Feedstocks

**Determining the economic production cost **
**feasibility of perennial herbaceous energy crops**
**Characterization of the switchgrass genome**
**Modifying the genetics of switchgrass for **
**enhance energy crop properties**

**Developing energy cane for **
**increased biomass yields**
**Developed high biomass alfalfa for forage and **
**bioenergy**

##  20 gene banks throughout U.S.

- “designer” cell walls to
- 		dramatically improve ease
- 		of hydrolysis
- Germplasm collection screening
-  **20 gene banks throughout U.S.**
**470,000 accessions**
**11,700 species**
**13,154 industrial crops accessions**

_**Can we produce enough feedstocks?**__** **__***Cell Wall Initiative***_

## Can we produce feedstocks in a sustainable manner? Crop residue removal and soil impacts

**Renewable Energy Assessment Project (REAP)**

**Residue needed to maintain soil function and sustain production**
**Trade-off for residue use as bioenergy versus soil carbon feedstock**
**Developing an algorithm to guide sustainable harvest of residue for biomass ethanol**
**Developing management strategies for sustainable harvest of residue**

- Crop residues _should not be considered wastes_, and are necessary
- to maintain soil carbon levels required for soil sustainability. These studies will enable farmers and producers to calculate the amount
- of residue that can be _safely removed_ for ethanol processing.

***National ARS effort: IA, IN, AL, NE, CO, OR, MN, ND, WA***

## Can we make biofuels competitive? Processing and Conversion

**Developed and demonstrated eco-friendly, enzymatic corn steeping**
**processes for enhanced wet milling**
- 	-reduces need for hazardous reagents
- 	-positively impact both the economic
- 	and environmental cost of processing
- 	-produced a value added DDGS with
- 	high protein and lower fiber
- 	 -patented and licensed
**Developing enhanced ethanol-water **
**separation technologies**

## Can we make biofuels competitive? Processing and Conversion

- Discovered the most active β-xylosidase
- enzyme for releasing sugars from biomass
- Discovered and patented two novel microbial
- enzymes for cellulose processing.
- Isolated and expressed fungal enzymes
- for biomass processing
***Advances in microbiology-***
- Creation of glucose resistant ethanolic microorganisms
- capable of using multiple sugars
- Novel application of *Lactobacillus plantarum *as
- biocatalyst for ethanol production
- Developed environmentally sensitive pretreatment
- of lignocellulose biomass
***Thermochemical processing-***
- Developing small scale gasification and
- pyrolysis units targeted to ‘on farm’ energy
- production

- http://www.omniscellula.net/Material/images/bordons/fig3.jpg

_**Can we make biofuels competitive?**_** **_*Processing and Conversion*_

## Can we make biofuels competitive? Value added coproducts 

- Developing & improving value-added coproducts - corn zein, corn fiber oil,
- 	corn fiber gum
- Processing improvement to add
- 	nutritional value to dried distillers
- 	grains
- Fermentation products – adhesives

## Can we enable a “Rural Renaissance?” USDA Rural Development Activities

**Section 9006** – Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program
**Establishes a grant, loan, and loan guarantee program to assist eligible farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses in purchasing renewable energy systems and making energy efficiency improvements.**

**Can we enable a “Rural Renaissance?”**_ __*USDA Rural Development Activities*_

**Section 9008 - **Research and Development (R&D) Biomass Program
- -**Support research, development, and demonstration on biobased products, biofuels, and biopower.**
**     ****Eligible Recipients: Institutions of Higher Learning; ****	****National Laboratory; Federal Research Agency; State ****	****Research Agency;  Private Sector Entities; and Nonprofit ****	****Organizations or a consortium of two or more of entities ****	****described above.**

## ARS Office of International Research Programs

***‘******OIRP enhances the effectiveness ***
***and impact of U.S. Agriculture by ***
***managing the ARS Overseas ***
***laboratories and facilitating ***
***International research activities’**** *

**Multilateral Cooperative Projects:**
- _Middle East Regional Irrigation Management _
- _Information System_
- Israel	Jordan	Palestinian Authority
- Middle East Visiting Researchers
**Bilateral Cooperative Project:**
- Morocco
- Tunisia
- _U.S.-Israel Binational Agriculture Research and _
- _Development Fund (BARD) _
- Memorandum of Cooperation between USDA/ARS
- and the Ministry of Agriculture of the State of Israel
_**EPO-BIO:**_
- _Joint program between ARS and EC_
*Flagship programs:* cell walls, oilseeds, biopolymers
**Labex:**
- _Joint program between Embrapa (Brazil) and ARS_
- Growing dialog regarding bioenergy
**Exploring new opportunities with other countries**

## Agricultural Research: key to food and energy security and natural resources stewardship

***Agricultural Research: key to food and energy security and natural resources stewardship***