# Presentation: 505045

## BIOENERGY: A NEW CHALLENGE FOR RESEARCH AND INVESTMENT

**PROF.ATANAS ATANASSOV**
**USDA Global Conference on Agricultural Biofuels**
**Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA**
**AGROBIOINSTITUTE**
**DIRECTOR**

## Slide 2

## HUMANITY’S TOP TEN PROBLEMS THE NEXT 50 YEARS

**ENERGY**
**WATER**
**FOOD**
**ENVIRONMENT **
**POVERTY**
**TERRORISM  &  WAR**
**DISEASE**
**EDUCATION**
**DEMOCRACY**
** ****POPULATION**

## POLICY DRIVING FORCES FOR BIOENERGY DEVELOPMENT

**The production of renewable energy from agriculture involves several sectors, such as energy sector, environmental, agricultural and economic sector**
**There are 3 Directives that are potential driving forces for bioenergy development:**

***The Directive 2001/77/EC on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the internal energy market***
***The Directive 2001/80/EC on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from large combustions plants***
***The Directive 2003/30/EC on the promotion and use of biofuels or other renewable fuels for transport***

## EU WHITE PAPER ON RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (RES) (1997)

**Goal: to double the share of renewable energy in gross energy consumption from 6% to 12% by 2010**

## DIRECTIVE 2003/30/EC on the promotion and use of biofuels or other renewable fuels for transport

- Goal: The Directive aims to promote the use of biofuels to replace petrol and diesel for transport purposes within Member States.
- Member States are required to set national indicative targets for 2005 and 2010 for the minimum proportion of biofuels and other renewable fuels in road fuels, against reference values of _2% by energy content for 2005 and 5.75% by energy content by 2010_.

## COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY (CAP)

- The increase of biomass from agriculture is largely affected by the developments related to CAP
- CAP is an EU wide agricultural policy, adopted by all its Member States
- CAP was reformed in terms of support schemes to EU farmers
- The CAP reform _decoupled subsidies from the production volume and the type of crop cultivated_

## COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY (CAP) & NEW MEMBER STATES

- With the accession of 12 new Member States to the EU in 2007, the _utilized agricultural area increased_ by 30%
- New Member States have a huge agricultural potential that has not been exploited to the full extend
- Not all CAP mechanisms entered into force for new Member States: on one hand farmers received _immediate access to the EU single market but on the other hand the direct payments are phased in gradually over 10 years, having started from 25% of the EU rate in 2004 and reaching the same rate with the EU-15 countries in 2013_
- There is also an option to ‘top-up’ the EU payments with complementary national payments under certain conditions in order to bridge the difference.

## COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY (CAP) & ENERGY CROPS

**Under CAP reform there are two methods for receiving support for energy crop cultivation by farmers:**
_**The first one: Energy crop aid, which is additional to the Single Payment Scheme.  The energy crop aid is 45 EUR per ha for all crops produced for energy purposes on agricultural land**_
**The second one: The pre-reform system of receiving support for cultivating non-food crops on set-aside land within the Single Payment System continues to operate**
**Currently conditions and rates for energy crop cultivation differs for new Member States due to the adopted temporary payment schemes (e.g. Single Area Payment Scheme and crop specific direct payments under CAP)**

## BIODIESEL

- Global production expected to exceed _2.2 billion_ gallons in 2006
- _The EU is the largest producer_ with an estimated capacity of over 1.8 bbgy (billions gallons per year)
- The US is expected to produce about 400 million gallons per year (mmgy) in 2006 - app. 0.7% of US diesel use

## BIODIESEL IN THE EU

- EU 2005 3,184,000 tonnes
- EU 2006 6,069,000 Tonnes
- Three Largest producers are...
- Germany 2005 1,669,000 tonnes
- Germany 2006 2,681,000 tonnes
- France 2005 492,000 tonnes
- France 2006 775,000 tonnes
- Italy 2005 396,000 tonnes
- Italy 2006 857,000 tonnes

**Notes:**
The European Union has established the Biofuels Directive that seeks to increase the share of biofuels to 5.75% by 2010. This directive is not mandatory and EU member countries have had difficulties meeting smaller targets in 2005. A recent draft report released by the European Commission stated that biofuels mandates must be introduced if biofuels are going to account for an appreciable share of the E.U. liquid fuels market. Some member countries prefer to set their own biofuels requirements and question whether the ambitious 5.75% target can be met by production from EU feedstocks. 

## BIOETHANOL

## RESOURCE AVAILABILITY

- Bulgaria _has excellent natural conditions_ for development of the agricultural and forestry sector. Arable land stands at about _4.9 million ha or 44%_ of the _total__ __territory of the__ __country_. The favourable climate for the production of different crops and the existence of agricultural lands, as well as traditions, contribute towards well-developed agriculture and animal husbandry.
- In 2005 unused agricultural land (fallow land and uncultivated land) amounted to 12% of the entire agricultural land. This provides an opportunity for development of this potential for the production of biofuels, providing that the necessary stimulation mechanisms are laid down in legislation.

## RESOURCE AVAILABILITY

**Principal crops for the production of biofuel and their potential**** - **The energy crops used as raw material for the production of **bioethanol **are maize, wheat and sugar beet.
**Wheat **is the agricultural product with the largest volume of production – 3,961,000 t from 1,039,678 ha of land in 2004. In addition to covering the needs of the domestic market, the favourable climatic and macroeconomic conditions permitted exports to the amount of 667,036 t in 2004. The average wheat harvest in Bulgaria stands at 3.09 t/ha (according to data of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry) which corresponds to 0.88 t/ha alcohol.
**Maize **is produced on irrigated lands as it is a crop favouring humidity and warm weather. The average maize harvest in Bulgaria stands at 4.47 t/ha which corresponds to 0.41 t/ha alcohol.
**Sugar beet – **Production of sugar beet in Bulgaria is inconsiderable – 26,367 t in 2004 in spite of favourable climatic conditions. This situation does not allow a forecast to be made for its use as raw material for bioethanol in the near future, except if special measures for stimulation of production are not applied. The average harvest of sugar beet in Bulgaria stands at 22.55 t/ha (according to data of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry) which corresponds to 1.97 t/ha alcohol.
**Sweet sorghum – **the tradition to be renewed** **

## RESOURCE AVAILABILITY

**Principal crops for the production of biofuel and their potential**** - **The energy crops used as raw material for **biodiesel** are sunflower and rapeseed:
**Sunflower** is the agricultural crop – the third in importance after wheat and maize. The average harvest of sunflower in Bulgaria stands at 1.48 t/ha which corresponds to 0.59 t/ha oil.
- The climatic and agro-meteorological conditions for the production of **rapeseed** in Bulgaria are favourable. Low winter temperatures, quick warming in the period of ripening (May-June).
- The above data indicate the conclusion that since rapeseed farming in Bulgaria harbours risks (frost during winter) it is recommendable to use sunflower for the production of biodiesel.
- Although the lack of tradition, the rapeseed acreage has been increased from 22,388 ha (2004) to 44,000 ha (2007). It is expected to exceed 100,000 ha in 2008.

## DEVELOPMENT OF GENOMICS TOOLS TO IMPROVE SORGHUM BIOMASS /FEEDSTOCK QUALITY FOR BIOENERGY AGROBIOCENTER OF GENOMICS 

**PROJECT RATIONALE:**
- To use advanced genomics tools approaches to produce sorghum genotypes with the genetic potential for use in bioenergy production
- Sorghum (*Sorghum bicolor L. Moench*) has the potential to be one of the species dedicated to biomass production in Bulgaria because of its:
- high productivity
- drought tolerance
- established production systems
- its genetic diversity
- 1 ton of grain sorghum produce as much ethanol as 1 ton of maize grain but it uses about half as much water as maize to produce one (1) ton of biomass

## DEVELOPMENT OF GENOMICS TOOLS TO IMPROVE SORGHUM BIOMASS /FEEDSTOCK QUALITY FOR BIOENERGY 

**EXPECTED DELIVERABLES **
- Identification of major QTLs related to biomass quality for biofuels
- Knowledge transfer to sorghum breeding institutes and companies for application of MAS to select and register new high yielding sorghum varieties with improved biomass quality for biofuel
- Increased capacity to participate in EU and international collaborative projects

## GENOMICS APPROACHES TO IMPROVE SUNFLOWER OIL YIELD AND COMPOSITION FOR BIODIESEL PRODUCTION 

- Sunflower is one of the most traditional adapted crops to dry conditions typical to the Bulgarian environments.
- _The oleic acid content in sunflower oil __are considered to be__ suitable for biodiesel production with regard to fuel oxidative stability_.
- Particularly pressing appears the request to increase the technical efficiency of the cropping pattern and to genetically improve the set of cultivars’ availability, in order to reach the double purpose, to reduce cultivation costs and to increase _the crop productive potentiality and stability_.
- The conditions in Bulgaria are very suitable for sunflower cultivation in rainfed conditions in the context of global warming. In comparison with rapeseed and maize it is quite tolerant to reduced water availability and high temperature regime due to a hot, sub-arid climate.

## GENOMICS OF FIBER, WOODY BIOMASS FOR BIOFUEL PRODUCTION 

**PROJECT RATIONALE**
- In Bulgaria, trees of the genus Populus (poplars and poplar hybrids) and Salix are particularly well suited for such applications.
- grow and produce mature wood rapidly
- inhabit a diverse geographic range
- show inter-species hybrid vigour
- can be propagated clonally and coppiced
- can grow well on marginal lands
- The sequencing of the Populus and Salix genome and the development of genomics tools in this system provide unprecedented opportunities to gather insights and develop tools to maximize benefits from this genus
- Genomics data from other such plants and from microbes that produce cell wall degrading enzymes will have similar benefits.

## FUTURE – NEXT GENERATION BIOENERGY CROPS

- GERMPLASM:
- Existing crops – wheat, maize, sunflower
- Under utilized crops – sweet sorghum, rapeseed
- Discover of completely new (alternative) crops – safflower, Myscanthus
- APROACHES:
- Marker assisted breeding
- Transgenic enhanced
- Genomic enhanced

## FUTURE RESEARCH WORK

- TECHNICAL BIOMASS ASSESSMENT:
- Bulgaria has to address its ability to produce _sustainable_ its own biofuels base from an energy, environmental, and economic perspective.  A major component of sustainable biofuels production on a scale large enough to meet the EU directive is to assess the country’s agricultural resource base as it pertains to
- current land use and economic costs and returns
- potential bioenergy crop production and associated energy outputs, and
- environmental enhancement and/or degradation associated with large-scale bioenergy crop production versus current crop production scenarios.
- ABI is under preparation of a project that aims to provide answers concerning use of the land base in Bulgaria for bioenergy/biofuels production.

## FUTURE RESEARCH WORK

**TECHNICAL BIOMASS ASSESSMENT:**
**Determine from the yield estimations the total gross energy (GJ, liters of ethanol or biodiesel, etc.) that could potentially be derived from biomass/bioenergy production in this geographic sector.**
**Compare select environmental parameters such as soil erosion, nutrient transfer, and carbon exchange associated with production of each bioenergy crop versus production of current agricultural cropping systems of wheat and maize.  **
**Compare the economics of production of wheat and maize with each bioenergy crop.  **
**Determine from data derived in these objectives, the optimum agricultural/land base scenarios for bioenergy crop production.  **

## COLLABORATION WITH USDA

- Technical assessment of Bulgarian biomass resources – collaboration with prof. Richard Nelson, Director of extension services, Kansas State University. *Funding is needed.*

## COLLABORATION WITH USDA

- Conference & partnering event: Renewable energy from Agriculture, December 2006

## CONCLUSION

- Bulgarian agriculture can play a key role in energy supply without influencing  on food supply
- The expanding bioenergy industry could:
- Increase the income of agricultural producers
- Diminish the dependence on fuel import
- Improve the benefits for the environment
- Depending on the way this potential will be used, will be defined the social effect on agriculture and its impact on environment.

## Thank you!

- E-mail: atanas_atanassov@abi.bg
- www.abi.bg