Is biogas a good option for Missouri?
Roundtable targets renewable energy.
Unlike petroleum, natural gas, and coal, the future of biofuels as an alternative, renewable energy source appears bright — and cleaner than many traditional sources.
Biofuel, and specifically biogas, is the focus of a virtual roundtable at 3 p.m. Friday, June 25, sponsored by the Local Science Engagement Network (LSEN), an outreach of the Missouri Science & Technology (MOST) Policy Initiative.
Sign up to view the event here>>
“The possibilities are endless” for biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuels that are responsible for most greenhouse gas emissions, said Eleni Bickell, PhD, the MOST policy fellow serving agriculture, natural resources, and some economics committees in the Missouri General Assembly. Bickell will host the roundtable discussion, with LSEN coordinator Dan English as the moderator.
Demystifying biofuel basics.
In its pursuit of identifying knowledge gaps, MOST works collaboratively with policymakers and the scientific community to determine priority topics and to identify knowledge gaps. The LSEN is a valuable outreach of MOST for building those relationships.
Anyone can participate in the roundtable discussion on biogas as a reliable, renewable energy source by clicking here.
If there’s any mystery about biofuels — which include biogas and biodiesel — or the biomass needed to produce biofuels, the June 25 roundtable panel will demystify the topics. Bickell said there are also different policy implications for different types of biofuels — namely, biogas and biodiesel. The differences among biofuels and what they are used for, from transportation and producing electricity, will be the first basic topic the panel will address.
Abundant and renewable.
“One overarching theme is that it’s considered a renewable energy source, so you don’t use fossil fuel to produce it,” Bickell added. It’s also good news that biomass — whether animal waste or plant waste — is in abundant supply and also renewable. She said the U.S. gets 80 percent of its energy production from non-renewable sources such as oil, natural gas, and coal. Of that amount, some 30 percent is used for transportation.
“There’s a lot of conservation in the energy sphere about how dependent the U.S. is on importing energy from other countries or how much is produced from sources that are limited,” she explained. On the other hand, not only are crops for biomass already being grown, but “we are now growing more than we need,” which shows the renewable nature of biofuels, Bickell said.
Where biofuel is produced and the state’s and nation’s capacity to produce it will also be a focus of the roundtable discussion.
“You already have cows, pigs, chickens. Instead of thinking of economical ways to dispose that waste, you use it to produce biofuel,” Bickell explained.
Pig manure to fuel.
About six years ago, the University of Missouri launched a prototype small-scale anaerobic digestion system that produces biogas from pig manure. Teng Teeh Lim, PhD, who has several graduate students working on the hog-manure-to-biogas research project will be among the LSEN roundtable panelists.
The panel also includes James Kaufman, who has 20 years of experience researching the economics and impact of innovative technologies that are applied to food and agriculture, and Brandon Butler, director of communications for Roeslein Alternative Energy (RAE).
“What does biogas and biodiesel have in store for the future?” English asked. “If I drive a natural gas powered vehicle, will I someday be putting biogas in my tank?”
The panel is also expected to discuss policies and steps that are needed to commercialize biofuel technology that could lead to electrifying households as well as farms with biogas.
The biogas roundtable will be the sixth virtual roundtable by LSEN this year. Previous roundtable discussions and topics are listed below with links to the recordings.
COVID-19 vaccination and equitable distribution
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