industry? Can they also meet the growing demand for
biofuels, food, feed and fiber with these biotechnologies,
doing it an economically feasible ways?
Hettenhaus: That is, if you will, wrapped up in this
project in Imperial. First of all, we want to ensure that it
is sustainable and that we maintain the soil quality. That
can be done, by not tilling, leaving some residues, and in
some cases, adding a cover crop.
In regard to food versus fuel, in this case, we are not
touching food at all. We are looking at the cellulosic corn
stock. And for every pound of corn grain there is nearly a
pound of corn stover. We are adding about three bushels
an acre due to an enhanced hybrid — this is not just
GMO. We have selective breeding that will increase our
bushels per acre. What happens is, as the bushels
increase, the corn stover increases because the vascular
system in the stalk is what feeds the corn.
And how do we do that in an economical way? The
multiple passes add costs and we are looking to improve
the economics with the one-pass harvest. And we want to
improve the reliability by not being so dependent on the
weather for this stover to dry. We want to collect it wet
and minimize the risk of fire in the field, and in the transport and storage of the stover by storing it wet.
GCX: So, what are the challenges facing the biorefinery
industry and how will biotech processes assist in overcoming the challenges?
Hettenhaus: There have been a lot of investments by
venture capital and private companies, as well as by the
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the USDA in
regard to researching the processes. The DOE has funded
nearly $385 million in six full-scale plants. It recently
added four smaller plants that are semi-commercial for
about $114 million.
However, to get the feedstock, the land owner/farmer
controls what you plant. And that person is like the new
OPEC. It has to work for them. They have to have something that is sustainable; they are stewards of the soil. And
they need information in regard to how much they can
remove. And, in some cases, they can’t remove anything.
If it is a really dry area they need to leave the residue on
the surface so the moisture doesn’t dry out and the crops
start to wilt.
In other cases it is too wet. The farmer has to plow and
manage the residues in order for the soil to dry. And in
those cases you want to take the stover off so the farmer
can move to no-till.
We have to present enough information and economic
incentives. We need a value for the carbon, such as carbon
credits. We hear about carbon credits and offsetting greenhouse gases in Europe and other places. Over here, if I am a
farmer, I don’t receive those benefits. However, I receive
multiple benefits if I receive carbon credits. Because I am
using a no-till process, I am sequestering carbon in the soil,
and then I am harvesting, and hopefully pre-treating and
