On February 1, Stephen P. Long was named Illinois’ lead investigator on a new Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), a joint effort with the University of California at Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Long is both a professor of crop sciences and also of plant biology. He has appointments at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and the Institute for Genomic Biology. He was interviewed by the News Bureau’s Life Sciences Editor Diana Yates.
What is Illinois’ role in the Energy Biosciences Institute?
The EBI is divided into five parts. We lead the first, which deals with the generation of feedstock – plant material – for the production of biofuels. Our work will complement existing technologies, which derive ethanol from cornstarch and diesel from soy. Initially, we’ll examine corn stover (after-harvest remains) and some perennial grasses such as Miscanthus as feedstocks.
We will work to improve the yields and quality of these feedstocks. We’ll engineer equipment for planting, harvesting and processing them. And we’ll study the economic, social and environmental impacts and benefits.
How did the use of plants such as Miscanthus develop at Illinois?
Before I came here I was involved quite heavily with the European Union’s renewable energy projects. Miscanthus emerged there as a front-runner because it is very productive, yet requires very few inputs. For example it appears to require almost no nitrogen fertilizer in its production. In many areas of Europe, nitrogen pollution in the water is an issue. And so this was a particular environmental benefit of using that plant.
Why is Miscanthus useful as a biofuel source?
Miscanthus is very productive. In Illinois it starts growing in early April and carries on until almost the end of October. This is why it reaches 13 feet. In 2004 we had 26 tons of dry matter per acre on the South Farms.
How does that compare to other biofuel sources?
Switchgrass has been the main contender here. That produced about 10 tons per acre in the same year, which is still a good yield.
Some grasses introduced to the U.S. from other parts of the world have become environmental problems because they invade new territory and crowd out native plants. Is the Miscanthus used in this project invasive?
We are currently using Miscanthus x giganteus. This is a hybrid between two species, but a special type called a triploid. Triploids have three sets of chromosomes instead of the normal two. This prevents the formation of viable pollen and ovules. Triploids are known to be highly sterile.
Triploid technology has been in use for over 100 years in the U.S. and elsewhere. Bananas sold commercially in the U.S. are triploids.
Miscanthus is not new. The parent species, which are fertile, are popular garden plants that have been in use in the U.S. for over 100 years. Europe has several thousand acres of Miscanthus in production – the oldest sites, in Denmark, are 30 years old. Invasiveness has not been a problem there. Government environmental impact assessments have approved its use across the European Union, from Ireland and Sweden to Spain and Hungary.
We can never say that there is no risk, but it would be hard to find another plant that from all evidence would pose a lesser risk.
How will this project enhance opportunities for students at the University of Illinois?
The graduate student who worked on this with me and completed her PhD in July received three job offers before she even put in one application. There is a huge demand for people with bioenergy feedstock expertise right now. And a part of the EBI is to develop a training program for students and extension services in biofuels.
