USDA awards $10m grant for research in biofuels production from beetle-killed wood

The Colorado State University led consortium has received a $10m grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to research the production of biofuels from insect-killed trees.

The funding for the Bioenergy Alliance Network of the Rockies (BANR) project was awarded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI).

The consortium members are University of Idaho, University of Montana, Montana State University and the University of Wyoming, U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, National Renewable Energy Lab and Cool Planet Energy Systems.

USDA secretary Tom Vilsack said that infestations of pine and spruce bark beetles have impacted over 42 million acres of US forests since 1996, and a changing climate threatens to expand the threat from bark beetle on the country’s forest lands.

"As we take steps to fight the bark beetle, this innovative research will help take the biomass that results from bark beetle infestation and create clean, renewable energy that holds potential for job creation and promises a cleaner future for America," Vilsack added.

"This is yet another reminder of the critical investments provided by the farm bill for agricultural research, and I urge Congress to achieve passage of a new, long term food, farm and jobs bill as soon as possible."

Benifits of using beetle-killed trees for biofuel include that they don’t require cultivation and don’t compete with food production, and delivers a highly favourable carbon balance.

There are, however, some obstacles like wood is typically available in forests/less accessible areas, and is located far from urban industrial centers, which increases wood harvesting and transportation costs.

The university and consortium partners will work together to address these challenges including environmental impacts, social issues and local policy hurdles to using beetle-killed wood and other forest residues remain largely unexplored.

The team will study recent developments in various thermochemical conversion technologies, which help make biofuel on-site.