Barriers and incentives to the production of bioethanol from cereal straw: A farm business perspective

Abstract

The EU renewable energy directive stipulates a requirement for 10% of transport fuels to be derived from renewable sources by 2020. Second generation biofuels offer potential to contribute towards this target with cereal straw representing a potentially large feedstock source. From an on-farm survey of 240 arable farmers, timeliness of crop establishment and benefits of nutrient retention from straw incorporation were cited as reasons for straw incorporation. However, two-thirds (one-third) of farmers would supply wheat (barley) straw for bioenergy. The most popular contract length and continuous length of straw supply was either 1 or 3 years. Contracts stipulating a fixed area of straw supply for a fixed price were the most frequently cited preferences, with £50 t−1 the most frequently cited minimum contract price that farmers would find acceptable. Arable farmers in England would be willing to sell 2.52 Mt of cereal straw for bioenergy purposes nationally and 1.65 Mt in the main cereal growing areas of Eastern England. Cereal straw would be diverted from current markets or on-farm uses and from straw currently incorporated into soil. Policy interventions may be required to incentivise farmers to engage in this market, but food and fuel policies must increasingly be integrated to meet societal goals.

Evaluation of different lignocellulosic biomass pretreatments by phenotypic microarray-based metabolic analysis of fermenting yeast

“…The use of the acid pre-treatment paired with wheat-straw was chosen as the model system for further investigation due to a compromise between various factors and practical constraints. Wheat straw was chosen as the LCM biomass as use of this cereal straw has been highlighted as a potential energy crop within the UK with arable farmers actually willing to sell the crop for this purpose (Glithero, 2013a). The alkaline pre-treatment system was discounted as the hydrolysates exhibited poor fermentation performance.…”

“…Three different pre-treatments were selected and applied on commonly available LCMs which have all previously been highlighted as potential energy crops in the UK (Glithero, 2013a;Glithero et al, 2013b). The pretreatments were all chosen as effective for LCM and consisted of an acid hydrothermal system; 1% H2SO4 at 121°C (Wilkinson et al, 2014a), an alkaline system; 5% NaOH at 50°C (Wilkinson et al, 2014b), and finally an autohydrolytical system; 200°C aqueous based (Wilkinson et al, 2015).…”

Farmers’ Participation in Rice Straw-Utilisation in the MADA Region of Kedah, Malaysia

“…According to Glithero et al (2013), the major reasons given by farmers for not baling or selling cereal straw are the short period of operations for the next crop, and perceived benefits of incorporation to soil structure and soil fertility. The other reasons stated by farmers are weather (unable to bale when straw in wet condition); nutrient retention; arson (concern about security of harvested straw); lack of demand from local market; market prices (returns insufficient); labour, complexity of on farm operations (invest in new machinery).…”

Reviews of Science for Science Librarians: Second-generation Biofuels Feedstock: Crop Wastes, Energy Grasses, and Forest Byproducts

“…For example, incentives to be paid to farmers in Britain to supply biorefineries are based on a general equivalency of wheat and barley straws (Glithero, Ramsden, and Wilson 2013). Suresh and colleagues (2014) have demonstrated with both rice and wheat that inducing bubbles (cavitation) in slurries of finely chopped straw of either type being pretreated with acids, alkalis, or hot water, prior to fermentation, increases the release of their sugars, leading to greater ethanol yields.…”