Developing an integrated biomass/biofuel production system using the Mississippi/Missouri River corridor

Background/Question/Methods

The Mississippi/Missouri River corridor includes the floodplain and associated upland landscape, stretching from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. It is a region with declining population, high poverty and unemployment, and disproportionate contribution to climate change and other environmental problems.  However, the region is uniquely positioned to support a dynamic multi-billion gallon advanced biofuels industry based on its combination of agricultural, forestry, logistics, and industrial assets.  The region is networked by a superior logistics system that includes cost-effective barge, rail, and road systems and is already equipped with extensive industrial infrastructure with excess capacity and trained workers capable of producing advanced biofuels and biobased products.   However, how can we develop a sustainable supply of biomass in this corridor to help the emerging biomass and biofuels industry?

Results/Conclusions

The region offers large acreages of both marginal (116 million acres) and productive land (100 million acres) with a variety of soil types, surplus surface and groundwater, favorable climate and growing seasons, and the largest biomass production potential in the nation.  Converting 10% of the marginal land to dedicated energy crops such as grasses or short-rotation woody crops can provide a sustainable supply of biomass to produce up to 8 billion gallons of advanced biofuels from this corridor.  In addition to providing a $24 billion net economic impact, such a sustainable biomass production systems could offer a number of environmental benefits.  It will create new wildlife habitat, establish corridors and connectivity with existing natural areas, sequester carbon, and improve water quality.  For example, 20 to 80% reduction in nitrate loading into streams and rivers can be accomplished by placing perennial biomass crops along riparian areas of farmlands.   Developing a biomass corridor could not only support an emerging bio-based industry, but also provide a multitude of conservation benefits to society at large.