Spring Break
Biofuel research aims to ease farmers' fuel issues
DANIEL O'CONNOR
Issue date: 9/7/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
One day Georgia's farmers will have no need to buy high priced fuel at the pump, hopes one University engineering student.
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory (the University
is a partner)
• The Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory managed
by the University of California system
Nick Chammoun, a graduate student from Adel, spent much of his youth working on farms in South Georgia and has begun research to help farmers.
"My personal objective is to find ways agricultural producers can save money on rising fuel costs by producing their own feedstock for fuel," he said.
Dan Geller, an engineering faculty member, said Georgia grows many crops that could be converted to fuel.
Examples include peanuts, cotton, soybeans, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, poultry fat, watermelons and bakery waste, Geller said.
"We really have to look at waste products," he said.
Much of the cost in producing biofuels comes from buying the raw materials and using waste lowers that cost, he said.
Chammoun said biodiesel would be easy to generate on a farm.
"You could grow peanuts or soybeans, crush them for the oil and convert that to biodiesel," Chammoun said.
"I'd like to farm myself, but it's hard to do today," he said.
Hopefully this research at the University will help farmers, he said.
While much of the research is done in labs at the University, Chammoun said most of his work will be done in the field.
"I am trying to do large scale, on-farm experiments to see if the concepts will actually work in the field," he said.
Associate Professor K.C. Das, coordinator for the University's biorefining - refining grain and biomass - and carbon recycling program, said the use of alternative fuels is important on a larger scale.
Ninety-seven percent of energy use in the U.S. is nonrenewable, and that will have to change at some point, Das said.
"Among the alternatives, [using biomass] is one of the best," he said.
NEW BIO RESEARCH CENTERS IN THE U.S.
• University of Wisconsin at Madison• Oak Ridge National Laboratory (the University
is a partner)
• The Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory managed
by the University of California system
Nick Chammoun, a graduate student from Adel, spent much of his youth working on farms in South Georgia and has begun research to help farmers.
"My personal objective is to find ways agricultural producers can save money on rising fuel costs by producing their own feedstock for fuel," he said.
Dan Geller, an engineering faculty member, said Georgia grows many crops that could be converted to fuel.
Examples include peanuts, cotton, soybeans, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, poultry fat, watermelons and bakery waste, Geller said.
"We really have to look at waste products," he said.
Much of the cost in producing biofuels comes from buying the raw materials and using waste lowers that cost, he said.
Chammoun said biodiesel would be easy to generate on a farm.
"You could grow peanuts or soybeans, crush them for the oil and convert that to biodiesel," Chammoun said.
"I'd like to farm myself, but it's hard to do today," he said.
Hopefully this research at the University will help farmers, he said.
While much of the research is done in labs at the University, Chammoun said most of his work will be done in the field.
"I am trying to do large scale, on-farm experiments to see if the concepts will actually work in the field," he said.
Associate Professor K.C. Das, coordinator for the University's biorefining - refining grain and biomass - and carbon recycling program, said the use of alternative fuels is important on a larger scale.
Ninety-seven percent of energy use in the U.S. is nonrenewable, and that will have to change at some point, Das said.
"Among the alternatives, [using biomass] is one of the best," he said.
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