MO Energy Summit, 4-22-09 Himadri Pakrasi Director I-cares.wustl.edu

MO Energy Summit, 4-22-09

Himadri PakrasiDirector

I-cares.wustl.edu


University Statement

Issues related to energy, environment and sustainability present grand challenges for people of the 21st century. Washington University in St. Louis with its community of scholars is addressing these issues through education, research and outreach. The University will seek and define best practices in its own operations and aspires to be a model for others in responsible use of energy and other resources. Through innovative research activities, the University will contribute to the creation of new knowledge needed to achieve a bright and sustainable future and will foster collaborations regionally, nationally and internationally to bring about rapid progress. Washington University will prepare tomorrow’s leaders and innovators engaged in securing abundant, affordable energy while preserving the environment and advancing economic and social development for the nation and our world.

Mark S. Wrighton, Chancellor, June 1, 2007



I-CARES was created in 2007 to encourage and coordinate university-wide and external collaborative research in the areas of global renewable energy and sustainability.

•A key initial goal of I-CARES is to foster institutional, regional and international research on the development and production of biofuels from plant and microbial systems and the exploration of sustainable alternative energy and environmental systems and practices.

•Institutional: At the institutional level, from basic science to the business of the greening of America, all faculty from all departments and schools are invited to work in partnership with I-CARES to address the immense energy, environment and sustainability challenges of the 21st century.


•Regional: I-CARES will coordinate research efforts at the University and work with other organizations in the greater St. Louis region and elsewhere in Missouri to explore alternative energy sources and to develop novel products, applications and sustainability practices. Sponsorships will be developed with energy and technology companies and other corporate supporters, as well.

•International: I-CARES will encourage international collaborative research on energy and environmental issues by working closely with a global partnership of leading universities forged recently by the University’s McDonnell International Scholars Academy. The McDonnell Academy Global Energy and Environment Partnership (MAGEEP) is an international consortium of 25 universities and corporate partners that supports the development of innovative ideas in collaborative education and a wide range of research activities in energy and environmental areas.


External Advisory Committee• Gregory H. Boyce, CEO, Peabody Energy

• Daniel F. Cole, Senior VP, Ameren Corporation

• Robert T. Fraley, Executive VP and CTO, Monsanto

• Carl Hausmann, CEO, Bunge North America

• Ganesh Kishore, Managing Director, Burrill & Company

• Randall Ledford, Senior VP and CTO, Emerson

• Steven F. Leer, CEO, Arch Coal

• Jon McIntyre, VP Research and Development, Solae

• Shaker Sadasivam, Senior VP R&D, MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc.

• Martha A. Schlicher, VP, Renewable Agricultural Energy.

• John Stier, Group Director Environmental Affairs, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.

• Mark D. Stowers, VP Research & Development, Poet

• S. Richard Tolman, CEO, National Corn Growers Association


New Resources• ~$70 Million for a New Building on the Danforth Campus• At least $2.5 Million over five years for support of the

International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy and Sustainability

• $14M to endow seven new professorships in key areas of research of importance to the Center + ~$3M in start up costs

• $800,000 to support development of international projects with the McDonnell Academy partners

• >$500,000 over five years to support the new Sustainability Officer


McDonnell International Scholars AcademyA Global Partnership

for Research and Education


McDonnell AcademyUniversity Partners

• Bogazici University• Budapest University of

Technology and Economics• China Agricultural University• Chinese University of Hong Kong• Chulalongkorn University • Fudan University• IDC Herzliya• Indian Institute of Technology,

Bombay• Jawaharlal Nehru University• Korea University• Middle East Technical University

• National Taiwan University• National University of Singapore• Peking University• Seoul National University• Tata Institute of Social Sciences• Technion - Israel Institute of

Technology• Tsinghua University• University of Campinas• University of Chile• University of Hong Kong• University of Indonesia• University of Tokyo

• Utrecht University • Yonsei University


Steven Leer, Steven Chu, Mark Wrighton, John McDonnell

Hong Kong, December 9, 2008


Washington University’s Tyson Research Center

A ‘Laboratory’ for Environmental Research

Teaching and Outreach on Environmental Sustainability

A showcase for sustainable facilities and technologies


Washington University's Tyson Research Center

Washington University's Tyson Research Center is a ~2,000-acre field station located 20 miles from the Danforth campus. Located just outside of the St. Louis metropolitan area and in close proximity to a wide variety of other natural areas, Tyson provides a unique opportunity for environmental research and education.

Tyson's mission is to provide a living landscape for environmental research and education as a component of Washington University's International Center for Advanced Renewal Energy and Sustainability (I-CARES).

Tyson provides:• An outdoor laboratory for important research and teaching opportunities from Washington University and other nearby institutions• A landscape-scale experimental venue for studies on ecosystem sustainability• Research and educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students related to the environment and sustainability


Looking into the future

Nathan Lewis, Ph.D. (right), the George L. Argyros Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology, spoke to a large crowd Sept. 23 for the International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy and Sustainability (I-CARES). His lecture, "Where in the World Will Our Energy Come From?" examined a range of alternative energy issues and was very popular among students and faculty. Afterward, director of I-CARES Himadri B. Pakrasi, Ph.D. (left), the George William and Irene Koechig Professor of Biology in Arts & Sciences and professor of energy in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, and Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton survey the crowd with Lewis.

I-CARES Distinguished Speaker Series



November 14, 2008Eric P. Newman Education CenterWashington University in St. Louis

The U.S. Ethanol IndustryBrief history and evolution of the ethanol industry in the U.S. Challenges facing the industry.Keynote Speaker Mark Stowers, VP-R&D, POET

The Profitability of Corn Ethanol ProcessingDiscuss the production and scale of corn ethanol processing. Characteristics of a profitable ethanol plant - location of firms, size of firms, transportation costs of inputs, etc. Efficient production processes. Provide some statistics on firm location, size, and profitability across the Midwest. What are the challenges facing ethanol producers?Paul Gallagher, Department of Economics, Iowa State University

The Costs and Benefits of Corn Ethanol as a Fuel SourcesEnvironmental effects of production, energy balance with fossil fuels, effects on food prices, subsidy rate relative to oil/gas, and impact on farmer production decisions (e.g. cattle vs. corn)Douglas Tiffany, Dept. of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota

The Impact of the Ethanol Boom on Rural AmericaProvide evidence on the economic effects of the ethanol boom on small town in the Midwest. Is ethanol a viable, long-run prospect for economic development?Jason Henderson, FRB Kansas City – Omaha Branch

The Future of BiofuelCan corn ethanol be a long-run viable industry in the U.S.? Discuss the political economy of ethanol subsidies and regulation. What are the prospects for other biofuels, such as switchgrass, algae, etc.?Jerry Taylor, CATO Institute; Rick Tolman, CEO, National Corn Growers Association; Nicholas Kalaitzandonakes, Dept. of Agricultural Economics – University of Missouri – Columbia


Bioenergy


6CO2 + 6H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2light

Carbon

Dioxide

Oxygen

Global Photosynthesis


Bioenergy Research Activities at I-CARES

Missouri Bioenergy Research Consortium (MBRC)

Funding from the State of Missouri



C.4 MICROBIAL CARBON SEQUESTRATION FOR BIOFUEL PRODUCTION

Research Groups: Axelbaum (WU), Biswas (WU), Blankenship (WU), Pakrasi (WU), Thiel (UMSL), Wang (UMSL)

C.3. DISCOVERY OF ENZYMES FOR THE CONVERSION OF LIGNOCELLULOSE TO BIOFUELS

Research Groups: Ho (WU), Gordon (WU), Smith (DDPSC), Stacey (MU), Kerley (MU), Xu (MU), Zhang (MU), Beachy (DDPSC), Yu (DDPSC), Schmidt (DDPSC), Quatrano (WU), Angenent (WU), Aurora (SLU), Minteer (SLU).


National Geographic, October 2007


National Geographic, October 2007


Algae as sustainable sources of biofuels and biomaterial


Alternate Fuels for use in Commercial Aircraft (2007)Daggett (Boeing), Hendricks (NASA), Walther (Munich) and Corporan (Airforce)

Sustainability“A recent trend has been to develop soybean crops as feedstock for lipid (i.e. oil-based) biofuels. However, in order to create sufficient farm land capacities, deforestation, using slash and burn practices, can take an extreme toll on rainforests. The resulting CO2 emissions are anticipated to exacerbate global warming issues. Thus, great care has to be taken to assure that bio-feedstock is sustainable and will not cause new anthropogenic issues through deforestation.”


• “One promising feedstock is algae. This feedstock is projected to produce anywhere from 10k to 20k gallons/acre/year of bio-derived oil. With such a high production rate, algae could produce 150-300 times more oil than a crop of soybeans.”

• “With the potential for algae of providing 10,000 gal/acre/year, some 85 billion gallons of bio-jet could be produced on a landmass equivalent to the size of the US state of Maryland. Moreover, if these bio-jet fuels were fully compatible with legacy aircraft, it would be sufficient to supply the present world’s fleet with 100 percent of their fuel needs as well into the future.”


Crop Oil yield (L/ha/yr)

Land area for US transport fuel (M ha)1

Percent of US crop land

Corn 172 3080 1692 Soybean 446 1088 652 Canola 1190 446 244 Oil palm 5950 90 48 Microalgae (30% oil, 10 g/m2/day) 12000 44 24 Microalgae (30% oil, 49 g/m2/day) 58700 9 5 Microalgae (70% oil, 49 g/m2/day) 136900 4 2.2

Land requirements for transportation fuels from various photosynthetic organisms


High-end tubular photobioreactor in Nové Hrady, CZ

1000 L pilot‐scale BIOCOIL at Murdoch University, Australia.

Spirulina Production Ponds, India


Controlled Cultivation


A photobioreactor system for precision cultivation of photoautotrophic microorganisms and for high-content analysis of suspension dynamics

Nedbal, Trtílek, Cerveny, Komárek and Pakrasi; Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 2008

Lab scale photobioreactor


Screening / optimization using a battery of small bioreactors


Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization

Ameren UE

Arch Coal

Peabody Energy

$12 Millions/5 years


Strategy to Accomplish Mission

Establish Washington University as a Center for Clean Coal Research Establish State-of-the Art Research Facility Research Scale and Pilot Scale Coal Facilities on the WUStL Campus Expand to Include Greater Range of Facilities

Fund Research Consistent with the Mission of the Consortium Collaborate with Industry and Universities internationally

Hold Annual Meetings with Consortium Members (in conjunction with MAGEEP)

Hold Workshops and Short Courses on Topical Areas of Interest

Publicize to Promote Public Awareness

Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization


CO2

coal

biomass

CO2

solar

storagebioreactor

liquid fuels

wind

steamturbine

O2oxy-fuel combustor

Conceptual Drawing of Research Power Plant


Thank You!

Documents

MO Energy Summit, 4-22-09 Himadri Pakrasi Director I-cares.wustl.edu