The 2010 Bioenergy Field Day, an event featuring presentations by several N.C. State faculty, occurs today at the Oxford Tobacco Research Station and Biofuels Center in Oxford.
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), Biofuels Center of North Carolina and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services are sponsoring the event.
Event registration starts at noon and speeches will begin an hour later. Roger Crickenberger, special projects manager at CALS, will kick off the event by introducing the speakers. This will be followed by six presentations on bioenergy-related issues, including discussions on biodiesel production and studies on cellulosic material.
Field demonstrations will be carried out in the evening. Demonstrations include biomass pelleting and sorghum harvest and squeezing.
Matthew Veal, assistant professor and extension specialist in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, will be speaking on the “State of N.C. State University” Bioenergy Research Program.
Veal said that the event will be useful for students, industry and farmers alike.
“I would say that the highest-priority plan is to make sure that North Carolina is well-positioned to become the leading biomass producer in the Southeast,” Veal said.
“CALS is helping make that a reality by educating farmers on energy crops, providing industrial partners with the technology to convert the biomass into useful fuels, and developing outreach activities that engages the public so they understand the potential and importance of renewable fuels.”
Veal said that as a land-grant university, one of N.C. State’s primary missions is transferring technology and educating agricultural stakeholders about markets, sustainable crop production practices and conversion technologies to develop value-added products.
Crickenberger said that the University has about a dozen faculty currently performing bioenergy research, along with a number of graduate students across three colleges - CALS, the College of Natural Resources (CNR) and the College of Engineering (COE).
“Our faculty [members] are submitting grants all the time. These presentations are faculty-designed and will be presented by them,” Crickenberger said. “Graduate students who have made major contribution to the presentations will be involved with the faculty during the event. They might even be asked to speak on the topics.”
Veal said that the University’s bioenergy awareness efforts are paying off.
“We are starting to see many early adopters produce their own energy by making biodiesel, growing crops for ethanol facilities, or burning biomass instead of coal,” he said.
