Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 6010 GERMINATION.CA MARCH 2017 The varieties of switchgrass being grown in the pan-Canadian trials are Cave-In-Rock and Nebraska. Both last up to 15 years after they are seeded, and they could be harvested annually to provide bioenergy feedstock if a commercial market becomes estab- lished. According to Thevathasan, some 800 hectares of Cave-In-Rock switchgrass is currently being cul- tivated in Ontario, but it’s primarily grown as animal bedding material. In addition to assessing yield, researchers have been tracking inputs such as herbicide, insecticide and fungicide use as well as fuel and labour costs to help assess the eco- nomic return of growing switchgrass in the different locations. Thevathasan stresses results from the pan-Canadian trials are still pre- liminary, but he says of the two varie- ties, Cave-In-Rock has been generally performing better in three out of the four research site areas in terms of yield (the exception is the Alberta site). He adds the findings also indi- cate growing switchgrass in Canada has some degree of risk; for example, neither of the tested varieties seems to handle snow loading that well. In terms of how of the switchgrass fared in different climates, both the Cave-In-Rock and Nebraska varie- ties have generally performed better at the Nova Scotia and Ontario sites than at the Alberta location north of Edmonton. Thevathasan believes these pre- liminary findings indicate that switch- grass may not be economically viable as a feedstock crop in more northerly latitudes within Canada. He adds he wished the trial could have included a site further south on the Canadian Prairies to assess the suitability of growing switchgrass there. Don Smith, scientific director and CEO of BioFuelNet Canada, says future biofuel feedstock trials will likely incorporate different regions as well as a wider range of purpose- grown crops. “This is really the first effort to look at particular feedstock crop loca- tions in Canada, and it should start to give us a sense of what crops can be grown where,” he says. “Eventually as things really get going, there’ll be trials here and there all across the country, which will fill in the gaps.” According to Smith, BioFuelNet Canada currently receives $5 million a year from Ottawa’s Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) program and $5 million in matching funding annually from almost 100 industry partners. While BioFuelNet’s fund- ing arrangement with NCE runs out March 31, 2017, Smith is encouraged by funding discussions his organiza- tion is having with other government agencies. “I think with the pan-Canadian biofuel feedstock trials, no matter what happens, there will be some continued activity there,” he says. Early Stages of Industry Advanced biofuels are still at a very early stage in Canada. Developing the technology to convert biomass into bioenergy and building the facilities to do it is expensive, with the price tag for an advanced biofuels plant running in neighbourhood of a half- billion dollars, according to Smith. He acknowledges low oil prices in recent years have probably ham- pered the industry’s development to some extent. “I think the slump in oil prices has made it more challenging.” However, Smith believes it’s only a matter of time before the fossil fuel era finally comes to an end and renewable energy sources such as advanced biofuels take over. Smith says one encouraging sign is the federal government’s new national carbon pricing policy aimed at reduc- ing greenhouse gas emissions — something he feels should provide a real shot in the arm to the advanced biofuels industry. “It’s pretty certain that we're going to need biofuels for some sectors at least. The long-distance trucking sector is where carbon emissions continue to grow the fastest, so there's got to be a lot of interest in that,” Smith says. He adds the avia- tion industry has committed to reduc- ing its carbon emissions dramatically over the long haul, so this is another area where biofuels will likely come into play. “I think that it really behoves us to make sure that we do what needs to be done to make sure the advanced biofuels industry in Canada develops and flourishes,” he says. Research co-ordinator Brent Coleman and research assistant Sarah Pratt weed switchgrass plots at the University of Guelph research site, one of four locations for the pan-Canadian biomass crops trial. Photo: BioFuelNet Canada