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SUNY ESF Awarded $8 Million to Advance Low-Carbon Energy Crop Innovation
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Jan. 16, 2025 – The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) has been awarded $8 million by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) to spearhead advancements in willow biomass crops, a low-carbon intensity, purpose-grown energy crop. This initiative is pivotal in accelerating the nation’s transition to a clean energy bioeconomy.
This funded project builds on 40 years of research and development at ESF with willow biomass crops. Shrub willow grows rapidly on low quality open land and is a low carbon biomass source that can be used to make biofuels like sustainable aviation fuel, bioproducts like biodegradable plastics, and bioproducts like wood-based insulation. Willow also provides a host of other benefits like improving soil health and soil carbon levels, enhancing landscape biodiversity, and creating new jobs in rural areas.
The funding is part of a broader $52 million DOE investment across six university and industry projects. These efforts aim to build a robust domestic supply chain of alternative carbon sources critical to producing biofuels and bioproducts. By fostering innovation in renewable carbon resources, these projects are expected to reduce net emissions in the transportation and industrial sectors while simultaneously driving growth in the U.S. agricultural industry.
ESF’s project, “Advancing Commercialization Through the Monitoring and Verification of Large, Established Willow Biomass Crops,” seeks to eliminate barriers to the expansion and commercialization of shrub willow crops and quantify their environmental benefits. Key innovations include:
- Utilizing UAV precision management technologies
- Developing new planting systems to lower planting costs
- Improving genetic varieties of willow
- Creating a prototype harvester that is effective in smaller fields
This project presents the opportunity to study a large-scale, commercially managed short-rotation woody crop system during the latter half of its 20-25-year lifecycle. Additionally, the ESF team will collect, analyze, and share critical sustainability data associated with willow production to inform future practices.
“By advancing technologies for cultivating and utilizing shrub willow, we are reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels,” said Dr. Timothy Volk, lead researcher on the project. “These efforts not only benefit the planet but also create new job opportunities in rural areas.”
The inter-disciplinary project involves researchers from across ESF’s academic departments and essential partners at other organizations. ESF Co-PIs on the project are: Drs. Russell Briggs, Tristen Brown, Mark Eisenbies, Jenny Frank, Cole Cross, Obste Therasme, Nathan Young, and Mr. Karl Hallen from the Department of Sustainable Resources Management. Dr. Deepak Kumar from the Department of Chemical Engineering, and Jason Kohlbrenner, Department of Environmental Studies. Key partners in the development and implementation of this project include Argonne National Lab, Calvium and Crops for Energy in the United Kingdon, CNY Drone Service, Ramo, School of Integrative Plant Sciences at Cornell University, and SUNY Grants for Research, Opportunity, and Workforce (GROW).
“SUNY’s nation-leading research addresses society's most pressing challenges, including the impacts of climate change and the pursuit of renewable, sustainable energy sources,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. "SUNY ESF is a true champion in driving innovation and advancing research in this field. This historic, nearly $8 million investment by the U.S. Department of Energy reflects ESF’s commitment to creating a better, more sustainable world for future generations."
"This $8 million investment from the U.S. Department of Energy is a testament to ESF’s decades of pioneering work with willow biomass crops and their immense potential as a low-carbon, sustainable energy source,” said ESF President Joanie Mahoney. “Through this project, we are accelerating the transition to a clean energy bioeconomy, improving rural livelihoods, and contributing innovative solutions to combat climate change."
By investing in this research, DOE advances its long-term objective of developing technologies that harness renewable carbon resources to expand the production of bioenergy, renewable chemicals, and sustainable materials. The selected projects will generate data and findings to support the growth of low-carbon intensity, purpose-grown energy crops across diverse agronomic and geographic landscapes. These crops include microalgae, switchgrass, miscanthus, high biomass sorghum, carinata, camelina, pennycress, and shrub willow.
About SUNY ESF
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.