Evaluating eTuber and Energybeets as Feedstocks for Biofuels & Biogas in South Florida 17-pound eTuber TM next a table Sweetpotato. Objectives: Field trials with eTuber™ - yield & growing protocol Rotation crops (sugarbeet, sweet sorghum, others) Development of protocols to process into ethanol & biodiesel Complete economic analysis Greenhouse gas analysis Application data for Advanced Biofuel Feedstock (ABF) designation for eTuber FDACS Office of Energy Farm to Fuel Project PIs: Brian Boman, IRREC Gilly Evans, TREC Ann Wilkie, Soil & Water Science Coopeators & Partners Magnolia Ave, Livingston, CA NCERC at SIUE 400 University Park Dr. Edwardsville, IL Energy Beet

eTuber™ Production in Florida  Yields enough starch to produce 1,800 gal ethanol per ac  Much less water, fertilizer, and pesticides than other crops  Grows well in nutrient-poor, sandy soils  Heat tolerant & water efficient  Recovers well after drought and heat stress  Resistance to nematodes and insects  Doesn’t compete with food crops for prime land  High value protein after processing Advantages Challenges  Grown from transplanted plugs or slips  Viruses – rotate 1/3 of acres with virus-free material each year  Sweet Potato weevil – pesticide application

Energy Beets Winter crop 1000 gal ethanol per acre 200+ lb N, lb K 2 O & P 2 O 5 Sweet Sorghum Summer crop days 400 gal ethanol per acre Ratoon crop if planted by early May 100 lb N & K 2 O, 60 P 2 O 5 (EAA data) Rotation Crops 2-year rotation with harvest 11 months/year Potential to avg. 2,200 gal ethanol per acre per year with 3-crop rotation

Field trials: Experiments on planting density, rotation crops, fertilizer and irrigation rates, pest & disease control, and planting and harvest times. Processing:  Optimization of protocols for conversion into ethanol and by- products,  GHG analysis for eTuber from field and processing data,  test syrup as a putative feedstock for e-coli, algae, and yeast to make biodiesel, jet fuel, etc.

Biogas: develop a method of producing biogas using culled sweetpotatoes, vines, and stillage through anaerobic digestion. Economics: cost of growing crops, economic analysis of conversion to ethanol and biofuels, market potential analysis, impact of commercialization on economic development in FL. Acknowledgement This research is sponsored by FDACS Office of Energy and the State of Florida