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OSU forms Biobased Products and Energy CenterOklahoma
Oklahoma State University's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources is not letting longtime success in biofuels development stand in the way of doing things even more efficiently. DASNR is creating a new Biobased Products and Energy Center to better meet ever-increasing demands for the division's scientific expertise regarding biofuels, said Robert E. Whitson, DASNR dean and director and OSU vice president of agricultural programs. "We've been involved in biofuels development since the early 1990s, and formed our biofuels nonfood cellulosic team in 1998," he said. "We've been a national leader in examining and developing key aspects, everything from potential biomass feedstocks to energy production systems, to economic, social and environmental considerations." Division officials view the center as the next logical step in focusing multi-disciplinary efforts related to biofuels development not only within DASNR but across the state and nation. "The main activity of the center will be to coordinate and provide leadership for the division's bioenergy programs and serve as a liaison with the bioenergy industry," said Bob Westerman, DASNR assistant vice president for program support. It is also expected to be a catalyst in identifying multi-disciplinary priorities and to enhance development of grants, contracts and cooperative agreements with government agencies, private industry, tribal nations and communities, and streamlining efforts to provide solutions to agricultural bioenergy issues in the state. Westerman said key areas of emphasis will be identifying and developing biomass feedstock sources, logistics of harvest, handling and transport of feedstock and processed value-added products, development and enhancement of efficient biomass conversion processes and technolog, increased efficiency in biobased fuels, materials and products; marketing and contractual assistance; and the determination of economic, social and environmental effects. Ray Huhnke, OSU Cooperative Extension biosystems engineer with the division's department of biosystems and agricultural engineering, will serve as center director. In addition to his center duties, Huhnke will continue to serve as coordinator of the multi-college, multi-institutional OSU Biofuels Team. The team is comprised of scientists and engineers within the division; the OSU College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology; the University of Oklahoma; Mississippi State University; and Brigham Young University. "OSU is particularly well-positioned to take a lead role in helping the United States become a viable biobased economy," Westerman said. "Historically, Oklahoma's two leading industries have been agriculture and energy." OSU, the University of Oklahoma and Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation comprise the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center, a consortium charged by Gov. Brad Henry to enhance and promote the state's bioenergy industry. OSU is also part of the federally funded Biomass based Energy Research Consortium, along with OU, Brigham Young University and Mississippi State University. Further strengthening OSU's position is that the division's Clarence Watson, Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station associate director, serves as director of the Sun Grant Initiative's South-Central Region, headquartered at the university's Stillwater campus. Huhnke serves as associate director. The Sun Grant Initiative is a national program established to create new biobased solutions for America's energy needs and to revitalize rural communities. "Our state and federally mandated land-grant mission is to tackle concerns and issues of importance to Oklahoma, the region and nation," Whitson said. "There is an inherent practicality in our teaching, research and Extension programs, and so we are often sought out by individuals, communities, organizations and government agencies for our expertise." Whitson and Westerman point out that a biobased economy offers tremendous potential to strengthen agricultural industries and rural communities while also diversifying America's energy industry, helping to make it more secure. 8/4/08 Date: 7/31/08 Advertisement
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