Professor Sarah Davis advances biofuels research

In the race to find alternatives to oil and gas, the adoption of biofuels has been more deliberate than other renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, that are less suited for liquid fuel substitutes. But now, Dr. Sarah Davis, a professor at Ohio University’s George Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, has some hard data that could jump-start the use of plants.

In 2013, Davis planted a sterile hybrid of miscanthus grass on a patch of land at the Ridges area of OHIO’s Athens campus. More than 10 years later, Davis and graduate student Samuel Adu Fosu published a report that clearly stated the viability of miscanthus as a biofuel source.

“One of the things we discovered about this grass species is that it has a very low nitrogen requirement, and it has nitrogen fixers associated with it,” she says. “That helps it to meet its nitrogen demand. We grew this over 10 years without any fertilizers.”

Given its prominence on farms nationwide, corn has been the most utilized crop in biofuel production. However, there are drawbacks, including the need for nitrogen fertilizers and the fossil fuels required by equipment to plant, maintain and harvest the crop annually.

With the new technologies and a resurgence in funding for renewable energy research due to the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, though, more money is being pumped into research and development around other energies that can address greenhouse gas emissions.

Because miscanthus is a perennial grass, it doesn’t need to be replanted every year like corn. After three years of growth after planting, Davis cut the crop yearly, with Adu Fosu testing soil samples collected in the 10th year. He found that miscanthus removes more carbon from the air because the plant roots aren’t disturbed.

With an increase in federal funding, Davis is hopeful that miscanthus and other perennial plants can work to lower greenhouse emissions while diversifying the agriculture landscape. While it may not become a primary alternative energy source, other options exist.

“It could be used as a transitional energy source bridging the gap between fossil fuels and the electric generation,” she says. “Agriculture is a key sector that will help increase bioenergy and bioproduct utilization in the future.”