Oregon Sun Grant News
Oregon's long-standing commitment to biobased R&D includes wide-ranging research on biofuels, bioproducts, and environmental remediation. Given the tremendous diversity of climate, geology, and soils within the Western Region, Oregon's focus has been on identifying those feedstocks uniquely appropriate for the state and complementary to those of other regions.
In addition to examining types of feedstocks, Oregon has been conducting further R&D into biomass production and conversion (especially in the areas of agricultural and timber residues, which represent major feedstock opportunities in the Western states), biogas from animal and urban wastes, and transportation fuels, in conjunction with power generation and co-product development. Examples of valuable co-products under investigation are industrial proteins and enzymes, pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals, "natural" crop control chemicals, and structural materials that could be obtained from each state's unique crops and plants.
Oregon investigators are also conducting R&D in processing technology that includes microbial and solar driven hydrogen fuel cells, microprocessing of biodiesel production, and processing biosensors. In the area of bioremediation, scientists at Oregon State University's Klamath Experiment Station have been investigating the possibility of using fast-growing hybrid poplars and other crops to treat sewage effluent.
Press Releases
Oregon's Sun Grant 'U' eyes energy independence (08/10/2005)
CORVALLIS – Oregon State University's role as one of the nation's leading centers of "bioenergy" research got a significant boost today when President George Bush signed federal legislation providing more than $8 million in funding for the Sun Grant Center at OSU... [more]
News Articles
Study Finds Net Energy Of Biofuels Comes At a High Cost
By Peg Herring, 541-737-9180
Source: William Jaeger, 541-737-1419
CORVALLIS, Ore. – A new economic analysis of biofuels by Oregon State University sets a cautionary tone for the large-scale production of biofuels in Oregon. Results of the study suggest that the "net energy" of biofuel is expensive when all costs of its production and delivery are taken into account. [more]
Biodiesel becomes key topic for Morrow County Livestock Growers
By Phil Wright
East Oregonian
HEPPNER — Biodiesel, biocontrol and new technologies took center stage at the annual meeting of the Morrow County Livestock Growers [more]
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Meeting and Planning Notes
Meeting and Planning Notes
2002-2005 archives