A biomass plant in St. Paul produces bioenergy from burning yard and lumber waste.
Three of the top 100 people in bioenergy listed by Biofuels Digest earlier this month are university professors from the Great Lakes region.
David Tillman of the University of Minnesota, Bruce Dale of Michigan State University and Jim Dumesic of the University of Wisconsin-Madison are ranked among a variety of companies, government officials and other university researchers.
Bioenergy is generated from biofuels. Such fuel comes from organic material such as wood, straw, manure or sugar cane.
Burning such material is considered to be a cleaner alternative to the burning of fossil fuels, linked to climate change.
Michigan State University professor Bruce Dale
“If we do bioenergy right, we can reduce the buildup of greenhouse gases as well as provide many other environmental benefits, including increased soil fertility and improved water quality,” said Dale. “In fact, biofuels from plant material are our only sustainable, renewable source of liquid fuels for transportation.”
There is controversy over whether biofuels are a better alternative to fossil fuels. Science magazine said that the growing and production of biofuel crops could actually release more greenhouse gases and damage natural ecosystems.
But many biofuel researchers, especially those on the top 100 list, believe in their potential.
There are thousands who work in the biofuel industry, according to Jim Lane, editor of Biofuels Digest. The publication accepted many suggestions from readers about who should be considered the top. There were 272 people on the ballot.
“The readers picked out some great personalities,” said Lane. “It’s hard to pick out of the 1,000 or 2,000 people, the best 100 in the field.”
Nearly 20,000 votes from the subscribers of Biofuels Digest were cast to choose the top individuals.
University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Jim Dumesic
Dale was ranked 22nd on the top 100 list. He has been involved in bioenergy research for the last 35 years. Dumestic was 52nd, and Tillman was 97th.
Some disagreed with their place on the list, according to Lane. He said this has happened in other competitions as well.
“Some people feel like they would like to be higher ranked,” said Lane. “Sometimes they may have the credibility to be a certain place on the list, but they may have not achieved the visibility.”
At the top of the list is Tom Vilsack, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Vilsack has made bioenergy a priority and promoted growth of the industry. He recently announced that the government would cover 75 percent of start up costs to farmers who produce non-food crops, such as that can be refined into biofuels.
University of Minnesota professor David Tillman.
The Digest has held a number of similar contests including “The 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy” and “ The Transformative Technology 30,” a list of the most important technologies in the bioenergy industry.
“This was an extension of something that I did about two months ago: ‘the 25 People Worth Knowing in Bioenergy,’” said Lane. “That got a big response from readers so we decided to do something a little more formal.”
In this contest, Lane noticed certain trends in the rankings. Some regions were recognized on the list more often than others.
“Bioenergy is a regional industry, so naturally you are going to have some regions that will be well-represented,” he said. “For instance, there were many people from the Midwest because it is the home of bioenergy and the executives are widely admired.”
Three of the top 10 people on the list were also from Brazil. “They are an incredibly important country in bioenergy, but not everyone thinks of them every day,” said Lane.
Brazil is the world’s second largest producer of ethanol and one of the largest markets for biofuels. Most of the fuel is created through burning sugarcane. The industry has brought millions of jobs to the country.
“Biofuels are green technologies and green jobs creators,” said Lane. “They are important economic drivers and they produce energy independence.”
According to Dale, we have reached a “tipping point” in human history, where biofuels are necessary to compensate for the limits and drawbacks of fossil fuels.
“Bioenergy is already an important part of our energy mix, and we will be even more important in the future as we develop large scale, sustainable energy services from renewable plant material,” said Dale. “It’s an exciting and rewarding time to be involved in bioenergy.”