Current Research


Flux Farm is currently conducting several  targeted research projects relevant to renewable energy and carbon sequestration development in the Intermountain West.  In a region where little is known about the actual opportunities and limitations to bioenergy and biochar development, special program emphasis has been placed on increasing the availability of relevant information in these fields.  The following is an overview of our current research initiatives.

Developing low input biomass cropping stratagies for the Intermountain West

While conventional biofuels production can have unintended, long-term, negative consequences, the production of biofuels can be done sustainably if derived from feedstocks with significantly lower life-cycle greenhouse-gas emissions than fossil fuels and on land that does not compete with food production.  Perennial plants, grown on degraded or marginal lands, may be one such way to produce bioenergy in substantial quantities throughout the Interior West.  Deriving bioenergy in such a way could minimize competition with food crops, lower the potentially negative long-term carbon debt associated with land clearing, and if managed properly, increase wildlife habitat, improve water quality, and facilitate additional carbon sequestration in soils.

The Western Colorado Carbon Neutral Bioenergy Consortium

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The Western Colorado Carbon Neutral Bioenergy Consortium (WCCNBC), a partnership between Colorado State University (CSU), Colorado Mountain College (CMC), The City of Rifle, and Flux Farm Foundation, was formed to determine the ability of the region to produce and process biomass for biofuels and carbon sequestration. This interdisciplinary, applied science, research consortium seeks to collect both quantitative and qualitative data on the costs and benefits of land transition, agronomic analysis of high-biomass producing perennial crops, field analysis of carbon sequestration potential, laboratory and pilot-scale analysis of the conversion of biomass to biofuels such as ethanol, butanol, and synthesis gas, and an economic analysis of the feasibility of western  Colorado growers to produce and market carbon neutral biofuels.

Evaluation of Perennial Plant Species for Biofuel Production in Western Colorado

In December 2009, Flux Farm Foundation received $50,000 from the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Advancing Colorado’s Renewable Energy (ACRE) program to conduct the study - “Evaluation of Perennial Plant Species and Production Inputs for Sustainable Biomass and Bioenergy Production in Western Colorado”.  Along with an additional $25,000 in contributions, this phase of research will focus on the capacity of the region to grow low-input, hi-biomass, cellulosic perennial bioenergy crops, and will occur at three locations  in Western Colorado (Carbondale - at 6,400 feet, Rifle - at 5,300 feet, and Fruita - at 4,500 feet) beginning April 2010.  Biomass crops will be converted to ethanol and butanol at Colorado Mountain College's West Garfield Campus in Rifle, representing one of the state’s first bioenergy processing facilities housed at a community college.  You can find the 2010 project status report HERE.

Strategic Partnership with USDA-ARS Forgage and Range Research Lab

"Testing Cool-Season Perennial Grasses for Low-Input Biomass Production and Persistence in Cold High-Elevation Growing Environments of the Semiarid Western United States."

In the fall of 2010, Flux Farm began developing a cooperative research agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) to study how the Mountain West can use genetically improved grass cultivars developed at the ARS Forage and Range Research Lab in Logan, Utah for sustainable biomass production.  Crop trials will be conducted at several locations in Colorado and Utah beginning during the fall of 2011. 

The USDA-ARS and Flux Farm will jointly plan, design, and implement multi-year field evaluations of various large-statured cool-season perennial grass species, hybrids, and genotypes at several locations ranging from 4,500  to 8,500 feet in elevation. Both native and introduced cool-season perennial grass species will be evaluated including basin wildrye, creeping x basin wildrye hybrids, intermediate wheatgrass, tall wheatgrass, and perhaps others.  Emphasis will be placed on low-input management techniques with minimal water, fertilizer, and fuel requirements. ARS and Flux Farm will jointly prepare and publish assessments of the biomass production potentials and efficiency over different growing environments of the semiarid western U.S., by summarizing literature and results of other ongoing field experiments conducted by the ARS.

Developing biochar best management practices for the Intermountain West

Despite building interest among scientists and policy-makers over the potential benefits of biochar, little is known about the logistics of applying biochar to soil at scale in an agricultural setting.  In addition, little relevant information exists on how biochar might fit into degraded range and pastureland systems.  Application rates are unknown, materials handling procedures remain elusive, and the physical act of applying biochar at scale remains difficult.  Flux Farm has been working closely on filling in these gaps and aims to develop biochar best management strategies for the Intermountain West.

Carbon negative bioenergy through the soil sequestration of pyrolysis biochar

The application of biochar techniques to soil has rarely been investigated to date, and in 2008, Flux Farm Foundation was funded by the Colorado Department of Agriculture's Advancing Colorado's Renewable Energy  (ACRE) Program to develop biochar application techniques suitable for pastureland.

In collaboration with our project partners (Colorado Department of Agriculture, Colorado State University, BEST Energies, Dynamotive Energy Corporation, Aspen Valley Land Trust, Flying Dog Ranch, and The Community Office of Resource Efficiency), Flux Farm is investigating how application method, application rate (tons per acre), and biochar processing method, impact soil chemical and microbial properties along with the yield of volunteer grass and alfalfa.  The project will also address the total cost, per ton, per acre, to apply biochar to pastures and consider the value of any agronomic benefits and potential revenue from generating carbon credits from sequestered biochar.  You can find the 2009 project status report HERE.

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The Biochar Application Network was formed to foster the development of biochar application methods that are technically, economically, and environmentally viable at scale.  Through applied research, industry partnerships, and targeted outreach, biochar specific application methods will be developed, verified, and brought to market.

Biochar for the remediation of poor soils

Biochar is a promising amendment for ameliorating drastically disturbed soils due to its microchemical nutrient and biological properties as well as its stability in soil. When compared to other organic amendments (sawdust, manure, compost) in a highly degraded agroecosystem, the application of biochar can have more impact on increasing productivity and soil organic carbon concentrations than other amendments, even though there was no improvement of nutrient availability. Due to the nature of production being dependent on both the feedstock and the pyrolysis process, biochar can be developed for site specific conditions to ameliorate a number of poor conditions such as metal toxicity, acidity, poor soil moisture retention, salinity, and poor soil structure. 

In the Fall of 2010, Flux Farm Foundation helped develop and implement the first ever fully scaled biochar reclamation project at the historic Hope Mine in Aspen, Colorado.  Along with For The Forest and The US Forest Service, Flux Farm helped develop a model that could potentially be transferred to communities throughout the West facing the dual forest health threats of beetle kill and toxic abandoned mining materials, while also reducing carbon emissions and climate change impacts.

Micro-hydroelectric development on farms and ranches in western Colorado

Micro‐hydroelectric power generation is a renewable source of constant base‐load electricity. Unlike solar or wind, which rely on limited daylight and intermittent weather patterns, water flows at relatively predictable annual rates and can potentially be used to generate renewable energy twenty‐four hours per day, three‐hundred‐sixty‐five days per year. The development of micro‐hydroelectric projects on Colorado ranches could displace existing base‐load electricity generated by coal‐fired power plants thereby reducing the production of global warming greenhouse gasses while simultaneously adding value to agricultural enterprises.

Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Innovation Grant

In the summer of 2009, Flux Farm Foundation was awarded a Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) from the Colorado Natural Resource Conservation Service (CO NRCS) to develop and manage The western Colorado micro-hydroelectric feasibility study and permitting demonstration project. 

Flux Farm Foundation has used NRCS CIG project funds to assist seven landowners in conducting technical micro-hydroelectric feasibility studies, negotiating preliminary power purchasing agreements with utility providers, addressing environmental concerns associated with micro-hydroelectric project development, collecting information on water rights, understanding project economics, and approaching state and federal permitting. Projects were selected to create a representative sample of micro-hydroelectric opportunities in the region and each will be developed into a detailed case study to assist future landowners and develop policy recommendations.

Colorado Public Radio

Agriculture in the mountain west is difficult.  Flux Farm Foundation is working to develop and test cropping strategies to produce biomass for conversion to biofuels.  Doing so may serve to boost farm income, and rejuvenate agriculture in the region.  Interview with Morgan Williams, Colorado Public Radio.
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Biomass in the RF Valley

The Roaring Fork Biomass Consortium (RFBC) aims to quantify available forestry and waste biomass in the Greater Roaring Fork Valley and match it with bioenergy technologies to regionally produce heat, electricity, and fuels.  Additional information can be found HERE.

Bioenergy Presentation

The following is a powerpoint presentation that Flux Farm's Morgan Williams presented for Colorado State University in 2010.  Topics include low-input bioenergy in the west, biochar technologies, and carbon sequestration.  It's big (20MB) and can be downloaded HERE.
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WHAT IS BIOCHAR?

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Biochar is the carbon-rich product obtained when biomass (such as wood, manure or crop residues) is heated in a closed container with little or no available air.  It can be used to improve agriculture and the environment in several ways, and its stability in soil and superior nutrient-retention properties make it an ideal soil amendment to increase crop yields. 

Biochar under the microscope
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Hope Mine Biochar Project

“Our project intends to show, for the first time, that biochar can be successfully used at scale to reclaim a former mine site,” said Flux Farm director Morgan Williams. “This is a big opportunity for Aspen to make a meaningful contribution to the science of biochar.”
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Hope Mine on KDNK Radio

For The Forest and Flux Farm try  a radical new way to help clean up mine tailings using biochar.
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Biochar for mine clean up

There are lots of abandoned mines in Colorado. You’ve probably seen some of them maybe as you drive along I-70. Leftover rocks fan out from the openings and those rocks are laced with harmful stuff that can leach out and kill plants and fish, or worst case scenario, poison drinking water.  Colorado Public Radio interview with Morgan Williams, December 17th, 2010
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Humphreys Hydro Project

Flux Farm helps the Brown family secure a $308,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a $600,000 low interest loan to install a 340-kilowatt hydroelectric project at the historic A.E. Humphrey Ranch in Creede, Colorado.
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