Dr. Sara Lira,* RegenPCG Commercialization Theme Leader, is the new project director for a significant grant ($5M), Feedstocks for Advanced Biofuels from Perennial Ground Cover Systems: FAB-PGCs, from the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Lira will lead a team with members from Corteva Agriscience, Iowa State University, C. Bartel Inc., The Land Institute, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska, University of Wisconsin, and POET. Several of the team members already participate in the RegenPGC project.
The new project helps link perennial ground covers grown in row crops to emerging biofuel opportunities. According to the DOE, “This project works to make PGC stover systems more reliable through better crop management while also modeling and documenting reduced N2O emissions and increased soil carbon storage, potentially unlocking tens or hundreds of millions of tons of low CI stover. “
The DOE Office of Bioenergy Technologies (BETO) awarded nine grants “to develop biomass feedstocks to produce affordable biofuels and bioproducts that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.” Learn about all nine projects here.
*Dr. Sara Lira is a graduate of Iowa State University with a B.Sc. in Ecology, an M.Sc. in Genetics, and a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding. Dr. Lira has worked at Corteva/Pioneer for 17 years. Her first years focused on corn breeding. Currently, she is working to develop new cropping systems. Lira’s work is focused on new double and cover cropping systems for grain and livestock. Through research, Dr. Lira’s team hopes to optimize the value of agricultural systems for growers and society.