MUSKEGON COUNTY — Crops planted on land owned by Muskegon County Airport might provide a cheaper, renewable source of bioenergy that could help airlines soar into the future.
A demonstration project, sponsored by Michigan State University Extension, on airport land could show the potential of bioenergy, a renewable source of energy made from organic material.
The crops at three state airport sites showed the potential for growing large amounts of crops on underutilized airport land for use in renewable bioenergy, like fuel for ground vehicles and aircraft.
MSU planted 1 acre each of canola and oriental mustard on the Norton Shores airport's non-aeronautical property across Grand Haven Road from the main portion of the airport. The study, using the book value for the crops, determined a yield of 75 to 80 gallons of biodiesel per acre for each crop, less than the 110 gallons originally hoped for by organizers.
Dennis Pennington, bioenergy educator with MSU Extension, said the early findings from the three airport project sites — Muskegon County, Gerald R. Ford International in Grand Rapids and Detroit Metro Airport — show the methods used in the demonstration project would be “borderline” in breaking even financially.
Muskegon County Airport Manager Marty Piette said he believes production of biofuel through crops planted at airports will become a trend. He said larger airports have thousands of acres of available land to grow crops for fuel for ground vehicles and, eventually, aircraft.
United Airlines operated the first U.S. commercial flight powered by advanced biofuels earlier this month.
“It is one of the biggest costs for the airlines, so I think you'll see more of it growing in the next few years,” Piette said.
Early findings from the bioenergy project included:
• The Federal Aviation Administration is willing to allow crop production outside primary security fences.
• The plantings did not attract flocking or large birds, which increase the danger of bird strikes.
• Nontraditional crop land has limitations, such as productivity, drainage, water-holding capacity and nutrient deficiencies.
• Oilseed crops require tillage.
The demonstration project was funded by a state grant to the MSU Extension.
Pennington said a final report and economic analysis will be presented in February to help determine the feasibility of pushing the project further. After those reports are issued, he said all of the stakeholders will be approached about moving forward and seeking additional grant dollars.
“The airport sites were selected to be demonstrations to determine if we could grow crops and do it without too many problems,” Pennington said.
Pennington recently was in Flint looking at a portable bioenergy production unit. He said some of the crops grown at the airports and some larger farms are set to be produced into biodiesel fuel.
Piette said the Muskegon County test plot showed that an expanded operation would require more attention to be successful.
Piette said project leaders initially hoped it could be a low-maintenance project. “I think they found out they would have to do some cultivation, irrigation to get much out of it,” Piette said.
In addition to airports, the statewide MSU Extension project was designed to explore the possibility of producing alternative-energy sources on nontraditional lands, including vacant urban lots and highway rights of way.
Michigan's demonstration project is patterned after FreeWays to Fuel, a similar initiative started in 2007 in Utah. The Michigan project is focused on the three airport sites, four highway rights of way, and vacant urban lots in Flint and some larger, farm-scale sites in four counties.
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