EUBCE 2024 - Kyung-Hwan HAN - EliteTree: An Advanced Biomass Tree Crop Technology

EliteTree: An Advanced Biomass Tree Crop Technology

Short Introductive summary

We developed an innovative and proprietary technology, called EliteTreeTM, to speed the introduction of genetically designed biomass tree crops that can significantly improve the profitability of all stages of plant biomass-based industries ranging from providing nursery grown trees to the growers who produce biomass to the end users of the biomass produced. A rapid increase in the use of wood as a renewable feedstock for energy and bioproducts is expected as new global climate change policies encourage a transition away from fossil fuels. Sustainable production of biomass feedstocks requires overcoming economic, environmental, and societal obstacles. Deploying designer tree crops in Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) plantations, which produce high yields with minimal environmental impacts on non-crop land will be critical. Using EliteTreeTM poplars, we are trying to demonstrate the superior ‘in-field’ performance of our proprietary biomass crop, leading to increased profitability of plant biomass-based industries including bioenergy (both liquid and solid fuels), fiber, feedstock for industrial chemicals (e.g., lignin-derived products), and pulp and paper manufacturing.

K Han, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA
R Miller, KOPESS Biomass Solutions, Okemos, USA
O Han, KOPESS Biomass Solutions, Okemos, USA