Biological engineers hope to help take the world beyond oil

In recent months consumers have become all too familiar with spiking oil costs, and most experts agree that higher prices at the pump are likely here to stay. As the demand for alternative forms of energy grows, “green-thinking” engineers at the UW are working to expand the world’s fuel options.

“Facing concerns about security and future of the petroleum reserve, the United States is increasingly looking at bio-based materials for energy and raw materials,” says Patrick Walsh, chair of the biological systems engineering department in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. “This means that agricultural states and universities have a great opportunity to contribute to developing forest products, crops and animals for the fuels of the future.”

Walsh notes that developing biologically based forms of energy could help Wisconsin take advantage of its renewable resources-such as manure, wind, solar power and wood-to keep money spent on energy in the state’s economy. “Most of the money spent on energy in Wisconsin leaves the state,” he explains, “but we have renewable opportunities that could help take the edge off demand.”

Walsh and other “engineers who think green” are working on several different alternative energy projects. For example, Kevin Shinners studies how crop residuals-such as wheat straw and corn stover-can one day be economically harvested and transported to ethanol refineries. “The challenge is to find a sustainable, timely way to harvest,” he explains.

Another biological systems engineer, Doug Reinemann, says that while the technology to create ethanol in a cost-effective way may not be available yet, except for corn-based ethanol, state and federal agencies are already thinking about how to use a variety of biomass products in future energy industries. Reinemann notes that in addition to ethanol production, efforts to turn wood waste into liquid fuels may pay off for Wisconsin in the future.

This fall, a new class devoted to energy will debut in the department. Run by Reinemann-and with guest lectures by Shinners, Walsh and other UW experts-it will cover the economics and logistics of different types of energy, including solar, wind, and bioenergy.

Walsh notes that the class was designed in part in response to an interest from students pursuing energy certifications in environmental studies programs.

“It’s not just for engineers,” he says. “But, in the future, one of the key features of how engineering will have to be done is thinking green even more than we already do, and protecting the environment and our natural resources.”