Searches for sustainable bioenergy and climate change solutions may be one in the same, according to a West Virginia University researcher.
Edward Brzostek, associate professor of biology, and his students at the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences are creating mathematical models to predict how bioenergy crops will enhance and store soil carbon through a renewed five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Brzostek said he believes the models could present a “win-win” that not only improves soil carbon but spurs renewable bioenergy from biological sources. This includes biofuels like corn ethanol and perennial grasses.
Soil microbes in Brzostek’s model determine how plants might store or lose carbon in the future. That’s something current models haven’t taken into consideration.
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Image: Members of the Brzostek Lab at West Virginia University marvel at the soil pit they dug to measure how miscanthus roots and soil microbes contribute to forming long-lived deep soil carbon. Pictured are Noah Wauls, undergraduate student; Edward Brzostek, associate professor of biology; Jessica Burke, undergraduate student; Dominick Cifelli, master’s student; and Zoe Pagliaro, doctoral student. (Credit: WVU Photo)