Breakout Session IV
Considerations for Effective Production of Biofuels from Corn Biomass
William Hitz William Hitz received his PhD from Iowa State University and did postdoctoral work at
the DOE Plant Research Lab at Michigan State University. For the past 25 years, he has held various research
positions with DuPont and DuPont/Pioneer. Dr. Hitz’s research interests range from carbohydrate metabolism
and transport to fatty acid and lipid synthesis. He is inventor on about 30 issued patents in plant biotechnology.
He has been Research Director for grain quality traits in Pioneer Crop Genetics and is currently the
Technical Lead for biological steps in the conversion of cellulosic feedstocks to ethanol in the Biochemical
Sciences and Engineering group at DuPont. Paul Scott Paul Scott is an Assistant Professor of Agronomy at Iowa State University and a
Research Geneticist with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service. His research focuses on understanding the genetic
control of quality traits in maize and often involves applying his experience in biochemistry to problems in
plant breeding. After obtaining a B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in biochemistry at Iowa State University and Purdue
University, respectively, he did post-doctoral research at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University and
the University of Nebraska, Lincoln prior to returning to his home state for his current position. He holds a
faculty position in the Agronomy Department at Iowa State University. Dr. Scott is part of the plant breeding
team on the USDA-DOE project “Integrated feedstock supply systems for corn stover biomass”. In this
role, he is developing biosensors for evaluation of suitability of corn stover for lignocellulosic biomass
conversion.
Tom Schechinger Tom Schechinger is the president of IronHorse Farms, Inc. in Harlan, Iowa and
recently completed work on a U.S. Department of Energy project (formerly the B/MAP project) that involved the collection, commercial processing and utilization of corn Stover. Other collaborators on the project include Cargill/Dow, Iowa State University, John Deere and Mat Inc. Schechinger has been actively engaged in crop residue harvest (primarily corn Stover) since 1996. From 1999 to 2002, Schechinger served as Board Chairman for Biomass Agri-Products LLC (B/MAP), a 48 member agricultural producer-based business (utilizing corn Stover). He was instrumental in locating and securing customers, developing a process line capable of separating corn Stover into various components and preparing an Offering Circular. In 1998, Schechinger served as Harvest and Logistics Manager for DES, a startup company (producing horse bedding from Stover) with a harvest goal of 100,000 large square bales of high quality corn stover. In that capacity, he developed strategies that addressed producer concerns as well as DES stringent quality goals and considerations. He planned and partially implemented crop residue harvest in Texas, Kansas, and Missouri. He contracted 40,000 Stover acres from 150 producers in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. He negotiated service contracts with custom baling operations, trucking companies as well as other needed harvest equipment and services. In 1997, Schechinger led the first successful large-scale corn Stover procurement project at Great Lakes Chemical Company (GLCC) by signing 440 producer contracts in western Iowa for 46,000 acres. He achieved a minimum delivered cost below $32.00/dry ton and average cost of $35.00/dry ton, far below what most experts and previous studies had forecast. Schechinger has co-authored two publications: Corn Stover Potential: A Scenario That Can Recast the Corn Sweetener Industry (presented at The Fourth National New Crops Symposium); and Corn Stover Collection Project (a pilot for National Renewable Energy Laboratories for establishing infrastructure for agricultural residue and other crop collection for biomass processing to ethanol). He has also worked with state senators, representatives and national farm organizations, resulting in changes in Iowa laws, which have improved harvest safety and economics.
