The nation's first commercial biomass plant for converting rice straw into ethanol fuel could soon be a reality, thanks to a research and development partnership involving the University of California, Davis. The biomass plant, which could generate 200 new jobs, is expected to be built within the next three years through the cooperative "Gridley Agri-fuels and Chemicals Project." It will be located 60 miles north of Sacramento near the town of Gridley, where it can make use of roughly 1 million tons of straw produced annually by Sacramento Valley rice farms. Rice straw remains in the field after the grain is harvested and has long been a nuisance for farmers. If incorporated back into the soil, the straw can foster diseases in future rice crops and, when burned, it contributes to the valley's air pollution problems. State legislation has mandated that rice farmers gradually eliminate straw burning as a disposal practice. For years, rice growers and university researchers have been looking for a creative alternative. They now hope that biomass technology -- conversion of the plant material into fuel -- will provide a commercially feasible option. "By converting an agricultural waste product into valuable transportation fuel, we'll be turning the proverbial sow's ear into a silk purse," said Sharon Shoemaker, executive director of the UC Davis-based California Institute of Food and Agricultural Research, a partner in the project. "The upcoming yearlong study will determine commercial feasibility." Approximately two-thirds of rice straw is fermentable for ethanol. The remainder would be put to other uses in power generation and sodium silicate manufacture. Shoemaker and colleagues are evaluating how best to chemically pre-treat the rice straw, so that it is more amenable to enzyme applications in the conversion to ethanol, and to apply membrane technology to separate rice straw components. Bryan Jenkins, a UC Davis professor of biological and agricultural engineering, is leading research into the gasification, or combustion, of the "lignin" residues from the straw. The feasibility study will be conducted by Stone and Webster Engineering Corp. Other partners in the project are SWAN Biomass Co., the cities of Biggs and Gridley, the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Northern California Power Agency, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, the Hass-Cal membrane company and TSS Consultants. Federal grants, managed through the Department of Energy, have been provided to support preliminary studies and future construction of the proposed plant. The Rice Research Board also is participating in the cost-sharing. Members of the public who would like to attend should request invitations from CIFAR at (916) 752-3561