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News and Trends
http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=2672 The Biomass Magazine website reports that the University of Florence, the European Biodiesel Board, and some major stakeholders in the European Union's (EU) algae sector, have announced the launching of the European Algae Biomass Association (EABA). A General Assembly meeting is planned early June this year. The EABA aims to "foster synergies among science and industry, while cooperating with decision makers for the promotion of development in research and technology in the field of algae". There is continued interest in algae and aquatic biomass from the academic, industrial and governmental sectors, due to its potentially "wide range of third-generation low-carbon applications in the field of renewable energies, biofuels (including jet fuels), nutrients, pharmaceuticals, animal feed or biobased products (bioplastics, biocosmetics, etc.)". The EABA hopes to support the efforts of the various stakeholders, toward the realization of a sustainable algal industry, as Europe faces the challenges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to improve energy supply security. More information can be obtained from the EABA website (URL above).. http://www.biofuels-news.com/industry_news.php?item_id=833 The Biofuels International website reports that global oilseed production is expected to reach a record high of 422.1 million tons in 2009, up from 25.9 million tons in the previous year. The record increase is attributed to the increased demand of the commodity for biofuel production. (The oils obtained from many of the oilseeds are raw materials for the production of biodiesel). The top countries with the highest demand for oilseeds are China, India and the European Union.. Energy Crops and Feedstocks for Biofuels Production
http://www.thebioenergysite.com/news/3702/willow-planting-shows-bioenergy-crop-potentia The Bioenergysite website reports that researchers at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) (Syracuse, New York, United States) are planting a 2.5 acre field of shrub willow. The trials which will attempt to show "the potential of shrub willow to grow on marginal agricultural land and provide wood chips that can be used as fuel in power plants, for heating, and as a feedstock for cellulosic biofuel". Shrub willows are reportedly being developed as a short-rotation woody (bioenergy) crop in temperate countries for the following reasons: (1) short-period, high biomass production, (2) ease of vegetative propagation, (3) broad genetic base, (4) ability to sprout after multiple harvests, (5) environmental and rural development benefits. According to Mary Wrege, a renewable energy educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County, "There is great potential to grow bioenergy crops in Oneida County, but farmers need to be convinced the system works before they commit to planting the crop and companies need enough producers to be assured of sufficient fuel or feedstock supply." Related information: Biofuels Processing
http://www.mascoma.com/news/pdf/Technology%20AdvancesRelease%20-%20050709%20FINAL.pdf American energy company, Mascoma Corporation, recently announced that it had made major research advances in "Consolidated Bioprocessing (CBP)", a "low cost processing strategy" for production of biofuel ("cellulosic") ethanol from ligno-cellulosic biomass. The concept behind CBP is the integration of saccharification and ethanol fermentation into a single biological processing step. The production of cellulose ethanol is usually accomplished by subjecting the lignocellulosic biomass to three major sequential steps: (1) pretreatment, to remove tough lignin from the plant biomass and to prepare the cellulose fibers for the next degradation step, (2) saccharification, where the cellulose molecules are broken down into simple sugars by the action of "cellulase enzymes", and (3) fermentation of the sugars to ethanol. According to the Mascoma press release, "CBP avoids the need for the costly production of cellulase enzymes by using engineered microorganisms that produce cellulases and ethanol at high yield in a single step". The company was also the first to report the "targeted metabolic engineering of a cellulose-fermenting thermophile, Clostridium thermocellum".. Biofuels Policy and Economics
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/22628/ The Technology Review website reports the highlights of a recent article in the journal, Science, which analyzed the comparative benefits of two alternative pathways for extracting energy from biomass: (1) biomass conversion to transport biofuels (ethanol) and (2) biomass for electrical power generation (bioelectricity). The conversion of biomass to ethanol (for transport) involves a series of physical, chemical and biological processing steps. Biomass conversion to electricity usually involves direct combustion or burning of the biomass and utilizing the heat to generate electricity. The article, "Greater Transportation Energy and GHG Offsets from Bioelectricity Than Ethanol", is co-authored by scientists from the University of California Merced, Stanford University, and the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Using a "Biofuel Analysis Meta-Model (EBAMM)" created at the University of California, Berkeley, the scientists analyzed different scenarios "covering a range of harvested crops, including corn and switchgrass, and a number of different energy-conversion technologies". Their studies show that "bioelectricity outperforms ethanol across a range of feedstocks, conversion technologies, and vehicle classes". Electricity from biomass was found to be more efficient than converting the biomass into biofuel, and had 108% more reductions in GHG (greenhouse gas) per area of cropland, compared with cellulose ethanol..
http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200903/146347616.pdf The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released its GAIN (Global Agricultural Information Network) report on Biofuels in Thailand and the Associated Impacts on Food Crops. Some highlights of the report are: (1) There was an increase in consumption of both ethanol-blended gasoline (9.3 million liters per day (ML/day) in 2008 from 4.8 ML/day in 2007 ) and biodiesel blends (57.5 ML/day in 2008 from 6.5 ML/day in 2007). (2) (Pure) ethanol production increased from 0.9 ML/d in 2008 from 0.5 ML/day in 2007, while 100% biodiesel production increased to 1.6 ML/day as a result of implementing a compulsory B2 (2% biodiesel blend) and voluntary B5 biodiesel production. (3) Sugarcane/molasses and tapioca are the major feedstocks for ethanol production while palm oil is the major feedstock for biodiesel production. Over the medium term, tapioca is seen as the major ethanol feedstock. (4) Increased biofuel demand in Thailand is seen to have marginal impact of food/feedstock prices (sugarcane/molasses, palm oil, tapioca). Details of the report can be accessed at the USDA FAS website (URL above)..
http://www.iop.org/EJ/article/1748-9326/4/1/014004/erl9_1_014004.pdf?request-id=4728ec53-2dd9-4189-88c5-681bbdfaa90d A recent report by scientists from the University of Wisconsin (Madison), University of Minnesota, and Arizona State University (all in the United States), presents "a new biofuel yield analysis based on the best available global agricultural census data. The new information reportedly gives "the first opportunity to consider geographically-specific patterns of biofuel feedstock production in different regions, across global, continental, national and sub-national scales". Data were analyzed for ten ethanol feedstocks (barley, cassava, maize, potato, rice, sorghum, sugar beet, sugar cane, sweet potato and wheat) and ten biodiesel feedstocks (castor, coconut, cotton, mustard, oil palm, peanut, rapeseed, sesame, soybean and sunflower). The results indicate the "continued existence of significant and geographically disparate agricultural yield gaps for most biofuel crops", and the use of a single yield estimate (usually from a unique location, or agricultural field trial and applied to larger regions or on a global scale) "can be misleading, and often overestimates the actual yield of agricultural feedstocks" by about 100% to150%. The complete report is published in the Environmental Research Letters journal (URL above)..
http://www.teagasc.ie/publications/2009/20090206/NationalBioenergyConferenceProceedings2009.pdf In a recent bioenergy conference, Bernard Rice, from the Oak Park Crops Research Centre (Carlow, Ireland) presented some insights into the biofuels industry/policy in Ireland. Although some progress has been made to develop a biofuel industry infrastructure in the country, investments in biofuels in Ireland have been reportedly held back due to: (1) price volatilities in feedstock prices, (2) cheap imports, (3) uncertainties over support measures, and (4) the food versus fuel debate. Despite these problems, however, some progress has been made on the following: (1) construction of four plant oil units, a biodiesel plant in New Ross, and a wood pellet plant in Knocktopher, (2) steady growth in the use of wood chips for commercial heating, and (3) establishment of a 2- hectare area for perennial energy crops (miscanthus and willow) cultivation. As with other European countries, the Irish biofuels policy is governed by the European Union's (EU) Renewable Energy Directive, which mandates a 20% target in the proportion of total energy to be obtained from renewable sources by 2020. The renewable energy target for transport fuels has been set to 10%. According to Rice, the development of a National Action Plan (as required by the EU Renewable Energy Directive), and "the change to an obligation system for transport biofuels" will be important in the development of biofuel production in Ireland in the coming decade. More information can be obtained Teagasc website (URL above). Related information: Oakpark Research Centre website http://www.agresearch.teagasc.ie/oakpark/ |
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