|
||||||
 |
||||||
 |
||||||
|
||||||
|
||||||
News and Trendshttp://www.icrisat.org/Media/2007/media25.htm The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has recently announced a 1.5 million dollar funding from the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (UN-IFAD) for its biofuel research and development projects. ICRISAT’s “pro-poor” biofuel project initiatives involve the facilitation of the use of biofuel feedstocks (sweet sorghum for ethanol, jatropha for biodiesel) by farmers and entrepreneurs. According to ICRISAT Director-General William Dar, “the project will support the farmers of the drylands with the latest research and research products, and link them with the biofuel market”. In this way, they can realize the benefits of the biofuel revolution in terms of improved livelihood and incomes. Among the project activities are: (1) “sensitizing farmers, research partners and stakeholders in the production/supply chain of biofuel production” to enable effective use of research outputs (i.e., improved crop cultivars, processing technologies, etc), (2) “facilitating the development of farmer-friendly procedures to enable them to take advantage of the clean development mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto protocol, to improve their livelihoods”. IFAD is a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries. Its website is at: http://www.ifad.org/governance/index.htm
http://www.ethanol.org/pdf/contentmgmt/ACE_Optimal_Ethanol_Blend_Level_Study_final_12507.pdf There is a common scientific assumption that a fuel with a lower energy content would provide a lower fuel economy in cars. (Fuel economy is often measured in terms of distance travelled per unit amount of fuel, i.e. “miles to the gallon”). Ethanol has a lower energy content compared to gasoline and has always been assumed to have a lower fuel economy than gasoline. A new study (by the University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) and the Minnesota Center for Automotive Research (MnCAR)), however, has disproven this assumption. They found that in certain cases, ethanol blends greater than E10 (10% ethanol blend) and lower than E85 (85% ethanol blend), provide better fuel economy than regular unleaded gasoline. Furthermore, a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions was found in cars running on “optimal” ethanol blends. This observation was observed even in standard, non-flex fuel cars. (Non-flex fuel cars are those whose engines have not been modified to run on non-gasoline fuel sources, like ethanol). The results by the study group showed that the most likely optimal ethanol blends for standard, non-flex fuel cars would be in the range of E20 to E30. Details of the study can be accessed from the URL above. Related information on fuel economy and flex fuel vehicles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_economy http://biopact.com/2007/11/biofuel-consumption-soars-in-thailand.html A “staggering increase” in the consumption of biofuels in Thailand has been observed since last year. According to Thailand's Department of Energy Director-General, Metta Bunturngsuk, the consumption of B5 (or 5% biodiesel blend) soared by about 1,000%, from 3.43 M liters in October 2006, to 65.13 M liters in November 2007. The consumption of ethanol, on the other hand increased by about 64%, from 110 M liters in October 2006, to 179 M liters in October of this year. The sharp rise in biofuel consumption was accompanied by a drop in premium/regular gasoline consumption (by 11.4%) and a decrease in crude oil imports by 12.8%. Thai ethanol producers are relieved that the problem of ethanol overproduction which they experienced in early 2007 has been finally solved. Starting April 2008, the country is set to implement a nationwide use of B2 biodiesel blends to replace regular diesel.. Energy Crops and Feedstocks for Biofuels Production
http://www.ceres.net/News/NewsReleases/2007/12-03-07-News-Rel.html California-based energy crop company, Ceres, in the United States, announced that it is providing research funds to the South Dakota State University (SDSU) to develop improved switch grass varieties for biofuel applications. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), is one of the dominant perennial grass species in the North American tallgrass prairie, an ecosystem native to central North America. It is a sturdy plant (drought and disease resistant), and has been identified as a potentially good feedstock for cellulose-ethanol production. The focus of the 5-year collaborative research will be “to develop higher-yielding cultivars adapted to production in northern latitudes, often called upland types”. Field and greenhouse research activities (which will involve cross breedings) will be led by Dr. Arvid Boe, a plant breeder from South Dakota State University. SDSU rsearchers will also do studies on the genetic diversity of switchgrass. Ceres technology will provide “selections support” and make the [crossbreeding] “efficient and predictable”. Related information on switchgrass and tallgrass prairie
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jx1TmT9KuUtqbBpg5n7Krwb1chhg South Africa has approved the final draft of its biofuel plan. The plan was developed in response to concerns over energy security and climate change. The target is to replace 2% of it total fuel production by biofuels by the year 2013. Fuel levy exemptions (50% for biodiesel and 100% for ethanol) are also in place as incentives. The following crops have been identified as feedstocks for biofuel industry development: sugarcane/sugar beet for ethanol, and soya/canola/sunflower for biodiesel. Maize was not included in the list of biofuel feedstocks. According to Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica, maize would not be included in the intial stages of the biofuel development plans, citing food security concerns. Maize is a staple food source of the majority of the poor people in the country. A local famer’s representative organization (Grain SA) expressed concern over the exclusion of maize as biofuel feedstock, saying that “biofuels could create new markets for farmers and utilize South Africa’s unused land". A pilot phase production for biofuels is envisioned by next year. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/11/content_7230871.htm The Institute of Botany of the China Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Singapore-based Temasek Life Science Laboratory (TLL) (affiliated with the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University), have recently agreed on a joint research collaboration to develop improved bioenergy crops using molecular biology techniques. The joint research will focus on the improvement of sweet sorghum and yam for biofuel applications. Among the crop improvements being eyed is increasing the energy content of the target feedstocks. Under the agreement, a Beijing-based laboratory for sweet sorghum will be established, and will be headed by Professor Zhong Khang, the deputy director of the CAS. The laboratory is envisioned to conduct “interdisciplinary studies in photosynthesis, biochemistry, molecular biology and ecophysiology”.. Biofuels Processing
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/114283520/ABSTRACT This review article (from the journal, “Biofuels, Biprocessing and Biorefining”) presents a number of technical and scientific issues related to the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol. Pretreatment (to improve digestibility of cellulose fibers), followed by cellulose hydrolysis to liberate the sugars for ethanol fermentation, are seen as important steps. Pretreatment should generally minimize the use of energy, chemicals and capital equipment, and be scalable to industrial size for the process to be economical and practical. Pretreatment technologies include the application of steam, alkali, or solvents. These technologies must be developed with reactor systems capable of operating at high solids concentration with large particles and harsh biomass types. The presence of lignin in the lignocellulosic material is one of the major obstacles in enzymatic hydrolysis. The optimal enzyme mixture is most likely to be tailor made or adjusted to each different kind of material. Operating hydrolysis with high initial substrate concentrations has been faced by the problem of product inhibition; effect of end product(s) on the enzymes has to be evaluated before selecting the hydrolysis and fermentation strategy. Development of more efficient enzymes is also the subject of extensive research. Significant improvements in yield and cost reduction can therefore be expected, thus making large-scale hydrolysis and fermentation of lignocellulosic substrates possible. Biofuels Policy and Economics
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2007/12/straight.htm Simon Johnson, economic counselor at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Director of the IMF Research Department, discusses some issues related to biofuels and recent food price increases, in the IMF quarterly magazine, “Finance and Development”. The production of biofuels using food-based feed stocks (such as ethanol from corn) is considered a major cause for the increase in food prices. Biofuels policy in developed countries is seen as a major driver in recent “food price shocks”. This is said to be in the form of prohibitive tariffs and production subsidies. Adverse impacts would be most felt by the poor urban/rural sectors in low income countries that import food. Despite these negative effects, some “silver linings” are also seen. The Biopact website summarizes these potentially positive effects in the form of (1) direct benefits for farmers in low-income countries and (2) potential policy space for removing agricultural subsidies in rich countries.. http://www.csiro.au/files/files/phim.pdf The comparative analysis of life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of biodiesel blends relative to regular diesel blends in Australia, has recently been reported by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). “Life cycle GHG emissions” of a biodiesel product can be interpreted as an inventory of GHG emissions from its production phase to its utilization phase as fuel; it is commonly expressed as “grams CO2 equivalents per kilometer” (g CO2-e/km) (related information below). Overall results showed a “savings” in total life cycle greenhouse emissions for the following biodiesel feedstocks: canola (49% or 422 g CO2-e/km), palm oil from existing plantations (80% or 680 g CO2-e/km), tallow (76% or 646 g CO2-e/km), and used cooking oil (87% or 746 g CO2-e/km). The percentage values are relative to the life cycle GHG emissions of extra low sulphur diesel (XLSD) which is 855 g CO2-e/km. The use of cooking oil as biodiesel feedstock for the replacement of base biodiesel resulted in the highest “savings” in life cycle GHG emissions. Details of the comprehensive CSIRO report can be accessed from the URL above. Carbon dioxide equivalents and emission standards |
||||||
