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News and Trends
http://www.genetics.org/cgi/content/abstract/185/3/745 Scientists from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently published a study describing the construction of "linkage maps" for the genome of a biofuel "grass" feedstock. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a perennial grass, native to North America, and has recently received attention as a promising second-generation biofuel (bioethanol) feedstock. The genetic map was constructed by crossing a commercial variety of switchgrass ("Kanlow") with an ARS-developed variety ("Alamo"), to produce 238 plants. The DNA was extracted from the plants, and the map was assembled, "based on more than 1,000 genetic markers that could each be attributed to one parent or the other". The study, according to the ARS website, "was able to clearly distinguish the two subgenomes resulting from whole genome duplication that resulted in the current tetraploid status of the mapping parents". The study also showed that (1) two genomes do not readily exchange genetic information, and (2) genomes of switch grass and other grasses are "highly collinear". These findings may be able to help researchers identify gene sequences controlling crop yields and plant cell walls, with the objective of eventually developing better "biofuel-grade" varieties for improved bioethanol production. The study is published in the journal, Genetics (URL above).
http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/i1544e/i1544e.pdf The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently released its Bioenergy and Food Security (BEFS) Analysis for Tanzania. The BEFS analysis is a project of the UN-FAO which aims to provide policy makers who may be exploring opportunities for bioenergy development, "the tools they need to make informed decisions that take into account food security issues and in the broader context rural and agricultural development". There are five components in the BEFS analytical framework: (a) biomass potential; (b) biofuel supply chain production costs; (c) agriculture markets; (d) economy wide impacts; and (e) household level food security. For the Tanzania report, the feedstocks of focus were cassava, sugar cane, palm oil, jatropha, sweet sorghum and sunflower for bioenergy analyses; rice and cassava were taken for food security analysis. Some findings of the report are: (1) cassava-based ethanol schemes, linked to outgrowers, would be a viable option for biofuel development and may lead to economic growth and poverty reduction, (2) ethanol from sugarcane is a competitive option in Tanzania but requires a large-scale industrial set up, (3) molasses may be an unstable source of feedstock in the case of Tanzania, (4) based on land suitability assessment, sweet sorghum may present a possible alternative to sugarcane because of its lower water requirements but this is a new crop that would need investigation, (5) for biodiesel feedstocks, sunflower has high potential, based on land suitability assessment; jatropha presents a number of risks since it is still in quite an experimental stage and the results should be treated with caution. The full report can be accessed at the UN-FAO website (URL above). Related Information Bioenergy and Food Security (BEFS) Project http://www.fao.org/bioenergy/foodsecurity/befs/en/ Energy Crops and Feedstocks for Biofuels Production
http://www.thebioenergysite.com/news/6682/alfalfa-joins-feedstock-choices-for-ethanol The alfalfa plant (Medicago sativa L.) is reported as the third most valuable crop in the United States (next to corn and soybean), and is widely used as animal feed. Sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Forages", alfalfa is "the preferred feed for thoroughbred horses, dairy cows and other livestock". The plant is armed with an ability to produce its own nitrogen fertilizer which is a result of its symbiotic relationship with a soil bacterium. Benefits of growing alfalfa include: (1) improved soil/water quality, and (2) reduced soil erosion/increased soil organic matter. Scientists from the United States Department of Energy, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) think that the alfalfa plant might become a "dual-purpose biofuel plant": the stems could be utilized as lignocellulosic feedstocks for bioethanol production, while the leaves can be used as feed and other products. USDA-ARS dairy scientist, Hans Jung and his team, are studying the potential for raising alfalfa as a bioenergy crop. They are doing research for breeding new types of alfalfa and for the development of a modified management system for the production of biofuels from alfalfa. An experimental variety, which can be grown for longer periods of time between harvest to accumulate more cellulose, has been bred. (A higher cellulose content means a higher ethanol yield potential). Jung says, that in addition to harvesting later and less frequently, the scientists adjusted the management scheme for alfalfa and found that planting fewer plants per square foot provided more space for each plant to grow and to produce more biomass. The results of their research will soon be reported in a scientific journal. Biofuels Processing
http://www.nwo.nl/nwohome.nsf/pages/NWOP_85CHV5_Eng Frank Koopman and colleagues from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) report the discovery of Cupriavidus basilensis, a bacterium which converts furan aldehydes in pretreated lignocellulosic biomass into a bio-plastic raw material. In the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass for cellulose-ethanol production, furan aldehydes (5-hydroxymethylfurfural, abbreviated as HMF, and furfural) are side-products which inhibit the microorganisms that ferment ethanol. Usually a detoxification step is added to remove furan aldehydes from the treated biomass, prior to saccharification and ethanol fermentation. Koopman discovered that Cupriavidus basilensis can utilize furan aldehydes as its carbon sources, and produces a material called FDCA (furan dicarboxylic acid) in the process. According to the NWO news release, the researchers partially mapped out the degradative process of the bacteria, in order to transfer this metabolic capability (i.e. furan aldehyde degradation) to other organisms. The enzyme responsible for the formation of FDCA can fully convert HMF into FDCA, unlike most of the chemical processes. When the genes expressing the enzyme was inserted in Pseudomonas putida bacteria, the production of high concentrations of FDCA was achieved in the lab scale. FDCA is also reported to be the raw material for the production of environment-friendly bio-plastics. The discovery is interesting because the microrganism can just be added to pretreated biomass for the removal of furan aldhehydes. This would be a much cheaper method compared to the chemical detoxification method. At the same time, the furan aldehydes are converted into an environment-friendly product. Biofuels Policy and EconomicsThe Biofuels Country Report for Thailand (2010) was recently released by the Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service. The report shows that molasses and tapioca-starch are the top feedstocks for ethanol production in Thailand. In 2009, Thailand's total ethanol production was 400.7 million liters or 1.1 million liters per day. Molasses accounts for 60% to 70% of the feedstock for ethanol production, while tapioca starch accounts for 20% to 30%. An increase in the number of tapioca-based ethanol production plants was observed. Other highlights of the GAIN report are: (1) the main feedstock for Thailand's biodiesel (B100) production is palm-oil based: crude palm oil (CPO), refined bleached deodorized (RBD) palm oil, and palm stearin; B100 production is solely determined by domestic demand for blended biodiesel, i.e. B2, B3 and B5, (2) In addition to support for transport biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel), Thailand also supports other forms of biofuels: biogas (often at the farm level) for domestic cooking and direct combustion of biomass (biomass energy) for power generation. Biomass sources for power generation by direct combustion include bagasse from sugar mills, paddy husk from rice mills, woodchips from paper factories, and empty palm bunches from palm oil crushing mills, (3) Thailand's Alternative Energy Development Plan (2008-2022) has 3 phases: (a) the short term phase from 2008 to 2011, will focus on promotion of commercial alternative energy technology from high potential energy sources including biofuels, biomass, and biogas; (b) the medium term from 2012 to 2016 will focus on development of alternative energy technology industry, encourage new alternative energy R&D, and introduction of the "Green City" model, to help communities move toward energy self-sufficiency through sustainable development; (c) the long term phase from 2017 to 2022 will focus on enhancing utilization of new available alternative energy technology, i.e. hydrogen, bio hydrogenated (BHD), and extension of the green city models throughout the country and other ASEAN countries. The full report can be accessed at the USDA-GAIN website (URL above).
http://www.thebioenergysite.com/articles/contents/biofuels_carbon_time_bomb.pdf Two studies commissioned by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Transport and Environment (T&E) and Birdlife International show that "Europe has a major carbon accounting problem, threatening the credibility of two flagship EU environmental policies: the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and the Emissions Trading Scheme". One study mentions that biomass energy can have "variable climate mitigation potential, depending on the timeframe considered and the source of the biomass". Land conversion can result in carbon stock changes; for example, removing vegetation and ploughing the soils to grow bio-energy feedstocks can lead to GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions. Another study shows that "growing biofuels on agricultural land results in the conversion of forests and other natural areas into crop land to replace the agricultural lands lost to biofuel production." There is an assumption that biofuels are carbon neutral. But this may not necessarily be the case, because the carbon that would have been absorbed by vegetation on the land is often overlooked. Unless a number of urgent measures are taken, the EU's renewable energy policy aimed to mitigate climate change, may likely lead to an increase in carbon emissions. A "right carbon accounting" is essential. Details of the report can be obtained from the bioenergy website (URL above). |
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