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News and Trends
Researchers from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory of the United States Department of Energy (US-DOE) and the Georgia Institute of Technology (United States), report the use of "small-angle neutron scattering" to probe the structural impact of acid pretreatment on the lignocellulosic structure of switchgrass. This technique is reported to provide new insights into morphological changes of pretreated biomass, in the search for cost-effective pretreatment processes for cellulose-ethanol production. (Pretreatment is the first step in the production of cellulose-ethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass; its purpose is to release the cellulose and hemicelluloses molecules from its tight lignin wrapping, by chemical (acid, alkali) and/or thermal methods). The researchers used the observation technique on acid-pretreated switchgrass. They found that the diameter of the crystalline portion of a cellulose fibril increases from about 21 angstroms before treatment to 42 angstroms after treatment. They also found that lignin concurrently undergoes "a redistribution process and forms aggregates, or droplets, which are 300 angstroms to 400 angstroms in size". The results suggest that hot dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment effectively decreases "biomass recalcitrance" by making cellulose more accessible to enzymatic attack, through lignin redistribution and hemicellulose removal; however, its efficiency may be limited because of possible "re-annealing" of the cellulose molecules (as indicated by the apparent increase in cellulose fibril diameter). The full results of the study is published in the 2010 September 13 issue of the journal, Biomacromolecules. According to researcher and co-author, Volker Urban, "Ultimately, the ability to extract meaningful structural information from different native and pretreated biomass samples will enable evaluation of various pretreatment protocols for cost-effective biofuels production". Related information: BioMacromolecules journal website http://pubs.acs.org/toc/bomaf6/current
http://sydney.edu.au/engineering/chemical/cecps/biofuel_plant.shtml The University of Sidney's School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (Australia) recently announced the official opening of the last of five integrated biofuels facilities funded under the Commonwealth Government's National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). Called the "NCRIS Hydrothermal Biofuels Research Pilot Plant", the facility "will provide researchers, an opportunity to improve biofuel production, taking it a step closer to becoming a commercially viable, sustainable energy source". The process in focus is the hydrothermal treatment of lignocellulosic biomass (particularly woody biomass). The hydrothermal process involves submerging the biomass in hot water at temperatures and pressures of up to 300oC and 250 atmospheres, respectively. No pretreatment agents, such as acid or alkali, are added. According to the University of Sidneys's news release, "The plant will experiment with the variables of production, with the aim of finding an economical processing method. Australian academic and industrial researchers can now investigate turning fundamental discoveries into practical applications that employ the unique green processing environment offered by hot water at high pressure". Energy Crops and Feedstocks for Biofuels Production
http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/content/3/1/20 Scientists from Genencor (a major biotechnology company) and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, report some research on the protein engineering of Hypocrea jecorina (an anomorph, or asexual reproductive stage, of Trichoderma reesei), a major cellulose-producing fungus. The objective is to eventually obtain a formulation of cost-effective cellulases for the saccharification step in the ethanol production process from lignocellulosic biomass. In the first phase, they mentioned that they subjected some components of the cellulase-enzyme-system (called CEL7A and CEL6A cellobiohydrolases) to protein engineering, to improve the enzyme's thermostability. In the next phase, they moved towards "improving CEL6A- and CEL7A- specific performance in the context of a complete enzyme system under industrially relevant conditions". In the present study, they report their advances mainly on the research activities involving CEL6A, in the open access journal, Biotechnology for Biofuels (URL above). For related information on teleomorph, anamorph and holomorph and the naming of fungi, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anamorph. See also Trichoderma Systematics, Sexual State and Ecology (USDA publication in Phytopathology journal) at http://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/pdf/10.1094/PHYTO-96-0195 Biofuels Processing
http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/content/3/1/21 Scientists from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (Hungary) and Lund University (Sweden) report a techno-economic study on the production of ethanol from softwood (spruce), focusing on the alternative options for stillage management. Stillage is the liquid residue left after the distillation of ethanol from the (alcohol)-fermented broth. In order to improve the economics of ethanol production, attempts are usually made to obtain "co-products" of value from stillage. For example, the stillage can be evaporated for use as animal feed, or as solid fuel pellets. However, evaporation is still an energy-intensive process, entailing cost. As an alternative to stillage evaporation, the techno-economic study investigated the use of anaerobic digestion to produce biogas. The biogas can then either be (1) upgraded to transportation fuel, (2) injected directly into the "gas-grid", or (3) incinerated on-site for combined heat and power generation. Results showed that anaerobic distillation of stillage had a higher overall energy efficiency of 87% to 92%, compared to the reference case. The production cost was said to vary from 4.00 to 5.27 Swedish kronor (or 0.38 to 0.50 euros) per liter. The complete study is published in the open access journal, Biotechnology for Biofuels (URL above). Biofuels Policy and Economics
http://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/Biofuels%20Annual_Kuala%20Lumpur_Malaysia_7-16-2010.pdf The Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released its 2010 Biofuels Report for Malaysia. Among the highlights of the report are: (1) the Government of Malaysia (GOM) wants to develop Malaysia's "niche in palm oil biotechnology" to harness technological achievements in this area for commercialization. Research and development activities in the field have been undertaken by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). It already has a number of biotechnological advances and product development achievements in palm oil and palm oil biofuels. One is the development of a "low pour point palm oil biodiesel"; (2) Malaysia has expressed concern over a directive by the European Union (EU) to set sustainability criteria for biofuels. The EU directive states that the biofuel material should reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 35 percent by November 2010. Palm oil, as assigned by the EU, has a "default GHG savings value of 19%, resulting in its elimination from the EU's list of qualified biofuels". Malaysian palm oil producers claim that their lifecycle assessment studies over the past two years have indicated that the GHG savings value of palm oil is actually 50% with the use of methane gas capture technology at the mill level. Malaysia and Indonesia are reported to be considering bringing the issue to the World Trade Organization (WTO); (3) Jatropha is seen as a promising alternative biodiesel feedstock with "excellent small-scale potential" in Malaysia. However, further research is needed; the Malaysian Government is reported to allocate funds for research and development for this bioenergy crop; (4) ethanol production in Malaysia is "commercially insignificant", but there is an opportunity for ethanol production from palm oil biomass, when the technology is ready for commercialization. Other highlights can be obtained from the full report, which can be accessed at the USDA-GAIN website (URL above).
http://www.aeep-conference.org/ In the first successfully concluded "First High Level Meeting" of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership, "Ministers and high level representatives from 21 European and 32 African countries adopted concrete goals for the future of the Partnership". The launching of the Program's first initiative, the Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme (RECP) was also launched. According to the African-EU Energy Program (AEEP) website, the objectives of the REPC include the following: (1) address key capacity needs for catalyzing the growth of renewable energy in Africa , (2) mobilize the technology expertise and innovation capacity of Europe for building knowledge and capacity in Africa, and (3) support the growth of a new industrial sector in Africa. These objectives are seen to "help build a significant new area for industrial trade and business cooperation between Africa and Europe". The focus of the RECP will include: (1) the establishment of a more detailed scientific knowledge about renewable energy resources and options in Africa, (2) the promotion of effective policies and instruments and "twinning" between European and African energy authorities, (3) the defining of strategies for exploitation and use of the most promising renewable energy sources in Africa, including hydropower, geothermal, wind, biomass and solar sources, (4) the facilitation of technology transfer and the establishment of joint ventures, public-private partnerships and joint investments, and (5) the intensification of high public visibility and awareness activities regarding the scope and potential for renewable energy in Africa, leading to more political support and increased investments. More information on the Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Program (RECP) http://www.aeep-conference.org/documents/aeep_recp.pdf |
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