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News and Trends[Top]
Advanced Energy Initiative Highlights Need to Accelerate Cellulosic Ethanol Development In his State of the Union address, United States President George W. Bush has set the goal for greater use of renewable fuels as part of his “Advanced Energy Intitiative” to replace more than 70% of its Middle East oil imports by 2025. The need for quicker development of cost effective technologies for the production of fuel ethanol from cellulosic materials (i.e. plant fibers such as switch grass) was highlighted. Experts believe that in order to accomplish the set energy goals, “cellulosic ethanol” would be the recommended option for the future. Among its mentioned advantages over “corn ethanol” are: lesser agricultural and energy inputs for production, non-competition with food crops and lesser greenhouse emissions. According to Mr. Bob Dineen, President of the U.S. Renewable Fuels Association, the call for accelerated research and development in cellulosic ethanol “will stimulate new investments in ethanol technologies”. Mr. William Baum, excecutive vice-president of Diversa (an enzyme production company) mentions that the original 5 to 6 years timetable for cellulosic ethanol technology development may be cut to 3 years. [Top]
Alternative Fuels Group of the Philippine National Oil Corporation (PNOC) Seeking Partners for Biodiesel Projects Mr. Peter Paul Abaya, president of the PNOC-Alternative Fuels Group, mentions that the company is undertaking partnerships interested in biodiesel-related projects. Many of these involve Jatropha plantations and refineries. Interested groups include Samsung and Sumitomo Corporations. The Philippine Army has also offered about 130,000 hectares of land in their camps for Jatropha plantations, while the Department of Justice has offered 50,000 hectares for Jatropha in three penal colonies. [Top]
Palm Plantation Farming Practice Show the Need for Life Cycle Studies to Evaluate if a Particular Biofuel is Really “Green” Although ethanol is a major biofuel source in many countries, there are instances where plant oils (such as palm oil from Southeast Asia) are used as direct substitute to diesel for electricity generation. Palm oil is said to produce “the most energy of all vegetable oils for each unit of volume when burned”. According to the news article above, the high demand of palm oil in Europe has resulted in the clearing and draining of peatlands for conversion into palm plantations. Wetlands International reports that peat fires (which may occur during decomposition of peatlands after drainage) contributes to large-scale carbon dioxide emissions. Peder Jensen, of the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen, mentions that whether a particular biofuel can reduce greenhouse emissions or not, will depend on the proper choice of plant feedstock, and how they are grown and processed. He also cites the importance of life cycle studies, which may be helpful for evaluating sustainability of a particular biofuel. [Top]
New Zealand Gears Up Cellulosic Ethanol Development A collaborative research program between two New Zealand Crown Research Institutes (Scion and AgResearch) and Diversa Corporation of the United States has been formed to harness New Zealand’s cellulose-based resources (i.e., wood biomass from plantation forests and grasses) to biofuels. The partnership combines Diversa’s proprietary technologies in metagenomic enzyme discovery and biochemical process optimization with the research capability/expertise of Scion and AgResearch to convert wood biomass and grasses to ethanol. Technical aspects of the research would look (among other things) into the feasibility of using novel enzymes as a component in pulp/paper manufacturing processes for ethanol production, and to assess the bioethanol potential of feed stocks such as grasses. Economic aspects of the study would include identification of “potential risks or barriers to commercialization plans”. New Zealand’s Ministry of Climate Change is said to be finalizing the country’s response to climate change and to produce cost-effective and clean energies. The project would be in line with these initiatives.. “Metagenomics”, as cited in Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metagenomics), has been defined as "the application of modern genomics techniques to the study of communities of microbial organisms directly in their natural environments, by-passing the need for isolation and lab cultivation of individual species." Energy Crops and Feedstocks for Biofuels Production[Top]
Study Quantifies Sustainable Collection of Corn Stover for Bioenergy Corn stover is an agricultural residue with biofuel potential; for example, as feedstock for ethanol production. However, according to this scientific article, collection of corn stover for such uses must be sustainable. Excessive residue removal can lead to: (1) an increase in soil erosion, (2) reduction in crop productivity and (3) depletion of soil carbon and nutrients. This paper attempted to analyze and estimate the location/quantity/costs of corn stover that could be sustainably collected in the United States. Soil carbon loss potential, however, was not considered in the analysis. The analysis showed that for a corn grain production of 196 million Mg (undercurrent farming practices), about 30% of the 196 million Mg corn stover residue could be sustainably collected at $33/Mg. Three regions in the United States, namely, Central Illinois, Northern Iowa/Southern Minnesota and along the Platte River in Nebraska were identified to produce sufficient corn stover for large scale bioenergy production. Biofuels Processing[Top]
Carnegie Mellon University Engineers Improve Ethanol Distillation Process for Better Energy Efficiency While many scientific studies have focused on reducing the cost of ethanol production by crop selection/improvement (i.e., crops with low agricultural inputs) or innovative bioprocessing methods, chemical engineers at Carnegie Mellon University have looked into ways for making the ethanol distillation process (the final step in ethanol production) more energy efficient. According to a Carnegie Mellon University press release, the technology involves redesigning of the distillation process by using a multi-column system, combined with mathematical optimization techniques. The project is in collaboration with Cargill, a food, agriculture and risk management solutions company. The improved technology ultimately decreased steam consumption (a major energy requirement in the ethanol production process) and reduced the ethanol manufacturing cost by 11%. Biofuels Policy and Economics[Top]
Technological Options for Bioenergy Development A report from the Food Policy and Research Institute (IFPRI) presents an overview of technological options for bioenergy production and how these options could be harnessed for application in developing countries: (1) The first generation technologies are processes utilizing traditional energy feedstocks such as (a) saccharine or starchy materials for ethanol production by the biochemical route (fermentation or enzymatic)), (b) oilseed crops such as soybean, palm, and rapeseed for biodiesel production by the chemical or enzymatic route , (c) and agricultural wastes/residues like wood chips and animal manure which can be burned directly or process into biogas (by fermentation) for fuel. First generation technologies have been refined and improved over the years, but challenges remain with respect to making the bioenergy product cost competitive relative to fossil fuels. (2) The second generation technologies are those which utilize cellulose-rich biomass for ethanol production (by fermentation and/or enzymatic methods) or for hydrocarbon fuel production (by thermochemical processes such as pyrolysis or gasification). The second generation technologies (presently in active R and D) are said to have the following advanges: non-competition of cellulosic biomass with food crops, possible cultivation of cellulosic biomass in low-rainfall, poor soils. (3) developing countries could leapfrog first generation technologies for their transport and electricity requirements. With respect to cellulosic feedstocks in second generation technologies, small-farm production would be beneficial in uplifting way of life for rural farmers; however, they organizing small farmer groups to market their produce to large scale processors may be needed. [Top]
Agricultural Research in the Framework for Bioenergy Another report from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) presents some insights into how agriculture and crop research can be geared within the bioenergy framework: crop improvement and sustainable crop management. Research on cellulose-based non-food biofuel feedstocks are seen as a way to mitigate the “food or fuel” dilemma associated with sugarcane or corn feedstocks. The report identified alternative crop species with potential for biofuel production in Asia (Jatropha, Neem, Pongamia), North America (switchgrass) and Europe (silver grass, banner grass, etc). For the utilization of agricultural residues like corn stover or rice straw, sustainable collection of these residues are seen as important for reducing negative impacts associated with residue removal: soil erosion, nutrient depletion and reduced crop productivity. With regard to institutional arrangements for biofuel research, mentions that “upstream academic organizations” are best suited to handle basic crop research, while “trait-based mining of genetic resources would be an appropriate niche for public genebanks”. While there are incentives for private investment in cultivar development for biofuel production, there may be a possibility that intellectual property protection mechanisms can lock enabling technologies. On the other hand, new opportunities public-private sector partnerships could also bloom from development of new biofuel cultivars. [Top]
Document Release/ResourcesUnited Nations International Bioenergy Platform The International Bioenergy Platform (IBEP) is document resource for stakeholders in energy, agriculture and environment in the international community. The platform, according to the website summary is presented as a “mechanism for organizing and facilitating a multidisciplinary and global approach” in bioenergy. It was also envisioned (among others) to “provide analysis and information for policy and decision-making support” and “facilitate opportunities for effective international exchange and collaboration”. |
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