http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/biomass_basics.html
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/biomass_basics_faqs.html#available

For those who have burgeoning interest in biofuels, but are still lost in the terminology and technical jargon, this site from the US Department of Energy provides a straightforward and useful starting point. The reader with little technical background would be able to relate the word “biofuels” with other related concepts like “biomass”, “biomass-derived fuel”, “biomass power”’ “energy crops”, “bioethanol” and “biodiesel”. For example, “biofuels” is a term used for biomass-derived liquid fuels used for transportation. Here, “bioethanol” and “biodiesel” are considered important biofuels. In contrast, “biopower”, or “biomass power”, is the term used for systems that generate electricity or industrial process heat and steam. This would probably include “biogas” which is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide from the anaerobic biological degradation of plant biomass and/or animal wastes. The Biomass Energy FAQ also provides a good overview of biomass energy feedstocks, and technologies for biomass energy processing..

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http://www.oecdobserver.org/news/fullstory.php/aid/1647/Biofuels_for_transport.html

A report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) discusses the production potential, cost/benefits and environmental impacts of production biofuels (bioethanol/biodiesel) as an alternative transport fuel.

In many countries, biofuels are currently derived from starchy materials like corn and wheat for ethanol, and soy and rape for biodiesel. However, its worldwide used as a transport fuel remains low. Nevertheless, in Brazil, it accounts to about 30% of motor fuel demand. The high cost of biofuels (about 3 times that of petrol) has kept its usage down in many countries; but with technical improvements and increasing production volume, biofuel prices would likely drop. Other non-easily quantifiable benefits are energy security, significant reduction in greenhouse gases (and other pollutant emission) and enhanced rural development.

The report further mentions that although there is a need to better quantify the cost/benefit aspects of biofuels, there is sufficient evidence that it could at least complement existing transport fuels, or better, become a serious alternative to conventional fuels..

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http://www.greenfuels.org/biodiesel/everything.htm#d

This site by the Canadian Renewable Energy Association provides a user-friendly FAQ on biodiesel for a reader with little technical background. However, it also provides more technical links and related aspects on biodiesel (economics, international outlook, biodiesel standards, etc)..

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http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jul05/barley0705.htm

Barley is being considered as an alternative feed stock for ethanol production in farmlands outside the “corn belt” of the United States. Compared to corn, however, barley has a lower starch content, and has an abrasive hull which causes wear and tear in milling equipment. It also has a “troublesome” polysaccharide called beta-glucan, which renders barley mash difficult for fermentation and distillation.

Researchers at the Eastern Regional Research Center (IRRC) in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, are looking for naturally “hull-less” barley varieties with high starch content. In addition, they are looking into the use of beta-glucanase enzymes to break down high viscosity of the barley mash prior to fermentation..

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http://news.ufl.edu/2005/05/03/ethanol/

A scientist from the University of Florida has developed a genetically engineered E. coli which is capable of converting all sugar types found in plant cell walls into fuel ethanol. The organism is said to have high ethanol yields from biomass such as sugarcane residues, rice hulls, forestry and wood wastes. Professor Lonnie Ingram, of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (University of Florida), said that he cloned unique genes for direct digestion of sugars into ethanol (the same pathway found in yeast and higher plants) into E. coli. Plans for using the organism for commercialization with assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy are underway..

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http://www.syngenta.com/EN/about_syngenta/biotech_faq.aspx

In an effort to improve the efficiency and economics of corn ethanol production, Syngenta AG, a company in the United States, has a project to produce a biotechnologically enhanced corn which expresses high levels of amylase. Amylase is the enzyme responsible for the break down of starch into sugars needed for ethanol fermentation. Dubbed as “amylase corn”, these genetically modified corn seeds are designed to cut the cost of ethanol production by eliminating the need for addition expensive liquid enzymes to saccharify (the starch to sugar conversion step) the corn mash prior to ethanol fermentation..

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http://www.biofuelsjournal.com/articles/Purdue_University_Researchers_Study
_Poplar_Trees_as_Feedstock_for_Cellulose_Ethanol-37114.html

Purdue University researchers in the United States are looking into the possibility of genetically modifying the lignin of the plant cell walls in poplar trees, so that the cellulose within can be easily extracted for ethanol production, without compromising the structural integrity of the growing plant.

Poplars are said to have several benefits over traditional row crops such as corn. They do not require intensive inputs. They don’t have to be harvested every year, and therefore the grower has the option to leave the trees for another year (for example), while waiting for prices to improve. Several varieties of poplars can also grow in a wide range of climates, from subtropical to sub-alpine areas. Pilot scale fermentation studies will be conducted to determine the yield of fermentable sugars obtained from the modified trees..