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News and Trends
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/325/5938/270 A recent article in the July issue of Science magazine (URL above) features an analysis and consensus of "beneficial biofuels" by a leading group of American scientists from the University of Minnesota, Princeton University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of California, Berkeley. The discussion is a synthesis of year-long conversations and debates among leading biofuel experts in the United States. Although biofuels can have the potential to compete with food and land resources, proper planning and implementation can lead to "multiple benefits". Careful selection of the biofuel feedstock which give the most positive impacts on energy security, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity and sustainability of food supply is key. Many "next generation" biofuel feedstocks have low "life cycle emissions", and these feedstocks also exert minimum competition with food. The consensus is to focus on the following renewable biomass feedstocks: (1) perennial plants grown on degraded lands abandoned from agricultural use, (2) crop residues, (3) sustainably harvested wood and forest residues, (4) double crops and mixed cropping systems, and (5) municipal and industrial wastes..
http://www.parliament.nz/NR/rdonlyres/78072093-79F0-4C8A-AC88-61E8A470AB70/93085/1641Biofuel1.pdf The Biofuels Digest website reports that a biofuels bill which establishes sustainability standards for biofuels production passed its first reading in the national Parliament. The proposed sustainability principles for qualifying biofuels are: (1) that they must emit significantly less greenhouse gas over their life cycles than fossil fuels, (2) that they must not compete with food production or be produced using land of high value for food production, (3) that their production must not reduce indigenous biodiversity or adversely affect land with high conservation values. If the bill is passed into law, it would take effect in 2010.. Energy Crops and Feedstocks for Biofuels Productionhttp://www.mtu.edu/news/stories/2009/july/story15363.html Scientists at Michigan Technological University received a $900,000 grant from the joint USDA and Department of Energy's Plant Feedstock Genomics for Bioenergy Research Program, to develop robust poplar trees, or those which have properties which will enable the trees to thrive in infertile soils. According to Victor Busov, leading project principal investigator, the project has two complementary parts: (1) "poplars will first be grown in dry, nitrogen-poor conditions, and researchers will track how the trees' genome responds. Then they will map which genetic networks control those responses and modify the key genetic "hubs" that govern those networks in an effort to grow trees with roots better suited to low-nitrogen, dry soils", (2) random mutations in poplars will be generated and grown under similar dry, infertile conditions. Should any of the plants respond well to drought and low nitrogen, the scientists will track which genetic changes are responsible. According to the Michigan Tech News website, "Once the scientists identify which genetic modifications produce better roots, they plan to use a variety of approaches, including genetic modifications and traditional breeding techniques, to develop the ideal poplar varieties for biofuel production on marginal lands".. Biofuels Processing
http://www.thebioenergysite.com/news/4218/alligator-tree-bacteria-improves-cellulosic-ethanol Xylans are polysaccharides found in some plant cell walls and are composed of repeating units of a 5-carbon sugar, xylose. Xylose, together with glucose from cellulose, are the major sugars from lignocellulosic biomass which can be fermented to cellulose-ethanol. Therefore, in the pretreatment step, an efficient process for the liberation of xylose from xylans would be an advantage. Scientists from the Department of Microbiology and Cell Sciences, University of Florida (United States) recently obtained an "aggressively xylanolytic" bacterium which contains genes encoding "XynA1". This region is reported to be part of a xylan utilization regulon (a collection of genes under regulation by the same regulatory protein). The microorganism, Paenibacillus sp. strain JDR-2, is said to have novel metabolic capability which allows utilization of lignocellulosics with minimal pretreatment. The results of the study are published in the journal, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (URL above)..
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727135532.htm Distiller's Dried Grains (DDGS) is a by-product of the corn ethanol production process. Because of its high fiber (cellulose) content, it is commonly used as animal (ruminant) feed. It could also be utilized for fermentative biofuel production, after acid pretreatment using acid chemicals. One of the drawbacks in the use of acid chemicals for pretreatment of DDGS, however, is the possible formation of inhibitory compounds which might adversely affect the next fermentation step. Scientists from the University of Illinois recently reported the use of electrolyzed water for the pretreatment of DDGS, and utilizing the pretreated hydrolyzate for acetone-butanol-ethanol fermention. Water can be electrolyzed by placing a pair of electrodes into the reaction system, and the passage of electricity splits the water molecules into an acidic portion and an alkaline portion. The acidic portion, called the "acid electrolyzed water" is used for pretreatment of the DDGS. The scientists reported improvements in the fermentation yields of the biofuel, due to the reduced concentrations of inhibitory compounds formed after pretreatment. The complete results are published in the journal, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.. Biofuels Policy and Economics
http://www.cleanenergyasia.net/upload/resources/file/file_511.pdf In a policy brief by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the present global economic downturn threatens the viability of large scale biofuels production in Asia. The present biofuel production facilities in the region are reported to be operating only at a fraction of full capacity. This is further complicated by concerns in Europe, regarding the sustainability of biofuel imports from Asian countries, and this might reduce export demand. The USAID Policy Brief "highlights sustainability options and outlines ways in which official development assistance (ODA) can promote sustainable biofuels in Asia that reduce net GHG emissions, avoid negative impacts on food security and biodiversity, and promote the social welfare of local communities". Among the key findings are: (1) support for decentralized biofuels production on degraded or underutilized lands holds the potential for sustainable bioenergy supply, (2) biofuel plantations must avoid converting forests and peatlands, and use only marginal lands using high-yielding feedstocks that require minimal inputs, (3) the "rapid deployment of second and third generation biofuels can ensure food security, (4) "biofuel initiatives should strengthen the enforcement of labor rights, protection of land rights, participatory processes for indigenous peoples, and implementation of biofuels production certification systems".. http://www.ifpri.org/themes/bioenergy/bioenergy.asp The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is one of the centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) which seeks "sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty". In pursuit of its vision, one issue that it has focused on is biofuels policy and its implications on agricultural/energy markets, and eventually implications on food security and poverty. Its website has a "Bioenergy" page, which posts some useful discussion papers on the topic of biofuels and food prices, poverty and climate change. The number of bioenergy policy-related discussion papers are available for download at the IFPRI website. Some of these papers are: "Biofuels, Poverty, and Growth: A Computable General Equilibrium Analysis of Mozambique", "Biofuels and Grain Prices: Impacts and Policy Reponses", "Food Prices, Biofuels, and Climate Change", "When Food Makes Fuel: The Promises and Challenges of Biofuels".. |
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