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News and Trends[Top]
MIT Life Cycle Analysis Looks Into Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Corn Ethanol A report from the Laboratory for Energy and the Environment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) presents a new analysis on the benefits of corn-based ethanol with respect to energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Among the findings of the study are: (1) a gallon of corn-ethanol can displace 0.67 gallon of petroleum, assuming a similar in-use efficiency, (2) ethanol-blended fuels showed lower greenhouse gas emissions, only if “co-product credits” are considered. (“co-product credits” can be seen as deductible energy savings associated with by-products that can be obtained from ethanol production), (3) corn-ethanol for transport fuel is seen as a “stepping stone” to the future scenario of cellulosic-ethanol for transport fuel. A related MIT news article (http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/ethanol.html), mentions that the energy balance of corn ethanol is presently so close (compared to fossil fuels), that several factors can easily tip the scale for corn-ethanol being an energy beneficial alternative or not. [Top]
Scientists Call for a Cautious Look Into Potential Risks of Biofuel Crops as Invasive Species In a recent article from the journal Science (URL is posted above), scientists have called on the need to weigh-in the economic benefits of biofuels with the ecological risks associated with the introduction of non-native biofuel crop species into new agricultural landscapes (i.e. species invasiveness). Many of the ideal ecological traits for biofuel crops (like high water-use efficiency, C4 photosynthesis, no known pests/diseases, etc) are said to contribute to invasiveness. The article cites situations where the introduction plant species initially thought of as beneficial have resulted in “long term economic and environmental costs owing to invasiveness”. The scientists stressed the need for the establishment of agronomical and ecological analysis (which is presently mandated for the case of transgenic plants and biological control agents) to establish the safety of potential biofuel crops. [Top]
Project Targets Production of Economically Feasible Algae Biodiesel by 2010 Sandia Laboratories, of the U.S. Department of Energy, has embarked on a project (funded by Live Fuels, Inc.) to produce an economically feasible “biocrude” from algae (algae biodiesel) by 2010. The cultivation of algae and the extraction of oil for biodiesel production has been considered from the viewpoint of (1) utilization marginal lands (i.e., barren desert lands receiving high solar radiation) for algae cultivation, and (2) as fill-in to the projected shortage of vegetable oil in the United States. The project hopes to find ways to produce a competitively priced algae biocrude by looking to algal strains with high oil content (“fat algae”), and by innovative processing technologies. Energy Crops and Feedstocks for Biofuels Production[Top]
Bio-Oil Production Plant Utilizing Caña Brava (Gynerium sagittatum) Project to Rise in the Peruvian Amazon Region Gynerium sagittatum (locally known as “caña brava”, “samoa fiber” and “bitter cane”) is a grass plant that “grows wildly the Amazonian floodlands”. A project by Samoa Fiber Holdings company is underway to utilize caña brava for the production of bio-oil by “fast pyrolysis” (rapid high temperature burning of material in the absence of air). About 80% oil yield could be obtained from the biomass. The company is said to be developing plantations in Eastern Peru; the harvest will be processed in the pyrolysis plant that will be situated adjacent to the plantations. Biofuels Processing[Top]
Syngenta and Diversa Team Up to Develop Enzyme Breakthroughs for Cellulose-Ethanol Production Syngenta (a crop solutions, agri business company) and Diversa (a company producing specialty enzymes) have forged a research and development an agreement for the development of novel enzymes that would provide breakthroughs in the economical production of ethanol from cellulosic biomass. The conversion of cellulosic biomass to ethanol usually involves three steps: (1) cellulose pretreatment, (2) conversion/breakdown of cellulose to simple sugars (also known as saccharification) and (3) fermentation, where the sugars are converted to ethanol. In many cases the saccharification step is important in the production of cellulosic ethanol. Under the agreement, Syngenta will provide funds to Diversa, which will be given a free hand to develop cost effective enzymes and microorganisms for the commercial production of ethanol from cellulosic biomass. [Top]
Development of Thermochemical Process for Conversion of Cellulosic Biomass to Biofuels The Energy and Development Research Center and the University of North Dakota Centers for Renewable Energy and Biomass Utilization, are pursuing collaborative research (together with ICM, Inc) to develop a thermochemical process for the production of biofuels from cellulosic biomass feedstock (i.e. switchgrass, wheat straw, wood chips). The process is based on the high temperature heating of the biomass in the absence of oxygen (pyrolysis). The end products are high value biofuels like methanol and butanol. Biofuels Policy and Economics[Top]
ASEAN Ministers Promote Biofuels Production and Utilization The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and six of its Asia-Pacific partners, have released a “Declaration of East Asian Security” at 12th ASEAN summit, held in Cebu, Philippines (2007 January 9-15). In the declaration, the signatory countries have agreed cooperate in the expansion and strengthening of renewable energy systems like biofuels production/utilization, as a strategy to wean off dependence on conventional (fossil) fuels and to mitigate environmental problems associated with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. [Top]
Consumer Acceptance to Biofuels Positive A survey in the United States shows a positive public acceptance to biofuels. According to the survey, about half of the respondents are willing to pay a premium for biofuels. Ease of access and availability are considered some of the Problems. |
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