BIOFUELS SUPPLEMENT
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A bi-weekly summary of world developments on biofuels, produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications SEAsiaCenter (ISAAA)
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January 25, 2008

In This Issue:

News and Trends
- Biofuels Dominate Renewable Energy Patent List in 2007 
- Brazil Plans Europe-based “Ethanol Embassy” 
- Bioethanol Feedstock Shift from Corn to Cellulose May Alleviate Mexico “Dead Zones” 
- BioEthanol By-Product in Cattle Feed May Contribute to E. coli Infection 

Energy Crops and Feedstocks for Biofuels Production
- Shell and HR Biopetroleum Collaborate on Algal Biodiesel Production 
- China’s Tiger Ethanol Company Uses Sugar Beet to Produce Ethanol 

Biofuels Policy and Economics
- EU Proposal Makes Follow Through on Climate Change and Renewable Energy 
- Wageningen University Expert Says Brazil Ethanol Not Causing Amazon Deforestation 





* NEWS AND TRENDS *

Biofuels Dominate Renewable Energy Patent List in 2007
http://www.exchangemagazine.com/morningpost/2008/week4/Tuesday/0121220.html

Of the 1882 patents on renewable energy published in 2007, more than half (1045) were related to biofuels. The rest included 555 patents on solar energy and 282 for wind. The Exchange Magazine website reports that biodiesel-related patents came in first in the list of biofuel patents, followed by ethanol and other alcohols, the far second. The United States, Germany and Japan were the top three countries with the most number of biofuel-related patents. About 57% of these patents are owned by corporate entities, while 11% are owned by academic institutions. The remaining 32% are “undesignated” (patent owner not listed in application). An increase in “agriculture biotechnology biofuel patents” (particularly, transgenic bioenergy crops) is expected to increase in the future. Likewise, the increase in the number of cellulosic biofuel patents is seen to rise, while traditional ethanol biofuel patents will continue to lag behind..

Brazil Plans Europe-based “Ethanol Embassy”
http://biopact.com/2008/01/brazil-to-open-ethanol-embassy-in.html

The Sugarcane Industry Union in Brazil, has plans to promote ethanol as a biofuel in the European Union (EU) by opening an “Ethanol Embassy” in Brussels (the EU capital). The embassy aims to “convince Europe's public opinion of the advantages of Brazilian ethanol over other forms of biofuel, in the light of heightened scepticism that do not differentiate between the many different fuels available”. The Biopact website says, that objectively, sugarcane ethanol, is a “sustainable biofuel”. Scientific studies (including life cycle assessment studies) have shown that sugarcane ethanol, in contrast to other bioethanol feedstocks, has a better net energy number and better in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Sugarcane ethanol has been found to have a net energy value of 8 to10 (meaning 8 to 10 times energy can be obtained from the use of the fuel compared to the energy required to produce it), and reduces 80% of greenhouse gas emissions as a gasoline substitute. The ethanol embassy will closely track developments on biofuels in the EU, and “lobby and intervene when it thinks this is necessary”..

Bioethanol Feedstock Shift from Corn to Cellulose May Alleviate Mexico “Dead Zones”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080116192108.htm
http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0116-ethanol.html

A University of Alabama (Huntsville) scientist in the United States, has mentioned that a shift in bioethanol feedstock from corn to cellulose-based trees and grasses, could help fight the rising incidence of “dead zones” in the Gulf of Mexico. “Dead zones” or “hypoxic zones” are regions of low oxygen in water bodies, and these areas are usually unfit for aquatic or marine life. Oxygen depletion in these zones, is said to be a consequence of algal blooms (triggered by  high nitrogen run-offs from fertilizer-intensive farmlands) which eventually die off and decay. The high demand for corn-based ethanol has caused record increases in corn cultivation in the United States, resulting in higher fertilizer use and run-offs with high nitrogen load, finding their way into the Gulf of Mexico. This has triggered massive algal blooms which eventually die off, settle, decay and cause the dead zones. Dr. Gopi Podila of the University of Alabama (Huntsville) Biological Sciences Department says, that a shift to cellulose ethanol (in the form of trees and grasses) could “take up some of that fertilizer and help alleviate the runoff problem before it hits the Mississippi Delta”. (The Mississippi River drains into the Gulf of Mexico). He adds that fast growing trees can grow on marginal lands and are cheaper to grow than corn. Dr. Podila’s current research (funded by the United States Department of Energy) is on genes that regulate growth in fast growing trees, particularly poplar and aspen. “If we can take a seven-year growth cycle and cut that down to six or five years, that's a tremendous gain”, he said..

BioEthanol By-Product in Cattle Feed May Contribute to E. coli Infection
http://aem.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/74/1/38?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&author1=drouillard&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT (Full access to article may require paid subscription)

Distiller’s Dried Grains (DDG) is a by-product in ethanol production after distillation of the fermentation broth. It is usually used as a component in animal feed. A recent study by scientists at the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University (United States), have shown a postitive association between DDG in feed and the prevalence of E. coli O157 in cattle. (E. coli O157 is a toxin-producing strain of E. coli which can cause food-borne illnesses). Fecal samples of cattle fed with 25% DDG with 5% or higher stillage had higher counts of E. coli O157. Batch ruminal microbial studies and fecal microbial fermentation studies also point to the the close association between the presence of DDG in cattle feed and prevalence of E. coli O157. The researchers concluded that the results may have implications in food safety. The study is published in the journal, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (URL above)..


* ENERGY CROPS AND FEEDSTOCKS FOR BIOFUELS PRODUCTION *

Shell and HR Biopetroleum Collaborate on Algal Biodiesel Production
http://www.shell.com/home/content/media-en/news_and_library/press_releases/2007/biofuels_cellana_11122007.html
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d787c2f2-a855-11dc-9485-0000779fd2ac.html

Royal Dutch Shell has formed a joint research venture with Hawaii-based HR Biopetroleum on a project to develop biodiesel production from algae. The joint venture company, called Cellena, will construct and operate a demonstration facility in a leased site on the Kona coast of Hawaii island. The algae biodiesel production process usually involves the cultivation of the algae in large ponds, harvesting and extraction of its oil, and chemical processing of the oil into biodiesel. According to the Shell press release, “the facility will grow only non-modified, marine microalgae species in open-air ponds using proprietary technology.” Indigenous algal strains that are approved by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture will also be used. A 2.5 hectare research facility will initially be constructed, and eventually move to a 1,000 hectare demonstration facility. According to the Financial Times website, Shell hopes to have a commercial algal biodiesel production facility in two years (about 20,000 hectares) with an expected oil yield of 60 tons per year per hectare. Algae have been seen as a “sustainable biodiesel feedstock” of the future due to the following advantages (relative to plant-based feedstocks): faster growth rates, large capacity to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, smaller space requirements, and can be grown in saline water. Because algae can be grown in water, algae cultivation do not usually have land use issues that are often associated with plant-base biodiesel feedstocks..

China’s Tiger Ethanol Company Uses Sugar Beet to Produce Ethanol
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=811217
http://biopact.com/2008/01/chinas-tiger-ethanol-to-invest-in-sugar.html

The Tiger Ethanol Company has recently signed an agreement with the local government of Fujian Province in China, to grow sugar beet which can be processed to produce both ethanol and refined sugar in “flex factories”. The plan is seen to provide additional income to Chinese farmers. The choice of sugar beet was chosen over corn, because it can produce more diverse products like refined sugar from pressing and processing of the sugar beet, or ethanol from refined sugar processing, and fertilizer from the spent biomass. A 121,000 hectare sugar beet plantation is expected by the end of the implementation cycle of the plan. A yield 1.5 million tons is estimated, with a production capacity of 100,000 tons of ethanol and 100,000 tons of refined sugar.