BIOFUELS SUPPLEMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 28, 2011
In This Issue:
News and Trends
- Biofuel Policies Across the World Reviewed
- Weed Risk Assessment System (WRA) Assesses Potential Invasiveness of Bioenergy Crop Species
Energy Crops and Feedstocks for Biofuels Production
- Wheat and Barley Straws Genetically Tailored to Break Biomass Recalcitrance
- In Planta Expression of Endoglucanase in Plant Cell Walls of Tobacco and Maize
Biofuels Processing
- Pretreatment of Sugarcane Bagasse by Mixed Dilute Acid
Biofuels Policy and Economics
- APEC Report on Sustainable Biofuels Development
* NEWS AND TRENDS *
Biofuel Policies Across the World Reviewed
(full access to journal article may require paid subscription) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V2W-50PB9S6-
2&_user=10&_coverDate=11/30/2010&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search
&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1621135092&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=
C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=0d5152a421beb8495e2c0d9a
c3245a49&searchtype=a
Researchers from the Institute for Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior, Institute for Market Analysis and Agricultural Trade Policy, and the Energy, Transportation and Environment Department (all in Germany) report a "concise, but exhaustive overview of policies that have promoted the rise of the biofuels industry across the world. The major biofuel-producing countries are reviewed individually, taking note of the regulations, incentives, output targets and principal feedstocks used. Analysis of the information was used to identify both the driving forces behind the rise of biofuel production, and the agricultural products that are directly affected. The review of the major biofuel-producing countries are grouped according to continents as follows: North America (Canada, United States of America), South America (Argentina,Brazil, Colombia), Europe (the European Union, France, Germany), Asia (China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand) and Australia. Among the conclusions of the review are: (1) government policy has been the driving force for biofuel production, and the key instruments have been mandatory blending targets, and economic incentives; (2) debates regarding the impacts of biofuels on food security and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have prompted the initiation of new rules for bioethanol and biodiesel production (for example, the promotion of second-generation biofuel feedstocks); and (3) the issue related to the sustainability of biofuels will challenge policy makers, as biofuels production continues to expand. The full paper is published in the journal, Energy Policy.
Weed Risk Assessment System (WRA) Assesses Potential Invasiveness of Bioenergy Crop Species
(complete access to journal article may require paid subscription) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V22-50X9S7F-
6&_user=10&_coverDate=01/31/2011&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search
&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1621129812&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=
C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=20d1b4fcd93d42399176bb6
140039551&searchtype=a
Researchers from the University of Florida (United States) report the use of the Australian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) system to evaluate the potential invasiveness of certain taxa of biofuel crops in Florida and the United States. "Potential invasiveness" is a not-so-often-mentioned criterion in the selection of bioenergy crops for cultivation and biofuel production. The more commonly mentioned biofuel-crop-cultivation criteria are: (1) high productivity, (2) low input requirements, and (3) wide habitat breadth. Invasion potential is said to be an issue of concern "because of the substantial economic and ecological impacts of plant species that become invasive in new habitats". Thus, it has been recommended that the selection of biofuel crops to be planted in a certain area must include an assessment of potential risk that the species might become invasive. The Australian WRA has been reported to identify invaders 90% of the time, while for non-invaders, 70% of the time. Using this system to test certain bioenergy crop species for cultivation in Florida, the following were found to have a high probability of invasiveness: Jatropha curcas, Eucalyptus grandis, Leucaena leucocephala, Ricinus communis. On the other hand, Miscanthus giganteus, Saccharum officinarum, and a sweet variety of Sorghum bicolor was found to have a low probability for invasiveness. The full paper is published in the journal, Biomass and Bioenergy (URL above)
Related information on Australian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) System: http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/assessment/pdfs/predictive_tool.pdf
"Plant cell wall deconstruction" in the production of cellulose-ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass usually involves (1) the removal of the tight lignin wrapping surrounding the carbohydrate (cellulose/hemicellulose) fraction of the biomass; and (2) enzymatically breaking down the cellulose/hemicellulose into simple sugars (by cellulase and hemicellulase enzymes) for fermentation into ethanol. Enzymatic breakdown of cellulose (also called "saccharification" is considered to contribute to the high production cost of ethanol, due to the cost of enzymes. One strategy to decrease the cost of saccharification is to develop plants which already contain cellulose in the biomass (i.e., stalks or leaves). In this way, the feedstock can be made more easily "saccharifiable," as it would require a lesser dose of cellulase. Scientists from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (United States) report the expression of endoglucanase (a type of cellulase that attacks the inner bonds of the cellulose fibers) in tobacco and maize. They found that the tobacco and maize plants which expressed the endoglucanase became "less recalcitrant" compared to wild-type counterparts, when subjected to enzymatic saccharification. The "reduction in recalcitrance was manifest through lower severity requirements to achieve comparable levels of conversion to wild-type biomass". The full results of the study are published in the open-access journal, Biotechnology for Biofuels (URL above).
Related information on cellulases:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulase
http://www.cazypedia.org/index.php/Glycoside_Hydrolase_Family_9/Plant_endoglucanases