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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August 10, 2007
In This Issue:
News and Trends
- Biotech Company Ventures into Production of BioGasoline from Engineered Bacteria
- Prospects of Cellulosome Research for Processing of Waste Cellulose Residues
Energy Crops and Feedstocks for Biofuels Production
- Peanuts Studied as Potential Biodiesel Feedstock
- Project for Using Algae as Feedstock for Military Jet Fuel
Biofuels Processing
- Biofuels Production from Synthesis Gas Fermentation
Biofuels Policy and Economics
- Worldwatch Institute Report Assesses Biofuels for Transport
* NEWS AND TRENDS *
Biotech Company Ventures into Production of BioGasoline from Engineered Bacteria
http://www.technologyreview.com/Biztech/19128/ http://gristmill.grist.org/story//7/30/2124/78022
http://www.energybulletin.net/33056.html
An American biotech start-up company called LS9 is working on a process for the production of “renewable petroleum”, or renewable hydrocarbon-based fuels, using genetically engineered bacteria. The company is based in California, United States, and is founded by George Church (a geneticist from Harvard Medical School) and Chris Sommerville (a plant biologist from Stanford University).
Using the tools of synthetic biology and systems biology, their technique involves the modification of the metabolic pathways that bacteria and other living cells use to make fatty acids. In very simplified terms, fatty acids can be considered as hydrocarbons plus “other attachments”. By modifying bacterial metabolic pathways, the bacteria can be coaxed to remove the “other attachments” from the hydrocarbons, which can then be refined further to obtain “biogasoline”. The “renewable petroleum” produced from the process is said to be free of contaminants such as sulfur. The company plans to perfect their process and build a pilot plant next year.
Prospects of Cellulosome Research for Processing of Waste Cellulose Residues
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VRV-4NK4739-3&_user=677719&_coverDate=06%2F30%2F&_rdoc=12&_fmt=summary&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info(%23toc%236244%232007%23999819996%23660562%23FLA%23display%23Volume)&_cdi=6244&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=19&_acct=C000036823&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=677719
&md5=927ddad834625740cbd164dade406075
(Abstract access in the above website is possible, but full paper access requires subscription)
“Cellulose ethanol” or ethanol derived from processing of cellulosic plant biomass is thought to be the “way of the future” for ethanol-based biofuels. Naturally occurring cellulosic material from plant biomass is characterized as being “heterogeneous” and “recalcitrant”. In contrast, pure cellulose is homogeneous (consisting of glucose components) and can easily be converted to glucose (the raw material for ethanol fermentation) by the enzyme cellulase. These are the characteristics of plant biomass which present a bottleneck for the conversion into sugars for “cellulose ethanol” production. While pure cellulose can be easily degraded to simple sugars, the degradation of lignocellulosic plant biomass is not very effective. The use of a “multienzyme complex” or “cellulosome” is considered a more effective alternative. An article recently published in the journal Current Opinion of Biotechnology (URL above) presents some prospects of harnessing cellulosomes for cellulose waste management. Related Links for Information on Cellulosomes http://www.weizmann.ac.il/Biology/open_day/book/Abstracts/Ed_Bayer.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulosomes .
* ENERGY CROPS AND FEEDSTOCKS FOR BIOFUELS PRODUCTION *
Peanuts Studied as Potential Biodiesel Feedstock
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr//070730.htm http://www.checkbiotech.org/green_News_Biofuels.aspx?Name=biofuels&infoId=15262
Scientists from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are looking into peanut as a potential source of biodiesel. Some peanut varieties are being tested for field performance, and their oils “analyzed for diesel performance characteristics. A peanut variety called “Georganic” has attracted the attention of the researchers. The high oleic acid content of peanut is one characteristic that makes it a potential biodiesel source, as it is favorable for the production of high quality biodiesel. An estimated 120 gallons to 130 gallons of biodiesel can be obtained from an acre of peanut plantation. The “Georganic” variety is reported to have a high oil content, and has low production input costs. It is also not the edible type (i.e. does not pass “current edible standards for peanuts”), and therefore does not enter into the “food or fuel debate”. Related Links: Peanut Oil Characteristics from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_oil.
Project for Using Algae as Feedstock for Military Jet Fuel
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0806gr-altfuels0806-ON.html http://www.checkbiotech.org/green_News_Biofuels.aspx?infoId=15267
A scientific team from the Laboratory for Algae Research and Biotechnology of the University of Arizona, United States, has embarked on a project to develop a technology for converting algae into military jet fuel. It is backed by a $6.7 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The team, headed by laboratory directors Qiang Hu and Milton Sommerfeld, will search for oil-rich algal strains; evaluate their oil production potential; and develop a cost-effective production technology. Director Milton Sommerfield estimates that “a minimum of 100 barrels of oil per year per acre is achievable”. The project is expected to be completed by 2008..
* BIOFUELS PROCESSING *
Biofuels Production from Synthesis Gas Fermentation
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VRV-4NCK27C-4&_user=677719&_coverDate=06%2F30%2F&_rdoc=6&_fmt=summary&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info(%23toc%236244%232007%23999819996%23660562%23FLA%23display%23Volume)&_cdi=6244&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=19&_acct=C000036823&_version=1
&_urlVersion=0&_userid=677719&md5=4d417fc65830451c757d60da0a59f7df
(Abstract access in the above website is possible, but full paper access requires subscription)
A commonly known physico-chemical route for the production of biomass-based fuels is the thermochemical treatment of the biomass into a gas phase mixture of CO and H2O (also known as “synthesis gas”), followed by high temperature chemical conversion to biofuel oils. The first step is sometimes called “biomass gasification”. In the second step, the chemical conversion to biofuels is usually done by the “Fischer Tropsch” process (more information is available on the related links below).
A biological route for the second step (the conversion of synthesis gas into carbon compounds for biofuels) is also possible, as some microorganisms have the capability of fermenting synthesis gas into carbon compounds. In an article recently published in the journal Current Opinion in Biotechnology, the microbiology of “synthesis gas fermentation” for the production of carbon compounds for biofuels is presented. Related Links: Biomass Gasification, Fischer Tropsch Process and Synthesis Gas from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomass_gasification http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischer-Tropsch_process
* BIOFUELS POLICY AND ECONOMICS *
Worldwatch Institute Report Assesses Biofuels for Transport
http://biopact.com//08/worldwatch-institute-biofuels-may-bring.html http://www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/445
The Biopact website (URL above) presents some highlights of the report by the Worldwatch Institute entitled “Biofuels for Transport: Global Potential and Implications for Energy and Agriculture”. The report is coordinated by the German Agency for Technical Cooperation and is published by EarthScan. The report mentions the “poverty alleviation potential bio-based energy and products”. By proper policy implementation, the “global biofuel transition” could benefit the world’s poor, especially in the rural areas, through “enhanced incomes and reduced food insecurity”. In the long term, the potential benefits of biofuels lie in the use of “non-food feedstocks”, particularly cellulose-rich bioenergy corps like perennial grasses. The report recommends policies for (1) protection of natural resources; (2) accelerated “transition to cellulosic technologies”; and (3) “sustainable international biofuels trade”..
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