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)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 27, 2010
In This Issue:
News and Trends
- Nanobiotechnology Puts More Light on Algae, May Help Boost Biofuel Production
- Enzymes in Termite Salivary Tissues Have Potential Lignin-degrading Ability
Energy Crops and Feedstocks for Biofuels Production
- Analysis of Land-Use Impacts from Increased Biofuels Production in the EU
- Complete Sequence of Jatropha Genome Announced
Biofuels Processing
- Alpha-cellulose as a Substrate for Characterization of Cellulases for Bioethanol Production
Biofuels Policy and Economics
- USDA-GAIN Annual Biofuels Report for Philippines
* NEWS AND TRENDS *
Nanobiotechnology Puts More Light on Algae, May Help Boost Biofuel Production
http://insidesu.syr.edu/2010/08/24/algae-biofuel/
http://biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2010/08/25/syracuse-researchers-boost-algae-productivity-with-nanoparticles/
A press release from Syracuse University (United States) reports that its researchers (from the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science,LCS) can use nanobiotechnology to accelerate photosynthetic growth of algae. Some species of algae are "oleagenic" (oil producing), and this ability makes these microorganisms, a "new generation biodiesel feedstock". Increasing productivity of algae for biodiesel processing is an important key for commercial production using this feedstock. The "nanobiotechnology method" reported by the Syracuse University researchers can be a step toward increasing algal productivity for biodiesel production. According to the Syracuse University website, the researchers utilized nanoparticles "that selectively scatter blue light, promoting algae metabolism. When the optimal combination of light and confined nanoparticle suspension configuration was used, the team was able to achieve growth enhancement of an algae sample of greater than 30 percent as compared to a control". The experiments are still at the lab scale, but it has promising commercial applications. The experiment is described as follows: A ‘miniature bioreactor that consisted of a petri dish of a strain of green algae (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii) on top of another dish containing a suspension of silver nanoparticles that served to backscatter blue light into the algae culture. Through model-guided experimentation, the team discovered that by varying the concentration and size of the nanoparticle solution they could manipulate the intensity and frequency of the light source, thereby achieving an optimal wavelength for algal growth". The complete results are published in the 2010 August 12 issue of Nature magazine.
Enzymes in Termite Salivary Tissues Have Potential Lignin-degrading Ability
http://www.thebioenergysite.com/news/6870/termite-enzymes-boost-to-cellulosic-ethanol
http://news.ufl.edu/2010/08/23/lignin/ (link below may require paid subscription for complete journal access)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T79-50PJWS2-2&_user=10&_coverDate=08%2F05%2F2010&_alid=1442838125&_rdoc=3&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_cdi=5053&_sort=r&_docanchor=&view=c&_ct=3&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=a0c1e024085eda82fcc99259371d7461
Scientists from the University of Florida (UF, United States) report that enzymes found in termite salivary tissues may be able to accomplish the degradation of lignin in lignocellulosic biomass at room temperature. Lignin is the tough molecular wrapping around the cellulose and hemicellulosic fibers in plant biomass. In the production of "cellulose-ethanol" from "second-generation" lignocellulosic feedstocks, lignin is usually removed by extreme thermochemical methods (high temperature, strong chemicals), so that cellulose in the biomass can be made readily accessible for further processing into ethanol. The finding by the UF researcher is significant, because the mild enzymatic conditions for lignin degradation may lower the (delignification) pretreatment cost of cellulose ethanol production. The paper (published in the Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Journal, URL above) says that the enzymes "are evolutionarily distinct, host-derived, produced in the salivary gland, secreted into the foregut, bind copper, and play a role in lignocellulose digestion". The results may "contribute to a better understanding of termite digestion and gut physiology, and will assist future translational studies that examine the contributions of individual termite enzymes in lignocellulose digestion".
* ENERGY CROPS AND FEEDSTOCKS FOR BIOFUELS PRODUCTION *
Analysis of Land-Use Impacts from Increased Biofuels Production in the EU
http://www.card.iastate.edu/publications/DBS/PDFFiles/10wp508.pdf
http://www.thebioenergysite.com/articles/705/impact-of-biodiesel-and-ethanol-production-on-
A report from the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), Iowa State University (United States), shows an analysis of the world market impacts of higher biofuel use in the European Union (EU). The study was commissioned by German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and the European Commission's Joint Research Centre–Institute for Energy (EU-JRC). The analysis focused on land-use impacts, and was carried out with the use of an international modeling structure called the FAPRI (Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute) Model, or the CARD Model (if Iowa State University uses the modeling system on its own). Two scenarios reflecting high biofuel use in the EU were run using the model: (1) high wheat ethanol use, and (2) high rapeseed biofuel use. The report gives an overview of the method as follows "After each shock in the respective scenario was introduced, the whole system of models was solved to arrive at a new equilibrium. And the impacts of the scenarios were measured in terms of departures of endogenous variables of interest from their baseline level". Among the highlights of the analysis results are: (1) an increase of 1 million tonnes oil equivalent (Mtoe) of wheat ethanol use in the European Union expands world land area used in agricultural commodity production by 366,000 hectares, representing an increase of 0.039% in total area (2) an increase of 1 Mtoe of rapeseed oil biodiesel use in the European Union expands world land area by 352,000 hectares, representing an increase of 0.038% in total area; (3) when wheat use for ethanol production expands, most of the adjustment is met within the European Union, with only a 9% reduction in net exports required; (4) about 57% of additional rapeseed oil used for expanded biodiesel production is supplied from higher imports, allowing substantial adjustment by countries outside of the European Union. The complete report can be accessed from the CARD website (URL above).
Related information: FAPRI Models http://www.fapri.iastate.edu/models/