Biomass
[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]
NREL and Petrobras to Collaborate on Advanced Biofuels Research
November 21, 2008
The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) have signed an agreement that could accelerate the development and international commercialization of advanced, second-generation biofuels. The announcement was made at the International Biofuels Conference in São Paulo, Brazil.
Petrobras and NREL have common interests in the development of next-generation biofuels technologies through biochemical and thermochemical routes from biomass. NREL conducts R&D related to techno-economic, environmental and sustainability evaluation of advanced biofuels in support of the US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and other partners.
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Oklahoma EPSCoR Receives $20.5M for Cellulosic Biofuels Research
November 17, 2008
The Oklahoma Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) has received $15 million in new funding over five years from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) for cellulosic biofuels research. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education will provide an annual $1.1 million match, for a total of 20.5 million.
The NSF award is to support a multi-institutional collaborative project that includes researchers from Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma and the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.
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DOE Awards $1.75M for Hydrogen and Ethanol from Cellulosic Biomass Project
November 13, 2008
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded University of Rochester Professor David Wu a $1.75 million grant to investigate a way to turn waste biomass, such as grass clippings, cornstalks, and wood chips, into usable hydrogen or ethanol.
Wu has been studying Clostridium thermocellum—an anaerobic, thermophilic, cellulolytic, and ethanologenic bacterium. (Earlier post.) Coupled with its preference to grow at high temperature, the microorganism promises distinct advantages as a candidate for developing industrial hydrogen and ethanol production processes from cellulosic biomass.
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Jatropha-Derived Aviation Fuel in Testing at Rolls-Royce; Air NZ Test Flight Targeted for December
November 04, 2008
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| Properties of UOP’s jatropha-based JP-8 military jet fuel as presented earlier this year at AIChE. Click to enlarge. |
The jatropha-derived “green jet” fuel to power one of four engines on a test flight in an Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400 has arrived at the Rolls-Royce facility in Derby, UK, for testing prior to the flight.
Preliminary data shows the fuel meets all required specifications for use in commercial aviation and a technical team led by Rolls-Royce is now putting the fuel through further validation testing, according to Air New Zealand.
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Terrabon to Open New Demonstration Facility Next Week for Biomass to Renewable Gasoline Technology
October 31, 2008
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| Terrabon’s pathway to renewable hydrocarbon fuel produces ketones, which are then processed using conventional refinery technology. Click to enlarge. |
Terrabon LLC, the developer of a carboxylic acid fermentation platform licensed from Texas A&M University for the conversion of biomass to fuel intermediates that can then be upgraded into industrial chemicals and renewable gasoline, will open its new Advanced Biofuels Research Facility in Bryan, Texas next week.
The facility, which will test the scaled-up commercial feasibility of the Texas A&M MixAlco technology (earlier post), will have a loading capacity of 400 dry tons of biomass, equal to a loading rate of five dry tons per day. The Company will use sorghum as the primary feedstock with the objective of producing organic salts and converting them to ketones, which can be converted to renewable gasoline.
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UOP Receives $1.5M for Pyrolysis Oil Project from DOE
October 29, 2008
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| Stabilized pyrolysis oil serves as a biocrude more easily transported than biomass for further refining to end products. Click to enlarge. |
UOP LLC has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop economically viable technology to stabilize pyrolysis oil from second generation biomass feedstocks for use as a renewable fuel source. The UOP award is one of five made by the DOE in this area. (Earlier post.)
UOP is also investigating a pyrolysis pathway as a component for its work on renewable JP-8 aviation fuel, an element of which is funded by DARPA. (Earlier post.) Although there is no direct linkage from the new DOE funding to the DARPA project, the results of the new effort will provide knowledge that can be used to support the JP-8 and other renewable projects across UOP, according to a company spokesperson.
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Algae Biofuels Offer Enormous Promise, Face Tough Production and Cost Challenges to Scale
October 24, 2008
The 2008 Algae Biomass Summit (23-24 October), organized by the Algal Biomass Organization, drew more than 600 algae producers, scientists, engineers, investors and policy-makers from more than a dozen countries to Seattle to pitch, listen and network on emerging algae-based solutions to global energy, environmental, and economic issues.
Amid the tremendous enthusiasm was a recognition that the field, while extremely promising, also faces difficult technical and economic challenges if it is to scale to be a significant component of a global energy solution. Algae have the potential to help keep humanity from going over the cliff, said Dr. Mario Tredici, Professor of Microbiology, University of Florence, Italy, in his opening talk at the conference, “but there is a necessity to identify the limitations of the technology and establish its true potential.”
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UK Carbon Trust Launches Algae Biofuels Challenge; Commercialization Targeted for 2020
October 23, 2008
The UK Carbon Trust has launched the Algae Biofuels Challenge with the mission of commercializing the use of algae biofuel as an alternative to fossil-based oil by 2020. The Algae Biofuels Challenge is a multi-million pound UK R&D initiative that could see the Carbon Trust commit £3-6 million (US$4.8-9.7 million) of funding in the first phase of the challenge, depending upon the number and quality of applications received. The UK Department for Transport also recently announced it will be contributing to the funding of this initiative.
For the Challenge, The Carbon Trust is now seeking to recruit expertise from algae specialists in the UK to develop ‘green oil’. The challenge is to produce this second generation algae-based biofuel cost effectively at scale. If successful, algae could deliver 6 to 10 times more energy per hectare than conventional cropland biofuels, while reducing carbon emissions by up to 80% relative to fossil fuels, the Trust said.
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Study Finds That No-Till Can Increase N2O Emissions in Certain Soils, Offsetting CO2 Sink
October 22, 2008
Researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Québec City) investigating the short-term impacts of a no-tillage practice in a heavy clay soil found that within the first five years of the practice, nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions could offset the soil carbon dioxide sink. N2O is a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential (GWP) of 280 on a 20-year time horizon, compared to the baseline CO2 GWP of 1. The N2O GWP increases to 310 on a 100-year time horizon, according to data from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC).
The practice of no-till has increased considerably during the past 20 years. The absence of tillage coupled with the accumulation of crop residues at the soil surface modifies several soil properties but also influences nitrogen dynamics. Soils under no-till usually host a more abundant and diverse biota and are less prone to erosion, water loss, and structural breakdown than tilled soils. Their organic matter content is also often increased. In addition, no-till is proposed as a measure to mitigate the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration.
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Wisconsin Awards $7.3 Million in Biofuels, Clean Energy Funding
October 21, 2008
The state of Wisconsin recently awarded $7.3 million in grants and loans from the Wisconsin Energy Independence Fund (WEIF) for research and development and commercialization or adoption of new energy technologies, including biofuel and renewable hydrocarbon production.
The Wisconsin Energy Independence Fund is part of Clean Energy Wisconsin, Governor Jim Doyle’s strategy for promoting renewable energy, creating new jobs, increasing energy security and efficiency, and improving the environment. The Governor’s plans include generating 25% of electricity and 25% of transportation fuels from renewable sources by the year 2025; and capturing 10% of the market share for renewable energy and bioproducts. Funded fuels and transportation projects include:
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Brazil’s Votorantim Takes Stake in Amyris; Support for Commercializing Diesel From Sugarcane by 2010
October 15, 2008
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| Amyris is engineering yeast to produce renewable hydrocarbon fuels. Click to enlarge. |
Brazil’s Votorantim Novos Negócios (New Business) has made a strategic equity investment in Amyris, a synthetic biology company focusing on renewable hydrocarbon fuels (earlier post). This investment supports the Amyris’ objective of commercializing renewable diesel fuel produced via fermentation of sugar from sugarcane by 2010, and brings to more than $100 million the total capital raised by Amyris during the past year.
Earlier this year, Amyris and Crystalsev, one of Brazil’s largest ethanol distributors and marketers, established a joint venture to commercialize advanced renewable fuels—including diesel, gasoline and jet fuel—made from sugarcane.
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GM Developing Global Advanced Biofuels Program
October 13, 2008
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| A portion of the current biofuels component of GM’s roadmap to improved energy diversity and reduced emissions. Click to enlarge. |
GM has been steadily building a global advanced biofuels program as one element of its efforts to reduce the use of petroleum and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
The company’s approach goes beyond simply trying to generate support for flex-fuel vehicles (“Live Green, Go Yellow”, earlier post) and fostering an E85 refueling infrastructure in the US. The more aggressive focus on advanced biofuels has resulted in its investment in two emergent lignocellulosic ethanol companies—Coskata (earlier post) and Mascoma (earlier post)—as well as the establishment of a collaborative bioenergy research center based at Tsinghua University in China as part of its larger Global Energy System Center work.
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USDA & DOE Release National Biofuels Action Plan; UN FAO Report Calls For Review of Biofuels Policies
October 07, 2008
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| NBAP top-level advanced biofuels commercialization timeline. Click to enlarge. |
The US Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Energy (DOE) released the National Biofuels Action Plan (NBAP), an interagency plan detailing the collaborative efforts of Federal agencies to accelerate the development of a sustainable biofuels industry.
Separately, in a new edition of its annual publication The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2008, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) called for an urgent review of biofuel policies and subsidies to preserve the goal of world food security, protect poor farmers, promote broad-based rural development and ensure environmental sustainability.
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New Process Combines Ionic Liquids and Solid Catalysts for Mild Pre-Treatment of Biomass
September 30, 2008
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| Main product and byproducts from the acid catalyzed hydrolysis of cellulose. Click to enlarge. Credit: Angewandte Chemie. |
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research (MPI für Kohlenforschung) at Mülheim, Germany, have combined ionic liquids and solid catalysts in a new mild pre-treatment process for cellulosic biomass.
With this process, cellulose undergoes selective depolymerization, yielding cellulose oligomers (cellooligomers) and subsequently sugars without any substantial formation of side products. Even wood, a lignocellulosic material, is hydrolyzed using this methodology.
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Lignol and Weyerhaeuser to Collaborate on Commercial Development of Cellulose-based Products and Biochemicals
Lignol Energy Corporation, a cellulosic ethanol and biochemical company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Weyerhaeuser Company to explore the development of commercial applications of biochemical outputs from Lignol’s proprietary biorefining technology.
The parties have also agreed to evaluate the development of a commercial-scale Lignol biorefinery plant at or near a Weyerhaeuser mill site. The MOU excludes applications for transportation fuel. The initial scope of the MOU involves the testing of certain biomass feedstocks within Lignol’s facilities, including the company’s integrated industrial-scale biorefinery pilot plant located in Burnaby, British Columbia.
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New Metal Carbide Catalyst for Cost-Effective Direct Conversion of Cellulose into Chemical Intermediate
September 22, 2008
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| Catalytic conversion of cellulose into polyols. Click to enlarge. Credit: Angewandte Chemie |
Researchers in the USA and China have developed a new inexpensive catalyst for the direct conversion of cellulose into ethylene glycol. As reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie, the catalyst is made of tungsten carbide and nickel on a carbon support.
The new process results in up to 29% yield over a tungsten carbide catalyst, and in up to 61% yield when the catalyst is promoted with a small amount of nickel. An attractive feature of this reaction is the low yields of other polyols with respect to ethylene glycol.
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Two Independent Research Efforts Develop Similar Processes for Conversion of Sugars into Bio-Hydrocarbon Fuels
September 19, 2008
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| Schematic representation of reactor sequence used in Dumesic process providing a platform for the production of liquid transportation fuels. The proposed chemistries involved in the conversion of sugars and polyols over Pt-Re catalysts are shown schematically in the lower portion of the figure. The asterisks represent catalytic sites. Click to enlarge. Credit: AAAS |
Following independent paths of investigation, two research teams have developed similar processes to convert sugar—potentially derived from agricultural waste and non-food plants—into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and a range of other valuable chemicals.
Chemical engineer Randy Cortright and his colleagues at Virent Energy Systems of Madison, Wisc., developed their BioForming process in early 2006. Virent this week announced the publication of a several patent applications and a white paper disclosing the technical details of its technology to produce renewable transportation fuels. That announcement was followed by the publication of a separate discovery by chemical engineer James Dumesic and his team at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Dumesic (who was a co-founder of Virent with Cortright in 2002) and his UW Madison colleagues announced their findings in the 18 September 2008 online ScienceExpress, to be followed in print in the 18 October 2008 issue of Science.
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Researchers Explore New Class of Second-Generation Biofuels for Diesel Engines: Cyclic Oxygenates
September 12, 2008
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| Smoke opacity versus cetane number plotted for various 9 wt% fuel oxygen blends at three different EGR levels. Click to enlarge. Credit: ACS |
Dutch researchers led by a team from Eindhoven University of Technology suggest that low-cetane C6 cyclic oxygenates—which could be derived from biomass—could perform well as cellulosic diesel blending fuels. A paper on their work was published online 10 September in the journal Energy & Fuels.
The heavy-duty diesel industry is facing a challenge in maintaining fuel economy while meeting more stringent emissions legislation (such as EPA 2010 and Euro 6), the team noted.
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Euro Parliament Maintains Target of 10% Renewables in Road Transport Fuel by 2020; 40% of That From Non-Food Biofuels, Electricity or H2
September 11, 2008
The European Parliament’s Industry Committee has approved a co-decision report that maintains a 10% renewables component in transportation fuels by 2020, but specifies that at least 40% of this overall share must be met by non-food second-generation biofuels, electricity or hydrogen.
The decision came in the context of growing pressure to reduce the biofuels obligation given concerns of rising food prices and sustainability.
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US DOE to Invest Up to $4.4M in Six Advanced Biomass-to-Biofuels Projects at US Universities
September 10, 2008
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected six advanced biofuels projects in which DOE plans to invest up to $4.4 million, subject to annual appropriations. These awards to US institutions of higher education will support research and development (R&D) into biomass conversion technologies for turning non-food feedstocks into advanced biofuels. Combined with the minimum university cost share of 20%, more than $5.7 million is slated for investment in these six projects.
Additional biofuels R&D projects recently announced include: industrial enzymes improvements; pilot-scale 10% biorefineries to test novel refining processes; biomass gasification improvements; “ethanologen” development; four commercial-scale biorefineries; and three new DOE Bioenergy Research Centers established by the DOE Office of Science.
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BioDME Projects Begins, Chemrec to Build BioDME Plant
September 09, 2008
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| Principal units of Chemrec’s oxygen-blown, pressurized black liquor gasification development plant 1 (DP1) in Piteå, Sweden. Click to enlarge. |
The European project BioDME has begun, with the first project meeting held today at Chemrec’s plant in Piteå, Sweden. The goal of BioDME is to demonstrate production of environmentally optimized synthetic biofuel from lignocellulosic biomass at industrial scale. The final output of this demonstration is dimethyl ether (DME) produced from black liquor via gasification and a final fuel synthesis step.
Project partners include Chemrec; Delphi Diesel Systems; Energy Technology Centre (ETC); Haldor Topsøe; PREEM Petroleum; Total; and the Volvo Group, which is the coordinator for the project.
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Arizona State Spins Out Technology for Algal Bio-Kerosene for Jet Fuel
September 03, 2008
Arizona State University (ASU) has entered into a research and commercialization collaboration with Heliae Development, LLC and Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) to develop, produce and sell bio-kerosene-based aviation fuel derived from algae.
This biofuel project will focus on the commercial production of kerosene from algae using patented technologies developed by Professors Qiang Hu and Milton Sommerfeld at ASU’s Laboratory for Algae Research & Biotechnology. The research efforts of Hu and Sommerfeld in algal-based biofuels and biomaterials have already moved from the laboratory to field pilot-scale demonstration and production.
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ADM, Deere, Monsanto to Collaborate on Corn Stover Research
August 26, 2008
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| Current availability of biomass from croplands, under current crop yields, tillage practices and average 40% recovery potential. About one-fifth of this 194 million dry/tons per year is currently used. Click to enlarge. Source: DOE, USDA (2005) |
Archer Daniels Midland Company, Deere &Company and Monsanto Company will collaborate on research to explore technologies and processes to turn crop residues into feed and bioenergy products.
The companies will work together to identify environmentally and economically sustainable methods for the harvest, storage and transport of corn stover—the stalks, leaves and cobs of corn plants. Corn stover can be used in feed for animals, as biomass to generate steam and electricity or as a cellulosic feedstock for biofuel production.
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Startup Licenses Texas A&M Technologies for Direct Production of Hydrocarbon Fuels from Biomass; First Product to be 95 Octane Biogasoline
August 19, 2008
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| Overview of the Byogy process. Click to enlarge. |
Start-up Byogy Renewables has licensed processes for the direct conversion of biomass to hydrocarbon fuels such as high-octane gasoline or jet fuel from the Texas A&M University System. Byogy is planning to have plants up and running within 18 months to two years.
Byogy’s initial plans are to produce only gasoline—a 95 octane fuel with an energy content of 130,000 Btu/gallon—according to Benjamin Brant, Byogy’s President and Chief Operating Officer. Conventional retail gasoline is about 125,000 Btu/gallon. Brant said that Byogy may involve strategic partners in the near future that will help support the production of jet fuels (JetA or JP8), diesel or further fractionation/distillation of its initial cuts to separate high value aromatic compounds as biochemical feedstocks.
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Changing World Technologies Files for IPO; Planned Expansion to 54M Gallons of Renewable Diesel Fuel Oil per Year
August 15, 2008
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| The basic Thermal Conversion Process. Click to enlarge. |
Changing World Technologies (CWT), developer of a non-combustion thermolytic deploymerization process for the conversion of organic waste into renewable diesel fuel oil and fertilizers (Thermal Conversion Process, TCP), has filed an S1 registration statement with the SEC for an IPO.
CWT currently operates a TCP production facility in Carthage, Missouri, that has the capacity to convert 78,000 tons of animal and food processing waste into approximately 4 - 9 million gallons of renewable diesel oil per year, depending on the feedstock mix used. The produced renewable diesel can be run as a straight, unblended low-sulfur fuel oil and has been EPA-approved as an additive in diesel fuel; full use as a transportation fuel will require upgrading.
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Researchers Develop New Method for the Direct Liquefaction of Biomass to Biopetroleum
August 08, 2008
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| Schematic diagram of the deoxy-liquefaction reactor. Click to enlarge. Credit: ACS |
Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have developed a new method for the direct liquefaction of biomass to a bio-oil with an attractive heating value (HHV 46.9 MJ/kg) and consisting mainly of alkanes (C7-C19) and benzene and phenolic derivatives. The product has low oxygen content and an elemental analysis similar to that of petroleum. The product, which they term “biopetroleum”, can then be upgraded for use in transportation fuels or chemicals. A paper describing their work was published online 8 August as an ASAP article in the journal Energy & Fuels.
One of the challenges in using biomass efficiently to produce fuels is transporting enough of it economically to wherever it will be processed. As a result, direct liquefaction technologies such as pyrolysis are of increasing interest. The concept is that the biomass can be liquefied close to the source and then transported more efficiently in its more energy-dense liquid form for further processing.
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Researchers Develop New Process for Direct Conversion of Cellulose into Furanics
August 07, 2008
Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a new method for the direct conversion of cellulose into furanics, which can become the basis for new biofuels. The simple, low-cost process delivers furanic compounds in yields not yet achieved, according to Mark Mascal and Edward B. Nikitin in an early view paper published online 1 August in the journal Angewandte Chemie.
Currently, biofuel producers primarily use starch, which is broken down to form sugars that are then fermented to give ethanol. Cellulose, however, is the most common form of photosynthetically fixed carbon. Exploiting that resource for fuels via a fermentation pathway—e.g., cellulosic ethanol—is difficult because the degradation of cellulose into its individual sugar components, which could then be fermented, is a slow and expensive process.
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New Enzymatic Hydrolysis Technology Boosts Cellulosic Ethanol Yield More than 50% from Fermentation
August 01, 2008
Researchers at the University of Georgia (UGA) have developed a new enzymatic hydrolysis technology for cellulosic biomass such as Bermudagrass, switchgrass, Napiergrass and yard waste that can deliver an increase in ethanol yield from fermentation of more than 50%.
The technology comprises a mild, acid-free pretreatment method; an enzymatic digestion process; and a suitable novel pretreatment reactor for the highly-efficient extraction of simple sugars from readily available cellulosic biomass. This is an effective, gentle (low pressures and temperatures) and fast (2 - 10 minutes) treatment resulting in greater enzymatic digestibility of grasses. The technology increases the post-digestion yield of simple sugars available for fermentation by as much as 10-fold compared with samples that did not undergo pretreatment.
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DOE and USDA to Award More than $10 Million for Bioenergy Plant Feedstock Research
July 31, 2008
The US Departments of Energy (DOE) and Agriculture (USDA) plan to award 10 grants totaling more than $10 million to accelerate fundamental research in the development of cellulosic biofuels.
The grants will be awarded under a joint DOE-USDA program begun in 2006 which aims to accelerate fundamental research in biomass genomics to further the use of cellulosic plant material for bioenergy and biofuels. DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research will provide $8.8 million while USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service will provide $2 million. The funded projects are:
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Researchers Suggest Changes to Biofuels Incentives Rather Than Rollbacks or Moratoria
July 30, 2008
Over the last six months, the focus of the biofuel debate in Europe and the United States has shifted from emphasizing the potential contribution of biofuels to increase energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to concern about the impact on food prices, possible increase in greenhouse gas emissions and the loss of forests and biodiversity.
A report from reserachers at Harvard Kennedy School concludes that despite growing pressure from biofuels critics, governments should avoid simplistic and precipitous changes in course such as rollback or moratoria on existing biofuels mandates or incentives. Instead, the report urges governments to initiate an orderly, “innovation-enhancing” transition towards incentives targeted on multi-dimensional goals for biofuels development.
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Researchers Develop Process for High-Yield Conversion of Lignin to Bio-Hydrocarbons and Methanol
July 18, 2008
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| Proposed routes for the conversion of lignin into alkanes and methanol. Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at Peking University (PKU) and the Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have developed a two-step process for converting lignin—a key component of plant cell walls—to alkanes (hydrocarbons) and methanol that obtains about 42 wt% C8–C9 alkanes, 10 wt% C14–C18 alkanes, and 11 wt% methanol—close to the calculated maximum.
The researchers, led by Professor Yuan Kou at the PKU Green Chemistry Center, published a report on their work 9 July in the journal ChemSusChem.
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ASTM to Consider Adding 50% F-T Blend to Jet Fuel Specification: Work on Hydrotreated Fats and Oils Also Underway
July 16, 2008
ASTM International’s Subcommittee D02.J0.01 on Jet Fuel Specifications will consider a ballot to include Fischer-Tropsch-derived synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK) for use in blending in jet fuels at levels up to 50% in the jet fuel specification ASTM D1655 when the supporting research report is available, estimated to be later this month.
While ASTM does not approve new aviation fuel formulations—that is the domain of the FAA and the aircraft original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)—it does recognize aviation approvals by incorporating them into specifications. ASTM also is able to assemble diverse experts to advise approval authorities regarding issues relevant to new fuel formulations.
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Pratt & Whitney Launches Biofuels Research Program for Small- and Medium-Sized Aircraft Engines
July 13, 2008
Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) is leading a four-year aerospace industry-university research program to investigate the potential use of biofuels from non-food sources for small- and medium-size aviation engine applications. These could include jatropha- and algae-derived biofuels, as well as biobutanol, to power aircraft engines.
The objectives for the project include identifying and assessing appropriate biofuels, studying their effect on engine components such as combustors and fuel systems, developing appropriate technologies and design changes to accommodate them, and conducting tests comparing current jet fuels with first-generation ethanol, as well as second-generation biofuels.
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Preem, Södra and Sveaskog to Partner to Produce Tall Oil Renewable Diesel
July 07, 2008
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| SunPine’s tall oil process produces either crude tall diesel for hydroprocessing at a refinery or standard biodiesel. Click to enlarge. |
Preem, Södra and Sveaskog have signed an agreement to acquire approximately 60% of the shares of SunPine AB, a company building a production plant in Piteå, Sweden to convert crude tall oil (CTO) either to “crude tall diesel” for subsequent hydroprocessing at a refinery into a renewable diesel component or, via purification, into standard EN14214 biodiesel. (Earlier post.)
SunPine is investing SEK 250 million (US$41.8 million) in the plant in Piteå, which is due to start production during the last quarter of 2009.
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UK Gallagher Review Calls for Significant Slowdown in Introduction of Biofuels
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| Proposed trajectory of EU biofuels policy. The orange section provides a guaranteed market for renewable fuels to develop while control measures are introduced. Green illustrates a proposed mandatory obligation for advanced technology fuels from appropriate feedstocks. The blue section shows how the market for current technology might develop beyond 2013/14 if measures to ensure the sustainability of biofuels supplied proved successful including in avoiding indirect land-use change. Click to enlarge |
The just-released Gallagher Review of the indirect effects of biofuels production, requested by the UK government from the Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) earlier this year, concludes that while there is a future for a sustainable biofuels industry, feedstock production must avoid agricultural land that would otherwise be used for food production.
According to the Review, the displacement of existing agricultural production, due to biofuel demand, is accelerating land-use change and, if left unchecked, will reduce biodiversity and may even cause greenhouse gas emissions rather than savings. As a result, the Review Calls for a significant slowdown in the introduction of biofuels “until adequate controls to address displacement effects are implemented and are demonstrated to be effective.”
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Study: Growing Bioenergy Crops on Abandoned Farmland Could Meet 8% of World’s Current Energy Need
June 30, 2008
Growing biofuel crops on the 385-472 million hectares of once-productive abandoned agricultural land globally could meet up to 8% of the world’s current energy demand, according to a recent report from researchers at Stanford University and the Carnegie Institution for Science. Their work was published online 25 June in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
Planting these crops would not take away land now used to grow food and would not contribute to deforestation.
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RAND Study Concludes Major Progress in Technology Needed for 25% Renewable Energy Use to Be Affordable
June 24, 2008
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| Sample incremental cost of renewables substitution curve under one set of assumptions. Click to enlarge. |
Major progress in renewable energy technology is needed if the United States desires to produce 25% of its electricity and motor vehicle fuel from renewable sources by 2025 without significantly increasing consumer costs, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Currently, renewable energy provides 9.5% of total US electricity supply, mostly hydroelectric power, and 1.6% of motor vehicle fuel.
Produced by the RAND Environment, Energy and Economic Development Program, the study provides a snapshot of the nation’s potential energy expenditures if a requirement was imposed that 25% of electricity and motor vehicle fuels used in the United States by 2025 would come from renewable resources (a described as “25 x ’25”, earlier post).
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Biométhodes Licenses Virginia Tech Bioethanol and Biohydrogen Technology
Biométhodes, a French biotechnology company in Evry, has signed an exclusive and worldwide option-to-license agreement with Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc. (VTIP) for multiple technologies for converting biomass to bioethanol and biohydrogen.
The processes were developed by Percival Zhang, assistant professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech. (Earlier post, earlier post.) Biométhodes plans to establish an integrated biorefinery pilot plant in Virginia to advance the process for the conversion of biomass into ethanol and co-products, focusing especially on biomass pretreatment. The process for transformation of biomass into hydrogen will be developed in France and will be validated through a biohydrogen fuel cell prototype and small-scale model car.
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Syntroleum-Tyson Synfuel JV Receives Final Approval For $100M Bond Package
June 22, 2008
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| Dynamic Fuels will initially use Syntroleum’s Bio-Synfining technology (Step 3 in the diagram) produce bio-hydrocarbon fuels from oils, fats and greases. Click to enlarge. Source: Syntroleum. |
Dynamic Fuels LLC, the renewable synthetic fuels 50:50 joint venture between Syntroleum Corporation and Tyson Foods (earlier post), has received final approval from the Louisiana State Bond Commission for $100 million in tax exempt Gulf Opportunity Zone (GO Zone) Bonds to fund the building of the company’s first renewable synthetic fuels facility in Geismar, Louisiana.
Dynamic Fuels will initially use the Syntroleum “Bio-Synfining” process—a biomass-optimized third-stage of Syntroleum’s full Fischer-Tropsch-based synthetic fuels process—to produce renewable diesel and renewable jet fuel. Bio-Synfining in essence treats fats, greases and vegetables oils as a Fischer-Tropsch wax, and upgrades them to renewable diesel (R-2) and renewable jet fuel (R-8).
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G8 Finance Ministers Call for Energy Efficiency and Diversification, Priority for 2nd-Gen Biofuels
June 14, 2008
In a statement issued at the conclusion of their meeting in Osaka, Japan (13-14 June), the G8 finance ministers expressed strong concern about the sharp rise in oil prices, and called for the energy efficiency of all economies to be further improved along with the diversification of energy sources. The ministers also said it was important to pass on price signals to consumers by reducing subsidies.
Saying that biofuels presented challenges as well as opportunities, the ministers also said that research and development of second-generation production methods for biofuels from non-food material should be a priority.
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Neste Oil to Build $1B NExBTL Renewable Diesel Plant in Rotterdam
June 13, 2008
Neste Oil will build an 800,000 tonne/year (about 240 million gallons US) plant to produce NExBTL renewable diesel in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Construction will start immediately and the facility is scheduled to be completed in 2011. Total cost of the investment is projected to be €670 million (US$1 billion).
Neste Oil announced its decision to go ahead with a similar-sized plant in Singapore in November 2007. (Earlier post.) Both plants are linked to Neste Oil’s goal of becoming the world’s leading producer of renewable diesel fuel.
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UN FAO: Biofuels a Significant Demand Factor in Food Price Surge
May 29, 2008
Although not the sole cause for the worldwide rapid increases in food prices, the biofuels market has created a new and significant source of demand for some agricultural commodities such as sugar, corn, cassava, oilseeds and palm oil. This increase in demand, according to a report prepared by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) “has been one of the leading factors behind the increase in their prices in world markets which, in turn, has led to higher food prices.”
The report, Soaring food prices: facts, perspectives, impacts and actions required, was prepared as one of the discussion documents for an upcoming conference on world food security in Rome focused on the challenges of climate change and bioenergy.
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Biofuels Provisions in the US Farm Bill
May 27, 2008
The US Congress last week overrode President Bush’s veto of the US$289-billion Farm Bill (H.R.2419, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008), putting it into effect as a law.
The wide-ranging bill, the passage of which generated some criticism from countries at the World Trade Organization for increasing farm subsidies at a time when the WTO is trying to reach a deal to cut them, includes a number of measures related to biofuels, both current generation and future.
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NCSU to Produce and Test Renewable Diesel, Biojet and Biogasoline Fuels from Centia Process
May 20, 2008
The Biofuels Center of North Carolina has awarded North Carolina State University (NCSU) a $200,000 grant to further the development of Centia—a three-step thermal, catalytic, and reforming process that has the potential to turn virtually any lipidic compound into drop-in replacements for petroleum jet fuel, diesel, and gasoline. (Earlier post.)
During this 12-month grant, NCSU will build upon previous test results by demonstrating the end-to-end production of biofuels from a variety of feedstock sources. Starting with one or more North Carolina feedstocks—including crop oils, animal fats, and possibly algal oils—the university will demonstrate all the steps in the Centia process to produce multi-gallon batches of renewable diesel, JP-8/Jet A-1 compliant biojet fuel, and unleaded biogasoline.
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Swift Enterprises Introduces Synthetic Hydrocarbon General Aviation Fuel from Biomass
May 09, 2008
Swift Enterprises Ltd. has unveiled a new patented synthetic hydrocarbon general aviation fuel—SwiftFuel—that is produced from biomass.
SwiftFuel meets or exceeds the standards for aviation fuel as verified by nationally recognized laboratories, said co-founder John Rusek, a professor in Purdue University’s School of Astronautics and Aeronautics Engineering and research director for Swift. Rusek said the fuel can provide an effective range (distance between refueling) greater than petroleum while its projected cost is half that of the current petroleum manufacturing cost.
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Energy Biosciences Institute Funds First 49 Research Projects on Cellulosic Biofuels
May 06, 2008
The Energy Biosciences Institute (earlier post), the world’s largest public/private consortium dedicated to the application of biosciences to the energy sector, has announced an initial set of 49 research projects for funding during the first year of EBI’s 10-year program.
Projects are being supported at all three of the public partner institutions—the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. BP is funding the decade of work with $500 million, about $20 million of which is supporting the first package of projects.
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Neste Oil Launches 10%+ NExBTL Diesel Blend Commercially in Finland
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| NExBTL is produced by a refinery-based process that hydrogenates fatty acids from fats or oils. Click to enlarge. Source: Neste Oil |
Neste Oil has commercially launched a blend of its NExBTL renewable diesel (bio-hydrocarbon fuel), branded as Neste Green diesel, in Finland. Neste Oil guarantees that Neste Green diesel contains at least 10%. Neste Green is suitable for all diesel motors, according to the company.
Using the NExBTL component improves the air quality in cities due to reduced particle emissions and reduces also greenhouse gas emissions. Neste Green diesel will first become available in the metropolitan region around Helsinki after which distribution will be extended to other parts of Finland on a phased basis.
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Amyris and Crystalsev Form JV for Renewable Hydrocarbon Fuels; Renewable Diesel from Sugarcane by 2010
April 23, 2008
Amyris Biotechnologies, a synthetic biology company focused on developing renewable hydrocarbon biofuels (earlier post), and Crystalsev, one of Brazil’s largest ethanol distributors and marketers, are