Could Wood Feed the World?

By Charles Q. Choi
Science - The main ingredient of wood, cellulose, is one of the most abundant organic compounds on Earth and a dream source of renewable fuel. Now, bioengineers suggest that it could feed the hungry as well. In a new study, researchers have found a way to turn cellulose into starch, the most common carbohydrate in the human diet.

Operational flexibility: A key factor in the development of biofuel technologies

Abstract of ScienceDirect – Research on biofuels has been focused on improving yield of the conversion process while reducing the capital cost. Currently, 88% of the US ethanol production capacity and 96% of the planned expansion of capacity utilizes a dry milling process, which has a higher ethanol yield and a lower capital cost per gallon capacity than a wet milling process. However, the fact that all the corn ethanol plants that were bankrupted or idled during the 2008 economy recession used dry milling processes while all the plants that used wet milling processes had survived suggests that the efficiency driven approach may be flawed. This paper compares the economic performances of a typical dry milling plant with those of a typical wet milling plant under scenarios when market conditions are favorable or unfavorable to the corn ethanol production. The results show that the wet milling plant exhibits better performance under both scenarios due to its operational flexibility (e.g. having starch, high fructose corn syrup, gluten meal, gluten feed, and corn oil in its product portfolio). It is argued that the development of biofuel technologies should take operational flexibility into consideration in order to absorb disruptions from unexpected feedstock supply and volatile market conditions.

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Plant-powered planes show promise

BBC - To the eye, there was nothing remarkable about the aging Falcon 20 jet as it took off from Ottawa International airport in Canada at the end of October in 2012. But the twin-engined, 10-seater plane was in the process of making aviation history.

After a short flight that saw it climb to 30,000 ft (9,000m) over the capital city, the plane touched back down at the airport to secure its world first.

Research study on bioethanol weighs alternatives for second generation biofuels

By Fernando Cunha
Agência FAPESP – Recent discoveries about plants that may be considered alternative and complementary to the production of second generation ethanol obtained from biomass were reported during the Japan-Brazil Symposium on Research Collaboration.
Organized jointly by FAPESP and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the event was held at Rikkyo University March 15-61, with support from the Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo.

Renewable energy

By Vania de Souza Andrade
Biomassa & Bioenergia - The Rio +20 emphasized subject that has been much discussed recently by governments. With the inclusion on the agenda of the meeting the topic of renewable energy, the world is forced to discuss viable alternatives and implement effectively in practice initiatives to encourage the use of clean energy sources. The most recent example that has news was the Japan, which has approved a plan to encourage the production of clean energy investment that should result in at least $ 9.6 billion in new facilities with generating capacity of 3.2 gigawatts. Such policy incentives for the production of energy Renewable worldwide have been object of study by KPMG, which raised and compared information subsidies by 15 countries, such as feed-in tariff (mechanism of stimulating the production of renewable energy),

Transgenic eucalyptus yields 20% more than conventional

Biomassa & Agroenergia - In appearance, the small planting of 2.2 hectares of eucalyptus trees on a farm in the municipality of Angatuba (SP), is nothing unusual. But differences exist and these trees are cells that received the insertion of a gene of another species, Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant model widely used in genetic experiments. With the change, they become capable of producing 20% more wood in relation to Eucalyptus counterparts.
A small forest of eucalyptus growing GM is one of four experimental plantings of this tree made by genetically modified FuturaGene,

Brazilian soybean biodiesel emits 70% less greenhouse gases than fossil diesel

Biomassa & Bioenergia – The Brazilian biodiesel produced from soybeans reduces emissions by 70%, at least compared to fossil diesel, when consumed within the country. If delivered for consumption in Europe, emits between 65% and 68% less greenhouse gases (GHG).
The conclusion of a new study commissioned by the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (Abiove), in partnership with the Association of Corn and Soybean Producers of Mato Grosso (APROSOJA / MT) and Brazilian Biodiesel Union and biokerosene (UBRABIO ). The survey was conducted by Delta CO2, a company incubated by EsalqTec, the College of Agriculture Luiz de Queiroz (Esalq / USP).

The use of ethanol as fuel in Brazil will complete a century

Embrapa Agroenergy – It has long been used fuel produced by microorganisms in Brazil. Ethanol was first used in Otto cycle engines, about 50 years before the launch of Proalcool. Historical records show that in 1925, a 4-cylinder car brand Ford participated in a race of 230 km in the city of Rio de Janeiro, using 70% ethyl alcohol as fuel. Image of this car is immortalized in the book commemorating 80 years of the creation of the National Institute of Technology and is reproduced in Figure 1. Subsequently, the INT was itself made possible the production of anhydrous ethanol for blending with gasoline, allowing editing of Decree 19717 of February 20, 1931, which required importers of gasoline to blend 5% ethanol to fossil fuel.

SGB and Embrapa formalize strategic partnership in research to develop jatropha in Brazil

Biomassa & Bioenergia – GBS, Inc. (SG Biofuels) and Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) entered into a strategic research agreement to promote the development of jatropha as an alternative source of renewable energy in Brazil. Headquartered in San Diego, USA, GBS is an energy crop company that provides high-performance solutions for the markets of renewable energy, biomass and chemicals. It is a leader in its segment and offers the largest and most diverse library of genetic material of Jatropha in the world. The company has been working on this development for five years, combining platforms breeding and genomics.
“By aggregating our efforts for initiatives of an institution of the Brazilian Government

Microalgae oil can turn biofuel

Biomassa & Bioenergia – A project developed by the Agronomic Institute of Paraná (Iapar), with the support of Companhia Paranaense de Energia (Copel), seeks viability of cultivation of microalgae to produce biodiesel from oil extracted from aquatic microorganism that can also generate other substances of commercial interest.
According to the researcher Diva de Souza Andrade, cultivation of microalgae has several interesting features: relatively low costs for harvesting and transportation and lower water usage compared to cultivation of other plants.