Alternative Energy / Biofuels

• China is Interested in Biofuels - Why Not the West?

  Biofuels remain the orphan child of western energy interests – like adopting children, everyone agrees that it’s a good idea, but not many want an alien rugrat in the house. Now China, arguably the world’s most influential and dynamic economy, is beginning to eye renewable as a partial solution to its voracious and growing energy needs. If Beijing determines that biofuels represent the future, expect to see the current modest western investment field to change dramatically. As yet, China’s involvement is modest. According to a PetroChina company official, the firm intends to increase its production of biofuels by 2015 to…

• U.S. Government and Biofuels: Too Much Too Soon

  It would seem, despite the inability of the cellulosic ethanol industry to produce an economically viable product to date, that it remains this Administration’s answer to coming liquid fuel shortages. Last week President Obama announced that $510 million from the Government, would be invested in biofuels, with an equal amount of private funding. The U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Navy will invest up to $510 million during the next three years, in partnership with the private sector, to produce advanced drop-in aviation and marine biofuels for military and commercial transportation, President Barack Obama announced today. . . . .…

• China and Biofuels - Stir-Fry or Fly?

  China’s omnivorous global appetite for energy resources is well known. While biofuel production is one of the rising energy stars of the 21st century, it is unlikely to become a significant source for China in the near future, as the country’s arable land is devoted first and foremost to feeding the country’s massive population 1.3 billion citizens, unless a feedstock can be found that grows well on marginal land. But the issue of food may yet prove to contribute to the country’s energy output by recycling a traditional component of Chinese cuisine – used cooking oil. According to a recent…

• It's a Good Day for Biofuel Enthusiasts

  Observers, journalists and investors don’t always know the finer details of the qualities of biomass destined for making fuel.  The question of how much useable starch and sugar there is in batch is quite significant to the cost basis of raw materials. Seed companies are already coming out with hybrids of plants that are much better at producing the most desired traits.  But the starting problem is testing in time, lab and personnel expense. Last week researchers at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced development of an inexpensive way to grade the ethanol potential of perennial grasses at the biorefinery’s…

• Investor Interest in U.S. Biofuel Production Set to Soar

  On 16 August President Obama announced that the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Navy will invest up to $510 million by 2014 in partnership with the private sector to produce advanced “drop-in” aviation and maritime biofuels for military and commercial use. This builds on a directive Obama issued five months ago as part of his “Blueprint for A Secure Energy Future,” his administration’s policy for reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil imports, which now cost more than $300 billion. The plan envisages the three federal departments to invest a total of up to $510 million, which will require substantial cost…

• Have we Seen the End of Jatropha as a Potential Biofuel?

  According to Promode Kant from the Institute of Green Economy in India and Shuirong Wu of the Chinese Academy of Forestry some 12.8 million ha (49,421 square miles) are expected to be planted with jatropha by 2015. Most anyone would be thrilled that such a large area is going to support jatropha oil for fuel production and offer incomes to subsistent farmers.Jatropha Curcas Seed Inside the Shell But it’s not looking good.  The report authored by Wu and Kant suggests the results are, “anything but encouraging”.  One wonders how that can be. Wu and Kant writing in a Viewpoint article…

• Biofuels and Tequila: Agave May Make a Suitable Ethanol Crop

  Grab the lime and salt!  Tequila may soon offer more than just delicious frozen margaritas.  Researchers find that the agave plant, used to distill the famous Mexican spirit, may also serve as a biofuel crop to produce ethanol. "Agave has a huge advantage, as it can grow in marginal or desert land, not on arable land," and therefore would not displace food crops, says Oliver Inderwildi, at the University of Oxford. The majority of ethanol produced in the world is still derived from food crops such as corn and sugarcane.  Speculators have argued for years now that using such crops…

• Biofuels Stepping up to Replace Petroleum in Plastic & Chemicals Manufacturing

  As the price of petroleum edges up in fits and starts, booms and busts, substitution products are coming on board to replace petroleum in many uses -- including fuels, plastics, high value chemicals, lubricants, and more. Making plastic from sugar can be just as cheap as making it from petroleum, says Dow Chemical. The company plans to build a plant in Brazil that it says will be the world's largest facility for making polymers from plants. _TechnologyReview Rather than jumping on board the peak oil bandwagon of doom, many dozens of startups and large industrial players are lining up to…

• Ethanol Usage now Exceeding Feed Usage from Corn

  The latest report of the United States’ Department of Agriculture showed that the largest volume of corn produced this year is going to be used for ethanol production. According to the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates of the U.S.D.A, 5.05 billion bushels of corn from the 2010/2011 crop year will be used for ethanol and byproducts while 5 billion bushes will be used as animal feed to help produce food for people. Corn is still the dominant feedstock for ethanol production in the United States. This will mark the first time ethanol usage will exceed feed usage. The disparity…

• Biofuels Potential to Transform the Global Economy

  Slowly but surely, an extraordinarily important new industry is slowly taking shape, with the potential to transform the global economy. After years of existing largely as an environmentalist's fantasy, commercial production of biofuels for the world civil aviation industry is slowly becoming a fact, with production starting up across three continents. The leading contenders for biofuel feedstocks are jatropha and camelina, both of which have their fervent supporters. While currently neither is capable of production at a price approaching that of Jet A1 civil aviation fuel derived from hydrocarbons, research and extensive investment are nevertheless investigating the possibilities. While little is certain in…