Student Biodiesel Initiative Begins. TheBioenergySite.com

US - The next generation of scientists in the US is gearing up to lead America's energy efforts with biodiesel at the forefront.

Student scientists from Dartmouth College to Oregon State University are leading a new Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel initiative. The group has formed to demonstrate and grow support for biodiesel among tomorrow's scientific leaders.

Lucas Ellis of Dartmouth, pursuing his Master of Science in Biochemical Engineering, is one of four co-chairs of the effort.

"In college there is an eagerness to become an advocate or have a cause, and mine was the environment, science and educating others about sustainability," Ellis said. "Biodiesel combined all of those and became my passion."

Lack of science means jatropha biofuel 'could fail poor' - SciDev.Net

Papiya Bhattacharyya
9 August 2010 EN

[BANGALORE] Mass planting of jatropha as a biofuel crop could benefit poor areas as well as combating global warming, but only if a number of scientific and production issues are properly addressed, a review has warned.
Growing jatropha for biofuel on degraded land unsuitable for food and cash crops could help improve the earnings of small farmers and counter poverty, reports the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the review published last month.
The plant is an alternative crop for small farmers "particularly in semi-arid, remote areas that have little opportunity for alternative farming strategies, few alternative livelihood options and increasing environmental degradation," notes the FAO.
And biofuels produced in sufficient volume could make a significant impact on global warming, as it is estimated that transport accounts for a fifth of total greenhouse gas emissions.
But, so far, decisions about jatropha "have been made without the backing of sufficient science-based knowledge," the FAO says in the review, which includes case studies from South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
For jatropha planting to meet its 'pro-poor' objectives, international support is needed for research on genetic improvement of varieties, and on cultivation practices such as water conservation and integrated pest and nutrient management, the review recommends.
More research is also needed on oil processing techniques and new oil products to help smallholders reap maximum profits.
The review also notes that, in India, low yields have been reported despite farmers using a range of seed varieties that are available worldwide. But low yields need not be a barrier if other broader objectives are met, such as reclamation of wasteland, job creation and affordable biofuel for the lighting of homes, for cookers and for operating small milling machines, grinders, irrigation pumps and two-wheeled tractors.
Experts should also ensure that projects to help small farmers grow jatropha can qualify for certification under the clean development mechanism (CDM), which allows organisations to earn credit for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.
Other jatropha policies could include targeting remote areas with poor transport links and ensuring large-scale plantations do not compete with food crops.
But Balakrishna Gowda, biofuel project coordinator in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, where jatropha is grown, and professor at the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore, said that it would be unrealistic to expect jatropha to reverse poverty "overnight" in developing countries.
"The plant requires water and nutrition like any other plant [even if it grows on degraded land]," he told SciDev.Net. "And it takes at least five to seven years for the plants to mature and grow their first fruit. We can rule out expectations of a great 'overnight' yield."
Link to full report 'Jatropha: a smallholder bioenergy crop — the potential for pro-poor development'[2.32MB]

Garuda Indonesia Planning to Switch to Biofuel | The Jakarta Globe

Fidelis E. Satriastanti August 02, 2010

Jakarta. National airline Garuda Indonesia is finalizing preparations to use biofuel in an attempt to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, a senior official said on Monday.

“We are in the process of changing from avtur [aviation fuel] to biofuel. Not a single [domestic] airline has done it yet. We will be implementing this plan in stages and it will not necessarily be achieved within this year,” Garuda commissioner Wendy Aritonang said.

The airline has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Air Transport Association, committing to improving air travel services as well as to using biofuel, which is produced from renewable resources like palm oil.

According to a McKinsey report, the air travel sector was responsible for about 3 percent of national carbon emissions in 2005. Land transportation contributed the most emissions — 89 percent of the total.

Jane Hupe, chief of the environmental unit of the International Civil Aviation Organization, said the idea to use biofuel in aviation has been around for years, and biofuel has since become a significant piece in the puzzle of sustainable aviation.

“We have never seen progress in one file for sustainable use like you see right now. Progress is so immense. The technology is there,” Hupe said. “But the elements that we need to address include price of, course. The market needs to be prepared for this. Not only is the technology more expensive, but also how do we balance the market in regard to air ticket fares, considering the stiff competition that exists already with all airlines using normal aviation fuel?”

Masnellyarti Hilman, deputy minister for environmental damage control at the Environment Ministry, emphasized the need for airlines to contribute to Indonesia’s emissions reductions efforts. “They contribute only 3 percent [of emissions], but the industry is much more ready, for instance, from a technological standpoint, than land transportation,” Masnellyarti said, adding that a switch to biofuel will reduce sulphur dioxide emissions, another major source of pollution.

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IATA calls for biofuels production from Jatropha: Jatrophabook.com

The global airline industry is on track to make a profit of $2.5 billion this year after 10 years of struggle in which it made a cumulative loss of $47 billion, according to Giovanni Bisignani, director general and chief executive of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) at its annual general meeting on Monday.

He said that if the industry succeeded in its campaign to remove restrictive legislation that prevented airlines from consolidating across borders and competing in the same way as normal business, it would achieve $100 billion in profits on revenues of $1 trillion in a decade.

By 2050 it would "be very near to zero accidents," emit half the carbon, process more passengers without queues, and operate with almost no delays in globally united skies.

"We will be a consolidated industry of a dozen global brands supported by regional and niche players. And we will deliver value to investors."

Outlining the steps needed to achieve this, he said that the present fragmentation of the industry, with 1 061 airlines as a result of the bilateral system that now regulates it, prevented increased efficiencies from improving the bottom line "because airlines are deprived of the commercial freedom to operate like normal businesses. Our poor profitability makes every shock a fight for survival."

Infrastructure should be shaped around the needs of airlines with airports competing for airline business through efficiency, deriving their income through commerce with airlines bringing shoppers and airport revenues funding the air traffic system.
It would be more efficient to replace the current 180 air traffic management organisations with 10, at half the cost.

And calling for government help in establishing the production of biofuels to replace jet fuel made from oil, he said these had the potential to reduce the industry's carbon footprint by 80 percent. After testing by airlines certification of biofuels was expected within a year. "Local production with jatropha, camelina, algae or even urban waste will open up economic opportunities in virtually any location."

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Blue-green algae techniques for biofuel production. Biofuelshub.com

Feature
Written by Sabrina Deparine
Monday, 05 July 2010 12:58

A research team from the Biodesign Institute of the Arizona State University has achieved another milestone for the biofuel industry.

In the past week, news broke out that the team has made a new discovery: optimizing the growth conditions of blue-green algae (also known as cyanobacteria) to make these grow abundantly for biofuel production.

The blue-green algae is one of the most attractive feedstock options for biofuels because of its capability to produce 100 times the amount of clean fuel per acre as compared to other types of feedstock. Also, blue-green algae do not have any special requirements. It only requires sunlight, water and carbon dioxide. A few nutrients may be needed for it to survive and to grow exponentially and abundantly. Blue-green algae also eliminate the concerns over requiring vast lands for biofuel production. It can be grown on any location where there is sufficient supply of sunlight and carbon dioxide.

According to Raveender Vannela, a member of the research team, they had discovered the use of a photobioreactor in optimizing the growth of blue-green algae. The said photobioreactor utilizes solar photons as an energy source to convert carbon dioxide in reduced forms. This is epitomizes the cliché that goes “shooting two birds with one stone”. The bioreactor makes use of solar energy for it to run and its output benefits biofuel production. However, the process requires a more delicate and complex interplay of carbon dioxide, phosphorous and light radiation within the photobioreactor for it to optimize the growth of the algae.

For this experiment, Vannela and another researcher, Hyun Woo Kim made use of the Synechocystis PC6803 type of blue-green algae. These were cultivated in a benchtop photobioreactor and were supplied with BG-11, a customary growth medium. The carbon dioxide was manipulated along with the light irradiance and phosphorus content in the plant to boost its growth.

Based on the output of their experiment, it was concluded that blue-green algae are not able to maximize carbon dioxide in their growth cycle so they added phosphorous to the BG-11 medium. This resulted to higher biomass productivity. When the phosphorous has been consumed, the abundant growth of the algae is hampered by the light irradiation and carbon dioxide. What happens is the additional growth results to the crowding of biomass in the photobioreactor vessel so that it blocks the light. This issue can be resolved by more frequent harvesting of the reactor.

If this will be implemented on a large scale, the blue-green algae can get nutrients from other sources like waste streams or harvested biomass. This will form a close-loop, self-sustaining system that harness and produce energy from contaminants and carbon emissions.

Aside from biofuels, blue-green algae can also be used in the manufacturing of chemical-based materials like biopolymers and isoprenes which are used for industrial applications.

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Giant Inflatable Airship Powered by Algae. AlternativeEnergy

June 1st, 2010

This summer, piloted by Captain Allan Judd, Bullet 580 will usher in the return of inflatable giant airships. The 235 ft long and 65ft diameter ship is covered with a type of Kevlar, a material 10 times-stronger than steel but only one sixteenth of an inch thick. An E-green design special costing £5.5million, this giant runs on algae – latest bio-fuel that can be developed from brackish and waste water.

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Jatropha a cancer fighter? New article suggests positive results against metastasis... BiofuelsDigest.com

In India, a variety of reports have been published on the medicinal properties of jatropha curcus, most recently a report in the African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology that found that jatropha has cancer-fighting properties, “inhibiting the metastasis of B16F10 melanoma cells and possessed significant anti-metastatic and antiprolifertaive activity.”
More on the story.
Biofuels Digest Asia editor Joelle Brink also reports the following links on jatropha’s medicinal properties reported elsewhere on the web:
GENERAL – here.
MEDICAL APPLICATIONS – CANCER here, here and here.
WOUNDS AND INFECTIONS – here and here.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY – here and here.
ANTI-FUNGAL – here.
PUBLIC HEALTH APPLICATIONS–MALARIA AND SCHISTOSOMIASIS CONTROL. here and here.

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Tax credits announced as biodiesel still suffers. BiodieselMagazine

By Nicholas Zeman
Posted January 14, 2010

The Obama administration coming out with billions of dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to increase “clean energy manufacturing” could seem almost like a taunt to biodiesel producers.

President Barack Obama announced “awardees” of the $2.3 billion clean energy manufacturing tax credits as existing biodiesel producers languish over the lapse of their specific federal blender tax credit. “Projects are assessed based on the following criteria: commercial viability, domestic job creation, technological innovation, speed to project completion, and potential for reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions,” the White House stated on Jan. 8.

There’s a word that describes the 2009 renewable fuels year—idle. Huge plants sat quiet for months as vegetable oils were high and diesel prices were not. Imperium Renewables Inc., which suffered an explosion at its Grays Harbor plant in Washington, said it was in no big hurry to make repairs while the tax credit is nonexistent. And just as the blender tax credit birthed the term “B99,” its expiration also killed it. Producers, such as Renewable Energy Group Inc., are offering the more expensive B100 in its place.

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Cyanobacteria: the new biofuels platform? BiofuelsDigest.com

Cyanabacteria — also known as blue-green algae though not hailing from the same biological neighborhood — may well be the hottest bioenergy platform in 2010.

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15 Airlines Take Groundbreaking Step in Alternative Fuel Deployment... AirTransportAssociation (ATA): airlines.org

NEWS RELEASE

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2009 – The Air Transport Association of America, Inc. (ATA), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, announced today that a core group of airlines has signed groundbreaking memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with two different producers – AltAir Fuels LLC and Rentech, Inc. – for a future supply of alternative aviation fuel.

Twelve airlines from the United States, Canada, Germany and Mexico – Air Canada, American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, FedEx Express, JetBlue Airways, Lufthansa German Airlines, Mexicana Airlines, Polar Air Cargo, United Airlines, UPS Airlines and US Airways – have signed MOUs with both producers. In addition, Seattle-based Alaska Airlines and Honolulu-based Hawaiian Airlines signed the MOU with AltAir Fuels, and Orlando-based AirTran Airways signed the MOU with Rentech.
These alternative fuels will be more environmentally friendly, on a life cycle basis, than today’s jet fuels. This domestically produced fuel will create jobs and bolster U.S. energy independence.

“Today’s announcement reinforces the proactive steps that airlines are taking to stimulate competition in the aviation fuel supply chain, contribute to the creation of green jobs, and promote energy security through economically viable alternatives that also demonstrate environmental benefits,” said Glenn Tilton, ATA board chairman and UAL Corporation and United Airlines chairman, president and CEO. Tilton also noted that discussions with a number of additional alternative-fuel producers about other projects are underway, as are discussions with the U.S. military regarding other cooperative opportunities.

“Our intention as an airline industry is to continue to do our part by supporting the use of alternative fuels. We urge the U.S. government and the investment community also to do their part to further support this critical energy opportunity,” said Tilton.

Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Randy Babbitt said, “Today’s announcements reaffirm the airlines’ commitment to a greener, more stable and secure energy future, reinforcing the spirit of innovation and openness that is the essence of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative.”

AltAir Fuels Founder and CEO Tom Todaro said, “The airlines’ pledge to use renewable jet fuel sends a clear and unmistakable message to policymakers, investors and industry leaders that AltAir Fuels has entered a new era of more sustainable aviation.”

D. Hunt Ramsbottom, Rentech president and CEO, said, “This agreement is a significant step forward, establishing a framework for a large group of diverse carriers to negotiate a definitive fuel purchase agreement.”

The AltAir Fuels project contemplates the production of approximately 75 million gallons per year of jet fuel and diesel fuel derived from camelina oils or comparable feedstock, refined at a new AltAir Fuels plant to be located at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, Wash. The Rentech project in Adams County, Miss., contemplates the production of approximately 250 million gallons per year of synthetic jet fuel derived principally from coal or petroleum coke, with the resultant carbon dioxide sequestered and the carbon footprint potentially further reduced by integrating biomass as a feedstock.

ATA airline members and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. For additional industry information, visit www.airlines.org.

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First Passenger Flight Powered by Biofuel--But Are the Petroleum Alternatives Ready to Takeoff?: Scientific American

December 3, 2009
Test flight results have been good, but questions remain whether jet biofuel be produced in large quantities--and sustainably
By David Biello

Dutch airline KLM has completed a fifth jet biofuel test flight—and the first with passengers other than flight crew. Using a 50–50 blend of regular jet fuel and biofuel refined from camelina oil in one of its four engines, the flight carried 42 "observers" for an hour on November 23 from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, enough to fill business class, according to chemist Jennifer Holmgren, who was on board.

"The civil aviation authority in the Netherlands said we've seen enough of this fuel that I'm comfortable putting people on it," says Holmgren, who works for refiner UOP, a division of Honeywell International. "We went from people saying we couldn't do this three years ago, to making a drop-in sustainable aviation fuel today."

The test flights are part of an aviation industry plan to derive 1 percent of jet fuel from petroleum alternatives by 2015, or roughly 600 million gallons a year. Already, biofuel producers are gearing up production. Camelina grower Sustainable Oils—which provided the camelina oil to make the 1,000 gallons of jet fuel needed for the KLM flight—plans to cover more than 20,000 hectares in Montana with the weedy relative of canola, enough to deliver some 9.5 million liters of raw oil. And algae grower Solazyme recently won a contract to supply more than 75,500 liters of fuel derived from algae oil to the U.S. Navy, which would be a first for the industry.

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Global biodiesel demand to double in 5 years. BiodieselMagazine

By Susanne Retka Schill
Posted December 1, 2009

The driver for biofuels usage is not limited to the United States and Europe, but is also growing in the Asia-Pacific and Latin American regions, according to Tammy Klein, executive director of global biofuels services for Hart Energy Consulting. She spoke about the global biofuels outlook on the opening day of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Summit held Dec. 1 and 2 at Vancouver, British Columbia.

Thirty countries are implementing biofuels targets in 2010 alone, she said, with many of these countries in the developing world encouraging biofuels as a means of building energy security and improving their rural economies. Biodiesel demand is expected to double between 2009 and 2015, while supply is expected to grow threefold. “Currently there is massive overcapacity on a global basis in the biodiesel industry and utilization rates are generally below 50 percent,” she added. Current global biodiesel capacity is already large enough to supply the demand projected for 2015 of 10 billion gallons per year.

Currently, 30 countries worldwide are blending biodiesel, with the typical B5 beginning to inch upward. Several countries in Europe are moving towards B7, with Brazil moving towards higher blends and Indonesia considering B10. In 2009, developing countries represented 17 percent of biodiesel demand and almost 50 percent of global supply. That is expected to grow to 42.6 percent of biodiesel demand and 59.2 percent of global supply by 2015. Much of that demand among developing countries will be for domestic use, she added. African nations are looking towards biofuels for job creation, economic development and domestic energy supply and are not likely to become international players. In the Asia-Pacific region, the big four—Indonesia, Malaysia, China and the Philippines—represent 74 percent of biodiesel demand in the region. Brazil is likely to produce biodiesel to satisfy its internal markets and continue to raise blending limits to absorb capacity.

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DOE to accelerate algae-based biofuel development - BiomassMagazine.com

By Anna Austin
Posted November 11, 2009, at 12:56 p.m. CST

Valerie Reed of the U.S. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy talked about the direction the DOE is taking to accelerate the development of algae-based biofuels at the Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy held this week in Honolulu, Hawaii. She said the agency intends to develop advanced biofuels—hydrocarbons and other high-density fuels that can be drop in replacements for diesel and gasoline—in a more accelerated fashion than cellulosic ethanol.

“We learned a lot over the past 20 years, and we believe we can apply that to a faster deployment phase,” Reed said, adding that biomass-based liquid transportation fuels are going to be the only adequate displacements for jet fuel. “This is now becoming a priority fuel we need to consider, and that’s why we’re moving into the advanced biofuels arena,” she said.

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Indian Oil becomes fifth oil major, first NOC, to join algal fuels race; signs with PetroAlgae. BiofuelsDigest.com

In India, Indian Oil Company became the fifth oil major and first national oil company (NOC) to decisively enter the algal fuel race, signing a MOU to enter into an agreement with PetroAlgae to license micro-crop technology for the large-scale production of renewable fuels.

The announcement is also the first between an oil major and an algal fuel developer expressly aimed along a commercialization path. Previous tie-ups have featured early-stage investment and R&D partnership.
In a statement, Indian Oil Company said that the two companies will initially partner on adapting the algal strains and technology developed by PetroAlgae to suit Indian conditions. Thereafter, a pilot facility is proposed to demonstrate the commercial viability of the technology, with a 60 Mgy commercial production facility proposed for the the near future, along with a high-value protein that can be used as feedstock for animal feed production.

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