Carbon comes in handy in producing fuel!

A soil bacterium called Ralstonia eutropha has a natural tendency, whenever it is stressed, to stop growing and put all its energy into making complex carbon compounds. Now scientists at MIT have learnt a trick by which they have fooled the bacteria into making fuel instead.

They've tinkered with its genes to persuade it to make fuel -- specifically, a kind of alcohol called isobutanol that can be directly substituted for, or blended with, gasoline. In its natural state, when the microbe's source of essential nutrients (such as nitrate or phosphate) is restricted, it will go into carbon-storage mode, essentially storing away food for later use when it senses that resources are limited.

What it does is take whatever carbon is available, and store it in the form of a polymer, which is similar in its properties to a lot of petroleum-based plastics. By knocking out a few genes, inserting a gene from another organism, and tinkering with the expression of other genes, the team of scientists were able to redirect the microbe to make fuel instead of plastic.

While the team is focusing on getting the microbe to use CO2 as a carbon source, with slightly different modifications the same microbe could also potentially turn almost any source of carbon, including agricultural waste or municipal waste, into useful fuel!

The team has demonstrated success in modifying the microbe's genes so that it converts carbon into isobutanol in an ongoing process. In continuous culture, substantial amounts of isobutanol was obtained. Now, the researchers are focusing on finding ways to optimize the system to increase the rate of production and to design bioreactors to scale the process up to industrial levels.

That's something -- getting the oldest (and original) inhabitants of the planet to spin gold from straw, no fairy tale! In this case, the straw was making things too hot for the planet!

Biofuel process

A new process for converting municipal waste, algae, corn stalks and similar material to gasoline, diesel and jet fuel is showing the same promise in larger plants as it did in laboratory-scale devices, the developers reported at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) on August 20. Moving steadily toward having multiple demonstration-scale facilities in operation by 2014, with each facility producing a range of 3,500-17,500 gallons of fuel a day from non-food plant material, the process holds promise.

The technology, termed Integrated Hydropyrolysis andHydroconversion  (IH2), has been developed by the Gas Technology Institute (GTI). Next will be the designing of commercial-scale facilities that could produce as much as 300,000 gallons per day from the same kinds of feedstocks. The technology involves use of internally generated hydrogen and a series of proprietary catalysts, which jump-start chemical reactions that otherwise would happen slowly or not at all.

The process uses as its raw material, or "feedstock," virtually any kind of non-food biomass material -- including wood, cornstalks and cobs, algae, aquatic plants and municipal solid waste ― and produces gasoline, jet fuel or diesel fuel.

GTI is currently operating two pilot plants to test and refine the process. Both use wood, corn stalks and leaves or algae. The smaller plant has a capacity of just one pound of biomass per hour, and can produce 72-157 gallons of fuel per ton of dry, ash-free feedstock, depending on feedstock type. The second plant can handle more than 100 pounds of biomass per hour and is designed to operate continuously, like a commercial facility.

With transport accounting for a major chunk of emissions, any alternative cleaner is welcome.

Biofuels still hold promise

Environmental concerns, high oil prices, and limited resources are just some of the factors that will help push biofuel consumption to 135 billion gallons by 2018, according to a new report from Global Industry Analysts. The value of the global biofuels market in 2011 was $83 billion. Global government support in research and development (R&D), production, public policy, and the push to use it in transportation industries is also providing some important underlying support for biofuels growth. Asia is expected to show some real growth potential, increasing by a compound annual growth rate of 28.8% during the reporting period.

Next-generation biofuels, including second and the third generation biofuels, which are currently under development, are predicted to offer more benefits when compared to first generation biofuels. These include cellulosic ethanol, BTL from solid biowaste, and renewable diesel, to name a few. However, these will take a decade before reaching the stage of commercialisation. With the process of conversion of cellulose into sugars for fermentation being quite difficult, research is underway for developing microbes, enzymes, and fungi that could breakdown different types of cellulose into sugars.

One must remember though that all this presupposes a stable climate and good crop. The corn debacle this time in the US is expected to push food prices up and will also affect any objective to derive biofuel. These are where uncertainties in the system will decide the growth, rather than technology alone!

Biofuel method shows promise

A Purdue economic analysis shows that the cost of the thermo-chemical H2Bioil method is competitive with crude oil at $100 per barrel when using certain energy methods are used to create hydrogen needed for the process.

For biofuels to be competitive, crude prices would need to be at about $120 per barrel. This process looks like it could be competitive when crude is even a little cheaper than that. The team is confident the process is ready to go commercial.

H2Bioil has significant advantages over traditional standalone methods used to create fuels from biomass.


The process is quite fast and converts entire biomass to liquid fuel; as a result, the yields are substantially higher. Once the process is fully developed, due to the use of external hydrogen, the yield is expected to be two to three times that of the current competing technologies, says the team.

The energy source used to create hydrogen for the process makes all the difference when determining whether the biofuel is cost-effective. Hydrogen processed using natural gas or coal makes the H2Bioil cost-effective when crude oil is just over $100 per barrel. But hydrogen derived from other, more expensive, energy sources -- nuclear, wind or solar -- drive up the break-even point.
However the bigger question still remains whether biofuels can be any more than supplements to the liquid transport fuels. Can it go on to produce power at large scales? Would the ensuing scenario affect foodgrain production? These will remain questions to be addressed.H2Bioil is created when biomass, such as switchgrass or corn stover, is heated rapidly to about 500 degrees Celcius in the presence of pressurized hydrogen. Resulting gases are passed over catalysts, causing reactions that separate oxygen from carbon molecules, making the carbon molecules high in energy content, similar to gasoline molecules.

Sweet sugar is cool too

Come summer and who does not love to gulp a glass of sugarcane juice? Turns out sugarcane is not only cool for the human body but also for the planet!

Scientists from the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology have found that sugarcane has a double benefit. (In the Brazilian context where this is a crop being pursued for its fuel side) expansion of the crop in areas previously occupied by other Brazilian crops cools the local climate. It does so by reflecting sunlight back into space and by lowering the temperature of the surrounding air as the plants "exhale" cooler water.

Shifting from natural vegetation to crops or pasture results in local warming because the plants give off less beneficial water. But the bamboo-like sugarcane is more reflective and gives off more water -- much like the natural vegetation. Hence, using sugarcane to power vehicles reduces carbon emissions, while growing it lowers the local air temperature!

The scientists found that converting from natural vegetation to crop/pasture on average warmed the cerrado by 2.79 °F (1.55 °C), but that subsequent conversion to sugarcane, on average, cooled the surrounding air by 1.67 °F (0.93°C). The researchers emphasize that the beneficial effects are contingent on the fact sugarcane is grown on areas previously occupied by crops or pastureland, and not in areas converted from natural vegetation.

So Brazilians and the rest of the world can have their sugar and fuel their vehicles too!

Biofuels may aggravate poverty

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons warns: Research by the World Bank indicates that the increase in biofuels production over 2004 levels would push more than 35 million additional people into absolute poverty in 2010 in developing countries.

Using statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Indur Goklany estimates that this would lead to at least 192,000 excess deaths per year, plus disease resulting in the loss of 6.7 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) per year. These exceed the estimated annual toll of 141,000 deaths and 5.4 million lost DALYs that the World Health Organization attributes to global warming.

Thus, developed world policies intended to mitigate global warming probably have increased death and disease in developing countries rather than reducing them. Goklany also notes that death and disease from poverty are a fact, whereas death and disease from global warming are hypothetical.

Most biofuels are made using food crops like corn at this time, and diverting corn to ethanol refineries not only increases the price of corn, but it also encourage farmers to plant more of it, leaving less space for other types of crops, driving up their price too.

Goes to show how connected we are as a race!

Algae still lagging in the race

Algae are seen as the ideal biofuel source. They feed on CO2 from the surrounding air and grow using the photosynthesis route. They can be stored and processed as biofuel.

One of the benefits to harnessing algae is that it can use waste-water and ocean water, and it is relatively harmless to the local environment should it spill or leak. Algae also have a much higher production rate per acre than soy or corn.

Some studies have shown that up to 99% of the CO2 introduced to the solution can be converted or sequestered. However, algae populations can bloom and grow so quickly that they outrun the supply of nutrients or sunlight, leading to a collapse of the population. The cost of production in terms of water and energy input is also high. Carbon emissions have also been shown to be high.

New techniques have been working around these problem areas, but more is to be done. A new study in Energy and Fuels shows that when you grow that algae in bioreactors made up of clear tubes, so much energy is required that the carbon footprint of the biofuel is over three times greater than the fossil fuel it would replace.

According to Anna Stephenson from the University of Cambridge, when algae is grown in clear-tubed bioreactors the energy required to move the algae around so that it gets enough sunlight means that per megajoule equivalent of fuel, the algae fuel has a carbon footprint of 320 grams while petro-diesel takes 86 grams. Stephenson notes that when in grown in open ponds, however, the carbon footprint drops markedly, becoming 4.5 times lower than petro-diesel. However open ponds utilise more water! And the yield of biofuel from open ponds is much low than from reactors.

Just when algae seemed to be the intelligent way to use sunlight, absorb carbon dioxide and make fuel! Not to be discouraged, some way will be worked out. That's what technology and research is all about.

Cars vs. food

The 107 million tons of grain that went to U.S. ethanol distilleries in 2009 was enough to feed 330 million people for one year at average world consumption levels. More than a quarter of the total U.S. grain crop was turned into ethanol to fuel cars last year. With 200 ethanol distilleries in the country set up to transform food into fuel, the amount of grain processed has tripled since 2004.

The hungry crossed 1 billion mark. When the growing demand for corn for ethanol helped to push world grain prices to record highs between late 2006 and 2008, people in low-income grain-importing countries were hit the hardest.

The amount of grain needed to fill the tank of an SUV with ethanol just once can feed one person for an entire year. The average income of the owners of the world's 940 million automobiles is at least ten times larger than that of the world's 2 billion hungriest people.

That is a clear indictment against food crops being turned into biofuel.

The United States is the world's leading grain exporter. The automotive hunger for crop-based fuels is increasing. The Earth Policy Institute has noted that even if the entire U.S. grain crop were converted to ethanol (leaving no domestic crop to make bread, rice, pasta, or feed the animals from which we get meat, milk, and eggs), it would satisfy at most 18 percent of U.S. automotive fuel needs.

Truly a funny world we inhabit today, where cars can take away the food from a hungry populace. There seems to be nothing much that will change, at least in “Corporate America’ which has just seen the Supreme Court giving more powers to corporate entities to use money power and influence political decisions.

Should we be looking at other ways to fuel our vehicles? Like EVs? True, the electricity that drives them comes at present from fossil fuel plants. But as the shift to renewables happens, that could be a better option. If only the subsidies were in the right place, things can shift. Look at how a Danish island is totally powered by renewable energy.

All it requires is the will.

Biofuels policy announced

The Indian national policy on bio-fuels and its implementation has been approved by the Union Cabinet. The Policy endeavors to facilitate and bring about optimal development and utilization of indigenous biomass feedstocks for production of bio-fuels, says an official press release. The Policy can be visited at the Ministry’s Website www.mnre.gov.in.

Some of the features of the National Policy on Bio-fuels are:-
· Bio-diesel production will be taken up from non-edible oil seeds in waste /degraded / marginal lands.
· An indicative target of 20% blending of bio-fuels, both for bio-diesel and bio-ethanol, by 2017 has been proposed.
· Minimum Support Price (MSP) for non-edible oil seeds would be announced with periodic revision to provide fair price to the growers.
· Minimum Purchase Price (MPP) for purchase of bio-ethanol and bio-diesel would be announced with periodic revision.
· Major thrust will be given to research, development and demonstration with focus on plantations, processing and production of bio-fuels, including Second Generation Bio-fuels.
· Financial incentives, including subsidies and grants, may be considered for second generation bio-fuels. If it becomes necessary, a National Bio-fuel Fund could be considered.

The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has taken several initiatives on various aspects of biofuel development. An exercise has been initiated on collection, screening and identification of elite germplasms of jatropha and on processing and end use technologies. The scientific agencies and the private sector have identified 25 superior genotypes/accessions of jatropha for further multiplication for demonstration at various sites in potential States.

Another exercise has been taken up on realistic costing of biodiesel which will provide guidance on review and revision of the purchase price for biodiesel. A survey has been undertaken to assess the status of Jatropha plantations in nine States.

A welcome move to have a policy in place, but the question that begs an answer is why this fixation on jatropha when there are so many native species which are more hardy and yield more?

Are we ready to take on the challenge posed by biofuels knowing the dangers of commercialization? Also, the carbon emissions aspect is still unclear. Do they reduce carbon emissions when the whole lifecycle is taken into account? Do they negatively affect the habitat of many species? Are they more energy consuming than producing?

A report published by a group of environmental organisations including Transport & Environment, Oxfam International and Friends of the Earth Europe raises fresh doubts that biofuels could cause more environmental harm than good.

The central issue is that of the impact of indirect land use change (ILUC), where agricultural land is turned over to biofuel feedstock and land elsewhere is converted to agriculture, on the greenhouse gas emissions of biofuels.

According to the report, Biofuels: Handle with Care, many international policies and legislation do not take ILUC sufficiently into account, which could mean that biofuels are releasing more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than thought.

Is it too soon to take the leap into large scale production?

Perfect fuel elusive!

Researchers at Stanford University have found that using high blends of ethanol fuel in vehicles will likely increase health problems related to ozone as well as increase the amount of certain cancer-causing chemicals in the air we breathe when compared to the use of gasoline.

E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) produces higher amounts of a group of chemicals known as aldehydes than gasoline when burned. In addition to likely being carcinogens, aldehydes are also a precursor to the formation of ozone.
In any event, while the burning of gasoline also produces ozone, the researchers found that the burning of E85 in a combustion engine produces significantly more aldehydes and ozone.

There will be variations from city to city depending on a lot of other factors such as the amount of natural vegetation, traffic levels, and local weather patterns. In the overall, ethanol is still ahead of gasoline regarding other factors. But as the writer notes, burning inevitably spews chemicals we do not want.

Reason enough to encourage electric vehicles? Or is it a matter of deciding appropriate technologies for different uses?

Biotech can help:WWF

Biotechnology now has a champion in WWF. In a recent study, the Fund has said that by 2030, biotechnology “has the potential to save the planet up to 2.5 billion tons of CO2 emissions per year.”

Biotechnology can help reduce carbon emissions and can fuel the economy with countless new jobs. The report says that industrial biotechnology “could help create a true 21st century green economy.” However, this cannot be done without political support. The report indentifies four fundamental dimensions of industrial biotechnology: Improved efficiency, the substitution of fossil fuels, the substitution of oil-based materials and the creation of a closed loop system with the potential to eliminate waste.

An example on how biotechnology solutions could help reduce carbon emissions is the harvesting of biogas from waste digesters and wastewater streams. The report emphasizes the potential of taking that existing technology even one step further and creating fully closed loop systems.

Biorefineries are able to transform any biobased waste material into a valuable feedstock for the production of other biobased materials. The possible emission reductions for such processes are estimated to be as high as 633 million tons of CO2.

However, tampering with organisms has its potential dangers as we have seen in the past. The dangers of GM foods with their potential to wipe out native strains have been oft told. As also development of resistance in weeds necessitating development of newer orders. Can we rely on biotechnology to create a green economy?

Flights of imagination

Imagination has never seen such flights of fantasy as pressed on by the search for energy! Get ready for living, breathing buildings in the future.

A report recently released by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers suggests that sealed containers of algae photobioreactors could be integrated into the sides of buildings to produce biofuels and sequester carbon, adding a whole new meaning to the term ‘green building’.

Algae feed on CO2 from the surrounding air which can then be stored and processed as biofuel.

One of the benefits to harnessing algae is that it can use waste-water and ocean water, and it is relatively harmless to the local environment should it spill or leak. Algae also have a much higher production rate per acre than soy or corn. Some studies have shown that up to 99% of the CO2 introduced to the solution can be converted or sequestered.

At this point, photobioreactors are much more expensive to use than conventional open-pond systems but companies are working around that.

In another advance on the green front, Reva, the Indian car company known for the manufacturing of small, eco-friendly commuter cars is about to release two new vehicle models with an invisible reserve fuel tank that can be activated when necessary by sending a text message or making a phone call to a specified number, so that drivers are never left stranded should they run out of charge! On display at the ongoing Frankfurt International Motor Show, Reva has at present around 3,000 vehicles on the road in over 24 countries.

Biofuel cheap and in plenty

A startup based in Cambridge, MA--Joule Biotechnologies--has revealed details of a process that it says can make 20,000 gallons of biofuel per acre per year. The company also claims that the fuel can be sold for prices competitive with fossil fuels.

Joule Biotechnologies grows genetically engineered microorganisms in specially designed photobioreactors. The microorganisms use energy from the sun to convert carbon dioxide and water into ethanol or hydrocarbon fuels (such as diesel or components of gasoline). The organisms excrete the fuel, which can then be collected using conventional chemical-separation technologies.

Conventional, corn-grain-based biofuels require a large amount of land, water, and energy to grow the grain. Joule’s microorganisms (much like algae, but not the same) can be grown inside transparent reactors, where they're circulated to ensure that they all get exposed to sunlight, and they are fed concentrated carbon dioxide--which can come from a power plant, for example--and other nutrients.

While algae typically produce oils that have to be refined into fuels, Joule's microorganisms produce fuel directly--either ethanol or hydrocarbons. And while oil is harvested from algae by collecting and processing the organisms, Joule's organisms excrete the fuel continuously, making harvesting the fuel cheaper.

Scaling up the process will be a challenge. Another challenge is keeping the microorganisms producing fuel at a steady rate. (Algae populations can bloom and grow so quickly that they outrun the supply of nutrients or sunlight, leading to a collapse of the population.)

But the price and yield promised has stumped industry observers. No refining. Direct production. $50 a barrel. And commercialization by next year. Worth watching this one. If it addresses even transport needs, it will mean a load off fossil fuels.

Jatropha tales

In India, the government is subsidizing a program to plant jatropha for biofuels on 27 million acres of “wastelands.” Farmers see it as a chance to grow rich given the surging demand for liquid fuel. But now, a new study shows that the ‘oil-rich’ crop jatropha, actually requires more water than other food and biofuel crops.

According to the report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it requires five times as much water per unit as corn and sugarcane, and 10 times as much water as sugar beet, the most water-efficient biofuel crop.

Not just that, but, as recently reported in Yale Environment 360, the results show that just because jatropha can grow in arid places doesn’t mean the plant will produce much oil. To flourish, the plant needs good growing conditions just like any other plant, said study co-author.

Perhaps with the new minister at the helm of the MoEF, it is time to wake up to realities. Else it may become a case of jumping from one crisis to another.

Gain some, lose lots?

Following in the footsteps of Al Gore is another ex-president of the US. Bill Clinton has found the environmental stage alluring. This week at Sao Paulo, Brazil is hosting one of the world’s largest gatherings of the international biofuels industry. The Ethanol Summit 2009 saw President Bill Clinton talk of the adverse impacts of biofuels.

While acknowledging Brazil for producing the most energy efficient and cost competitive ethanol in the world using sugarcane, he said that the country’s increase in ethanol production is a precursor to the continued destruction of the rainforests.

Biofuels are bad when they make use of food crops, excessive land and too much water. Recently many US companies are announcing new technologies to convert biomass to sugar without enzymes. Eliminating this step speeds up the conversion process, lowers costs and improves net energy.

In India too, there has been a scurry to grow these cash crops for big money that failed to materialize. It is now being advocated as a part of multi-cropping instead of mono-culture.

But given that the transport sector is one of the high-end guzzlers of oil, it makes perfect sense to look for an alternative to petrol. Biofuels obtained from waste materials could be a good option. As proved by Air New Zealand.

The company announced findings on a test flight from last December. Powered by a combination of biofuel and jet fuel, the test resulted in a fuel savings of 1.2%. It also cut CO2 emissions by over 60%. While a 1.2% fuel savings doesn’t seem like much, it is over 1 ton of fuel!

The test was conducted using a commercial 747-400 fitted with Rolls Royce engines. Rolls Royce had certified the fuel — a 50:50 blend of standard Jet A1 fuel and synthetic paraffinic kerosene derived from jatropha oil.

If civil aviation alone were to rely on biofuel, it would still mean supply has to pick up. And for that to happen, will it mean more forests cleared or food crops dropping? Is there any other way out?

Too early in the day?

A biofuels researcher at Harvard has developed a synthetic ribosome — one of the fundamental building blocks for creating artificial life — which, initially, could have major implications for the creation of designer enzymes to make cheaper and more energy efficient cellulosic ethanol. Dr. George Church, co-founder of the next generation biofuels company LS9, spoke with reporters.

Meanwhile, the key messages arising from the EIA study on second generation biofuels are:

that technical barriers remain for 2nd-generation biofuel production;

production costs are uncertain and vary with the feedstock available;

there is no clear candidate for "best technology pathway" between the competing biochemical and thermo-chemical routes;

the development and monitoring of several large-scale demonstration projects is essential to provide accurate comparative data;

even at high oil prices, 2nd-generation biofuels will probably not become fully commercial nor enter the market for several years to come without significant additional government support;

considerably more investment in RD&D is needed to ensure that future production of the various biomass feedstocks can be undertaken sustainably and that the preferred conversion technologies are identified and proven; and that, once proven, there will be a steady transition from 1st- to 2nd-generation biofuels (with the exception of sugarcane ethanol that will continue to be produced sustainably in several countries).

Youth lead

There is interest and understanding among the youth about the acute crisis we are heading into in the field of energy. For instance, one of the finalists in Intel’s science talent search has figured out a way through his mathematical model to increase efficiency of cellulosic ethanol four times and reduce the price.

Cellulosic ethanol is made from the non-edible parts of corn, such as the stalk and leaves, or from non-corn sources such as certain kinds of grasses. The problem has been in making enough quantities of it as well as to make it economical.

“Right now it’s just big diseconomies of scale,” says Aditya Rajagopalan, 17, a student at Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut. Rajagopalan – one of 40 finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search in Washington DC this week for the final judging rounds – hopes to change that.

By combining various enzymes in different quantities, his formulas show a way to reduce the use of high priced enzymes by 50 percent, while at the same time nearly doubling how much sugar is produced.

A good sign. But is enough being done to sustain interest of youth in crucial areas? Perhaps not.

Which is why the MacArthur Foundation recently committed $15 million to jump-start a two-year master’s in development practice (MDP) program at a dozen institutions across the globe. A generation of leaders to think in new bold and sustainable ways is what the aim of the programme is.

Columbia University will be the first to offer the degree, starting in the fall of 2009, and schools in various countries, including Ghana, Nigeria and China, may follow suit in the next few years.

The MDP movement plans to create an international classroom that cuts across disciplines—including public health, social science, physical science and management—as well as issues such as poverty, hunger, disease control and climate change. The program will link affiliated universities worldwide through real-time online lectures and discussion panels, plus six months of field training in developing countries.

Food or Energy?

The Indian biofuels sector is driven by ethanol and in case of biodiesel, the phase one consisting of pilot projects has been. Ethanol production of India is ranked 4th largest in the world. However, the production capacity of India is much more. The biodiesel production is in its initial phase and the commercial production is still to take off in a big way.

According to industry watchers, the densities of raw materials for biodiesel production in India are high but it is lacking in production and plantation of raw material (Jatropha) for biodiesel production.

States like Andhra Pradesh have offered 100 percent subsidy to farmers for growing oilseeds for biodiesel. While there is said to be 50 million hectares of wasteland which could be taken up for biofuel crops, it would be interesting to know how much is actually being grown on wastelands. Or how much is displacing food crops?

We have heard enough about Indonesia slashing and burning its forest to grow lucrative palm oil. Not only forests, but even cultivatable land is being used to grow biofuel crops. This means lesser acreage under food crops, with population growth showing no fatigue!

But with crop productivity improving, we are getting improved yields on half the land holding area as three decades ago. The other solution would be to do what Brazilian farmers do – rotate food and energy crop!

In the US where there is heated debate about the eco-friendly nature of biofuels, the question being asked is on indirect land use change.

U.S. farmers are selling one-fifth of their corn to ethanol production, so U.S. soybean farmers are switching to corn, so Brazilian soybean farmers are expanding into cattle pastures, so Brazilian cattlemen are displaced to the Amazon!!

Is it too early for such life cycle analysis of biofuel crops?

Regarding food security issues, experts feel there is no need to be worried. We conclude that energy crop production does not need to lead to increased food insecurity, for a couple of reasons.

What do you think? What has your experience been? Do you believe there is cause for worry?

Is it good to have legislation on what kind of land the crop is grown? Or to fix a quota on land under biofuel?

Biofuel for Air New Zealand

For those advocating biofuels as one way out of the energy crisis, here is some good news.
Air New Zealand will make the world's first commercial aviation test flight using fuel created from the seeds of the African jatropha plant next month.

Rolls Royce had certified the sustainable second-generation biofuel as suitable for use in the airline's Boeing 747-400 jumbo jets. The two-hour test flight on December 3 would use a 50-50 blend of standard jet fuel and synthetic paraffinic kerosene derived from jatropha oil in one of the plane's engines.

The jatropha oil refined for the test flight comes from seeds grown on environmentally sustainable farms in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and India.

The jatropha plant as we know produces seeds that contain inedible lipid oil used to produce fuel. This can be grown on dry, wastelands, we have been told.

The recent furore has been over the prices of food grains being pushed up as biofuel crops (like corn) were harvested for fuel overlooking their food value. However unlike corn which is an edible crop, jatropha is not. Yet, there are mixed signals out there.

Proponents claim the yield can be as high as 2 ton per acre while those on the ground say it is less than 1 ton per hectare! The oil content too has been contested as lying anywhere between 40 to 20 percent.

Unlike what it is brandished as, jatropha is not a wasteland crop, say many. It needs water, warm climate, soil with good drainage, right pruning to increase yield.

Since only one crop can be harvested in a year, it may after all not be so economical for the farmer. Given rising labour costs and unavailability, picking seeds becomes a task.

Perhaps it is best to grow these biofuel crops as fence crops? Or is it better to go for local versions like Honge?

Let us hear from you, folks.

PS: We just heard someone has already flown on biofuel. Green Flight International President and CEO Douglas Rodante and Chief Pilot Carol Sugars became the first flight crew to successfully cross the U.S. this month in a jet powered predominantly on environmentally-friendly Biofuel.

Biofuel powers flying car

Caught in traffic jams, what do most of us wish for? Simply that we could fly over the gridlock, right? In an exercise that could possibly make that wish come true, an engineer designer team in Britain has come up with a Skycar that flies using technology already existing.

The buggy uses a motorcycle engine modified to run on ethanol. The car has a wing and a big fan attached to its back, besides a parachute for emergency landing.

The Skycar’s abilities will be tested to limit later this month when two explorers set off from London in the propeller-powered dune buggy heading for the Sahara.

While the fan gives the initial thrust for take-off, cables attached to the wing help steer the car once in the air where it cruises at altitudes of 2500 ft. Not costing more than a BMW saloon, this may not be the ideal solution for everyday transport. The jams will merely be lifted from ground level! But this could be ideal for ambulances, or rescue operations.

Using ethanol is an advantage as the emissions are not damaging. At least not as damaging as normal aviation fuel which emits nitrogen oxides that leads to the formation of another greenhouse gas, ozone. Condensation trails, which can develop into cirrus clouds, may also have a warming effect. International experts say aviation will account for 5% of total warming in 2050.

An alternative fuel that is eco friendly is hydrogen, but aircraft able to run on this fuel are still at a conceptual stage. Biofuels like the one our Skycar uses could save the day. Or do they?

While biofuels have been taken up aggressively, are they the best option? It is a solution to the transport fuel and nations pursuing biofuel research are spurred more by energy independence than clean fuel.

Last year, a study had found that emissions from the burning of biofuels derived from rapeseed and maize produce more greenhouse gas emissions than they save. Rapeseed and maize biodiesels were calculated to produce up to 70 per cent and 50 per cent more greenhouse gases respectively than fossil fuels. The concerns were raised over the levels of emissions of nitrous oxide, which is 296 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Scientists found that the use of biofuels released twice as much as nitrous oxide as previously realised.
The research is published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, where it has been placed for open review.

What has been your experience on biofuels? Let us know. We will be taking this up in our next few posts.