Biofuel News

FAO reports major success: healthy cassava makes comeback in volatile Great Lakes region

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 04:24:00 GMT

After years of massive crop losses caused by a devastating virus, farmers are harvesting healthy cassava again - one of Africa's principal foodstuffs - throughout the Great Lakes region, FAO announced, hailing the achievement as a milestone in its ever stronger partnership with the European Union. The successful cassava campaign is good news for the FAO, which is heavily criticized for its incapacity to combat the food crisis and which is undergoing fundamental reform.

By the last planting season, virus-free cassava planting material had been distributed to some 330,000 smallholders in countries struck by the virus: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. The improved crop now benefits a total of some 1.65 million people, and its uptake will speed up further.

Having cassava back on the table is of major importance, especially to the region's most vulnerable, who have been hit hard by the recent upsurge in food prices, said Eric Kueneman Chief of FAO's Crop and Grassland Service. He added that boosting the production of local crops like cassava is a pillar of FAO's response to the current crisis, which was caused by commodity speculation.

In the Great Lakes region though, high prices of food and fertilizer are just part of the problem. As the recent violence in eastern DR Congo tragically demonstrates, the region is still grappling with peace. But, especially under circumstances of extreme instability, cassava can make a crucial difference.

Cassava roots can be harvested whenever there is a need, or left in the ground when farmers are driven from their land. Also, cassava is not an easy prey, when land is unattended: thieves will find it very difficult to dig it from the ground.

Disease causes food shortage

"We have come a long way in making this region self-sufficient in cassava again," says Cees Wittebrood of the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO), FAO's major partner in its regional cassava operations, adding, "One of our priorities is to ensure that every farmer can grow for his own subsistence, and collaboration with FAO is key in achieving that."

Each person in Africa eats around 80 kg of cassava per year. So, when an aggressive strain of a virus called Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) decimated harvests throughout the Great Lakes region, consequences were disastrous.

In Uganda, for instance, where CMD has destroyed 150,000 hectares of cassava since the early nineties - a loss estimated at $US 60 million per annum - food shortages resulting from CMD led to localized famines in 1993 and 1997. CMD appeared in Burundi in 2002. Yield losses attaining ninety percent were record. Prices sky-rocketed. And it came right on top of a devastating civil war. According to FAO’s 2006 State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI) report, undernourishment affected two-thirds of the population in 2001/3, compared to less than half before hostilities begun ten years earlier.

Tackling the epidemic began with a series of disease-free varieties developed by one of FAO's research partners, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Nigeria, which were multiplied in nurseries of a multitude of partners, including national research institutions, local governments and civil society, eventually producing enough planting stakes for mass distribution to the population.

Salvator Kaboneka, an FAO agronomist, explains how it all began on “the mother plantation,” as he calls it, a cassava field in Mparambo, not far from Munyika. Here, on 20 hectares, FAO started planting disease free stems in 2005, initially with Belgian and American support.

Every cassava plant provides at least ten usable cuttings. At that rate, it will take only one more year to replant the 84,000 hectares of cassava this country had prior to the arrival of CMD. The mathematics are as simple as they are striking. The original 20 hectares have grown to 1600. Multiplied by ten, that will be 16,000 after the coming season, and 160,000 by the end of 2008.

At the same time, FAO embarked on a campaign to boost the capacity and efforts of individual countries in the region, launching a regional cassava initiative in 2006 with funding of several donors led by ECHO - the European Union's humanitarian aid agency - , which has contributed € 3.3 million to FAO's different cassava operations since:
energy :: sustainability ::biomass :: bioenergy :: ethanol :: cassava :: manioc :: food security :: Africa ::

Diner's ready
Burundi's northern Cibitoke province lies in the epicentre of the CMD epidemic. Its fields, barren until a year ago, now bustle with green from cassava leaves. "It's sweet, not bitter," says Ernest Nduwimana, a young farmer who lost his father during Burundi's civil war, holding up a huge cassava root he has just unearthed.

The crop was good this year, Ernest says. There is enough to feed his family until the next harvest, which he is already preparing to plant with quality cuttings from his own cassava plants. Then, after a long day, he returns home, where his mother has prepared bugari, a local dish based on cassava flour and served with beans and fish.

EU support
The European Union is one of FAO's most steadfast and generous partners in promoting sustainable rural development to improve the lives of the poor, contributing over US$ 100 million to FAO's field programme in 2007.

Working together on the ground in developing countries worldwide, improving food security in emergencies, employing research to foster food safety and quality, stimulating information-gathering to build policy, sharing know-how and involving partners in policy-making, the EU and FAO fight poverty at its root.

Cassava's potential: food and fuel
At a global conference held recently in Gent, Belgium, the FAO together with cassava scientists and food security analysts called for a significant increase in investment in research and development to boost farmers’ yields of cassava and explore promising industrial uses for the crop, including production of biofuels.

The tropical root crop could help protect both the food and energy security of poor countries now threatened by soaring food and oil prices, the congress concluded. The FAO reiterated what many tropical agronomists and development experts have said about cassava in the past (e.g. CIAT thinks cassava ethanol could benefit millions of the world's poorest farmers).

The scientists, who have formed an international network called the Global Cassava Partnership (GCP21), said the world community could not continue to ignore the plight of low-income tropical countries that have been hardest hit by rising oil prices and galloping food price inflation.

According to them, cassava has a very large potential as a food and industrial crop: at present, average yields are barely 20% of what they should be under optimum conditions and with basic inputs. The crop grows well on poor, degraded soils and in a vast agro-ecological zone.

Cassava is also the cheapest known source of starch, and used in more than 300 industrial products. One promising application is fermentation of the starch to produce ethanol used in biofuel, although FAO cautions that policies encouraging a shift to biofuel production should carefully consider its effects on food production and food security.

Cassava field residues and processing waste - such as peels, mill effluent, and the crop's woody stems - could be converted into biogas, biohydrogen or solid biomass for electricity production.

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
(IITA) is an international non-profit R4D organization since 1967 supported primarily by the CGIAR.

The regional campaign to combat CMD was developed with technical support of FAO’s Crop and Grassland Service. The service helps FAO member countries achieve sustainable increases in production of crops and grasslands, through plant improvement, application of plant biotechnology, development of integrated production systems, and rational grassland management.

The Global Cassava Partnership for Genetic Improvement (GCP21) is an international alliance of research institutions dedicated to increase research and funding on cassava, and dedicated to develop several biotechnological tools to permit breakthroughs in the coming years, to double the cassava productivity in a 15 year time frame.

ECHO is the European Commission Humanitarian Aid agency, and one of the FAO's most loyal partners.

References:
FAO: Cassava’s comeback - November 13, 2008.

FAO: Cassava for food and energy security - July 25, 2008.

FAO: Ernest’s dream: Farmers in Burundi are planting cassava again, with EU/FAO support - 2007

Biopact: FAO calls for boost to cassava R&D for biofuels and food - 'enormous' potential - July 26, 2008

WA Supreme Court Green Lights Wind Farm

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:11:00 GMT

Washington's State Supreme Court has cleared the way for a wind farm that had been in limbo during a dispute between local residents and the governor.

The Seattle Times reports that the unanimous decision confirmed that Gov. Chris Gregoire had authority to approve a Kittitas County wind farm over the objections of local officials:

The project, from developers Horizon Wind Energy of Houston, would be along U.S. 97 northwest of Ellensburg. Turbines would sit on ridge tops in the blustery Kittitas Valley, on private and state land.

Project officials have said they expect to spend at least $150 million on the wind farm, and supporters say it could provide enough electricity to supply about 30,000 homes.

Before getting Gregoire's approval, the Kittitas Valley Wind Power Project was reduced from about 120 turbines to about 65, and developers agreed to keep turbines farther from homes and cabins.

But the county commission appealed Gregoire's ruling, arguing that the state abused its authority in this case, and shouldn't be allowed to pre-empt county land use laws for wind power projects. The court disagreed, upholding Gregoire's final decision.

The article adds that the court quoted Don Quixote in its ruling: “They are giants: and, if thou art afraid, get thee aside and pray, whilst I engage with them in fierce and unequal combat.'”

Minnesota Offers Biodiesel Blending Grants

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:12:00 GMT

The State of Minnesota is offering $300,000 in grants to help its biodiesel industry.

This story from the Alexandria (MN) Echo Press says the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is accepting proposals for grants for owners of facilities that supply petroleum products to customers who sell, use, or transport fuel in the state of Minnesota:

The facilities should be located on or near a petroleum terminal and have an infrastructure that can be designed to blend cold weather biodiesel with conventional diesel fuels.

Cold weather biodiesel is a high-quality biodiesel blend that can be used successfully year-round, even in the coldest climates.

Grant funds may be used to offset the cost of necessary infrastructure equipment including but not limited to tank, pipe, valves, meters, pumps and heating equipment plus the cost of engineering, fabrication and installation.

The article goes on to say that the proposals need to have a description and cost of the proposed blending facilities and assurances that they will provide biodiesel-blended fuels to the Minnesota diesel fuel market, even in cold weather.

Check out the MDA Web site, www.mda.state.mn.us, for more information. Applications are due by November 28th at 4 p.m. CST.

Sustainability Forum for Biodiesel

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:30:00 GMT

The National Biodiesel Board, the foremost advocate for the biodiesel industry in the U.S., has brought together some of the nation's leaders to work on sustainable solutions for this country's energy challenges.

A symposium in St. Louis this week featured the NBB's Sustainability Task Force, a group put together last February at the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida. This NBB press release says the meeting featured discussions of critical issues related to the promise of biofuels, including greenhouse gas emission models, biodiesel's positive energy balance, and the development of next generation feedstocks:

“As America searches for solutions to our energy challenges, U.S. biodiesel is delivering with a cleaner and sustainable renewable fuel source,” said Emily Landsburg, Chair of the NBB's Sustainability Task Force. “Biodiesel is already helping the nation make important strides toward energy independence and we will continue to explore new and promising practices.”

This week's symposium included representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the American Soybean Association, the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) and the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities.

This week at the NBB's fall board meeting, the board adopted several resolutions addressing sustainability. The resolutions pledge to continue to develop internal policies and support practices which promote the use of sustainable feedstocks and biodiesel production methods, and to actively engage in forums addressing global sustainability standards.

The NBB is also trying to counter what it calls “unsound and incomplete science which distorts the effects of biofuels” by providing accurate information about biodiesel to educate the public, elected leaders and the media. To that end, the board has launched a new web site, www.biodieselsustainability.com. Check it out!

E-Station to Open in Florida

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

The first green “E-station” is slated to open in Destiny, Florida soon. The 6,000 square-foot will offer a wide array of traditional and non-traditional fuels for the motoring public. E85 and biodiesel are planned to be included.

“Destiny's E-Station will introduce solar, renewable energy and new sustainable practices into the lives of residents of Osceola County while also educating consumers on how clean technology and carbon reduction can be implemented,” said Randy Johnson, chief operating officer for Destiny. “The E-Station will be a proving ground for technologies and practices of the future and is a testament to our commitment to create a truly eco-sustainable community in the state.”

Mid-State Energy Inc. of Lake Wales, Florida, had purchased the former site known as Key Stop, and had planned on merely updating the facility. They were approached by Destiny with the E-Station idea.

“We are thrilled to be at the forefront of the creation of one of the country's first E-stations and are excited to work with Destiny to turn their vision into reality,” said Ken Allen Jr., president of Mid-State Energy. “We believe the E-Station offers a remarkable opportunity to be part of the transition of change from fossil to alternative fuels and a platform for educating the public on new green technologies, and the latest in energy efficient systems which is long overdue in our traditional industry.”

National Geographic documentary on terra preta and biochar: solve multiple environmental crises simultaneously

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:33:00 GMT

Biochar, or the sequestration of char in nutrient-poor soils to make them more fertile, is gaining interest from a growing number of conservationists, ecologists, climate activists and anthropologists because it is increasingly seen as one of the few realistic ways to tackle multiple environmental and social crises simultaneously: hunger, soil depletion, deforestation and the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services that go with it, fresh water depletion, land ownership, energy poverty and even climate change. National Geographic is the latest to focus on this almost too-good-to-be-true land use strategy, which is based on the old, very fertile "terra preta" soils that have been discovered in the Amazon.

NG's article 'Superdirt Made Lost Amazon Cities Possible?' is an introduction to a new documentary that analyses how pre-columbian Amazonian societies were built on the ingeniously engineered black soils. The film "Lost Cities of the Amazon" [video fragments here and here] builds on the recent insights that these forests may have been home to vast urban networks that sustained large populations for thousands of years. Scientists now think that the 'black gold' agriculture - the biochar these communities put in their soils - not only was the key to this sustainable way of life, but that it may help save the planet today.

Now scientists are trying to recreate the recipe for the apparently human-made supersoil, which still covers up to 10 percent of the Amazon Basin. Key ingredients included of dirt, charcoal, pottery, human excrement and other waste.

If recreated, the engineered soil could feed the hungry and may even help fight global warming, experts suggest.

Scientists have long thought the river basin's tropical soils were too acidic to grow anything but the hardiest varieties of manioc, a starch-rich root crop.

But over the past several decades, researchers have discovered tracts of productive terra preta—"dark earth." The human-made soil's chocolaty color contrasts sharply with the region's natural yellowish soils.

Research in the late 1980s was the first to show that charcoal made from slow burns of trees and woody waste is the key ingredient of terra preta.

With the increased level of agriculture made possible by terra preta, ancient Amazonians would have been able to live in one place for long periods of time, says geographer and anthropologist William Woods of the University of Kansas, who studies ancient Amazonian settlements.

As a result you get social stratification, hierarchy, intertwined settlement systems, very large scale. And then 1492 happens. The arrival of Europeans brought disease and warfare that obliterated the ancient Amazonian civilizations and sent the few survivors deep into the rain forest to live as hunter-gatherers. It completely changed their way of living. - Professor Woods

Magic Soil?
Today scientists are racing to tease apart the terra-preta recipe. The special soil has been touted as a way to restore more sustainable farming to the Amazon, feed the world's hungry, and combat global warming.

The terra-preta charcoal, called biochar, attracts certain fungi and microorganisms. Those tiny life-forms allow the charcoal to absorb and retain nutrients that keep the soil fertile for hundreds of years, said Woods, whose team is among a few trying to identify the crucial microorganisms:
energy :: sustainability :: biomass :: bioenergy :: terra preta :: biochar :: soil depletion :: poverty :: deforestation :: biodiversity :: climate change ::

"The materials that go into the terra preta are just part of the story. The living member of it is much more," he said. For one thing, the microorganisms break up the charcoal into smaller pieces, creating more surface area for nutrients to cling to, Woods said.

Anti-Global-Warming Weapon?
Soil scientist Johannes Lehmann of Cornell University is also racing to recreate terra preta.

The Amazonian dark soils, he said, are hundreds to thousands of years old, yet to this day they retain their nutrients and carbons, which are held mainly by the charcoal.

This suggests that adding biochar could help other regions of the world with acidic soils to increase agricultural yields.

Plus, Lehmann said, biochar could help reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere from the burning of wild lands to create new farm fields. (Learn how greenhouse gas emissions may worsen global warming.)

For example, specialized power plants could char agricultural wastes to generate electricity.

The process would "lock" much carbon that would have otherwise escaped into the atmosphere in the biochar. The biochar could then be put underground, in a new form of terra preta, thereby sequestering the carbon for centuries, Lehmann suggests.

Current Amazonian farming relies heavily on slash-and-burn agriculture—razing forests, then burning all of what's left.

By reverting to the ancient slash-and-char method—burning slowly and then mixing the charcoal into the soil—Amazonian carbon dioxide emissions could be cut nearly in half, according to Woods, of the University of Kansas.

With slash-and-burn, he noted, 95 percent of the carbon stored in a tree is emitted to the atmosphere. Slash-and-char emits about 50 percent, he said.

"The rest is put into different forms of black carbon, most of which are chemically inert for long periods of time—thousands of years."

In addition, the technique would allow many farmers to stay sedentary, Woods said.

Because the soil would apparently remain fertile for centuries, "they don't have to cut down the forest constantly and send it up into the atmosphere," he said.

References:
National Geographic: Superdirt Made Lost Amazon Cities Possible? - November 19, 2008.

National Geographic: Ancient Amazon Cities Found; Were Vast Urban Network - August 28, 2008.

University of California at Los Angeles: Susanna Hecht

University of Florida: Michael Heckenberger

University of Kansas: William Woods

Cornell University: Johannes Lehmann

Ethanol Report from Cellulosic Summit

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:26:00 GMT

The third annual Cellulosic Ethanol Summit was held this week in Coral Gables, Florida and Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen was once again chairman of the summit.

In this “Ethanol Report” podcast, Dinneen discusses a number of issues – including the race to commercialize cellulosic ethanol, the new administration, getting more flex fuel vehicles on the road, the continuing attacks from the food industry, and the all important land use issue.

You can listen to “The Ethanol Report” on-line here:

Or you can subscribe to this podcast by following this link.

Investigate Food Companies

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:11:00 GMT

The October Consumer Price Index offers definitive proof that the food companies are sticking it to consumers even though prices for virtually everything else are down.

A report by the Renewable Fuels Association this week notes that “the excuse for these prices hikes given by big food companies does not pass the smell test.” That is an understatement. It literally stinks to high Heaven. What food companies are calling “sticky prices” really amounts to “sticky fingers.” They are out and out stealing from American consumers and Congress should be pulling them in for hearings to explain themselves.

According to the report:

Big Food often suggests a “lag effect” exists before changes in commodity prices are reflected at the retail level (they say that’s why food prices haven’t come down, despite the plunge commodity prices). However, it is clear there was no “lag effect” in early 2007. When the producer price index (PPI) for farm products increased rapidly, food companies reacted quickly, as demonstrated by the accelerated trend in the consumer price index (CPI) for food. And as producer prices for farm products have dropped dramatically since June, food inflation continues to increase at a faster‐than‐normal rate.

You can see this in the graph (for a better view, see RFA's report). What is more outrageous is the food companies' higher‐than‐expected earnings for the quarter that ended in September 2008, due in large part to higher prices for consumers.

Tyson Foods—the world’s largest meat processor and an outspoken opponent of renewable fuels—reported a 50 percent increase in net income in the quarter ended September 27, 2008.4 Tyson’s latest earnings press release cited “higher average sales prices” for pork, beef, and chicken as a major reason for the boost in revenues.

With the economy the way it is today, consumers should not be paying higher than average prices for food in order to increase profits for food companies. This is just wrong and the American public should be demanding that something be done about it immediately.

Two breakthroughs in rice science: flood-tolerance and drought-tolerance boost yields

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:46:00 GMT

Rice, the world's most important staple crop, recently was the subject of a tremendous speculative boom-and-bust cycle, with prices going through the roof a few months ago, and collapsing today. This volatility leaves both small farmers and entire states vulnerable. However, two scientific breakthroughs in rice crop science may give producers and consumers alike a new weapon against this volatility. They may also go a far way in solving hunger.

In a first development, scientists from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) report that they have found a way to "waterproof" versions of popular varieties of rice, which can withstand 2 weeks of complete submergence. This can double crop output and can save millions of tonnes of rice from losses, which is enough to feed tens of millions of people. In another exciting breakthrough, a PhD student at the University of Alberta found a way to make upland rice double its yield in dry areas, where the crop is grown by some of the world's poorest.

In short, two of the biggest problems - flood intolerance and drought intolerance - associated with the two most common rice growing techniques - paddy and upland - have been solved. Interestingly, the the water-proof crops are not genetically modified, but created by precision breeding.

Flood-tolerance
The waterproof rice crops have passed tests in farmers' fields with flying colors (see time-laps video for a short-cut). Several of these varieties are now close to official release by national and state seed certification agencies in Bangladesh and India, where farmers suffer major crop losses because of flooding of up to 4 million tons of rice per year. This is enough rice to feed 30 million people.

The flood-tolerant versions of the so-called "mega-varieties" — high-yielding varieties popular with both farmers and consumers that are grown over huge areas across Asia — are effectively identical to their susceptible counterparts, but recover after severe flooding to yield well.

A 1-9 November tour of research stations and farms in Bangladesh and India led by David Mackill, senior rice breeder at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), marked the successful completion of the project titled "From genes to farmers' fields: enhancing and stabilizing productivity of rice in submergence-prone environments", funded for the past 5 years by Germany's German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The new varieties were made possible following the identification of a single gene that is responsible for most of the submergence tolerance. Thirteen years ago, Dr. Mackill, then at the University of California (UC) at Davis, and Kenong Xu, his graduate student, pinpointed the gene in a low-yielding traditional Indian rice variety known to withstand flooding. Xu subsequently worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Pamela Ronald, a UC Davis professor, and they isolated the specific gene—called Sub1A—and demonstrated that it confers tolerance to normally intolerant rice plants. Dr. Ronald's team showed that the gene is switched on when the plants are submerged:
energy :: sustainability :: biomass :: bioenergy :: agriculture :: rice :: flood-tolerance :: drought-tolerance :: IRRI ::

A geneticist from UC Riverside, Julia Bailey-Serres, is leading the work to determine exactly how Sub1A confers flood tolerance. "Sub1A effectively makes the plant dormant during submergence, allowing it to conserve energy until the floodwaters recede," said Dr. Bailey-Serres.

Typically, rice plants will extend the length of their leaves and stem in an attempt to escape submergence. The Sub1A gene is an evolutionarily new gene in rice found in only a small proportion of the rice varieties originating from eastern India and Sri Lanka. The activation of this gene under submergence counteracts the escape strategy.

"This project has been a great success, not only in its results but also in the truly international collaboration that made the project possible," said Dr. Mackill, referring to the several national organizations, including the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, India's Central Rice Research Institute and Narendra Dev University of Agriculture and Technology.

The potential for impact is huge. In Bangladesh, for example, 20% of the rice land is flood prone and the country typically suffers several major floods each year. Submergence-tolerant varieties could make major inroads into Bangladesh's annual rice shortfall and substantially reduce its import needs. - Dr. Mackill

Using modern techniques that allow breeders to do much of their work in the lab rather than the field, Dr. Mackill and his team at IRRI were able to precisely transfer Sub1A into high-yielding varieties without affecting the characteristics—such as high yield, good grain quality, and pest and disease resistance—that made the varieties popular in the first place.

The impact is evident for farm families as well as at a national production level. To be part of this project as it has moved from a lab in California to rice fields in Asia has been inspiring and underscores the power of science to improve people's lives. - Dr. Ronald

Because plants developed through this "precision breeding," known as marker-assisted selection, are not genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the new Sub1 varieties are not subject to the regulatory testing that can delay release of GMOs for several years.

Once Sub1 varieties are officially released within the next 2 years, the key will be dissemination to smallholder farmers in flood-prone areas. IRRI is leading this initiative through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Drought-tolerance
From too much water, to not enough of it: Jerome Bernier, a PhD student in the University of Alberta Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, has found a group of genes in rice that enables a yield of up to 100 per cent more in severe drought conditions. Doubling the output of these upland rice crops is a major step forward for some of the world's poorest, who try to grow the crop in the most distressed areas.

The discovery marks the first time this group of genes in rice has been identified, and could potentially bring relief to farmers in countries like India and Thailand, where rice crops are regularly faced with drought. Rice is the number one crop consumed by humans annually.

The results of the study were published recently in the plant sciences journal Euphytica. Bernier's research began four years ago and focused on upland rice, which, unlike the majority of rice crops, grows in non-flooded, dry fields. "If drought hits, the yield can drop to almost nothing," Bernier said. He too conducted his research at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, in conjunction with scientists there and in India.

He started with 126 genetic markers and narrowed his search to a group of genes that had the desired impact. In very severe drought conditions, rice strains with the new genes were shown to produce twice as those strains that did not have the genes. The new genes stimulate the rice plants to develop deeper roots, enabling it to access more of the water stored in the soil.

"For subsistence farmers who rely on the crop to feed their families, this extra yield can make a world of difference," said Bernier.

Less loss to drought may also mean an increased supply of rice globally, said Dean Spaner, Bernier's project supervisor and a professor of agricultural, food and nutritional science at the University of Alberta.

The young scientist's research was funded in part by the Canadian International Development Agency and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is the world's leading rice research and training center. Based in the Philippines, with offices in 13 other countries, IRRI is an autonomous, nonprofit institution focused on improving the well-being of present and future generations of rice farmers and consumers, particularly those with low incomes, while preserving natural resources.

IRRI is one of 15 centers funded through the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an association of public and private donor agencies.

Time-lapse video: courtesy of IRRI.

References:
Jérôme Bernier, et al. "Characterization of the effect of a QTL for drought resistance in rice, qtl12.1, over a range of environments in the Philippines and eastern India", Euphytica, Wednesday, October 01, 2008, DOI 10.1007/s10681-008-9826-y

International Rice Research Institute: Waterproof rice provides flood relief for poor farmers - dedicated video page.

International Rice Research Institute: Rice Library and Rice Knowledge Bank.

Indy Chooses Brazilian Ethanol

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:34:00 GMT

The domestic ethanol industry is pleading with the Indy Racing League to reconsider the decision to make Brazil the official ethanol supplier for the 23 IndyCar Series races.

In a letter to IRL commercial division president Terry Angstadt this week, Renewable Fuels Association President Bob Dinneen implored the IRL to “at least ensure that the Indianapolis 500 be run on American homegrown ethanol and suggested the league need look no further than the network of ethanol producers in the state of Indiana.”

Earlier this week, IRL announced a multi-year partnership with APEX-Brasil making the trade promotion agency the official ethanol supplier to the IndyCar Series beginning with the 2009 season. The deal includes cooperation from UNICA (the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association) to identify those interested in supplying ethanol to the series. Initially, UNICA will look to partner with a U.S.-based ethanol company to supply the IndyCar Series with corn-based ethanol.

“The move to other sources of ethanol is a natural progression as the ethanol industry continues to grow and evolve,” said Angstadt. “We continue to strive to be on the leading edge of the greening of racing. The IndyCar Series was the first motorsports series to mandate use of a renewable fuel, and now we will work with the ethanol industry in both the United States and Brazil to promote the use of all types of ethanol by consumers.”

Reportedly, the new agreement with Brazil does include an exception for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 to use domestically produced corn ethanol, but no exception for the Indy 500.

Senators Weigh In on EPA Rules

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:56:00 GMT

On Monday Nov. 17, six U.S. Senators sent a new letter to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson echoing a proposal that BIO previously made. BIO earlier called on EPA to release its proposed methodology for measuring greenhouse gas emissions during the rule’s comment period, but withholding conclusions on specific levels of reductions achieved by particular biofuels until the methodology was complete. The Senators’ letter states:

The methodology ultimately used by EPA in crafting this program will have a significant impact on the overall success of the program, and the science and methodology employed by EPA should be subject to thorough public and academic review. Likewise, the premature publication of specific greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions calculations based on incomplete ILU [indirect land use] assumptions could undermine the ultimate success of RFS-2 and be detrimental to U.S. biofuels producers and farmers, as it will undermine investor confidence and further deprive the industry of the investment capital it will need to meet the renewable targets established in RFS-2.”

The Senators go on to say,

EPA’s inclusion of international ILU changes as a factor in determining significant indirect emissions has the potential to effectively disqualify significant volumes of U.S. renewable fuels production from being used to meet the Advanced Biofuels Schedule in RFS-2, thus placing in jeopardy the entire fuels program.”

BIO has consistently said that models for measuring indirect land use change are immature, and recent revisions of crop price forecasts by the USDA and the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute provide a case in point. FAPRI’s model is usually used to predict crop prices and yields around the world to guide U.S. farmers in decisions about planting, storing and marketing their grains. Their model is now a key to the theory developed by Tim Searchinger and the EPA’s proposed methodology for the RFS.
In a recent edition of its “Decisive Marketing,” FAPRI revised the advice it gave farmers at the beginning of this year, saying:

Since peaking in early July, the corn and soybean markets have been in a downtrend. Those downtrends have become very steep since late September, pushing prices much lower than nearly everyone expected. The USDA’s 2008-09 price forecasts were lowered eighty cents per bushel for corn and soybean prices cut two dollars in the October supply/demand reports. These are huge cuts to be made in just one month, but current prices are now much lower than the lowest end of the USDA’s forecast price ranges.”

Later in the newsletter, FAPRI buries a very significant inference from the price drop, “Current prices discourage increased plantings in South America.” [emphasis mine]

Note that while the USDA’s Feed Outlook projected prices for corn in 2008/09 were lowered by $0.80 just between October and November, to $4.00-$4.80 per bushel, this is significantly down from July, when the USDA’s Feed Outlook projected prices of $5.50-$6.50.

Environmental groups, such as the NRDC, would like to claim that they have science on their side. See for instance the New York Times editorial this week. The drastic revision of projections from these models within a six-month period demonstrates how far the science has to go. At this point, it would be dangerous to include the models in a regulatory system.

Biofuels: is the cure worse than the disease?

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:29:00 GMT

Biofuels: is the cure worse than the disease? That is the question posed by Ron Steenblick, and Richard Doornbosch in a recent online publication.

India's biofuel market: a report

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:57:00 GMT

There's a new report on the outlook for India's biofuels market. The key take-away for me is that despite a growing ethanol industry, India is going to have an ethanol deficit until at least 2017 as demand outstrips supply by about 4.5%/year.

Tie auto bail out with flex fuel

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:22:00 GMT

Check out the Des Moines Register story about calls that any bail out of Detroit automakers should be tied to higher proportions of flex fuel vehicles in their ranges.

That is fine, but I think that it would be much better to tie a bail out with a marked increase in fuel efficiciency across the whole of the companies' ranges: cars and trucks.

Wind to Power Texas Wal-Marts

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:35:00 GMT

In one of the largest investments of wind energy by a U.S. retailer, mega-seller Wal-Mart has announced it will buy 226 kilowatt-hours of wind power from Duke Energy for about 360 stores and distribution centers in Texas… around 15 percent of the electricity those places use.

The Washington Post reports that the the four-year agreement will take out of the environment the equivalent of the emissions of 25,000 cars:

The move is the latest step in the company's three-year-old effort to transform itself into a more sustainable business. Wal-Mart chief executive H. Lee Scott Jr. has vowed that the retailer will eventually be completely supplied by renewable energy. The deal with Duke is expected to be announced today.

“That's just a huge, huge goal for us to work toward,” said Kim Saylors-Laster, vice president of energy for Wal-Mart. “We're actually very pleased with our results and excited about the things that we're learning.”

Nearly two years ago, Wal-Mart began talks with wind power company Tierra Energy, which was based in Austin, to supply its stores. When Tierra was bought by North Carolina-based Duke last year, the company brought Wal-Mart with them.

“They have a very compelling case for their sustainability and environmental effort,” said David Marks, senior vice president for wind energy at Duke. “They were very focused on trying to make as much of their Texas electricity load be renewable as they can.”

Wal-Mart won't say how much it is paying for the wind power but would say that it won't be more than it pays for traditional energy (big surprise there, huh?)

PA Biodiesel Refiner to Star on Discovery

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:09:00 GMT

As if I didn't need another reason to stay glued to my couch watching the Discovery Channel (Dirty Jobs, Survivorman, Mythbusters… what more could a guy want?), now Pennsylvania's first large-scale biodiesel producer will be featured on the popular cable channel.

This story from eMediaWire.com says Lake Erie Biofuels, LLC will have its national primetime debut sometime next year:

“Shades of Green,” a new television documentary on The Discovery Channel, will showcase the cutting edge technology and on-site laboratories that Lake Erie Biofuels, LLC utilizes in its state-of-the-art facility. While emphasizing the importance of biodiesel in today's global economy, “Shades of Green” will provide an inside look into the production of biodiesel and the incredible impact it could have on our planet's future.

The show's main focus is to highlight the very latest topics and trends impacting the world by providing its viewers with information on alternative energy and sustainable living. Each feature segment of “Shades of Green” will focus on a specific renewable energy source, such as wind, fuel and solar power. Lake Erie Biofuels, LLC was chosen by The Discovery Channel to represent the biofuel industry because of its unique facilities that produce 45 million gallons of biodiesel annually.

They're shooting “Shades of Green” this week at the Pennsylvania biodiesel refiner with plans of airing the show next February.

Now, if they can just coordinate this with a history of biodiesel I once saw on the History Channel, I may never make it off my couch.

Nova: Testing Shows Our Readiness for RFS’ Biodiesel Portion

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:23:00 GMT

Officials with Houston, Texas-based Nova Biosource Fuels, Inc., say that testing of their variety of biodiesel shows they will be ready when the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) for biodiesel usage is increased to 500 million gallons in 2009.

This company press release says Nova's biodiesel has passed the Cold Soak Filtration Test for more than a year. Biodiesel under ASTM D6751-08 must pass the test as a qualitative evaluation meant to replicate performance of the biodiesel in cold climates:

“Nova's patented process has always focused on producing high quality biodiesel,” said Kenneth Hern, Chairman and CEO of Nova. “The new ASTM Cold Soak Filtration Test is a hurdle for some companies, but Nova's biodiesel meets this requirement regardless of feedstock input used in our proprietary process.”

The Company continues to operate efficiently and conserve working capital while maintaining sustained rates of approximately 50 percent to 60 percent nameplate capacity at the Seneca refinery. During the month of October, three million gallons of biodiesel were produced at Seneca, bringing the cumulative total to over 14 million gallons produced to date.

Nova says it will be well-positioned to help supply the biodiesel needed for the increased standard.

Ethanol Podcast on Cellulosic Ethanol Issues

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:23:00 GMT

The third annual Cellulosic Ethanol Summit was held this week in Coral Gables, Florida and Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen was once again chairman of the summit.

You can listen to “The Ethanol Report” on-line here:

Or you can subscribe to this podcast by following this link.

Florida Biofuels Developing

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:10:00 GMT

At the same time Florida was hosting the third Cellulosic Ethanol Summit in Coral Gables this week, U.S. Sugar announced an agreement with Coskata to explore building a 100 million gallon per year cellulosic ethanol facility in Clewiston, Florida. The facility would be the world's largest second generation ethanol facility, converting left-over sugar cane material into ethanol.

That is great news for the relatively young Florida Biofuels Association, which helped to host the summit in south Florida.

“We launched in May of 2007 so we are a pretty new organization,” said FBA Executive Director Dana Weber. “We're focused primarily on a sustainable, clean and safe biofuels sector here in Florida.”

Weber says Florida has an extremely positive environment for biofuels growth. “We've got a very aggressive governor who has put some pretty strong policies in place with regards to climate change and alternative energy.”

You can listen to an interview with Dana Weber here:

See photos from the Cellulosic Ethanol Summit here.

2009 Green Car of the year is…

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:26:00 GMT

“The Volkswagen Jetta TDI rose to the top as Green Car Journal’s 2009 Green Car of the Year® for some very important reasons,” said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com. “Hybrids have dominated the discussion of environmentally positive vehicles in recent years. The highly fuel efficient, 50 state [...]

SunEthanol Raises US $25M for Cellulosic Ethanol Technology

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:00:00 GMT

SunEthanol has raised US $25 million in Series B financing from a consortium including BP and Soros Fund Management LLC and is changing its name to Qteros. The new name refers to its breakthrough Q Microbe technology for producing sustainable liquid fuel from non-food plants and wastes.

Study looks at the implementation of EU bioenergy laws

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:45:00 GMT

A study analysing the implementation of EU directives and policies relating to bioenergy in Europe has been published today (20th November) by researchers from the Bioenergy Network of Excellence, a group of eight leading European bioenergy institutes. The study has been carried out in order to identify major RD D needs in the field.

EU renewable energy law database available on the web

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:31:00 GMT

An English version of the German Federal Environment Ministry's internet database Legal sources on the generation of electricity from renewable energy sources (RES LEGAL) has been launched. It allows interested parties from the political sector, administrations, associations, companies and the scientific sector to research fundamental legal aspects concerning the promotion of and grid access for electricity from renewables from the EU Member States. The provisions for wind and solar energy, geothermal energy, biomass and hydropower are listed in detail. This database, unique in Europe, can be used free of charge. The address: www.res-legal.eu/en (http://www.res-legal.eu/en)

EU shifts farm subsidies from production to rural development, climate change and bioenergy

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:24:00 GMT

The EU's Council has come to an agreement that will help reform the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). It shifts subsidies away from agricultural production and towards conservation, the fight against climate change and bioenergy. A key aim is to make agriculture more responsive to market forces and to avoid overproduction of food. Liberalisation of the milk sector and a phase out of quota was agreed on too. Importantly, the set-aside rule is abolished, as is an energy crop premium.

Negotiations began under the Slovene Presidency with the publication of Commission proposals last May and ended between the 27 Member States late last night, following European Parliament’s opinion which was given the same morning.

The agreement mainly covers the following points:

Shifting money from direct aid to Rural Development: Currently, all farmers receiving more than €5,000 in direct aid have their payments reduced by 5 percent and the money is transferred into the Rural Development budget. This rate will be increased to 10 percent by 2012. An additional cut of 4 percent will be made on payments above €300,000 a year. The funding obtained this way may be used by Member States to reinforce programmes in the fields identified as "key challenges": (1) climate change, (2) bioenergy, (3) water management, (4) biodiversity, (5) innovation linked to the previous four points and (6) for accompanying measures in the dairy sector. This transferred money will be co-financed by the EU at a rate of 75 percent and 90 percent in convergence regions where average GDP is lower.

Phasing out milk quotas: As milk quotas will expire by April 2015 a 'soft landing' is ensured by increasing quotas by one percent every year between 2009/10 and 2013/14. For Italy, the 5 percent increase will be introduced immediately in 2009/10. In 2009/10 and 2010/11, farmers who exceed their milk quotas by more than 6 percent will have to pay a levy 50 percent higher than the normal penalty.

Decoupling of support: The CAP reform "decoupled" direct aid to farmers i.e. payments were no longer linked to the production of a specific product. However, some Member States chose to maintain some "coupled" – i.e. production-linked - payments. These remaining coupled payments will now be decoupled and moved into the Single Payment Scheme, with the exception of suckler cow, goat and sheep premia, where Member States may maintain current levels of coupled support.

Assistance to sectors with special problems ('Article 68' measures): Currently, Member States may retain by sector 10 percent of their national budget ceilings for direct payments for use for environmental measures or improving the quality and marketing of products in that sector. This possibility will become more flexible. The money will no longer have to be used in the same sector; it may be used to help farmers producing milk, beef, goat and sheep meat and rice in disadvantaged regions or vulnerable types of farming; it may also be used to support risk management measures such as insurance schemes for natural disasters and mutual funds for animal diseases; and countries operating the SAPS system will become eligible for the scheme.

Extending SAPS: EU members applying the simplified Single Area Payment Scheme will be allowed to continue to do so until 2013 instead of being forced into the Single Payment Scheme by 2010.

Additional funding for EU-12 farmers: €90 million will be allocated to the EU-12 to make it easier for them to make use of Article 68 until direct payments to their farmers have been fully phased in.

Using currently unspent money: Member States applying the Single Payment Scheme will be allowed either to use currently unused money from their national envelope for Article 68 measures or to transfer it into the Rural Development Fund.

Investment aid for young farmers: Investment aid for young farmers under Rural Development will be increased from €55,000 to €70,000.

Abolition of set-aside: The requirement for arable farmers to leave 10 percent of their land fallow is abolished. This will allow them to maximise their production potential.

Cross Compliance: Aid to farmers is linked to the respect of environmental, animal welfare and food quality standards. Farmers who do not respect the rules face cuts in their support. This so-called Cross Compliance will be simplified, by withdrawing standards that are not relevant or linked to farmer responsibility. New requirements will be added to retain the environmental benefits of set-aside and improve water management.

Intervention mechanisms: Market supply measures should not slow farmers' ability to respond to market signals. Intervention will be abolished for pig meat and set at zero for barley and sorghum. For wheat, intervention purchases will be possible during the intervention period at the price of €101.31/tonne up to 3 million tonnes. Beyond that, it will be done by tender. For butter and skimmed milk powder, limits will be 30,000 tonnes and 109,000 tonnes respectively, beyond which intervention will be by tender.

Payment limitations: Member States should apply a minimum payment per farm of €250, or for a minimum size of 1 hectare or both. Alternatively, they may apply a coefficient on 250€ and 1ha, based on the comparison between the EU average farm size and payment and the national average.

Energy crop premium: The energy crop premium will be abolished.

The outcome of this dossier is the result of intense and effective dialogue and coordination led by the Presidency (currently: France) with the Member States, the European Commission and European Parliament:
energy :: sustainability :: biomass :: bioenergy :: rural development :: climate change :: Common Agricultural Policy :: subsidies :: European Union ::

The ministers of the 27 also reached an agreement on the proposed free distribution of fruit and vegetables in schools. An innovative project, this new mechanism, whose budget amounts to over €90 million, will contribute to improving the balanced diet of the youngest.

The agreement is part of a substantial reform of the CAP, dubbed a "health check", that has been going on for the past few years. The new changes build on a major CAP reform enacted in 2003, which broke the link between farm production and subsidies.

Critics say the EU's subsidies distort world markets and harm farmers in developing countries, by guaranteeing prices for farmers in the EU.

Before the 2003 reforms, which "decoupled" subsidies from production, the EU was widely criticised for the accumulation of butter mountains and wine lakes.

The CAP is the EU's single biggest expenditure item, accounting for about 45% of its budget. In 2006, total CAP spending was €50 billion, seriously distorting world agricultural markets.

References:
European Commission, DG Agriculture: Agriculture: CAP Health Check will help farmers meet new challenges - November 20, 2008.

Presidency of the Council (France): Agriculture and Fisheries Council: ministers set to conclude the health check of the CAP - November 18, 2008.

Nexterra Energy to supply biomass gasification system to Kruger Products paper mill in New Westminster BC

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:36:00 GMT

Nexterra Energy Corp. announced that is has been selected by Kruger Products Ltd. to supply a biomass gasification system for its tissue mill in New Westminster, British Columbia. The new system will be the first of its kind in the pulp and paper industry. It will greatly reduce GHG emissions, and save Kruger millions by limiting the use of expensive fossil fuels. Interestingly, the mill is situated right in the heart of the city, with waterfront high rise condos only a few blocks from the mill (picture, click to enlarge). This unusual situation has prompted Nexterra to design one of the cleanest biomass power plants ever.

Kruger Products Ltd. is Canada’s leading paper tissue manufacturer. The company operates facilities in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, in the United States and the United Kingdom. It has 9,000 employees.

Nexterra’s turnkey gasification system will convert locally sourced wood residue into clean burning syngas that will be fired directly into a boiler in place of natural gas. The Kruger installation will produce 40,000 lbs/hour of process steam and displace approximately 445,000 gigajoules (GJs) of natural gas annually. This is equivalent to the amount of natural gas used to heat 3,500 homes in Canada for a year.

Displacing this amount of natural gas with syngas made from wood fuel will lower the mill’s energy costs by millions of dollars a year, making the mill less reliant on fossil fuels. It will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the plant by more than 22,000 tonnes per year, the equivalent of removing nearly 5,500 cars off Canadian roads.

A quick look at some basic facts about the pulp and paper industry show the potential for a transition to highly efficient and clean biomass gasification systems:

Canada has 122 pulp and paper mills in operation.
The industry employs approximately 47,000 thousand people (number for 2006)
British Columbia has 21 pulp and paper mills in operation employing around 8,000 people.
The pulp and paper industry is facing tough times: energy costs are the largest expenditure for the P&P industry. For mills, lowering their energy costs can make the difference between continuing or suspending operations.
A transition to a biomass technology comparable to Nexterra's gasification significantly lowers operating costs by millions per year, as it intervenes directly in the most important cost-factor for mills (one gigajoule of natural gas costs $6-$10)
According to Nexterra, its technology makes the P&P industry more competitive against tough competition from South America, where operating and resources costs are lower, wages are lower, and trees grow faster (roughly 60 years in B.C. versus 7 years there) using 1/5 to 1/8 the land area producers in Canada need

Potential environmental effects:

British Columbia’s P&P industry alone produces roughly 1million tons of GHG per year
If only 30 per cent of B.C. P&P mills use this technology to displace just 50 per cent of their fossil fuel use, it will reduce GHG emission by 200,000 tonnes annually.
Nexterra’s technology uses sustainably sourced wood waste from a wide range of non-forest sources such as construction, tree trimmings, and others.

Interestingly, the technology of direct firing of syngas can displace up to 100 per cent of fossil fuels in industrial boilers and lime kilns. This has implications for other industries:

The mining industry can use it in calciners and smelters.
Municipalities can use it for energy intensive bio-solids drying at waste treatment plants (in this application, the technology would yield a useful fertilizer and reduce landfill waste)
The gypsum industry could use it for dryers (20-30 per cent of their cost too is energy.)
Each of these carbon-intensive industries would significantly lower their operating costs and carbon footprint.

Kruger, Nexterra and FPInnovations have formed a consortium to build the new system, the first commercial demonstration of Nexterra’s direct fired gasification solution (schematic, click to enlarge). The project has received support from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), the British Columbia Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund and Ethanol BC:
energy :: sustainability :: biomass :: bioenergy :: gasification :: syngas :: greenhouse gas emissions :: efficiency :: climate change :: Canada ::

Earlier this year, Nexterra announced the successful completion of a two-year testing program to confirm that direct firing of syngas can displace up to 100 per cent of the fossil fuels in industrial boilers and lime kilns (previous post). The Kruger mill is the first to go full scale and commerical with Nexterra's technology. The project is the first to receive B.C. ICE Fund support.

B.C.’s Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund invested in this project because it benefits industry, the environment and the people of B.C. It speaks to the potential of B.C.’s clean technology sector to help our industries lower costs and remain competitive, while also significantly lowering their carbon footprint. - Ida Chong, Minister of Technology, Trade and Economic Development

Jim Dangerfield of FPInnovations said advancements to Nexterra’s gasification technology makes the switch from fossil fuels to syngas an attractive option for many of North America’s pulp and paper mills and other industrial sites.

Nexterra’s direct fired gasification system is a platform technology that can be used in many industrial applications. Replicating the technology at industrial sites throughout B.C. could result in an estimated 200,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emission reductions in British Columbia annually by 2020.

Earlier Nexterra was selected by Johnson Controls for the multi-million dollar biomass gasification system at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The ORNL recently chose biomass as the renewable energy source to power its campuses (previous post).

About the partners
Kruger Products, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kruger Inc., is Canada’s leading tissue manufacturer. Kruger Inc. is a major producer of publication papers, tissue, lumber and other wood products, corrugated cartons from recycled fibers, green and renewable energy and wines and spirits. The company is also a leader in paper and paperboard recycling in North America. Kruger operates facilities in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, in the United States and the United Kingdom and has 9,000 employees.

Nexterra Energy is a leading developer and supplier of advanced gasification systems that enable customers to self-generate clean, low cost heat and/or power using waste fuels "inside-the fence" at institutional and industrial facilities. Nexterra gasification systems provide a unique combination of attributes including design simplicity, reliability, versatility, ultra-low emissions, low cost and full automation to provide customers with a superior value proposition compared to conventional solutions. Nexterra is a private company based in Vancouver, B.C.

Founded on April 1, 2007, FPInnovations brought together Feric, Forintek, Paprican and the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre of Natural Resources Canada, to create the world’s largest private, not-for-profit forest research institute. With over 600 employees located across Canada, it united the individual strengths of each of these internationally recognized forest research and development institutes into a single, greater force. FPInnovations is defining the future of forest sector research through: leadership in forestry; innovation in wood products; and creativity in pulp, paper and beyond.

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) puts innovative science and technology to work so Canada’s natural resources sector can continue to contribute to our quality of life, now and in the future. It implements the Government of Canada’s ecoENERGY initiatives.

The mandate of B.C. Government's ICE Fund is to accelerate the development of new energy technologies that have the potential to solve real, everyday energy and environmental issues and create significant socio-economic benefits for all British Columbians. ICE Fund investments address specific BC energy and environmental problems, showcase B.C. technologies that have a strong potential for international market, support new pre-commercial energy technology, and demonstrate commercial success for new energy technologies.

Ethanol BC is a non-profit R&D funding organization administered by FPInnovations. Grant funding comes from a unique tax shifting mechanism established under regulation by the provincial government. The program effectively allows forest companies operating bee-hive incinerators to pay a portion of their permit fees to Ethanol BC. These funds in turn are used to spur research and demonstration of new technologies that will ultimately utilize mill wood residues that are now being incinerated as waste.

References:
Nexterra: Nexterra Energy to Supply Biomass Gasification System to Kruger Products Paper Mill in New Westminster BC Direct Fired Boiler Application Marks Industry First - November 19, 2008.

Biopact: Nexterra biomass gasification ready to displace up to 60% fossil fuels in lime kilns, 100% in boilers - August 19, 2008

Biopact: Nexterra receives order for biomass gasification system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory - reduces 30,000t GHGs, saves $8.7m per year - September 12, 2008

The 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI selected "Green Car of the Year"

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:29:00 GMT

With a relatively low starting price, excellent fuel economy and refined driving dynamics: The 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI was voted Green Car of the Year by Green Car Journal at teh LA Autoshow.

Check out the announcement at Autoblog.

A&T Professor Receives Funding to Create Biopower from Waste Material

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:11:00 GMT

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Honeywell to Supply Control Solutions to One of the Largest and Cleanest Power Plants in the World

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:55:00 GMT

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Obama’s energy team: Talk to us!

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:02:00 GMT

President-elect Barack Obama's Energy & Environment Policy Transition Team is asking for your feedback on energy issues. Transition Co-Chairman John Podesta emailed supporters today with a brief overview of the transition and how it will engage Americans in developing policy.

They included a video of the taskforce working and an interview with our friend Heather Zichal. Zichal joined a radio program sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association last month and outlined Obama's pro-ethanol views.

Submit your comments to the transition team at Change.gov.

Sweet Potatoes Enter Biofuels Arena

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:15:00 GMT

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