BIOFUELS: Brasil y Suecia acuerdan promover el uso de la bioenergía y los biocombustibles

Suecia y Brasil firmaron en Estocolmo un Memorando de Entendimiento para promover el uso de la bioenergía e impulsar la creación de un mercado mundial de biocombustibles.

El documento fue firmado por la ministra de Industria sueca, Maud Olofsson, y el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores brasileño, Celso Amorim, dentro de la agenda de la visita del presidente de Brasil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a este país escandinavo.

Brasil y Suecia se comprometen por el acuerdo a incrementar la colaboración entre investigadores y empresas de ambos países con vistas a desarrollar técnicas mejores y más efectivas para lograr una producción sostenible, señaló el Gobierno sueco en un comunicado.

El memorando establece también que las dos partes estudiarán la posibilidad de ayudar a países en vías de desarrollo a promover el uso de energías renovables, incluidos los biocombustibles, así como su producción y utilización.

"Brasil es el primer productor mundial de etanol y tiene una larga experiencia en la producción y el uso de combustibles alternativos. Para Suecia es fundamental firmar un acuerdo bilateral, porque necesita de cooperación internacional para desarrollar la próxima generación de combustibles", señaló Olofsson en el comunicado.

Via|EFE

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EUROPE: Biofuels to buy farm prices in next decade: OECD/FAO

The rapid growth of the world's biofuel industry is likely to keep farm commodity prices at high levels in the next decade as it will boost demand for grains, oilseeds, and sugar, a major study said on Wednesday.

The study, co-written by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said biofuels would have a major impact on the agriculture sector between 2007 and 2016.

"Bioenergies have become a key factor in the functioning of agriculture markets," Loek Boonekamp, a senior OECD official, told reporters after the release of the study.

"In the medium term we believe that they could lead to prices on international markets rising quite considerably, at higher levels than what we had predicted in former outlooks and above the average of the last 10 years," he added.

Boonekamp said that farm prices, mainly grains, would likely rise by 20 to 50 percent over the next decade.

He added that although the long-term development of the biofuel sector remained unclear, farm prices would remain high in the coming years even without a sharp rise in biofuel demand because of the recent drop in output in many parts of the world.

Biofuels have become a major issue on global commodities markets over the last years as they are increasingly put forward as politically, environmentally, and economically friendly alternatives to fossil fuels.

Made of grain, oilseeds, and sugar, the "green" fuels are expected to lower dependence on fossil fuels, cut carbon dioxide emissions -- one of the main causes for climate change -- and raise farm revenues.

The extra biofuel demand, combined with low stocks worldwide due to poor harvests last year and fears of possible damage to the upcoming crops have sent global grain and oilseed prices rocketing to historic highs over the last months. ------------- U.S., EU demand to soar

In its 2007-2016 agriculture outlook, the OECD-FAO did not expect the rise to reverse soon.

"In a context of generally lower global stocks in recent years, this additional demand (to make biofuels) is expected to underpin prices and lead to price levels for field crops that are on average higher than in past projections," the study said.

It added that grain prices were expected to stay higher than in the past 10 years, which would also have an indirect effect on prices for livestock products due to higher feed stocks.

Ethanol production in the United States, predominantly based on domestic maize (corn), was expected to grow by almost 50 percent in 2007 and, as growth rates decline thereafter, to double by 2016, the study said.

“In consequence, maize use for fuel production, which has doubled from 2003, would increase from some 55 million tons, or one-fifth of maize production in 2006, to 110 million tons or 32 percent at the end of the projection period,” it said.

In the European Union, where biofuel production so far is largely dominated by rapeseed-based biodiesel, ethanol output was expected to rise in the next decade, adding pressure on the wheat and maize markets. "Use of wheat in particular is set to increase twelvefold and to reach some 18 million tons by 2016. Growth in the use of oilseeds (largely rapeseed) and maize is less dramatic, but would still reach 21 million tons and 5.2 million by 2016."

However, the study predicted that the share of biofuels in total transport fuel consumption would not exceed 3.3 percent in energy terms, well below the 5.75 percent target fixed by the European Commission.

The report put Brazil as one of the fastest growing biofuel producer and said its ethanol output would reach some 44 billion liters in the next decade, or 145 percent more than in 2006.

The OECD-FAO also said Chinese ethanol production, mainly made from maize, at 3.8 billion liters by 2016, up from 1.5 billion in 2006. Maize use for fuel ethanol should therefore exceed nine million tons by 2016, from 3.5 million last year.

Teheran Times

Blogalaxia Tags: Energia,
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BIOENERGY: The genetically-modified plants break down their own cellulose, making it possible to use waste biomass to produce ethanol

by Kevin Bullis

Researchers have genetically engineered transgenic corn plants that produce enzymes that can turn their leaves and stems into sugar by breaking down cellulose. The plants could lower the cost of creating ethanol from these sources, making such biofuel more competitive with that produced from corn kernels, the primary source of ethanol in the United States today.

Cellulosic sources of ethanol, such as waste biomass and switchgrass, are attractive because they are cheap and abundant. But converting cellulose, a complex carbohydrate, into sugars that can be fermented to make ethanol is more expensive than converting the starch in corn grain into sugar: breaking down the cellulose typically requires expensive enzymes extracted from genetically engineered microbes.

Now Mariam Sticklen, professor of crop and soil science at Michigan State University, and her colleagues have genetically engineered corn to produce the same enzyme that the transgenic microbes produce. The plant-grown cellulase could save about 30 to 50 cents per gallon of ethanol produced, Sticklen says.

Key to Sticklen's advance was engineering the corn so that the enzymes would not break down cellulose while the plants were still alive. Part of the solution was to use an enzyme found in bacteria that live in hot springs. The enzyme is only active at high temperatures--higher than those that a plant's cells would reach while it is alive. As a result, the enzyme remains dormant until it is heated to about 50 ºC.

Sticklen's transgenic corn is "one of several promising approaches to address the central obstacle impeding establishment of a cellulosic-biofuels industry: the absence of low-cost technology to overcome the recalcitrance of cellulosic biomass," says Lee Lynd, professor of engineering and biology at Dartmouth College, in Hanover, NH. But he adds that in-plant production of enzymes comes with its own challenges.

One of these challenges, according to James McMillan, a principal group manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in Golden, CO, is ensuring that the transgenic plants don't have negative environmental effects. For example, if plant matter containing these enzymes was left in the field, it could change ecosystems by making sugar more readily available to microorganisms.

Cheaper, Cleaner Ethanol from Biotech Corn

If the researchers are able to overcome some of these challenges, the biotech corn could lead to more-efficient production of ethanol, starting by making better use of corn kernels. Much of the corn kernel contains cellulose that isn't converted into ethanol in conventional ethanol plants. Some developers are considering adding equipment to existing ethanol plants for processing this corn-grain cellulose. In Sticklen's transgenic corn, this cellulose in the kernel would contain enzymes for converting cellulose into sugar, which could simplify the process.

TechnologyReview

Blogalaxia Tags: Energia,
Sostenibilidad y
Tecnologia

CLIMATE CHANGE: La ONU analiza el impacto social y medioambiental de la bioenergía y afirma que "implica peligros y concesiones"

La Organización de las Naciones Unidas advierte de que el rápido crecimiento de la bioenergía ofrece muchas oportunidades, pero también "implica peligros y concesiones", según recoge el Informe 'Energía sostenible' que analiza el impacto económico social y medioambiental de la bioenergía así como el desarrollo de las tecnologías, políticas y estrategias de inversión a seguir.

Según recoge el documento "es necesario estudiar detenidamente el impacto económico, social y medioambiental de la bioenergía antes de decidir cómo se quiere desarrollar de rápido y qué tecnologías, política y estrategias de inversión se pueden seguir".

El Informe, que ha sido elaborado por UN-Energy --grupo compuesto por todas las agencias de Naciones Unidas que trabajan en el campo de la energía-- con la colaboración de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO), pretende "buscar soluciones a las necesidades energéticas de la población al tiempo que se protege el Medio Ambiente a nivel local y mundial", según afirmó el presidente de UN-Energy y director del Banco Mundial en Ghana, Mats Karlsson.

El documento destaca los beneficios de la bioenergía en relación con la mitigación de la pobreza, el acceso a los servicios energéticos, el desarrollo rural y las infraestructuras rurales. También analiza el impacto potencial de la bioenergía sobre la seguridad alimentaria, el cambio climático, la biodiversidad y los recursos naturales, el empleo y el comercio, e incluye cuestiones clave a considerar por los responsables de la toma de decisiones deberían considerar.

Asimismo, advierte de que si no se establecen políticas específicas dirigidas a la protección de espacios amenazados, se garantiza un uso socialmente aceptable de la tierra, y se desarrolla la bioenergía de una forma sostenible, "el daño social y medioambiental puede en algunos casos superar los beneficios".

La UN-Energy afirma que es necesario evitar los cultivos que necesitan un alto porcentaje de energía fósil --como los fertilizantes tradicionales-- y que presentan un bajo rendimiento energético por hectárea, en referencia al uso de determinados cereales como materia prima en la producción de bioenergía.

Según los responsables del Informe los cultivos bioenergéticos sostenibles "pueden tener un impacto negativo si sustituyen a los bosques primarios, lo que conlleva la producción de elevadas cantidades de carbono procedente del suelo y la biomasa forestal, eliminando así cualquier beneficio de los biocombustibles durante décadas".

Para minimizar las emisiones de gases causantes del efecto invernadero asociadas a la producción de bioenergía, UN-Energy recomienda a los responsables políticos proteger los pastizales silvestres, los bosques primarios y otras zonas de alto valor natural.

Por su parte, los gobiernos deben, según el Informe, "potenciar la producción y gestión sostenible de la bioenergía". Para ello es necesario establecer un sistema internacional de certificación que incluya la comprobación de emisiones de gases que producen el efecto invernadero, con el fin de garantizar que los productos bioenergéticos, especialmente los biocombustibles, cumplan las normas medioambientales en todo el proceso de producción.

SEGURIDAD ALIMENTARIA
En el área de la seguridad alimentaria, el Informe afirma que la disponibilidad de alimentos puede verse amenazada por la producción de biocombustibles en el momento en que tierra, agua y otros recursos ya no se destinan a la producción de alimentos. De esta forma el acceso a los alimentos puede verse amenazado por el aumento de precios de los alimentos básicos a causa de una mayor demanda de materias primas para producir bioenergía, empeorando la situación de la población que sufre de pobreza e inseguridad alimentaria.

Por otro lado, el uso de las materias primas para el biocombustible representa una oportunidad para los agricultores ya que "la bioenergía puede hacer que los servicios energéticos lleguen de forma más extendida y barata a áreas rurales, aumentando la productividad en la agricultura" y favoreciendo así el acceso y la disponibilidad de alimentos.

En este sentido, el documento subraya que los responsables políticos "deben garantizar que se de prioridad a las cuestiones de seguridad alimentaria".

Asimismo, el documento critica la existencia de barreras comerciales que actualmente limitan la importación de etanol en algunos países y advierte de que limitar las importaciones de biocombustibles producidos con mayor eficacia al tiempo que se exige en el propio país la combinación de biocombustibles y combustibles fósiles "puede sustraer más tierras de las necesarias a la producción de alimentos".

Por último, las consecuencias para la agricultura en general tienen una doble vertiente. Desde un punto de vista positivo, "la producción de biocombustibles líquidos puede beneficiar a los campesinos al conferir valor añadido a sus productos", señala el Informe. Sin embargo, desde un punto de vista negativo, "puede producirse una concentración de la propiedad que expulse de sus tierras a los campesinos con menos recursos y les lleve a una mayor pobreza".

Hispanidad

Blogalaxia Tags: Energia,
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TECH: Abengoa Plans Cellulosic Ethanol Plant in Kansas

Spain's Abengoa SA is planning to build a cellulosic ethanol plant in Kansas, according to David Roman of Dow Jones Newswires. The facility will use agricultural waste to produce 12 million gallons of ethanol per year. Construction plans have already received approval and operations are expected to begin by 2011. A traditional ethanol facility will also be located on site.

Roman noted that Abengoa Bioenergy, the company's alternative fuel arm, is the fifth-largest ethanol producer in the U.S. and the largest in Europe. The company plans to spend more than €400 million to develop cellulosic ethanol production technology. Abengoa Bioenergy's CEO, Javier Salgado, said the "future of [his] company lies" with cellulosic ethanol production, and that "most of [its] cash flow will be dedicated to" its development. Abengoa was one of six companies to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for the development of cellulosic ethanol; the company was given up to $76 million for the Kansas facility.

BSR News

CANADA: Bioenergy eyes P.E.I.

by Andy Walker

As the price of fossil fuels continues to rise, Bruce McCallum says bioenergy is becoming a more attractive option as an energy source throughout the Maritimes.

Mr. McCallum is chairman of the Canadian Bioenergy Association, a national non-profit organization promoting the production of biomass for fuel, heat and power. A bioenergy consultant, he was also chairman of a meeting held in the P.E.I. capital Thursday to explore bioenergy options for heat and power.

A Calgary-based company, New Phase Power, is considering establishing a plant in Borden-Carleton. Mr. McCallum, who is also chairman of the Maritime Bioenergy Working Group that has developed sustainable harvesting guidelines for the region, said there are also proposals for other plants throughout the region, including one in Port Hawkesbury.

"Obviously at $20 a barrel for oil, the economics for biomass simply don’t add up," Mr. McCallum said in an interview. "However, my own view is oil is going to be closer to $100 than $20 for some time to come."

He said the developers of the biomass proposals must receive in the range of 10-12 cents a kilowatt when they sell their product to the respective provincial utility for distribution to the consumer. The association president added "that is the figure that is being used for several biomass proposals in Ontario, and it has to be close to that in the Maritimes for this to work."

If the economics can be worked out, he said there will be a new market for low-grade softwood, much of which is now considered a waste product. However, he added it is vital the product be harvested in a sustainable manner.

To that end, the Maritime Bioenergy Marketing Group has developed some basic harvesting guidelines.

"We have to focus biomass harvesting on stem material and large tops," said Mr. McCallum. "We have to leave the branches that have fallen on the forest floor as nutrients for future stands."

As well, he added clearcutting should be avoided and care must be taken to minimize disturbance to forest wildlife.

New Phase Power is negotiating with the province and Maritime Electric, trying to nail down those economic details Mr. McCallum talked about.

Energy Minister Jamie Ballem told the conference he is hopeful the talks will see a successful conclusion in the near future.

"This is a perfect fit with our efforts to move away from fossil fuels and power that is generated outside the province," Mr. Ballem said.

"We see it as another step towards our goal of having 30 per cent of our energy from sustainable sources by 2016."

The fabrication yard, which was used to build many of the major components of Confederation Bridge, has been vacant since the bridge was completed in 1997. Mr. Ballem said the New Phase proposal calls for the construction of a 25-megawatt biomass generating plant on the site. A plant of that size could produce enough energy to power 7,500 homes.

Mr. Ballem added the Island forestry industry may not be able to meet the demand for raw materials, and some waste wood may have to be shipped to the province from other parts of the Maritimes.

The minister said one of the major reasons the company is looking at Borden-Carleton is its deepwater port for shipping in raw materials.

The Chronical Herald