This briefing paper reviews evidence of the impacts of the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) on food prices, with a focus on corn and soy, and presents new analysis on the impact of the RFS on U.S. livestock farmers. Studies examining the relationship between food prices and biofuel demand conclude …
In an attempt to reduce environmental loading during ethanol production from cellulosic plant biomass, we have previously proposed an on-site solid state fermentation (SSF) method for producing ethanol from whole crops, which at the same time provides cattle feed without producing wastes. During the ensiling of freshly harvested plant biomass …
Biofuels produced with low or no risk of indirect land use change (ILUC) could contribute significantly to achieving the European Union's 2020 climate and energy targets in transport. That's according to a new study published by researchers from the University of Utrecht, suggesting that ILUC can be mitigated if the …
The Zanu-PF leadership here has given the Zimbabwe Bio-Energy the green light to set up a US$500 million ethanol plant at Nuanetsi Ranch in Mwenezi in a development expected to help the province attain targets set under Zim-Asset. The proposed ethanol plant is expected to employ nearly 5 000 people …
This paper reviews the evolution of biofuel policies in the United States, because it is by far the largest market for biofuels, and the European Union, because the use of oilseed crops for biodiesel, including palm oil, poses particular risks for tropical forests and for climate change. The paper analyzes …
How can a thriving biomass sector be developed in South Africa? This paper looks closely at two attempts to develop wood pellets as a biomass fuel and biomass electricity: the Howick wood pellet plant and the Tsitsikamma biomass plant. Both plants eventually failed, but provide instructive case studies about the …
Total SA is exploring ways to convert sugars from plant waste that could be used to fuel aircraft while cutting greenhouse gases, the French oil major said on Tuesday. As commercial production of transportation fuel made from plant waste rather than valuable corn finally starts in the United States, Brazil …
The weekly digest of important reports, research, policy documents, regulations, studies, court cases, protests, conflicts, initiatives, photos, data, statistics, infographics, presentations on the India Environment Portal, 08 - 15 November 2014.
Based on forecasts of global population growth, food security will remain an important economic development issue over the next several decades. Real food prices have risen in recent years after decades of decline, bringing the issue of food security even further into the public spotlight. However, there is no global …
Wilmar International Ltd (WLIL.SI), the world's largest palm oil processor, could take longer than expected to convince small suppliers to comply with its push to be greener, its chief sustainability officer said. Wilmar's "No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation" policy was lauded when announced in December as a step toward …
A global low-carbon energy economy is not only feasible - it could actually double electricity supply by 2050, while also reducing air and water pollution, according to new research. Even though photovoltaic power requires up to 40 times more copper than conventional power plants, and wind power uses up to …
In Brazil, which is the world’s biggest sugarcane producer, the federal government realized this scenario offered a great opportunity for transforming the country into the world’s biggest ethanol producer and exporter. However several facts relating to global and national aspects reversed the tendency towards increase of domestic consumption and ethanol …
Cairo — The ministry of supplies and internal trade has concluded its technical research for a project to produce bio-diesel from cooking oil, the minister announced on Tuesday, adding that the project will be enacted "soon". In a press statement released by the ministry, Supplies Minister Khaled Hanafi said that …
Italy will become the first country in Europe to legally require "advanced biofuels" in cars and trucks, the BBC has learned. Made from waste, the new fuels are said to reduce the amount of land taken out of food production. The world's first commercial scale plant making fuel from straw …
Greenfuel is fighting off allegations that its Chisumbanje ethanol plant is threatening human, animal and aquatic life due to heavy pollution of water sources. Environmental Management Agency (EMA) director general Mutsa Chasi about two weeks ago appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Development saying the …
The Obama administration's proposed cuts to U.S. biofuel use targets could undermine the White House's plan to tackle climate change, according to two Democrats on the Senate committee that oversees the renewable fuel mandate. The Environmental Protection Agency's plan, slashing requirements for blending ethanol and biodiesel into U.S. fuel supplies …
Bloomberg BNA -- Non-hydropower renewable power generation is expected to surpass hydropower on an annual basis in 2014 for the first time, the Energy Information Administration said. Conventional hydropower generation is projected to fall by 4.2 percent, while non-hydropower renewables rise by 5.6 percent for this year, EIA said in …
The red-and-white Boeing 737 looked like any other plane on the tarmac at Orlando International Airport. But on a clear day last July, the plane became the first commercial flight powered by a new jet fuel made from sugar cane. The passenger flight, operated by the Brazilian low-fare airline GOL, …
When Denmark's Novozymes first wondered in 2000 how its mass-produced enzymes could be used to make advanced biofuel, the industry did not exist and only now is the fruit of its labor emerging after years of being lampooned as a "fantasy fuel". But as commercial production of transportation fuel made …
Producing energy resources requires significant quantities of fresh water. As an energy sector changes or expands, the mix of technologies deployed to produce fuels and electricity determines the associated burden on regional water resources. Many reports have identified the water consumption of various energy production technologies. This paper synthesizes and …
Particularly after the sharp rise in oil prices in 2008, but throughout the 2000s, there was an unprecedented increase in public and private interest in diversifying energy sources. Reasons for this included volatility in prices of petroleum products, the finite nature of fossil fuels (peak oil scenarios) and ever growing …
