Welcome to Biofpr.com's April 2009 Digest Newsletter

Biofpr.com newsletter keeps up-to-date with the latest news, patents, features, and events on sustainable fuels, chemicals and energy.

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• A very unlevel playing field indeed by Bruce E. Dale
   
• Biofuels and indirect land use change effects: the debate continues by John A. Mathews and Hao Tan
   
• Indirect land use emissions in the life cycle of biofuels: regulations vs science by Adam J Liska and Richard K Perrin

• Europe: Dilute acid/metal salt hydrolysis of lignocellulosics
• This patent discloses a process for converting lignocellulosic biomass such as softwood, hardwood into fermentable sugars by acid impregnated biomass particles...
  Published: 27 April 2009

• USA: Methods and apparatus for producing syngas
• This patent discloses a method for converting carbonaceous feedstocks such as cellulosic biomass into synthesis gas, which in turn to produce ethanol using a catalyst...
• Published: 27 April 2009

• USA: Process for the preparation of dialkyl carbonate
• This patent discloses an atom-efficient process for producing dialkyl carbonate [R=alkyl (C1-C8) or C6H5CH2] from cyclic carbonate such as propylene carbonate, chloropropylene carbonate using an efficient heterogenous catalyst under moderate reaction conditions...
• Published: 27 April 2009

• USA: High efficiency separations to recover oil from microalgae
• This patent discloses a method and system for producing biofuel by processing algae with high oil content. The system comprises conduit, an algae separator in fluid communication with the conduit, a device for lysing the algae cells with steam and a bioreactor for synthesizing biofuel from the unbound oil...
• Published: 20 April 2009

• Water falls
• Despite reducing its water consumption significantly over the past 15 years, the average biofuel plant still uses the same amount of water as a small town. So the biofuel industry is continuing to develop ways to reduce its water consumption still further, perhaps even to zero...
• Published: 29 April 2009

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• Concern over water rates 
• With rising water scarcity, the large amounts of water needed to produce biofuels are becoming another cross against them. But new research shows that this is a much greater problem in some areas than in others, with important implications for the future expansion of biofuel production...
• Published: 20 April 2009

Biofuels, Bioproducts
and Biorefining

In Focus: Targeting a sustainable biorefining industry

Biorefineries offer great opportunities to redirect European industry onto a more sustainable path.

Bert Annevelink and Simon Bennett have guest-edited a set of papers on the topic:

Examining understanding, acceptance, and support for the biorefinery concept among EU policy-makers by P. Peck et al.

Interest of industrial actors in biorefinery concepts in Europe by K. Menrad et al.

The development of biocommodities and the role of North West European ports in biomass chains by J. P. M. Sanders et al.

Assessing the current Brazilian sugarcane industry and directing developments for maximum fossil fuel mitigation for the international petrochemical market by B. Brehmer et al.

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• Nominations open for Bio award
• The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is now accepting nominations for the annual George Washington Carver Award to recognize significant contributions by an individual in the field of industrial biotechnology...
• Published: 21 April 2009

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  Threat of dire food shortages
• In response to the threat of global malnutrition and food insecurity, the recently established Humboldt Forum for Food and Agriculture has urged the immediate adoption of a five-point plan of action, entitled "Food First"...
  Published: 17 April 2009

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• Strong growth despite legal uncertainties
• After a rather moderate growth in 2007 (11%) European fuel ethanol production increased considerably in 2008. The strong growth of almost 60% came to a time where the EU legal framework for biofuels was under discussion and biofuels were under critique...
• Published: 3 April 2009