http://www.isaaa.org/kc/A bi-weekly summary of world developments on biofuels, produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications SEAsiaCenter (ISAAA).en-usFri, 16 Jan 2009 17:00:00 +0800http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=1/16/2009#3613A report from the IEA (International Energy Agency) analyzes the impacts and limitations of first generation biofuel feedstocks, and the growing interest in the shift toward the use of second generation energy crops. First-generation feedstocks are generally those which are derived from food sources (such as corn for ethanol and soybean for biodie...Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:00:00 +0800News and Trendshttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=1/16/2009#3614An American company, Ceres, has announced the launching of its first seed sales for “dedicated energy crops” for switchgrass and high-biomass sweet sorghum. “Dedicated energy crops” can be considered as “non-food, low-carbon crops developed specifically as raw materials for biofuels”. The seeds are marketed under the “Blade Crops” label. Switchgras...Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:00:00 +0800News and Trendshttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=1/16/2009#3615The Biofuel Magazine website reports that scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (United States) have developed a “method to accelerate stability testing of biodiesel fuel and identified additives that enhance stability at high temperatures”. The factors that affect the stability of a biodiesel product are oxidation and ...Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:00:00 +0800News and Trendshttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=1/16/2009#3616Butanol (a 4-carbon alcohol) is considered an “advanced biofuel”, and is reported to have better biofuel features compared to its 2-carbon relative, ethanol. Although butanol has better energy density, better transportability in existing pipeline structures, and can be used in unmodified vehicles at higher blends (compared to ethanol), there are st...Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:00:00 +0800News and Trendshttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=1/16/2009#3617The Technology Review website reports that an American biotech-driven energy company, Luca Technologies, is investing US$ 76 million to scale up a process which utilizes coal-digesting microorganism to convert coal in underground beds to methane gas in industrial quantities. Methane is said to be a “greener fuel” because its burning releases only h...Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:00:00 +0800Biofuels Processinghttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=1/16/2009#3618Scientists from the University of Nevada (United States) have shown that biodiesel need not be produced from cultivated bioenergy crops, but also from waste raw materials, such as spend coffee grounds. Spent coffee grounds are solid waste materials from coffee brewing, and until recently, composting has been a common option for waste management. Sc...Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:00:00 +0800Biofuels Processinghttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=1/16/2009#3620Researchers from the University of California –Berkely (United States) recently published a paper which analyzes the impacts of biofuels policy on food and fuel markets. The paper titled, “The Economics of Biofuel Policy and Biotechnology” appears in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization. Among the interesting findings of t...Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:00:00 +0800Biofuels Policy and Economicshttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=1/16/2009#3621The “Roundtable for Sustainable Biofuels” is a multi-stakeholder initiative by the Swiss EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) Energy Center, aimed at developing a management/policy decision tool for evaluating sustainability issues for biofuel feedstocks. A draft version of the biofuel sustainability principles and criteria (called “Vers...Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:00:00 +0800Biofuels Policy and Economics