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    The Midlands Consortium, comprised of the universities of Birmingham, Loughborough and Nottingham, is chosen to host Britain's new Energy Technologies Institute, a £1 billion national organisation which will aim to develop cleaner energies. University of Nottingham - September 21, 2007.

    The EGGER group, one of the leading European manufacturers of chipboard, MDF and OSB boards has begun work on installing a 50MW biomass boiler for its production site in Rion. The new furnace will recycle 60,000 tonnes of offcuts to be used in the new combined heat and power (CHP) station as an ecological fuel. The facility will reduce consumption of natural gas by 75%. IHB Network - September 21, 2007.

    Analysts fear that record oil prices will fuel general inflation in Kenya, particularly hitting the poorest hard. They call for the development of new policies and strategies to cope with sustained high oil prices. Such policies include alternative fuels like biofuels, conservation measures, and more investments in oil and gas exploration. The poor in Kenya are hit hardest by the sharp increase, because they spend most of their budget on fuel and transport. Furthermore, in oil intensive economies like Kenya, high oil prices push up prices for food and most other basic goods. All Africa - September 20, 2007.

    Finland's Metso Power has won an order to supply Kalmar Energi Värme AB with a biomass-fired power boiler for the company’s new combined heat and power plant in Kalmar on the east coast of Sweden. Start-up for the plant is scheduled for the end of 2009. The value of the order is approximately EUR 55 million. The power boiler (90 MWth) will utilize bubbling fluidized bed technology and will burn biomass replacing old district heating boilers and reducing the consumption of oil. The delivery will also include a flue gas condensing system to increase plant's district heat production. Metso Corporation - September 19, 2007.

    Jo-Carroll Energy announced today its plan to build an 80 megawatt, biomass-fueled, renewable energy center in Illinois. The US$ 140 million plant will be fueled by various types of renewable biomass, such as clean waste wood, corn stover and switchgrass. Jo-Carroll Energy - September 18, 2007.

    Beihai Gofar Marine Biological Industry Co Ltd, in China's southern region of Guangxi, plans to build a 100,000 tonne-per-year fuel ethanol plant using cassava as feedstock. The Shanghai-listed company plans to raise about 560 million yuan ($74.5 million) in a share placement to finance the project and boost its cash flow. Reuters - September 18, 2007.

    The oil-dependent island state of Fiji has requested US company Avalor Capital, LLC, to invest in biodiesel and ethanol. The Fiji government has urged the company to move its $250million 'Fiji Biofuels Project' forward at the earliest possible date. Fiji Live - September 18, 2007.

    The Bowen Group, one of Ireland's biggest construction groups has announced a strategic move into the biomass energy sector. It is planning a €25 million investment over the next five years to fund up to 100 projects that will create electricity from biomass. Its ambition is to install up to 135 megawatts of biomass-fuelled heat from local forestry sources, which is equal to 50 million litres or about €25m worth of imported oil. Irish Examiner - September 16, 2007.

    According to Dr Niphon Poapongsakorn, dean of Economics at Thammasat University in Thailand, cassava-based ethanol is competitive when oil is above $40 per barrel. Thailand is the world's largest producer and exporter of cassava for industrial use. Bangkok Post - September 14, 2007.

    German biogas and biodiesel developer BKN BioKraftstoff Nord AG has generated gross proceeds totaling €5.5 million as part of its capital increase from authorized capital. Ad Hoc News - September 13, 2007.

    NewGen Technologies, Inc. announced that it and Titan Global Holdings, Inc. completed a definitive Biofuels Supply Agreement which will become effective upon Titan’s acquisition of Appalachian Oil Company. Given APPCO’s current distribution of over 225 million gallons of fuel products per year, the initial expected ethanol supply to APPCO should exceed 1 million gallons a month. Charlotte dBusinessNews - September 13, 2007.

    Oil prices reach record highs as the U.S. Energy Information Agency releases a report that showed crude oil inventories fell by more than seven million barrels last week. The rise comes despite a decision by the international oil cartel, OPEC, to raise its output quota by 500,000 barrels. Reuters - September 12, 2007.

    OPEC decided today to increase the volume of crude supplied to the market by Member Countries (excluding Angola and Iraq) by 500,000 b/d, effective 1 November 2007. The decision comes after oil reached near record-highs and after Saudi Aramco announced that last year's crude oil production declined by 1.7 percent, while exports declined by 3.1 percent. OPEC - September 11, 2007.

    GreenField Ethanol and Monsanto Canada launch the 'Gro-ethanol' program which invites Ontario's farmers to grow corn seed containing Monsanto traits, specifically for the ethanol market. The corn hybrids eligible for the program include Monsanto traits that produce higher yielding corn for ethanol production. MarketWire - September 11, 2007.


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Saturday, September 22, 2007

Report: synthetic biofuels (BtL) and bioenergy efficient, competitive and sustainable in Germany

A new comprehensive report by Germany's Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) analyses the economic, environmental and technological aspects of biomass and its conversion into second-generation liquid fuels, electricity and heat. It concludes that both bioenergy (heat, electricity) and biomass-to-liquids (BtL) production from wood and agriculutral residues in Germany is (1) competitive with fossil fuels, (2) energy efficient and (3) offers a sustainable and cost-effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A consortium affiliated with the KIT has meanwhile begun construction on the specific BtL facilities discussed in the report (earlier post).

The researchers found that synthetic biofuels (gasified biomass liquefied via the Fischer-Tropsch process) are competitive when oil is priced above $65 per barrel and the synfuels are not taxed. Depending on the capacity of the plants, production of electricity from the particular biomass sources analysed (forestry residues, straw) is close to competitive with coal when co-fired with coal or used in highly efficient combined heat and power (CHP) plants. Heat from the same biomass is most competitive and does not require any subsidies or tax-exemptions today to compete with heating oil (biomass being 30% less costly).

The most cost-effective way to reduce CO2 emissions is by using these types of biomass directly for the production of heat, followed by combined heat and power generation (CHP), co-firing biomass with coal, and electricity from gasified biomass. Fischer-Tropsch fuels were not effective in this regard, but have economic benefits as replacements for oil products and petrochemicals.

The report titled 'Kraftstoff, Strom und Wärme aus Stroh und Waldrestholz – Eine systemanalytische Untersuchung' [*.pdf] (Fuels, Electricity and Heat from Straw and Forestry Residues), written by scientists from KIT's 'Institut für Technikfolgenabschätzung und Systemanalyse' (ITAS) says the new bioconversion technologies sharpen competition amongst renewable energy technologies (especially wind and solar) but also within the biomass sector itself. This is so because biomass can be used for a large range of end-products: heat, electricity, aternatives to petrochemicals and transport fuels. This battle for investments will have positive effects on the sector as a whole and will result in the gradual emergence of the most efficient conversion pathways.

The biomass-to-liquids system analysed by ITAS - the so called 'bioliq' concept currently being implemented by the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe - involves a three step process:
  1. decentralised pyrolysis plants are located close to the biomass source (forests, agricultural zones), where it undergoes fast-pyrolysis resulting in 'pyrolysis slurry', a mixture of bio-oil and pyrolysis coke. This first step turns the bulky biomass into a raw product with a higher energy density, so it can be transported more efficiently to a central location for further processing (the study analyses both decentralised and centralised concepts). The researchers analysed the efficiency of 7 different fast-pyrolysis reactor types
  2. the pyrolysis products arrive at a gasification facility, where they are turned into a carbon monoxide and hydrogen-rich gas (syngas); 5 gasification technologies were compared
  3. after cleaning and conditioning the syngas, it is liquefied via the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process (synthesis of hydrogen and carbon monoxide) into synthetic biofuels which can be further refined into a range of very clean transport fuels (alternatives to gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and dimethyl-ether and methanol obtained from natural gas); three types of FT-reactors were compared
The researchers analysed the specific advantages of using the dominant biomass sources – straw and wood residues – as well as the disadvantages of the technology, and compared the concept to competing alternative uses for biomass (heat and electricity).

As a starting point, selected plant locations were chosen in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg (southwest Germany), on the basis of which the volume of straw and wood residues available for energy use was outlined, as well as the supply costs for these biomass sources. The technology analysis regarding liquid fuel production from biomass entailed a detailed description of the present status quo of fast pyrolysis, gasification, gas cleaning/conditioning, and Fischer Tropsch synthesis.

Energy balance
The energy balance of the synthetic biofuels based on the bioliq concept in the specified setting, was found to be strong. For fuels obtained from straw the final net balance - after pretreating, drying, pyrolysing, gasifying, upgrading, liquefying and refining the feedstock - was 34%; for synfuels based on forest residues the net balance was 29% (graph, click to enlarge). The energy inputs that go into harvesting and transporting the biomass and the pyrolysis slurry, are between 5 and 12% of the energy content of the FT-fuels, depending on the concept (decentralized/centralized):
:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Economics
Assuming the combined use of straw and wood residues, the economic estimates for energy self-sufficient plants reveal that bio-based FT-fuels can be produced at costs in a range from €0.90 to 1.00 per litre, depending on plant capacity. The biomass supply accounts for 50-65% to the production costs of FT-fuel, depending on the assumed plant capacity. The economics of two biorefineries were analysed: a small one with a conversion capacity of 0.2 million tonnes of biomass per year and one with a 1 million tonne capacity. Compare this with an oil refinery which requires at least a 10 million tonne capacity to be commercially feasible. If the synthetic biofuels produced in the analysed refineries are not additionally charged with a mineral oil tax, they compete with fossil diesel at crude oil prices of $65/bbl.

Depending on the capacity of the plants, production of electricity from forestry residues and straw is close to competitive with coal when co-fired with coal or used in highly efficient combined heat and power (CHP) plants. Large CHP plants (10-67MWin) burning biomass offer heat and electricity in a more competitive than the fossil baseline. Small CHP plants (1.5-13.4MWel) are far less cost-effective. The costs for eletcricity obtained from gasification of the two types of biomass range from €80 to 135 per MWh, compared to a baseline of €50 for coal in a 500MWel plant.

The study shows that the production of heat from wood residues is already outcompeting fossil heating oil. Because straw and forestry residues have a 30% cost advantage over heating oil, this type of bioenergy does not require subsidies by the state (graph, click to enlarge).

In conclusion, in comparison of the production of FT-fuel with heat and electricity production reveals that these alternatives are closer to competitiveness or have already reached competitiveness in Germany.

CO2 offsetting costs
The CO2 mitigation costs (graph, click to enlarge) are lowest when biomass is used directly for the production of heat, in which case they can even be negative (when waste streams and residues are used that would otherwise require disposal costs). When used in efficient combined heat and power plants, they range between a negative cost and around €50 per Mg CO2 equivalent. Co-firing biomass with coal results in a CO2 offsetting cost of around €40.

Carbon prices would have to fetch between €35-140 to make electricity production from gasified biomass a cost-effective CO2 mitigation technology. The wide range depends on the gasification technology.

For biobased FT-fuels the mitigation costs are above €200 per Mg CO2 equivalent. These results suggest not using the CO2 mitigation strategy as a central argument for the promotion of synthetic fuel production from biomass. But because the BtL concept opens up new ways to use biomass as carbon carrier for other chemical purposes, this technological path will be pursued in any case by the KIT.


The proposed BtL technology is already being implemented by the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZK) and Lurgi AG, who have been testing a fast-pyrolysis pilot plant for the past two years. Both organisations are now building the gasification and liquefaction plant needed to perform the FT-stage of the production. The work is being supported by the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe (Agency for Renewable Materials, of Germany's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer protection).

The Karlsruhe Instituts für Technologie is a cooperation between the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe und der Universität Karlsruhe. The study was commissioned by the Ministry for Food and Agriculture of the state of Baden-Württemberg.

Image: the fast-pyrolis plant at the FZK in Karlsruhe. Courtesy: Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe.

References:
L. Leible, S. Kälber, G. Kappler, S. Lange, E. Nieke, P. Proplesch, D. Wintzer und B. Fürniß, "Kraftstoff, Strom und Wärme aus Stroh und Waldrestholz – Eine systemanalytische Untersuchung" [*.pdf], Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe in der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft, Wissenschaftliche Berichte, FZKA 7170, Institut für Technikfolgenabschätzung und Systemanalyse, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH, Karlsruhe - [september] 2007

Biopact: German consortium starts production of ultra-clean synthetic biofuels - June 23, 2007

Article continues

EU/US biofuel organisations urge OECD to declare report as not reflecting official biofuels policy

The European Bioethanol Fuel Association (eBio) and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) are calling upon the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to disavow a paper issued last week which is highly critical of ethanol produced in the US and the EU. The text, written as a working paper by the chair of the Round Table on Sustainable Development at OECD - an organisation that has no direct relation to the OECD -, explicitly states the document does not 'reflect the views of the OECD or the governments of its Member countries.' Yet, media reports are portraying the paper as the official position of OECD and have made a selective reading of the text.

Contrary to eBio and the RFA, Biopact welcomed the critical report because - for those willing to read it carefully - it gives a boost to the idea of a 'Biopact': produce biofuels in the Global South where the sector results in sustainable, highly efficient biofuels that effectively tackle climate change and can bring rural development on an unprecedented scale. Then allow these countries to export freely to the EU and the US, so that sustainable biofuels can replace the unsustainable ones currently being produced in the North. Biopact especially supports the authors in their call to abandon subsidies for inefficient EU/US biofuels and to scrap import tariffs on fuels produced in the South - a precondition for a successful pact.

Major organisations, including the UN's FAO (here), the International Energy Agency (here and here), the WorldWatch Institute (which even said biofuels can contribute to ending global malnourishment) and economists like Joseph Stiglitz now back the idea of such a trade relationship between the North and the South. Moreover, the UN's Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the African Union recently concluded that such a pact can help achieve the UN's Millennium Development Goals in Africa.

The text now being criticized by the European and American ethanol industry was a working paper written by Richard Doornbosch, principal advisor to the Roundtable and Ron Steenblik of the Global Subsidies Initiative, for an internal discussion on biofuels at a meeting of the Roundtable. It was (purposely) leaked to the press, who then picked it up and presented it as an official standpoint of the OECD, which it isn't. The report is critical of first generation biofuels produced in Europe and the U.S., but mainly positive about biofuels produced in the South, such as sugarcane ethanol.

The European and American ethanol industries - who stand to lose from a Biopact - are angry and call for a rectification. In a letter to OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria, eBio Secretary General Rob Vierhout and RFA President Bob Dinner write:
Specifically and just as disturbingly, this potentially unauthorized document fails to make its case, is highly one-sided and seemingly conflicts with previous OECD positions supporting biofuels as a component in reducing CO2 gases.

In short, whether deliberate or not, the OECD’s imprimatur is on this document and it is the OECD that must now be accountable for what is a biased assessment of expanding the worldwide production and consumption of renewable biofuels.

We respectfully, but urgently, request that OECD specifically disavow this report as not reflecting the official policy of the organization.
Vierhout and Dinner say the paper released last week by a third-party, anti-ethanol website runs counter to statements made in official OECD publications.

Two years ago, the OECD Observer published an article stating, 'increasing the use of biofuels can improve energy security, greatly reduce greenhouse gases and many pollutant emissions, and improve vehicle performance. Their production can also enhance rural economic development.' This is a viewpoint shared by leading science and policy organisations like the UN's FAO and the WorldWatch Institute.

Additionally, an April 2004 official OECD Paper entitled 'Special Issue on Climate Change Climate Change Policies: Recent Developments and Long Term Issues' came to the conclusion that, 'Biofuels may also be used as a replacement for gasoline. In such a capacity they offer significant advantages for energy security as well as possible new potential for agricultural development.'

Moreover, according to eBio and the RFA the paper contains a large number of inaccuracies and omissions that call into question the validity of the findings. Notably:
:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::
  • While adopting the scare scenario about potential 'food shortages', the document fails to recognize the significant increases in productivity per acre. In the United States, for example, U.S. corn yields per acre have doubled over the last 30 years. More importantly, this has occurred with reduced inputs per acre.
  • The document fails to reflect a realistic assessment of what is happening to the price of grains and other biofuel feedstocks. In Europe, for example, biofuel production consumes just 1.5% of grains. The price increases, however, are clearly based on a number of other factors in a worldwide market including: strong demand in China, a drought in Australia (an outcome of global warming many would argue) and speculation by investors.
  • The document seems to ignore why OECD and other nations decided to pursue biofuels in the first place 'namely to reduce the consumption of oil which contributes mightily to global warming, whose major production areas are in the volatile Middle East and whose prices are controlled by an international cartel.'
  • Implicit in this paper is a belief that the world can continue to rely on oil for its liquid fuel needs. But the world price of oil is now at $80 a barrel and will likely go higher given emerging market conditions. The incentives provided by OECD countries and others help level the playing field and encourage investors to finance a new and developing industry.
  • The paper also overlooks all of the incentives that have been and continue to be provided to the production of oil. Without comparing the benefits received by oil producers, it is hardly a fair comparison to look at incentives for biofuels in an energy policy vacuum.
  • Finally, the paper disregards the efforts that are currently being undertaken to set up efficient, effective and international standards on the sustainability of biofuels. Both unilateral (several EU member states) and multilateral (Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels) initiatives hold promise for an international standard for sustainable biomass and biofuel production in the very near future safeguarding biodiversity and guaranteeing GHG savings.
In conclusion, Veirhaus and Dinneen wrote:
Based on the foregoing, Mr. Secretary-General, we urge you to publicly disavow the OECD’s support for this document; forcefully state that it was released by a third party and not by the OECD; that OECD governments strongly support and encourage the development of biofuels as one means of addressing the problems of global warming and energy security.
The complete letter can be found below.
Dear Mr. Secretary-General:

As representatives of the world’s ethanol producing industry, we are deeply concerned with the release of a publication by the Chair of the Round Table on Sustainable Development at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) critical of worldwide development of biofuels.

This document was released not by the OECD on whose website this document cannot be found, but by a third party with an anti-ethanol agenda.

While containing the disclaimer that it is does “not necessarily reflect the views of the OECD or the governments of its Member countries,” this document has been described in the media as an OECD report (“Biofuel push damaging, disruptive, OECD says,” Globe and Mail, September 11, 2007).

Thus far, we have seen no official word from you or anyone else in authority at the OECD explaining that this report does not reflect OECD’s views or policies.

Specifically and just as disturbingly, this potentially unauthorized document fails to make its case, is highly one-sided and seemingly conflicts with previous OECD positions supporting biofuels as a component in reducing CO2 gases.

In short, whether deliberate or not, the OECD’s imprimatur is on this document and it is the OECD that must now be accountable for what is a biased assessment of expanding the worldwide production and consumption of renewable biofuels.

We respectfully, but urgently, request that OECD specifically disavow this report as not reflecting the official policy of the organization. Just two years ago the OECD Observer published an article stating, “increasing the use of biofuels can improve energy security, greatly reduce greenhouse gases and many pollutant emissions, and improve vehicle performance.

"Their production can also enhance rural economic development.”

While this article also raised questions regarding land use, impact on agriculture and food and cost, it concluded, “Given the benefits there is little wonder that many IEA countries, including the US, Canada, several European countries, Australia and Japan are considering, or have already adopted policies that could result in significantly higher biofuel use over the next decade.”

Finally, and quite importantly, the article concluded, “If all policies and targets are fully implemented, biofuel use could more than double worldwide over the next five years or so.

Even though that means an ethanol share of gasoline of only 4% or 5%, that would be a huge leap in a petroleum industry that has not faced real competition in over a century.”

Similarly, in April 2004 in an official OECD Paper, “Special Issue on Climate Change Climate Change Policies: Recent Developments and Long Term Issues” stated, “Transport systems in the latter half of this century could be dominated by vehicles, ships and aircraft with very low CO2 emissions.

"This scenario could feature a mix of vehicle types “ fuel-cell vehicles powered by hydrogen, electric vehicles, vehicles running on biofuels, and hydrogen-powered aircraft.

"The hydrogen, biofuels and electricity used in transport could be produced with near-zero well-to-wheel CO2 emissions.•

The report also stated, “Biofuels may also be used as a replacement for gasoline.

In such a capacity they offer significant advantages for energy security as well as possible new potential for agricultural development.”

What is so disappointing about the document released without apparent OECD approval is a failure to appreciate many of the changes that are rapidly taking place in the production, transportation and consumption of biofuels.

• While adopting the scare scenario about potential “food shortages,” the document fails to recognize the significant increases in productivity per acre. In the United States, for example, U.S. corn yields per acre have doubled over the last 30 years. More importantly, this has occurred with reduced inputs per acre.

• The document is devoid of any real analysis of the factors affecting food prices “ the most important of which is energy. In the US, the high cost of energy has had far more effect than a higher price for corn •“ by a margin of two to one.

"" The document fails to reflect a realistic assessment of what is happening to the price of grains and other biofuel feedstocks. In Europe, for example, biofuel production consumes just 1.5% of grains. The price increases, however, are clearly based on a number of other factors in a worldwide market including: strong demand in China, a drought in Australia (an outcome of global warming many would argue)

• In the United States, while the price of corn rose initially and peaked in January, it has since decreased by 40%. Why? Because market forces responded, farmers planted more corn and are expected to harvest a record crop.

• The document seems to ignore why OECD and other nations decided to pursue biofuels in the first place “ namely to reduce the consumption of oil which contributes mightily to global warming, whose major production areas are in the volatile Middle East and whose prices are controlled by an international cartel.

•Implicit in this paper is a belief that the world can continue to rely on oil for its liquid fuel needs. But the world price of oil is now at $80 a barrel and will likely go higher given emerging market conditions. The incentives provided by OECD countries and others help level the playing field and encourage investors to finance a new and developing industry.

• The paper also overlooks all of the incentives that have been and continue to be provided to the production of oil. Without comparing the benefits received by oil producers, it is hardly a fair comparison to look at incentives for biofuels in an energy policy vacuum.

• The claim that there are technological and economic problems with cellulosic or second-generation biofuels is particularly disturbing. The authors provide no support for their claims. They fail to acknowledge the existence of one company in the European Union and one in Canada that are already producing cellulosic ethanol or mention those in the US and the EU that are under construction.

• Finally, the paper disregards the efforts that are currently being undertaken to set up efficient, effective and international standards on the sustainability of biofuels. Both unilateral (several EU member states) and multilateral (Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels) initiatives hold promise for an international standard for sustainable biomass and biofuel production in the very near future safeguarding biodiversity and guaranteeing GHG savings.

It is unfortunate that the OECD has allowed this publication to receive widespread media coverage at a time when countries around the world are seeking alternatives to the economic and environmental problems caused by oil dependence.

Brazil, the United States, the EU, Japan and other nations have recognized the importance of biofuels as one means of reducing global warming gases and strengthening energy security.

While we must have a balanced approach to developing new energy sources, especially renewable sources, we must also get the facts right.

Based on the foregoing, Mr. Secretary-General, we urge you to publicly disavow the OECD’s support for this document; forcefully state that it was released by a third party and not by the OECD; that OECD governments strongly support and encourage the development of biofuels as one means of addressing the problems of global warming and energy security.

With hopes for a more sustainable energy future, we are

Sincerely, Bob Dinneen Renewable Fuels Association

Rob Vierhout eBIO


References:
eBio: Renewable Fuels Association and EBio Urge OECD to Declare New Report as Not Reflecting Official Ethanol Industry Policy [*.pdf] - September 21, 2007.

Biofuels Digest: Widely quoted OECD anti-biofuels report report turns out to be … not from the OECD - September 14, 2007.

Biopact: Paper warns against subsidies for inefficient biofuels in the North, calls for liberalisation of market - major boost to idea of 'Biopact' - September 11, 2007

Biopact: Worldwatch Institute chief: biofuels could end global malnourishment - August 23, 2007

Biopact: FAO chief calls for a 'Biopact' between the North and the South - August 15, 2007

Biopact: Report: biofuels key to achieving Millennium Development Goals in Africa - August 02, 2007

Biopact: IEA chief: Europe and United States should import ethanol from developing world - October 16, 2006

Biopact: IEA chief economist: EU, US should scrap tariffs and subsidies, import biofuels from the South - March 06, 2007

Biopact: Stiglitz explains reasons behind the demise of the Doha development round - August 15, 2006

Article continues

Amazon forest showed unexpected growth during 2005 drought - contradicts major climate model

Researchers from the University of Arizona (UA) and the University of São Paulo announce they have made a surprising discovery: drought-stricken regions of the Amazon forest grew particularly vigorously during the 2005 drought. The counterintuitive finding contradicts a prominent global climate model that predicts the Amazon forest would begin to 'brown down' after just a month of drought and eventually collapse as the drought progressed.
Instead of ‘hunkering down’ during a drought as you might expect, the forest responded positively to drought, at least in the short term. It's a very interesting and surprising response. - Scott R. Saleska, lead author, University of Arizona.
Co-author Kamel Didan, a NASA-EOS MODIS associate science team member, adds that the big news is that the forest actually showed signs of being more productive. The study "Amazon Forests Green-up during 2005 drought" is online in the current issue of Science Express, the early-online version of the journal Science. The paper will be published in the October 26, 2007, issue.


This image shows how the Amazon forest canopy's 'greenness' differs from normal for the months of July-September 2005 (drought peak). The greenness data is derived from NASA-EOS MODerate Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor aboard Terra Satellite. Green indicates above normal vegetation productivity compared to the 2000-2006 average, red indicates below normal, and yellow corresponds to normal . The study area is highlighted over a true color image background from NASA-EOS MODIS sensor for South America. Credit: Kamel Didan, Terrestrial Biophysics and Remote Sensing Lab, The University of Arizona.


This image shows the spatial pattern of the 2005 drought peak (July – September) rainfall departure from normal. Red indicates severe rainfall reduction compared to the 1998-2006 normal, and blue corresponds to above normal rainfall. The precipitation data is derived from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM satellite). The study area is highlighted over a true color image background from NASA-EOS MODIS sensor for South America. Credit: Kamel Didan, Terrestrial Biophysics and Remote Sensing Lab, The University of Arizona.
The 2005 drought reached its peak at the start of the Amazon's annual dry season, from July through September. Although the double whammy of the parched conditions might be expected to slow growth of the forest's leafy canopy, for many of the areas hit by drought, the canopy of the undisturbed forest became significantly greener - indicating increased photosynthetic activity.

Saleska, a UA assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and his colleagues at the UA and at the University of São Paulo in Brazil used data from two NASA satellites to figure out that undisturbed Amazon forest flourished as rainfall levels plummeted:
:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

No one had looked at the observations that are available from satellites, says Didan, an associate research scientist in the UA's department of soil, water and environmental science. The researchers took the opportunity of the most recent drought, the 2005 drought, to do so. A big chunk of the Amazon forest, the southwest region where the drought was severest, reacted positively.

The UA scientists and their Brazilian colleague already knew the Amazon forest took advantage of the annual dry season's relatively cloudless skies to soak up the sun and grow. The UA scientists and some other researchers had conducted previous research using satellite data in combination with field measurements and showed that intact Amazon forest increases photosynthesis, actually 'greening up' during the dry season.

However, no one had examined how the forest responded to a drought. The severe 2005 drought and the detailed, long-term observations from two NASA satellites - one that maps the greenness of vegetation, one that measures rainfall in the tropics - gave the researchers what they needed to see how the Amazon forest responds to a major drought.

The researchers used the month-to-month maps of changes in vegetation status across the Amazon available from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS, carried by the Terra satellite, launched in 1999. The team gathered observations of rainfall in the Amazon from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission spacecraft, launched in 1997.

The seven-to-nine years of observations from the satellites allowed the scientists to map 'normal' rainfall and greenness conditions in non-drought years. When the team compared those conditions to the same months of the 2005 drought, the researchers found that areas of Amazon's intact forests that had received below-normal rainfall in 2005 also had above-average greenness.

Global climate models predict the Amazon forest will cut back photosynthesis quickly when a drought starts. That slowdown in plant growth would create a positive feedback loop - as the forest shuts down more and more, it removes less and less carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The CO2 ordinarily sequestered by growing trees would remain in the atmosphere, increasing global warming and further accelerating the forest's decline and additional CO2-fueled warming.

By contrast, the UA-led team's findings suggest the opposite happens, at least in the short-term. The drought-induced flush of forest growth would dampen global warming, not accelerate it. During the 2005 drought, Amazon forest trees flourished in the sunnier-than-average weather, most likely by tapping water deep in the forest soil. To grow, trees must take up carbon dioxide, thus drawing down the levels of atmospheric CO2. That negative feedback loop would slow warming from greenhouse gases.

Evolutionarily, the forest's resilience in the face of a single drought year makes sense, Saleska said. During El Nino, which occurs about every four to eight years, the Amazon forest receives significantly less rain than average.

The limit of the forest's resiliency is unknown, Saleska said, adding, that if you take away enough water for long enough, the trees will die.

Saleska and Didan's co-authors are Alfredo Huete, UA professor of soil, water and environmental science and NASA-EOS MODIS science team member, and Humberto Ribeiro da Rocha of the department of atmospheric science at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. The research was funded by NASA.

References:
Scott R. Saleska, Kamel Didan, Alfredo R. Huete, Humberto R. da Rocha,"Amazon Forests Green-Up During 2005 Drought", Published Online September 20, 2007, Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1146663

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DuPont launches non-transgenic high yield soybean varieties

DuPont announced it is commercializing soybean varieties developed using molecular breeding technology that increases yields by as much as 12 percent per acre. DuPont seed business Pioneer Hi-Bred is introducing five varieties with the technology for 2008 planting, pending wide-area product advancement trial results. Molecular breeding is a new way of plant breeding that allows much better and faster selection of elite plants, without the need for genetically modifying them.

The company officially launches one of the three soybean yield traits from its pipeline to commercial status. It will be commercially known as 'Accelerated Yield Technology' (AYT). AYT uses proprietary molecular breeding techniques to rapidly scan and identify genes that increase yield and then incorporate them into elite soybean genetics.
AYT allows us to take a giant step forward on our promise to deliver industry-leading improvements in soybeans. Our customers are seeing dramatic increases in Pioneer soybean variety yields that have never been seen in such a short period of time. This technology embodies our business philosophy to increase the productivity and profitability of our customers to help them meet the rising demand for food, feed, fuel and materials. - William S. Niebur, vice president DuPont Crop Genetics Research and Development.
Until now, molecular breeding techniques used by the seed industry have only produced single-gene defensive traits in commercial varieties. There are multiple genes in complex networks that determine the final yield level achieved. AYT builds upon DuPont industry-leading molecular breeding techniques by allowing researchers to simultaneously select multiple genes to significantly boost yields. AYT is not transgenic so soybeans developed from this process are not subject to additional regulatory approvals.

The first AYT varieties are higher yielding versions of the newest Pioneer elite soybean genetics. Pending final trial results this fall, Pioneer hopes to introduce an AYT version of Pioneer brand 94M80, which set the world record soybean yield of 139 bushels per acre (9.3 tons per hectare) in 2006. New unique genetics are also being developed using AYT and other molecular breeding techniques:
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Full implementation of AYT combined with molecular breeding technologies will enable Pioneer to make a new class of soybeans that has unprecedented yield potential relative to anything we have ever seen. These technologies allow us to incorporate a complete package of offensive and defensive characteristics that could make 100-plus bushel soybean yields a common occurrence in the very near future. - William S. Niebur
Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont Leaving Pioneer.com business, is the world's leading source of customized solutions for farmers, livestock producers and grain and oilseed processors. With headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer provides access to advanced plant genetics in nearly 70 countries.

Soybean is the world's largest oilseed crop, with a production of around 32 million tons of oil (2005), a 30% market share of the vegetable oil market. Major producers are the US, Argentina, Brasil and China. Soybeans contain around 20% of oil, which is increasingly used for the production of biodiesel.


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