BIOFUELS (Energy)

Comparative analysis of diatom genomes reveals substantial differences in the organization of carbon partitioning pathways

by Sarah Smith

Co-authored with R. M. Abbriano and M. Hildebrand

A major challenge in the development of microalgal strains for large-scale production is the optimization of biomass... more A major challenge in the development of microalgal strains for large-scale production is the optimization of biomass accumulation and production of fuel-relevant molecules such as triacylglycerol. Selecting targets for genetic manipulation approaches will require a fundamental understanding of the organization and regulation of carbon metabolic pathways in these organisms. Functional genomic and metabolomics data is becoming easier to obtain and process, however interpreting the significance of these data in a physiological context is challenging since the metabolic framework of all microalgae remains poorly understood. Owing to a complex evolutionary history, diatoms differ substantially from many other photosynthetic organisms in their intracellular compartmentation and the organization of their carbon partitioning pathways. A comparative analysis of the genes involved in carbon partitioning metabolism from Thalassiosira pseudonana, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and Fragilariopsis cylindrus revealed that diatoms have conserved the lower half of glycolysis in the mitochondria, the upper half of glycolysis (including key regulatory enzymes) in the cytosol, and several mitochondrial carbon partitioning enzymes. However, some substantial differences exist between the three diatoms investigated, including the translocation of metabolic pathways to different compartments, selective maintenance and horizontal acquisition of genes, and differential gene family expansions. A key finding is that metabolite transport between intracellular compartments is likely to play a substantial role in the regulation of carbon flux. Analysis of the carbon partitioning components in the mitochondria suggests an important role of this organelle as a carbon flux regulator in diatoms. Differences between the analyzed species are specific examples of how diatoms may have modified their carbon partitioning pathways to adapt to environmental niches during the diversification of the group. This comparative analysis highlights how even core central pathways can be modified considerably within a single algal group, and enables the identification of suitable targets for genetic engineering to enhance biofuel precursor production.

Evidence-based policy or policy-based evidence gathering? The case of the 10% target.

by Amelia Sharman

MSc dissertation conducted in 2009 at the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford.

The 2009 Renewable Energy Directive mandates European Union member-states’ road transport fuel to comprise a minimum... more The 2009 Renewable Energy Directive mandates European Union member-states’ road transport fuel to comprise a minimum of 10% renewable content by 2020. This target is expected to be met predominantly from biofuels. However, scientific evidence is increasingly questioning the ability of biofuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when factors such as indirect land-use change are taken into consideration. This research interrogates the 10% target, critically assessing its political motivations, use of scientific evidence and actions of the policy entrepreneur. It finds that European Union decision-making bodies’ commitment to internal guidelines on the use of expertise and the precautionary principle was questionable, despite the scientific uncertainty inherent in the biofuels debate. This research paper concludes that imperatives located in the political space dominated scientific evidence and led to a process of ‘policy-based evidence gathering’ to justify the policy choice of a 10% renewable energy/biofuels target.

Land Acquisitions in Tanzania: strong sustainability, weak sustainability and the importance of comparative methods (2012)

by Mark Purdon

Paper Presented at the Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty,
Washington DC, April 23-26, 2012

When might large-scale land acquisitions in developing countries be sustainable? An answer to this question depends on... more When might large-scale land acquisitions in developing countries be sustainable? An answer to this question depends on how we define sustainability and the methods we use to assess it. This paper distinguishes different analytical approaches to the evaluation of sustainability—at both the methodological and conceptual levels. A methodological problem confronting research into land acquisitions is that comparative empirical evaluations of project impacts are often lacking, which limits the identification of causal factors affecting sustainability. At the conceptual level, evaluation of the sustainability of land acquisitions depends on what definition of sustainability is adopted—strong or weak sustainability—which differ in their acceptance of economic substitutability. The importance of these methodological and conceptual issues is demonstrated through investigation of two cases of international land acquisitions in Tanzania. Much of the controversy surrounding land acquisitions involves issues of weak sustainability—particularly levels of compensation for land transfers—rather than issues of strong sustainability such as food security, biodiversity and ecosystem services.

The Food Crises: A quantitative model of food prices including speculators and ethanol conversion

by Marco Lagi

Ne İklim Koruması Ne de Enerji Güvenliği: Biyoyakıtlar Biyoşaşkınlar için mi?

by Uluslararası İlişkiler

Joachim H. Spangenberg, Josef Settele, " Ne İklim Koruması Ne de Enerji Güvenliği: Biyoyakıtlar Biyoşaşkınlar için mi? ", Uluslararası İlişkiler, Cilt 5, Sayı 20 (Kış), 2009

Fosil yakıtlardan biyotemelli yakıtlara geçiş, petrolün tavan yaptığı dönemin petrole bağımlı ülkeler nezdinde... more Fosil yakıtlardan biyotemelli yakıtlara geçiş, petrolün tavan yaptığı dönemin petrole bağımlı ülkeler nezdinde yarattığı baskılarla baş etmede kullanılan bir strateji olarak belirmektedir. Buna karşın, biyokütle enerji kompozisyonunun değerli bir unsuru olmasına rağmen, (i) enerji tüketiminde önemli bir düşüş olmadan katkısının son derece sınırlı kalacağı, ile (ii) enerji sisteminde yapısal değişiklikler olmadan (karbon temelinden uzakta) başta biyolojik çeşitlilik olmak kaydıyla çevre güvenliğine ve gıda güvenliğine riskler yüklediği hususları göz önünde bulundurulmalıdır. Bu durum gelişmiş ve gelişmekte olan ülkeler arasındaki ilişkilerde önemli değişikliklere dahi yol açabilir. İkinci nesil ekimlerin fakir topraklardan dış girdi olmadan yüksek verim sağladığı hususu gerçekçi değildir. Karbon birikimi açısından biyokütlenin daha akılcıl kullanımı en iyi toprak içinde gerçekleşmektedir.

Fosil, Yenilenebilir ve Nükleer Yakıtların Neopolitik Anlamı –Türkiye’nin Durumu ve Gelecek Alternatifleri

by Uluslararası İlişkiler

Mert Bilgin, " Fosil, Yenilenebilir ve Nükleer Yakıtların Neopolitik Anlamı –Türkiye’nin Durumu ve Gelecek Alternatifleri ", Uluslararası İlişkiler, Cilt 5, Sayı 20 (Kış), 2009

Bu çalışma Türkiye’nin yükselen enerji ihtiyacına koşut olarak önemini artıran arz güvenliği ve kaynak çeşitliliği... more Bu çalışma Türkiye’nin yükselen enerji ihtiyacına koşut olarak önemini artıran arz güvenliği ve kaynak çeşitliliği hususlarını, enerji tüketim trendini, fiyatlardaki gelişmeleri ve çevresel faktörleri ele almak suretiyle incelemektedir. Öncelikle küresel enerji kullanımının mevcut durumu ve gelecekteki eğilimi, petrol fiyatlarının seyri ve sektörü etkileyen çevresel etmen ve kıstaslar ortaya konmaktadır. Akabinde Türkiye’nin bu çerçevede nasıl bir enerji tüketim kompozisyonuna sahip olduğu ve olacağı, petrol fiyatlarındaki oynaklıktan nasıl etkilendiği, başta Kyoto olmak üzere çevresel kıstasların nelere yol açtığı ve açacağı, OECD ülkelerinin ortalamasına atıfla tanımlanmaktadır. Bu bölümün ardından petrol, doğal gaz, yenilenebilir ve nükleer enerjinin önemiyle, hidrokarbon sahibi ülkeler bir yanda, artan oranlarda enerjiye ihtiyaç duyan ülkeler diğer yanda olmak üzere, arz ve talep odaklı baskının jeopolitik anlamı ortaya konmaktadır. Çalışma, değişen şartlarda bütünsel bir stratejik yaklaşımın önemine dikkat çekerek, yeni enerji düzeni siyasetini neopolitik olarak kavramsallaştırmaktadır. Hemen ardından gelen bölüm, Türkiye için arz güvenliği ve kaynak çeşitliliği hususlarını neopolitik çerçevede fırsat ve tehditlere atıfla değerlendirmektedir. Sırasıyla petrol ve gaz, biyoyakıtlar ve nükleer enerjinin Türkiye nezdindeki neopolitik anlamı, güvenlik ve kalkınma hususlarına atıfla ortaya konmaktadır.

The politics of Jatropha-based biofuels in Kenya: convergence and divergence among NGOs, donors, government officials and farmers

by Carol Hunsberger

Published in 'Journal of Peasant Studies', 2010

This study explores the spread of Jatropha in Kenya and some implications of its trajectory. Proponents of biodiesel... more This study explores the spread of Jatropha in Kenya and some implications of its trajectory. Proponents of biodiesel in Kenya have adopted a near-singular focus on Jatropha but attach it to a wide variety of goals, including climate change mitigation, poverty reduction, and clean development. The priorities of actors who promote the crop often differ from those of smallholder farmers who grow it. The persistence of multiple discourses of development linked to Jatropha creates tensions between competing perspectives, manifested through allegations of exclusion and shady business, but it also allows actors to deploy strategic flexibility by invoking Jatropha to pursue different ends. A case study of an internationally funded project in Mpeketoni, Coast Province highlights disconnects between the initial objectives of donors, coordinators, and farmers and explores the project's potential to produce outcomes that are satisfactory to all three. The paper contributes to wider debates about biofuels and discourses of development: Jatropha shares many features with past agricultural development interventions, but as a biofuel it exhibits additional layers of contested meaning because of the politics of energy and the environment that are involved.

Can bioenergy assessments deliver?

by Carol Hunsberger

Authors: Felix Creutzig, Christoph von Stechow, David Klein, Carol Hunsberger, Nico Bauer, Alexander Popp, and Ottmar Edenhofer.

Published in Economics of Energy and Environmental Policy, 2012.

The role of biomass as a primary energy resource is highly debated. Next generation biofuels are suggested to be... more The role of biomass as a primary energy resource is highly debated. Next generation biofuels are suggested to be associated with low specific greenhouse gas emissions. But land consumption, demand for scarce water, competition with food production and harmful indirect land-use effects put a question mark over the beneficial effects of bioenergy deployment. In this paper, we investigate the current state of bioenergy assessments and scrutinize the topics and perspectives explored in the Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change. We suggest that an appropriate assessment requires a comprehensive literature review, the explicit exposition of disparate viewpoints, and exploration of policy-relevant content based on plausible "storylines". We illustrate these storylines with the IPCC's emission scenarios and point out routes to improve assessment making on the future role of bioenergy.

Great aims, small gains: Jatropha-based biofuels and competing discourses of development in Kenya

by Carol Hunsberger

PhD thesis, Carleton University, 2012
Supervisor: Mike Brklacich

Biofuels have received significant recent attention for their perceived potential to promote climate change... more Biofuels have received significant recent attention for their perceived potential to promote climate change mitigation, energy security, and rural development, even as critical scholarship has challenged each of these claims. Jatropha curcas, a hardy shrub with inedible oilseeds, gained prominence among donors, investors and the media due to hopes that it could produce renewable energy without compromising food production. This thesis investigates the promotion of Jatropha in Kenya and situates these observations in relation to international discourses and policies on biofuels. Adopting a political ecology perspective, it examines the rise of interest in Jatropha in relation to themes of power, development and scale. Drawing on field work conducted in 2009, this research asks how Jatropha came to be promoted as an energy crop in Kenya, and compares the experiences of small-scale farmers with the motivations and claims of NGO, government, private sector, donor, and research representatives.

Findings include that different actors attached strikingly different discourses of development to Jatropha: one market-led, focusing on large-scale goals; another livelihood-oriented, focusing on small-scale goals. Neither of these had become dominant, nor had any related activities produced a significant amount of fuel from Jatropha at the time of research. Consistent with Hilhorst’s (2001) ‘duality of discourse,’ this coexistence of perspectives produced competition, but also granted actors the flexibility to invoke Jatropha as a means of achieving a variety of objectives. This was evident in Mpeketoni, Coast Province, where farmers, donors, and project coordinators approached a Jatropha initiative with different priorities, but showed signs of mutual learning and potential to achieve multiple goals. A second finding is that a lack of reliable information about Jatropha created a climate of uncertainty where conflicting views could spread unchecked. In Nguruman, Rift Valley Province, farmers who already grew Jatropha as fencing were exposed to mixed messages and wildly fluctuating price signals from seed buyers from outside the area, leading to confusion and diverse expectations. The multiple discourses that this research shows have been activated to encourage the spread of Jatropha among small-scale farmers in Kenya are equally relevant in other contexts where biofuels are concerned.

Biofuels, sustainability and trade-related regulatory chill

by Emily Barrett Lydgate

Journal of International Economic Law 2012, Copyright Oxford University Press

Recent European Union sustainability criteria for biofuels provide an opportunity to understand more precisely the... more Recent European Union sustainability criteria for biofuels provide an opportunity to understand more precisely the relationship between national sustainable development policies and World Trade Organization (WTO) law. A desire to avoid WTO conflict was one reason for the omission of stronger criteria addressing negative social and environmental impacts of increased biofuels production. Thus, despite declarations of sustainable development’s central importance in WTO legal texts and statements by the Secretariat, national sustainability regulations risked trade law conflict. This article documents potential reasons for a WTO regulatory chill effect on the sustainability criteria. It then outlines challenges that the regulatory concept poses to trade law, which result primarily from its breadth and complexity, as well as the lack of targeted international standards, and its emphasis on production processes which intrude heavily, in an extraterritorial sense, on importers. It is important to identify these limitations to the mutual supportiveness between trade liberalization and national policies to achieve sustainability goals. However, despite these limitations, the case study also suggests that, with regard to sustainability criteria, sustainable development’s soft power as a WTO legal principle is an important source of influence.

Evidence‐based policy or policy‐based evidence gathering? Biofuels, the EU and the 10% target

by Amelia Sharman

Co-authored with John Holmes (University of Oxford).  Published in Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 20, Issue 5, pages 309–321, September/October 2010.

The 2009 Renewable Energy Directive mandates EU member-states' road transport fuel to comprise a minimum of 10%... more The 2009 Renewable Energy Directive mandates EU member-states' road transport fuel to comprise a minimum of 10% renewable content by 2020. This target is expected to be met predominantly from biofuels. However, scientific evidence is increasingly questioning the ability of biofuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when factors such as indirect land-use change are taken into consideration. This paper interrogates the 10% target, critically assessing its political motivations, use of scientific evidence and the actions of an individual policy entrepreneur who played a central role in its adoption. We find that the commitment of EU decision-making bodies to internal guidelines on the use of expertise and the precautionary principle was questionable, despite the scientific uncertainty inherent in the biofuels debate. Imperatives located in the political space dominated scientific evidence and led to a process of ‘policy-based evidence gathering’ to justify the policy choice of a 10% renewable energy/biofuels target. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

The place of diatoms in the biofuels industry

by Sarah Smith

Co-authored with M. Hildebrand (first author), A. K. Davis, J. C. Traller, and R. Abbriano, published in the journal 'Biofuels' in March 2012

In spite of attractive attributes, diatoms are underrepresented in research and literature related to the development... more In spite of attractive attributes, diatoms are underrepresented in research and literature related to the development of microalgal biofuels. Diatoms are highly diverse and have substantial evolutionarily-based differences in cellular organization and metabolic processes relative to chlorophytes. Diatoms have tremendous ecological success, with typically higher productivity than other algal classes, which may relate to cellular factors discussed in this review. Diatoms can accumulate lipid equivalently or to a greater extent than other algal classes, and can rapidly induce triacylglycerol under Si limitation, avoiding the detrimental effects on photosynthesis, gene expression and protein content associated with N limitation. Diatoms have been grown on production scales for aquaculture for decades, produce value-added products and are amenable to omic and genetic manipulation approaches. In this article, we highlight beneficial attributes and address potential concerns of diatoms as biofuels research and production organisms, and encourage a greater emphasis on their development in the biofuels arena.

Common rail HSDI diesel engine combustion and emissions with fossil/bio-derived fuel blends

by Michele Battistoni

Injection strategies tuning for the use of bio-derived fuels in a common rail HSDI diesel engine

by Michele Battistoni

Identification of 'Carbon Hot-Spots' and Quantification of GHG Intensities in the Biodiesel Supply Chain Using Hybrid LCA and Structural Path Analysis

by Aidan Duffy

Refining the Business Case for Sustainable Energy Projects Using Palisade @RISK and PrecisionTree: A Biofuel Plant Case Study (PRESENTATION) - SARK7

by Scott Mongeau

Presented at 2011 Palisade Europe Risk Conference in Amsterdam
Refining the Business Case for
Sustainable Energy Projects Using
Palisade @RISK and PrecisionTree:
A Biofuel Plant Case Study

Overview
1. Profitable sustainable energy projects
2. Palisade as facilitating tool
3. Biofuel project... more Overview
1. Profitable sustainable energy projects
2. Palisade as facilitating tool
3. Biofuel project as example

• Examples using Palisade Decision Suite

• Economic phenomenon
– Drive to marginal optimality
– Perverse incentives
– ‘The tragedy of the commons’ and free-riders
• Sustainability project characteristics
– Marginally profitable
– Highly sensitive
– Requires systemic engineering / optimization
• Coordinated management of systemic complexity
– Core NPV variance analysis
– Profitable systemic market scenarios
• Leadership gap:
– Transcend politics and sentiment
– Need for market-based solutions

Biofuels Cannot Replace World Petroleum Supply

by Hans Zandvliet

Table of Contents
1.1 Introduction .................................................................... 1
... more Table of Contents
1.1 Introduction .................................................................... 1
1.1.1 Needs and Challenges of Biofuels ............................ 1
1.1.2 Methodology of Calculations .................................... 1
1.2 The World Depends on Oil .............................................. 2
1.3 Calculation of Biofuel Land-Use
to Replace World Petroleum Supply ..................................... 3
1.3.1 Unit-Symbols and Prefixes ...................................... 3
1.3.2 World Petroleum Supply in Terms of Energy Content . 4
1.3.3 Gross Biofuel Yields ............................................... 4
1.3.4 Net Biofuel Yields ................................................... 5
1.3.5 Net Bio-Energy Yields ............................................. 5
1.3.6 Theoretical Land-Use of Fuel Crops .......................... 6
1.3.7 FAO Land-Use Data ................................................ 6
1.3.8 Comparison of FAO’s Land-Use Data
with Theoretical Biofuel Land-Use...................................... 7
1.4 Conclusions ................................................................... 8
1.4.1 Land-Use of Biofuels to Replace Crude Oil ................ 8
1.4.2 Oil Price Drives Biofuel Price, Drives Food Price ........ 8
1.4.3 Food Commodity Speculation Famishes the Poorest . 9
1.4.4 The Writing on the Wall ........................................... 9
Annex: “Price Volatility in Food and Agricultural Markets:
Policy Responses” ............................................................... 9

Adam M. Posthuma (2009) Algae Biofuel Production - Master Thesis - Sustainable Development; Landuse, Ecosystems and Biodiversity

by Adam Posthuma

Optimizing Production and Environmental Assessment of Algae Biofuel.
Creative Commons licence.

Microalgae biomass is suggested as a more sustainable feedstock for biofuel production than conventional biofuel... more Microalgae biomass is suggested as a more sustainable feedstock for biofuel production than conventional biofuel crops. Algae biodiesel yields are likely to be between 3 and 30 times higher than 1st generation biofuel crops. Other advantages of algae cultivation are: no dependence on arable land, low nutrient losses and related emissions, possibility of using sea and waste water resources and the possibility of flue gas CO2 and NOx recycling. Cultivation depends on various aspects such as light, nutrient and carbon availability and competition with other species and is generally done in open ponds or closed bioreactors. Closed systems have higher yield due to better control and optimization but also have higher investment cost. Combination of both open and closed systems into a hybrid system is argued to have better overall feasibility. Several options exist for biological optimization of the process. This study confirms a high throughput method for fluorometric quantification of algae lipid content, which could possibly be used to increase lipid content by selective breeding. Moreover, it is shown that treated sewage waste water can be used directly for successful algae cultivation. Furthermore, an analysis of land, energy, water and CO2 requirements and emissions related to all major aspects of cultivation and biomass conversion suggest that net energy balance (NEB) ratios of 5.0 and 3.7 and 5.1 can be obtained for open, closed and hybrid systems respectively, which is slightly lower than ratios for sugarcane (7.0) and palm oil (7.9), but higher than those for corn (1.3) and soybean (1.9). The overall spatial energy gain, or spatial NEB, is as high as 56, 100 and 80 MJ m-2 y-1 for the 3 systems respectively which is considerably higher than any of the conventional biofuel crops. Fresh water requirements are
considerable (±0.9 m3/liter biodiesel) for open systems but this is still a factor 2-3 lower than irrigation water used for typical biofuel crops. Compared to fossil diesel combustion, reduction in
CO2 emissions were as high as 81% and 88% for open and closed systems respectively. Sensitivity analyses showed that modeled uncertainties had considerable impact on overall energy balances, but were within acceptable range, confirming the validity of the results.

Environmental Perspective on the Demand of Palm Oil for Food and Energy

by Fitrian Ardiansyah

Transcriptional changes related to secondary wall formation in xylem of transgenic lines of tobacco altered for lignin or xylan content which show improved saccharification

by Arsalan Daudi

Phytochemistry, 2012

Cook CM, Daudi A, Millar DJ, Bindschedler LV, Khan S, Bolwell GP, and Devoto A (2012) Transcriptional changes related to secondary wall formation in xylem of transgenic lines of tobacco altered for lignin or xylan content which show improved saccharification. Phytochemistry 74: 78-89.