biomass

With the growing concern over farmland being used to produce crops that will be refined into biofuels instead of food, researchers at the Carnegie Institute of Science have studied the potential for abandoned agricultural and pasture land to be used instead, and to see what that might mean for our bioenergy needs

Mazda Motor Corporation and Hiroshima University are researching together to develop a brand new “green” plastic material from cellulosic biomass. They want to use it in vehicles by 2013.

Looking to speed up commercialization of 2nd-generation biomass-to-ethanol technology, genetics researchers at Harvard Medical School are teaming up with SunEthanol to try to develop genetically modified strains of the ‘Q’ bacterium discovered by company co-founder and microbiologist Susan Leschine.

Learn more about another alternative fuel source - Biomass. This process turns food waste into usable energy.

 The Cyclone Waste Heat Engine (WHE) is a self-starting engine that operates runs on waste heat emanating from an external source, such as the exhaust from an internal (or external) combustion engine, or the direct burning of biomass (i.e., processing garbage into methane would not be required). The WHE is also designed to run efficiently on solar heat without the installation of costly photovoltaic panels.

Across the U.S., researchers, startup companies and investors are exploring the potential of creating large amounts of green, renewable fuel from the humblest of sources: algae. If you think the energy/food potential for hemp is underutilized, wait’ll you get a gander at algae. This little microorganism really packs a punch.

Nancy Young, Vice President, Environmental Affairs, Air Transport Association, is interviewed about airline industry adoption of alternative fuels, from both fuel economy and environmental perspectives, as the industry looks to further reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

John Mizroch, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Department of Energy (DOE),  discusses the various projects underway within EERE, including researching and developing the use of biomass such as switchgrass and zero energy homes and buildings. He also explains how improving energy efficiency in buildings and furthering development of lithium batteries for vehicles is important for the United States' national security.

Beautiful graphic from the Department of Energy that depicts conversion of biomass into cellulose.

A short history of the most ambitious government research project you've never heard about.

The next revolution in agriculture and greenhouse gas reduction may be a 3000-year old farming practice of adding biomass charcoal to the soil which may prove to be not just "green" and sustainable, but carbon-negative as well.

Today the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) Scientific Committee recommended suspending the EUs target for 10% biofuel usage by 2020, due to concerns that first-generation biofuels (those made from food crops) are environmentally unsound.

"Costa Rica is a country rich with renewable energy. In fact, it gets about 99% of all its electrical energy from clean sources, and it’s aiming to be the first country to become carbon neutral (more about that below). Some of Costa Rica’s energy sources include geothermal energy, the burning of sugarcane waste and other biomass, solar and wind energy. However, the largest source of energy is hydroelectricity — its hydroelectric dams provide more than 82% of the country’s electricity."

Researchers at Michigan State are trying to get corn-stover to digest itself after harvest. Doing so would mitigate the costly pretreatment steps needed for the production of cellulosic ethanol from the non-edible parts of the corn plant.

Does anyone think this is actually a good idea? 

Researchers announce major breakthrough on the path to green gasoline. A UMass chemical engineer has pioneered a new method for producing zero-emissions green gasoline from switchgrass and poplar trees. This is a major step toward commercially feasible cellulosic biomass technologies.