Socioecology Research Today

Alkaline oxidation pretreatment was developed for spruce, birch and sugar cane bagasse. The reaction was carried out in alkaline water solution under 10 bar oxygen pressure and at mild reaction temperature of 120 – 140 °C. Most of the lignin was solubilised by the alkaline oxidation pretreatment and an easily hydrolysable carbohydrate fraction was obtained. [...]

It is the cellulose, the protein, and the Omega-3 fatty acids in the ascidiacea that is the cause for its many uses. – Its mantle consists of cellulose, which is a collection of sugars. When cellulose is cleaved, one can obtain ethanol. And ethanol can be used for biofuel in cars. The animal’s body consists [...]

In contrast to a few years ago, when cellulosic ethanol via enzymatic hydrolysis was the only widely recognized technology for commercially producing cellulosic biofuels, a diversity of approaches are currently under commercial development. While no commercial-scale (≥20 million gallons per year) cellulosic biofuel facilities are operating at present, at least ten biorefinery projects employing six [...]

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have created a new enzyme that effectively “masks” the synthetic precursors of lignin, a plant cell wall component that makes plant biomass particularly difficult to break down. When it was expressed in plants, this enzyme substantially reduced lignin content in the cell wall and [...]

Retracting from the RFS is not what our economy needs. This article presents the facts and issues in this debate. Petroleum refiners get out the old fear-mongering playbook for attack on Renewable Fuel Standard : Biofuels Digest NB: I would add that, if anything, the RFS should be expanded to allow synthetic fuels. These are [...]

Representative Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) has introduced the Phantom Fuel Reform Act (H.R. 6047) to reform an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation that he said adds millions of dollars each year to the cost of energy production.Under current law and based on annual EPA estimates, U.S. refiners are required to blend millions of gallons of cellulosic [...]

The design of an ionic liquid that has the ability to dissolve cellulose has been attempted from the viewpoint of a cellulase. N,N-diethyl-N-(2-methoxyethyl)-N-methylammonium alanine ([N221ME][Ala]) is a good solvent for cellulose. Dissolution in [N221ME][Ala] converts the crystalline structure of cellulose from Type I to II, which is known to be a form easily digested by cellulases. [...]

In total, the project received more than $160 million in investor financing, plus $162.25 million in government commitments. On the government tab, a $76 million DOE grant in 2007, the aforementioned loan guarantee, and a $6.25 state grant. Overall, the DOE released $43.6 million of the project funds, before suspending payments earlier this year and [...]

Transferring a maize gene into other types of plants can enhance their potential for biofuel production, researchers report. George Chuck and colleagues transferred the maize gene Corngrass1 (Cg1) into a variety of plants including switchgrass, which is commonly used to produce biofuel. The leaves of the Cg1-expressing plants became structurally and biochemically similar to juvenile [...]

The main objective of this life cycle assessment (LCA) study is to determine the environmental consequences of the inclusion of second-generation biofuels (bioethanol from palm oil biomass) toward current palm oil biodiesel production through a ‘seed-to-wheel’ LCA analysis. Their energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission indicators are evaluated with consequential approach for system delimitation. Although [...]