Analysts F.O. Licht’s have reviewed the study point by point and state: “There are inherent difficulties in calculating the differences in the cost of producing fossil fuels on the one hand and biofuels on the other. Even the study authors warn that it should be noted that these projections are extremely uncertain, and thus the results derived are indicative”.

The analyses continues: “biofuel numbers that the authors use, and which were prepared by the UK’s Department of Transport, are currently subject to revision. This leaves the whole edifice of calculations comparing fossil and renewable fuels on quite shaky ground. Therefore the whole cost of production comparison allows only one conclusion: that a final conclusion is not possible”.

Petrol prices would likely rise

“There is no historical evidence that the introduction of biofuels has resulted in higher fuel prices at the pump. Why would this trend change? Most likely petrol prices will increase if biofuels were removed from the petrol mix. A 2008 Merrill Lynch report found that oil values at that time would have been about $20 barrel higher without the use of biofuels” said Mr. Rob Vierhout, Secretary General of ePURE.

… The studies were paid for by two NGOs campaigning against the development of biofuels but they forget to include the energy reality in Europe. … And vitally, it (ethanol) replaces the need for the most expensive and polluting marginal oil, such as tar sands. “Must we conclude from these studies that Friends of the Earth and ActionAid would actually prefer tar sands over fuel ethanol?” added Mr. Vierhout.  READ MORE and MORE  and MORE (Friends of the Earth)

The EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED) does include sustainability criteria to avoid the production of biofuels in highly biodiverse areas. A major flaw is that such criteria only apply to biofuels. Therefore although the RED prevents a landowner clearing high biodiversity value land to grow biofuels, it does not stop him clearing the land for another crop that he already grows and then growing biofuels on the vacated land. Such indirect land use change (ILUC) is difficult to measure, but it is thought to be significant in terms of biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions.  READ MORE and MORE (Institute for European Environmental Policy)

The genes help to better develop the wood part of the grass, called the fibrous, such as what is in rice and wheat. In understanding how these genes operate, the scientists hope to be able to discover how to breed crops so that they need less energy to turn them into biofuels.  READ MORE

The project is the Japanese company Marubeni, which will invest about 652 million dollars for the construction of two factory. According to the Japanese ambassador to Angola, Ryozo Myoi, the refining plant will have capacity to produce annually 400,000 tonnes of white sugar and 20,000 tons of cane per day fine. 

The ethanol plant will have a capacity of production estimated at 40 000 kiloliters per year, processing 200 kiloliters per day of anhydrous alcohol and extra neutral alcohol.   READ MORE

Ethanol’s chief benefit is environmental.  …Last summer, there were no smog alerts in the GTA and 5.5 million Canadians breathed easier. Ethanol was a major factor in cleaning the air above Canada’s biggest metropolis.

A lesser-known fact is that the smaller, lighter car engines with high horsepower coming on to the market today require a higher-level octane gasoline. The traditional way to increase octane is to boost the level of aromatics in the fuel, specifically benzene, toluene and xylene. All three of these compounds are carcinogenic. The alternative method of increasing octane is to add ethanol, which has an octane of 114 and delivers plenty of extra power. That’s why Indy and NASCAR racers use ethanol.

Ethanol also reduces the price of gasoline at the pump. With about 15 billion gallons of ethanol in the North American gasoline pool today, gasoline is about 10¢ cheaper per litre in Canada and about 40¢ cheaper per gallon in the United States.  READ MORE

An independent peer review meeting is scheduled for March 14, 2011 in Arlington, VA. [Federal Register Jan 28, 2011] READ MORE  Download Report

The US Navy intends to have a fleet of warships known as the “Great Green Fleet” running on biofuels by 2016, and by 2020 it plans to run half of its entire fleet on alternative fuels.

“The US Navy is meeting institutions in Queensland involved in research and development which could deliver the technology that could be passed on to industry partners, who would ultimately be the suppliers of these fuels on a commercial scale,” QUT’s Professor Sagadevan Mundree said.

Professor Mundree and Dr Ian O’Hara from QUT met with Chris Tindal, the US Navy’s director for operational energy, yesterday afternoon (February 6) in Brisbane to explain the capabilities of QUT’s Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant.  READ MORE

The project, which is projected to cost 2 million euros, is 50 percent funded by the Fund for Support to Innovation of the Energy Agency (Adene).

…The project will research areas including improving plant varieties, harvesting, oil extraction and use of sub-products.

Galp Energia’s jatropha plantations in Mozambique are increasing in size and by 2016 the company expects to have a planted area of 23,000 hectares and production of 30,000 tons of oil.  READ MORE

Venkatesh Kamath, lecturer, Biotechnology Engineering Department, told The Hindu that people have attended camps organised on the subject through self-help groups (SHG) of the Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara (SDM) Trust and Junior Chambers International India. The same number is expected to attend four more camps to be held this month, he said.

The aim of the project is to create awareness among farmers, students, the scientific community, and the public on biodiesel and the production process. READ MORE

The VND2 trillion (US$95.2 million) plant has a yearly designed capacity of 100 million litres of ethanol.

Ho Sy Long, the plant’s director, said 10 per cent of the product would be used to produce Ethanol Fuel E5 while the remainder would be exported to Asean members, especially to the Philippines.

Long added that under its commitment, the plant would contribute to rural economic growth by consuming 17,000 hectares of cassava as soon as it came into stable operation.  READ MORE