The carbohydrate-rich food crop used for humans and animals both—cassava-- is emerging as an ideal crop for biofuels. Adding to the knowledge of cost effective production of ethanol from cassava, scientists from the Kasetsart University, Bangkok and the Cassava and Starch Technology Research Unit of the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Thailand have come up with a technology which uses cassava chips as the raw material for ethanol production. The technology reduces production cost and time through the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process.  Read more...

Unwanted trade off threatens EU biofuel target -

Scientists at the European Environment Agency, the EU body which advises on the environment, have recommended that  the EU target to get one-tenth of all transport fuel from biofuels by 2020 be dropped. The recommendation came to avoid unwanted trade-offs such as diverting land from food production and tropical rainforests to meet the EU target. EU Environment Commissioner acknowledged the EEA report but remained supportive of the target. The European Commission in January had proposed certain minimum biofuel standards or sustainability criteria. The draft standards included a condition that biofuels must cut emissions by at least 35 percent, not threaten rainforests and take account of food prices. Read more...

 Study to look at effects of biofuel crops on weather  

The NASA-funded study at South Dakota State University will study if biofuels effect weather patterns. The study will also study if risk of wildfires could change because of a shift in planting as farmers may grow fewer corn and soybean crops and more perennial grasses grown primarily for biofuel. The project will study potential effects of such a shift in US’ Northern Plains-- South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, western Minnesota and northern Iowa under different scenarios.  Read more...

Return to traditional farming: UN

At a time when organisations such as the World Bank, IMF and FAO’s World Food Programme have issued warnings about rising food costs as crops are diverted to biofuel production, a UN report calls on shift to traditional farming. According to the report, despite being highly productive, modern agricultural practices have exhausted land and water resources, squelched diversity and left poor people vulnerable to high food prices, The report recommends that agricultural science place greater emphasis on safeguarding natural resources and on ‘agro-ecological’ practices, including the use of natural fertilizers, traditional seeds and intensified natural practices, and reducing the distance between production and the consumer. Read more...
 

RIL to set up biofuel unit in Kutch

Reliance Industries is all set to establish a bio-fuel plant for blending petrol with 5 percent permissible ethanol in Kutch, Gujarat. According to media reports, RIL has major plans to enter into the bio-fuel sector and are looking at various options, including the production of bio-fuel from jatropha.