Biofuels

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    • World must wake up to the dangers of biofuels

      Posted by Billbar from The Independent

      Extensive production of biofuel crops, such as oil palms, could destroy remaining areas of rainforest and bring about a new cycle of worldwide intensive agriculture involving vast applications of artificial fertilisers and pesticides, and requiring enormous water resources, said Professor Sir Peter Crane, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, who is the world's leading plant scientist.

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    • Bio-crops may be created for biofuels

      Posted by Billbar from Reuters

      "Crops with energy-specific traits may be developed to help meet the growing demands for renewable alternative fuels," said USDA's Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture in a report looking at possible paths for genetically modified crops in the coming decade. It said genetic engineering could be used to add traits to food crops, such as corn and soybeans, and nonfood crops, like grasses and trees, to enhance energy production.

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    • ear and Loathing in Biofuels

      Posted by Billbar from Blog.wired

      Researchers are launching FUD campaigns against biofuels in a big way. First, University of Minnesota researchers published a paper saying that "even if every acre of corn were used for ethanol, it would only create 12 percent of the ethanol needed for U.S. motoring fuel. Instead of wasting your keystrokes slamming biofuel for not being panacea, talk about the other solutions to the problem -- conservation through increased use of mass transportation, better fuel efficiency, other alternative fuels (Fischer-Tropsch diesel, tar sands oil), and possibly producing hydrogen from renewable resources.

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    • GM Yeast Turn Waste Into Ethanol

      Posted by Billbar from Seed Magazine

      This makes a lot more sense than turning food into biofuels. The key to producing environmentally friendly biofuels from agricultural waste may reside in the gut of Indian elephants, say researchers in the Netherlands. Dutch researchers genetically engineered a special strain of yeast that can also convert leftover plant material into ethanol, starting with wastes like straw, woodchips, and cornhusks.

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    • Ethanol farm

      Posted by Billbar from Salon

      Biofuels have prompted an uneasy pact between enviros and the agricultural lobby. Is Big Ag drawn by idealism -- or the smell of pork?

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    • Organic Waste Could Produce Half of Washington State's Energy

      Posted by Jon from The Olympian

      If all the organic waste generated in the state each year were converted to energy, it would meet 50 percent of the state's energy needs, according to a report released by the state Department of Ecology. Combined, the 45 sources total about 16.9 million tons of biomass capable of producing 1,770 megawatts of electricity, according to the report compiled by biological engineers from Washington State University.

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  1. thumbnail

    Jeff comments on:

    Biofuel backlash: High prices, pollution worries hit consumers

    Actually, people are complaining about rain forest being destroyed… just look at the grist mill blog today see grist.org

    Reply »

    11:07 pm 6/09/08
  2. thumbnail

    theauthor comments on:

    Biofuel backlash: High prices, pollution worries hit consumers

    If you turn every cob of corn on the planet into fuel, you will have less than 1 quarter of the fuel needs of the US. And we aren’t the only ones driving cars. Brazil is using biofuels, and suddenly no one is complaining about the rain forest being destroyed.

    Reply »

    7:51 pm 6/09/08
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    Billbar comments on:

    ear and Loathing in Biofuels

    Everyone see the mile-wide hole in this argument?

    Reply »

    3:11 pm 7/15/06
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    Jeff

    Member since Aug 2008

    Jeff is the founder of NewsCloud. He is also a freelance writer and blogs at Idealog.

    Seattle


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    Jon

    Member since Aug 2008

    Jon does technology and communications strategy consulting for environmental nonprofits at ONE/Northwest. He blogs a bit.

    Seattle


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