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BioEnergy World News examines global energy issues with a special focus on energy alternatives, solutions to soil recycling and land reclamation. We believe we have an obligation to our children to
safeguard our environment, that there are viable options to
the continued use of fossil fuels, and that there are profitable applications for green manufacturers and industries. --GC
Land Reclamation
Screening dirt, gravel, rock and other
aggregates have become an important part of the bioenergy movement.
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Warning issued
over invasive biofuel crops The Standing Committee of the Bern Convention (the Council of Europe Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats), has adopted a new recommendation for biofuels. The recommendation, which is legally binding to member states, states that
biofuel crops of species which are already recognized as invasive in the
proposed planting region should be avoided. This has come after the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and
Research (ISPRA) - an agency led by the Italian Ministry for the Environment -
submitted a report to the Bern Convention which warned that some biofuels crops
invade disturbed areas outside cultivated fields and in doing so can impact on
native biodiversity. The recommendation says that as it is aware that some rural development
plans contemplate the use of species which are already invasive in different
regions of Europe , the Bern Convention recommends that observer states should: · Screen new species and genotypes to be used as biofuel crops for
invasiveness, carrying out the necessary risk assessments, including risk
analysis of cross-pollination with wild relatives and habitat vulnerability; · Monitor for possible spread of biofuel crops into natural habitats
and their effects on species and habitats protected under the Convention; · Wherever the species used as biofuel crop is proved to escape
cultivation and have an effect on the natural environment, introduce
appropriate mitigation measures to minimize its spread and impact on native
biological diversity. In the ISPRA report that prompted these measures, the agency drew attention
to the fact that sustainable development and environmental benefits can only be
jointly achieved when biofuel crops are farmed in an environmentally
sustainable manner. According to ISPRA, it is important to bring in pre-cultivation screening
for each proposed genotype and region and in addition, new cultivation criteria
to limit the dispersal and recruitment capacity of the invasive crops need to
be introduced. The report claimed that without these measures, escaped biofuel
crops may cause loss of native biodiversity and farmland functionality. It also said that in the long-term, biofuel crops with invasive traits need
to be limited in number and extent, even if it affects finances. These points have been adopted in the Bern Convention's recommendation and
the Convention claims that complying with them will conserve Europe 's wild
flora and fauna (plants and wildlife) and their natural habitats, while
producing sustainable energy allowing European states to reach renewable policy
targets. (Source www.newenergyfocus.com
) Floods Threaten Global Corn Crop
by: Stevenson Jacobs, The Associated Press 6-14-08 TruthOut.com:
"Floods that have inundated the Midwest could reduce world corn
supplies and drive food prices higher at a time when Americans are
stretching their grocery budgets and when people in poor countries have
rioted over rising food costs. The U.S. government will report in late
June on how many acres of corn were lost to flooding, but farmers and
agriculture experts say the toll appears grim, with thousands of acres
probably destroyed in the region that grows most of the world's corn.
Soil Analysis for Improved Land Use
"Soil
variation occurs across multiple geographic scales ranging from vast
climatic regions of the Earth to a 50 acre farm field to the molecular
world of soil nano-particles in a pinch of soil. For example, in a forest or an agricultural field, soil properties
vary from the summit of a hill down to the base. Within a single soil
aggregate that may be less than a quarter inch in diameter, there is a
variable distribution of open spaces (soil pores), solids (soil
particles), and water and gas molecules, and within each of the
elements themselves there is variation, such as different pore shapes
and different elemental solids.
Mud to Soil to Land Reclamation
CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)
joined Lt. Governor Pat Quinn and other Chicago municipal officials as
they announced Illinois’ efforts to find uses for the sediment choking
the state’s lakes and rivers. Seven barge loads of more than 10,000
tons of Peoria Lake mud were relocated to the old U.S. Steel South
Works site on Lake Michigan for use as topsoil, turning a mile long
stretch of private property into viable public park land. The barges
were loaded at East Peoria and unloaded in Chicago as the latest phase
of Illinois’ innovative “Mud to Parks” project is implemented. The event marked the second installment
of Illinois River mud at the South Works site, a 550-acre parcel on the
shores of Lake Michigan about 10 miles south of the Loop. For more than
a century, the South Works factory generated slag (molten metallic refuse
from the steelmaking process), creating acres of hard, barren ground.
Biofuel Discovery
"Researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a new,
carbon-neutral way to convert vegetable-based fuels to syngas, a
breakthrough that could allow producers to power hydrogen fuel cells or
create a replacement for America's dwindling supplies of natural gas,
all without relying on fossil fuels.
We've all had the experience of watching cooking oil smoke once a
pan reaches a certain temperature—and suffered the indignity of having
to scrub off the caked-on, carbonized gunk that results. A similar
problem plagued researchers trying to convert biofuels: When heated,
they clogged the pores of the catalyst used to transform them into
syngas, which is a mixture of gases that include hydrogen, carbon
monoxide and carbon dioxide.
Can Americans Grow Enough Biofuel?
"The high price of petroleum, government incentives to reduce
dependence on imported oil, and growing efforts to address climate
change have created a perfect storm for bio-based products, driving
demand for alternative feedstocks for biofuels and chemicals and
cleaner biotech-based production processes. Industrial biotechnology
has enhanced the efficiency of biofuel production and made possible
production of a range of polymers and chemicals from agricultural
starting materials. The next challenge facing the biorefinery industry
is producing, harvesting and delivering abundant feedstocks in an
economically and environmentally sustainable fashion." according to
Brent Erickson, executive vice president of Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Industrial & Environmental Section.
Will Democrats Go Green?
Leadership changes in key Congressional commitees point toward a dramatic shift in US energy policies, none more
so than the replacement of Oklahoma Republican James Inhofe as chairman of the Senate
Environment and Public Works Committee by California Democrat Barbara Boxer. "Nowhere is there a greater
threat to future generations than the disastrous effects of global
warming," Boxer said at a Senate Democratic Caucus meeting.
"One of my top priorities will be to spotlight this issue ... with the
goal of ultimately bringing legislation to the Senate floor."
UK Stern Report on Climate Change
There is still time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, if we take strong action now, according to the Stern Review Report on the Economics of Climate Change. The scientific evidence is now overwhelming: climate change is a serious global threat, and it demands an urgent global response.
Future Biofuel Trends “New Opportunities in US Biofuel Market (2006)”, a strategic report by the market research and analysis firm RNCOS, provides an updated and detailed analysis of the US biofuel market. The report provides an overview of the global biofuel market, with exclusive focus on the US markets. It is also highly informative about the current and future market trends. The emphasis has been put on the analysis of critical aspects of the industry such as supply and demand structure, challenges & opportunities and others that will help clients to gain exclusive information about the industry.
 Jatropha curcas is a promising source of biofuels. It is a particularly important plant because it can be grown on arid and semi-arid land that is not agriculturally suited for food crops. Read More ... Gaia Capitalist Names Santa and Mrs. Claus "Gaia Capitalists of the Year"
The big guy in the red suit and his eternally cheery partner deserve
kudos for all their work and dedication, and it is thus our honor to name Santa and Mrs. Claus our 2006 “Gaia Capitalists of the Year”.
With a ho-ho-ho and a visual branding that Coca Cola can only dream of,
the jolly St. Nicks have created the epitome of a profitable enterprise.
Read More Schwarzenegger Seeks to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced an executive order that joins California's landmark global warming law with
the Northeast's program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
It is the first step in creating a system that
helps California's largest manufacturers comply with stricter
environmental regulations, a Schwarzenegger administration official
said. Industrial corporations and utility companies must cut their
greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 25 percent by 2020.
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership
Aimed at all stakeholders in the energy debate, the 2nd Annual
European Energy Policy Conference is part of a 5-year commitment to the
development of debate and critical discussion on the issues surrounding
the energy industry, energy policy, sustainability and relations with
the wider energy industry. Key
issues covered include security of supply, LNG, renewables,
investment climates, emerging markets, global energy consumption,
energy efficiency, EU ETS and current projects in place that are
helping to drive forward cleaner production of energy.
REEEP's International Director, Marianne Osterkorn, presented at the event.
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