2008 Press Releases
International UCC Conference to discuss "Biotechnology for development of second, third and fourth generation biofuels"
29.07.2008
Oil prices have now reached almost $150 a barrel and could be set to go as high as $250 per barrel, if predictions by the Russian energy company Gazprom are borne out.
29.07.2008
Oil prices have now reached almost $150 a barrel and could be set to go as high as $250 per barrel, if predictions by the Russian energy company Gazprom are borne out.
Today's economies are based on
non-renewable petrochemical resources of fossil origin, which are our
major energy sources and raw materials for chemical production. There is an urgency for a transition to a renewables based bio-economy which would wean us off our dependence on petrochemicals. Policy drivers in this area include the European Community calls for biofuels to meet 5.75 percent of European transport needs by 2010, and 10 percent by 2020. However, as oil supplies further decrease, energy security, energy sustainability as well as cost become important issues
Part of the solution can be provided by tapping into the raw materials provided by green plants. Solar-powered green plants can provide cost-effective biorenewable feedstocks for sustainable supply chains derived from bio-refineries. These supply chains would feed the global chemicals industries, but also include pharmaceutical manufacturers.
There is now scientific and economic consensus that first generation biofuels have serious limitations in terms of their energy efficiency, economics and impact on land-use and food availability. First generation biofuels are derived using conventional technologies from existing crops such as maize (corn starch to ethanol), sugarcane (sugar to ethanol), oil palm and oilseed rape (vegetable oil to biodiesel). Ethanol from sugarcane is currently the most energy-efficient biofuel process in commercial use.
It is common knowledge that first generation biofuels have triggered a food vs fuel crisis. For instance, the massively increased production of first generation biofuels (e.g. ethanol from corn starch) has contributed ~30% of the recent food price increases. This has prompted calls for the rapid application of second generation biofuels (e.g. making alcohol from wood or cellulosic wastes) in order to address the growing energy and food crisis. However, the commercial realisation of second generation biofuels is going to rely on genetic modification of both plants (biomass), bacteria and enzymes in order to develop second generation biofuel systems that make sense in terms of energy, economics, minimal land-use impacts on food production and environmental sustainability. Next generation biofuels will be the focus of a special session on "Biotechnology for second, third and fourth generation biofuels" at the Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC 2008) in UCC (August 24th-27th 2008).
An urgent challenge is to harness our scientific knowledge in order to develop sustainable bio-economies & novel forms of bio-refineries. Firstly we must be able to generate sufficient quantities of biomass through agricultural productivity increases. Secondly the biomass (plants) must be tailored for efficient conversion to biofuels and to co-production of other renewable biomaterials (e.g. chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food additives etc). Thirdly, such bio-refineries must operate at economically competitive prices, within an environmentally and economically sustainable agricultural system.
The session on next generation biofuels & bioenergy at ABIC 2008 is sponsored by BP Biofuels who will be presenting their second generation biofuel systems. Iain Donnison (IGER, Wales) will discuss the latest advances regarding grasses (e.g. second generation biofuels from Miscanthus and forage grasses) as second generation biomass crops, while Christoph Benning (Michigan State Uni, USA) will discuss how to diversify and add value to oilseed crops. Maria Tuohy (NUI Galway & Eirzyme) will discuss enzyme research in Ireland for bioenergy production.
The company (Verenium) which is considered to be at the most advanced R & D stages of developing enzymes for efficiently converting wood to ethanol will present their research and timeline to application. Finally, the company Synthetic Genomics (founded by Craig Venter who decoded the human genome) will present its "synthetic biology" research on genetic modifications of microalgae and bacteria to make the third ("oilgae") and fourth generation biofuels (bioenergy directly from CO2) of the future.
Dr. Charles Spillane, head of the Genetics & Biotechnology Lab at UCC and Chair of the ABIC Programme Committee indicates that "Ireland and the EU need to more fully embrace the development of a sustainable bio-economy whereby bio-refineries can provide new energy, jobs and sustainable production processes supported by new forms of agricultural production. The development of such bio-refineries will require a convergence of scientific disciplines ranging across agronomy, genetics, biochemistry, microbiology and engineering. "
The primary sponsor of the ABIC2008 Conference is TEAGASC and UCC is the host location. Professor Jimmy Burke, Head of TEAGASC Oak Park and ABIC2008 Chair stated that "The four-day event will offer participants the opportunity to exchange ideas and hear from a distinguished line-up of internationally-acclaimed speakers. The conference combines the business of science with the latest discoveries and trends in research and technology development, and gives the research and business community opportunities to meet and exchange ideas. Sessions on the challenges and opportunities experienced in Australia, Europe, the US, China and Canada will bring a global perspective to the discussions."
All those from the research, business, farming and policymaking spheres with an interest in the future of biofuels and bioenergy production systems should attend the bioenergy and biofuels session.
The ABIC 2008 conference website & programme is: http://www.abic.ca/abic2008/html/program.html
803MMcS
Part of the solution can be provided by tapping into the raw materials provided by green plants. Solar-powered green plants can provide cost-effective biorenewable feedstocks for sustainable supply chains derived from bio-refineries. These supply chains would feed the global chemicals industries, but also include pharmaceutical manufacturers.
There is now scientific and economic consensus that first generation biofuels have serious limitations in terms of their energy efficiency, economics and impact on land-use and food availability. First generation biofuels are derived using conventional technologies from existing crops such as maize (corn starch to ethanol), sugarcane (sugar to ethanol), oil palm and oilseed rape (vegetable oil to biodiesel). Ethanol from sugarcane is currently the most energy-efficient biofuel process in commercial use.
It is common knowledge that first generation biofuels have triggered a food vs fuel crisis. For instance, the massively increased production of first generation biofuels (e.g. ethanol from corn starch) has contributed ~30% of the recent food price increases. This has prompted calls for the rapid application of second generation biofuels (e.g. making alcohol from wood or cellulosic wastes) in order to address the growing energy and food crisis. However, the commercial realisation of second generation biofuels is going to rely on genetic modification of both plants (biomass), bacteria and enzymes in order to develop second generation biofuel systems that make sense in terms of energy, economics, minimal land-use impacts on food production and environmental sustainability. Next generation biofuels will be the focus of a special session on "Biotechnology for second, third and fourth generation biofuels" at the Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC 2008) in UCC (August 24th-27th 2008).
An urgent challenge is to harness our scientific knowledge in order to develop sustainable bio-economies & novel forms of bio-refineries. Firstly we must be able to generate sufficient quantities of biomass through agricultural productivity increases. Secondly the biomass (plants) must be tailored for efficient conversion to biofuels and to co-production of other renewable biomaterials (e.g. chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food additives etc). Thirdly, such bio-refineries must operate at economically competitive prices, within an environmentally and economically sustainable agricultural system.
The session on next generation biofuels & bioenergy at ABIC 2008 is sponsored by BP Biofuels who will be presenting their second generation biofuel systems. Iain Donnison (IGER, Wales) will discuss the latest advances regarding grasses (e.g. second generation biofuels from Miscanthus and forage grasses) as second generation biomass crops, while Christoph Benning (Michigan State Uni, USA) will discuss how to diversify and add value to oilseed crops. Maria Tuohy (NUI Galway & Eirzyme) will discuss enzyme research in Ireland for bioenergy production.
The company (Verenium) which is considered to be at the most advanced R & D stages of developing enzymes for efficiently converting wood to ethanol will present their research and timeline to application. Finally, the company Synthetic Genomics (founded by Craig Venter who decoded the human genome) will present its "synthetic biology" research on genetic modifications of microalgae and bacteria to make the third ("oilgae") and fourth generation biofuels (bioenergy directly from CO2) of the future.
Dr. Charles Spillane, head of the Genetics & Biotechnology Lab at UCC and Chair of the ABIC Programme Committee indicates that "Ireland and the EU need to more fully embrace the development of a sustainable bio-economy whereby bio-refineries can provide new energy, jobs and sustainable production processes supported by new forms of agricultural production. The development of such bio-refineries will require a convergence of scientific disciplines ranging across agronomy, genetics, biochemistry, microbiology and engineering. "
The primary sponsor of the ABIC2008 Conference is TEAGASC and UCC is the host location. Professor Jimmy Burke, Head of TEAGASC Oak Park and ABIC2008 Chair stated that "The four-day event will offer participants the opportunity to exchange ideas and hear from a distinguished line-up of internationally-acclaimed speakers. The conference combines the business of science with the latest discoveries and trends in research and technology development, and gives the research and business community opportunities to meet and exchange ideas. Sessions on the challenges and opportunities experienced in Australia, Europe, the US, China and Canada will bring a global perspective to the discussions."
All those from the research, business, farming and policymaking spheres with an interest in the future of biofuels and bioenergy production systems should attend the bioenergy and biofuels session.
The ABIC 2008 conference website & programme is: http://www.abic.ca/abic2008/html/program.html
803MMcS