14 February 2023

The US Department of Energy has announced $25.5 million (€23.8m) in funding to enable the sustainable use of domestic biomass and waste resources, such as agricultural residues and algae, to produce low-carbon biofuels and bioproducts.

This funding is designed to advance the Biden-Harris administration goals of delivering an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by 2050.
The "Reducing Agricultural Carbon Intensity and Protecting Algal Crops” funding opportunity will improve the production of environmentally sustainable feedstocks for bioenergy through two topic areas - Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices for Low-Carbon Intensity Feedstocks, and Algae Crop Protection
This opportunity builds upon previous DOE-funded R&D to reduce the cost of biomass feedstock production and supply. Recognising that decarbonising transportation and agriculture are inherently linked when it comes to the thoughtful production and deployment of biofuels, this funding opportunity focuses on improving climate-smart agricultural practices that reduce the carbon intensity of biomass feedstocks used for biofuel production.
The funding will also support projects that cultivate and protect algae crops, an abundant and renewable biofuel source vulnerable to loss from predation, organic competition, and pest infestation. Both topic areas support DOE’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge goal of furthering the production of 35 billion gallons of SAF annually by 2050, enough to meet 100% of US aviation fuel demand.

Source: BioenergyNews

A new interesting review paper discussed the potential of fat, oil and grease (FOG) for biodiesel production

In a recent review paper published through international cooperation between Chengdu University, Cairo University, Jiangsu University, Tanta University, and Hamburg University, the potential of fat, oil and grease (FOG) for biodiesel production was discussed.  The paper was published in the prestigious energy journal "Progress in Energy and Combustion Science"

Abstract: Wastewater discharges from restaurants, kitchens, food processing plants and slaughterhouses contain high proportion of fat, oil, and grease (FOG). Critical overview on the attractive features, current state, and needed advancements are timely essential for FOG-derived biodiesel production. Although FOG conversion into biodiesel does not compete with human food, the high contents of moisture and free fatty acids (FFAs) are the main challenges for FOG efficient utilization. The present review discussed the various methods of high FFAs-lipidic feedstocks pretreatment including acid esterification, steam stripping, nanocatalytic technology, biological conversion, glycerolysis, supercritical esterification, and simultaneous in situ conversion. Comparing to other feedstocks, FOG-derived biodiesel showed better characteristics concerning oxidative stability, flash point, cetane number, and total emissions. In addition, most of the FOG-derived biodiesel fuel met the recommendations of the international standards as well as conventional diesel. Due to its lower price, the economic analysis showed that FOG is a strong competitor to other biodiesel feedstocks. The decrease in feedstocks availability, continuous rise in the crude oil prices, life threatening environmental deterioration, and food-versus-fuel debate support FOG to be a potential biodiesel feedstock in the near future. However, the cost of FOG-biodiesel production is still far away from the acceptable ranges to compete fossil diesel. Lastly, this paper suggested a number of future perspectives in order to enhance the economy and feasibility of FOG-derived biodiesel including developing new methods for efficient conversion of brown grease, integrated approaches for sequential production of biofuels from FOG, and co-esterification of FOG with other lipidic feedstocks.

Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360128520300782

New Energy scientists at Jiangsu University design innovative way for enhanced biodiesel production from microalgae with waste recycling

In a paper published by New Energy scientists at Jiangsu University, China; Mixture of waste glycerol and lipid-free algal biomass from biodiesel industry showed potential for increasing efficiency of growth and biodiesel recovery from microalgae.

Recently, microalgae-based biofuels received increasing attention because microalgae offer numerous advantages compared to the terrestrial plants, such as the higher photosynthetic efficiencies which result in higher growth rates, high ability of CO₂ mitigation using flue gas, possibility of cultivation on arid lands and their ability to grow in fresh, marine or wastewater. In a recent study published by new energy teamwork at Jiangsu University, a novel approach of using growth medium with different substitutions of biodiesel industry byproducts, lipid-free algal hydrolysate and/or waste glycerol, for enhanced biodiesel production from the green microalga Scenedesmus obliquus was investigated. Combination of different concentrations of WG with 15% LFAH showed the maximum significant biomass productivity, which represented 27.4, 30.5 and 28.9% over the control at combined 5, 10 and 20 g L^-1 WG, respectively. However, combinations of different LFAH with 20 g L^-1 WG showed the maximum significant lipid accumulation. However, lipid productivity showed its maximum significant value of 59.66 mg L^-1d^-1 using LFAH15-WG10. In addition, LFAH15-WG10 significantly enhanced total biodiesel (FAMEs) yield by 21.2% over the control. Moreover, it reduced polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) ratio from 52.1% to 47.8% of total FAMEs and increased monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) ratio from 26.6% to 31.3% of total FAMEs.

The research team concluded that their study suggested a successful innovative technology in which the combination of lipid-free algal hydrolysate and waste glycerol can be used for microalgae cultivation on wastewater to enhance both biomass, lipids and biodiesel production. It could not only enhance biodiesel production, but also manage wastes from microalgae-based biodiesel industry.

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New Energy Department

Jiangsu University

China

Biochar could significantly improve anaerobic digester performance

In a paper by Texas A&M scientists, biochar shows potential for increasing efficiency of the anaerobic digestion of animal manure.

Biochar is a charcoal material composed of agricultural by-products, including manure, crop residues and grasses. The substance can be used as a fertiliser and as a filter to remove contaminants from water and wastewater, including antibiotics, pesticides and hormones; in the process, biochar captures CO₂ and ammonia.
“There are good indications that biochar will make anaerobic digestion a viable solution for more efficient management of animal manure with easier operations than conventional anaerobic digestions,” said Dr. Eunsung Kan, co-author of the study in a statement. “When we optimise conditions and move to the test phase on a dairy then we will know what capital investment and footprint would be necessary to build sustainable digesters that can meet the disposal needs and then apply that to other operations based on their capacity.”
In the study, digesters that are enhanced with the biochar saw a methane production increase of about 40%, with a reduction in production time of 50-70%.
Kan said that these savings could lower initial investment costs, water consumption, utility costs, operating costs and land requirements. But he added that more research is needed into how microbial communities behave in the presence of biochar and what the optimum conditions are for biogas production.
"There are good indications that biochar will make anaerobic digestion a viable solution for more efficient management of animal manure with easier operations than conventional anaerobic digestions," he said. "When we optimise conditions and move to the test phase on a dairy [farm] then we will know what capital investment and footprint would be necessary to build sustainable digesters that can meet the disposal needs and then apply that to other operations based on their capacity."

Source: bioenergy-news

Jatropha Oil: Ghana’s Next Potential Source of Biofuel

In Ghana, wood fuels in the form of charcoal and firewood constitute more than 70 per cent of primary energy sources while crude oil and hydro take the remaining less than 30 percent.

Biofuels have a wide range of sources from food supply crops (first generation sources) to non-food supply (second generation sources). This article focuses on one of the second generation sources which shows some of the greatest potential: Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.)

Jatropha (Jatropha Curcas L.) which belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family, originates from Central America but can now be found throughout the tropics, including Africa and Asia. The jatropha plant can grow in wastelands and grows on any terrain, even on gravelly, sandy and saline soils. It is known to thrive in poor and stony soils, although new research suggests that the plant’s ability to adapt to these conditions is not as extensive as stated earlier. Jatropha plant is normally used as an ornamental for its continuously blossoming crimson flowers. It is also important to note that jatropha seeds are considered toxic as they contain toxalbumin curcin, which is very poisonous and inhibits protein synthesis.

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China invests $184 million in Guinea Bissau biomass plant

China will invest $184 million dollars into a 30 megawatt biomass power plant in Guinea Bissau, according to a media report in Reuters. 

"The funds are meant for construction of a biomass plant fed by two generators each with 15 ( sic.) kilowatt (MW) capacity," a statement from the Chinese embassy said, quoted in Reuters. 

China will foot 93% of the bill for the project, while Guinea pays for the remaining 7%. Guinea Bissau, a former Portuguese colony, suffers chronic power shortages that often leave its seaside capital Bissau in darkness. 

China has pledged to put about $60 billion into African development projects. In 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a multi-billion dollar development initiative at a summit in South Africa, saying it would boost agriculture, build roads, ports and railways and cancel some debt. 

China has already built Guinea Bissau's national stadium, main parliament building and a government palace.

Source: Reuters