Transforming farm residues into biofuels and more

To cut the cost of biofuels, their production-process can be enhanced to include additional valuable biochemical compounds. A recent experimental study focuses on one source of biomass: residues from Brazilian palm oil production.

Biofuels still have a long way to go to become sustainable substitutes for fossil fuels. A number of social and environmental hurdles have to be overcome, and crucially, their price has to come down to make them competitive. One way to make the overall process economically viable would be to process the biomass in biorefineries and transform it into additional high value chemicals for the chemical industry. Publishing in the journal Industrial Crops and Products, researchers from EPFL present how one such source of biomass, agricultural residues from Brazilian oil palm plantations, can be used to produce bioethanol and two additional end products: furfural, a much-used industrial compound, and lignin, a solid fuel that can be used in the biorefinery.

Oil palm dates grow in bunches, which are harvested and pressed to extract oil, which is currently used for cooking, cosmetics, and the production of biodiesel, among others. The left over fibrous residues are typically discarded as waste. But as Edgard Gnansounou and Jegannathan Kenthorai Raman from EPFL's Bioenergy and Energy Planning Research Group (BPE) explain, the empty fruit bunches are far from worthless. "You can make at least 30 valuable biochemical compounds using residues from palm oil production," they say.

So are empty palm oil fruit bunches a sustainable source of biomass? And if so, what types of compounds should they be transformed into? These are the kinds of questions that Gnansounou and Kenthorai seek to address in their research. For this particular study, they characterized the composition of the empty fruit bunches and optimized the chemical processes for their transformation. These data will feed into an assessment of the environmental impact and economic cost that such a biorefinery would have.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-08-farm-residues-biofuels.html#jCp

Cheaper oil forces SA to rework biofuels subsidy

 SA’s biofuels funding incentive is being revamped over concerns that it is unaffordable after a halving of global crude oil prices over the past year, officials said on Tuesday.

A net importer of crude, Africa’s most advanced economy wants biofuels initially to meet 2%, or about 400-million litres, of the country’s annual fuel consumption to wean itself off oil imports and improve the trade balance.

However, regulatory uncertainty centred on financial support incentives to manufacturers has choked investment since the approval of a national biofuels strategy in 2007.

"There is a fiscal risk posed by the subsidy under the circumstances of a declining crude oil price," said deputy director-general of energy policy and planning Ompi Aphane.

"The extent of the subsidy increases tremendously because of the low prevailing price, because the model works much better at very high crude prices," Mr Aphane said.

Instead of a first-come, first-served model, the new proposed subsidy will see producers compete directly against each other based on their individual needs.

"You tell us how much subsidy you need and that would be a competitive element in determining who gets the subsidy. That is a major departure," Mr Aphane said.

Prospective producers are wary.

Phillip Bouwer, CE of Mabele Fuels, which plans to build South Africa’s largest sorghum-to-ethanol plant at a cost of R2.5bn, said it seemed the government wanted to replicate its successful renewable energy bidding scheme in other sectors.

"They are using a one-size-fits-all approach and that may be problematic," he said.

To read more at: http://www.bdlive.co.za/business/energy/2015/08/11/cheaper-oil-forces-sa-to-rework-biofuels-subsidy

New Biofuel-Producing Bacteria Discovered

Scientists from the University of Maryland will report in the Journal of Theoretical Biology that they have isolated several different strains of bacteria that make high concentrations of biofuels from cellulosic biomass or from carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas.

The authors isolated bacteria that make high concentrations of alcohols including ethanol and 1-butanol, and other strains that make hydrocarbons, like hexane and octane.  These compounds are similar to components already found in gasoline.

Although the Department of Energy and many investors have invested millions of dollars trying to genetically engineer organisms like these, the scientists from Maryland led by UM professor Rick Korn say that such organisms are already common in nature. The reason the fuel doesn’t accumulate in natural environments is because it is more thermodynamically favorable to make other products.  When the products are made in nature, they are converted to other products by different organisms.

Using mathematical models of natural ecosystems incorporating the laws of thermodynamics, the authors identified conditions that favor production of desired fuels.  When they applied those conditions to mixed cultures of organisms taken from the rumen, or first stomach chamber of a cow, the desired fuel-producing organisms thrived and were enriched in the culture.  Eventually, using those favorable conditions, the fuel-producing bacteria were isolated.

The authors believe the research represents a paradigm shift for industrial microbiology because it shows how to isolate microorganisms based on the products they make as well as the substrates they use.  Previously, microbiologists would have isolated bacteria that grow on a certain substrate, for example cellulosic biomass, and then test to see what products they made.  However, they usually would not make fuels because the conditions of the culture tended to mimic the conditions of the natural environment, and therefore fuel production was not thermodynamically favorable.  In the authors approach, they use conditions to select for organisms that use the biomass to make certain products, like alcohols or hydrocarbons.

To read more at: http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2015/08/16/new-biofuel-producing-bacteria-discovered/

Security flaw affecting more than 100 car models exposed by scientists

Academics found cars were vulnerable to ‘keyless theft’, including models from Audi, Honda and Volkswagen – which suppressed the research for two years

A major security flaw in more than 100 car models has been exposed in an academic paper that was suppressed by a major manufacturer for two years.

Flavio Garcia, a computer scientist at the University of Birmingham, and two colleagues from a Dutch university were unable to release the paper after Volkswagen won a case in the high court to ban its publication.

The research team discovered car manufacturers including Audi, Citroën, Fiat, Honda and Volvo, as well as Volkswagen, had models that were vulnerable to “keyless theft” because a device designed to prevent the vehicles from being stolen could be disabled easily.

After years of formal and informal negotiations, Volkswagen has agreed to the publication of the paper after accepting the authors’ proposal to remove one sentence from the original manuscript.

Garcia and his colleagues Roel Verdult and Bariş Ege, from Radboud University in Nijmegen, said they found several weaknesses in the Swiss-made immobiliser system, called Megamos Crypto. The device works by preventing the engine from starting when the corresponding transponder – embedded in the key – is not present.

Documents confirm Apple is building self-driving car

 Read more

But the researchers showed it was possible to listen to signals sent between the security system and key, making the vehicles vulnerable to “close-range wireless communication” attacks.

“Our attacks require close range wireless communication with both the immobiliser unit and the transponder,” the team say in the paper. “It is not hard to imagine real-life situations like valet parking or car rental where an adversary has access to both for a period of time. It is also possible to foresee a setup with two perpetrators, one interacting with the car and one wirelessly pickpocketing the car key from the victim’s pocket.”

The computer scientists had wanted to publish the paper at the Usenix Security Symposium in Washington DC in 2013, but the court imposed an interim injunction. Volkswagen complained that its publication could “allow someone, especially a sophisticated criminal gang with the right tools, to break the security and steal a car”.

To read more at: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/aug/18/security-flaw-100-car-models-exposed-scientists-volkswagen-suppressed-paper

Shale Gas Market is expected to reach $104.1 Billion, Globally, by 2020 - Allied Market Research

According to a new market research report by Allied Market Research titled, "Global Shale Gas Market (Technology, Application and Geography) - Industry Analysis, Trends, Share, Opportunities and Forecast, 2013 - 2020" the global shale gas market is forecast to reach $104.1 billion by 2020, registering a CAGR of 9.3% during the forecast period (2014 - 2020). The corresponding volume consumption will reach 19,619.4 bcf in the same year. The advent of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling techniques has nearly doubled the efficiency of shale gas retrieval from plays, revolutionizing the shale gas market. China is a major Asian country to propel the demand aided by insatiable energy needs and increasing dependence on natural gas.

"Shale gas, as potent alternative source of natural gas, is expected to shake up the global energy market in the coming years. The availability of large number of shale plays, which is estimated at 6,148 tcf in total, is presenting opportunity for marketer", state AMR analysts Apurva Sale and Guru Mallick. "Technological advancements vis-à-vis the exploration and extraction of shale gas are enabling corporations to gain strategically advantageous positions in the competitive market", add the analysts. Though the large number of shale gas reserves are available across the world, (North America 1685 tcf, South America 1430 tcf, Europe 470 tcf, Middle East and Africa 1393 tcf, and Asia-Pacific 1170 tcf), exploration and extraction still remains the major challenge in most of the regions due to high extraction cost and large amount water usage in conventional processes. The technological trend such as hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling for the extraction of the shale gas are contributing to the rise in the production of shale gas in various geographies. As shale plays are available in abundance and almost equally across the regions, the mass production will lower dependence on fossil fuel reserves which is available only in specific region. More energy independence with shale gas adoption will eventually lead to better economic stability of the country.

To View the complete report, visit the website at http://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/shale-gas-market

Despite the latent commercial potential, the regulatory issues in various regions would impede market growth. According to UK government, fracking would be impractical in the parts of UK due to the scarcity of the water supplies. Amidst, various European countries such as Poland, United Kingdom, and Algeria would start the production of shale gas in next two to three years with the help of advance extraction technology.

Shale Gas has a wide ranging application in power generation, industrial usage, residential and commercial utility and usage in transportation. The power generation sector would benefit the most from the adoption of shale gas as it would be a cost-effective alternative that ensures reduced electricity costs.

The worldwide adoption of shale gas as an energy resource would undoubtedly benefit every region. The usage of unconventional energy resource is an upcoming trend in the energy industry. A substantial number of shale reserves in countries such as China, Argentina and Algeria would act as a golden opportunity for companies to enter the shale gas market. The Asia Pacific region appears especially attractive due to the up gradation of technology for the extraction of shale gas and the significant number of shale reserves. In-spite large availability of shale reserves in the European countries the production and adoption would be at lower side due to stringent regulatory hurdles.

Key players such as Baker Hughes Incorporation, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, BHP Billiton Limited, Royal Dutch Shell, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil & Chesapeake Energy Corporation and the developmental strategies adopted by them have been carefully examined. Acquisitions, expansions, partnerships, collaborations and joint ventures are some major strategies adopted by market players in order to sustain in the competitive market.

Solar energy giant to invest 'several hundred million' in Ireland

The UK-based firm, which is the world's third largest solar energy company outside of China and the biggest in Europe, announced yesterday that it is making a "significant" investment in Ireland.

The company develops and operates solar panels.

It both develops stand-alone solar farms and pairs with property owners who rent out their land or property to host solar panels. Lightsource installs and maintains the panels during their operational lifetime.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, Nick Boyle, the Antrim-born founder and chief executive of Lightsource, said that the final amount invested would depend on the Government's current consultation process on renewable energy.

Advocates for solar energy hope that depending on the results of the Green Paper, which is seeking feedback on the role alternative technologies could have in developing renewable energy, subsidies will be put in place to encourage the development of solar energy in Ireland.

Mr Boyle said: "For us to be interested in Ireland at all we need to be looking at hundreds of millions of euros, it is very much dependent on the consultation." Asked why the company is deciding to move into the Irish market he said: "The biggest solar market in the world is Germany, which has similar radiation levels to the UK, which has similar levels to Ireland.

Read more at: http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/solar-energy-giant-to-invest-several-hundred-million-in-ireland-31441288.html

Infrasound phobia spreads … to solar energy cells! What’s next?

Internoise is the world’s premier research conference for acousticians. The 2015 meeting is being held right now in San Francisco. Buried among the hundreds of papers is one that you could easily take as a prank: Infrasound and low-frequency noise measurements at a solar plant. The paper is by Mike Greene, an acoustician working for the Dudek company in San Juan Capistrano, California.

Greene conducted the environmental review for two proposed concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) solar energy facilities, which use lenses and curved mirrors to focus large areas of sunlight onto solar cells. Greene explains in his paper that following “comments from a private organization”, it became necessary for the review to investigate:

a concern that the CPV electric generation systems and associated inverters and transformers could produce high levels of infrasound and low frequency noise (ILFN).
The measurements were conducted at an existing solar energy farm in Southern California.

Infrasound and low frequency noise is generally inaudible unless it occurs at very high-pressure levels of more than 85 decibels on the G-weighted sound scale (dBG). This is the audibility threshold standard adopted by the Danish environmental protection agency.

We are all surrounded by inaudible infrasound that is produced by a wide diversity of sources from our own heartbeat and breathing, walking, wind and storms, the sea, traffic, and almost all mechanical equipment (stereos, car motors, ceiling fans, air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines). We can hear these sources, but it’s not the infrasound we hear.

Read more at: http://theconversation.com/infrasound-phobia-spreads-to-solar-energy-cells-whats-next-46023