Environmentalists may be backpedalling away from certain websites, but not from biofuels technology, which has advanced so rapidly that the world is falling over itself to harness its powerful potential. Like atomic energy, it must be used wisely, with restraint and foresight to avoid disruption of the environment. And the escalation of a premature corn or soy-based biofuels infrastructure, if left unchecked, may induce a new equilibrium of affected food stocks, with less margin for subsistence in disaster-stricken third-world countries. However, second-generation biofuels, which have been in development for years, have achieved the required efficiency to support a sustainable transportation system, and will become an integral part of stabilizing the climate with the help of the United Nations.

Alas, behold the nabobs of biofuel negativity. Their hearts are in the right place, but with an ignorance of the latest technologies that borders on peculiar, the placement of their minds is questionable. The reality of the sharply rising biofuel curve is that the future is here and now. You’ve read about 81 gallons of biodiesel per acre for corn, and 40 for soy, but how about 15,000 gallons of biodiesel per acre? That’s right, for algae-based production, a proven technology. Changes the math a bit, doesn’t it?

An international panel agrees that research into biofuels must continue, acknowledging the importance of second-generation biofuels, and noting the agenda of the European Biofuels Technology Platform to research advanced sustainable bioconversion.

Biofuels and the Diesel engine are historically linked, as noted in this ‘Biofuels 101‘ article.

Thermal Depolymerization is another recent technology that can break down many forms of waste, biomass, even plastic, into a light crude oil, and is capable of neutralizing the most toxic materials. Using waste material as a feedstock, the energy efficiency of the process is 560%.

A geneticist and biologist team up to produce genetically engineered bacteria capable of producing 2000 gallons of fuel from an acre of cellulosic biomass.

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy are sequencing the DNA of biomass-digesting organisms to speed up the fermentation process involved in producing cellulosic ethanol.

An Iowa Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering discovers nutrient recovery and recycling for a sustainable bioeconomy.

Finland, already a leader in wind power generation, is also an innovator in low-emissions biofuel technology.

So what’s it all about, Alfie? It’s all about mitigating global warming by reducing our carbon footprint in a 20-year time frame using cleaner-burning fuels, and preparing for the inevitability of Peak Oil. Today at a UN climate conference in Vienna, negotiators from 158 countries agreed that emissions should be cut by 25% to 40% of their 1990 levels by 2020. Supporting this effort, the U.S. Department of Energy’s goal of replacing 30% of present petroleum use with sustainable biofuels by 2030 is achievable using the second-generation biofuel technology that is now being rolled out. New catalytic converters are also being designed to limit the NOx emissions that are arguably problematic. But stringent regulations on what and how much land is devoted to biofuels production need to be developed, and every country that plans to ramp up biofuel production should consider a strategy that reduces overall carbon dioxide release when all aspects of the process are factored in, hence any clear-cutting of native habitat, especially when containing endangered or critical species, should not be allowed. In this discerning article, a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization official is pushing for a meeting next June to discuss rules for the international bioenergy market.

“The FAO is urging the European Union and the US to lower trade barriers against ethanol imports; establish a system for bioenergy environmental standards; and provide more microcredit to farmers in developing countries to develop local biofuels.” This needs to be done because the bioenergy industry is currently governed by simple economics and domestic policies rather than by international agreement. “The objective of the proposed meeting,” said FAO general director, Jacques Diouf, “should be to ensure that bioenergy realised its potential to fuel sustainable growth and reduce hunger.”

In summary, biofuel technology now has passed important hurdles in terms of not competing with human nutritional needs, and being far less reliant on acreage. The administrative responsibilities attendant to biofuels are also being recognized, a quantum improvement over standing frozen like a deer in the headlights of a dilemma. One day the concept of bioconversion will be recognized for what it is: a revolution. In the bleak interpretation of Peak Oil, the energy inputs of wind, solar, hydro and bioconversion will be our only candle to hold against the darkness. The population of the entire human race, whether intentionally or unintentionally, may in the future be scaled back to that which can be supported by these renewable sources.

Well, it’s late. This blog has written itself. I’m ready to start my Labor Day weekend, and tonight there is a meteor shower of Biblical proportions. It’s been a comfortable summer in Oregon, so I can’t complain. But the wild weather continuing in the Midwest is only a taste of what global warming may have in store, so I’ll leave you with a list of surprising results. Good night.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 31st, 2007 at 11:55 pm and is filed under Energy Future, Environment, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.