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#Post#: 269--------------------------------------------------
Plant Based Products for a Sustainable civilization
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: November 6, 2013, 2:30 pm
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New Recyclable & Biodegradable Building Material
Based On Plant Starches Developed
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/19.gif
A novel new form of medium-density fibreboard (MDF) that’s both
biodegradable and recyclable can be created by substituting a
resin derived from common plant starches, such as those in
potatoes, for the urea and formaldehyde that are typically used
in MDF.
The new creation is thanks to research from the University of
Leicester. The researchers behind the new resin think that the
development of the new recyclable MDF will help to reduce the
enormous waste that typically accompanies the use of MDF — as it
stands now, most of the huge quantities of MDF produced annually
in the UK ends up in the incinerator or the landfill within a
year or two, as it cannot be recycled.
Given that most MDF in the UK is used primarily for short-term
applications in the retail sector, the development of an
MDF-substitute that can actually be recycled could do a great
deal to help reduce the quantity of waste produced by the retail
sector, according to the researchers.
The University of Leicester provides more info:
MDF is made by breaking down bits of wood into wood fibres,
which are then pressurized and stuck together with resin and
wax. The resin is currently composed of urea and formaldehyde
(UF), the use of which is restricted due to health concerns.
Professor Abbott’s new resin means that the use of UF is avoided
and therefore so too are the associated concerns.
With the aid of colleagues at the Biocomposites Centre, Bangor
University and the Leicestershire-based retail design company
Sheridan and Co, his team have produced starch-based boards
which have been made into retail display units. Professor
Abbott’s new material is easier to manufacture and easier to
work with than current MDF boards.
The experimental part of the research was led by Dr Will Wise,
who stated: “It has been a technological challenge to develop
material with the correct properties, but it is a great thrill
to see the finished boards which look identical to the MDF which
is so commonly used.”
The new material is easier to manufacture than existing MDF as
the components are easily pre-mixed and only set on the
application of heat and pressure; end user feedback suggests it
is also easier to work with than currently available MDF boards.
The researchers recently won the Royal Society Brian Mercer
Award for Innovation for the new recyclable MDF, after receiving
the award, Professor Abbott stated: “The Brian Mercer Award is
fundamental in enabling us to take this project forward to the
next stage; it means we can now scale up our process from
laboratory to the full scale manufacture of a product that I
hope will revolutionize industries dependent on MDF and provide
them with a more environmentally-friendly alternative.”
In total, the award will provide the researchers with about
£172,347 — nearly all of which will be used “to create a supply
chain to create prototypes for the point-of-sale market.”
The research team is also currently in the process of developing
new fillers for plastics based on orange and banana peels and
eggshells.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/earthhug.gif
Read more at
HTML http://cleantechnica.com/2013/11/06/new-recyclable-biodegradable-building-material-based-plant-starches-developed/#4bi3ceUeBVFX3RQM.99
#Post#: 270--------------------------------------------------
Dandelions Into Rubber — Making Rubber From Dandelion Juice
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: November 6, 2013, 2:38 pm
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Dandelions Into Rubber — Making Rubber From Dandelion Juice
The first-ever modern pilot system for the extraction of large
quantities of tire rubber from dandelions is currently in the
process of being built by researchers at the Fraunhofer
Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, in
cooperation with Continental. The pilot project is possible
thanks to a number of important improvements to cultivation and
production engineering over the past few years.
It’s been known for quite a long time that dandelions, in
addition to being an excellent source of nutrition, and to
possessing notable medicinal qualities, are an excellent source
of latex rubber. The researchers think that the new pilot
project is an important step towards the goal of a
rubber-independent Europe — potentially, in the future, no
longer having to rely on imports from tropical countries for the
important resource.
HTML http://i2.wp.com/cleantechnica.com/files/2013/11/image2.jpg
Scientists from Fraunhofer have transformed the ordinary
dandelion from a weed into an agricultural crop that produces an
abundance of natural rubber. Image Credit: © Fraunhofer IME
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft provides more:
The joint project officially started at the beginning of
October. The goal is to develop the production process over the
next five years so that Continental can manufacture tires made
from dandelion rubber. This is why molecular biologists at IME
and the research department of the automotive supplier built a
pilot facility in Münster that is capable of producing natural
rubber by the ton.
At the same time, they cultivate several hectares of a dandelion
variety which is particularly rich in rubber. To optimize the
raw material content and the properties of the blossom, the
researchers concurrently grew new varieties with a higher
proportion of rubber and biomass yield.
The first prototype test tires made with blends from
dandelion-rubber are scheduled to be tested on public roads over
the next few years. The natural product obtained in this manner
exhibited the same quality as the conventional rubber from
rubber trees that has been imported from subtropical countries
and used in tire production. However unlike the conventional
rubber, it could be harvested more cost-effectively, better
cultivated and grown in Germany as a sustainable raw material —
even on land areas not previously suited for agricultural crops.
“Through the most modern cultivation methods and optimization of
systems technology, we have succeeded in manufacturing
high-grade natural rubber from dandelions — in the laboratory.
The time is now right to move this technology from the pilot
project-scale to the industrial scale. We have found an expert
partner in Continental, with whom we now want to create tires
that are ready for production,” states Professor Dr Rainer
Fischer, head of institute at IME in Aachen.
“We are investing in this highly promising materials development
and production project because we are certain that in this way
we can further improve our tire production over the long term,”
explains Nikolai Setzer, the Continental managing director who
is responsible for the tires division. “It’s because the rubber
extraction from the dandelion root is markedly less affected by
weather than the rubber obtained from the rubber tree :o.
Based on its agricultural modesty, it holds entirely new
potential — especially for cropland that is lying fallow today.
Since we can grow it in much closer proximity to our production
sites, we can further reduce both the environmental impact as
well as our logistics costs by a substantial margin. This
development project impressively demonstrates that, with regard
to material development, we have not reached the end of our
potential.”
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/128fs318181.gif
“With this new technology, we can achieve a sustainable edge for
the German automotive market. On the one hand, it makes the
domestic economy less dependent on the importing of raw
materials.
On the other hand, it reduces the transportation routes, and
thus improves the CO2 balance,” notes Dr Ing Reimund Neugebauer,
President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.
Read more at
HTML http://cleantechnica.com/2013/11/06/dandelions-rubber-making-rubber-dandelion-juice/#Z6DGAvC8BzG1SSJy.99
#Post#: 319--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plant Based Products for transprtation and building
materials
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: November 13, 2013, 11:33 pm
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[center]
HTML http://oecotextiles.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/bioplastic4.jpg[/center]
[center]BIOPLASTICS are REPLACING PETROCHEMICAL-BASED
PLASTICS
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/maniac.gif[/center]
In the years 2000 to 2008, worldwide consumption of
biodegradable plastics based on starch, sugar, and cellulose –
so far the three most important raw materials – has increased by
600%.[32] The NNFCC predicted global annual capacity would grow
more than six-fold to 2.1 million tonnes by 2013.[30] BCC
Research forecasts the global market for biodegradable polymers
to grow at a compound average growth rate of more than 17
percent through 2012. Even so, bioplastics will encompass a
small niche of the overall plastic market, which is forecast to
reach 500 billion pounds (220 million tonnes) globally by
2010.[33]
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
Agelbert NOTE:The "NICHE" that bioplastics are occupying will
grow to destroy the fossil fuel based plastics plastic poisons
simply because bioplastics are sustainable AND cheaper now.
Cost
At one time bioplastics were too expensive for consideration as
a replacement for petroleum-based plastics.The lower
temperatures needed to process bioplastics and the more stable
supply of biomass combined with the increasing cost of crude oil
make bioplastics price [34] more competitive with regular
plastics.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/19.gif
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
ApplicationsBiodegradable bioplastics are used for disposable
items, such as packaging and catering items (crockery, cutlery,
pots, bowls, straws). They are also often used for bags, trays,
containers for fruit, vegetables, eggs and meat, bottles for
soft drinks and dairy products, and blister foils for fruit and
vegetables.
Nondisposable applications include mobile phone casings, carpet
fibres, and car interiors, fuel line and plastic pipe
applications, and new electroactive bioplastics are being
developed that can be used to carry electrical current.[5] In
these areas, the goal is not biodegradability, but to create
items from sustainable resources.
Medical implants made of PLA, which dissolve in the body, save
patients a second operation. Compostable mulch films for
agriculture, already often produced from starch polymers, do not
have to be collected after use and can be left on the fields.[6]
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
Bioplastic Car Parts
In constructing the Prius, Toyota used a new range of
plant-derived ecological bioplastics, made out of cellulose
derived from wood or grass instead of petroleum. The two
principal crops used are kenaf and ramie. Kenaf is a member of
the hibiscus family, a relative to cotton and okra; ramie,
commonly known as China grass, is a member of the nettle family
and one of the strongest natural fibres, with a density and
absorbency comparable to flax.
Toyota says this is a particularly timely breakthrough for
plant-based eco-plastics because 2009 is the United Nations’
International Year of Natural Fibres, which spotlights kenaf and
ramie among others.[56]
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius
[center]
HTML http://blog.toyota.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/bio-plastics-in-prius.png[/center]
[center]Prius bioplastic parts[/center]
[center][img
width=640]
HTML https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0719/1989/files/PLA_Printable.png?6544284772577929250[/img][/center]
[center]Polylactic acid (PLA) plastics can replace
petrochemical-based mass plastics (e.g. PET, PS or PE)[/center]
[center]
HTML http://www.grandviewresearch.com/static/img/research/lactic-acid-and-poly-lactic-acid-market.png[/center]
[center]Global PLA market by application, 2012 – 2020, (Kilo
Tons) [/center]
[center]
HTML http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Mulch_Film_made_of_PLA-Blend_Bio-Flex.jpg[/center]
[center]Mulch film made of polylactic acid (PLA)-blend bio-flex
[/center]
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a transparent plastic produced from
corn[12] or dextrose. It not only resembles conventional
petrochemical-based mass plastics (like PET, PS or PE) in its
characteristics, but it can also be processed on standard
equipment that already exists for the production of some
conventional plastics. PLA and PLA blends generally come in the
form of granulates with various properties, and are used in the
plastic processing industry for the production of films, fibers,
plastic containers, cups and bottles.
[center]
HTML http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/PLA-Kugelschreiber_NatureWorks_CG.jpg[/center]
[center]A pen made with bioplastics (Polylactide, PLA)
[/center]
[center]
HTML http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Teebeutel_Polylactid_2009.jpg[/center]
[center]Tea bags made from PLA[/center]
[center]
HTML http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Air_Pillow_made_of_PLA-Blend_Bio-Flex.jpg[/center]
[center]Packaging air pillow made of PLA-blend bio-flex[/center]
[center]
HTML http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Shampoo_Bottle_made_of_PLA-Blend_Bio-Flex.jpg[/center]
[center]A bioplastic shampoo bottle made of PLA-blend
bio-flex[/center]
[url=
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
HTML http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/lactic-acid-and-poly-lactic-acid-market
[center]
Biopolymer BHP can replace petroplastic polypropylene[/center]
Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB)
The biopolymer poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a polyester
produced by certain bacteria processing glucose, corn starch[13]
or wastewater.[14] Its characteristics are similar to those of
the petroplastic polypropylene. The South American sugar
industry, for example, has decided to expand PHB production to
an industrial scale. PHB is distinguished primarily by its
physical characteristics. It produces transparent film at a
melting point higher than 130 degrees Celsius, and is
biodegradable without residue.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are linear polyesters produced in
nature by bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids. They are
produced by the bacteria to store carbon and energy. In
industrial production, the polyester is extracted and purified
from the bacteria by optimizing the conditions for the
fermentation of sugar. More than 150 different monomers can be
combined within this family to give materials with extremely
different properties. PHA is more ductile and less elastic than
other plastics, and it is also biodegradable. These plastics are
being widely used in the medical industry.
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
[center]
How to tell if plastic was made from fossil fuels or plants:
Fossil fuel derived plastic has NO carbon-14![/center]
Biobased – ASTM D6866
The ASTM D6866 method has been developed to certify the
biologically derived content of bioplastics. Cosmic rays
colliding with the atmosphere mean that some of the carbon is
the radioactive isotope carbon-14. CO2 from the atmosphere is
used by plants in photosynthesis, so new plant material will
contain both carbon-14 and carbon-12. Under the right
conditions, and over geological timescales, the remains of
living organisms can be transformed into fossil fuels. After
~100,000 years all the carbon-14 present in the original organic
material will have undergone radioactive decay leaving only
carbon-12. A product made from biomass will have a relatively
high level of carbon-14, while a product made from
petrochemicals will have no carbon-14. The percentage of
renewable carbon in a material (solid or liquid) can be measured
with an accelerator mass spectrometer.[41][42]
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
Plastic made from plants is NOT a guarantee of biodegradability
There is an important difference between biodegradability and
biobased content. A bioplastic such as high density polyethylene
(HDPE)[43] can be 100% biobased (i.e. contain 100% renewable
carbon), yet be non-biodegradable. These bioplastics such as
HDPE nonetheless play an important role in greenhouse gas
abatement, particularly when they are combusted for energy
production. The biobased component of these bioplastics is
considered carbon-neutral since their origin is from biomass.
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
Agelbert NOTE: As I've said before, products from corn for
plastics or biofuel are a bad deal. At the end of the wikipeda
bioplastics article, a "study" from scientists in 2010 cautions
against corn based bioplastics because they are so polluting
from the pesticide and CO2 releasing properties
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/2rzukw3.gif(as
if petrochemical
fuels and plastics weren't measurably MORE polluting... ??? ).
Sure. That's why BIG OIL wants us to keep using that corn for
ethanol and bioplastics! ;) It's never going to be competitive!
Corn uses pesticides and plowing. The plastics made from the
corn starch will have pesticide residue. Growing corn is an
excellent way to ruin top soil and is second only to fossil
fuels (because it uses so much of them) in biosphere damage. :P
>:(
This is stupid when, duckweed, hemp, sugar cane, switchgrass,
Kenaf , a member of the hibiscus family, a relative to cotton
and okra and Ramie, commonly known as China grass, a member of
the nettle family and one of the strongest natural fibres, with
a density and absorbency comparable to flax are all available,
easier to grow WITHOUT PESTICIDES and provide a much higher
EROEI.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/301.gif
#Post#: 320--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plant Based Products for transprtation and building
materials
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: November 13, 2013, 11:44 pm
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The first diesel engine was designed to run on vegetable oils,
one of which was hemp oil. In the 1930s Henry Ford produced an
automobile composed of 70 percent hemp plastic which also ran on
hemp based fuel and oil.
HTML http://www.hempcar.org/img/frontpage/car.jpg
In 2001 the "Hempcar" circled the North American continent
powered by hemp oil.
The paintings of Rembrandt (1606- 1669), Vincent Van Gogh
(1853-1890) and Thomas Gainsborough (1727- 1788) were painted
primarily on hemp canvas, often with hemp oil based paint.
HTML http://www.longleaf.net/ggrow/rembrandt1/rembrandt/rembrandtGG.jpg
[I]I sold Rembrandt his Hemp canvas and paint oils!
HTML http://www.chicagonow.com/steve-dales-pet-world/files/2011/09/Happy-cat.jpg
[/I]
HTML http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Vincent_Willem_van_Gogh_111.jpg
[I]Hmmm.. That canvas looks like it might not be Hemp. I'd
better check with my supplier.
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-051113192052.png<br
/>
[/I]
HTML http://uploads5.wikipaintings.org/images/thomas-gainsborough/a-coastal-landscape-1782.jpg
[I]Handsome masterpiece on Hemp!
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/128fs318181.gif
[/I]
Over 50 percent of all chemical pesticides sprayed are used in
the cultivation of cotton.
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-311013201604.png<br
/>
Hemp is eight times stronger than cotton and more air-permeable.
HTML http://us.cdn2.123rf.com/168nwm/lenm/lenm1201/lenm120100200/12107060-illustration-of-a-smiley-giving-a-thumbs-up.jpg<br
/>
HTML http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qdeB6uFDZVk/TbiOei5eT_I/AAAAAAAAADA/2euXXNXCABw/s320/Hemp+Field+Large.jpg
Hemp can grow vigorously (up to 16 feet) in 100 days without the
use of harmful pesticides and herbicides... healthier for your
skin and the environment.
HTML http://www.smile-day.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Smiley-Thumbs-Up2.jpg<br
/>
One acre of hemp can produce as much raw fiber as 4.1 acres of
trees. Pulping hemp for paper would produce a strong paper that
lasts incredibly long and doesn't yellow with age. Also, using
hemp as a raw source for paper would eliminate the need to cut
down our dwindling old-growth forests which contribute to
climate control and clean the air we breathe.
Source: the Hempola Trivia Trail
HTML http://www.coolhemp.com/HempSeeDee/hempfacts.shtml
HTML http://www.coolhemp.com/HempSeeDee/hempfacts.shtml
[move][b][I][size=12pt][color=maroon]Now you know why William
Randolph Hearst, DuPont and Rockefeller FEARED
HTML http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-scared002.gifHEMP
so
much they conspired to make it illegal!
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/pirates5B15D_th.gif
#Post#: 625--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plant Based Products for transprtation and building
materials
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: December 26, 2013, 3:19 pm
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This Delicate Flower Is A Stepping Stone To Energy Independence
HTML http://www.yulex.com/uploads/pics/guayule-close-up.jpg
Yulex from Guayole is a SUPERIOR product for making rubber than
Latex!
HTML http://www.coh2.org/images/Smileys/huhsign.gif<br
/>
HTML http://www.desismileys.com/smileys/desismileys_0293.gifhttp://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-141113185047.png<br
/>Yulex.com
--- Quote ---
> Why is Yulex's bioprocessing technology unique?
>
> Guayule is a natural source of elastomeric materials which are
free of antigenic proteins. Yulex’s biorubbers meet the critical
performance standards necessary for many medical, industrial and
consumer applications and exceeds performance standards of many
synthetic lattices.
>
> Yulex’s bioprocessing technology includes aqueous methods for
emulsion extraction and product refinement. Our scientists have
developed proprietary methods for extracting this emulsion to
consistently achieve extremely low protein concentrations. In
addition, our proprietary proven commercial farming, harvesting
and biotech programs increase the plant’s emulsion yields with
faster growing cycles to produce more product for the medical,
building, rubber and energy industries.
> - See more at:
HTML http://www.yulex.com/index.php?id=59#sthash.lvI284Yn.dpuf
--- End Quote ---
HTML http://imr.osu.edu/files/2010/12/Cornish-liquid-guayule.jpg
HTML http://cleantechnica.com/2013/12/26/us-could-grow-sustainable-rubber-from-guayule/#KDccIluUJDHQzgxL.99
#Post#: 706--------------------------------------------------
Older Trees Grow Faster
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: January 20, 2014, 2:57 pm
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Older Trees Grow Faster
HTML http://www.coh2.org/images/Smileys/huhsign.gif
Mature trees soak up more CO2 than younger ones, a study shows,
overturning a bit of botanical dogma. :o
By Bob Grant | January 20, 2014
It turns out that as a slew of tree species age, they grow
faster and gobble up more carbon dioxide than when they were
younger, according to a study published last week (January 15)
in Nature.
The findings, which involved decades of data taken from 673,046
trees in more than 400 tropical and temperate tree species
around the globe, contradict a long-standing assumption that
tree growth slows as the plants age. “The trees that are adding
the most mass are the biggest ones, and that holds pretty much
everywhere on Earth that we looked,” Nathan Stephenson, a US
Geological Survey ecologist and first author of the study, told
Nature. “Trees have the equivalent of an adolescent growth
spurt, but it just keeps going.”
The results have important implications for conservation and
forestry practices. “Not only do [older trees] hold a lot of
carbon, but they’re adding carbon at a tremendous rate,"
Stephenson told NPR. “And that’s going to be really important to
understand when we’re trying to predict how the forests are
going to change in the future—in the face of a changing climate
or other environmental changes.”
HTML http://www.the-scientist.com//?articles.view/articleNo/38914/title/Older-Trees-Grow-Faster/
Agelbert NOTE: This is another reason why old growth trees
should NOT be used for firewood or any other kind of biomass.
Grasses like Hemp and angiosperms like duckweed and Azolla can
provide all the textiles and woody furnace pellets we need.
Leave the forests alone!
HTML http://www.nhclc.org/files/nhclc/u38/fl-church-translators-20120622-001.jpg
#Post#: 796--------------------------------------------------
Cold-Tolerant, Highly Productive, Oil-Producing Crop Developed
For US
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: February 26, 2014, 12:57 am
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Sugarcane Into Diesel — Cold-Tolerant, Highly Productive,
Oil-Producing Crop Developed For US
HTML http://i0.wp.com/cleantechnica.com/files/2014/02/image22.jpg
Read more at
HTML http://cleantechnica.com/2014/02/26/sugarcane-diesel-cold-tolerant-highly-productive-oil-producing-crop-developed-us/#Z2Fl4U3hSAelAgxX.99
#Post#: 989--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plant Based Products for a Sustainable civilization
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: April 28, 2014, 8:20 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKSE1_ujTs8&feature=player_embedded
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-280414211623.png
#Post#: 1003--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plant Based Products for a Sustainable civilization
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: April 30, 2014, 1:51 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
US Navy Says Biofuels Are New Normal ;D
SustainableBusiness.com News
After experimenting with biofuels for several years, the US Navy
announced its use will now be standard practice, incorporated
into all solicitations for jet engine and marine diesel fuels.
"The Navy has a long history of energy innovation. From sail to
coal, coal to oil, and then to nuclear, the Navy's led the way.
We see biofuel as that next energy innovation, and we're taking
action," says Tom Hicks, acting undersecretary of the Navy."
Under "Farm-to-Fleet," biofuel blends - such as waste oils from
cooking grease and algae - will be purchased in all Department
of Defense (DOD) domestic solicitations.
"This effort marks the start of the ‘new normal,' where drop-in
biofuels will be fully integrated with our regular fuel
operations, says Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.
Navy
The initiative began in 2010, when President Obama challenged
the Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Navy to collaborate
on speeding development of domestic, competitively-priced
"drop-in" diesel and jet fuel substitutes.
You may remember that Republicans were up in arms when they
heard the Navy used $15 per gallon biofuels for its Great Green
Fleet demonstration. Just a few years later, DOD expects to buy
the fuels at competitive prices - less than $4 per gallon by
2016. The program starts with a bulk fuels solicitation this
year, with deliveries in mid-2015.
"We absolutely have to have - particularly in this constrained
budget environment - a stably priced, domestically produced
alternative to fossil fuels that do spike just on world crises,"
explains Mabus. "Every time the price of oil goes up $1 per
barrel, it costs the Navy Department an extra $30 million."
They are starting with blends of 10% and growing to 50% with
conventional fuels over the next few years. Starting small will
help biofuel companies get to the volumes and price points they
need.
To meet its goal of cutting petroleum use 50% by 2020, the Navy
also plans to have its own biorefineries, at no cost to
taxpayers. Its also leading on microgrids and, of course, solar.
Another promising technology converts seawater into liquid fuel
(
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/renewables/hydcrocarbons-from-seawater-(carbon-neutral)-for-less-than-$3-a-gallon!/msg904/#msg904<br
/>) , while removing carbon at the same time. The Navy recently
invested $30 million in Hawaii's Energy Accelerator to speed
technologies to market.
HTML http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/25679
#Post#: 1012--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plant Based Products for a Sustainable civilization
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: April 30, 2014, 9:41 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
I LOVE DUCKWEED!
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/earthhug.gif
HTML https://youtu.be/_i_2h2CoQII
HTML https://youtu.be/AVogwEYXGLo
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/renewables/ethanol/msg217/#msg217
Pond-dwelling powerhouse’s genome points to its biofuel
potential
Duckweed is a tiny floating plant that’s been known to drive
people daffy. It’s one of the smallest and fastest-growing
flowering plants ;D that often becomes a hard-to-control weed
in ponds and small lakes. But it’s also been exploited to clean
contaminated water and as a source to produce pharmaceuticals.
Now, the genome of Greater Duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza) has
given this miniscule plant’s potential as a biofuel source a big
boost. In a paper published February 19, 2014 in the journal
Nature Communications, researchers from Rutgers University, the
Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute and several other
facilities detailed the complete genome of S. polyrhiza and
analyzed it in comparison to several other plants, including
rice and tomatoes.
Duckweed, a small, common plant that grows in ponds and stagnant
waters, is an ideal candidate as a biofuel raw material.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/128fs318181.gif
;D Photo (at
link) by Texx Smith, via flickr
Simple and primitive, a duckweed plant consists of a single
small kidney-shaped leaf about the size of a pencil-top eraser
that floats on the surface of the water with a few thin roots
underwater. It grows in almost all geographic areas, at nearly
any altitude. Although it’s a flowering plant, it only rarely
forms small indistinct flowers on the underside of its floating
leaves. Most of the time, it reproduces by budding off small
leaves that are clones of the parent leaf. It often forms thick
mats on the edges of ponds, quiet inlets of lakes and in
marshes. It’s among the fastest growing plants, able to double
its population in a couple of days under ideal conditions.
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These and other properties make it an ideal candidate as a
biofuel feedstock – a raw source for biofuel production. For
example, unlike plants on land, duckweeds don’t need to hold
themselves upright or transport water from distant roots to
their leaves, so they’re a relatively soft and pliable plant,
containing tiny amounts of woody material such as lignin and
cellulose. Removing these woody materials from feedstock has
been a major challenge in biofuel production. Also, although
they are small enough to grow in many environments, unlike
biofuel-producing microbes, duckweed plants are large enough to
harvest easily. ;D
S. polyrhiza turns out to have one of the smallest known plant
genomes, at about 158 million base pairs and fewer than 20,000
protein-encoding genes. That’s 27 percent fewer than Arabidopsis
thaliana – which, until recently, was believed to be the
smallest plant genome – and nearly half as many as rice plants.
Spirodela is one of the smallest plants in the world. Here (at
the link)it is displayed with other comparable plants.
“The most surprising find was insight into the molecular basis
for genes involved in maturation – a forever-young lifestyle,”
said senior author Joachim Messing, director of the Waksman
Institute of Microbiology at Rutgers University.
S. polyrhiza leaves resemble cotyledons, embryonic leaves inside
plant seeds that become the first leaves after germination. But
where other plants develop other kinds of leaves as they mature,
S. polyrhiza’s never progresses and continuously produces
cotyledon leaves. This prolonging of juvenile traits is called
“neoteny.” S. polyrhiza had fewer genes to promote and more
genes to repress the switch from juvenile to mature growth.
“Because of the reduction in neoteny, there is an arrest in
development and differentiation of organs. So this arrest
allowed us to uncover regulatory networks that are required for
differentiation and development,” Messing said.
Also intriguing to the research team were which genes were
preserved over time and which were not. Many of the genes
responsible for cellulose and lignin production in land dwelling
plants were missing,
HTML http://www.clker.com/cliparts/c/8/f/8/11949865511933397169thumbs_up_nathan_eady_01.svg.hi.png<br
/> and there were fewer copies of those that were present. Genes
for another compound related to cell walls called “expansins”
which are involved with cell wall and root growth were also
reduced.
Genes for starch production, on the other hand, were retained
and are probably used for creating starch-filled turions,
specialized buds produced by aquatic plants for overwintering,
enabling them sink to the bottom of ponds and revive in warmer
weather. Moreover, despite the reduced number of total genes, S.
polyrhiza has more copies of genes for enzymes involved in
nitrogen absorption and metabolism than in other plants. This is
probably linked to the plant’s ability to utilize excess
nitrogen in contaminated waters.
HTML http://www.clker.com/cliparts/c/8/f/8/11949865511933397169thumbs_up_nathan_eady_01.svg.hi.png<br
/>
A thorough understanding of the genome and cellular mechanisms
of S. polyrhiza could greatly enhance current efforts to recruit
duckweed as a biofuel source. Messing estimates that duckweed
will be a viable biofuel source within the next five years and
points to Ceres Energy Group in New Jersey, which is already
producing electricity from duckweed.
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Understanding which genes
produce which traits will allow researchers to create new
varieties of duckweed with enhanced biofuel traits, such as
increased reduction of cellulose or increased starch or even
higher lipid production. Starch can be directly used as a
biofuel source and it can be converted to ethanol, the way corn
is currently converted to ethanol fuel, but oils would have
greater energy than ethanol.
Duckweed is a relatively simple plant with fronds that float on
the surface of the water and roots that extend into the water.
In the flask on the left, you can see the dormant phase,
turions, that have dropped to the bottom. Photo (at link) by
Wenquin Wang
“Classical breeding or genetics does not apply here because of
its clonal propagation and rare flowering, but these organisms
can be transformed with DNA,” Messing said. “Therefore, new
variants can be created with modified pathways for industrial
applications. These variants would be an enhancement over what
can be done now.”
This genome was sequenced as part of a DOE Office of Science JGI
Community Science Program (CSP) project (formerly the Community
Sequencing Program). It exemplifies the collaborative approach
and innovative projects that the CSP enables among researchers.
Messing pointed to the study’s advances over previous research.
“The sequencing of this genome opens new frontiers in the
molecular biology of aquatic plants,” said Messing. “This
publication represents the single largest advance in this field
and a new milestone in plant molecular biology and evolution, as
previous studies were either classical botany or biochemistry of
photosynthesis. The placement of the Spirodela genome as a basal
monocot species will serve as a new reference for all flowering
plants.”
A video interview with Messing on the promise of duckweed can be
found here:
HTML https://youtu.be/PLVPfoKw2rs
The authors on the publication also include researchers from
MIPS/IBIS, Helmholtz Center Munich, Germany; University of
California, Davis; Georgia Institute of Technology; Brookhaven
National Laboratory; Donald Danforth Plant Science Center;
University of Jena, Germany, HudsonAlpha Institute for
Biotechnology; and the Leibniz-Institute of Plant Genetics and
Crop Plant Research (IPK), Germany.
The DOE Joint Genome Institute has announced a new call for
letters of intent for the 2015 Community Science Program, due
April 10, 2014. Details of the 2015 CSP call can be found at:
HTML http://bit.ly/CSP-15.
The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, supported
by the DOE Office of Science, is committed to advancing genomics
in support of DOE missions related to clean energy generation
and environmental characterization and cleanup. DOE JGI,
headquartered in Walnut Creek, Calif., provides integrated
high-throughput sequencing and computational analysis that
enable systems-based scientific approaches to these challenges.
Follow @doe_jgi on Twitter.
DOE’s Office of Science is the largest supporter of basic
research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is
working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our
time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
Filed Under: News Releases
HTML http://jgi.doe.gov/pond-dwelling-powerhouses-genome-points-biofuel-potential/
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