1.Agrofuels and the use of Genetic Modification
2.Joule Biotechnologies' Mysterious Biofuel Promises
EXTRACTS: Existing agrofuels have been widely criticised because greenhouse gas savings over fossil fuels maybe low or non existent and because the diversion of land and food crops to fuel production contributed to rising food prices and consequent riots in some countries in recent years. However, the EU and the UK Government are set to continue to increase their use, assuming that a new generation of agrofuels will solve these problems... (item 1)
Joule hopes to build a pilot plant next year, and a commercial-scale plant by 2012. That's the same kind of ambitious timeline that has marked an awful lot of next-generation biofuel projects in recent years - projects that almost uniformly have failed to live up to their hype. (item 2)
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Agrofuels and the use of Genetic Modification
GeneWatch, 11 August 2009
Today GeneWatch UK published a new report (1) exploring the use of genetic technologies for the production of agrofuels (industrial-scale biofuels). The report questions whether the substantial investment being made in a new generation of agrofuels, often being developed using genetically-modified (GM) organisms and new GM crops, will solve the problems now acknowledged with the current generation. The concerns include:
*Over-reliance on claims that difficult technical problems will be overcome, particularly that new GM micro-organisms will be able to convert cellulose in woody plants to fuel;
*Failure to consider the environmental impacts, including impacts on biodiversity and the creation of potentially hazardous waste streams of GM micro-organisms.
Existing agrofuels have been widely criticised because greenhouse gas savings over fossil fuels maybe low or non existent and because the diversion of land and food crops to fuel production contributed to rising food prices and consequent riots in some countries in recent years. However, the EU and the UK Government are set to continue to increase their use, assuming that a new generation of agrofuels will solve these problems, as outlined in the recent UK Renewable Energy Strategy (2) and the Carbon Reduction Strategy for Transport (3).
In January this year the BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Research Council) launched its GBP27m Sustainable Bioenergy Centre which it says will focus on widening the range of raw materials, and altering crops to be more useful for bioenergy production including biofuels (4).
GeneWatch UK's new report into the use of genetically modified organisms and new GM crops in agrofuel production includes the following policy recommendations:
1. A more realistic and independent appraisal of the potential impact of second-generation GM agrofuels is needed to inform policy decisions. This should include an assessment of the likely performance against key criteria, including: impact on climate, biodiversity, food supply and land use, and technical feasibility. It should be open about uncertainties, economic interests and how different social values (such as how people value biodiversity and impacts on food supplies in poorer countries) are likely to affect policy decisions.
2. Important gaps in research and regulation should be addressed. These include:
- research on environmental impacts, including invasiveness, energy balance and the impact of factory-scale waste streams containing genetically modified microorganisms;
- consideration of major gaps in regulation, including regulation of waste streams containing genetically modified micro-organisms, and how the possible contamination of food crops with new traits from GM agrofuels will be addressed.
In general, more public involvement and debate is also needed to ensure that policy decisions, including research funding decisions, are not driven by a narrow range of vested interests.
Notes to editors:
1) The full report and a summary briefing is available for download at www.genewatch.org
2) Low Carbon Transport: A Greener Future. A Carbon Reduction Strategy for Transport. Department for Transport (July 2009) http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/carbonreduction/
3) The Renewable Energy Strategy (RES) July 2009 www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/uk_supply/energy_mix/renewable/res/res.aspx <http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/uk_supply/energy_mix/renewable/res/res.aspx>
4) BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre http://bsbec.bbsrc.ac.uk/
For further information contact
Becky Price, Mobile: 07949396328
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2.Joule Biotechnologies' Mysterious Biofuel Promises
Keith Johnson
The Wall Street Journal, July 27 2009
http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2009/07/27/joule-biotechnologies-mysterious-biofuel-promises/
The hits keep on coming from the merger of biotechnology and biofuels. Maybe.
Joule Biotechnologies, a Cambridge, Mass.-based startup, just launched the latest effort to use genetically-modified organisms to crank out vast quantities of clean fuel. The basic idea is to put Joule's mysterious organism into a big sun-drenched bioreactor and get it to continuously excrete oil””not regular plant oil, but a hydrocarbon-like substance, or even ethanol.
That is very similar to other recent announcements in the sector, including Exxon and Synthetic Genomics’ $600 million plan to boost biofuel production using human-genome-mapper Craig Venter’s bio-engineering skills.
But there are a few big differences. Exxon, like Dow Chemical, plans to use algae. It's not at all clear what Joule will be using to produce the oil. From the Boston Globe:
Although they say it's something that exists in nature, neither [chief executive Bill] Sims nor Joule cofounder David Berry would disclose what kind of organism the company modified to make fuel”¦"We do not require an intermediary algae. No grass. None of that stuff that has to be grown or harvested," Mr. Sims said.
That, and the use of bioreactors, is what Joule's says will give it such extraordinary yields: Up to 20,000 gallons per acre. That compares to about 2,000 gallons per acre foreseen in the Exxon project, and only about 250 gallons per acre from traditional corn ethanol. (NOTE: We’ve had pointed out to us that current yields add up to just over 400 gallons per acre.) Joule figures its fuel will be competitive with $50 oil.
One final difference: Joule hopes to build a pilot plant next year, and a commercial-scale plant by 2012. That's the same kind of ambitious timeline that has marked an awful lot of next-generation biofuel projects in recent years - projects that almost uniformly have failed to live up their hype.
In contrast, Exxon””which has a few more years experience in the fuels business””figures it will take them “five to ten years” to get even small-scale plants up and running.