Two U.S. departments said they plan to invest $18.4 million for biomass research, development and demonstration projects over three years.
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy said in a news release Tuesday the projects would address barriers to making production of biomass more cost-effectively and efficiently. Project funding is provided through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative, a joint USDA-DOE effort to develop the next generation of clean, bio-based technologies.
The project helps advance the President George Bush's strategy of developing more clean, bio-based products and biofuels to help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"These (funds) help fund the innovative research needed to develop technologies and systems that lead to the production of bio-based products and biofuels," Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said. "Funding new technologies will help make biofuels competitive with fossil fuels in the commercial market, putting America on the path of reducing its dependence on foreign oil."
Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said continued investment in biomass is critical to make available "clean, abundant and domestically produced biofuels for widespread use."
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
Related stories:
As planet swelters, are algae unlikely saviour?
As the world mulls over the conundrum of how to satisfy a seemingly endless appetite for energy and still slash greenhouse gas emissions, researchers have stumbled upon an unexpected hero: algae.
Researchers study ground cover to reduce impact of biomass harvest
Ground cover may be one workable method to reduce the effects of erosion that future biomass harvests are predicted to bring. Iowa State University researchers are looking at ways to use ground cover, a living grass planted between the rows of corn, in production farming.
Bioenergy potential of reviving abandoned agricultural land
Across the globe, hundreds of millions of acres of once-productive agricultural land lie abandoned, according to a new report from researchers at Stanford University and the Carnegie Institution for Science. If this land was used to grow crops for conversion into biofuel, it could help ease the energy crunch without worsening the world food shortage or contributing to global warming.
Abandoned farmlands are key to sustainable bioenergy
Biofuels can be a sustainable part of the world's energy future, especially if bioenergy agriculture is developed on currently abandoned or degraded agricultural lands, report scientists from the Carnegie Institution and Stanford University. Using these lands for energy crops, instead of converting existing croplands or clearing new land, avoids competition with food production and preserves carbon-storing forests needed to mitigate climate change. Sustainable bioenergy is likely to satisfy no more than 10% of the demand in the energy-intensive economies of North America, Europe, and Asia. But for some developing countries, notably in Sub-Saharan Africa, the potential exists to supply many times their current energy needs without compromising food supply or destroying forests.
Are microbes the answer to the energy crisis?
The answer to the looming fuel crisis in the 21st century may be found by thinking small, microscopic in fact. Microscopic organisms from bacteria and cyanobacteria, to fungi to microalgae, are biological factories that are proving to efficient sources of inexpensive, environmentally friendly biofuels that can serve as alternatives to oil, according to research presented at the 108th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Boston.
Money -- and patience -- needed for 2nd-generation biofuels
Next-generation biofuels that are greener than present crop-based fuels are in the works, but it will take many years, and massive financial support, before they reach the pump, experts say.
Important Plant Enzymes Identified
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have identified enzymes important in the modification of isoflavonoids, natural plant products that help plants resist fungal infections, and may have beneficial health effects for humans as well. The research, which will be published online May 22, 2008, in
The Plant Journal, may pave the way for implanting the isoflavonoid-synthesis pathway into bioenergy crops to promote disease resistance and thereby prevent yield losses, and/or to enhance the production of other useful chemical feedstocks.
Turning fungus into fuel
A spidery fungus with a voracious appetite for military uniforms and canvas tents could hold the key to improvements in the production of biofuels, a team of government, academic and industry researchers has announced.