Bioethanol from poplar: a commercially viable alternative to fossil fuel in the European Union

Background: The European Union has made it a strategic objective to develop its biofuels market in order to minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, to help mitigate climate change and to address energy insecurity within the transport sector. Despite targets set at national and supranational levels, lignocellulosic bioethanol production has yet to be widely commercialized in the European Union. Here, we use techno-economic modeling to compare the price of bioethanol produced from short rotation coppice (SRC) poplar feedstocks under two leading processing technologies in five European countries. Results: Our evaluation shows that the type of processing technology and varying national costs between countries results in a wide range of bioethanol production prices ((sic)0.275 to 0.727/l). The lowest production prices for bioethanol were found in countries that had cheap feedstock costs and high prices for renewable electricity. Taxes and other costs had a significant influence on fuel prices at the petrol station, and therefore the presence and amount of government support for bioethanol was a major factor determining the competitiveness of bioethanol with conventional fuel. In a forward-looking scenario, genetically engineering poplar with a reduced lignin content showed potential to enhance the competitiveness of bioethanol with conventional fuel by reducing overall costs by approximately 41% in four out of the five countries modeled. However, the possible wider phenotypic traits of advanced poplars needs to be fully investigated to ensure that these do not unintentionally negate the cost savings indicated. Conclusions: Through these evaluations, we highlight the key bottlenecks within the bioethanol supply chain from the standpoint of various stakeholders. For producers, technologies that are best suited to the specific feedstock composition and national policies should be optimized. For policymakers, support schemes that benefit emerging bioethanol producers and allow renewable fuel to be economically competitive with petrol should be established. Finally, for researchers, better control over plant genetic engineering and advanced breeding and its consequential economic impact would bring valuable contributions towards developing an economically sustainable bioethanol market within the European Union

Proximate composition and fatty acid and cholesterol content of 22 species of northwest Atlantic finfish

The moisture, fat, ash, fatty acid profile, and cholesterol content are reported for cooked and raw fillets from 22 species of finfish found in the Northwest Atlantic. All but nine species had 1%or less fat. Ocean perch and a spring sampling of mackerel and wolffiSh had about 2% fat, followed by yellowfin tuna, whiting, silver hake, butterfish, and a summer -sampling of mackerel and wolffish with a range of 3-7% fat. Herring had a range of 5-12% fat representing a winter sampling on the low end and summer sampling on the high end of the range. Bluefin tuna (a summer sampling) contained the most fat with a high of 23% fat. Omega-3 fatty acids were present in excess of omega-6 fatty acids. The fattier fISh supplied the most omega-3 fatty acids per gram of tissue. The mean cholesterol content for all species was 57 ± 16 mg/l00 g raw tissue. Finfish from the Northwest Atlantic would appear to fit into the regime for a healthy heart, being low in fat and cholesterol and rich in omega-3 fatty acids.(PDF file contains 42 pages.

Manufacturing with the Sun

Concentrated solar radiation is now a viable alternative source for many advanced manufacturing processes. Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have demonstrated the feasibility of processes such as solar induced surface transformation of materials (SISTM), solar based manufacturing, and solar pumped lasers. Researchers are also using sunlight to decontaminate water and soils polluted with organic compounds; these techniques could provide manufacturers with innovative alternatives to traditional methods of waste management. The solar technology that is now being integrated into today's manufacturing processes offer greater potential for tomorrow, especially as applied to the radiation abundant environment available in space and on the lunar surface

Cure monitoring of a UV cured epoxy resin using a long period grating Mach- Zehnder interferometer

A cascaded long period grating Mach-Zehnder interferometer is used to monitor the change in refractive index of a UV cured epoxy resin over a cure cycle. Fourier techniques are used to calculate the phase shift and frequency spectral amplitude of the associated fringe pattern during the cure. The results are compared with the refractive index change during cure calculated using a Fresnel reflection based technique

Extension of the season of production and quality improvement of a range of vegetable crops.

End of Project ReportThe use of modules for propagation together with growing aids such as plastic covers after transplanting has brought forward significantly the start of the harvest season and improved yield and quality of several important brassicas including swede, cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage. These container grown plants (modules) enables crops to be grown for part of the life cycle under protection in early spring and transplanted outside in March/April when conditions become favourable.European Union Structural Funds (EAGGF

Ratio of solid velocity to mixture velocity in slurry flow

The study consisted of two parts, a theoretical analysis of the problem and an experimental investigation under controlled conditions. The theoretical analysis resulted in an equation which expressed the velocity ratio in terms of dimensionless parameters representing the distribution of the particles in the mixture, the slip between the solid particles and the adjacent fluid, and the velocity distribution of the fluid in the conduit

World distribution of Minthea rugicollis (Coleoptera : Lyctidae)

The distribution of Minthea rugicollis worldwide is presented based on a compilation of literature records of population establishments and also from the world collection of M. rugicollis at the Natural History Museum, London. The distribution map derived indicates the limits of distribution for M. rugicollis to be 40° north and south of the Equator, with maximum distribution within 20° north and south. The present compiled records of occurrence of established populations as well as reports on repeated accidental introductions strongly suggest M. rugicollis is not capable of establishing populations under outdoor temperate conditions

Bending and Tensile Properties of Vapor Boron-Treated Composites

North American composites, including laminated veneer lumber, oriented strandboard, and medium density fiberboard, were treated by vapor boron technology and subsequently tested in static bending. Tensile properties were also determined for the two composite board products. The study was designed as a 2 x 3 factorial with two mill locations and three treatment levels for each composite type. In general, mill location significantly affected most property values, while treatment level caused only significant reductions at the highest treatment level. The significance of mill location was attributed mainly to species differences since species varied between locations for each composite type