Articles with the keyword: 
The bright side of biofuels isn't so bright
Darkfrog submitted, created time 4 months 1 week (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)
The argument in favor of biofuels--petroleum-replacement fuels made from plants like corn, soybeans and switchgrass--is that while burning oil releases new carbon into the air, burning biofuels would release only the carbon that the plants had absorbed from the air during their growth cycle. The net effect would be zero.
However, if one looks at the big picture, biofuels lose their luster. Not only has the conversion of food farms to fuel farms driven up food prices worldwide, but in the tropics, farmers are cutting down carbon-absorbing forests for corn plantations 
Food crisis calls for renewed vigor in agricultural research
Darkfrog submitted, created time 6 months 2 weeks (www.nature.com)
Agricultural research may not sound flashy--it includes everything from high-yield crop varieties to pest and weed control--but experts claim that a lack of it is the underlying cause of our current food shortages in the developing world, and that it is likely to be the cause of future shortages if the problem is not corrected.
While there is a focus on agricultural research in the developing world, this is limited to four countries: China, Brazil, South Africa and India. At the same time, there is less and less transfer of technology and information from first-world countries like the U
Molten salts give biofuels a boost
kavin submitted, created time 6 months 3 weeks (www.sciencenews.org)
As we know, it is favourable that breaking down cellulose could improve prospects for energy-efficient biofuels. But it is diffecult to degrade cellulose. In this study, the researchers find that molten salts can help break down the tough, energy-containing cellulose molecules without creating unwanted by-products.
Strained economy makes genetically modified corn more palatable
Darkfrog submitted, created time 7 months 16 hours (www.nytimes.com)
I've been saying it: Things affect each other in ways that we can't always predict. The global economy coupled with new interest in biofuels has made food prices skyrocket. The result? Soft drink companies in Asia are foregoing traditionally grown corn in favor of genetically modified corn.
Less pesticide, less herbicide, less expensive. Genetically modified corn deserves its shot!
Advanced biofuels face an uncertain future
jane2007 submitted, created time 7 months 1 week (www.nature.com)
Although the US Congress intended to convince technologists that a substantial market was guaranteed, the fact is that the aggressive US mandate may do more harm than good.
Bacteria in Soil Eat Antibiotics
jane2007 submitted, created time 7 months 2 weeks (online.wsj.com)
Harvard researchers have discovered hundreds of germs in soil that literally gobble up antibiotics, able to thrive with the potent drugs as their sole source of nutrition. But that's not entirely all bad news.
Nitrate Threatening the Nation's Watersheds
Vincent submitted, created time 8 months 1 week (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)
There's mixed news about how the country's streams and rivers are handling increased loads of nitrate from human activities. The ecosystems are normally highly tolerant of the chemical, which is good. But new research shows that nitrate absorption can reach a limit, and that's what is happening in many areas. Worse, the budding biofuel industry figures to release even more nitrate into watersheds in the coming years.
Another Problem with Biofuels?
jane2007 submitted, created time 8 months 1 week (www.time.com)
Agricultural fertilizer byproducts like nitrogen are running off farms and into streams and rivers, they in turn feed excess growth of algae. When algae dies and decomposes, the process sucks much of the oxygen out of the water. Fish and other sea life flee, or suffocate. Is it another problem with biofuels?
One leap for biofuel-based jets
Sue Wu submitted, created time 8 months 3 weeks (www.sciam.com)
Virgin Atlantic became the first commercial airplane operator to fly a plane powered partially by palm oil this week. The jet's engine had not been given any special modifications and there had been some doubts about whether the palm oil would gum up when exposed to the low temperatures of the altitude, but all went well. The only remaining issues, according to the article, are the economic and ecological ramifications of using palm oil. It might drive up the prices of cooking oil in certain parts of the world, and people might cut down rainforests for palm plantations
jane2007 submitted, created time 9 months 3 days (www.time.com)
Most of us think using biofuels rather than oil would reduce the greenhouse gases that accelerate global warming. But according new research, biofuels may not fulfill that promise — and in fact, may be worse for the climate than the fossil fuels, almost all the biofuels used today cause more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels, if the full environmental cost of producing them is factored in.
Trash-Based Biofuels: From Landfill to Full Tank of Gas
sumsung submitted, created time 9 months 1 week (www.sciam.com)
The remains of plants processed for human purposes molder in landfills across the world. Whether waste paper or raked leaves, the plant remnants still contain cellulose, a sugar in greenery that bonds with the chemical compound lignin to furnish a plant's structure. Microbes living in the landfills break down this cellulose into methane, which slowly seeps to the surface and into the atmosphere, where it is a potent greenhouse gas. BlueFire Ethanol, Inc., in Irvine, Calif., would rather harvest that energy for use as cellulosic ethanol fuel.
Eric wu submitted, created time 9 months 3 weeks (www.sciencedaily.com)
A team of researchers headed by an environmental engineer at Washington University in St. Louis is plying new techniques to produce a biofuel superior to ethanol.
Biofuels may threaten environment, U.N. warns
davidd submitted, created time 9 months 3 weeks (www.cnn.com)
The biofuels are better for the environment than fossil fuels and boost energy security for many countries. However, many pitfalls are just now emerging as countries convert millions of acres to palm oil, sugar cane and other crops used to make biofuels.
Scientists Synthesize a Genome From Scratch
sumsung submitted, created time 9 months 4 weeks (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)
Researchers have rebuilt an entire genome from scratch, they report online today in Science. Although the team has yet to demonstrate that this DNA can substitute for the real thing, the work paves the way for customized bacteria that could efficiently produce drugs, biofuels, and other molecules useful to humankind.
Biofuels may have a hope from switchgrass
DanyC submitted, created time 10 months 1 week (environment.newscientist.com)
This is a continual attention new about biofuels
THE future of biofuels just got brighter. Yields from farm-scale plantings of the switchgrass Panicum virgatum suggest that producing ethanol from the cellulose in these crops will be about twice as energy-efficient as previously estimated.
From the biomass of grasses harvested, they calculated that ethanol derived from them should yield 5.4 times as much energy as all these inputs combined .
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