May 2007
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Bioenergy > Bioenergy timeline > 2007 > May 2007
This page includes information on News and Events in May 2007.
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Events
- 29 April-2 May 2007, Terrigal, New South Wales, Australia - International Agrichar Initiative 2007 Conference. Conference on agrichar.
- 2 May 2007, New York, New York, USA: UNCSD15 side event - "Biofuels: a tool for conservation?". Organized by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) with participation from FAO, NWF, IIED, Trees Onfarm Network and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels.
- 7-11 May 2007, Berlin, Germany: the 15th European Biomass Conference & Exhibition. Organized by ETA-Florence and WIP-Munich.
- 8 May 2007, Belgrade, Serbia: Renewable Fuels - Road to Energy Independence.
- 9-11 May 2007, Singapore: 10th IMPCA Asian Methanol Conference 2007.
- 15-16 May 2007, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA: Biomass 2007 - Power, Fuels, and Chemicals Workshop, sponsored by the Center for Renewable Energy-one of the Energy & Environmental Research Center's (EERC's) ten Centers of Excellence-the U.S. Department of Energy, and the North Dakota Department of Commerce Division of Community Services State Energy Program.
- 22-24 May 2007, Seville Spain: World Biofuels 2007 The 6th annual conference organised by F.O. Licht and Focus-Abengoa
- 23-24 May 2007, Manila, Phillipines: Biofuels & Feedstocks.
- 23-24 May 2007, Aberdeen, UK: All Energy '07.
- 24-25 May 2007, Singapore: Asia Biofuels Transportation.
- 29-30 May 2007, Munich, Germany: Biorefinery Technology Conference.
- 29-31 May 2007, Prague, Czech Republic: Eastern Biofuels Conference & Expo III
- 29-31 May 2007, London, United Kingdom: Corporate Climate Response.
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News
- Camelina could lead drive for new source of biofuel 28 May 2007 from the Tri-City Herald. Camelina, "a plant that flourished in Europe roughly 3,500 years ago could become a major source of biofuel and a potentially major new crop" in the US. Camelina may be able to "grow in more arid conditions, and does not require extensive use of expensive fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, and may produce more oil from its seeds than other crops such as canola and at, by some estimates, half the price".
- Biofuel boom jacks up price of beer in Germany 29 May 2007 from the China Post. In Germany, The price of barley, one of the main ingredients in beer, has doubled recently as more farmers switch to canola and other biofuel crops that get subsidies from the government. The result is likely to be higher beer prices, which is leading some to call for an end to biofuel subsidies.
- Biofuels not as green as they seem (EMPA, Switzerland) in French, 24 May 2007. EMPA, a Swiss research facility, has published a report Ökobilanz von Energieprodukten, which states that biofuels may even cost more fossil energy than they save. Furthermore, they may have other detrimental impacts on the environment (forest depletion, substances emitted into the air, soil or water, for instance),. comprising a real trade-off for any GHG reduction. Results are based on Life Cycle Assessments. The report does give some hope as to how by-products, such as cellulosic residues, or wood could reduce these types of impact.executive summary
- India's Group of Ministers likely to resolve bio-diesel row this week, 21 May 2007 from the Financial Express. Indian Ministers from are working out an agreement on India's National Bio-fuel Policy. The disagreement centers around funding for the jatropha biodiesel program as well as the minimum support price (MSP) for biofuel crops like jatropha and karanj.
- Europe threatens trade war over US biodiesel subsidies, 22 May 2007 from The Independent. The European Biodiesel industry is claiming that the US "B99" subsidy is undercutting their industry. Particularly galling is the "splash and dash" loophole, which has allowed US traders to buy biodiesel in Europe, ship it back to the US, blend it <1% gasoline to earn the subsidy and ship it back to Europe. This is seen as undercutting both European producers as well as undercutting the greenhouse gas benefits of biofuels.
- Patent Pending: New Biofuel Developed at UGA, 21 May 2007 from Renewable Energy Access.com. Researchers at University of Georgia have developed an advanced form of pyrolysis that produces a bio-oil from wood chips or biomass pellets that can be used in conventional engines.
- A who's who of Indonesian biofuel, 22 May 2007, from Asia Times Online. Many of the companies that are now investing heavily in Indonesia's biodiesel industry are the sames ones that "incurred and defaulted on huge foreign debts in the wake of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. Few fully repaid their debts and today they still dominate the country's logging, wood-processing and pulp industries. Several also have highly suspect environmental records."
- Calif. to rank greenhouse gas content of fuels - Plan could also include trade system between firms with low, high content, 15 May 2007 by Reuters, reported that that U.S. state of California will publish a "ranking of greenhouse gas emissions from motor fuels with the goal of encouraging people to use low-carbon alternatives." The analysis will cover the entire life cycle of fuels, "from extraction and harvesting to combustion" including "the fertilizer and diesel used to grow and harvest corn-based ethanol from the U.S. Midwest". (Learn more about California's policies.)
- Biofuel Crops Could Drain Developing World Dry, 10 May 2007 from Allafrica.com. Irrigation for biofuel crops could put a major strain on water resources in developing countries, many of which are already under strain.
- Boom in biofuel leading to higher costs for food, 11 May 2007 from the Asahi Shinbun. The increase in US corn going to ethanol production is driving up the prices of other products. In particular farmers are planting less soybeans, which has resulted in a 10% increase in the price of mayonnaise made by Japan's largest producer. It was their first price hike in 17 years. Beer and beef producers are also feeling the pressure.
- Biofuels becoming a headache for OPEC, 10 May 2007 from Biopact. "Fuad Siala, alternative energy sources analyst at OPEC has stated that "increased use of biofuels and other measures that steer consumers away from oil could prompt OPEC to rethink its investment plans".
- Utah to make biofuels from highway crops, 9 May 2007 from Associated Content. The Utah Department of Transportation is piloting a plan to plant crops to produce biodiesel along 100,000 acres of right-of-way areas alongside its highways. Crops that are under consideration include safflower, canola, and perennial flax.
- Editorial: Don't sacrifice land for ethanol, 6 May 2007 from The Star Tribune. A coalition of grain and feed organizations has asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns to open up the nation's largest soil conservation bank, the Conservation Reserve Program, to let farmers plant more corn. They are requesting that farmers be let out of their CRP contracts without penalty. However, most of the land in CRP is highly erodible and provides important protection for water quality and wildlife, and is not suitable for growing corn.
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