A genetic boost towards producing a higher quality fuel, suitable for use in motor vehicles and aeroplanes: Genetic modification by scientists in Singapore has produced jatropha that is capable of producing a fuel with a longer shelf life and lower CO2 emissions, in addition to its ability to grow in poor soil and produce a high oil yield, resulting in a viable and environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuel. Read more.

Feng Zengkun for The Straits Times (15 May 2012)

Better quality oil from fuel crop plant

Scientists here have genetically modified a biodiesel plant to produce better quality oil.

The plant, called Jatropha, is grown in countries such as the Philippines, India and Brazil, and its oil is used as an environmentally friendly alternative to petrol in cars and aeroplanes.

The scientists modified a gene in the plant so that it produces a higher percentage of oleic acid. This produces fuel that can be stored for longer periods, emits lower carbon dioxide and provides a smoother ride when used in vehicles.

The project, a collaboration between the Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory and global bioenergy firm JOil, is believed to be the first of its kind in the world.

While the research has been done in laboratories to date, the scientists plan to set up a farm in Singapore by year-end to test their new strain in the field. They declined to provide the farm’s location.

The two-year trial will cost about $1 million and take up 1.4ha, about the size of three football fields. This will be funded by JOil, which is conducting Jatropha trials in India and Indonesia.

Jatropha has been touted as a wonder crop because it can produce more oil per hectare compared with other crops grown for the same purpose, such as soybean and corn.

It can also survive in poor soil, which means it does not need to be grown on land which would otherwise be used for food crops. The crop thrives in warm, frost-free climates.

Carriers such as Germany’s Lufthansa, Brazil’s TAM Airlines, Air New Zealand and Air China are starting or have already carried out successful Jatropha fuel trials on their planes.

But detractors say the plant requires too much water and that growing it in poor soil results in harvests that yield little oil, although this has been disputed.

The crop has suffered several high-profile setbacks in recent years.

In 2009, oil and gas giant BP pulled out of a deal involving some 200,000ha of the crop in Africa, India and South- east Asia – about 25 per cent of worldwide Jatropha planting at the time.

Dr Hong Yan, JOil’s chief scientific officer, said the team is working on improving their crop’s yield and expects to double it from about 1,500kg of oil per hectare now to 3,000kg by 2020.

The figures are for the plant cultivated on land which is not fit for food crop production.

The scientists also plan to test the new breed in various tropical and subtropical climates, such as those in India and Africa, in future.

They are also conducting research into farming practices, such as finding the ideal amount of fertiliser and pesticides to be used, and spacing between plants that could further increase its yield.

And the team is further refining the plant to make it withstand droughts and insects better.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

A tiny single-cell organism could be a key source of fuel for powering jet planes in future. The simplest of organisms – algae – might hold the key to the development of clean and affordable biofuel, as Japanese research shows. Producing oil at a higher efficiency than oil palm, euglena algae also does not compete for land with other food crops, minimising its impact on food prices. Read more.

Kwan Weng Kin for The Straits Times (12 May 2012)

From ‘green bug’ to green energy

Researchers at Japan start-up plan commercial production of jet fuel from algae by 2018

TOKYO: As a graduate student, Mr Kengo Suzuki used to spend hours in the lab studying ways to speed up the growth of a variety of algae known as euglena.

Today, the 32-year-old helms research that has not only turned the tiny single-cell organism into a key source of fuel for powering jet planes in future, but also made it a nutritious addition to pasta sauce and food bars.

In Japan, the 0.1mm-long, egg-shaped organism is commonly known as midorimushi – literally, green bug – because of its colour.

Euglena contains an oily substance that can be processed into biofuel. The algae, which lives in fresh water, was first successfully cultivated in bulk in 2005.

A start-up that Mr Suzuki helped to set up in August 2005 has already successfully extracted oil from the algae.

The start-up, which goes by the name Euglena, has a laboratory within the grounds of prestigious Tokyo University.

Mr Suzuki, who is head of research and development, and eight research staff are currently engaged in finding ways to grow the algae commercially and to turn euglena-derived oil into jet fuel.

What makes euglena so eminently suitable as a source of a new type of recyclable energy is its huge capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, which it turns into food and oil through a chemical process.

‘Compared to oil palm, for instance, euglena produces more than 10 times as much oil per unit area,’ said Mr Suzuki, who graduated from Tokyo University’s Faculty of Agriculture.

‘The oil from euglena can also be easily processed into jet fuel,’ he added. The reason is that the oily substance in Euglena has a molecular structure that makes it suitable for use as jet fuel.

Unlike biofuels produced from sugar cane or corn that compete with other crops for land and consequently drive up food prices, euglena has no impact on food production as it grows in water, Mr Suzuki pointed out.

Nevertheless, cost remains a major hurdle to the use of euglena-derived biofuel.

‘At the moment, the production cost is very high. But we already know how we can commercialise it. What is left is to be able to do so on a scale large enough to make it cheap,’ he said.

The company hopes to make jet fuel from euglena commercially available by 2018. Mr Suzuki declined, however, to disclose details of the project as the company is working with two major firms.

One partner, Nippon Oil Corp, has the know-how to process euglena into jet fuel. The other, Hitachi Plant Technologies, has the incubation and other technologies to grow euglena on a large scale.

Experts have lauded the research that can produce jet fuel from algae.

‘Japan does not have enough farmland to make biofuel from crops, unlike countries like Brazil. So making biofuel from algae is right for Japan, since not much land is required,’ said Mr Toshihide Ohnuma, deputy director for the Japan Petroleum Energy Centre, which promotes petroleum technologies and conducts studies on the energy sector.

Dr Hironori Miyauchi, who is with the Japan Research Institute’s Centre for the Strategy of Emergence, believes that euglena research holds great promise for the future.

‘Fossil fuels are expected to be depleted in time. Even if fuel from algae cannot completely replace fossil fuels, it can be used in combination with fossil fuels,’ said Dr Miyauchi, whose work involves analysing problems faced by government, society and industries and creating new businesses for clients.

Professor Hiroshi Nakamura of the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology says oil from euglena is a good substitute for palm oil.

‘Fuel from euglena is useful in helping to diversify our oil resources. It also boosts our energy security by allowing us to produce our own fuel,’ said the expert on marine-related bio industries.

‘What’s crucial is whether we can produce euglena in the large quantities needed, and also produce the jet fuel cheaply enough,’ he said.

The government will have to play a role in bringing costs down.

‘Government subsidies will be needed at first, probably in the form of tax breaks, to make prices of algae biofuel compatible with those of fossil fuels,’ said Dr Miyauchi.

But euglena is in the spotlight not just as a source of recyclable biofuel.

Scientists have long known euglena to be a rich source of nutrients, from amino acids to vitamins.

In fact, turning euglena into food is far easier than getting oil from it. Which is why, after extensive test-marketing, the start-up recently launched a line of euglena-fortified foodstuff including rice, pasta sauce and energy bars.

The company hopes to eventually produce euglena in countries where people have difficulty obtaining nutritious food.

Euglena, which is very rich in protein, has also been successfully tested as livestock feed and pet food.

In addition, the ‘green bug’ is set to play a key role in cleaning up the environment. Given its ability to absorb huge quantities of carbon dioxide, its cultivation will help cut carbon dioxide emissions from thermal power plants and industrial facilities.

Euglena has been found to grow much faster in carbon dioxide-saturated environments. It makes food through photosynthesis, a process that uses water, carbon dioxide and some minerals, and produces oxygen as a result.

Tropical rainforests use the same process to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. But Mr Suzuki says euglena is far more efficient at doing so.

In February this year, the start-up launched a joint research programme with Tokyo’s Waterworks Department to use euglena to treat waste water by making use of its ability to absorb nitrogen and phosphorus.

Source: www.straitstimes.com/