Energy-Charged Epidemic

Biomass Power & Thermal
By Anna Austin April 05, 201

An exploration of the mountain pine beetle infestation reveals its depth, possible ways to combat it, and uses for millions of acres of dead wood

Letting nature take its course has historically been one of the most effective ways to deal with natural disasters, as oftentimes these matters are out of the hands of mankind. Occasionally, however, there are ways to mitigate these occurrences while drawing value from them.

The great pine beetle outbreak of the Rocky Mountain West is a good example. The epidemic has swept across the forests of Colorado and Wyoming, devouring more than 3.5 million acres of forests, and it stretches all the way from Mexico to British Columbia, where more than 40 million acres are infested.

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UGA Researchers Develop Super Yeast That Turns Pine Into Ethanol

WoodworkingNetwork.com
11/17/2011 9:07:00 AM

ATHENS, GA – Researchers at the University of Georgia have developed a “super strain” of yeast that can efficiently ferment ethanol from pretreated pine—one of the most common species of trees in Georgia and the U.S. Their research could help biofuels replace gasoline as a transportation fuel.

“Companies are interested in producing ethanol from woody biomass such as pine, but it is a notoriously difficult material for fermentations,” said Joy Doran-Peterson, associate professor of microbiology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

“The big plus for softwoods, including pine, is that they have a lot of sugar that yeast can use,” she said. “Yeast are currently used in ethanol production from corn or sugarcane, which are much easier materials for fermentation; our process increases the amount of ethanol that can be obtained from pine.”

Before the pinewood is fermented with yeast, however, it is pre-treated with heat and chemicals, which help open the wood for enzymes to break the cellulose down into sugars. Once sugars are released, the yeast will convert them to ethanol, but compounds produced during pretreatment tend to kill even the hardiest industrial strains of yeast, making ethanol production difficult.

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Tree breeding technique identified for better bioenergy use

Ethanol Producer Magazine
By Holly Jessen October 12, 2011

Researchers from the University of Florida have found a way for tree breeders to create a new pine variety in about six years—less than half than the more than 13 years it takes without the genetic technique. The model allows researchers to accurately predict tree traits without growing it in an eight-year field test.

The plus for potential wood-to-ethanol producers is that the new method could enable faster development of trees for bioenergy. “If we can modify traits much faster, we can create more specialized trees that can be grown for different products than just pulp and paper and solid wood,” said Gary Peter, a professor in UF’s school of forest resources and conservation. “We can tailor them for energy conversion.”

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UF technique to help pine forests adapt to climate change, bioenergy use

University of Florida News
Thursday, October 6, 2011

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A breakthrough in pine tree breeding will lead to forests better adapted to climate change and bioenergy use, University of Florida researchers report.

The improved forests will stem from a genetic technique the researchers have developed that can create new tree varieties in half the time it takes current breeding methods.

The technique, detailed in a study published online Wednesday by the journal New Phytologist, is expected to increase the security and competitiveness of the U.S. forestry industry.

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Virent makes biogasoline from corn stover, pine waste

Biofuels Digest
Thomas Saidak June 3, 2011

In Wisconsin, Virent announced they have successfully produced biogasoline from corn stover and pine harvest forest residuals, as a recipient of the U.S. Department of Energy’s February 2010 grant to the National Advanced Biofuels Consortium (NABC).

Virent’s milestone supports the NABC’s goal to develop technologies to convert cellulosic biomass feedstocks into hydrocarbon fuels that are sustainable, cost-effective and compatible with existing infrastructure.

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Restoration Institute, Savannah River National Laboratory partner to develop bioenergy

Clemson University
DATE: March 17, 2009

NORTH CHARLESTON — In a move that will advance development of alternative energy in South Carolina, the state’s leading bioenergy researchers have teamed to study how South Carolina’s agricultural resources can help reduce the state’s and nation’s dependence on fossil fuels.

The Clemson University Restoration Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River National Laboratory are founding members of the S.C. BioEnergy Research Collaborative, which was formed last year.

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