The use of sugarcane bagasse hydrolyzate as a carbon source for enhanced oil production by activated sludge microbial cultures was investigated. Cultivation of raw activated sludge inoculum using pure xylose as carbon source was necessary prior to bagasse hydrolyzate feeding for microbial...

This article analyses the current state of the debate over competition for land use, by means of an index of the main arguments in favor and against the production of liquid biofuels and the impacts on food production. Based on this index, an analytic framework is constructed to establish the...

This study outlines a number of issues of a political nature, associated with the implementation of renewables, with the primary emphasis on the recent European push for the production of liquid biofuels. In recent years biofuels have been gaining increasing attention as a potential alternative...

The oil crisis and the global effort to control the greenhouse effect have forced the researchers to think of various alternative energy sources. This decade has seen increasing importance of chemically treated vegetable oil biodiesel fuels for various applications in heat engines. Post-Kyoto...

The rapid rise in crude oil prices and the geo-political uncertainty associated with ensuring uninterrupted supplies have compelled researchers, economists and politicians to look for indigenous substitutes. Liquid biofuels – ethanol and biodiesel – are widely recognized, technically...

The Biofuels Directive places an onus on EU member states to ensure that biofuels are placed on their markets. This paper investigates the use of CH4-enriched biogas as a fuel. A number of options, which produce CH4-enriched biogas, were analysed from technical, economic and environmental...

Basic biomass sources in Lithuania are comprised of wood, straw, biofuel and biogas. The current status and the problems from using biomass for energy production in Lithuania are analyzed. The possibility of utilizing wood waste, firewood, straw and biogas for energy is evaluated. Forest...

This paper deals with a methodology for calculating the greenhouse gas (GHG) balances of bioenergy systems producing electricity, heat and transportation biofuels from biomass residues or crops. Proceeding from the standard Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) as defined by ISO 14040 norms, this work...

Careful selection of crop species, amoung other aspects, is very helpful in enhancing energy production by way of increased biomass yields from agricultural land. A wide range of C3 and C4 plant species has been introduced and investigated for their environmental and climatic impact. The results...

The risk of biofuel feedstock species becoming invasive, outcompeting native species and threatening livelihoods is increasing as more advanced crops are planted. However, such risk has so far received limited attention. Biofuel crops are not, by definition, invasive. However, they can become...