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NEWS ISU builds farm for biomass development
Enzyme developer teams with CTC Danish biotechnology giant Novozymes recently signed an agreement with Brazil’s Sugarcane Center of Technology (CTC) to collaborate on ethanol production from sugarcane bagasse. Under the agreement, Novozymes will provide enzyme technology that will enable higher ethanol yields, thereby optimizing the economy and energy balance of the process. “We are really looking forward to the cooperation with CTC, being it’s an important player in the Brazilian biofuels sector,” said Novozymes Chief Executive Officer Steen Riisgaard. “The research agreement is part of our efforts to identify economically profitable processes within the development of biofuels from plant waste and other biomass, and although it will be a few years before we know the extent to which the cooperation can be commercialized, we see considerable potential.” Based in Piracicaba in the state of São Paulo, the CTC carries out research in the areas of mechanic planting and harvesting, biotechnology, biological pest control, sugar and alcohol production, and power generation, among other interests. Current CTC projects include harvesting the domestic sugarcane varieties with high productivity rates, yields and pest resistance. -Jessica Ebert
16 BIOMASS MAGAZINE 12|2007
Construction began this fall on Iowa State University’s (ISU) New Century Farm, which has been designed to serve as a laboratory for developing and testing sustainable biomass systems. DuPont, through its subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., has pledged $1 million from 2008 to 2012 to help support research at the facility. ISU anticipates raising $2.6 million annually from external grants and contracts to support scientific investigations. The first year’s infrastructure developments currently underway are budgeted at $19 million, which will cover the construction, equipment and start-up costs of the biomass processing facility. A machinery workshop is being built for planting, harvesting and transporting machinery development. An on-site laboratory and a scaleup processing facility will be used for research and demonstration of biochemical and thermochemical pretreatments, and conversion platforms. The New Century Farm will include storage buildings for feedstocks, and production and harvesting equipment. Funds will also be used to install field equipment for long-term environmental monitoring of soil and water resources. The farm will address several questions of importance for biorenewables, such as: Crop production: What are the optimal biomass production systems? This will include work on species, crop rotations, nutrient and energy inputs, and management practices. Germplasm development: Can selection and breeding improve conventional and alternative biomass crops, both herbaceous and woody? Environmental impact: How can biomass production improve environmental quality, and what practices will ensure that biomass harvest won’t compromise natural resources? Harvest, transport and storage: What new equipment and technologies will enable the collection, storage and transportation of large amounts of biomass required for biorefineries? Biomass processing: How will bio-
Source: Iowa State University
chemical, thermochemical and hybrid technologies perform in converting biomass to fuels and biobased products? To what extent can processing byproducts be recycled through the system to minimize inputs to the agroecosystem and improve soil? The New Century Farm is the first integrated and sustainable biofuel feedstock production system of its kind, according to ISU. The laboratory will be linked to molecular and traditional plant sciences, as well as advanced processing research. Basic and applied research will be conducted to achieve short-term and long-term advances in biorenewable fuels, and biobased products. The facility will also provide a venue for education and training, pulling together the research, teaching and extension functions at ISU. -Susanne Retka Schill