In a pro-active attempt for the Brazilian ethanol industry to distance itself from ties to deforestation, the Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva recently announced a legislative proposal called, “The Agro-ecological Zoning of Sugarcane,” that would in essence, “zone” where sugarcane could be grown and harvested throughout the country. The amount of sugarcane grown has increased significantly due to worldwide demand of ethanol.
The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) responded positively to the proposal claiming that it, “will prove useful to enhance the sustainability of sugarcane expansion, by going beyond land use restrictions defined in some export markets.” Last week, UNICA released the estimated sugarcane harvest numbers, which are down due to heavy rains.
Although UNICA supports the idea in some aspects, they also note that various aspects need further analysis. One such area of concern involves the challenges in defining the concept of food security, due to the crop’s dual functions as to provide both food and energy. The proposal, as currently written, could lead to restrictions in growing sugarcane that would, according to UNICA, “have the reverse effect in terms of food security, by restricting the production of additional sugar.” Brazil supplies 60 percent of the world’s sugar needs after supplying its own.
UNICA notes that no forest lands need to be cleared to grow sugarcane as there are enough suitable lands for growing the crop particularily degraded pastures.
Mark your calendar for October 1st and 2nd for the third annual Alternative Energy Symposium held at the campus of Chicago State University.
A car that is part Prius Hybrid, part algae-biodiesel burner, has completed a 3,750-mile trip from San Francisco to New York City… the first cross-country trip running on a blend of algae-based gasoline in an unmodified engine.
The trip was sponsored by the Veggie Van Organization, the group founded by movie producer and biodiesel advocate Josh Tickell that is dedicated to moving the country away from petroleum. The trip was also to celebrate the nationwide opening of Tickell’s film FUEL, which aims to inspire green energy solution thinking, such as the Algaeus.
Since May, eight sweet sorghum varieties have been growing on a Wicomico County farm for evaluation as potential stock for ethanol production on the Delmarva peninsula. Dr. Samuel Geleta of Salisbury Univerisity’s Biological Sciences Department says about half of the varieties have already been harvested, with the rest to be finished by mid-October. Some of the plants grew to a height of 12 feet. He said sweet sorghum is attractive because it is drought resistant, fast-growing and has low nutrient and fertilization requirements. “Sweet sorghum can be grown on marginal land with less fertilizer and water as compared to corn,” Geleta said. “Since sweet sorghum juice contains simple sugar, producing ethanol from it simply requires extracting the juice and fermenting.”
Any good beer drinker knows that hops are primarily used to make beer and the vast majority of hops grown world wide are used by breweries. The top hops producing country is Germany, followed by the United States. Hops are used extensively in brewing today mainly because they balance the sweetness of the malt with bitterness, contributing a variety of desirable flavors and aromas, but also because they have an antibiotic effect that favors the activity of brewer’s yeast over less desirable microorganisms. 
“If EPA insists on counting the angels on the head of a pin, it needs to do so on every pin and that includes the indirect impacts of petroleum production and use,” said Renewable Fuels Association Bob Dinneen. “All energy choices come with trade-offs. By focusing solely on the impacts of biofuels, EPA has created shell game only petroleum can win. EPA must revisit its proposed rule, make its methodologies and calculations transparent, and redraft a program that is fair and workable for all parties. EPA’s current version fails on all counts.”
BP expects biofuels to displace 25 percent of fuel in the U.S. in the next two decades, the head of BP’s alternative energy unit said. 
Members of the 
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The lowly alfalfa crop could play a role in the future of cellulosic ethanol. 
Pioneer Director of Alfalfa Research Dave Miller says they believe cellulosic ethanol will need multiple feedstocks and alfalfa is a good fit for a number of reasons. “It’s great for crop rotation, its environmental benefits in terms of lack of soil erosion because it’s deep rooted and a perennial are well known, and it fixes nitrogen.”