IEA Bioenergy
New Zealand is a member of the IEA Bioenergy Task 39 "Commercialising 1st- and 2nd- Generation Liquid Biofuels from Biomass". Scion is the NZ representative on the Task group.
The Task group bring together leading researchers, government officials and industry pioneers in a continuing bid to successfully introduce biofuels for transportation into the commercial marketplace. The Group's activities are organised into two subtasks, which include the technical challenges of 'second-generation' biofuel production, as well as the market, policy and implementation issues that must be addressed in commercialisation of all biofuels. It commissions a series of authoritative reports in its areas of interest.
New Zealand focused articles
- Biodiesel niche, Ceana Priest, Waikato Times (December 2010).
- Air New Zealand commits to biofuels, Biofuel Review (June 08)
- “Baa-baa black gold - In search of the BETTER OIL”, bright (the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise publication), (March/April 2007).
- Labour’s biofuels ‘dog’ has had its day, Independent Financial Review, Jenni McManus, (November 2008).
- Ethanol, e.nz magazine, (January/February 2009).
- Pure Power launches salix cultivation in New Zealand as cellulosic ethanol feedstock
- Kiwi company pushes Salix as biofuel crop
New Zealand Reports / Research and Policy Papers / Presentations
- Some biofuels are better than others: Thinking strategically about biofuels
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment's overview:
"The purpose of this report is to take a fresh look at biofuels – to think strategically about how they might lessen our dependence on fossil fuels and thus reduce our greenhouse gas emissions...."
" ..... if biofuels are to play a significant role in our energy future, we should move toward developing drop-in biodiesel made from wood. Some biofuels are good, some are bad, and some are probably downright ugly. The challenge that lies before us is to develop and commercialise biofuels in a practicable way that will significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, improve our energy security, and genuinely make our country cleaner and greener"
Report (PDF 2,698.88KB)
Appendix A (PDF 1,352.16KB)
Appendix B (PDF 762.06KB
- Biodiesel Grants Scheme - Progress Report confirms Scheme success and recommends immediate Scheme extension, February 2011
- The use of tallow-sourced biodiesel in New Zealand, I Bruyninckx, Master of Engineering Studies, University of Auckland, November 2010
- Efficiency improvements by geothermal heat integration in a lignocellulosic biorefinery. Bioresour. Technol. (2010), doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.07.011, Sohel MI, Jack M
- Energy Farming with Willow in New Zealand, Kevin Snowden, Ian McIvor, Ian Nicholas.
- Mandatory transport biofuels - Costs and benefits of mandatory biofuel blends in transport fuels, NZIER, Report to Ministry of Economic Development, 22 November 2004.
- Encouraging uptake of transport biofuels, Assessment of policy alternatives, NZIER, Report to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, May 2005.
- Biofuels Distribution Options, Prepared for Ministry of Transport, Hale and Twomey, March 2006.
- Biofuels Sales Obligation, A Discussion Paper on Proposed Policy, September 2006.
- The Manufacturer of Ethanol from Whey, Anchor Ethanol Plant at Tirau.
- FIDA Engineering Solutions: Remote Bio energy Report - Bio-oil Option, Alternative Energy Solutions, Sept 2007.
- Energy (Fuels, Levies, and References) Biofuel Obligation Repeal Bill, 28 November 2008.
- Estimate of the Energy Potential for Fuel Ethanol from Putrescible Waste in New Zealand, Waste Solutions Ltd, June 2005.
- The feasibility of a wood to ethanol plant using a thermo-chemical process, Report for EECA (public release version), Lanzatech - August 2008.
- Consumer Information on Biofuel Sustainability, Options For Informing Consumers On Biofuel Sustainabilty, SKM Report for EECA, February 2008.
- Presentation to Eco Matters Trust, Andre Hamman, BioDiesel Discussion, 20th May 2009 (Click here to link to NZ Ester Fuels Ltd website)
- New - Feasibility of a wood to ethanol plant using a thermo-chemical process, click here for link to BKC website
- New - MxG for Sustainable Renewable Energy, The Crop You Probably Know Nothing About, Peter Brown PFS Consultants, Aug 2009
Other Sources of Information in New Zealand
Other sources of New Zealand focused reports can be found through the following links:
- The Ministry of Economic Development (MED)
- The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA)
- The Ministry of Transport (MoT)
- New Zealand Parliament web-site (search word ‘biofuels’) – results including Minister’s speeches, debates, written questions and Bills.
- The New Zealand Legislation website - the Engine Fuel Specifications Regulations 2011 were officially approved on 3 October 2011 and will be coming into effect on 1 December 2011. Further information on the review and decisions that culminated in these updated Engine Fuel Specifications Regulations is available on the Ministry of Economic Development website.
Case Studies
EECA has several Case Studies on its website - more details here
More Case Studies coming soon
International articles/studies
- Evaluating the opportunties for high blend liquid and gaseous biofuel penetration in the UK, report prepared for Low CVP by Transport and Travel Research Ltd in association with Fleetsolve, December 2009
- A Buyer's Guide to Rendered Fats, Render Magazine, February 2009
- Bioethanol - an alternative fuel, (Liontamer Protected Investments)
- How Canada ranks: A comparative study of national biofuels policies world-wide, March 2006.
- The Biodiesel Station, Sydney, Australia.
- Biofuels in Australia –Issues and Prospects, CSIRO, May 2007.
- Life Cycle Assessment – study of Biodiesel from Tallow and Used Vegetable Oil, Anneliese Niederl and Michael Narodoslawsky, Graz, December 2004.
- International Conference on Biofuels, Biofuels as a driving force of Sustainable Development, Sao Paulo, Brazil: Trip Report, Scion, Michael Jack, November 2008.
- Research: “Australia biodiesel market has potential”, Frost and Sullivan Research Report, February 2009.
- IPIECA/ISEE/GBC Workshop: Biofuel sustainability and Chains of Custody, September 2008.
- The Gallagher Review of the Indirect Effects of Biofuels, UK Review Report, July 2008.
- Production of biodiesel from jatropha curcas oil by using pilot biodiesel plant, D.RAMESH*, A.SAMAPATHRAJAN, P.VENKATACHALAM, India.
- Biodiesel Initiatives in Germany, Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, May 2005.
- IEA Report From 1st to 2nd Generation Biofuel Technologies - An overview of current industry and RD&D activities (extended Executive Summary), November 2008.
- US National Biofuels Action Plan, Biomass Research and Development Board, September 2008.
- The role of demand for biofuel in the agricultural commodity price spikes of 2007/08 - UK Defra Report, Jan 2010
Resources on Sustainability and Biofuels
International Articles / Papers
Resources on the debate around "sustainability and biofuels" are plenty - here is a brief selection:
- Flight path to Sustainable Aviation: Towards establishing a syustainable aviation fuels industry in Australia and New Zealand, CSIRO report, May 2011
- Sustainable Aviation Fuels Road Map: Data assumptions and modelling, CSIRO report , May 2011
- EU Leaflet – Advanced Biofuels - In the debate on climate change and reduction of greenhouse gases emissions, first, second or even third generation biofuels are frequently mentioned. The use of the concept of different generations can be in itself confusing. However it should be noted that it is a simplifying term used to categorise what is in reality a diverse range of technologies and feedstock types. Advanced biofuels (2nd and 3rd generations) offer the chance to have a better environmental impact and are aimed at the use of non-food feedstock and residues of food feedstock. Source – European Association for Bioindustries.
- European Guide to sustainable biofuels procurement for transport, 2009
- Environmental Sustainability Criteria for Biofuels, Europa Bio - The European Organisation for Bio industries - biofuels Fact Sheet.
- Biofuels sustainability in the European policy - presentation (January 2008).
- Wikipedia entry for Sustainable Biofuels and Sustainability standards for Biofuels (several useful reference here).
- Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (web-site) and (fact sheet) and more here on the Worldwatch Institute web-site.
- International Standards Organisation - Technical Committee (TC) 28 / Subcommittee 7 for the standardisation in the field of liquid biofuels
- Making Certification Work for Sustainable Development: The Case of Biofuels United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), October 2008. Investigates pros and cons of certifying biofuels on the basis of sustainability and what is required for a certification system to play a positive role for sustainable development without hindering international trade.
- 2008 White Paper on Internally Compatible Biofuels Standards: Request by the governments of the United States and Brazil and the EU. Produced by a joint task force after a six-month review process that considered thousands of pages of technical documents produced by ASTM International, the Brazilian Technical Standards Association (Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas or ABNT) and the Euopean Committee for Standardisation (CEN). Standards developed by these three SDOs are currently being used in support of biofuels commodities trading between nations.
- Biofuels Sustainability Criteria Relevant issues to the proposed Directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources - Study requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, Francis X. Johnson and Mikael Roman, June 2008.
UK Workshop - Biofuel Sustainability and Chains of Custody (Sept 2008).
- Biofuels: Environmental Consequences and Interactions with Changing Land Use - Proceedings of the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) International Biofuels Project Rapid Assessment, 22-25 September 2008, Gummersbach, Germany. R.W. Howarth and S. Bringezu, editors. 2009. Details here.
Table of Contents follows • Chapter 1. Introduction: Biofuels and the Environment in the 21st Century R.W. Howarth, S. Bringezu, L.A. Martinelli, R. Santoro, D. Messem, O.E. Sala • Chapter 2. Government Policies and Drivers of World Biofuels, Sustainability Criteria, Certification Proposals and their Limitations T.D. Searchinger • Chapter 3. Biomass Conversion to Fuels and Electric Power R.C. Brown and M. Wright • Chapter 4. Crops for Biofuel: Current Status and Prospects for the Future D.J. Connor and C.G. Hernandez • Chapter 5. Energy Balance & Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Biofuels from a Life- Cycle Perspective. E. Menichetti and M. Otto • Chapter 6. Greenhouse Gas Implications of Land Use Change and Land Conversion to Biofuel Crops. N.H. Ravindranath, R. Mauvie, J. Fargione, J.G. Canadell, G. Berndes, J. Woods, H. Watson, J. Sathaye • Chapter 7. Biodiversity Consequences of Increased Biofuel Production. O.E. Sala, D. Sax, H. Leslie • Chapter 8. Biofuels and Water. C. de Fraiture and G. Berndes • Chapter 9. Impact of Ethanol Production on Nutrient Cycles and Water Quality: The United State and Brazil as Case Studies. T.W. Simpson, L.A. Martinelli, A.N. Sharpley, R.W. Howarth • Chapter 10. Air Quality Issues Associated with Biofuel Production and Use. P. Hess, M. Johnston, B. Brown-Steiner, T. Holloway, J. B. de Andrade, P. Artaxo • Chapter 11. Biofuels: Economic and Public Policy Considerations. A.M. Bento • Chapter 12. Social and Distributional Impacts of Biofuel Production. L. Vanwey • Chapter 13. Future Feedstocks for Biofuel Systems. J. Woods, M. Black, R. Murphy II. Deliberations from Gummersbach • Chapter 14. Quantifying the Environmental Impacts of Biofuel Production: Knowns and Unknowns S. Porder, A.M. Bento, A. Leip, L.A. Martinelli, J. Samseth, T.W. Simpson • Chapter 15. Biofuels and Developing Countries M. Bekunda, C.A. Palm, C. de Fraiture, P. Leadley, L. Maene, L.A. Martinelli, J. McNeely, M. Otto, N.H. Ravindranath, R.L. Victoria, H. Watson, J. Woods • Chapter 16. What are the Final Land Limits M.M.C. Bustamante, J. Melillo, D.J. Connor, H. Hardy, E. Lambin, H. Lotze-Campen, N.H. Ravindranath, T.D. Searchinger, J. Tschirley, H. Watson • Chapter 17. Mitigation Strategies: Biofuel Development Considerations to Minimize Impacts on the Socio-Environmental System D. Ojima, C. Field, P. Leadley, O.E. Sala, D. Messem, J. E. Petersen, J. Born, L. Vanwey, M. Wright |
Useful links
ALGALSOLUTION.COM
www.algalsolution.com
Web-based newsletters on biofuels
BIODIESEL MAGAZINE
The World of Biodiesel at your fingertips - www.biodieselmagazine.com
BIOFUEL CITIES UPDATE
Information on developments in the field and from the Biofuel Cities European Partnership, the multi-stakeholder forum for the application of biofuels
www.iclei-europe.org/index.php?id=7113
BIOFUELS MAGAZINE
Towards a renewable, clean and cost-effective source of energy http://www.future-science.com/page/journal/bfs/aims.jsp?cookieSet=1
ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE
The World of Ethanol at your fingertips - www.ethanolproducer.com
EUROPEAN BIOFUELS TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM
Innovation driving a sustainable biofuel industry- http://www.biofuelstp.eu/