illustration of simple cycle of biomass

Biomass, in the energy production industry, refers to the living biological material or a new die that can be used as a source of fuel or for industrial production. Generally, biomass refers to plant materials that are kept for use as biofuel, but can also include plant or animal matter used for production of fibers, chemicals, or heat. Biomass may also include biodegradable wastes that can be burned as fuel. Biomass does not include organic material that has been transformed by geological processes into substances such as coal or petroleum.Biomass is usually measured by dry weight. Read more about biomass here.

Bellow are illustration of a simple cycle of biomass :

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Biosolar from Unused Coffee Grounds

Scientists in Nevada have reported that coffee grounds can provide an alternative biosolar materials for cars and trucks that are cheap, plentiful, and environmentally friendly.

In a recent study, Mano Misra, Susanta Mohapatra, and Narasimharao Kondamudi said that the main obstacle of widespread use of biosolar is a low willingness-quality raw materials to produce this new energy. Coffee grounds contain 11-20% oil by weight. This amount is equivalent to the traditional biosolar raw materials such as palm oil or soybeans.

The farmers produce more than 16 billion pounds of coffee throughout the world each year. Production of coffee grounds from espresso, cappuccino, and coffee, java often end up in the trash or used as fertilizer. However, scientists estimate that the actual coffee grounds have the potential to add 340 million gallons of fuel supply biosolar to the world.

To validate this, scientists are collecting coffee grounds from a retail provider of the fast food and coffee to extract the oil. They then use a simple process nan cheaper to modify 100 percent of its oil to biosolar.

Results from this coffee-based fuel - which has a smell the coffee - have a great advantage in terms of stability compared to traditional biosolar because high antioxidant content in coffee said the researchers. Solid waste remaining from this conversion can be converted into ethanol or used as compost. The researchers estimate that this process can generate revenue of more than $ 8 million dollars in America alone. They plan to develop a small scale factory to produce and test experimental fuel in the timeframe of six to eight months into the future.

Biosolar is a market that is being stretched. Experts estimate that the annual global production of biosolar will reach three billion gallons in 2010. This fuel can be made from soybean oil, palm oil, peanut oil and other vegetable oils, animal fats and even used frying oil from fast food restaurants. Biosolar can also be added to regular diesel fuel. Also this product can be used as a separate product and is used as an alternative fuel for diesel engines.

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South Africa, Using Nematodes for Bioinsecticides

Bioinsecticide are biodegradable (environment friendly), non toxic and cost effective. Some of these bioinsecticide, introduced in the USA in 1950's, are based on Bacillus thuringiensis. Bioinsecticides are a highly desirable alternative to conventional chemical-based insecticides. Bioinsecticides are environmentally friendly, compatible with other pest control agents and are also commercially viable.

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are being recognised as important biological control agents for a wide variety of insect pests. EPNs are insect-parasitic nematodes. Like all nematodes, they are simple roundworms with long, cylindrical shaped bodies. EPNs are small nematodes, ranging in length from 0.4mm to 1.1mm. There are many attributes that make EPNs commercially suitable as biological control agents of insect pests. They have a host range that includes the majority of insect orders and families and they kill their host within 48 hours of infection. In addition, they can be easily cultured on a large scale on artificial media (in vitro culture) and the infective juvenile stage obtained from in vitro culture can be stored for long periods of time. Finally, and possibly most importantly, the infective juvenile stage can withstand high pressures and thus can be applied in the field using conventional spray application procedures.

EPN-based bioinsecticides will have many advantages over currently used chemical insecticides. Most importantly there will be a reduction in the social costs that incur from the accumulation of chemical insecticides in the food chain and in ground water. The use of such bioinsecticides will also greatly reduce the farmworker health risks associated with the application of chemical insecticides.

Entomopathogenic nematode (EPN)-based bioinsecticides have the potential for commercialisation in South Africa since indigenous EPNs can be mass- produced at low cost. Only indigenous EPNs will be used to develop EPN-based bioinsecticides and these bioinsecticides will only be sold to the South African market. Indigenous EPNs are suited for the control of local insect pests because they are adapted to local environmental conditions and are natural regulators of insect populations.

The broad activity of an EPN-based bioinsecticide allows for the target of several markets. Such a bioinsecticide will control insect pest communities that occupy the subterranean and semi-subterranean zone during at least one part of their life-cycle. All vegetable and fruit farmers as well as maize, wheat, sugarcane, cotton and groundnut farmers in South Africa can benefit from EPN-based bioinsecticides. Commercial golf course greens-keepers are also a potential market.

A number of indigenous EPN strains have already been isolated during Sarah's Masters research. These strains were isolated from soil samples collected within South Africa. Once a soil sample is obtained, larvae from the Greater Waxmoth (Galleria mellonella) are place in the soil. Any dead larvae are removed from the soil seven days later. If the larvae have been infected with entomopathogenic nematodes, the infective juvenile stage of the nematode will begin emerging from the dead larvae. These juveniles are collected and stored temporarily in water. The life cycle of entomopathogenic nematodes begins with the infective juvenile stage. The infective juvenile is the only stage of the lifecycle that is adapted to survive in the environment (usually soil) for an extended length of time. They remain in this free-living state until they locate a suitable host.

At least two of the already isolated strains have the potential for development as bioinsecticides. They are highly pathogenic strains and thus have been cultured with ease in the laboratory.

A number of steps are first required before commercialisation and appearance of these and other nematode strains as bioinsecticides on the market. Firstly, laboratory based screening trials of the nematode strains against a range of insect pests will be performed. Field based screening trials will then be conducted using those nematode strains showing the most potential for successful biological control. Following this, a pilot production plant is to be set up for the mass production of the nematode strains that have passed the screening trails. In conjunction with this, nematode storage systems, the best transport method and several application technologies will be designed and tested. The final step in the commercialisation process will be large-scale field trial applications of the selected entomopathogenic nematode strains.

Source: Sarah Taylor, WITS University

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Change Environment with Biopesticide

 Biopesticides are certain types of pesticides derived from such natural materials as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals. For example, canola oil and baking soda have pesticidal applications and are considered biopesticides. At the end of 2001, there were approximately 195 registered biopesticide active ingredients and 780 products. Biopesticides fall into three major classes:

1. Microbial pesticides consist of a microorganism (e.g., a bacterium, fungus, virus or protozoan) as the active ingredient. Microbial pesticides can control many different kinds of pests, although each separate active ingredient is relatively specific for its target pest[s]. For example, there are fungi that control certain weeds, and other fungi that kill specific insects.
2. The most widely used microbial pesticides are subspecies and strains of Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt. Each strain of this bacterium produces a different mix of proteins, and specifically kills one or a few related species of insect larvae. While some Bt's control moth larvae found on plants, other Bt's are specific for larvae of flies and mosquitoes. The target insect species are determined by whether the particular Bt produces a protein that can bind to a larval gut receptor, thereby causing the insect larvae to starve.
3. Plant-Incorporated-Protectants (PIPs) are pesticidal substances that plants produce from genetic material that has been added to the plant. For example, scientists can take the gene for the Bt pesticidal protein, and introduce the gene into the plant's own genetic material. Then the plant, instead of the Bt bacterium, manufactures the substance that destroys the pest. The protein and its genetic material, but not the plant itself, are regulated by EPA.
4. Biochemical pesticides are naturally occurring substances that control pests by non-toxic mechanisms. Conventional pesticides, by contrast, are generally synthetic materials that directly kill or inactivate the pest. Biochemical pesticides include substances, such as insect sex pheromones, that interfere with mating, as well as various scented plant extracts that attract insect pests to traps. Because it is sometimes difficult to determine whether a substance meets the criteria for classification as a biochemical pesticide, EPA has established a special committee to make such decisions.

What are the advantages of using biopesticides?
using bioBiopesticides will provide many benefits compared to use of artificial pesticides. The advantage are biopesticides not damage the environment and no danger to plants or humans. The other benefit will describe in the following sections:

• Biopesticides are usually inherently less toxic than conventional pesticides.
• Biopesticides generally affect only the target pest and closely related organisms, in contrast to broad spectrum, conventional pesticides that may affect organisms as different as birds, insects, and mammals.
• Biopesticides often are effective in very small quantities and often decompose quickly, thereby resulting in lower exposures and largely avoiding the pollution problems caused by conventional pesticides.
• When used as a component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, biopesticides can greatly decrease the use of conventional pesticides, while crop yields remain high.
• To use biopesticides effectively, however, users need to know a great deal about managing pests.

READ MORE - Change Environment with Biopesticide

Bioprospecting, Active Compounds from Marine

Since 100 years ago, application of chemical engineering supported by the success of recombinant bioassay (bioassay) in vitro shifts the method of bioprospecting in developing pharmaceutical products. Interpreted as a simplification of bioprospecting in the exploration of new chemical compounds from living things in nature to the next through the screening proposed as a candidate biological akitivitas pharmaceutical ingredients.

With a chemical engineering recombinant, dozens of pharmaceutical products released to the market each year. This recombinant chemical products synthesized by modifying the random molecule from a chemical compound that has been successful role as a drug. Examples of chemical products includes several types of recombinant semisynthetic antibiotics such as penicillin, cephalosporin, kanamycin, rifamycin, lincomycin, etc..

Pharmaceutical companies rely heavily on chemical engineering recombinant, for various strategic reasons. Among other things, first, in an effort to develop new drugs, companies do not rely on natural ingredients. Second, capital invested in chemical engineering for a recombinant of new drug candidates is not as spectacularly as bioprospecting. Third, freedom from conflict with the supplier of natural raw materials such as bioprospecting.

Fully recombinant product is a result of chemical chemical engineering laboratory work on messing about with a carbon-carbon bond or other constituent elements, as well as modify its stereochemistry to mengkreasi a group of molecules that have different bioactive compounds with molecular origin before experienced recombination.

However, products of chemical engineering of recombinant pharmaceutical results was not spared from criticism of natural materials experts. Fenical (expert natural ingredients from the sea) commented recombinant chemical products is an example of an artificial product that has no roots in the function nature. The reason is, because it is chemically recombinant product innovation solely chemical engineers, assisted by molecular model design, guided by bioinformatics, which the expert molecular and fragment clusters mengkreasi new non-natural clusters that have biological activity, to be developed as new drug. The molecular structure results in general recombinant techniques taklah complicated chemical molecular structure of natural materials.

The uniqueness of Marine Habitat

There is a tendency of resistance of some bacterial pathogens to antibiotics is now commonly applied, coupled with the emergence of new diseases such as HIV-AIDS world's leading pharmaceutical to find new alternative sources of drugs, apart from the application of chemical engineering and quarrying recombinant sources of natural materials which gradually began to terrestrial worn.

With a unique marine ecosystem is believed to save seabrek potential source of new pharmaceuticals with new molecular structure (the novel) and also a new pharmacological mechanism. Skeptical whether these expectations? Presumably not, given the following facts that distinguish biotic marine ecosystems with terrestrial ecosystems.

First, in the marine ecosystem is the largest part of wandering biosphere on earth. Consequently the sea remains a habitat for creatures ranging from the most primitive and the ecosystem with the greatest biodiversity. Second, a unique marine ecosystem because of the communication, signal delivery, food processing, and defense of marine living beings, all of which took place in a column of water. Third, the variety and complexity of the macro-and micro-organisms is greater than other ecosystems. In other words represent the genetic diversity of sea creatures (phylogenetic) and the diversity of complex chemical constituents as well. Fourth, life at sea was dominated by microorganisms such as nanoplankton, mikroalgae, bacteria, archaea, and fungi that control more than 90% of chemical cycles in the ocean. Fifth, marine microorganisms has not been much studied compared to terrestrial microorganisms residents.

Approximately 40-50% drug in the market of chemical products derived from natural materials. Even a tenth of the 25 top selling pharmaceutical products derived from natural ingredients. Some chemistry of natural substances that have been converted to this drug is extracted from microorganisms, plants, and makroorganisme sea. Chemical uniqueness of marine natural products have been known since the 14th century in the traditional medicine of China and Japan. In both these countries have applied to extract sea horses for the treatment of various diseases including: treatment of impotence, respiratory diseases, kidney, liver and so on. But if dikomparasikan with a history of ethnobotany (traditional medicinal plants) in terrestrial ecosystems, is the use of natural ingredients from the sea for traditional medicine is very little.

Secondary Metabolites

Therefore, without guided by tracing the story of ethnobotany, collecting samples of sea creatures to be explored bioaktif compounds that effort really random and somewhat speculative, is solely motivated by the physical disability that sea creatures escape from predators. Instead, these sea creatures secrete secondary metabolites that can be paralysis for predators, or to make predators and competitors do not stand to be around, or just a camouflage.

Prospect isolation of secondary metabolites with new chemical structures which have bioactivity in sea creatures, both living in the vicinity, bersimbiose, or with coral reefs berasosisi probability reaches 300 to 400 times more likely, compared with mainland residents creatures. Until now, marine taxonomic experts, the new successfully identified 10% of residents living biodiversity of coral reefs (Bruckner, 2002).

Can it be imagined such a mega-chemical potential of natural materials which can be extracted from the sea! In coral reef ecosystems have still not fully revealed its contents. Marine abiotic characters differ not only spatially (horizontally) between coastal and offshore areas, but also vary vertically (water column). For coral reefs, Indo Pacific region (Indonesia, Philippines, northern Australia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, etc.) menghabitati more species of coral and other creatures than the inhabitants of coral reef ecosystems of coral reef ecosystems in other regions of the earth

Moreover, if reviewed, other marine-specific ecological niches, such as hydrothermal vents, deep-sea, hypersaline lagoons, methane gas sparger seabed, Antarctica and Artika sea, mangrove forest, etc, will increasingly make us transfixed on the chemical potential of natural materials and extreme characters to remember specific abiotic be adapted by the inhabitants of the sea creatures niche (niche) is a unique ecology in order to maintain its existence.

Marine Natural Products Chemistry bioprospecting

Conscious of these huge marine potentials, the two countries economic giant, the United States and Japan, are competing to invest in extracting natural materials from the sea (marine natural products / MNP). Japan to spend U.S. $ 1 billion per year (80% came from industry). Japanese experts of natural ingredients that extract 100 species of coral reef sponge residents found 20% of the sponge contains a unique new bioactive compounds. United States who invest smaller in the MNP has also been some success with as many as 170 dipatenkannya new bioactive compound since 1983.

Cephalosporin, an antibiotic that was originally isolated from the fungus Cephalosphorium sp. derived from sea water samples collected in Cagliari, Italy in the 40s, Ara-A (Vidarabin, Vidarabin Thilo) and anti-viral drug Ara-C (Cytarabin, Alexandria, Udicil) anti-cancer drug developed analog synthesis of compounds pilot (lead structure) arabinose-e nucleosid Cryptotethya crypta isolated from sponges collected in the Caribbean Sea in the year 50's are some examples of drugs developed from natural ingredients the sea and has successfully developed commercially (Faulkner 2002).

Ziconotide, agents, pain killers (pain killer) that was isolated from Conus magnus (cone snail) has undergone phase III clinical trials (late phase) was developed by Elan Pharmaceuticals, and Ecteinascidin 743 (anti-cancer), which is extracted from Ecteinascidia turbinata (tunicate) also currently undergoing phase III clinical trials, coupled with dozens of other bioactive compounds that are either in clinical trials phase I and II and are still in preclinical evaluation stage, and the isolation of hundreds of new bioactive compounds from the sea each year to add a long story and the uniqueness of the potential magnitude of natural materials sea as drug candidates.

Biodiversity vs. Intellectual Proper Right

The trend shift in extracting medicines from chemical engineering recombinant to bioprospecting in recent decades of intrigue and raises new conflicts between pharmaceutical companies with third world countries where most of the world's biodiversity resources originated. Intensive efforts livelihoods of natural materials by the pharmaceutical industry was shadowed by the reluctance of developing countries supplying the raw material.

Especially after the ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity (Biological Diversity) by 140 countries at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (1992), which gave the concept of holding nations on their property rights to indigenous species. This concept is a powerful sword for politicians biodiversity countries in negotiating with the owner of the pharmaceutical industry of developed countries in terms of chemical utilization of natural materials.

The concept of this reason, a little more guts loosen the pharmaceutical industry and chemists of natural ingredients developed countries in building collaboration with the owner of the country's biodiversity, given the expectations of the country's biodiversity will be royalty owners and revenue that will be obtained.

While bioprospecting is a risky business, and no guarantee of the return of capital was invested. However, developed countries, is not less ingenious concept of biological diversity to compensate for this by proposing the concept of intellectual property rights (intellectual property).

No less than U.S. $ 350 million to be spent and about 10 years old should be taken to transform the new bioactive compounds from natural materials into commercial drugs. So it must be formulated with the ideal model of benefit sharing that can be pocketed by the owners of pharmaceutical companies and the country's biodiversity, so that excesses that arise from bioprospecting can be minimized, so this mega-biodiversity can be explored together to kemashlahatan dedicated to the human race!

READ MORE - Bioprospecting, Active Compounds from Marine

Introduction of Biochar

Biochar is charcoal created by pyrolysis  of biomass, and differs from charcoal only in the sense that its primary use is not for fuel, but for biosequestration or atmospheric carbon capture and storage.  Charcoal is a stable solid rich in carbon content, and thus, can be used to lock carbon in the soil. Biochar is of increasing interest because of concerns about climate change caused by emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHG). Carbon dioxide capture also ties up large amounts of oxygen and requires energy for injection (as via carbon capture and storage), whereas the biochar process breaks into the carbon dioxide cycle, thus releasing oxygen as did coal formation hundreds of millions of years ago. Biochar is a way for carbon to be drawn from the atmosphere and is a solution to reducing the global impact of farming (and in reducing the impact from all agricultural waste). Since biochar can sequester carbon in the soil for hundreds to thousands of years, it has received considerable interest as a potential tool to slow global warming. The burning and natural decomposition of trees and agricultural matter contributes a large amount of CO2 released to the atmosphere. Biochar can store this carbon in the ground, potentially making a significant reduction in atmospheric GHG levels; at the same time its presence in the earth can improve water quality, increase soil fertility, raise agricultural productivity and reduce pressure on old growth forests.

Current biochar projects are small scale and make no significant impact on the overall global carbon budget, although expansion of this technique has been advocated as a geoengineering approach. As trees pull down carbon dioxide and release oxygen very efficiently they are already well suited to geoengineering. Further research is in progress, notably by the University of Georgia, which has a dedicated research unit. Agrichar is produced by Best Industries in Australia.

The approach which favors applications that benefit the poorest is gaining traction: in May 2009, the Biochar Fund received a grant from the Congo Basin Forest Fund to implement its concept in Central Africa. In this concept, biochar is a tool used to simultaneously slow down deforestation, increase the food security of rural communities, provide renewable energy to them and sequester carbon.

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Handmade Biodiesel at Home

Fuel prices have been incessantly increasing over the years, and it does't look like rising gas costs are going to stop anytime soon. This is precisely why so many people are searching for alternative sources to regular fuel.

The great thing about biodiesel is that it is actually renewable and clean-burning. We all know how our environment has been suffering with those fuel emissions that come from our cars. With biodiesel, you no longer have to worry about such emissions. And the best thing is that making biodiesel at your house is actually very possible.

What Is Biodiesel?
Biodiesel is actually fuel that uses vegetable oil for its base. Yes you read that right - vegetable oil, that same vegetable oil that you throw out after a number of uses. For one thing, vegetable oil is naturally produced, so you won't have to dig very deep into the earth's core just to get some fuel for personal consumption. This is what happens with the production of regular crude oil today, you know. And by avoiding this altogether, you can also lend another helping hand towards the preservation of our environment. Also, you must not forget how fuel that is petroleum-based comes with aromatics and sulfur, which is why their emissions just add up to the pollution in our atmosphere. Biodiesel does not have these components at all, leaving the burning process of fuel way cleaner that that with traditional diesel.

How Biodiesel Is Made
Biodiesel is actually produced via a process known as transesterification. What happens here is that fat is actually extracted from vegetable oil first. The byproducts would then be glycerin and methyl esters. The best way to learn how to make biodiesel at home is to start small. Prepare a small batch of this natural fuel first so that you can familiarize yourself with the whole process. Here are the ingredients you will need: 200 ml methanol, lye, and 1 liter vegetable oil. First, you have to dissolve your lye in your methanol. This actually produces sodium methoxide. Upon the creation of sodium methoxide, you should then mix this with your vegetable oil. Continue mixing them for roughly 20 minutes. You can use your blender here. Just make sure to set it on low.

Once blending is done, leave the mixture to sit for roughly eight hours. During this period, glycerin should have separated from the rest of the mixture, settling at the bottom of the container. After the 8-hour waiting period, your byproduct should be rid of glycerin already. You can then start enjoying the fruits of your labor. Really, making biodiesel at home is as easy as that.(http://www.makingbiodieselathome.org/)

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Bioplastics

These days plastics are predominantly made from crude oil. In this context, renewable resources are becoming a more viable and promising alternative for the plastics industry. When plastics made from petroleum are burned, they release the carbon dioxide contained in the petroleum into the atmosphere, leading to global warming. The use of bioplastics offers significant advantages not only in an ecological sense but also in an economical sense.

Bioplastics are a form of plastics derived from plant sources such as sweet potatoes, sugarcane, hemp oil, soy bean oil and corn starch. Bioplastics are environmentally friendly because, compared with traditional plastics, their production results in the emission of less carbon dioxide, which is thought to cause global warming. They are also biodegradable, meaning that the material returns to its natural state when buried in the ground. If something made of bioplastic is buried in the ground, microorganisms will break it down into carbon dioxide and water. Bags made of bioplastic can be thrown away and buried with other biodegradable garbage, and there are a growing number of other uses for the materials as well, including artificial fibers, medical products, and construction materials.

To make a bioplastics we can use enzymes as a tools. Enzymes are used to break starch in the plants down into glucose, which is fermented and made into lactic acid. This lactic acid is polymerized and converted into a plastic called polylactic acid, which can be used in the manufacture of products after being heated and shaped. 

Application of Bioplastics

1. Packaging
The use of bioplastics for shopping bags is already very common. After their initial use they can be reused as bags for organic waste and then be composted. Trays and containers for fruit, vegetables, eggs and meat, bottles for soft drinks and dairy products and blister foils for fruit and vegetables are also already widely manufactured from bioplastics. 
2. Sanitary Products
Due to their specific characteristics, bioplastics are used as a basis for the production of sanitary products. These materials are breathable and allow water vapor to permeate, but at the same time they are waterproof. Foils made of soft bioplastic are already used as diaper foil, bed underlay, for incontinence products, ladies sanitary products and as disposable gloves.  
3. Medical Products
In comparison to packaging products, the medical sector sets out completely different requirements with regards to products made of renewable and reabsorbing plastics. 
The highest possible qualitative standards have to be met and guaranteed, resulting in an extremely high costs, which sometimes exceed 1.000 Euro per kilo. 
The potential applications of biodegradable or reabsorbing bioplastics are manifold.

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Crude Palm Oil (CPO)

Palm oil is an edible plant oil derived from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis. Palm oil is naturally reddish because it contains a high amount of beta-carotene (though boiling palm oil destroys the beta-carotene, rendering the oil colourless). Palm oil is one of the few vegetable oils relatively high in saturated fats (like palm kernel oil and coconut oil). It is thus semi-solid at typical temperate climate room temperatures, though it will more often appear as liquid in warmer countries.

Palm oil contains several saturated and unsaturated fats in the forms of glyceryl laurate (0.1%, saturated), myristate (0.1%, saturated), palmitate (44%, saturated), stearate (5%, saturated), oleate (39%, monounsaturated), linoleate (10%, polyunsaturated), and linolenate (0.3%, polyunsaturated). Like every vegetable oil, palm oil is designated as cholesterol-free, although saturated fat intake increases both LDL and HDL cholesterol.

Palm oil is a very common cooking ingredient in southeast Asia and the tropical belt of Africa. Its increasing use in the commercial food industry in other parts of the world is buoyed by its cheaper pricing and the high oxidative stability of the refined product. Palm oil contains more saturated fats than some other vegetable oils. The palm fruit yields two distinct oils - palm oil and palm kernel oil.

In the 1960s, research and development (R&D) in oil palm breeding began to expand after Malaysia's Department of Agriculture established an exchange program with West African economies and four private plantations formed the Oil Palm Genetics Laboratory. The government also established Kolej Serdang, which became the Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM) in the 1970s to train agricultural and agro-industrial engineers and agro-business graduates to conduct research in the field.

In 1979, following strong lobbying from oil palm planters and support from the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) and UPM, the government set up the Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (Porim). B.C. Sekhar was instrumental in Porim's recruitment and training of scientists to undertake R&D in oil palm tree breeding, palm oil nutrition and potential oleochemical use. Sekhar, as founder and chairman, strategised Porim to be a public-and-private-coordinated institution. As a result, Porim (renamed Malaysian Palm Oil Board in 2000) became Malaysia's top research entity with the highest technology commercialisation rate of 20% compared to 5% among local universities. While MPOB has gained international prominence, its relevance is dependent on it churning out breakthrough findings in the world's fast-changing oil crop genetics, dietary fat nutrition and process engineering landscape.

Uses

Palm oil, like other vegetable oils, can be used to create biodiesel for internal combustion engines. Biodiesel has been promoted as a renewable energy source to reduce net emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Therefore, biodiesel is seen as a way to decrease the impact of the greenhouse effect and as a way of diversifying energy supplies to assist national energy security plans.

Palm is also used to make biodiesel, as either a simply-processed palm oil mixed with petrodiesel, or processed through transesterification to create a palm oil methyl ester blend, which meets the international EN 14214 specification, with glycerin as a byproduct. The actual process used varies between countries, and the requirements of different export markets. Next-generation biofuel production processes are also being tested in relatively small trial quantities.

READ MORE - Crude Palm Oil (CPO)

Biogas in Indonesia

Last few years of energy is a crucial issue in the world. Increased energy demand caused by population growth and resource depletion of world oil reserves and the issue of emissions from fossil fuels put pressure on every country to be producing and using renewable energy. In addition, the increase in world oil prices to reach U $ 100 per barrel is also a serious reason that hit many countries in the world, especially Indonesia.

World oil price hikes will give a great impact for the development of the Indonesian nation. Fuel consumption reaching 1.3 million barrels of production is not balanced with a value of about 1 million barrels, so there is a deficit that must be met through imports. According to the Energy and Mineral Resources data (2006) Indonesia's oil reserves left only about 9 billion barrels. If continued consumed without finding new oil reserves, estimated oil reserves will be exhausted within two decades.


To reduce dependence on fossil fuels the government has issued a presidential republic of Indonesia regulation number 5 of 2006 on national energy policy to develop alternative energy sources to replace fossil fuels. The policy emphasis on resources as a renewable alternative fuel substitute for oil.


One of the alternative energy sources is biogas. This gas comes from a variety of organic wastes such as biomass waste, human waste, animal waste into energy can be utilized through Anaerobic Digestion process. It is a great opportunity to generate alternative energy so akanmengurangi impact of fossil fuel use.


Biogas is a process of bio gas production from organic materials with the help of bacteria. The process of degradation of organic materials without involving oxygen is called anaerobic Digestion gases produced largely (over 50%) of methane. organic material accumulated in the digester (reactor) going diuraiakan into two stages with the help of two types of bacteria. The first phase will orgranik material degraded to acid weak acid with the aid of acid-forming bacteria. These bacteria will describe the level of waste and asidifikasi hydrolysis. Hydrolysis of complex compounds decomposition or long chain compounds such as fats, proteins, carbohydrates into simple compounds. While the formation of acid asifdifikasi of simple compounds.


After the organic material into acid acid, then the second stage of Anaerobic Digestion is the process of formation of methane gas with the aid of methane-forming bacteria such as methanococus, methanosarcina, methano bacterium.


Development of Anaerobic Digestion process has been successful in many applications. This process has the ability to process the garbage / waste overflow exists and is not useful to more valuable products. Anaerobic Digestion application has been successful in processing industrial waste, agricultural waste and livestock waste municipal solid waste (MSW).


History of Anaerobic Digestion discovery process to produce biogas spread in continental Europe. The discovery of gas Volta scientists issued in the swamps occurred in 1770, several decades later, Avogadro identified about methane gas. After the year 1875 confirmed that biogas is a product of Anaerobic Digestion process. 1884 Pasteour doing research on animal waste biogas use. Era of research form the basis for Pasteour biogas research to date.


Biogas is mostly contain gas methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), and some contain a small amount of hydrogen sulfide include (H2S) and ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen and (H2), nitrogen contents are very small.


The energy contained in biogas depends on the concentration of methane (CH4). The higher the methane content, the greater the energy content (calorific value) of biogas, and conversely the smaller the smaller the content of methane calorific value. Quality of biogas can be improved by treating some parameters as follows: Mute hydrogen sulfur, water content and carbon dioxide (CO2). Hydrogen and sulfur containing toxic substances that cause corrosion, if the biogas containing these compounds, it will cause a dangerous gas concentrations that are allowed a maximum of 5 ppm. If the gas burned sulfur hydrogen would be more dangerous because it will form a new compound together oxygen, the sulfur dioxide / sulfur trioxide (SO2 / SO3). is more toxic compounds. At the same time will form a sulfur acid (H2SO3) a compound which is more corrosive. The second parameter is to eliminate carbon dioxide that has the purpose to improve the quality, so the gas can be used to fuel vehicles. The water content in the biogas will decrease the ignition point can menimbukan biogas and corrosive. The following is a brief scheme of biogas production from cow dung or human waste:

Conversion of waste through anaerobic processes to produce biogas Digestion has several advantages, namely:

• Biogas is energy without the use of materials that still has benefits including biomass so that biogas does not destroy the balance of carbon dioxide caused by deforestation (deforestation) and the destruction of the land. 
• Biogas energy can serve as an energy substitute for fossil fuels that will reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and other emissions. 
• Methane is one of the greenhouse gases that their presence will increase the temperature duatmosfer, by using biogas as a fuel it will reduce methane gas in the air. 
• Animal waste and human waste is material that is not bermanfaaat, even menngakibatkan a very dangerous poison. Anaerobic Digestion application will minimize these effects and increase the value of the benefits of waste. 
• In addition to energy benefits obtained from Anaerobic Digestion process to produce bio gas, side products such as sludge. Meterial is obtained from the rest of Anaerobic Digestion is the process of solid and liquid form. Each can be used as fertilizer in the form of liquid fertilizer and solid fertilizer. 

Fuel oil prices increased and the diminishing availability and problems of greenhouse gas emissions is a problem faced by the global community. Search efforts will fuel more environmentally friendly and a renewable energy solution of the problem. For that Indonesia is a vast potential for such a large area, is expected to immediately apply biogas fuels.

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Bioenergi

The availability of ethanol and biodiesel at the fuel pump is becoming more prevalent. Rising fuel prices, environmental concerns, pressures for oil independence, and Federal energy policy are creating a strong market for renewable energy.

Bioenergy is renewable energy derived from biological sources, to be used for heat, electricity, or vehicle fuel. Biofuel derived from plant materials is among the most rapidly growing renewable energy technologies. In the United States, corn-based ethanol is currently the largest source of biofuel as a gasoline substitute or additive. Growing biofuel demand has implications for the U.S. agriculture sector and rural communities.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Features/Bioenergy/

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