Woodchips With Everything

I have blogged about terra preta before. Apparently some people are touting it as the solution to all our carbon woes. My reading was that it had a part to play in sequestering carbon, but like George Monbiot in this article Monbiot.com � Woodchips With Everything I'm skeptical of it as a single 'magic bullet' solution. But at least if we get it on the map, it can play its part. It could certainly help deal with some of the problems we have with loss of soil quality in some parts of the world.

more efficient biofuel production

"Scientists at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology have found a much better way to make biodiesel. Their new method could lower the cost and increase the energy efficiency of fuel production. Instead of mixing the ingredients and heating them for hours, the chemical engineers pass sunflower oil and methanol through a bed of pellets made from fungal spores. An enzyme produced by the fungus does the work -- making biodiesel with impressive efficiency."
Wired Science - Wired Blogs:

Biofuels switch a mistake

A further warning that biofuels are not the answer. This time with a bit more research to boot. "Dr Righelato's study, with Dominick Spracklen from the University of Leeds, is the first to calculate the impact of biofuel carbon emissions across the whole cycle of planting, extraction and conversion into fuel. They report in the journal Science that between two and nine times more carbon emissions are avoided by trapping carbon in trees and forest soil than by replacing fossil fuels with biofuels. Around 40% of Europe's agricultural land would be needed to grow biofuel crops to meet the 10% fossil fuel substitution target. That demand on arable land cannot be met in the EU or the US, say the scientists, so is likely to shift the burden on land in developing countries. The National Farmers Union said 20% of Britain's agricultural land could be used to grow biofuels by 2010. However, the researchers say reforesting the land would be a better way to reduce emissions."
It should be said, also, that in the UK, more trees in the right places might well help with rainwater run-off ...!
Biofuels switch a mistake, say researchers | Environment | The Guardian:

Natioanl Express doubt biofuels

It's been my concern for a while that biofuels are best seen as a transitional measure since they would eat up food crops and make matters worse in terms of the other environmental impacts globally. It seems one company have been courageous enough to question the greenwash:

National Express said there is "considerable concern" that biofuel production - from crops including sugar cane and rapeseed - will destroy natural habitats and increase the cost of food farming in developing countries.