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Welcome!

IEA Bioenergy Task 39 'Commercializing 1^st- and 2^nd-Generation Liquid Biofuels from Biomass' is a global network dedicated to the development and deployment of biofuels for transportation fuel use. Our Task is part of the International Energy Agency (IEA)'s Implementing Agreement on Bioenergy. Our Task is currently composed of 15 countries or regional associations, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom. Our Task brings together leading researchers, government officials, and industry pioneers in our bid to successfully introduce biofuels for transportion into the commercial marketplace.

Task 39's activities are organized into two Subtasks. The first of these focuses on the technical challenges of 2^nd-generation biofuel production, while the second focuses on policy, markets and implementation issues that must be addressed in commercialization of all biofuels. Our goal is to provide our members with comprehensive information that will assist them with accelerating the commercial uptake of biofuel technologies. For more information on our objectives and goals, click here.

Course announcement
The Technical University of Denmark is offeringing a Ph.D. course in Enzyme Technology, Lignocellulose and Non-Starch Polysaccharides from May 18-23, 2008. A course brochure may be found here. If you are interested, you may contact Anne-Katrine Landbo at DTU. Course registration closes April 15th!

Upcoming meetings
Task 39 will be holding an evening meeting to discuss progress in commercializing 2nd-generation liquid biofuels in New Orleans in conjunction with the 30th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuel and Chemicals. On September 15-16, Task 39 will be meeting in Cork, Ireland for a two-day workshop and study tour. Check back here for more updates as these dates approach!

Past Meetings
The last Task 39 meeting was held in conjuction with the 6th European Motor Biofuels Forum in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on January 9-10, 2008. More information about the meeting can be found here.

Task 39 held a Business Meeting in Denver CO on April 28th, 2007. This meeting was used to finalize our workplan for the coming triennium, 2007-2009. Results of this meeting will be posted on the website under the Subtask pages. Task 39 also organized a Special Topic at the 29th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, which gave our Task the opportunity to present the current status of technologies and policies in many member countries, including the USA, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, Canada, Japan, and the UK. For further information or a summary of the meeting, please contact Warren Mabee, or phone at +1(604) 822-2434.

Newsletter
The latest edition of the Task 39 Newsletter summarizes our planned research activities for 2007-2009, as well as providing a summary of our most recent Task 39 report, which updates our members on the status of Implementation Agendas for Biofuels in key countries. Task activities ranging from meetings to personnel exchanges are also detailed. To read the latest version of the newsletter, click here.

To view the archives of our newsletters, click here.

Latest news from www.renewableenergyaccess.com
Bipartisan Companion for Extension of Renewable Energy Tax Credits Introduced Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) and 34 other members of the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced H.R. 5984, a bipartisan companion to S. 2821, also known as the Clean Energy Tax Stimulus Act of 2008. S. 2821 was introduced by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John Ensign (R-NV) and has 43 cosponsors. S. 2821 was included as an amendment to The Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008 which was approved by a vote of 88-8. House leaders stripped that provision from the bill when it was considered in the House. U.S. Renewable Energy Leaders: Don't Count on Carbon Price Alone Proclaiming "give us a chance, we'll deliver" and "2009 will be a new beginning," leaders of several renewable energy groups this week asserted electricity from wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and hydro can help the U.S. make substantial progress toward mitigating the buildup of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere. Oil-Rich Abu Dhabi Builds Renewable-Energy City Codon & Agrivida Testing Protein Engineering for Biofuels Codon Devices, Inc. and Agrivida, Inc. announced that during the first phase of the collaboration between the two companies, scientists successfully designed and engineered novel protein switches for use in the production of biofuels. The "on/off" switch can be used to activate an enzyme expressed in an inactive form. Turning Fungus into Fuel A spidery fungus with a voracious appetite for military uniforms and canvas tents could hold the key to improvements in the production of biofuels, a team of government, academic and industry researchers has announced. Investment in Renewable Energy Reaches $100 Billion High oil prices and an array of government incentives are leading to soaring rates of investment in renewable energy, according to the United Nations' annual "Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment" report. GCE Mexico Purchases Land for Jatropha Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. has acquired approximately 5,000 acres of land in the Mexican State of Yucatan through its subsidiary GCE Mexico I, LLC. The property will be used for the cultivation of Jatropha curcas. When fully planted the land will be home to over 4.0 million Jatropha trees, which will produce seed oil and biomass for more than 30 years, according to the company. Biomass Heat and Electricity Plants on the Rise in Europe The head of the International Energy Association, Nobuo Tanaka, visited Europe's largest biomass plant that uses only wood as fuel in February, hailing the 66 megawatt (MW) biomass plant in Austria, as a "model project" for the up-and-coming forest-based bioenergy industry. Is Ethanol To Blame for All Our Global Woes? The last two weeks ethanol has got more bad press then ever. But oil is at record high prices, so what's going on? Ethanol is getting more flack than OPEC. I hope you guys know that OPEC's mid-east fund made up of OPEC's countries have put US $40 Billion dollars into commodity index funds, which pushes grain prices up. Boy, you should have listened to CNBC where they all dogged ethanol big this week. What's going on? -- J.D., Boise, Idaho APX Launches North American Renewables Registry APX, Inc. announced that it has launched the North American Renewables Registry, which could enable companies to make and substantiate environmental claims with integrity and transparency. With its new registry, APX systems now provides coverage for renewable energy certificate (REC) creation, management, transactions and retirement across North America. Focus on Energy Awards US $973,000 for Bioenergy Focus on Energy has awarded grants totaling more than $973,000, to help finance the installation of five bioenergy projects. The bioenergy projects being completed include anaerobic digesters and a biomass wood energy system. New Source for Biofuels Discovered A newly created microbe produces cellulose that can be turned into ethanol and other biofuels, report scientists from The University of Texas at Austin. The scientists say the microbe could provide a significant portion of the nation's transportation fuel if production can be scaled up. GM & Mascoma Enter into Biofuels Development Deal General Motors Corp. (GM) and Mascoma Corp. announced a strategic relationship to develop cellulosic ethanol. The development will focus on Mascoma's single-step biochemical conversion of non-grain biomass into low-carbon alternative fuels to help address increasing energy demand. Renewable Energy an Elusive Target Waste Management & Linde To Develop Landfill Gas Facility Waste Management and Linde North America announced a joint venture to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, located at the Altamont Landfill near Livermore, California to convert landfill gas into vehicle fuel. The companies will partner to install systems to purify and liquefy the landfill gas that Waste Management collects from the natural decomposition of organic waste in the landfill. CleanTech Biofuels Teams with Green Tech CleanTech Biofuels, Inc. announced that it has entered into a Joint Research Agreement with Green Tech America, Inc. (GTA) under which GTA will provide research and testing for CleanTech Biofuels on the fermentation stage of CleanTech's municipal solid waste to ethanol project. Biofuels: the Good, the Bad and the Unusual Within recent months biofuels have gone from making headline news as being the world's salvation for when the oil runs out to becoming a "crime against humanity." Almost every day the world's media run a story on the topic, often blaming biofuels for all the world's pending disasters. Even a recent spike in the price of rice was blamed on producing more biofuels whereas, in fact, rice is not used as a feedstock at all! Ceres Launches Seed Brand for Bioenergy Ceres, Inc. plans to market its bioenergy seeds and traits under the name Blade Energy Crops in the U.S. Company president and CEO Richard Hamilton unveiled the new brand at the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology in Chicago. Coskata To Build Cellulose Facility Coskata Inc. said that it will produce 40,000 gallons of cellulosic ethanol a year at a commercial demonstration plant near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The US $25 million project will be located at the Westinghouse Plasma Center, the current site of a pilot-plant gasifier owned and operated by Westinghouse Plasma Corporation. Creating Bioheat: A Look Inside New England Wood Pellet New England Wood Pellet's Jaffrey, New Hampshire plant produces approximately 75,000 tons of wood pellet fuel per year. Most is bagged and shipped to a network of more than 100 retailers throughout the Northeast. From there it helps heat homes, businesses and schools. Steve Walker, the company's president and CEO, took the time to show RenewableEnergyWorld.com around the facility to give us a look at how wood pellets are made.

©2008 IEA Bioenergy: Task 39 'Commercializing 1st- and 2nd-Generation Liquid Biofuels from Biomass'.
All rights reserved. No material may be published, reproduced or exhibited for commercial use without the express written consent of the Task Leader, Task 39, or the IEA Bioenergy Secretariat. Academic or non-profit users should acknowledge 'IEA Task 39' and appropriate authors when using this material.