Plants and BioEnergy (Advances in Plant Biology Book 4)

"A country's vision for developing renewable and sustainable energy resources is typically propelled by three important drivers – security, cost, and environmental impact The US currently accounts for a quarter of the world’s total oil consumption, with domestic demands necessitating – at an ever growing cost – a net import of more than 50% of the oil used in this country At the same time, Brazil, because of its forward thinking on energy strategy, is today energy independent As emerging economies around the world increase their petroleum use by large margins and as large fractions of that new consumption are necessarily supplied from unstable parts of the world, the inevitable repercussions on petroleum-driven economies will continue to escalate In addition, there is an unequivocal imperative to take immediate and aggressive measures to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing fossil fuel consumption and increasing our use of carbon-neutral or carbon-negative fuels as well as improving efficiency of fuel use Economic growth and development worldwide depend increasingly on secure supplies of reliable, affordable, clean energy Together with its counterpart societies, was convened the First Pan-American Congress on Plants and BioEnergy, which was held in June, 2008, in Mérida, Mexico Sponsored by the American Society of Plant Biologists, this congress was designed to initiate Pan-American research collaborations in energy biosciences At that congress, the organizational committee committed themselves to continue the meeting biennially, resulting in the 2nd Pan-American Congress on Plants and BioEnergy to be held with the endorsement of ASPB, July 6-10, 2010, in São Paulo, Brazil Whereas the 1st congress covered a broad range of topics that bioenergy impacted, the second congress will focus more on the advances in plant biology: the genetic improvement of energy crop plants, their fit into regional environments, and the development of a sustainable energy agriculture - Font no determinada. A country's vision for developing renewable and sustainable energy resources is typically propelled by three important drivers - security, cost, and environmental impact. The U.S. currently accounts for a quarter of the world's total oil consumption, with domestic demands necessitating - at an ever growing cost - a net import of more than 50% of the oil used in this country. At the same time, Brazil, because of its forward thinking on energy strategy, is today energy independent. As emerging economies around the world increase their petroleum use by large margins and as large fractions of that new consumption are necessarily supplied from unstable parts of the world, the inevitable repercussions on petroleum-driven economies will continue to escalate. In addition, there is an unequivocal imperative to take immediate and aggressive measures to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing fossil fuel consumption and increasing our use of carbon-neutral or carbon-negative fuels as well as improving efficiency of fuel use. Economic growth and development worldwide depend increasingly on secure supplies of reliable, affordable, clean energy. Together with its counterpart societies, was convened the First Pan-American Congress on Plants and BioEnergy, which was held in June, 2008, in Merida, Mexico. Sponsored by the American Society of Plant Biologists, this congress was designed to initiate Pan-American research collaborations in energy biosciences. At that congress, the organizational committee committed themselves to continue the meeting biennially, resulting in the 2nd Pan-American Congress on Plants and BioEnergy to be held with the endorsement of ASPB, July 6-10, 2010, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Whereas the 1st congress covered a broad range of topics that bioenergy impacted, the second congress will focus more on the advances in plant biology: the genetic improvement of energy crop plants, their fit into regional environments, and the development of a sustainable energy agriculture Front Matter....Pages i-x Front Matter....Pages 1-1 The Prospects of First Generation Ethanol in Developing Countries....Pages 3-11 Can Energy Policy Drive Sustainable Land Use? Lessons from Biofuels Policy Development Over the Last Decade....Pages 13-33 Advanced Biofuels: Economic Uncertainties, Policy Options, and Land Use Impacts....Pages 35-48 Algae Farming and Its Bio-Products....Pages 49-64 Front Matter....Pages 65-65 Regional Gene Pools for Restoration, Conservation, and Genetic Improvement of Prairie Grasses....Pages 67-80 Mining Genetic Diversity of Sorghum as a Bioenergy Feedstock....Pages 81-106 Genetics, Genomics and Crop Modelling: Integrative Approaches to the Improvement of Biomass Willows....Pages 107-130 Camelina: An Emerging Oilseed Platform for Advanced Biofuels and Bio-Based Materials....Pages 131-140 Perspectives in Brazil of the Contribution of Palm Trees to Biodiesel Production....Pages 141-151 Xylan Biosynthesis in Plants, Simply Complex....Pages 153-181 Towards Redesigning Cellulose Biosynthesis for Improved Bioenergy Feedstocks....Pages 183-193 Front Matter....Pages 195-195 Developing Novel Enzyme Repertoires for the Efficient Deconstruction of Plant Biomass Tailored for the Bioenergy Industry....Pages 197-209 Using Natural Plant Cell Wall Degradation Mechanisms to Improve Second Generation Bioethanol....Pages 211-230 Linking Plant Biology and Pretreatment: Understanding the Structure and Organization of the Plant Cell Wall and Interactions with Cellulosic Biofuel Production....Pages 231-253 Lignocellulosic Biorefineries: Concepts and Possibilities....Pages 255-265 Catalytic Dehydration of Lignocellulosic Derived Xylose to Furfural....Pages 267-276 Catalytic Oxidation of Lignin for the Production of Low Molecular Weight Aromatics....Pages 277-289