Free Republic

Experts horrified at large-scale forest removal to meet wood pellet demand Plans to shift Europe’s coal plants to burning wood pellets instead could accelerate rather than combat the climate crisis and lay waste to woodland equal to half the size of Germany’s Black Forest a year, according to campaigners...(snip) ...Alex Mason, from WWF’s EU office, said burning forests was “literally the opposite of what we should be doing” to help tackle the climate crisis. “As 800 scientists pointed out last year, converting coal plants to biomass will increase emissions for decades, if not centuries. "

PEORIA, Ill.— Terry Whitehead's lab here is stocked with glass boiling flasks, Bunsen burners—and cans of extra-strength air freshener. The microbiologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture works with pig manure in a quest for something that has largely eluded scientists and entrepreneurs: an affordable way to clear the air in farm country. In a region where hogs can outnumber people, Mr. Whitehead's research is the ultimate icebreaker. "First, you say, 'I work with manure,' and they say, 'What?' Then you say, 'Odor,' and they say, 'Thank God,' " says the lanky 57-year-old, who recently attended the North American Manure...

URBANA, Ill. - A University of Illinois research team is working on turning pig manure into a form of crude oil that could be refined to heat homes or generate electricity. Years of research and fine-tuning are ahead before the idea could be commercially viable, but results so far indicate there might be big benefits for farmers and consumers, lead researcher Yanhui Zhang said. "This is making more sense in terms of alternative energy or renewable energy and strategically for reducing our dependency on foreign oil," said Zhang, an associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering. "Definitely, there is potential...

URBANA, Ill. (April 13) - A University of Illinois research team is working on turning pig manure into a form of crude oil that could be refined to heat homes or generate electricity. Years of research and fine-tuning are ahead before the idea could be commercially viable, but results so far indicate there might be big benefits for farmers and consumers, lead researcher Yanhui Zhang said. "This is making more sense in terms of alternative energy or renewable energy and strategically for reducing our dependency on foreign oil," said Zhang, an associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering. "Definitely, there...