Abstract
This issue of in vitro plant is dedicated to various aspects of biofuel research and development. The editors have sought the experts in this field and solicited manuscripts for this special issue publication from various academic institutions, government (USDA, DOE), industry (Mendel, Alellyx, Canavilas, Syngenta, Monsanto), and various countries (USA, China, Brazil, India, and Australia). This has resulted in state-of-the-art articles describing ethanol and also biodiesel research. These publications highlight the status of biofuel research across the globe and also focus on private, public, and government interests. This is especially noteworthy in that President Barack Obama has stated that renewable energy is a pivotal aspect of his policy for the USA. The objective of this introduction is to provide the reader with the pertinent background information relative to the biofuel efforts within the private sector, academia, and government laboratories. In particular, the history of biofuel research and commercialization is provided as well as a summary of the various crop systems available for biofuel production.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anonymous (1906) Auto club aroused over alcohol bill. New York Times, April 26, 1906.
Anonymous. National geographic 31: 131; 1917.
Anonymous Brazil uses vegetable oil for diesel fuel. Chem. Metall. Eng 50: 225; 1943.
Chang C. -C.; Wan S. -W. China’s motor fuels from tung oil. Ind. Eng. Chem 39: 1543–1548; 1947. doi:10.1021/ie50456a011.
Cheng F. -W. China produces fuels from vegetable oils. Chem. Metall. Eng 52: 99; 1945.
Chowhury D. H.; Mukerji S. N.; Aggarwal J. S.; Verman L. C. Indian vegetable fuel oils for diesel engines. Gas Oil Power 37: 80–85; 1942.
Darlington, T. (2009) Land Use Effects of U.S. Corn-Based Ethanol. http://www.ethanolrfa.org/objects/documents/2192/land_use_effects_of_us_corn-based_ethanol.pdf
Dimitri C.; Effland A. Fueling the automobile: An economic exploration of early adoption of gasoline over ethanol. J. Agriculture & Food Industrial Org 5: 1–17; 2007.
Finlay M. R. Old efforts at new uses: A brief history of chemurgy and the American search for biobased materials. J. Industrial Ecol 7: 33–46; 2004. doi:10.1162/108819803323059389.
Gabrukiewicz, T. (2009) Ethanol innovator driven to replace oil. Sioux Falls Argus Leader, January 4, 2009 (http://www.argusleader.com/article/20090104/NEWS/901040311/1001).
Hodgson A. D. Samuel morey: Inventor extraordinary. Historical Fact Publications, Oxford; 1961.
Huguenard, C. M. Dual fuel for diesel engines using cottonseed oil, M.S. Thesis, Ohio State University; 1951.
Knothe G. Historical perspective on vegetable oil-based diesel fuels. AOCS Inform 12: 1103–1107; 2001.
Kovarik, B. (1998) Henry Ford, Charles F. Kettering and the Fuel of the Future. Automotive History Review 32:7–27. http://www.radford.edu/~wkovarik/papers/fuel.html
Middaugh, P. R. (1979) Gasohol USA; Vol 4: 22–27. Interview: Dr. Paul Middaugh, alcohol professor. OSTI ID: 6350203 http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=6350203
Wang R. Development of biodiesel fuel. Taiyangneng Xuebao 9: 434–436; 1988.
Young A. L. Biotechnology for food, energy, and industrial products. New Opportunities for bio-based products. Environ. Sci & Pollut. Res 10: 273–276; 2003.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Editors: P. Lakshmanan; D. Songstad
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Songstad, D.D., Lakshmanan, P., Chen, J. et al. Historical perspective of biofuels: learning from the past to rediscover the future. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Plant 45, 189–192 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-009-9218-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-009-9218-6