Foreword

Our cover stories this month concern, shall we say, the dispelling of some widely-held misconceptions. The first remains a highly contentious issue: genetically modified organisms or GMOs. Most fears around GMOs stem from their potential adverse effects on ecosystems; and in theory these are well-founded. While we can assess the risks and model potential impacts it’s difficult to predict what might happen as a result of wide-scale release. This is an issue that has held back the field-scale deployment of GM technologies across Europe but not elsewhere. In contrast contained GM development (e.g. for microbial fermentation) has continued to deploy. The same fears have surfaced regarding...

Other News this Month Includes:

Policy

• UK Government and Supermarkets need to do more about food waste
• WRAP's guide to minimising plastic in AD digestate
• Incentives not big enough for grassland conservation on UK farms
• European Parliament votes to phase out palm oil from biofuels​

Markets

• UK wood recycling levels up, prices down
• UK coal power drops by 60% from 2015 to 2016
• UK experiences first coal-free day since Industrial Revolution
• Renewables great for employment in Scotland
• High export value for US pellets and ethanol​

Research & Development

• GM Algae Outdoor Cultivation tests successful
• Ice Plant may hold key to drought tolerance in post-global warming crops
• US can meet renewable targets with biomass - without conflicting with food
• Forest-based power shows 98% carbon reduction on natural gas
• Improving batteries and superconductors with seaweed​

Wood & Crop

• Wood pellets from waste supplied to Sheffield energy plant
• Grim outlook for Malaysian palm oil​

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