PALEONTOLOGY

New species of 65 million year old fossil shark discovered in Alabama, USA

This shark was one of the ocean’s top predators after the extinction of the dinosaurs

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PENSOFT PUBLISHERS

 

IMAGE: 

PALAEOHYPOTODUS BIZZOCOI TEETH.

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CREDIT: EBERSOLE ET AL.

Birmingham, AL (February 7, 2024) – Today, a team of scientists is pleased to announce the discovery of a new fossil shark species from Alabama, USA. The team is led by Jun Ebersole, Director of Collections, McWane Science Center, Birmingham, AL, David Cicimurri, Curator of Natural History, South Carolina State Museum in Columbia, and T. Lynn Harrell, Jr., Paleontologist and Fossil Collections Curator at the Geological Survey of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

The shark is a new species of Palaeohypotodus (pronounced pale-ee-oh-hype-oh-toe-duss), which means “ancient small-eared tooth,” in reference to the small needle-like fangs present on the sides of the teeth. It has been named Palaeohypotodus bizzocoi, for the late Dr. Bruce Bizzoco (1949-2022) of Birmingham, AL. Bizzoco served as a Dean at Shelton State Community College, archaeologist, and was a longtime volunteer at McWane Science Center. The naming of this species honors Dr. Bizzoco’s lifelong commitments to education and the preservation of Alabama’s history.

According to Ebersole, the discovery of this shark was accidental.

“A few years ago, I was looking through the historical fossil collections at the Geological Survey in Alabama and came across a small box of shark teeth that were collected over 100 years ago in Wilcox County,” Ebersole said. “Having documented hundreds of fossil fish species over the last decade, I found it puzzling that these teeth were from a shark that I didn’t recognize.” Ebersole quickly realized that these teeth belonged to a new species.

“Perhaps one of the coolest aspects of this shark, is when it lived – the Paleocene, approximately 65-million-years-ago,” Cicimurri said. This is the time-period from just after the death of the dinosaurs, where over 75% of life on Earth went extinct.”

According to Cicimurri, this shark was a leading predator during the time when the oceans were recovering.
 
In Alabama, much of the southern half of the state was covered by a shallow tropical to sub- tropical ocean during the Paleocene. “This time period is understudied, which makes the discovery of this new shark species that much more significant,” Harrell said.

“Shark discoveries like this one give us tremendous insights into how ocean life recovers after major extinction events and also allows us to potentially forecast how global events, like climate change, affect marine life today,” Harrell continued.

As part of their study of this ancient shark, the team compared the fossil teeth to those of various living sharks, like Great Whites and Makos. According to Cicimurri, shark teeth differ in shape depending on where they are located in the mouth.

“By studying the jaws and teeth of living sharks, it allowed us to reconstruct the dentition of this ancient species and showed that it had a tooth arrangement that differed from any living shark,” Cicimurri said.

The naming of this shark is part of an ongoing project led by Ebersole and Cicimurri to document Alabama’s fossil fishes. Together, they have confirmed over 400 unique species of fossil sharks and bony fishes, which, according to Ebersole makes Alabama one of the richest places in the world in terms of fossil fish diversity.

The study, titled A new species Palaeohypotodus Glickman, 1964 (Chondrichthyes, Lamniformes) from the lower Paleocene (Danian) Porters Creek Formation, Wilcox County, Alabama, USA, was published today in the open access journal Fossil Record and can be downloaded here: htps://doi.org/10.3897/fr.27.e112800

About McWane Science Center
McWane Science Center is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) science center, children’s museum, natural history museum, aquarium, and IMAX Dome Theater. Designed to “spark wonder and curiosity about our world through hands-on science,” McWane Science Center has welcomed millions of visitors since opening its doors in 1998. The McWane Collection houses one of the largest collection of fossils in the state of Alabama. For more information, visit www.mcwane.org.

Palaeohypotodus bizzocoi tooth.

CREDIT

McWane Science Center.

Modern day sand tiger shark.

CREDIT

Wikimedia commons

  

Photograph of the late Dr. Bruce Bizzoco (1949-2022), for whom the new species is named.

CREDIT

McWane Science Center.

DOI

10.3897/fr.27.e112800 

ARTICLE TITLE

A new species of Palaeohypotodus Glückman, 1964 (Chondrichthyes, Lamniformes) from the lower Paleocene (Danian) Porters Creek Formation, Wilcox County, Alabama, USA

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Feb-2024

Dinosaurs’ success helped by specialized stance and gait, study finds

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL

 

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EVOLUTIONARY TREE SHOWING HOW DINOSAUR LIMB ADAPTATION EXPANDED THROUGH THE TRIASSIC PERIOD UNTIL IT WAS GREATER OVERALL THAN THE SPREAD OF LOCOMOTION TYPES IN THEIR COMPETITORS, INCLUDING PSEUDOSUCHIANS, OTHER AVEMETATARSALIANS, AND OTHER ARCHOSAURS. THESE CHANGES ALSO INCLUDED MANY EARLY DINOSAURS WITH STRONG ADAPTATIONS TO CURSORIALITY (RUNNING). MASS EXTINCTIONS ARE MARKED ALONG THE TIME SCALE: PTME, PERMIAN-TRIASSIC MASS EXTINCTION; CPE, CARNIAN PLUVIAL EPISODE; ETME, END-TRIASSIC MASS EXTINCTION).

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CREDIT: AMY SHIPLEY

Dinosaurs’ range of locomotion made them incredibly adaptable, University of Bristol researchers have found.

In a new study, published today in Royal Society Open Science, findings show that the first dinosaurs were simply faster and more dynamic than their competitors and why they were able to dominate the Earth for 160 million years.

The researchers compared the limb proportions of a broad array of reptiles from the Triassic, the period of time from 252 to 201 million years ago, when dinosaurs first appeared and rose to prominence. They identified which of these ancient beasts was quadrupedal (four-footed) or bipedal (two-footed), and also looked at their cursoriality index, a measure of their running ability.

They found that, from the beginning, not only were the dinosaurs and their close relatives bipedal and cursorial – which meant they had limbs adapted for running, they also showed a much wider range of running styles than some of their close competitors, called the Pseudosuchia.

The pseudosuchians included the ancestors of modern crocodiles. Some were small insect-eating bipeds, but most were medium-to-large-sized carnivores and herbivores and they were diverse throughout the Triassic. The team found that dinosaurs and their kin, the Avemetatarsalia, maintained a higher range of locomotory modes throughout this period.

MSc Palaeobiology student Amy Shipley led the study. She said: “When the crunch came, 233 million years ago, dinosaurs won out.

“At that time, climates went from wet to dry, and there was severe pressure for food. Somehow the dinosaurs, which had been around in low numbers already for 20 million years, took off and the pseudosuchians did not.

“It’s likely the early dinosaurs were good at water conservation, as many modern reptiles and birds are today. But our evidence shows that their greater adaptability in walking and running played a key part.”

“After the end of the Triassic, when there was a mass extinction, the dinosaurs expanded again,” said Professor Mike Benton. “Most of the pseudosuchians were wiped out by the mass extinction, except for the ancestors of crocodiles, and we found that these surviving dinosaurs expanded their range of locomotion again, taking over many of the empty niches.”

Co-author Dr Armin Elsler explained: “When we looked at evolutionary rates, we found that in fact dinosaurs were not evolving particularly fast.

“This was a surprise because we expected to see fast evolution in avemetatarsalians and slower evolution in pseudosuchians. What this means is that the locomotion style of dinosaurs was advantageous to them, but it was not an engine of intense evolutionary selection. In other words, when crises happened, they were well placed to take advantage of opportunities after the crisis.”

“We always think of dinosaurs as huge and lumbering,” says Dr Tom Stubbs, another collaborator. “This reminds us that actually the dinosaurs started as nippy little insect-eaters.

“The first dinosaurs were only a metre long, up high on their legs, and bipedal. Their leg posture meant they could move fast and catch their prey while escaping larger predators.” 

Co-author Dr Suresh Singh concluded: “And of course, their diversity of posture and focus on fast running meant that dinosaurs could diversify when they had the chance.

 “After the end-Triassic mass extinction, we get truly huge dinosaurs, over ten metres long, some with armour, many quadrupedal, but many still bipedal like their ancestors. The diversity of their posture and gait meant they were immensely adaptable, and this ensured strong success on Earth for so long.”

Evolution of the thigh bone (femur) through the Triassic, starting with a very limited array of shapes, and ending with a broad array of shapes for the dinosaur femur (high disparity), indicating a wide range of locomotion modes.

CREDIT

Amy Shipley

The paper:

‘Locomotion and the early Mesozoic success of Archosauromorpha’ by AE Shipley, A  Elsler, SA  Singh, TL Stubbs and MJ Benton in Royal Society Open Science.

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JOURNAL

Royal Society Open Science

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Locomotion and the early Mesozoic success of Archosauromorpha

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Feb-2024

 

Finally, we have the technology to observe trends in permafrost landscape change in the Arctic

Introducing ALEX, the Arctic Landscape EXplorer: A new map tool for monitoring pan-Arctic trends of permafrost landscape change

Reports and Proceedings

GRID-ARENDAL

 

IMAGE: 

THE ARCTIC LANDSCAPE EXPLORER (ALEX) WITH CHANGE DATA FOR POINT LAY ON THE LEFT AND A STORY MAP ABOUT THERMOKARST LAKES

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CREDIT: AWI

Arendal, Norway / Potsdam, Germany - Permafrost (from ‘permanent’ and ‘frost’) is ground that continuously remains at or below 0° C for at least two consecutive years. Around 15% of the land surface in the Northern Hemisphere is underlain by permafrost, which often contains and preserves biomass accumulated throughout millennia and thus acts as a carbon sink. The amount of carbon stored in permafrost is four times the carbon that has been released to the atmosphere due to human activities in modern times. (Canadian Geographic, 2018) As frozen soil thaws, microbial decomposition of organic matter releases carbon dioxide or methane, greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and further increase permafrost thawing at a global scale. Land surface changes associated with permafrost thaw include the acceleration of Arctic coastal erosion, increased thaw slumping in hillslope regions, the drainage and formation of lakes, as well as an intensification of disturbances on land, such as forest fires and droughts. Thermo-erosion leads to gullying, slumping, and even landslides and threatens infrastructure. Information on where these changes in permafrost stability occur in the Arctic and to what extent they are an important factor for the management of the land and infrastructure is scarce.

Many communities living in areas with permafrost have first-hand knowledge of local problems with erosion and thaw subsidence. However, until now Arctic communities have not been able to receive spatially explicit information on recent or ongoing thaw and erosion at broader scales providing vital information on how existing infrastructure or planned future infrastructure developments might be threatened. This information would be vital for better management, planning, decision-making, increased safety, and more targeted local responses in Arctic communities, but also to give scientists vital information about the development. 

Arctic PASSION recently published the Arctic Landscape EXplorer (ALEX), which contains data on satellite-derived trends in land surface changes at 30 meter resolution for the entire Arctic permafrost region for the 20 years from 2003 to 2022. The freely available online tool features an easy-to-use and well-explained map interface and was developed specifically for non-experts to meet the information needs of local Arctic communities living in areas with permafrost. It includes a localized view of the information provided and a storytelling component, and parts of the website will be available in multiple Arctic languages soon. Consultations with local representatives and stakeholders from Alaska aimed to ensure that their actual information needs are met.

 

“Dozens of lakes in Alaska have disappeared in recent years. This lake was used as a freshwater source for the village, forcing the community to find an alternative supply. This individual example shows us how communities living on frozen ground are directly affected by rapid changes in their lands.” 

Tillmann Lübker

ALEX is part of Arctic PASSION’s Permafrost Service: a satellite imagery-derived map product showing changes in permafrost thaw with 30 m resolution on the pan-Arctic scale with the ability to reliably detect and assess regional disturbances such as coastal erosion, lake drainage, thermokarst lake expansion, infrastructure expansion, retrogressive thaw slumps, tundra fires and fire scars, as well as the possibility to see change over time. 

For more information on how the change data was derived, see the 'Data' section of the ALEX website. Besides a link to the PANGAEA data repository, where the dataset can be downloaded,  you will also find instructions on how to use the change data as Web Map Service (WMS) in your application.

Learn more

The ALEX tool Arctic Landscape EXplorer (ALEX): Serving scientific geospatial information on permafrost disturbances in the arctic region (awi.de)

Arctic PASSION’s Panarctic requirements-driven Permafrost Service. 

Pan-Arctic Visualization of Landscape Change (2003-2022), Arctic PASSION Permafrost Service. PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.964814

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METHOD OF RESEARCH

Imaging analysis

STONE TOOL INDUSTRIALIZATION 

Innovation in stone tool technology involved multiple stages at the time of modern human dispersals

NAGOYA UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: 

THE INCREASE IN THE PRODUCTIVITY OF STONE TOOL CUTTING-EDGE (SHOWN IN WHITE LINES) DID NOT OCCUR BEFORE OR AT THE BEGINNING OF HOMO SAPIENS’ WIDE DISPERSALS IN EURASIA BUT SUBSEQUENTLY OCCURRED AFTER THEIR INITIAL DISPERSALS, COINCIDING WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF BLADELET TECHNOLOGY IN THE EARLY UPPER PALEOLITHIC.

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CREDIT: REIKO MATSUSHITA

A study led by researchers at the Nagoya University Museum in Japan may change how we understand the cultural evolution of Homo sapiens at the time of their dispersal across Eurasia about 50,000 to 40,000 years ago. These findings challenge traditional beliefs about the timing and nature of cultural transitions during this critical period in human history. 

Published in Nature Communications, the researchers’ insights into stone tool technology suggest that the commonly held view of a ‘revolution’ in culture and technology that allowed anatomically modern humans to outcompete Neanderthals and other archaic humans was a more nuanced and complicated process of cultural evolution. 

The team of researchers focused on the Middle-Upper Paleolithic (MP-UP) cultural transition, an important boundary between two key phases in our evolution: 

• The Middle Paleolithic period (250,000 to 40,000 years ago) witnessed anatomically modern humans coexisting with Neanderthals and archaic humans existing at the same time. Culturally, anatomically modern humans and Neanderthals had similar stone tool technology, such as making tools using ‘Levallois methods’, which involved striking stones with a hammer-like tool.  

• The Upper Paleolithic period (50,000 and 12,000 years ago) is the period in which anatomically modern humans made wide geographic expansions, and archaic humans went extinct. During this period, new cultural elements emerged in various realms, including tool technology, food acquisition, seafaring, and artistic expression in ornaments and cave art.  

Traditionally, scholars viewed the MP-UP transition as an abrupt change marked by the revolutionary emergence of new cultural elements. An example is the hypothesized sudden neural mutation in Homo sapiens, which resulted in their superior cognitive abilities. This change allowed them to ultimately outcompete other archaic humans and drive the Neanderthals to extinction. However, this study challenges this paradigm. 

The researchers examined the productivity of stone-tools with a cutting-edge over a 50,000-year span that encompassed six cultural phases from the Late Middle Paleolithic, through the Upper Paleolithic, to the Epipaleolithic period. They discovered that the major increase in innovative productivity did not occur before or at the beginning of the widespread dispersal of Homo sapiens in Eurasia. Rather, it subsequently occurred after their initial dispersals, coinciding with the development of bladelet technology in the Early Upper Paleolithic.  

This result shows a complicated process of cultural change involving multiple stages rather than a single ‘revolution.’  

According to the lead researcher Professor Seiji Kadowaki, the cultural transition from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic was a complex, evolutionary process involving multiple aspects and changes occurring over an extended period. He said, "In terms of cutting-edge productivity, Homo sapiens did not start to spread to Eurasia after a quick revolution in stone tool technology, but rather the innovation in the ‘cutting-edge’ productivity occurred later, in tandem with the miniaturization of stone tools like bladelets."

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JOURNAL

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-024-44798-y 

 

New study sheds new light on forests' role in climate and water cycle

Peer-Reviewed Publication

STOCKHOLM UNIVERSITY

Forests, which cover a third of Earth's land surface, are pivotal in carbon storage and the water cycle, though the full scope of their impact remains to be fully understood. In a new study published in Nature Communications, researchers from Stockholm University and international colleagues provide new insights into the complex role forests play in the climate system and water cycle. 

The research, involving scientists from 11 institutions across five countries, including Sweden, the UK, Finland, Germany, and Brazil, highlights the intricate relationship between forests, particularly their emission of organic gases, and the formation of reflective clouds that could influence global temperatures.

Comparing boreal and tropical forests

The unique aspect of this study is its focus on both boreal and tropical forests, which constitute 27% and 45% of the Earth's forested area, respectively. These ecosystems differ in their emissions and cloud formation processes, leading to varying impacts on the forest-cloud-climate feedback loop.

"This study, utilizing long-term data from diverse forest environments in Finland and Brazil, marks the first time observational evidence has been presented for these interactions in tropical rainforests," says lead author Sara Blichner, postdoctoral scientist at the Department of Environmental Sciences at Stockholm University. 

Underrepresentation of forests in climate models 

The study emphasizes the need for improved climate models to accurately represent these complex interactions. "Our findings suggest that current models may underestimate the impact of forests on cloud formation and climate, especially in tropical regions, which are crucial due to high amount of solar radiation these areas receive at these latitudes," Blichner explains.

However, Blichner stresses that while the study highlights areas for improvement in climate modeling, it does not undermine the overall reliability of these models. "Climate models are highly trustworthy in representing the main processes of climate change. Our research aims to refine these models, reducing uncertainties in future climate projections," she asserts.

Natural particles and global warming

The research also points out that as man-made particle emissions decrease due to air quality policies, the natural particles from forests become increasingly significant. These feedbacks are more potent in cleaner air environments and could play an important role in moderating global warming.

This collaborative study underscores the need for continued research and improvement in climate modeling to better predict future climate scenarios. Additionally, the findings highlight that these types of effects must be considered when assessing forest conservation as a key strategy in climate change mitigation.

About forest emissions and climate regulation

Forests release substantial amounts of organic gases, particularly noticeable as the distinctive scent of a pine forest on a warm day. These gases, once released into the atmosphere, contribute to particle formation. 

Clouds are composed of minuscule water droplets and each of these droplets nucleate around a particle in the air. An increase in atmospheric particles results in clouds with more droplets, enhancing their reflectivity of sunlight and leading to cooler surface temperatures.

As climate change raises temperatures, forests are anticipated to emit more of these gases, thereby creating more particles and potentially more reflective clouds.

 

Contact: 

Sara Blichner, postdoctoral scientist at the Department of Environmental Sciences, Stockholm University
Phone: +46 793503771 Email: sara.blichner@aces.su.se

Ilona Riipinen, professor at the Department of Environmental Sciences and director of the Bolin Centre Climate Research, Stockholm University
Phone: +46-73-5859251 Email: ilona.riipinen@aces.su.se
 

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JOURNAL

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-024-45001-y 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Process-evaluation of forest aerosol-cloud-climate feedback shows clear evidence from observations and large uncertainty in models

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Feb-2024

 

Nature is particularly beneficial for people on lower income

Regular time spent in nature is more beneficial to the well-being of poorer than richer people

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA

Data from a representative sample of the Austrian population suggests that the relationship between nature contact and well-being is consistently stronger for people on lower than higher incomes. However, this pattern was only found when people actively visited nature and not when they merely lived near greenspaces. Findings suggest the availability, accessibility and use of green and blue spaces can play an important role in reducing income-related health inequalities. The study was led by researchers of the University of Vienna in collaboration with the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna and was recently published in the journal Health & Place.

People on low incomes are at a particularly high risk of suffering from mental health problems such as depression or anxiety. One way to promote good mental and physical health is through nature contact. Time spent in nature is associated with reduced stress levels, better immune functioning, improved cognitive functioning, better sleep and greater life satisfaction. However, these associations do not seem to be the same for everyone.

As part of a study funded by Austrian and European funding agencies, researchers surveyed 2.300 individuals across Austria representative on age, gender and region. The findings suggest that while people with higher incomes generally reported higher well-being, regardless of how often they visited nature, well-being among the poorest in society was much higher among those who visited nature often. In fact, poorer individuals who visited several times a week had well-being levels nearly as high as the richest respondents. This pattern was clearly shown for both Austria as a whole and for those living in urban Vienna.

"What the results show is that the well-being benefits from visiting nature at least once a week across the whole year are similar to those from an increase in 1.000 Euros of income per year," summarises doctoral student and lead author Leonie Fian from the University of Vienna.

What you do is more important than where you live

Interestingly, these associations were only found for actively visiting nature, but not for the amount of greenness around people’s homes. In other words, what people did, appeared more important than where they lived. From a public health perspective, it is therefore important to both create greener neighbourhoods and natural recreation areas, and to ensure that they are accessible and used, especially by socio-economically disadvantaged groups. 

"Especially for people on lower incomes, information about attractive natural recreation areas nearby and their accessibility by public transport plays an important role. They should therefore also be easily accessible by public transport at weekends," says Arne Arnberger from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna.

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JOURNAL

Health & Place

DOI

10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103175 

ARTICLE TITLE

Nature visits, but not residential greenness, are associated with reduced income-related inequalities in subjective well-being.

 

Inexpensive, carbon-neutral biofuels are finally possible

From solvent to solvency

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - RIVERSIDE

 

IMAGE: 

UC RIVERSIDE ASSOCIATE RESEARCH PROFESSOR CHARLES CAI, WHO INVENTED CELF, A BIOMASS PRETREATMENT TECHNOLOGY THAT COULD MAKE NEXT-GENERATION BIOFUELS COMPETITIVE WITH PETROLEUM. 

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CREDIT: STAN LIM / UCR

When it comes to making fuel from plants, the first step has always been the hardest — breaking down the plant matter. A new study finds that introducing a simple, renewable chemical to the pretreatment step can finally make next-generation biofuel production both cost-effective and carbon neutral.

For biofuels to compete with petroleum, biorefinery operations must be designed to better utilize lignin. Lignin is one of the main components of plant cell walls. It provides plants with greater structural integrity and resiliency from microbial attacks. However, these natural properties of lignin also make it difficult to extract and utilize from the plant matter, also known as biomass.

“Lignin utilization is the gateway to making what you want out of biomass in the most economical and environmentally friendly way possible,” said UC Riverside Associate Research Professor Charles Cai. “Designing a process that can better utilize both the lignin and sugars found in biomass is one of the most exciting technical challenges in this field.”

To overcome the lignin hurdle, Cai invented CELF, which stands for co-solvent enhanced lignocellulosic fractionation. It is an innovative biomass pretreatment technology.

“CELF uses tetrahydrofuran or THF to supplement water and dilute acid during biomass pretreatment. It improves overall efficiency and adds lignin extraction capabilities,” Cai said. “Best of all, THF itself can be made from biomass sugars.”

A landmark Energy & Environmental Science paper details the degree to which a CELF biorefinery offers economic and environmental benefits over both petroleum-based fuels and earlier biofuel production methods.

The paper is a collaboration between Cai’s research team at UCR, the Center for Bioenergy Innovation managed by Oak Ridge National Laboratories, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, with funding provided by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. In it, the researchers consider two main variables: what kind of biomass is most ideal and what to do with the lignin once it’s been extracted.

First-generation biofuel operations use food crops like corn, soy, and sugarcane as raw materials, or feedstocks. Because these feedstocks divert land and water away from food production, using themfor biofuels is not ideal.

Second-generation operations use non-edible plant biomass as feedstocks. An example of biomass feedstocks includes wood residues from milling operations, sugarcane bagasse, or corn stover, all of which are abundant low-cost byproducts of forestry and agricultural operations.

According to the Department of Energy, up to a billion tons per year of biomass could be made available for the manufacture of biofuels and bioproducts in the US alone, capable of displacing 30% of our petroleum consumption while also creating new domestic jobs.

Because a CELF biorefinery can more fully utilize plant matter than earlier second-generation methods, the researchers found that a heavier, denser feedstock like hardwood poplar is preferable over less carbon-dense corn stover for yielding greater economic and environmental benefits.

Using poplar in a CELF biorefinery, the researchers demonstrate that sustainable aviation fuel could be made at a break-even price as low as $3.15 per gallon of gasoline equivalent. The current average cost for a gallon of jet fuel in the U.S. is $5.96.

The U.S. government issues credits for biofuel production in the form of renewable identification number credits, a subsidy meant to bolster domestic biofuel production. The tier of these credits issued for second-generation biofuels, the D3 tier, is typically traded at $1 per gallon or higher. At this price per credit, the paper demonstrates that one can expect a rate of return of over 20% from the operation.

“Spending a little more for a more carbon-rich feedstock like poplar still yields more economic benefits than a cheaper feedstock like corn stover, because you can make more fuel and chemicals from it,” Cai said.

The paper also illustrates how lignin utilization can positively contribute to overall biorefinery economics while keeping the carbon footprint as low as possible. In older biorefinery models, where biomass is cooked in water and acid, the lignin is mostly unusable for more than its heating value.

“The older models would elect to burn the lignin to supplement heat and energy for these biorefineries because they could mostly only leverage the sugars in the biomass - a costly proposition that leaves a lot of value off the table,” said Cai.

In addition to better lignin utilization, the CELF biorefinery model also proposes to produce renewable chemicals. These chemicals could be used as building blocks for bioplastics and food and drink flavoring compounds. These chemicals take up some of the carbon in the plant biomass that would not get released back into the atmosphere as CO2.

“Adding THF helps reduce the energy cost of pretreatment and helps isolate lignin, so you wouldn’t have to burn it anymore. On top of that, we can make renewable chemicals that help us achieve a near-zero global warming potential,” Cai said. “I think this moves the needle from Gen 2 biofuels to Gen 2+.”

In light of the team’s recent successes, the Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technology Office has awarded the researchers a $2 million grant to build a small-scale CELF pilot plant at UCR. Cai hopes that demonstrating the pilot plant will lead to larger-scale investment in the technology, as harnessing energy from fossil fuels adds to global warming and hurts the planet.

“I began this work more than a decade ago because I wanted to make an impact. I wanted to find a viable alternative to fossil fuels and my colleagues and I have done that,” Cai said. “Using CELF, we have shown it is possible to create cost-effective fuels from biomass and lignin and help curb our contribution of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.”

UCR's Charles Cai and a newly installed 20-gallon CELF reactor that will be used in the scale-up project. 

CREDIT

Stan Lim / UCR

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JOURNAL

Energy & Environmental Science

DOI

10.1039/D3EE02532B 

ARTICLE TITLE

Economics and global warming potential of a commercial-scale delignifying biorefinery based on co-solvent enhanced lignocellulosic fractionation to produce alcohols, sustainable aviation fuels, and co-products from biomass