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Food News- Sugar and Sweeteners OutlookExamines world and U.S. production, consumption, trade, stocks, and prices for beet and cane sugar, and high fructose corn syrup. […]
- U.S. Fertilizer Imports/ExportsThis product provides U.S. annual data on imports and exports of selected fertilizer types. The data cover imports from 1995 to 2009 and exports from 1990 to 2009 for 26 major fertilizer products and materials, and for 82 major trading countries. […]
- Aquaculture DataAquaculture is the production of aquatic animals and plants under controlled conditions for all or part of their lifecycle. This data product provides statistics on domestically grown catfish and trout and U.S. imports and exports of fish and shellfish that may be products of aquaculture, such as salmon, shrimp, and oysters. […]
- U.S. Agricultural Trade Data UpdateProvides a monthly update of year-to-date quantities and values of U.S. agricultural exports and imports. Also provides data on leading destination countries for exports and import source countries. […]
- Livestock and Meat Trade DataThe Livestock and Meat Trade Data Set contains monthly and annual data for imports and exports of live cattle, hogs, sheep, and goats, as well as beef and veal, pork, lamb and mutton, chicken meat, turkey meat, and eggs. The tables report physical quantities, not dollar values or unit prices. Data on beef and veal, pork, and lamb and mutton are on a carcass- […]
- Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook
- What Everyone Should Know About Energy
- What is the role of coal in the United States?Due to its relatively low cost and abundance, coal is used to generate about half of the electricity consumed in the United States. Coal is the largest domestically-produced source of energy. Coal use, however, results in higher amounts of carbon dioxide per unit of energy than the use of oil or natural gas. […]
- What is a cap-and-trade program and how does it work?A cap-and-trade program is designed to reduce emissions of a pollutant by placing a limit (or cap) on the total amount of emissions. The cap is implemented through a system of allowances that can be traded to minimize costs to affected sources. Cap-and-trade programs for greenhouse gas emissions would increase the costs of using fossil fuels. […]
- How can we compare or add up our energy consumption?To compare or aggregate energy consumption across different energy sources like oil, natural gas, and electricity, we must use a common unit of measure. This is similar to calculating your food energy intake by adding up the calories in whatever you eat. […]
- What is the role of coal in the United States?
- Invasive Species
- Wisconsin -- New Fishing/Boating Check-Off To Help Invasive Species Fight (Mar 10, 2010) March 16, 2010New Fishing/Boating Check-Off To Help Invasive Species Fight (Mar 10,... […]
- Minnesota (updated) -- Invasive Species of Aquatic Plants and Wild Animals in Minnesota: Annual Report for 2009 March 16, 2010Invasive Species of Aquatic Plants and Wild Animals in Minnesota:... […]
- Wisconsin -- New Fishing/Boating Check-Off To Help Invasive Species Fight (Mar 10, 2010) March 16, 2010
Roasting Biomass For Energy
by Nicole Stricker, DOE
Biorefineries may soon rely on a process akin to roasting coffee beans to get more energy-dense biomass. The process is called “torrefaction” — heating biomass above 250 degrees C in an oxygen-free environment. A new collaborative study between DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will investigate whether the process can create a more valuable product for the nascent biofuels industry. Initial studies suggest driving moisture and volatile compounds from wood or straw could make biomass more stable, compactable and energy dense. Torrefied biomass has almost no water and actually becomes water resistant, which could improve storage in humid climates. INL researchers are now studying physical characteristics of the dried product, its production cost and how much energy it could generate. Collaborators at PNNL will study whether the torrefaction process improves the quality of the resulting biorefinery product.