Technological advance by itself will not bring about improved forest sector governance. The key is to ensure broad appreciation of the improvements made possible by the introduction of new technologies and the uptake of these technologies in the strategies and plans of the forest sector. A legal framework is needed that recognises the use of new technologies for law enforcement and allows for t...

Uncertain and unstable policy support has often been claimed to be a major cause of the slower than expected deployment technologies for production advanced biofuels. We investigate economic rationale this claim by applying real options framework incorporating uncertainties regarding energy prices, investment costs, prevalence support, in terms an per produced unit biofuel depending on greenhou...

With crude oil reserves dwindling, the hunt for a sustainable alternative feedstock for fuels and materials for our society continues to expand. The biorefinery concept has enjoyed both a surge in popularity and also vocal opposition to the idea of diverting food-grade land and crops for this purpose. The idea of using the inevitable wastes arising from biomass processing, particularly farming ...

The cleavage of lignin bonds in a wood matrix is an important step in the processes employed in both the biorefinery and pulp and paper industries. β-O-4 ether linkages are susceptible to both acidic and alkaline hydrolysis. The cleavage of α-ether linkages rapidly occurs under mildly acidic reaction conditions, resulting in lower molecular weight lignin fragments. Acidic reactions are typicall...