Advanced Biofuels are high-energy liquid transportation fuels derived from: low nutrient input/high per acre yield crops; agricultural or forestry waste; or other sustainable biomass feedstocks including algae. The key word is “sustainable.”
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by David Glass (D Glass Associates) One of the morning sessions at the Tenth Annual BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology put four of the companies in the forefront of commercial development of cellulosic ethanol on the same panel. Although friendly rivalries popped up from time to time, what was more striking were the similarities between certain aspects of the technical strategies and business models pursued by these four companies.
The first speaker was Dr. Andre Koltermann from Clariant, who described the company’s SunLiquid® technology which can be used for production of either biofuels or chemicals from cellulosic feedstocks.
The process, which is feedstock-flexible, is claimed to be energy-neutral and nearly carbon neutral (95% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions relative to fossil fuels). It is also distinguished from some of its competitors by the way it integrates the use of enzymes in the process – Clariant uses a small portion of the inputted feedstock to grow the microorganisms that produce the enzymes used by the process, essentially alongside the main ethanol fermentation. Koltermann said that this approach, coupled with optimization of the enzymes for the intended process, yields enzyme costs that are much lower than the company’s competitors.
Clariant has operated a pilot plant with 1 ton ethanol per year capacity since 2009, and in 2012 began operations at a 1,000 ton/year demonstration plant in Straubing, Germany. The demo plant has used both wheat straw and bagasse as the cellulosic feedstock.
Clariant has begun a program of licensing the integrated process in a package which would include the rights to use the entire integrated process technology, including Clariant’s proprietary technology for ethanol separation, along with a supply agreement for the starter microbial cultures not only for ethanol fermentation but also those needed to produce the enzymes key to the process. The company expects to have its first licenses completed this year.
The next speaker was Ghansham Deshpande from Praj Industries Ltd. Praj, a company established in 1984, began pursuing cellulosic ethanol as early as 2006 because of its attractiveness in view of certain features of the fuel market in India and the abundant availability of cellulosic feedstocks in that country. The company has been operating a pilot plant and in 2013 it broke ground on a demonstration plant in India, which it plans to have online in 2014 and fully validated by 2015.
The process includes a highly efficient, low-energy pretreatment step, preparing cellulosic substrates such as bagasse, cane trash, corn stover or corn cobs for fermentation. Praj says it can use enzymes from any vendor, but they have developed a novel reactor design and an improved method for feeding substrate into the reactor, which it says improves efficiency.
The process as currently practiced uses separate fermentations for the C5 and C6 sugars, although a co-fermentation process is under development. The process also utilizes a proprietary method for ethanol recovery, which Deshpande said required low capital and operating expenses. The demonstration plant is located near a sugar mill in Pune, India, and is targeted to have a capacity of 25,000-35,000 liters of ethanol per day.
Oliver May of DSM was the next speaker. After a brief summary of the company’s research activities, much of the talk covered DSM’s cellulosic ethanol joint venture with POET, Project Liberty, which has broken ground on a commercial demonstration plant co-located within POET’s Emmetsburg, Iowa biorefinery.
It’s planned that the demo plant would use corncobs, leaves, husk, and some stalk as feedstock, with a capacity of 20-25 million gallons of ethanol per year. DSM contemplates global roll-out for the process during the present decade, including the siting of plants in the U.S., Brazil and Europe.
Much of May’s presentation focused on the areas in which DSM is still innovating to continue to improve the efficiency and economics of the process; in particular striving to improve enzyme performance and the robustness and efficiency of the yeast strains used in the process.
Michele Rubino of Beta Renewables was the final speaker. Describing their PROEA® technology, Rubino stressed that their process is at commercial scale, offers solid, profitable economics, and offers their partners guaranteed performance. Beta has developed this technology with its sister company Chemtex providing engineering support, and in partnership with Novozymes, supplying enzymes and related technology.
The company has been working on cellulosic ethanol since 2006, with a pilot plant coming on line in 2009. Construction began in 2011 on a commercial-scale plant in Crescentino, Italy, which is now operational. The PROESA method uses pretreatment technology that relies only on steam and mechanical treatment, with no added chemicals. The process is designed to be flexible on feedstock, with the plan being to tailor the process to whatever local feedstock is available at each plant site.
The process is first being demonstrated on cellulosic ethanol, but the company is actively exploring its use on other endproducts, such as butanol (working with Gevo) and 1,4-butanediol (working with Genomatica). The targeted cost for ethanol produced from cellulosic feedstocks is less than U.S. $1.50 per gallon ($0.40 per liter). Beta is beginning to offer license packages to the technology, which would include process engineering expertise from Chemtex and the needed enzyme supply from Novozymes. The first license was granted last year to GranBio for a plant in Brazil, and Beta is also planning a project in North Carolina under a USDA loan guarantee.
Together, these talks gave a strong indication that the cellulosic ethanol industry is at last on the verge of producing commercially-relevant quantities of cellulosic fuels, although challenges remain.
Common Trends
What was also striking were the common trends shared by many or all of the four presenters. One that jumped right out is “feedstock flexibility” – a catchphrase that was on the lips of almost every presenter I’ve heard so far at the conference. Particularly for technologies utilizing cellulosic feedstocks, it is essential to have the flexibility to use whatever input material is most readily available, and/or most economical, at any given plant location. While this seems like an obvious strategy, implementing it on a commercial scale poses challenges for both biology and engineering.
Not surprisingly, another common feature of these companies’ business plans were their interests in expanding the process beyond ceullosic ethanol to the production of other bio-based chemicals using cellulosic feedstocks.
Among other common threads were the ongoing efforts to continually improve enzyme performance and the efficiency of the microbial production organism (in most cases being yeast). This is of course triggered by the need to drive the production costs as low as possible, through overall improvements of process efficiency.
It was also striking that at least two of these companies had developed proprietary improvements to the processes for recovering and separating ethanol – although many may assume that established distillation or other separation techniques can suffice for this downstream stage of the process, the reality is that this is a process step that could easily become yield-limiting, and which is ripe for technological improvements that could yield economic benefits.
Finally, it is also interesting that two of the companies (Clariant and Beta Renewables) are pursuing business models that feature licensing, and that they’re both offering complete licensing packages that include enzyme supply and engineering support. This may be an effective way to address global markets without committing major company resources, while also generating revenues in license and consulting fees, and it is a reflection on the complexity of the processes that are being developed.
Due to funding constraints, Advanced Biofuels USA is limiting posting of daily news about advanced biofuels. Instead, we will enhance our focus on writing original pieces highlighting what is going on with advanced biofuels policy …
The Keystone Farm Show is the fastest growing farm show on the East Coast! Started in January of 1998 to address the needs of agrimarketers in the Mid-Atlantic area, the show has nearly tripled in …
In a recent report by Credit Suisse , it was stated that nearly 5 million hectares of palm trees are already planted in Malaysia, only between 200,000 and 300,000 are likely to be available in …
DLG BENELUX, Wageningen UR (PRI & IMARES) and MCN are happy to announce the 2nd International Seaweed Conference, organised in cooperation with NIOZ, TNO, ECN, Hortimare, ATO, Blueport, Stichting Zeewierboerderij & Provincie Noord-Holland. This international conference will take place in Den Helder/Texel, The Netherlands from …
The German BioEnergy Association (BBE) and the Union for the Promotion of Oilseeds and Protein Plants (UFOP) cordially invite paper proposals for the 11th International Conference on Biofuels “Fuels of the Future 2014″, which will …
The conference will be held in the light of the possible changes to the Renewable Energy and Fuel Quality Directive (RED: 2009/28/EC and FQD: 98/70/EC) in November 2013 arising from the so-called trialogue procedure between …
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) invites leaders from the biotechnology, chemical and agricultural industries to submit proposals and abstracts for panels, individual papers and posters for the 2013 Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy. …
Call it what you want, but the message is the same – RINs are out of control, and the future is not looking bright.
Ethanol RIN prices started the year at a mere 7cts/gal and in …
What issues will be covered in the 2013 agenda?
Shifts in trade flows and emerging trends in the global oilseed and grains supply chain
New developments in vegetable oil usage for food, fuel and industrial applications
New oil …
What is EUEC?
EUEC 2014 is the 17th annual energy, utility and environment conference
EUEC has been held annually in Arizona since 1995.
EUEC is the USA’s largest, longest-running, professional networking and educational event of its kind.
Over 2,000 delegates network …
What is EUEC?
EUEC 2014 is the 17th annual energy, utility and environment conference
EUEC has been held annually in Arizona since 1995.
EUEC is the USA’s largest, longest-running, professional networking and educational event of its kind.
Over 2,000 delegates network …
The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) is an international multi-stakeholder initiative that brings together farmers, companies, non-governmental organizations, experts, governments, and intergovernmental agencies concerned with ensuring the sustainability of biofuels production and processing. Since 2006 …
At this event you will be able to:
• Identify production growth opportunities within the African continent
• Look at intra-region and international trade dynamics and identify supply gaps for both fuel and non-fuel ethanol
• Assess production …
The Role of Partnerships in Advanced Biofuels Reaching Commercial Scale in the US
In line with 4th annual leading North American bio-based markets event World Bio Markets USA, Green Power Conferences is pleased to announce a free …
Energy security is high on the agenda for Australia as the nation becomes increasingly vulnerable to overseas fuel supply disruption.
It is reported that as of now, 85 per cent of Australia’s transport fuel now comes …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On June 11 the USDA Rural Business Cooperative Service has published a notice of contract proposals in the Federal Register, announcing the availability of $98.6 million for payments under …
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Robert E. Kozak, Advanced Biofuels USA founder and board member began his remarks at the Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum in Washington, D.C June 12, with …
by Aino Siirala (Advanced Biofuels USA) The 21st European Biomass conference and Exhibition was held in Copenhagen on June 3-7, 2013, gathering almost 2000 attendees.
Denmark, one of the world’s leading countries in the green energy …
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Advanced Biofuels USA, an internationally respected nonprofit educational organization dedicated to promoting the understanding, development and use of advanced biofuels as an energy security, economic development, military flexibility and …
by Jennifer A. Dlouhy (SF Gate) United Airlines on Tuesday announced it has committed to buy at least 15 million gallons of cleaner-burning renewable jet fuel from a Los Angeles-based refinery, marking a potentially major breakthrough …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The EPREINC scenario—One chart was prepared by the Energy Policy Research Foundation for its Congressional testimony on the Renewable Fuel Standard yesterday.
…
EPRINC’s scenario foresees a big shortfall between the production …
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/The Energy Collective) …Incredibly, the American Petroleum Institute’s anti-RFS “training center” (yes, Big Oil has a “training center” apparently intended to spawn an army of certified RFS haters) has the …
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Not quite a year after opening a demonstration facility, Switzerland-based specialty chemicals company Clariant AG announced that it has expanded the feedstocks successfully converted to cellulosic ethanol beyond wheat …
(WiseGEEK) In an effort to find a viable alternative to foreign oil, many politicians and environmental groups have been heavily promoting the advantages of ethanol fuel. Ethanol is a primarily plant-based fuel which can be …
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) I’m writing in response to the guest opinion piece that ran on May 18 by Stephen Buck. It was addressed to Congresswoman Bustos and entitled “Stop Using E15 Fuel Until Further …
by Ayesha Rascoe (Reuters) The Environmental Protection Agency plans to announce targets for U.S. ethanol use in 2013 and 2014 this summer, an EPA official told lawmakers on Wednesday, even as critics of the program …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Renewable Fuels Association has spoken out to criticize a study published by Rice University and the University of California-Davis that claims climate change will increase irrigation costs for …
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/The Energy Collective) …Big Oil’s PR machine regurgitates these myths via conference calls with reporters, meetings with editorial boards, sham studies, paid advertising, social media and many other channels. Their …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On June 5, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Health Care and Entitlements held a hearing on the federal renewable fuel standard (RFS). …
by David Glass (DGlassAssociates) A new study was published last week by two researchers at the University of Illinois Energy Biosciences Institute, James S.N. McCubbins and A. Bryan Endres, regarding the length of time the Environmental Protection Agency …
by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) The car racing carnival came to Detroit this past weekend. The venue was Belle Isle, once a beautiful island park in the Detroit River that served as a verdant …
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) NASCAR’s sportscar racing division, GrandAm, and Green Racing aren’t words that you see together. For one thing, GrandAm competitors race on all-petroleum race fuel. Yet, GrandAm and the American Le …
(US Department of Energy) On July 31–August 1, 2013, the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and Advanced Biofuels USA will co-host the Office’s sixth annual conference, Biomass 2013: How the Advanced Bioindustry is Reshaping American Energy, at …
(Minnesota Cornerstone) …Nearly 500 students from 50 schools built more than 80 cars and competed in the 25thannual Supermileage Challenge, which has long been sponsored in part by the Minnesota Corn Growers Association. Supermileage Challenge is …
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Biofuel Weiss Inc. is developing a 7 MMgy continuous flow multifeedstock biodiesel production facility in Atlantic Canada, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. According to Ian Weiss, CEO of Weiss Biofuel, the …
(The Oil Palm) Spanish MEP and Draftsman for the influential Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE), Alejo Vidal-Quadras, has dismissed the European Commission’s proposal to introduce Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) factors as part of …
Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Is the ultimate industrial fuel system going to be based on electricity, waste CO2 and brackish water – to return society to the days of energy abundance? It will take a …
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) In an interview published on May 22, Charles Drevna, President of the American Fuels & Petrochemical Manufacturers, disparaged the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and claimed it negatively effects consumers. He couldn’t …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A new proposed rulemaking from the U.S. EPA includes several possible modifications to the renewable fuel standard program, including categorizing as advanced biofuels ethanol produced from corn fiber and …
by Geoff Cooper (The Energy Collective/Renewable Fuels Association) Anyone with even a casual interest in energy policy knows that a full frontal assault has been launched against the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Big Oil has …
(Southeast Agriculture & Forest Energy Resources Alliance) “We’re the nation’s only comprehensive biofuels agency, and I say that more out of surprise than for the purpose of touting North Carolina,” said Steven Burke, President and CEO of the Biofuels Center of North …
(U.S. Grains Council/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Grains Council, along with the National Corn Growers Association, MAIZAR, representing Argentina producers and the maize supply chain and ABRAMILHO (Brazilian Association of Corn Producers) have signed a …
(University of Illinois/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Two University of Illinois scientists have developed an environmentally friendly and more economical way of pretreating miscanthus in the biofuel production process.
“We pretreat the biomass with switchable butadiene sulfone in the …
by Fred Cannon (The Hill’s Congress Blog/KiOR) More than one-third of the world’s total energy usage relies on liquid fuels – primarily from fossil fuels. In the first quarter of 2013 consumption outpaced production, and …
by Tim Landis (State Journal-Register) Ethanol supporters in Illinois want to trade a 20 percent sales tax break on E10 fuel sales in Illinois for a 10 percent break on E15, arguing it would mean …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Every once in a while, I read something that really catches my attention. A study that found that distillers grains can help reduce methane output and increase milk production …
by Paul Kenney (KAAPA Ethanol/Kearney Hub) Opinion: …Ethanol blends are becoming a staple at pumps across the nation, and ethanol accounts for more than 10 percent of the country’s motor fuel supply. It’s a higher-octane alternative …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) As drivers head out for trips over Memorial Day weekend, increasing attention is being focused on gasoline prices. In the meantime, ethanol industry advocates are pointing to the power …
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) The House and Energy Commerce Committee has released its third white paper on the Renewable Fuel Standard, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Environmental Impacts.” Executive Vice President of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), …
(European Commission/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The European Commission can confirm that on May 14, 2013, commission officials carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of several companies active in and providing services to the crude oil, …
(ePURE/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ePURE, the European Renewable Ethanol Association, has asked the European Commission to investigate if EU customs legislation is properly applied in Finland. Evidence from several sources indicates that ethanol blended with gasoline …
(Enerkem/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Enerkem Inc. announced the launch of a new research project with the government of Canada. The objective of the project is to develop new catalytic processes for the conversion of waste into …
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Just months after receiving the first cellulosic renewable identification numbers for a shipment of cellulosic ethanol to its Brazil partner Petrobras, Western Biomass Energy LLC filed for bankruptcy …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Reps. Pete Olson, R-Texas, and Jim Costa, D-Calif., have introduced legislation that would allow ethanol produced from domestic natural gas to meet the volume requirements of the renewable fuel …
(News Press) A bio-energy company on the Treasure Coast has joined Fort Myers-based Algenol Inc. in calling for Gov. Rick Scott to veto a measure that would repeal the state law requiring most gasoline sold …
(Scania) Scania also provides highly attractive solutions to bus transport developed in close cooperation with the operators.
Rising welfare inevitably brings about an increased need for transportation of goods as well as passengers. Curbing the constant …
by Judith Namutowe (AllAfrica.com) Government has said it will start importing ethanol from Zimbabwe with a view to lowering the high fuel prices in Zambia. And Government will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with …
(Alternative Fuels Americas/PR NewsWire) Alternative Fuels Americas, Inc. (AFAI) announced today (May 22, 2013) that it has successfully completed research trials targeting Jatropha trees as a feedstock source for profitably produced, sustainable biodiesel, and is …
(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) Passage of Retailer “Bill of Rights” Shows Commitment to Local Retailers and Consumer Fuel Choice
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) today applauded the Iowa Legislature’s passage of H.F. 640 as a big …
by Tom Rickey (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) A new analysis shows that the nation’s land and water resources could likely support the growth of enough algae to produce up to 25 billion gallons of algae-based …
by Dan Seif (Mother Earth News/Rocky Mountain Institute) Advanced, non-food biofuels are gaining momentum in 2013 as several new plants have gathered the capital and momentum for large-scale production.
…
Despite sparse media coverage, significant volumes of …
by Andrew Herndon (Bloomberg) Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), which has invested more than $100 million to develop algae-derived biofuels, is refocusing its research with Synthetic Genomics Inc. after almost four years of work failed to …
(Economic Times/India Times) China’s commercial hub Shanghai plans to turn recycled cooking oil, some of it seized by authorities, into an environmental asset by converting it into fuel for vehicles, state media said Monday.
The country has …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Iowa, Absolute Energy, a 115 million gallon per year ethanol plant near the Iowa-Minnesota border, is now offering E85, a fuel blend containing 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) DoD goes forward, after internal wrangle, with advanced biofuels program via $16M phase 1 investment.
With industry cost share, project totals $33M: aims for sub-$4, drop-in military biofuels.
In Washington, the DoD …
by Ryan Tracy (The Wall Street Journal) Instituting a carbon tax could help reduce the deficit and “produce incremental benefits” for the environment, but could also raise the cost of many goods and services, the …
by William C. Holmberg (Physicians for Social Responsibility) Asthma, $16 billion. Premature births, $26 billion. All cancers, $227 billion. Autism, $126 billion. Heart disease, $272 billion. Obesity, incl. Type 2 diabetes, $190 billion. These are …
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) According to a recent survey conducted by SRI, 65 percent of retail investors and 53 percent of institutional investors are currently expressing interest in fossil fuel-free portfolios in reaction to climate …
The Conference that brings together giants of the industry, authorities and renowned experts is a networking opportunity in one of the largest executive centers of the South Hemisphere – over 700 corporate leaders from more …
(Environmental Protection Agency) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a proposed rulemaking for modifications to the Renewable Fuel Standard program, E15 misfueling mitigation regulations, ultra low
sulfur diesel survey requirements as well as other technical …
by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Industry Organization/Biofuels Digest) …Renewable chemicals offer cost-competitiveness with petrochemicals or new properties and features that add value to innovative consumer products. In that way, they’ve captured some market share and created …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Beyond biomass, beyond fossil fuels, beyond light itself. And now, the direct production of drop-in biofuel blendstocks. All available from a microbial “cow”.
This week in California, a research team from …
by James Stafford (OilPrice.com) … Mark Thoma is a macroeconomist and time-series econometrician at the University of Oregon. His research focuses on how monetary policy affects the economy, and he has also worked on political …
(Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining) The Renewable Energy Directive (RED) has set a general binding target for the European Union to derive 20% of its final energy and 10% of its transport fuels from renewable sources …
by Peter Hannam (The Age) Whether it’s the use of organisms first found in the guts of rabbits in New Zealand or converting the mountains of rubbish disposed of by Londoners, airlines around the world are …
Now in its 16th year, F.O. Licht’s World Ethanol and Biofuels is the must attend event for the global ethanol and biofuels community. Recognised as the best forum for in-depth analysis and as the biggest week of trade …
by Sandra I. Erwin (National Defense Magazine) …Although the Pentagon consumes just 1.5 percent of the nation’s fuel, biofuel investors and green-energy advocates have looked upon the military as a catalyst for a massive expansion of …
(Department of Energy) Dr. Ernest Moniz was sworn in as the nation’s 13th Secretary of Energy by Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman in a ceremony this morning (May 21, 2013) for the Department’s employees, kicking off …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The USDA has announced $14 million payments to advanced biofuel 162 producers in 38 states under the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels. The program awards payments to eligible producers …
by Valerie Volcovici (Reuters) President Barack Obama’s energy and environment team took two steps forward on Thursday after the U.S. Senate confirmed Ernest Moniz as energy secretary and a committee cleared Gina McCarthy to get a …
by Javier E. David (CNBC) Imagine a world where leftover corn, wheat and wood chips can be used to power your car.
That’s the aim of cellulosic ethanol, a budding sector of the renewable fuel industry that …
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) What used to be known as “The New York Sugar Conference” has become “The ISO and Datagro Sugar & Ethanol Conference” with a record-setting number of attendees (350 from …
by Enos Shumba, et al (World Wildlife Fund for Nature) The bio-fuel debate has largely focused on large feedstock plantations that produce products for the export market. It has not acknowledged and seriously considered the …
by Lynn Yarris(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Joint BioEnergy Institute Researchers Develop Enzyme-free Ionic Liquid Pre-treatment
Advanced biofuels – liquid fuels synthesized from the sugars in cellulosic biomass – offer a clean, green and renewable alternative to …
(United Sorghum Checkoff Program) The Sorghum Checkoff in collaboration with the NCERC at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (formerly the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center) is pleased to announce a successful bench-scale evaluation of sweet sorghum juice …
by Michelle Macaluso (Fox News) …Propel Fuels is launching its Clean Mobility Centers in Fresno. The stations will offer both E85 and biodiesels ranging from B5 to B99 that will be locally-sourced from producers in …
(Algae Industry Magazine) An algae research proposal from Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center (FAPC) was ranked No. 1 of 28 plant-related research projects, resulting in $100,000 in funding …
(Edeniq/Yahoo! News) Visalia Plant Milestone Signifies Greater Commercial Viability for Cellulosic Ethanol and Sugars
Edeniq, a biomaterials and sustainable fuels company, today announced the company’s first demonstration plant, located at its Visalia, CA headquarters, has completed …
by Barry Cohen (National Algae Association/PR Log) The DoE has spent $2.5 billion on algae research but to date nothing has been commercialized. Why? Because their mission is to develop technologies. It’s not their problem or …
by Adam Wilmoth (News OK) OSU researcher Gerald Schoenknecht and his team recently completed genome sequencing for an algae that thrives inside active volcanoes. The researchers hope to use their findings to help make tough …
(Enerkem/PR NewsWire) Enerkem Inc. (www.enerkem.com), a waste-to-biofuels and renewable chemicals company, announces the launch of a new research project with the Government of Canada. The objective of the project is to develop new catalytic processes for …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In an exclusive Digest interview, Shell’s VP for Alternative Energy, Matthew Tipper, reveals the company’s thinking about RFS2, their increasing re-focus on North America and the EU. Plus, Shell’s ambition …
by Yuca Waarts, Kor Zwart (LEI Wageningen UR) Recycling palm oil mill effluent, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and improving smallholder livelihoods are three important topics in debates on sustainable palm oil production. In Indonesia, Zebra Special Products …
(EurekAlert!) World’s cassava experts to wage war against cassava viruses; introduction into Nigeria, the largest cassava producer in the world, could result in drastic food shortages in this part of Africa
Cassava experts are reporting new …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Canada, around 200 delegates from 44 countries are meeting in Montréal today, in a meet-up organized by the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), to explore: the commercialization of aviation …
by Heather Loney (Global News) The federal government is teaming up with two Canadian companies in a pilot project that would use algae to convert greenhouse gas emissions from the oilsands into biofuels.
The National Research …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, BIO begins the week with applause for Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and other members of the Senate Agriculture Committee for including mandatory funding for …
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) During a call to discuss its first quarter financial results, Syntroleum Corp. announced that Dynamic Fuels LLC’s renewable diesel plant in Geismar, La., is expected to resume operations in July. …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biofuels’s Montagues and Capulets were at it again last week — with a flurry of press releases about court decisions and commercial timelines regarding their respective isbutanol technologies.
At the heart …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) World’s #1 chemical company to produce renewable Butanediol using Genomatica’s process. The Digest has a one-on-one with Genomatica CEO Christophe Schilling to explore the deal in-depth.
In Germany, BASF announced that …
by Tom Kadala (Research Pays) … (T)here is yet another force at play, one that is far more complex than society is prepared to confront today and which will surely cause the price of oil …
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