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.”
A technical definition that …
Political news and views from Capitol Hill.
Conferences and Events List in Addition to Coming Events Carousel (above)
by Robert Bailey (Biorefinery Magazine/Trusted Advisory) …As in any bold challenge to old thinking, the biofuels industry is running into resistance to funding. The Valley of Death is where concepts lie in finance limbo between proven results and funding to commercialize. Investors like to fit science into their world. Wrong fit puts pre-commercial science in a gridlock where economic innovation and scientific growth stagnate. It happened with the first American power generation, but the inventors figured out the solution. In 1884 Thomas Edison’s partner, Elihu Thompson, said, “The Dynamo is not the system, nor the regulator, nor the lamp, nor the lines and switches, but the whole entity must be compared with another entity, under conditions which represent real, out-and-out commercial usage” (from Maury Klein’s “The Power Makers”). Edison and his partners realized they were working toward a complete solution. Educating the public and policymakers on practical aspects of electrical energy was a distraction, but it piqued investor interest. Sound familiar? It should. Today’s hurdles are similar.
…Research: scientists and investors exhaustively study and probe their materials. Process: the scientific process carefully monitors the process steps; investors use management models to gauge whether their money is achieving the objectives. Testing: peer review is often a step in commercializing scientific findings; the investor necessarily reviews customers’ preferences and buying patterns. READ MORE
by Luke Geiver (Biorefining Magazine) Experts say it’s counterproductive, but biorefining firms continue on with government
The government is a tricky organization to work with. At least that’s what Pamela Serino, director for the quality and …
(GreenAirOnline) Although aviation is a key driver of growth, without tackling its global and local environmental impact, the industry will not be able to realise its economic potential, says the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). …
(US Environmental Protection Agency) he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a Notice of Data Availability (NODA) to release its lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) analysis of palm oil used as a feedstock to produce biodiesel and …
by Mat McDermott (TreeHugger) We just learned, based on IEA calculations, if all fossil fuel subsidies were eliminated it would result in greenhouse gas emission cuts deep enough to get us halfway to preventing dangerous climate change. Indeed, …
by Meghan Grebner (Brownfield Ag News) Fort Wayne, Ind. residents will have additional options when it comes to filling up their flex-fuel vehicles. The flex-fuel pump – the first of its kind offers drivers the option for E85 or …
by John Mathews (The Globalist) …Today it is no longer evil oil companies riding roughshod over ranchers in Texas, but shale gas prospectors riding over communities’ rights wherever they drill — in the Antrim shale …
(MSN Autos) New-vehicle buyers heavily influenced by a general feeling about a brand, but specific about fuel-efficiency ratings.
…Fuel efficiency, in fact, was found to be “the most influential reason for purchasing a particular vehicle model,” …
(EurekAlert) …Now, a team led by Professor Will Zimmerman in the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Sheffield, believe they have solved the problem. They have developed an inexpensive way of …
(Edinburgh Napier University) A NEW company has been launched to commercialise a process for producing biofuel made from whisky by-products.
Celtic Renewables Ltd, a spin-out from Edinburgh Napier University’s Biofuel Research Centre, will initially focus on Scotland’s …
by Mary Rosenthal (Biofuels Digest/Algal Biomass Organization) …We need to change our approach. Below are three things the biofuels industry in general, and the algae industry in particular can do in 2012 to help accelerate …
ABO members who attend will be able to meet with their representatives in the 113th Congress and advocate for ABO’s legislative agenda. A legislative briefing on March 1st will feature key speakers from the Senate and …
by Robert E. Kozak and Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Dave Schenker, founder and president of the Greenspeed club came to the DC Auto Show to showcase the 1998 Chevy S-10 pickup, modified by Boise …
(CAAFI) The goal of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative® (CAAFI®) is to facilitate the development and deployment of alternative jet fuels that offer equivalent levels of safety and performance and compare favorably on cost …
by Joanne Lipman (The Daily Beast) For more than three years, President Obama has been singing the praises of electric cars. He’s repeatedly called for 1 million plug-in and hybrid vehicles on the road by 2015. He’s …
by Alvaro Cordero (Ethanol Producer Magazine/U.S. Grains Council) From a barely recognized feed alternative 10 years ago, distillers dried grains with solubles continues to gain recognition and markets. DDGS is now widely recognized internationally, where …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Cattlemen are increasingly turning to value-added distillers grains products from SweetPro Feeds
…Using the coproduct from ethanol production as a medium for vitamins, minerals, yeast and enzymes provides benefits that …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) …Can a Nebraska company process wet distillers grains into a biobased resin to replace conventional petroleum-based resins? Laurel BioComposite LLC says yes.
…The pilot plant started up the end of …
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Corn stover has been used in small amounts as cattle feed for more than 100 years. Separately, distillers grains has grown in popularity as a cattle feed over the …
(US Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA has approved a conditional commitment in the amount of $232.5 million to ZeaChem Boardman Biorefinery, LLC (ZBB) through the Biorefinery Assistance Program. ZBB …
by Gus Trompiz (Reuters) French state support for crop-based biofuels has brought benefits for farming but also hidden costs for motorists who have ended up having to consume more fuel and pay higher prices, the …
by Nomthandazo Nkambule (The Swazi Observer) A South African based company will invest about E3 billion in an ethanol project to be established along the Siphofaneni/Lavumisa corridor
Minister of Agriculture Clement Dlamini said the company, FuelEthanol and Agricultural Plantation, completed …
(California Polytechnic State University) Cal Poly faculty and students will demonstrate a new technology that uses algae to treat wastewater and produces biofuel as a byproduct. The system could be used at wastewater treatment facilities …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …You just can’t turn your back for very long, around the Pyromaniax – the researchers around the world working on pyrolysis. Now, pyro comes in several flavors – fast pyrolysis, …
by Steve LeVine (Foreign Policy/Oil And Glory) In the new issue of Wired, Julie Eilperin writes that clean-technology investment is in the throes of going bust, at least in the United States. That includes solar, wind and biofuels.
…Citi …
(PR NewsWire/Allard Energy, Inc.) Synenergy Limited, LLC, a global green solutions provider, today announced their distributorship with Allard Energy, Inc. (formerly, Allard Research and Development LLC), a leading innovator for small to medium scale ethanol production. Allard …
(Lignol) Lignol Energy Corporation (TSXV: LEC), a leading technology company in advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals, today announced that it has received confirmation that four new patent applications have been approved, bringing the total number of approved patents …
by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine) Clean Cities coalitions in Texas have partnered with Renewable Energy Group Inc. and Omaha, Neb.-based wholesale biodiesel distributor Bosselman Energy to co-host four workshops in four different cities throughout the …
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) The United Soybean Board recently announced it plans to deliver funds through its Green Ribbon Fairs reimbursement program encouraging fairs across the country to promote the use of soy-based products, …
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) A fleet of school buses in the United Arab Emirates will soon be fueled by a biodiesel blend. Lootah Biofuels, a fully owned subsidiary of S.S. Lootah Group, and School …
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) …The latest iteration of the program, EcoCAR2, kicked off in mid-2011. A total of 16 teams were selected to participate in the current competition co-sponsored by General Motors Corp. Over …
by Megan Kamerick (New Mexico Business Weekly) …The JTIP board approved $263,542.58 for Joule Unlimited to create 20 jobs. The company is building the first phase of its commercial plant in Hobbs on land owned by the state …
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) Like oil in World War II, U.S. Army Ret. General Paul J. Kern believes that biofuels are the “ammunition” for America today. …The main focus of the highly decorated retired army …
by Rudy Ruitenberg (Bloomberg Business Week) Criticism of biofuels and their impact on commodity prices by the new director general of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization is “simplistic and misinformed,” an industry lobby said.
Higher …
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama voiced strong support for renewable energy and an end to oil subsidies.
“We have subsidized oil companies for a century. …
Gov. Terry Branstad is quick to counterattack against any and all of Iowa’s critics and on Tuesday he included the nation’s largest business newspaper in comments to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association annual meeting in …
(SkyNRG) SkyNRG, the Amsterdam-based global market maker in sustainable jet fuel has supplied its first customer via a “fuel-from the factory ” option made possible with U.S. partners EPIC Aviation and Boeing.
Etihad Airways, the national …
by Jessica Testa (Cronkite News) Anticipating a day when Arizona becomes a leader in producing algae for biofuel, a Tucson lawmaker is pushing to have algae farms and related facilities defined — and taxed …
(MarketWIre/Solazyme) Solazyme, Inc., a renewable oil and bioproducts company, announced today that Maersk Line, one of the biggest shipping companies in the world, has completed the testing of Solazyme’s 100% algal derived renewable diesel as …
(Balkans.com) Cyprus Agricultural Research Institute, a non-profit branch of the Agriculture Ministry, wants to grow tiny algae and see if they are a good biofuels alternative to diesel reports Cyprus Mail. …A solution seems to …
Pond Biofuels is piloting a new carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption system at St. Marys Cement.
The new system will reduce greenhouse gases by absorbing dirty smokestack emissions to grow algae which can be used in oil …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Colorado, Gevo has received a patent on its GIFT separation unit, addressing the separation technology used to produce propanols, butanols, pentanols, and hexanols. The claims also address how ethanol plants …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bloomberg New Energy Finance launched its report “Moving towards a next-generation ethanol economy”. Commissioned by Novozymes, the report estimates the socioeconomic prospects of deploying advanced biofuels in eight of the highest agricultural-producing …
by Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) Here’s the President’s new energy policy.
“This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy – a strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full …
by John Daly (OilPrice.com) …While U.S. energy companies began fracking for gas in the late 1990s, there was a dramatic increase in 2005 after the administration of President George W. Bush exempted fracking from regulations …
Course objectives
How is “sustainability” determined?
Why does it matter from a business perspective?
Which issues (including policy and certification) do you need to understand?
What are the costs to a business and what are the market/sales advantages?
Designed for …
Submit your presentation idea today! This is the year to present.
Don’t miss this once-a-year opportunity to reach thousands of ethanol industry decision makers. With 4 tracks, 30 panels, 130-plus speakers, 300-plus exhibits and an anticipated …
by Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) Retain Agricultural Land: Agricultural and forest lands are vulnerable to loss due to reduction of the dairy and pulp/paper industries and conversion to residential or commercial development. They …
by Anna Austin (Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine) The USDA announced Jan. 20 a Notice of Funding Availability for its Rural Energy for America Program, and is inviting agricultural producers and rural small businesses to …
by Gary Truitt (Hoosier Ag Today) American ethanol production is creating jobs, energizing rural economies, reducing oil imports, and helping all consumers save money at the pump emphasized the Renewable Fuels Association today in a letter to …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill denied the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) motion to stay the decision he issued on December 29, 2011 that had halted the enforcement of …
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