Article Archive for February 2011
(Renewable Fuel Association) The 2011 Ethanol Industry Outlook is now available. The Outlook catalogs the important statistics for America’s domestic ethanol industry while providing the most recent, up-to-date graphs, charts and facts about the production …
(ScienceBlog) …A new paper in today’s online edition of the American Chemical Society’s journal Environmental Science and Technology shows how farmers can save money on fertilizer while they improve their production of feedstock for ethanol and alleviate damage to …
The 112th edition of Congress is underway and with over 100 new members entering Capitol Hill this year, ethanol supporters might be wondering how does the new wave in Congress view the industry.
Join Myke Feinman …
by Heather Lammers (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) The scenario for your business dream plays out like this. You have an idea to make a fuel from biomass using a biochemical conversion processes. You and …
by Andrew Kaiser (OregonLive.com) …America is addicted to cars.
And why shouldn’t we be? Cars get us where we want to go quickly and safely. Cars offer enjoyment and, like the clothes we wear, can …
(US Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced February 25, 2011, that USDA will soon seek proposals to study the feasibility of providing crop insurance to producers of biofuel feedstocks, including corn stover, straw …
(US Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that he will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to encourage the continued development of bio-based products for energy consumption, animal feed, chemicals and other uses.
” …
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory) A theoretical technique developed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory is bringing supercomputer simulations and experimental results closer together by identifying common “fingerprints.”
ORNL’s Jeremy Smith collaborated on devising …
(The Local) Swedish oil and energy firm Preem has announced the development of the “world’s first” green diesel developed using residue from the Swedish forestry industry.
Describing the development of the product, which hits the market in …
(MarketWire) Diversified Technologies, Inc. has introduced a low-cost process (patent pending) for the pre-treatment of algae using pulsed electric field (PEF) technology to streamline the extraction of oils from algal cells early in the biorefining process.
The …
(Alltech) Alltech, a global leader in natural animal nutrition, cut the ribbon on its $200 million Alltech Algae plant in Winchester, Kentucky. Alltech Algae is a state-of-the-art algae fermentation facility that was acquired in 2010 from …
(National FFV Awareness Campaign) What would you do for $1,000 worth of free fuel? The National FlexFuel Vehicle (FFV) Campaign is betting drivers in Ohio will check their fuel doors, gas caps, and especially their vehicle …
by Tim Sklar (Biofuels Digest) …In Part 3 titled “Quantifying Risk Using Robust Financial Models”, insights are presented as to the how financial modeling can be used in quantifying risk and identifying “Deal Breakers”. In …
by Graham Cooper (OilPrice.com) BP is poised for a major advance in its biofuel operations, as it is completing commissioning of the world’s first biobutanol pilot plant and plans to begin full–scale production later this …
(SG Biofuels) SG Biofuels and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) released results of a study revealing the performance and emissions benefits of using Jatropha oil as a drop-in replacement for diesel fuel in industrial furnaces used …
(Algae Industry Magazine) Raptor Technology Group, Inc., of Groveland, FL, has announced their involvement in an advanced algae-based jet fuel project funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), part of the Department of …
by Patrick Canning (US Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service) A new ERS food dollar series measures annual expenditures on domestically produced food by individuals living in the United States and provides a detailed answer …
(GhanaWeb) Abellon CleanEnergy Ltd., an Indian renewable energy company, plans to create 25,000 jobs in Ghana and build a factory to produce solid biofuels, the United Nations Development Program said.
Ahmedabad-based Abellon will grow crops that …
A comprehensive 1-day introduction to Biofuels from non-food crops and advanced conversion processes.
Designed to be accessible to non-experts and the commercially-minded, this course describes the variety of feedstocks, routes and processes through which biomass can …
by Robert Rapier (R Squared/Consumer Energy Report) …When I am asked to comment on a press release, I try to be cautious with my opinions until I have peeled the onion a bit. There are …
(GreenAirOnline) According to a report by carbon offsetting company Carbon Retirement, the United Kingdom has earned more than one billion euros ($1.35bn) from the auction of EU Allowances since its first auction in Phase II …
by Henry Blodget (Huffington Post) …Over the long term, of course, given a finite supply of oil and ever-increasing demand for it, oil prices are going to keep on rising. And remaining in denial about …
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) DuPont Applied BioSciences President Craig Binetti told attendees of a recent clean technology conference that DuPont expects the biofuels industry worldwide to grow by $25 billion in the next …
(Virginia Tech/EurekAlert) Conversion of biomass to fuel requires several steps: chemical pretreatment to break up the biomass – often dilute (sulfuric) acid, detoxification to remove the toxic chemicals required in pretreatment, and microbial fermentation to …
by Philip Brasher (Des Moines Register) Former President Bill Clinton sounded a warning today on the impact that biofuels can have on global food prices and political stability. “We have to become energy independent but …
(Express News Service) The first commercial biodiesel unit owned by Eco Green Fuels Pvt Ltd was launched here (Bangalore) on Sunday (February 20, 2011). Inaugurating the plant, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and BJP national …
by Inderia Saunders (The Nassau Guardian) The official opening of Bahamas Waste’s biodiesel plant, which produces the fuel for wholesale distribution, is sparking other developments in the industry, with government officials indicating plans to offer …
(SmartFlow Technologies) SmartFlow Technologies announces that it will supply its advanced continuous processing solids separation and cell concentration systems to INEOS New Planet BioEnergy for use in their commercial-scale advanced bio-energy facility, the first to …
by Tim Sklar (Biofuels Digest) In Part I of this three part article titled“On Identifying Risks”, discussions were included that focused upon the high risk nature of advanced bio-refinery projects, why financing is hard to obtain what …
by Phil Brasher (Des Moines Register) Cutting the deficit is more important than protecting the ethanol industry if it comes to that, says Sen. Chuck Grassley, long the biofuel industry’s most powerful ally in Congress.
Grassley …
By Joao Oliveira (Bloomberg) BioVerde Industria e Comercio de Biocombustiveis SA signed a cooperation agreement with Spain’s Integral Bioenergies Systems, S.L. to produce biodiesel derived from animal and vegetable oil and increase margins by reducing its dependence …
(GlobeNewsWire) American Jianye Greentech Holdings, Ltd. , a leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of alcohol-based automobile fuel and civil-use fuel in China, today announced that AJGH has received approval to undertake a new project in alcohol-based …
by Emily Thomas (Energy Saving Trust) Scientists in West Wales and the Valleys looking to develop biofuels from locally grown plant crops have been given a funding boost of £20 million from the Welsh Assembly.
Aberystwyth …
(Amyris, Inc.) Amyris, Inc., announced that it has completed multiple runs of its fermentation process using Amyris engineered yeast to produce Biofene™, Amyris renewable farnesene, in 100,000 and 200,000 liter capacity fermentors. These runs were …
by Tim Sklar (Biofuels Digest) …The purpose of this three-part article is to provide project sponsors and developers of advanced bio-refinery projects with information and guidance in order to improve their prospects for obtaining project …
Jay Keasling grew up isolated from the world of science on his family’s farm in Nebraska. But perseverance, a love of the outdoors, and a passion for engineering all helped him become a pioneer in …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …The response to all this worry over oil? The United States House of Representatives in a new series of measures just passed, is doing its level best to ensure the …
by William R. Stone, Jr. (Journal Star) …As an old ranch hand, I’ve never made much of being an environmentalist, but I support protecting the environment more than most of the rabid environmentalists I’ve met. …
by Dan Chapman (AJC/Atlanta Business News) …One day, the dreamers said, Georgia would turn corn, pine trees, yeast, soy beans, peanut shells — any rapidly grown feed stock — into gasoline for cars or diesel …
by Sue Roesler (Farm & Ranch Guide) …The biomass refinery would be a part of Dakota Spirit AgEnergy LLC and would be located next to the Cargill barley malting plant and the Great River Energy …
(SWVA Today) At the beginning of February, the Sheetz in Wytheville became one of seven Sheetz in the country to offer the corn-based fuel.
In fact, according to the U.S. Department of energy, there are only …
by Andrea Shalal-Esa (Reuters) Oil price rises spurred by spreading unrest in the Middle East underscore why the U.S. military should reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, said U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus.
Every $10 increase …
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) …In this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast, we listen in to part of the presentation by Ricardo, an internationally recognized automotive and engineering firm, at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit, …
by General Wesley Clark (Politico) …How long chaos continues in that critical corner of that world remains unknown. But one thing is certain: As long as there is chaos and fears of access to Mid …
(The Hindu) Bangalore: Karnataka’s first-ever commercial bio-diesel production unit installed by Eco Green Fuels Private Limited was inaugurated by the Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari at Peenya here on Sunday.
Hailing the efforts, Mr. Gadkari, …
by Lance Cpl. Vanessa American Horse (Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System) A project that is expected to help reduce dependence on fossil fuels kicked off here (Marine Corps Base Hawaii – Kaneohe Bay) Feb. 4.
The 24-month research …
(Platts) The Environmental Protection Agency is studying a proposal by the US biodiesel industry to allow imports of Canadian canola-based biodiesel into the US.
“The question is always of what feedstock the biodiesel is made of,” …
(25 x ’25) Nationally recognized and respected leaders in federal agricultural and energy policy, state energy policies, research, and military applications of renewable energy have accepted positions on the 25x’25 National Steering Committee.
New members include …
by Mike Casey (Renewable Energy World) The national conversation about wasteful welfare for highly profitable dirty energy corporations has gone from the dramatic statement by the Chief Economist of the International Energy Agency that fossil fuel …
by Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) Part II: An Interview with Mike Lynch, Managing Director of NASCAR’s Green Initiative
When we met with Mike Lynch last week at Daytona Speedway we spoke with him about …
by Orrie Swayze (Ag Week) America’s corn crop is a miracle crop that, on a sustainable, per-acre basis, grows three times as much grain and creates three times as much soil organic matter by capturing three …
(ICIS) The US needs a uniform standard for the roll-out of higher ethanol blends, a government official said on Tuesday, citing rules in several states that cap ethanol blending at 10%.
Some states limit blending at 10%, even …
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) …(S)till under fire is CARB’s final ruling on the carbon intensity levels given for ethanol and biodiesel. When CARB determined the original levels of corn ethanol, it essentially barred the fuel …
(CalSTEP) Former Sec Shultz and Panel Cite Skyrocketing State Oil Imports, Price Shocks, Federal Inaction in Report
A diverse group of leaders, including President Reagan’s Secretary of State, released a report today that said California would …
(Fuel Fix) President Barack Obama today defended his plan to raise tens of billions of dollars for the federal government by axing tax incentives long enjoyed by the oil and gas industry.
Congress has already rejected two …
By Elizabeth Lopatto (Bloomberg) Switchgrass, the prairie plant that once fueled the buffalo herds of the American Great Plains, may one day fill automobile tanks in a bioengineered form that’s cheaper and yields more ethanol than …
(Google/AFP) Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell and Brazilian sugar-production group Cosan said Monday they were forming one of the biggest joint ethanol fuel ventures in the world, with an estimated market value of $12 billion.
The new entity, …
The Defense Venture Catalyst Initiative (DeVenCI) will conduct a workshop April 25-26, 2011 in McLean, VA to help discover emerging technologies relevant to the United States Navy’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy. The workshop will …
(SG Biofuels) SG Biofuels and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) today released results of a study revealing the performance and emissions benefits of using Jatropha oil as a drop-in replacement for diesel fuel in industrial furnaces …
by Vinod Khosla (GreenTechMedia) Mr. Khosla comes out swinging at the Wall Street Journal’s take on Range Fuels and biofuels.
…Regarding certain “facts” in the editorial, “The Range Fuels Fiasco” (Review & Outlook, Feb. 10):
The WSJ …
(Biofuels International) Technology provider for the energy and environment sectors Abengoa will implement its enzymatic hydrolysis process technology to produce bioethanol at a commercial-scale in the US.
The news comes after the company’s second generation bioethanol …
(Renewable Fuels Association) While the rest of the economy slowly recovers, American ethanol production has been an economic success story. With ethanol plants operating and being built in 29 states, the economic benefits of domestic …
by Will Thurmond (Emerging Markets Online/Biofuels Digest) …Digest columnist Will Thurmond released Algae 2020, Vol. 2 highlighting why some algae companies will be winners and some will be losers bringing their product from pilot to …
by Mary Rosenthal (Algal Biomass Organization/Biofuels Digest) …(T)argeted investments in clean energy technologies like advanced biofuels, including those derived from algae, will grow our country’s economy, foster the creation of new industries, create tens of …
by Courtney Blanchard (Telegraph Herald) Senator rejects new criticism of U.S. ethanol policy that comes after reports of low corn reserves.
Near record-high corn prices and the lowest reserves in 15 years have reinvigorated the …
by Robin Yapp (The Telegraph) Ethanol derived from Brazilian sugar-cane offers the best hope of replacing oil as the world’s main source of fuel when it runs out, according to Bob Dudley, BP’s chief executive.
He said …
The third edition of one of the world’s top events dedicated to renewable energies, with special focus on ethanol and other sugarcane by-products, is confirmed for June 6th and 7th. The Ethanol Summit, launched in …
The 1st International Conference on Algal Biomass, Biofuels and Bioproducts provides a new level of direct interaction between the leaders in the scientific field, the strategic partners and the attending delegates. Emphasis will be placed …
(Clarksville Online) …Dr. Sergi Markov, associate professor of biology at Austin Peay State University, has an idea that could help push the alternative fuel race to new levels of possibility. For the last several years, Markov …
(Ashland Current) A recent report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture says the total value of Wisconsin crops rose by more than $1 billion dollars last year to $4.8 billion, up from $3.5 billion …
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Teresa Alleman, a senior chemist at National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., presented the latest biodiesel quality survey results at the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo this week—and the results …
(The Age) Federal independent MP Bob Katter has urged the Australian Workers’ Union to help save Queensland’s sugar industry from ruin by campaigning for wider ethanol use.
“At this point of time in Queensland, the sugar …
(Deccan Herald) Horticulture Research Station waiting nod from Varsity
The Horticulture Research Station in Ullal has submitted a proposal to the Horticulture University in Bagalkot to prepare bio-ethanol from cashew apple, said Station Head Dr Lakshman.
Speaking …
(LanzaTech) LanzaTech has signed a memorandum of understanding with Posco, one of the largest steel producers in the world, covering the implementation of its gas fermentation technology to convert the steel maker’s flue gases to ethanol and other …
by Peter Brown (Biofuels Digest) …Walking the floor at the NBB last week, speaking with exhibitors, buyers and sellers, and the broad Biodiesel community in general, one topic was raised time and again: the parlous …
by Susan Gawlowicz (Rochester Institute of Technology) …Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology are developing biodiesel from microalgae grown in wastewater. The project is doubly “green” because algae consume nitrates and phosphates and reduce bacteria …
(W2 Energy, Inc./MarketWire) W2 Energy, Inc., is pleased to announce that the SunFilter algae bioreactor has been up and running successfully for over 15 months, growing algae on a steady diet of air and carbon …
(Zawya) The UAE-based conglomerate S.S. Lootah Group will introduce biodiesel processor known as the Biobot to the UAE, in cooperation with UK- based Practical Energy Solutions. The compact processor is fitted with a unique feature that …
(Joule) Peer-reviewed article addresses the advances made by Joule to achieve direct, continuous conversion of solar energy to renewable diesel at 15,000 gallons/acre/year
Joule Unlimited, Inc., pioneer of Liquid Fuel from the Sun™, today supported the high-productivity …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As the pulp and paper industry reels from the internet’s impact, biofuels and renewable chemicals are offering value-adds, waste remediation, and new markets
In Florida, the affable Rod Young, perhaps the …
by Daniel Looker (Agriculture.com) On a day when Libya teeters on the brink of civil war and cuts oil production, Retired Vice Admiral Denny McGinn takes little comfort from an announcement by the remaining members …
by Phil Ciciora (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) A team of researchers led by Madhu Khanna, a professor of agricultural and consumer economics at Illinois, shows that very high biomass prices would be needed in …
by Julian Gairdner (Farmers Weekly Interactive) Grain destined for the biofuel chain looks set to fall within farm assurance following negotiations between Assured Food Standards, the NFU and the European Commission.
Ensuring there was a single assurance programme …
by Gavan Gideon (Yale Daily News) Leftover cooking oil from (Yale) University dining halls will soon contribute to an expanding renewable energy industry.
Connecticut-based Greenleaf Biofuels is planning construction of a biodiesel production facility in New …
(Green Car Congress) A team from the Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy and Gas Hydrate, Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences reports on a pilot-scale biomass-gasification-reforming system with optimized catalyst to produce …
by Gerry Albert Corpuz and John Llyod Hoffman (All Voices) The militant fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Tuesday urged Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto to dismantle the 23 bioethanol farms …
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) …(M)ost of the food vs fuel stories archived on the web were dated either 2008 or 2011, and that many seemed remarkably similar. That’s when it dawned on me …
by Ayesha Rascoe (Reuters) …”The fact is the industry has pretty much been built,” USDA Chief Economist Joe Glauber told reporters on the sidelines of a Commodity Markets Council conference. “This isn’t a question of …
(Chromatin/BusinessWire) Chromatin, Inc., announced that its sorghum hybrids showed top performance in its 2010 biomass and sugar testing programs when compared to other materials from public, private, and commercial sorghum collections.
In the first trial, …
(Texas A&M University) Sustainability is more than a buzz word with Texas A&M University Dining, which partners with Terrabon, Inc. to collect post- consumer food scraps from the two biggest dining centers on campus for use in …
by Damian Carrington (The Guardian) Cuts to the government’s low-carbon agency will cancel grants to biofuel projects and cause dozens of redundancies
The government’s leading low-carbon agency has had its funding cut by 40%, causing the …
(Jamaica Information Service) A $10.3 million research partnership agreement for a small scale biodiesel pilot project, using Jamaican oilseed bearing plants to produce fuel, was signed Friday February 11 between the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica’s …
by Cy Ryan (Las Vegas Sun) Truckers would be required to use 10 percent biodiesel in their fuel under a bill introduced in the Senate, which is already sparking a disagreement.
Paul Enos, representing the Nevada …
by Jeffrey Ball (Wall Street Journal/MarketWatch) …It takes grit to be a greaser: Stalwarts must recruit restaurants as back-alley sources, filter the smelly liquid in the garage or backyard, and modify a vehicle with a …
by George Tibbits (AP/Manufacturing.net) Boeing Co. hopes aviation biofuels will be practical for the market by around 2015, but it’s going to take a lot of work.
Richard Wynne, Boeing Commercial Airplane’s director of environment …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …Essentially, despite rising banking sector profits and good results from stress tests, the bank financing market has not returned for biofuels – the financing source for whom the USDA loan …
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) KL Energy Corp. is preparing to validate its modified process technology to turn sugarcane bagasse into ethanol.
As the bitter winter turns to spring in the tiny town of Upton, …
(Trend) Iranian experts and scientists for the first time managed to produce biodiesel fuel using the oil extracted from Jatropha curcas plant cultivated in Southern Iran, FARS news agency reported.
“Iran could produce biodiesel fuel through …
by Natalie Poyhonen (ABC News) The Burdekin Shire Council has given the final approval for the creation of a $200 million ethanol plant at Mona Park, near Home Hill in north Queensland.
The Austcane Energy project …
(Viaspace/PRNewsWire) High Per-Acre Productivity of Giant King Grass Promises 40% Reduction in Biofuel Feedstock Costs
VIASPACE Inc., and its subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy Inc., reported results of recent independent testing of Giant King Grass as a feedstock …
