Whether you call it “biotech on steroids,” “metabolic engineering” or “synthetic biology,” you’ll want to attend the first event to focus on the business opportunities and risks of this new frontier in industrial biotech!

Hear from …

by Todd Woody    (New York Times)    …As the first mass-produced electric cars hit the streets, Pinnacle is just one of several start-ups backed by prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalists aiming to reinvent the century-old …

by Kate Galbraith  (New York Times)    Cellulosic ethanol could be poised for a surge — finally.
Around the country and especially in the Midwest, a number of proposed plants that would turn corn cobs, wheat …

(KearneyHub.com)  The seventh-annual KAAPA Ethanol annual luncheon at noon April 8 at the Younes Conference Center will be open to the public.
The guest speaker will be Bobby Likis, host of the syndicated radio program “Bobby …

by Inae Riveras (Reuters)    U.S. ethanol exports in 2011 should surpass last year’s record high as the fuel remains relatively cheaper than Brazilian cane-based ethanol in external markets, a director at the …

(Biofuels Journal)  The Spanish government, Iberia Airlines and Airbus have signed an agreement to develop a complete Spanish ‘value chain’ for sustainable and renewable aviation bio-fuel for commercial use.
Other key members are expected to join the agreement …

(US Department of Energy)  To support the goal announced by President Obama today to reduce America’s oil imports by one-third by 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that it will be accepting applications for …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)   During a U.S. Senate committee hearing on March 30, Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said that focusing on advanced biofuels for homegrown energy is in the best interest of the …

(AllAfrica.com)  A project to grow the shrub jatropha for ethanol production is providing jobs for about 500 people in the northern Mozambican district of Nacala-a-Velha, according to the district administrator, Daniel Chapo.
The investor is the …

(CheckBioTech)  The Kansas Alliance for Biorefining and Bioenergy (KABB) announced its investment Tuesday, of $200,000 in the Biofuels Testing Laboratory at the University of Kansas.
The Biofuels Lab is a $1.2 million initiative to develop a …

by Mary Rosenthal (Biofuels Digest/Algal Biomass Organization)  …Our federal tax policy actually discourages the production of low-carbon, renewable algae-based fuels, including drop-in gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, as well as ethanol, by failing to provide …

(Pinnacle Engines)  Top Investors Commit $13.5 Million; Former Cummins Executive Ron Hoge Named Chairman and CEO
Pinnacle Engines today unveiled plans to commercialize a breakthrough ultra-efficient engine by 2013. The new engine design enables significant reductions …

by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine)  Ultra Green Energy Services Inc. expanded operations at the New Hyde Park Fuel Terminal in New Hyde Park, N.Y., by increasing railcar storage capacity by 30 percent. The terminal, owned …

by Michael Kanellos  (GreenTechMedia)  There are some valuable commodities in waste products.
Professor Zeev Weisman and a team of researchers at Ben Gurion University here have adopted a low-power nuclear magnetic resonance device (NMR) along with …

by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association)  …On March 24, the EPA sent a letter to leading stakeholders in the gasoline and ethanol industry to clarify what is legal and what isn’t legal at this time regarding …

(AP/MSNBC)  …Even if Obama’s efforts can reduce U.S. demand for foreign oil, experts say that is unlikely to bring down the cost of gasoline, since oil is priced globally and increased demand from China and …

(University of California, Riverside)  Research by UC Riverside’s Charles Wyman could lead to less expensive production of biofuels
New clues about plant structure are helping researchers from the Department of Energy’s BioEnergy Science Center narrow down a …

by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association)  A new pseudo-analysis published by the controversial and discredited Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons claims that biofuels expansion is increasing hunger and poverty-related health risks in developing nations. The …

by Will Thurmond (Renewable Energy World/Emerging Markets Online)  The following article is an excerpt from a technology, investment, and market study titled Algae 2020, Vol 2 (2011 update) from market research firm Emerging Markets Online. …

(Dakota Spirit AgEnergy)   Dakota Spirit AgEnergy, a proposed cellulosic biorefinery near Spiritwood, N.D., has evolved from a 20 million gallon per year (MGY) cellulosic ethanol plant into a 58 MGY “hybrid” ethanol plant comprised of a …

by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Biofuels Digest)   …This faux debate is as important to future ethanol producers as it is to existing ethanol producers. And those looking to capitalize on starch-based ethanol’s public relations …

by Jim Lane  (Biofuels Digest)    In Washington, 34 cleantech CEOs, are trying to make sure the DOE doesn’t drop its loan guarantee program despite threats of budget cuts from Congress. Signatories to the letter …

by Rick Barrett (Journal Sentinel)   Briggs & Stratton Co. and other engine manufacturers want the government to ensure that current grades of gasoline will remain available when fuel with a higher ethanol content – which …

by John Block (Chicago Tribune)  With food prices rising worldwide, some self-styled authorities on agriculture are claiming that producing ethanol in the Midwest causes food riots in the Middle East.
Their story is simple: Biofuels are …

(Platts)  Brazil’s imports of about 200 million liters of ethanol ahead of the official sugarcane harvest will fall short of demand for the fuel before mills around the country start the 2011-12 season by mid-April, …

(University of Missouri)  Food prices could increase by more than 4 percent in 2011 as the farm sector recovers from a sharp downturn in the recession, University of Missouri economists reported to Congress.
An annual MU FAPRI …

by Inae Riveras   (Reuters)  Research to develop second-generation ethanol is advancing globally, but Brazil, which vaunts its sugar cane as the ideal raw material for such fuels, lags in the race, industry experts said on …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  A multitude of leading energy trade associations today wrote to Congressional leaders with a request for Congress to maintain support and funding for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) including the Loan …

by Ruona Agbroko   (Reuters Africa)    South Africa’s Illovo Sugar may opt to produce biofuel from sugarcane if it makes commercial sense, its managing director said late on Wednesday.
South Africa’s Department of Energy said earlier …

by John Colson (The Citizen Telegram)  A new kind of economic development is being pursued in the West.
Area ranchers and farmers are being urged to grow grass that can be converted to a liquid “biofuel,” …

by Eartha Jane Melzer  (The Michigan Messenger)  Rep. Dan Benishek (R-Crystal Falls) campaigned on cutting federal spending. Now some of his constituents are asking him to keep the U.S. Dept. of Energy from spending $58 …

This event is provided at no-charge compliments of the members of the Mid-South Biobased Trade Association: PMC Biogenix, Arkansas State University, BioDimensions, Bootheel Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission, Winrock International and supporting individual members Thursday, April …

by Wesley Clark (Kansas City Star)  …The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City credits agriculture with being at the forefront of the nation’s economic recovery. Unfortunately, the Fed also warns that farm debt is rising …

by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine)    …Fishmeal is a major source of protein and oil in the fish diet, and is also used heavily in pet foods, as well as for swine and poultry …

by Michael Finneran   (Yahoo! News/PR NewsWire)  In an RV nicknamed after an urban assault vehicle, scientists from NASA’s Langley Research Center traveled cross-country this month for an experiment with eco-friendly jet fuel.
The Langley team …

(Algae Industry Magazine)   …The objectives of the (Argonne National Laboratories) Algae LCA project include:

Assemble a life cycle inventory for algal biofuels
Implement an algae life cycle analysis (LCA)
Enable and stimulate additional LCA communications

The methods chosen …

(GreenAirOnline)  Sustainability and economics dominated debate at last week’s World Biofuels Market (WBM) event in Rotterdam as airlines gathered to make the case for aviation biofuels commercialisation to a wider biofuels industry audience. In a …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …Here is dilemma of agricultural prices. Reducing demand, and commodity prices, benefits meat and dairy producers, and oil & gas companies. High prices benefit farmers, and technology companies creating new …

(PR Log) Florida Biodiesel, Inc. has completed a B-60 Biodiesel Processor sale, made by 70centsagallon.com to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. The Biodiesel production equipment will be used to demonstrate Green Fuel technology to students.
Mississippi …

(Zacks Equity Research)  The wholly-owned subsidiary of Archer Daniels Midland Company’s  ADM Agri-Industries announced that it is going to double its canola seed receiving capabilities and storage capacity at the company’s Lloydminster, Alberta, processing facility, in …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …NGOs in Africa have been touting for some time the use of ethanol cook stoves, to replace three-stone, wood based stoves that can trigger local deforestation and expose women and …

by Graham Warwick   (Aviation Week)  Approval of biofuels for use in commercial aircraft is now expected by August, a glitch in fuel testing having pushed back a final vote on the new specification by …

by Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Waterloo)  (GlobeGazette) …For too long, we’ve depended on foreign countries for our oil — and we’ve sacrificed our independence and our national security in the process.
But there’s no one, easy solution …

by Kyle Alspach  (Boston Business Journal)  With the major costs associated with proving out new biofuels technologies, John McCarthy says he’s seen a number of Massachusetts startups in the space enticed to do larger-scale work …

by Bryan Sims (Biorefining Magazine)  The U.S. DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory and industrial processing firm Nalco Co. struck a licensing agreement for a novel electrodeionization technology that can be integrated into biorefineries to convert biomass …

by Dean Brickley  (East Oregonian)  Zea-Chem’s cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant is more than one-third finished.
Builders erected three 40,000-gallon fermentation tanks this week and continued bolting together the steel structure for the two-story operations building.
Excavation began …

by Jeff Zueger  (Inforum.com)  To read Ross Nelson’s column on ethanol (“Ethanol’s promise is empty, “ March 14, Forum), one could come away with the impression that ethanol production is an inefficient and outdated technology.
The …

by Iuri Dantas   (Bloomberg)  Brazil may import ethanol from the U.S. in the short term in a bid to contain rising prices, Folha de S.Paulo newspaper reported, citing a decision by the oil regulator.
Brazil’s …

(IITA)  As the world grapples with the challenge of feeding an ever growing population in the face of dwindling natural resources confounded by climate change, findings from a recent research by IITA show that science-based …

by Ike Wilson (Frederick News Post)  Donald C. Erbach recently became the newest board member of Advanced Biofuels USA in Frederick.
Erbach has clocked 40 years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service with …

Advocates for biomass utilization and renewable energy development from across the state and region will gather in Biloxi, Mississippi on May 10-11, 2011, to learn, promote and network. The theme of the conference “A Decade …

by Rupa Damodaran   (Business Times)    The European Union is not using environmental non-government organisations as a “fifth column” to help it achieve its Renewable Energy Directive (RED) which places palm oil for biofuel at a …

by Surbhi Khyati  (IndianExpress.com)  The state department of science and technology is establishing a bio-diesel plant here for extraction of jatropha oil and its conversion into bio-diesel.
The plant, funded by the department of science and …

(Southeast Farm Press/United Soybean Board)  An updated, independent study funded by the United Soybean Board (USB) and soybean checkoff shows production of biodiesel continues to positively impact U.S. soybean farmers’ on-farm profitability, as well as …

(Sustainable Development Technology Canada)  SDTC’s SD Tech Fund™ invests in late-stage development and pre-commercial demonstration of clean technologies by Canadian companies.
The Statement of Interest (SOI) is an initial application used for preliminary screening and is …

(Algal Biomass Organization February 25 Newsletter)  …We are designing, manufacturing and operating systems that enable controlled, economical cultivation of algal biomass using attached growth technology.  We are currently beginning the second phase of a project that …

(Congressional Budget Office)  The federal government collects revenues from taxes paid by highway users, mostly from those levied on gasoline and diesel fuel, and credits them to the Highway Trust Fund. Those revenues and others are subsequently …

(Task 39)    Around 140 guests followed the invitation of ISCC to the first General Assembly and discussed the status quo and development of sustainability certification with speakers like Ron van Erck from the European …

(Air Transport Action Group)  The Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) has released a new report, Powering the Future of Flight, which tracks progress in some key aviation biofuels projects worldwide and provides policymakers with a few …

by Caleb Denison  (IBTimes.com)   …(David) Correll, (a Ph.D. student at Iowa State University’s College of Business) … is the co-founder and president of “ISU BioBus” – a program created to convert spent cooking oil …

(MarketWire/Canadian Renewable Fuels Association)  The Canadian Renewable Fuels Association in partnership with the Grain Farmers of Ontario, Koch Farms and Koch Logistics, and biodiesel blender and marketer FS PARTNERS, today launched a “Powered by Biodiesel” …

by Kay Rossi    (KXLH.com)  …Five years ago, Montana State University-Northern received $800,000 in grant funding for infrastructure and staffing for a new biofuel lab at the MSU-N Bio-Energy Center
Now the nationally-certified facility performs a …

by Stephen Foley (New Zealand Herald)  Soaring food inflation is the result of “immoral” policies in the United States which divert crops for use in the production of biofuels instead of food, according to the …

by Chet Brokaw  (AP/The Republic)  Gov. Dennis Daugaard signed into law Thursday a measure aimed at boosting ethanol sales at South Dakota gas stations and providing extra money for economic development loans.
…The ethanol measure was …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …The hottest companies in bioenergy all know it – the name of the game is low-cost sugars, or affordable syngas that competes with natural gas. For those who don’t make …

(National Biodiesel Board)  The Disneyland Resort is built on imagination, and the steam-powered trains that circle the park are an iconic image. That image recently received a new twist; the 56-year-old trains are now running …

by Erin Voegele  (Biodiesel Magazine)  A unique biorefinery being developed by Gen-X Energy Group Inc. in Moses Lake, Wash., is nearly complete. According to Ramon Benavides, the company’s co-founder and vice president of business development, …

The Algal Biomass Organization is now accepting abstracts for speaking opportunities in breakout or panel sessions and poster presentations for the 2011 Algae Biomass Summit. Abstracts are due by May 30, 2011.
All subjects of …

(KRVN)  The New Hampshire House has passed a bill that would ban the sale of corn-based ethanol in the state. Earlier the House Science Technology and Energy Committee voted down the piece of legislation, however, …

by Tom Vilsack (Financial Times/US Department of Agriculture)  Recent news stories have stoked fears about rising global food prices. But today, only a few years after a devastating food crisis, we can avoid the mistakes of …

by Gary Gastelu  (Fox News)  …Starting in 2012 the Swedish automaker will begin selling a plug-in hybrid version of the V60 – a wagon version of the S60 sedan that is not offered in the United …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)   Butamax has received another patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) number 7,910,342 entitled “FERMENTIVE PRODUCTION OF ISOBUTANOL USING HIGHLY ACTIVE KETOL-ACID REDUCTOISOMERASE ENZYMES.” The patent was awarded …

by Erin Voegele (Biorefining Magazine)    Morrisville, Penn.-based BARD Holdings Inc. recently announced its shift from research and development to the commercialization phase of its algae production technology. According to Avery Hong, BARD’s chief global …

by Chad Mira  (WJHG)  If you’ve seen a few unusual-looking aircraft in the skies, there’s a good chance they’re here for this weekend’s Tyndall Gulf Coast Salute to freedom airshow. One of those here for …

(Novozymes)  General Wesley Clark: retired US Army general, 2004 Democratic Party presidential candidate, and now Co-Chairman of Growth Energy, an ethanol lobbying group.
A lot of people, when they think of biofuels – ethanol – have …

(Novozymes)  The United States has a lot riding on the success of its biofuel industry – energy independence, job creation, and environmental stewardship. But really, how far is the country in achieving its goals? There …

(VermontBiz.com)  Saint Michael’s College biologist Dr Mark Lubkowitz and his students join a team of researchers from the University of Missouri, University of Florida, Purdue University and the University Nebraska-Lincoln, on a five-year project to …

by by Ricardo Sequeiros Coelho   (CoolTheEarth)  A report by ActionAid, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Nature Kenya revealed that using biofuels from jatropha results in more greenhouse gas emissions than using …

(Forbes)  Brazil’s behemoth development bank, BNDES, offered $1 billion to the Brazilian Innovation Agency to fund research and development into second generation ethanol, the bank said late Tuesday.
The money goes to support companies working on …

by Kerry Reals (FlightGlobal)  Airbus has teamed with Tarom to establish a facility in Romania to produce aviation biofuel from the camelina crop, as part of the European airframer’s plan to develop at least one …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …At World Biofuels Markets 2011 in Rotterdam, the overwhelmingly remarkable impression is the ramp-up in the quality and quantity of strategic investment and off-take partners. Closely followed by the rise …

(Logos Technologies)  DOE commits full $20.5 million to retrofit and build pilot plant in Visalia, CA
Logos Technologies®, Inc. and EdeniQ, Inc., announced U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approval to fully fund $20.5 million in federal …

by James Marvin (The Virginia Pilot)  …Off the capes of Virginia, a modern Navy swift boat cuts a wake at more than 50 miles per hour on fuel made from algae and petroleum. High over …

by Bryan Sims  (Pacific Biodiesel/Biodiesel Magazine)  This month Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie introduced a new oilseed crop research program—the Biodiesel Crop Demonstration Project—that will span two years as part of the state’s effort to promote …

by Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA)  US Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) recently introduced Senate Bill S.599, the “Securing America’s Future with Energy and Sustainable Technologies Act” or SAFESTA. This bill …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)   This week I read the book called “The Green Miracle,” by Clayton McNeff who is one of the creators of the Mcgyan Process. It’s the story of how in less than …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  Everything you ever wanted to know about corn is contained in the latest edition of the World of Corn from the National Corn Growers Association.
This year’s publication, available online now, highlights the wide …

by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com)  Japan-based auto maker Isuzu has debuted a utility van that will be more compatible with higher blends of biodiesel.
This company press release says the new Reach will not only be green, …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)   …Prairie Gold (PGI) of Bloomington, and GTL Resources USA of Itasca, Illinois have agreed to collaborate on the construction of a zein protein production plant. Zein is a high valued co-product …

by Karen Kiley (WDBJ7.com)  Americans are paying more than $3.50, on average, for a gallon of gasoline. In Virginia, the average gallon of gas is $3.45.
The prices have been on the rise for weeks with …

(Global Renewable Fuels Alliance)  As the biofuels industry gathers at the annual World Biofuels Markets conference, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) is highlighting the positive influence ethanol production is having on reducing global Green …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …(T)he company (Amyris) entered into a manufacturing agreement with Paraíso Bioenergia S.A., a renewable energy company producing sugar, ethanol and electricity headquartered in São Paulo State, Brazil. Under the agreement, …

(Biofuels Journal/National Wildlife Federation)  The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) launched March 22 the first global third-party certification system for sustainable biofuels.
The RSB Certification System includes environmental, social and economic principles and criteria and features a …

(Dyadic International)  Dyadic International, Inc., a global biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, manufacture and sale of enzyme and protein products for the bioenergy, industrial enzyme and biopharmaceutical industries, announced today the introduction of …

The AIChE Annual Meeting is the premier educational forum for chemical engineers interested in innovation and professional growth. A wide range of subjects relevant to latest research and newest technologies in emerging growth areas will …

Please consider submitting an abstract to the session on Bio-Based Alternative Fuels at the annual AICHE meeting that is coming up on October 16-21, 2011, at the Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, MN.
The session is: 23B03 Developments in Biobased …

(OriginOil)  Algae Screen technology protects algae from microscopic predators, integrates with Live Extraction

OriginOil, Inc., the developer of breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, …

by Annie Snider  (Greenwire/New York Times)   …Nelson, who has already served two tours in Iraq, spent this past winter tinkering with combinations of cottonseed oil and JP-8, the military’s universal fuel, to find a …

by Lisa Gibson (Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine)   A growing number of U.S. ethanol plants are reaping the benefits of using biomass for power.
The demand for ethanol with a lower carbon footprint seems to …

by Dan Chapman   (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)  …Higher gas prices could finally translate into a sustainable market for Georgia’s alternative energy industry.
…And, finally, a shift from gas and diesel to home-grown energy, i.e. ethanol for cars and …