Article Archive for February 2013
(BusinessWire) Dr. Kenneth Hudnell, one of the foremost experts on harmful algal blooms, cyanobacteria, their toxins, and their effects on health and aquatic ecosystems is calling for a significant shift in government regulatory policy and remediation …
(GreenAirOnline) Once touted as a wonder-crop that would become a staple feedstock for jet biofuels, jatropha suffered a fall from grace as yields failed to live up to overblown claims. However, California-based alternative energy crop …
(RSB Services) The RSB Services Foundation, the implementing entity of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) which has developed a global sustainability standard and certification system for biofuel production, is pleased to announce that Addax …
Speakers from Platts and Kingsman will be addressing the key issues currently driving the global sugar and ethanol markets. Join our speakers as they address:
What trends are we seeing in the U.S. and global ethanol …
(The Business Journal) Developers of a planned biorefinery in Mendota are hoping to get $5 million from the California Energy Commission as part of a program to encourage the development of alternative fuels.
The pilot-scale biorefinery …
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today released a new video entitled “40 Facts About Ethanol.” It is a fast-paced, up-tempo, animated data-based review of ethanol past, present and future. To view this …
by Julia Whitty (The Atlantic/Mother Jones) …To get to the Nimitz, 100 miles off Honolulu, our turboprop is flying a 50-50 blend of biofuel and standard JP-5 shipboard aviation fuel. The biofuel is made from algae …
by Mario Parker (Bloomberg) Ethanol’s discount to gasoline fell the most in more than three months as the motor fuel slumped and corn rose.
The spread narrowed 10.45 cents to 58.56 cents a gallon, the smallest …
(AZO Cleantech) Piedmont Biofuels of Pittsboro, North Carolina has been certified under the internationally recognized Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) Program following a third-party assessment conducted by SCS Global Services (SCS).
Piedmont Biofuels collects used cooking …
by Warwick Long (ABC Rural) A Melbourne businessman has bought a 4,500 hectare property to produce biofuels for his revegetation and timber recycling companies in the city.
Peter O’Donnell bought Madowla Park, east of Echuca in …
(American Chemical Society) Amid efforts to expand production of biofuels, scientists are reporting new estimates that downgrade the amount of additional land available for growing fuel crops by almost 80 percent. Their report appears …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As cellulosic biofuels technologies start to deploy — critics and friends ask, 36 billion gallons by 2022, can it still be done? Yep, there’s a pathway.
In Washington, the US Energy …
by Katie Fehrenbacher (GigaOm) The leader of the 210-year-old science giant DuPont, Ellen Kullman, sits down with GigaOM to give us her take on the future of energy for a world population that will boom …
(HeraldOnline/Royal Dutch Shell) Shell today released new scenarios that explore two possible ways the 21st century could unfold, with dramatically different implications for society and the world’s energy system. One scenario sees cleaner-burning natural gas becoming …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) One of the most interesting and compelling solutions to the problem of financing commercial-scale biofuels was unveiled this week at the Avalon Air Show by Westar CEO Cindy Thyfault.
Dubbed the …
by Janet Patton (Kentucky.com) Kentucky’s debate on hemp so far has centered on the marijuana question and the market question. But Roger Ford has one of his own: What about the energy question?
Ford, CEO …
(Convenience Store News) Liquid fuels will continue to be the top fueling option for drivers for the next two-plus decades. However, the composition of these fuels will undergo significant change.
According to the “Future of Fuels …
by Bryan McBournie (SmartBlog on Leadership) … DuPont Chairwoman and CEO Ellen Kullman said it is important to ensure that the world’s energy mix is diverse, sustainable and accessible, and adding partners is key to innovation. …
(1011Now.com) …Nebraska ethanol and ag leaders believe E15 is key in getting idle ethanol plants back to producing.
Robert White, the director of market development for the Renewable Fuels Association, tells fuel retailers that gasoline demand dropped 6 …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A Feb. 26 hearing featured testimony of three E15 critics, including a representative of the Coordinating Research Council, which has authored research reports concluding E15 could damage engine valves …
(Science Daily) Fat worms confirm that researchers from Michigan State University have successfully engineered a plant with oily leaves - a feat that could enhance biofuel production as well as lead to improved animal feeds.
The …
(Renewable Energy Magazine) The Bioplanet project, which is part of the Brazil Promotion Plan for the World Cup, anticipates the production of 25 million litres of biodiesel until the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
The Bioplanet project …
(Green Car Congress) US Commercial-scale production of cellulosic biofuels reached about 20,000 gallons in late 2012, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). EIA estimates this output could grow to more than 5 million gallons this …
(UN Food and Agriculture Organization) The way certification schemes for biofuels are structured makes it difficult for smallholder producers and many developing countries to participate in export markets, according to a new report from FAO.
The …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In the world of biofuels there is no sector as active as military and aviation biofuels in terms of willing customers. At the Low Carbon Fuel Conference, held over …
Now in its sixth year, Biofuels International 2013 attracts high-level companies involved in biofuel production, the operation of biofuel plants, transportation, aviation and storage, as well as attracting policy developers, R&D departments, company CEOs and …
by Leslie Brooks Suzukamo (TwinCities.com) Minnesota legislators will get a chance Wednesday, Feb. 27, to look at a bill that would allow a different kind of corn-based biofuel besides ethanol to be mixed with gasoline.
The …
The National Algae Association (NAA) has announced a Commercial Algae Farming Workshop to be held April 11-12, 2013 at the Homewood Suites by Hilton, 29813 I-45 North, in The Woodlands, Texas.
The workshop presentation topics will include Growing for …
The National Algae Association (NAA) has announced a Commercial Algae Farming Workshop to be held April 11-12, 2013 at the Homewood Suites by Hilton, 29813 I-45 North, in The Woodlands, Texas.
The workshop presentation topics will include Growing for …
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Fuels America is redoubling its efforts to point the finger at the real beneficiaries should the RFS be weakened and E15 smeared and it’s not consumers or the environment.
Fuels …
by Louise Downing (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) …“The biofuels sector faces difficult choices”, said Alejandro Zamorano Cadavid, U.S. analyst for biofuels at New Energy Finance. “Corn ethanol use has expanded rapidly in the U.S. as an oxygenate …
(Algae Industry Magazine) Australia’s State Development Minister Colin Barnett has announced a $10 million government sponsored project for construction of a seawater pipeline to support the expansion of an algae industry at Karratha, in Western …
by Jim Snyder (Bloomberg) People attending a Washington event this week may witness something almost unheard of in political circles: Republicans praising a clean-energy program supported by President Barack Obama.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency — Energy, …
The essential course to prepare professionals to work in the expanding field of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development
McGill University’s Institute for the Study of International Development and the law firm of Fasken Martineau are …
(EurActiv.com) Biofuels made from food crops indirectly generate net emissions of greenhouse gases in the future, confirm the preliminary results of two studies on the history of the change in land use.
If the peer does …
(Chromatin/MarketWatch) Chromatin, Inc., a leading provider of innovative crop breeding technology, sorghum seed products and feedstocks, and Calgren Renewable Fuels, a leading ethanol producer located in Pixley, CA, announced today an alliance to develop a …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As journalists, at the Digest our job is to ask the 7 Questions. Who, What, Where, When, How Much, How and Why. In aviation biofuels the task is made easier …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A 32-page report by Lux Research picks winners and losers in 2012 among alternative fuel developers. The state of the market report, which is provided only to clients, also …
(Chromatin/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Chromatin Inc., a leading provider of innovative crop breeding technology, sorghum seed products and feedstocks, and Aemetis Inc., an advanced fuels and renewable chemicals company, have announced that they have entered into …
(National Corn Growers Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) American Ethanol announced its plans to enhance its partnership with Richard Childress Racing and driver Austin Dillon for the 2013 NASCAR season. Dillon will race the No. 33 American Ethanol …
(Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final action to identify additional fuel pathways that the Agency has determined meet the lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction requirements for biomass-based diesel, …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology’s Subcommittee on Environment is scheduled to hold a hearing on mid-level ethanol blends on Feb. 26. The hearing …
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) The Renewable Fuels Association has released a state-by-state update to the “Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States,” an economic impact analysis performed by Cardno ENTRIX. …
by Shawn McCarthy (Globe and Mail) The Conservative government is formally shutting down its controversial biofuels subsidy program, saying companies producing biodiesel have failed to meet ambitious production targets.
In a letter sent Thursday, Natural Resources …
(US Department of Energy) The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) is devoted exclusively to transformational energy technology research and development. ARPA-E’s mission is to:
Enhance U.S. economic security by identifying technologies with the potential …
by Peter Hannam (Sidney Morning Herald) Lufthansa probably thought it was on a public relations winner when it began operating flights using a mix of biofuel and regular jet fuel between Frankfurt and Hamburg in 2011.
However, …
(E-EnergyMarket.com) Energy ministers, meeting in Brussels on 22 February, have given a lukewarm reception to new rules proposed by the European Commission to limit the share of first-generation biofuels used in transport.
The Irish Presidency of …
byDave Dreeszen (SiouxCityJournal.com) The Iowa Economic Development Authority board awarded financial aid packages Friday to two Northwest Iowa manufacturers planning to expand and add new jobs.
American Natural Processors, a specialty oilseed and grain processor in …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What is fibre fuel, how does it displace petroleum via supercritical technology, and what does the plant look like?
… For those less familiar with New Zealand’s energy brands, Z Energy …
by Dr Andreas Henschel (The National) …The UAE, recognising the potential of biofuel, is now looking to discover its own plant-based sources of energy. And it is trying to mitigate some of the challenges posed …
by Lidija Grozdanic (Inhabitat.com) …Scientists Daniel Bond, Zarath Summers and Jeffrey Gralnick of the University of Minnesota’s BioTechnology Institute used the co-called electrochemical cultivation to grow iron-oxidizing bacteria without any presence of iron. By adding …
(Internal Revenue Service) The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 112-240) retroactively extends certain fuel tax credits that expired on Dec. 31, 2011. The retroactively extended fuel tax credits are the biodiesel mixture …
by Col. Bill Holmberg (ret.) (American Council On Renewable Energy) “Up with octane, down with aromatics, and embrace the needs of people and nature,” says ACORE’s legendary biomass guru. But less freak-out, more reach-out is …
(Green Car Congress) Researchers at the Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division (NAWCWD) at China Lake have developed a process for the synthesis of high energy density renewable fuels through the selective dimerization of α-pinene, …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Could a switch to biofuels make super-dense JP-10 military aviation fuels affordable? Could F18A Super Hornets add payload or extend range?
Currently reserved for tactical missiles because of cost, biofuels could …
(RSB Services Foundation) The RSB Services Foundation, the implementing entity of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) which has developed a global sustainability standard and certification system for biofuel production, is pleased to announce that …
by Tina Casey (Clean Technica) As pressure on the Obama Administration to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline ramps up, algae biofuel is emerging as yet another domestic energy source that undercuts every argument for the …
by Jeff Lytle (NaplesNews.com) …Paul Woods, founder and CEO of Algenol Biofuels, which is making ethanol from algae and is about to go into major production, said global giant Reliance Industries Limited has put up …
by Sepp Jannotta (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) A Bozeman biofuels startup is partnering with Montana State University to turn a fungus discovered in the highly acidic hot springs of Yellowstone National Park into sustainable energy.
The discovery …
(Environmental Protection Agency) New green chemistry technologies grow markets and save businesses money.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the nominations for the 2013 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards for companies and institutions that …
( Bharat Book Bureau/PR NewsWire/WFSB) Bharat Book Bureau has recently added the market intelligence report titled “Global Markets and Technologies for Biofuel Enzymes.”
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS
- An overview of the global market for biofuel enzymes, which include amylases, lipases, …
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) Despite facing major challenges in 2012, the ethanol industry still created more than 380,000 jobs and $43 Billion in Gross Domestic Product, according to the latest analysis conducted by Cardno-ENTRIX and commissioned by …
(BioDiesel Reactor Technologies Inc./Biodiesel Magazine) BioDiesel Reactor Technologies Inc. recently announced that U.S. Patent No. 8,366,794 entitled “Apparatus and Method for Biofuel Production” has been issued. The patent covers the commercial application of BDR’s …
by Rod Adams (Atomic Insights) I’ve been spending the past hour or so reading an excellent paper written by a US Naval aviator titled Twenty-First Century Snake Oil: Why the United States Should Reject Biofuels as …
by Alena Mae S. Flores (Manila Standard Today) Aseagas Corp., a joint venture between Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. and Gazasia Ltd. of the United Kingdom, has allocated $30 million for the construction of a liquid biomethane …
by Hatman Bintang (Indonesia Today) State-owned petroleum company, PT Pertamina, signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Toyota Motor Corporation for research and development of biofuel, CNG, and Euro 4-standard fuel for land transportation.
The agreement will run …
(PR WEB/DieselGreen Fuels) After recycling oil from Austin and San Antonio commercial kitchens since 2006, DieselGreen is announcing a drop off program for small amounts of used cooking oil. Oil can be dropped off at …
(Environmental Protection Agency) Owner of “Clean Green Fuel” falsely claimed his company produced 23 million gallons of renewable fuel
U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced Rodney R. Hailey, of Perry Hall, Md., today to …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …Nature hasn’t (so far) selected algae for long life. Generally, the little one-celled growth factories survive by blooming slightly faster than they get eaten. Making a world that’s safe for …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.K. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs recently published experimental statistics on the area of crops grown for bioenergy from 2008 through 2011. According to DEFRA, approximately …
by Jessica Holdman (Bismark Tribune) Research scientists at Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory are testing sugar beets as a new source of ethanol.
Igathi Cannayen presented his research this week at the lab’s annual research conference …
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) If you’ve been paying more at the pump for gasoline, you aren’t alone. And, if it weren’t for U.S. ethanol, you’d be paying even more.
…Gas prices are skyrocketing despite …
by Ben Goad (The Hill Reg Watch) A coalition of industry groups asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to reconsider a lower court’s finding in favor of the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2011 decision to …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Stanford University’s Global Climate and Energy Project has released a report highlighting the potential to combine bioenergy production with carbon capture and storage techniques to enable carbon-negative energy …
by Jim Lane (BioBased Digest) … It is a program that encourages companies to voluntarily register the amount of biobased content in their products — and, for those that pass a minimum content threshold, the …
by Frank Witsil (Detroit Free Press) With gas prices pushing $4 a gallon in Michigan, drivers may be tempted to try a less expensive alternative – E85, an ethanol blend – which is selling in …
(Michigan State University) In our ongoing quest for alternative energy sources, researchers are looking more to plants that grow in the wild for use in biofuels, plants such as switchgrass.
However, attempts to “domesticate” wild-growing plants …
by Helen Tunnicliffe (TCE Today) Moving process to mitochondria ups production 260%
Chemical engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have engineered yeast to increase production of isobutanol, a promising biofuel, by 260%.
Isobutanol, a heavy alcohol, contains more …
by Ewa Krukowska (Bloomberg) The European Union should phase out support for land-based biofuels that displace food production and indirectly boost emissions, eight lobbies said in a letter to the bloc’s energy ministers.
The groups, including Transport …
(ElectraWinds) Energo Zelena, Electrawinds’ rendering project in Serbia, is fully operational after a start-up period of a few weeks. This animal-waste product processing project is a new step in Electrawinds’ vertical integration and provides the …
by Gus Kellogg, Rahul Bobbili and Dianna Overmyer (Sustainable Planet) Greenleaf Biofuels recently began producing biodiesel fuel at its New Haven, Connecticut plant. When fully operational the facility is slated to produce up to 10 million …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 22 projects around the world show the multi-faceted promise of algae. Concrete, polyurethane, bioplastics, cosmetics and, oh, fuels — so many big things to make from algae, it’s become a …
(Brown University) Digesting lignin, a highly stable polymer that accounts for up to a third of biomass, is a limiting step to producing a variety of biofuels. Researchers at Brown have figured out the microscopic …
by Natasha Odendaal (Creamer Media’s Engineering News) A doctorate study undertaken by Stellenbosch University Department of Process Engineering student Yuda Benjamin has found that the fibres of some varieties of sugarcane had the potential to boost the production …
(The Business Journal) A planned biodiesel production facility will begin operating next year thanks to a $6-million grant approved this week by the California Energy Commission.
The facility is one of six projects throughout the state …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … As we highlighted this week in the Digest, Chromatin and Pacific Ethanol announced that they have entered into a multi-year agreement to produce, deliver and use locally grown sorghum in …
(FIS.com) A team at the University of Kansas has demonstrated the feasibility of an integrated wastewater algae-to-biocrude process using hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) that can sustainably cultivate algal biomass for biofuel production. A paper on their …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) B20, B5, B100, E10, E22, E15, M50, E85, Bu12.5, HEFA 50. Is your head swimming with acronyms and blend ratios? Who exactly is making drop-in fuels, and what does that …
by By Brian Bienkowsk (Environmental Health News) As a growing population stresses the world’s food and water supplies, corporations and investors in wealthy countries are buying up foreign farmland and the freshwater perks that come with …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Canadian government has announced investments in two projects that will benefit the biofuel and biorefining industries. On Feb. 13, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced a $600,000 investment that …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On Feb. 14, U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and David Vitter, R-La., introduced legislation that would overturn U.S. EPA approval of E15 for model year 2001 and newer light …
by Christopher K. Wright and Michael C. Wimberly (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) In the US Corn Belt, a recent doubling in commodity prices has created incentives for landowners to convert grassland to …
by Michael Berry (The Press/Stuff.co.nz) Solid Energy’s biofuel company has been sold to its management, two Christchurch men who are confident of making a profit with the business that stumped the state.
Biodiesel New Zealand has …
by Stephan Nielsen (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Maple Energy Plc, the Peruvian company that made more than 99 percent of its revenue from selling petroleum products in 2011, expects to get more than half its business from …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Florida, Biofuels Digest published its newly-improved and updated SuperData site — now with 150 free downloads, including must-read industry and energy sector forecasts, hard-to-find presentations and both new and …
(BusinessWire) Radio Lifeline, a non-profit based in the US, announces the launch of the Black Earth Project, a new initiative designed to help farmers mitigate the growing effects of climate change. Radio Lifeline’s partner in this project is re:char, a …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Pending legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives aims to limit the ability of the U.S. EPA to increase the cellulosic biofuel requirements its sets each year under the …
(Advanced Ethanol Council/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Wall Street Journal editorial board has once again demonstrated that it either does not understand why Congress decided to require oil companies to use cellulosic biofuels five years ago or it is not …
(VayuGrid/PR NewsWire) EEP-SEA Selects VayuSap™ Among 168 Other Projects for a Grant of Over $1 Million
India-based VayuGrid and Zambia-based BetterWorld Energy have inked an agreement to partner on VayuSap™ biofuel development zones in Zambia. The development zones, based …
by Jim Snyder (Bloomberg/Renewable Energy World) President Barack Obama’s proposal to fund clean-energy research with fees paid by oil and gas producers is renewing a debate over whether the promise of innovation tomorrow is worth expanding …
