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 …

10 years of REFF Wall Street – Join the celebrations and determine the shape of the USA renewable energy market for the next 10 years.
Policy and the development of shale gas continue to create uncertainties …

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 …

by Matthew Landau (Aquatic Biosystems) In 2010, Qatar University initiated an algal biofuel project funded by Qatar Airways, and Qatar Science and Technology Park with a 3-year budget of USD 12 million. Completion of the first …

The Energy Department will present a live webcast titled “Biomass and the Military” on Wednesday, May 29, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (rescheduled from April 25). The Energy Department’s Bioenergy Technologies …

(SB Wire/Eccotopia)  Julian Moses, president of Symphony Trade and Investment 57 (Pty) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eccotopia Ltd.,http://www.eccotopia.com/, has announced that  Eccotopia and Pacific Tree West are in the process of signing a …

by RP Siegel (Industry Market Trends Green & Clean Journal/ThomasNet.com)  Four years ago, American LeMans kicked off its first green racing season. The program, which requires teams to use alternative fuels such as ethanol blends (E10 or …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Oil refiners have been waging a well-funded war on California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which requires oil companies to reduce the carbon pollution from gasoline and diesel by 10 percent …

(The Coordinating Research Council, Inc)  This report documents and compares the results of detailed analyses of the physical and chemical properties of ten advanced alternative and renewable diesel fuels and four commercial ultra low sulfur …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …“Building on the first gallons of cellulosic diesel we shipped in March, we continue to make progress with operations at our Columbus facility,” said KiOR CEO Fred Cannon. “The on-stream …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Raises $80M at $10 per share; becomes first new industrial biotech company to complete IPO in more than a year.  What went right and how? Is the IPO window re-opening?
…
First …

We are delighted to announce the return of our leading North American bio-based markets CEO event for the fourth year.  Previously fully focussed on advanced biofuels, World Bio Markets USA 2013 will extend it’s coverage to include …

by Vicki Ekstrom (Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change/Renewable Energy World)  …Their study, recently released in Geophysical Research Letters, found that land-use changes caused by a major ramp-up in biofuel crops — enough …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  Colorado State University’s Center for the New Energy Economy (CNEE) has launched an Advanced Energy Legislation (AEL) Tracker, a database tracking energy-related state legislation pending in all 50 states. Types of energy include solar, …

by Jeff Dute (AL.com)  Corporate America does not often invite the public into the research and development process of products that could potentially revolutionize how their vehicles are fueled, how plastics are made and even …

by William La Jeunesse (Fox News)  …”We just feel that it is not safe for the consumer. It’s not safe for their engines,” said Charles Drevna, executive president of American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers.
…
“Look, this is …

(EurActiv)

Leaders of the EU and their partners in the G8 nations are under mounting pressure to reconsider their support for biofuel targets amid concern that plant oil production competes with food output in poor countries.

Britain, …

(E2B) According to the Department of Transport, between 15 April 2012 and 14 January 2013, 965 million litres of renewable fuel were supplied, of which 66 per cent have so proven to be sustainable. 18 per …

by Rachel Leonard  (WestEndAlexandriaPatch)  City Manager Rashad Young is criticizing a request from Norfolk Southern for a permit to increase the number of rail cars containing ethanol that can be offloaded at its Alexandria facility.
In a …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The sector’s perennial hottest company strikes again — with “potentially disruptive” new technology to change the positioning and performance of triglyceride oils.
In California, Solazyme and AkzoNobel announced an agreement targeting …

(US Environmental Protection Agency)  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the availability of up to $9 million through the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program (DERA) for Fiscal Year 2013 for new projects …

(Green Car Congress)  The California Energy Commission unanimously adopted the 2013-2014 Investment Plan Update to support the development and use of green vehicles and alternative fuels. The update sets funding priorities for the approximately $100 million in …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Gevo Inc. provided updated information on it Luverne, Minn., plant and patent dispute with Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC as part of its recent first quarter 2013 financial announcement.
During a …

Christopher Doering (Des Moines Register)  President Obama’s choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency, Gina McCarthy, vowed to take a more active role in working with the agriculture community.
During her confirmation hearing before the Senate …

by Tim McDonnell  (Mother Jones)  … In mid-March, in a speech at Illinois’ Argonne National Lab, Obama pitched an Energy Security Trust, which would collect $2 billion in additional revenues by 2020 from oil and gas …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The U.S. Energy Information Administration has published updated data on alternative fuels and vehicles through 2011. The analysis addresses several alternative transportation fuels, including E85, hydrogen, electricity, natural gas …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 39 group recently published a report that outlines progress on more than 100 advanced biofuel projects under development worldwide. The report, titled “Status …

by Fritz Bush (The Journal)  A Sibley East High School sophomore earned a spot at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ESEF) in Phoenix next month for his research on the use of anaerobic …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  A Johns Hopkins University student team is working with a starter grant of $15,000 from the EPA to see if algae can consume nutrients from wastewater and produce clean bio-fuels and fish food. …

(American Chemical Society)  Scientists today reported a discovery that could speed an emerging effort to replace ethanol in gasoline with a substantially better fuel additive called butanol, which some experts regard as “the gasoline of …

(NH3 Fuel Association)  Renewable ammonia producer SynGest is now featured on the Fueling Growth website, which aims to show “How clean fuel companies are fueling economic growth in California and beyond.” Fueling Growth is a project of Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2).
SynGest uses a process to …

(Algae Industry Magazine) The National Algae Association’s (NAA) Algae Farming Workshop, held in the Houston, Texas, area on April 11-12, focused on NAA’s battle cry of getting algae production out of research and development and …

(25 x ’25)  With global demand for food, feed, fiber and energy on the rise, the need for critical ecosystem services like flood control, water filtration, biodiversity and carbon sequestration is even greater. The development …

(Hamburg Business Development Corp./Biodiesel Magazine)  The first house in the world to supply its own energy with unique “bioskin” through the cultivation of micro-algae is being presented at the International Building Exhibition IBA Hamburg in …

(Hard Rock International/Biodiesel Magazine)  Willie Nelson and Hard Rock International announced the launch of the limited-edition Willie Nelson Artist Spotlight merchandise program, benefiting the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance and Animal Welfare Institute. The line, a partnership …

(Renewable Fuels Association)  The Renewable Fuels Association’s collection of ethanol infographics is now easier to access than ever before. You can find all the infographics of the RFA and the Fuels America coalition housed in …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  Legislation to reauthorize the Farm Bill energy title was introduced in the Senate Monday. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Al Franken (D-MN) introduced the Rural Energy Investment Act to “help farmers, ranchers, and …

(Tallahassee.com)  Having spent some time on the ground in Tallahassee and talking with several legislators over the past few years, it is clear the ethanol program the state has developed is not understood and certainly …

by Kathy Robertson (Sacramento Business Journal)  Novozymes Inc. is staffing up to support a $2.5 million Department of Energy contract to find new and more efficient enzymes for turning corn leaves and stalks into fuel for …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The University of California-Davis Institute of Transportation Studies has published a new status review of the state’s low carbon fuel standard (LCFS). The review is the second in a …

by Carlin Rosengarten  (Fueling Growth) Nearly 30 years ago, Paul Woods invented the Direct to Ethanol technology that his company, Algenol Biofuels, utilizes today to produce ethanol from blue-green algae at its state-of-the-art commercial development campus …

(EurActiv)  …This conflict is not one between green ambitions and trade rules – it is a conflict between trade rules and a biofuels policy aiming to favour domestically produced biofuels at the expense of foreign …

(Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper)  The Government of Canada is committed to investing in innovative clean energy technologies that create high-quality jobs, generate new economic opportunities and protect the environment.
To this end, on May …

(Renewable Fuels Association)  The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) cheered RFA member Badger State Ethanol and the Wisconsin Ethanol Coalition for their efforts to bring E15 to Wisconsin. As of today, the SmartStation at 1290 Business …

(UPI) …On a percentage basis, the EIA said the price spread was closer to 17 percent in 2001, and dipped to as low as 6 percent in early 2009. This decline is because of the …

(SEKAB)  SEKAB E-Technology welcomes SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden’s (SP) engagement in the Biorefinery Demo Plant in Örnsköldsvik, previously known as the Ethanol Pilot. SP and SEKAB have signed an agreement, which ensures continued …

by Kjetil Malkenes Hovland  (The Wall Street Journal)  Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who faces an election in September, on Sunday laid out plans for a modest tax cut for mainland businesses while increasing taxes …

by Mark Green (The Energy Collective)  …What we see is that despite an aggressive push with promotions and massive state investment, the state has gone from recorded E85 sales of just under 18 million gallons in …

(National Renewable Energy Laboratory)  The latest national survey of 100% biodiesel (B100) “blend stock” samples by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that 95% of the samples from 2011-12 met …

(North Dakota State University Extension/Farm & Ranch Guide)  …At North Dakota State University, the feasibility of using new sugarbeet varieties, known as energy beets, for ethanol production is under study. Energy beets have characteristics very …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington DC, at the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference, Biofuels Digest announced that it has released its newly expanded SuperData database, profiling 880 biofuels refineries on six continents.
SuperData contains all …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Norway, Norwegian Finance Minister Sigbjørn Johnsen officially inaugurated the Borregaard biorefinery demonstration plant in Sarpsborg, which will produce green chemicals and sugars based on biomass from wood and agricultural …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) is pleased to announce that RSB has a new name. Following a decision during a recent meeting of the RSB Assembly of Delegates, the …

by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association)  Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, penned the following letter in response to a recent Palm Beach Post ethanol editorial.
Some say “where there is smoke, there is …

(GreenAirOnline)  Although the entry of airlines into the biofuel marketplace is a significant step in the right direction, the sustainability of this development is of critical importance, says the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  Biofuel opponents are crying wolf, so it would seem, claiming that the blend wall is insurmountable. However, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today has published an infographic that busts the myths surrounding the …

by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com)  There’s some real negativity hanging over the biofuels industry these days. And while any industry has risks, it seems that the setbacks loom larger over the renewable energy sector compared to …

(US Department of Agriculture/Biodiesel Magazine)  The USDA has proposed a series of changes to make it easier for agricultural producers and rural small businesses to apply for renewable energy and energy efficiency funding. USDA remains …

In the past six months the European Union has become a significant market opportunity for waste fats and oils, as renewable fuels such as biodiesel are used to meet the renewable fuels obligation requirements under …

by Herman Wang and Matthew Kolhman (Platts)  Aviation biofuel’s newly minted ability to generate tradable US renewables credits, known as RINs, may be key to the industry’s economics, according to market watchers.
“The availability of RINs is …

by Janet Kubat Willette (Post Bulletin)  It all started last fall when Dan Brandt called his fuel supplier to see if he could get a higher blend of biodiesel delivered in the spring.
His supplier told him …

by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association)  As part of its ongoing review of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the House Energy & Commerce Committee recently asked stakeholders to comment on the impact of the RFS on the …

by Kathy Coatney (Beef Magazine/BeefProducer.com)  Small, automated units can make biodiesel from animal fat, waste oil and oilseed crops.
An Arkansas professor has been experimenting with a farm-sized biodiesel plant that can use animal fat, waste …

(European Geosciences Union)  …Attention has now turned to second generation biofuels, produced from non-edible sources such as wood or waste plant residual like straw. In the next decade, these biofuels are expected to replace three …

by Bill Scanlon (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)  Biofuels scientists are asking more complex questions about how molecules spin, bond, and break when enzymes attack plants — all in the name of quickening the process of …

(Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation)  A recently published report provides an in-depth overview of the current state of affairs in Dutch biomass trading. “We’re satisfied to report a significant increase in certified …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Is there bio-based relief for the harried taxpayer in sight?   Could conservationists, growers and biofuels producers find common ground in adapting the Conservation Reserve Program for bioenergy?   Could the US …

by Erica Anderson (WNCT.com)  A local school district is reaping the benefits of restaurant leftovers.   At the start of the academic year, Pitt County Schools partnered with Green Circle N.C. to turn used cooking oil …

(EnergyDigital) In the ethanol fuel market, the US takes the lead. Pilot and demonstration plants to commence in late 2013.
Ethanol is the most widely acclaimed alternative or additive for gasoline used for running vehicles, and …

(Biofuels Center of North Carolina)  Based in Wilson, Triangle Biofuels Industries produces biodiesel derived primarily from waste vegetable oils (WVO) obtained from local sources. Its target markets are agricultural, marine, residential, governmental, and commercial diesel …

by Chris Hanson (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  A study by Steffen Mueller, a researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago Energy Resources Center, and John Kwik, president of Dominion Energy Services LLC, surveyed ethanol producers …

by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  With a fresh investment from Brazil’s GranBio, American Process Inc. is poised to develop its first commercial-scale cellulosic biorefineries in both the U.S. and Brazil. API CEO Theodora …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  The Japan News reports that in Miyagino Ward, Sendai, a project has started at a sewage treatment facility to extract a biofuel ingredient from wastewater using algae. This first of its kind …

Are you involved in research, product development or marketing of greener, industrially relevant alternatives for the pharmaceutical, formulated consumer products, and chemical manufacturing industries?

Present your work at the 3rd Annual ACS GCI Roundtable Poster Reception …

by Yuthana Praiwan  (Bangkok Post)  After several years of consideration, Shell Co of Thailand eventually decided to jump into the gasohol E20 fray, as it foresees a steady rise in local demand.
Shell officially began selling …

by Amy R. Remo  (Philippine Daily Inquirer)  The Department of Energy is set to issue a circular that will require the blending of 10-percent ethanol in all gasoline products.   In the same order, the energy …

by Ellyn Ferguson  (Roll Call) A House panel’s decision to look back at mandates set in the 2007 renewable-energy law could be a pivotal moment for industries hoping to slow down growth in the ethanol industry.
The …

by Matthew L. Wald (The New York Times)  Faced with a crop of lemons — too much ethanol, a population of cars not tuned to burn it effectively and a driving public leery of the …

by Russ White (MLive)  … Michigan State University leads research of bioenergies and biofuels through AgBioResearch and the Kellogg Biological Station and partnerships with coalitions such as the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and the Global …

by Jessica Shankleman (BusinessGreen.com)   …Three campaign groups, backed by 12 organisations in the timber, paper and furniture industries, yesterday warned that a surge in demand for wood as a result of renewable electricity subsidies …

by Ann Perry (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service)  A new strain of yeast that could help streamline cellulosic ethanol costs and production has been developed by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers. This …

(National Renewable Energy Laboratory/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Enzymes could break down cell walls faster – leading to less expensive biofuels for transportation – if two enzyme systems are brought together in an industrial setting, new research …