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Truly Sustainable Renewable Future
April 17, 2012 – 10:42 am | No Comment

Advanced Biofuels are high-energy liquid transportation fuels derived from: low nutrient input/high per acre yield crops; agricultural or forestry waste; or other sustainable biomass feedstocks including algae.  The key word is “sustainable.”
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Cenusa Bioenergy Receives $25 Million Grant from USDA
March 26, 2012 – 5:43 pm | No Comment

by Kelly Madsen (IowaStateDaily.com)  The Iowa State University-led Cenusa Bioenergy project works to develop a biofuel with both a Midwestern and environmental focus.
Through a five-year, $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National …

Biofuels Get a Bounce
March 23, 2012 – 8:26 pm | No Comment

by Reed Fujii (RecordNet.com)  Community Fuels’ biodiesel plant at the Port of Stockton served as the centerpiece Tuesday for U.S. Department of Agricultural officials highlighting gains in rural and farm-related energy projects under the 2008 Farm …

Four-Star Biofuels: How the Pentagon Is Outpacing Civilians in Gen2 Adoption
March 23, 2012 – 8:21 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In “Four Star Biofuels: How the Pentagon Is Outpacing Civilians in Gen2 Adoption” a special Raymond James look at the military and biofuels demand, Pavel Molchanov writes: “A key differentiator …

What’s Your Biofuels Venture Worth?
March 23, 2012 – 8:04 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Biofuels Digest released an updated version of its Biofuels Venture Value Calculator, downloadable here.. The purpose of the calculator is to assist project developers to quickly compare their basic system economics …

Neste Oil Virtually Quadrupled Its Use of Certified Raw Materials in Producing Renewable Fuel
March 23, 2012 – 7:37 pm | No Comment

(Neste Oil)  Already 49% of the raw materials that Neste Oil used in 2011 to produce its renewable fuel was certified. This was an increase of 28 percentage points on the figure for 2010, and …

Grafton Ethanol Plant Owners to Meet with Sugar Beet Growers
March 23, 2012 – 7:32 pm | No Comment

(Grand Forks Herald)  Energae LP, the group planning to reopen the former Alchem Ltd. ethanol plant in Grafton, N.D., will conduct a meeting at noon Friday for sugar beet growers.
The meeting will be at Marketplace …

Push By Ethanol Producers Into Corn Oil Raises Concerns Over DDGs
March 23, 2012 – 7:27 pm | No Comment

(Dow Jones Newswire)  A push by U.S. ethanol companies into corn oil is starting to give the livestock industry indigestion.
Corn oil, which is used both for cooking oil and to make biodiesel fuel, has emerged …

The Olive Economy
March 23, 2012 – 7:21 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …Here are five types of technologies that straddle the political divide between green and black.
Re-using industrial waste gases  Here are three companies aiming at capturing CO2 and either directly converting to …

Neste Oil and Lufthansa Satisfied with Results of Renewable Aviation Fuel Trial
March 23, 2012 – 5:21 pm | No Comment

(Neste Oil)  Neste Oil and Lufthansa tested Neste Oil’s NExBTL renewable aviation fuel on a total of 1,187 flights between Frankfurt and Hamburg last year and one intercontinental flight between Frankfurt and Washington D.C. this …

No Farm Bill, No Tier 3—Not until after the Election; Sundrop Fuels Presents an Alternative
March 23, 2012 – 12:58 pm | No Comment

By Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA)  At the March 21 Bioenergy Day on Capitol Hill, discussion focused on the need for a continued Renewable Fuels Standard, reviews of the history of biofuels, assessment of current …

Petrotec AG : Successful Restructuring and Strong Demand for Waste Based Biodiesel Lead to EUR 3 mio. Net Profit
March 22, 2012 – 9:29 pm | No Comment

(4-Traders)  Petrotec AG (ISIN DE000PET111), the largest European producer of waste to biodiesel mainly used cooking oil based, reported a 97% sales increase in financial year 2011 (January 1 to December 31, 2011).
…Backed by an …

BP and Biofuels: Beyond Petroleum, Big Plans, Brazil Principally
March 22, 2012 – 9:23 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  BP to showcase capabilities in low-carbon fuels at 2012 London Olympics. BP Biofuels chief Phil New outlines the BP’s path towards “getting biofuels right”.
“6 percent of the entire BP workforce …

The Future of Biofuels VI: Petrobras’ Strategy
March 22, 2012 – 8:33 pm | No Comment

by José Vitor Bomtempo  (Grupo de Economia da Energia)  In the previous article, we compared the BP and Shell’s strategies for biofuels. Today we present the case of Petrobras. We have to recall the reasons for the …

Corn Ethanol Production Starts in Mato Grosso
March 22, 2012 – 7:50 pm | No Comment

(Agra-net.com)  Usimat Destilaria de Alcohol said it has started ethanol production from corn during the intercrop season in Mato Grosso. In recent weeks, it produced 90,000 litres of ethanol from corn. It has invested BRL20 …

Milligan Bio-Tech Receives $1.7M Contribution from SaskBIO
March 22, 2012 – 4:22 pm | No Comment

by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine)  The Government of Saskatchewan has announced it will provide up to $1.7 million to Milligan Bio-Tech Inc. under the Saskatchewan Biofuels Investment Opportunity (SaskBIO) program. The program provides repayable contributions …

Cobalt and the Naval Air Warfare Center Team Up to Produce a Renewable Jet Fuel From Bio N-Butanol
March 22, 2012 – 4:11 pm | No Comment

(Cobalt Technologies/Sacramento Bee)  Contract Issued to Albemarle to Process First Run of N-Butanol Into Jet Fuel
Today, the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD), China Lake announced a contract award to Albemarle Corporation, a leading specialty chemicals company, to complete its …

Thaioil to Diversify in Resilient Market Conditions
March 22, 2012 – 2:20 pm | No Comment

(BusinessReviewCanada/MarketWire)  …”Our approach will be achieved through the company’s Green, Broad and Deep principles, all geared towards generating high quality business development and the deployment of resources, but in a sustainable, systematic way that is …

Gasoline’s Comeback in the Bio-Based Era: 5 Cleantech Companies Vie for Green Gasoline Breakthroughs
March 20, 2012 – 4:47 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …But in the past two years, five technologies have emerged that are focused on renewable gasoline (along with some others that have the capability of producing gasoline-like fuels but are …

National Biodiesel Board Introduces First Phase of RIN Solution
March 14, 2012 – 6:57 pm | No Comment

by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine)  The first phase of the National Biodiesel Board’s measures to help restore integrity to the renewable identification number (RIN) credit market was established yesterday after NBB held a town hall …

Thai Biochemical Plant Converts Glycerin into Epichlorohydrin
March 14, 2012 – 6:53 pm | No Comment

by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine)  Solvay, an international chemical group, recently announced that its Thai affiliate Vinythai successfully commissioned a biobased chemical plant. The $157 million facility, based in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, utilizes Solvay’s …

State of the Advanced Biofuels Industry, 2012: The Digest Primer
March 14, 2012 – 12:05 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …To open up the advanced biofuels session, Green Power asked the Digest to give a short overview on the state of advanced biofuels. In today’s Digest, we’d like to share …

FDA Has No Jurisdiction Here—Or Does It?
March 14, 2012 – 12:01 pm | No Comment

by Sarah Brew and Steve Toeniskoetter (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Faegre Baker Daniels)  Pop quiz time—which federal agencies regulate your plant? Did your answer include the Food and Drug Administration? If your plant produces distillers grains, corn …

Feeding the Chemical Market
March 14, 2012 – 11:01 am | No Comment

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Ethanol serves as not only a liquid transportation fuel but also as a feedstock for biobased chemical production
Although ethanol is generally associated with the transportation fuel market, it is …

Dollars and Sense: Analyses Vary, but Ethanol’s Economic Benefits Are Clear
March 14, 2012 – 10:10 am | No Comment

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) …Analysts may disagree on the exact indirect effects of ethanol production, but they agree that the industry has had a positive direct effect on jobs and GDP over the …

Engineering Study Looks at Ethanol Plus Bolt-On Green Diesel
March 13, 2012 – 5:45 pm | No Comment

by Holly Jessen  (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Al-Corn Clean Fuel, a 50 MMgy plant in Claremont, Minn., is working with a St. Paul company investigating secondary production of green diesel at a new or existing ethanol …

Mendel Biotechnology, Inc. and BP Biofuels to Conduct Demonstration Field Trial of PowerCane(tm) Miscanthus
March 13, 2012 – 5:33 pm | No Comment

(iStockAnalyst)  Four-Year Agreement Includes 100 Acres of PowerCane Miscanthus Near BP Biofuels’ Demonstration Plant in Jennings, Louisiana
Mendel Biotechnology, Inc. (MBI) and BP Biofuels have signed a four-year agreement to conduct a demonstration field trial of …

Mission New Energy Develops Indonesian Palm Oil Complex
March 13, 2012 – 5:03 pm | No Comment

by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia)  In Indonesia, Mission New Energy is developing a new downstream palm oil and oleo-chemical complex, in partnership with PTPN III. The complex will be located located at PTPNIII’s Sei …

The Palms Of Controversy
March 13, 2012 – 4:55 pm | No Comment

by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) Palms are said to be a symbol of peace and prosperity, but you can’t prove it by the past few weeks of heated debate over palm biofuel. Last week, we …

U.S. Report: Oil Imports Down, Domestic Production Highest since 2003
March 13, 2012 – 3:41 pm | No Comment

by Neela Banerjee  (Los Angeles Times)  The report by six federal agencies was released early Monday on the first anniversary of a speech by President Obama in which he pledged to reduce American dependence on foreign oil …

Santa Terezinha Invests $283 Million in Brazil Ethanol Projects
March 13, 2012 – 12:45 pm | No Comment

by Stephan Nielsen (Bloomberg)   Usina de Acucar Santa Terezinha Ltda., a Brazilian ethanol producer, plans to invest 500 million reais ($283 million) in a mill and sugar-cane plantations as the country seeks to increase …

Kogi to Establish Biodiesel Refinery
March 13, 2012 – 12:41 pm | No Comment

by Usman A. Bello (Daily Trust)  The Kogi State government has said its planned biodiesel refinery would be completed on schedule in Itobe area of the state.
Acting Governor of the state, Arc. Yomi Awoniyi said …

Nonfood Crops to Be Used at New Ethanol Site
March 13, 2012 – 12:35 pm | No Comment

by Leslie Brooks Suzukamo  (TwinCities.com/Pioneer Press)  Cellulosic ethanol – ethanol made from nonfood crops – has been an alluring but elusive promise. That promise might finally be taking solid form.
Today, ethanol powerhouse Poet will officially break …

Energy Secretary to Look at Hanford Land Transfer
March 12, 2012 – 7:04 pm | No Comment

(Yakima Herald)  Energy Secretary Steven Chu will look at speeding the transfer of 1,600 acres of Hanford nuclear reservation land for industrial development in response to a request by Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash.
Inslee, who is …

Butamax(tm) Files Biobutanol Patent Infringement Lawsuit to Stop Gevo’s Use of Butamax KARI Enzyme Technology
March 12, 2012 – 1:13 pm | No Comment

(Butamax/iStockAnalyst.com)  Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels, LLC, the biobutanol technology leader, announced today that the Company filed a new lawsuit against Gevo, Inc. for infringing the recently awarded Butamax™ patent8,129,162.
The patent covers recombinant KARI enzymes which perform …

Barrels of Biofuel Flowing from Success at Louisiana Facility
March 12, 2012 – 11:21 am | No Comment

(Advanced Biofuels Association)  Better Fuels Moment
With barrels of biofuel flowing from the success of America’s first commercial advanced biofuels plant, the Advanced Biofuels Association, ABFA, takes its online video series, Better Fuels Moment, on the …

Boosters of Butanol Say Change in Law Needed
March 9, 2012 – 1:24 pm | No Comment

by Leslie Brooks Suzakamo (TwinCities.com/Pioneer Press)  A Colorado green fuels company wants a Minnesota ethanol law that expires at the end of the year to be extended and changed so gasoline can be blended with …

Metso to Supply a Bio Oil Production Plant to Fortum Power Plant in Joensuu, Finland
March 9, 2012 – 11:53 am | No Comment

(Metso)  A demonstration plant enables bio oil production from forest residue
Metso and Fortum Power and Heat have signed a contract regarding a delivery of a bio-oil production plant and a related automation system to the …

FCP – The Secret Magic Ingredient for Success in Bioenergy
March 9, 2012 – 10:20 am | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …It’s called FCP. You can’t buy it in a dime bag, and you can’t synthesize it from municipal solid waste. It’s not angel-investor dust. It costs a world.
…Doesn’t matter, you …

Growing Ambitions
March 8, 2012 – 5:26 pm | No Comment

by Pamela Glinski (Highlands Today)  Vercipia is no more. The name has been changed to BP Biofuels, Highlands Ethanol LLC, explained Mike Milicevic, the agricultural operations manager for the company.
Vercipia was a joint-venture company formed …

Montana State University-Northern’s Bio-Diesel Now Available Commercially in Havre
March 8, 2012 – 4:45 pm | No Comment

by Kay Rossi   (KRTV.com)   MSU-Northern’s bio-diesel product is available commercially for the first time for engines in Havre.
With the possibility of more distribution in the future, the school’s Bio-Energy Center is working to …

IPEA Recommends Diversifying Production to Build the Biodiesel Program
March 7, 2012 – 5:18 pm | No Comment

(Pernambuco.com)  The Institute of Applied Economic Research (IPEA) points as a solution to consolidate the biodiesel program in the country diversification of agricultural production, reducing dependence on tax incentives and lower costs of the final …

Maverick BioFuels and TopLine Energy Systems Announce Joint Technology Development Initiative
March 7, 2012 – 4:14 pm | No Comment

(Maverick BioFuels)  Companies will integrate technologies to accelerate the cost competitive production of transportation fuels and bioplastics from biomass and waste feedstocks…
Maverick Biofuels, a second-generation biofuels and bioplastics technology company, and TopLine Energy Systems (TES) …

Chinese Investors to Launch Biofuel Production in Sumy Region
March 7, 2012 – 4:06 pm | No Comment

(Kyiv Post)  Chinese investors are to change the line of business of a distillery in the Village of Popovka in Konotop district (Sumy region) to the production of bioethanol, reads a posting on the Web …

Grafton Ethanol Plant Could Re-open
March 7, 2012 – 3:42 pm | No Comment

(WDAZ-TV) The former Alchem Ethanol plant in Grafton could re-open later this year. When it does, it will be turning sugar beets into the alternative fuel instead of corn.  READ MORE and MORE (Grand Forks Herald)

Butamax Expands Robust Isobutanol Patent Portfolio
March 6, 2012 – 6:50 pm | No Comment

(PR NewsWire)  Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels, LLC, the biobutanol technology leader, today announced the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted Butamax Patent Number 8,129,162  which provides Butamax with optimal key capability for the …

Aqualia Eyes Large-Scale Algae Biofuel Production
March 6, 2012 – 6:11 pm | No Comment

by Nina Chestney (Reuters)  Water management company Aqualia plans to launch a commercial-scale demonstration project using waste water to cultivate algae for biofuel production, which could fuel 400 vehicles, the firm said on Monday.
Spain’s Aqualia, …

Gaia Association Requests Expressions of Interest for Procurement of Ethanol Microdistillery, Addis Ababa Ethiopia
March 6, 2012 – 6:06 pm | No Comment

(PR.com)  Request for Expression of Interest
Promotion of Ethanol Microdistillery for Cooking Fuel in Ethiopia
Loan No. /Credit No./ Grant No.: TF096664
Activity Title: Demonstrating the Feasibility of Ethanol for Household Cooking
The Gaia Association, an Ethiopian non-governmental and …

US Ethanol Industry Re-tools As Biofuels Struggle To Scale Post-IPO
March 5, 2012 – 4:47 pm | No Comment

by Felicity Carus (Aol Energy)  Now that almost all the gasoline in the United States is blended with up to 10% ethanol, producers are looking to export markets and refiners are looking at retooling strategies …

Sh12 Billion Biofuel Complex Set to Be Constructed in Bungoma
March 5, 2012 – 10:30 am | No Comment

(Daily Nation)  A Sh12 billion biofuel complex to produce fuel ethanol from tropical sugar beet will be started in Bungoma, with construction commencing immediately. The first trail run is expected early next year.
The company, Webco, …

Gov’t To Test Jatropha Biodiesel Offered By Company From Malaysia
March 5, 2012 – 10:16 am | No Comment

(Manila Bulletin)  The government is subjecting to fuel standard testing the jatropha biodiesel of Malaysia-based Bionas which is offering to supply what it claims to possibly become the world’s first jatropha biodiesel.
The Department of Energy …