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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.”
A technical definition that …

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Symbiosis Conference: Expanding Commercialization of Mutualistic Microbes to Increase Bioenergy Crop Production June 20–21, 2013 Ithaca, New York
June 15, 2013 – 4:25 pm | No Comment
Symbiosis Conference: Expanding Commercialization of Mutualistic Microbes to Increase Bioenergy Crop Production   June 20–21, 2013    Ithaca, New York

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office is hosting a conference on expanding commercialization of products incorporating mutualistic microbes in order to increase biomass production. The conference will be held on June 20–21, 2013, …

Scientists Develop ‘Green’ Pretreatment of Miscanthus for Biofuel
May 28, 2013 – 2:45 pm | No Comment

(University of Illinois/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Two University of Illinois scientists have developed an environmentally friendly and more economical way of pretreating miscanthus in the biofuel production process.
“We pretreat the biomass with switchable butadiene sulfone in the …

Study Shows Benefits from Integration of Sweet Sorghum Juice in Corn Mash for Ethanol Production
May 14, 2013 – 3:28 pm | No Comment

(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 …

FAPC Algae Project Ranks No. 1 for OCAST Funding
May 14, 2013 – 2:54 pm | No Comment

(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 …

Mighty Algae Could Lead to Biofuels Breakthrough
May 14, 2013 – 1:40 pm | No Comment

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 Starts “Drop-In” Renewable Fuels R&D Project
May 14, 2013 – 1:32 pm | No Comment

(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 …

Algal Biofuel Technology in the State of Qatar
May 10, 2013 – 6:51 pm | No Comment

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 …

Johns Hopkins Algae Students Test Wastewater Capabilities
May 8, 2013 – 4:04 pm | No Comment

(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. …

Cost-Saving Measure to Upgrade Ethanol to Butanol — a Better Alternative to Gasoline
May 8, 2013 – 3:54 pm | No Comment

(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 …

Energy Beet Juice Can Be Stored for Ethanol Production
May 7, 2013 – 5:42 pm | No Comment

(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 …

Japanese Sewage Plant Extracting Algal Oil for Fuel
May 6, 2013 – 4:26 pm | No Comment

(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 …

Michigan State University Bioenergy Research Looks for Food and Fuel Solutions
May 6, 2013 – 2:49 pm | No Comment

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 …

New Plant Protein Discoveries Could Ease Global Food and Fuel Demands
May 6, 2013 – 2:03 pm | No Comment

by Kim McDonald   (University of California at San Diego)  New discoveries of the way plants transport important substances across their biological membranes to resist toxic metals and pests, increase salt and drought tolerance, control water loss …

Whoops: Soils Can’t Lock Away Black Carbon or Biochar, Study Says.
May 6, 2013 – 11:46 am | No Comment

by Tim Radford  (The Daily Climate)  Charcoal and other forms of black carbon do not, as previously thought, stay where they are buried. They migrate to the oceans and recirculate the carbon they contain.
Climate scientists …

Algae Fertilizer in Development by Old Dominion University and NP
May 2, 2013 – 8:50 pm | No Comment

(Algae Industry Magazine)  Nutrients PLUS (NP), a company headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Old Dominion University (ODU), in Norfolk, Virginia, have applied for a patent on recent discoveries they’ve made related to the use …

Duckweed as a Cost-Competitive Raw Material for Biofuel Production
May 2, 2013 – 8:32 pm | No Comment

(American Chemical Society)  The search for a less-expensive, sustainable source of biomass, or plant material, for producing gasoline, diesel and jet fuel has led scientists to duckweed, that fast-growing floating plant that turns ponds and …

University of Vermont Biomass to Biofuels Fall Course August 26, 2013 – December 04, 2013 Vermont
May 2, 2013 – 3:50 pm | No Comment
University of Vermont Biomass to Biofuels Fall Course    August 26, 2013 – December 04, 2013   Vermont

SUBJECT: Biomass to Biofuels course: 4 credits Fall 2013 starting August 26th
Biomass to Biofuels course, 2013 Fall Semester, University of Vermont
- a complete Bio Renewable Energy Program
4 Credits, August 26, 2013 to December 4, 2013 …

Iowa State University Seeks Livestock Producers’ Input for Ethanol Survey
May 1, 2013 – 11:19 am | No Comment

(PorkNetwork)   Iowa State University is conducting a nationwide survey of livestock producers’ use of feed-related coproducts from ethanol production. … Livestock producers are invited to take the survey online until June 19 at:  http://humansciences.ethanolcoproducts.sgizmo.com/s3/   READ MORE and MORE (Ethanol …

Method to Oxidose Renewable Chemicals from Biofuel Byproducts
April 30, 2013 – 4:44 pm | No Comment

by Ben Messenger  (Waste Management World)  A method of using oxygen to convert lignin, a byproduct of biofuel production, into a form that could replace fossil fuels as a source of renewable chemical feedstocks has …

Biofuels and the Problem of Tropical Islands, Part II of II
April 30, 2013 – 2:39 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …It used to be that the outskirts of Honolulu had the dual scent of diesel and pineapple processing — but now, all you really smell is the diesel. Sugarcane and …

University of Missouri Gets $2 Million Grant for Sustainability Research from Rental Car Company’s Foundation
April 29, 2013 – 12:54 pm | No Comment

(Kansas City Star/Associated Press)  A St. Louis-based rental car company has announced a $2 million gift to the University of Missouri.
The donation from Enterprise Holdings Foundation, the philanthropic arm of St. Louis-based Enterprise car-rental company, …

Researchers Examining Fertilizers for Algae Biofuels
April 29, 2013 – 11:27 am | No Comment

(Algae Industry Magazine)  One of the major roadblocks to mass-producing algae for biofuels, observes researchers at the University of Michigan College of Engineering, is the need for fertilizer. Although algae have trouble reusing the nitrogen …

Dinoflagellate Microalgae Show Biofuel Potential in Spanish Study
April 23, 2013 – 6:49 pm | No Comment

(Algae Industry Magazine)  Researchers at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) and the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), in Spain, have analyzed the potential of different species of microalgae for producing biodiesel, comparing …

New Catalysts to Convert Ethanol to Butanol Fuels
April 23, 2013 – 6:28 pm | No Comment

by Chris Hanson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Researchers from U.K.’s University of Bristol reported the development of new catalysts that are able to convert ethanol to butanol at the national meeting and exposition of the American Chemical …

Researchers Turn Corn Stover into Amylose Starch
April 23, 2013 – 6:17 pm | No Comment

by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A team of Virginia Tech researchers have adapted existing technologies to make a new product, transforming cellulose into amylose. One target market for the amylose would be functional foods, said …

National Algae Testbed Kicks off at Arizona State University
April 23, 2013 – 5:32 pm | No Comment

(Algae Industry Magazine)  lgae Testbed Public-Private Partnership (ATP3) members from across the U.S. gathered at the Arizona State University Polytechnic campus April 15-18 for their national kickoff meetings to discuss strategies for advancing research and …

A Key to Mass Extinctions Could Boost Food, Biofuel Production
April 23, 2013 – 3:29 pm | No Comment

by Vince Stricherz (University of Washington)  Hydrogen sulfide, the pungent stuff often referred to as sewer gas, is a deadly substance implicated in several mass extinctions, including one at the end of the Permian period …

ABO Launches Map of Algae Research, Companies and Projects
April 19, 2013 – 7:11 pm | No Comment

(Algae Industry Magazine) A new map of the algae industry published online by the Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) shows algae production facilities and research projects stretching from coast to coast, illustrating a nationwide opportunity for a new and growing industry …

Enzymes from Horse Feces Could Hold Secrets to Streamlining Biofuel Production
April 19, 2013 – 6:21 pm | No Comment

(Science Daily)  Stepping into unexplored territory in efforts to use corn stalks, grass and other non-food plants to make biofuels, scientists have described the discovery of a potential treasure-trove of candidate enzymes in fungi thriving …

Hydrogen Production Efficiency Discovery in Green Algae
April 18, 2013 – 11:22 am | No Comment

by Anneli Waara (Algae Industry Magazine)   …However, a group of researchers at Sweden’s Uppsala University, led by Senior Lecturer Fikret Mamedov and Professor Stenbjörn Styring, have just announced a discovery that changes the view on …

Algal Biofuels Pilot Plant Opens in Queensland
April 11, 2013 – 12:02 pm | No Comment

(Algae Industry Magazine)  Premier of Queensland, Australia, Campbell Newman, has cut the ribbon on an advanced solar biofuels pilot plant designed to develop microalgae-based systems as a source of clean fuel and animal feeds.
The $3.5 …

Yo, Algae: Take Two and Call Me in the Morning
April 10, 2013 – 2:58 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …. And surprisingly, a research team from the University of California, Davis has not only catalogued the impacts of treating microalgae with 83 different compounds. They’ve found that common antioxidants …

Effective Fertilizer Use Could Cut Emissions from Biofuel Production
April 9, 2013 – 12:01 pm | No Comment

(EnvironmentalResearchWeb.org)  Scientists in Brazil have found that nitrous-oxide emissions from sugarcane fields vary depending on the nitrogen source employed as a fertilizer. Ammonium nitrate results in higher nitrous-oxide emissions than urea, they discovered. With around …

A Crash of Algae, Bioterrorism and the Future of Biofuels
April 9, 2013 – 10:26 am | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …You’ve probably seen it, in some way, for years — a local pond seems suddenly crowded with algae — or there’s news of a “red tide” blooming at sea — …

Biochar Slashes Bioenergy Soil Emissions
April 8, 2013 – 7:19 pm | No Comment

by Tom Marshall (Planet Earth Online)  Adding charcoal to land used to grow bioenergy crops can greatly increase their overall benefit in helping cut our greenhouse-gas emissions, scientists have shown.
Applying so-called ‘biochar’ before planting energy …

Not Ready for Slime Time: Algae Present Challenges as Fuel Source
April 8, 2013 – 2:53 pm | No Comment

by Emily Pickrell (FuelFix)  On Jan. 1, Congress made algae-based fuel production eligible for a $1.01-per-gallon cellulosic biofuel production federal tax credit.
Cellulosic biofuels typically are made from woody, non-food material such as grasses or wood …

University of Texas Researchers Design Synthetic Trees for Producing Water and Energy Efficient Algal Biofuels
April 8, 2013 – 1:20 pm | No Comment

by David Wogan (Scientific American)  The idea is straightforward: grow algae in large quantities and harvest the energy dense byproducts as an alternative to fossil fuels. Like larger plants, microalgae use solar energy to fix …

Engineering Algae to Make the ‘Wonder Material’ Nanocellulose for Biofuels and More
April 8, 2013 – 1:09 pm | No Comment

(EurekAlert!/American Chemical Society)  Genes from the family of bacteria that produce vinegar, Kombucha tea and nata de coco have become stars in a project — which scientists today said has reached an advanced stage — …

Biofuels Center Boosts Renewable Fuels Industry in Western NC with $600K Investment
April 5, 2013 – 6:57 pm | No Comment

(Biofuels Center of North Carolina)  The Biofuels Center of North Carolina recently awarded $684,058 for six projects to accelerate the renewable fuels industry in western North Carolina. Awards are made through the 2012-2013 targeted biofuels …

ACC Clean Energy Challenge Announces Elite Eight Plus Two, Will Vie to Reach Final Four
April 5, 2013 – 6:07 pm | No Comment

(Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute/PR NewsWire)  The $100K ACC Clean Energy Challenge, a business plan competition supported by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) encouraging students from universities in the southeastern United …

Breakthrough in Hydrogen Fuel Production Could Revolutionize Alternative Energy Market
April 5, 2013 – 5:42 pm | No Comment

(Virginia Tech News)  A team of Virginia Tech researchers has discovered a way to extract large quantities of hydrogen from any plant, a breakthrough that has the potential to bring a low-cost, environmentally friendly fuel …

US Department of Energy Gives Michigan State, University of Wisconsin $125 Million to Continue Biofuels Research
April 5, 2013 – 4:58 pm | No Comment

by Brandon Howell (MLive) Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin will continue their partnered research of advanced biofuels thanks to $125 million from the U.S. Department of Energy.
The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, …

Barcelona Researchers Focus on Dinoflagellate Microalgae
April 5, 2013 – 4:21 pm | No Comment

(Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona/Biodiesel Magazine)  Dinoflagellate microalgae could be used as a raw material to obtain biodiesel easily and profitably. This is the conclusion of a study led by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) scientists, …

Energy 101- A Framework For an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Course Teaching the Fundamentals of Energy April 10, 2013 Webinar 2:00PM ET
April 5, 2013 – 4:06 pm | No Comment
Energy 101- A Framework For an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Course Teaching the Fundamentals of Energy   April 10, 2013   Webinar 2:00PM ET

The ‘Energy 101’ project collaborators are hosting a webinar detailing the newly released Energy 101 curricular framework.
This webinar is for educators, administrators, and other interested parties who would like to learn about the Energy 101 …

Spatially Explicit Life Cycle Assessment of 5 Sun-to-Wheels Pathways Finds Photovoltaic Electricity and BEVs Offer Land-Efficient and Low-Carbon Transportation
April 2, 2013 – 10:29 am | No Comment

(Green Car Congress)  A new spatially-explicit life cycle assessment of five different “sun-to-wheels” conversion pathways—ethanol from corn or switchgrass for internal combustion vehicles (ICVs); electricity from corn or switchgrass for battery-electric vehicles (BEVs); and photovoltaic …

Ash from Refuse Could Become Hydrogen Gas
March 27, 2013 – 4:20 pm | No Comment

(Lund University)  …The ash is what is left when rubbish has been burnt in thermal power stations. A researcher from Lund University in Sweden has now developed a technique to use the ash to produce …

UC San Diego/Scripps Use Unique DAF Process to Harvest Algae
March 27, 2013 – 4:05 pm | No Comment

by Jim McMahon (Biodiesel Digest)  Since 2008, the San Diego Center for Algal Biotechnology (SD-CAB) has been conducting research into algal applications for biofuel. This has been a joint collaboration between several departments of the …

American University to Celebrate Switch to B20 at April 2 Event
March 27, 2013 – 3:55 pm | No Comment

by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine)  For biodiesel fans in the Washington, D.C., area, American University is the place to be April 2 as the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition co-hosts an engagement highlighting American …

An Animal to Feed Your Eco-Car
March 27, 2013 – 1:33 pm | No Comment

by Solrun Dregelid  (University of Bergen) The marine animal tunicate can be used both as biofuel and fish food, according to prize-winning research at UiB and Uni Research.
On the ocean floor, under the pier, and …

University of Georgia Discovery May Allow Scientists to Make Fuel from CO2 in the Atmosphere
March 27, 2013 – 11:16 am | No Comment

by James Hataway  (University of Georgia)  Excess carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere created by the widespread burning of fossil fuels is the major driving force of global climate change, and researchers the world over …

BSCS Seeks Teacher-Collaborators for Research Project Funded by the National Science Foundation DEADLINE March 31, 2013
March 25, 2013 – 9:28 pm | No Comment

(Biological Sciences Curriculum Study)  Teacher-collaborators will field test a 3-credit, online, graduate-level course designed to enhance teachers’ knowledge and practice related to energy concepts. The course is titled Energy: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Teachers (EMAT). Teacher-collaborators and …

Turning Cow Manure Into Brown Gold
March 25, 2013 – 1:07 pm | No Comment

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  In the heart of Wisconsin, a project is underway to produce energy from a resource that is in little danger of running low: cow manure, or “brown gold.” Thanks to a …

Auburn Researcher Receives National Science Foundation CAREER Award to Study Biofuels
March 25, 2013 – 11:16 am | No Comment

by Jessica Nelson  (Auburn University)  Maobing Tu, an assistant professor in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, has received a $401,155 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award for his research in biofuels …

Principles and Processes: Algae Culture Maintenance, Production and Downstream Processing May 6-10, 2013 Mesa, AZ
March 20, 2013 – 3:31 pm | No Comment
Principles and Processes: Algae Culture Maintenance, Production and Downstream Processing   May 6-10, 2013   Mesa, AZ

This workshop covers the fundamentals of managing microalgae cultures, culturing techniques, measuring biomass, high-value natural products, harvesting and processing technologies, as well as life cycle analysis and operation at the commercial scale. Topics presented are …

Algae from UAE Desert Saltflats Could Be Biofuel of the Future
March 15, 2013 – 6:40 pm | No Comment

by Dr. Hector Hernandez (The National)  …One area of particular interest is the energy potential of algae that live in the desert’s saltflats – known as sabkha.
Algae is one of the many forms of plant …

Biodiesel Algae: Research Suggests Starvation Diets Damage Health
March 13, 2013 – 6:18 pm | No Comment

(University of Sheffield/Biodiesel Magazine)  It may be better to tolerate lower oil content in algae grown for biodiesel to boost growth and overall productivity, according to research from the University of Sheffield. The research shows …

State Cuts Fossil Fuel Use by 19.9%
March 12, 2013 – 2:22 pm | No Comment

by Chris Bagley (Triangle Business Journal)  Universities and other state government agencies have cut their use of fossil fuels by 19.9 percent since 2004, according to an analysis by the Clean Transportation Program at N.C. State University’s Solar Center.
…Much of …

Masdar Institute Presents Experts Details on UAE’s Biofuel-from-Algae Potential
March 12, 2013 – 1:26 pm | No Comment

(AMEInfo.com)  Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies announced it presented details on the UAE’s growth and export potential in the biofuels-from-algae sector to …

Algae to Biofuel
March 12, 2013 – 1:06 pm | No Comment

(Vermont Bioenergy)  Vermont researchers and entrepreneurs demonstrate their innovations in algae to biofuel R&D in the Northeast  WATCH VIDEO

Air Liquide Makes Biofuel Progress
March 12, 2013 – 12:59 pm | No Comment

by Stuart Radnedge  (GasWorld)  Air Liquide, in a joint project with the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT) in Germany, has successfully completed the second stage of a second generation biofuels pilot unit at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe.
This pilot …

Anellotech and the Advent of the Green ‘Enes
March 12, 2013 – 12:36 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Fast pyrolysis developer plans to rapidly expand green benzene and toluene production in 2013 for downstream product development purposes.   Opens new pilot plant, R&D facility in New York; green …

As Brazil Ramps up Sugarcane Production, Georgescu and Colleagues Foresee Regional Climate Effects
March 12, 2013 – 12:21 pm | No Comment

by Skip Derra (Arizona State University)  Conversion of large swaths of Brazilian land for sugar plantations will help the country meet its needs for producing cane-derived ethanol but it also could lead to important regional climate …

Renewable Energy Vehicle Club Has Optimistic Goals
March 8, 2013 – 12:23 pm | No Comment

by Molly Craig (Iowa State Daily)  In the spring of 2012, Tyler Cain had an idea. A year later, his idea has grown into his passion project: the REV club.
REV stands for Renewable Energy Vehicle. …

Thermochemical Conversion of Duckweed Biomass to Gasoline, Diesel, and Jet Fuel: Process Synthesis and Global Optimization
March 8, 2013 – 11:06 am | No Comment

by Richard C. Baliban, Josephine A. Elia, Christodoulos A. Floudas, Xin Xiao, Zhijian Zhang , Jie Li , Hongbin Cao, Jiong Ma §, Yong Qiao, and Xuteng Hu (Industrial Engineering and Chemistry Research)  Duckweed biomass is …

How to Ensure Biofuel Crops Don’t Become Weeds
March 7, 2013 – 1:19 pm | No Comment

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  A Virginia Tech researcher, along with several others, have offered a way to ensure that plants grown for biofuels do not become an invasive weed. According to Jacob Barney, an assistance …

Michigan State University, PHYCO2 Collaborate on Algae Growth Demonstration Project
March 6, 2013 – 6:28 pm | No Comment

(PHYCO2/Biodiesel Magazine)  …The partnership will demonstrate the patent-pending PHYCO2-developed technology to sequester CO2, reclaim water and continuously grow multiple types of algae at an accelerated rate without sunlight. The goal of the demonstration project is …

‘Scarecrow’ Gene: Key to Efficient Crops, Could Lead to Staple Crops With Much Higher Yields
March 6, 2013 – 4:26 pm | No Comment

(Science Daily)  With projections of 9.5 billion people by 2050, humankind faces the challenge of feeding modern diets to additional mouths while using the same amounts of water, fertilizer and arable land as today.
Cornell researchers …

Regional Innovations – San Diego: How to Bridge a Mega-Region’s Urban and Rural Divide
March 1, 2013 – 5:51 pm | No Comment

(California Economic Summit)  … But as the Cali-Baja Mega-Region Initiative, as it’s now called, celebrates its fifth year in existence next month, it has become clear these three distinct regions can not only overcome their differences—they’ve …

Australian Government Awards $10 Million to Licella, Muradel as Accelerator towards Commercial Scale
March 1, 2013 – 5:08 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Algae, drop-in fuels get a kick-start from $3.2 billion ARENA funds
In Australia, two key projects focused on algae biofuels and drop-in fuels from wood biomass and residues took major steps …

Water Quality Expert Kenneth Hudnell Calling for Shift in Policy and Treatment Strategies to Make Near Term Impact on Impaired Water Bodies
February 28, 2013 – 4:30 pm | No Comment

(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 …

‘Fat Worms’ Inch Scientists Toward Better Biofuel Production
February 27, 2013 – 1:15 pm | No Comment

(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 …

Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy and Management: Creating Shared Value through Collaborative Sustainable Development May 6-10, 2013 Cape Town, South Africa
February 26, 2013 – 3:51 pm | No Comment
Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy and Management: Creating Shared Value through Collaborative Sustainable Development    May 6-10, 2013   Cape Town, South Africa

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 …

Searching the Mangrove and the Desert for a Native Biofuel
February 25, 2013 – 3:00 pm | No Comment

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 …

Scientists Trick Iron-Eating Bacteria into “Breathing” Electrons in Effort to Create Biofuels
February 25, 2013 – 2:54 pm | No Comment

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 …

Making Superfuels Affordable, via Biofuels: The JP-10 Story
February 25, 2013 – 1:01 pm | No Comment

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 …

Could Algae Biofuel Doom The Keystone XL Pipeline?
February 22, 2013 – 6:52 pm | No Comment

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 …

Montana State University Graduate Launches Biofuels Startup, Partners with University
February 22, 2013 – 6:31 pm | No Comment

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 …

Avoiding Virus Dangers in ‘Domesticating’ Wild Plants for Biofuel Use
February 21, 2013 – 5:33 pm | No Comment

(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 …

Engineered Yeast Makes More Biofuels
February 21, 2013 – 5:24 pm | No Comment

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 …

Great Big Things from Tiny Lil’ Algae: 10 Algae Trends for 2013
February 21, 2013 – 4:22 pm | No Comment

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 …

How a Microbial Biorefinery Regulates Genes
February 21, 2013 – 3:44 pm | No Comment

(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 …

North Carolina’s Growing Strengths: East Carolina University
February 14, 2013 – 6:09 pm | No Comment

(Biofuels Center of North Carolina)  East Carolina University associate professor Baohong Zhang is currently working on cutting-edge approaches to increasing feedstock yields of Switchgrass for biofuels. Dr. Zhang and his collaborators have found that Switchgrass …

Brock University and Niagara College Students Provided Educational Opportunities with Welland Biodiesel Company
February 12, 2013 – 10:23 am | No Comment

(Great Lakes Biodiesel/BusinessWire)  World Class Niagara-based Educational Institutions Provide Companies Like Great Lakes Biodiesel with Access to Top Notch R&D Facilities and Highly Trained Job Ready Graduates
Great Lakes Biodiesel (GLB) in Welland has partnered with …

Local Green Biofuels Getting Foothold in Finland
February 10, 2013 – 2:27 pm | No Comment

by Aino Siirala (Advanced Biofuels USA)  Aalto University School of Chemical Technology, Finland,  organized a biofuel seminar February 2,2013, where Finland’s leading companies in this field introduced their expertise and recent projects.
The EU has set …

Newly Discovered Plant Structure May Lead to Improved Biofuel Processing
February 8, 2013 – 5:57 pm | No Comment

by James Hataway (University of Georgia)  When Li Tan approached his colleagues at the University of Georgia with some unusual data he had collected, they initially seemed convinced that his experiment had become contaminated; what …

University of Minnesota Launches Ensia Environmental Media Platform
February 7, 2013 – 2:14 pm | No Comment

(University of Minnesota)  Innovative print and online magazine and event series showcases solutions to Earth’s biggest environmental challenges
In response to a growing demand for trusted, solution-focused communication about environmental topics, the University of Minnesota today …

Global Greenhouse Gas Implications of Land Conversion to Biofuel Crop Cultivation in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands – Lessons Learned from Jatropha
January 29, 2013 – 8:03 pm | No Comment

by W.M.J. Achten, A. Trabucco, W.H. Maes, L.V. Verchot, R. Aerts, E. Mathijs, P. Vantomme, V.P. Singh, B. Muys  (ScienceDirect.com/Journal of Arid Environments)  Biofuels are considered as a climate-friendly energy alternative. However, their environmental sustainability is …

About Us: Boost to Brewing Biogas: OARDC Receives $6.5 Million Grant to Further Develop New System
January 29, 2013 – 6:08 pm | No Comment

(Ohio State University) OARDC has received a $6.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy to test and expand OARDC-developed technology that can produce biogas from a variety …

Insects’ Gut Microbes Hint at Biofuel Breakthrough
January 29, 2013 – 6:01 pm | No Comment

by Li Jiao (SciDev.net)  Deep inside insects’ guts may lie the key to one of the biofuel industry’s great challenges: how to cost-effectively turn tough plant waste into profit-making fuel.
About 50 million tonnes of lignin …

Touchstone Testing New Algae Technologies in Ohio
January 27, 2013 – 3:33 pm | No Comment

(Algae Industry Magazine)  West Virginia-based Touchstone Research Laboratory, is experimenting with three new technologies at their raceway farm testing center built around four 30-by-200-foot ponds in Wooster, Ohio. Funded by close to $7 million in …

Texas Researcher Looks into Biodiesel Production from Lignin
January 25, 2013 – 8:25 pm | No Comment

by Holly Jessen  (Biodiesel Magazine)  A two-year research project aims to crack the lignin question by engineering a microbe to break down the byproduct into a lipid, or fat, and then into biodiesel. The research …

Study Looks at Environmental Benefits of Ethanol
January 25, 2013 – 5:59 pm | No Comment

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  According to a new study performed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, corn grown using no-till methods may sequester larger amounts of carbon than previously believed. The study was published in …

Sugar-Rich Willow Can Boost Biofuels’ Green Credentials
January 25, 2013 – 4:28 pm | No Comment

by Mark Kinver (BBC News)  Scientists have identified willow trees that yield five times as much sugar as ordinary varieties, “drastically reducing” the impact of biofuels.
UK researchers found that if the trees grew at an angle, …

UK Scientists to Mimic Plants to Make Zero-Carbon Fuel
January 24, 2013 – 5:34 pm | No Comment

by Nina Chestney (Reuters)  British scientists seeking to tap more efficient forms of solar power are exploring how to mimic the way plants transform sunlight into energy and produce hydrogen to fuel vehicles.
They will join other …

New Research on Algae-to-Biofuel Schemes Quantifies Uncertainty
January 24, 2013 – 3:15 pm | No Comment

(FIS)  A Cornell University team has used the Monte Carlo approach to quantify the role of uncertainty associated with process parameters in life cycle analysis (LCA) of algae-to-biofuel schemes for determining metrics such as Energy …

Powerful Enzymes Create Ethanol from Agricultural Harvest Waste
January 23, 2013 – 6:41 pm | No Comment

(Science Daily)  The mainly EU-funded DISCO project coordinated by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed powerful enzymes, which accelerate plant biomass conversion into sugars and further into products such as bioethanol. The project’s …

Engineer Gets NSF CAREER Grant to Study Biofuel Process
January 23, 2013 – 11:57 am | No Comment

(University of Massachusetts-Amherst NewsWise)  Paul J. Dauenhauer, a chemical engineer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has received a five-year, $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s CAREER program to conduct basic research on the …

Domestic Biodiesel versus Brazilian Ethanol Revisited
January 18, 2013 – 3:51 pm | No Comment

by Scott Irwin and Darrel Good  (University of Illinois/Farm Doc Daily)  In a post on January 10, 2013 we examined the relative profitability of meeting the RFS for advanced biofuels with domestically produced biodiesel and imported Brazilian …

Sustainable Bioenergy Production from Marginal Lands in the US Midwest
January 18, 2013 – 2:50 pm | No Comment

by Ilya Gelfand, Ritvik Sahajpal, Xuesong Zhang, R. César Izaurralde, Katherine L. Gross & G. Philip Robertson (Nature)  …An alternative is to grow lignocellulosic (cellulosic) crops on ‘marginal’ lands9. Cellulosic feedstocks can have positive environmental …

‘Eureka Moment’ Gives Home a New Fuel for the Future
January 18, 2013 – 2:42 pm | No Comment

by Zarina Khan (The National)  A simple suggestion during a standard orientation presentation led to one student’s discovery of a potential alternative energy source available in the open deserts of his home emirate of Abu Dhabi.
“Dr …