(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the availability of funds for Fiscal Year 2012 for two key programs to encourage the use of renewable biomass and production of advanced biofuels. About …

by Kris Bevill  (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Witnesses projected strong growth for renewable fuels use in both the power generation and transportation sectors over the next 20 years during a Senate energy committee held Jan. 31, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … When it comes down to it, a living organism such as a plant is an incredibly sophisticated next-gen solar panel, harvesting light as well as CO2, water and nutrients …

by Amy Westervelt (Forbes)  …Time and again top military leaders have spoken out against our dependence on oil as a matter of national security. The thing you need to remember about the military, though, is that …

by S. Heather Duncan (Macon.com)  The new owner of a shuttered ethanol plant in Soperton plans to eventually add hundreds of jobs there to produce ethanol and other chemicals, a company official said this week.
That …

by Bryan Sims (Biorefinery Magazine)  The newest of three bioenergy research facilities in the U.S. is slated to come online this fall on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, as construction is progressing on …

by Anna Austin (Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine)  A recently released study authored by nine scientists from multiple organizations  and universities, including the U.S. Forest Service, may be poised to clear up some confusion. With …

Michael Richardson (Canberra Times)  Don’t laugh! The United States military is dead serious about being able to fly its combat and cargo planes on jet fuel derived from algae and plants, and to power many …

by Kate Rice (TravelPulse)   … The Farm to Fly partnership was established in July 2010 to advance a comprehensive and sustainable aviation biofuels rural-development plan. As the lead agency responsible for feedstock development and production …

(National Science Foundation)  The National Renewable Energy Laboratory uses supercomputer simulations to explore designer enzymes for renewable fuels
…
“Cellulose in the biosphere can last for years,” said Gregg Beckham, a scientist in the National Bioenergy Center at …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …The challenges?    Well, there have been three grand ones.
First, the development of economically feasible technologies. Second, the financing and construction of new capacity, including any bolt-ons, restarts or retrofits …

(NCTechNews)  …In order to comply with and support these directives, Fort Bragg partnered with the Defense Energy Supply Center and the Army Petroleum Center to construct the Green Biofuel Superstation to serve its flex-fuel fleet …

The event is designed to bring together key players from across the energy ecosystem – researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, corporate executives, and government officials – to share ideas for developing and deploying the next generation of …

On July 10–11, 2012, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Biomass Program will host its fifth annual conference, Biomass 2012: Confronting Challenges, Creating Opportunities – Sustaining a Commitment to Bioenergy. This year’s conference will examine the …

(Butamax)  Butamax(TM) Advanced Biofuels, LLC, the biobutanol technology leader, responded to the latest lawsuit filed by Gevo, Inc. related to isobutanol flash fermentation technology.
“Let us state emphatically, Butamax does not infringe the generic product separation …

(US Environmental Protection Agency)  he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a Notice of Data Availability (NODA) to release its lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) analysis of palm oil used as a feedstock to produce biodiesel and …

(CAAFI)  The goal of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative® (CAAFI®) is to facilitate the development and deployment of alternative jet fuels that offer equivalent levels of safety and performance and compare favorably on cost …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA has approved a conditional commitment in the amount of $232.5 million to ZeaChem Boardman Biorefinery, LLC (ZBB) through the Biorefinery Assistance Program. ZBB …

(California Polytechnic State University)  Cal Poly faculty and students will demonstrate a new technology that uses algae to treat wastewater and produces biofuel as a byproduct. The system could be used at wastewater treatment facilities …

(Lignol)  Lignol Energy Corporation (TSXV: LEC), a leading technology company in advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals, today announced that it has received confirmation that four new patent applications have been approved, bringing the total number of approved patents …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  Like oil in World War II, U.S. Army Ret. General Paul J. Kern believes that biofuels are the “ammunition” for America today. …The main focus of the highly decorated retired army …

(MarketWIre/Solazyme)  Solazyme, Inc., a renewable oil and bioproducts company, announced today that Maersk Line, one of the biggest shipping companies in the world, has completed the testing of Solazyme’s 100% algal derived renewable diesel as …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Colorado, Gevo has received a patent on its GIFT separation unit, addressing the separation technology used to produce propanols, butanols, pentanols, and hexanols.  The claims also address how ethanol plants …

by Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA)  Retain Agricultural Land: Agricultural and forest lands are vulnerable to loss due to reduction of the dairy and pulp/paper industries and conversion to residential or commercial development.  They …

by Anna Austin (Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine)  The USDA announced Jan. 20 a Notice of Funding Availability for its Rural Energy for America Program, and is inviting agricultural producers and rural small businesses to …

by Spencer Ackerman and Noah Shachtman (Wired)  The Navy is hoping to one day run a huge chunk of its fleet on biofuels. So the Navy’s advanced researchers — and their partners at the U.S. Department …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Two titans form a monster JV, starting out with a $250M investment.
…In Iowa, Poet has teamed with Dutch-based Royal DSM to create a 50/50 joint venture called Poet-DSM Advanced Biofuels that will …

by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine)  Is there sufficient supply of feedstock to support the build-out of a 6 billion gallon biodiesel industry over the next decade?
…If the industry stands a chance competing with Big Oil …

by Riggs Eckelberry (Algae Industry Magazine)  If only there were enough algae to meet the demand. Algae is highly productive, soaks up toxins and CO2, and can be grown without impacting food or fresh water …

by Jason Bacaj  (Bozeman Daily Chronicle)  …(Mark) Kozubal found the fungus could survive in an acidic habitat with a pH of 6, an acidity level similar to cow’s milk. What was really amazing, though, was …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …In India, LanzaTech is working with Indian Oil and Jindal Power and Steel Limited on a facility to convert industrial waste gases into ethanol. It also has partnered with Concord …

(National Petrochemical & Refiners Association/Yahoo!)  The National Petrochemical & Refiners Association, American Petroleum Institute and Western States Petroleum Associationjointly filed a petition today requesting that the Environmental Protection Agency waive the 2011 cellulosic biofuel volume mandate in its entirety, …

(Oak Ridge National Laboratory)  To comply with the mandate to increase the use of alternative fuels, the Coast Guard has enlisted the help of Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers with expertise in fuels and engines. …

by Zoe Cormier (Nature)  Engineered bacterium can produce ethanol directly from seaweed.
Bioengineers have devised a way to produce ethanol from seaweed, laying the groundwork for a biofuel that doesn’t sacrifice food crops.
Yasuo Yoshikuni and his …

This webinar will highlight opportunities for financing biomass projects from a variety of different sources such as government programs, hybrid financial mechanisms, offshore funding and the US capital markets.  Topics include the status of government …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the launch of a USDA energy website that will provide stakeholders fast and efficient access to USDA energy efficiency and renewable energy data. Today’s announcement builds …

(Green Car Congress)  The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved a conditional commitment for a $25 million guaranteed loan to build a biorefinery plant with funding support from USDA’s Biorefinery Assistance Program. The plant will be …

by Emily Chad and Todd Taylor (Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine)  A veritable alphabet soup of government funding programs exist that can help you get your project off the ground. These programs include:
• USDA Biorefinery …

(Iowa State University)  Now, an Iowa State University-based study over the next five years will examine whether a single, coordinated production system can address all of these concerns while making profits for producers.
A multi-state, interdisciplinary …

by Anna Austin (Biomass Power and Thermal)  …(Sierra Energy CEO Mike) Hart was the keynote speaker at the third annual Pacific West Biomass Conference & Trade Show in San Francisco, Calif., Jan 16-18. He delivered a …

by Umair Irfan  (ClimateWire/Scientific American)Scientists are seeking help from microbes to produce road-ready biofuels
…As they move, breathe, eat and reproduce, bacteria produce byproducts like ethanol and hydrogen while feeding on simple sugars, starches and sunlight. …

by Brian Jennings (Ethanol Producer Magazine/American Coalition for Ethanol)  … The new CAFE standards apply to light-duty vehicles beginning in model year 2017, requiring a nationwide average of 54.5 miles per gallon by model year 2025. …

by Jacob Barker (Columbia Tribune)  Despite large cuts to the federal program supporting it and concerns from some groups about environmental impacts, a project to begin growing a giant perennial grass to serve as a …

(OriginOil)  Company partners with Idaho National Laboratory to enable algae growers to enter the global crude oil market
OriginOil, Inc., the developer of a breakthrough technology to extract oil from algae and an emerging leader in the …

by Anne Marie Edwards (DomesticFuel.com)  Last July, the government announced plans to raise corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards to 54.5 MPG by 2025. The automotive industry responded saying the MPG number was an attainable goal …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  …Power plants were found to be the largest stationary source of direct emissions, producing a combined total of more than 2,300 million metric tons of CO2e from 1,555 facilities …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  …During a press conference at AFBF (American Farm Bureau Federation) on Monday, (Agriculture Secretary Tom) Vilsack said he believes it is important to keep the RFS2 in place for multiple reasons. “One, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …Brooke Coleman, executive director of the Advanced Ethanol Council, turned attention to free market principles and market access, after the New York Timesran astory on cellulosic biofuels mandates, titled “A Fine …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  It’s only been a few months since Abengoa Bioenergy broke ground on its 23 MMgy multifeedstock cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton, Kan., but so far, construction of its first …

by Bob Dineen (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine)   …The scientific community has better data, improved modeling tools, and a better appreciation of the uncertainty and complexity involved in ILUC analysis. But, above all, they …