by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In-field bioprocessing? Dramatically higher plant oil production? R&D breakthroughs offer new paths to victory for Millers vs Drillers.
If you haven’t been getting most of your information on the Renewable Fuel …

(Brookhaven National Laboratory)  Findings suggest ways to increase oil production for biofuels and industrial processes
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have identified key elements in the biochemical mechanism plants use to …

by Hugh R. Morley and Linh Tat   (NorthJersey.com)   FBI and local law enforcement officers raided a Montvale home and a Park Ridge building that houses several renewable energy companies Thursday in connection with a probe into fraud in the …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)   American Ethanol’s partnership with NASCAR has extended with an official sponsorship of two upcoming NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races. The American Ethanol 200 will be held July 14 …

by Sara Sorcher (National Journal)  Nearly two-thirds of National Journal’s National Security Insiders agree with the military’s push for renewable energy, siding with the Obama administration over some Republicans in Congress who have charged that the …

by Mateusz Perkowski   (Capital Press)  The USDA has decide to again fully deregulate genetically engineered sugar beets that are resistant to glyphosate herbicides.
The agency has found that the crop doesn’t pose a plant pest risk …

Managing the Military’s Energy Needs with Tomorrow’s Power Sources Concept Technologies and Platforms
The Defense Department is projected to spend close to $4 billion in its utility bill and $25 billion in fuel costs this year; …

by Jill Sakai and Renee Meiller (University of Wisconsin-Madison)  A young generation of researchers are seeking biofuels in some unlikely sounding places: toxic algae blooms and cow stomachs.
Two University of Wisconsin-Madison professors are drawing on …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  The Biomass Program has recently developed Critical Technology Goals (CTG) related to a) converting biomass into processable sugars or other fractionation products and b) upgrading those processable sugars or biomass fractions …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Most of the stories we write at the Digest on the subject of biofuels feedstocks fall into the well-established realms of normal. But every once in  a while, a feedstock …

(Pacific Business News)  The University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources will receive a $6 million federal grant to continue its work to convert grass and other biomass into biofuel.
The college will …

by Brent Erickson (BIO/Biofuels Digest)  Ten years ago, Congress passed and President George W. Bush signed into law a Farm Bill that, for the first time, embraced the vital role American farmers, foresters and rural …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The U.S. EPA officially denied the petroleum industry’s request to retroactively waive the 2011 cellulosic biofuel volume requirements under the renewable fuel standard (RFS) on May 22, noting that …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Novozymes, a global biotech company, first considered building its newly built enzyme production plant in China but eventually zeroed in on the U.S. One big deciding factor was the …

by David Rogers (Politico)  …At issue are government-backed premium discounts designed to make the insurance more affordable to farmers. While not truly cash subsidies, the costs have soared in recent years and fit neatly into …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, staff members working for least eight US Senators will join a study group aimed at a “seed-to-wheel examination of the US Renewable Fuel Standard,” the Digest has learned.
The …

by Nate Brown (Federal Aviation Administration)  Power Point presentation with graphics illustrating the steps for new aviation fuel approval, graphic descriptions of anticipated aviation fuels (and progress of various pathways along the process).  Includes alcohol …

by Jen Alic (OilPrice.com)  The US Defense Department consumes more energy than any other department or sector in the country, spending around $20 billion annually by some estimates; but ambitious plans to make it the …

(CSP Daily News)  Installs ethanol blender pumps across southcentral Wisconsin
United Cooperative has been selected to receive a $448,500 Rural Energy for America Program grant to assist with the installation of 36 ethanol flex-fuel blender pumps …

(Pork Network)  With recent increased attention by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the use of antibiotics in livestock production, industry experts are turning their attention to potential non-farm sources of antibiotic residues. Could distillers’ dried …

(UPI)  …Now scientists led by researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have discovered how certain bacteria can tolerate those man-made toxic chemicals used in making biofuels.
“Discovering microbes naturally tolerant to salty liquids and understanding …

by Simone Sebastian (FuelFix)  Increasing domestic production of oil won’t significantly boost energy security in the United States, according to a report by the Congressional Budget Office.
The CBO advocated policies that reduce demand for oil, such as …

by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association)  USDA released its first estimate of the 2012 corn crop–and it is a big one.  According to today’s USDA projections, record U.S. corn production of 14.79 billion bushels is …

by Christopher Doering  (Des Moines Register)  The U.S. Energy Department said on Tuesday (May 8, 2012) it will make $5 million available in 2012 to expand the use of alternative fuel vehicles, including electric models.
The Energy …

by Blair Fannin (Texas AgriLife Research/Algae Industry Magazine)  Texas AgriLife Research scientist, Dr. Tryon Wickersham, and graduate student, Merritt Drewery, have been conducting feeding trials of algae leftover products (after oil extraction, in powdered form) …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  What’s up? What’s next? New pathways, plus country-by-country yield data.
Sorghum. It’s a feedstock right out the pages of the old South –  sorghum syrup served with corn bread and Lowcountry …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …In Washington, heartbreak came early in the season when the Senate Armed Services Committee has voted to nix the purchase of aviation biofuels, should they cost more than conventional fossil …

(MASBI)  Regional Initiative with National Reach Working to Achieve Energy Security
United Airlines, Boeing, Honeywell’s UOP, the Chicago Department of Aviation and the Clean Energy Trust today announced the formation of the Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels …

by Robert Rapier (Consumer Energy Report)   A reader recently called my attention to a new and very interesting presentation from the Department of Energy’s Biomass Program:
Biofuels Design Cases
The presentation explored the question of whether …

by Fred Kaplan (Slate)  …The rationale for barring the Navy from buying the 450,000 gallons of biofuels necessary for the experiment is economic: These fuels are too expensive—about four times more costly than conventional fuels.
To …

As Capitol Hill works to identify smarter investments in clean energy fuels, the Better Fuels Moment takes a closer look at the robust and effective partnership advanced biofuels has with America’s Armed Services, building better …

(Beaver Dam Daily Citizen)  United Cooperative was selected to receive a $448,500 Rural Energy for America Program grant to assist with the installation of 36 ethanol flex-fuel blender pumps and seven biodiesel dispensers at 11 …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) New tests conducted at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base have revealed that US warplanes are capable of flying faster and carry more payload on missions, when flying with synthetic fuels, including …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  What engines failed, and when and why. Was this test designed to fail?
In Washington, the Coordinating Research Council, a non-profit research organization supported by the American Petroleum Institute and a …

(BusinessWire)  The Advanced Biofuels Association, the Algal Biomass Organization, Airlines for America, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, Growth Energy, and the Pew Charitable Trusts today expressed disappointment that the Senate Armed …

(US Department of Agriculture)  On June 23, 2010, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a strategic biofuels production report, “A USDA Regional Roadmap to Meeting the Biofuels Goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) by …

by Troy Hooper  (The Colorado Independent)  …House Republicans passed a pair of provisions Friday that would stymie the military’s efforts to incorporate more renewable fuels into its supplies. The defense authorization bill now heads for …

(CNN)  The U.S. Navy for the first time will demonstrate what it calls a Great Green Fleet, a carrier strike group operating in large part on nonfossil fuels, during a larger, 22-nation exercise this summer.
The …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …The first World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates for 2012, from the US Department of Agriculture, give us an opportunity to review that debate.
Let’s go back 10 years ago, before the …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …Emerald Biofuels announced that it will build an 85 million gallonrenewable-diesel refineries at a Dow Chemical site in Plaquemine, Louisiana. The company will use Honeywell’s UOP/Eni EcoFining process technology for the …

by John Murawski  (News Observer)  The U.S. military’s quest to outfit American soldiers with an all-in-one power source could lead to a nondescript office in a Morrisville technology park where Triangle startups toil away in …

by Retired Lt. Gen. John Castellaw, USMC, American Security Project  (The Hill/Congress Blog)  The United States military is the single largest purchaser of petroleum fuel in the world, burning through about 325,000 barrels of fuel …

(National Farmers Union)  National Farmers Union (NFU) and a coalition of agricultural, conservation, environmental, energy, forestry, hunger, and rural stakeholders sent a letter to Senate leadership today urging them to bring the Agriculture Reform, Food and …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  …API has legally challenged every step of the U.S. EPA’s approval of E15, claiming that more scientific research should be completed before it is allowed to be used in …

by Dan Krotz  (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Berkeley Lab-led team explores a way to create biofuels, minus the photosynthesis
Is there a new path to biofuels hiding in a handful of dirt? Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley …

(Ceres)  • Pilot project validates U.S.-produced sweet sorghum as a potential feedstock for advanced biofuels and bio-products.
• Conversion efficiency of sweet sorghum sugars were similar to sugarcane.
Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. (Nasdaq: CERE) today announced …

(Origin Oil)  Algasol, collaborating with NASA and Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, will bundle its offering with OriginOil’s Algae Appliance™
OriginOil, Inc., developer of breakthrough technology to convert algae into renewable crude oil, and Algasol Renewables, a technology …

by Erin Voegele (Biorefining Magazine)  …According to LBNL, the work focuses on transferring a hydrocarbon-synthesizing gene from cyanobacteria into a tobacco plant. The resulting plants would be able to produce fuel molecules within their leaves. …

by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine)  The U.S. EPA issued a Notice of Violation to Houston-based Green Diesel LLC April 30 for generating more than 60 million invalid biomass-based diesel (D-Code 4) renewable identification numbers (RINs) …

(Hart Energy/PR NewsWire)  Hart Energy study insists U.S. production mandates are out of sync with market reality
Hart Energy’s newly released study, U.S. & Brazil Ethanol Outlook to 2022, finds the United States has vaulted over Brazil to lead the world in …

by Margaret Broeren  (Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center)  …Much more than a buzzword, “sustainable” means that trade-offs—social, environmental and economic factors—have been measured, modeled and validated against actual “boots on the ground data” measured at agricultural …

by David Shaffer (Star Tribune)  A new blend of ethanol and gasoline may soon show up at the gas station pumps — along with mixed messages on whether it’s safe to put it in your …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  As part of President Obama’s blueprint for an economy fueled by homegrown and alternative energy sources, the Energy Department announced today up to $15 million available to demonstrate biomass-based oil supplements …

The Energy Department announced up to $2.5 million available this year for applied research to advance clean biomass cookstove technologies for use in developing countries. The funding will support the development of innovative cookstove designs …

by Julia Pyper  (Scientific American/ClimateWire)   Sooty, finicky diesel engines are a thing of the past, boosting prospects for the fuel-efficient automobiles in America
…On average, about 85 percent of the particle matter emitted from diesel trucks is …

by Diane Wagner   (Rome News Tribune)  The Floyd County Commission is expected to decide at its May 8 meeting if it will allow local farmers to make a limited amount of ethanol onsite, for use as …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, the Senate Agriculture Committee has approved $800 million in mandatory biofuels-related funding for the proposed energy title in the upcoming Farm Bill.
…Yesterday, Senators Kent Conrad of North Dakota …

by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine)  The U.S. EPA has announced the amount of administrative settlements levied against 30 obligated parties and renewable fuel exporters due to the purchase of invalid biodiesel renewable identification numbers (RINs) …

(25 x ’25)  Wray, CO Advocate Urges President to Lend More Support to Bioenergy Development, Support Higher Ethanol Blends
Mike Bowman, a member of the National 25x’25 Alliance’s Steering Committee, met with President Obama today and …

(Trillium FiberFuels Inc./Biorefining Magazine)  A team of scientists from Trillium FiberFuels and Oregon State University has been awarded a Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the U.S. DOE to further develop innovative enzymes that could …

(Advanced Biofuels Association)  Testifying today before the U.S. House Small Business Committee’s Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade, Michael McAdams, president, Advanced Biofuels Association – ABFA, said he is, “proud to report to this Committee and …

(Advanced Biofuels Association)  Energy security is a vital part of national security; we can improve energy security with advanced biofuel production in the U.S. The Biotechnology Industry Organization, the Advanced BioFuel Association, the Algal Biomass Organization, …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Increasing fuel efficiency standards are expected to shrink U.S. gasoline demand over the coming years while, at the same time, the renewable fuel standard (RFS) will require increasing amounts …

(Environmental Protection Agency)  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded more than $1 million in grants to 15 university and college teams from across the country who participated in the 8th Annual National Sustainable Design …

by Paul Douglas (Bloomberg Business Week)  When will American business wake up to the scientific reality of climate change?
When the common-sense moderate middle wakes up. When pragmatic entrepreneurs and investors realize an intransigent, inflexible and, …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  A coalition of trade groups and organizations representing renewable energy, energy efficiency, farm and environmental interests is disappointed in a 2012 Farm Bill draft out of the Senate Agriculture Committee that …

(The United Soybean Board/Biodiesel Magazine)  …As part of a larger strategy to promote soy biodiesel’s benefits among diesel users, the checkoff will once again co-sponsor the National Tractor Pullers Association season of approximately 80 tractor …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  A group of 99 ethanol producers has taken on the task of funding the nationwide fuel survey required by the U.S. EPA for E15 implementation. The fuel survey represents …

by Ayesha Rascoe (Reuters)  * Company registered with EPA sold fake credits
* Exxon, Shell, others cited for using invalid credits
* Trading firm says EPA did not do due diligence
A trading company ensnared in the fallout …

(University of Florida)  A University of Florida-led research team has been selected to participate in a five-year, $125 million energy project involving the United States and India, U.S. Department of Energy officials have announced.
Known as the …

(Renewable Fuels Association)  Providing flexibility to fuel retailers will be key to the continued growth in availability of higher level ethanol blends like E15 and other renewable fuels, according to Renewable Fuels Association President and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …A couple of voices expressed caution, prominent among them, algae’s Doctor No, John Benemann of Benemann Associates, who wanted at the time, “if algae looks good [for fuel], we’re all …

(U.S. Federal Register)  The United States Department of Navy (DoN) in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration (DOT FAA), …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  As Honeywell and Agrisoma collaborate to pioneer aviation biofuels from a new carinata-based feedstock, critics wonder exactly why the military is paying so much for the biofuels it is utilizing …

by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register)  Cellulosic ethanol could use a break, and it appears that the U.S. military may be riding to the rescue.
A Missouri cooperative called (what else?) ShowMe Energy is building an …

(Oak Ridge National Laboratory)  Light of specific wavelengths can be used to boost an enzyme’s function by as much as 30 fold, potentially establishing a path to less expensive biofuels, detergents and a host of …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  A new petition has been launched today (April 11, 1012) to help encourage the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to support biofuels development. The petition is sponsored by Frontiers of Freedom, who says …

by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine)  A research team investigating the possibility converting trap grease collected from Cincinnati sewer systems into biodiesel will be presenting the initial results of its project at the U.S. EPA’s 2012 …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Here’s a 2-Minute Guide to all the Gevo and Butamax hollerin’, and how to separate the alcohol from the folderol.
In case it has escaped your attention, Butamax is suing Gevo …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Guido Ghisolfi is a confident man. A chemical engineer by trade, at 55, he’s already spent three decades leading research and development (R&D) activities at Italy-based Mossi & Ghisolfi …

by Matthew L. Wald (The New York Times)  How will the world meet its rising demand for energy? Experience suggests the solutions might already be at hand, although it may be years before they are …

by Editorial Board (The Washington Post)  Will natural gas hinder the fight against global warming?
…But extracting and transporting all that natural gas, which is mostly methane, also results in fuel leaks. When methane leaks, it …

(City of Galesburg)  Pennycress Energy and the EBI Network are promoting Pennycress as a renewable, alternative energy fuel crop for the Galesburg/West Central Illinois Region. The project, generating interest among growers, will identify possible investors …

(U.S. Department of Agriculture)  The U.S. Department of Agriculture – along with the Department of Energy, and the Department of Navy – will co-host an Advanced Biofuels Industry Roundtable in Washington D.C. on May 18, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …In Washington, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the first applications for registration of ethanol for use in making gasoline that contains up to 15 percent ethanol – known as …

(Biofuels Digest)  In Virginia, the NSF is calling for proposals for biological and chemical technologies, with a deadline of June 19, 2012.  The proposals must deal with the potential for commercialization of the innovation and how …

(US Department of Agriculture)  A recent study conducted by researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) highlights the potential for alternative energy production at airports. The study …

(U.S. Geological Survey)  USGS scientists have developed a new method for mapping grasslands that demonstrate high potential for growing biofuel crops with relatively little energy input and environmental impact.
The pioneering investigation used remote sensing data …

(UPI)   The U.S. Energy Department said up to $15 million is available to help support nearly a dozen so-called bio-oil projects targeted for the transportation sector.
…The Energy Department said the so-called bio-oil precursors could find …

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Biomass Program is currently seeking qualified individuals to participate in several upcoming merit reviews. Expertise is being sought in the following areas:

Biological conversion of sugars and carbohydrates from biomass (specifically …

(Platts)  Six renewable fuel trade associations have filed a motion in federal court to intervene in support of the US Environmental Protection Agency, which is being sued by a major oil and gas trade group …

(National Algae Association)  National Algae Association is pleased to announce the opening of a Testing Center. This first-of-its-kind initiative has been on-going as a part of NAA’s algae production incubator program to assist new algae …

(SustainableBusiness.com)  Over the past two years, The Climate Bonds Initiative has been creating a new class of bonds that can finance a rapid transition globally to a low-carbon economy.
…Most of the bonds will be bought by institutional investors, …

by Steve Everly (Kansas City Star)  Ethanol industry pushes for the state to step up from the E10 blend now offered. But automakers warn of engine damage, voided warranties.
…E10 will still be available, and selling …

(Bernama)  Malaysia and Indonesia, the world’s largest producers of palm oil, are on a joint mission to correct and update a United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report that could impact future exports of palm …

by David Ferris  (Forbes)  At a conference today sponsored by the Carbon War Room outside Washington, D.C., a panel of biofuels entrepreneurs, supporters and financiers pointed to disruptive episodes in American history that bear some similarity to the …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  A  team of scientists at the Argonne National Laboratory has published a paper in IOP Science’s Environmental Research Letters comparing the emissions performance of algal biofuels to petroleum fuels. In their qualified …

by Harry Cline (Western Farm Press)  Former sugar beet growers on the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley are expected to learn next month whether they’ll be able to take the next step in …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  …Dinneen noted that because ethanol is currently less expensive than gasoline, marketers should be able to offer E15 to consumers for a less expensive price than E10 or any …

by LtGen John G. Castellaw, USMC (Ret.) (25 x ’25)   …In spite of claims to the contrary, increased domestic drilling and building pipelines to carry Canadian crude south will not result in energy independence or low …