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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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Articles in Feedstocks

To Strive, To Seek, to Find, and Max Out Yields
March 22, 2012 – 3:52 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Yield unlocks value, and especially feedstock yield. What’s the latest? What feedstocks are reporting yields that could support 1000+ gallons per acre for terrestrial crops?
…Yield from the acre, yield from …

Palm Oil Mills Target Zero Emission
March 22, 2012 – 2:16 pm | No Comment

By Meng Yew Choong  (The Star)  Palm oil milling is far from benign, but the industry is frantically conducting research to realise low-emission technologies. The zero-discharge plant is one such bold concept.
THE extraction of palm …

JOil Announces Elite Jatropha Varieties Returns Repeatable Yields of over 2 Tons of Seeds per Hectare in First Year of India Field Trials
March 22, 2012 – 2:07 pm | No Comment

(JOil)  • Tamil Nadu sites achieve first-year flowering in three months and first harvest in five months
• Field trials now being conducted in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Cambodia
JOil (S) Pte. Ltd., a scientific bioenergy …

NASA’s Astrobiology Research Sparks ‘GreenTech’ Revolution
March 20, 2012 – 5:58 pm | No Comment

by Ruth Marlaire (NASA)  …A few years ago, Ames Exobiology scientists formed the Algae for Exploration (ALEX) group, which studies various types of lipids produced by different algal species under specific conditions, and started applying …

U.S. Navy Successfully Tests SoladieselHRD-76® During Operational Transit Voyage in USS Ford Frigate
March 20, 2012 – 5:27 pm | No Comment

(Solazyme/BusinessWire)  -Solazyme, Inc., a renewable oil and bioproducts company, announced today that the USS Ford, a U.S. Navy Frigate fleet ship, successfully journeyed from its homeport in Everett, WA to San Diego, CA using Soladiesel HRD-76®, …

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 …

An All-of-the-Above Approach to Energy in America
March 20, 2012 – 1:38 pm | No Comment

by Sarah Bittleman (USDA/25 x ’25)  America needs and is developing a reliable, sustainable, fuel supply. If we are able to produce more of it here at home – rather than relying on foreign oil – …

State Concerned with Algae-to-Ethanol Process of Fort Myers Company
March 14, 2012 – 6:16 pm | No Comment

by Laura Layden (Naples News)  State concerns with a Southwest Florida company’s plans to make ethanol from algae may have stalled the business’s expansion.
Tucked inside an energy bill the Legislature approved in the final hours …

PEW Group Briefing on Advanced Biofuels Progress in the Public and Private Sectors
March 14, 2012 – 4:24 pm | No Comment

by Josh Rathod (Advanced Biofuels USA) Throughout our country’s history, the U.S. Navy and military proper have played a key role in developing and adopting alternative energy sources. They pioneered the switch to coal as …

Forage, Corn Feed Alternative for Cattle May Come from Biodiesel Industry
March 14, 2012 – 3:26 pm | No Comment

by Kay Ledbetter   (PhysOrg.com)  Crude glycerin, a byproduct of biodiesel production, could be an economical ingredient in cattle diets, according to studies by Texas AgriLife Research and West Texas A&M University personnel.
Dr. Jim MacDonald, AgriLife …

US$ 40 Million to Be Invested in a Bio Ethanol and Balanced Food Factory
March 14, 2012 – 12:05 pm | No Comment

(Télam. National News Agency of Argentina.)   Industry Minister Débora Giorgi met with Entre Ríos Production Minister, Roberto Schunk, who presented a US$ 40 million investment project from a local company that will open a factory …

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 …

USS FORD on Alternative Fuel Blend
March 13, 2012 – 5:25 pm | No Comment

by Naval Sea Systems Command Office of Corporate Communications (MarineLink.com)  USS Ford Conducts Operational Transit on Alternative Fuel Blend.
USS Ford (FFG 54) successfully transited from the ship’s homeport in Everett, Wash., to San Diego, March …

Indonesia and Malaysia Launch Palm Oil Offensive against U.S. Ruling
March 13, 2012 – 5:11 pm | No Comment

(FreshFruitPortal.com)  Indonesia and Malaysia have questioned a U.S. decision  that their palm oil fails to meet regulatory greenhouse gas reduction standards, website Antaranews.com reported.
They disagreed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ruling that biofuels from Indonesia …

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 …

36 Billion Gallons of Biofuels by 2022?
March 13, 2012 – 1:59 pm | No Comment

by Cory Nealon (Daily Press)  U.S. must “hustle” to reach goal, Ag. Secretary Tom Vilsack says
…Vilsack expects the U.S. will eventually produce 15 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol, a target set by the U.S. Environmental …

Senegal: Researchers Help Draft Biofuel Law
March 13, 2012 – 1:11 pm | No Comment

by Theodore Kouadio  (AllAfrica.com)  Senegal’s government has called on the expertise of the country’s researchers in drafting a new national law to regulate the production and environmental impact of biofuels.
The law was developed in collaboration …

Plugging into Algal Power
March 13, 2012 – 12:55 pm | No Comment

by Peter Spinks (Sydney Morning Herald)   …And now, to help ameliorate the ravages of global warming, algae are being used to produce biofuels for vehicles and aviation fuels to power tomorrow’s airliners.
Algae, the world’s …

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 …

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 …

Biofuels Industrials Shift Focus to Waste, Asia as World Biofuels Markets 2012 Opens
March 13, 2012 – 12:03 pm | No Comment

by Nadim Chaudhry  (Biofuels Digest/Greenpower Conferences)  1500 industry leaders expected to gather in Rotterdam as oil prices, aviation dominate thinking on growth, in 100-leader industry survey.
As we gear up for the 2012 World Biofuels Markets event …

Chinese Firm to Export Biofuel Component Derived from “Gutter Oil”
March 12, 2012 – 7:20 pm | No Comment

(XINHUANET.com)Twenty tonnes of oil refined from leftover cooking oil will be exported from China to the Netherlands to be processed into aviation fuel, a Chinese company said Wednesday.
The oil was produced by Qingdao Fresh Bio-energy …

Algal Biomass Organization Briefing on Industry Accomplishments and Policy Needs
March 12, 2012 – 6:32 pm | No Comment

by Josh Rathod (Advanced Biofuels USA) As host of an annual legislative hearing on Capitol Hill, the Algal Biomass Organization (ABO) used this year’s presentation on March 1st to give a clear outline of where …

OriginOil Facilitating Urban Algae Cultivation in Paris
March 12, 2012 – 10:32 am | No Comment

(Algae Industry Magazine)  OriginOil, Inc. has received an order to supply the company’s Algae Appliance™ harvester and other components for a test of urban algae production at the iconic La Défense Complex, near Paris, France. The program aims …

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 …

Ecofys Launches Test Module for Seaweed Cultivation in Offshore Wind Farms
March 9, 2012 – 11:47 am | No Comment

(Ecofys)  Ecofys started a trial with the combination of seaweed cultivation and offshore wind energy. Thursday, 01 March, the cultivation module left the NIOZ harbour on the Dutch island of Texel for a disused sand …

Are We Really Exporting Ethanol So It Will Not Compete With Imported Gasoline?
March 8, 2012 – 6:23 pm | No Comment

by Stu Ellis (FarmGateBlog)  Every day supertankers full of $100 per barrel oil are docking at US ports where other supertankers full of $1 per gallon ethanol have just departed for overseas markets.  While some …

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 …

Newt Gingrich Jumps the Shark
March 8, 2012 – 4:39 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)   Ol’ Gramps Gingrich gets feisty and forgetful on the stump, mocking Obama for reviving a Reagan Administration program for algal biofuels. Today, we look at the Gingrich Test.
…Speaker Gingrich jumped …

Why Ethanol Matters
March 8, 2012 – 3:42 pm | No Comment

by Bob Dinneen (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Renewable Fuels Association) One glance at the headlines of any newspaper in America is all that is needed to appreciate the importance of America’s evolving ethanol and renewable fuel industry. …

Algae Competition Announces Finalists
March 8, 2012 – 2:49 pm | No Comment

Algae Competition assembled distinguished jurors from diverse backgrounds to evaluate entries in three tracks of the competition: landscape design, production systems and food development. From the many competitive and deserving entries, these entries were selected …

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) …

Jamaica: Russians Interested in Setting up Ethanol Plant
March 7, 2012 – 4:00 pm | No Comment

by S. Coward (Caribbean Press Releases)  Jamaica could soon benefit from significant new investment in a number of sectors, coming out of the just concluded Jamaica Investment Forum.
A number of the investors, who attended the …

Cobalt Pre-Treatment Test Clears Way for Commercial Scale
March 7, 2012 – 3:53 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In California, Cobalt Technologies announced that it has successfully demonstrated its dilute acid hydrolysis pretreatment process, the first step of Cobalt’s  process for converting sugars into n-butanol for use as a renewable …

EPA Says Not Now, Maybe Later to Camelina, Energy Cane, Napiergrass, and Giant Reed as Biofuels Feedstocks
March 6, 2012 – 6:31 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, the EPA withdrew the direct final rule to allow camelina, energy cane, napiergrass, and giant reed to meet the RFS2.
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said: “EPA published a direct final rule …

Is Seaweed the Future of Biofuel?
March 6, 2012 – 6:18 pm | No Comment

(American Friends Tel Aviv University)  …While biomasses grown on land have the potential to inflict damage on the environment, the researchers believe that producing biofuel from seaweed-based sources could even solve problems that already exist …

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, …

Virdia Ups the Ante in the Race for the New Sugars
March 6, 2012 – 5:52 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …In California, Virdia, formerly HCL CleanTech, a leading developer of cellulosic sugars, today announced major company milestones, including a new brand and CEO, its latest funding round, and a $75 …

Biomass Harvesting Guidelines for Southeast U.S. Released
March 5, 2012 – 5:05 pm | No Comment

by Luke Geiver (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The Forest Guild has released its report, “Forest Biomass Retention and Harvesting Guidelines for the Southeast,” identifying how expanding markets for forest bioenergy can enhance forests, while meeting the …

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 …

News Release: Inaugural Report Shows Impressive Uptake of RSPO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil in 2011
March 5, 2012 – 4:02 pm | No Comment

(Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil)  Multi stakeholder initiative, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) reported unprecedented growth for Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) in the year 2011 as accounted for in its inaugural qualitative …

The U.S. Air Force Dares You to Laugh At Their Biofuel
March 5, 2012 – 3:59 pm | No Comment

by Tina Casey (Talking Points Memo)  Republicans recently had themselves a good laugh over President Obama’s enthusiasm for biofuel made from algae, but they might want to stifle that chuckle when it comes to another modest-seeming but …

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 …

Dominican Republic Signs Cooperation Agreement on Bioenergy
March 5, 2012 – 10:09 am | No Comment

(Caribbean Journal) The Dominican Republic’s National Energy Commission signed a technical cooperation agreement Friday with the Inter-American Development Bank on the development of bioenergy.
The agreement will develop a series of studies on bioenergy, taking into …

[LL] Cool Planet Rocks the Bells
March 5, 2012 – 9:51 am | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  What are Google, BP, Conoco, and GE investing? Is 3,000 gallons per acre of renewable gasoline possible?
In the past few weeks, news has begun to circulate around the industry – …