Truly Sustainable Renewable Future
March 17, 2009 – 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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Brazilian Sugarcane Ethanol to Power IZOD IndyCar Series in 2010
March 11, 2010 – 6:00 pm | No Comment

Brazilian sugarcane industry association UNICA announced this afternoon it has renewed its fuel supply agreement for the second year with the Indy Racing League (IRL) for the majority of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season.
 
   …

University of Queensland Institute Ignites Plans for Jet Biofuel
March 11, 2010 – 3:55 pm | No Comment

(Queensland Business Review)  The University of Queensland (UQ) has entered into a new agreement with an American alternative energy company to turn Queensland sugar cane into jet biofuel.
Researchers from UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering & …

Flying High on Algae?
March 11, 2010 – 3:29 pm | No Comment

(TodayOnline) Can algae oil be viably converted to kerosene for jet fuel that might one day power the world’s aircraft? This is something a new 12-month collaboration between A*Star’s Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences …

Warning Issued Over Invasive Biofuel Crops
March 2, 2010 – 5:03 pm | No Comment

(New Energy Focus)    The Standing Committee of the Bern Convention (the Council of Europe Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats), has adopted a new recommendation for biofuels.
The recommendation, which is legally …

Biofuel ‘Worse than Regular Petrol or Diesel’
March 2, 2010 – 4:56 pm | One Comment

(ETA) The environmental impact of clearing forests to make way for biofuel crops is such that using fossil fuel in cars is better for the environment than biofuels made from crops such as palm oil.
Under …

Ensus Signs with Shell, Sends First Tanker
March 2, 2010 – 4:06 pm | No Comment

by Luke Geiver (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The first tanker of ethanol has left Ensus, Europe’s largest wheat-based ethanol facility. Headed for the Netherlands, the cargo, which has been purchased by Shell as part of a …

Canada’s Ethanol Boom, Minus the Boom
March 2, 2010 – 3:40 pm | No Comment

by Shawn McCarthy  (Globe and Mail)  Three years ago, a tiny Ottawa biotechnology firm, Iogen Corp., had the very rare privilege of being singled out by the government as a company that would benefit directly …

Sustainable Foresting: Easier Said than Done
March 1, 2010 – 12:28 pm | No Comment

E. Detlef Schulze and Inge Schulze(Science) letter to editor   It is commonly held that planting forests helps to mitigate climate change, because forests sequester carbon dioxide into long-lived biomass and soils.  However, our personal experience shows …

Biofuel-Averse State Oil companies Get Tough Love in the Indian Government’s 2010-11 Budget
March 1, 2010 – 11:51 am | No Comment

Joelle Dent (Biofuels Digest) In India, the state oil companies were discovered to have systematically defied the government’s biofuel blending mandates with the help of paid insiders in the oil ministry. As a result the government …

Claims in ActionAid Publication against Biofuels Largely Questionable
March 1, 2010 – 11:48 am | No Comment

(European Bioethanol Fuel Association)  “Meals per Gallons”, a publication against biofuels recently produced by ActionAid, is based largely on unfounded claims, disputed data and one-sided arguments says eBio, the European Bioehtanol Industry Association.
 “In particular, the report …

Interview with Fatih Birol, Chief Economist, International Energy Agency (IEA)
February 27, 2010 – 4:22 pm | No Comment

(World Refining Association)  We expect alternative fuels will have an important role to play as we look to diversify supply, improve energy security and reduce emissions. Looking at the alternative fuels produced today, biofuels account …

Biofuels Programme at The Maltings, South Milford
February 27, 2010 – 4:14 pm | No Comment

(Mytum & Selby Waste Recycling, Ltd)  “The fuel of the future is going to come from fruit like that sumach out by the road, or from apples, weeds, sawdust, and even municipal waste - almost …

Syngenta Keen on Sugarcane Biotech Research in Brazil
February 26, 2010 – 8:42 am | No Comment

(SugarcaneBlog.com)  European biotech giant Syngenta has set up partnership with Brazil’s Instituto Agronomico (IAC) to increase development of sugarcane varieties, particularly for the production of ethanol.  READ MORE  and MORE

Cosan Reviewed
February 26, 2010 – 8:39 am | No Comment

by Brendan Coffey (Cabot Wealth Advisory)  Lately, we’re seeing increasing strength in the shares of ethanol-related companies. Commodity broker Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has built up its position as an ethanol refiner, building its own …

Putting In a Good Word for Algae
February 25, 2010 – 11:31 am | No Comment

by James Kanter  (New York Times)  A European lobbying group weighed in Tuesday on a fierce debate over the environmental value of using algae to produce biofuels for vehicles.
The group, the European Algae Biomass Association, …

China Shrub Shows Biofuel Promise
February 24, 2010 – 3:56 pm | No Comment

China’s poisonous jatropha shrub is showing promise as biofuel and could boost the country’s efforts to reduce dependency on imported crude oil.
In the past, farmers planted the poisonous perennial only as a barrier to ward …

The SD Tech Fund™ will be accepting Statements of Interest from February 24 to April 21, 2010.
February 24, 2010 – 9:56 am | No Comment

Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) is calling on entrepreneurs and technology developers across Canada to submit Statements of Interests to the SD Tech Fund™, as SDTC opens its 17th round of funding.
 
“Investing in promising clean …

Tunisia: Local Scientist Develops New Technique for Extracting Biodiesel
February 23, 2010 – 11:20 am | No Comment

(AllAfrica.com)  …The latest achievement which comes to us from Sfax, is the development of a new technique for extracting biodiesel from olive water (a black liquid formed primarily by water discharged from olives during oil …

Yogyakarta, Indonesia: Villagers Turn Local Fruit into Biodiesel
February 23, 2010 – 11:03 am | No Comment

(New Tang Dynasty Television)  The kamani tree grows well throughout the coastal area in Yogyakarta, and produces abundant fruit. Traditionally, the fruit is used for cooking and firewood. But villagers in Yogyakarta are using it …

Butalco Announces It Is to Produce Its First Cellulosic Ethanol in Summer 2010
February 23, 2010 – 10:56 am | No Comment

(PRInside.com) This summer, Butalco will use its proprietary new yeast technology to produce biofuel from agricultural waste in a pilot plant in Southern Germany. Butalco’s new microbial catalysts will enable up to 30% increased yields in …

Aviation Biofuels: The Bumpy Road to Scale Production
February 23, 2010 – 10:35 am | No Comment

by Niall O’Keeffe  (FlightGlobal)  Both of the major commercial airframers have joined forces with industry peers to pursue new biofuel research initiatives, reflecting an intensification of concern about future availability of alternative fuels in the …

Bioplastics and Green Composites Workshop March 31-April 1 Guelph, Ontario
February 22, 2010 – 3:52 pm | No Comment
Bioplastics and Green Composites Workshop  March 31-April 1  Guelph, Ontario

It is estimated that the global bioplastics marketis growing at more than 25% per year and expertspredict that bioplastic production will exceed 50-billion pounds per year by 2015.
This timely workshop will examine some of the …

Gene Discovery to Increase Biomass Needed for Green Fuel
February 22, 2010 – 3:41 pm | No Comment

(S)ays Professor Simon Turner, one of the University of Manchester researchers whose BBSRC-funded study is published in Development (Wednesday 10th February 2010), “Our work has identified the two genes that make plants grow outwards. The …

Everyday Grass Could Provide Green Fuel
February 22, 2010 – 3:29 pm | No Comment

Researchers at the  (Teesside) University’s Contaminated Land and Water Centre began the project in 2004 to see which plants could best be grown on brownfield sites as a way of improving unsightly blots on the …

Invasive Biofuel Crops an Overlooked Danger
February 22, 2010 – 3:14 pm | No Comment

(Environment News Service)  The risk that biofuel crops will become invasive and outcompete native species is increasing as more advanced biofuel crops are planted, according to new research into this previously neglected but potentially costly …

China Continues down Path to Use Cassava for Bioethanol Production
February 22, 2010 – 12:25 pm | No Comment

(Renewable Energy Magazine)  Albeit it hazy, news regularly filters out of China about the progress this country is making in using cassava as a raw material for producing bioethanol. The latest is that the Chinese …

Oil Reserve Uncertainty Creates Biofuel Opportunities In Central Asia
February 22, 2010 – 12:06 pm | No Comment

by Oil Price (iStockAnalyst)  …additives and substitutes such as biofuels will play an ever-increasing role by stretching beleaguered production quotas. As market forces and rising prices drive this technology to the forefront, one of the …

Eco-Biofuels from the Tropics
February 22, 2010 – 10:37 am | No Comment

Palm oil from South-East Asia, sugarcane from Brazil and sweet sorghum in China are the most sustainable energy crops at present. Maize from the US and wheat in Europe have a much more negative environmental …

Aerospace Chief: Industry on Track to Deliver ‘Greener’ Aircraft
February 19, 2010 – 3:21 pm | No Comment

(EurActiv.com)  Industry is on track to ensure “carbon-neutral growth” in the aviation sector from 2020, but strengthened European Union support for research and development (R&D) is vital to help manufacturers deliver the green technologies required, …

Napier in Hong Kong Biofuel Centre Partnership
February 18, 2010 – 3:20 pm | No Comment

by Adam Bell (The Journal)  A new partnership between Edinburgh Napier University and City University Hong Kong (CityU) will see the opening of the first Biofuel Research Centre in the Chinese city.  The centre in …

Biofuels Are Essential to Reducing EU ETS Carbon Costs and Meeting Carbon-Neutral Growth Goals, Says Report
February 18, 2010 – 2:37 pm | No Comment

(GreenAirOnline.com)  Although not commercially viable yet, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) offers a strong financial, as well as environmental, incentive for the adoption of jet biofuels, says a new report by EQ2. Based …

Ricardo Consortium Aims to Meet the Engineering Challenge of Biofuels
February 18, 2010 – 1:06 pm | No Comment

Ricardo today announced the formation of a consortium that is open to automakers, Tier 1 suppliers, oil companies, additive manufacturers and government agencies, with the aim of evaluating the impact of biofuels on current and …

Daimler Committed to Jatropha Biodiesel
February 17, 2010 – 2:55 pm | One Comment

(TheBioenergySite)   Daimler AG has started a new project for the cultivation of the biodiesel raw material jatropha in the south of India and the seedlings for the first 100 hectares have been planted.
 
The company …

EU Biofuels 10% Targets Cause Millions of People to Go Hungry and Increase Food Prices and Landlessness, Says Report
February 17, 2010 – 2:42 pm | No Comment

by John Vidal (The Guardian)  EU companies have taken millions of acres of land out of food production in Africa, central America and Asia to grow biofuels for transport, according to development campaigners. The consequences …

British Airways Signs Deal to Make Biofuel for Aircraft
February 17, 2010 – 2:34 pm | No Comment

by  Gerard Wynn  (Reuters)   British Airways will start sourcing a small portion of its jet fuel from municipal waste from 2014, under a deal with U.S.-based biofuel company Solena Group, the two companies announced on …

Algae to Solve the Pentagon’s Jet Fuel Problem
February 17, 2010 – 1:26 pm | No Comment

by Suzanne Goldenberg  (The Guardian)   The brains trust of the Pentagon says it is just months away from producing a jet fuel from algae for the same cost as its fossil-fuel equivalent.
The claim, which comes …

Corn and Fuel Groups Weigh In on Ethanol
February 17, 2010 – 1:06 pm | No Comment

(New York Times) letters to editor Re “Sensible Rules for Ethanol” (editorial, Feb. 11):     While American corn farmers are pleased the Environmental Protection Agency recognizes that corn ethanol offers significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions compared …

U.S., Europe Going Opposite Way On Biofuels
February 17, 2010 – 12:14 pm | No Comment

Jonathan Fahey (Forbes.com)  It is becoming ever more apparent that there is one big squishy variable in the calculations that determine whether biofuels help the planet or help destroy it. That variable is called the …

Questions About Biofuels’ Environmental Costs Could Alter Europe’s Policies
February 16, 2010 – 3:16 pm | No Comment

by James Kanter(New York Times)…In a memorandum, Jean-Luc Demarty, the top civil servant in the agriculture department at the European Commission, wrote to a colleague in December that “an unguided use of I.L.U.C. would kill …

Has Big Oil Finally Gotten Serious About Biofuels?
February 15, 2010 – 5:25 pm | No Comment

by Joshua Kagan (GreenTechMedia)  …If we consider that the oil majors are not in the oil business, but rather, the infrastructure business — and as long as they control the liquids that come out of …

U.S. Renewable Fuel Standards Upend Ethanol Tariff Fight
February 15, 2010 – 5:17 pm | No Comment

by Brian Baskin (SugarcaneBlog.com, Dow Jones)   U.S. ethanol producers are facing their toughest fight yet to keep long-standing trade protections intact. Producers of ethanol, which in the U.S. is usually distilled from corn and then …

Shell Bets Billions on Brazilian Ethanol
February 15, 2010 – 4:50 pm | No Comment

by Sam Hopkins (Green Chip Stocks)  …Cosan is entering into a joint venture with an oil giant that could be worth $12 billion, and its happy beginning to 2010 signals a renewal of interest in …

Indirect Land-Use Changes Can Overcome Carbon Savings from Biofuels in Brazil
February 15, 2010 – 3:54 pm | No Comment

David M. Lapola, Ruediger Schaldach, Joseph Alcamo, Alberte Bondeau, Jennifer Koch, Christina Koelking, and Joerg A. Priess (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)  Abstract:  The planned expansion of biofuel plantations in Brazil could potentially …

UC Merced Scientist Honored for Biofuels Research
February 15, 2010 – 3:31 pm | No Comment

(Central Valley Business Times)  The mass production of biofuels could be a major step toward eliminating dependence on fossil fuels, but a number of factors have stood in the way, including the argument against using …

Getting a True Measure on Biofuels: Effects of ‘Indirect’ Land Use Figure in Energy Future
February 15, 2010 – 2:48 pm | No Comment

by C. Boyden Gray (Washington Times)  Little noticed outside a small policy community, an issue has quietly arisen in recent years that, while seemingly technical, has the potential to derail the nation’s attempts to address …

Kirloskar Oil Engines Enters Binding MOU for Joint Venture Mass Production of Axial Vector Engines
February 15, 2010 – 2:20 pm | No Comment

Axial Vector Energy Corporation (”AVEC”) announced today the signing of a binding MOU with Kirloskar Oil Engines (KOEL) to make ready for mass production of its multi fuel engines and the building of mass production …

Asia’s First Clear Nano-Emulsion Diesel Plant Opens in Singapore
February 15, 2010 – 1:39 pm | No Comment

Singapore Emulsion Fuel Pte Ltd., an innovative player in the green energy space, announced the opening of Asia’s first clear nano-emulsion diesel plant. Located within Singapore’s Tuas industrial zone, the 40,000 sq. ft. facility is …

US Ethanol Industry Looks To Possible Future As Exporter
February 14, 2010 – 11:27 am | No Comment

by Ian Berry (Dow Jones Newswires)  …Brazil, faced with tightening supplies of its sugarcane-based ethanol as growers there find better profits in sugar, said last month it is considering importing U.S., corn-based ethanol. While there …

IEA Bioenergy Task 40 Publishes “2nd Generation Biofuels and Trade”
February 11, 2010 – 5:16 pm | No Comment

The study “2nd Generation Biofuels and Trade“ explores the potential supply and demand of 2nd generation biofuels up until 2030, and discusses various impacts on biofuel trade, ranging from cost advantages over shipping capacities and …

NASA Takes Jatropha for a Ride Into Outer Space on Space Shuttle Endeavour
February 10, 2010 – 5:53 pm | No Comment

(Earth Times)  UK-based Carbon Credited Farming congratulated NASA on the successful launch of the Endeavour Space Shuttle today. It blasted off from Kennedy Space Center taking with it new scientific experiments, including a study of …