The EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED) does include sustainability criteria to avoid the production of biofuels in highly biodiverse areas. A major flaw is that such criteria only apply to biofuels. Therefore although the RED prevents a landowner clearing high biodiversity value land to grow biofuels, it does not stop him clearing the land for another crop that he already grows and then growing biofuels on the vacated land. Such indirect land use change (ILUC) is difficult to measure, but it is thought to be significant in terms of biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions.  READ MORE and MORE (Institute for European Environmental Policy)

Growing castor beans for commercial purposes would be illegal under a measure that won unanimous approval Wednesday by a House committee.

Castor beans, which are composed of 50 percent or more oil, are the among the most promising biofuel crops, but they also contain ricin, one of nature’s deadliest poisons, said House Floor Leader Dale DeWitt, author of the measure.

“It would be a very lucrative crop to grow if you were going to go into biofuels,” said DeWitt, R-Braman.

No one in Oklahoma is growing castor beans for commercial purposes, DeWitt said.

However, with a growing interest in them for biofuels, wheat farmers and crop producers are concerned about them being planted and spreading castor and ricin residue into fields, planting and harvesting equipment, storage bins, and trucks and railroad cars used for transporting grain, he said.

…Committee members also voted 17-0 to pass House Bill 2188, which would make it unlawful to transport castor beans in sacks weighing more than 50 pounds. Violators would face being charged with a misdemeanor and could be fined up to $500.  READ MORE

Fuel blend analysis is important as the use of biodiesel as a diesel additive has increased dramatically over the past few years and will likely continue to increase. For fuel blenders, this means an added challenge to avoid an incorrect blend that could lead to regulatory fines, loss of customer confidence and damage to equipment.

Portable infrared analyzers such as the InfraCal Biodiesel Blend Analyzer offer a simple, accurate and low cost solution to on-site blend testing at locations such as the blending rack. The resulting costs of an incorrect blend can far out way the modest cost of an on-site biodiesel blend analyzer. With many already in use at petroleum terminals and by regulatory agencies, the InfraCal Biodiesel Blend Analyzer has proven to be a reliable tool to ensure blend accuracy.  READ MORE

…CIMA Green actually had two bikes built and donated one to the National Biodiesel Board along with a check for $50,000 to use for transportation expenses to showcase the bike at various events around the country.  READ MORE (includes audio interviews)

The committee debated the merits of the bill and a pair of amendments for about 45 minutes before passing the bill by a vote of 19-7. If passed into law, Sensenbrenner’s bill would delay the implementation of E15 by at least 18 months while the NAS conducts its testing. The bill allows for up to $900,000 of the U.S. EPA’s research and development funds to be used to finance the testing.

…Opponents, however, claim that Sensenbrenner’s proposal is little more than an effort to disrupt the EPA’s regulatory abilities and expressed confidence that the bill will not be passed into law.

… “Those of us in California and around the country do have concerns about corn-based ethanol,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said. “It’s a complex and important issue…but we should not stop the EPA from conducting its required activities under the Clean Air Act. To do so would weaken and undermine our environmental laws and procedures.”  READ MORE and MORE (DomesticFuel.com)

The project, which is projected to cost 2 million euros, is 50 percent funded by the Fund for Support to Innovation of the Energy Agency (Adene).

…The project will research areas including improving plant varieties, harvesting, oil extraction and use of sub-products.

Galp Energia’s jatropha plantations in Mozambique are increasing in size and by 2016 the company expects to have a planted area of 23,000 hectares and production of 30,000 tons of oil.  READ MORE

Both plentiful and a potentially low-cost source of fuel, biomass residuals are also less controversial than traditional corn ethanol because they are not a source of food or feed. Turning stover (the stalks, leaves and cobs that remain in corn fields after the grain is produced) into ethanol or using anaerobic digesters on livestock farms to generate bioenergy from animal manure are seemingly win-win propositions — more income for agricultural producers, new home-grown energy sources, and environmental protections for states and their communities.

But as Steve Brick, a senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, notes, there are technological, logistical and cost hurdles to overcome in order to expand the use of these energy sources.

And he says states are in a position to help.  READ MORE

Venkatesh Kamath, lecturer, Biotechnology Engineering Department, told The Hindu that people have attended camps organised on the subject through self-help groups (SHG) of the Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara (SDM) Trust and Junior Chambers International India. The same number is expected to attend four more camps to be held this month, he said.

The aim of the project is to create awareness among farmers, students, the scientific community, and the public on biodiesel and the production process. READ MORE

Piedmont Biofuels announced today(February 7, 2012)  that the company has commenced the first commercial scale zero-waste production of biodiesel in the United States using its proprietary approach of enzyme catalysis. Biodiesel is a diesel fuel alternative made from fats and oils, which can be used in diesel engines without modification.

Piedmont has successfully scaled-up an enzyme-based technique to biodiesel production. The traditional biodiesel production method uses chemical catalysts like potassium hydroxide and sulfuric acid. These chemicals form soaps or salts which contaminate both the biodiesel and glycerin phases, producing low-grade co-products.  “With the enzyme process, we eliminate the caustic chemicals which allows biodiesel producers to decrease waste and increase yield, with all types of feedstocks,” says Lyle Estill, President of Piedmont Biofuels.

Piedmont Biofuels has been investigating enzyme catalysis for the biodiesel industry for over four years in efforts to find a successful zero-waste output. In 2009, Piedmont began collaborating with global enzyme producer, Novozymes. Their most recent research and development efforts have been supported by an U.S. Department of Energy, Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) grant in addition to the technology commercialization support. from the Clean Energy Alliance (“CEA”) under the Department of Energy Small Business and Clean Energy Alliance Partnership.

This is the first commercial production of its kind in the United States using enzyme catalysts for biodiesel. “ We are very excited to share our success this year at the National Biodiesel Conference,” states Rachel Burton, Research Director of Piedmont Biofuels, who will be delivering details about the production process at the conference in Orlando, Florida from February 5- 8th. “This milestone brings Piedmont Biofuels one step closer to a zero-waste, sustainable biodiesel process.” READ MORE

“The RFS works,” glowed National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe, in marking the industry’s first billion-gallon production year in 2011, as industry benefitted from a now-expired $1.00 per gallon biodiesel tax credit, and from the billion gallon mandate called for under the Renewable Fuel Standard.

…“It’s a fantasy to think that global energy prices are based on a free market; they are controlled and manipulated by a cartel,” Jobe said.

…Just now, the EPA has thrown out another 48.1 million fake biodiesel credits, this time sold by Absolute Fuels in Texas. It follows on last year’s scandal when Clean Green Fuels of Maryland had 32.3 million credits declared invalid. Neither company had produced biodiesel equivalent to the credits they pretended to have sold.

The refining industry is up in arms. The EPA has demanded that they pay fines for submitting fake RINs, and also buy new, real ones; and, the agency said that the obligated parties would have to recover the money paid out for fraudulent RINs by their own legal action against the sellers.  READ MORE