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Truly Sustainable Renewable Future
March 17, 2009 – 10:42 am | One 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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Articles in R&D Feedstock

A New Start: NREL Aquatic Species Program
September 3, 2010 – 1:23 pm | No Comment

by Lisa Gibson (Biomass Magazine) Ten years after NREL’s Aquatic Species Program was shut down, a similar initiative began and now is thriving in its algae research, which includes the evaluation of CO2 recycling.
Between 1978 and 1996, …

USDA and DOE Partnership Seeks to Develop Better Plants for Bioenergy
September 3, 2010 – 10:51 am | No Comment

(US Department of Energy)  Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced research awards under a joint DOE-USDA program aimed at improving and accelerating genetic breeding programs to create plants better suited for …

Algae Bioenergy Solutions Plans Scale-Up in Georgia
September 3, 2010 – 10:07 am | No Comment

(Algae Industry Magazine)  Algae Bioenergy Solutions (ABS), of Augusta, Georgia, has announced preliminary plans to develop a three to five million gallons per year algae oil plant, expandable to forty million gallons a year, to produce …

News: Fiberight Making Ethanol from Paper Mill Waste; Household Garbage May Be Next
September 2, 2010 – 6:59 pm | No Comment

by Dean Close (Vinton Today)  …In layman’s terms, what Fiberight does is take waste from a paper mill in Cedar Rapids, and uses rare bacteria – Stewart Paul refers to that bacteria as “the bugs” …

Boardroom Mayhem at D1 Oils as CEO Steps Down
September 2, 2010 – 6:37 pm | No Comment

by Joelle Dent (Biofuels Digest)  …“If  there were a medal for valor in biofuels it would certainly go to the board of D1 Oils, which has now had to repel its third take-over attempt by …

Mascoma: Inside the SunOpta Acquisition
September 2, 2010 – 5:25 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In New Hampshire, Mascoma reported yesterday that it had acquired SunOpta BioProcess, a division of SunOpta Inc. (STKL)  This combination brings together the fiber preparation and pretreatment technologies of SBI …

Sorting Algal Strains for High Lipid Content Using NIR
September 1, 2010 – 11:01 am | No Comment

(Algae Industry Magazine)  A recent post in Forbes by Chris Rhodes currently buzzing talks about a new method for identifying high lipid content strains of algae based on Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. The near infrared wavelength …

New Process for Production of Biodiesel Directly From Wet Algal Biomass Could Reduce Energy and Financial Costs
September 1, 2010 – 10:58 am | No Comment

(Green Car Congress/FavStocks)  Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed and demonstrated the feasibility of a two-step hydrolysis-solvolysis process to produce biodiesel directly from wet algal biomass. Their process eliminates the need for biomass …

Arizona Set to Become Center for Algae-Based, Biofuel Industry
August 31, 2010 – 7:32 am | No Comment

by William Hermann(The Arizona Republic)   Clean, green energy source could replace fossil fuels.
…With its ideal climate and abundance of available land, Arizona is poised to become a major center of a multibillion-dollar, algae-based, biofuel industry.

Scientists …

Researchers Discover New Mechanism Behind Cellular Energy Conversion
August 30, 2010 – 1:18 pm | No Comment

(NewsWise) Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have enhanced our understanding of the mechanism by which cells achieve energy conversion, the process in which food is converted into the energy required by cells. This …

Algae.Tec Off and Running
August 27, 2010 – 8:50 am | No Comment

by Greg Peel  (ninemsn)  …Algae.Tec is also in the process of an IPO. However at A$7.5m, Algae.Tec’s issue is hardly one that can be described as exploitative or prematurely opportunistic, and the company’s legally protected …

Energy Grasses Take Center Stage at Ceres Field Day
August 26, 2010 – 1:05 pm | No Comment

(PRNewsWire)  Energy industry executives joined investors and policymakers near Houston, Texas earlier today to take a firsthand look at energy grasses and research developments that are expected to push bioenergy to the forefront of renewable power …

Chromosome Designer Moves Into Biofuels
August 26, 2010 – 1:00 pm | No Comment

by Michael Kanellos (GreenTechMedia)  Chromatin says sorghum is the ideal crop.
The company, which designs chromosomes and tools for genetically modifying agricultural crops, has launched an effort to get into biofuels on its own. It has come …

Bunge Invests in Solazyme: Ties between Brazilian Sugarcane, US Advanced Biofuels Deepen
August 26, 2010 – 10:21 am | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …“The simplicity is astounding. Here’s the big idea.  Take an existing, stranded ethanol factory or conglomerate. Buy it for a substantial discount. Start with cheap sugar. Drop in a new …

Woodford Equipment Brings Biomass Business To Emmetsburg
August 25, 2010 – 4:26 pm | No Comment

by Jane Whitmore (Emmetsburg Reporter Democrat)  …The fact that the business is not officially open hasn’t stopped customers from dropping in. Eric is already working with farmers interested in cob harvesting.
“We have been following biomass …

Syracuse University Research Team Uses Nanobiotechnology-Manipulated Light Particles to Accelerate Algae Growth
August 25, 2010 – 3:15 pm | No Comment

by Ariel DuChene  (Syracuse University)  Scientists and engineers seek to meet three goals in the production of biofuels from non-edible sources such as microalgae: efficiency, economical production and ecological sustainability. Syracuse University’s Radhakrishna Sureshkumar, professor …

WABCG 2010: Sugar Beet Could Have Substantial Role in EU Biofuels
August 25, 2010 – 1:49 pm | No Comment

by Richard Allison (Farmers Weekly Interactive)  Nearly 15,000ha of sugar beet being grown this season in Germany is destined for biogas production, equivalent to about one-tenth of the total area in the UK given over to …

Wyo. Plant Turns Sugar Cane Waste Into Biofuel
August 25, 2010 – 1:32 pm | No Comment

by Bob Moen (AP)  Wyoming is a long way from places where sugar cane is grown, but a test plant in the northeast part of the state will soon be turning sugar cane waste into …

Beet as a New Energy Crop
August 25, 2010 – 12:55 pm | No Comment

(The Bioenergy Site)  For the past two years, North Dakota State University Biofuels Economist, Cole Gufstafson, has been working in partnership with Green Vision Group and Heartland Renewable Energy (HRE) to create an energy beet for …

New Energy Economics: 2010 Energy Beet Field Days
August 25, 2010 – 10:54 am | No Comment

by Cole Gustafson (North Dakota State University Extension Service)  Farmers observing the trials were quite excited to see a new crop being developed
Last week, I participated in North Dakota’s first energy beet field days. Energy …

Ceres Opens Brazil Subsidiary To Develop Sweet Sorghum Crop Business
August 25, 2010 – 10:30 am | No Comment

(Green Car Congress/FavStocks)  Ceres, Inc. earlier this month established a subsidiary in Brasil focused on developing sweet sorghum as a feedstock for the ethanol industry. The company’s goal is to be the first supplier of …

Chlorophyll in Ancient Bacteria: Biofuel Source?
August 25, 2010 – 10:23 am | No Comment

(Australian Broadcasting Corporation)  Scientists have discovered a new type of chlorophyll in ancient Australian bacteria that could lead to new sources of bio-energy.

Over the past 60 years, scientists have known of four types of chlorophyll used …

Biodiesel Industries Selected for Proposed Grant by the California Energy Commission
August 25, 2010 – 7:40 am | No Comment

(PRNewsWire)  Biodiesel Industries announced today the company’s selection by the California Energy Commission for a project grant to support the state’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. This Biofuel Production Plants grant provides funding …

Petrobras America and KL Energy Sign Joint Development Agreement to Optimize Technology for Cellulosic Ethanol Production From Sugarcane Bagasse
August 24, 2010 – 9:05 am | No Comment

(Biofuels Journal)  KL Energy Corporation is pleased to announce that Petrobras, through Petrobras America, has entered into a Joint Development Agreement with KL Energy Corporation (“KLE”), to jointly optimize KLE’s proprietary cellulosic ethanol process technology for …

Life Technologies and SG Biofuels Complete Sequence of Jatropha Genome
August 24, 2010 – 8:37 am | No Comment

(SG Biofuels)  Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE), a provider of innovative life science solutions and SG Biofuels, Inc., a bioenergy crop company, announced they have completed sequencing the Jatropha curcas genome to 100x coverage, using the …

A European Perspective on Algal Biofuel Scaleup
August 24, 2010 – 7:57 am | No Comment

(Algae Industry Magazine)  An article by Rene H. Wijffels and Maria J. Barbosa, of Wageningen University in the Netherlands, published in the current edition of Science Journal, details the challenges and opportunities of algal biofuel …

2nd Palm Oil Summit: Sustainable Yields, The Way Forward December 9-10 Bali, Indonesia
August 24, 2010 – 7:32 am | No Comment
2nd Palm Oil Summit: Sustainable Yields, The Way Forward    December 9-10   Bali, Indonesia

Palm oil is proven as the most efficient crop and the world’s most traded agricultural commodity with its uses ranging from food, industrial, personal care products to energy. It now contributes over US$ 10 billion …

The Green Behind Green Crude
August 23, 2010 – 12:25 pm | No Comment

By Jennifer McEntee  (The Voice of San Diego)   Investors are a tough crowd to cultivate. Yet in the pond that is the biotechnology market, one product seems to be rising to the top like the green …

Genera Energy and Alcoa Partner to Grow Switchgrass in Blount County; Planting has significant environmental benefit
August 23, 2010 – 10:51 am | No Comment

(Genera Energy) Land owned by Alcoa Inc, Tennessee Operations, is now being used to grow a popular perennial grass known for producing cellulosic ethanol.
Approximately 238 acres of switchgrass have been planted on property that Alcoa …

Joule Unlimited: ‘Fuel from Thin Air’ Comes Closer, Clearer
August 23, 2010 – 10:33 am | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Massachusetts, the secretive Joule Unlimited (then known as Joule Biotechnologies) emerged late last year from “stealth mode” with the startling announcement that their technology could produce up to 15,000 gallons …

Third and Fourth Generation Biofuels: Technologies, Markets and Economics Through 2015
August 23, 2010 – 10:12 am | No Comment

(GTM Research)  …In this report, we focus on “third-generation” algae biofuels and “fourth-generation” biofuels that are either created using petroleum-like hydroprocessing, advanced bio-chemistry, or revolutionary processes like Joule’s “solar-to-fuel” method that defies any other category …

Researchers: Diverse Feedstocks Key to Sustainable, Successful Biofuels Industry
August 20, 2010 – 5:17 pm | No Comment

(Ag Professional)  …Concerns about net energy and greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to its effect on food and feed pricing are driving researchers at the Energy Biosciences Institute at the University of Illinois and at …

Company to Demonstrate Ethanol Extraction in Woodbine
August 20, 2010 – 4:58 pm | No Comment

by Ben Leach  (Press of Atlantic City)  A multimillion-dollar ethanol plant is planned for a former landfill site, but members of the community can get a sneak peak of the technology in action next week.
Garden State …

Deadline Set for Logan Cleanup / Biofuel May Be Answer to Sewage Lagoon Algae Woes
August 20, 2010 – 4:22 pm | No Comment

(Standard-Examiner)    Utah environmental regulators have set a seven-year deadline for Logan officials to cut the amount of phosphorus in sewage lagoons west of the city.
Water from the lagoons discharges into Cutler Reservoir.
Phosphorous fuels algae blooms that …

10 Top Solar Biofuels Projects
August 20, 2010 – 3:43 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …Aside from the general observation that nearly all energy systems ultimately are based on today’s or yesterday’s solar energy (only geothermal and nuclear power are distinct exceptions), a new generation …

Whisky By-Products Used to Produce Biofuel to Power Cars
August 20, 2010 – 1:02 pm | No Comment

(Telegraph)  Scientists say they have created a new biofuel made from whisky by-products which could be used to help power cars currently on the road.   

Edinburgh Napier University has filed a patent for the product, which …

POET, Farmers Kick Off Commercial Biomass Harvest for Project LIBERTY Cellulosic Ethanol
August 20, 2010 – 1:00 pm | No Comment

(POET) Construction underway on storage area for biomass bales in Emmetsburg, Iowa
 Farmers and POET today celebrated the upcoming collection and delivery of 56,000 tons of baled corn cobs and light stover in the first commercial harvest …

Air Resources Board Is Clinging to Old Science
August 19, 2010 – 3:29 pm | No Comment

by Joe Irvin (Capitol Weekly)  This week, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) convened a group of experts to discuss issues related to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) that was approved last year. The …

Camelina Meal Now Available for Use in Laying Hens
August 19, 2010 – 10:48 am | No Comment

(PRNewsWire)  The North American Camelina Trade Association (NACTA) today announced the achievement of yet another milestone in its efforts to build camelina production and marketing opportunities for growers. The industry received a letter of no …

Butter Holds the Secret to the Latest Biodiesel Fuel
August 18, 2010 – 4:08 pm | No Comment

by Kenneth Chang (New York Times)  “It was something we wanted to show could be done,” said Michael J. Haas, a research biochemist at the United States Department of Agriculture.
“It’s quirky,” he acknowledged of the dairy-to-diesel …

Sewage-Powered Volkswagen Beetle Relies on Six ‘Movements’ per Mile
August 18, 2010 – 4:04 pm | No Comment

(Environmental Transport Association)   A car unveiled this week by Wessex Water that runs on methane gas generated from fermented human waste may have a performance comparable with a petrol-powered vehicle, but range may prove a …

Range Fuels Produces Cellulosic Methanol From First Commercial Cellulosic Biofuels Plant
August 18, 2010 – 3:44 pm | No Comment

(PR Newswire)  Range Fuels’ Commercial Cellulosic Biofuels Plant near Soperton, Georgia Produces Cellulosic Methanol from Non-Food Biomass
Range Fuels, Inc., a company focused on commercially producing low-carbon biofuels and clean renewable power, today announced that it has …

The Blue Phoenix: BlueFire Ethanol Repositions as BlueFire Renewables
August 18, 2010 – 3:31 pm | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …The Digest took the opportunity to visit with BlueFire’s CEO Arnold Klann, who has been working in the cellulosic biofuels space for more than a decade, and continues to be …

New Mexico Algae Project Receives Funding
August 17, 2010 – 5:51 pm | No Comment

by Erin Voegele  (Biodiesel Magazine)   New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson recently announced that $200,000 in Recovery Act funding has been awarded to New Mexico State University. A portion of that funding will go to the …

Ethanol Generated from Seaweed
August 17, 2010 – 5:38 pm | No Comment

(The Japan Times)   Scientists from Tohoku University and Tohoku Electric Power Co. have developed a technology to efficiently generate ethanol from seaweed such as sea tangle and sea grape, group members said Saturday. 
The technology uses natural …

U.S. Army Investigates Salt Lake Biofuel Crop
August 17, 2010 – 5:23 pm | No Comment

by Jeremiah Stettler   (Salt Lake Tribune)   The prickly leafed crop is hardly inviting — it is like a weed sprouting atop 20 acres of parched government land near Salt Lake City International Airport.
And yet, the safflower …

BlueFire Ethanol Fuels Rebrands as BlueFire Renewables, Inc.
August 17, 2010 – 11:09 am | No Comment

(Blue Fire Renewables)  Name Change Designed to Better Reflect Its Fuel and Energy Production Capabilities
BlueFire Ethanol Fuels, Inc., a company focused on changing the world’s transportation fuel paradigm through the production of renewable fuels from non-food …

Opportunities and Barriers for International Bioenergy Trade
August 13, 2010 – 1:38 pm | No Comment

by Martin Junginger, Jinke van Dam, Simonetta Zarrilli, Fatin Ali Mohamed, Didier Marchal, and Andre Faaij  (IEA Bioenergy)  Task 40 under the IEA Bioenergy Agreement entitled: ‘Sustainable International Bioenergy trade; securing supply and demand’, started in 2004 and …

Wide Range of Plants Offer Cellulosic Biofuel Potential, Ecological Diversity
August 13, 2010 – 12:18 pm | No Comment

(EurekAlert)  When it comes to selecting the right plant source for future cellulosic biofuel production, the solution won’t be one-size-fits-all, and it certainly doesn’t have to involve food and feed crops.
In a “Perspective” article in the …

Camelina Gaining Favor with Farmers for Biodiesel
August 13, 2010 – 11:40 am | No Comment

(AgWired)  Farmers in several regions of the U.S. are discovering a new potential cash crop – camelina. Camelina is beginning to find favor with both the biofuels industry as a strong potential feedstock for biodiesel, as …