by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Industry Organization/Biofuels Digest)  …Renewable chemicals offer cost-competitiveness with petrochemicals or new properties and features that add value to innovative consumer products. In that way, they’ve captured some market share and created …

by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  With a fresh investment from Brazil’s GranBio, American Process Inc. is poised to develop its first commercial-scale cellulosic biorefineries in both the U.S. and Brazil. API CEO Theodora …

by Russ White (MLive)  … Michigan State University leads research of bioenergies and biofuels through AgBioResearch and the Kellogg Biological Station and partnerships with coalitions such as the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and the Global …

by Bruce Dale (The Hill/Michigan State University)  The oil industry hopes to protect its control over America’s fuel supply by undermining renewable fuels. By confusing us with misleading claims and outright falsehoods, oil companies hope …

by Alisa Priddle (Detroit Free Press)  An expansion of Hyundai’s eight-year-old technical center in Superior Township, east of Ann Arbor, will require 50 new jobs and enable more vehicle emission testing.
…The new testing chambers can …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  One of the major roadblocks to mass-producing algae for biofuels, observes researchers at the University of Michigan College of Engineering, is the need for fertilizer. Although algae have trouble reusing the nitrogen …

by Amanda Peterka  (Governors Biofuel Coalition)  Cellulosic biofuels can become profitable for farmers and help displace oil, but they must use already-available agricultural land, according to a study released by a nonprofit yesterday.
Commissioned by the …

(Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy today announced it would fund its three Bioenergy Research Centers for an additional five-year period, subject to continued congressional appropriations. The three Centers—including the BioEnergy Research Center …

by Brandon Howell (MLive) Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin will continue their partnered research of advanced biofuels thanks to $125 million from the U.S. Department of Energy.
The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Today in part II, we look at a new set of technologies coming along that are redefining our ideas about scale and cost.
… A barrier to long term deployment? The …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Although no commercial-scale cellulosic biofuels facilities are operating in the United States at present, at least ten projects exceeding 20 million gallons per year are expected to begin operations by …

(PHYCO2/Biodiesel Magazine)  …The partnership will demonstrate the patent-pending PHYCO2-developed technology to sequester CO2, reclaim water and continuously grow multiple types of algae at an accelerated rate without sunlight. The goal of the demonstration project is …

(Science Daily)  Fat worms confirm that researchers from Michigan State University have successfully engineered a plant with oily leaves ­- a feat that could enhance biofuel production as well as lead to improved animal feeds.
The …

by Frank Witsil (Detroit Free Press)  With gas prices pushing $4 a gallon in Michigan, drivers may be tempted to try a less expensive alternative – E85, an ethanol blend – which is selling in …

(Michigan State University)  In our ongoing quest for alternative energy sources, researchers are looking more to plants that grow in the wild for use in biofuels, plants such as switchgrass.
However, attempts to “domesticate” wild-growing plants …

by Jim Lane (Biobased DIgest)  Bringing your biobased technology forward through the Valley of Death may require a bridge over troubled waters.  Here are partners worth knowing.
… Bioenergy commercialization is long, expensive and risky. Derisking …

(Associated Press/Omaha.com)  After decades of talk, the ethanol industry is building multimillion-dollar refineries in several states that will use corn plant residue, wood scraps and even garbage to produce the fuel additive.
The breakthrough comes at …

(Inside Indiana Business/POET)  Twenty-five of POET’s network of 27 biorefineries have now installed its patent-pending corn oil technology, bringing its total capacity to approximately 250,000 tons per year, enough feedstock to produce 68 million gallons …

by  Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Developing a retail relationship with area fuel stations is a potential perk for ethanol plants, retailers and consumers.
In some areas of the U.S., drivers filling up with ethanol blends …

by Ilya Gelfand, Ritvik Sahajpal, Xuesong Zhang, R. César Izaurralde, Katherine L. Gross & G. Philip Robertson (Nature)  …An alternative is to grow lignocellulosic (cellulosic) crops on ‘marginal’ lands9. Cellulosic feedstocks can have positive environmental …

by Stephen Kloosterman (The Holland Sentinel)   The Grand Rapids-based Crystal Flash Energy is now the exclusive dealer in Michigan for autogas, an alternative fuel.
…Autogas, a liquefied version of propane, can run in mechanically modified gas …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  A long war of opinion has been waged for years between advanced biofuels’ detractors and supporters.  Mirage or reality? Completion of 6 key projects 2012 decided much of the debate. …

(Renewable Fuels Association)  The Advanced Ethanol Council this morning released a report giving a snapshot of cellulosic ethanol producers in the U.S. and around the world. A look at facilities owned by companies such as …

(US Department of Agriculture)    Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $10 million in research grants to spur production of bioenergy and biobased products that will lead to the development of sustainable regional systems and help …

by Ned Stowe (Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  EESI Policy Associate Ned Stowe recently gave a presentation on biomass, bioenergy, and sustainability to the 11th Annual Great Lakes Environmental Legislators Forum of the National Caucus …

by Robert Rapier (Biobased Digest/Energy Trends Insider)  Researchers tout a process to make oil from algae biomass – is it pyro oil or a real biocrude?
…Researchers at the University of Michigan announced that they had …

(e! Science News)  …A group of researchers from the University of Michigan wondered how ethanol-based fuels would spread in the event of a large aquatic spill. They found that ethanol-based liquids mix actively with water, …

More than $1 Million in cash and prizes was awarded last evening at the 2012 Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition in downtown Detroit, with Algal Scientific Corporation taking home the $500,000 cash grand prize. Last evening’s …

by Cliff Meeuwsen (Holland Sentinel)  Ethanol has become a dirty word for some, and I’m not sure why.
How did the cleanest burning, highest quality, cheapest form of liquid renewable fuel ever get to be such …

(ACORE)  The American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) released the 2012 edition of its report, Renewable Energy in the 50 States, as an interactive, online resource. Compiling updated financial data, resource potentials, market and policy …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Michigan, a research team led by Michigan State’s Bruce Dale, writing in the November 2012 issue of Biomass & Bioenergy, that they believe that a lifecycle analysis approach to ILUC …

(EurekAlert!/University of Michigan)  It looks like Mother Nature was wasting her time with a multimillion-year process to produce crude oil. Michigan Engineering researchers can “pressure-cook” algae for as little as a minute and transform an …

(National Corn Growers Association)  State corn associations across the country are working diligently to make the increased use of higher ethanol blends a reality through programs to put the necessary infrastructure in place. Laying the …

(Bioenergy Deployment Consortium/MarketWire)  BDC held its 2012 Fall Symposium in Alpena, MI on September 18 & 19, capping the event with a tour of the new cellulosic ethanol plant owned by American Process Inc. (API), …

(Opis.net)  Ford Motor Co. and General Motors have quietly approved gasoline blends with up to 15% ethanol for use in later model cars and light trucks, Oil Express has learned.
Together, the automakers produce more than …

by J.E. Anderson, D.M. DiCicco, J.M. Ginder, U. Kramer, T.G. Leone, H.E. Raney-Pablo, T.J. Wallington (Fuel)  Ethanol provides a significant contribution to road transportation fuel in the US, Brazil, and elsewhere. Renewable fuels regulations in the …

by Luke Geiver (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  A team of researchers will spend the next five years assessing the social, economic and ecological impacts of bioenergy projects happening in Michigan, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. Led by …

by Jennifer Donovan  (Michigan Tech News)  Is it possible to develop and produce biofuels in a sustainable way, without harming people or the environment?  What policies need to be put in place to help that happen?
Nearly …

by Phoebe Ho (MetroNews)  With barely any background in chemistry, a University of Windsor nursing grad and her business partner spent the last two months experimenting with animal fat and vegetable oil in hopes of creating …

The 2013 Collegiate Design Series (CDS) competition schedule, registration fees, maximum number of teams accepted for each event and the registration opening and closing are listed below.
You must read and follow the registration requirements and …

by Angie Bergenson (Hydrogen Fuel News)  …A team of researchers from Michigan State University have been working to make ethanol a more attractive source of fuel for the country. The team has made a breakthrough …

by Russ White and Mackenzie Mohr(Michigan Live) …“One of the things that we’re evaluating with cellulosic ethanol is (if there) are there places we can produce these crops on lands that aren’t producing food crops,” he …

(The Iowa Biodiesel Board/Biodiesel Magazine)  The Midwestern Governors Association has formally asked every major diesel engine and vehicle manufacturer to support the use of biodiesel blends of at least 20 percent (B20) in all diesel-powered …

by Larry Kershner (The Messenger)  A post-graduate student at Michigan State University thinks that upgrading ethanol to a higher grade of alcohol – 1-butanol – will help the ethanol industry get past the “blender’s wall,” …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced payments for 125 advanced Biofuel producers across the country to support the production and expansion of advanced biofuels from a wide variety of non-food sources, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The recent focus on drought, and the scarcity scare, shows that diversification and yield enhancement remain the bioeconomy’s chief weapons in the war on availability and affordability.   The USDA and …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Minimum octane rating decisions could greatly impact ethanol’s future market opportunities
At a time when ethanol’s high-octane rating is touted as its most valuable asset, a situation in South Dakota …

by Susanne Retka Schill  (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Rather than focusing on a single microbe capable of converting cellulose to ethanol in a fermenter, researchers at Michigan State University are mimicking nature, culturing two bacteria that grow …

by Danny King (AutoblogGreen) … Michigan State University scientists have found a biofuel production method that the institution says boosts energy from the production process by a factor of 20.
Gemma Reguera, a microbiologist at MSU, led an effort …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  This edition of “The Ethanol Report” features comments from Bobby Likis of the Bobby Likis Car Clinic Network, a radio, television and internet distributed automotive talk show that recently partnered with the Renewable …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … Regardless of its naming deficiencies, waste has been hot and getting hotter as a bioenergy feedstock because it solves three of the most pressing problems blocking capacity expansion.
1. The feedstocks …

by Lisa Perkins (Traverse City Record-Eagle)  Bill Koucky will soon produce biodiesel fuel, after years of planning, experimenting and jumping through regulatory hoops.
…Traverse City will be home to a biodiesel fuel plant when Koucky’s Northwest …

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 …

The Education and Outreach area of GLBRC supports and collaborates on a diverse array of programs, which complement our mission and goals. These programs mainly address the needs of K-12 and undergraduate learning communities, and …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  North American sugar-to-ethanol strategy differs from Brazil’s, Europe’s
…North Dakota-based Green Vision Group is resolutely moving forward with a plan to build multiple 20 MMgy dedicated energy beet plants in …

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 J.E. Anderson, D.M. DiCicco, J.M. Ginder, U. Kramer, T.G. Leone, H.E. Raney-Pablo, T.J. Wallington (FUEL/ScienceDirect.com)  Ethanol provides a significant contribution to road transportation fuel in the US, Brazil, and elsewhere. Renewable fuels regulations in the US and EU imply that ethanol …

by Greg Breining (University of Minnesota/Bioenergy Connection)   …Did demand for biofuel feedstocks, such as corn, sugarcane, rapeseed, and soybeans, drive the high cost of food? Many analysts later pinned most of the blame on commodities …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) introduced an amendment to the Transportation Bill (S.1813) Thursday that would extend tax incentives for domestically produced energy sources, including biodiesel, ethanol, cellulosic biofuels, electric vehicles, wind energy and …

by Gabrielle Mays  (Upper Michigan’s Source)  For the past seven months, hundreds of students from all over North America have been working hard on their innovative designs for the Clean Snowmobile Challenge.
Students take a production built …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Can companies like Mascoma and Sud-Chemie, by transforming the economics of cellulosic ethanol, compete at parity with gasoline – no subsidies, no five-years-to-commercial-scale, no kidding?
Part II – “Chain-Chain-Chain, Chain of …

(EurekAlert/Michigan State University)  MSU research looks for ways to improve shipping of materials for biofuels
If the increased use of biomass to produce alternative fuels is to become a reality, more attention needs to be paid …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …In Michigan, US Senator Debbie Stabenow expanded her “Grow it Here, Make it Here” initiative into a $5 billion proposal designed to dramatically expand bio-based manufacturing and job creation, funded through what …

by Katherine Yung (Detroit Free Press)  After a lengthy delay, construction of what could be the nation’s first large-scale wood-to-ethanol plant in the country is to start this year in Michigan’s eastern Upper Peninsula.
If successful, …

(PR NewsWire/Hino Trucks)  During a ceremony today at the National Biodiesel Conference in Orlando, Hino Trucks was recognized by the National Biodiesel Board with the 2012 “Eye on Biodiesel Impact Award.”
The “I-Awards” represent the biodiesel industry’s top honors, …

(Mascoma/BusinessWire)  Mascoma Corporation, a renewable fuels company, announced today that it has implemented key components of the commercialization strategy for its Mascoma Grain Technology, or MGT™, yeast product, which is the first commercial application of …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)   The USDA announced the final round of fiscal year 2011 Renewable Energy for America Program awards on Dec. 14. The awards included grants for 12 blender pump projects …

by Derek Mead (GreenTechMedia)  Biofuel up-and-comers Codexis and Mascoma both have big news that means cellulosic ethanol production is right around the corner.
…With traditional sugar feedstocks — and in the U.S., that means corn — …

(WLNS/AP)  Critics of a refinery planned for the Upper Peninsula have filed a second lawsuit against the project.
Larry Klein and the Sierra Club claim the U.S. Energy Department failed to follow federal environmental law when …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today (December 14, 2011) announced loans and grants for agricultural producers and rural small businesses across the country to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in …

by Neil Winton (Detroit News)  Investment bank Morgan Stanley came up with a nasty surprise for Nissan-Renault and other cheer-leaders for battery powered cars when it cut its electric vehicle sales forecast by nearly 50 …

(MarketWatch/Mascoma)  Fully-funded commercial-scale facility
Mascoma Corporation, a renewable fuels company, announced today that it has signed a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to assist in the design, construction and operation of a …

by  Bryan Sims  (Biodiesel Magazine)  Having finished the first phase of exploring the feasibility of growing, harvesting and utilizing bioenergy crops last year on unconventional growing lands in Michigan, such as highway right-of-ways, vacant urban …

(Valero)  New Hampshire-based biofuels company Mascoma Corp. has entered into an agreement with energy giant Valero to build a plant that produces ethanol in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula using Mascoma’s proprietary technology.

Mascoma, of Lebanon, agreed to …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …“The government rushed into investments, with no diligence,” says Codexis chief Alan Shaw. “They are just not industrialists, in my opinion.”
Two major announcements this week drive the point home in …

by Erin Voegele (Biorefining Magazine)  The biorefining sector reached an important new milestone this year with at least five companies undergoing successful initial public offerings (IPOs). As we move into the new year, members of …

(Michigan Radio)  …A new advisory council is heavily weighted with voices from the timber industry, and there will be more emphasis on developing forest products to boost the state’s economy.
Governor Rick Snyder says there’s a …

by Dave Cooper (Edmonton Journal)  An innovative Michigan plant that could produce 66 million litres of biodiesel from sub-grade canola is about to be disassembled and readied for a move to Alberta this winter.
The location …

by Erin Voegele (Biorefining Magazine)  …While (Sen. Debbie) Stabenow has yet to introduce the legislation in the U.S. Senate, her office did provideBiorefining Magazine with a draft of the bill. According to that draft, titled the …

by Luke Geiver (Biorefining Magazine)  Ask J.D. Lindberg, principal and CFO for Resource Recycling Systems Inc., about the intricacies of feedstock supply contracting, and he would most likely tell you that “glass time is money.” …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Rod Beazley of Ricardo said that, based on tests conducted to date by the company, the Ricardo EBDI (ethanol boosted direct injection) engine could achieve equal mileage per gallon when burning …

by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine)  Seattle, Wash.-based biodiesel producer Imperium Renewables and the U.S. DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have reported positive results in a joint development for the production of biomass-based drop-in jet fuel …

by Annette Manwell (Holland Sentinel)  Renewable Energy Technologies LLC had hoped to produce ethanol in Holland by now, but building issues sent the company back to the market to find a new home.
Now ethanol could …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Intrigued by cellulosic ethanol and a new product called MGT, in Mascoma’s IPO?
…Mascoma Corporation announced that it has filed an S-1 registration statement relating to a proposed $100 million initial …

by Theodore D. Matson, Katalin Barta, Alexei V. Iretskii, and Peter C. Ford  (Journal of the American Chemical Society)  Efficient methodologies for converting biomass solids to liquid fuels have the potential to reduce dependence on …

By Brian L. Goodall, Puneet Chandra and Tom Czartoski (SRS Energy)  Brian Goodall introduced SRS energy which specializes in oil and water purification, separation and related services. For four years, SRS Dexter focused their R&D …

by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine)  Detroit-based startup biodiesel technology developer NextCAT Inc. has received $498,830 in funding from a National Science Foundation Phase II Small Business Innovation Research award. The funding will help commercialize alternative …

by Stephen K. Ritter (Chemical & Engineering News)  Bruce E. Dale often plays the role of devil’s advocate not only against the rosy picture of biofuels painted by start-ups and trade associations but also against …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  For years, in coffee shops and grain elevators across the upper Midwest, independent thinkers have voiced their opinions on the benefits of midlevel ethanol blends. Tales of fueling the …

by Tiffany Stecker (ClimateWire/Scientific American)  A study looks into giving farmers permission to harvest cellulosic feedstocks on land set aside for wetlands and wildlife conservation
Growing cellulosic feedstocks on federally subsidized conservation land could balance the biofuels emissions …

(Waste and Recycling News)  Detroit-based DART said its new location will turn alcohol and sugar-based beverages such as old beer, wine, soda, juice and liquor into fuel grade ethanol. In addition, the company said, the …

by Ben Edwards  (Bloomberg)  …The Plymouth, Michigan-based company is raising $500,000 to complete demonstration plants and will seek the remaining funds in the next six to nine months, Chief Science Officer Geoff Horst said in …

by John Mulcahy  (Daily Telegram/LenConnect) A New York-based company has bought the closed NextDiesel plant in Adrian and plans to reopen it to produce biodiesel fuel.
…EnerVation Advisors is preparing to clean the plant’s tanks and …

(The White House)  President Obama today announced the next phase in the Administration’s program to increase fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks sold in the United States. These …

(General Motors)  Chevrolet confirmed today it will add a diesel variant to the Cruze lineup in North America in calendar year 2013.  Diesel versions of the Cruze are currently being sold in Europe. Additional details …

(PR NewsWire/– Prior studies failed to compare land use predictions to historical data
A new study published in the July 2011 Biomass and Bioenergy Journal on indirect land use change (ILUC) due to biofuels production indicates that the …

by Jonathan Williams  (Algae Industry Magazine)  Brian Goodall, the Vice President of Business Development at SRS Energy, spoke at the 1st International Conference on Algal Biomass, Biofuels, and Bioproducts on how their company is moving towards …

(Department of Energy/Los Alamos National Laboratory/EurekAlert!)  LANL molecular model helps expose cellulose weakness
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory and Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center have found a potential key for …

(MyCentralOregon)  Legislation introduced by Senator Ron Wyden and Michigan’s Debbie Stabenow to promote the implementation of viable alternatives to oil passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Thursday.
Wyden said the Alternative Fuels Vehicles Competitiveness …

by Luke Geiver (Biorefining Magazine)  The link between increased insecticide use and landscape simplification has now been documented by a team of researchers from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.
…But, while the research showed the …