by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The Renewable Fuels Association has spoken out to criticize a study published by Rice University and the University of California-Davis that claims climate change will increase irrigation costs for …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …The stock has not recovered much — but it’s remarkable the progress the company has made, all the same. Analysts are now expecting the company to bring its first production …

(Kansas City Star/Associated Press)  A St. Louis-based rental car company has announced a $2 million gift to the University of Missouri.
The donation from Enterprise Holdings Foundation, the philanthropic arm of St. Louis-based Enterprise car-rental company, …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  Supplying high-quality feedstock for use in a broad range of sustainable conversion processes to produce advanced biofuels is a complex, multi-step process. Each step in the feedstock supply and logistics chain—from …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …As can be seen in the research by Perrine, Negi, and Sayre — a more optimal light distribution strategy is available to algae but they don’t take it, because they …

(U.S. Energy Information Administration/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Beginning in summer 2012, the prices of ethanol and corn reached levels where production costs at relatively simple ethanol plants exceeded revenue. These simple plants, which are not able …

(Biomass Magazine)  Applied Research Associates Inc. and Blue Sun Energy Inc. are partnering to develop a demonstration-scale facility to scale up the Biofuels Isoconversion Process system using technology developed by ARA and Chevron Lummus Global. …

(Rockwood Summit High School/Biodiesel Magazine)  Students at Rockwood Summit High School in Missouri are asking the community to support their plans to build a renewable fuel education center. Among the fundraising efforts, students are selling …

(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 Jeffrey Tomich (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)  …A local hub for biofuels research is the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in Creve Coeur. Much of the biofuels work there is funded by the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable …

by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine)  … Blue Sun Biodiesel CEO Leigh Freeman said his company will immediately invest payments from credits earned in 2012 to advance its next-generation biofuel technologies.
…Specifically, Blue Sun is investing in a …

Now in its 29th year, the FEW provides the global ethanol industry with cutting-edge content and unparalleled networking opportunities in a dynamic business-to-business environment. The FEW is the largest, longest running ethanol conference in the …

(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 …

(ICM)  ICM, Inc. announces that it successfully completed its 1,000-hour run of an integrated fiber campaign conducted at its pilot plant in St. Joseph, Missouri. ICM has developed and validated its proprietary Generation 1.5 Integrated …

(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 …

(USDA Agricultural Research Service)  From 1850 to 1950, the Tri-State Mining District of southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and northeastern Oklahoma produced 50 percent of the zinc and 10 percent of the lead in the United …

by Ron Kotrba  (Biodiesel Magazine)  In Fenton, Mo., Rockwood Summit High School students and chemistry teacher Darrin Peters have taken hands-on learning to a whole new level with biodiesel production. The journey began five years …

(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 …

by  Kristofor Husted (KBIA)  In the parched, rolling hills of western Missouri, you might expect to see a desolate scene after this summer’s drought. But in this field, hip-high native grass sways across the landscape like …

(Missouri University of Science & Technology)  Biofuel production can be an expensive process that requires considerable use of fossil fuels, but a Missouri University of Science and Technology microbiologist’s patented process could reduce the cost …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …Like many states (or countries) that have limited oil reserves or reserves that are economically unfeasible to extract at this time – the path to energy independence lies generally in …

by Amir Kurtovic (St. Louis Business Journal)  …A team of University of Missouri researchers has won a $5.4 million grant to study alternative biofuels that do not impact the already strained food supply.
…Shibu Jose and his …

(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 …

(Yahoo!/PRWeb)  The Doe Run Company is participating in a pilot project with MFA Oil Biomass LLC and Missouri University of Science and Technology to plant Miscanthus grass to help transform mine tailings sites into potential biofuel crop sites.
The Doe Run Company is participating …

(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)  …Here we are, some 30+ years into the era of genetic modification of crops. The primary breadbasket of the world, the United States, is experiencing its most severe drought conditions …

by Jill Bock  (Standard Democrat/Southeast Missourian)  …Southeast Missouri State University’s Department of Agriculture hosted a grand opening ceremony for its Biomass/Biofuels Research and Demonstration Field at Southeast’s Sikeston campus Thursday morning. A $200,000 two-year grant …

by Tim Bryant   (STLToday.com)   The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is among five recipients of a $12.1 million federal grant to develop drought-tolerant grass as a sustainable source of biofuel.
Developing bioenergy grasses with …

by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine)  While the drought in the U.S. is beginning to take a significant toll on some of the nation’s crops—particularly in the Midwest and the Corn Belt—it seems most energy crops …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Out of 430 Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) awards announced by the USDA June 25, four were for blender pumps or flex fuel pumps. In all, projects in …

(CLC bio)  Today CLC bio and the International Laboratory for Tropical Agricultural Biotechnology (ILTAB) at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, announced a collaboration to benefit the Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa project (VIRCA), a partnership including researchers …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Section 9011 of the Farm Bill – the Biomass Crop Assistance Program – USDA deploys $9.6M in new investments in bioenergy crops as questions revolve around the program’s future and …

by Marc Gunther (GreenBiz.com)  St. Louis doesn’t turn up on lists of America’s most innovative cities. But when it comes to plants, the city matters, thanks in part to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. And if …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Corn ethanol and cellulosic ethanol have previously been viewed as entirely separate products which will be manufactured by two unique types of producers, but the concept of integrating cellulosic …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Most of the stories we write at the Digest on the subject of biofuels feedstocks fall into the well-established realms of normal. But every once in  a while, a feedstock …

by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register)  Cellulosic ethanol could use a break, and it appears that the U.S. military may be riding to the rescue.
A Missouri cooperative called (what else?) ShowMe Energy is building an …

by Steve Everly (Kansas City Star)  Ethanol industry pushes for the state to step up from the E10 blend now offered. But automakers warn of engine damage, voided warranties.
…E10 will still be available, and selling …

by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register)  Fuel for carriers, jets adds demand for biofuel source other than corn
A Missouri cooperative called (what else?) ShowMe Energy is building an $80 million, 3 million gallon facility that …

by Jacob Barker (Columbia Tribune)  Despite large cuts to the federal program supporting it and concerns from some groups about environmental impacts, a project to begin growing a giant perennial grass to serve as a …

by Tim Hoskins  (Iowa Farmer Today)  Blender gas pumps are viewed as one way to increase ethanol sales and allow for a transition to higher ethanol-blended gasoline.
A blender pump is connected to two fuel tanks, …

by Diana Lutz (Washington University)  Custom-designed organism could break the stalemate in the algal fuel industry
…(T)he Department of Energy has funded a three-university collaboration led by Washington University in St. Louis to approach the problem …

by Luke Geiver (Biorefining Magazine)  For all the gripes, some government-backed programs are working
… (Founder of Westar Trade Resources, Cindy) Thyfault speaks with Biorefining Magazine about the programs that have worked to fund the economic needs …

(Department of Energy/ARPA-E)  ARPA-E Projects in 25 States Will Accelerate Innovation in Clean Energy Technologies, Increase America’s Competitiveness and Create Jobs
Arun Majumdar, Director of the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), today announced …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today (September 27, 2011) announced that USDA will make payments to more than 160 energy producers in 41 states to support and ensure the production and expansion …

by Seth Meyer and Wyatt Thompson  (FarmDocDaily/University of Illinois)   …Biofuel mandates are directly relevant for biofuel producers, and indirectly important to feedstock markets. Biofuel refiners sell outputs that serve fuel blenders in two ways. …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Thirty-three projects in 22 states have been approved for blender pump grants in the latest round of funding to be dispersed through the USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program. …

by Ann Perry (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service)  A commercial enzyme could reduce overall costs linked with producing ethanol from grain, and also reduce associated emissions of greenhouse gases, according to a study …

by Cindy Zimmerman  (DomesticFuel.com)  Missouri has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the leader in ethanol blender pumps.
During the Missouri State Fair, an official from USDA’s Rural Development agency paid a visit …

by Kevin M. Smith (the Kearney Courier)  Area drivers with fuel flex cars now have more options at the pump.
Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative announced recently that its new blender pumps at Platte-Clay Fuels in Kearney and …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  …On Friday, the new biodiesel station at exit 175 in New Florence held its official grand opening, offering a variety of home grown choices for diesel vehicle drivers.
“We have ten pumps, …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The USDA’s Aug. 17 announcement of 900 Rural Energy for America Program grants included just 21 awards for blender pumps. USDA officials promise, however, that more funding is on …

by Steve Everly (Kansas City Star)  Say “biofuel,” and most people think “ethanol.” But someday they might think “algae-diesel.” And if they do, Missouri is likely to have helped make it happen.
The idea of turning …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  The Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory is looking for the best biofuels crops to grow in the northeast Illinois Indian Creek Watershed.
During a recent field tour of the watershed sponsored by …

by Jonathan Williams (Algae Industry Magazine)   Dr. Richard Sayre keeps his plate full as both the Director of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, and as …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA and DOE have awarded 10 grants totaling $12.2 million to spur research into improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of growing biofuel and bioenergy …

(Southeast Farm Press/National Corn Growers Association)  The study, which utilized Texas A&M University’s Agricultural & Food Policy Center’s premier farm-level modeling system and data from the University of Missouri’s Food & Agricultural Policy Research Institute, …

by Megan Cassidy  (Columbia Missourian)  Shibu Jose and his team believe that today’s soggy river bottoms could be untapped grounds for the largest advanced biofuel economy in the nation.
Jose, director for MU’s Center for Agroforestry, is …

Whether you buy or sell farm equipment, the Western Farm Show is the place to be every February. Our show features aisles and aisles of the latest farm and livestock equipment, buildings, fertilizer, feed, seed …

Introducing a world-class event that brings together the very latest in equipment, technology and ideas from all areas of agriculture production—all around the globe.
AG CONNECT Expo & Summit offers a preview of what’s to come …

(American Agriculturalist)  New York and Maryland fairs are first-comers to USB’s Green Ribbon Fairs program.
This summer, the United Soybean Board and state soybean boards in nine states are kicking off the Green Ribbon Fairs project …

by Jacob Barker (The Columbia Daily Tribune)  Policies fueled the boom in industry.
Federal subsidies for ethanol push up ethanol production and the price of corn, according to a report released today (June 27, 2011) from …

(US Department of Energy)  The U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Biomass Program will be conducting detailed biennial peer review meetings of its activities throughout the first half …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Projects Further Obama Administration’s Effort to Produce Clean Home-Grown Energy, Create Sustainable Rural Jobs
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today the establishment of four additional Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) project areas …

(Show Me Energy)  The Council on Sustainable Biomass Production (CSBP) congratulates the Show Me Energy Cooperative for its selection by USDA as the first Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) project area.
The designation creates a “fuel …

(PRLog)  To kick off the algae collecting season, the Saint Louis Science Center and the Center for Advanced Biofuel Systems at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center are hosting the 2nd annual Algaepalooza.
Algae have significant …

by John Pepitone  (FOX4KC.com)   As part of the government’s strategy to help control fuel prices, Uncle Sam wants drivers to use a blend of ethanol called E-85, which is a lot cheaper than regular …

by Steve Everly and Scott Canon  (Kansas City Star)  This country’s battle to curb oil imports is being plotted in high-tech laboratories and elite universities hunting for breakthroughs in alternative fuels.
But the frontlines in the …

(University of Missouri)  Food prices could increase by more than 4 percent in 2011 as the farm sector recovers from a sharp downturn in the recession, University of Missouri economists reported to Congress.
An annual MU FAPRI …

(VermontBiz.com)  Saint Michael’s College biologist Dr Mark Lubkowitz and his students join a team of researchers from the University of Missouri, University of Florida, Purdue University and the University Nebraska-Lincoln, on a five-year project to …

The 1st International Conference on Algal Biomass, Biofuels and Bioproducts provides a new level of direct interaction between the leaders in the scientific field, the strategic partners and the attending delegates. Emphasis will be placed …

(USDA) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced new investments in 33 states to support the production and usage of advanced biofuels. Vilsack highlighted these projects as ways the Obama Administration is working to reduce the …

Experts from across the country will discuss the role of bioenergy crops for meeting renewable energy goals at the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry’s second annual symposium, Jan. 12, 2011.
The program, “Meeting Renewable Energy …

by Brian Hansen  (Platts)  Republican leaders in the US Congress said Tuesday after a private meeting with President Barack Obama that they plan to focus on tax issues before legislators adjourn for the year, but …

(The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center)    National  Method employs cost saving catalyst and produces useful byproducts
The National Alliance for Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB), a consortium of leading scientists and engineers from universities, private industry, and national …

(AP/KSPR)  …Wesley Mueller, Southeast professor of agriculture, said sorghum grown at the university farm in the future could produce 500 gallons of ethanol per acre. These figures rapidly outpace corn, which generally yields 235 gallons …

(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 …

by Cindy Zimmerman  (DomesticFuel)  …“While sweet corn isn’t something we normally plant in these fields, we realize there are people in our community and in the city facing tough times,” said Billy Thiel, MCGA board …

(ICM)  , Inc. is pleased to announce that it has signed a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to receive $25 million to fund the construction and operation of its cellulosic ethanol …

by Samantha Sunne (The Maneater)   Researchers at the biofuel lab have found a way to skip the drying step.
MU researchers have found a way to convert the coffee grounds commonly found in beverages into biodiesel …

Wood with altered properties and cheaper ethanol through more efficient production are two possibilities as a result of a find by a biologist at Washington University in St. Louis.   Erik Nielsen, Ph.D., Washington University adjunct …