by Andy Giegerich  (Sustainable Business Oregon)  A top Portland biodiesel producer has landed waste cooking oil recycling agreements with several landmark Seattle institutions.
It helps that those institutions, particularly the Seattle Mariners’ Safeco Field and the …

by Ayesha Rascoe (Reuters)  * Wyden says committee will explore ethanol mandate
* Energy committee to look at gasoline prices this Spring
* Lawmakers introduced bill ending corn ethanol targets
The chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Despite the sluggish economic recovery and questions over policy stability — biofuels ventures have been busy raising lots of capital.   In the past 6 months, $434 million.   Who got what, …

by Amy Harder (National Journal)  As policy makers in Washington DC and across the country confront the costly consequences of mandating renewable fuels, some have suggested a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) as an alternative. …

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 …

by Katie Feherenbacher  (Gigaom)  Companies that are still looking to produce biofuels from plant waste (and not corn) are making slow, but steady progress on milestones in 2013.
On Monday, KiOR, which was largely funded by …

Interest in producing greater amounts and a wider array of bio-based fuels and chemicals products from non-traditional renewable feedstocks such as algal and terrestrial biomass continues to surge, driven by higher prices for traditional commodity …

(PR NewsWire/ZeaChem)  Facility will prove biorefining process for commercial-scale production
ZeaChem Inc., developer of highly-efficient biorefineries, today announced that it has produced commercial-grade cellulosic chemicals and ethanol at its 250,000 gallons per year (GPY) biorefinery in Boardman, …

(SFN Today)  At the North Carolina Board of Agriculture’s meeting on Tuesday, whether or not to classify Arundo donax as a noxious weed in the state was at the top of the agenda. Vernon Cox, …

by SeQuential-Pacific Biodiesel  (Biodiesel Magazine)    …Beginning March 1, SeQuential-Pacific Biodiesel, the Northwest’s longest-running commercial biodiesel producer, is returning to 99 percent biodiesel blends (B99) at its local retail outlets after offering B50 for the colder …

by Christina Williams  (Sustainable Business Oregon)  Proponents of Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program cosponsored an event in Salem Wednesday with Drive Oregon that brought a troupe of electric vehicles to the Capitol in Salem.
On the heels …

by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest)  An obscure EPA ruling may change the economics of ethanol production, forever — who wins, who loses, what’s the investor’s bottom line?
Just before Christmas, the EPA issued a final rule, …

by Gavin Carpenter (Oregon Live/The Oregonian)  As a growing Oregon company committed to creating jobs and propelling our state’s transportation industry into the future, we were disappointed to see The Oregonian’s shortsighted stance on the …

by Luke Geiver (Biomass Magazine)  Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber believes energy is the issue of our time, and to address the issue, he has released a 10-year Energy Action Plan. The 48-page plan, put together …

(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 …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On Dec. 7, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission elected to begin implementation of the state’s Clean Fuels Program. A spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality confirmed the commission …

(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 …

(AP/Oregon Live)  Portland General Electric is in its second year of testing the giant cane known as Arundo donax as a potential replacement for coal at the Boardman Power Plant.
But the utility is also looking …

by Peter Hemphill (Grain & Hay WeeklyTimes) An American biofuels company is looking to build a refinery in Australia to produce ethanol from wheat straw and other residues.
…Investors in the biorefineries include Australia’s Macquarie Bank and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In the biofuels revolution, the primary focus has been not on producing methanol (and, ultimately, gasoline) from syngas, but primarily on the production of ethanol. Three of the major …

by Andrew Theen (The Oregonian)  Biodiesel is a popular alternative for some drivers who want to save money at the pump and put spent vegetable oil to good use. Making the fuel at home is …

(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 …

(ZeaChem)  ZeaChem Inc., developer of highly-efficient biorefineries, today announced that it has completed construction of its 250,000 gallons per year (GPY) cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in Boardman, Oregon. The project was completed on budget and is …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …(California Energy) Commission staff have proposed a $4.6 million award to ZeaChem for the development of a pilot plant at its Menlo Park, Calif. research and development (R&D) facility to scale …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …Are they biofuels? We think so – even if they are post-biomass. They do what organisms have done for eons to make biomass in the first place: convert lifeless CO2, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Every biofuels contender has its own route to the top – with unique advantages and technical challenges.  Who is nearing the Summit, what’s their Hillary Step, who’s got Sherpas, who’s …

(Oregon State University)  The same “green revolution” concepts that have revolutionized crop agriculture and helped to feed billions of people around the world may now offer similar potential in forestry, scientists say, with benefits for …

(Associated Press/Washington Post)  Wet winters and cool, dry summers make Oregon’s Willamette Valley one of the best places on the globe to produce seeds for organic broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and a variety of …

(Oregon State University)  Diatoms, tiny marine life forms that have been around since the dinosaurs, could finally make biofuel production from algae truly cost-effective – because they can simultaneously produce other valuable products such as …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Despite low levels of publicity, North Dakota and Montana are making great strides in bioeconomy development – with a combination of strong R&D, feedstock abundance and some hot processing technologies.
…The …

(National Science Foundation)  The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced 15 Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) grants for fiscal year 2012, awarding nearly $30 million to 68 investigators at 26 institutions.
During the next …

by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine)  Jeff Rola of Go Bio is a grease collector in central Oregon who has beaten out much bigger competitors such as Baker to secure 50 percent of the used cooking …

(Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  Cleaner, more sustainable, more climate-friendly, more affordable advanced biofuels are closer to reality than many outside the industry seem to think. At least three new, advanced biofuel biorefineries are being …

by Ian C. Campbell (The Oregonian) …A new $6 million federal grant to develop jet fuel and clean diesel from grass and sugarcane could help. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture money to researchers at Oregon State University, the …

(Biotechnology Industry Organization)  BIO recently introduced a picture book of biorefineries across the United States,“Visible Progress in Commercialization of Advanced Biofuels, Biobased Products and Renewable Chemicals”, which showcases commercial, demonstration and even new pilot facilities. Some of …

(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 Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine)  …A new project underway by three companies in Portland focuses on the co-location of grease recycling, biodiesel production and distribution operations. Once complete, the collaborative initiative will allow all three …

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 …

(Trillium FiberFuels Inc./Biorefining Magazine)  A team of scientists from Trillium FiberFuels and Oregon State University has been awarded a Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the U.S. DOE to further develop innovative enzymes that could …

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 Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Companies like KiOR, ZeaChem, Virent take aim at a tasty aviation biofuels market with new recipes and game-changing economics
…If you can produce in-spec, sustainable, low-carbon, renewable jet fuel at $3.32 …

(MarketWatch)  ZeaChem Commences USDA-Funded Initiative to Build a Bioenergy Industry in the Pacific Northwest
ZeaChem Inc., a developer of biorefineries for the conversion of renewable biomass into sustainable fuels and chemicals, today announced that it has …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA has approved a conditional commitment in the amount of $232.5 million to ZeaChem Boardman Biorefinery, LLC (ZBB) through the Biorefinery Assistance Program. ZBB …

by Erin Voegele (Biorefining Magazine)  …During a presentation at the 2012 Pacific West Biomass Conference & Tradeshow, Christine Kelly, an associate professor of chemical, biological and environmental engineering at Oregon State University, outlined the achievements …

by Sean Meyers (Sustainable Business Oregon)  Arundo donax has passed its first test as a possible biofuel alternative to coal being burned at Portland General Electric’s Boardman power plant.
Farmers and researchers in eastern Oregon and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  ZeaChem launches its 250,000 gallon per year core process.  How could this possibly matter, in the context of a 500 million gallon cellulosic biofuels target for 2012, that was waived …

by Ross Courtney (The Seattle Times/Yakima Herald-Republic)  …”You get down to it, it’s dirty work,” said Steve Fransen, a research agronomist at the Washington State University Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center.
He means research, not …

(Green Car Congress)  A new study by economists at Oregon State University questions the cost-effectiveness of current biofuels and says they would barely reduce fossil fuel use and would likely increase greenhouse gas emissions. The researchers focused …

by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine)  …The company’s community-scale model is paying off as the plant reached a milestone surpassing its 10 millionth gallon of biodiesel produced from used cooking oil.
The plant, which officially came online …

(R&D)  In May a team of researchers led by Rick Meilan, associate professor of forestry and natural resources, began a five-year study to determine the viability of poplar species as an ethanol feedstock and cash crop for …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …There’s a rumor going around the biofuels and biomaterials business that today represents one of the most difficult periods to raise capital. Apparently, the rumors did not reach ZeaChem, Chromatin …

by Amelia Templeton  (EarthFix)  In a study published today in Nature Climate Change, researchers at OSU suggest that efforts to thin Northwest forests to reduce the risk of wildfire and create biofuels could have an unintended consequence: …

(BusinessWire/Yahoo!Finance)  Air Force Purchase is for Jet Engine Testing and Feasibility Flight Demonstration
Gevo, Inc., a leading renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels company, received a $5 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) …

(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 …

(Trillium FiberFuels/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Trillium FiberFuels Inc. has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research grant to further its work in developing innovative technologies for creating fuel-grade ethanol from straw and other biomass.  This latest …

(Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance)  The Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance, alongside SBA Business Member companies in three states unveiled the first retail locations scored through the Sustainability Report Card for biodiesel at the nozzle.
SBA Business members participated in …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  ZeaChem Inc. announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Chrysler Group LLC to accelerate the commercialization of its cellulosic ethanol process and to assist in establishing a …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …But a new generation of technologies is coming along fast, primarily in advanced biofuels, which is gasifying biomass at the front end along its path towards making fuels, chemicals or …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today the creation of four additional Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) project areas in six states to expand the availability of non-food crops to be …

(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 …

With an exclusive focus on biomass utilization in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Nevada, the Pacific West Biomass Conference & Trade Show is a dynamic regional offshoot of Biorefining Magazine and Biomass Power & Thermal magazine’s International Biomass Conference & …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  Today (June 29, 2011)  U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tom Carper (D-DE), Tom Udall (D-NM) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced the Oil Independence for a Stronger America Act today in an effort …

(The Oregonian)  …the Tsunami, recently won the most prestigious national honor awarded by Sea Scouts: the position of National Flagship. The award recognizes program quality, youth achievement and adult commitment, and is given to just …

(Yahoo!Finance/BusinessWire)   ZeaChem Inc., a developer of biorefineries for the conversion of renewable biomass into sustainable fuels and chemicals, today announced it has signed a long-term binding term sheet with GreenWood Tree Farm Fund (GTFF), managed …

(Climate Solutions)  Alaska Airlines, The Boeing Company, Port of Seattle, Port of Portland, Spokane International Airport, and Washington State University have initiated a strategic stakeholder process to develop a “Flight Path” (action plan)  to produce …

(National Biodiesel Board)  Oregon is about to become the second state to require that most of the diesel sold there contain at least 5 percent biodiesel (B5). The National Biodiesel Board applauded the state on …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …The Portland-based company, once known as Plas2Fuel, is developing a novel, scalable technology that converts difficult-to-recycle waste plastics into synthetic sweet crude oil. Last year, it received TechAmerica’s 2010 Cool …

by Dean Brickley  (East Oregonian)  Zea-Chem’s cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant is more than one-third finished.
Builders erected three 40,000-gallon fermentation tanks this week and continued bolting together the steel structure for the two-story operations building.
Excavation began …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)   But this week in the little burgh of Boardman, Oregon (population 3,300), which happens to sit adjacent to the second-largest inland port in the western United States (the port …

by Andrew Kaiser (OregonLive.com)   …America is addicted to cars.
And why shouldn’t we be? Cars get us where we want to go quickly and safely. Cars offer enjoyment and, like the clothes we wear, can …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  As the pulp and paper industry reels from the internet’s impact, biofuels and renewable chemicals are offering value-adds, waste remediation, and new markets
In Florida, the affable Rod Young, perhaps the …

by Nathalie Weinstein (Daily Journal of Commerce Oregon)  Research into sugar-based biofuels requires sugar not sold at a grocery store.
Corvallis start-up Trillium FiberFuels for the last five years has been developing cellulosic ethanol technology that uses xylose, …

By Ron Kotrba  (Biodiesel Magazine)  The Oregon agriculture department’s measurement standards division issued notice yesterday that its in-state biodiesel production threshold of 15 MMgy was recently met, triggering Oregon’s B5 mandate.  Come April 1, all diesel …

by Merry MacKinnon (Pamplin Media Group)  …Jana Gastellum, global warming program director for the Oregon Environmental Council, says the sustainable approach to making biodiesel for heavier vehicles and ethanol for passenger cars is to concentrate …

(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 …

by Brooke Coleman (NewFuelsAlliance/Biofuels Digest)   …(W)hat’s good and what needs to be fixed in the LCFS? Where should the biofuels industry be happy, be  hopeful, or be hopping mad? Brooke Coleman of the New Fuels Alliance …

by Cathy Kessinger (TriCity Herald)  A $1.3 million grant from Connect Oregon will help Tidewater Terminal Co. expand its facility in Umatilla, company officials said Monday.

The company will install a new 1.26 million-gallon tank at Umatilla. …

by Paul R. Woodin (OregonLive.com/Community Renewable Energy Association)   …One of the topics sure to be front and center next year will be the topic of federal and state incentives for the renewable energy industry. Opponents …

(EIN News/USDA)   …USDA announced assistance under the Recovery Act for 334 broadband expansions designed to reach more than 6 million people and 250,000 businesses in rural and remote areas.
…By launching the USDA led effort “Know …

by Nathalie Weinstein (Daily Journal of Commerce: Oregon)   Large basins of fermented sugars are brewing at Trillium FiberFuels in Corvallis. But this brew isn’t beer; it’s cellulosic ethanol, a promising biofuel that the start-up company says …

by Dana Tims (The Oregonian)  …They propose breaking ground next year on a $25 million bioenergy park somewhere in the Willamette Valley.
The multi-faceted facility would convert straw and other waste materials into saleable products such …

by Emma Jackson (WardsAuto.com)   First scotch, now vodka.  William Chase, founder of Chase Vodka, has launched a plan to convert waste potatoes from his U.K. distillery into a high-grade biofuel for vehicles.
“We have known for a …

(EERE)  ZeaChem, Inc. held a groundbreaking ceremony on June 2 for a new cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in Boardman, Oregon. Cellulosic ethanol is ethanol produced from non-edible biomass sources, such as agricultural residues, trees, or grasses. The …

Join us for a power-packed event as we bring together industry leaders for a one day Summit on biomass energy. You will learn about the opportunities that biomass derived fuels create, followed on Day 2 …