Articles in Pennsylvania
by Katy Stech (The Wall Street Journal) Struggling Fuel-Making Facilities Are in Danger of Falling to Liquidators Before Market Recovers
When the New Energy Corp. ethanol plant in South Bend, Ind., was idled by its bankruptcy …
(Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold two public hearings in April on the Tier 3 proposed rulemaking aimed at addressing the impacts of motor vehicles on air quality and public …
We are pleased to announce that the 2013 conference will be held at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, co-hosted by Chatham University. Taking advantage of the tremendous social, geographical, and environmental opportunities that the greater Pittsburgh …
by Zack Coleman (The Hill E2Wire) Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) filed two amendments to a $984 billion government funding bill on Thursday that would gut the military’s alternative fuels program.
The amendments already are drawing criticism …
by Daniel Ciolkosz (Pennsylvania State University) …The sizes of the molecules in biodiesel and petroleum diesel are about the same, but they differ in chemical structure. Biodiesel molecules consist almost entirely of chemicals called fatty …
Energypath is an annual five-day conference that brings together thought leaders in industry, academia, government, and finance to deliver critical knowledge and independent analysis on future trends in sustainable energy technologies, policies and markets. …
(Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania)
The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s (BFTP/NEP) Board of Directors has approved the investment of $354,876 in support of regional economic development. BFTP/NEP’s goal is to help …
By Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Thanks to Lee Publications, the organizers of farm shows up and down the mid-Atlantic, for donation of booth space at the “farm show for farmers,” Keystone Farm Show 2013. …
by Alexandra Duszak (PublicIntegrity.org) When Pennsylvanians agreed to a massive increase in natural gas drilling in the state, they were told that the economic benefit would outweigh any potential risk to the environment.
The drilling employs …
(US Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited a state-of-the-art bioindustrial facility at Renmatix today, where he announced $25 million to fund research and development of next-generation renewable energy and high-value biobased products from …
(Renmatix/Sacramento Bee) Building on success in hardwood, Philadelphia-based Renmatix adds on-site capability to convert multiple local and international feedstocks to cellulosic sugar
Renmatix, the leading manufacturer of cellulosic sugars for biobased chemical and fuel markets, welcomed …
(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 Diana Nelson Jones (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) … Ting Yen stores about 35 pounds of used oil a day in the basement of Sushi Fuku on Oakland Avenue, including contributions from the owner of Oishii Bento …
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) The United Nation’s emphasis of “Sustainable Energy for All” (SE4All) in 2012 wrapped up with a decision to continue the focus with a Sustainable Energy for All Decade. The …
(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 …
(Pennsylvania State University) The Northeast could help lead the way to a renewable-energy-based economy by utilizing marginal and abandoned land to grow energy crops such as perennial grasses and fast-growing woody plants.
That’s the goal of …
(Primus Green Energy) New Northeast Consortium Tasked With Developing Perennial Biomass Feedstock Production Systems
As part of its continued effort to drive the commercialization of alternative fuels, Primus Green Energy Inc. an alternative fuel company based …
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, …
(Renmatix) U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) visits facility to discuss job creation and growth of biobased markets
Renmatix, the leading manufacturer of cellulosic sugars for biobased chemical and fuel markets, marked the opening of a new …
(Renmatix) Companies embark on program to explore viability of MSW as inputs for PlantroseTM process
Waste Management, Inc.
, the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services, and Renmatix, the leading manufacturer of biobased sugar intermediates for …
(Genuine Bio-Fuel/Biodiesel Magazine) Genuine Bio-Fuel Inc., headquartered in Indiantown, Fla., expands its operations to Lincoln Park, N.J., with the build-out of a state-of-the-art biodiesel refinery at the Lincoln Park Airport, while creating15 to 30 new …
The Keystone Farm Show is the fastest growing farm show on the East Coast! Started in January of 1998 to address the needs of agrimarketers in the Mid-Atlantic area, the show has nearly tripled in …
(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 Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As bio-based companies race across the Valley of Death, in the dash for scale, who’s getting financing now, and how?
The path to financing success in bio-based project development used to …
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 Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) He was dressed like an executive; dark suit, white shirt, tie, and struggling to get a poster board out of the back of an SUV as his mother tried …
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) EnergyPath, a project of the Sustainable Energy Fund, provides a unique conference/workshop event to promote implementation of sustainable energy in Pennsylvania, in the broadest sense. Founded in 1999 via …
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 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 Brittany Boyer (WJAC TV) Pennsylvania Grain Processing has officially closed on the purchase of the former Bionol Ethanol plant in Clearfield.
According to a news release obtained by 6 News, production at the plant is …
by Bryan Sims (Biorefining Magazine) The biorefining industry is hungry for a low-cost, high-quality and readily available supply of sugar feedstock from nonfood biomass sources. A number of pure-play sugar technology developers and manufacturers like …
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Bio-Energy Holdings Inc. has developed a brown grease collection process unit available for restaurants, trademarked the A-Ceptor, to help avoid clogged grease traps, fines and sewer problems. The unit, …
Alternative Fuels Renewable Energies Council’s Annual Sustainability Summit – Where corporate representatives, government officials, and financial partners convene to collaborate and form strategic alliances that promote and market sustainable products, programs, projects and initiatives.
Speakers:
Katherine Neal Blue, Managing Director, …
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) A new study released today by the Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) indicates that a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states could result in doubling gasoline prices and other negative …
by Jim Martin (Erie Times-News) U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack knows gas prices are high.
…But Vilsack, a Pittsburgh native, said prices could be a lot worse.
In an interview with the Erie Times-News, Vilsack said Tuesday …
by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine) The distribution of biodiesel-blended fuels for both on- and off-road applications in the Northeast just got easier as Lancaster, Pa.-based fuel dealer AMERIgreen Energy Inc., in partnership with International Petroleum …
Come explore the future of energy at Energypath 2012. Conference and Expo June 28 & 29 2012 • Pre Conference Energy Camps June 25-27 held at DeSales University. During the week at Energypath, professional educators learn side by side with …
by Martin LaMonica (CNET) For a new crop of biofuel companies, ethanol is out and “biogasoline” is in.
One of them is Primus Green Energy, which plans to open a demonstration plant by the end of the …
by Jeff Corcino (The Progress News) The Bionol Clearfield ethanol plant could have some potential buyers. At last night’s meeting of the Clearfield Lawrence Township Joint Airport Authority, manager Richard Shaffer said he has received …
(Iowa State University) Now, an Iowa State University-based study over the next five years will examine whether a single, coordinated production system can address all of these concerns while making profits for producers.
A multi-state, interdisciplinary …
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 Jeremy Hsu (MSNBC) Engineer says cheap biodiesel can be made on any scale year-round — he just needs cash
The biofuel farm contained only a small wind turbine, solar panel and container of green scum …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The first gas fermentation technology to come to the public markets: Coskata files its $100 million IPO. Here’s our 10-minute version of the filing, with a translation of the risks …
(Science Daily) …But how the sucrose produced in the leaves via photosynthesis is delivered to the transporters that move it into the phloem has remained a mystery. Thus, a critical piece of the molecular pump …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Idled ethanol plant Bionol Clearfield LLC is working to get approval to sell some of the water it would be using for ethanol production to sell to the …
by Carrin Hall (Energy Digital) As the natural gas industry targets vehicles, what will happen to biofuels development?
Clean Energy Fuels, a leading natural gas provider in Seal Beach, has teamed up with Quarles Petroleum Inc. …
by Carole Duran (Reading Eagle.com) Berks County Intermediate Unit has been awarded a $100,000 Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection to continue offsetting the difference in diesel and biodiesel fuel costs.
…The grant …
by Stephen J. Pytak (RepublicanHerald.com) A company is planning to start up the first biodiesel plant in Schuylkill County, which will convert food waste oil into biodiesel fuel.
Borough officials have been in talks with NAGSCO …
By Richelle Gonzalez (Severna Park Patch) University of Maryland researcher says algae could remove pollutants from agricultural wastewater.
The Eastern Shore is known for vast soybean and corn farms, but if Patrick Kangas had his …
(Coskata) With More than 15,000 Run Hours, Company Focus Turns to Commercial Scale Facilities
Coskata, Inc., a developer of technology for the production of advanced biofuels and biochemicals from biomass and waste materials, achieved two …
(Enhanced Online News) Primus Green Energy (“Primus”), the leader in renewable, drop-in fuel, successfully proved its pilot scale production is capable of producing “drop-in” standard gasoline that achieves 25 percent longer runtime than regular unleaded …
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) The Energy Cooperative, a Philadelphia-based member-owned nonprofit, has launched an initiative to encourage the use of Bioheat. To kick off the Clean Heat initiative, The Energy Co-op is holding a …
(The Weekly) Company to Direct Manufacturing for Nutraceutical, Pharmaceutical and Bio-Fuel Industry
Bard Holding Inc., a U.S. based algae production company, announced the opening of its Calhoun, Georgia facility, the first of multiple manufacturing sites the …
by Jeff Mulhollem and Chuck Gill (Penn State/Gant Daily) A forest products researcher in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is playing a role in a national effort to gauge the viability of a novel …
(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 …
(PR Newswire/Renmatix) Kleiner Perkins’ John Doerr, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett, and Amyris CEO John Melo laud company’s novel use of super critical water
Renmatix, the leading producer of cellulosic sugars, today unveiled the Plantrose™ process, the …
by Matthew L. Wald (New York Times) A Georgia company says it has overcome a major roadblock in turning agricultural waste into vehicle fuel and other useful chemicals by experimenting with a technology that treats …
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) The International Biorefining Conference & Trade Show in Houston wasn’t exclusively about biobased chemicals and next-gen biofuels. In fact, the event featured two speakers who presented novel biodiesel technologies that …
by Tom Shortell (LehighValleyLive.com) A New Jersey company is considering building a biorefinery in Plainfield Township that would convert tall grass and wood pellets into fuel, but no official plans have been submitted to the township.
Primus …
Learn and Connect
Presented by the National Biodiesel Board and Biodiesel Magazine, Bioheat Northeast will include a comprehensive agenda focusing on federal, state and local biodiesel oilheat mandates, as well as technical solutions for biodiesel storing, blending, and …
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 …
Monica Von Dobeneck (The Patriot-News /PennLive.c0m) Ben Wooten is doubling his workforce, quadrupling his space and increasing his production tenfold at his Keystone BioFuels in Lower Allen Twp. Not bad in a stagnant economy, …
by David Hughes (Post Carbon Institute) This week the USGS released anew assessment of gas resources in the Marcellus Shale, Appalachian Basin. The report is a reasonable effort by the USGS to sort out some …
(The Pew Charitable Trusts) This week, former Navy secretary and U.S. senator John W. Warner (R-Va.) is traveling with Vice Adm. Dennis V. McGinn (Ret.), vice chairman of the CNA Military Advisory Board, as part …
by Lindsay Derba (PopCityMedia) Andrew Butcher, 30, co-founded GTECH, one of Pittsburgh’s premier green economy initiatives, along with his partner, Chris Koch. The nonprofit aims to help Pittsburgh grow by transforming vacant land, connecting people to …
by Walt Frank (Altoona Mirror) Cars and trucks are capable of running on E-10 gasoline – gas that contains 10 percent ethanol – but it may not be so good for boats and other machinery …
(ABC27.com) Messiah College has been around for over 100 years, but they’re trying something for the first time this year. The school is a couple of months into what they are calling, “The Sunflower Power …
by John Roach (MSNBC) Could lead to microbes that produce drugs and biofuels
A computer software program is outfitting biotechnology companies with the ability to determine the genetic plans they need to engineer microorganisms for the …
The Keystone Farm Show is the fastest growing farm show on the East Coast! Started in January of 1998 to address the needs of agrimarketers in the Mid-Atlantic area, the show has nearly tripled in …
by Paul Voosen (New York Times/Greenwire) …For eons, plants have locked the sun’s energy into complex strands of sugar, used to build their stems and leaves. These chains are far different from table sugar or …
by Tom Beres (WKYC) Farmers in Northeast Ohio and Pennsylvania are being recruited to grow a special grass that can be converted to biofuel energy.
Some are already planting miscanthus, a durable grass that won’t spread and …
(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 …
(CSPNet) Ultra-low-sulfur diesel provided along toll roads will contain 2% biodiesel
Sunoco Inc. said yesterday that customers are now able to refuel with biodiesel blends at several New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway service plazas. …
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Pennsylvania is the home of its first flex fuel pump. Rhoads Energy worked with Growth Energy to install the pump at its station located at 2176 Paxton Street, Harrisburg, PA. The pump …
(The Progress News) State Rep. Camille “Bud” George, D-74 of Houtzdale, encouraged local businesses and political subdivisions to apply for grants available through the state’s Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant program.
“The AFIG program was established in …
(Algae Industry Magazine) BARD Holding Inc., of Morrisville, PA, and California-based OriginOil, Inc. have formed a co-venture to combine their technologies into an end-to-end algae cultivation, harvesting and extraction system.
…“OriginOil’s harvesting and extraction technology coupled …
With an exclusive focus on biomass utilization in the Northeast – from Maryland to Maine – the Northeast Biomass Conference & Trade Show is a dynamic regional offshoot of Biorefining Magazine and Biomass Power & Thermal’s International Biomass …
(Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection) The Department of Environmental Protection is accepting applications for projects to be funded by the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program (AFIG). The program makes available $4 million in grants to …
by Aaron T. Evans (Gant Daily) A spin-off industry from Bionol Clearfield’s ethanol plant is under development in Clearfield Borough.
On Thursday night a representative from Air Liquide and a representative from Gannett Fleming Inc. gave …
(U.S. Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced research grants awarded to spur production of bioenergy and biobased products that will lead to the development of sustainable regional systems and help create jobs. …
(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 Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) With four decades of experience backing him up, Rathin Datta, chief scientific officer for Coskata Inc. has identified the primary renewable liquid fuel. “There’s no doubt—no technical, thermodynamic or …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …For hot technology companies such as Amyris, Solazyme, LS9, Cobalt and Virent, it all comes down to low-cost sugars.
Which brings us to the case of that other sugar source: your …
by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine) Ultra Green Energy Services Inc. expanded operations at the New Hyde Park Fuel Terminal in New Hyde Park, N.Y., by increasing railcar storage capacity by 30 percent. The terminal, owned …
by Erin Voegele (Biorefining Magazine) Morrisville, Penn.-based BARD Holdings Inc. recently announced its shift from research and development to the commercialization phase of its algae production technology. According to Avery Hong, BARD’s chief global …
(CityBizList Philadelphia) Freedom Environmental Services announces today that it has acquired in an asset purchase the business and assets of David M. Hickman Septic Service Company, a family owned residential and commercial septic service company operating …
by Bill Brandon (Advanced Biofuels USA) On February 10 & 11, about 120 participants gathered in chilly Chicago for the first Municipal Solid Waste to Biofuels Summit presented by the British firm, Eye for Energy. …
(National Biodiesel Board/PRNewsWire) The National Biodiesel Conference & Expo wraps up today leaving attendees with many reasons why the future is bright for biodiesel. 2011 promises to set a record pace for biodiesel. Here’s …
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Transitioning to unleaded gasoline at NASCAR occurred only a few years ago. NASCAR race cars still use carburetors without fuel injection. The move to Sunoco Green E15 represents an …
by Kelsey McNeeley and Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA/Lancaster Farming) In 2002, Penn State University began using 20 percent (B20) biodiesel fuel on campus in the division of farm operations. Because of their expertise in biodiesel, Penn …
(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 Neela Banerjee (Los Angeles Times) …(Jeffrey) Lurie and his wife, Christina Weiss Lurie, are retrofitting Lincoln Financial Field with wind turbines, solar panels and a biodiesel-reliant power plant with the goal of making it the …
(Globe Newswire) Global Clean Energy Holdings announced the establishment of a new non-profit research organization: The Center for Sustainable Energy Farming (www.CfSEF.org). The Center’s mission is to perform cutting-edge plant science research in genetics, breeding and …
by Ann Perry (Hoosier Farms) The benefits of using barley for bioenergy production don’t stop at the gas pump, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) studies.
Scientists with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have found that …
(Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) At the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Sciences (PJAS) state competition earlier this year, Jacob Robertson took home a first prize for his project, “Could Corn be Put to Better Use?” Robertson, …
by Jessica Shirey (Gant Daily) The Clearfield County Commissioners voted to terminate its cooperation agreement with SWAN Biomass Inc. at its meeting Tuesday in order to proceed with the transfer of grant funding to a …
(Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection) Announces Nearly $8 Million for 21 Projects Promoting Biofuels, Natural Gas- and Electric-Powered Vehicles
Governor Edward G. Rendell said today that Pennsylvania is cutting its appetite for foreign oil by more …



