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 …
Political news and views from Capitol Hill.
Conferences and Events List in Addition to Coming Events Carousel (above)
(25 x ’25) A series of short videos covering five years of Vermont Bioenergy Initiative projects and the farms and people involved are now up and available to watch on YouTube.
The initiative is a project …
(25 x ’25) Given the recent rounds of misinformation, if not downright disinformation, that passes as criticism of renewable energy, it might be a good time to point out the obvious: Meeting increased demand for …
Biofuels are and will remain an issue that is controversial, and although often unfairly attacked, they remain an important component in maintaining our mobility and the fight against climate change.
The biofuels “first generation” today represent …
This two day conference brings together top representatives who are engaged in establishing a major transformation in the global chemical and energy industries – from petroleum to bio-based.
The conference will look to examine new supply …
This two day conference brings together top representatives who are engaged in establishing a major transformation in the global chemical and energy industries – from petroleum to bio-based.
The conference will look to examine new supply …
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) Apparently tired of false claims that biodiesel takes from the food supply, biodiesel maker Renewable Energy Group has put out a whitepaper that actually shows how the green fuel is helping …
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) has unveiled a list of 10 ways the renewable fuels industry is helping to improve the environment. According to IRFA, renewable fuels offer positive impacts …
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by Alonso Soto and Reese Ewing (Reuters) * Brazil cuts PIS/Cofins tax, extends credit for ethanol
* Ethanol industry says measures do not go far enough
* Measures will help industry’s margins, competitiveness
Brazil’s government threw its sugar-ethanol …
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) Pending legislation in Minnesota could alter the state’s ethanol mandate, allowing for the use biofuels under than ethanol to meet the current 10 percent renewable content requirement for gasoline.
…
Current bill text posted …
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) … (Robert) Murphy simply regurgitates Big Oil’s false argument that the RFS is driving up fuel costs. There’s not a shred of evidence to support that notion, but that’s never …
by Christopher Doering (Des Moines Register) The battle between U.S. ethanol producers and oil companies has reached a turning point, with the winners poised to gain an advantage over the future of the country’s energy …
(EurActiv.com)
A European Parliament report into the EU’s proposals for addressing the problem of indirect land use change (ILUC) in its biofuels policy will propose today (17 April) the application of unique ‘factors’ to account for …
(Argus Media) Biodiesel trade terms are becoming increasingly complicated as buyers and sellers haggle over sustainability clauses, payments terms and water content.
Much of the wrangling has appeared over Fame 0 biodiesel compliant with the EU …
(Blacksea Grain) Jim Peterson’s corn contains a magic ingredient: alpha amylase. This ethanol-fermenting enzyme arrives at the plant on the cob, along with the starch for brewing ethanol, as part of Syngenta Enogen corn hybrids.
Peterson …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Belgium, PANGEA (Partners for Euro-African Green Energy) launched an update to its report “Who’s Fooling Whom? The Real Drivers Behind the 2010/11 Food Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa”.
The report demonstrates …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Heliae emerges from stealth with Volaris — its next-gen algae platform — “This technology will unlock the industry,” the company says.
…Volaris is the result of five years of targeted innovation, …
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) The Environmental and Energy Studies Institute (EESI) and the Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) held a briefing on the conclusions of the newly released …
(Algae Industry Magazine) Researchers at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) and the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), in Spain, have analyzed the potential of different species of microalgae for producing biodiesel, comparing …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) …According to information released by Ceres, commercial harvests of its newest sweet sorghum hybrids have started in Brazil, with the majority of hectares expected to be harvested within the …
by Chris Hanson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Researchers from U.K.’s University of Bristol reported the development of new catalysts that are able to convert ethanol to butanol at the national meeting and exposition of the American Chemical …
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A team of Virginia Tech researchers have adapted existing technologies to make a new product, transforming cellulose into amylose. One target market for the amylose would be functional foods, said …
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Confusion remains over how to interpret and compare various estimates of renewable identification number (RIN) availability, said Nick Paulson, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics …
(TMO Renewables/Ethanol Producer Magazine) TMO Renewables, the leading British developer of second generation biofuels technology, and Usina Santa Maria Ltda have entered into an agreement to form a joint venture to build the first commercial …
By Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Site preparation has begun and plans are being finalized for a formal groundbreaking ceremony to be held in the next few weeks at the country’s first sweet sorghum-to-ethanol …
(BlackGold Biofuels/PR Newswire) They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. This Earth Day, it certainly rings true for a newly open recycling facility converting wastewater into fuel. BlackGold Biofuels of Charlotte has opened an …
(Algae Industry Magazine) lgae Testbed Public-Private Partnership (ATP3) members from across the U.S. gathered at the Arizona State University Polytechnic campus April 15-18 for their national kickoff meetings to discuss strategies for advancing research and …
by Takeo Kumagai (Platts) Japan’s largest refiner JX Nippon Oil & Energy is set to start selling ETBE-blended gasoline from its branded service stations in the northeast of the country, taking the number of outlets at …
by Tracy Dang (ICIS) Population growth in Asia, climate change and shifting geopolitics are all issues that will impact the future of the biotechnology and renewable fuels industry, an executive at a life sciences investment firm …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) IntercontinentalExchange (ICE), an operator of global markets and clearing house, has announced the introduction of new North American environmental futures contracts for three categories of renewable energy numbers (RINs), …
(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 …
by Vince Stricherz (University of Washington) Hydrogen sulfide, the pungent stuff often referred to as sewer gas, is a deadly substance implicated in several mass extinctions, including one at the end of the Permian period …
by Charles Q. Choi (TechNewsDaily/LiveScience) A new synthetic type of biofuel created by mixing and matching bits of DNA from different organisms could one day replace diesel and jet fuel, scientists say.
…The researchers devoted a …
(Sudan Tribune) Kenana Sugar Company (KSC) will launch the first Sudanese project which uses ethanol as a gasoline additive to increase octane and improve vehicle emissions.
The Managing Director of KSC, Mohamed El Mardi El-Tijani, said …
Food production and distribution are dependent on energy, and some say renewable forms of energy make food production more sustainable in the long run. In this webinar, part of a National Biodiesel Board webinar series, we’ll …
by Beth Evans (Platts) Kinder Morgan expects to begin biodiesel blending at its terminals in Las Vegas and Phoenix “in the early part of the second quarter,” the company said Wednesday.
Recently completed modifications at those …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Pilot-scale biorefineries for drop-in military diesel, jet fuel the focus of the DOE’s latest grant round.
In Washington, the US Department of Energy announced up to $17.7 million in grants to …
by Ken Root (High Plains Midwest Ag Journal) …But there were sectors of agriculture that saw a dramatic change in the cost of their feedstock and began to align with each other and any other …
by RP Siegel (TriplePundit) Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Iowa Governor Terry Branstad appeared together recently defending the Renewable Fuel Standard from recent attacks from people like Robert Bradley Jr. who writes for Forbes. Bradley, an adjunct scholar …
by Marc Chase (Northwest Indiana Times) Potential lawsuits are brewing in Lake County’s trash-to-ethanol saga, according to a motion by solid waste officials and statements from the developer who had contracted to build and operate …
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) If the editorial writers of the Wall Street Journal consider themselves students of mine, “An Ethanol Spring,” (April 17), I am saddened to report to you that you’ve failed. …
by U.S.-Israel Science and Technology Foundation/Biomass Magazine) After a briefing by senior White House staff on April 17, following their arrival in the U.S., an Israeli delegation of top academic and industrial biofuels research scientists and …
by Stuart Radnedge (GasWorld) Air Liquide has just signed a partnership agreement with the CEA (Commission for atomic energy and alternative energies in France) aiming to develop a second-generation biofuel production pilot unit in France.
As part …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Aemetis announced that its 60 million gallon per year capacity ethanol facility in Keyes, CA has completed maintenance and Advanced Biofuels retrofit, and is now restarting production.
Last December, …
by Pavel Molchanov (Raymond James and Associates/Biofuels Digest) …There is no question that there have been growing pains along the way, more than we would have hoped, but the industry continues along its trajectory towards scale. We …
by Christopher Doering (Des Moines Register) A meaningful change to the country’s renewable fuel mandate would drastically curtail the market opportunity for a cellulosic ethanol plant being built in Emmetsburg by ethanol producer Poet and …
The International Sugar Organization (ISO), the only world forum designed to exchange different points of view among the main producer and consumer countries at governmental level, in partnership with DATAGRO, one of the chief world …
(Global Data) Ethanol is the most widely acclaimed alternative or additive for gasoline used for running vehicles, and the US ranked as number one producer of this biofuel using natural waste feedstock, states new analysis …
(Algae Industry Magazine) A new map of the algae industry published online by the Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) shows algae production facilities and research projects stretching from coast to coast, illustrating a nationwide opportunity for a new and growing industry …
by Nick Juliano (MidWest Energy News) A proposal to allow renewable energy developers to take advantage of a tax structure that has long been popular among fossil fuel companies is gaining traction among lawmakers tasked …
(Johnny Rockets/Sacramento Bee/PR Newswire) Johnny Rockets partners with DAR PRO Solutions to recycle its restaurants’ used fry oil into renewable diesel fuel.
Each year, Johnny Rockets serves about eight million pounds of American Fries and two million …
(AgWired/ZimmComm) ZimmComm New Media is now taking applications for students in the agricultural communications field to attend and learn how to “agri-blog” some of the most important industry events held every year. It has been …
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 …
(Science Daily) Stepping into unexplored territory in efforts to use corn stalks, grass and other non-food plants to make biofuels, scientists have described the discovery of a potential treasure-trove of candidate enzymes in fungi thriving …
by Sally Blakewell (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Biofuels will cost U.K. motorists about 460 million pounds ($707 million) this year as the government increases their use in transport fuel, driving up food prices in poorer countries, Chatham …
(Cobalt/PRNewswire) Strategic Partnership Opens Pathway to $40 Billion Butadiene Market
Cobalt Technologies, a leading developer of next generation bio-based chemicals, today announced a strategic relationship with two prominent Asian chemical companies for the development of a …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The end-goal? High-value oils. Low-cost sugars become shock troops in the war for sustainability.
In New York, we’ve learned that Sweetwater Energy will announce a project today to provide Naturally Scientific …
by Amy Harder (National Journal) It’s hard to rival the diversity and sheer number of groups and companies with a vested interest in the renewable-fuels standard, from food and livestock businesses to those in the …
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) …“I think the overarching message of the panel was a sign of increasing optimism,” says Chris Groobey, a partner in the law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, who spoke during a …
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) To the Editor: What’s there about lower prices at the pump, less pollution and reduced reliance on imported oil that Robert Bradley, Jr., doesn’t like (“It’s Time to Repeal the …
(Wall Street Journal/The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers) The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and American Petroleum Institute (API) filed comments in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed biofuel Quality Assurance Program.
“EPA’s …
(Business Wire/Florida Biofuels and Bioenergy Association) $1 Billion in Investment At Risk
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Florida Legislature will consider HB4001, which repeals the Renewable Fuels Standard set in 2008. With a federal mandate for 10 percent ethanol …
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) One of the great things about the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference is the diverse group of biofuels stakeholders with diverse points of view. Case in point, Shell Oil’s presence at the …
by Doug Williams (Venture Beat) … Although I am not an expert in investing, there are a few things I think may need to happen to make the capital and technology risk work:
Strategic investors may need …
by Chris Woolston (Bioenergy Connection) … If you drove around certain parts of the Midwest this summer, you might have seen patches of energy grass or tall, green sorghum flourishing amid the ruined corn and soybeans. …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) An explosive report from Bloomberg alleges that a pathway to $2.18 per gallon gasoline was developed at Chevron-Weyerhaeuser owned Catchlight Energy. Yet, the project was sidelined. Why? Was the project …
by Zack Coleman (The Hill E2Wire) The head of a powerful oil industry lobbying group met with top White House officials and senior lawmakers Wednesday about stripping a federal biofuel rule.
“We’re talking about the renewable fuel …
by Tim Scheer (JournalStar.com) Once again, the Renewable Fuel Standard is the subject of debate and attack in Washington, DC.
In truth, the RFS is one of the most successful pieces of legislation in recent years, …
(Reuters/NexSteppe) Malibu and Palo Alto Sorghum Hybrids Provide Scalable, Reliable, and Sustainable Feedstock Options for the Biobased Industries
NexSteppe, a company dedicated to pioneering the next generation of sustainable feedstock solutions for the biobased industries, today announced the …
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) …Guido Ghisolfi of the Italian company Beta Renewables told attendees of the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference (ABLC) that they, too, needed to be diverse in their thinking of biomass for biofuels.
“It’s quite important …
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Today, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released their Tracking Clean Energy Progress report in New Delhi that details the increased role that biofuels will need to play in reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) as …
by Anneli Waara (Algae Industry Magazine) …However, a group of researchers at Sweden’s Uppsala University, led by Senior Lecturer Fikret Mamedov and Professor Stenbjörn Styring, have just announced a discovery that changes the view on …
(Sandia National Laboratories/Biodiesel Magazine) Sandia National Laboratories is developing a suite of complementary technologies to help the emerging algae industry detect and quickly recover from algal pond crashes, an obstacle to large-scale algae cultivation for …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Iowa, the Renewable Energy Group has released a white paper called “Food THEN Fuel: American Biodiesel’s Role in Strengthening Food Security” that seeks to demonstrate how biodiesel supports the nation’s …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … LS9 CEO Tjerk de Ruiter announced the expansion of its operations at the Company’s Okeechobee, Florida demonstration facility with a successful customer trial.
The Florida facility was initially designed, and has …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Sweetwater Energy announed that BioGasol completed delivery of its first commercial biomass pretreatment system.
The cellulosic sugar producer will use the unit, a Carbofrac 10, in its demonstration facility to produce …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …Perhaps nothing was more on the minds of delegates as the future of the Renewable Fuel Standard, and the impact of the Washington policy debate on investor confidence — and …
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) Two members of Pres. Obama’s cabinet today have signed their names to an agreement that will extend the administration’s commitment to the production of biofuels for use in airplanes. Secretary of …
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Although conference convener, Biofuels Digest’s Jim Lane, insisted that he “discouraged industry bashing,” the first morning of this 3-day conference was replete with unveiled references to The Oil Industry, …
by Aldo Svaldi (The Denver Post) Cool Planet Energy Systems took a step closer Friday to a corporate relocation and expansion that could bring nearly 400 jobs to the metro area and place the state …
(25 x ’25) (T)he Adaptation Work Group, a collaboration of agriculture, forestry, business, academic, conservation and government leaders, … issued a report last week that offers recommendations that will enable the U.S. agriculture and forestry …
by Jordan Godwin (Platts) …(American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers President Charles T.) Drevna responded Wednesday to a New Hampshire verdict earlier that day in a case where ExxonMobil was found negligent for putting MTBE in gasoline without warning …
(Biotechnology Industry Organization) The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) recently submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the proposed Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: 2013 Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS).
The comments emphasized that continued stable …
(INOCAS) The production of plant oils based on oil-bearing trees such as Jatropha could provide an alternative pathway to a more sustainable plant oil production in the future. Planting oil-bearing trees can mitigate the effects of …
(XS4Green.com) Ductor, the Finnish biotechnology company specializing in disruptive algae technology, announce today that Red Herring, a global media company, has named Ductor a winner of the Red Herring Europe 100 awards.
Ductor’s products and business …
(PR.com/Nation First International Development Asia) Nation First International Development Asia (NFIDAsia) has announced today they have signed an MoU with Hisham Koh & Associates (HKA) to facilitate algal based farming products throughout rural Myanmar.
While algae …
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Lee Enterprises Consulting has formed of a strategic alliance with ICM, Inc. Recently, ICM developed a proprietary patent-pending Generation 1.5 Integrated Fiber to Cellulosic Ethanol Technology for the production of cellulosic ethanol.
ICM’s Director …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …In Delaware, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware entered a final judgment in favor of Gevo and against Butamax Advanced Biofuels, LLC (Butamax), a 50/50 joint …
by Jennifer A. Dlouhy (FuelFix) In unveiling his $3.8 trillion spending plan for the U.S. government on Wednesday, President Barack Obama revived his longstanding attack on oil industry tax breaks and formally launched a plan …
by Scott Irwin and Darrel Good (FarmDocDaily) …Here, we present a proposal for implementing the RFS2 through 2015 that recognizes the constraints implied by the E10 blend wall and will avert the impact of the …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The ethanol industry reacted swiftly to the so-called RFS Reform Act, legislation introduced April 10 in the U.S. House of Representatives, which they said would gut the renewable fuel …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Energy Information Administration has published updated data on alternative fuels and vehicles through 2011. The analysis addresses several alternative transportation fuels, including E85, hydrogen, electricity, natural gas …
(Algae Industry Magazine) Premier of Queensland, Australia, Campbell Newman, has cut the ribbon on an advanced solar biofuels pilot plant designed to develop microalgae-based systems as a source of clean fuel and animal feeds.
The $3.5 …
(ePURE) The European Renewable Ethanol Industry, ePURE, together with Novozymes, find the double counting mechanism proposed by the European Commission is ineffective to kick-start the deployment of innovative advanced biofuels. Increasing the weighting of advanced …
(EV-olution.org) President Obama’s FY 2014 budget proposal submitted to Congress provides $28.4 billion in discretionary funds for the Department of Energy, an 8% increase above the 2012 enacted level. Among the direct transportation-related highlights of the department’s …
by Sam Fenwick (E2B Pulse) In this article, E2B explores the benefits of crop-based biofuels to the UK, the potential impact of a recent EU proposal and the wider issues associated with their adoption.
In October …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Italy, Versalis and Genomatica announced the establishment of a technology joint venture for bio-based butadiene from non-food biomass. The resulting process will be licensed across Europe, Asia and Africa by …
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Neste Oil has begun using tall oil pitch as a feedstock for renewable diesel production. Neste Oil successfully tested tall oil pitch in commercial refinery operations in March and April …
(The National Biodiesel Board/Biodiesel Magazine) Continuing its trend of warming up New York, the National Biodiesel Board announced the winners of its New York City Proud 2B2 Renewable Warmup campaign. To celebrate New York City’s adoption …
