-Include high octane/high ethanol Regular Grade fuel in EPA Tier 3 regulations.
-Use a dedicated, self-reducing non-renewable carbon user fee to fund renewable energy R&D.
-Start an Apollo-type program to bring New Ideas to sustainable biofuel and …
Political news and views from Capitol Hill.
Conferences and Events List in Addition to Coming Events Carousel (above)
(Radio New Zealand) Z Energy says it may switch to ethanol-blended petrol, but this could cost the Government up to $180 million in lost revenue if other major players follow suit.
The New Zealand-owned fuel retailer …
by Elinor Zuke (The Grocer) The amount of used cooking oil being re-purposed as fuel has plummeted since a tax incentive was axed – and industry insiders are warning that the situation could spell the …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) UOP, Eni update on the complete conversion of Eni’s Venice refinery to renewable diesel. Why is renewable diesel getting traction – and where, and when?
…Unlike biodiesel, Green Diesel is a …
(Algae Industry Magazine) China’s ENN and Europe’s EADS have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to co-develop microalgae-based aviation fuels. The agreement was made public at the China International Air Show in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.
… The …
by Matthew L. Wald (New York Times) For years, scientists and engineers have been juggling various combinations of acids, steam, bacteria, catalysts and the digestive juices of microorganisms to convert agricultural waste and even household …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Approval of E15 in California is moving slowly and, ultimately, the losers are consumers, who will pay more for gasoline, said Andy Foster, spokesperson for Aemetis Inc., a biofuel …
by Marc D. Anderson (AL.com) A company using NASA-licensed technology is looking at a small patch of bayfront property to launch what one day could be a revolutionary wastewater-treating and biofuel-creating endeavor.
Since 2009, Algae Systems …
by Marc Chase (Northwest Indiana Times) …The board voted at the beginning of the year to find Powers Energy in breach of contract for failing to deliver on its promise to secure land and financing …
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) How do you keep an expected world population of 9 billion people by the year 2050 fed AND meet the world’s energy needs? Our friends at Farm Foundation are taking on …
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Since E15, a fuel blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline, has been sold in Iowa, drivers have already successfully driven more than 125,000 thousand miles, or the equivalent …
(Inside EPA’s Clean Energy Report) President Obama is planning to launch wide-ranging talks with experts on what can be done in the short-term to address climate change, as well as a public “education process” to …
(Transparency Market Research/PR NewsWire) According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research (http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com) “Biofuel Enzymes Market- Global Industry Size, Market Share, Trends, Analysis and Forecast, 2012 – 2018,” the global biofuel enzymes …
by Chris Woodyard (USA Today) Now, some motorists can really drive green, as in algae-green.
A chain of biofuel stations in the San Francisco Bay Area have started selling fuel made from algae, one of the …
(Environmental Entrepreneurs) Plans in Congress to kill military biofuels programs could also derail $10 billion+ in economic activity; creation of more than 14,000 jobs, study finds
The military’s plans to expand its use of biofuels in planes, …
(International Energy Agency) The 2012 edition of the World Energy Outlook was released on 12 November 2012. Drawing on the latest data and policy developments the report presents analytical insights into trends in energy markets …
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that the agency has not found evidence to support a finding of severe “economic harm” that would warrant granting a waiver of the …
(25 x ’25) In response to the EPA decision today upholding volume requirements of the federal Renewable Fuel Standard, 25x’25 Co-chairmen Read Smith and Bart Ruth issued the following joint statement:
“EPA’s decision today finding no evidence that …
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) In August 2012, Governors from several States requested a waiver of the national volume requirements for the renewable fuel standard program (RFS) pursuant to Section 211(o)(7) of the Clean Air Act. …
by John Vidal (The Guardian) Israeli biotech firm says its modified eucalyptus trees can displace the fossil fuel industry
It’s a timber company’s dream but a horrific industrial vision for others: massive plantations of densely planted GM eucalyptus …
by Rich Keller (Ag Professional) “Energy beets” have proven to produce double the ethanol of corn per acre in research studies. But what are the full economics and will a large-scale demonstration ethanol plant using …
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) You know you have benefited from a conference when you come away from three days of presentations, panel discussions and a solid dose of audience participation with new understandings …
(GreenAirOnline) EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard announced this morning the EU will suspend enforcement of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) to airlines flying to and from Europe in order to allow ICAO to …
4 Credits, January 25, 2013 to April 26, 2013 (Fridays & Saturdays 1:00PM – 4:30PM; some Saturdays field trips might start AM; no classes during the regular breaks/holidays, plus 2 weeks self-study for the course …
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) The U.S. EPA has released its draft quality assurance plan requirements as part of its work to restructure the renewable fuel standard program to ensure renewable identification number (RIN) credits generated are valid …
(PRNewsWire/MarketWatch) Innovative project marks first conversion of a process unit producing petroleum-based fuel into a unit for renewable fuel
UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced today that Italy’s largest energy company, Eni S.p.A., will produce renewable …
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) There is a new process that algae producers can use in the conversion stage to help increase their capacity and add to the bottom line, says Incitor’s VP …
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 …
(Eco-Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Eco-Energy Inc., a leading biofuel marketer and logistics company in North America, and Copersucar S.A., the largest sugar and ethanol trader in Brazil, have announced the internationalization of their ethanol operations with …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Climate change may gain more attention during the next legislative session. During a press conference to discuss post-election results broadcast by C-SPAN on Nov. 7, Senate Majority Leader Harry …
by Alan Yu (Medill Reports) Boeing, United Airlines and several other Chicago entities hope to make the Midwest a hub for the production of green jet fuels.
Although most of the technology required to produce biofuels …
(The NonProfit Press) Broadcasting on 17th November and 18th November 2012, in the seventeenth episode of the Horizons series, presenters Adam Shaw and Saima Mohsin take a closer look at a new generation of …
(Platts) The US ethanol industry’s loudest voice in Washington expects to have to defend the Renewable Fuel Standard during congressional hearings next year.
Bob Dinneen, president of the Renewable Fuels Association, told reporters Friday he considers …
(The Guardian) Tighter EU rules on biofuel production are failing to protect the land rights of Indonesia’s indigenous communities
…To understand the scale of the problem, Sawit Watch (sawit means palm oil in Indonesian) is supporting smallholders and indigenous …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, rumors abound that US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu may step aside shortly for a new Secretary – with President Obama seeking a number of cabinet-level changes to …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Brent Crude trades this past week at a transorbital $109 per barrel (West Texas Intermediate at a suborbital, if high, $85). It puts the conventional wisdom that biofuels are too …
(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 Steven Mufson (The Washington Post) Here’s a riddle: If Congress doesn’t want to raise income tax rates but wants to raise revenue, what can it do?
One answer: Pass a carbon tax.
A relatively moderate-sized carbon tax could …
by Staci DaSilva (KCAUtv.com) …Along with a refurbished convenience store, it’s Taylor Nelson and the new gas pumps that are the story here.
“I wanted to take advantage of our locally grown and locally produced fuel …
(U.S. Department of Agriculture) In January 2012, USDA launched its brand new Energy Web site. The site contains agricultural, economic, and social data on renewable energy to assist stakeholders, public users, state and local government in …
(25 x ’25) … However, most post-election analyses say that voters want meaningful solutions, not political rhetoric, to address our economic and energy challenges.
The best tool that must be given a high priority is a comprehensive …
Next Generation Biofuels 2013 brought to you by F.O. Licht, world renowned analysts of biofuels markets, is the industry leading event on this subject giving you the most up to date analysis and insights into how biofuels markets are progressing in light …
(Algae Industry Magazine) ristian Gustavson, a master’s degree graduate of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, is taking his algae-based biofuel message on the road. Starting Nov. 15, Gustavson will ride a motorcycle …
Does the region have the potential for Sustainable Microalgae mass cultivation?
Regional highlights
– Leading developments in Sustainable Algae biojet fuels in Qatar
– Algal biorefinery concept in Saudi Arabia
– Screening and Bio-engineering strains for higher lipid
– Integrating …
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 …
(Daily Yomiuri Online) IHI Corp. on Wednesday unveiled to reporters its facility to test the cultivation of algae for biofuel in Yokohama. The company hopes to mass-produce the biofuel for use in jet fuel, with …
(Next-Gen Transportation News) Aemetis Inc., an advanced fuels and renewable chemicals company, has entered into an agreement to install technology from Edeniq at its plant in Keyes, Calif. Aemetis will use Edeniq’s Cellunators ethanol platform and test …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 500 ton per day wood biomass to biocrude plant commences oil production – the long wait for cellulosic biofuels at scale is over.
…But the news from Columbus, Mississippi, that cellulosic …
(GreenAirOnline) Two jet biofuel companies, JATRO and BioJet, have announced a collaboration agreement on feedstock development and commercialisation efforts. The strategic alliance is intended to create a mutually beneficial business operation across global markets to …
(GreenAirOnline) As ICAO expert groups continue their work on a global market-based approach to limiting the growth of international aviation emissions, it is beginning to emerge that carbon offsetting, rather than emissions trading, is the …
by Mario Parker (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) U.S. ethanol production is headed for the first decline in 16 years, jeopardizing the nation’s drive to boost alternative fuels, as higher costs and lower demand close plants.
Shrinking distilling margins …
by Darrel Good and Scott Irwin (FarmDocDaily/University of Illinois) …We begin our analysis by tracing out the implications for biofuels consumption over the next three years based on one potential scenario involving all of the …
by Kyle Arnold (Tulsa World) Each of the new stores has 20 fueling stations that offer diesel and unleaded grades of gasoline, as well as a higher ethanol blend, E-85. READ MORE
(Associated Press/The Advocate) An LSU AgCenter forestry researcher is looking at a fast-growing plant called switchgrass as a potential biofuel feedstock.
Switchgrass needs little fertilizer and can tolerate drought and floods, Michael Blazier said — and …
(La Prensa) Given the questions that has challenged the production of biodiesel in Chiapas, and the use of this fuel in transportation Tapachulteco (Tapachula) and Conejobús (Tuxtla Gutierrez), the governor of Chiapas, Juan Sabines Guerrero, …
by Brent Erickson (BIO/Biofuels Digest) For the advanced biofuels industry, the 2012 election turned on Senate races.
…The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has jurisdiction over the RFS.
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) will remain Chairwoman, but …
(Algae Industry Magazine) Mitsubishi Corp has signed a research collaboration agreement with the Sarawak Biodiversity Council, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to explore the state’s diverse algal biodiversity as a potential source of renewable energy. Over …
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) High school senior Jason Girouard from Brimfield, Massachusetts has won the Ethanol Rocks video contest sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association. Girouard was awarded $1,500. Freshman Emily Yue from Gilford, Connecticut and …
(Reaction Design/Biodiesel Magazine) Reaction Design, a leading developer of combustion simulation software, has successfully concluded its work leading the Model Fuels Consortium, an organization that has involved 20 automotive and energy industry luminaries engaged in the …
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Promethean Biofuels, a community-scale biodiesel producer in Temecula, Calif., stood with giants such as Sony and BP Arco at the recent Environmental Excellence Awards Summit in San Diego. The awards …
by Robert Sanders (Biodiesel Magazine/UC Berkeley) A long-abandoned fermentation process once used to turn starch into explosives can be used to produce renewable diesel fuel to replace the fossil fuels now used in transportation, University …
by Nathan Vander Griend (Biodiesel Magazine/ERI Solutions Inc.) Safety training, work permits, standard operating procedures and what seems to be an almost endless amount of documentation can be a burden to an operating facility. It …
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) For B100 and biodiesel blends, two main fuel additive categories dominate the sector: stabilizers and cold flow improvers. Biodiesel can be produced from many fats, oils and greases, each possessing …
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) For biodiesel refineries, a good maintenance plan starts with good training. Austria-based BDI-BioEnergy International AG, which has built more than 30 plants worldwide, starts its plant personnel training routine during …
(La Prensa) Biofuels Company of Mexico donated to the Faculty of Engineering (FI) of the UNAM a biodiesel plant to be processed into fuel waste vegetable oil to be used in domestic transportation Town University, …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …Positives. Continuity. Obama was by far the most bullish supporter of all things biofuels in the race … Negatives. Hardly a sweeping mandate in the popular vote, and rural voters broke …
(Algae Industry Magazine) India News reports that their government has just unveiled a road map for the biotechnology sector: “The Bioenergy Road Map Vision 2020,” describing innovative technologies and policies for biofuels development in India. …
by Tim Portz (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Advanced Ethanol Council Executive Director Brooke Coleman talks controlling the industry’s narrative and the delicate challenge of battling ethanol’s only customer for market share.
Recognizing that the arguments for advanced …
by Robert Vierhout (Ethanol Producer Magazine/ePURE) After almost three years of study, debate, hours of meetings, many reports, public and nonpublic consultations, the European Commission has released its legislative proposal on how to address the indirect …
by Paula Emberland (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Christianson & Associates PLLP) Multiple revenue streams lessen impact of ethanol prices
…First, and perhaps most importantly, more plants are producing different types of coproducts, and they’re making more money from …
(PR NewsWire/Sacramento Bee) Praj Industries, the integrated process engineering and solutions provider for bioethanol, brewery, water & wastewater and process equipment globally shared it’s advancement in the development of Commercial Demo Plant for Lignocellulosic Ethanol.
This is …
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Dr. Jesper Hedal Kløverpris and Dr. Steffen Mueller have proposed a new approach to measuring the climate impact of biofuels related land-use changes (ILUC) as opposed to other land use changes: “Baseline Time Accounting …
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) With the announcement of new investment from Bunge Global Innovation LLC, Cobalt Technologies’ n-butanol development is ready for deployment in Brazil. “We’re in a position now where the demonstration …
by Holly Jessen & Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Looking into the future, Jeff Roskam, CEO of the Kansas Alliance for Biorefining and Bioenergy, fears any modification of the renewable fuel standard (RFS). “Period,” he …
RP Siegel (TriplePundit) … We know that the 14 billion gallons of ethanol produced by American agriculture last year displaced close to 10 billion gallons of gasoline, reducing carbon emissions that contribute to warming. Biofuel …
by Mackinnon Lawrence (Biofuels Digest/Pike Research) …A lack of clarity around biofuels policy reflects a reshuffling of current geopolitical realities that belies nearly forty years of dependence on Middle East oil.
… Data published by the Energy …
by Ed Hamrick (Biofuels Digest/Greenworld Fuels) … There are more than two billion tons of MSW produced worldwide every year, with more than 250 million tons per year produced in the USA every year. Disposal of …
(Agro2/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Agro2 S.A., located in Veraguas, Panama, is proud to be the first company in Panama to be certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification confirming the compliance of Agro2’s cassava production …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Charles Conner’s extensive background in agriculture includes several years in the USDA as deputy secretary of agriculture as well as serving as acting secretary of agriculture from August 2007 …
A range of leaders from the biofuels community will share experiences and trigger ideas for developing successful biomass and biofuel production projects that are smaller in scale. Communities statewide have potential to benefi t through locally …
Submit your presentation or poster ideas for a chance to present to the largest gathering of biomass professionals in the world. Presentation ideas will be accepted for the 2013 International Biomass Conference & Expo through …
by Gerard Wynn (Reuters) BP’s decision to scrap plans for a U.S. cellulosic ethanol refinery is a setback for second generation biofuels and opens the door to alternatives including Brazilian sugar ethanol, biodiesel and electric …
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin have developed a proof-of-concept design to harvest, dewater and convert algae to biodiesel in a one-step process using resins. In a paper …
by Kelley Price (Evening Gazette) A Scottish whisky distillery is about to become the first in the world to turn its waste into advanced biofuel – here on Teesside.
Tullibardine, an independent malt whisky producer, is …
by Kevin Quon (Seeking Alpha) When it comes to renewable oils company Solazyme (SZYM), it would be good to check your understanding of biofuels at the door. Solazyme’s heterotrophic algae are utilized within a closed fermentation …
(Stoel Rives) Businesses benefit by having informed decision makers. That is why Stoel Rives developed the award-winning Renewable + Law blog in 2007, together with a series of “Law of” guidebooks covering the gamut of renewable energy …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) KATZEN International chief says generation 1.5 ethanol is the key path to reaching RFS2 targets – with new feedstocks, advanced fermentation plants.
Phil Madson, President of KATZEN International, has authored a …
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) Just as ethanol producers have been able to market the co-product dried distillers grains (DDGs) as livestock feed, those folks producing algae for biodiesel want to find more uses for what’s …
(National Science Foundation) The Bioenergy Center at North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T) will be an educational and research resource for the United States in the field of thermochemical conversion of biomass to bioenergy. The …
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) is asking all auto makers to recommend the use of 15% ethanol blended fuel (E15) for use in new model vehicles.
IRFA has sent letters to the heads …
“Into Africa- Building Local Markets, Improving Farm Productivity & Increasing ROI”
“ Key highlights
Climate change and the impact on global agriculture market
Investment opportunities & land utilization in Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Nigeria, Cote D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Liberia …
CMT’s first Cassava Starch World (tinh bột sắn) was launched in February 2012 and established itself as the region’s pioneer starch market event connecting the most important global players and stakeholders with Asian opportunities and …
(PR NewsWire) Accounting for dynamics in the global agricultural area reduces the current estimated contributions to global warming from ILUC by 60-70%
Indirect land use models that forecast the global warming impact of biofuels production incorporate …
The U.S. transportation sector runs predominantly on fossil fuels, much of which is imported from countries hostile to us. This reliance—some say dependence—on fossil fuels puts America’s national security and economy at risk as the …
(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 Nick Perry (The Australian) A Technology breakthrough by two Australian brothers could offer a solution to the world’s insatiable appetite for food and fuel.
Phillip and Geoff Bell have developed a new way to produce …
by Bradley J. Fikes (North County Times) Famed genomics researcher J. Craig Venter, who is working to develop biofuels from photosynthetic algae, acknowledged this week that alternate fuels are “dead” unless the federal government mandates …
by Gary Truitt (Hoosier Ag Today) Agricultural economists at the University of Illinois have been calculating the costs for farmers to produce biomass energy crops as renewable alternatives to fossil fuels. In fact – they …
(NewEnergyWorldNetwork.com) By the end of 2015, all palm oil used in the UK government’s food and catering services will be from environmentally-friendly sources, the country’s Environment Minister has announced.
…The Renewable Energy Association (REA) commented on …
(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 …
(United Arab Emirates/AMEInfo.com) Abu Dhabi’s abundant sunshine and climate make it a near-ideal location for growing algae for commercial production of biofuels. Such unique geographic and climatic conditions further enhance the opportunity for the Emirate …
