-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)
by Luke Geiver (Biorefining Magazine) Debrah Guerin Beresini, CEO of Invencor Inc., a company that manages a debt and equity fund and also acts as a consultant to the cleantech sector, has a simple message …
by Erin Voegele (Biorefining Magazine) Attracting investment is a key component of getting any biomass-related project off the ground. During the 2011 Southeast Biomass Conference and Tradeshow in Atlanta this week, Kate Bechen, an attorney …
by Erin Voegele (Biorefining Magazine) The 2011 Southeast Biomass Conference & Tradeshow kicked off in Atlanta today. Nearly 325 professionals and 60 exhibitors are taking part in this year’s event, which has a strong regional …
(Culturing Solutions/Biorefining Magazine) Tampa, Fla.-based Culturing Solutions will host the grand opening of its algae-to-biofuel demonstration plant in New Port Richey, Fla., on Nov. 17. The company says it will produce transportation fuel, energy, nutritional …
Just like our industry over the years, our conference has changed and evolved as well. From the beginnings in 2004 in Palm Springs where most in attendance were there to learn about this thing called …
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology’s Subcommittee on Energy and Environment is holding a hearing today (November 2, 2011) on “Conflicts and Unintended Consequences of Motor Fuel Standards” with a …
by Philip Brasher (Des Moines Register) Ethanol supporters contend that research isn’t fair
A blend of 15 percent ethanol and gasoline caused so much damage to boat engines during a government-funded study that the testing of …
(ecoduna) The first continuous algae-breeding facility world-wide from ecoduna goes into operation on a commercial scale.
The first continuous algae-breeding facility world-wide from ecoduna goes into operation on a commercial scale.
Last week, Vattenfall, the largest thermal …
by Walt Nett (Avalanche-Journal/LubbockOnline) Absolute Fuels tried twice to make biodiesel, but lost money the first time around and couldn’t produce usable fuel the next time, according to information in federal affidavits filed in connection …
(TradingCharts.com) Comet Biorefining Inc., a leader in low cost cellulosic sugar technology, today announced that it has begun fabrication of a cellulosic sugar toll processing plant to be located in Southwestern Ontario. This facility will produce cellulosic sugar …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Does continuous harvest, and direct production from CO2 and water, offer a transformative, no-kill way to improve the carbon and dollar economics of biofuels? Can the dairy model work?
…In beef …
by Robert Vierhout (Ethanol Producer Magazine/ePURE) …Even if that extra demand would not exist, why would European politicians want to increase idled land, knowing that year-on-year, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the …
by Jeremy P. Greenhouse (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Greenhouse & Gram) New blend won’t qualify for One Pound Waiver, presenting huge hurdle
When the U.S. EPA granted Clean Air Act fuel waivers allowing gasoline containing 10 to 15 …
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) …By Nov. 30, the U.S. EPA will issue its renewable fuel standard (RFS) volumes for the upcoming year and, once again, it will dramatically ratchet down the cellulosic biofuels …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The bull’s-eye on corn ethanol could fade if the industry steps up and makes corn production and stover harvesting more environmentally friendly
…Today, no-till or strip-till farming is gaining ground, …
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Three years ago, ag giants John Deere & Co., Archer Daniels Midland Co. and Monsanto Co. pooled their respective areas of expertise and embarked on an experiment. Each company …
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 …
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) A new public education project to reach drivers of FlexFuel Vehicles (FFVs) by working with state Motor Vehicle Administrations (MVA) was announced today by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the …
by Tina Casey (Talking Points Memo) …Earlier this year, the Navy successfully tested a 50-50 algae aviation biofuel blend on a Seahawk helicopter in flight, and now an algae biodiesel blend has passed muster during tests on …
by John C.K. Daly (http://oilprice.com) On 28 October Air China conducted its first trial flight of a passenger jet powered by a mix of biofuel and traditional aviation fuel.
The Jet A-1 biofuel kerosene used in …
Suzanne Goldenberg (The Guardian) Report from Military Advisory Board says US must reduce energy imports over the next decade as a national security imperative
In its report, the Military Advisory Board said the US should …
(Bloomberg BusinessWeek/Associated Press) …The California Department of Food and Agriculture said Thursday it is contracting with police to target areas where restaurants leave out used kitchen grease to be picked up by rendering facilities. It …
(Costa Rica News) This has been the conclusion of the videoconference “Presentation of the Jatropha curcas L. network for investigation, development, and innovation in the production of biodiesel in Latin America and the Caribbean,” organized …
by Damian Carrington (The Guardian/The Observer) The collapse of Sun Biofuels has left hundreds of Tanzanians landless, jobless, and in despair for the future
“People feel this is like the return of colonialism,” says Athumani Mkambala, chairman …
(Railway Age) Amtrak says that it found the use of a renewable biodiesel fuel blend to power its daily Heartland Flyer train “resulted in no more wear on the locomotive than traditional diesel fuels and …
(Biofuels International) Energy company Maple Leaf Reforestation (MLR) is to open a biodiesel facility in British Columbia, Canada, using next generation feedstock. …MLR aims to tap into this market, using the yellowhorn tree as a …
(Amyris) Amyris, Inc. , a leading renewable chemicals and fuels company, announced that it has received final approval from the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) for a R$ 22 million project financing facility for Amyris Brasil …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … But here are 10 themes that are shaping up to be the Buzz of the conference.
1. RFS. Hold or Fold?
2. Can Obama find the $510 million?
3. Elections.
4. Fuels, or …
Clean Fuels Conclave 2011 is the 7th global event being organized by Growdiesel – the grand platform to disseminate information regarding futuristic clean fuels and other important areas of upcoming Trillion $ Biofuel Industry – …
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) Ethanol plant design company, ICM, Inc., of Colwich, Kansas, has designed and constructed equipment for a “one gallon per minute ethanol plant” currently under construction in Mozambique that will use locally …
by Robert Crowe (Renewable Energy World) …Research shows biochar improves soil fertility, decreases water pollution and even mitigates heavy metals. The charcoal-like substance has enthusiastic support from researchers and the sustainability movement, but it has been …
(OriginOil) Researchers have shown improved growth for both fresh and saltwater algae strains
OriginOil, Inc., the developer of a breakthrough technology to extract oil from algae and an emerging leader in the global algae oil services industry, …
by Jon Hilkevitch (Chicago Tribune) Solar energy collectors will be installed on up to 60 acres at O’Hare International Airport, and a service station selling alternative fuels for private and commercial vehicles will open near the …
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Interesting article turned up this week from Australia, showing just what could happen with no RFS or mandate. The Courier-Mail reported “Queensland motorists dudded as fuel retailers pull ethanol …
by Les Coleman, Deb Courson Smith (Public News Service – SD) …Flo-Sun, through subsidiaries such as Florida Crystals and Domino Foods, has milling and refining operations around the world. The rulers of Flo-Sun are …
by Guariguata, M.R.; Masera, O.R.; Johnson, F.X.; von Maltitz, G.; Bird, N.; Tella, P.; Martínez-Bravo, R (Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) Bogor, Indonesia) With the rapid growth of biofuel production and consumption and the …
(VTG) The Hamburg-based wagon hire and rail logistics company VTG Aktiengesellschaft has established a new pool of wagons to provide flexible, ad hoc transports of ethanol from Rotterdam. This provides customers with small or excess …
(US Department of Energy) Developer.nrel.gov empowers Web developers to use renewable energy data for Web and mobile applications
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory is home to a cornucopia of data on renewable energy, …
(US Department of Agriculture) USDA Farm Bill Program Supports Job Creation
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced payments for 156 advanced biofuel producers across the country to support the production and expansion of advanced biofuels.
“This funding …
by Bill Lundberg (Biofuels Digest) Should the Renewable Fuel Standard be scrapped, or revised? BP North America chief Susan Ellerbusch makes the case for “No”.
In Chicago, BP Biofuels North America president Susan Ellerbusch, in addressing …
(PR NewsWire/Mazda) North American Operations (MNAO) is known for its Zoom-Zoom dynamism, which is evident in the brand’s lineup of distinct design and divine drivability, and brings to this year’s Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) …
(Algae Industry Magazine) The National Algae Association’s Algae Specs Committee has released a white paper to offer guidance to the form in which algal oils and biomass should be delivered to the emerging algae industry. The …
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) When he was only 14 years old, Sam Flournoy set out to design and build his own biodiesel processor.
…According to Flournoy, it took about six months of work before he …
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) Approximately 100 professionals working in the feedstock and biorefining sectors recently met at Idaho National Laboratory to participate in a U.S. DOE-funded workshop. …“Our objective was to broaden the view …
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Expiring biofuel tax credits and a dysfunctional Congress
…But given Congress subsidizing an obviously profitable oil industry, coupled with subjecting biofuels to stringent GHG emissions reductions while the petroleum industry has …
by Luke Geiver (Biodiesel Magazine) …Although changes brought on by the onset of new testing procedures like cold soak filtration and the weeding-out effect created by the inconsistent tax incentive have made the industry stronger, …
by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine) Why quality for glycerin is just as important for biodiesel
…With all the stringent quality measures imposed on producers, there is, however, no governing body that imposes or oversees similar quality …
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) It’s been nearly two decades since ASTM International initiated spec development efforts for biodiesel. Since then, the organization has developed specifications for not only B100, but also blends of up …
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) …C.J. (Warner, Sapphire Energy’s President and Chairman) keynoted at the recent Algal Biomass Summit, attending along with Tim Zenk, Sapphire’s Vice President of Corporate Affairs, who was formerly executive …
(PR NewsWire) BlueFire Renewables, Inc., a company focused on changing the world’s transportation fuel paradigm through the production of renewable fuels from non-food cellulosic wastes, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with China …
The inclusion of aviation into the EU ETS will go live on 1 January 2012. By 28 February, aircraft operators will have received their free allocations in their registry account. February 2012 will be the …
by Rich Heidorn, Jr. (Bloomberg) Ethanol’s boosters have cited three policy objectives in defense of ethanol’s subsidies and import protections: Increasing the nation’s energy security by reducing reliance on imported oil, reducing the environmental …
by David Shaffer (Star Tribune) An emerging green industry aims to develop a new source of fuel to replace oil, but the quick money could be elsewhere.
Green slime is growing in ponds next to an …
by Susan Frick Carlman (Naperville Sun) The first phase of the local partnership working toward collecting yard waste and converting it into fuels is poised to go live in the coming weeks. In the works for …
by Matt Hartwig (Renewable Fuels Association) …All of ethanol’s critics share a common flaw when it comes to their claims – they cherry-pick the topics on which they opine and ignore very relevant facts. The …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) For two weekends in a row, race car driver Clint Bowyer will have put his best foot forward for American Ethanol. On Oct. 23 the spokesperson for American Ethanol …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ICM Inc. and Ignite Racing Fuel are sponsoring a vehicle in a six-day treasure hunt and race-track based rally that begins Oct. 27. The two-man team is made up of …
(BusinessWire/Research and Markets) Biofuel Consumption in Germany – Industry and Country Analysis provides five forces Industry analysis, along with PESTLE country analysis of Germany. This report concludes with profiles of the leading companies in the …
by Nina Chestney (The Peninsula) Several new companies are betting on the little-known pongamia pinnata tree as a biodiesel feedstock that does not hurt food production, but a decade or more of research and development is …
(Living Green) A new certification program trains workers for an exciting career CleanTech. The University of California in San Diego’s Centre for Algae Biotechnology, or SD-CAB has started a new education program to help train …
(BusinessWire/Gevo) Briggs & Stratton Tests Show None of the Engine Compatibility Issues of Ethanol
In side by side performance, durability and emissions testing of small engines, gasoline blended with isobutanol performed better than blends using ethanol. …
by Marc Valero (Highlands Today) With ethanol production poised to bring jobs and a major economic impact to Highlands County, South Florida Community College is partnering with biofuels companies to create a bioenergy education program.
SFCC …
(OriginOil) CEO’s presentation at Amsterdam’s Biofuels 2011 describes how blending algae with other feedstocks can ease shortages and help develop advanced biofuels
OriginOil, Inc., the developer of a breakthrough technology to extract oil from algae and an …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …The fact that the US government doubled-down, by allegedly subordinating the loan to investments by a pair of hedge funds, during a Solyndra financial reorganization, is going to cost Energy Secretary …
(US Department of Energy) The Biomass Program released the “Land-Use Change and Bioenergy” summary report. This publication describes the Biomass Program’s efforts to examine the intersection of land-use change and bioenergy production. It outlines legislation …
by Barbara Walters (ABC 20/20)Though conspicuous consumption in tough economic times has given the superrich bad press, self-made moguls like … Lynn Tilton are giving back through various philanthropy and business projects. They’re also sharing …
(US Department of Energy) With support from the Biomass Program, as well as other DOE programs, including the Vehicle Technologies, Fuel Cell Technologies, and Geothermal Technologies programs, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) has completed and released …
(EnergySkeptic.com) … This is a quick summary of the problems with making fuel from algae:
Is more energy used to make algae biofuel than is created? (EROEI)
1) Keep water in ponds or plastic tubing within a …
by Steve LeVine (Foreign Policy) A much-trumpeted partnership of one of today’s most celebrated scientists and the world’s largest publicly traded oil company seems stalled in its aim of creating mass-market biofuel from algae, and may …
by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine) Dothan, Ala.-based renewable energy solutions firm Clean Energy Pathways Inc. has introduced a new line of custom-blended biodiesel for use as a Btu-substitute in coal-fired utility and commercial boilers, or for …
by Sonya Kolesnikov-Jessop (New York Times) Pahang State in central Malaysia is about to becomehome to the world’s largest commercial farm project producing microalgae for biofuel.
The farm will start to take shape in the first quarter …
by Philip Brasher (Des Moines Register) The biofuel industry is lobbying lawmakers to continue some subsidies and financial assistance that they got in the last farm bill. The programs are set to expire next year if …
(R&D) Researchers have long been interested in waste products as sources of biofuel. In Maine, those waste items could include treetops and limbs deemed by the forest products industry as unusable and often left behind …
by Ben Geman (The Hill/E2Wire) Nine liberal House Democrats are floating legislation to impose a carbon tax on fossil-fuel producers and importers, a measure they say would cut the deficit by a half-trillion dollars and …
by David Shaffer (Star Tribune) The latest clean-tech energy contender pushes toward commercial production, even as federal money is drying up.
The ingredient list for products ranging from jet fuel to dietary supplements may soon get …
by Robert Burns (AgriLifeToday) Feeling pain again at the gasoline pump? Don’t blame it on corn and the cost of ethanol.
Well, at least don’t blame it entirely on corn, said Dr. Mark Welch, Texas AgriLife …
by Darren Goode (Politico) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has told Secretary of State Hillary Clinton he has “serious concern” about TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
Reid — in an Oct. 5 letter to Clinton first reported on …
by John R. Block (The Washington Times) As Secretary of Agriculture during the Reagan administration, I helped the American ethanol industry take off. Imagine my surprise to read an editorial in The Washington Times (“Corn-fueled politics,” …
by Matt Soberg (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Saskatchewan-based Nipawin Biomass Ethanol New Generation Co-operative Ltd. has contracted with the Saskatchewan Research Council to further develop its catalytic process for cellulosic ethanol production. The technology is also …
by Donnelle Eller (Des Moines Register) Development authority to weigh help for feed additive firm’s Fort Dodge plan
Iowa’s new public-private economic development authority begins with a bang today, considering incentives for a $324 million project …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) One World Clean Energy Inc. has secured its first memorandum of understanding to construct and commission a $115 million Integrated Biorefinery in South Africa, where it would produce10 megawatts …
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today commended General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Chrysler for meeting their pledge to produce 50 percent of their new vehicles as flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) by 2012. …
(Biofuels International) Algae.Tec, an algae production company, has received approval for its demonstration facility in Shoalhaven, New South Wales, Australia.
The facility was approved under the Shoalhaven City Council Environment Planning and Assessment Act and the …
by Reese Ewing (Reuters) Brazilian joint venture BENRI plans to rate sugar and ethanol mills on efficiency, a new service for the sector that is expected to improve performance of mills and the terms of credit …
by Stephan Nielsen (Bloomberg Businessweek) Sugar-cane processors in Brazil, including Bunge Ltd. and Louis Dreyfus SAS, are preparing to increase their ethanol exports to the U.S., where oil companies must expand their use of biofuels.
Ethanol …
by Julie Ingwersen (Reuters) USDA says ethanol boom creating new patterns in corn use
* Gov’t unsure why feed use falls late in marketing years
* Reports blamed for wild swings in CBOT grain prices
* Industry barbs come …
by Larisa Brass (KnoxvilleBiz.com) Dupont Danisco Cellulosic Energy may not have announced definitive plans for siting a commercial biofuels plant in the state, but University of Tennessee researcher Edward Yu has some suggestions.
As part of …
(PR NewsWire) Air China, Boeing , and Chinese and U.S. aviation energy partners today conducted China’s first sustainable biofuel flight. The two-hour mainland flight from Beijing Capital International Airport was witnessed by officials from both countries and …
by Art Hovey (Lincoln Journal Star) Movers and shakers in York County, one of the most prolific places for corn production in Nebraska and the United States, have spun off plenty of other profitable corn …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Subscriber and selector voting in the 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy for 2011-12 winds up shortly, and we will announce the new Hot 50 “live” at Advanced Biofuels Markets in …
by Aaron Gray-Block (Reuters) Dutch life sciences group DSM said the development of second-generation biofuels is nearing a major breakthrough with commercial production just a couple of years away that could open up a market …
by Nina Chestney (Reuters) Biofuels for use in transport are becoming more competitive compared with oil but the pace of growth has slowed due to a lack of regulation and sustainability standards in Europe, the …
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A newly released report from the USDA appears to confirm what the ethanol industry has been claiming for years—distillers grains is a valuable feed source and can significantly reduce …
(PR NewsWire) Boeing , Embraer and the Sao Paulo State Research Foundation (FAPESP) today announced plans to collaborate on long-term aviation biofuels-related research and development, a move that represents another major step toward the creation of …
by Elizabeth Shogren (National Public Radio) The Pentagon’s hunt for an alternative to petroleum has turned a lowly weed and animal fat into something indistinguishable from jet fuel, and now the military is trying to kick-start …
(Bangkok Post) Ubon Bio Ethanol Co (UBE), an affiliate of Bangchak Petroleum Plc (BCP), has won a deal to ship 100 million litres of ethanol per year worth 2.4 billion baht to China.
The shipments averaging …
(EuropaPress) El centenar de vehículos y máquinas que forman la flota de Rivamadrid, empresa municipal de recogida de basura, limpieza y jardinería municipal, han sustituido el gasóleo de automoción por biodiésel dentro de la línea …
by Toby Price (Renewable Energy Magazine) A German-French initiative has culminated in the commissioning of a photobioreactor plant on the French island of La Reunion in the Indian Ocean. The facility which uses microalgae to …
by Stephanie Schwartz (NorthJersey.com) There is a dispute between the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Pascack Valley towns over the supposed biodiesel program Westwood and Woodcliff Lake have implemented.
Melinda Dower of the New Jersey Department of Environmental …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …ABO 2011 has offered an opportunity to consider the progress that the algal biomass sector has made in its race for commercial-scale, to marvel at the proliferation of robust business …
