-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)
(Bloomberg) Range Fuels, Inc.,…, a closely held U.S. cellulosic ethanol company that was offered $156 million in federal government backing, sold its only factory to LanzaTech NZ Ltd. as part of a government-approved liquidation.
The U.S. Department …
(Biotork) BioTork has successfully converted unmarketable Hawaiian papayas to fatty acids that can be refined into green fuels. This result is a first milestone in a developmental research project conducted in collaboration with the US Dept of …
(MarketWire/Evogene) Wholly Owned Subsidiary Expanding Castor Bean Activity in Brazil
Evogene Ltd. announced that it is establishing Evofuel, a wholly owned subsidiary, to focus on developing seed for advanced second-generation feedstock for biofuel.
Included in the activities …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Nigeria, Bloomberg and several local outlets are reporting that the Nigerian government has signed a $2.55 billion development deal with Global Biofuels, to construct 15 integrated biorefineries throughout the West …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) With U.S. ethanol plants adding corn oil extraction in increasing numbers, about half the distillers grains coming into Canada is a low corn oil product, said Eduardo Beltranena, feed …
(US Department of Energy) A single commercial mower can use as much gasoline or diesel fuel each year as a commercial work truck does. Fortunately, petroleum-based fuels aren’t the only options when it comes to …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …10. Advanced biofuels capacity surges to 1 billion gallons, globally. We see 570 million gallons in capacity from Neste Oil alone; 137 Mgy from Diamond Green, 75 Mgy from Dynamic …
ATW’s 5th Annual Eco-Aviation Conference looks at the strategies and technologies being implemented by the air transport industry as it strives to create a greener, sustainable future.
ATW’s Annual Eco-Aviation Conference was the first and still …
Centered around the theme on Finding Value Added Applications for Cassava, CMT’sCassava Starch World conference is a must attend event for the entire supply chain of the industry.
Find out key issues on
Cassava Starch outlook – markets, economics and its …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) By the end of January, Atlantic BioEnergy Corp. expects to be producing ethanol at its new $6.2 million demonstration plant in Cornwall, Prince Edward Island. The 79,000 gallon a …
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The USDA announced the final round of fiscal year 2011 Renewable Energy for America Program awards on Dec. 14. The awards included grants for 12 blender pump projects …
by Lynn Yarris (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) The computer assisted design (CAD) tools that made it possible to fabricate integrated circuits with millions of transistors may soon be coming to the biological sciences. Researchers at …
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) The USDA’s Risk Management Agency has developed a pilot program to insure camelina. The program, which will be available in selected counties in Montana and North Dakota for the 2012 …
by Mary Rosenthal (Algal Biomass Organization) …Many of you will remember that 2011 began with a discouraging report that claimed algae biofuels could never play a role in US energy security. We at the Algal …
(Algae Industry Magazine) Since early October, New Mexico State University’s Institute for Energy & the Environment (IEE) researchers have been transitioning from algae operations in the IEE water and energy lab to the Algae Test …
(Algae Industry Magazine) rom the Denki Shimbun Electric Daily News comes a story about three Japanese companies: IHI Corporation, Gene and Gene Technology (G>), and the Neo-Morgan Laboratory Incorporated (NML) that have just announced establishing …
by Dr. Steven Thomas (US Department of Energy) Biomass feedstocks – the raw organic material that can be converted into biofuel, biopower, or bioproducts – come in many forms, from woody crops like hybrid poplar and …
by Neil Rossmeissl (US Department of Energy) Despite Americans’ voracious appetite for paper products — a staggering 700 pounds per person annually — America’s pulp and paper industry has been struggling as of late due to …
by Angela Monaghan (The Telegraph) The plans, announced in the financial year so far, could create almost 12,000 jobs across the country according to research by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
It came as …
by Bryan Sims (Biodiesle Magazine) San Diego-based biodiesel producer New Leaf Biofuel LLC has forged an agreement with the San Diego Unified School District to supply biodiesel to its fleet of more than 500 buses …
by Tim Hoskins (Iowa Farmer Today) Blender gas pumps are viewed as one way to increase ethanol sales and allow for a transition to higher ethanol-blended gasoline.
A blender pump is connected to two fuel tanks, …
by Nathanael Green (Energy Now/Natural Resources Defense Council) …Our dependence on oil hurts our economy, helps our adversaries and puts our security at risk. Each day we send over $1 billion overseas for oil, often …
(BBC) Sony has unveiled a paper-powered battery prototype in Japan.
The technology generates electricity by turning shredded paper into sugar which in turn is used as fuel.
…The process works by using the enzyme cellulase to decompose …
(PRLog) Alta Vista Securities today (December 29, 2011) announced today a new Bioenergy Joint Venture focusing on the processing of Rice, Sugarcane and Coconut into energy producing Biofuels
Pacific Biofuels Corporations will establish three biofuels plants …
(PR Log) Innovacorp today announced the list of clean technology start-ups moving on to round two of the Nova Scotia CleanTech Open competition.
Innovacorp today announced the list of clean technology start-ups moving on to round …
(PR NewsWire) Start of demolition works at the former chemical plant in Castleford
Black Pearl Capital Partners (“BPCP”) today announced that it has acquired a 118 acre infrastructure site near Blackburn, UK. The site which formerly operated …
(Global Bioenergy Partnership) In November 2011 the GBEP Steering Committee endorsed the report The Global Bioenergy Partnership Sustainability Indicators for Bioenergy. It was developed by GBEP Partners and Observers through the GBEP Task Force on Sustainability …
(Science Daily) When a plant encounters drought, it does its best to cope with this stress by activating a set of protein molecules called receptors. These receptors, once activated, turn on processes that help the …
(Iowans Fueled with Pride) The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) today announced the release of the Iowans Fueled with Pride coalition 2012 Iowa Caucus Voter Guide. The guide outlines the positions of presidential candidates campaigning …
(Bay City News Service) Christmas trees in San Francisco will be used as biofuel as part of the city’s 25th annual “Treecycling” program, which officials celebrated with a “chipping of the trees” event outside City …
by Jim Lane and Todd Guerrero (Biofuels Digest/Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.) Us federal judge rules that California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard interferes with the “maintenance of a national economic union unfettered by state-imposed limitations on …
by Cole Gustafson, Thein Maung and David Ripplinger (North Dakota State University/Ethanol Producer Magazine) NDSU quantifies the cost and time involved in corn stover collection
…The research team at North Dakota State University in Fargo recently …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Ethanol producers who don’t relentlessly focus on yield may be leaving precious revenue on the table
In 2010, plants with higher-than-average ethanol yield brought in $1.6 million in revenue over …
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Despite the promise of methane from anaerobic digestion technology, low natural gas rates and other factors have kept ethanol producers from jumping in with both feet.
…On top of the …
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Retailers are concerned about increasing E85 prices as a result of the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit’s expiration, says Todd Garner, CEO of Boca Raton, Fla.-based ethanol marketer and …
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) …Brazil began developing its domestic ethanol industry in the 1970s in response to the worldwide oil crisis that hit countries with little to no oil production, including Brazil, extremely …
(Farm Futures) Failure to renew the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit will create a new world for the industry.
…What many consumers don’t realize is that the tax credit didn’t go to ethanol plants, it went …
(WRAL) Lack of action by state lawmakers and Congress is expected to raise gas prices in North Carolina by more than 8 cents a gallon, starting Sunday.
Half of the increase comes from the state. North …
by Vishal Dutta (The Times of India/Economic Times) Biotech companies producing industrial enzymes are gradually moving to cellulosic enzymes that help in bio-fuel generation. Enzymes are biological catalysts and when added to agriculture residue speed up …
(Orlando Sentinel) Editorial: …This month a state House panel approved a bill to repeal the 2008 state law that requires most gasoline sold in Florida to include up to 10 percent ethanol. Sponsor Matt Gaetz, …
by Ron Kortrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Last week the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality concluded that air quality is simply not a reason for concern regarding biodiesel volumes associated with federally required use. The federal renewable …
by Gene Zaleski (The Times and Democrat) …Orangeburg County (South Carolina) Development Commission Executive Director Gregg Robinson said while there are challenges in alternative fuel production, they can be overcome. He remains bullish on alternative …
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) …Growth Energy, Horizon Fuels, the American Lung Association and Marquis Energy partnered to help with the promotions and labeling for the three new Flex Fuel pumps at the Princeton Fast Stop. “It …
by Rachel Z. Arndt (FastCompany) …(W)e speak with Mary Tilton, VP of plant operations at Virent, which is using chemistry to turn plants into fuel.
“We are replacing crude oil. We’re using catalytic chemistry to …
by Derek Mead (GreenTechMedia) Biofuel up-and-comers Codexis and Mascoma both have big news that means cellulosic ethanol production is right around the corner.
…With traditional sugar feedstocks — and in the U.S., that means corn — …
C-C. Tsao, J. E. Campbell, M. Mena-Carrasco, S. N. Spak, G. R. Carmichael & Y. Chen (Nature Climate Change) Accelerating biofuel production has been promoted as an opportunity to enhance energy security, offset greenhouse-gas emissions and support rural economies. However, large …
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Royal Dutch Shell plc is in the early stages of a development project that would site a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in southern Manitoba. “It’s very, very, very early …
(FarmGateBlog.com) Many Cornbelt farmers are planning to deliver corn stover to the local ethanol plant to generate a new income stream. Others are planning to cultivate and harvest switchgrass, miscanthus, or other biomass crops also …
by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register) The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, which represents the state’s ethanol and biodiesel producers, and the Iowa Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Stores have announced a joint venture to explore how …
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) …According to a landmark study by the Keystone Alliance (a group including both farm groups and environmental organizations, such as Environmental Defense Fund and The Nature Conservancy) the amount of …
(Environmental Protection Agency) he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today finalized the 2012 percentage standards for four fuel categories that are part of the agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard program (RFS2). EPA continues to support greater …
by Vlada B. Veljković , Jelena M. Avramović, Olivera S. Stamenković (Science Direct) In the present paper state-of-the art and perspectives of ultrasound-assisted (UA) biodiesel production from different oil-bearing materials using acid, base and enzyme catalysts are critically discussed. …
by Deepak Dugar & Gregory Stephanopoulos (Nature Biotechnology)
To the Editor:
Concerns about the sustainability of fossil fuels and global warming1, along with energy security2, have provided a strong incentive recently toward research and development of carbon-neutral alternatives including next-generation …
by Rachel Z. Arndt (FastCompany) ”We’ve been in the industry for 97 years, and we’re very good at knowing how to make the right fuels for the right specifications. We transform natural oils to look …
(Eni) The agreement is a further step in the consolidation of Eni’s presence in Angola.
Eni signed today three agreements in Luanda to further strengthen its cooperation with the Angolan national oil company, Sonangol.
Through the agreements …
(Network Indiana) Evansville-based Powers Energy of America is still planning on buying land in south Lake County and building a facility that will convert trash into ethanol in about three years from now.
Lake County Solid …
by David Bransby(Auburn University/Biofuels Digest) We hear a lot about “drop-in” fuels these days. While this term typically means an infrastructure-compatible liquid transportation fuel, Wayne Keith has come up with his own version of a …
(German Union for the Promotion of Oils and Protein Plants – UFOP) The global biodiesel market has shown an exponential growth in production and trade across the past decade. Nowadays, more biodiesel than ever before is sourced …
(RedOrbit) UK’s wrapping paper and festive cards could provide energy to send a bus to the moon more than 20 times
If all the UK’s discarded wrapping paper and Christmas cards were collected and fermented, they …
by Emeka Ugwuanyi (The Nation) As part of contribution to developing and using renewable energy as against the current dependence on fossil fuels, the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) said it has given out $695 million as …
by Joanna Seenayen ( Lexpress) En droite ligne avec le concept Maurice Ile Durable, le groupe sucrier s’engage dans la production d’électricité, d’éthanol et de bio fertilisant. Il va aussi commercialiser des sucres spéciaux ainsi qu’un …
(WLNS/AP) Critics of a refinery planned for the Upper Peninsula have filed a second lawsuit against the project.
Larry Klein and the Sierra Club claim the U.S. Energy Department failed to follow federal environmental law when …
(CAFFI) Potential investors and business buyers and government policy makers will have a unique chance to get to know key players in the development and deployment of alternative aviation fuels at the Commercial Alternative Aviation …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There were IPOs a go-go, a big comeback from biodiesel. The global ethanol fleet has acquired new popularity amongst advanced biofuels developers looking for capital light steel in the ground. …
(The Star) Most of the used cooking oil collected from kitchens are no longer recycled for biodiesel because of the high cost involved, according to a middleman.
The middleman, who only wanted to be known as …
(Warehouse News) At its distribution centre at Brackmills, Northamptonshire, leading retailer John Lewis is turning waste cooking oil from its in-store restaurants into eco-friendly biodiesel which it is using to power a Jungheinrich counterbalanced forklift …
by Tina Casey (CleanTechnica)
The U.S. Army is developing high tech steam engines that can run on biofuels, and not just for show. The steam engines, manufactured by Florida-based Cyclone Power Technologies, Inc, will be used in combat …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack headed the “Top 100 People in Bioenergy” as voted by the readers of Biofuels Digest and the Digest’s editorial board, just edging out BP …
(European Commission CORDIS) Europeans believe in a sustainable environment, and a way of ensuring its future is to promote and build energy resources based on residual biomass. Supporting this objective is the BIOBOOST (‘Biomass-based energy …
by Lauren Sommer (KQED) …The idea behind biofuels is pretty simple. Plants take sunlight and use that energy to make sugars. The biofuels industry wants to transform those sugars into fuel. That requires some molecular …
by Robert F. Service (Science Magazine) In the biofuels business, the idea of converting nonfood plants to fuels is like a mirage: enticing but seemingly just out of reach. To do it, the industry must …
by Dave Dreeszen (Sioux City Journal) A northeast Nebraska start-up company has produced its first batches of an ag-based material that holds great promise for the global plastics industry.
Laurel BioComposite LLC recently opened a pilot …
by Scott Larson (The Star Phoenix) A new market for canola growers is opening up in Europe, says a representative for Control Union, a Netherland-based company that certifies supply chains for products entering Europe.
While …
(Macau Hub) French group Tereos Internacional and Brazilian energy company Petrobras Wednesday in Maputo signed a protocol of intentions with Mozambican state oil and gas company Petróleos de Moçambique (Petromoc) to study the feasibility of …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …But think nylon, the wonder material. Friend of low-cost carpet, your latest pair of Jimmy Choo sneakers, or mass-market, ready-to-wear fashion sold at everyday low prices. Adipic is a major …
(European Commission) Committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 80-95% below 1990 levels by 2050, the EU is exploring the challenges of decarbonisation.
In March this year the EU published its low-carbon roadmap covering all sections …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Georgia, the University of Georgia has teamed with the University of Puerto Rico to develop a new R&D center that will focus on algae-based biofuels thanks to a $4 million grant …
(DuPont) DuPont and Rosetta Green Ltd. have entered into a strategic research agreement to identify drought tolerance genes in corn and soybeans.
“Drought can lead to losses for corn growers of up to $13 billion annually,” said John …
(MyNewsDesk.com/SEKAB) SEKAB announced today that the company will end the operation and collaboration agreement for maintenance and operation of the Ethanol Pilot, owned by EPAB (Ethanol Pilot of Sweden AB). SEKAB has been working with …
(Click Green) The UK’s advertising watchdog has ruled in favour of oil giant Shell over marketing claims its biofuels reduced CO2 emissions.
A national ad campaign for Shell included the boast that biofuel was “one of …
(InfotechSpotlight) …The Coast Guard announces its intent to enter into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Cummins, Inc., to identify and investigate the advantages, disadvantages, required technology enhancements, performance, costs, and other issues …
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 …
by Alex Philippidis (Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News) President Barack Obama’s administration has begun reviewing suggestions for a National Bioeconomy Blueprint detailing measures by which the Obama administration intends to apply biological research innovations toward national …
(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 …
(ETC Group) New report on Corporate Concentration in the Life Industries
From the UN Rio+20 preparatory meetings in New York, ETC Group today launchesWho Will Control the Green Economy? The 60-page report connects the dots between …
by Pavel Molchanov, Cory J. Garcia, Stacey Hudson (Raymond James) Our industry brief from June 10, “Bio-Based Plastics: In Coke-Pepsi War’s New Front, Gen2 Biofuels Set to Benefit,” introduced the bioplastics opportunity as it relates to …
by Cody Winchester and Megan Luther (Argus Leader) Industry tops in state for toxic emissions
…For the past five years in South Dakota, ethanol plants have been the leading emitters of carcinogens — toxins thought or known …
(US Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today (December 14, 2011) announced loans and grants for agricultural producers and rural small businesses across the country to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in …
(Science Daily) A generally accepted, 44-year-old assumption about how certain kinds of bacteria make energy and synthesize cell materials has been shown to be incorrect by a team of scientists led by Donald Bryant, the …
by Jeanne Roberts (Energy Boom) On Wednesday, December 14, representatives from the nation’s biofuels, renewable chemicals and biobased products industries provided written testimony to a U.S. Senate Finance Subcommittee aimed at insuring the smooth continuation of …
(PR-USA.net) The project will be engaged in jatropha production and biodiesel processing venture in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range of the Philippines. The target aggregate plantation area is 110,000 hectares divided into clusters …
by Paul Stenquist (New York Times) The U.S. Coalition for Advanced Diesel Cars, a Washington-based advocacy group whose members include Bosch, Honeywell and BorgWarner, all major automotive suppliers, released a white paper on Monday to make …
(OriginOil) JV receives preliminary funding commitment of $4.5 million to carry out bankable feasibility studies
OriginOil, Inc., the developer of a breakthrough technology to extract oil from algae and an emerging leader in the global algae oil …
by Naval Sea Systems Command (Navy.mil) The Navy successfully concluded its final alternative fuel demonstration for the year today with the Dec. 7-9 operational tests of the 50/50 algae-derived, hydro-processed algal oil and petroleum F-76 …
by David Goldberg (Transportation for America) …To fill gaps in service, Opportunity Link two years ago led the creation of North Central Montana Transit.
NCMT is miraculous for a number of reasons.
First, it offers fixed-route service. Many …
by Kevin Bullis (MIT Technology Review) Gevo, a prominent advanced-biofuels company that has received millions in U.S. government funding to develop fuels made from cellulosic sources such as grass and wood chips, is finding that …
(PhysOrg.com) A method developed at Aalto University in Finland makes it possible to use microbes to produce butanol suitable for biofuel and other industrial chemicals from wood biomass. Butanol is particularly suited as a transport …
by Shifra Mincer (AOL Energy) BP has confirmed it will be closing down operations of 40-year-old BP Solar.
…This July, BP Solar shut down its residential rooftop and sales business, concentrating only on large utility-scale projects, BP spokesman Robert …
(Algae.Tec) Algae.Tec Ltd and the major European airline Lufthansa have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly evaluate the potential for algae oil from Algae.Tec’s bio-reactors to be developed into a sustainable source of aviation …
(BioMCN) Environmental commodity broker Vertis Environmental Finance have signed an agency agreement with BioMCN for the representation and sales of bio-methanol in Central Europe. BioMCN is the largest 2nd generation biofuels producer in the world, …
