by Margaret Ryan (AOL Energy)  While the “food versus fuel” debate has grabbed headlines, biofuels technology worldwide has been accelerating down the learning curve and is at a “tipping point” for commercialization.
That was the consensus of an …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …The first World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates for 2012, from the US Department of Agriculture, give us an opportunity to review that debate.
Let’s go back 10 years ago, before the …

(PhysOrg) The drive to develop crops for use as biofuel, continues to raise questions about additional uses of forest land. A cutting edge computer model developed at North Carolina State University offers detailed insight to predict …

(Parabel (formerly PetroAlgae)) Parabel, Inc.  new, economical sources of feed, food, and fuel, today announced that it has finalized a restated Master Framework Agreement with CECEP – Chongqing Industry Co., Ltd. (An absolute holding subsidiary of China …

(Global Renewable Fuels Association/Cardno ENTRIX)  …As is the case with virtually all other emerging and developing countries, biofuels offer the prospects of a new cash crop for farmers, increased employment in rural areas, expanded manufacturing output, reduced …

by Wendy Koch (USA Today)  Amid the push to develop clean energy, new research suggests plant-based biofuels could meet 30% of global demand for transportation fuel and slash the greenhouse gas emissions that come from …

by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA)  In a recent editorial, What Keystone Won’t Do, the Washington Post mused about “the best way to insulate Americans from oil-price volatility and other drawbacks of oil use,” concluding …

by Meg Cichon (Renewable Energy World)  The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources released a new set of strict standards for biomass in early May that have the potential to cut subsidies for developing plants. According …

by David Brough (Reuters)  Global biofuel demand fell in 2011 due to the impact of government requirements and greater incentives in food markets, but usage is set to grow driven by new technologies, commodities house Czarnikow said …

(MarketWire)  An article in F1000 Biology Reports (http://f1000.com/reports/biology) published today (May 2, 2012) argues that recent advances in knowledge mean that plant-derived biofuels could meet about 30% of the global demand for liquid transportation fuels, …

(Ceres)  • Pilot project validates U.S.-produced sweet sorghum as a potential feedstock for advanced biofuels and bio-products.
• Conversion efficiency of sweet sorghum sugars were similar to sugarcane.
Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. (Nasdaq: CERE) today announced …

(UK’s National Center for Biorenewable Energy, Fuels and Materials)  This report investigates the importance of allocation procedures in reporting and understanding energy and greenhouse gas balances from life cycle assessment of biofuels and bio-based chemicals.
Life …

(FarmingUK.com)  Latest government figures reveal that the vast majority of biofuels supplied in the UK are made from imported feedstock, with almost nine out of every 10 litres of foreign origin.
The NFU have said that …

by Margaret Broeren  (Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center)  …Much more than a buzzword, “sustainable” means that trade-offs—social, environmental and economic factors—have been measured, modeled and validated against actual “boots on the ground data” measured at agricultural …

(Wall Street Journal/Governors Biofuels Coalition)  Top European Union policy makers will next week be faced with one of Europe’s most controversial climate policies, as they consider whether biofuels do more harm than good when it …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Finding synergy between biogas, ethanol and power generation – the Maabjerg Energy Concept promises a new approach to energy economics and sustainability, through the capture and repurpose of industrial byproducts.
…Last …

(EurActiv)  Conventional biofuels like biodiesel increase carbon dioxide emissions and are too expensive to consider as a long-term alternative fuel, a draft EU report says.

The study ‘EU Transport GHG [greenhouse gases]: Routes to 2050’ estimates that …

by Paul Douglas (Bloomberg Business Week)  When will American business wake up to the scientific reality of climate change?
When the common-sense moderate middle wakes up. When pragmatic entrepreneurs and investors realize an intransigent, inflexible and, …

by Robert F. Service  (Science)  If drivers switch from gasoline to biofuels, will it lessen the air pollution that shrouds cities around the world? Studies of auto emissions have indicated it might. But the first citywide …

(GreenAir Online)  The Committee on Climate Change (CCC), which advises the UK government on national carbon targets, has recommended international aviation and shipping emissions be included in carbon budgets and the UK’s 2050 overall target …

(NFU Online)  The updated Red Tractor farm assurance scheme for crops and sugar beet is on the verge of being officially accepted across the EU in time for this year’s harvest, the NFU said today.
The move is …

by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA)  Coinciding with Earth Week, The George Washington University announced the launch of its new Sustainability Minor, a preview of degree and graduate programs to come; and, hosted “GW Moving …

by Kris Bevill (Ehtanol Producer Magazine)  A recently published article in the peer-reviewed Journal of the Royal Society Interface suggests that in order for life cycle analyses (LCA) of biomass-based products such as biofuels to be most …

by Antje Grzesik (Ethanol Producer Magazine/ISCC System GmbH)  …The EU Renewable Energy Directive (Directive 2009/28/EC) establishes a common framework for the promotion of energy from renewable sources in the European Union. In the area of biofuels …

by Peter Byrne  (The Energy Report)  Believe it or not, industry experts see biofuels accounting for up to 25% of global energy consumption by 2050. With this long-term vision in mind, Mark McHugh, president and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  There’s water, water everywhere, hardly a drop to use. The latest on Sustainable, Affordable, Reliable, Available biomass feedstocks that keep down the stress on our water tables.
…The basic dilemma in …

by Aviva Glaser and Patty Glick  (National Wildlife Federation)  Without question, America needs to transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future. As we move forward with our energy choices, we must be mindful of how …

by J.E. Anderson, D.M. DiCicco, J.M. Ginder, U. Kramer, T.G. Leone, H.E. Raney-Pablo, T.J. Wallington (FUEL/ScienceDirect.com)  Ethanol provides a significant contribution to road transportation fuel in the US, Brazil, and elsewhere. Renewable fuels regulations in the US and EU imply that ethanol …

by Greg Breining (University of Minnesota/Bioenergy Connection)   …Did demand for biofuel feedstocks, such as corn, sugarcane, rapeseed, and soybeans, drive the high cost of food? Many analysts later pinned most of the blame on commodities …

(US Department of Agriculture)  A recent study conducted by researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) highlights the potential for alternative energy production at airports. The study …

(U.S. Geological Survey)  USGS scientists have developed a new method for mapping grasslands that demonstrate high potential for growing biofuel crops with relatively little energy input and environmental impact.
The pioneering investigation used remote sensing data …

by James Stafford (OilPrice.com)  Rising geopolitical tensions and high oil prices are continuing to help renewable energy find favour amongst investors and politicians. Yet how much faith should we place in renewables to make up …

(Bernama)  Malaysia and Indonesia, the world’s largest producers of palm oil, are on a joint mission to correct and update a United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report that could impact future exports of palm …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Last July, the Digest launched a project called “Victory Plants” and set about recruiting a Biofuels Council of Advisors on Science, Technology and Economics to define a threshold standard for advanced manufacturing …

by Cori Anne Natoli (DelawareOnline)  The DuPont Co. won the 2012 Sustainable Biofuels award for its research project on the transport and storage of corn stover for conversion to biofuel.
The Stover Harvest Project is a collaborative effort …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Archer Daniels Midland Co. is expanding its research activities related to the use of distillers grains and corn stover to replace corn in cattle diets, recently announcing a two-year …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  A  team of scientists at the Argonne National Laboratory has published a paper in IOP Science’s Environmental Research Letters comparing the emissions performance of algal biofuels to petroleum fuels. In their qualified …

(Business Day) State wants industry to source feedstock from small-scale farmers, writes Hopewell Radebe
The government has not moved an inch on the proposal by the farming community to include maize as an alternative crop for …

by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA)  Problem Definition:  The production of biofuels in the US is at a substantial roadblock. Due to the high cost of transporting large quantities of low density, low value biomass …

by Erin Voegele   (Biodiesel Magazine)   Archer Daniels Midland Co. Agri-Industries Lloydminster oilseeds processing facility recently announced the introduction of its Sustainable Grower Program in connection with the sustainability certification it has earned from …

(Platts)  A decision in favor of recognizing Ensus, a UK biofuel sustainability certification scheme, will be taken in “a matter of weeks,” a European Commission source said Monday.
UK bioethanol producer Ensus received the support of …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  A new study released today by the Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) indicates that a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states could result in doubling gasoline prices and other negative …

by Syed Isa (Algae Industry Magazine)    The International Centre for Science and High Technology (ICS-UNIDO) presented an Expert Group Meeting on Emerging Technologies for the Production of Biofuels and Chemicals from Algae, March 19-21, in …

by Kelly Madsen (IowaStateDaily.com)  The Iowa State University-led Cenusa Bioenergy project works to develop a biofuel with both a Midwestern and environmental focus.
Through a five-year, $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National …

by Stefaniya Becking  (Advanced Biofuels USA)  The World Biofuels Markets conference that took place on March 13-15, 2012 in Rotterdam provided an excellent environment for attendees to network with decision-makers from 80 countries and learn …

(PRNewsWire/Yahoo!)  Partnership will advance research in automotive renewable diesel solutions for current and next-generation TDI® Clean Diesel applications
Volkswagen of America today announced partnerships with Solazyme and Amyris, two of the world’s leaders in renewable fuels, …

(Neste Oil)  Already 49% of the raw materials that Neste Oil used in 2011 to produce its renewable fuel was certified. This was an increase of 28 percentage points on the figure for 2010, and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …Here are five types of technologies that straddle the political divide between green and black.
Re-using industrial waste gases  Here are three companies aiming at capturing CO2 and either directly converting to …

by John DeCicco  (The Energy Collective)  If biofuels benefit the climate, it’s not when they’re burned; those CO2 emissions are the same as from the fossil fuels they replace. Any potential benefit is due to the …

(4-Traders)  Petrotec AG (ISIN DE000PET111), the largest European producer of waste to biodiesel mainly used cooking oil based, reported a 97% sales increase in financial year 2011 (January 1 to December 31, 2011).
…Backed by an …