-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 …
What are advanced biofuels? Click here for definition.
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(Hood College) The United States Department of Agriculture has awarded Hood College Professor of Biology Craig Laufer $100,000 over an 18-month period to fund research and development of cost-effective biofuels. Successful completion of this project would qualify Laufer’s lab for larger grants for commercialization.
The grant is through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The research will focus on a new biotechnology idea that could significantly lower the cost of enzymes needed to produce biofuels and bioproducts, making them more cost-competitive with petroleum fuels. Increased U.S. biofuel production would lower the country’s dependence on imported oil and provide significant climate change mitigation benefits.
From left, Hood College’s Dr. Craig Laufer and Atlantic Biomass’ Bob Kozak collaborate on enzyme research in the Hodson Science and Technology Center.
The project will provide hands-on experiential training for master’s-level and undergraduate students at Hood College. Hood will work with Atlantic Biomass, LLC, a Frederick, Maryland-based biofuel technology company that is focused on the development of affordable, advanced renewable biofuels.
The key aspect of this joint effort has been the discovery and development of a sequential enzyme process that converts plant biomass into fermentation-ready sugars without the use of expensive pretreatments. The first application of this system is converting energy beets to bio-jet fuel. The technology funded by the USDA grant will help reduce enzyme costs, making biofuels more competitive commercially.
This project is timely with Hood’s hiring of a new Endowed Chair Professor in Biofuels to start in fall 2018, funded through the Maryland Department of Commerce E-Nnovation Initiative Program and the Hodson Trust. READ MORE / MORE
Federal grant helps local college research cheaper, sustainable bio-fuels (WDVM Nexstar Broadcasting)
by Bill Brandon* (Advanced Biofuels USA/ Industrial Ecosystems) According to the Paris Accords on Climate Change, each country is to develop its own goals for CO2 reductions and develop a program to meet these goals. Brazil is an interesting case study in this effort. Unlike other countries, Brazil has chosen to place a strong emphasis on transportation rather than electrical generation and building efficiency. Brazil has a long history in renewable fuels with a continuous ethanol blending protocol since 1931.
Transportation fuels role in achieving Brazil’s Paris Accord goals. Click on image to enlarge.
Legislation, Implementation
In December of 2017 the Brazilian government passed the RenovaBio program in record time under the leadership of Congressman Evandro Gussi, pictured below. Since then, the RenovaBio Committee has quickly moved to work out details of the program which is strongly based on California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
In April and May, the proposed protocol was opened to public comment in Brazil.
Delegation to Washington, DC and California
On June 11, a delegation from the Ministry of Mines and Energy, charged with the new program’s implementation, and Brazil’s National Agency of Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) came to the Wilson Center in Washington DC for a public conversation on RenovaBio. The delegation was in Washington and California for meetings with the U.S. government and the private sector to discuss lessons learned from the implementation of the RFS and the LCFS in order to improve the development and implementation of the new policy in Brazil.
Wilson Center Brazil Institute panel discussing RenovaBio. From left, Joel Velasco, Albright Stonebridge Group; Pietro Mendes, Brazil’s National Agency for Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels; Evandro Gussi, Congressman, Green Party, Federal Chamber of Deputies; Anna C. Prusa, Brazil Institute
I attended the private sector discussions and offer the following observations and comments about the RenovaBio program. It should be noted that this program covers all types of renewable fuels including bio-methane and renewable diesel.
Influence of California Low Carbon Fuel Standard and Carbon Intensity; but Better, albeit a Few Complications
First, RenovaBio certainly is an improvement over California’s LCFS in that it is performance-based rather that proscriptive-based, which often has unrealistic default CO2 values. This has been a great point of discussion concerning US corn ethanol vs. Brazilian sugarcane ethanol.
As pointed out by one participant, this performance-based carbon intensity evaluation should be extended to ‘crop’ (feedstock) production. It is presently limited to fuel production only. A third party certification entity will issue Carbon Credits based on each production facility’s technology and operations. While CO2 intensity valuation of feedstocks should eventually be included in the protocol, it will become more complicated as wastes other than agricultural crops and residues become part of the picture.
Diagram of carbon intensity and Carbon Credit flow
The responsibility for meeting government goals is placed on fuel distributors to record Carbon Credits. As a demonstration of how changing conditions often are counter to regulations, the Brazilian Senate, on June 20, 2018, passed a bill to allow sale of hydrous ethanol directly to retail outlets. This option, bypassing the distributors, may make economic sense but is inconsistent with the proposed method for recording Carbon Credits.
Second, my understanding is that the petroleum portion of a fuel is not analyzed for carbon intensity. While using an assigned benchmark petroleum value for measuring improvements is fine, if petroleum does not receive a carbon rating for fuel production, improvement figures will be skewed. The carbon intensity of petroleum is going up and even if the renewable portion is going down, real improvements may not be present. Brazil could be just ‘treading water’.
Third, there is no accounting for drive train efficiency. Advanced internal combustion engines might someday top 50% thermal efficiency (presently at about 42 – 46% for advanced engines and about 34% for conventional gasoline engines) that is then reduced by transmission and drive shaft frictions. An EV drive train does not have these reductions and also has easy access to regenerative breaking, another plus for efficiency. Electric drive trains are not just for batteries (BEV) but are also for fuel cells (FCEV). Fuel cells today can reach a 58% thermal efficiency that is reduced only by the electric motor efficiency (about 93%) for a total efficiency of about 55%.
Some participants at the Wilson Center Brazil Institute discussions.
The superiority of FCEVs is hard to dispute, but the prevailing idea of hydrogen as the energy carrier is easily disputed. To me, the use of hydrous ethanol to fuel the FCEV is a clear winner for a number of reasons: Its distribution network is simple and, in Brazil, already mostly in place. Its production process is a lower carbon process than anhydrous ethanol for petroleum blending or production of hydrogen from natural gas, and it can be easily integrated with the fuel distribution systems for conventional ICE vehicles.
In Brazil, on August 4, 2016, Nissan introduced the “e-bio fuel cell vehicle” that runs on hydrous ethanol or water diluted hydrous ethanol. To me, continued development of biofuel-powered fuel cells is a no brainer.
Steps toward Paris Accords on Climate Change Goals, Suggestions
The transparent performance evaluation to determine Carbon Credits for biofuels is a big step forward for Brazil.
The designation of an obligated party for meeting inclusion targets needs additional evaluation. If the Senate bill to allow hydrous ethanol to be sold directly to retailers becomes law, the designation of distributors as the obligated party will need to be modified.
There was no discussion of how Carbon Credits might be traded to even market variations and will need to be addressed. The US ‘RIN’ system is certainly one not to be duplicated. A transparent and restricted trading market should be established, possibly with government as the middle-man.
With a well-designed Carbon Credit market, incentives for drive train efficiencies can be incorporated into the Carbon Credit portfolio. To truly have a non-biased program, the value of an efficient vehicle should be integrated with the production of low carbon fuels. These additional Carbon Credits could be aggregated by the vehicle dealer or fleet owner and traded through the Carbon Credit market. It is conceivable that the value of these credits could be incorporated into the dealers’ financing for an efficient vehicle to incentivize purchase of that vehicle.
The ‘internet of things’ can easily be used to monitor transportation. It is already being used by insurance companies to help determine auto insurance premiums. This approach does not need to be a mandate and can be a voluntary program for owners of high efficiency drive train vehicles. Through a performance-based assessment, the value of a high efficiency vehicle can be assigned a value for CO2 reductions beyond the default baseline presently being assumed. Data for these credits could be gathered at time of fueling or through a mileage recording method. Generating these ‘Carbon Credits’ based on kilometers driven or liters consumed would be easy. What to do with them may be open to further discussion. Such a program could not only establish Brazil as a world leader in low carbon fuels, but also establish it as an early adopter of advanced vehicle technologies and potentially advancing their ‘green technology’ manufacturing base where products could be exported.
* Architect and long-time “gear head,” Bill Brandon, currently focuses on technology integration and deployment of urban and farm organic wastes to energy systems for vertical or urban farming (Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)). He serves as a fuels/engines and policy expert for Advanced Biofuels USA. He can be reached at B_Brandon@ie-partners.com
Photos: J. Ivancic
BRAZIL: Senate Authorizes Producer To Sell Ethanol Directly To Fuel Station (Markets Business Insider)
Brazil’s senate approves bill to alter how ethanol is distributed (Ethanol Producer Magazine)
Laurene Powell Jobs, quoted in a recent Washington Post article, explained “Change rarely originates at the top. When you want change, lobbying Congress is important, but it can’t be your whole strategy. … The most effective way to create change in this country is to build a grass-roots movement, a national outcry that is so loud and so powerful that our leaders cannot ignore it.” READ MORE
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) UPM is going through a transformation to ensure sustainable value creation in the long term. The aim is to improve profitability, generate growth and increase the value of the company’s business portfolio. UPM has been transforming its business model, business portfolio and business performance.
UPM consists of six separate business areas. The business areas are competitive, with strong market positions and a leading financial and sustainability performance. Five of these business areas operate in healthily growing markets.
Its Biofore strategy includes continuous improvement programmes and short-term actions to drive performance; mid-term growth projects as well as mid- to long-term development work to create new, high value-added growth.
UPM CEO Jussi Pesonen recently presented this illuminating strategic update on the company’s promise and progress towards its next milestones. READ MORE
(Hood College) The United States Department of Agriculture has awarded Hood College Professor of Biology Craig Laufer $100,000 over an 18-month period to fund research and development of cost-effective biofuels. Successful completion of this project would …
by Bill Brandon* (Advanced Biofuels USA/ Industrial Ecosystems) According to the Paris Accords on Climate Change, each country is to develop its own goals for CO2 reductions and develop a program to meet these goals. …
Laurene Powell Jobs, quoted in a recent Washington Post article, explained “Change rarely originates at the top. When you want change, lobbying Congress is important, but it can’t be your whole strategy. … The most …
by Matt Tomich (Toronto Star) Toronto is currently eyeing a major investment in diesel buses, which would derail progress toward its emission reduction goals and pull a major punch in the fight against climate change.
The Toronto …
Your gears will be turning at this thought-provoking conference that focuses on cutting-edge technologies, modern business models, and innovative regulations and financing solutions that will ensure a secure, resilient and transactive modern power grid.
Join industry …
(NASA Tech Briefs Create the Future) The Create the Future Design Contest was launched in 2002 by the publishers of NASA Tech Briefs magazine to help stimulate and reward engineering innovation. The annual event has attracted more …
by Tristan R. Brown (Seeking Alpha) Three major policy developments by the White House have had a large impact on U.S. biofuel producers over the past week.
The EPA was initially reported to be on the verge …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On June 20, 12 democratic members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and House Committee on Agriculture asked the U.S. EPA to provide additional information regarding its failed implementation …
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will propose setting a 19.88-billion-gallon biofuels blending mandate in 2019 under the Renewable Fuel Standard, up about 3 percent from 2018, according to two sources briefed on …
(U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment) … A number of exogenous policies have greatly impacted advanced biofuels markets and RFS (Renewable Fuel Standards) compliance. These include trade restrictions and duties …
(Planet Forward) Join Planet Forward staff for a trip to California or Rome for one of our fall storytelling expeditions! Travel and lodging is covered by sponsors for this trip and students are expected to contribute a …
By Michael Eggleston* (Advanced Biofuels USA) When it comes to reducing, reusing and recycling our goods most people associate consuming less of what we already have with a ‘circular economy’. What is rarely, if ever …
by Katie Peikes (Delaware Public Media) Long considered the most beneficial way to dispose of dead chickens, composting has become a management tool of the past for some Delmarva poultry farmers.
Some local growers have shifted to …
(Environmental Defense Fund) A study available today in the journal Science finds that the U.S. oil and gas industry emits 13 million metric tons of methane from its operations each year—nearly 60 percent more than currently estimated by …
by Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering delaying its widely anticipated announcement on Friday on 2019 renewable fuel volumes as it re-examines plans to force larger refineries to …
(Forest Concepts/EIN Presswire) Forest Concepts LLC has been awarded a $1.8 million cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (https://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy) to address the critical issues of poor flowability, high friction, and …
by Maegan Murray (Washington State University Tri-Cities) WSU Tri-Cities associate professor Xiao Zhang is targeting the use of lignin — a common material that makes the cell walls of plants rigid — to create affordable biofuels …
by Denise Civiletti (Riverhead Local) A proposal by United Riverhead Terminal to install six tanks for storing 108,000 gallons of biofuel at its Northville facility drew intense opposition from residents of the surrounding area during a …
by Wichit Chantanusornsiri (Bangkok Post) The Excise Department is imposing a tax on B20 biodiesel that is 82 satang lower than the B7 tax in a push to make the former’s retail price three baht per litre …
The 16th International Conference on Renewable Mobility “Fuels of the Future 2019” will be held on 21-22 January 2019, again in Berlin. The conference is organised by the German Bioenergy Association (BBE), the Union for …
(ADVANCEFUEL) Interview with Kristin Sternberg and Birger Kerckow, Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR)
How has the bioenergy sector – particularly in transport – developed over the past decade?
The share of energy from renewable sources in gross final …
(GEVO/Globe Newswire) First Long-Term Commercial Contract for Renewable Jet Fuel — Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ:GEVO) announced today (June 21, 2018) that it has entered into a long-term agreement to supply its renewable alcohol-to-jet fuel (ATJ) to Avfuel Corporation, …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The company is now safely emerged from its celebrated IPO, and is embarked on the development of the first commercial plant project with its JV partner BASF — so, its been …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of invention and change is just too strong, we’ve realized, to highlight annual or even quarterly or monthly rankings and summaries of significant product and service advances. For now, …
(The Herald) Government has increased the mandatory blending ratio of unleaded petrol from 15 percent ethanol to 20 percent with immediate effect following a significant improvement in the supply of ethanol from Green Fuel.
The move is …
(U.S. Department of Justice) A federal grand jury for the District of Colorado has returned an indictment, which was unsealed today, charging two Colorado business owners with conspiring to defraud the United States and to commit …
(Growth Energy) More than 2,800 retail sites will offer E15 by 2021, generating approximately 350 million new ethanol gallons annually, according to a one-pager released today by Growth Energy. The report touts the immense success of …
by Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice (Reuters/Successful Farming) The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency will propose reallocating biofuel blending obligations waived under its small refinery exemption program to other refiners, in an announcement that could come as early as Friday, according to …
(Markets Business Insider/RTTNews) Brazil’s Senate has approved a legislation authorizing ethanol producers to sell the fuel directly to the fuel stations. After the 47-2 vote in the Senate, the bill should be voted by the House …
(Archer Daniels Midland) Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) and DuPont Industrial Biosciences today announced a collaboration to develop, produce and market cellulase enzymes for operators of grain-based ethanol plants.
Cellulase enzymes assist in hydrolyzing the corn …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) BioAmber’s Mission? To be a fast growing producer of chemical intermediates that uses sugars instead of fossil fuels and sells competitively priced, sustainable chemicals with strong profit margins and the cleanest …
(Algae Industry Magazine) Hayley Dunning writes from the Imperial College of London that a new discovery has changed our understanding of the basic mechanism of photosynthesis and should rewrite the textbooks. It will also tailor …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) New Energy Risk’s new performance insurance for TCG Global’s gasifiers and a significant project advance from Velocys in the UK are on the docket today.
These companies and the news this morning …
The Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) is beginning to host listening sessions, inviting input on potential policy approaches to bring about a cleaner and more resilient transportation future across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region.
In November, …
(European Environment Agency) Total greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union (EU) decreased by 0.4 % in 2016, according to latest official data published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Using less coal to produce …
The annual AusBiotech conference has brought together Australian and international biotech leaders and stakeholders for more than three decades, creating a forum to reflect on the sector’s achievements and exchange ideas to further advance the …
We are excited to reveal details of the Bioenergy Australia 2018 Conference:
• To be held 17 and 18 October 2018 at the State Library of Queensland
• Welcome reception in the evening of 16 October at …
by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) For the sixth consecutive year, Syngenta Enogen sponsored NASCAR® racing at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa this past weekend.
The Iowa 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race presented by Enogen on Sunday highlighted both corn and …
(University of Minnesota) Process Converts Scum to Biodiesel — A new waste remediation process converts scum from waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) into ASTM compliant biodiesel. The six-step method begins with a filtration step that separates water/oil/solid …
by Suzanne Danforth and Jim Venhof (Genscape) U.S. domestic ethanol demand suffered this spring relative to 2017, despite consistently favorable blending values and increasing Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requirements. The decline, following a period of historically low …
(DuPont Industrial Biosciences/Biomass Magazine) … “From stain-busting enzymes to next-generation biofuels, the products being developed inside the Industrial Biosciences building are exciting for DuPont, Delaware, and the world,” said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del. “This state-of-the-art facility …
(U.K. Renewable Energy Association/Biomass Magazine) A growing number of commercial haulage operators are clamoring to improve their environmental credentials by running haulage trucks on green gas. Whilst some green gas has been imported, domestic producers have …
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) On June 14, negotiators from the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council reached a deal on a revised Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) that sets new targets for renewables.
Information …
(Borneo Post) The Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) is elated on the latest development in the European Union (EU) which deferred the proposed total ban on palm biofuel to 2030 from the earlier date of 2021.
Chief …
by Ruth Fraňková (Radio Praha) The Czech company Chemoprojekt, based in Ústí nad Labem in north Bohemia, is set to launch production of biodiesel made from waste frying oil, the daily Hospodářské noviny reported on Tuesday. …
by Virendra Singh Rawat (Business Standard) The company has sought 50 acres from a defunct sugar mill in Gorakhpur — Public sector behemoth Indian Oil is looking to invest almost Rs 9 billion in a greenfield second-generation …
by Chrysa Glystra (Platts) European ethanol delivered an average of more than 70% greenhouse gas savings compared with fossil fuels in 2017, according to new data from European ethanol producers, the European renewable ethanol association, ePure, said …
by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) The Houston oil company Occidental Petroleum is studying a carbon capture project to deliver carbon dioxide to its oil fields in West Texas, the company announced Tuesday.
Engineers are expected to spend …
(U.S. Energy Information Administration) Autonomous vehicles are one of the main sources of uncertainty in the future of U.S. transportation energy consumption, as autonomous vehicle technology has the potential to change travel behavior, vehicle design, energy …
(NATSO) NATSO Inc. on June 12 launched a new business venture known as the Alternative Fuels Council (NATSOAltFuels.com) to help fuel retailers leverage the resources necessary to learn about and incorporate alternative fuels into their supply …
(Inventure Renewables/Cision/PR Newswire) Patented Technology Converts By-Product from Soft Oil Seed Refining Into FAME for Oleochemical and Biodiesel Production. — Inventure Renewables has announced the successful implementation and nearly year-long operation of its Mixed Super Critical …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Novozymes is a world leader in biological solutions. Together with customers, partners and the global community, the company supplies innovations to the world’s leading companies across 40 markets. Best known for …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In today’s Digest, we look at some of the industry rock star leaders of recent years who have moved on to other duties. Some have remained within the sector, in several …
by David Fridley and Richard Heinberg (Renewable Energy World) The headline of this article was composed simply by rephrasing the title of a popular recent piece in The Atlantic — “Climate Change Can Be Stopped by Turning Air into …
by Jennifer Runyon (Renewable Energy World) Multinational power company, Enel, said last month that it was expanding its partnership with InnoCentive, a 17-year old crowdsourcing company that partners with businesses and governments around the world to develop …
(U.S. Department of Energy) 31 Projects Will Help Advance Fundamental Science for Bioenergy — Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $40 million in funding for 31 projects to advance research in the development of microbes …
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) A new group with a conservative backing has formed to push for a carbon tax. The Americans for Carbon Dividends is co-chaired by two former senators: John Breaux and …
by Nicolle Castro (Platts) Brazilian presidential pre-candidates spoke in favor of free fuel markets Monday at a sugarcane industry association UNICA forum in Sao Paulo.
Brazil will hold presidential elections in October.
The road fuel market is currently the …
by Christine Siantar (Platts) China’s ministry of commerce said the import duty on US-origin denatured ethanol will rise to 70% on July 6 from 45%, as part of a wider retaliation to the US imposing …
by Ben Miller (Denver Business Journal) Gevo applauded an EPA decision on isobutanol, a fuel that’s made from renewable resources like corn. Gevo shares soared 262 percent in Monday trading. READ MORE
EPA decision on isobutanol buoys …
(Platts) The US Environmental Protection Agency is close to releasing its proposal for how much biofuel refiners must blend into the US transportation fuel supply next year, a spokeswoman said Friday.
The policy will include 2019 blending …
(5 Dariya News) The Government is committed to free Punjab from pollution due to paddy straw burning and every possible effort is afoot for the same. The Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) is serious on …
(Scania) To strengthen public transport in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou, Scania and RATP Group have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government of Burkina Faso to establish a modern and efficient bus system with 460 …
(Science Daily/Queensland University of Technology) Waste oil from orange, tea tree and eucalyptus essential oil production mixed with diesel provides a sweet-smelling biofuel blend with comparable performance to diesel-only fuel.
QUT PhD researcher Ashrafur Rahman tested each …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Calyxt is pioneering a paradigm shift to deliver both healthier specialty food ingredients, such as healthier oils and high fiber wheat for consumers as well as agriculturally advantageous traits, such as …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … This year, as it happens, Argentina holds the G20 Presidency and the outgoing Germans and incoming Japanese worked with Argentine energy minister Juan Jose Aranguren to broker an ambitious re-affirmation …
From chop and change to a long-term view: covering policy and politics around the world and bringing together policy-makers and national government representatives.
With the RFS in the USA on the move, Brazil implementing RenovaBio, China …
The purpose of the Dupont Summit is to promote interdisciplinary dialogue about pressing issues related to science, technology and the environment. The conference mirrors the interest of the PSO and its partners in promoting conversation …
CvCC is dedicated to providing a forum for business leaders to connect around climate change solutions. We strive to be an open and straight-forward arena for companies to collaborate and share best practices for being …
CvCC is dedicated to providing a forum for business leaders to connect around climate change solutions. We strive to be an open and straight-forward arena for companies to collaborate and share best practices for being …
The annual S&P Global Platts Kingsman Miami Sugar Conference gives you the information you need about the state of the sugar industry in the Americas. This is a regional sugar event designed especially for a North and …
Join RSB at our Annual Meeting where we will be examining the big picture issues faced by the bioeconomy in 2018 and looking at the solutions, opportunities and real world examples that will guide us …
The purpose of the Dupont Summit is to promote interdisciplinary dialogue about pressing issues related to science, technology and the environment. The conference mirrors the interest of the PSO and its partners in promoting conversation …
(National Biodiesel Board/Biodiesel Magazine) New polling shows that voters across three Midwestern states are disappointed with Trump administration decisions they view as broken promises of support for local agriculture and renewable fuels industries.
In a survey of …
by Lawrence Sullivan (Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining) … After much efforts to fund the development of biofuels by both governments and the venture capitalists, there were some awakenings and realizations. One, the capital-intensive nature of power and petroleum …
by Grant Bradley (New Zealand Herald) When a brand new Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-1000 flies from France to Hong Kong on Wednesday it will be partly powered by biofuel.
The 334-seat plane will have a 10 per …
by Madeleine Cuff (Business Green) Waste-to-jet fuel project backed by Department for Transport, Shell, and British Airways — A project to turn landfill waste into sustainable jet fuel has received a major boost today, securing almost £5m of …
(Phys.Org/University of Michigan) … Overall, the researchers found that diverse mixes of algal species, known as polycultures, performed more key functions at higher levels than any single species—they were better at multitasking. But surprisingly, the researchers …
by Philip T. Pienkos (R&D Magazine) … This time, the leading force was not the DOE (U.S. Department of Energy), but the investment community acting in the belief that the power of modern biotechnology could be …
by Steven Taylor (Yellow Hammer) … But for a moment, let’s reexamine biofuels, as they can still play an important role in our state’s energy production and economic development. According to the Energy Institute of Alabama, our state …
by Daria Sito-Sucic (Reuters) Fuel distributors in Bosnia’s autonomous Bosniak-Croat Federation agreed a deal with the regional government on Tuesday to cut fuel prices after drivers repeatedly blocked roads in protest against rising prices, a government …
by Amit Jha (Crazy Engineers) Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore have found a novel approach to produce energy by using sunlight and carbon dioxide. By using a collection of quantum dots made up of …
(Neste) Fuel Delivery Services, Inc. (FDS), a bulk transporter of refined petroleum products based in Stockton, CA, recently switched their Stockton based fleet of trucks to Neste MY Renewable Diesel™. FDS provides transportation services seven …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Andersons operate four ethanol plants for respective LLCs in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Iowa that are collectively capable of producing over 475 million gallons of ethanol. The company’s Ethanol Group provides facility …
by Mark Shenefelt (Standard-Examiner) In 2014, the Box Elder County Redevelopment Agency created a $2.5 million, seven-year tax increment program to support expansions planned at the Washakie Renewable Energy plant in Plymouth. But the county economic …
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday it will not reallocate exempt biofuel obligations under the small refinery waiver program without an act of Congress, setting the stage for a new clash …
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … First, let’s start with the latest from the Maine Technology Institute, which just announced a request for information regarding emerging forest industry technologies, with the goal of accelerating matchmaking …
by Miranda Green (The Hill) A government watchdog has agreed to review the Trump administration’s method for calculating the social cost of carbon, including examining the decision to drop the rate as first determined during the …
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) President Donald Trump will campaign with GOP Rep. Kevin Cramer next week — a trip that could extinguish any lingering tensions between the White House and the Senate hopeful, …
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) The Renewable Fuel Standard will be the subject of a subcommittee hearing this week in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. On Friday the Environment subcommittee will have a hearing …
by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) … “We’re hoping to provide alternatives to the sale of ethanol into the fuels market,” said Ron Cascone, principal with Nexant, Inc. “The theme of what I’m doing here is to show that there …
(Cenergy Solutions/NGV Journal) Cenergy Solutions has a Biogas Capture and Utilization System (BCU System) to help farms and communities around the world economically store and use their biogas instead of venting or flaring it. It is …
by Sara Shoemaker (Oak Ridge National Laboratory/Phys.org) For decades, biologists have believed a key enzyme in plants had one function—produce amino acids, which are vital to plant survival and also essential to human diets.
But for Wellington …
by Timothy Cama (The Hill) President Trump is nominating a Department of Energy (DOE) official who previously fought against policies meant to promote renewable energy to lead the agency’s renewable energy office.
Dan Simmons has been serving …
by Josh Pedrick (Platts) A federal tribunal in Mexico Thursday overturned an injunction blocking ethanol blending from climbing to 10% from 5.8%, two sources connected to the case told S&P Global Platts.
“Effectively, today the collegiate court …
by David Shepardson (Reuters) White House officials will have a new round of meetings with an automakers trade group and California’s “clean air” agency next week before unveiling a proposal to reverse rules aimed at increasing …
(ePURE/EurActiv) RED II agreement by negotiators is a step in the right direction, allowing Member States to use sustainable biofuels in fighting climate change — Negotiators from the European Parliament, Council and Commission agreed early Thursday morning …
(Purdue University Research Foundation News) Purdue University researchers have developed a series of engineered proteins that could improve biomanufacturing processes for the production of biofuels, pharmaceuticals and commodity chemicals.
The buildup of toxic materials during the production process …
(National Marine Manufacturers Association) Earlier this week, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt approved the registration of bio-isobutanol as a fuel additive.
The National Marine Manufacturers Association has been a leading voice in the effort to secure …
by Emiliano Huergo (Clarin Rural) Claudio Molina, Executive Director of the Argentine Association of Biofuels and Hydrogen (AABH), announced that the line of collectives 132 of the Federal Capital will begin to use pure biodiesel in some …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Corbion is a global market leader in lactic acid, lactic acid derivatives, and a leading company in emulsifiers, functional enzyme blends, minerals, vitamins and algae ingredients. In 2017, the company generated …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Let’s review the big gambits from the likes of DSM, DuPont Industrial Biosciences and Novozymes as they duke it out over market share in an era where corn ethanol gallons …
by Anmar Frangoul (CNBC) The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Colorado is a hotbed of research and innovation. One field its researchers are looking at is that of biofuels, which can be produced from biomass. Breaking things …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of invention and change is just too strong, we’ve realized, to highlight annual or even quarterly or monthly rankings and summaries of significant product and service advances. For now, …
by Chris Prentice (Reuters) A week after the White House suspended its bid to reform the nation’s biofuels policy to aid oil refiners, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday dangled a tantalizing prospect …
(Financial Express/PTI) Just like crude oil is treated as basic raw material for making petrol and diesel, Pradhan wanted ethanol to be given the same treatment — Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has promised to ease the process …
(Numaligarh Refinery Limited) Numaligarh Refinery Limited has taken a giant step forward by establishing a joint venture, Assam Bio-Refinery Pvt. Limited (ABRPL) with equity participation of M/s Chempolis Oy of Finland and M/s Fortum 3 B.V. of Netherland …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Archer Daniels Midland Company is one of the world’s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, with approximately 31,000 employees serving customers in more than 170 countries. The company sports a …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … But it shows also what smaller companies can do when they partner effectively – whether that means industrial giants like ArcelorMittal or BASF, technology accelerator schemes like Unreasonable Impact, or …
(Economic Times Energy World) Seven bio-mass power plants are already underway in the state, but now steps have been taken in the direction of Bio CNG/bio-ethanol from paddy straw, the minister said.
… The government is committed to …
(Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits/BASF) BASF Enzymes LLC and Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits (LBDS) have formally entered into a marketing and sales collaboration agreement to leverage synergies between the two companies’ products that maximize value to customers in …
(Biobased Maine/Maine Technology Institute) The Maine Technology Institute is collecting publicly available information on technologies that could be deployed within Maine’s forest industry. The purpose of this RFI is to encourage technology companies to submit preliminary …
by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) On Monday, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) rolled out a draft proposal of its Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) regulation, which is part of CARB’s strategy to transition the state’s heavy-duty mobile …
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) On June 13, the Senate ag committee approved the its version of the 2018 Farm Bill with bipartisan support. The legislation includes an amendment offered by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., that …
by Alexander C. Kaufman (Huffington Post) The Democratic National Committee voted over the weekend to ban donations from fossil fuel companies, HuffPost has learned.
The resolution ― proposed by Christine Pelosi, a party activist and House …
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) The Senate Agriculture Committee will take up amendments to the farm bill today, but negotiations were still ongoing as to just which of 186 submitted would get a vote. Here …
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) ON THE HILL: GOP Sen. John Cornyn says finding common ground on an overhaul of the RFS is “like trying to come up with peace in the Middle East.” Cornyn …
by Michael Eggelston* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The excessive water evaporation of open pond photo-bioreactors (PBRs) seriously limits the geographical applicability of algae as a catalyst for bio-based products. As a result, these industries in Europe …
by Tim Albrecht and Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Kristin Moore and Graeme Walker were recognized June 12 for their contributions to ethanol industry during the 2018 Fuel Ethanol Workshop and Expo in Omaha. Moore was …
(Algae Industry Magazine) Global EcoPower (GEP), of Aix-en-Provence, France, has signed a 5-year partnership contract with the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). This partnership, launched with the CEA’s technological research department, provides …
(University of Idaho/Ethanol Producer Magazine) University of Idaho College of Natural Resources Assistant Professor Tara Hudiburg was awarded $750,000 to study the sustainability of biofuels. The grant, award by the Department of Energy, is part of a $104 million …
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is expected to travel to Kansas this morning, where he’ll stop by East Kansas Agri-Energy’s ethanol plant in Garnett. The trip comes a week after the …
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) A day after a tentative agreement to overhaul U.S. biofuel policy appeared to collapse amid farm-state concerns, EPA chief Scott Pruitt met to discuss the issue with the lead senator pushing for the …
by Sarantis Michalopoulos (EURACTIV.com) EU farmers are “quite worried” about the fact that the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG Agri) is often disregarded when it comes to policy decisions that have a …
by Bob Yirka (Phys.org) A team of researchers with members from institutions in Singapore, China and the U.K. has found a way to improve electron transfer in enzymatic biofuel cells. In their paper published in …
(U.S. Department of Energy/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory/EurekAlert!) ASTM International updates standard for alcohol-to-jet synthetic paraffinic kerosene based on fuel produced by PNNL partner LanzaTech — ASTM International recently revised ASTM D7566 Annex A5 — the Standard Specification …
by Nicholas Deshais (The Spokesman-Review/GovTech) Seattle has the most alternative-fuel vehicles in its municipal fleet. But its fleet is supposed to be 100 percent alternative. — … In 2007, Washington state Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a law …
(Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen (UFOP)) Biodiesel imports from Argentina have increased considerably over the past several months. In contrast, imports of soybean oil as feedstock from Argentina have been virtually non-existent. The reverse …
(SCIAD Newswire/Open Cell) Open Cell has joined forces with regeneration specialist, U+I, and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and SynbiCITE to launch a biolab to offer affordable spaces at the Old Laundry Yard in Shepherd’s …
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Thailand, a new research report says the country’s biogas market should grow 10% while its biomass market should grow 4% between 2017 and 2022 for a total installed capacity of 4,750MW. The …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Waste Management is the largest environmental solutions provider in North America, serving more than 21 million municipal, commercial and industrial customers in the U.S. and Canada. Today, this includes not just …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Sweden, AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals named 10 start-ups and chemical researchers as winners of the 2018 edition of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals’ Imagine Chemistry challenge.
To meet its sustainability and growth ambitions, AkzoNobel …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What are the strategic plans, progress and future milestones of BASF, a major stakeholder in the Advanced Bioeconomy?
In this slide deck, BASF gets into technologies, results, horizons, timelines, direct investments, partnerships and alliances …
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … In Illinois, carbon recycling company, LanzaTech, and its joint venture partner, Shougang Group, a leading Chinese iron and steel producer, announced the successful start-up of the world’s first commercial facility converting …
(California Air Resources Board | California Environmental Protection Agency
California Department of Food and Agriculture | California Natural Resources Agency) This Concept Paper provides a proposed outline for the California Natural and Working Lands Climate Change Implementation …
by Tim Albrecht (Biomass Magazine) Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., introduced three bills this week to boost rural economic opportunities by expanding USDA funding eligibility for clean energy projects. This funding would help improve electric grid security, …
by Jesse Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On Friday, June 8, the Senate Agriculture Committee released the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018. In contrast to the GOP-only bill that has advanced in the House, the bipartisan Senate …
by Matt Carr (The Hill/New Energy America) If I asked you the most important state for renewable energy, what comes to mind?
Is it California? … Let me make the case for a state that may not have …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On June 7, the U.S. EPA issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking, announcing the agency is soliciting public input on whether and how to change the way it considers …
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Brazil, Platts and Valor Economico report that the sugarcane industry is worried further fuel market manipulation could be on the cards following the resignation of Petrobras’ CEO under pressure of the recent …
Jenna Bloxom, in a recent Biofuels Digest thought piece on the need “to drastically alter the public’s understanding and attitudes about biofuels,” pointed to Standing Rock as, “among many things, a prime and missed opportunity for …
by Jenna Bloxom (Colorado State University/Biofuels Digest) … Now is the critical juncture for a unified bioeconomy to re-assert biofuels as a political powerhouse and compelling policy agenda that defies partisan, geographical, and generational divisions.
…
(T)his industry must …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Building off the recent launch of its fuel ethanol platform DuPont XCELIS, DuPont Industrial Biosciences unveiled the first three products from the innovation hub – designed to increase yields, speed fermentation …
A recent Biofuels Digest article noted that Michael Tamor, a Henry Ford Technical Fellow at Ford, at a recent DOE Bioeconomy event in Washington observed that at least double our current electrical power capacity will …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A technology for direct air capture of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, with a cost that “fully burdened with interest on capital, ranges from 94 to 232 $/t-CO2 depending on financial …
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) On May 25, Nordic energy group St1 announced plans for two separate biofuels projects. One aims to produce biofuels from tall oil in Sweden while the other will explore a combined …
(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/Biomass Magazine) Scientists from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a way to use machine learning to dramatically accelerate the design of microbes that produce biofuel.
Their computer algorithm starts …
by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) Waste Management has unveiled a $30 million renewable natural gas (RNG) facility in Louisville, Ky.
The new Outer Loop Recycling and Disposal Facility processes up to 5,000 standard cubic feet per minute of incoming …
by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) Thanks in part to its “green fleet policy,” DeKalb County, Ga., has been awarded the No. 1 spot in this year’s edition of “The 100 Best Fleets in the Americas.”
Sponsored by …
(Sustainable Development Technology Canada) An integrated and energy self-sufficient biorefinery will be built and put into operation for the production of cellulosic ethanol and co-products. The sequential fractionation process will be complemented with a novel non-enzymatic …
