by Jim McFarland (Circle Track) Circle Track Takes The Initiative To Push-Start Your Thinking About Racing In A Green Environment ...Recently, suggestions from persons both inside and outside the motor racing community have indicated the sport may be approaching, or even at, a
Archive
Back TO HOMETesla To Kill Electric Roadster In 2011
by Ray Wert (Jalopnik) Who killed the electric car? Well, a closer evaluation of today's Tesla's IPO filing with the SEC reveals Tesla will. They plan to kill the Tesla Roadster after 2011. No, seriously. The boys over at Wired:Autopia pinged
January 30, 2010 Read Full Article
BIOTECanada Publishes “The Canadian Blueprint - Beyond Moose and Mountain,” a Call to Sustainable Biotech Action
...The “Canadian Blueprint” is a strategy that will enable us to take full advantage of all the opportunities biotechnology has to offer, provided all stakeholders do what is required of them. This document is a call to action. The Canadian Blueprint
January 29, 2010 Read Full Article
Weizmann Institute scientists show that in one kind of forest, its ‘energy budget’ includes significant reserves of heat
The simple formula we’ve learned in recent years – forests remove the greenhouse gas CO2 from the atmosphere; therefore forests prevent global warming – may not be quite as simple as we thought. Forests can directly absorb and retain heat,
January 29, 2010 Read Full Article
Standing Committee of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats Concerned about Invasive Species Used for Biofuel Feedstock
The Standing Committee of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, acting under the terms of Article 14 of the Convention; Recalling that under Article 11, paragraph 2.b of the Convention, each Contracting Party undertakes to strictly control
January 29, 2010 Read Full Article
Sweet Success for Sustainable Biofuel Research
Scientists have found a way to increase fermentable sugar stores in plants which could lead to plant biomass being easier to convert into eco-friendly sustainable biofuels. Their research is highlighted in the latest issue of Business, the quarterly highlights magazine of
January 29, 2010 Read Full Article
Growing Green: Bodega Algae and Bigelow Laboratory Collaborate to Develop Algal Biofuel Technology in New England
Massachusetts-based renewable energy company Bodega Algae and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in West Boothbay Harbor, Maine, have received a six-month, $150,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation to develop and test a prototype for
January 29, 2010 Read Full Article
Algal Biomass Organization Questions Accuracy of University of Virginia Algae Life Cycle Study
The Algal Biomass Organization, challenged the conclusions of a published report in Environmental Science and Technology claiming that “conventional crops have lower environmental impacts than algae in energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and water.” The report was based upon obsolete
January 29, 2010 Read Full Article
Ricardo Achieves Breakthrough Efficiency for Ethanol
[caption id="attachment_6062" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Kent Niederhofer, President of Ricardo, Inc., unveils highly fuel-efficient, low-emissions, flex-fuel engine at DC Auto Show"][/caption] Ricardo technology achieves breakthrough efficiency for ethanol-fuelled engines System surpasses gasoline efficiency, reaches near-diesel levels and reduces operational costs compared to current
January 29, 2010 Read Full Article
Sunflower DNA Map Could Produce Plants for Fuel
(CBC News, AP) A $10.5-million-US research project aimed at mapping the DNA sequence of sunflowers could one day yield a towering new variety for both food and fuel. Researchers envision crossbreeding a standard sunflower with the Silverleaf species from Texas to
January 28, 2010 Read Full Article
Keyes Ethanol Plant to Reopen in Spring
by John Holland (Modesto Bee) ...The Keyes plant, the only ethanol operation in Stanislaus County, has dominated the landscape but produced little fuel since it was finished next to a feed mill on the west side of the highway. ...
January 28, 2010 Read Full Article
Washington Auto Show Emphasizes Electric Cars. Where’s DOE, Tesla, Fisker? Novozymes Represents for Advanced Biofuels Industry
[caption id="attachment_6035" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Last year DOE displayed the Green Challenge winner, but not in 2010. DOE also recognized young innovators and educated the public on its projects and investments in biofuels. Not in 2010."][/caption] by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA)
January 28, 2010 Read Full Article
International Air Transport Association Blasts Governments and Oil Companies for Neglect of Biofuels
by Naill O'Keefe (FlightGlobal) The International Air Transport Association has criticised the oil industry and national governments for failing to invest in the development of aviation biofuel. Explaining why he is "disappointed" with the lack of government action, IATA director general Giovanni Bisignani
January 28, 2010 Read Full Article
Is This the Life Sciences Century? A Washington, DC, Conversation
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) “Maybe the “Valley of Death” is working as it should for the biofuels industry. First generation biofuels seem to be finding their place in the market. Maybe there are good reasons that other technologies
January 27, 2010 Read Full Article
BYO (Blend Your Own) Ethanol Seeks to Educate, Promote Use of Blender Pumps
Used for years to blend and dispense unleaded and premium to give customers several octane choices, blender pumps are now finding a home in the retailing of ethanol fuels, offering stations the unique opportunity to offer mid-level blends between E10
January 25, 2010 Read Full Article
How to Create Effective Biofuels Public Policy
by Joanna Schroeder (domesticfuels.com) One of the biggest challenges for our country lies in the issue of how to create effective public policies that will grow the biofuels industry and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Dr. Antonio Bento, associate
January 25, 2010 Read Full Article
Why Does the Electrification Coalition Want $124 Billion of Your Tax Dollars to Charge Electric Cars?
Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) The Electrification Coalition, an industry group composed of Cisco, Pacific Gas and Electric, NRG Energy, Nissan, and various investment bankers among others, wants to spend $124 billion dollars of US taxpayer money to put
January 24, 2010 Read Full Article
Electrification Coalition Publishes Roadmap Describing Challenges Facing Electric Cars
…It is one thing to sprinkle a modest number of electric-drive cars throughout a nation as large as the United States; it is quite another for even a seemingly small number of those cars to operate simultaneously in a specific
January 24, 2010 Read Full Article
Wildlife Report Picks and Chooses Data
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has analyzed a new report out from the National Wildlife Federation on “Corn Ethanol and Wildlife” and found it lacking in accuracy. ... The RFA analysis concludes that “selective and questionable
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Corn Crowds Out Wildlife in Prairie Pothole Region
(National Wildlife Federation) A new report shows how government incentives for corn ethanol are driving farmers to shift land into corn production, resulting in significant decreases in grassland bird populations throughout the fragile Prairie Pothole Region. The study analyzes the
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Brazil's Petrobras To Study Biofuels Use At Low Temperatures
by Jeff Fick (Dow Jones, Wall Street Journal) Brazilian state-run energy giant Petroleo Brasileiro (PBR), or Petrobras, signed a deal with the country's Navy to test biofuels at extremely low temperatures. Petrobras will invest 3 million Brazilian reals ($1.69 million)
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Crop Residue - A Valuable Resource
by Don Hofstrand (Agricultural Marketing Resource Center) Crop residue, traditionally considered as “trash” or agricultural waste, is increasingly being viewed as a valuable resource. Corn stalks, corn cobs, wheat straw and other leftovers from grain production are now being viewed
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Chevron Will Restructure Refining, Cut Jobs
by Brett Clanton and Monica Hatcher (Houston Chronicle) Chevron Corp. plans to restructure its global refining business under a sweeping plan that will result in an unspecified number of job losses and that could see the U.S. oil giant exit
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Food, Fertilizer and Biofuel All in One Place
by Michael Kannellos (GreenTechMedia) Take marginal land, fish waste and a plant that's not currently cultivated for human purposes and what do you get? Hopefully jet fuel. The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Honeywell UOP, Boeing and Ethiad Airways announced
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Biofuels Could Create Jobs, Reduce Pollution in Chesapeake Bay Region, Report Finds
Homegrown energy could reduce millions of pounds of nutrients from entering the Chesapeake Bay’s streams, creeks and rivers and create more than 18,000 jobs in the region, according to a new report released by the Chesapeake Bay Commission and the
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
One quarter of US Grain Crops Fed to Cars - Not People, New Figures Show
by John Vidal (The Guardian) One-quarter of all the maize and other grain crops grown in the US now ends up as biofuel in cars rather than being used to feed people, according to new analysis which suggests that the
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Washington College Maryland Tests Biofuel Heating Oil
Washington College teamed up with Tri Gas & Oil Company out of Federalsburg, MD, and New Generation Biofuels from Columbia, MD, to test NGB's biofuel in one of the College's boilers. The College uses approximately 100,000 gallons of #2 heating
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Combatting Climate Change by Investing in CleanTech: Government of Canada Announces CleanTech Companies to Receive$58 Million
Sixteen clean technology projects from across Canada will receive $58 million in funding to help move innovative technology solutions to the market. The announcement, confirming the decision of the Board of Directors of Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), was made
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Got Government Waste? Novozymes Demos Car Running on Biofuels Made from Government Scrap Paper
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Those who have railed against government waste and inefficiency — numbering, presumably, in the millions if not billions of critics — can take special satisfaction from the news that Danish enzyme producer Novozymes will demonstrate
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
"Certification Strategies, Industrial Development and a Global Market for Biofuels"
by Ricardo Hausmann and Rodrigo Wagner (Harvard University Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs) A disproportionately large amount of the world's agronomic potential for the production of bio-ethanol is concentrated in a subset of developing countries. This phenomenon represents
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Testimony of Energy Secretary Steven Chu before the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
(January 21, 2010) ...It is imperative that government provide R&D funding, especially at the front end when private investments would not recoup the full value of the shared social good or when a new technology would displace an embedded way
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Fuel Ethanol Margins: 2009 Update
(Cattlenetwork.com) The November 26, 2008, edition of This Week In Petroleum looked at profit margins for the dry mill fuel ethanol industry, pointing out the boom-and-bust cycles that had occurred. In 2009, ethanol producers’ margins continued to fluctuate... The price (revenue) component
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Tire-to-Oil Recycling Facility Set for Florida Debut
by James Guyette (Motor-Age) Fort Lauderdale-based InfoSpi, Inc. is moving ahead with plans to build a “flagship” Tire-to-Oil (T2O) plant in Pompano Beach, Fla. The company, which anticipates rolling out a network of 10 franchised facilities throughout the U.S., is finalizing
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Engineers Find Significant Environmental Impacts with Algae-Based Biofuel, Offer Alternative to Production
(Newswise) With many companies investing heavily in algae-based biofuels, researchers from the University of Virginia's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering have found there are significant environmental hurdles to overcome before fuel production ramps up. They propose using wastewater as
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
US Carriers Challenge Legality of EU ETS
by Geoffrey Thomas (Eco-Aviation Today) US Air Transport Assn. American Airlines, Continental Airlines and United Airlines initiated a legal challenge in the UK High Court of Justice against aviation's inclusion in the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme, arguing that it violated the
January 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Bayer, Dow Join Biodiesel Forces
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Two global powerhouses, Bayer Technology Services GmbH and Dow Water and Process Solutions, joined forces recently to offer a new biodiesel process, trademarked BayFAME. Based on the Dow Amberlyst BD20 solid acid catalyst, which Dow
January 21, 2010 Read Full Article
“Bioenergy for Sustainable Development in Africa” Lessons Learned from COMPETE, Brussels, 24-25 November 2009
(Pangea Quarterly Newsletter) ... In 2009, PANGEA staff spent a great deal of time looking at the food vs. fuel controversy and working to find ways to re-frame the discussion into one of food and fuel co-production. The year ahead
January 21, 2010 Read Full Article
Chile Invests US$30 Million In Biofuels
by Kamilla Go (Santiago Times) Chile's Energy Minister Marcelo Tokman and a Corporation for Public Works (Corfo) vice president announced a US$30 million investment in biofuel research in 2010. The project will be funded by alternative energy companies Deserp Bioenergy,
January 21, 2010 Read Full Article
Great Plains Doubling Camelina Acreage in 2010 as Aviation Biofuels Darling Gains Traction
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Camelina has been much in the news of late, as a biofuels feedstock of strong promise, because of its position as one of the few "sustainable, affordable, reliable, available" feedstocks suitable for aviation biofuels. Two major camelina
January 21, 2010 Read Full Article
Working Week: Building the CAAFI Coalition
by Jeffrey Decker (FlightGlobal) Interview with Richard Altman, executive director of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative, working closely with aviation's private and public sectors in a bid to achieve carbon neutral growth by 2020 ... Are there sectors you would like
January 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Pew Report Finds Reductions in Aviation GHG Emissions over Business-as-Usual Projections Could Be Halved
(GreenAirOnline.com) Under business-as-usual (BAU) forecasts, CO2 emissions from global aviation are estimated to grow 3.1% per year over the next 40 years, resulting in a 300% increase in emissions by 2050 compared to 2007. However, a new report published by
January 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Glamorgan Builds on Biofuel Expertise with Microbial Fuel Cells Funding
(Renewable Energy Focus) The University of Glamorgan in the UK has been awarded £630 000 (US$1m) to develop its research into biological fuel cells. The work at Glamorgan’s Sustainable Environment Research Centre is looking at how microbial fuel cells can be
January 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Major Study into the Feasibility of a Jet Biofuel Refinery at Stockholm-Arlanda Provides Encouragement
(GreenAirOnline.com) A major study to investigate the technical and financial feasibility of a biorefinery plant to supply Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport with 50,000 tonnes of jet biofuel per year has been completed. The project was initiated and part-financed by LFV, which
January 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Next Generation Biofuels: The Big Picture
by Will Thurmond (Biofuels Digest) As industry and governments enter a new decade and contemplate the outcome of the December, 2009 Copenhagen treaty, the ‘big picture’ on biofuels continues to get lost in the rhetoric of sustainability in Brussels and
January 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Argentine-European Biofuels Trade: Proposals for the Transparent Development of an Industry
by Carlos St. James (Argentine Renewable Energies Chamber) …Argentina, along with the rest of Latin America, is poised to begin capturing more and more of the growing pie that is global renewable energies investment. …Clearly, the world is coming to the
January 19, 2010 Read Full Article
Tribe Pursues Venture to Turn Waste into Fuel
by Peter Harriman (ArgusLeader.com) The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe wants to be at the forefront of the next revolution in fuel production. The tribal council last week unanimously approved signing a memorandum of understanding with EcoTech Fuels, a division of Victory Circle
January 19, 2010 Read Full Article
Navy Pact to Aid in Development of Biofuels
by Phillip Ewing (Navy Times) ... Navy scientists will be able to use the Department of Agriculture’s knowledge of corn, algae and other biofuels to help develop the alternatives the fleet needs if it is to meet (Navy Secretary Ray)
January 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Boeing, Etihad Airways, Honeywell and Masdar Institute to Establish the First Integrated, Sustainable Bioenergy Research Project for Aviation
Boeing, the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Etihad Airways and Honeywell's UOP announced an agreement to establish a major research institution and demonstration project in Abu Dhabi dedicated to sustainable energy solutions. The Sustainable Bioenergy Research Project (SBRP) will
January 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Is the Airborne Fraction of Anthropogenic CO2 Emissions Increasing?
by Wolfgang Knorr, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK (Geophysical Research Letters) Several recent studies have highlighted the possibility that the oceans and terrestrial ecosystems have started loosing part of their ability to sequester a large proportion
January 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Researchers Discover Switchgrass-Hungry Moth, Fly
by Dirk Lammers (Sun Journal, AP) Researchers at South Dakota State University have rediscovered a long-ignored moth and found a new fly, both of which like to munch on switchgrass, a crop billed as a future feedstock for next-generation ethanol. SDSU
January 18, 2010 Read Full Article
DOE Announces $1.6 Million to Expand Ethanol Fueling Infrastructure
(US Department of Energy)Secretary Steven Chu also announced the selection of eight infrastructure projects to receive up to $1.6 million to support expanded fueling infrastructure for ethanol blends. The projects will expand ethanol blends infrastructure at existing retail fueling locations in nine
January 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Algae Emerges as DOE Feedstock of Choice for Biofuel 2.0
by Amy Westervelt (Solve Climate) There was a sense of deja vu in the biofuels sector this week when U.S. Energy Secretary Chu announced nearly $80 million in funding for research and development of algae-based fuels. The dream of turning pond
January 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Missouri Corn Receives Federal Grant To Establish Ethanol Corridors
With the goal of providing drivers with more choices at the pump, the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council (MCMC) has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to expand the number of ethanol stations along major
January 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Scientists Sequence Soybean Genome, Reveal Pathways for Improving Biodiesel
(Physorg.com) Soybean, one of the most important global sources of protein and oil, is now the first legume species with a published complete draft genome sequence. The sequence and its analysis appear in the January 14 edition of the journal
January 18, 2010 Read Full Article
BIO Comments on Preliminary Draft Regulation for the California Cap-and-Trade Program
Comments by Brent Erickson, Executive Vice President, Industrial and Environmental Section of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) to the California Environmental Protection Agency and Air Resources Board (January 11, 2010): ... The essence of the cap-and-trade program is the establishment
January 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Q d’Etat at Qteros: CEO Frey Out, Ex-Verenium EVP McCarthy in: Acceleration on Technology, Partnerships in Focus
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, Qteros unexpectedly dumped CEO Bill Frey and installed former Verenium EVP John McCarthy — one of the key players in the Celunol-Diversa merger that became cellulosic ethanol pioneer Verenium. McCarthy lost no time
January 18, 2010 Read Full Article
ICM to Retrofit Idle Fulton N.Y. Sunoco Ethanol Plant
by Luke Geiver (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ICM Inc. will retrofit an idled 85 MMgy ethanol plant in Fulton, N.Y., now owned by Sunoco Inc. The plant, formerly owned by Northeast Biofuels, was built in 2008, and is the largest ethanol manufacturing
January 17, 2010 Read Full Article
Potential Ethanol Pipeline to Create U.S. Jobs
by POET (Renewable Energy World) A proposed ethanol pipeline would be an economic boost for the U.S., a new report demonstrates, creating almost 80,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs across the country. POET and Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. have formed a
January 17, 2010 Read Full Article
A Brand New Renewable Engine Fuel
Swedish SunPine is aiming to be the first company worldwide producing biodiesel from tall oil. At the plant site of SunPine, in Piteå harbor in northern Sweden, the building activity is intense. In the spring of 2010 the plant will
January 17, 2010 Read Full Article
Biomass and Biofuels Development in Kentucky
An executive task force formed by Gov. Steve Beshear has forwarded to the governor its recommendations for advancing the discussion on the development of a biomass and biofuels industry in Kentucky. A report from the 22-member group lists five key
January 15, 2010 Read Full Article
LSU to establish Louisiana Institute for Biofuels and Bioprocessing
by Lisa Gibson (Biomass Magazine) The Louisiana State University Agricultural Center has permission from the Board of Regents to establish the Louisiana Institute for Biofuels and Bioprocessing, a research, education and outreach initiative within the AgCenter. The institute will not occupy its
January 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Evolution Resources Signs Testing Services Agreement With North Carolina State University
Evolution Resources, Inc., an advanced biofuels production company focused on the production of cellulosic ethanol using the latest in modern processes and technologies, today announced the signing of a Testing Services Agreement with North Carolina State University. Under the terms of
January 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, CA, Highlights in Green
April 16-18 in Long Beach California, this weekend of Indy Car, American Le Mans Series and Toyota Celebrity/Pro racing strives to advance “green racing.” Some announced highlights: - The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) is partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection
January 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Honeywell's UOP Awarded U.S. Department Of Energy Grant For Conversion Of Waste Biomass To Green Transportation Fuels
UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced it has been selected for negotiation of a $25 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to build a demonstration unit in Hawaii to convert cellulosic biomass into green transportation fuels. As part
January 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Jatoil Announces Project to Grow Sugar Substitute Stevia in Conjunction at Vietnamese Jatropha Plantations
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Australia, Jatoil announced a joint venture to develop high-value crops that will be planted alongside its oilseed bearing jatropha trees, resulting in a dual income stream to boost returns from its biofuel farms in Vietnam.
January 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Canadian Feds Pump $5.5 Million into Biofuel Plant
by Eric Mcguinness (Hamilton Spectator) SunOpta BioProcess Inc. of Brampton is getting $5.5 million from the federal government to demonstrate that it can turn wood chips into fuel-grade ethanol and the sugar substitute xylitol. The cellulosic ethanol would replace gasoline, reducing
January 15, 2010 Read Full Article
DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol and University of Tennessee/Genera Energy to Hold Grand Opening for Demonstration Plant in Vonore
On Friday, Jan. 29, DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC (DDCE) and University of Tennessee/Genera Energy LLC will hold a grand opening celebration for one of the nation’s first cellulosic ethanol demo plants, and the only one dedicated to converting both
January 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Solix Biofuels Signs Agreement With Los Alamos National Laboratory to Develop Algal Oil Extraction Process
Los Alamos National Laboratory has teamed with Solix Biofuels, Inc. to use an award-winning LANL sound-wave technology to optimize production of algae-based fuel in a cost-effective, scalable, and environmentally benign fashion. Acoustic focusing—the novel use of sound waves at the heart
January 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Cavitation Technologies, Inc., Is Unveiling Renewable Fuel Technology for Algae Oil
Cavitation Technologies, Inc. (CTI) is pleased to announce filing a Nonprovisional Utility Patent Application titled "Method for Processing an Algae to Produce Algal Oil and By-Products" CTI successfully completed development and testing of its Algae reactor. This technology is able
January 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Secretary Chu Announces Nearly $80 Million Investment for Advanced Biofuels Research and Fueling Infrastructure
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced the investment of nearly $80 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for advanced biofuels research and fueling infrastructure that will help support the development of a clean sustainable transportation
January 13, 2010 Read Full Article
California Governor Launches Cobalt Technologies Low Carbon Fuel Plant
Cobalt Technologies, the leader in commercializing biobutanol as a renewable fuel and chemical, today formally launched its first facility. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Silicon Valley cleantech leaders were on hand, demonstrating the importance of clean technology to the state’s
January 12, 2010 Read Full Article
Novozymes Gets USD 28.4 Million Tax Credit to Advance Biofuels Production, Create Jobs
Novozymes, has received an Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit of USD 28.4 million from the Obama Administration for the construction of its new enzyme manufacturing facility in Blair, Nebraska. The facility, which will produce enzymes used to make advanced biofuels, will
January 12, 2010 Read Full Article
Memphis Bioworks Awarded $2.9 Million ARRA Department of Labor Grant for Green Jobs Training
Memphis Bioworks Foundation announced it has been awarded a $2.9 million Energy Training Partnership Grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Green Jobs Training Program. The two-year initiative will fund programs to train area workers for jobs in
January 12, 2010 Read Full Article
Tests See How Snowmobiles Run on High Ethanol Fuel
(Chicago Tribune, AP) Snowmobiles that don't start when it's cold aren't good for much. That's why researchers at Michigan Technological University are trying to see how well snowmobiles can perform using fuel with higher levels of ethanol than those in
January 12, 2010 Read Full Article
Biofuels from Forest Residues and Wastes
by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (Renewable Energy World) ...Integrated production of biomass-based products in large biorefineries creates cost advantages and competitiveness, and it is expected to be the most viable in the first stage, although small distributed biorefineries
January 12, 2010 Read Full Article
The “New Jatropha”: SG Biofuels Partners with Life Technologies to Accelerate New Cultivar Development by 60 Percent; Product Line This Year, Says CEO
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, jatropha pioneer SG Biofuels announced a strategic alliance with Life Technologies Corporation, a provider of innovative life science solutions, to advance the development of Jatropha as a sustainable biofuel. The alliance brings together SG
January 12, 2010 Read Full Article
The Unintended Ripples from the Biomass Subsidy Program
by Juliet Eilperin (Washington Post) It sounded like a good idea: Provide a little government money to convert wood shavings and plant waste into renewable energy. But as laudable as that goal sounds, it could end up causing more economic damage than
January 12, 2010 Read Full Article
Self-destructing Bacteria Improve Renewable Biofuel Production
by Joe Caspermeyer (Renewable Energy World) An Arizona State University research team has developed a process that removes a key obstacle to producing lower cost, renewable biofuels. The team has programmed a photosynthetic microbe to self-destruct, making the recovery of
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
US Jet Fuel Biorefinery Projects Receive $100m
by Megan Kuhn (Flightglobal) Four companies with biorefinery projects targeting alternative jet fuel production will receive grant money totalling up to $100 million from the US Energy Department. Honeywell subsidiary UOP, algae-based fuel developer Sapphire Energy, chemical producer Elevance Renewable Sciences
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
National Algae Association's Barry Cohen Urges Algae Production Facility Now
by Barry Cohen (National Algae Association) ...At the start of the oil industry, wildcatters at Spindletop took risk, worked with what they had, and developed what they needed in the field. Look at all the changes that have taken place in
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Saskatchewan Research Council to Test Biodiesel's Performance in Agriculture Equipment
The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) is leading a biodiesel pilot project to demonstrate how well the renewable fuel performs year-round in agriculture equipment. Supported under the National Renewable Diesel Demonstration Initiative (NRDDI), the project will help SRC assess biodiesel's quality
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Baylor Professor Turning Cow Manure into Fuel-Grade Ethanol
J.B. Smith (Waco Tribune-Herald) To critics who object to making ethanol fuel out of grain, Larry Lehr, of Waco, has an ecology-minded answer: Run it through a cow first. Lehr, who teaches environmental science at Baylor University, is planning to build
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Montana State University Receives $2 Million to Further Study Diesel-Producing South American Fungus
Montana State University professors are taking the next step in research that could make it possible to produce biofuel from wood chips using a fungus discovered in South America. This fall, the university received a four-year, $2 million grant from
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
FPInnovations and CRIBE Create a Cooperative Partnership to Develop the Forest Bio‐Economy in Ontario
... “The Government of Ontario has recognized the need to move the Province to the forefront of the commercialization of chemicals, fuels, fibres and energy that can be produced from forests,” added Lorne Morrow, Chief Executive Officer for CRIBE. “There
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
U.S. Development Group Begins Operations at Southern California Ethanol Handling and Distribution Terminal
U.S. Development Group LLC (USDG), an industry leader in ethanol handling and distribution terminals, announced today that its West Colton Rail Terminal has begun to receive and offload ethanol railcars. The terminal, located in Rialto, Calif., is served by the
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Tapping Our Forests for Green Energy
(Property and Environment Research Center) Federally owned forests in the United States are facing financial and ecological problems. At the same time, the public’s growing concern over environmental issues and future energy sources are pushing the promotion of renewable energy.
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Penn State Researcher Studying Ways to Handle Huge Quantities of Biomass
As scientists scramble to develop ways to generate enormous amounts of energy from cleaner-burning, renewable fuels to replace coal and oil, promising agricultural crops such as switchgrass have made headlines. But selecting the plants from which to make energy is
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Scientists' Breakthrough in Production of Biofuels
(Science Daily) A team of scientists from the University of Sheffield have developed an innovative device which will make the production of alternative biofuels more energy efficient. The research team has adapted a unique bioreactor for use in the production of
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
India Emerges as a Global Auto Hub, Welcomes New Biofuel Mandate, Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Targets
Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest) The global auto industry converged on Deli this week for what is now the world’s second largest auto show. ...With so many imported cars now in the country, consumers demanding cleaner and more fuel efficient cars,
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Qatar National Entities And Airbus Announce Major Environmental Initiative
Qatar Airways, Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) and Qatar Petroleum (QP) announced today that they will jointly carry out engineering, economic analysis and move into the development of sustainable bio jet fuel that will also look into ways for
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
EVARCO Launches First Alternative Fuel Car Dealership in Texas
(Aftermarket Business) ... EVCARCO is an American automotive dealership offering the latest in alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) as part of a multi tiered national strategy. The corporation will launch its first dealership in Fort Worth, Texas due to the regional
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Biomass Fuel Starts to See the Light
Robert F. Service (Science) Even with a major push, commercial plants capable of turning CO2 or water into liquid fuels are still likely to be 2 decades away. A simpler version of the technology, however, already appears headed to market.
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Developing the Feedstock for Biofuels Supply
by Bill Belden (Prairie Lands Bio-Products, Inc.) This presentation at the 4th Cellulosic Ethanol Summit describes developing a sustainable “fuel,” i.e., “feedstock” supply for biofuels and biomass-to-energy projects. Prairie Lands Bio-Products, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization with a current membership of
January 09, 2010 Read Full Article
International Organization for Standardization to Develop Bioenegy Sustainability Standards
ISO will develop an International Standard to address sustainability issues linked to bioenergy. The standard will be produced by a new ISO project committee, ISO/PC 248, Sustainability criteria for bioenergy. ISO/PC 248 will bring together international expertise and state-of-the-art best practice
January 08, 2010 Read Full Article
Groups Want More Tests on Higher-Ethanol U.S. Fuel
by Tom Doggett (Reuters) The agency already said it was waiting until this summer, so it can review test data on how a higher ethanol-gasoline ratio would affect engines. ... Initial tests showed vehicles built after 2001 would likely be
January 08, 2010 Read Full Article
Syntec Biofuel and EERC to Develop Novel Technology to Produce Bio-Butanol from Biomass and Waste
Syntec Biofuel Inc., is pleased to announce that it has entered into a joint development program with the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks for converting a wide variety of
January 08, 2010 Read Full Article
The Brazilian Connection: As Renewable Jet Fuel Gains Traction, Brazil’s Sugarcane Is More Popular Than Ever
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The search for cheap sugars ... affects almost every company working on the ethanol platform (really, everyone there except the gasification technologies such as Coskata). It also impacts those like LS9, Amyris and Virent that use
January 08, 2010 Read Full Article
Ottawa Orders Study into Environmental, Health Effects of Making Renewable Fuels
(Agweek) A study has been ordered into the environmental and health effects of producing ethanol and biodiesel. A government contract document says “there is now evidence of implications to the environment from biofuels-based ethanol production facilities.” The study comes after
January 08, 2010 Read Full Article
Firm Plans N300bn Investment in Bio-Kerosene Production
by Emeka Ezekiel (The Punch) Cassava Agro Industries Services Limited has concluded plans to invest N300bn in the development of a new technology that will produce kerosene for domestic use from local cassava. Chairman of Pan African Cassava Initiative and
January 08, 2010 Read Full Article
China's 1st Non-Grain Ethanol Project Goes into Operation
(China Knowledge) China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corp or COFCO Group, China's largest food processing, manufacturer and trader, put China's first non-grain ethanol project into operation in Beihai, Guangxi Province at the end of last year, sources reported. Ethanol
January 08, 2010 Read Full Article
Ethanol Subsidies are $82 per Barrel of Replaced Gasoline, Says Incendiary Baker Institute Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Texas, a report from the Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy concluded that “based on the latest available US GAO data, which is for the year 2008, the US government spent $4 billion
January 08, 2010 Read Full Article
Fundamentals of a Sustainable US Biofuels Policy
Pedro Alvarez, et al. (James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy) The United States is investing billions of dollars each year in subsidies and tax breaks to domestic ethanol producers in the hope that biofuels will become a major
January 08, 2010 Read Full Article
US Environmental Protection Agency Interactive Map Updated
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) RE-Powering America’s Land: Siting Renewable Energy on Potentially Contaminated Land and Mine Sites initiative Web site has been updated. Some of the highlights of the updated Web site are below. The Google Earth interactive mapping tool,
January 06, 2010 Read Full Article
NC Solicits Grant Proposals for Bioenergy Projects
by Kris Bevill (Biomass Magazine) The North Carolina Board of Science & Technology is currently accepting proposals for the state’s 2009-’10 Green Business Fund grant program. The fund, developed to promote environmentally friendly economic growth in North Carolina, will award
January 06, 2010 Read Full Article
The Energetics of Ethanol: An Introduction and Link to Studies
(New Rules Project) Does it take more energy to make ethanol than is contained in ethanol? That question continues to haunt the ethanol industry even after nearly 30 years of expanding production. Over the years more than 20 scientific studies
January 06, 2010 Read Full Article
Tennessee Misses Biofuels Goal
by Michelle Kautz (DomesticFuel.com) ... "The 20 percent reduction was a challenging goal,” said Alan Jones, manager of the environmental policy office at TDOT. The problem, he noted, is that there aren’t enough E85 and biodiesel stations to serve all
January 06, 2010 Read Full Article
Perfecting Direct-Injection Fuel Spray Key to EcoBoost Engine's Performance
(Ford) ... By 2013, 90 percent of Ford’s North American lineup will be available with EcoBoost engine technology, which is one of Ford’s key initiatives to deliver significant advancements in fuel economy without sacrificing the performance customers want. Ford engineers
January 06, 2010 Read Full Article
Lotus Omnivore Engine – 10% Better Fuel Economy than Current Leading Gasoline Engines
by Manny (European Motor News) Initial phase of Omnivore development achieves 10% improvement in fuel consumption compared to stratified direct injection engines, also with ultra low emissions. The research signals a potential paradigm shift with engine ‘upsizing’ for increased fuel
January 06, 2010 Read Full Article
Boosting Biofuels With Extra Chromosomes
by Michael Kanellos (GreenTechMedia) By doubling the genetic material in an oil plant, Kaiima says it can make biodiesel more economical. It can also get around GMO regulations. Arguably, it's a GMO without GMOs. Kaiima, based in Israel, says it has
January 05, 2010 Read Full Article
BP and DuPont Form Kingston Research Ltd to Focus on Commercializing Biobutanol
(GreenCarCongress) BP and DuPont have formed Kingston Research Ltd, which will focus on the commercialization of advanced biofuel technology—specifically biobutanol—at a £25-million (US$41-million) purpose-built development and demonstration facility at BP’s Saltend site, near Hull. Kingston Research will construct a facility to
January 05, 2010 Read Full Article
Canadian Support for Biofuels Tops 80 Percent
by Susanne Retka Schill (Biodiesel Magazine) Canadian support for biofuels is quite strong according to a study released at the opening of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Summit held Dec. 1 and 2 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Ontario-based Praxicus Public Strategies
January 05, 2010 Read Full Article
Switchgrass Produces Biomass Efficiently
by F. M. Epplin (Renewable Energy World and Oklahoma State University) USDOE and USDA study concluded that 50 million U.S. acres of cropland, idle cropland and cropland pasture could be converted from current uses to the production of perennial grasses,
January 05, 2010 Read Full Article
A Brand New Renewable Engine Fuel
Swedish SunPine is aiming to be the first company worldwide producing biodiesel from tall oil. At the plant site of SunPine, in Piteå harbor in northern Sweden, the building activity is intense. ... “The tall oil diesel is unique in that
January 05, 2010 Read Full Article
Paying More for Flights Eases Guilt, Not Emissions
by Elizabeth Rosenthal (New York Times) In 2002 Responsible Travel became one of the first travel companies to offer customers the option of buying so-called carbon offsets to counter the planet-warming emissions generated by their airline flights. But last month
January 04, 2010 Read Full Article
US Department of Energy Biomass Program Status Report
Neil Rossmeissl (Department of Energy, Office of Biomass Program) Presentation includes Biomass Program goals and objectives; charts of biomass pathways to biofuels, biochemicals, other biomass-based products; description of grant-making metholology; charts of biomass conversion techniques; chart of key strategic relationships
January 04, 2010 Read Full Article
OUTLOOK ’10: US Biofuel Firms Need Government Help to Survive
by Ben Lefebvre and William Lemos (ICIS.com) US ethanol and biodiesel players have put a disastrous 2009 behind them, but many are wondering if they can survive 2010 without major government support. Biofuels producers are awaiting the roll-out of the updated
January 04, 2010 Read Full Article
Cuba’s Sugarcane Ethanol Potential: Cuba, Raul Castro, and the Return of King Sugar to the Island
by Nicholas Elledge (Council on Hemispheric Affairs) ... (W)ould Cuba benefit from, and does it possess the technological and infrastructural means and political will to expand and modernize its sugar and sugarcane ethanol industries to take advantage of the unique
January 04, 2010 Read Full Article
India’s 20 Percent Biofuels Mandate is Back: Biofuels Digest Special Report
Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest) Like Old Saint Nick, the new incarnation of India’s 20% biofuels mandate arrived in Delhi on Christmas Eve, bringing tidings of great joy to those inside and many outside the industry, including the announcement of a national
January 04, 2010 Read Full Article
British Columbia: Low Carbon Fuel Requirements Regulation
The December 2008 British Columbia Renewable Fuel Requirements Regulation established a five per cent provincial annual average renewable fuel requirement for 2010. The new Renewable and Low Carbon Fuel Requirements regulation amends the 2008 regulation to include new requirements to
January 04, 2010 Read Full Article
Engineered Tobacco Plants Have More Potential as a Biofuel
Researchers from the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories at Thomas Jefferson Universityin Philadelphia have identified a way to increase the oil in tobacco plant leaves, which may be the next step in using the plants for biofuel. Their paper was published online
January 04, 2010 Read Full Article
Ladies and Green Racing Ideas Come Together at Daytona Beach—ARCA—Practice
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Although it was only a few years ago that NASCAR stopped using leaded fuel in its cars, change is again in the air. With hot racers like Danica Patrick, Milka Duno and Leilani Munter
January 03, 2010 Read Full Article
Cob Harvest Makes Strides
by Jeanne Bernick (Farm Journal) ... “The equipment companies have stepped up to the plate,” says Weishaar, vice president of commercial development for Poet, the nation’s first cellulosic ethanol producer. Poet recently hosted a biomass harvest field day at the
January 03, 2010 Read Full Article
“Torrefied Wood, A Bio-Energy Option That Is Ready to Go”: A Biomass Digest Special Report
by Tim Sklar (Biomass Digest) ...Woody biomass is ideally suited not only to the manufacture of 2nd generation liquid biofuels. Woody biomass is even better suited to producing TW. When woody biomass undergoes torrefaction all of the components are used,
January 03, 2010 Read Full Article
Governors of 11 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States Agree to Work Together Toward Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Fuels
Governors of 11 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states today took the next step toward developing a regional Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) by signing a Memorandum of Understanding that commits their states to continued participation in a regional effort to reduce greenhouse gas
January 03, 2010 Read Full Article
How Algal Biofuels Lost a Decade in the Race to Replace Oil
by Alexis Madrigal (Wired Science) For nearly 20 years, a government laboratory built a living, respiring library of carefully collected organisms in search of something that could grow quickly while producing something precious: oil. But now that collection has largely been
January 02, 2010 Read Full Article
Scientists Look to Soil Bacteria to Help Biofuels
by Tony Henderson (The Journal) Scientists in the North East are to enlist soil bacteria to help produce the biofuels of the future. … It is a problem facing scientists around the world and Prof Black and his team are
January 02, 2010 Read Full Article
China's Low Tariff Opens Door for Ethanol Imports
(Reuters) China has agreed to lower the tariff on imports of ethanol to 5 percent from the previous 30 percent, which traders said could open the door for imports of fuel ethanol from countries like Brazil. …Brazil, the world's largest ethanol exporter,
January 02, 2010 Read Full Article
Scum of Earth Will save Us before ETS Does
by Mark Coulton (The Australian) ... Carbon neutrality may be achievable without resorting to a hefty new tax if the government employed a skerrick of the initiative and ingenuity shown by the team at Townsville's James Cook University. ... This
January 02, 2010 Read Full Article
The “Why” and “Why Not Better?” of the US Tariff on Brazilian Ethanol
Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Q: Why is there a tariff on Brazilian ethanol? A. Under WTO rules the corn ethanol subsidy of 45 cents per gallon has to be made available to domestic and foreign ethanol. The tariff is designed