by Jeff Wilson (Bloomberg) China’s five-year plan to slow domestic production of grain-based ethanol will mean tighter supplies of a byproduct used for animal feed, boosting demand for imports through 2016, the U.S. Grains Council said. READ MORE
Archive
Back TO HOMEEnergy Beet Project Gets Funds, Aims for Advanced Biofuel Status
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A project aiming for energy beet-to-ethanol production in North Dakota hit some significant milestones recently. Putting the project a big step closer to reality is $1 million in funding and the fact that the
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Iowa State University Finds up to 10 Percent Corn Yield Increase with Cover Crops
by Iowa State University News Service (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The most recent annual results from a four-year Iowa State University study on using cover crops between rows of corn reveals that higher yields – by 5 to 10 percent
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
International Air Transport Association Stresses Congestion In Emissions Spat
by Leithen Francis (Aviation Week) The International Air Transport Association’s target of carbon neutral growth from 2020 can still be achieved, but the airline industry “can’t do it on our own,” says IATA head Tony Tyler. ...Tyler also called on governments
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
2013 Administration Proposed Budget: Biofuel/Biomass Impact Analysis -- Or -- We Read the Fine Print so You Don’t Have To
by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) As required by the Constitution, the President submitted to Congress today his proposed budget for the operation of the United States government for the coming year (FY 2013). The Republican Congressional leaders on the
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
NCSI Certifies Shoalhaven Starches against Global Sustainable Biofuels Benchmark
(NCS International) NCS International (“NCSI”) has certified the world’s first organisation against the Principles and Criteria of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (“RSB”). RSB is a new international standard that can be applied across the entire biofuel supply chain, from
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Discarding the Confrontational View - The Biofuel and Food Industries Share a Number of Major Potential Synergies
(Neste Oil) Neste Oil and Raisio have worked together for a number of years on how by-products and sidestreams generated by Finnish agriculture and food manufacturing can be used as inputs for producing biofuels. The two companies held a joint
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Consultant Suggests Changes to Energy Department’s Loan Reviews in the Wake of Solyndra
by Steven Mufson (The Washington Post) A White House consultant’s report said Friday that the Energy Department should bolster its ability to assess loan guarantee risks in the wake of the Solyndra bankruptcy, and urged the department to “aggressively strengthen its position”
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Pioneer Studies Residue Removal for Cellulosic Ethanol
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) DuPont businesses Pioneer Hi-Bred and DuPont Industrial Biosciences are collaborating with Iowa State University in performing studies on residue to establish best practices in harvesting, storage and transportation, with an eye toward its use in cellulosic ethanol production in the
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
DNA Study Could Help Biofuel Production
(UPI) Studies of the genome of Miscanthus, a large perennial grass, could speed the development of biofuels derived from the plant, U.S. researchers say. Changsoo Kim, a researcher at the University of Georgia, identified a set of approximately 600 bits of
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Controversial Wood-to-Ethanol Plant May Finally Get under Way in Upper Peninsula
by Katherine Yung (Detroit Free Press) After a lengthy delay, construction of what could be the nation's first large-scale wood-to-ethanol plant in the country is to start this year in Michigan's eastern Upper Peninsula. If successful, the $232-million biorefinery in Kinross
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Obama Administration Slows Environmental Rules as It Weighs Political Cost
by Juliet Eilperin (The Washington Post) ...Rules aimed at curbing emissions from cars and light trucks are on hold because the White House has yet to give the Office of Management and Budget the go-ahead to review them. ...The fight over
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Amyris Gives Up Making Biofuels
by Kevin Bullis (MIT Technology Review) Humbled by production challenges, the company plans to scale back production goals, it told investors Thursday. Its originally planned to make an anti-malaria drug, as well as renewable diesel and jet fuel, by feeding sugar
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Producers Deal with Low Demand
by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register) Producers had lots left over after a federal tax credit ended. Also, exports to Brazil have decreased. Ethanol has generated more than its share of detractors, but since Jan. 1 the biofuel’s real enemy has
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Request for Information (RFI) on Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0000671 for Chemo/electro-autotrophic Synthesis of Liquid Fuels at Scale
(US Department of Energy) The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration to inform the possible development of future chemo/electro-autotrophic fuel production programs. Information obtained may be used by ARPA-E on a non-attribution
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Vilsack Says Rules on Biofuels Face Threat
by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register) He says diluting standards could hurt Midwest interests U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack warned an Iowa group Friday in Ankeny that “the Midwest could be damaged” if oil interests succeed in weakening the federal
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Chemoprojekt Forms JV for Biodiesel Production
(Biofuels International) Chemoprojekt, a Czech Republic-based company specialising in design, engineering and procurement, has formed a joint venture with Nationwide Asset Management. The 50/50 joint venture has been named FAME Usti nad Labem and will be used for biodiesel production. The new
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Bombshell Study: High Methane Emissions Measured Over Gas Field “May Offset Climate Benefits of Natural Gas”
by Joe Romm (ThinkProgress.org) Air sampling by NOAA over Colorado Finds 4% Methane Leakage, More Than Double Industry Claims How much methane leaks during the entire lifecycle of unconventional gas has emerged as a key question in the fracking debate. Natural gas is mostly
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
What Do We Do with Rufus? RFS, That Is, the Elephant in the Room
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Around the halls of the Digest, we call him Rufus, the elephant in the room. Elsewhere, RFS, or the Renewable Fuel Standard, is the accepted descriptor. Under any name, there’s been an awful lot of talk
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
First Certification Against RSB Global Sustainability Standard Achieved By the Manildra Group
(Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels) The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) today announced the first completed commercial certification of the Manildra Group of Australia. The certification was conducted by NCS International, an RSB-accredited certification agency. The Manildra Group, through its subsidiary Shoalhaven
February 11, 2012 Read Full Article
Hawkins Elected Chair of Board of Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels Services Foundation
(BioJet) BioJet International Ltd. announced today that its Chairman Mitch Hawkins has been elected Chair of the Board of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels Services Foundation. The RSB Services Foundation, the implementing entity of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels, yesterday announced that it
February 11, 2012 Read Full Article
The Intrepid Investor: Ceres Delays IPO; Others in IPO Queue Shift, Accelerate Strategies
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Part II of our series, we look today at Ceres, Myriant, PetroAlgae, BioAmber, Elevance, Genomatica, Enerkem, Mascoma, and Fulcrum Bioenergy. In Part I, yesterday, we looked at the performance of the six IPOs to date in
February 10, 2012 Read Full Article
EU-Produced Ethanol Keeps Petrol Prices Down
(Renewable Energy Magazine) Recent studies commissioned by NGOs Friends of the Earth and ActionAid claim that biofuels, including ethanol, will cost EU consumers €126 billion at the petrol pump between now and 2020. ePURE, the European Renewable Ethanol Association, considers the
February 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Reducing the Impacts of Biofuels on Biodiversity
(Netzwerk Biotreibstoffe) There is mounting concern that increasing biofuels production is having significant biodiversity impacts. A study by the International Food Policy Research Institute estimated that achieving the EU target would lead to a global increase in cropland of more
February 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Production of Castor Beans as a Biofuel Source Would Be Outlawed under Oklahoma Measure
by Michael McNutt (NewsOK) Oklahoma House panel passes measure that would prohibit growing the ornamental plant commercially as a biofuel crop. The flowering plant still may be grown by nurseries. Growing castor beans for commercial purposes would be illegal under a
February 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Debate Continues on Big Oil's Big Profits
(Los Angeles Times) The five so-called "super major" oil companies -- Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, ConocoPhillips,Chevron and BP-- have just wrapped up their fourth quarter earnings reports, but not without inspiring disdain over how they made those billions in profits and over what they
February 09, 2012 Read Full Article
DOE to Fund High-Risk Wind, Other Clean Energy Technologies
by Richard Kessler (RechargeNews.com) The Energy Department (DOE) expects to award up to $150m in its latest funding round to support high-risk transformational concepts and technologies that can reduce US dependence on fossil fuels and improve energy efficiency. DOE’s Advanced Research
February 09, 2012 Read Full Article
As Time Passes, So Does Faith in Trash-to-Ethanol Plan, Some Waste Officials
by Marc Chase (NWITimes.com) As time began to run out on Lake County's trash-to-ethanol plan last week, so did the faith and confidence of solid waste district officials — both in the project and themselves. Jeff Langbehn, executive director of
February 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Scientists Discover Genes to Better Grass to Energy Production
(Bioenergy Insight) Scientists from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Sustainable Bioenergy Centre (BSBEC) have uncovered a series of genes which could help grasses being breed with better characteristics for bioenergy production. The genes help to better develop the
February 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Marubeni to Invest $652 Million in Angolan Ethanol
by Joseph Magdalena (Jornal de Angola) Angola and Japan signed yesterday in Luanda, a protocol for the construction of factories for production and refining of sugar and ethanol in the city of Humbe in Cunene. The project is the Japanese company
February 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Effects of Biodiesel Feedstocks on Infrared Blend Measurements is Featured in New White Paper
(Open PR/Wilks Enterprise) A new White Paper published by Wilks Enterprise addresses the common concern among biodiesel blenders and distributors as to whether or not biodiesel made from different feedstocks such as soy, waste vegetable oil or palm oil will
February 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Keep Your Eye on the Ball
by Jim Stewart (Biofuels Digest/BioEnergy Producers Association) ...In America’s quest for alternative and renewable energy, the “ball” is national security and energy independence. All other issues pale by comparison. Let’s not lose sight of a critical fact: America’s enemies are bleeding
February 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Coskata, INEOS Bio Settle Lawsuit: Coskata Revises S-1
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest--scroll down) Moving over to Coskata, the company recently revised its IPO documentation to reflect a settlement of its lawsuit with INEOS Bio, which reflected a trade secret dispute. From the revised S-1: “On January 12, 2012, the parties
February 09, 2012 Read Full Article
The Intrepid Investor: How Are Biofuels IPOs Performing and Why?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In this two-part series, we look at the IPO market for industrial biotech stocks. ... In Part I, today, we look at the performance of the six IPOs to date in the aftermarket, the Ceres IPO
February 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Bike Built by Orange County Choppers
by Chuck Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The big news today at the National Biodiesel Conference was the unveiling of the biodiesel bike built by Paul Teutul, Sr., Orange County Choppers. The bike was built in partnership with CIMA Green. ...CIMA Green actually had two bikes built and
February 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Gives the Economy a Boost
by Ken Field (Financial Post) Ethanol reduces the price of gasoline Ethanol’s chief benefit is environmental. ...Last summer, there were no smog alerts in the GTA and 5.5 million Canadians breathed easier. Ethanol was a major factor in cleaning the air
February 08, 2012 Read Full Article
Expert Expects Gas Prices in Chicago to Hit $4.60 by May
by Gary Strauss (Chicago Sun-Times) Get ready for another round of pain at the pump: gas at $4 (or higher) a gallon. After rising 19 cents a gallon in the past four weeks, regular unleaded gasoline now averages $3.48 a
February 08, 2012 Read Full Article
House Committee Members, Industry Slam Effort to Delay E15
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology met Feb. 7 to markup H.R. 3199, a bill introduced last fall by committee Vice Chairman Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., that would require the National Academy of Sciences
February 08, 2012 Read Full Article
Florida-Based Grease Recycling Company Signs on New Clients
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) Florida-based grease recycling company Freedom Environmental Services Inc. recently announced it has signed service contracts with 14 Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q restaurants to provide ongoing grease trap maintenance and the collection and processing of yellow
February 08, 2012 Read Full Article
Petroleum Representatives Candidly Express Contempt for RFS2
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) A panel of petroleum trade association representatives gathered together for the National Biodiesel Conference’s opening general session on Feb. 6. While the group consisted of five oil association representatives, several of whom are outspokenly partial
February 08, 2012 Read Full Article
EPA Annnounces Release of Draft Report: Biofuels and the Environment: The First Triennial Report to Congress
(US Environmental Protection Agency) The Biofuels and the Environment: The First Triennial Report to Congress (External Review Draft) (EPA/600/R-10/183A) report, prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within EPA’s Office of Research and Development, is the first report published on
February 08, 2012 Read Full Article
US Navy Taps into Queensland University of Technology Biofuel Capabilities
(Queensland University of Technology) Biofuel technology being developed by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researchers has caught the interest of the US Navy, which is currently in Australia on an alternative fuel fact-finding mission. The US Navy intends to have a
February 08, 2012 Read Full Article
Portugal’s Galp Energia to Head up Scientific Project in Mozambique
(Macau Hub) Portuguese group Galp Energia plans to head up a project for second generation biofuel produced using cultivated jatropha in Mozambique, the Portuguese press reported. The project, which is projected to cost 2 million euros, is 50 percent funded by
February 08, 2012 Read Full Article
Aviation and Military Biofuels: New Thinking on Finance, Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...While most of the United States was focused on the 2012 Super Bowl, the CSPAN television network snuck a revealing interview from Brian Lamb with Secretary of the Navy, former Mississippi governor (and ambassador to
February 08, 2012 Read Full Article
Midwest Is Full of Promising Second-Generation Biofuels
by Ilene Grossman (CSG Midwest) The benefits of using biomass residuals — the byproducts from activities such as agriculture and forestry — as an energy source are clear for the Midwest. Both plentiful and a potentially low-cost source of fuel, biomass
February 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Awareness Camps on Biodiesel in Villages
(The Hindu) The Biotechnology Engineering Department of Nitte Mahalinga Adyanthaya Memorial Institute of Technology (NMAMIT), Nitte, Karkala, has contacted 500 to 1,000 people in villages near Nitte regarding the production of biodiesel from locally-available seeds. Venkatesh Kamath, lecturer, Biotechnology Engineering Department,
February 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Vietnam's Ethanol Plant Produces First Batch of Bio-Fuel
(Asia News Network) Dung Quat Bio-Ethanol Plant, located in the Dung Quat Industrial Zone in the central province of Quang Ngai, turned out its first batch of bio-ethanol E100 last week after 33 months of construction and trial operations. The VND2
February 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Piedmont Biofuels Successfully Scales up Commercial Enzyme-Based Biodiesel Production
(Piedmont Biofuels) Breakthrough Expedites Transformation of Biodiesel Production Piedmont Biofuels announced today(February 7, 2012) that the company has commenced the first commercial scale zero-waste production of biodiesel in the United States using its proprietary approach of enzyme catalysis. Biodiesel is a
February 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Algal Biomass Organization Launches AllAboutAlgae.com to Educate and Inspire Consumers About the Potential of Algae
(MarketWatch) Comprehensive Website Offers Information, Videos and Photos About Algae's Potential as a Feedstock for Fuel, Food and Feed The Algal Biomass Organization today launched AllAboutAlgae.com, a new website designed to showcase the potential of algae-based products to provide sustainable and
February 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Oil Refiners and Biofuels: 2012 to Feature Fight over RFS, Cooperation on RIN Fraud
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In Florida, the National Biodiesel Conference — biodiesel’s grandest show — opened with exuberance over 2011 results, and resolve to meet the industry’s two major issues in 2012, defense of the Renewable Fuel Standard, and
February 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Americans Gaining Energy Independence With U.S. as Top Producer
by Rich Miller, Asjylyn Loder and Jim Polson (Bloomberg) The U.S. is the closest it has been in almost 20 years to achieving energy self-sufficiency, a goal the nation has been pursuing since the 1973 Arab oil embargo triggered a recession
February 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Agronomist Fights for ‘Truths’ about Ethanol Industry
by Barry Amundson (Tri-State Neighbor) Gregg Carlson doesn't like to hear the negative comments about ethanol. The SDSU Extension farm precision agronomist has been telling farmers at crop expos this winter and others he talks with that producers wouldn't have the prices
February 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuels Standard Modification Attempts Unnecessary
(Farm Futures) Hartwig says legislation is attempt to eliminate RFS altogether. Congressman Pete Olson, R-Texas, recently introduced the Domestic Alternative Fuels Act of 2012. The measure seeks to modify the renewable fuel standard to include ethanol and other fuels produced from
February 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Hino Trucks Honored at National Biodiesel Conference
(PR NewsWire/Hino Trucks) During a ceremony today at the National Biodiesel Conference in Orlando, Hino Trucks was recognized by the National Biodiesel Board with the 2012 "Eye on Biodiesel Impact Award." The "I-Awards" represent the biodiesel industry's top honors, and are bestowed upon companies,
February 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Canadian Renewable Fuels Association Says Report Wrong on Connection between Ethanol, Livestock
by Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Ethanol and grain producers in Canada reacted to a report by the George Morris Centre charging it misinterprets the connection between clean-burning, renewable ethanol and the livestock and meat markets. A
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Construction of Five-Acre Algae Farm Begins at Ethanol Plant
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) BioProcess Algae LLC and Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc. announced Feb. 1 that they have begun constructing a five acre algae production facility in southwest Iowa at the site of Green Plains’ 65 MMgy
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
A.I.M. Interview: Susan Kunz, BioVantage
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) Susan M. Kunz, President and Chief Executive Officer of BioVantage, describes herself in part as a “startup addict,” this being her fourth company built from the ground up. ...As CEO of BioVantage Resources, Inc., Sue is responsible
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
As EU Ramps Up Biofuels, Climate Debate Intensifies
By Alessandro Torello (Wall Street Journal) ...But this plant, with a capacity of 800,000 metric tons a year, and others built by different companies around Europe face a new challenge: a possible shift in EU policy that could undermine their
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Republicans to Investigate EPA Handling of Renewable-Fuel Rules
by Mark Drajem (Bloomberg) The House Energy and Commerce Committee said it will investigate the actions of the Environmental Protection Agency in combating fraud in the renewable-fuels program. The EPA discovered that fuel credits, which can be traded, are being fraudulently
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
LanzaTech Seeks Success Where Another Failed
by S. Heather Duncan (Macon Telegraph) Although the company that purchased a defunct ethanol refinery in Soperton has some of the same financial backers as previous owners who lost the plant to foreclosure, leaders of LanzaTech Freedom Pines say their
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
California to Appeal Ruling against Fuel Standard
(Equipment World) States considering a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) will be watching the federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to see if it will overturn a lower court’s decision that California’s LCFS is unconstitutional. The appellate court has set an April 16
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
EU Biofuels Targets to Cost $166 Billion, Study Says
by Alex Morales (Reuters) European Union policies to promote the use of biofuels for transportation will cost consumers as much as 126 billion euros ($166 billion) between now and 2020, two environmental groups said. The fuels, gasoline substitutes derived from plants,
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
CelluForce Celebrates the Inauguration of the World’s First NanoCrystalline Cellulose Demonstration Plan
(CelluForce) CelluForce officially inaugurated today the world’s first NanoCrystalline Cellulose (NCC) demonstration plant at the Domtar pulp and paper mill site in Windsor, Quebec. Jean Moreau, President and CEO of CelluForce, was accompanied by the Canadian Minister of Natural Resources, the
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Logging Waste to Be Used More for Biofuel Production
(NewEurope Online) More Lithuanian logging waste could make way for usage in biofuels production. The ‘national forestry sector development programme’ submitted recently to the government of Lithuanian by the ministry of environment proposed for maximising the use of logging waste
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
John Lindt: Biofuel Maker to Double Employees
by John Lindt (Visalia Times-Delta) Edeniq is expanding in the Visalia Industrial Park expecting to turn on its new pilot cellulosic ethanol plant in March, with plans to double employment this year, said Scott Janssen, the company's Chief Financial Officer. Some
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Inaugural Sustainable Maritime Fuels Forum Draws US, Australian Biofuels Leadership
by Jim Lane/Dr. Susan Pond (Biofuels Digest/Dow Sustainability Program at the University of Sydney’s United States Studies Centre) In Australia, the inaugural Sustainable Maritime Fuels Forum was held this week as part of the Pacific 2012 International Maritime Exposition in
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Enerkem’s $125M IPO: The 10-Minute Version
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In Canada, Enerkem has filed an F-1 registration statement for a proposed $125 million initial public offering. The number of shares to be offered in the proposed offering and the price range for the offering
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
A Conservative’s Search for Solutions to Climate Change: Speaking with Former Congressman Robert Inglis
(Univerisity of Chicago/Energy Policy Institute at Chicago) By all outward appearances, former South Carolina Congressman Bob Inglis is a conservative’s conservative. ...At a lecture sponsored by the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago (EPIC), Mr. Inglis said he believed that in order
February 05, 2012 Read Full Article
USDA Announces Funding for Two Renewable Energy Programs
(US Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the availability of funds for Fiscal Year 2012 for two key programs to encourage the use of renewable biomass and production of advanced biofuels. About $25 million will be made
February 04, 2012 Read Full Article
Senate Energy Outlook Hearing Focuses on Fossils First
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Witnesses projected strong growth for renewable fuels use in both the power generation and transportation sectors over the next 20 years during a Senate energy committee held Jan. 31, but committee members, many of
February 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy Paper Probes Deeper Implications of ILUC Debate
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Looking for a middle ground where environmentalists and ethanol advocates could meet, the Minneapolis-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy released a paper by Julia Olmstead reflecting on the lessons learned regarding the debate over indirect
February 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Senate Agriculture Committee Announces Hearing on Farm Bill Energy Programs
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) Will federal programs critical to the development of sustainable bioenergy and the bioeconomy be renewed in the next Farm Bill? The authorization for current programs will expire at the end of 2012. The Senate Agriculture
February 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Ecuador Investigates the Production of Biodiesel Based on Palm
(UPI) The Ministry of Production and the National Association of African Palm Growers, analyzes based biodiesel plant. The raw material would be palm oil. Andes news agency said the authorities' intention is to strengthen energy sovereignty. Ecuador ranks first palm sales in America,
February 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Senator Calls on US to Help Biofuels Development
(The Bioenergy Site) Senator Chris Coons (D-Delaware) spoke at an American Chemical Society briefing, saying that biofuels production was essential for the future of the US economy. "This was a great starting point as a concrete forum to look at how
February 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Algae Producer Aquaviridis and OriginOil Announce Joint Commercial Agreement
(OriginOil) Development of dry-land aquaculture could transform desert farm economies of the American Southwest and Mexico Mexicali Valley, Mexico and Los Angeles, CA February 3, 2012 – Algae producer Aquaviridis and OriginOil, Inc., the developer of a breakthrough technology to extract oil from algae and
February 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuels At What Cost? Mandating Ethanol and Biodiesel Consumption in Germany
(International Institute for Sustainable Development) Currently, the German government plans to achieve the EU's renewable transport target mainly through the use of mandatory blending targets applied to the mineral oil industry for the use of biofuels. This study highlights that
February 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuels - At What Cost? Mandating Ethanol and Biodiesel Consumption in the United Kingdom
(International Institute for Sustainable Development) The U.K. government is currently considering what policies will ensure it meets the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive (RED) commitment of using 10 per cent by energy of renewable transport fuels by 2020. Current U.K.
February 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Fears for Jobs as Ethanol Producer Stops Work on Plant
by Sean Nicholls (Sydney Morning Herald) THE NSW ethanol mandate will be ''appropriately enforced'', the Premier, Barry O'Farrell, has assured Australia's biggest ethanol producer, Manildra, after the company reacted to his decision to dump a ban on regular unleaded fuel
February 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Eastern Scraps Plan to Build Ethanol Plant
by Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo (The Manila Times) Eastern Petroleum Corp. has dropped plans to put up an ethanol production facility using cassava as feedstock in lieu of a sugarcane-based plant. Fernando Martinez, Eastern Petroleum chairman, said that the company’s cassava plantations
February 03, 2012 Read Full Article
North Dakota State University Partner in $1 Million Energy Beet Project
(AgWeek/NDSU Agriculture Communication) A project that will develop an advanced biofuel from energy beets and provide growers across North Dakota with a new industrial crop is taking another important step forward, fueled by a significant two-year North Dakota Renewable Energy
February 03, 2012 Read Full Article
When Bio and Solar Converge: 6 Hot Projects at the Bio-Solar-Electric Frontier
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... When it comes down to it, a living organism such as a plant is an incredibly sophisticated next-gen solar panel, harvesting light as well as CO2, water and nutrients for the production of energy,
February 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Why the Military Hates Fossil Fuels
by Amy Westervelt (Forbes) ...Time and again top military leaders have spoken out against our dependence on oil as a matter of national security. The thing you need to remember about the military, though, is that it’s comprised more of doers
February 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Mississippi Senator Seeks to Require Ethanol-Free Gasoline
by Kent Misegades (General Aviation News) Mississippi State Senator Michael Watson has just introduced Senate Bill 2137, “An act to require retail dealers and distributors of gasoline to offer for sale or use nonethanol-blended unleaded premium grade gasoline.” When asked for his motivation,
February 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Hundreds of Jobs Planned by New Owner of Range Fuels
by S. Heather Duncan (Macon.com) The new owner of a shuttered ethanol plant in Soperton plans to eventually add hundreds of jobs there to produce ethanol and other chemicals, a company official said this week. That would boost Treutlen County employment
February 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Wisconsin Bioenergy Research Center to Open in Madison This Fall
by Bryan Sims (Biorefinery Magazine) The newest of three bioenergy research facilities in the U.S. is slated to come online this fall on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, as construction is progressing on schedule for the new 104,000
February 02, 2012 Read Full Article
CORE BioFuel Prepares to Land Funding for First Biogasoline Plant
by Bryan Sims (Biorefining Magazine) Toronto-based CORE BioFuel Inc. has signed an exclusive agreement with Osprey Capital Partners Inc., Canada’s leading mid-market investment banking firm, to secure equity investment capital for financing the completion of construction engineering for its first
February 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels USA's Joanne Ivancic Joins BioJet's Advisory Board.
(BioJet International Ltd.) BioJet International Ltd. announced today that Joanne Ivancic has joined the BioJet Advisory Board. Ivancic joins a distinguished group Chaired by Nathan Agnew, one of acknowledged pioneers of aviation biofuels. Joanne has worked with the biofuels industry for
February 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Crops Could Have Wide Range of Effects on Climate
by Skip Derra (Arizona State University/Western Farm Press) A team of researchers from Arizona State University, Stanford University and Carnegie Institution for Science has found that converting large swaths of land to bioenergy crops could have a wide range of
February 02, 2012 Read Full Article
2012 Reuben Youngerberg Memorial Biodiesel Essay Scholarship
(American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest) This scholarship is open to all Minnesota high school seniors. It is given in memory of Reuben Youngerberg, and in honor of his son, Mike Youngerberg, senior director of field services at Minnesota Soybean
February 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Two Become One for Bio-Oil Upgrade
(RSC Chemistry World News) The development of a couple of new and improved catalysts for upgrading bio-oil is bringing this novel approach to producing biofuels a step closer to the big time. Although there are several ways to convert plant biomass
February 02, 2012 Read Full Article
World’s First Wood-Based Biofuel Refinery to Be Built in Finland
(YLE.FI) Forest industry giant UPM is building a biorefinery in the eastern city of Lappeenranta which is to produce biofuel from crude tall oil. The plant’s output is expected to reach some 100,000 tons of biodiesel annually, slated for use
February 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Sermatec Zanini and GeoSynFuels, LLC Form Strategic Alliance
(Sermatec Zanini and GeoSynFuels, LLC) Sermatec Zanini and GeoSynFuels, LLC (GSF) have announced the formation of a strategic alliance for the development and commercialization of GSF’s proprietary cellulosic ethanol technology. The strategic alliance allows Sermatec Zanini to earn an equity position
February 02, 2012 Read Full Article
25 x '25 Launches Climate Change Adaptation Work Group
(25 x '25) The effects of changing weather and climate present new challenges for farms, forests, and ranches which in 2009 had a combined value of $645 billion and generated over $1.2 trillion in related economic activity. Though the causes
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Innovative, Groundbreaking Water Theory Is Applied to Algae
by Luke Geiver (Biodiesel Magazine) The history of Biomat SA, an algae biomass company from South America, is directly linked to University of Washington Professor Gerald Pollack, a man responsible for a water theory breakthrough that implies a fourth phase
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
REV Biodiesel Concludes Used Fryer Oil Drive from Holiday Months
by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine) Gilbert, Ariz.-based biodiesel producer REV Biodiesel generated more than 10,800 pounds (more than 1,000 gallons) of used cooking oil from kitchens throughout Arizona’s East Valley over the span of its recently concluded annual Holiday Waste
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Lee Enterprises Consulting Launches New RIN Verification Program
by Wayne Lee (Biodiesel Magazine/Lee Enterprises Consulting) Lee Enterprises Consulting announced a first-of-its-kind RIN verification program on Jan. 31, known as RIN 9000, to assist biodiesel blenders, producers and obligated parties in verifying the validity of RINs being sold or
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Preparing for E15 in the Market
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) At some point in 2012, the final i’s will be dotted and t’s will be crossed so 15% ethanol can finally become the new consumer choice at the pump. ...“When we do get E15 out to the
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Syntroleum Announces Dynamic Fuels and Mansfield Oil Relationship to Market Advanced Biofuels to Transportation Industry
(Money.msn.com/Syntroleum) Dynamic Fuels, LLC, operator of the first commercial advanced biofuels plant in the United States, has entered into strategic marketing alliance, commercial off-take and supply chain management agreements with Mansfield Oil Company ("Mansfield") to efficiently distribute synthetic renewable diesel
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
CALL FOR PAPERS: The Sun Grant Initiative National Conference on Science for Biomass Feedstock Production and Utilization DEADLINE: March 31, 2012
The Sun Grant Initiative is organizing a national conference on the “Science for Biomass Feedstock Production and Utilization”. It will be held October 2-5, 2012 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside in New Orleans, LA. The conference will highlight recent
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Update on a Mobile Indirect Biomass Liquefaction System
by John P. Hurley (Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine/U.S. Department of Energy, Energy & Environmental Research Center) Minnesota’s forestry operations produce 300,000 tons per year of wood waste that is not used in any existing or proposed facility. Through the process
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Words from the Wise: A Study by a Group of Forest Scientists Confirms Forest-Derived Bioenergy Results in No Net Carbon Release
by Anna Austin (Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine) A recently released study authored by nine scientists from multiple organizations and universities, including the U.S. Forest Service, may be poised to clear up some confusion. With no motive other than to
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Scientists Discover Genes to Better Grass to Energy Production
(Biofuels International) Scientists from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Sustainable Bioenergy Centre (BSBEC) have uncovered a series of genes which could help grasses being breed with better characteristics for bioenergy production. The genes help to better develop the
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Canada Ethanol Policy Hurts Livestock Farmers: Report
by Rod Nickel (Reuters) Ethanol production has boosted the prices of grains that Canadian farmers buy to raise cattle and pigs, and Ottawa should curb or eliminate its support for the industry, an agriculture research organization said on Tuesday. But a
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
California Bill Seeks to Eliminate Future Corn Ethanol Funding
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The California State Assembly is expected to vote soon on a watered-down version of a bill initially proposed last year, targeting corn ethanol production for elimination from a state subsidy program. AB 523
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
US Forces Give the Nod to Biofuels
Michael Richardson (Canberra Times) Don't laugh! The United States military is dead serious about being able to fly its combat and cargo planes on jet fuel derived from algae and plants, and to power many of its warships on biodiesel
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Production from Xylose by Pichia Stipitis NRRL Y-7124 in a Stirred Tank Bioreactor
by Silva, J. P. A., Mussatto, Solange I., Roberto, I.C., Teixeira, J. A. (Universidade do Minho/Repositorium) The ethanol production by Pichia stipitis was evaluated in a stirred tank bioreactor using semidefined medium containing xylose (90.0 g/l) as the main carbon source. Experimental assays
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Airlines for America Urges Commercial Development of Biofuels
by Kate Rice (TravelPulse) ... The Farm to Fly partnership was established in July 2010 to advance a comprehensive and sustainable aviation biofuels rural-development plan. As the lead agency responsible for feedstock development and production systems, USDA joined with A4A
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Making Nature's Best Better to Produce Biofuels
(National Science Foundation) The National Renewable Energy Laboratory uses supercomputer simulations to explore designer enzymes for renewable fuels ... "Cellulose in the biosphere can last for years," said Gregg Beckham, a scientist in the National Bioenergy Center at the U.S. Department of Energy's
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
The Future of Costa Rica: Leading Biofuel Production
(The Costa Rica News) ...Blame it on increased awareness of climate change or on the fact that humans have found this new appreciation for nature but biofuel production is the newest craze to hit Costa Rica! Renewable Energy Farms are by
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
A Low-Cost, Low-Risk Path to Meeting US Biofuels Targets
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The challenges? Well, there have been three grand ones. First, the development of economically feasible technologies. Second, the financing and construction of new capacity, including any bolt-ons, restarts or retrofits of existing capacity. Third, the
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Center Assists with National 4-H Biofuels Curriculum Development
(Biofuels Center of North Carolina) The Biofuels Center is assisting with the development of a national biofuels curriculum by 4-H. The curriculum development is being led by North Carolina due to its strong program, good agricultural universities and extension services,
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
North Carolina's Biofuels Accelerator
(Biofuels Center of North Carolina) The mission of the Biofuels Company Accelerator is to provide a place, intelligence, and connections to grow businesses, ideas, and relationships that contribute to the development of a biofuels industry across North Carolina. The Accelerator
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Business Accelerator Open to New Green Tech, Environmental Clients
(Dominican University of California) Dominican’s new Venture Greenhouse is accepting a third round of applications from early stage businesses that address environmental and social issues. Inspired by Dominican University of California’s MBA in Sustainable Enterprise (the GreenMBA), the Venture Greenhouse is
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Obama Directs Military to Cut Petroleum Consumption 30 Percent
(NCTechNews) ...In order to comply with and support these directives, Fort Bragg partnered with the Defense Energy Supply Center and the Army Petroleum Center to construct the Green Biofuel Superstation to serve its flex-fuel fleet and other military-owned equipment. The