by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, staff members working for least eight US Senators will join a study group aimed at a “seed-to-wheel examination of the US Renewable Fuel Standard,” the Digest has learned. The goal of the study group
Archive
Back TO HOMESustainable Alternative Jet Fuels Update on ASTM Approval
by Nate Brown (Federal Aviation Administration) Power Point presentation with graphics illustrating the steps for new aviation fuel approval, graphic descriptions of anticipated aviation fuels (and progress of various pathways along the process). Includes alcohol to jet, direct sugar to
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Short-Term Politics Stifles Pentagon's Green Energy Ambitions
by Jen Alic (OilPrice.com) The US Defense Department consumes more energy than any other department or sector in the country, spending around $20 billion annually by some estimates; but ambitious plans to make it the nation’s green leader have been
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Expert Says Business, Military Can Lead U.S. Away from Fossil Fuels
by Morgan Lee (U-T San Diego) There’s a persistent view that the United States can best compete in the global economy by keeping energy prices low. Amory Lovins is out to prove otherwise by helping private industry, the military and civil
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Gasoline Suppliers Overcomplying with Ethanol Content Rules
by Martin Mittelstaedt (The Globe and Mail) Federal law forces oil companies to sell gasoline in Canada with an ethanol content of 5 per cent, but the industry is going one better. Oil refiners like ethanol so much, they’ve quietly begun
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
United Cooperative Fitting Cenex Sites for Flex-Fueling
(CSP Daily News) Installs ethanol blender pumps across southcentral Wisconsin United Cooperative has been selected to receive a $448,500 Rural Energy for America Program grant to assist with the installation of 36 ethanol flex-fuel blender pumps and seven biodiesel dispensers at
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Change to Gas Pump Labels Coming in June
(Richmond County Daily Journal) Starting June 1, consumers will notice changes to the way ethanol-blended gasoline is labeled at their local gas station. The N.C. Rules Review Commission this week approved changes adopted by the Gasoline and Oil Inspection Board that
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Former U.S. Ambassadors: Cut Foreign Oil Dependence to Help Reign in Trade Deficit
by Andrew Restuccia (The Hill/E2Wire) A bipartisan coalition of former U.S. ambassadors urged President Obama Thursday to drastically cut dependence on foreign oil in order to help reign in the country’s trade deficit. The coalition, known as Diplomatic Council on Energy
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Iowa State Team Gets Grant for Biomass Pretreatment Research
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Iowa Energy Center recently awarded three grants to research projects focused on improving thermochemical conversion of biomass to biofuels and renewable chemicals. The selected projects will receive one-year research and demonstration grants with negotiated renewal
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
'Hydrogen Is Tomorrow's Biofuel' Say Scientists
(University of Birmingham) Researchers from the University of Birmingham are creating clean hydrogen from food waste paving the way for a bioenergy alternative for the future. Currently, Brazil is the world’s most intensive user of bioethanol as an alternative to gasoline for
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Antibiotic Residues in DDGS Pose Little Risk
(Pork Network) With recent increased attention by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the use of antibiotics in livestock production, industry experts are turning their attention to potential non-farm sources of antibiotic residues. Could distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
GM Jatropha Hopes to Break into Biodiesel Market
by Kristie Neo (ChannelNewsAsia) The world's first genetically modified Jatropha plant can produce biodiesel faster and better. Plans are in the pipeline to start field trials and commercialise it in three years. With genetic modification, the seeds from the Jatropha
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Bacteria Seen as Biofuel Production Key
(UPI) ...Now scientists led by researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have discovered how certain bacteria can tolerate those man-made toxic chemicals used in making biofuels. "Discovering microbes naturally tolerant to salty liquids and understanding their mechanisms of tolerance should
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Congressmen Defend Ethanol
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) Members of Congress are exchanging dueling fact sheets about corn ethanol and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2). Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) sent an email last month to members of the House Commerce, and Agriculture and Energy Committees
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Ellison Wants to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies
by Brett Neely (Minnesota Public Radio) U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison introduced legislation Thursday to end all subsidies for fossil fuels. Ellison said the oil, gas and coal industries will get $113 billion worth of government support over the next decade even
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
CBO: Increasing Domestic Oil Doesn’t Help Energy Security Much
by Simone Sebastian (FuelFix) Increasing domestic production of oil won’t significantly boost energy security in the United States, according to a report by the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO advocated policies that reduce demand for oil, such as promoting more fuel-efficient and alternative-fuel
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Big Oil's Big in Biofuels
by Ken Wells (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) ...In the last decade, the industry says, it has put $71 billion into zero- and low-emission and renewable energy technologies. The U.S. government, by contrast, has spent about $43 billion on similar efforts during the same period,
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
USDA Projects Record Corn Crop in 2012—What Does it Mean for Ethanol?
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) USDA released its first estimate of the 2012 corn crop--and it is a big one. According to today’s USDA projections, record U.S. corn production of 14.79 billion bushels is expected in 2012. That’s up
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Backers Push Back against Anti-Renewables PAC
by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register) ...The executive director of the Renewable Fuels Association, Monte Shaw, said AFP should “stop the hypocrisy and to get its facts straight when it comes to ethanol and oil policy.” ...“AFP’s hypocrisy is astounding,” continued
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
DOE Offers $5 mln for Work on Alternative Fuel Vehicles
by Christopher Doering (Des Moines Register) The U.S. Energy Department said on Tuesday (May 8, 2012) it will make $5 million available in 2012 to expand the use of alternative fuel vehicles, including electric models. The Energy Department said in a statement
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
BioTork Develops Xylose-Fermenting Yeast for Ethanol Facilities
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) After nearly two years of collaborative research, biotechnology company BioTork LLC and the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center have developed a yeast strain capable of fermenting the xylose found in ligno-cellulosic biomass in a commercial-scale
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Will US Federal Fleet Help Alternative Fuel Switch?
by John Kemp (Reuters COLUMN) Widespread use of alternative motor fuels has been hampered by lack of fuel distribution infrastructure, despite strongly favourable economics for alternatives to gasoline and diesel, and a range of financial incentives offered by U.S. federal
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
ASTM Lowers E85's Minimum Ethanol Volume to 51 Percent
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Scientific standards development body ASTM International (formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials) recently made significant changes to its E85 specification, lowering the approved minimum ethanol volume of the fuel to
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Texas AgriLife Feeding Algae to Steers
by Blair Fannin (Texas AgriLife Research/Algae Industry Magazine) Texas AgriLife Research scientist, Dr. Tryon Wickersham, and graduate student, Merritt Drewery, have been conducting feeding trials of algae leftover products (after oil extraction, in powdered form) on Angus steers. Two of
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Pure Gasoline Options Shrink: Subgrade Blends Soon Will Spread Eastward in S.D.
by Cody Winchester (Argus Leader) Sometime this summer, already-scarce blends of pure gasoline will become more rare in western South Dakota. That’s because the largest refineries that supply the Plains Rocky Mountain Pipeline terminal in Rapid City, and therefore much of
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Molecular Sponge Absorbs Toxins, Produces Biofuel
by William DeKay (The Western Producer) Lee Wilson thinks he has found a cost effective way to help produce biofuel using wheat straw. In a lab at the University of Saskatchewan, the chemist and his team of graduate students have developed
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Human Waste-to-Biodiesel Plant to Create Sanitation Revolution in Ghana
(JoyOnline) Human waste could soon be a precious commodity in Kumasi and other parts of the country with an ongoing solution to transform fecal sludge treatment into a profit-making venture. Waste Enterprisers Limited, a sanitation and waste energy company, is replacing
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Munster Council Sets Hearings on Trash-to-Ethanol Agreement
by Lu Ann Franklin (Northwest Indiana Times) The Town Council will hear public comments about signing the interlocal agreement with Lake County Solid Waste District for the proposed trash-to-ethanol facility in Schneider on June 4 and June 18. ...As proposed, the trash-to-ethanol
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Sorghum Goes Epic, or Is That EPEC? A Primer on Biofuels’ Underdog Feedstock
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What’s up? What’s next? New pathways, plus country-by-country yield data. Sorghum. It’s a feedstock right out the pages of the old South – sorghum syrup served with corn bread and Lowcountry boils. ...There’s sweet sorghum and grain
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Illovo Pulls out of Mali Sugar Project on Security Concerns
by Mike Cohen (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Illovo Sugar Ltd. (ILV), Africa’s largest sugar producer, said it has ended its involvement in the Markala sugar project in Mali because of incomplete funding and a deteriorating security situation in the West African nation. The
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Wait’ll Next Year: Advanced Biofuels and the Military
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In Washington, heartbreak came early in the season when the Senate Armed Services Committee has voted to nix the purchase of aviation biofuels, should they cost more than conventional fossil fuels, even at the small
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
General Electric To Invest BRL500 Million In Brazil Technology Center
(Fox Business) General Electric Co. (GE) said Thursday it will invest 500 million reais ($245.5 million) in a research-and-development center in Rio de Janeiro. The center, which should be operational in the second half of 2013 and employ 400, will focus
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
World’s First Carbon-Neutral Higher-Speed Locomotive
by Joshua S. Hill (CleanTechnica.com) The Coalition for Sustainable Rail (CSR) announced Tuesday plans to create the world’s first carbon-neutral higher-speed locomotive. The plan is simple: “create the world’s cleanest, most powerful passenger locomotive, proving the viability of solid biofuel and
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Party in Minnesota: Gevo Starts up Commercial Scale, Advanced Biofuels Plant, Ahead of Schedule
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Colorado, Gevo announced it has begun startup of the world’s first commercial biobased isobutanol production plant located in Luverne, Minn. “At 1 p.m. MDT yesterday we made history by initiating production of biobased isobutanol at commercial scale,”
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Video: BYU Students Win Formula Hybrid Competition
(Gas2) ... The annual SAE Formula Hybrid competition challenges teams of college engineering students to build fast and efficient hybrid racers. ... BYU’s Hybrid Blue can go from 0-60 mph in just 3 seconds, and it dominated the SAE Formula Hybrid’s acceleration,
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Aviation and Clean Technology Leaders Launch Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels Initiatives
(MASBI) Regional Initiative with National Reach Working to Achieve Energy Security United Airlines, Boeing, Honeywell’s UOP, the Chicago Department of Aviation and the Clean Energy Trust today announced the formation of the Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels Initiative (MASBI), designed to advance
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
GraalBio Investimentos Plans to Invest $724.5 Million in Five Cellulosic Ethanol Projects in Brazil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Brazil, GraalBio Investimentos plans to invest $724.5 million in five cellulosic ethanol plants during the next few years. The first 21.6 million gallon facility in Alagoas that will use sugarcane bagasse as feedstock is expected to
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Mallee Harvester Reaches Milestones
(Stock Journal) The prototype mallee harvester developed by Biosystems Engineering and Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) has exceeded expectations in the final stages of its development. During trials near Casino in New South Wales, trees were harvested at a
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
The Wilmington Express: The 10-Minute Guide to Dupont and Advanced Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... (T)he company’s metrics in cellulosic biofuels are starting to look compelling. Not only is commercialization a lot less than five years away – a massive breakout in capacity building looks feasible within that time
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
When, Where and How Wood Is Used Impact Carbon Emissions from Deforestation
(Environmental Research Web) A new study from the University of California, Davis, provides a deeper understanding of the complex global impacts of deforestation on greenhouse gas emissions. The study, published May 13 in the advance online edition of the journal Nature
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Only Biofuels Will Cut Plane Emissions
by Ben Caldecott (The Guardian) We need something that can deliver emission reductions from existing fleets of planes – and the solution already exists ...The positive progress on including aviation in Europe's carbon trading scheme this week is welcome, but neither that nor more
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Current and Projected Costs for Biofuels from Algae and Pyrolysis
by Robert Rapier (Consumer Energy Report) A reader recently called my attention to a new and very interesting presentation from the Department of Energy’s Biomass Program: Biofuels Design Cases The presentation explored the question of whether the U.S. government is spending
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Evogene's Subsidiary, Evofuel, and T6 Industrial to Collaborate on Biodiesel Feedstock Production in Argentina
(Evogene) Collaboration represents expansion of Evofuel’s Latin American operations, currently focused on Brazil Evogene Ltd. and T6 Industrial S.A., a leading biodiesel producer in Argentina, today announced that Evofuel Ltd., Evogene's wholly owned subsidiary, and T6 Industrial S.A., entered a collaboration
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Why We Need a Greener Military
by Fred Kaplan (Slate) ...The rationale for barring the Navy from buying the 450,000 gallons of biofuels necessary for the experiment is economic: These fuels are too expensive—about four times more costly than conventional fuels. To hammer home the point, the
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
AFS BioOil Invites Strategic Partners to Tour Its Algae Commercial Module
(MarketWatch/PRNewsWire) AFS BioOil has announced that its state-of-the art facility located at a wastewater treatment plant in the San Francisco Bay Area is open for tours for strategic partners and customers. The volume of the system is 150 m3; the
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Husky Energy Unveils Carbon Capture and Enhanced Oil Recovery Initiative
(Husky Energy) Husky Energy unveiled its carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and liquefaction project in Lloydminster, a facility that allows the Company to recover more oil from existing fields while reducing emissions at its ethanol plant. "This remarkable project gives us two
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
U.S. Military Deploying Advanced Biofuels | Better Fuels Moment
As Capitol Hill works to identify smarter investments in clean energy fuels, the Better Fuels Moment takes a closer look at the robust and effective partnership advanced biofuels has with America's Armed Services, building better fuels for our nation and
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Plant Set to Begin Production Soon, Job Opportunities Available
by Brittany Boyer (WJAC TV) Pennsylvania Grain Processing has officially closed on the purchase of the former Bionol Ethanol plant in Clearfield. According to a news release obtained by 6 News, production at the plant is expected to begin sometime during
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Waste Lines: The Hottest Trends with Bio’s Coolest Feedstock
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Regardless of its naming deficiencies, waste has been hot and getting hotter as a bioenergy feedstock because it solves three of the most pressing problems blocking capacity expansion. 1. The feedstocks are available at fixed, affordable
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Princeton Senior Exploring Solution Of Bamboo As Biofuel
(Climate Central/OPB.org) ...But a Princeton University senior named Amanda Rees may have come up with the most promising solution so far. Rees, 22, is convinced that an important part to the world’s energy future may lie in a fast-growing, nearly
May 25, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuel Production Facilities Spotlight Next Generation
by Matt Daily (Reuters/Huffington Post) After a decade of promise, advanced biofuels makers are entering a crucial make-or-break period with the first of a new generation of production facilities about to come on line. The new facilities are designed to take
May 25, 2012 Read Full Article
United Cooperative Installs Ethanol Flex-Fuel Blender Pumps across South-Central Wisconsin
(Beaver Dam Daily Citizen) United Cooperative was selected to receive a $448,500 Rural Energy for America Program grant to assist with the installation of 36 ethanol flex-fuel blender pumps and seven biodiesel dispensers at 11 of United Cooperative’s Cenex convenience
May 25, 2012 Read Full Article
US Warplanes Can Fly Faster, Carry Additional Weapons Load Using Advanced Fuels and Biofuels: New Data
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) New tests conducted at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base have revealed that US warplanes are capable of flying faster and carry more payload on missions, when flying with synthetic fuels, including biofuels, compared to conventional military
May 25, 2012 Read Full Article
US Military Looking at Wood-Based Biofuels
(Western Farm Press) The U.S. military is very interested in alternative fuels — in particular, the wood-based biofuels being researched and produced at the University of Maine. Three methods, or pathways, to producing biofuel for use in military jets are
May 25, 2012 Read Full Article
China Takes Off
by James Fallows (Popular Science) The largest nation on Earth is flying more people more places than ever before. Its struggle to do so without (further) destroying the environment could show the rest of the world a greener way to
May 25, 2012 Read Full Article
CleanStar Launches First Cooking Fuel Facility in Mozambique; Alternative to Charcoal Cooking, Health Risks, at Hand in Africa
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Mozambique, the first sustainable cooking fuel facility was inaugurated by Federal Minister of Agriculture José Pacheco. The CleanStar project will produce ethanol-based cooking fuel for sale with the company’s cookstoves, an affordable new form of
May 25, 2012 Read Full Article
Memorial Day Gas Prices and Fuel Efficiency
(PEW Charitable Trust) ...More than 31 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from their homes over the Memorial Day weekend. With gas averaging $3.67 per gallon, consumer fuel costs will exceed $171 million this weekend alone. If proposed fuel
May 25, 2012 Read Full Article
Is the Long Ethanol Boom Coming to a Close?
by Scott Irwin and Darrel Good (Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics University of Illinois)...The rise in ethanol production has recently run up against what is known as the “blend wall.” Domestic ethanol consumption is almost entirely in the form of low level blends
May 25, 2012 Read Full Article
What’s Up in Brazilian Biofuels? The 10-Minute Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In today’s Digest, we pull together the strands in a 10-Minute Guide that looks at the 20 top stories this year out of Brazil, and adds context. Overall, we see 3 key trends. First, the rise of
May 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Storm Breaks out over E15 Ethanol Engine Test
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What engines failed, and when and why. Was this test designed to fail? In Washington, the Coordinating Research Council, a non-profit research organization supported by the American Petroleum Institute and a group of automobile manufacturers, released
May 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Virgin Uses Biodiesel at Brisbane Airport
(Yahoo! Finance) Virgin Australia says it has started trialling the use of biodiesel to power some ground vehicles at Brisbane Airport. The fuel for the eight-week trial will contain 80 per centconventional diesel and 20 per cent biodiesel made from Queensland-sourced tallow and used cooking
May 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuels Company to Repay County
by Noah Haglund (The Weekly Herald) The company has agreed to compensate the county for $143,000 in goods and services it didn't deliver for a canola project. Snohomish County's experiment helping farmers turn crops into biodiesel hasn't been a failure, but
May 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Groups Ask Senate to Reconsider NDAA Amendments Blocking Military Use of Alternative Energy
(BusinessWire) The Advanced Biofuels Association, the Algal Biomass Organization, Airlines for America, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, Growth Energy, and the Pew Charitable Trusts today expressed disappointment that the Senate Armed Services Committee adopted amendments to
May 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Summary Report of Stakeholder Responses to USDA’s Regional Biofuel Roadmap
(US Department of Agriculture) On June 23, 2010, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a strategic biofuels production report, “A USDA Regional Roadmap to Meeting the Biofuels Goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) by 2022” (USDA’s Roadmap). Subsequently, Secretary
May 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Fuel Prices Explained
(Zimbabwe Independent) Green Fuel has dismissed claims by government that it has not furnished it with the cost structure into its wholesale price of E10. Senior officials of the company outlined its cost structure at a meeting between it, the Zimbabwe
May 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Energy Station of the Future: Propel Launches First Clean Mobility Center
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Free tire air for improved fuel economy; bicycle tuning; renewable fuels; on-demand carbon offsets; at-pump recycling; community transit info; Propel’s got it all going in the Golden State. In California, Propel Fuels is launching the company’s first
May 24, 2012 Read Full Article
The $6 Gasoline That Almost Was
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Mad as heck about $5 gasoline? According to new research from Iowa State, the price could have hit $6 per gallon, if the US had not had its ethanol supply. A landmark 2009 study, conducted by
May 24, 2012 Read Full Article
East Africa: U.S. Firm to Turn Hyacinth Into Ethanol
by David Muwanga (AllAfrica.com) As the East African Community (EAC) was planning to release a total of Ksh1b for the removal of the water hyacinth from Lake Victoria, a United States based technology company has written to the secretariat proposing
May 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Pacific Nations under Threat from Rising Seas Vow to Abandon Diesel
(Radio New Zealand International) Pacific nations which are most under threat from rising seas have vowed to abandon diesel and other dirty, expensive fuels and replace them with clean sources of energy. Using coconut biofuel and solar panels, Tokelau plans to
May 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Benefits Thrown into Doubt
by Sean Nicholls (Sydney Morning Herald/New South Wales) THE value of the NSW ethanol mandate has been questioned by the NSW Treasury in documents that describe it of questionable benefit to motorists and a policy that mainly serves to prop
May 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Nature Highlights Advancements in Biocatalysis and its Potential Impact on the Production of Biofuels, Renewable Chemicals, and Pharmaceuticals
(MarketWatch) Nature published a paper that discusses the recent advances in biocatalysis, and the impact it is having on the commercial development of biofuels, renewable chemicals, and pharmaceutical products. The paper was published by researchers at Codexis, Inc., Emory University,
May 24, 2012 Read Full Article
NCERC Researchers Produce First Cellulosic Ethanol From Corn Kernel
(PRWEB) Researchers at The NCERC today announced that they have successfully produced ethanol from the cellulosic portion of the corn kernel. “This research is demonstrated proof of the viability of ‘generation 2.0 ethanol,’” NCERC Director John Caupert said. “By utilizing
May 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuels at the Tipping Point
by Margaret Ryan (AOL Energy) While the "food versus fuel" debate has grabbed headlines, biofuels technology worldwide has been accelerating down the learning curve and is at a "tipping point" for commercialization. That was the consensus of an expert panel last week at
May 23, 2012 Read Full Article
Consumer Reports Survey: Americans Say Fuel Economy Most Important Car Buying Factor
(PR NewsWire/Consumer Reports) Nearly three-quarters of drivers would consider an alternative fuel vehicle for their next car ...Some two-thirds of owners surveyed said they expected their next vehicle to get better fuel mileage than the one they're driving now. While gasoline
May 23, 2012 Read Full Article
Republicans Blowing up Military’s Plans for Alternative Energy; Democrats Fighting Back
by Troy Hooper (The Colorado Independent) ...House Republicans passed a pair of provisions Friday that would stymie the military’s efforts to incorporate more renewable fuels into its supplies. The defense authorization bill now heads for a markup in the Senate
May 23, 2012 Read Full Article
Navy to Demonstrate Great Green Fleet This Summer
(CNN) The U.S. Navy for the first time will demonstrate what it calls a Great Green Fleet, a carrier strike group operating in large part on nonfossil fuels, during a larger, 22-nation exercise this summer. The Navy’s two-day demonstration, which will
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Government Told to Decide Fast on Bio-Fuels Programme: Parliament Panel
(NYDailyNews) Rapping the rural development ministry's land resources department for the "inordinate delay" in finalising a bio-fuels programme, a parliamentary panel has sought for the matter be placed before the cabinet at the earliest for a decision on its continuance. The
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
BRISK Accepting Proposals for Biofuels Research
by Kevin Billinghurst (KTH) The KTH-led, 26-member consortium BRISK has begun accepting proposals from researchers studying improved production methods for biofuels and thermal biomass conversion. Financed by €11 million in EU research funds, the project emphasises international mobility, inviting students
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Iran to Start Making Bio-Ethanol from Cellulose Material
(Payvand Iran News) Iran will start producing industrial bio-ethanol from cellulosic material soon. Bio-ethanol can be used as petrol supplementary and it will increase the octane number of petrol as it is added to the fuel. It will lead to the decrease of greenhouse fuel production. Bio-ethanol
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Enough Corn? USDA Says “Abundantly so”, Forecasting Record 2012 Harvest
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The first World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates for 2012, from the US Department of Agriculture, give us an opportunity to review that debate. Let’s go back 10 years ago, before the first Renewable Fuel Standard was
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Model Forecasts Long-Term Impacts of Forest Land-Use Decisions
(PhysOrg) The drive to develop crops for use as biofuel, continues to raise questions about additional uses of forest land. A cutting edge computer model developed at North Carolina State University offers detailed insight to predict the environmental impact – along
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Colombia's Biofuels Ready for International Market: Study
by Rosemary Westwood (Columbia Reports) Colombia's biofuels exceed international standards for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – advancing the country’s goal to become a leading ethanol producer, according to a new government report. The study commissioned by the Ministry of Mines and Energy
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Call for Papers: 3rd Latin American Congress on Biorefineries: Ideas for a Sustainable World November 19-21, 2012 Pucon, Chile DEADLINE: June 30, 2012
The Organizing Committee of the "3rd Latin American Congress on Biorefineries: Ideas for a Sustainable World", invites all those interested in participating as an exhibitor to submit their papers. Both oral and poster presentations are considered, presenting the progress, challenges
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Green Dragon: 20 Signs that 2012 is the Year of China
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...It doesn’t take a casual observer very long to see the China’s activity in industrial biotechnology accelerating, as more and more technologies develop there, or transfer there via JVs or licenses. What does a win
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Agri Praised for Liverpool Biodiesel Investment
by Amy North (LetsRecycle.com) The UK’s ‘largest’ biodiesel plant was opened in Bootle, Liverpool today (May 9) by transport minister Norman Baker. The plant, developed by renewable energy firm Agri, will process used cooking oil to create biodiesel which can then
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
"Biofuels Fuelling Europe’s Economic Recovery", Echoes ePURE
(Renewable Energy Magazine) The European renewable ethanol industry is contributing substantially to the European economy according to ePURE, the European Renewable Ethanol Association, in response to a new report published today. The report “Contribution of Biofuels to the Global Economy”, published by
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Parabel, Inc. and CECEP - Chongqing Industry Co., Ltd. Sign Master Framework Agreement
(Parabel (formerly PetroAlgae)) Parabel, Inc. new, economical sources of feed, food, and fuel, today announced that it has finalized a restated Master Framework Agreement with CECEP - Chongqing Industry Co., Ltd. (An absolute holding subsidiary of China Energy Conservation and Environment Protection
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Teacher to Launch Biodiesel Fuel Plant
by Lisa Perkins (Traverse City Record-Eagle) Bill Koucky will soon produce biodiesel fuel, after years of planning, experimenting and jumping through regulatory hoops. ...Traverse City will be home to a biodiesel fuel plant when Koucky's Northwest Michigan Biodiesel LLC swings into
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Renewable Diesel Surges: Emerald Biofuels Announces Major Project in Louisiana
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Emerald Biofuels announced that it will build an 85 million gallonrenewable-diesel refineries at a Dow Chemical site in Plaquemine, Louisiana. The company will use Honeywell’s UOP/Eni EcoFining process technology for the production of Honeywell Green Diesel
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Contribution of Biofuels to the Global Economy
(Global Renewable Fuels Association/Cardno ENTRIX) ...As is the case with virtually all other emerging and developing countries, biofuels offer the prospects of a new cash crop for farmers, increased employment in rural areas, expanded manufacturing output, reduced fuel import costs, and foreign
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Enel Signs Agreement with Enea and Roma Capitale to Build Biomass Bi-Generation Plant
(Biofuels International) A memorandum of understanding has been signed by Italian power company Enel to build a 1-5MW concentrated solar power and biomass bi-generation plant, which will produce electricity for the city of Rome. ...The biomass components will be separated to
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Plant-Based Biofuels Expand with Tech Advances
by Wendy Koch (USA Today) Amid the push to develop clean energy, new research suggests plant-based biofuels could meet 30% of global demand for transportation fuel and slash the greenhouse gas emissions that come from burning fossil fuels. READ MORE
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
ThermoEnergy's Sugar Recovery System Meets Key Environmental Demands
(PRNewswire) -- At a time when regulatory agencies are increasing pressure for the disposal of wastewater containing soluble sugars, ThermoEnergy Corporation's CASTion® Sugar Recovery System is a proven, cost-effective technology to capture and recover sugar in wastewater. Food and beverage wastewaters have
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Makers Hope New Audit Program Thaws RIN Market
(Argus Media) Small biodiesel makers hope an outside firm brought in to authenticate fuel production will thaw a renewable identification number (RIN) market chilled by two years of fraud. Genscape's RIN Integrity program – set to launch by the end of
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
An Institute of Industrial Commercialization
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... If you invest $2 million, $10 million, and $30 million every other year in bringing a technology forward to the commercial threshold (and you’d be a miracle worker in doing so) – and it
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Editorial: Use of Advanced Biofuels Achieves Goal of Using Less Oil for Transportation Fuel
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) In a recent editorial, What Keystone Won't Do, the Washington Post mused about “the best way to insulate Americans from oil-price volatility and other drawbacks of oil use,” concluding that it “would be to
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Iowa Dedicates $1 Million More for Renewable Fuels Infrastructure
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Board is accepting applications through May 18 for cost-share funding to assist with the installation of ethanol and biodiesel equipment at retail stations and wholesale distribution centers. Approximately $1 million is
May 15, 2012 Read Full Article
From Global Conference: Challenges Facing Biofuels
by James daSilva (SmartBlog on Leadership) I attended the 2012 Milken Institute Global Conference last week in Los Angeles, where a panel of company advisers and a Department of Energy official discussed financing and scale challenges facing advanced biofuels and also where there’s reason
May 10, 2012 Read Full Article
Massachusetts Sets Strict Regulations for Biomass: Will This Influence Further Restrictions?
by Meg Cichon (Renewable Energy World) The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources released a new set of strict standards for biomass in early May that have the potential to cut subsidies for developing plants. According to these new requirements, all
May 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Long Quest for Multi-Fuel Power Source Yields Army Interest
by John Murawski (News Observer) The U.S. military’s quest to outfit American soldiers with an all-in-one power source could lead to a nondescript office in a Morrisville technology park where Triangle startups toil away in obscurity chasing big dreams. On a
May 08, 2012 Read Full Article
Increasing Our National Security with New Technology
by Retired Lt. Gen. John Castellaw, USMC, American Security Project (The Hill/Congress Blog) The United States military is the single largest purchaser of petroleum fuel in the world, burning through about 325,000 barrels of fuel per day. Almost all of
May 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Mack and Volvo Trucks Join Growing List of B20 Supporters
(National Biodiesel Board/Biodiesel Magazine) The B20 domino effect continues! Two more original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have formally expressed approval for B20. Heavy-duty truck makers Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks Inc. have confirmed their B20 approval and made
May 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Delaying the Move to B10
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) Minnesota waits until 2013 to bump up the state mandate from 5 to 10 percent biodiesel, instead of this year as scheduled ...Language in the regulations stipulates that before the mandate can be increased to B10
May 07, 2012 Read Full Article
The Final Treatment: Washing or Polishing Followed by Distillation Offers the Purest Biodiesel Around
by Raj Mosali (Jatrodiesel Inc./Biodiesel Magazine) Biodiesel is traditionally produced via esterification of fatty acids and transesterification of triglycerides with an alcohol such as methanol and sodium methylate. The transesterification of triglycerides is comprised of three sequential, reversible reactions wherein
May 07, 2012 Read Full Article
National Farmers Union Leads Broad Coalition to Urge Senate to Bring Farm Bill to Floor Vote; Includes Advanced Biofuels USA
(National Farmers Union) National Farmers Union (NFU) and a coalition of agricultural, conservation, environmental, energy, forestry, hunger, and rural stakeholders sent a letter to Senate leadership today urging them to bring the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012 to the
May 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Refiners Worry Lack of E15 Stations Will Cause RFS Non-Compliance
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...API has legally challenged every step of the U.S. EPA’s approval of E15, claiming that more scientific research should be completed before it is allowed to be used in anything other than flex-fuel infrastructure
May 07, 2012 Read Full Article
From Soil Microbe to Super-Efficient Biofuel Factory?
by Dan Krotz (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Berkeley Lab-led team explores a way to create biofuels, minus the photosynthesis Is there a new path to biofuels hiding in a handful of dirt? Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) biologist Steve Singer leads
May 07, 2012 Read Full Article
UniVerve Chooses Microalgae For Award-Winning Biofuel Business
by Shifra Mincer (Green Prophet) ...UniVerve has gained international recognition for its microalgae technology, including at an apperance this March at the World Biofuels Markets, which can succesfully produce bio-oil from third generation biomass. If any waste biomass is left from the refining
May 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuel Demand Fell in 2011,Outlook Bright - Czarnikow
by David Brough (Reuters) Global biofuel demand fell in 2011 due to the impact of government requirements and greater incentives in food markets, but usage is set to grow driven by new technologies, commodities house Czarnikow said on Friday. "This comes despite a
May 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Los Angeles Water Dept. Seeks Algae Information
by Ron Kotrba (Biorefining Magazine) Get in early on Los Angeles' interest in developing algae production demonstrations on Owens Lake far north of the city. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is opening a request for information for algae
May 05, 2012 Read Full Article
Better Plants for Biofuels
(MarketWire) An article in F1000 Biology Reports (http://f1000.com/reports/biology) published today (May 2, 2012) argues that recent advances in knowledge mean that plant-derived biofuels could meet about 30% of the global demand for liquid transportation fuels, drastically reducing the amounts of
May 04, 2012 Read Full Article
TMO Renewables Expands Production of 2G Ethanol with Cassava Stalk
(Business Wire) TMO Renewables (“TMO Group”), a leading technology provider for cellulosic biofuels production, today announced the company has advanced to demonstration scale on cassava stalk feedstock with major Chinese fuel and food producers. TMO is now processing an initial
May 04, 2012 Read Full Article
Ceres Sweet Sorghum Hybrids Processed by Amyris
(Ceres) • Pilot project validates U.S.-produced sweet sorghum as a potential feedstock for advanced biofuels and bio-products. • Conversion efficiency of sweet sorghum sugars were similar to sugarcane. Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. (Nasdaq: CERE) today announced its improved sweet sorghum hybrids
May 04, 2012 Read Full Article
OriginOil and Algasol Renewables to Develop an Integrated Algae Growth and Harvesting System
(Origin Oil) Algasol, collaborating with NASA and Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, will bundle its offering with OriginOil’s Algae Appliance™ OriginOil, Inc., developer of breakthrough technology to convert algae into renewable crude oil, and Algasol Renewables, a technology company with a unique patented
May 04, 2012 Read Full Article
Advanced Algae Heads for Asia: Indonesia Food Giant Invests in Heliae
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Arizona, Heliae announced a capital raise of $15 million in funding from international conglomerate Salim Group’s agribusiness company, PT. PP London Sumatra Indonesia, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Agri Investments. This marks a total of close
May 04, 2012 Read Full Article
CORE BioFuel Inc. Selects Technip to Engineer the World's First Wood to Gasoline Biorefinery
(CORE BioFuel, Inc.) CORE BioFuel Inc. announced today (May 2, 2012) that it has selected Technip, a world leader in engineering, construction and project management in the energy industry, to complete the construction engineering of their first wood to gasoline
May 04, 2012 Read Full Article
National Council for Science and the Environment Launches New Environmental Internship Clearinghouse Portal
(National Council for Science and the Environment) As an extension of the National Council for Science and the Environment’s (NCSE’s) Campus to Careers (C2C) program, NCSE has created an environmental internship clearinghouse with support from the UPS Foundation. The clearinghouse
May 04, 2012 Read Full Article
A.I.M. Interview: Dao Energy's David DuByne
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) In 2008 David DuByne helped start and run an algae biodiesel company, Dao Energy, LLC, in Chengdu city of Sichuan Province, in western China. Their concept was to use low cost labor and materials
May 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Measuring the energy and greenhouse gas balances of biofuels and bio-based chemicals using LCA, NNFCC 12-023
(UK's National Center for Biorenewable Energy, Fuels and Materials) This report investigates the importance of allocation procedures in reporting and understanding energy and greenhouse gas balances from life cycle assessment of biofuels and bio-based chemicals. Life cycle assessment (LCA), or life
May 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Rwanda: Private Sector Should Embrace Bio-Fuel, Says IRST Boss
by Eric Didier Karinganire (AllAfrica.com) For some years now, there has been talk of locally producing biofuel to make the country less dependent on petrol imports. But until now, production levels are still insignificant. Yet about four years ago, the
May 03, 2012 Read Full Article
National Farmers Union Attacks Government Biofuel Policy
(FarmingUK.com) Latest government figures reveal that the vast majority of biofuels supplied in the UK are made from imported feedstock, with almost nine out of every 10 litres of foreign origin. The NFU have said that UK biofuel growers have been
May 03, 2012 Read Full Article
BioWillie Branding Marks Willie Nelson's 79th Birthday
(Pacific Biodiesel/Biodiesel Magazine) Beginning on April 30, Willie Nelson’s birthday, the fuel at Pacific Biodiesel’s retail pump on Maui will be sold as the trademarked BioWillie Biodiesel. The branding is the brainchild of superstar Willie Nelson, a Maui resident whose
May 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Smoking Out Potential: Repurposing Tobacco for Biofuels
by Erin Voegele (Biorefining Magazine) ...According to LBNL, the work focuses on transferring a hydrocarbon-synthesizing gene from cyanobacteria into a tobacco plant. The resulting plants would be able to produce fuel molecules within their leaves. Rather than undergoing a typical
May 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Jatropha Trials Planned to Help Boost Rural Panamanian Economy
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) Panama Green Fuels, an entity working to establish biodiesel infrastructure within Panama, recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the director of the country’s National School of Agriculture (IDIAP) to use the school’s land to
May 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Case No. 3: EPA Issues Green Diesel Violation for 60M Bad RINs
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) The U.S. EPA issued a Notice of Violation to Houston-based Green Diesel LLC April 30 for generating more than 60 million invalid biomass-based diesel (D-Code 4) renewable identification numbers (RINs) under the federal renewable fuel
May 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Sugar Rush: The Race Is on to Commercialize Low-Cost, High-Quality Sugars from Nonfood Sources
by Bryan Sims (Biorefining Magazine) The biorefining industry is hungry for a low-cost, high-quality and readily available supply of sugar feedstock from nonfood biomass sources. A number of pure-play sugar technology developers and manufacturers like Renmatix, Virdia (formerly HCL CleanTech),
May 02, 2012 Read Full Article
An Analytic Advantage: A New Model Developed by University of Illinois Researchers Can Help Increase Biomass Supply Chain Efficiencies
by Erin Voegele (Biorefining Magazine) ...The BioFeed model is the product of University of Illinois researchers funded by BP’s Energy Biosciences Institute under a research program titled Engineering Solutions for Biomass Feedstock Production. According to Kuan Chong Ting, a professor
May 02, 2012 Read Full Article
INTERVIEW-U.S.-Israeli Firm to Launch Algae Biodiesel in India
by Tova Cohen (Reuters) Algae-based biodiesel producer World Health Energy Holdings (WHEN) plans to begin two commercial projects in India this year and is targeting over $200 million in sales in 2013. The first project, with Prime Inc of India, will grow
May 02, 2012 Read Full Article
India, Brazil to Tie up for Bioenergy
by Prashant Rupera (Times of India) India and Brazil will forge research collaborations in the area of bioenergy. As the first step towards this, professor Bharat Chattoo from M S University (MSU) recently led an Indian delegation sponsored by Government of
May 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Wants Its Tax Break Back
by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register) The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) Thursday asked Congress to reinstate the $1 per gallon biodiesel tax incentive “to avoid further disruption to an emerging American industry that is creating jobs across the country while
May 02, 2012 Read Full Article
RFA Answers Anti-Ethanol Speculation from Joint Economic Committee Hearing
(Renewable Fuels Association/BioFuelsChat.com) ...Specifically, (Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob) Dinneen noted two driving factors that have led to refinery shutterings on the East Coast: First, most East Coast refineries cannot process the lower-cost types of crude oil that are increasing
May 02, 2012 Read Full Article
EU Biodiesel Makers Expect to Boost Sales in Spain
by Martin Roberts (Reuters) ...European biodiesel makers will be able to sell an additional one million tonnes a year in Spain after new measures which effectively shut out Argentine and Indonesian imports, an industry spokesman said. Spain decreed on April 20
May 02, 2012 Read Full Article
The Three Main Obstacles Facing the Introduction of Sustainable Aviation Biofuels: Price, Price and Price
(GreenAirOnline) According to Finnair’s VP Sustainable Development, Kati Ihamäki, biofuels are the fastest route to meaningful long-term reductions in aviation greenhouse gas emissions but supply chain problems need to be overcome and the major hurdle remained “price, price and price”.
May 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Biopower and Biofuels: State of Disarray or Opportunity?
by Chris Zygarlicke (Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine) ...The RFS2 rule is the only federal incentive remaining for biofuels, and corn ethanol and vegetable oil-derived biodiesel are the only commercially available biofuels in the U.S. Compounding the issue is lower demand
May 01, 2012 Read Full Article
China New Energy Building Waste-to-Biofuel Plant in China
by Louise Downing (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) China New Energy Ltd., a maker of biofuel technology, signed a letter of intent to develop a facility in northeastern China that will use non-edible plant waste to produce clean fuel. China New Energy won the
May 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Innovation Turning Wood Waste into Bio-Fuel for Transportation
by Denise Deveau (Financial Post) {ISSUE} Soaring energy prices are thinning profit margins in the transport sector and increasing operational costs in many manufacturing industries {SHIFT} Turning wood waste into bio-fuel helps industry find a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable energy
May 01, 2012 Read Full Article
IEA Urges Governments to Seize the Opportunity to Accelerate Clean Energy Deployment
(International Energy Agency) While progress is being made on renewable energy, most clean energy technologies are not being deployed quickly enough, the International Energy Agency(IEA) said today in an annual progress report presented to ministers and representatives of nations that together
May 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Shell, Iogen, and Cancellation in Manitoba: Answers to Your Questions
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Shell and Iogen cancel their long-contemplated Canadian cellulosic ethanol project, and announce 150 layoffs. ...In Canada, Shell and Iogen announced that they will not pursue the jointly owned 23 million gallon Iogen Energy cellulosic ethanol project
May 01, 2012 Read Full Article
United States Leads World in Exports of Ethanol
(Hart Energy/PR NewsWire) Hart Energy study insists U.S. production mandates are out of sync with market reality Hart Energy's newly released study, U.S. & Brazil Ethanol Outlook to 2022, finds the United States has vaulted over Brazil to lead the world in the export of ethanol, a