December 2012 – Advanced BioFuels USA

Forest Products Society Journal Publishes Special Biofuels Issue

(Forest Products Society) Biofuels made from high-yield, short rotation woody crops or from forest residuals and thinnings that are currently left unused have substantial potential to reduce CO2 emissions as

December 31, 2012 Read Full Article

Sorghum Acres to Grow Due to Drought Tolerance, New Varieties

by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Sorghum is poised to come into its own as an alternative to corn. It proved its mettle in the 2012 drought, producing decent

December 31, 2012 Read Full Article

Research Targets Cells to Reduce Lignin, Boost Fermentable Sugar

by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute are exploring new ways to meet the challenge of recalcitrant cellulosic feedstocks and lower the cost of biomass-based

December 31, 2012 Read Full Article

Kansas Ethanol Plant Poised to Start up Anaerobic Digester Soon

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) If all goes as planned, a 50 MMgy ethanol plant in Oakley, Kan., will someday produce advanced biofuel from sorghum. To qualify as advanced

December 31, 2012 Read Full Article

Biofuels Digest Announces Awards for Achievement in Development of Bio/Renewable Fuels, Chemicals, Materials

Biofuels Digest announced its annual awards for achievement in the development of biofuels, renewable chemicals and biobased materials – all available with background on the who, what and why of

December 31, 2012 Read Full Article

Direvo Scales up BluZy-D, BluZy-P Enzyme Trials with ISU

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Germany-based enzyme developer Direvo Industrial Biotechnology GmbH has announced the successful scale-up of its BluZy-D and BluZy-P enzymes. Lab-scale and pilot-scale trials to test

December 31, 2012 Read Full Article

Well-to-Wheels Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Ethanol from Corn, Sugarcane and Cellulosic Biomass for US Use

by Michael Wang, Jeongwoo Han, Jennifer B Dunn, Hao Cai and Amgad Elgowainy (IOP Science/Argonne National Laboratory) Globally, bioethanol is the largest volume biofuel used in the transportation sector, with corn-based

December 30, 2012 Read Full Article

National Academies Press Publishes "Sustainable Development of Algal Biofuels"

(Committee on the Sustainable Development of Algal Biofuels; Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources; Board on Energy and Environmental Systems; Division on Earth and Life Studies; Division on Engineering and

December 30, 2012 Read Full Article

Plant Sensory Systems Awarded $1.8 Million from ARPA-E to Engineer Beets for Biofuel

(Plant Sensory Systems, LLC) The Award Will Support the Development of High-Output, Low-Input Energy Beets, Optimized for Biofuel Production Plant Sensory Systems, LLC today announced the award of $1.8 million in

December 30, 2012 Read Full Article

BioFuel Enzyme Kit

(Vernier) Bio-Rad Laboratories has developed an exciting new kit for investigating enzyme action as part of making biofuels that can be used with our SpectroVis Plus spectrophotometer. This is an excellent

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

Central Carolina Community College: Sustainability as a Central Tenet

(SEED Center) Sustainability has been a central tenet of Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) (NC) since the 1990s, and for the past five years, has been an institutional value in

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

Community College Internships (CCI) DEADLINE January 10, 2013

(Department of Energy Office of Science) The Community College Internship (CCI) program seeks to encourage community college students to enter technical careers relevant to the DOE mission by providing technical

December 27, 2012 0 comment Read Full Article

WASDE Report

by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) … Total global grain supplies were raised slightly to 2705.6 MMT, the second-largest on record. The U.S. ethanol industry is projected to use 78.9

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

Characterisation of Jatropha curcas Seeds and Oil from Mali

by Josef Rathbauer, Andrea Sonnleitner, Roland Pirot, Rudolf Zeller, Dina Bacovsky (Science Direct) This publication deals with the characterisation of Jatropha curcas seeds and the oil obtained hereof. The analyzed seeds have

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

CALL FOR PAPERS: The 3rd International Conference on Algal Biomass, Biofuels and Bioproducts June 16-19, 2013 Toronto, Ontario, Canada DEADLINE February 15, 2013

We’re pleased to announce the first five confirmed speakers for the 3rd International Conference on Algal Biomass, Biofuels and Bioproducts. More speakers will be added to this list so please

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

Growing Algae with Concentrated Desalination

(Algae Industry Magazine) Researchers from Federal University of Santa Catarina, in Brazil, are investigating how well microalgae can grow using concentrated desalination from inland desalination of brackish water. Dr. Ernani

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

Consumers Take Action on Global Warming

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) A new national survey conducted by Yale finds that in the last 12 months, three of of 10 Americans (32 percent) have given business to a company as

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

What Do People Think About Biofuels?

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) What do people in the Southeast think about biofuels? Do they support biofuel ventures? Who will grow the biomass? Will those in established industries fight against

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

Govt Urged to Empower Small Farmers in Biofuel Production

by Gerald Kitabu (IPP Media) The government of Tanzania has been urged to localise biofuel commercial production by empowering small farmers in terms of training, loans and marketing. The call

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

Iran Plans to Produce Biodiesel

(FARS News Agency) Head of Iran’s Fuel Conservation Company (IFCO) Abbas Kazzemi announced that his company has set up a specialized workgroup in cooperation with Ministry of Agricultural Jihad to

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

Top 10 Biofuels Predictions for 2013

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …As the sunset of 2012 gives way to the dawn of 2013, here at the Digest we resist the holiday temptation to look back over

December 27, 2012 0 comment Read Full Article

Evolving Ethanol to Meet Challenges

by Emily Bruns (Ashton Gasette) In an effort to evolve with the constant changes and challenges within a $50 billion industry, Rochelle’s Illinois River Energy ethanol plant began producing and

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

Biofuels – Bringing Sexy Back?

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) … The opinion piece, “How to properly promote biofuels,” was authored by Alkol Bioenergy and focused on a new TV advertising campaign running in Brazil. The campaign was

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

Termites May Hold Biofuel Potential

by Michelle Wheeler (The West Australian/Yahoo!) New bacteria found in the gut of a WA termite could be used to develop biofuels, according to research by a University of

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

Gov't to Offer NIS 400m in Loans for Alternative Fuels

by Yuval Azoulai (Globes) The Office of the Chief Scientist is planning a NIS 1.5 billion program to create a new alternative fuels industry. The Office of the Chief Scientist has

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

Local Company Recognized for Biofuel Testing

by Randal Yakey (The News Herald) … Popular Science magazine has named Applied Research Associates and their partners among the 25 science stories of the year for their research

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

Energy Cane for Biomass Promising in South Carolina Testing

by Roy Robertson (Southeast Farm Press) • Steve Kresovich is part of a team of USC researchers looking for crops that can be adapted to less productive and often under-utilized

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

E.P.A. Chief to Step Down, With Climate Still Low Priority

by John M. Broder (New York Times) Lisa P. Jackson is stepping down as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency after a four-year tenure that began with high hopes of

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

Ethanol Makers Get Creative With Corn

by Owen Fletcher (The Wall Street Journal) …U.S. ethanol producers are finding creative ways to earn more money as demand for their flagship product stagnates. These companies are using corn

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

New Plant-Based Cellulase Enzyme

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Infinite Enzymes has launched IE-CBHI, a single activity, plant-based cellulase enzyme. The enzyme is available for research and development projects through Sigma-Aldrich Corporation. …According to Infinite

December 27, 2012 Read Full Article

Biodiesel Business Academy Starts Campus Biodiesel Initiative Launching Nonfood Biodiesel Science Kit

(Biodiesel Business Academy/EnvironmentalExpert.com/Centre for Jatropha Promotion & Biodiesel (CJP)) …The students now have the opportunity to make biodiesel from the nonfood oil . The Nonfood Biodiesel Science Kit developed by BBA scientists and education

December 26, 2012 Read Full Article

West Virginia University Researchers Explore Use of Wood Biomass

(The State Journal) Researchers from West Virginia University are exploring the economic and environmental impacts of wood biomass utilization in rural central Appalachia. The Morgantown school says the team was

December 26, 2012 Read Full Article

Finger Nicking Good: Thieves Stole 220,000 Litres of Cooking Oil from KFC Stores to Sell on as Biodiesel

by James Rush (Daily Mail) Two men who stole 220,000 litres of cooking oil from KFC stores and supermarkets across the UK and sold it on as biodiesel have been

December 26, 2012 Read Full Article

SEMA Joins Forces to Repeal E15 Ethanol Mandates

(Specialty Equipment Market Association) SEMA has joined with a number of other trade associations to sponsor “Smarter Fuel Future,” a website intended to raise awareness about the economic and environmental

December 26, 2012 Read Full Article

Biodiesel Facility Opens in Cherokee

(Cherokee One Feather) The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is making its own biodiesel fuel from waste oil and grease in a new facility located behind the Cherokee Transportation Center.

December 26, 2012 Read Full Article

Willows as Energy a Growth Industry

(Associated Press/Times Union) Energy from willows is moving out of the experimental stage and into commercial production in New York. Farms are growing willow shrubs and selling them to a utility,

December 26, 2012 Read Full Article

The 50 Big Biofuels Questions for 2013: Your Say

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This past week, we asked you for your thoughts about the big policy issues facing biofuels in 2013. But we were (pleasantly) overwhelmed with your

December 26, 2012 Read Full Article

USDA Funds Mississippi State University Biofuel Study

(ClarionLedger.com) A team of Mississippi State University agricultural economists recently received U.S. Department of Agriculture funding to study policies impacting biofuel supply chains. Keith Coble is the principal investigator for

December 26, 2012 Read Full Article

Could Biofuel Stoves Cut Carbon and Fuel Costs in Nigeria?

(Responding to Climate Change) Switching from kerosene to biofuel powered cookstoves could save the lives of thousands of women in Africa and reduce harmful emissions, a Nigerian microfinance expert has

December 26, 2012 Read Full Article

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency May No Longer Require Minimum Gas Purchase at Certain Pumps

(American Motorcyclist Association) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is apparently scrapping its requirement that all consumers buy at least four gallons of gasoline from certain gas pumps that dispense the

December 26, 2012 Read Full Article

Asia Special Biofuels Report

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There’s only one complete region for biofuels where abundant feedstock, lack of oil & gas production, rising energy demand and supportive government policy come together

December 26, 2012 Read Full Article

Boosting Galactan Sugars Could Boost Biofuel Production

(EScienceNews.com) Galactan is a polymer of galactose, a six-carbon sugar that can be readily fermented by yeast into ethanol and is a target of interest for researchers in advanced biofuels

December 26, 2012 Read Full Article

Chemtex Officials Offer City Timeline that Points to 2015 Plant Opening

by Chris Berendt (The Sampson Independent) Chemtex International Inc. is currently involved in a permitting process that will see a $200 million biofuels refinery production plant open at the start of

December 26, 2012 Read Full Article

Researchers Work to Unlock Secrets of Cellulose Production

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) …University of Virginia researchers Jochen Zimmer, Jacob Morgan and Joanna Strumillo wrote a paper entitled “Crystallographic snapshot of cellulose synthesis and membrane translocation.” It

December 26, 2012 Read Full Article

Cars Fueled by Air?

by Bailey (Planet Forward) It’s not magic, it’s chemistry! That’s what the chief executive of Air-Fuel Synthesis says about their fuel that’s made, literally, out of thin air! The company

December 23, 2012 Read Full Article

Next-Generation Renewable Fuels to Play Crucial Role in Canada’s Transition to a Bio-Based Economy

(Sustainable Development Technology Canada/MarketWire) Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) is issuing its Annual Call for Applications under the NextGen Biofuels FundT, which was created by the Government of Canada to

December 21, 2012 Read Full Article

South Africa – Sugar Companies Waiting for Biofuel Policy Move

(Agra-Net.com) South Africa’s sugar companies and the planners of two sorghum-based ethanol plants are anxiously awaiting the government’s next move to allow a biofuels industry through the publication of the

December 21, 2012 Read Full Article

Cuba Expands Biofuel Production

(NewsTrackIndia) Cuba has opened its second biodiesel plant and plans to build three more to produce green fuel from inedible plants, the state-run TV reported. The new plant is now

December 21, 2012 Read Full Article

Pacific Biodiesel Fuel to Run HECO Plant

by Nanea Kalani (Maui News) State regulators have approved a multiyear contract for Maui-based Pacific Biodiesel to supply Hawaiian Electric Co. with 250,000 gallons a year of locally produced biodiesel.

December 21, 2012 Read Full Article

Reborn Qteros Rises Again with New Plan to Develop Technology to Make Ethanol

by Jim Kinney (The Republican/MassLive) Qteros and the “Q microbe” discovered byUMass researchers and valued for its ability to digest plant waste into ethanol fuel is making a comeback. …But the

December 21, 2012 Read Full Article

Can KiOR Soar?

by Robert Rapier (Biofuels Digest/Energy Trends Insider) Last month KiOR announced the start of production of biocrude from their Columbus, Mississippi plant. KiOR CEO Fred Cannon stated in an earnings call

December 21, 2012 Read Full Article

Vilsack; POET, Beta Renewables, Solazyme, KiOR Execs Top Top 100 People in Bioenergy Poll for 2012-13

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the annual poll, voters reward milestones met, steel in the ground and Capital Clout. In Florida, US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack headed the

December 21, 2012 Read Full Article

EPA Releases Update on Ongoing Hydraulic Fracturing Study

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today provided an update on its ongoing national study currently underway to better understand any potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources.

December 21, 2012 Read Full Article

Discovery May Pave Way to Genetically Enhanced Biofuel Crops

(ScienceCodex.com) …Pectic compounds decorated with β-1,4-galactan (a chain of six-carbon sugars) are of considerable interest to the biofuels industry, because six-carbon sugars are readily converted into ethanol (biofuel) by fermenting

December 21, 2012 Read Full Article

Obama Energy Chief Backs Effort to Encourage Renewable Investments

by Zack Coleman (The Hill E2Wire) The Obama administration lent its support Wednesday to a congressional effort that would open a financing structure for renewable energy. Energy Secretary Steven Chu

December 21, 2012 Read Full Article

Clemson, ArborGen Combine for Biofuel Research

(Associated Press/The State) Clemson University researchers are joining with a commercial forestry company to try to figure out what variety of poplars are best to make biofuels. ArborGen planted four

December 21, 2012 Read Full Article

Green Plains Subsidiary Opens New Terminal

(Biofuels International) Ethanol producer Green Plains Renewable Energy’s wholly owned subsidiary BlendStar has commenced operations at its newly built 96-car train terminal in Birmingham, Alabama. READ MORE

December 21, 2012 Read Full Article

University of Southern Mississippi Researchers Working to Turn Algae into Fuel

(Clarion Ledger) …Today, Redalje’s Marine Science lab at Stennis Space Center is studying algae, grown from Mississippi coastal waters, and recreating that ancient process. “We now look for one that