November 2013 – Advanced BioFuels USA

Poultry Manure Vetted as Potential Cheap Nutrient Source for Pollution-Fighting Alga

by Tony Kryzanowski (Ag Annex) … “Chicken manure is high in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. It contains the main nutrients that algae need,” says, Bob Mroz, president and chief executive officer

November 30, 2013 Read Full Article

Auto, Oil Company Coalition Urges EU Advanced Biofuel Roadmap to 2030

(Platts) A report released Tuesday calling for a well defined advanced biofuel policy framework in the EU up to 2030 and beyond has been given full support by the group

November 27, 2013 Read Full Article

What Does an All-of-the-Above National Energy Policy Mean?

by Herman K. Trabish (GreenTech Media) … “Based on statements from President Obama and his administration, ‘all of the above’ is the de facto U.S. national energy policy — but that

November 27, 2013 Read Full Article

Brazil Ethanol Needs to Fall Below 60% of Fuel to Boost Demand

by Isis Almeida (Bloomberg) Ethanol prices in Brazil, the world’s second-biggest producer, need to fall below 60 percent of gasoline costs for motorists to switch to the biofuel, boosting domestic demand, according to

November 27, 2013 Read Full Article

Good & Quick Offering E15 to Iowans

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Good & Quick located in Nevada, Iowa has begun selling E15 to 2001 and newer vehicles, making it the 11th registered E15 station in the state. In

November 27, 2013 Read Full Article

“We The People” Support of the RFS

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) … Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL) along with Representative Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) have written a letter for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Gina McCarthy expressing concern over the proposed

November 27, 2013 Read Full Article

Koehlmoos Reaps Awards from Cellulosic Ethanol Research

by Jean Caspers-Simmet (AgriNews.com) Eric Koehlmoos’ research on cellulosic ethanol led to national champion honors at the National FFA Science Fair last month in Louisville. The 17-year-old junior at South

November 27, 2013 Read Full Article

A Design Viewpoint

(Washington State University) … NARA (Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance) is developing regional aviation biofuel solutions, since the aviation industry is in need of a viable and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.

November 27, 2013 Read Full Article

That Turkey on Your Plate Could Use Some More Industry Competition

by Christopher Leonard (The Washington Post) …Yet, the operating profit margins of the top four meatpackers rose steadily between 2007 and 2010, even as the economy stagnated, according to USDA data.

November 27, 2013 Read Full Article

Financiers of Palm Oil Must Stop Deforestation and Illegal Activity

(Friends of the Earth Europe) Illegal and harmful production of palm oil in Indonesia is continuing, reveals a new report released today by Friends of the Earth. The study concludes

November 27, 2013 Read Full Article

Company Hopes to Tap into Sugar Cane, Sorghum for Fuel-Grade Ethanol

by James Palen (The Daily Transcript/San Diego Source) … Brawley-based California Ethanol + Power is bringing the matter closer to home. The company has yet to build its first facility, but by possibly

November 27, 2013 Read Full Article

Sugar: Brazilian Model Producing More Ethanol and Reducing Output

by Jayashree Bhosale (Economic Times) … The sugar industry is exploring the possibility of adopting the Brazilian model. Brazil, which tops the world in sugar production, increases ethanol production if

November 27, 2013 Read Full Article

OriginOil’s Algae Screen Demonstrates ‘Dramatic Drop In Contaminant Load’

(OriginOil) New low-energy growth optimizer shows promise in controlling microbiological conditions for commercial algae producers OriginOil Inc. (OTC/BB: OOIL), developer of Electro Water Separation™ (EWS), the high-speed, chemical-free process to

November 27, 2013 Read Full Article

Park Service Withdraws Comments on Fracking Rule

by Matthew Daly (Associated Press/ABC News) The National Park Service has withdrawn “inappropriate” comments about a proposed rule regulating hydraulic fracturing operations on public lands. Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis

November 27, 2013 Read Full Article

Relief at the Pump, Begins with the Pump

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) High gas prices?! They’re a scandal, all right. Turns out, alternative fuels are affordable fuels. And getting them distributed — well, here’s a chance for

November 27, 2013 Read Full Article

Biofore Concept Car to Premiere at the Geneva International Motor Show Next Spring

(UPM) The Biofore concept car, a joint production by UPM and Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, is to premiere at the 84th Geneva International Motor Show, 6-16 March, 2014.

November 27, 2013 Read Full Article

Can We Harvest Invasive Species for Biofuels?

by Lauren Quinn (University of Illinois/Renewable Energy World) … “When the topic of potential invasion by non-native biofuel crops has been raised at conferences I’ve attended, the ecologists in the room have

November 27, 2013 Read Full Article

Researchers Publish 'Survival of the Fattest' Algae Discovery

(Delft University of Technology/Biodiesel Magazine) … Researchers at TU Delft have developed a clever way of finding the fattest and therefore the most suitable examples among all the many species of

November 26, 2013 Read Full Article

Go Clean, Go Green, Go Algae

by Amelia Fox and Emily Thiel (Daniel Boone Student Reporter/Berks-Mont News) In this oil-dependent world, a group of students at Daniel Boone High school are looking at alternatives that “Go Clean, Go

November 26, 2013 Read Full Article

Algae TV

(Algae Biomass Organization) At the Algae Biomass Summit attendees were thrilled by a slate of videos showing the progress of many member companies as they build out, and begin operations

November 26, 2013 Read Full Article

Saudi – Kingdom to Produce 30,000 Tons of Algae

(MENAFN-Arab News) Saudi Arabia will be one of the few algae producing countries around the world, with production capacity expected to reach 30,000 tons by 2014, said Jaber Al-Shehri, undersecretary

November 26, 2013 Read Full Article

Paper Mill in Maine, US Making Sugars for Biofuel from Wood Waste

(Biofuels International) The paper industry in Old Town, Maine, US has been stuck in gradual decline for some years now. However, one company – Old Town Fuel and Fiber (OTFF)

November 26, 2013 Read Full Article

Why Have Expectations for Sweet Sorghum Soured?

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As Ceres points towards minimal plantings of its sweet sorghum hybrids in its key market of Brazil for next year, investors ask two questions. Will

November 26, 2013 Read Full Article

Palm Oil: A Biofuel Redemption Model

by William I.Y. Byun and Philipp Barrage (Greenpower Fuels Singapore/London School of Economics/Renewable Energy World) … For example, from the palm harvest itself, when wastewater and waste biomass such as husks, shell

November 26, 2013 Read Full Article

White House Revisits ‘Social Cost of Carbon’

by Ben Geman (The Hill E2Wire) The White House will seek new public comment on the “social cost of carbon” (SCC), a metric that helps regulators estimate the benefits of

November 26, 2013 Read Full Article

2013 North American Biochar Symposium: Science, Passion and Practice

by Danilo Gusmao de Quadros (Advanced Biofuels USA)* Biochar is a black matter produced by pyrolysis of biomass (burned without or with a little amount of oxygen), which can be

November 25, 2013 1 comment Read Full Article

It Isn’t Only Corn: Brazilian Sugar Cane Ethanol Worries about Changes in RFS

by Herman Wang (Platts) Much of the rhetoric surrounding the US Renewable Fuel Standard centers around the notion of home-grown fuels enhancing American energy security and independence. That puts Leticia

November 25, 2013 Read Full Article

E15 Now Available in Cedar Falls/Waterloo, IA

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) ECI has announced it has begun selling registered E15 to motorists who drive a 2001 or newer vehicle. ECI is located near Waterloo at 1144 Hwy 63 North

November 25, 2013 Read Full Article

Study: US Spewing 50% More Methane than EPA Says

by Seth Borenstein (Associated Press/US News and World Report) The United States is spewing 50 percent more methane — a potent heat-trapping gas — than the federal government estimates, a

November 25, 2013 Read Full Article

Iowans Worry about Ethanol's Lost Political Clout

by Thomas Beaumont (Associated Press) … Now, Iowa’s senior political leaders are pondering how to shore up political support for the corn-based fuel at a time when its economic and environmental

November 25, 2013 Read Full Article

Big Oil Reaps $23 Billion Windfall – In One Day

(Americans United for Change) What a difference a day makes for Big Oil. The oil industry scored a big victory on Friday, November 15 as the U.S. EPA released a

November 25, 2013 Read Full Article

Lewinsky’s Dress Syndrome and the EPA Biofuels Debacle

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) So, the EPA hands down cruel cutbacks in renewable fuel targets as the Administration reels under Obamacare pressure. What happened to biofuels, why is “everyone’s

November 25, 2013 Read Full Article

And the 2013 Environmental Turkey Goes to …The American Legislative Exchange Council, better known as ALEC.

by Bill Chameides (Duke University The Green Grok) OK, folks, Thanksgiving approaches. For most of you it’s the beginning of the holiday season — family, parties, and presents. For us at

November 25, 2013 Read Full Article

Finland Corporate Cleantech Venture Day: Panel Discussions, Pitches and Speed Dating

by Aino Siirala* (Advanced Biofuels USA) It is natural that a cleantech company requires capital and time to reach markets. A speaker at the 20th November 2013 Corporate Cleantech Venture

November 25, 2013 Read Full Article

Colorado Governor Proposes Strict Limits on Greenhouse Gas Leaks From Drilling

by Michael Wines (The New York Times) Gov. John W. Hickenlooper of Colorado proposed on Monday tough new limits on leaks of methane and other gases from well sites and

November 25, 2013 Read Full Article

CBO: Carbon Tax Chops $1 Trillion from Deficit

by Ben Geman (The Hill E2Wire) The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) floated 103 ways to help cut the deficit Wednesday, and one option takes out a much bigger bite than any other:

November 25, 2013 Read Full Article

Leave the Oil in the Soil; Leave the Coal in the Hole

Excerpts from a November 10, 2013, letter from 74 African organizations to US President Barack Obama. Dear President Obama, We are African organizations working for the realization of a healthy

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Alternative Fuel Vehicles to Gain Traction Over the Next 10 Years

(Fuels Institute) The growth of vehicles running on alternative fuels will accelerate over the next decade, but diesel fuel- and gasoline-powered vehicles will continue to dominate market share, according to

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Algae Tricked into Staying up Late to Produce Biomaterials

by Chris Hanson (Biomass Magazine) Researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Md. and Waseda University in Tokyo have modified cyanobacteria’s biological clock to remain in its daytime

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Ethanol Groups Talk to Farm Broadcasters

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) …“In the matter of just a couple of weeks we’ll have E15 in 11 states, roughly 50 stations, and lots in the hopper,” adding there’s high

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Examining EPA’s Authority to Reduce RFS Volume Requirements

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Renewable Fuels Association held a media teleconference Nov. 21, to address the issue of whether the U.S. EPA has the statutory authority to

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Many Have Stake in Maintaining RFS Certainty

(25 x ’25) Disappointment, outrage, confusion, “betrayal,” “punch to the gut,” “pulls the rug out,” “huge step backwards” – all are characterizations of the reactions from the renewable energy sector

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

The Hunt for Biofuels Looks Beyond Ethanol

by Mara Lemos Stein (The Wall Street Journal) A push is on to get more energy from nonedible plants …Amid growing pressure to make less ethanol from edible crops, some

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

AIM Interview: Jose Sanchez Piña

(Algae Industry Magazine) Currently Vice President of QA & Services at OriginOil Inc., Jose Sanchez Piña is a veteran in the design and field operation of open pond, photobioreactor and

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Nordic Aviation Sector Joins with Boeing and Airbus to Launch a Regional Sustainable Biofuels Initiative

(Green Air Online) Nordic airlines, airports and aviation authorities, with the support of Boeing, Airbus and IATA, have come together to form an association to facilitate the development and uptake

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

SkyNRG Gets Dutch Government Backing to Set up a BioPort Holland Sustainable Jet Biofuel Supply Chain

(Green Air Online) SkyNRG has signed a Letter of Intent with the Dutch government, KLM, Neste Oil, Schiphol Airport and the Port of Rotterdam to scale up production of sustainable

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Branson Calls for 'Brains Trust' Collaboration to Achieve Commercial Scale-Up of Renewable Jet Fuels

(Green Air Online) The Carbon War Room, a global non-profit founded by Sir Richard Branson, is bringing together a ‘brains trust’ to collaborate in designing an innovative financial structure that

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

UCLA Develops Metabolic Pathway to Convert Sugars into Biofuels

(University of California) University of California, Los Angeles chemical engineering researchers have created a new synthetic metabolic pathway for breaking down glucose that could lead to a 50 percent increase

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

South Africa Biofuels Seen Raising Sorghum Output Fivefold

by Tshepiso Mokhema (Bloomberg) South Africa’s plan to source all grain needed for biofuels production locally means sorghum output will have to climb at least fivefold, the nation’s biggest representative

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Biochar Quiets Microbes, Including Some Plant Pathogens

by Jade Boyd (Rice University) Synthetic biologists at Rice probe biochar’s impact on microbial signaling In the first study of its kind, Rice University scientists have used synthetic biology to

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

The Market for Biodiesel Production from Used Cooking Oils and Fats, Oils and Greases in London

The Greater London Authority (GLA) wishes to evaluate the potential to reduce the emissions and carbon footprint of the bus fleet in London by using up to B30 biodiesel instead

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Team Uses a Cellulosic Biofuels Byproduct to Increase Ethanol Yield

(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Scientists report in Nature Communications that they have engineered yeast to consume acetic acid, a previously unwanted byproduct of the process of converting plant leaves, stems and

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

CALL FOR PAPERS: Bioenergy from Forest Conference September 15-18, 2014 Helsinki, Finland DEADLINE March 3, 2014

The Conference will focus on the factors affecting the future of the bioenergy. An important role is to create forest energy markets and mobilization. One focus is examples how to

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Can Algae Clean Water, then Feed Livestock?

(Algae Industry Magazine) Can scientists grow algae in polluted water on dairy farms and then safely feed it to livestock? That’s what Shelton Murinda, an associate professor of animal and

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Scripps Oceanography Researchers Engineer Breakthrough for Biofuel Production

(Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego) Prospects for economic and sustainable fuel alternative enhanced with discovery Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have developed

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Global Bioenergies Secures a $7M Grant to Proceed with Its Second Industrial Pilot in Germany

(Global Bioenergies) Global Bioenergies announces its decision to construct its second industrial pilot on the site of the Leuna refinery, close to Leipzig in Germany. This new pilot plant, to be supported by

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Arcadia Biosciences and DuPont Pioneer to Collaborate on Sorghum Technology Development

(Arcadia Biosciences) Arcadia Biosciences, Inc. and DuPont Pioneer today announced their intention to collaborate to develop enabling technology to help manage pollen flow in sorghum. This technology will help facilitate

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Could Shipping Provide the Catalyst for Global Biofuel?

by Charlie Bartlett (Seatrade Global) Given the poor quality of fuel on which many ship engines currently run, the global shipping industry has been pilloried recently for its poor emissions

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Biofuel Reform in Trouble

by Dave Keating (European Voice) MEPs must choose between accepting a weak Council position on control of biofuel or handing the issue to the next Parliament Attempts by the European

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Financing Bioenergy, and Making Better Investment Decisions – via Renewable Proved Reserves

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In November 2011, the Digest ran a story on a remarkable proposition — advanced by Richard Hamilton, CEO of Ceres — that biofuels companies –

November 22, 2013 Read Full Article

Is Shrub Willow a Viable Biomass Feedstock for the US?

by Bruce Dorminey (Renewable Energy World) Shrub willow — the short rotation crop that kept the world in wicker baskets for