by Cayla McLeland (HoosierAgToday) The Indiana Corn Marketing Council has released their economic impact study of the ethanol industry in 2014 and shared their findings at their annual Ethanol Forum yesterday in Indianapolis. Director of Biofuels, Ken Parrent, says the
Archive
Back TO HOMEE4tech Releases Evidence-Base Report on European Bioeconomy
by Isabel Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Europe, E4tech has just completed a new study, ‘From the Sugar Platform to biofuels and biochemicals’ for the European Commission (DG ENER), a comprehensive evidence base for policymakers and industry. The report found that the
May 11, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with…Bill Hagy, Consultant, Bill Hagy Consulting
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Since retiring from USDA in 2012, I have continued to work with local communities, businesses, and agriculture producers in accessing federal and private financial programs that support renewable energy, renewable chemical and bio-based product development. ... With
May 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Cargill Joint Venture to Install FQPT Systems in Brazilian Plant
(Fluid Quip Process Technologies/Ethanol Producer Magazine) SJC Bioenergia, a joint venture between Cargill and Group USJ, has purchased Fluid Quip Process Technology’s systems to integrate corn ethanol production at its sugar-cane ethanol facility located in Quirinopolis, Brazil. SJC Bioenergia will utilize
May 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Jennifer Holmgren to Receive BIO’s 2015 Rosalind Franklin Award
by Isabel Lane (Biofuels Digest) Dr. Jennifer Holmgren has been selected as the recipient of the 2015 BIO Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership in Industrial Biotechnology at the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology. According to BIO, Dr. Holmgren’s work
May 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Taurus Energy and Partners in Tough Competition Awarded EU Financing for 2nd Generation Ethanol Project
(Taurus Energy) The EU-Commission has awarded 20 million EURO in financing for the development of a strategically important 2nd generation ethanol demo plant in France. The award is shared with French production companies CIMV (group leader) and ROLKEM, US enzyme
May 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Joule, Audi Confirm Revolutionary Sunflow Fuel Meets US, EU Specs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, news arrives from Joule that the company’s CO2-recycled ethanol meets US and European fuel specifications. No one is dying of surprise that they would do so, but getting Joule fuels registered for commercial
May 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Tory Victory Creates Storm Clouds for UK Renewable Target
by Sara Stefanini and Kalina Oroshakoff (Politico.EU) The Tories victory in the UK general election creates worries that the country will not reach its 2020 renewable energy targets. ... The cost of closing that gap in the next five years may be
May 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Joule Raises $40M, as “Fuel from Thin Air” Preps for Commercial Scale in 2017.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, the remarkable journey of Joule Unlimited towards commercial-scale continued to add exciting chapters with the news that the company has closed on $40 million in private equity and venture debt financing, supporting
May 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Wasting the Savanna
By Tim Searchinger and Lyndon Estes (The Washington Post/Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs) In recent years, as governments have begun to protect tropical forests because of the carbon they store, other vast tropical ecosystems have
May 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Quadrennial Energy Review Contains Clues on Federal Biofuels, Biomass Priorities
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) ... And while not a major focus of the report, the QER contains language pertaining to biofuels and bioenergy which give some hints as to the top-level goals for DOE for biofuels and biomass power. ... The
May 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Carson: Use Oil Subsidies to Build Ethanol Pumps
by Kathie Obradovich (Des Moines Register) In his first trip to Iowa as an official presidential candidate, Republican Ben Carson waded into the shark-infested ethanol issue up to his neck and then did a leisurely lap around the climate change
May 08, 2015 Read Full Article
ACE Power by People Advertisement Urges President to Keep RFS on Track
(American Coalition for Ethanol) ACE ad highlights how RFS is an example of policy done right. Capitalizing on President Barack Obama’s visit to Watertown, South Dakota, the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) placed a full page advertisement in the May
May 08, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Philip T. Pienkos, Ph.D. Principal Group Manager Bioprocess R&D National Bioenergy Center, NREL
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... NREL is the only national lab devoted solely to the development of technologies applied to renewable energy and energy efficiency. In the National Bioenergy Center, we are focused on conversion of renewable feedstocks (cellulosic biomass,
May 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Another Biofuels Production Technology Heads to the Fracking Hills for Development: KmX Chemical Corp Looks to Fracking Industry for Business
by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Another in our series of stories about promising technologies applicable to the development of a robust advanced biofuel economy diverting to fossil fuel use for research, development and deployment. [caption id="attachment_61583" align="alignleft" width="270"] KmX membrane
May 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Board's Steckel Says Industry Poised to Handle Increased RFS Volume Requirements
(E&ETV/OnPoint) ... Anne Steckel, vice president of federal affairs at the National Biodiesel Board, discusses the challenges facing the industry as it awaits EPA's decision and talks about why she believes the industry can meet increased volume requirements. ... Senator Heidi Heitkamp wrote
May 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of Minnesota
John M. Urbanchuk and Stuart D. Norvell (Agriculture and Biofuels Consulting, LLP/ Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) From the farm to the fuel pump, the ethanol industry is a vital component of Minnesota’s economy. Ethanol plants provide jobs and income not only for
May 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Quantifying the Emissions from a Large Ethanol Refinery
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Refining ethanol may release more of some pollutants than burning it in vehicles. After quantifying the airborne emissions from the nation’s third largest ethanol refinery, a team led by NOAA and University of Colorado–Boulder
May 08, 2015 Read Full Article
BP Warns State It Will Close Jennings Biofuels Site
(The Advertiser) BP is closing its biofuels plant in Jennings, ending jobs there for 56 people. Aline Thoeny, human resources manager for BP, sent notice Monday to Andre France of the Louisiana Workforce Commission Dislocated Worker Unit and to Jennings
May 08, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Lisa Hughes, Industrial Biotechnology Industry Specialist, DEED
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development(DEED)is the state’s principal economic development agency. ... My role as the industry specialist with DEED is to continue to expand Minnesota’s bioindustrial cluster through strategies that include: 1. Providing
May 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Motorist Lobby Group RACQ Supports 2 Per Cent Ethanol Mandate
by Kym Agius (ABC) Motorist lobby group RACQ has done an about turn to finally support an ethanol mandate across Queensland's fuel supply. All political parties in Parliament on Wednesday supported a motion setting an 'intention' to introduce the mandate, but
May 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Alaska Airlines, Gevo to Demonstrate Renewable Alcohol-to-Jet Fuel in Upcoming Flight
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Alaska Airlines ups the ante in the search for sustainable, affordable jet fuels. In Colorado, Gevo and Alaska Airlines announced a strategic alliance to purchase Gevo’s renewable jet fuel and fly the first-ever commercial flight on
May 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Whitefox Signs Agreement with Pacific Ethanol Inc.
(Whitefox) Whitefox (www.whitefox.com), the clean fuel membrane specialist, announced today that it has signed an agreement with California based Pacific Ethanol, Inc. (Nasdaq: PEIX) for the delivery of an industrial scale membrane system. The objective is to reduce the consumption
May 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Tallow Industry Finds New Markets after Demand Slows in Key Market
By Olivia Garnett (ABC) After a lull in demand, Australia's biggest market for tallow is slowly cranking up again. Inedible tallow is rendered livestock fat and offal that demands big dollars in Singapore, where it is converted into biodiesel. "It's the pieces
May 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Renmatix Acquires Mascoma Demonstration Plant in New York
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Another step towards commercial scale, aimed at “secure supply” of cellulose-lignin solids for Renmatix’ Georgia facility Renmatix announced that it has acquired existing assets of the former Mascoma corporation’s 56,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Rome,
May 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Novozymes to Supply World's First Sawdust-Based Biofuel Refinery
by (Reuters) Danish industrial enzymes maker Novozymes has struck a deal to supply the world's first refinery producing biofuel from sawdust. Novozymes is already a big player in the biofuel market, providing about 60 percent of enzymes used in U.S.
May 06, 2015 Read Full Article
ABSIG Promoting Algae as Tool in Ecosystem Services
(Algae Industry Magazine) The objective of the Algal Bioenergy Special Interest Group (ABSIG) is to facilitate the development of a robust and sustainable algal industry in the UK while raising awareness of the important role algae play in the provision
May 06, 2015 Read Full Article
DEKRA Announces Risi Competizione's Ferrari F458 Italia Green Challenge Winner of TUDOR Championship Race in Monterey, CA
(MarketWatch/DEKRA North America, Inc.) DEKRA North America, Inc. congratulates Risi Competizione's Ferrari F458 Italia as the winner, for the third consecutive time, of the DEKRA Green Challenge Award in the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix race held in Monterey, California
May 06, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA Sends Ethanol Proposals for Final Review
by Timothy Cama (The Hill) The Obama administration is conducting the last step in its review of proposed annual ethanol blending mandates for three separate years. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent the proposal, which has not been revealed publicly,
May 06, 2015 Read Full Article
CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS: Wastewater Remediation Using Algae and Growing Algae Commercially Using Wastewater -- September 2015 -- The Woodlands, TX DEADLINE: June 30, 2015
Algae Is used to clean wastewater. Some wastewaters can be used to grow algae commercially. Wastewater operators and municipalities, algae companies,commerially-minded algae researchers and equipment companies will explore new wastewater opportunities in cleaning and the reuse of wastewater at National
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Miscanthus Hybrid May Be Boon For Biofuel Industry
(Locker Gnome) ... Scientists at the University of Illinois recently reported the first natural occurrence in several decades of Miscanthus hybrid plants in Japan. “If M. x giganteus is the only variety available, there are certainly risks involved such as diseases or
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Canegrowers Welcomes Ethanol and Biofuel Announcement
(Daily Mercury) The Queensland government has recommitted to ethanol and biofuels with the announcement of a discussion paper looking to boost the industry. Energy Minister Mark Bailey was at Wilmar BioEthanol site earlier today to make the announcement. Although Mr Bailey said it
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
The Downside of Biodiesel Fuel
(Norwegian University of Science and Technology/Phys.Org) The oil industry believes biodiesel is not to blame for problems that Norwegian car owners are experiencing. But the nature of the fuel means that it has to be handled differently than regular petroleum-based
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Reduces by 70% the Emission of Greenhouse Gases
(BrasilAgro) To supply its urban bus fleet with a mixture of 20% biodiesel in fossil diesel (B20), the 40 Brazilian cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants can decrease by up to 70% CO2 emissions caused by the production of fuel
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Help #getbiodieselbackontrack
(National Biodiesel Board) Biodiesel fans, we need your help. Producers of America's first advanced biofuel to reach full commercial distribution have been left in limbo since rumors surfaced in 2013 that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was planning to scale
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Strengthening The RFS For Next-Gen Biofuels
by Michael McAdams (Advanced Biofuels Association/Biomass Magazine) There has been a great deal of conversation around the speech I recently gave at the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. I would like to further explain some of the key
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Washington Update: Carbon And Tax Policy
By Bob Cleaves (Biomass Magazine) Biomass Power Association President Bob Cleaves discusses ongoing policy and regulatory discussions affecting the industry. ... In late March, we testified at the EPA’s Scientific Advisory Board meeting to review the Framework for Assessing Biogenic CO2
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Profit in Plug and Play
by Katie Fletcher (Biomass Magazine) A cutting-edge waste-to-energy venture at an Oregon landfill will channel flared gas into ethanol production, and potentially other renewable fuels if future markets are favorable. ... At Knott Landfill in Bend, Oregon, Waste to Energy Group is hoping
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Amid Scarcity: The Biofuels Alternative We Need—Obada
By Udeme Clement (Vanguard) Dr. Babatunde Obada is Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Global Biofuels Limited, a biofuels company in Nigeria. He speaks on the passage of 2015 Budget by the Senate without allocation for fuel subsidy, recurring
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Algae Cultivation, Help From LSC-Montgomery Biotechnology Lab Leads High School Student to Science Award
(The Paper) ... Today, the local growth of two commercially important algae strains, Nannochloropsis occulata and haematococcus pluvialis, is providing one local ninth grader, and the Lone Star College-Montgomery biotechnology lab that assisted him in its cultivation, a grand award,
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Fulcrum BioEnergy Awards Engineering, Procurement And Construction Contract To Abengoa
(Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc.) Fixed-Price Contract Guarantees Cost, Schedule and Plant Performance -- Launches Commercialization of Fulcrum BioEnergy's Process for Converting Household Garbage into Low-Cost Renewable Jet Fuel and Diesel Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc., announced today that it has awarded a $200 million
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
VietNam Considers Raising Export Tariff on Cassava, Ethanol to Support E5 Production
(VietNamNet Bridge) The Ministry of Finance (MOF) is planning to raise the tariff on cassava and ethanol exports in an effort to retain materials for domestic biofuel production. Cassava and ethanol bear an export tariff of zero percent. ... Cassava, the major
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Scott Walker's Stance on Ethanol Prompts Concerns
by Jason Stein (Journal Sentinel) As likely presidential candidate Scott Walker has shifted his position on a federal ethanol mandate, some of the fuel's skeptics at home in Wisconsin are wary. At an Iowa roundup for White House hopefuls in March, the
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Capturing the Full and Unrealized Value of Biofuels -- Market Mechanisms are Needed
by Ghasideh Pourhashem (Forbes) During the past decade, production of biofuels has gained momentum largely due to policies and mandates aimed at addressing energy security and climate change. ... But if the right kinds of policies are in place, biofuel-generating facilities will
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Evaluating a Groundwater Supply Contamination Incident Attributed to Marcellus Shale Gas Development
by Garth T. Llewellyn, Frank Dorman, J. L. Westland, D. Yoxtheimer, Paul Grieve, Todd Sowers, E. Humston-Fulmer, and Susan L. Brantley (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) New techniques of high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) are now used to unlock oil
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Schwarzenegger: Three Things Weightlifting and California Can Teach Us About How To Save the World
by Arnold Schwarzenegger (Time Magazine) ... When I praise Governor Brown, some people look at me like I’ve lost my mind. I’m a Republican, and he is a Democrat. In our current political climate, we are supposed to be mortal enemies. This
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Dr. Ganesh Kishore, CEO, MLSCFI and Co-Managing Partner, Spruce Capital Partners
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... We manage ~$315 Million of venture capital, building new businesses in the Advanced Bioeconomy sector. ... We are entrepreneurs, seeding new businesses where appropriate. ... Current focus has been too much on “drop in”. Price becomes the
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Bill Would Lift Biodiesel Requirements in Winter
by Abby Spegman (The Bulletin) Bend-La Pine say bus troubles have force school cancellations ... School districts east of the Cascades are among the groups backing a bill in Salem that would drop the mandated use of biodiesel in winter months.
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Anna-Marie Davidson, Research Associate/Graphic Artist, NECi
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... We currently offer an enzyme for nitrate quantification and are researching enzymes for quantification of phosphate, glycerol, galactose, and alcohol. ... I am currently working towards the production of recombinant enzymes for glycerol and galactose quantification
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Estimating Chilled Investment for Advanced Biofuels Due to RFS Uncertainty: $13.7 Billion Shortfall in Investment During Delays in Rulemaking
(Biotechnology Industry Organization) The advanced biofuel industry has invested billions of dollars since 2009 to build first-of-a-kind demonstration and commercial-scale biorefineries around the world, even during a global economic recession. Cellulosic biofuels have reached commercial status, though not at the
May 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Moline's use of alternative fuels has attracted attention in Iowa
by Dawn Neuses (QCOnline.com) ... Moline has 180 vehicles, or units of motorized equipment, that run on alternative fuels — E85, compressed natural gas (CNG), propane, biodiesel or all-electric. There are only 30 vehicles that run on unleaded gasoline, and 12 hybrids
May 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Urban Air Initiative Partners in Clean Fuels Omaha Campaign
by Kim Trinchet (Urban Air Initiative) The Urban Air Initiative joined with a broad cross section of public and private interest groups supporting the call for more aggressive regional pollution control measures in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area. Working together as Clean
May 04, 2015 Read Full Article
UK Supreme Court Ruling on Air Quality – Reaction from the European Renewable Ethanol Industry
(ePURE) Following last week’s UK Supreme Court ruling that the UK Government must revise its national air quality plans to tackle nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions, a greenhouse gas mainly attributed to diesel fuel use, Robert Wright, Secretary-General of ePURE, the
May 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Ellis: Why Did It Take so Long for Obama to Visit?
by Jonathan Ellis (Argus Leader) ... In 2008, Obama was the pro-ethanol candidate, while Republican John McCain was the candidate calling for an end to subsidies and mandates enjoyed by the industry. During his presidency, as much as 5 millions
May 04, 2015 Read Full Article
New RSB Standard Proposed to Certify Low-Risk ILUC Biomass
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) It may soon be possible to certify that biomass is not only sustainably sourced, but also considered low-risk for indirect land use change (ILUC). The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials released its draft standard
May 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Neighbors Come out in Opposition of Proposed Ethanol Plant near Caldwell
by Torrie Cope (Idaho Press-Tribune) Residents who live in the area of Lower Pleasant Ridge Road fear that a proposed ethanol plant could lower their property values, spoil their views and bring unwanted traffic, noise and odor to the neighborhood.
May 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Transportation Dept. Gets Strict on Rules for Trains Carrying Flammable Oil
by Ashley Halsey III (The Washington Post) Almost two years after a runaway tank-car train erupted in an explosion that killed 47 people in a Canadian town, the U.S. Transportation Department on Friday announced new standards for tank-car construction, new
May 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Argentinian Ethanol Producers Seek 12% Blend in Gasoline
(Platts) Argentinian ethanol producers are pressing the government to boost the blend in gasoline to 12% from 10%, an effort led by the struggling sugarcane sector, an industry source said Thursday. ... With a glut of sugar in the world, it is
May 04, 2015 Read Full Article
The DOE’s 12 Top Biobased Molecules – What Became of Them?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... If they handed out Platinum and Gold certification to scientific papers as we do with recorded music, “Top Value Added Chemicals from Biomass” would be a multi-platinum chart-busting monster. This 2004 survey, completed by staff
May 04, 2015 Read Full Article
It’s Time for EPA to Get the RFS Back on Track
by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Industry Organization/Biofuels Digest) ... A new white paper by Harvard economist James Stock – a former member of the Obama administration’s Council of Economic Advisors – acknowledges as much. Unfortunately, the paper’s faulty analysis of the RFS
May 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Fossil-Fuel-Free Portfolios Gain Popularity
by Karen Demasters (Financial Advisor) Fossil fuels continue to lose popularity with investors as more investment professionals offer fossil-fuel-free portfolio options, according to the First Affirmative Financial Network. A survey by the network released Thursday shows that the number of investment
May 04, 2015 Read Full Article
ZERO SOUTH Heads to Pole Powered by 100% Biofuels
by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Jonathon Ramsey, in a recent AutoBlog post, described ZERO SOUTH's mission: "One modified Hummer H1, traveling with another vehicle that looks like a modified Hummer H1, will spend six to 10 days driving to
May 01, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Harry Cullinan, Director of Technology Deployment, Auburn University
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... My role is to bridge the gap between basic R&D and ultimate commercialization of biorefining technologies with particular emphasis on the raw material base and existing assets of the US pulp and paper industry. Current
May 01, 2015 Read Full Article
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