by Chris Mooney (The Washington Post) ... Rather than acting like perfect homo economicuses, they’ve found, we’re highly swayed by the energy use of our neighbors and friends — peer pressure, basically. At the same time, we’re also heavily biased by the
Archive
Back TO HOMEUnlocking the Biofuel Energy Stored in Plant Cell Walls
by Cherie Winner (Pennsylvania State University) By virtue of their chloroplasts, plants are superb harvesters of solar energy. They use it to build leaves, flowers, fruits, stems, and roots. We harvest a small percentage of that energy in the form of
June 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Science Advisory Board Biogenic Carbon Emissions Panel Schedules 3 Teleconferences
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA’s Science Advisory Board has announced the SAB Biogenic Carbon Emissions Panel will hold three teleconferences over the next several months to review the EPA’s biogenic carbon emissions framework. The agency held
June 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Fuels America Holds Call to Discuss New EPA Memo on RIN Prices
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On June 11, Fuels America hosted a conference call to discuss a memo from the U.S. EPA that demonstrates the renewable fuel standard (RFS) does not increase—and, in fact, works to decrease—retail gas prices. ... Geoff
June 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Op-ed: Biofuels Are Cleaner Energy that Should Be Encouraged
by Kent Bushman (Salt Lake Tribune/Utah Farmers Union) ... And the news just keeps getting better, as new technologies are increasing ethanol yields while improving efficiencies and allowing ethanol biorefineries to make better use of natural resources. In fact, over the past
June 15, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with…Veronica May, GM, UOP’s Renewable Energy & Chemicals
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Our groundbreaking renewable fuel technologies produce drop-in diesel, jet fuel and liquid biomass from a range of sustainable sources. We have commercialized those technologies in the U.S. and Europe in recent years. ... We are seeing more
June 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Queensland Issues Biofuels Mandate Discussion Paper, Launches Public Forums
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Australia, the Queensland state government has released the Towards a clean energy economy: achieving a biofuel mandate for Queensland discussion paper, which outlines key issues associated with the proposed mandate and provides details on the
June 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Renew America’s Renewable Future Releases Coalition List
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Iowa, America’s Renewable Future (ARF) has publicly released a diverse coalition of partners that includes Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, Iowa Corn Growers, Growth Energy, and POET among many others. ARF released the following statement: “We
June 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Neste going Google and Google going NEXBTL
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Finland, the world’s leading producer of renewable fuels, Neste is going Google by introducing Google Drive for Work services to its personnel globally. Being at the forefront of technology development Neste is taking the
June 15, 2015 Read Full Article
An Amazon.com for Bioenergy Supply Chain Logistics
by Bill Levy (Pacific Ag/Biofuels Digest) ... Amazon has become the world’s largest retailer by winning at logistics. They simply found (and keep finding) ever more efficient ways to meet demand with supply. And that’s the name of the game
June 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Shatter the Blend Wall with High Performance Bio-Gasoline
by David Gogerty and Ronan Rocle (Global Bioenergies/Biofuels Digest) ... And there are indeed interesting developments: using new synthetic biology techniques, we can now target the best-of-the-best in gasoline molecules—isooctane. This high-performance fuel, which is expected to be produced by fermentation at
June 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Proposed RVO Raises Multiple Questions for Illinois Economists
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA’s May 29 proposed renewable volume obligations (RVO) is under scrutiny by University of Illinois economists in recent FarmDocDaily posts. Jonathan Coppess examines the argument that EPA appears to be turning the
June 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Clinton Outlines Commitment to Renewable Energy at First Major Campaign Rally
by Jennifer Yachnin (E&E/Governor's Wind Energy Coalition) Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday pitched an aggressive commitment to promoting renewable energy, vowing to make the United States a “clean energy superpower” if she wins election to the White House
June 15, 2015 Read Full Article
CALL FOR POSTERS: International Conference on Microbial Hydrocarbon Production — October 25-27, 2015 — Frankfurt, Germany DEADLINE: August 31, 2015
The transport sector depends on a secure supply of liquid and gaseous fuels for a long time to come. For this the future importance of sustainably produced alternative biobased fuels is expected to increase. Thereby the so-called drop-in biofuels can play
June 12, 2015 Read Full Article
Future Fuels: Can Biofuels Make Gasoline Cleaner, Cheaper?
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Governors' Biofuels Coalition held a briefing examining the current state and potential future of the transportation fuel supply. While combustion engines are more efficient and cleaner
June 12, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA Finding on Aircraft Emissions Can't Be Counted on to Motivate Biofuels Development and Deployment
by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) In the world of renewable jet fuel, hopes that the Environmental Protection Agency's finding that greenhouse gases from aircraft pose a risk to human health might lead to incentives for development and use of aviation
June 12, 2015 Read Full Article
CALL FOR PAPERS: Progress in Biomethane Mobility -- October 27-28, 2015 -- Schwäbisch Hall, Germany DEADLINE: July 15, 2015
The transport sector must play its part in implementing the German government’s Energy Concept. The lead target for the transport sector is the reduction of final energy consumption by some 10 percent by 2020, and by about 40 percent by
June 12, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with ... Thomas D. Foust, Director, Bioenergy, Biofuels and Bioproducts Research Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Short Term: We have been focused on developing hydrocarbon biofuels conversions technologies since 2012 and I would like to see these reach the pilot scale demonstration scale. Long Term: As a national laboratory sometimes we have
June 11, 2015 Read Full Article
New OPEI Survey Shows Consumers Remain Ill-Equipped for Newer Fuel Options at the Pump
(Outdoor Power Equipment Institute/PR NewsWire) Improved Consumer Education on Ethanol Fuel Options in the Marketplace Needed, Says OPEI ... Consumers are ill-equipped to make smart decisions about new gasoline choices entering the marketplace, such as fuel blends greater than ten percent
June 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Motorists to Put Ethanol to the Test
(My Sunshine Coast) KAP member for Mount Isa Rob Katter will be working hard at the bowsers tomorrow morning (June 9, 2015), pumping discount Ethanol fuel for Brisbane motorists to put to the test. Fueling up with Minister Mark Bailey and
June 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Biosev Sees Higher Cane Output and Sugar Prices
(AgriMoney.com) ... It was in ethanol that Mr Chammas (Rui Chammas, the Biosev chief executive) sounded a note of caution, despite the market for the biofuel proving relatively buoyant, helped by moves by Brazil to reintroduce taxes on gasoline and raise
June 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Training Program Teaches Diesel Mechanics about Biodiesel
(Iowa Biodiesel Board/Biodiesel Magazine) A federal grant has helped expand a program to educate diesel technicians about biodiesel throughout the Midwest. Working in conjunction with the Iowa Biodiesel Board, the regional Clean Cities initiative makes the “Biodiesel for Diesel Technicians” program
June 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Sustainable, Available, Reliable Affordable Bioeconomy Feedstocks: The Hottest Slides from ABFC 2015
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the advanced bioeconomy, the question for some time has been “how do you fund it?” or “how do you make it?”. But now, feedstock is becoming the key variable, it’s a case of “where
June 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Drop in Oil Prices Means No Drilling in Canada’s Biggest Shale Reserves
by Robert Tuttle (Bloomberg News) The news was bittersweet for Canada’s Northwest Territories. While the region found out last week that its Canol and Bluefish formations hold Canada’s largest shale oil reserves, the slump in prices means no one’s drilling
June 11, 2015 Read Full Article
U.S. EPA Moves toward Regulating Aircraft Emissions
by Valerie Volcovici (Planet Ark) Agency announces an Aug. 11 hearing, a 60-day window for the public to weigh in -- The Obama administration on Wednesday released a scientific finding that greenhouse gases from aircraft pose a risk to human health,
June 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Ethanol and Butanol: Symbiotic Partners for a Modern Fuel
by Bill Brandon and Richard Ezike (Biofuels Digest) The debate touting butanol over ethanol as a ‘better’ fuel component has gone on for quite some time in biofuel circles. Those who support butanol point to three key factors: • Butanol has
June 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Amid Low Prices, US Oil Output May Be Nearing Peak
by Jay Fitzgerald (Boston Globe) Is America’s energy boom coming to an end? As companies shut down oil- and gas-drilling rigs and lay off thousands of workers who toiled in shale fields in North Dakota, Texas, and elsewhere, many analysts
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
DDGS Challenges, Old and New
by Kurt A. Rosentrater (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Distillers Grains Technology Counci) ... At the recent Distillers Grains Technology Council’s 19th Distillers Grains Symposium in Kansas City, the latest and greatest issues to impact distillers grains production and use, and thus the fuel
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Gevo’s Wood-Derived Jet Fuel to Be Used in Test Flight
(Gevo/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Gevo Inc. has announced a breakthrough to its fermentation technology that will allow it to produce isobutanol from cellulosic feedstocks such as wood waste which can then be converted into Gevo's alcohol-to-jet fuel. Gevo currently makes isobutanol from
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA Seeks Input on RIN Quality Assurance Plan ICR
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA recently published a notice in the Federal Register soliciting public comments on a proposed information collection request (ICR) related to the voluntary renewable identification number (RIN) quality assurance program under the
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
USDA Publishes Final VAPG Rule, Opens Comment Period
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) In May, USDA Rural Development’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service published a final rule for the Value-Added Producer Grant program and opened a 60-day comment period that closes on July 7. ... According to USDA Rural Development, the
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
More Pumps Needed to Deliver Biofuels
by Jan Koninckx (Des Moines Register/DuPont) ... With the vast majority of gas pumps only delivering gasoline that is a 10 percent ethanol blend (E10), consumers have been locked out of buying higher blends of renewable fuels. For blends like E15 and
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Iowa Legislature OKs E15 Infrastructure Investments for Iowa Renewable Fuels Grants
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Iowa, the state legislature passed legislation that allows E15 infrastructure investments to become eligible for Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure grants. Previously, the infrastructure program funds were only available for blender pumps and dispensers offering E85.
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
How Mankind Blew the Fight against Climate Change
by Bill McKibben (350.org/The Washington Post) ... Exxon Mobil wouldn’t invest in renewable energy, ( Exxon Mobil CEO Rex) Tillerson said, because clean technologies don’t make enough money and rely on government mandates that were (remarkable choice of words) “not sustainable.” He
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
IMF Says Energy Subsidized by $5.3 Trillion Worldwide
by Anna Yukhananov (Reuters) Governments around the world charge prices for energy that do not account for its harmful environmental, health and other side effects, amounting to a $5.3 trillion "post-tax" subsidy this year, the International Monetary Fund said in a
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Clemson Receives Grant to Research Crops for Energy Use
by Scott Miller (Clemson University) A new public-private partnership led by Clemson University and a worldwide biomass and bioenergy producer will research the use of crops that can both open new markets for South Carolina landowners and support the growing
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Thought Leadership: Top Talent Wants More than Just a Job
by Mike Knauf (Rivertop Renewables/Biofuels Digest) ... I was concerned recently when I saw the following headline from a Bloomberg report on the best jobs for college graduates: “Petroleum engineers swim in cash.” I thought, “Great – not only does the bio-based
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
St1 Completes Waste-to-Ethanol Etanolix Project in Sweden
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Sweden, St1 Biofuels Oy delivered its first Etanolix plant to North European Bio Tech Oy (NEB) in Gothenburg, which recycles feedstocks such as biowaste and process residue from local bakeries and bread from shops
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
COUNTERPOINT: Ethanol a Valuable Part of Energy Mix
by Barry Blitsteihn (Chronicle Herald) A corn field is harvested near Coy, Ark. in 2012. Three years later, “corn prices are in the basement, yet ethanol production is off the charts, so how can you blame ethanol for food shortages?,”
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
University of Georgia Researchers Edit Plant DNA Using Mechanism Evolved in Bacteria
by James Hataway (University of Georgia) Researchers at the University of Georgia have used a gene editing tool known as CRISPR/Cas to modify the genome of a tree species for the first time. Their research, published recently in the early
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Douglas L. Faulkner, President, Leatherstocking LLC; Co-Founder, Jacob’s Ladder Energy Group
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... My goal is help the industry find a new private-public paradigm, including a politically-sustainable mandate and new R&D priorities for a shrinking federal budget. ... The most important milestone is the passage of legislation for a
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Taner Onoglu, Vice President, Altaca Energy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... “ALTACA Enerji” is the leading technology company of Turkey focused on energy from waste. We currently own and operate the largest integrated biogas and bio-fertilizer plant in the region. We design, build and operate biogas
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
CA-GREET 2.0 Model and Documentation
(California Air Resources Board) At its July 2015 hearing, the California Air Resources Board (Board) will consider the re-adoption of the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). Among the staff proposals the Board will be considering is the adoption of
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Australia’s Dairy Problem, and Algae Solution
(Algae Industry Magazine) There are around 4500 dairy farms in Victoria, Australia, according to Business Victoria. Together they produced about 86 per cent of Australia’s dairy product exports, worth almost $2 billion, in 2011-12. The wastewater generated from daily cleaning is
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… S. Kent Hoekman, Research Professor, Desert Research Institute (DRI)
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... DRI is the environmental research branch of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). We are involved in evaluating environmental concerns and consequences of biomass/biofuel systems, from cradle to grave. In addition, we apply analytical
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Virent, Coca-Cola Hit Key Production Milestone with the 100% Biobased Plant Bottle
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Production goes from pilot to demonstration scale as Coca-Cola “makes it happy,” showcasing its newest Plant Bottles at Expo Milan News has arrived from Europe that Coca-Cola is displaying 100% bio-based content Plant Bottles produced using
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Meeting the Energy and Climate Challenge in California: FOCUS: Can Biofuels Save the Day?
(Diesel Technology Forum) Public funding provided over many years to incentivize the purchase of alternatives to diesel for heavy-duty trucks has barely made a small dent in introducing these alternatives into the vehicle population. Yet one alternative fuel is making
June 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Government Boosts Ethanol Fuels to Create New Industry Jobs
by Tony Moore (The Age) The Queensland Government wants to boost the proportion of sugarcane-derived ethanol in petrol sales from 1.2 per cent to 2 per cent by July 2016, as a catalyst to a $1.8 billion bio-refining industry. It wants to
June 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Corn Growers Concerned with Renewable Fuel Standard Volumes
(WNAX) National Corn Grower Association members are concerned with the recent volume proposal put out by the Environmental Protection Agency for the Renewable Fuel Standard. NCGA leaders say with their proposal, the EPA has cut 3.75 billion gallons of corn
June 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Determination of the R Factor for Fuel Economy Calculations Using Ethanol-Blended Fuels over Two Test Cycles
by C. Scott Sluder, C., Brian West, Aron Butler, Arvon L. Mitcham, et al. (SAE) During the 1980s, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) incorporated the R factor into fuel economy calculations in order to address concerns about the impacts of
June 04, 2015 Read Full Article
High Octane Ethanol Blends for Improved Vehicle Efficiency
by Brian West (Oak Ridge National Laboratory/AmazonAWS.com) Presentation for Hudson Institute Conference, "Fueling American Growth" May 7, 2015 READ MORE and MORE (SAE)
June 04, 2015 Read Full Article
EWG Makes Untrue Claims about Ethanol
by Geoff Cooper (Des Moines Register) Letter to Editor: The Environmental Working Group’s claim that ethanol is worse for the climate than the Keystone pipeline is like saying apple juice is worse for the human body than arsenic. The Department of Energy’s
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
US Coachways Reaches $10,000 Donation Mark with NBF
(National Biodiesel Board/Biodiesel Magazine) A major motorcoach company has topped $10,000 in donations to the National Biodiesel Foundation. This makes the company, US Coachways, the single largest donor that is independent of the biodiesel industry to date. The foundation is dedicated to
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels under Attack: Same Old Story
by Chuck Grassley (The Iowa Republican) ... Consumers like biofuels. The idea of a homegrown product that reduces emissions harmful to the environment and brings the United States freedom from volatile oil-producing countries is appealing. The EPA should know this. Instead, the
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Support for RSB As Global Gold Standard Reconfirmed at Annual General Assembly
(Roundtable for Sustainable Biomaterials) The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) concluded their Annual General Assembly three-day program with a strong endorsement from participants for the RSB as the most comprehensive standard on biofuels and biomaterials and a range of new ideas
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Alaska Airlines, WSU Partner to Advance Use of Aviation Biofuels
(Alaska Airlines/PR Newswire) Washington state's hometown airline is teaming up with the Washington State University-led Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA) to advance the production and use of alternative jet fuel made from forest residuals, the tree limbs and branches that
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Drive Your Car, Help Fight Climate Change? The New Biofuel that Claims to Be Carbon Negative
by Sarah Shemkus (The Guardian) Colorado-based startup Cool Planet says it has created a fuel that mixes seamlessly with gasoline and actually removes carbon from the atmosphere The entrepreneurs and innovators at Colorado-based Cool Planet are betting that a word you’ve probably
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
The Advanced Bioeconomy, a Leadership Conversation: Where Do We Go from Here?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Anna Rath, CEO, NexSteppe; Jim Greenwood, CEO, BIO; and Dario Giordano, CEO, Beta Renewables step onto the stage at the World Bioenergy Leadership Forum in Seville to look at what’s next in feedstock, processing technology,
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
The Most Complete Functional Map of an Entire Enzyme Family
(Joint Genome Institute) DOE-funded researchers develop a new process for annotating cellulose-degrading enzymes. Researchers at two Department of Energy-funded Scientific User Facilities collaborated with one of three Bioenergy Research Centers to develop and analyze high-resolution crystal structures of an enzyme from
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Pew Report Tracks Bioenergy Investments in Emerging Markets
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The Pew Charitable Trusts has released a report, titled “Power Shifts: Emerging Clean Energy Markets,” that shows clean energy investment in developing countries has grown in real and relative terms. The report addresses a wide variety
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
NORA Releases “Biodiesel in Home Heating” Report
(National Oil Heat Research Alliance) Pursuant to Public Law 113-79 (the Agricultural Act of 2014), Congress required NORA to prepare a report on the utilization rate and analysis of the use of biofuels in Oilheating equipment. The report titled, “Developing a
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Ghosts of Problems Past and Present Loom over Nigerian Palm Oil Plans
by Greg Norman (Mongabay.com) ... Cross River State, a coastal jurisdiction in southeastern Nigeria, still bears the marks of the country's agricultural heritage when it was the world's largest palm oil producer. That lasted until the late 1960s, when Malaysia and Indonesia
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Kuwait Invests US$1.5 Billion in Agro-Industrial Project in Mozambique
(Macau Hub) The Al-Bader International Development Company plans to invest U$1.5 billion in an agro-industrial project for the production of sugarcane in Mozambique, with a view to producing ethanol, the Chief Executive of the Kuwaiti company said Wednesday. Ali Mahmoud, who
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Time for a Bioenergy Reset?
by Douglas Faulkner (Biofuels Digest) ... It’s easy now to forget that not too long ago the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations, joined by supportive Congresses, pursued the goal of ending our reliance on ever-growing imports of oil through
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Biofuels and Perceptions of Readiness, Viability
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Readers rate 27 different cellulosic biofuels technologies on perceptions of commercial readiness, viability, reasons for skepticism, and levels of confidence and awareness. Recently, we asked Digest readers to rate 27 cellulosic biofuels technologies in terms of their
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
University of Florida Bioenergy and Sustainability School Summer Internship Program
(University of Florida) The UF Bioenergy and Sustainability School Summer Internship Program is a program sponsored by the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, with funding from the IFAS Dean of Research. The intent of this program is to introduce undergraduates to
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with…Tim Sklar, President, Sklar & Associates
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Sklar & Associates (S&A) is a South Carolina based consulting firm specializing in Bio-fuels project development. S&A is expert in biorefinery project finance and conducting extensive due diligence investigations and viability assessments, prepares business plans
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
U.S. May Take First Step to Curb Airline Emissions This Week: Sources
by Valerie Volcovici (Planet Ark/Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans as soon as Friday to determine whether carbon dioxide from aircraft endangers public health, a first step to regulating emissions from the aviation sector, sources familiar with the rulemaking
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Researchers Study Benefits of Double-Cropping Camelina, Soybeans
(The American Society of Agronomy/Biodiesel Magazine) In the U.S., federal mandates to produce more renewable fuels, especially biofuels, have led to a growing debate: Should fuel or food grow on arable land? Recent research shows farmers can successfully, and sustainably,
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Des Richardson, Senior Scientist, Norske Skog Paper Mills (Australasia)
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Norske Skog currently manufactures newsprint and light weight coated paper grades. We are seeking to diversify into the biofuel/biochemical space in order to make best use of the resources available to us. ... I check out
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… David Leimbach, Master’s candidate in Bioenergy, University of Illinois
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... What do you feel are the most important milestones the industry must achieve in the next 5 years? Developing new technology that allows for the break down of sugars in cellulosic biomass at a price
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Martysh Eugene, Professor, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (KNU)
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... There are a lot of biofuel sources in Ukraine. And KNU is the center of fundamental and applied researches at this field (formation, reforming, etc.) READ MORE
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Tim Donohue, Director, Great Lakes Bioenergy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Great Lakes Bioenergy is a DOE, Office of Science-funded Bioenergy Research Center. Its mission is to develop ways to produce ethanol, advanced biofuels and chemicals from the non-edible, lignocellulosic part of plant biomass. The Center
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Enrique Arrieta-Noguera, CEO, Ambientronika
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... (W)e are working in the project “4T-FF”, 4 trees species for fuel & food, where we will produce 100% biodiesel plus food in the form of forage, milk and meat. ... We will develop our proof of
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Nebraska Gov. Signs Alt-Fuel Vehicle Rebate Bill
(TruckingInfo.com) Nebraska's Gov. Pete Ricketts has approved legislation that will establish a new program offering rebates for alternative-fuel vehicle conversions, according to documents from the state legislature. The legislation (L.B. 581), called the Nebraska Clean-Burning Motor Fuel Development Act, will allocate
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
GS Caltex to Build Biobutanol Plant
(Yonhap News Agency) GS Caltex Co., South Korea's second-largest refiner, plans to build a 50 billion won (US$44 million) plant to produce biobutanol, a biofuel, the presidential office said Tuesday. The announcement, which was made as President Park Geun-hye toured a
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Novvi Launches First-Ever 100 Percent Renewable Base Oils
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Portrait of a breakout: Amyris, Cosan JV launches “next generation of revolutionary oils” touting “unmatched value” and “unbeatable economics” ... Novvi’s 100 percent renewable PAO is a clean, direct replacement for conventional Group IV PAO base oils
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
California Achieves 600% Growth in Use of Low Carbon E85, Establishes National Leadership in E85 Fuel Market
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Propel Fuels has published E85: A California Success Story, a white paper and associated website illustrating California’s emergence as the national leader in the use of sustainable E85 Flex Fuel. Developed by the
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Top 10 Lessons Learned Commercializing Advanced Biotechnologies -- Part 1
by Mark Warner (Warner Advisors/ Biofuels Digest) ... My focus is on the technical perspectives of technology deployment, from early stage process development, engineering, and construction to a fully operational commercial facility. This series is for anyone who is passionate about
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Why Is Obama Allowing Big Oil To Kill Biofuels?
by Ronnie Shows (The Daily Caller) As the first legislator to introduce a biofuels bill in the Mississippi State House, I am deeply concerned that the Obama administration is making a huge mistake when it comes to determining the United
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Could Middle East Switch From Oil to Renewable Superpower?
by Darrell Delamaide (Oilprice.com/Time Magazine) Decreasing prices in solar power could provide opportunities for oil-poor countries ... The recent decline in oil prices won’t make solar power uneconomic, the influential official said. “I believe solar will be even more economic than fossil
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Australian Research Develops New Fish-Free Omega-3 from Microalgae: New Food, Anti-Pollutant and Biofuel Side Benefits
by Andrea Hogan (Australian Food News) Tasmanian researchers at the CSIRO’s National Algae Culture Collection facility in Hobart believe they are getting close to developing a Omega 3 supplement that does not come from fish. Dr Susan Blackburn of the National Algae
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
ADM Suspends German Biodiesel Plant Output on Uncertain Demand
by Michael Hogan (Reuters) U.S. agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland Co. is temporarily halting production at its biodiesel plant in Leer in Germany because of uncertainty about the future of biodiesel in the country, it said on Tuesday. The company said it
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Expansion in U.S. Ethanol on Hold after Blending Targets Slashed
by Michael Hirtzer (Reuters) Expansion in the U.S. ethanol industry, stuck in neutral for more than a year as the government debated biofuel blending requirements, is now likely to come to a screeching halt. With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
IRENA Publishes Renewable Energy Jobs Report
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The International Renewable Energy Agency has released a new report that determined more than 7.7 million people worldwide were employed by the renewable energy industry in 2014, including, 822,000 jobs in biomass, 381,000 jobs in
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
DOE Previews 2016 Billion-Ton Update in Webinar
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) A recent U.S. Department of Energy webinar included preview of the 2016 U.S. Billion-Ton Study update, which is currently scheduled for release in June 2016. The event, titled “A Changing Market for Biofuels and Bioproducts,”
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Wanted: Antibiotic-Free Chicken
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Consumer-driven changes peck their way up the food chain to distillers grains producers. ... The move to minimize or eliminate nontherapeutic use of antibiotics in meat production is a response to the increasing
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
USDA Announces Restart of Biomass Crop Assistance Program for Renewable Energy
(US Department of Agriculture) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that incentives will resume this summer for farmers, ranchers and forest landowners interested in growing and harvesting biomass for renewable energy. The support comes through the Biomass Crop
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Big Oil Companies Want a Price on Carbon. Here’s Why.
by Ben Geman (National Journal) Natural-gas profits have Shell and BP, among others, calling for increased use of carbon-emissions fees ahead of a make-or-break climate summit in Paris. Six oil and gas giants based in Europe have delivered an unusual joint
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
How Europe’s Climate Policies Led to More U.S. Trees Being Cut Down
by Joby Warrick (The Washington Post) ... Soaring demand for this woody fuel has led to the construction of more than two dozen pellet factories in the Southeast in the past decade, along with special port facilities in Virginia and Georgia
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Thailand Set to Become Regional Bioenergy Hub
by Krissana Parnsoonthorn (Bangkok Post) Thailand has high potential to transfer biomass and biogas technology to other Asean members in the next five years, say industry experts. With abundant biomass resources and the government's past success in promoting bioenergy, the
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuel RIN Prices React Wildly to US EPA's RFS Proposals
(Platts) ... In immediate reaction, market participants viewed the proposed obligations as bearish for corn-based ethanol (D6) RINs and bullish for biomass-based diesel (D4) RINs. Advanced biofuel (D5) RINs were expected to also track biomass-based diesel RINs higher, sources said. Moments
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuel Research and Commercial Development in Denmark
(Task 39 Newsletter) General introduction - A fossil free energy supply by 2050 -- In 2012, the Danish parliament decided on a new climate act, which calls for an energy supply totally free of fossil fuels by 2050. This goal
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
RSB General Assembly Opens with Approval of New Low iLUC Risk Standard
(Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) kicked off its annual General Assembly meeting with a delegation vote on the new "Low iLUC Risk Biomass Criteria and Compliance Indicators". The standard was approved by consensus and will be
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Under the Rug: How Governments and International Institutions are Hiding Billions in Support to the Coal Industry
(Shift the Subsidies, Natural Resources Defense Council, Oil Change International, and World Wide Fund for Nature) Over the last eight years, as the scope of the climate crisis has deepened, nations of the world and particularly of the G20 and G7,
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
.jpg)
Our Sponsors
FREE Subscription! Advanced Biofuels USA events calendar; policy and actions; education newsletters
