by Sam Rushing (Biofuels Digest/Advanced Cryogenics, Ltd.) The long term sustainability of first generation ethanol facilities, through advanced biofuels plants, is realized by making money from all the by-products; and of course, CO2 is one of the leading components of
Archive
Back TO HOMEChempolis’ Cellulosic Ethanol Technology Heads for Commercial-Scale in India
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Chempolis’ multi-year quest to build cellulosic ethanol in India finds a happy landing. -- In India, €110 million joint venture cellulosic ethanol project of Chempolis Ltd and Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) is moving towards construction
February 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Washington Lawmakers Consider Putting A Price On Carbon
by Ken Christensen (KCTS9/EarthFix) State lawmakers this week began discussing a measure that could make Washington the first state to tax residents and businesses on their carbon emissions. ... More than 350,000 voters signed petitions for Initiative 732. Under state law, Washington’s
February 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Issue Brief: Obama FY2017 Budget Proposal: Sustainable Energy, Buildings, Transportation and Climate
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On February 9, 2016, President Obama released his $4.15 trillion fiscal year (FY) 2017 federal budget proposal, a 5 percent increase over 2016. In his final budget request, President Obama is seeking to increase funding
February 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Con: As Climate Change Disasters Loom, It’s No Time to Discard Obama’s Environmental Legacy
by Wayne Madsen (GazetteXtra) EDITOR’S NOTE: The writer is addressing the question, “Should the U.S. scrap ethanol mandates and use its energy surplus to spur the economy?” Critics, particularly big businesses and right-wing conservatives, keep carping about the costs of the
February 12, 2016 Read Full Article
After the Fall: Rebuilding US Liquid Fuel Production - Invest in Our Land or the Shale Oil Fields? (Part 2 of 2)
Efforts to promote a sustainable use of natural resources are not a waste of money, but rather an investment capable of providing other economic benefits in the medium term. If we look at the larger picture, we can see that
February 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Cool Planet Raises $9m to Commercialize Co2 Sequestering Biocarbon Soil Input
by Louisa Burwood-Taylor (AgFunder News) Cool Planet, the biocarbon and biofuel producer, has raised $9 million in extra funding to commercialize its soil amendment product CoolTerra, which just earned a USDA Certified Biobased Product Label. ... But the majority of funding until
February 11, 2016 Read Full Article
India's First Biofuel Refinery to Be Ready by 2019
by Supratim Dey (Business Standard) With Indian oil marketing companies (OMCs) witnessing a surge in the requirement of bio-fuel, as national policies mandate certain percentage of its blending with petrol and diesel, India within next three years will get its first bio-fuel
February 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Will Renewable Biofuel Help "Redeem" Clean Energy Fuels?
(The Motley Fuel) ... Can the company's renewable natural gas, which it sells under the brand name Redeem, continue to drive growth even in the current environment? I think it can, but there's more to like than just Redeem. Let's talk
February 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Egregor Plans Ethanol Plant in Northern Russia
(Biofuels International) Egregor Biotech and Evolution Group is planning to construct a bioethanol plant in the forest-rich Komi Republic in Northern Russia. The plant would process 400,000 tpy of unusable timber and sawmill residues into 100,000 tonnes of ethanol, according to
February 11, 2016 Read Full Article
What These Christians Are Giving up for Lent: Fossil Fuels
by Chelsea Harvey (The Washington Post) A new initiative in the United Kingdom is not only calling for Christian communities to band together in support of clean energy, but actually helping them get their own electricity that way. The Big Church
February 11, 2016 Read Full Article
The Shocking Truth About America’s Ethanol Law: It Doesn’t Matter (For Now)
by Dan Charles (New England Public Radio) ... If you oppose government interventions in the free market, as Cruz does, the RFS is an outrage. ... This view of the RFS is widely shared across the political spectrum, including, for instance, the
February 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Following-up on RFS Questions
by Jonathan Coppess (Farm Doc Daily) The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has been a hot topic of late given the release of the final rule and its rather prominent feature leading up to the recent Iowa caucuses. The RFS discussions have
February 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Bio-Based Solvents for Green Extraction of Lipids from Oleaginous Yeast Biomass for Sustainable Aviation Biofuel
Cassandra Breil, Alice Meullemiestre, Maryline Vian, and Farid Chemat (MDPI) Lipid-based oleaginous microorganisms are potential candidates and resources for the sustainable production of biofuels. This study was designed to evaluate the performance of several alternative bio-based solvents for extracting lipids
February 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels USA’s Joanne Ivancic Recognized as One of Top 100 People in the Advanced Bioeconomy by Biofuels Digest
For Immediate Release February 11, 2016—Frederick, MD Readers and editors of the international online publication, Biofuels Digest, for the sixth consecutive year, recognized Advanced Biofuels USA executive director Joanne Ivancic as one of the Top 100 People in the Advanced
February 11, 2016 Read Full Article
World Biofuels Market Bio Business Awards Nominations Open DEADLINE: February 19, 2016
Nominations for this year’s WBM Bio Business Awards are now open. Returning once again to World Bio Markets we have 8 carefully selected categories designed to celebrate and acknowledge the people, companies, partnerships and organisations that are driving the bioeconomy to
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: Algae Biomass Summit — October 23-27, 2016 — Phoenix, AZ DEADLINE: March 16, 2016
Submit an Abstract to the Largest Algae Biomass Conference in the World! The first priority deadline is March 16, 2016. The Algae Biomass Organization is now accepting abstracts for speaking and poster opportunities for the 2016 Algae Biomass Summit, to be held
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Chinese Energy Giant Plans €1bn Biofuel Plant in Northern Finland
(YLE) The Chinese firm Kaidi announced that it wants to build a big biodiesel refinery in Kemi. Kaidi Finland's CEO says this signals a new phase in Finnish industrial history, driven by the need to replace fossil fuels with biofuels. ... The
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Queensland Government Eyes Biofuels Fund to Help Economy
(Biofuels International) The Australia-based Queensland Government is to investigate the establishment of a biofutures industry development fund, which would look to financially assist first mover investment in the biofuels industry. According to local news website Daily Mercury, Premier Annastacia Palaszcuk made
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
What You Need to Know about the Federal Trade Commission’s Final Rule Regarding Labeling of Ethanol Blends Beyond 10%
by Kelly Davis (Renewable Fuels Association) The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a final rule on how ethanol blends above 10% must be labeled at retail fuel stations. The final rule, which was published on Jan. 14, will go
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Taking a Bite out of Emissions in the Big Apple
by Tom Slunecka (Biodiesel Magazine/Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council) ... For those of us old enough to remember the 1970s (I thought I’d never be old enough to write that), America’s cities often fought a losing, or possibly lukewarm, battle against
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Howell Says 2016 May Be Busiest Year Yet for Biodiesel at ASTM
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) An abundance of ASTM and ISO biodiesel activities may make 2016 the busiest year yet at the standards organizations, said National Biodiesel Board senior technical advisor Steve Howell. At the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Gasoline Keeps Getting Dirtier while Alternatives Keep Getting Cleaner
by David Roberts (VOX) The Union of Concerned Scientists has issued a new report that takes a high-level look at three key transportation fuels: gasoline, biofuels, and electricity. It compares their greenhouse gas emissions, taking into account their full life cycle,
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Farmers Optimistic about Corn Stalk Sugar Mill Plans
(The Observer) A group of Southwestern Ontario farmers are one step closer to building a sugar mill for corn stalks and other plant matter, to help boost their bottom lines and attract more biochemical plants and jobs to the area. Bioindustrial
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Clean Energy Redeem: UPS in Texas
(Fleets & Fuels) Sales of the Renewable Natural Gas More than Doubled in 2015 -- Clean Energy Fuels said today that its sales of Redeem brand biomethane, aka renewable natural gas, more than doubled last year to 50 million gallons, from
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
115 Civil Society Groups Call for Bioenergy to Be Excluded from the RED post-2020
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In the UK, 115 civil society organizations and networks from across the globe have published a declaration calling for bioenergy to be excluded from the next EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED). The declaration is being
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Team Explains the Higher Cellulolytic Activity of a Vital Microorganism
(Phys.org/National Renewable Energy Laboratory) Researchers at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) say better understanding of a bacterium could lead to cheaper production of cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels. Their discovery was
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Lincoln Terminal Co., a Southeast Oil Products and Biofuels Marketing and Logistics company, said on Monday that it has acquired the Eco terminal (former Crown) in Charlotte, N.C., Last Week, Expanding Its Terminal Network to Four
(TankTerminals.com) ...The Charlotte terminal has a total capacity of 130,000 bbl, and serves gasoline, ULSD, ethanol and biodiesel. The terminal has good tankage flexibility for different products and automated biodiesel blending will be an added service. The terminal is complementary
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Drop-In Renewable Fuels, Competitive with $30 Oil: The Digest’s 20-Slide Guide to the Correia Process
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Germany and Portugal, a new drop-in biofuels process has emerged which is cost compettive with $30 oil, according to the inventors. The process breaks even with crude oil, on an 10-year amortized basis for
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
A New, Renewable, Drop-In, Waste-Based Fuel Emerges, Competitive with $30 Oil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Out of the EU comes a biogasoline blendstock made from waste residues in a novel process that promises to radically slash the cost of bioconversion. The Digest reports. In Germany and Portugal, a new drop-in biofuels
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Algae Fuels Boosted by NREL Process
(Algae Industry Magazine) A new biorefinery process developed by scientists at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has proven to be significantly more effective at producing ethanol from algae than previous research. The process, dubbed Combined Algal Processing (CAP), is
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
US Files Civil Complaint against VW for Clean Air Act Violations
(Biodiesel Magazine/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. EPA, filed a civil complaint Jan. 4 in federal court in Detroit, Michigan, against Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, Volkswagen Group of America Inc., Volkswagen Group
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
High Tech Mecca: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to Biotech at Sandia National Labs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sandia’s Bioenergy and Defense Technologies department, which is part of Sandia’s Biological and Materials Sciences Center, supports mission areas in biodefense, emerging infectious disease, and biofuels. The department conducts fundamental research in cell biology, immunology, and microbiology,
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Affordable, Drop-In Hydrocarbons from Wood: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to CRI/GTI’s IH2 process
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The IH2 process was developed by Gas Technology Institute (GTI) of Des Plaines, Illinois—a research, development, and training organization serving energy markets. GTI experts invented, tested, and patented IH2 technology and are providing ongoing commercialization support. Twelve
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Short on Sustainable Hydrogen? Here Comes New Water-Splitting Tech to Save the Day
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) You may not know it, but you are short on hydrogen. Right now. We live in a hydrogen-starved world, and it’s expensive to make. And most of what we make is unsustainable, produced from fossil sources.
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Half The Oil: The Digest’s 8-Slide Guide to the UCS Plan to Reduce Petroleum Use
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the Union of Concerned Scientists has released a major report, “Half the Oil”, outlining steps required to achieve a 50% reduction in petroleum use in the US Pacific Coast States by 2030. The
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
EPA's FY 2016 Budget Proposal Increases Support for Communities to Deliver Core Environmental and Health Protections
(Environmental Protection Agency) The Obama Administration Fiscal Year 2016 budget announced today for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lays out a strategy to ensure that all Americans benefit from the economic recovery we are seeing today. The proposed EPA
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
DuPont Says RFS Volumes Put Company's Cellulosic Ethanol Investments at Risk
(DTN/Progessive Farmer/KTIC Radio) DuPont filed a motion Friday to intervene in a lawsuit seeking review of the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest Renewable Fuel Standard volumes, arguing the final volume requirements put the company’s cellulosic ethanol investments at risk. ... DuPont has completed
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Why Flint? Why Dieselgate? Why Was the EPA Prevented From Acting?
by Robert E. Kozak* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Of all the grandstanding by politicians over the Flint, Michigan, drinking water disaster perhaps the most hypocritical has been that of Democrats such as Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton heaping all the blame on
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Blog: More Details on the High Octane Story
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) I really enjoyed learning about research into midlevel ethanol blends from Timothy Theiss and Brian West, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. "E25, E40 for the masses" went live on our website last week
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Nigeria: Investing in an Ethanol Plant for Export
by Uba Godwin (This Day/AllAfrica.com/Global Trust Consulting Group) Uba Godwin writes on how cassava and other raw materials could be processed into ethanol for export -- It is disheartened that Nigerians at this level of technological development worldwide are still
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
HOW TO SHAPE The Next Level of The European Bio-Based Economy?
(Bio-based News) What Does the Concept of Bio-Based Economy Promise? The idea of creating a Bio-based Economy is exciting for the material sector: It promises to introduce new chemicals, building-blocks and polymers with new functionalities; to develop new process technologies
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Towards Advanced Biofuels – Options for Integrating 1st and 2nd Generation biofuel Production (RES-T-BIOPLANT)
(IEA-RETD/IEA Implementing Agreement for Renewable Energy Technology Deployment) The integration of advanced (2nd generation / 2G) biofuel plants with conventional (1st generation / 1G) biofuel plants can lead to significant synergies and cost savings, especially for bioethanol plants. For biodiesel,
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Moment of Truth for Pioneering Biofuel Project
by Mbongeni Mguni (Mmegi Online) A one-hectare plot containing 1,526 Jatropha trees bears the country’s hopes for greater energy diversity and the promise of an alternative revenue source for farmers. This week, Staff Writer, MBONGENI MGUNI, finds that after four years
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
The Extreme 16: Strutting Microbial Terminators Pumping up the Pursuit of Sustainable Molecules
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Take it to the Extreme, with these microscopic wonders that are changing the way we pursue sustainable fuels, renewable chemicals and biobased materials. -- These days, researchers are turning up life forms trapped under hundreds of
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Take Mr. Obama’s Oil Fee Proposal Seriously
(The Washington Post Editorial) ... In his new budget proposal, Mr. Obama is proposing a $10-per-barrel fee on oil, which would translate into about 24 cents per gallon of refined gasoline. He would spend the proceeds on the Highway Trust Fund
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
West Coast States Could Cut Petroleum Consumption in Half by 2030
(Union of Concerned Scientists) Analysis Finds Extending and Expanding Current Clean Transportation Policies Would Significantly Reduce Oil Use -- California, Oregon and Washington could cut their petroleum use by half in the next 15 years through policies that encourage greater transportation
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
CQU Team behind Biodiesel Made from Waste Oil in Talks with Caltex
by Sophie Vorrath (ReNewEconomy) A Central Queensland University (CQU) research team that is converting waste grease and oil into biodiesel has attracted the attention of an international oil major, ahead of plans to go into commercial production some time this year. ABC
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
First Indian Biofuel Ship Set for Fleet Review
by Kalyan Ray Visakhapatnam (Deccan Herald) When President Pranab Mukherjee will review the naval fleet on Saturday, a small Indian naval vessel with green bands on both sides may emerge as the centre of attraction as it would be the first
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
New ICAO Aircraft CO2 Standard One Step Closer To Final Adoption
(International Civil Aviation Organization) An eagerly awaited aircraft CO2 emissions standard made further and important headway today at the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The new environmental measure was unanimously recommended by the 170 international experts on ICAO’s Committee on
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Ultimate Review: The Unlimited Biotech Potential of Algae
(Labiotech.eu) Is the Future of Biotech…Green? The Algae Industry ranges from Biofuels to Nutrition to Fashion and Microalgae hold lots of potential for the industry to expand. But why? And do Venture Capitalists agree? Microalgae have already been established as incredibly valuable
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
GOED Awarded $1.5 Million for Ethanol Program
(South Dakota Ag Connection) South Dakota is ramping up its efforts to increase ethanol usage in South Dakota, thanks in part to a $1.5 million U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation (USDA - CCC) federal grant awarded to the
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Analyzing Biofuels From Rice 2016 - Research and Markets
(Research and Markets/BusinessWire) Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/fnbdpf/analyzing) has announced the addition of the "Analyzing Biofuels from Rice" report to their offering. This report on Analyzing Biofuels from Rice is a comprehensive digest on biofuels and endeavors to deliver a better understanding
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
NASA Should Be the Key to the Crucial Development of Large Scale Bio-Jetfuel and Rocket Fuel End-to-End Production
by Robert E. Kozak* (Advanced Biofuels USA) In looking at a way to jump-start this country’s bogged down production of biomass-based jetfuel (Jet-A, JP-5, JP-8) and rocket fuel (RP-1/2), the early history of the US space program should serve as
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
E25, E40 for the Masses
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Widely introducing consumers to 'super premium' ethanol blends could offer substantial benefits, but the barriers to making it happen are significant as well. -- Which needs to come first, a new high-octane midlevel ethanol
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Indiana Bill Would Extend Misfueling Immunity to Mid-Level Blends
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) In mid-January, a congressman in the Indiana General Assembly introduced a bill that aims to increase use of ethanol-blended fuels by expanding immunity for the misuse of blended fuel. The legislation, H.B. 1364, was introduced
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
EPA Rulemaking Aims to Update GHG Reporting Requirements
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA has published a proposed rule that aims to amend specific provisions in the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule, including some provisions related to biogas and ethanol. ... Regarding ethanol, the proposed rule aims to
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Economists: Ethanol Retains Low-Cost Octane Enhancer Status
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Ethanol continues to maintain its status as the low-cost octane enhancer, in spite of low oil prices reducing the cost of competing petroleum-based aromatics. The biggest threat, say University of Illinois economists Scott
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Energy Bill Amendments Aim to Impede Biofuels, Benefit Bioenergy
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Senate is currently considering the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015. To date, lawmakers have introduced more than 275 amendments to the bill, including several that would impact biofuels and bioenergy. ... Several of
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Why the U.S. East Coast Could Be a Major ‘Hotspot’ for Rising Seas
by Chris Mooney (The Washington Post) New research published Monday adds to a body of evidence suggesting that a warming climate may have particularly marked effects for some citizens of the country most responsible for global warming in the first place — namely,
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
L.A. County Files Criminal Charges over Porter Ranch Gas Leak
by Paige St. John and Alice Walton (Los Angeles Times) Southern California Gas Co. on Tuesday was charged with failing to immediately notify state authorities about the natural gas leak in Aliso Canyon. L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey filed four misdemeanor
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
2 House Members File To Form Bipartisan Caucus On Climate (Yes, They're Both From S. Florida)
(DemocraticUnderground.com) Two congressmen — Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R) and Rep. Theodore Deutch (D), both of Florida, filed paperwork this week to create the Climate Solutions Caucus. The group plans to look at options to address climate change and will serve “to
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Obama to Seek New Tax on Oil in Budget Proposal
by Ayesha Rascoe and Valerie Volcovici (Reuters) U.S. President Barack Obama will launch a long-shot bid next week to impose a $10-a-barrel tax on crude oil that would fund the overhaul of the nation's aging transportation infrastructure, the White House
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Mixed-Growth Microalgae Starch for Biodiesel
(Algae Industry Magazine) The MEHR News Agency reports that two Iranian researchers, Morteza Hassanpour and Mahsa Abbasabadi, are pursuing a project to enrich starch-producing microalgae in a mixed growth medium for manufacturing biodiesel fuel. The starch stored in microalgae is the basic
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Why More And More Airlines Are Going Green
by Josh Lew (Travel Pulse) There has been an movement over the past few years to place limits on the amount of pollution caused by commercial air travel. Certain forms of manufacturing and the practice of burning coal for power carry
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Energy Department Announces $11.3 Million Available for Mega-Bio: Bioproducts to Enable Biofuels
(U.S. Department of Energy) The Energy Department today announced up to $11.3 million in funding to develop flexible biomass-to-hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways that can be modified to produce advanced fuels and/or products based on external factors, such as market demand.
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Communique from Global Bioeconomy Summit: “Promoting Technologies, Governance, Cooperation” Are Key to Sustainable Bioeconomy.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The first Global Bioeconomy Summit in Berlin Germany released a communique: “We, a community of experts and stakeholders from more than 50 countries, met in Berlin to review the state of bioeconomy in different parts of
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Materials – Cleaner Biomass Cookstoves …
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Some of the estimated 4 million premature deaths each year attributed to indoor cookstove smoke might be prevented because of the work of researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Colorado State University and Envirofit International. With 3
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
A Map to Progress
(American Coalition for Ethanol) To coincide with the fly-in, ACE created an ‘infographic’ promoting the benefits of the RFS. Titled “The Right Direction: How the RFS is a Map to Progress,” the new infographic pinpoints how the RFS is accomplishing
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Biodiesel: Fightback Needed against the Merchants of Doubt, says NBB Chief
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Though optimistic, NBB CEO Joe Jobe also noted significant challenges still remain. “While our fight is not over, we have a different future. 2016 is going to be our strongest year yet,” he said. “A
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to Industrial Symbiosis
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Around the world today, we have some examples of integrated industrial systems — where communities reduce waste and consumption through a connected overall design that delivers the wastes from one industrial process as the feedstock
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Transportation and Industrial Ecology – Making Sustainability Sustainable?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Real-world Industrial Ecology Projects and NREL’s Sustainable Mobility projects show a way forward that EPCOT once charted in our stars. -- ... After all, as population and affluence rise, so too grow the demands for
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
DE-FOA-0001434: Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement MEGA-BIO: Bioproducts to Enable Biofuels (NO. DE-FOA-0001433)
(U.S. Department of Energy) The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “MEGA-BIO: Bioproducts to Enable Biofuels”. This FOA supports BETO’s goal of
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Sandia Launches Algae Testing Facility
(Algae Industry Magazine) The new algae raceway testing facility, opening February 4 at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California, paves a direct path between laboratory research and solving the demand for clean energy, according to lab researchers. “The success of moving
February 07, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Pioneer ADM's Struggle Reflects Deepening Industry Woes
by Chris Prentice, Michael Hirtzer and Karl Plume (Reuters) When Archer Daniels Midland opened two of the country's largest ethanol plants in Nebraska and Iowa six years ago, the biofuels market was on the cusp of a boom with prices
February 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Renewable Accounts: Solid Biofuels, Part One
by David Ripplinger (NDSU Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics) When I returned to the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics at North Dakota State University in 2010, I expected my research to focus on the economics of liquid biofuels. The
February 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Key Vote: Senate Energy Bill Amendments
(American Energy Alliance) The Senate is poised to consider broad energy legislation, the first of its kind since 2007. S.2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act, seeks to address various facets of energy policy, from efficiency standards to power supply and
February 03, 2016 Read Full Article
NREL Conducts Biodiesel Stability Study in HPCR Fuel Systems
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) National Renewable Energy Lab principal engineer Robert McCormick presented results at the 2016 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo in Tampa, Florida, Jan. 25-28, from a recent study on biodiesel stability in high-pressure common rail (HPCR)
February 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Sups Seek to Clarify New Biofuel Plant Rules
by Blake Herzog (Yuma Sun) New definitions and regulations for the construction of biofuel production plants were approved by the Yuma County Board of Supervisors Monday, but members asked for the ordinance to be clarified to not discourage plants making
February 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Supporters Push Back against ‘False Narrative’
by Ken Anderson (Brownfield Ag News) Ethanol supporters are pushing back against what they say is a “false narrative” regarding Senator Ted Cruz’s victory in the Iowa caucuses. Some political pundits say Cruz’s victory is a sign that the ethanol industry
February 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Stations Continue to Sell Ethanol-Blended Gas, Despite State Law Repeal
(KHON2) One month after gas stations were allowed to start selling fuel without ethanol, Hawaii drivers are still stuck with mostly the same blended gasoline. The new law removes the mandate that required up to 10 percent of ethanol in the gas. Many drivers
February 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Hydrothermal Processing on the Move: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to AVA Biochem
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... AVA Biochem is expanding its product portfolio to include platform chemical FDCA (2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid). In addition to 5-HMF, the Swiss company will now deliver FDCA to customers and partners engaged in research and development of new
February 03, 2016 Read Full Article
The Latest in Gevolution
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Meanwhile, Praj and Gevo announced a monster hook-up here for converting ethanol distilleries to isobutanol. Here’s the structure: Praj would be the customer-facing entity marketing Gevo’s isobutanol technology to Praj’s existing customer base, and would provide
February 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Advances in Racing Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Gulf Racing Fuels becomes the Official Fuel of MSR Houston Race Track. MSR Houston is a private membership country club race track. Gevo, is supplying Gulf the bio-isobutanol produced at Gevo’s fermentation plant in Luverne, MN. MSR
February 03, 2016 Read Full Article
4 Advanced Biofuel Plants for Argentina as Porta, Gevo Announce Deal
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Gevo and Porta are targeting the construction of at least four isobutanol plants in Argentina; first plant to be wholly owned by Porta, with a targeted production capacity of up to five million gallons per year In
February 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Bangladesh Looking for Algae Developers
by M. Asraful Alam (Algae Industry Magazine/Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Science, China) ... According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the country has achieved near self-sufficiency in food grain production but is far behind in energy
February 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Backers Say Higher Blends Would Reduce Air Toxics
by Renee Schoof (Bloomberg BNA) A group of farm-state governors and some advocates for clean energy are pressing the Environmental Protection Agency to get tougher on toxic air pollution from motor vehicles in a way that could lead to a bigger
February 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Ghana’s First Ethanol Plant to Begin Production
(GhanaWeb) Caltech Ventures, a cassava cropping and processing company at Hodzo, in the Ho Municipality, is to begin the production of cassava-derived ethanol by March this year, the first in Ghana. Ghana currently imports 60 million litres of ethanol yearly. ... All is
February 02, 2016 Read Full Article
2016 Time to Double-down on Renewable Chemicals
by Corinne Young and Michele Jalbert (Biofuels Digest/re:chem Alliance) For all of 2015’s turbulence in the renewable chemical sector, in one area – US government policy – the industry saw marked progress. For the last two years, the Renewable Chemical &
February 02, 2016 Read Full Article
The Scythe Swings at Solazyme: 50+ laid off, following expansion of Solazyme Bunge JV
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Solazyme reports: “As part of Solazyme, Inc.’s continuing strategy to focus its operations on targeted, higher-value product categories, on January 29, 2016, Solazyme undertook another step in streamlining operations. This step included a reduction in
February 02, 2016 Read Full Article
The Race for the 100% Biobased Plastic Bottle
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Switzerland, AVA Biochem revealed that it is expanding its product portfolio to include platform chemical FDCA (2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid)— and that’s a pathway to a molecule called PEF that’s a potential bio-based replacement for PET used to
February 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Here's Where the 2016 Republican Field Stands on Climate Change
by Anthony Adragna (Bloomberg BNA) ... Businessman Donald Trump: The Republican front-runner has disputed the notion that human activity significantly contributes to climate change. In 2012, Trump wrote, "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order
February 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Cambridge Firm Turns Food Waste into Biofuel, with a Little Help from Some Flies
(Cambridge News) Entomics is turning food waste into biofuel and animal feed. -- ... Known as Entomos before a recent rebrand, Entomics has been co-founded by four Cambridge University graduates who met on the sustainability challenge organised by CUTEC, the university's
February 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Leviathan Partners Sign $1.3 Billion Gas Deal With Edeltech
by Sharon Wrobel (Bloomberg Business) Israel’s natural gas companies and Noble Energy Inc. have signed the first contract to supply fuel from the country’s largest gas reserves, the offshore Leviathan field. Partners in Leviathan will supply 6 billion cubic meters of
February 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Think Crude's Cheap? Biodiesel's Going for Free in Some Places
by Laura Blewitt and Mario Parker (Bloomberg) ... Biodiesel’s become so cheap in the U.S. that some refiners are being paid to use it. Midwest refiners are paying as little as 64.5 cents a gallon for the fuel after factoring in a $1-a-gallon
February 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Cruz's Iowa Victory Could Be Big Blow to Big Corn
by Chris Prentice (Reuters) Feb 1 U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz's victory on Monday in corn-rich Iowa could represent a major blow to the nation's controversial biofuels program, reflecting its waning influence over politicians even in the U.S. farm
February 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Boeing Collaborates with Canadian Aviation Industry for Biofuel Project
by Vikas Vij (Just Means) Canada has extensive sustainably certified forests, which it can leverage to make environmental progress in various industrial sectors. The country has long used mill and forest residues to make wood pellets that are used to generate
February 02, 2016 Read Full Article
In the Ethanol Wars, Both Sides Are Wrong
by C. Boyden Gray (Des Moines Register) The Iowa primary has put into play one of the more obscure issues in the political life of the nation — ethanol, of all things. Donald Trump led off his rant against Sen.
February 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Ted Cruz: I Support an All-of-the-Above Energy Strategy; Remove the Ethanol Blend Wall
(NBC News Meet the Press) ... CHUCK TODD: Let's talk about two issues here that seem to be potentially tripping you up here in Iowa. One is ethanol. You have come out against these subsidies, you called it a "gravy train." A
February 01, 2016 Read Full Article
IIT-Roorkee Scientists Patent Low-Cost Biofuel Tech
by Tapan Susheel (Times of India) Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IIT-R) have achieved remarkable success in generating low-cost biofuel using a perennial weed, Kans grass. This grass, native to the subcontinent, grows up to three feet
February 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Senate Energy Bill Sees Several Renewable Fuel Amendments
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On January 27, the Senate began consideration of the Energy Policy Modernization Act (S. 2012). The bill was shepherded through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee by Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Ranking Member Maria
February 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Study Demonstrates Value of Corn Distillers Oil in Poultry
by Kassidi Andres (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Grains Council recently conducted a research study with North Carolina State University that determined carotenoid pigments, a naturally occurring yellow or red pigment used to enhance egg yolk or poultry, may add potential value
February 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels Retail Advancement in Wisconsin Transportation (BRAWT) Program
(Wisconsin Clean Cities) On October 28, 2015, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, Office of Energy Innovation (OEI) had been awarded $3.7 million through the Biofuels Infrastructure Program (BIP) to significantly expand
February 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Video Challenge: Biobased Solutions Will Conquer the World DEADLINE: February 17, 2016
(Eco-Bio) Do you have an idea on how to use sustainable biomass to make biobased products? Yes? Participate in this challenge! You can participate by submitting a short movie about a potentially valuable organic waste stream that could be used to
February 01, 2016 Read Full Article
CALL FOR SPEAKERS: Second National Energy Education Summit --- June 7, 2016 --- Washington, DC DEADLINE: March 1, 2016
The Council of Energy Research and Education Leaders (CEREL) of the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) is now ready to accept abstracts for talks at the 2nd National Energy Education Summit, which will take place June 7,
February 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Penn State Harvests First Crop of Willow
by Michael Jacobson (NEBioenergy) On a cold crisp day in early January, an historic event took place in Central Pennsylvania. The location was minutes from the Penn State campus. The wait was over. The specialized harvesting equipment had arrived from NY, the
February 01, 2016 Read Full Article
NEWBio Scholarships Available: Online Bioenergy Graduate Education DEADLINE: March 15, 2016
(NEWBio) NEWBio is offering a limited number of scholarships for students to take the following online graduate-level bioenergy courses during the summer semester of 2016: ABE884 (Bioenergy Systems) and ABE885 (Bioenergy Harvest and Logistics). Find more information and the scholarship
February 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Sciences Education and Literacy Initiative Fellowships DEADLINES: February 11, March 18 and March 24, 2016
(US Department of Agriculture) Program: Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) | AFRI Education and Literacy Initiative | Educational Scholarship Programs The AFRI Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Human Sciences Education and Literacy Initiative (ELI) provides fellowships to undergraduate, predoctoral,
February 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Virent Announces Strategic Collaboration with Tesoro to Advance the Commercialization of Virent’s BioForming Technology for Low Carbon Fuels and Chemicals
(Virent) Virent has entered into a new strategic relationship with Tesoro to accelerate the development and commercialization of Virent’s BioForming technology to produce cost effective, low-carbon, drop-in, bio-based fuels and chemicals. The agreement provides funding to Virent to advance its
February 01, 2016 Read Full Article
ExxonMobil’s Energy Outlook Projects Energy Demand Increase and Decline in Carbon Intensity
(ExxonMobil/BusinessWire) Global energy demand expected to increase 25 percent between 2014-2040, driven by population and economic growth; Carbon intensity of the global economy to fall by half due to significant energy efficiency gains and a gradual transition to less carbon-intensive energy
February 01, 2016 Read Full Article
29 New Industrial Products Open New Markets for Soy
(United Soybean Board) Farmer-funded projects drive innovations in soy chemistry -- Last year, the soy checkoff partnered with researchers to develop 29 new soy-based products that replace petrochemicals and help manufacturers meet sustainability objectives. These products, and hundreds of others
February 01, 2016 Read Full Article
The Top 100 People in the Advanced Bioeconomy 2016
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The “Top 100 People in the Advanced Bioeconomy” for 2016 as nominated and voted by the readers of The Digest and the publication’s editorial board. For comparison purposes, the The Top People for 2015 rankings