Gold Star Biofuels a subsidiary of Gold Star Farms Ltd., is cultivating five million acres of land in Ghana to plant jatropha for the production of biofuels for export. According to the firm it has secured commitment from farmers to
A shuttered pulp mill at Prince Albert, Saskatchewan could be the new site for a facility to make cellulosic ethanol from farmers' cereal straw. Saskatchewan's provincial government on Monday inked a letter of intent with Domtar, owner of the pulp
Every spring, the US Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Biomass Program hosts a FREE 2-day conference and expo exploring biomass as an energy source. The Biomass Program works with industry, academia and national laboratory partners
Katie Howell: Jet fuels derived from algae, camelina and jatropha -- plants that pack an energy punch, are not eaten as food and do not displace food crops -- could be approved and replacing petroleum fuels in commercial flights as
The National Algae Association is building a buying consortium to help its members build algae farms and production plants more cost efficiently. NAA staff are meeting with various equipment and service providers to negotiate the best prices and terms for NAA members to help drive down their
Biofuels Digest reports that in Ethiopia, Ardent Energy Group announced an agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MOARD) of Ethiopia to transfer 15,000 hectares, approximately 37,000 acres, to AEG for the purpose of cultivating jatropha and castor.
Next-gen biofuel projects in Canada are eligible for up to 40 percent incentive to be repaid over 10 years. A nonprofit funded by the Canadian federal government announced today its latest call for applications for its $500 million fund created
Waste Management, Inc. and InEnTec LLC announced the formation of S4 Energy Solutions LLC, a joint venture to develop, operate and market plasma gasification facilities using InEnTec's Plasma Enhanced Melter (PEM™) technology. The joint venture is expected to process waste
Cathay Forest Products Corp. says it will pay C$2.9 million to acquire 40 per cent of Eco-Energy China Group, a private biodiesel producer based in China's southwestern province of Guizhou. Cathay Forest, which has its head office in Richmond Hill,
This paper forms a component of the Renewable Energy and Distributed Generation Task Force (REDGTF) project: Identifying optimal legal frameworks for renewable energy in China and India (the Project). The Project is undertaken by Baker & McKenzie and the Renewable
In a letter addressed to PM Manmohan Singh, a day after he assumed office for the second consecutive term, chief minister Nitish Kumar has demanded favourable consideration of state's pending requests, ... Nitish also demanded the withdrawal of the order
Danish oil group and shipping company AP Moller-Maersk is in talks with US plane maker Boeing about developing biofuels for planes as well as ships, a senior executive of AP Moller told a newspaper in an interview. The executive, AP Moller
Biofuels Digest presents a special report on biofuels aviation, including coverage of feedstocks, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, engine makers and policy. READ MORE
GreenFuel Technologies, one of the first companies to enter the algae biofuels business, is shutting down after running out of money. Investor Duncan McIntyre of Polaris Venture Partners on Wednesday confirmed GreenFuel Technologies' demise, saying that the company is a
By Michael Harris ----- BioWorld sees a number of dynamics that have the capacity to impact and define the future of the biofuels market. Some of these mitigating factors are: ... Biofuels can be over-hyped, but the actual and impending consequences
By Kathleen Kite-Powell ----- Outside of the North America, the range of progress toward the use of ethanol-fueled vehicles is quite broad, from countries that only use conventional petroleum-based gasoline-powered vehicles to countries attempting to convert to 100 percent ethanol
Bio Base Europe is a joint initiative of Biopark Terneuzen and Ghent Bio-Energy Valley. Both organisations have been working for some time for the expansion of a bio-based economy in the Flanders-Netherlands border region. Contrary to what is frequently assumed,
This is the first solicitation for the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). ARPA-E is a new organization within the Department of Energy (DOE), created specifically to foster research and development (R&D) of transformational energy-related technologies. … ARPA-E will
In late April, 2009, President Obama announced the launching of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), a new Department of Energy organization modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the defense agency that gave us the Internet, stealth aircraft,
In California, Burrill & Company released its 23rd annual industry report, Biotech 2009 Life Science, subtitled Navigating the Sea Change. The report contains extensive analysis and perspective on the performance of the biotech/life sciences industry in 2008 and forward projections for
Southern Online Bio Technologies Ltd. (Southern Online Bio Technologies), an India-based internet services provider, is planning to establish a third (jatropha and pongamia-based) biodiesel plant by the end of 2009. The company also said that its second plant is being
Dynamotive USA, Inc. executed a long-term contract for the supply of feedstock for a planned 200 TPD BioOil® plant to be developed in southern Arkansas. Contract envisages the supply of 220,000 green tons per year of green residues (sawdust) for
Lee County, Florida, Commissioners voted 3-2 to help fund the construction of a biodiesel processing plant by pledging $500,000 to Florida BioFuels LLC. The plant, which has no site or start date for construction, would have Lee County as its
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and others said the San Diego region, now home to more than 500 biotechnology companies, could become a major center for renewable energy development, as scientists from UC San Diego, The Scripps Research Institute and
On March 6, 2009, Growth Energy and 54 ethanol manufacturers submitted an application for a waiver of the prohibition of the introduction into commerce of certain fuels and fuel additives set forth in section 211(f) of the Clean Air Act
Biofuelproducers and biotechnologycompanies today asked Congressional leaders to help them overcome economic obstacles to obtaining financial backing and bring commercially ready advanced biofuels to the marketplace. READ MORE and MORE
The Southern Bioenergy Roadmap, a project of the Southeast Agriculture & Forestry Energy Resources Alliance (SAFER) and the University of Florida, shows that the South has abundant natural resources and intellectual capital to produce electricity and automotive fuel from plants,
A new Green Collar Jobs report from the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) based in Boulder, and Management Information Services, Inc (MISI), an internationally recognized economic research firm based in Washington D.C., provides a sector-by-sector analysis of where the
by Drew Casey (Biofuels and Bio-Based Carbon Mitigation) Recently, we have experienced increasing uncertainty about the threat of climate changes due to increased carbon emissions as well as volatility of global oil prices. Fossil fuels have been such a major part
UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced today that it has launched Envergent Technologies, LLC, a joint venture with Ensyn Corp., to offer technology and equipment to convert second-generation biomass into pyrolysis oil for power generation, heating fuel and for conversion
Enerkem Inc., a leading advanced biofuels and green chemicals technology company, announced plans to build and operate a second-generation biofuels production facility in Pontotoc, Mississippi, USA. It is expected to produce 20 million gallons per year of next-generation ethanol using a
Royal Dutch Shell plc and Codexis, Inc., announced an expanded agreement to develop better biocatalysts that could accelerate commercialisation of next generation biofuels. ... As part of the agreement, Codexis will work closely with Shell and Iogen Energy Corporation to
GREAT FALLS, Mont., -- Thirteen seed companies, processors and researchers of camelina have formed the first trade association focused on camelina production and processing in North America. The North American Camelina Trade Association (NACTA) will work to promote research, production
by Elizabeth Nesbitt (Journal of International Commerce and Economics) The increasing use of industrial biotechnology by the Chinese liquid biofuels and chemical industries is expected to help offset energy security and environmental concerns generated by China’s robust economic growth. The expanding use of bioprocesses
by Kessel Nelson (ASTM International Standardization News) Committee D02 on Petroleum Products and Lubricants has produced a set of standards for a non-petroleum fuel: biodiesel. READ MORE
The joint venture company will initially focus on developing and securing financing for a first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol facility in Highlands County, Florida and expects to break ground on that site in 2010. The estimated construction cost for this 36
Harvesting cobs will provide an additional revenue stream for farmers, without requiring them to change their planting practices. Agriculture equipment manufacturers are developing a wide range of options for farmers to ensure that harvesting cobs will not significantly slow the
Following three years of research, a team of energy, biotechnology and agribusiness veterans announced the formation of SG Biofuels, a San Diego, CA-based plant oil company specializing in the development of Jatropha as a low-cost, sustainably produced source of oil.
An in-depth study by Sandia National Laboratories and General Motors Corp. has found that plant and forestry waste and dedicated energy crops could sustainably replace nearly a third of gasoline use by the year 2030. The goal of the 90-Billion
Following three years of research, a team of energy, biotechnology and agribusiness veterans today announced the formation of SG Biofuels, a San Diego, CA-based plant oil company specializing in the development of Jatropha as a low-cost, sustainably produced source of
Japan Airlines (JAL) became the first airline to conduct a demonstration flight using a sustainable biofuel primarily refined from the energy crop, camelina. It was also the first demo flight using a combination of three sustainable biofuel feedstocks, as well
Through its purchase of Blue Sky Biofues, Sirona has acquired an Oakland, CA-based refinery that produces high-quality biodiesel from both virgin and non-virgin feedstocks. READ MORE
At the University of Nottingham, two of six research projects being run by the national £27m BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre hope to lead the way in the development of sustainable bioenergy fuels — Ethanol and Butanol using non-food crops, such
On January 26, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) a contract to help develop an alternative to petroleum-based jet fuel from agricultural and aquacultural feedstocks. The contract is worth up to $25 million
”Listening, watching and reading the international media's reporting on the Detroit car show, you could be forgiven for thinking that we will soon all be zipping around noiselessly in environmentally neutral electric cars.” Neil Winton of the Detroit News discusses
On January 7, 2009, Continental Airlines flew a successful demonstration out of Houston in partnership with Boeing, GE Aviation/CFM International, and Honeywell’s UOP. One of the Boeing 737’s two engines was powered with standard A1 aviation fuel. The other ran
Verenium operates one of the nation’s first cellulosic ethanol pilot plants, an R&D facility, in Jennings, Louisiana and has recently entered the start-up phase at its 1.4 million-gallon-per-year demonstration-scale facility. Stacks of crushed sugar cane stalks pile up waiting to
A New Zealand Air passenger jet partially powered by a 50-50 blend of oil from jatropha plants and standard A1 jet fuel successfully completed a two-hour flight December 30 to test a biofuel that could lower airplane emissions and cut
Among the top 50, 17 are active in cellulosic ethanol development, nine are developing algae-to-energy systems, and nine are producing other advanced biofuels or waste-to-energy technologies. The companies range from start-ups, funded by venture capital and corporate investors, to new
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering to guarantee loans of up to $250 million for commercial-scale biorefineries that produce biofuels from something other than corn starch. One company that plans to apply for a loan guarantee is Florida-based
One of the common frustrations that these leaders face is that the research and government organizations come to them for ideas or product samples, but instead of treating them as the drivers of innovation, they are treated as one of
(The Auto Channel) Though worlds apart, George Washington Carver and Henry Ford shared a vision of a future in which agricultural products would be put to new uses to create products and industries. One idea both men worked on more than
by Adam Lashinsky and Nelson D. Schwartz (CNN Money/Fortune Magazine) You probably don't know it, but the answer to America's gasoline addiction could be under the hood of your car. More than five million Tauruses, Explorers, Stratuses, Suburbans, and other vehicles
(Consortium on RuralTechnology) Biogas plants have been accepted by now in the country~as a device for improving the quality of the life of the people. They help in recycling of the cattie wastes and produce both fuel and manure from
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