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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of December 26th. In today’s Digest, enemy submarine detecting microorganisms, algae-based polymers, edible antimicrobial film, limestone-based bags, soybean oil based road sealant — these and more,
Defense
December 26, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We have word bubbling up simultaneously from Pennsylvania and Colorado that Gevo and Renmatix inked a joint development agreement to evaluate the commercial feasibility of creating renewable jet fuel by integrating Renmatix’s Plantrose Process with Gevo’s GIFT technology and alcohol to jet process. The key word
December 7, 2018
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by Danielle Ohl (Capital Gazette) The Naval Academy will raise one of its walls to combat sea level rise up to 3 feet in three decades, an environmental threat the institution shares with neighboring downtown Annapolis. At the quarterly Board of Visitors meeting Monday, Superintendent Vice Adm. Ted Carter announced the
December 5, 2018
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(Commercial Alternative Aviation Fuel Initiative) Congratulations go out to Bryan Sherbacow and the Team at AltAir Fuels! The company has won another Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Energy contract for the Rocky Mountain West Coast solicitation. The amount of the contract award is for 58 million gallons of a 30% blend of
October 29, 2018
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(U.S. Department of Energy/NGV Journal) The Energy Department announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Army to collaborate in the development of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for military and civilian use. Signed by the Director of the U.S. Department of Army’s Tank & Automotive Research Development and Engineering
October 20, 2018
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(U.S. Department of Energy) In celebration of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day, the Energy Department announces a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Army to collaborate in the development of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for military and civilian use. Signed by the Director of the U.S. Department of Army’s
October 10, 2018
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by Anna Bete, Yazmin Camacho, Jonah Carter, Jason Dong, Christopher Guptil, Max Herrmann, Hayley Jesse, Peter Menart, Travis O’Leary, and Laura Polanka* (Carroll High School and the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Air Force Research Laboratory) With growing environmental concerns on the rise in recent years, more companies and individuals are becoming
September 18, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ReadiJet contains the same molecules and has the same performance as petroleum jet fuel, all while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It meets Jet-A, Jet-A1, JP-5, JP-8 fuel specifications without the need for blending with petroleum. ReadiJet is undergoing ASTM certification for commercial use and MILSPEC certification
August 15, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From Portugal comes the news that SilicoLife was awarded with a SME instrument phase 1 grant for the commercial evaluation of its BUTANOVA technology, a new biological process to produce n-butanol. BUTANOVA technology consists on a novel and proprietary metabolic pathway designed computationally by SilicoLife and
August 3, 2018
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by Kurt Liedtke (Herald and News) On Wednesday, members of Red Rock Biofuels, political dignitaries, corporate representatives and a large community contingent gathered on the outskirts of Lakeview for a groundbreaking ceremony for the $320 million renewable fuels facility. Taking woody biomass waste products such as pine needles, agriculture waste,
July 30, 2018
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(Office of Queensland Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning The Honourable Cameron Dick) Queensland’s potential as the biofuel hub of the Asia Pacific has taken centre stage in Washington this week at a meeting with the US Department of the Navy. Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron
July 18, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In these top 20 projects, we usually say that we are using waste, but really we are converting something from a state of waste to a state of value — and that’s not just good for the project owners in question, it’s good for every stakeholder
by Mahmood Ebadian and James D. McMillan (IEA Bioenergy Task 39 Newsletter) … The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) was enacted in 2007 to enhance domestic production of fuels and spur economic development while reducing reliance on imports and improving the environment (through reducing both the absolute level of fossil fuel
May 11, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sierra Energy has created what is billed as “the world’s most efficient gasifier,” FastOx, developed in conjunction with UC Davis, US Army and California Energy Commission. Gasification is the missing link between complex feedstocks and a clean synthesis gas for use in a wide variety of
by Yvonne Rudman and Lynn Abramson (TechLink/Clean Energy Business Network) Are you a clean energy business interested in learning more about energy innovations coming out of the Department of Defense? If so, you should know about a free resource called TechLink. … TechLink is the Department of Defense’s national partnership intermediary. Its mission is
by David Ignatius (The Washington Post) … So how can the United States and its closest allies alter (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s behavior, if they’re truly serious about holding Russia to account? The answer, say several former senior CIA officials, is to use America’s network of alliances to put Russia
March 16, 2018
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by Travis J. Tritten (Washington Examiner) … (Former Navy Secretary Ray) Mabus’ vision is, however, quietly moving forward under the Trump administration. The Pentagon has authorized $140 million to help build two biofuel refineries in recent months, a move that has agitated some top Republican lawmakers who have long opposed
March 13, 2018
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(Phys.Org/American Chemical Society) Most people are cautious around gasoline and diesel for good reason, but some microbes love the stuff—especially biofuels that contain fatty acid derivatives. So, as the world tries to go “green,” it also has to consider the slime that such microbes leave behind, clogging up equipment and killing
March 13, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week marks the 10th anniversary of the first demo flight on biofuel which was done by Virgin Atlantic. LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren shared the factoid that, since that day, more than 100,000 commercial flights have used low carbon fuels. “This is especially amazing since in 2006
February 27, 2018
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by J. Brian Garmon (FuelCellsWorks) The U.S. Air Force is demonstrating hydrogen as an alternate fuel source at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. In a recent visit to Hickam, members of the Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s Energy and Operations directorates were given a tour of the installation’s hydrogen production facility
February 19, 2018
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(U.S. Department of Agriculture Commodity Credit Corporation and Farm Service Agency) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) has withdrawn support for the Farm-to-Fleet BPI Program, and is cancelling funding for the BPI payments to companies that are refining biofuel in the United States from certain domestically
February 7, 2018
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by Sean Mowbray (Pacific Standard) While the Trump administration has largely rejected climate change as an issue, the Department of Defense and Congress have identified it as a major potential threat to national security. — … On the other hand, the Republican-dominated Congress has affirmed that climate change is a prominent national
January 22, 2018
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(Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative) CAAFI announced today (January 16, 2018) that it is expanding its Administrative Leadership Team, naming Chris Tindal as CAAFI’s Assistant Director, a new role designed to enhance CAAFI’s outreach, catalyzation, and execution efforts. “I am extremely pleased that Chris Tindal has come onboard in this new
January 19, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) To date, North America is the most active of all regions in terms of deploying advanced technology — whether it is cellulosic ethanol, isobutanol for fuels and chemicals, or renewable chemical plants, you see the first and the most, here. There are three drivers for that:
January 19, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the world of drop-in military biofuels, two major updates appeared this week. In Oregon, Red Rock Biofuels got good news on Monday when the governor approved $245 million in bonds that will allow the company’s planned aviation biofuel plant thanks to overwhelming support by state
January 12, 2018
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In California, researchers from the US Navy at China Lake have developed a new class of drop-in renewable diesel from biomass using acid catalyzed condensation of 2-tridecanone with a series of diols through fermentation that provide similar energy levels as traditional biodiesel while providing up to a third more
January 4, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A mere “The Year in Rewind” as we sail into 2018? Not the good ship Digest! Instead, we dust off our crystal ball and offer our predictions for the year ahead. As the sunset of 2017 gives way to the dawn of 2018, once again roll
January 3, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The question is being raised all over Silicon Valley — and increasingly around the world — if biotechnology is essentially a branch of information technology. … Investors, theorists, entrepreneurs are forming a thesis that profound improvements in the physical world that are going to come because of radical
December 8, 2017
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by Erika Ebsworth-Goold (Washington University in St. Louis/The Source) An engineering team at Washington University in St. Louis is using e. coli to manufacture biofuel. New research from the lab further refines the process. … Scientists have previously engineered metabolic pathways of microbes, making them tiny biofuel factories. Now, new research from an
November 28, 2017
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(White House) President Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration: Phyllis L. Bayer of Mississippi to be an Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations, Energy, and the Environment. Ms. Bayer most recently served as Chief of Staff in the Office
For Immediate Release November 15, 2017—Frederick, MD Chris Tindal, former Director for Operational Energy working for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, has joined the Advanced Biofuels USA board of directors. Advanced Biofuels USA, an educational nonprofit dedicated to the understanding, development and use of advanced biofuels,
by Nicholas Kusnetz (InsideClimate News) The giant naval base at Norfolk is under threat by rising seas and sinking land, but little is being done to hold back the tides. — … Naval Station Norfolk, home to the Atlantic Fleet, floods not just in heavy rains or during hurricanes. It floods when the
October 30, 2017
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(University of New England) The United States Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the University of New England was awarded a three-year, nationally competitive research grant for $1,321,039 from DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). DOE awardees are part of a new program called “Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources
October 18, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Imagine, for example, a Boeing 777 flying non-stop between any two cities in the world. Or F-18A/F Superhornets adding significant weapon loads, or up to 30% to flight range. It’s like getting a new generation of aircraft without the multi-billion price tag. Gevo and Los Alamos
October 12, 2017
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(PR Web) The ABBA Integrated Biorefinery project, to be built at the AVAPCO Thomaston Georgia site, will co-produce bio jet fuel and Bioplus® nanocellulose. It has received a Phase 1, $3.7 million award from the Department of Energy. Negotiations with the Department of Energy (DOE) were completed and Phase 1 of
October 10, 2017
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(Phys.Org/South Dakota State University) The oil extracted from ground seeds of camelina and carinata, oilseed plants from the mustard family, can be used as jet fuel. However, with oil prices at an all-time low, that is economically challenging. These promising biofuel sources may be one stop closer to reality due to
October 3, 2017
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by Peter Wilcox (Passage Maker) Having the opportunity to imagine and oversee the building of my own ideal Inside Passage vessel has been exquisitely educational—initiating a chain of engaging design, building, voyaging, and teaching adventures. … Taking a break from sailing up north, we decided to buy an interim boat
September 11, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The most visible advanced industrial fermentation target for a number of years has been cellulosic ethanol, but the targets are diversifying and cellulosics themselves are shifting gears from process to feedstocks. There’s a fervent ferment in fermentation these days. Today, we go through the Top
September 6, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … The sexy PR is almost always and rightly focused on San Francisco and its environs — but some of the largest industrialization efforts for advanced technology take place in the rural areas that provide the feedstock, infrastructure and an expansive place to do business. The
August 31, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In June 2011, the Secretaries of Agriculture, Energy, and Navy signed MOU to commit $510M (up to $170M from each agency) to produce hydrocarbon jet and diesel biofuels in the near-term. This initiative sought to achieve multiple, commercial scale integrated biorefineries, cost-competitive biofuel with conventional
August 22, 2017
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(Green Car Congress/ NATO) Eight Serbian scientists are leading a research project to develop the commercial production of biofuel from algae. The project is supported by the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme and is carried out by Belgrade’s Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in cooperation with Manchester University
August 18, 2017
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by Pam Radtke Russell (Engineering News Record) From Seattle to Cape Cod, see what’s being done at 18 different locations — … In this special report, Engineering News-Record’s team of editors and reporters look at how Tangier and other coastal communities around the country are tackling problems, including erosion, subsidence
August 11, 2017
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by Daniel Orchard-Hays and Laura A. King (U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings Magazine) The U.S. Navy’s initiative could pave the way for a Department of Defense energy program that garners precious energy resources in peacetime and saves lives in war. — … In July 2008, world oil prices peaked at an all-time
August 10, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) To explain the Navy’s marine and aviation biofuels program, Chris Tindal gave the following presentation at ABLC 2017 — focusing on efforts to internationalize the supply. As we described it earlier, “They’re here. $2.05 per gallon, at-scale, domestically produced advanced renewable fuels — utilizing non-food
August 1, 2017
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(University of Dayton) Once known only as the slimy scourge of backyard ponds and lakes, algae is emerging as a superhero in the race for cleaner and renewable energy resources. But this hero is not without its Achilles’ heel: algae is vulnerable to fluctuations in weather and temperature, limiting commercial
July 21, 2017
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by Jan Tucker (Your Daily Globe) Ontonagon has been selected as one of two initial sites in the U.S. for the construction of an advanced biofuels plant. SynSel Energy, Inc., is partnering with a U.S.-based financier and Lost Bowl Development, LLC, to develop the $300 million biorefinery at the site of
(Penn State News) Slowed as much by extremely low oil prices as supply-chain and technological challenges, the effort to integrate biofuels into the nation’s aviation fuel supply is nonetheless progressing, according to a researcher in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Sustainable jet fuel continues to represent an important component of
June 30, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In late 2015, we reported Red Rock Biofuels will produce approximately three million gallons of low-carbon, renewable jet fuel per year (at that time, from 2017 through 2024) for FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp, in an agreement announced by the companies today. FedEx joined Southwest Airlines
June 15, 2017
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by John Fialka (E&E News/Climatewire) In May 2016, investigators from the Government Accountability Office assembled a panel of 19 experts in Washington to explore what had happened to a program to develop a commercial market for advanced biofuels. It had been 12 years since Congress began to demand action on
May 23, 2017
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by Douglas L. Faulkner (Cleantech Conservative/Biofuels Digest) … The Trump Administration’s two recent Executive Orders on “Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth” and especially, “Promoting Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in America” (March 28 & April 25, respectively), not only highlight renewable energy/fuels, but also explicitly seek input from the private sector
May 17, 2017
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(Amyris) Amyris, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMRS), the industrial bioscience company, today announced that it has successfully expanded its world-class expertise in strain engineering and optimization to 26 key metabolic precursors across multiple organisms, as part of its Technology Investment Agreement (TIA) with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The multi-year TIA,
May 2, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We’ve been covering market access, and technology development, but what about accessing markets in emerging economies and around the world where feedstock is abundant, policymakers are motivated, but other risks and constraints apply that can be addressed – but how are they addressed? We’ll be looking
April 19, 2017
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Göran Bengtsson, Director of Research and Technology, Future Business, Aeronautics, commenting on the 100% biofuel test flight of a Gripen D single engine fighter: “Gaining independence from imports of oil is important from a defence standpoint and opens the way for additional sources of fuel, which creates flexibility. It’s naturally
April 6, 2017
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(SAAB) Gripen has for the first time undergone a series of test flights with 100% biofuel. This demonstrates that the aircraft can be flown with an alternative fuel and gives valuable knowledge for future possible use of alternative fuel. “Demonstrating that Gripen can fly with 100% biofuel is an important
April 6, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Last September, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus rode aboard one of the EA-18G Growler fighter jets testing 100% biofuel flights this month to demonstrate his commitment to getting biofuel mainstream within the Navy. Currently all Navy ships and planes are certified to run on 50% biofuel blends.
March 28, 2017
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by Cathie Anderson (Sacramento Bee) … Essentially, the company uses a blast furnace to heat metals, glass, ash and organic solids to a temperature of 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than the temperatures at the center of a volcano, Hart said. That process yields liquid metal, liquid slag, carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
March 28, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Good-bye ARPA-E, DOE, Loan Guarantee program, Energy Star, OPIC, USTDA, NEA, and the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program. Even Big Bird gets the guillotine. In Washington, the White House released its budget requests for 2018, a high-level, 62-page overview of President Trump’s strategy for “Making
March 20, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Louisiana, the Diamond Green Diesel facility in Norco will expand its annual production capacity of renewable diesel from 10,000 barrels per day to 18,000 bpd (275 million gallons per year), using Honeywell UOP’s Ecofining process technology. We originally reported that the project, which came
March 20, 2017
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The United States Department of Navy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy are co-hosting an industry roundtable for the full complement of participants in the biofuels supply chain. The purpose of the roundtable meeting is for the federal government to present details on an additional
February 21, 2017
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From Off-Take to Take-Off: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to the US Renewable Jet Fuels Program
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In June 2011, the Secretaries of Agriculture, Energy, and Navy signed MOU to commit $510M (up to $170M from each agency) to produce hydrocarbon jet and diesel biofuels in the near-term. This initiative sought to achieve multiple, commercial scale integrated biorefineries, cost-competitive biofuel with conventional
February 21, 2017
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by Laura Parker (National Geographic) Ten times a year, the Naval Station Norfolk floods. The entry road swamps. Connecting roads become impassable. Crossing from one side of the base to the other becomes impossible. Dockside, floodwaters overtop the concrete piers, shorting power hookups to the mighty ships that are docked in
February 8, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Velocys enables modular gas-to-liquids and biomass-to-liquids plants to convert unconventional, remote and problem gas and waste biomass into valuable, drop-in liquid fuels. After 15 years and some $300 million in investment, Velocys technology is headed for scale.The ENVIA project is now producing fuels in Oklahoma,
February 8, 2017
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. Department of Defense Air Force Research Lab recently opened a grant funding opportunity for drop-in biofuel production. One $55 million award is expected to be made under funding opportunity. Applications are due May 25. According to a notice posted to Grants.gov, the selected
February 7, 2017
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(U.S. Air Force) This Title III project is to further increase domestic advanced biofuels production capacity by establishing additional Integrated Biofuel Production Enterprise (IBPE) capabilities that represent a complete value chain including Feedstock production, Chemical conversion and processing, and Fuels blending, transportation and logistics. As well as to design, retrofit,
January 24, 2017
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by Callie Fishburn* (Advanced Biofuels USA) At the January 12th Pew Project-sponsored conference,” Power Begins at Home: Assured Energy for U.S. Military Bases,” the subject of biofuels and their contribution to military energy security failed to come up. The conference, held at the Pew Charitable Trust building in Washington D.C.,
January 20, 2017
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(Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group) … Throughout his campaign for President, Trump repeatedly pledged his support for biofuels and the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Indeed, it is this support that helped Trump win in key Midwestern battleground states, including Iowa. Despite this, Trump has nominated fossil fuel supporters and
January 19, 2017
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(Fayatteville Observer/Associated Press) … While a growing number of military leaders have declared global warming a national security threat, the strategy clashes with President-elect Donald Trump’s vow to end policies that “undermine” fossil fuel producers. Trump has a chosen a Cabinet with climate change skeptics, though his pick for defense secretary,
January 18, 2017
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by Michael Bastasch (The Daily Caller) The U.S. Navy’s biofuels program has “failed to demonstrate any operational or strategic advantages over petroleum and have actually increased costs” for the military, according to a new report by defense experts. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said the biofuel-powered “Great Green Fleet” would “usher
January 6, 2017
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The USDA Commodity Credit Corp. has announced funding is available to pay a biofuel production incentive (BPI) under the Farm-to-Fleet program to companies producing drop-in biofuels from certain feedstocks. A notice published in the Federal Register explains the USDA Farm Service Agency will use CCC funds
January 3, 2017
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by Anthony Adragna (Politico’s Morning Energy) Defense Secretary nominee James Mattis may be a rare ray of hope for environmental advocates that the coming administration won’t completely walk away from clean energy initiatives, Pro’s Eric Wolff reports . The retired Marine general, known colorfully as “Mad Dog,” has been
by Dan Macrae (UPROXX) … The Daily Show‘s Hasan Minhaj discovered, the U.S. Navy is currently embracing a new green era. … On tonight’s edition of the Comedy Central news program, Minhaj investigated the navy’s shift into employing a biofuel strategy and (more importantly) pondered whether or not the Armed Forces
December 8, 2016
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(CBS) Some of America’s best fighter jets can soar without using a drop of oil for fuel. New technology is helping the U.S. Navy power its fleet with cooking grease and plant seeds. Don Dahler reports. READ MORE WATCH VIDEO and MORE (IranTV) and MORE (Flying Magazine) Excerpts from video:
November 18, 2016
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by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) “I want to make this land productive again,” was a common refrain at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s 13th Annual Small Farm Conference November 11-12. Whether returning to a disused family farm or starting on a new venture, many attendees shared a desire
(Queensland Government) The Palaszczuk Government will target Australian and international biofutures investment to help boost the industry in regional Queensland. Speaking in Parliament today, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced that an Expression of Interest process to attract biofuels proponents to Queensland would start tomorrow. “We know if we want to unlock
November 9, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Fulcrum BioEnergy has developed a “game-changing process for converting municipal solid waste that would otherwise be landfilled, into renewable transportation fuels including syncrude, jet fuel and diesel”. The company has successfully proven and demonstrated this process for converting MSW to fuels utilizing its proprietary, innovative,
November 9, 2016
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by Tina Casey (Clean Technica) The US Department of Defense has been a main driver of the nation’s transition to renewable energy, but so far its use of biofuel in war machines has been limited to demonstration events and exercises. Now the US Navy is gearing up to deploy its
November 6, 2016
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(WJHG.com) Imagine a world in which the military’s most elite jets are fueled by a product made from kitchen grease. … Chuck Red is the Vice President of Fuels Development with Applied Research Associates. The company’s surprise finding came out of a government request ten years ago to convert plant
November 2, 2016
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by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Electricity. When describing the USS Zumwalt, which was commissioned in Baltimore Harbor Saturday, the first characteristic to mention is the new age design (can’t miss that); followed by the key role played by electricity (a bit less obvious). From the “all-electric” propulsion system to
October 18, 2016
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(University of Colorado Boulder) CU Boulder engineers have developed an innovative bio-manufacturing process that uses a biological organism cultivated in brewery wastewater to create the carbon-based materials needed to make energy storage cells. This unique pairing of breweries and batteries could set up a win-win opportunity by reducing expensive wastewater
October 12, 2016
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(Bioenergy Deployment Consortium) A successful BDC Fall Symposium was held in Washington DC on September 27-28, 2016. A combination of Government Agency Directors and Sr. Advisors were joined by outstanding leaders in the bio-industry to discuss the advancement of the bio-industry. … We were honored to have Wisconsin Senator Mark Pocan
October 4, 2016
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(U.S. Department of Agriculture) … The Obama Administration has pursued a carefully balanced approach, deploying technologies that improve the very best of our existing energy sources, while rigorously implementing policies that invest in the second and third generations of tomorrow’s fuels. … In the last eight years, USDA has helped lead
October 3, 2016
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by Bill Loveless (USA Today) … Biofuels are not new for the U.S. Navy and Air Force, which have been experimenting with blends on aircraft and ships for several years. In fact, all Navy ships and aircraft are now certified to run on up to 50-50 blends of conventional and
September 30, 2016
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by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) An intimate group that shares some background or interest in forest resources meets twice each year under the Biorenewable Deployment Consortium banner for candid discussions of developments in advanced biochemicals, bioproducts, biomaterials and biofuels, with an emphasis on forest resources. The no-nonsense attitude is
September 28, 2016
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by Rebecca Chillrud (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) … The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently issued an endangerment finding for aircraft, indicating that greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft are hazardous to public health. This finding requires the EPA to begin crafting regulations for aircraft emissions. At the global level, the International
September 19, 2016
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by Bart Barnes (The Washington Post) William C. Holmberg, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel who received the Navy Cross for his actions on a Korean battlefield and later spent decades as an advocate on Capitol Hill for renewable energy and environmental causes, died Sept. 8 at a hospital in Palm
September 19, 2016
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by Andrea Watters (Naval Aviation News) Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus’ energy vision came to fruition in September when the EA-18G “Green Growler” completed flight testing of a 100-percent advanced biofuel at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. The U.S. Navy is a leader in incorporating alternative fuel into operational
September 17, 2016
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(Sputnik News) The US Navy successfully tested a new advanced biofuel this month on a Boeing EA-18 “Green Growler” aircraft, a surveillance version of the Super-Hornet, the US Naval Institute reported on Friday. — The Boeing EA-18G Growler is an American carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft, a specialized version of the two-seat
September 17, 2016
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by Todd Karli (WBOC) … A group of students and scientists are exploring the idea that sugar beets, what they’re calling energy beets, can be converted into jet fuel, with the Navy keeping a watchful eye. “This is so exciting because it hasn’t been done before,” said Joanne Ivancic, Advanced Biofuels
September 16, 2016
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(Virgin Atlantic) For the first time ever, 1,500 US gallons of jet fuel has been produced from ‘Lanzanol’, LanzaTech’s low carbon ethanol; Producing the world’s first jet fuel derived from waste industrial gases from steel mills via fermentation process; The alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) fuel has passed all its initial performance tests with flying colours; Initial analyses
September 15, 2016
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by Bill Loveless (USA Today) U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has made alternative energy a top priority since taking office in 2009, but this week he took his commitment to new heights, literally. The civilian leader for the Navy climbed aboard an EA-18G Growler fighter jet as a passenger on
September 15, 2016
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by John Simpson (Engineering 360) A three-year study to evaluate the feasibility of using biodiesel fuel in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) floating plant operations has concluded that the use of such fuels does not negatively affect engine performance and can reduce production of selected environmentally sensitive emissions. A range of
September 11, 2016
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by Annie Conway (Northern Nevada Business Weekly) Fulcrum BioEnergy, a company based out of Pleasanton, Calif., has developed a process to convert household trash into biofuel. The company pioneered a technology that transforms municipal solid waste into low-carbon transportation fuels such as jet fuel and diesel. Fulcrum is in the
(airforce-technology.com) The US Air Force Research Laboratory’s Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III Programme Office will focus on producing biofuels for use by the US Department of Defense (DoD). The plans to home-grow biofuels follow President Barack Obama’s call to address the production of biofuels in an effort to mitigate
September 2, 2016
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by Jonathan Male (U.S. Department of Energy) A large part of the solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector could be uniquely filled by biofuels and bioproducts. The Energy Department’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), in partnership with the national laboratories, academia, and private companies, is pursuing biofuel
August 30, 2016
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by Kent Harrington (Chenected) … For example, which country should own the emissions from a Mexico City flight to New York, or a ship moving goods between Shanghai and Los Angeles? The country of departure, or arrival? Don’t even try to wade into the swamp of national flags or legal
August 23, 2016
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(Ship & Bunker) Chuck Red, Vice President at US-based biofuels firm Applied Research Associates (ARA), says the current cost of biofuel bunkers is misunderstood, and that competitively priced sustainable products are not only possible, they will be a reality in the near future. ARA is currently working with the US
August 22, 2016
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(Alliance BioEnergy/Globe Newswire) Alliance BioEnergy Plus, Inc. (OTCQB:ALLM) (the “Company”), is pleased to announce today that its patented CTS process will be used to demonstrate the viability of advanced Aviation Biofuel and Biodiesels for use in Military applications. ALLM’s CTS process is poised to become the preferred, lowest cost producer of
August 22, 2016
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by Scott Rutherford (Navy Daily) Alternative fuels and energy efficient systems were on everybody’s lips when American ship USS Stethem, arrived alongside Fleet Base East, Sydney, this month. Commander Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Stuart Mayer, welcomed the ship’s company and United States Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy for Management, Thomas Hicks, at
August 22, 2016
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by Brian Parkin (Bloomberg) Renewable fuels may provide 50% of U.S. fleet’s power by 2020; Queensland seeks to create export-oriented green-fuel market — The U.S. accepted Australia’s offer to supply biofuel for its Asia-Pacific fleet, advancing the Navy’s goal of getting half its power from renewables by 2020. The premier of
August 17, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, a US Navy research team at China Lake led by Ben Harvey reported that 2,3-Butanediol, which has received a significant amount of interest based on the ability to generate it at much higher titer than n-butanol owing to the relatively low toxicity of 2,3-BD
August 15, 2016
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by Erika Ebsworth-Goold (The Washington University) … Now, a team from the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a way to make the production of certain biofuels in E. coli much more efficient. Fuzhong Zhang, assistant professor in the Department of Energy, Environmental
August 11, 2016
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(ARA) For the first time ever a Navy ship has operated on a 100 percent drop-in renewable diesel fuel. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division’s (NSWC PHD) Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS) completed final-phase testing of a 100% drop-in renewable diesel fuel as part of the Navy’s MILSPEC qualification
August 8, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Florida, the Digest and BioChannel.TV released “Sustainable Fuels on Troubled Waters”, the Inside True Story of the US Navy’s Great Green Fleet — a documentary profile on the US Navy’s success in driving down the costs of renewable fuel — up to and including
August 1, 2016
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(Aemetis) Aemetis, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMTX) today announced that Eric McAfee, Chairman and CEO, accepted an invitation to join top Navy officials and a small group of leading biofuels executives in Hawaii on July 19th to participate as a guest of the US Navy in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC),
August 1, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, a new White House report, titled “Federal Alternative Jet Fuel Research and Development Strategy,” sets out prioritized federal research and development goals and objectives to address key scientific and technical challenges that inhibit the development, production, and use of economically viable alternative jet
August 1, 2016
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by Valerie Volcovici (Reuters) Rising sea levels due to hurricanes and tidal flooding intensified by climate change will put military bases along the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast at risk, according to a report released on Wednesday. Nonprofit group the Union of Concerned Scientists analyzed 18 military installations that
(Ship & Bunker) … As Ship & Bunker has previously reported, the U.S. Navy has sought to develop and use drop-in biofuels as part of its energy security goals, having previously set a target of getting half its energy from non-petroleum sources by 2020. Last month it took its first delivery
by David Ignatius (The Washington Post) The week of July Fourth is a good moment to salute an unlikely champion of saving energy and switching to alternative fuels — the U.S. Navy. Once a supreme fuel-guzzler whose energy needs sometimes dictated foreign policy, the Navy has become a model for
July 6, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From Australia comes the news that the country’s former Federal Resources and Energy Minister, Martin Ferguson, is now the chairman of the advisory board for Byogy Renewables, the California-based alcohol-to-jet fuel pioneer that has been working towards an Australia-based first commercial project. Now, many people
July 5, 2016
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(National Farmers Union) Repeated attempts to undermine the national security benefits of advanced biofuels through previous defense spending bills have been unsuccessful. As House lawmakers meet today to debate the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for FY 2017, National Farmers Union (NFU) is hopeful that a provision exempting the U.S.
June 21, 2016
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by Janweb B. Lagazo (US Navy, USS Mason) Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, along with Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy Joseph M. Bryan and Chief of the Italian Navy Adm. Guiseppe De Giorgi, visited guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) to observe the ship’s role in
June 20, 2016
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by Corinne Young and Michele Jalbert (re:chem/Biofuels Digest) A Billion Ton Bioeconomy. For those of us who have worked in this space for the last decade, the US government’s aspiration to grow the sector to such size and scope is music to our ears. At the Renewable Chemical & Advanced Materials
June 20, 2016
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by Steve Scherer (Reuters) A U.S. warship took its first delivery of Italian-made biofuel on Thursday as part of the Navy’s program to use more alternative energy. The USS Mason was refueled alongside an Italian vessel, the Andrea Doria, in the seas off of Italy’s southern coast with a mix
June 17, 2016
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by Joanna Schroeder (Energy.AgWired.com) … The National Farmers Union (NFU) is calling on legislators to stop undermining national security and adopt the benefits of advanced biofuels. “… The recurring attempts to quietly neutralize biofuels through the defense appropriations process are disappointing,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “I am hopeful this provision will
June 16, 2016
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by Megan Eckstein (US Naval Institute News) … For now, the Ike CSG is involved in Great Green Fleet operations, to include a multi-day passing exercise (PASSEX) with units of the Italian Navy’s Flotta Verde, according to a U.S. 6th Fleet news release. “The PASSEX will highlight energy conservation operations and will
June 10, 2016
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(MySunshineCoast) The Palaszczuk Government will invest almost $20 million to position Queensland as an Asia-Pacific hub for biofutures industries, creating next generation jobs in the state, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced today. The Premier launched her Government’s Queensland Biofutures 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan during the Queensland reception at the BIO
June 8, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The signals coming out of Washington DC are so confusing, you might be wondering if there’s going to be a budget for the US Department of Energy for the fiscal year starting this October. … Meanwhile, the DOE’s budget for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy —
June 2, 2016
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(US Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $8.8 million to boost the production of advanced biofuels and sustain jobs at renewable energy facilities in 39 states. USDA continues to lead the way in promotion of advanced biofuel production,
(Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative) We are proud to announce the 10th Anniversary of the initiation of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) as of May 24, 2016, and more importantly, to reflect on the success we’ve achieved to date, and to similarly look ahead to solving the challenging issues
May 27, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In March, United Airlines made history by becoming the first U.S. airline to begin use of commercial-scale volumes of sustainable aviation biofuel for regularly scheduled flights with the departure of United Flight 708 from Los Angeles International Airport. It’s AltAir fuel — and United has agreed to purchase up
May 20, 2016
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by Rich Smith (The Motley Fool) … The beef tallow being used today, however, costs just $2.05 per gallon, making it cheaper than the $2.76 per gallon that the Defense Logistics Agency pays for F-76. A 90-10 diesel-tallow blend, therefore, should cost approximately $2.69 per gallon, saving the Navy $0.07 on
May 16, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) To explain the Navy’s marine and aviation biofuels program, Chris Tindal gave the following presentation at ABLC 2016 in February. As we described it earlier this year, “They’re here. $2.05 per gallon, at-scale, domestically produced advanced renewable fuels — utilizing non-food feedstocks and based on next-generation
May 13, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … The Def Con 2 alert from the biofuels educational and advocacy group (Advanced Biofuels USA) noted a House Subcommittee draft for defense appropriations, which had this language in Section 8132: None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to enforce section
May 13, 2016
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by Eric Wolff (Politico’s Morning Energy 5/12/2016) Straightening ME out on Section 526: The defense appropriation draft defunds any implementation of Section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Section 526, as it turns out, says that if the military puts out a request to purchase military-spec
May 11, 2016
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(Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) Ross McCurdy, a science teacher from Ponaganset High School in Glocester, Rhode Island, has flown to Santa Monica, California, and back in a 1980 diesel-powered Cessna 182 owned by a New Jersey flying club using a 50-50 mix of Jet A and Camelina plant-seed oil,
May 4, 2016
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by Vic Schoonover (The Lawton Constitution) While this isn’t information making Oklahoma oil and gas companies any happier during the downturn in oil and gas prices, the U.S. armed forces, namely the Navy and the Air Force, are actively testing biofuels to reduce their fuel costs and overseas availability of fuels.
May 4, 2016
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by Ellen KNickmeyer (Associated Press/ABC News) The U.S. Navy on Tuesday became the first branch of the U.S. military — the world’s single-largest user of fossil fuels — to say it will start requiring big vendors to report their output of climate-changing greenhouse gases and work to lower it. “We’ve
April 15, 2016
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by John Grady (USNI News) When asked what happens to the Navy’s energy initiatives when President Barack Obama leaves office in January, the service’s top civilian official overseeing those efforts said, “Nothing”—because the business and warfighting cases “just makes sense.” Retired Vice Adm. Dennis McGinn, speaking Tuesday at the Atlantic
April 13, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week, we held a well-attended webinar on “Boom times in Renewable Diesel” Here below is the first slide deck presented on the day, from The Digest. The recorded version of the webinar can be accessed here. READ MORE
April 7, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In short, renewable fuels has reached a crisis of growth in the United States — years of expansion have halted, and everyone is entitled to ask why. … Let’s look at the hard data. Demand signals As we have observed in The Digest and in
April 7, 2016
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(Business Wire / Unitel Technologies) –Unitel Technologies announced that Altex Technologies has selected Unitel to provide engineering services to design and build a pilot system that will produce 1 BPD of synthetic gasoline from biomass. This project is funded by a grant from the California Energy Commission under the auspices
April 6, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia formed a partnership to investigate options for locally produced aviation biofuel. The trans-Tasman alliance partners are issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to the market to explore the opportunity to procure locally produced aviation biofuel. A few years ago,
April 6, 2016
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(Queensland Government) A $16 million advanced biofuels pilot plant will be built at Southern Oil Refining’s Yarwun plant at Gladstone, a ‘giant’ step towards securing a large-scale biofuels industry in Queensland. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Northern Oil Advanced Biofuels Pilot Plant represented an exciting step in the development of
April 4, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Yesterday, we held a well-attended webinar on “Drop-In Fuels” Here below is the first slide deck presented on the day. We’ll have the remainder of slides tomorrow. The recorded version can be accessed here. READ MORE
March 31, 2016
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(Applied Research Associates/ARA) No More Blending: 100 Percent Drop-In Renewable Fuel will Increase Energy Security for U.S. Military While Reducing CO2 Emissions — The Navy is performing certification testing on neat, unblended ReadiJet® and ReadiDiesel® which will result in new military specifications. When the MILSPEC certification is complete, ReadiJet® and
March 28, 2016
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by Kelli Gerry (The Collegian) South Dakota State researchers are working to perfect a process that could allow them to turn mustard seeds into jet fuel for Navy fighter planes. If people like Bill Gibbons are successful, some West River farmers could have a new crop to plant as early as
March 24, 2016
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by Camille von Kaenel (ClimateWire/Scientific American) Reducing emissions is not a priority for the military — … Concerns over energy security are spurring branches of the military to get more electricity from renewable sources, inching the Pentagon toward governmentwide climate goals. But environmental concerns are not a key driver for the Defense
March 18, 2016
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by Christina Maza (Christian Science Monitor) … Now, researchers across the US are pouring resources into discovering whether it’s possible to produce sustainable biofuel through selective plant breeding and genetic modification. That technique, which has generated controversy in the food industry, is seen as a useful tool in the race for
March 14, 2016
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by Marc Heller (E&E Publishing/ClimateWire) … In California, once home to 66 biomass plants, about 30 remain in business, dashing the hopes of orchard growers looking for places to sell downed trees and branches. “When oil is less than $30 a barrel, it’s going to be extremely difficult to compete in
March 10, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Honeywell’s UOP has developed a renewable jet fuel processing technology, a renewable diesel process, as well as a joint venture, Envergent Technologies, that will market technologies and equipment for generating power, transportation fuel and heating oil from biomass using pyrolysis. READ MORE
(Industrial Biotechnology) … My current assessment is that there exists an unlimited sense of opportunity in the biobased products and bioenergy sector. I look at the work being done at the USDA, which is extensive and has been helpful in getting the word out about this industry. We prepared a report
March 8, 2016
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) On Feb. 24, the House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing on the state of the rural economy. Biofuels and bioenergy were among the topics discussed during the nearly three-hour event. When asked to characterize the state of the biofuels industry, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack
March 4, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Defense Logistics Agency is the DoD Executive Agent for Bulk Petroleum supply chain. FY15 sales and acquisitions: ~ $15B; federal only: ~$418M. READ MORE
March 1, 2016
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by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) The Army has announced the availability of the record of decision (ROD) to lease land and grant easements on Schofield Barracks and Wheeler Army Airfield to Hawaii Electric Co. (HECO) for the development of a 50 MW biodiesel-fueled power plant, known as the Schofield Generating
February 24, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The following slides and comments are excerpted and expanded from remarks by Digest editor & publisher Jim Lane at the Energy Security Breakfast at ABLC 2016, held last week in Washington. The premise I’d like to explore today is a simple one to describe, and
February 24, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Florida, ARA completed the delivery of over 150,000 gallons of 100% drop-in jet and diesel fuel to fulfill its DLA/US Navy certification fuel contract, two months ahead of schedule. For the first time ever, renewable jet and diesel fuels that meet petroleum fuel specifications
February 15, 2016
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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 for his top priorities—including clean energy and climate action. The
February 12, 2016
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(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 the announcement following the second meeting of her Biofutures
February 10, 2016
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