Field/Orchard/Plantation Crops/Residues

Ethanol Facility Hosts Boeing Presentation on Sustainable Aviation Fuels

(Advantage News) The NCERC at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville hosted a presentation from The Boeing Company’s Joe Ellsworth, regional director of environmental strategy and integration, who presented Boeing and Sustainable Aviation Fuels in late August. Ellsworth also met with NCERC Director of Research Dr. Yan Zhang and Assistant Professor of Chemistry and NCERC

September 19, 2019 Read Full Article

Alcohol School: The Case for fractionation

by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Vijay Singh, professor in Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told his Alcohol School audience Sept. 12 that he was going to “make the case for fractionation.” The conventional corn-to-ethanol production process does not maximize coproduct opportunities, he said.

September 19, 2019 Read Full Article

Alcohol School: Yancey Delivers D3Max Project Update

by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Minimizing feedstock cost is one rule for a successful cellulosic ethanol project, according to Mark Yancey, chief technology officer for D3Max. “That can be a very large component of your project costs.” Yancey spoke Sept. 13 at Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits’ Alcohol School, held

September 19, 2019 Read Full Article

Task 40 “Deployment of Biobased Value Chains”

(IEA Bioenergy Task 40) The core objective of the new Task 40 with the updated title “Deployment of biobased value chains” is to support deploying viable, efficient bioenergy value chains in the context of  sustainable, national and international markets,  reflecting on policy developments, and economic aspects, including financing,

September 19, 2019 Read Full Article

MSPO-Certified Palm Oil to Europe by 2020

by Zaidi Isham Ismail (New Straits Times) Malaysia is on track to export MSPO (Malaysia Sustainable Palm Oil) certified palm oil to Europe by next year. Malaysia Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC) chief executive officer Chew Jit Seng said the MSPO certification scheme is important as it will allow the country’s

September 19, 2019 Read Full Article

St1 Nordic Licenses Honeywell Ecofining Technology in Sweden

(Honeywell UOP) Honeywell UOP Ecofining™ process produces fuels chemically identical to petroleum-based diesel — Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced that St1 Nordic Oy has licensed the UOP’s Ecofining™ renewable fuels technology to produce 4,000 barrels per day of diesel and jet fuel integrated with its refinery complex in Gothenburg, Sweden. Basic engineering design for the

September 19, 2019 Read Full Article

Cars Soon Powered by Wood Thanks to Dutch Innovation

(BTG BioLiquids (btg-btl)) TechnipFMC and BTG-BTL to build bio-oil production in Sweden — Thanks to a Dutch invention, cars in Sweden will soon be powered by a fuel made from wood residues such as sawdust. TechnipFMC and the Dutch company BTG-BTL based in Twente will design and build a production

September 19, 2019 Read Full Article

Crown Opens New Global Headquarters and Innovation Center

(Crown Iron Works) … Crown Iron Works unveils its new Global Headquarters and Innovation Center in Blaine, Minnesota. The 68,000 square-foot, $12 million facility accommodates increased staff, and fuels technological advancements for the company and its customers through its state-of-the-art Innovation Center—a safety-first environment that supports and optimizes custom process

September 18, 2019 Read Full Article

Cape Cod Biofuels Founder Receives Environmental Merit Award

by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Andrew Davison, founder and owner of Cape Cod Biofuels, was presented an environmental merit award by the U.S. EPA Sept. 10 for his unique biodiesel business model that, as described by the agency, improves the air and water and increases energy and community resilience. Over the

September 18, 2019 Read Full Article

Chinese to Invest $620 Million in Gabon Cassava-Based Ethanol Project

by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Gabon, local press reports that Chinese investors are set to plow $620 million into a facility that will produce 300,000 metric tons of ethanol from cassava annually. The 900,000 tons of feedstock required annually from the project will be grown on 83,000 hectares of land

September 18, 2019 Read Full Article

Replacing the Barrel: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Conversion Technologies

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Developing efficient and economical biological and chemical technologies to convert biomass feedstocks into energy-dense liquid transportation fuels, such as renewable gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, as well as bioproducts, chemical intermediates, and biopower is the primary goal of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Conversion R&D team. As

September 18, 2019 Read Full Article

DOE Taps Danforth Plant Science Center for Research to Improve Sorghum as a Bioenergy Crop

(Green Car Congress) The US Department of Energy (DOE), through its Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER), has launched a major initiative to develop bioenergy crops through genomics-based research. Danforth Center Principal Investigator, Andrea Eveland, Ph.D., will lead a multi-institutional project under this initiative to deepen the understanding of sorghum, a

September 18, 2019 Read Full Article

Will the RFS Deal Protect Innovation and Our Planet?

by Stephanie Batchelor (Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)/Biofuels Digest) As we speculate on the details and implications of the administration’s renewable fuels deal, the future of an entire green industry hangs in the balance. The debate over the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has become muddied with rhetoric about special interests and government

September 18, 2019 Read Full Article

Raleigh Harvests Dorothea Dix Park Sunflowers for Biofuel

by Anthony Wilson (ABC 11) The colorful sunflowers that delighted thousands in Dorothea Dix Park are just a memory now. The field is now filled with dried stalks and seeds now. Those seeds have a role in the city’s future, now that they’re harvested for conversion to biofuel. ABC11 rode

September 17, 2019 Read Full Article

Two New Bio-LNG Truck Stations Open in Southern Sweden

(Gasum/NGV Journal) Gasum has opened two new natural gas stations in Sweden, one is located on a site leased from IKEA’s Torsvik warehouse, in Jönköping, and the other in Örebro, where Gasum also has a biogas plant. Both facilities offer LNG and bio-LNG for heavy-duty vehicles. In addition to Jönköping and

September 17, 2019 Read Full Article

Large Groups Investing to Expand Ethanol Capacity in Brazil: Unica

by Marcelo Teixeira (Reuters) Large companies operating in the sugar and ethanol sector in Brazil are investing to expand capacity to produce the biofuel, due to the continuing strong local demand and low global sugar prices, said an executive from a leading industry group on Monday. According to Antonio de Padua

September 17, 2019 Read Full Article

China May Not Enact Ethanol Fuels Mandate Amid Corn Supply Concerns

(Economic Times Energy World) Now in doubt as both stocks and output decline. — China’s plan to implement a nationwide mandate for ethanol-blended gasoline in 2020 is in doubt after a significant decline in the country’s corn stocks, a government researcher said on Tuesday. State stockpiles of corn, the main raw material

September 17, 2019 Read Full Article

USDA Numbers Confirm Declining Demand For Ethanol

by Amy Mayer (Iowa Public Radio) The national average price for corn this season is back to $3.60 a bushel, about where it’s been most of this year except for an early-season spike ($4.16 in July) before the size and quality of the crop was known. That’s not great news for corn growers,

September 16, 2019 Read Full Article

New Insights into the Genetics of Mushrooms

(Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Google Translation)) Mushrooms of the order Trichosporonales have unusual genetic characteristics, as an international research team now found out. Some Trichosporonales fungal species are of interest to the industry and are considered to be potential producers of biofuels. But to use them, one would first have to know

September 16, 2019 Read Full Article

MBP Solutions Marks 20 Years of Continued Business Growth with the Launch of an “Evolved”, New Corporate Identity

(MBP Solutions) … Today MBP Solutions has become a world leader in the collection, handling, processing, production and application of biological by-products and related services. Headquartered in Switzerland, MBP Solutions employs over 90 professionals; has offices in nine different countries; sells products in more than 50 countries; and handles over

September 16, 2019 Read Full Article

Clean Fuel and Electric Vehicle Use in Canada Can Reduce GHGs by over 50 Million Tonnes by 2030

(Advanced Biofuels Canada) Canadian associations call for a national ‘Clean Fuel Strategy’ to leverage innovation and sustainable resources to secure investment in the production and use of clean fuels. — Canada’s national clean fuels associations forecast greenhouse gas (GHG) emisssions reductions of over 50 million tonnes (Mt) per year by 2030

September 16, 2019 Read Full Article

North Dakota Corn and Ethanol Industries Partner with Fuel Retailers to offer Unleaded88, a Safe, Economical, Cleaner Fuel Option

(North Dakota Corn Council) The North Dakota Corn Utilization Council, in coordination with the North Dakota Ethanol Council, is implementing the North Dakota Unleaded88 Expansion Program. The program’s goal is to partner with fuel retailers to provide drivers with Unleaded88, a higher octane fuel containing 15 percent ethanol and 85

September 16, 2019 Read Full Article

India’s Nascent Crop Residue Supply Industry

by Aru Mangla (Biomass Magazine) In India, crop residue has not been able to achieve the economic potential it possesses, primarily owing to the lack of a reliable supply chain mechanism for its collection and processing — Crop residue-based biomass, such as paddy straw and sugarcane trash, are some of

September 13, 2019 Read Full Article

Alcohol School: Innovations in Ethanol

by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Delivering the last presentation of the day for The Alcohol School Sept. 12, Scott Kohl, chief technology officer for Franzenburg, discussed several innovations in ethanol production. Yield, amylase formulations, fiber separation, coproduct fractionation, accelerated fermentation, genetically modified (GM) yeast and water conservation techniques made his

September 13, 2019 Read Full Article

Collaboration Focus Of U.S. Ethanol Presence At Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference

(U.S. Grains Council) U.S. Grains Council (USGC) staff, consultants and members attending the Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference (APPEC) in Singapore this week found reason for enthusiasm for ethanol’s future in the region. “This is the first time the Council has participated in a regional petroleum conference in Asia,” said Tim Tierney,

September 13, 2019 Read Full Article

Sugarcane and Cotton Waste Turned into Fuels, Plastics, Feed

(Manufacturers Monthly) The potential to manufacture high-value products from sugarcane and cotton by-products is one step closer to realisation with an injection of funding from the Australian federal government into a project by Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Professor Ian O’Hara, of the Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, will lead

September 13, 2019 Read Full Article

Friday Fun with Fungus: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Fungal Biotech for Biofuels

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Noone knows fungus like these guys. A PNNL team has been developing fungal genetic engineering tools for industrially relevant fungi (filamentous and yeasts) and applying them to development of biofuel and bioproduct bioprocesses in stirred tank reactors. Jon Magnuson from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory gave this

September 13, 2019 Read Full Article

Betting on Waste

(EurekAlert!/University of California – Santa Barbara) Most of the materials that maintain our modern lives — fuels, pharmaceuticals and other commodity chemicals — come from non-renewable sources. Over time the acquisition of these materials becomes more costly as their supplies diminish. A prime example is petroleum, from which we derive fuels

September 12, 2019 Read Full Article

Achieving NET ZERO — Farming’s 2040 Goal

(National Farmers Union) The NFU has set the ambitious goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the whole of agriculture in England and Wales by 2040. This is our contribution to the UK’s ambition of net zero by 2050. Agriculture is uniquely placed to be part of

September 12, 2019 Read Full Article

White House Presses Biofuel, Oil Executives for Compromise

by Mario Parker and Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg/Investors Business Daily) Discussions aimed at breaking logjam over biofuel plan; Friday deadline issued for ideas on potential compromise — Trump administration officials are squeezing biofuel and oil refining executives to agree to a plan to bolster corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel. In

September 12, 2019 Read Full Article

Gevo Reaches Joint Development Agreement to Explore Converting Plant Sugars into Fuel

by Andrew Kessel (Proactive Investors) The plan is to investigate the potential of sugars and glycerol derived from cellulose to be converted into hydrocarbon molecules for use in fuels or chemicals –Gevo Inc (NASDAQ:GEVO), a renewable fuels company, announced Tuesday that it has signed a joint development agreement with Leaf

September 11, 2019 Read Full Article

U.S. Ethanol Exports Are the Fastest Growing U.S. Agricultural Export

(U.S. Grains Council) An analysis by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) showed that non-beverage ethanol has been the fastest growing U.S. agricultural export over the past five years, an achievement supported by Council and ethanol industry programming to promote import-facilitating policy development around the world. In 2018, U.S. ethanol exports totaled

September 11, 2019 Read Full Article

Hopes High Red and White Catalyst Will Boost Biofuel Production

(The Jakarta Post/Portal Macaúba) Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution has urged researchers to complete a study on a new chemical catalyst expected to become a key ingredient in ramping up domestic biofuel production. Pertamina Research and Technology Center – owned state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina – has supported the

September 11, 2019 Read Full Article

White House to Meet With Biodiesel Producers in Quest for a Deal

by Mario Parker and Jennifer A. Dlouhy (Bloomberg) Trump administration officials are set to meet with renewable fuel producers on Wednesday, as they seek to entice industry endorsements for a plan to bolster corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel. The meeting is slated to include executives from Louis Dreyfus Co., Renewable Biofuels

September 11, 2019 Read Full Article

Come on, Camelina: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Camelina’s Potential Yield

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Camelina is one of those fascinating feedstocks but often the yields aren’t high enough to be profitable for farmers. That’s a problem Kristi Snell from Yield10 Bioscience is tackling by developing a camelina feedstock with significantly increased seed yield and/or seed oil content to maximize

September 11, 2019 Read Full Article

A 26,000-Mile Road Test Finds Palm Oil Biofuel ‘Safe’ for Cars

by Yoga Rusmana and Eko Listiyoriniana (Bloomberg) Indonesia said it conducted the world’s longest road test using diesel blended with 30% palm oil, and the results showed that the biofuel is safe for cars. The country, which is the No. 1 producer of palm, sent a fleet of cars including

September 9, 2019 Read Full Article

Highest Yield, Lowest Cost: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to 2nd Gen Mixotrophy for Biochemicals

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Shawn Jones from White Dog Labs shared this as part of the of U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office presentations on second-generation mixotrophy for the highest yield and least expensive biochemical production. Check out The Digest’s slides on how this project is working on

September 9, 2019 Read Full Article

White House Weighs Biofuel Quota Boost Amid Appeals From Iowa

(Bloomberg) Trump officials honing plan to benefit ethanol, biodiesel; Latest initiative would spike 2020 quotas by 1 billion gallons — Top administration officials have developed plans to give a 5% boost to U.S. renewable fuel-blending quotas in 2020, as President Donald Trump seeks to temper farm-state criticism he has undermined U.S.

September 6, 2019 Read Full Article

New Data Confirm European Ethanol’s Vital Role in EU Emissions-Reduction, Food Security

(ePURE) Latest statistics from European renewable ethanol association members show record-high greenhouse-gas reduction compared to petrol, major domestic production of animal feed — European renewable ethanol association (ePURE) members produced 5.81 billion litres of ethanol and 5.55 million tonnes of beneficial co-products in 2018, according to new audited data released today

September 6, 2019 Read Full Article

Gevo Announces Breakthrough Development of Low-Carbon No Particulate Renewable Diesel

(GEVO) Converting Isobutanol or Fusel Oils to Renewable Diesel — Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO) a leading renewable fuels and chemicals manufacturer, announced today that it has developed proprietary, breakthrough processes that converts either low-carbon isobutanol or low-value “fusel oils,” a mixture of alcohols that are byproducts from fermentation processes such as alcohol production,

September 6, 2019 Read Full Article

Biotech to Biochem: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Versalis’ Chemistry from Renewables

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Versalis, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eni, and while their history lies with traditional chemicals, they now have strategic guidelines for chemistry from renewables. Their biotech business unit is one of the ways they are integrating renewable chemicals into products like biofuels, biochemicals, bioherbicides, cosmetic products,

September 6, 2019 Read Full Article

Delta Sugar Invests $2m in JV with Egyptian Petrochemicals Holding Company

(Mubasher/Zawya) Delta Sugar’s board of directors approved contributing 5% to the Egyptian Petrochemicals Holding Company’s (ECHEM) facility for producing bioethanol from molasses. The sugar manufacturing company will contribute $2 million to the project’s capital cost, according to a statement to the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) on Tuesday. Such amount will be paid over

September 5, 2019 Read Full Article

Biobased Battery, Starch-Based Gift Cards, Future Fashion, Plant-Based Flame Retardants, and More: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of September 5th

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week is a merry mix of biobased innovations around the world. From the creation of artificial reefs made from PLA in Israel and Spain’s starch-based gift cards to the U.S. where biobased battery materials are reality in Washington state and where flame retardants made from

September 5, 2019 Read Full Article

India’s Rising Prowess in Bioeconomy: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Praj’s Perpective from India

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Product, processes and partnerships are what it’s all about in India right now with the country’s latest bioenergy policies and growing activity in the bioeconomy. Pramod Chaudhari, Executive Chairman at Praj Industries gave this illuminating presentation at ABLC 2019 in Washington, D.C. on how exactly India

September 4, 2019 Read Full Article

Govt Hikes Ethanol Price to Cut Oil Import Bill by USD 1 Billion

(Economic Times) The decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government on Tuesday raised the price of sugarcane-extracted ethanol used for blending in petrol by up to Rs 1.84 per litre as it looked to cut oil import bill by USD 1

September 4, 2019 Read Full Article

Circuit Court Rejects Challenges to EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standards

by Tim Ryan (Court House News) The D.C. Circuit on Friday upheld the Environmental Protection Agency’s renewable fuel standards in the face of challenges from energy companies, biofuel producers and industry groups. Under longstanding EPA policy, the burden of introducing more renewable fuel into the U.S. market falls on fuel

September 3, 2019 Read Full Article

Clariant Successfully Concludes Testing of Energy Crop Miscanthus at Straubing Plant for GRACE Project

(Clariant) INA has chosen Clariant’s sunliquid® technology to assess usability of miscanthus for conversion into lignocellulosic sugars & ethanol within the EU-funded GRACE project in which INA participates; About 30 tons of miscanthus were processed at Clariant’s pre-commercial plant in Straubing, Germany; sunliquid proved good performance with miscanthus feedstock during

September 3, 2019 Read Full Article

UPDATE 1-Brazil Increases Quota for Tariff-Free Ethanol Imports, but for Only One Year

by Luciano Costa and Jake Spring (Reuters) Brazil has renewed and increased the size of its tariff-free quota for ethanol imports, but the new allotment will last only one year instead of the two years allocated to the former quota that expired on Saturday, according to the country’s official gazette. The

September 3, 2019 Read Full Article

What’s the Plan to Increase Ethanol Use? Low Carbon Octane Standard Could Be the Way to Increase Ethanol Use beyond E15.

by Brian Jennings (Ethanol Producer Magazine/American Coalition for Ethanol) … Are we simply going to play defense on the RFS and hope the E15 market develops quickly, or can we turn the page, go on offense and initiate a new legislative or regulatory strategy to increase ethanol use far beyond

September 3, 2019 Read Full Article

Heavenly Trash – Dream in the Sky or Bringing It Down to Earth? Cielo and the Future of Waste to Renewable Diesel

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … Find out how Cielo (Waste Solutions) turns trash to treasure, why they love anything with cellulosic fiber, how they plan on becoming a multi-billion, yes, Billion, dollar company in five years, their plans for 40 plants, and more, all in an exclusive Digest

September 2, 2019 Read Full Article

All Systems Go as POIC (Palm Oil Industrial Cluster) Port Handles First Hazardous Shipment

by Roy Goh (New Straits Times) The Lahad Datu palm oil industrial cluster (POIC) port in Lahad Datu earned its stripes as a facility capable of dealing in hazardous industrial chemicals after handling its first shipment of methanol recently. Tanker vessel MT Nylex 1, on Wednesday, brought in a shipment of

August 30, 2019 Read Full Article

Brazilian Student Is Awarded in Contest of Scientific Research

(Federal University of Goiás (UFG)) Isabela Almeida Rodrigues, undergraduate student of International Relations, was awarded by the Brazilian Association of International Relations (ABRI) Isabela Almeida Rodrigues, undergraduate student at Universidade Federal de Goiás (Federal University of Goias), won the 3rd Contest of Scientific Initiation in International Relations of the Brazilian Association

August 30, 2019 Read Full Article

The IPCC’s Land Report Shows Shipping the Potential of Sustainable Biofuels, but How to Get There?

by Will Dawson (Sustainable Shipping Initiative) The IPCC’s Special Report on Land shows that biofuels can sustainably play a part in shipping’s decarbonisation journey. But with aviation and other sectors circling around a finite resource, shipping needs to invest in the exotic options of ammonia or hydrogen to make them viable by

August 30, 2019 Read Full Article

Better Than Predicted: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to USDA’s Corn Ethanol GHG

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It’s all about the life cycle, right? That’s what the USDA set out to find out about corn ethanol – just exactly what are the GHG emissions associated with the production of corn-based ethanol in the U.S.? Back in 2010, the RIA LCA concluded that –

August 29, 2019 Read Full Article

Tories’ Biofuel Pledge Praised by Canola Growers

by Drew May (Brandon Sun) The Manitoba Canola Growers are praising a Progressive Conservative campaign pledge to increase the amount of biofuel in diesel, which could be a boon for canola growers in the province. On Tuesday, the Tories announced the biofuel pledge as part of an expanded environmental plan. By

August 28, 2019 Read Full Article

Iowa Governor Planning DC Meeting over ‘Short Term Crisis’ in Ethanol Industry

by O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa) Governor Kim Reynolds and Midwest governors are planning a trip to Washington, D.C. to talk with President Trump about unrest in farm country. “Let him know first-hand what’s happening on the ground,” Reynolds said this morning. The Trump Administration recently granted waivers to oil companies,

August 28, 2019 Read Full Article

Canada Investing in First-in-Canada Forest Industry Technologies in Sarnia

(Government of Canada) Canada’s forest sector remains a vital source of wealth for Canadians, providing economic, social and environmental benefits. By investing in Canada’s forest sector, the Government of Canada is growing the economy while protecting our environment. Kate Young, Parliamentary Secretary for Science and Sport and the Parliamentary Secretary

August 28, 2019 Read Full Article

Avfuel to Demonstrate Viability of Sustainable Aviation Fuel at Jackson Hole Aviation (KJAC)

(Avfuel) In an effort to further business aviation’s carbon neutrality goals, Avfuel will make sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) available to operators fueling at Jackson Hole Aviation on September 3 and 4. For the event, Avfuel will supply 7,300 gallons of SAF to the FBO to fuel operators flying in and

August 28, 2019 Read Full Article

Biodiesel – Creating a Sustainable Future for Food

by Don Scott (National Biodiesel Board) A recent editorial, “We have no idea how to feed the world…,” highlights the challenges of feeding a growing population that is more prosperous than ever, creating demand for more protein. However, the piece incorrectly finds fault with farmers and biofuels, the very industries

August 27, 2019 Read Full Article

For The Sake Of Our Biofuel, We Must Stop This Feral Hog Menace

by Tina Casey (Clean Technica) … Aside from scaring the children and scattering the chickens, they are genuinely a major threat to US agriculture and yet another headache for farmers who are already suffering under the impacts of climate change and President* Trump’s trade policies. That includes corn growers and

August 26, 2019 Read Full Article

Dhamendra Pradhan to Launch IOC’s Rs 800-cr Ethanol Project in Gorakhpur

by Virendra Singh Rawat (Business Standard) The unit is proposed to be set up on 50 acres of land in the premises of the now-defunct Dhuriapar Co-operative Sugar Mill — Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan will lay the foundation of an ethanol plant being set up by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) in Gorakhpur district

August 26, 2019 Read Full Article

Panel Discusses High Protein Feed Products at ACE Conference

by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) … At the American Coalition for Ethanol’s annual conference in Omaha, Nebraska, Fluid Quip Technologies and ICM Inc presented their cases for diversifying into protein production. “There’s a lot of opportunities to take the plants from strictly ethanol to the biorefineries of the future,”

August 26, 2019 Read Full Article

Cool Catalytic Conversion: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Vertimass’ Hydrocarbons

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Vertimass’s catalytic conversion is so cool it can convert ethanol into fungible blend stocks in one step without added hydrogen. Their technology produces hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals from biomass – taking biomass through existing biofuels facilities and adding the Vertimass bolt-on catalytic conversion, it comes out

August 26, 2019 Read Full Article

Renewable Energy Producer S.G. Preston Interested in Buying PES Refinery

by Catalina Jaramillo (WHYY) Philadelphia-based biofuel company S.G. Preston Co. is the first of at least two prospective buyers to publicly express interest in taking over the damaged Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery to make renewable diesel, marine diesel and jet fuel, according to Reuters. It could mean a transition from fossil

August 26, 2019 Read Full Article

9 Constellations to Watch: A Look at the Rising Stars in the Race to SAF

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … (T)oday we explore 9 of those constellations building around Sustainable Aviation Fuels. Some of them are young protostars in the earliest stage of stellar evolution, while others are like the Earth’s sun, a main-sequence mid-size star, and a few are superstars like, well,

August 26, 2019 Read Full Article

If We Really Want to Sequester More Carbon, Agriculture Can’t Be Made the Enemy, Says Microbial Input Startup Locus

by Lauren Manning (Ag Funder News) … Carbon sequestration is a phrase that’s becoming commonplace in the media, in food policy circles, and more recently around the dinner table. Put simply, Zorner says, carbon sequestration describes the process that plants use to absorb carbon from the air through photosynthesis, convert it

August 23, 2019 Read Full Article

Transport Biofuels: Tracking Clean Energy Progress

by Pharoah Le Feuvre (International Energy Agency) Transport biofuel production expanded 7% year-on-year in 2018, and 3% annual production growth is expected over the next five years. This falls short of the sustained 10% output growth per year needed until 2030 to align with the Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS). Stronger

August 23, 2019 Read Full Article

“Poldering” a New Climate Agreement in the Netherlands

by Paul Sinnige and Timo Gerlagh (Netherlands Enterprise Agency) … With a strong focus on passenger transport and recognising that transport is responsible for a quarter of all emissions, one of the main goals of the agreement is an ambition for all new passenger cars sold in the Netherlands to

August 23, 2019 Read Full Article

Commercializing Conventional and Advanced Transport Biofuels from Biomass and Other Renewable Feedstocks — Co-processing

(IEA Bioenergy Task 39) Many petroleum refiners in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia are thinking about upgrading bio-feedstocks using existing infrastructure. Approximately 40 refineries around the world have so far implemented or tested some type of hydroprocessing of mixed petroleum and bio-intermediate feedstocks, co-processing these feeds at biointermediate levels

August 23, 2019 Read Full Article

UNL Researchers Leading Biofuel Studies

(KFORNOW) Sorghum, the third most abundant cereal crop in the United States, is emerging as a star player in the biofuels industry. Right now, however, maximizing the crop’s potential is challenging. The function of much of its complete set of DNA remains a mystery. Without pinpointing the function of more of

August 23, 2019 Read Full Article

Cutting Edge Sustainability for Cutting Edge Tech: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sustainability is such a vague term that some throw around to make them sound good in a consumer environment that is asking for greener and more socially conscious products. The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials is tackling sustainability head on with its cutting edge sustainability tools for

August 23, 2019 Read Full Article

Petroleum Companies Ramp up HVO Production in Europe

(Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen (UFOP)/Biodiesel Magazine) Production of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in the European Union has picked up pace since 2012. Petroleum companies, such as Neste, Eni and Total, were the main entities promoting the creation of corresponding capacities. From the perspective of the Union zur Förderung

August 22, 2019 Read Full Article

2020 Dems Aim to Capitalize on Trump’s Ethanol Policy

by Brian Dabbs (National Journal) Democratic presidential candidates are exploiting a controversial White House ethanol policy to try to generate support among President Trump’s staunchest backers. The Environmental Protection Agency waived ethanol blending requirements for more than 30 petroleum refiners earlier this month, in a move that continues to infuriate

August 22, 2019 Read Full Article

From Chicken Kiev to ZEV: The Birth of Electro-Active Technologies, and Hydrogen Fuel for Zero Emission Vehicles, the Newfangled Way

by jmlhydrogen (Hydrogen Digest) From Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee comes news that Electro-Active Technologies has exclusively licensed two biorefinery technologies to convert organic waste into renewable hydrogen gas for use as a biofuel. The Technology The system combines biology and electrochemistry to degrade organic waste—such as plant biomass or

August 22, 2019 Read Full Article

New Catalysts, Improved Genetic Tools Bring New Opportunities: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to ORNL’s Biomass to Bioproducts

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Organisms are interesting creatures and genetic tools and biochemical pathway knowledge is changing the way we look at them. Brian Davison, Chief Scientist for Biotechnology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, gave this knowledge-filled presentation on how to leverage organisms for biofuels and bioproducts, consolidated bioprocessing, barriers

August 22, 2019 Read Full Article

Governors Ask EPA to Clarify Biogenic CO2 Not Regulated under CCA

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) Governors representing Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska and North Dakota recently sent a letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler urging the agency to clarify biogenic CO2 is not a pollutant subject to regulation under the Clean Air Act. “We respectively request that you prioritize regulatory reform

August 21, 2019 Read Full Article

Gevo Discusses Plans for Hydrocarbon, RNG Production

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) … During an earnings call, Gevo CEO Patrick Gruber discussed the company’s future plans for aviation fuel production and announced plans to launch a renewable natural gas (RNG) division. Gruber opened the call by discussing progress the company has made with its commercial off-take agreements, referencing

August 21, 2019 Read Full Article

NFU Writes to Government for Biofuel Policy

(National Farmers Union) The NFU has written to Government ministers calling for E10 – a type of petrol which contains 10% renewable bioethanol – to be introduced by 2020 to help the UK reach its net zero targets. Currently commonplace on UK forecourts is E5 which only contains 5% renewable bioethanol.

August 21, 2019 Read Full Article

It’s Time to Rebuild: Farmland as Critical Infrastructure

by Michael A. Fatigati (Vantaggio Renewables/Biofuels Digest) … We believe that one of our nation’s important natural resources, while protected in some ways, is being neglected to our peril and should be re-classified as infrastructure. This segment of infrastructure supplies 95% of the food requirements of our nation. This segment

August 21, 2019 Read Full Article

Bioenergy Startup Licenses ORNL Food-Waste-to-Fuel System

(Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Electro-Active Technologies, Inc., of Knoxville, Tenn., has exclusively licensed two biorefinery technologies invented and patented by the startup’s co-founders while working at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The technologies work as a system that converts organic waste into renewable hydrogen gas for use as

August 20, 2019 Read Full Article

NACSAA Webinar Underscores Need for Wider Scale of Global Ag Talks

(North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance) A NACSAA webinar held last month on what transpired at the June climate talks in Bonn (SB50) underscored the limited approaches to climate smart agriculture under discussion by global representatives. The global conversation about the need to transform agriculture and the food system to

August 19, 2019 Read Full Article

The Golden Cow – Is India the Place to Be for Biofuels?

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … Is India the cash cow for biofuels? Or even the golden cow? If Aemetis’ recent 200% year over year increase in biodiesel sales is any indication…well, let’s just say we see the value. The market It is estimated that the ethanol market in India

August 19, 2019 Read Full Article

Facts Not Furor: What the 2020 Candidates Should Be Focused On

by Daniel Gage (ACT News/NGV America) … One candidate said we have less than 10 years to act. Many candidates agree that we don’t have time to wait. So why then are we waiting for large scale light-duty electric vehicle adoption that will take decades? Why are we waiting for medium-

August 19, 2019 Read Full Article

E15, E30, and Blender Pumps May Become Generally Available, but Refinery Exemptions Make the RFS Irrelevant

by Doug Root* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Farm Fest in southern Minnesota is always a forum on the health of the agriculture sector of the economy and biofuels. This year was no exception as Rep. Colin Peterson hosted a listening session with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and six members of

August 17, 2019 Read Full Article

In Iowa, Candidates Are Talking About Farming’s Climate Change Connections Like No Previous Election

by Georgina Gustin (Inside Climate News) About half the candidates have policy proposals or statements addressing climate change impacts on agriculture or farming’s potential as a climate solution. … They also brought an unprecedented focus on agriculture‘s connections with climate change—an issue that’s getting more traction among rural Midwestern voters and farmers in

August 16, 2019 Read Full Article

Audio Available from 2019 American Coalition for Ethanol Conference

(Ag News Wire) The 32nd annual American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) conference is taking place August 14-16, 2019 in Omaha, Nebraska. The event includes a welcome from Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, followed by industry updates and a keynote presentation by new U.S. Grains Council CEO Ryan LeGrand, as well as panels and

August 16, 2019 Read Full Article

Zimbabwe: Government Revives Jatropha Project As Fuel Crisis Persists

by Leopold Munhende (AllAfrica) Government, desperate to end a recurrent fuel crisis, has revived its Jatropha fuel project abandoned during ex-President Robert Mugabe’s era. Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa revealed this during a Post Cabinet media briefing Wednesday, where she emphasised on the need for alternative sources of fuel to ease the

August 16, 2019 Read Full Article

Mineral Oil Groups Ramp up HVO Production in the EU

(Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen (UFOP)/Biodiesel Magazine) Production of hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) in the European Union has picked up pace since 2012. Mineral oil groups, such as Neste, Eni and Total, were the main entities promoting the creation of corresponding capacities. From the perspective of the Union

August 16, 2019 Read Full Article

Scars Are Beautiful: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Gevo’s Market Perspectives

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Scars are a sign you’ve been there and survived. You overcame. You learned something, maybe the hard way. And Patrick Gruber, CEO of Gevo, a company that produces low-carbon, renewable, high-performance fuel products, shows us just how beautiful scars can be. Check out his illuminating presentation where

August 16, 2019 Read Full Article

Report: India to Use, Produce a Record Volume of Ethanol in 2019

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A report recently filed with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network shows the average ethanol blend rate in India is expected to reach a record 5.8 percent this year, up from the record of 4.1 percent set last year. India currently aims

August 15, 2019 Read Full Article

How to Fix the Ethanol Industry

by Robert Rapier (Forbes) …In this model, the entities that control the model are the same as those that benefit from it: The Midwestern states that produce essentially all of the nation’s ethanol. The key goal here is to get the federal government out of the position of strongly impacting the market for

August 15, 2019 Read Full Article

Environmental Advocates Should Take Another Look at Biofuels

by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and former Sen. Timothy Wirth (D-CO) (The Hill) … But public policy to date has put almost the entire burden of the sector’s transformation on the nation’s vehicles. Shouldn’t the fuels they burn get equal attention? Look at the numbers: Even a rapid transition to electric

August 15, 2019 Read Full Article

Gevo Enters into Purchase and Sale Agreement for Sustainable Aviation Fuel to Supply Air TOTAL International

(Gevo) Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO) announced today that Air TOTAL International SA (“Air TOTAL”) and Gevo have entered into a partnership agreement to produce and supply sustainable aviation fuel (“SAF”) for use and distribution in France and other parts of Europe. With the finalization of this new supply contract, Gevo

August 15, 2019 Read Full Article

No Carbon Left Behind: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to LanzaTech

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) LanzaTech has produced 5.5 million gallons of ethanol since start up and has compelling project economics to back it up. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech gave this ‘Carbon Smart’ overview of how LanzaTech is recycling carbon from industrial off gas biomass and MSW syngas and

August 15, 2019 Read Full Article

Weathering the Storms: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to ADM

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Like many other companies in the agriculture and food ingredient markets, ADM is affected by the weather. But bad weather isn’t stopping this company as indicated in their Q2 presentation especially with health and wellness and animal nutrition up on year over year numbers. Check

August 15, 2019 Read Full Article

Robocar’s Biobased Seat Cushions, Miscanthus Bedding, Churro Waste Fat Based Diesel, Edible Spoons, Cellulose-Based Fabric, Sausage without the Sausage, and More: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of August 15th

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As the end of summer approaches, county fairs are popping up around the U.S. and with it, churros and other waste. But innovators are turning churro waste fats into renewable diesel, using edible flavored spoons to avoid fair waste, rain ponchos made from sugarcane-based bioplastic, packaging

August 15, 2019 Read Full Article

Aemetis Cuts Carbon Score of Keyes Ethanol Plant

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Aemetis Inc. released second quarter 2019 financial results Aug. 8. The company reported strong growth for its biodiesel business in India, outlined improvement projects underway at its corn ethanol plant, and discussed planned renewable natural gas (RNG) and cellulosic ethanol production. During an earnings call,

August 14, 2019 Read Full Article

Golden Grain Receives LCFS Certification for Cellulosic Ethanol Production

(Biofuels International) The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has approved Golden Grain Energy for cellulosic ethanol production from corn kernel fibre, according to biotechnology company Edeniq, which has supplied the technology for production. Golden Grain operates a corn ethanol plant in Mason City, Iowa, which has a capacity of 120

August 14, 2019 Read Full Article

Tulane Researcher Working to Turn Waste to Fuel Wins NSF Career Award

by Barri Bronston (Tulane University) Nicholas Sandoval’s lab at Tulane works on the development and application of advanced synthetic biology tools for microbes and other model cell lines for the purpose of therapeutics and sustainable fuel and chemical production. — Nicholas Sandoval, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Tulane

August 14, 2019 Read Full Article

Ethanol Brings down Price of Gasoline at the Pump below Biodiesel in Zimbabwe

by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Zimbabwe, the national broadcasting corporation reports that the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority says prices for gasoline blended with 10% ethanol have fallen below diesel prices at the pump which typically doesn’t happen. Using 150,000 liters per day of domestic ethanol reduces the foreign exchange burden

August 14, 2019 Read Full Article

Chinese Demand Heats up Brazil’s Ethanol Industry

by Sarita Reed and Vinicius Fontana (China Dialogue) Adding ethanol to Chinese petrol will decrease emissions but could worsen Brazil’s deforestation — There are 332 million cars on the road in China, more than anywhere in the world. Most run on pure petrol, but from next year Chinese fuel companies

August 14, 2019 Read Full Article

Innovate AND Implement: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to ICM’s Ethanol and Biorefining

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Innovation is great but without implementation, the story ends there. Not so for ICM, a Kanasas-based company that took its small business roots in a farming community and an idea and turned it into 1/3 of the world’s ethanol produced every year by ICM technologies. With

August 14, 2019 Read Full Article

Vegan Renewable Diesel, Futurol Tech: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Axens’ Fuel Feedstocks

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Axens Solutions is covering the entire project development cycle and working on things like BioTfuel and Vegan which are renewable diesel and jet fuels, Futurol, a cellulosic ethanol using biomass enzymatic fermentation, Atol made from ethylene using ethanol dehydration, and other feedstocks for fuel. David

August 14, 2019 Read Full Article

DOE Seeks Information on Opportunities to Leverage Bioethanol Production Facilities, Food Waste Streams, High-Impact Data, and Algal Biomass to Advance the Domestic Bioeconomy –DE-FOA-0002150: FY 2019 BETO-WIDE RFI DEADLINE: September 6, 2019

(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is requesting information on the following research opportunities to help inform its priorities and funding strategies: advanced processes and retrofits to co-produce cellulosic biofuels and other products at existing

August 13, 2019 Read Full Article

Indonesia Threatens Tariff Hike on EU Dairy in Trade Spat

(Agence France Presses/ RTL Today) Indonesia’s trade minister Friday threatened to impose higher tariffs on EU dairy imports in response to the bloc’s proposed move to hit biodiesel made from palm oil with anti-subsidy duties. The warning could escalate a trade dispute with the European Union after Indonesia — the world’s

August 13, 2019 Read Full Article

Jokowi Wants 30% Biodiesel in Cars as Soon as January Next Year

by Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (Jakarta Post) President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said he wanted to increase the portion of diesel blended with crude palm oil (CPO) from the current 20 percent ( B20 ) to 30 percent ( B30 ) starting January next year and to 50 percent ( B50 ) by the

August 13, 2019 Read Full Article

Praj Joins Hands with Brazil-Based Dedini lndustrias for Ethanol Production Technologies

(WebIndia123) Bio-based technologies and engineering firm Praj Industries said on Monday it has entered into a cooperation agreement with Dedini lndustrias de Base to provide ethanol production technologies in the Brazilian market. This paves the way for Dedini to market Praj’s technology solutions to set up ethanol production facilities using grain-based

August 13, 2019 Read Full Article

New Energy Blue Buys Inbicon’s Low-Carbon Fuel Technology

(Oil and Gas 360/New Energy Blue) NewEnergyBlue acquired exclusive rights to Inbicon bio-conversion technology throughout the Americas and will first employ it to turn North Dakota wheat straw into a high-value, carbon-neutral automotive fuel. The technology license was purchased from Ørsted, a Danish green-energy company. Ørsted developed the technology over 15 years at

August 13, 2019 Read Full Article

“Just the Bagasse”: UFG Researcher Studies Biofuel Production with Cerrado Fruit Residues

(UFG Journal (Google Translation)) … A research conducted at the Federal University of Goiás (UFG) evaluates the use of fruits as alternative and unconventional sources of natural origin for ethanol production. In addition to testing with jamelão, a plant of Indian origin that has adapted well in several regions of Brazil,

August 12, 2019 Read Full Article

Five Myths about Corn: Actually, It’s Not All Genetically Modified — or Unhealthy.

by Laura Reiley (Washington Post) … MYTH NO. 5 Biofuels derived from corn can help the environment. Ethanol, made by fermenting sugars from corn or sugar cane, contains oxygen that enables a car’s engine to burn fuel more efficiently. It was heralded as the “fuel of the future” by Henry Ford in 1925 —

August 12, 2019 Read Full Article

Planned Anti-Subsidy Duties on Palm Oil Methyl Ester Ineffective

(Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen (UFOP)) The preliminary anti-subsidy duties announced by the EU Commission will not reduce imports of palm oil-based biodiesel. This is the conclusion the Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen (UFOP) has drawn from a comparison of 8 per cent and 18 per cent

August 12, 2019 Read Full Article

Just Drop It in!: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Gevo’s Drop-in Hydrocarbons

by Jim Lane (Biofuhttp://radar.weather.gov/radar_lite.php?product=NCR&rid=LWX&loop=yesels Digest) Gevo produces and sells low-carbon, renewable, high-performance fuel products. From ethanol to isobutanol, jet fuel, isooctane, oxygenate blendstocks, and more, Gevo is on a mission to replace fossil based products and decarbonize products for large markets. Tim Cesarek, Executive VP and COO of Gevo gave this

August 8, 2019 Read Full Article

Gevo’s Renewable Isobutanol Pilot Lowers Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Seattle

(Biofuels International) Low carbon fuel company Gevo has successfully completed the first phase of a trial pilot of fleet vehicles using its low carbon, renewable drop-in isobutanol blended gasoline. The trial, which took place in the City of Seattle in in the US, saw a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

August 8, 2019 Read Full Article

Zero Emission Heavy Fuel Oil: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to GoodFuels’ Marine Biofuels

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) GoodFuels is seeing a fast rise of low carbon marine fuels as a very logical one. The demand. The supply. The environmental impact. Even the economics. It’s all making sense now. In November, GoodFuels completed trials of the world’s first zero emission, ‘drop in’ Heavy Fuel

August 7, 2019 Read Full Article

3F BIO Secures €17m Backing from European Commission for First Integrated Bio-Based Protein Biorefinery

(3F BIO) … The project addresses the protein challenge by integrating two established processes into a flagship, large-scale, first-of-its-kind, biorefinery producing bioethanol and sustainable food protein. The process takes a proportion of the sustainable cereal crops that feed the biorefinery to create a feedstock for the fermentation process that produces ABUNDA®