(Business Review) EBRD is granting a EUR 30 million syndicated financing package to Expur S.A., a local oilseed processing company. Expur crushes rapeseed and sunflower seed, produces crude rapeseed oil, refined edible sunflower oil, as well as rapeseed meal, sunflower
by Leon Kaye (TriplePundit.com) ...This year, the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the long-form name for the Blue Angels, wowed visitors with their pilots’ stunts at the Patuxent Naval Air Station in southern Maryland over the weekend. Only this time, the weekend
(Trillium FiberFuels/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Trillium FiberFuels Inc. has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research grant to further its work in developing innovative technologies for creating fuel-grade ethanol from straw and other biomass. This latest award to Trillium from the
by Brian Wallheimer (Purdue University) Adding a pretreatment step would allow producers to get more ethanol from switchgrass harvested in the fall, according to a Purdue University study. Michael Ladisch, a distinguished professor of agricultural and biological engineering, and Youngmi Kim,
by Teis Jensen (Reuters) New consortium invests in feasibility study * Plans involve second-generation bioethanol plant * Plant could cost $390 million - $580 million Denmark's DONG Energy and local partners will explore the possibility of building a bioenergy complex, including a large-scale
by Ed Marcum (KnoxNews.com) The University of Tennessee showed off its biofuel facilities here Tuesday to top state officials as the school works to increase efficiencies so that the experimental project can become a commercial operation. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and U.S. Sen.
by Steve Olson (California Agricultural Technology Institute/Western Farm Press/Fresno State University) A study indicates possibilities for new farming methods on the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley, which is challenged by selenium-laden irrigation effluent. One method of using excess selenium in
by Karen Hosler (The Baltimore Sun) Karen Hosler writes that the great environmental hope has been exposed as a hoax; conservation is a better bet than magic elixirs ...At best, ethanol enthusiasm has always been muted in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Elizabeth R. Nesbitt, Paul Thiers, Johnway Gao, Sharon Shoemaker, Manuel Garcia-Perez, Julie Carrier, Joy Doran-Peterson, John Morgan, Guangyi Wang, Pierre Christian Wensel, Shulin Chen (Journal of International Commerce and Economics) The Chinese government is vigorously promoting commercialization of renewable energy and bioproducts, given environmental issues plus food, energy, and national security concerns,
by Carla Gomez (Daily Star) San Carlos Bioenergy Inc. has resumed production of ethanol fuel and recently delivered 1.08 million liters to Petron, Arnel Amparo, its vice president for operations and resident manager, said last night. “We intend to produce ethanol
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Investors with an appetite for loss, common in wind projects, may be what's needed to see CHP take hold in the ethanol industry. ...using corn stover for biomass power and steam, selling the excess power
(U.S. Naval Air Systems Command) The Navy’s alternative energy program expanded yesterday when a T-45 training aircraft completed a successful biofuel flight at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The “Salty Dogs” of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23
by Monika Bertzky, Valerie Kapos & Jörn P.W. Scharlemann (Joint Nature Conservation Committee) Inference from production statistics and modelling studies suggest that iLUC has occurred, is likely to increase with increasing demand for biofuels and needs to be considered when assessing the
by Stephen K. Ritter (Chemical & Engineering News) Bruce E. Dale often plays the role of devil's advocate not only against the rosy picture of biofuels painted by start-ups and trade associations but also against the gloom-and-doom message of some
(Voice of America) ... At Cork Street Tavern in Winchester, Virginia, kitchen manager Chris Bennett cooks his freshly-fried potato chips in canola oil from Shenandoah Agricultural Products, a small company just a few kilometers away. ... After the restaurant has fried
by Graham von Maltitz, William Stafford (Center for International Forestry Research) Sustainable biofuel production should provide opportunities for sub-Saharan African countries and their inhabitants, especially in impoverished rural areas. Biofuel feedstock production has the potential to bring job opportunities
by Mark Victoria (KTIV.com) ...Now after seeing profits, an expansion is in the works. "Each of the plants has seven fermenters which help in the ethanol making process. We're going to build an 8th, which will help again increase some of
by Bill Shea (The Messenger) Company leaders visit Webster County plant Trucks loaded with corn line up every day at the front gate of the Valero Renewables ethanol plant west of Fort Dodge, while at the opposite end of the facility
by John Daly (OilPrice.com) ...While it remains to be seen how the joint investments between the U.S. government and private sector will work in practice, the announcement nevertheless represents an unprecedented commitment by several federal departments to stimulate the production
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) America is home to the most innovative, productive and efficient ethanol and grain producers in the world. ...(T)he trend line for both industries is toward greater productivity utilizing fewer resources. When viewed as a
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The National Corn Growers Association declares War on cellulosic biofuels, calling them “non-existent”, then mysteriously removes the blog post. What gives? Ten days ago, Cathryn Wojciki, communications manager for the National Corn Growers Association, wrote a
by Maria Gallucci (SolveClimate News) Chrysler's new partnership with cellulosic producer ZeaChem is part of the automaker's larger push to get E85 ethanol in its vehicles Last week, a Detroit Three automaker joined the handful of mostly oil companies that have
by Florentino Lopez (United Sorghum Checkoff Program/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...Just like our dedication in promoting grain sorghum for biofuels production, the Sorghum Checkoff is now looking to the future to find the most profitable possibilities for all sectors of the
by John Maday (Drovers CattleNetwork) This probably doesn’t surprise you, but growth in ethanol production since the year 2000 contributed to dramatic shifts in U.S. agricultural production, according to a new report from USDA’s Economic Research Service. The report, titled “The ethanol
(US Navy/Naval Air Systems Command) The Navy and Marine Corps team reached another milestone toward achieving the Secretary of the Navy’s energy goals by successfully flying a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey on biofuel Aug. 10 at Naval Air Station
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) A new way to remove fiber from corn has been discovered by a professor from Mississippi State University (MSU). He calls his process Elusieve and has filed for a patent. The process was invented by Dr. Radhakrishnan Srinivasan
by Ismira Lutfia (Jakarta Globe) The millions of tons of fibrous residue produced by palm oil plantations across the country could soon become a major source of raw material for renewable fuel. Over the past year, scientists from the Indonesian
by Jerry Hagstrom (AgWeek) Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s Republican presidential candidacy and President Obama’s comments on ethanol have thrown the corn-based ethanol industry into turmoil as it struggles to convince Congress to provide assistance to build blender pumps. Texas Gov. Rick
by Benjamin Burroughs (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Ethanol has some distinct advantages as a fuel, and sweet sorghum promises even better input/output ratios ...In addition to having a higher ratio, the cost of production for sweet sorghum is lower than for corn. For
by Michael K. Bullard (Ethanol Producer Magazine) How the 2008 Recession Halted the Progress of Louisiana’s Advanced Biofuel Industry Development Initiative ...The Advanced Biofuel Industry Development Initiative (Act 382) represents a complete strategy to not only address the aggressive federal mandates
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Not content to let Brazil hog all the glory, three development-stage companies eye sugar-based ethanol feedstocks ...If successful, California Ethanol & Power LLC will be the first ethanol production company bankrolled partially by Brazilian money,
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...Near Hastings, a community of about 25,000 people nestled amid the seemingly endless corn fields of south-central Nebraska, Chief Ethanol Fuels Inc. has been steadily churning out ethanol since late 1984. The oldest dry-mill
(AllAfrica.com/The Herald) Traditional leaders have identified unnecessary politicking as a challenge to the successful completion of the Chisumbanje Ethanol Plant. The task-force chaired by Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development secretary Mr Ngoni Masoka visited the project yesterday. In his submission to the
(The Record) Farm officials, hoping to get California farmers to plant as much as 25,000 acres of camelina, an oilseed, for a biomass start-up project are offering incentives to growers in San Joaquin County and other areas of the Central
by Gouri Shankar Mishra and Sonia Yeh (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Study recalculates water consumption with expanded system boundaries and coproduct credit Recent studies have estimated the “consumptive water use,” “water embodied,” and “water footprint” of corn-based ethanol in the U.S, with
by Cole Gustafson, Thein Maung and David Ripplinger (Ethanol Producer Magazine/North Dakota State University) If cellulosic biofuel development remains on track, several commercial firms will be contracting for corn stover in 2012. How will farmers balance the field workload of harvesting
(GreenAir Online) The regional initiative launched in June by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to provide finance for renewable jet fuel projects in Latin America and the Caribbean has made its first grant. The IDB, along with aircraft manufacturers
by Mario Osava (Aljazeera) Biofuels are an alternative energy source that can drive local development by generating jobs, know-how and technology. But they can also cause social damage, as locals fear in the case of industrial-scale exploitation of babassu palm
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Poet LLC is venturing into the realm of energy grasses with a newly launched collaborative effort to establish native grasses on degraded lands in areas surrounding its 100 MMgy ethanol plant at Chancellor, S.D.
(Biofuels Journal) Five undergraduate students from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign received a $5,000 grant from British Petroleum to research the engineering properties of biomass. The students wrote the grant to develop a virtual database that will tell end users the properties
by Don Comis (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers have developed an inexpensive way to grade the ethanol potential of perennial grasses at the biorefinery's loading dock. That future has been made possible by
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) ...In this week’s installment of the RFA’s series on efficiency, RFA Vice President Geoff Cooper takes on the critics who contend that both farming and ethanol production is simply too energy-intensive. Critics of farmers, and by
by Cindy (Corn Commentary) President Obama’s Midwest bus tour this week really put a spotlight on agriculture and biofuels. The POTUS visited three of the nation’s top four ethanol producing states,accounting for more than 42 percent of the country’s ethanol
by Laea Medley (Independent Online) ...The iLembe District Municipality and Dr Samson Tesfay, a post-doctoral student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s discipline of horticultural science, are planning a plantation project for the plant. The project will harvest Moringa pods for
by Bv Mahalakshmi (The Financial Express) Nandan Biomatrix Ltd, an integrated R&D company for neutraceuticals and medicinal plants, has signed agreements with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Shapoorji and Pallonji Ltd to form a JV company for producing biodiesel
by Shishir Sinha (The Hindu Business Line) What could be seen as a revival of the sugar industry in Bihar, HPCL Bio Fuels Ltd will start producing sugar and ethanol from the coming sugar season starting October. HPCL Bio Fuels Ltd is
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) With new research on environmental and biomedical benefits of Jatropha is appearing regularly, it’s no wonder that the race for patents is heating up, and fast. Last year Mission New Energy began a joint venture
by Don Davis (Duluth News Tribune) Minnesota’s senior congressman said that the plan administration officials announced this week probably will not work and threatens Minnesota’s 21 ethanol plants. “I think that is a big a problem,” said U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson,
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) ...According to Greg Springer, president of Green Fuels America Inc., interest in community-scale biodiesel production is increasing all around the world. He attributes this to both high fuel prices and the specific advantages community-scale production
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...Inbicon conducted an extensive crop study and biomass research project to show just how much biomass is available in the Midwest. “Our findings confirm that North America’s great abundance of corn stover and wheat
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Add-on technology developed for corn ethanol plants Rather than retrofitting a corn-ethanol plant to produce i-butanol, n-butanol or use other novel fermentation technologies, three companies are collaborating to turn a traditional ethanol plant into a
by Jerome Carlo R. Paunan (Philippine Information Agency) The Aquino administration is eying the potential of the oil derived from coconuts or "coco-biodiesel" to reduce the country's overdependence on imported fuels, an official from the Philippine Coconut Authority said Tuesday. ...A
by Suzanne Goldenberg (The Guardian) As Congress reviews 30 years of corn ethanol subsidies, the global food crisis has shone a negative light on biofuel production There were times when Arlyn Schipper could almost feel heroic on his family farm in
by Aparajita Ray (Daily News and Analysis) A bio-diesel manufacturing unit with a 50-tonne daily capacity will be set up near Devanahalli in four months, Karnataka State Biofuel Development Board chairman YB Ramakrishna told DNA on the sidelines of a World
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory is looking for the best biofuels crops to grow in the northeast Illinois Indian Creek Watershed. During a recent field tour of the watershed sponsored by theConservation Technology Information Center, Argonne
by Jonathan Williams (Algae Industry Magazine) Dr. Richard Sayre keeps his plate full as both the Director of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, and as the CTO of the high
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) With help from the USDA Biomass Crop Assistance Program, Abengoa is on its way to establishing a significantly sized switchgrass plantation in parts of Kansas and Oklahoma surrounding the site of the company’s proposed
(US Department of Energy) ...More than 600 speakers, moderators, sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees were able to listen to discussions about the ongoing challenges and achievements in the bioenergy industry. Biomass 2011 addressed key issues in important areas, such as feedstock supply, conversion pathways,
(Yahoo!Finance) At a time when the global economy is in need of every boost possible, Mission NewEnergy ... is teaching impoverished farmers in India how to operate a small business by cultivating Jatropha plants for world consumption. Over 1,940,000 acres of otherwise
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA and DOE have awarded 10 grants totaling $12.2 million to spur research into improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of growing biofuel and bioenergy crops. The USDA and DOE
by Zak Richards (University of Virginia) Algae-based fuel is one of many options among the array of possible future energy sources. New University of Virginia research shows that while algae-based transportation fuels produce high energy output with minimal land use,
by Tiffany Stecker (ClimateWire/Scientific American) A study looks into giving farmers permission to harvest cellulosic feedstocks on land set aside for wetlands and wildlife conservation Growing cellulosic feedstocks on federally subsidized conservation land could balance the biofuels emissions equation to be completely carbon-neutral,
by Lisa Gibson (Biomass Power and Thermal) A follow-up report to the U.S. DOE’s 2005 “Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply,” commonly referred to as the Billion-Ton Study, has
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) Over the past 30 years, and in particular in the past decade, ethanol production has quietly become increasingly efficient. From improvements in corn production to greater efficiencies at ethanol biorefineries, America’s leading renewable fuel
(Southeast Farm Press/National Corn Growers Association) The study, which utilized Texas A&M University’s Agricultural & Food Policy Center’s premier farm-level modeling system and data from the University of Missouri’s Food & Agricultural Policy Research Institute, determined that net cash farm
by Maggie Koerth-Baker (BoingBoing) ...In a nutshell, that’s why liquid fuel is so valuable. So far, it’s the clear winner when we need energy for transportation—especially air transportation and heavy, long-distance shipping—because it allows you to stuff a lot of
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In India, SG Biofuels and Bharat Renewable Energy, a unit of India’s second largest oil company, Bharat Petroleum, signed a landmark commercial agreement to develop and deploy elite hybrids of Jatropha across a total 86,000
(Argus Media) Europe's biodiesel producers have commissioned an independent review of a policy document on biodiesel's indirect effects on land use change, which the European Biodiesel Board (EBB) maintains has skewed the European Commission's thinking on the subject to the
by Brian Westenhaus (OilPrice.com) According to Promode Kant from the Institute of Green Economy in India and Shuirong Wu of the Chinese Academy of Forestry some 12.8 million ha (49,421 square miles) are expected to be planted with jatropha by
(AirportBusiness.com) Today (August 9, 2011) U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) toured the cutting-edge laboratories at Targeted Growth in Seattle and announced the launch of Washington state's first large-scale program for the growth of camelina sativa, a promising non-food feedstock for
by Julia Olmstead (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Traveling together to Brazil, Americans representing a range of perspectives on ethanol and environmentalism attempt to forge a shared path toward ethanol sustainability ...The divisiveness of the indirect land use change (ILUC) debate—the theory that
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...But a new generation of technologies is coming along fast, primarily in advanced biofuels, which is gasifying biomass at the front end along its path towards making fuels, chemicals or other biomaterials – or in
by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register) Ethanol supporters, on the defensive since the last Iowa caucus cycle, have decided to do some educational outreach this year to the estimated 600-plus media that will come to Iowa for the Aug. 13
by John C.K. Daly (Oilprice.com) After years of existing largely as an environmentalist's fantasy, commercial production of biofuels for the world civil aviation industry is slowly becoming a fact, with production starting up across three continents. The leading contenders for biofuel
by Luke Geiver (Biorefining Magazine) After nearly five years of research and development, the work of Pacific Renewable Fuels and Chemicals, and Red Lion Bio-Energy, has turned into a new biorefining company: SynTerra Energy Inc. SynTerra Energy combines pyrolysis and
by Keith R. Mussman (The Daily Journal/Kankakee County Farm Bureau) ...Argonne National Laboratory has shown that corn ethanol delivers a positive energy balance of 8.8 megajoules per liter. Simply put, corn ethanol produces more energy than it takes to make
by Lindsay Derba (PopCityMedia) Andrew Butcher, 30, co-founded GTECH, one of Pittsburgh's premier green economy initiatives, along with his partner, Chris Koch. The nonprofit aims to help Pittsburgh grow by transforming vacant land, connecting people to the green economy, and using
by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine) Algae may be garnering the most attention as a viable third-generation feedstock for biodiesel production. As Gary Breitenbeck, professor in the School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Science at Louisiana State University’s Agricultural Center, and
by Luke Geiver (Biodiesel Magazine) Agrisoma may be the least known 10-year-old renewable energy company, as Steven Fabijanski told Biodiesel Magazine, but that hasn’t stopped a Canadian development fund from granting the Ottawa-based firm with roughly $425,000 in research funding. Agrisoma
by Niluksi Koswanage (Reuters Africa) Malaysia, the word's No.2 palm oil producer, will come up with a certification scheme to ensure the tropical oil is grown without clearing forests and destroying wildlife, a newspaper reported on Monday. The Business Times quoted
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) German-based international specialty chemicals company Süd-Chemie AG held a groundbreaking July 26 for a 1,000 ton-per-year, demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Straubing, located in the Lower Bavaria region. The plant, which is expected begin
(Mexican Airlines) This evening, Mexico's flagship carrier, AeroMexico, will make the world’s first Trans-oceanic flight using aviation biofuel, once again placing Mexico in the limelight with regard to the use of biofuels in the global aviation sector. Flying from Mexico City (MEX) to Madrid
by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine) After sitting idle for a year, Inland Empire Oilseeds LLC managed to restart production at its 8 MMgy canola-based biodiesel facility, including an adjacent canola crushing plant, in Odessa, Wash. ...Edmonds added that he expects the
by Fred Katerere (Bloomberg) Grown Energy Zambeze Ltda. will invest $320 million to make ethanol from sugar cane in the central Mozambican province of Sofala, state-controlled Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique reported. Production is scheduled to start in 2013,... READ MORE
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Mary Solecki and Bob Epstein of E2 and David Richey of the Goldman School of Public Policy released a monumentally good read and one of the best primers available on advanced biofuels, with
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) In the Philippines, a new study by that Asian Development Bank finds that “Pongamia provides better economic returns [than other Indian feedstocks]. Even under a 15% social discount rate Pongamia provides a positive NPV,
by John Farrell (Forbes) ...A prime example: biofuels from the by-products of tequila production. In particular, the tough, fibrous leaves of the blue agave plant. A recent paper Valenzuela published in the February issue of the journal Bioenergy, A New Agenda for Blue
by Megan Cassidy (Columbia Missourian) Shibu Jose and his team believe that today’s soggy river bottoms could be untapped grounds for the largest advanced biofuel economy in the nation. Jose, director for MU’s Center for Agroforestry, is proposing to cultivate and harvest
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Hankinson Renewable Energy LLC, a 120 MMgy ethanol plant in Hankinson, N.D., is in the process of starting up an anaerobic digester to produce 54 MMBtu of biogas a year, according to David Rein,
by Holly Jessen (DomesticFuel.com) Although the U.S. corn ethanol industry is frequently misunderstood and misrepresented, it’s the only domestic renewable fuel industry to reach significant scale and make a measurable impact on the U.S. fuel supply, said Luca Zullo, principal
(Ethanol Producer Magazine) The second year of DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC’s corn stover collection program is under way in Iowa as the company prepares to construct Project Blackhawk - a 25 MMgy stover-to-ethanol plant which will be located adjacent
by Subhash Narayan and Noor Mohammad (Financial Express) Move over bio-diesel, the new green diesel is all set to revolutionalise the fuel market by offering cost-effective and environment-friendly solution for the transport sector in the country. US-based diversified technology and
(Platts) Specialty chemicals company Sud-Chemie AG said Tuesday it had began construction of a demonstration plant that will be the largest in Germany dedicated to the production of cellulosic ethanol from non-edible crop waste. The plant is due to start operating
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today the creation of four additional Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) project areas in six states to expand the availability of non-food crops to be used in the manufacturing of
(defenseWEb) Mozambique’s Sun Biofuels has made its first export by selling 30 tons of jatropha oil to German airline Lufthansa. The company’s director of corporate affairs Luis Gouveia on Friday told the Mozambican newspaper Diario de Mozambique of the sale. He
by Anna Jauhola (The Daily Republic) In a continuing effort to operate as green as possible, Poet Biorefining is the first ethanol plant in the state to apply to use storm water in the facility rather than discharging it. Through an
Roger Rainville is ahead of the curve when it comes to reducing costs on his farm near Alburgh, Vermont. ...Rainville first got interested in oilseed production when University of Vermont Extension approached him about growing canola seed on his farm. Initially,
(ABC27.com) Messiah College has been around for over 100 years, but they're trying something for the first time this year. The school is a couple of months into what they are calling, "The Sunflower Power project." ...The school is growing five acres of
by Lance Nixon (Renewable Energy World) Those pyrolysis plants would pass that crude “bio-oil” on to refineries elsewhere to be made into drop-in fuels and industrial chemicals; they would capture and use for their own energy needs a byproduct called
(PRNewsWire/Viaspace) - VIASPACE Inc., a clean energy company growing Giant King™ Grass as a low-carbon, renewable biomass crop and its subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy Inc., provided results of testing of Giant King Grass energy pellets by the Korea Forest Research Institute
by Lori Potter (Kearney Hub) The ethanol industry is willing to immediately give up $1.3 billion in tax breaks for federal debt reduction. However, that probably can’t happen unless authorizing legislation is attached to a successful debt ceiling-budget reduction bill, said
by Benjamin Burroughs (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Ethanol has some distinct advantages as a fuel, and sweet sorghum promises even better input/output ratios Traditionally agriculture has been in food/feed stock production for humans and livestock, but as we move farther into this
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) In Catawba County, N.C., a partnership between the county and Appalachian State University is planning to commemorate the completion of the Catawba County-Appalachian State University Biodiesel Research, Development and Production Facility on Aug. 15. The
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The drivers for biofuels and cleantech as a whole? According to the 2010 China Statistical Yearbook, from 2005 to 2009 the gross domestic product of China grew at a compound annual growth rate of 16.5%
by Perrin H. Beatty and Allen G. Good (Science Magazine) Nitrogen availability is limiting to plant growth and has long been overcome through applications of synthetic nitrogen-rich fertilizer. This has revolutionized crop yield and food production worldwide, but at substantial economic and environmental
(Advanced Biofuels USA) Advanced Biofuels USA July 25, 2011, detailed an action plan for creating sustainable markets for advanced ethanol in the automotive/light duty truck sector. The paper, “The Pathway to a Sustainable “Total Biomass” Advanced Ethanol Industry ,”itemizes six steps cellulosic and
(Green Car Congress) Following a series of successful demonstration flights and approval of the fuel for commercial transportation through ASTM International, Mexican airline Interjet today is operating the first round trip commercial passenger flight using Honeywell Green Jet Fuel derived
(American Soybean Association/Southeast Farm Press) Newly published research from the University of Idaho and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that for every unit of fossil energy needed to produce biodiesel, the return is 5.54 units of renewable energy. A
by Virendra Pandit (ETCGreen.com) The global giant recently joined a tripartite agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), Bhavnagar, in a $950,000 project in Gujarat for five years. CSMCRI on
(InfoZine) A Kansas State University geographer is part of a research team out to prove what environmental scientists have suspected for years: Increasing the production of soybean and biofuel crops in Brazil increases deforestation in the Amazon. ...Although this cause-and-effect finding
by Ivan Castano (Renewable Energy World) The firm will begin making the fuel with palm oil, animal fats and other residues at its recently expanded La Rabida plant in Huelva in July and will subsequently begin manufacturing it in its
by Bryan Sims (Biorefining Magazine) In response to Brazil’s growing need to include low-sulfur fuel in its diesel pool, Amyris Brasil S.A., a subsidiary of Amryis Inc., will supply an expected 160 city buses in the Brazilian city of Sao
(San Francisco Chronicle/Bloomberg) Ethanol manufacturers are set to thrive even if they have to give up $6 billion a year in U.S. tax subsidies because a government mandate for increased use of the fuel may add $6.9 billion a year
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) ...A new option for the ethanol industry to diversify is to add a biodiesel plant to the end of its corn oil extraction technology. This idea lends itself one step closer to a true biorefinery. ...(A) 100 million
(European Commission) Brussels, 19 July 2011 - Biofuels can represent an environmentally-friendly replacement of fossil fuels. However, we need to make sure that tropical forests and carbon rich peatlands are not turned into oil palm or sugarcane plantations. We also
by Niki Moore (Bloomberg) Illovo Sugar Ltd. (ILV), Africa’s largest producer of the sweetener, plans to start making potable ethanol from molasses in Tanzania by 2013, Managing Director Graham Clark said. “We have created an opportunity in Tanzania to produce ethanol from
by Nalin Viboonchart (The Nation) PTT Aromatics and Refining (PTTAR) has put on hold its US$150-million (Bt4.5 billion) jet-biofuel project, given the exorbitant production cost and the likelihood that the price of the fuel would deter potential buyers. Prajya Phinyawat, chief operating
by Suzanne Ulbrich (ENCToday) A delivery aboard Camp Lejeune Monday morning marked the culmination of a test project to provide renewable fuels for North Carolina’s military. Officials aboard Camp Lejeune received 800 gallons of state grown and processed biodiesel fuel as part
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In Brazil, Dow Chemical has teamed with Mitsui in a JV that will produce ethanol and bioplastics from sugarcane, which the companies are saying will be the world’s largest biopolymers investment. The project will produce DOWLEXT
by Jonathan Silver (Department of Energy/Biofuels Digest) ...the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) has been extremely busy, committing or closing 19 additional financings of clean energy projects – including one of the country’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol
(LS9) LS9, Inc., a technology leader in the development of sustainable products, today announced that it has been awarded in conjunction with partner HCL CleanTech Ltd., a $9 million grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) to improve and demonstrate
by Keith Robinson (Purdue University) Growing demand for corn to use in biofuels and for soybeans to help feed a booming Chinese economy are among key forces driving commodity prices higher this year, according to a report by three
by Charles Abbott and Karl Plume (Reuters) Ethanol appears almost certain to win the food-versus-fuel contest in the United States. But not just yet. The Agriculture Department forecast that a tad more corn will be used to make ethanol than to feed livestock
(AllAfrica.com/The Herald) Zimbabwe is trying to resurrect its biofuels energy sector after needlessly crucifying the ethanol project in the Lowveld 20 years ago. More than anything else, this has been a direct response to the country's fuel crisis of 2003-2009 and
(PR-Inside.com) The global soy chemicals market is forecast to reach over $13 billion by the year 2017, spurred by the anticipated high demand from bio-diesels market and growing adoption of alternative renewable sources of energy. In particular, the soy-derived chemicals
by Chad Bishop (Bowling Green Daily News) Cars using corn-based ethanol in Sparta’s inaugural Sprint Cup race A NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race has finally found itself in Kentucky. And when the lights go on tonight in Sparta, the sport will
(The Street/PR NewsWire/Inbicon) Inbicon has revealed a frugal new customer for the cellulosic ethanol made from straw at its Inbicon Biomass Refinery in Kalundborg. The biofuel powered the winning car in the Urban Concepts class of the 2011 Shell Eco-marathon
(Rainharvest) To achieve “win-win outcomes” for bio-energy, food security and poverty reduction, we must recognise that these outcomes are possible. This is what Prof Lee Lynd, of Dartmouth College and the Mascoma Corporation, told delegates during a seminar at Stellenbosch University,
by Robin Barton (The Independent) ...So I called my local farmer, David Bowtell. Sparing me the arcane details of the deal, he explained that growers of oilseed rape have received a cast-iron subsidy courtesy of the Common Agricultural Policy since
by Charlie Dunmore (Reuters) The EU will protect existing investment in its $13 billion biodiesel sector even as it acts on new evidence that suggests making the fuel from food crops can do more harm than good in fighting climate
by Stephan Nielsen (Bloomberg) BioVerde Industria e Comercio de Biocombustiveis SA, a biodiesel company that’s building Brazil’s biggest refinery, is seeking to become the country’s top providers of specialty chemicals produced from renewable sources. The company plans to retrofit a facility
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) EdeniQ Inc., which is developing technology to add cellulosic ethanol production capabilities to existing corn-to-ethanol facilities announced it has reached a deal with IKA Works Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Germany-based manufacturing firm IKA
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) ...Brazil’s sugarcane industry is also accused of not producing the crop, nor the fuel, in a sustainable manner. As a result, the EU Renewable Energy Directive was created to address concerns including labor and environmental issues.
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The latest USDA World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates marked a milestone of sorts for the ethanol industry. For the first time, the USDA predicts that more corn will be used for ethanol production
by Paul Voosen (New York Times/Greenwire) ...For eons, plants have locked the sun's energy into complex strands of sugar, used to build their stems and leaves. These chains are far different from table sugar or grain starch; they cling together,
(Yahoo!Finance/Neste Oil Oyj) Neste Oil will expand the raw material base used to produce NExBTL renewable fuel with jatropha and camelina oils. By introducing these new raw materials in its feedstock base, Neste Oil increases the proportion of non-food materials
by Luke Geiver (Biorefining Magazine) The link between increased insecticide use and landscape simplification has now been documented by a team of researchers from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. ...But, while the research showed the upwardly trending use of insecticides
(US Department of Defense; Navy) The Government has a requirement for 100,000 USG of Hydrotreated Renewable JP-5 (HRJ5) and 350,000 USG of Hydrotreated Renewable F-76 (HRD76) to support the Navy's "Sail the Great Green Fleet" initiative. This requirement is for
by Guy Montague-Jones (FoodProductionDaily) The US-based company recently announced that it had created a PET feedstock - paraxylene (PX) - entirely from plant-based sugars using its own catalytic process. The process results in the creation of a PET product, which
by Bob Moser (The Advertiser) Lacassine Syrup Mill will be joined by nation's first sugar-to-ethanol facility Bonds worth $70 million to help build the nation's first sugar-to-ethanol plant in Lacassine passed a first step of approval Monday by the Louisiana Public
by Charlie Dunmore (Reuters) Europe's biodiesel industry could be wiped out by EU plans to tackle the unwanted side effects of biofuel production, after studies showed few climate benefits, four papers obtained by Reuters show. Europe's world-leading $13 billion biodiesel industry,
(EurekAlert!/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Growing perennial grasses on the least productive farmland now used for corn ethanol production in the U.S. would result in higher overall corn yields, more ethanol output per acre and better groundwater quality, researchers report
(Denver Business Journal) Colorado biofuel startup Sundrop Fuels Inc. on Monday announced it will get $175 million in new investment, with the lion’s share coming from natural gas company Chesapeake Energy Corp. ...Chesapeake said it plans to fund the investment by
by Stephan Nielsen (Bloomberg) LS9 Inc., a closely held U.S. biotechnology company, may build Brazil’s biggest biofuel and specialty chemicals factory as more companies seek to produce new products from sugar cane, the world’s cheapest fuel crop. The company is planning a
by Rep. Jim Sacia (Journal-Standard) ...Ethanol is another source of alternative energy that has established a foothold in America, and we can be very proud of our own Adkins Energy ethanol plant in Lena. One of the strongest lobbying groups in
by Bryan Christjansen (Journal Gazette) In “Ethanol’s subsidies drain on economy” (Opinion, July 3), Wayne Townsend claims that ethanol production in the United States and in Indiana has caused the price of corn to “skyrocket,” thus “jeopardizing the financial
by Tom Polansek, Ian Berry and Scott Kilman (Wall Street Journal) Demand From Beijing Augurs Higher Food, Futures Prices A Chinese buying spree for U.S. corn is putting on display the ability of Beijing to reshape grain markets as well
(American Agriculturalist) New York and Maryland fairs are first-comers to USB's Green Ribbon Fairs program. This summer, the United Soybean Board and state soybean boards in nine states are kicking off the Green Ribbon Fairs project by using and promoting soybean-based
(Renewable Fuels Association) There is no statistical evidence to support the argument that growth in ethanol production is driving consumer food prices higher, according to a comprehensive study released today by Informa Economics. Rather, the report concludes that retail food prices
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In a swirling stew of change regarding US federal incentives, tariffs, tax credits and loan guarantees, the most consistent mechanism driving the expansion of renewable transport fuel has been the US Renewable Fuel Standard. Though
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