(Ecological Society of America) Analyzing biofuel sources and predicting effects on water, soil and the atmosphere: The promise of switchgrass, the challenges for forests and the costs of corn-based ethanol production: Ecological scientists review the many factors surrounding biofuel crop production
by Meredith Cohn (The Baltimore Sun) In response to a national call for homegrown, Earth-friendly fuels to fill Americans' gas tanks, a couple of University of Maryland researchers are planting trees. Fuel derived from the hardy, fast-growing common poplar could eventually
(News Channel 34) New York sources of biofuel made from wood, grass and other forms of biomass could reduce New York’s gasoline consumption by as much as 16 percent of projected use in 2020 and play a significant role in
by Martha Ellen (Watertown Daily Times) Newton Falls Fine Paper could be the first commercial plant to use a breakthrough technology that turns waste into ethanol. "It's a possibility. It's well down the road," said Donald H. Schnackel, vice president of
(CBC News) An Ontario biofuels company is building a test plant in Sarnia to produce ethanol from wood and farm waste rather than corn. Don Hewson, managing director of the Sarnia-Lambton research park where the facility will be located, said the
By Jocelyn Tutak (Conservation Biology Institute). This presentation was mostly focused on developing a method of incorporating ecological considerations into woody biomass. The presentation contains many slides of the studied area, the data, methods of ecological consideration, ecological values and
Ontario is investing $4 million through the Innovation Demonstration Fund (IDF) to help Woodland Biofuels Inc. and its partners build a groundbreaking demonstration plant that will efficiently produce cellulosic ethanol from renewable wastes. The plant will use Woodland’s patented technology, which
Cobalt Technologies, the leader in commercializing biobutanol as a renewable chemical and fuel, April 7, 2010, announced a breakthrough in producing biobutanol from beetle-killed lodgepole pine feedstock. Cobalt is the first company to produce a drop-in replacement for petroleum and petrochemicals from
HCL CleanTech, a US-Israeli biofuels technology development company, has selected Southern Research Institute in North Carolina as the hosting site and operator of its first pilot plant to produce low cost fermentable sugars, high-quality lignin and tall oils from North
HCL CleanTech, a U.S.-Israeli biofuels technology development company, has chosen North Carolina as the site for its administrative headquarters and first pilot plant. The Biofuels Center of North Carolina has assisted the company and will provide office space in Oxford in
by Joshua Kagan (GreenTechMedia) This week's announcement that the Air Force successfully tested a A-10C Thunderbolt "Warthog" plane on a 50:50 blend of petroleum jet fuel and camelina-based biofuel has brought the two disparate ways of producing aviation biofuels into
Companies would evaluate non-food Indian feedstocks for the production of green diesel and green jet fuels as well as the development of renewable power applications from biomass waste. UOP, a Honeywell company, announced March 31, 2010, that it signed a memorandum
(Biofuels International) According to Bio Base Europe the first crop of genetically modified poplar plants will be converted into ethanol in a Flemish-Dutch pilot installation. The poplars were planted in May 2009 in an outside field in Ghent, Belgium. The crop
In 2008, the Florida Legislature passed legislation requiring the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Protection to conduct an economic impact analysis on the effects of granting financial incentives to energy producers who
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Starting off the call, BIO section EVP Brent Erickson compared the scale up of the advanced biofuels industry to the scale up and evolution of the oil industry which took place over 120 years as
(Nashville Business Journal) Another green energy company is coming to Tennessee, but this one doesn’t have anything to do with solar power, unless you count photosynthesis. Hawaii-based ClearFuels Technology has agreed to partner with Hughes Hardwood to develop a biorefinery in
by Nathan Crabbe (Gainsville Sun) The farms and forests of the state could be providing more fuel for its vehicles in the future if a new University of Florida plant is a success. UF officials held a groundbreaking Monday for the
E. Detlef Schulze and Inge Schulze(Science) letter to editor It is commonly held that planting forests helps to mitigate climate change, because forests sequester carbon dioxide into long-lived biomass and soils. However, our personal experience shows that managed forests are unlikely
by Holly Jensen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) American Process Inc. (API), an Atlanta, Ga., based company, held a ribbon cutting ceremony this week at its pilot plant. It will utilize a trademarked process, called American Value Added Pulping (AVAP), to fractionate
Gas money for your tank doesn't grow on trees, but one day you might be filling up with fuel that does. A team of researchers at the University of Maryland, College Park, and Bowie State University is working on ways to
by Mikkel Pates (AgWeek) Need some help in deciding what to make into biofuels and what the government should be spending on it? If you’re a North Dakotan, you’ve hired Cole Gustafson to do some of this thinking for you.
(S)ays Professor Simon Turner, one of the University of Manchester researchers whose BBSRC-funded study is published in Development (Wednesday 10th February 2010), “Our work has identified the two genes that make plants grow outwards. The long, thin cells growing down
by Philip H. Steele (Mississippi State University) This presentation explains the work being done by the Forest Products Department, Forest and Wildlife Research Center at MSU to develop bio-oil and drop-in biofuels using a fast pyrolysis process. The PowerPoint provides
David M. Lapola, Ruediger Schaldach, Joseph Alcamo, Alberte Bondeau, Jennifer Koch, Christina Koelking, and Joerg A. Priess (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) Abstract: The planned expansion of biofuel plantations in Brazil could potentially cause both direct and indirect
(Central Valley Business Times) The mass production of biofuels could be a major step toward eliminating dependence on fossil fuels, but a number of factors have stood in the way, including the argument against using productive agricultural land for fuel
by Smriti Rao (CBS) Now that many U.S. farmers have grown used to genetically modified (GM) soy and corn, the controversy surrounding GM crops may shift over to GM eucalyptus-a fast-growing Australian tree that, in its unmodified strains, dominates the
Rentech, Inc. and ClearFuels Technology Inc., jointly announced that their project to construct a biomass gasifier at Rentech's Energy Technology Center ("RETC") in Denver has been awarded a conditional $22.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE"). The
President Obama announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a proposed rule for the new Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) that intends to spur the expansion of dedicated non-food crops for renewable energy and biofuel production. A public comment
Following on the heels of the Forest Guild Membership and Policy Committee's unanimous approval on November 10, 2009, the professional membership has voted overwhelmingly to approve the Forest Guild Biomass Policy Statement. This statement will represent the Forest Guild policy
Swedish SunPine is aiming to be the first company worldwide producing biodiesel from tall oil. At the plant site of SunPine, in Piteå harbor in northern Sweden, the building activity is intense. In the spring of 2010 the plant will
Evolution Resources, Inc., an advanced biofuels production company focused on the production of cellulosic ethanol using the latest in modern processes and technologies, today announced the signing of a Testing Services Agreement with North Carolina State University. Under the terms of
UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced it has been selected for negotiation of a $25 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to build a demonstration unit in Hawaii to convert cellulosic biomass into green transportation fuels. As part
by Eric Mcguinness (Hamilton Spectator) SunOpta BioProcess Inc. of Brampton is getting $5.5 million from the federal government to demonstrate that it can turn wood chips into fuel-grade ethanol and the sugar substitute xylitol. The cellulosic ethanol would replace gasoline, reducing
by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (Renewable Energy World) ...Integrated production of biomass-based products in large biorefineries creates cost advantages and competitiveness, and it is expected to be the most viable in the first stage, although small distributed biorefineries
by Juliet Eilperin (Washington Post) It sounded like a good idea: Provide a little government money to convert wood shavings and plant waste into renewable energy. But as laudable as that goal sounds, it could end up causing more economic damage than
... “The Government of Ontario has recognized the need to move the Province to the forefront of the commercialization of chemicals, fuels, fibres and energy that can be produced from forests,” added Lorne Morrow, Chief Executive Officer for CRIBE. “There
(Property and Environment Research Center) Federally owned forests in the United States are facing financial and ecological problems. At the same time, the public’s growing concern over environmental issues and future energy sources are pushing the promotion of renewable energy.
Robert F. Service (Science) Even with a major push, commercial plants capable of turning CO2 or water into liquid fuels are still likely to be 2 decades away. A simpler version of the technology, however, already appears headed to market.
Swedish SunPine is aiming to be the first company worldwide producing biodiesel from tall oil. At the plant site of SunPine, in Piteå harbor in northern Sweden, the building activity is intense. ... “The tall oil diesel is unique in that
by Tim Sklar (Biomass Digest) ...Woody biomass is ideally suited not only to the manufacture of 2nd generation liquid biofuels. Woody biomass is even better suited to producing TW. When woody biomass undergoes torrefaction all of the components are used,
by Simon Grose (TCE Today) Algae, wood and sugarcane shared the honours in the bidding for funding through the Australian government’s Second generation Biofuels research and development program. Announcing matching grants totaling A$14.4m ($12.1m) across seven projects, resource minister Martin Ferguson
by Mritunjay Kumar Shukla†, Thallada Bhaskar, A.K. Jain, S.K. Singal, M.O. Garg (Indian Institute of Petroleum Dehradun) A presentation that details the emissions, yields, costs and advantages of bio-based DME, compared to conventional diesel fuel, is here for free download,
by Charlotte LoBuono (heatingoil.com) A Canadian energy company has proposed building a biorefinery to produce dimethyl ether, or DME, the CBC reported Wednesday. In November, Calgary-based GV Energy signed a memorandum of understanding with the city of Terrance, British Columbia,
New North contracted with Resource Analytics to conduct a biomass supply analysis within a fifty mile radius of Niagara, WI for the purposes of evaluating this site as a location for a cellulosic biomass ethanol plant. Primary focus was on
To actively promote the awareness and use of dimethyl ether (DME) as an ultra-clean, renewable, low-carbon diesel substitute throughout North America, the International DME Association (IDA) today announced the formation of its North American Affairs Committee (NAAC). Named as director of
Rentech, Inc., and ClearFuels Technology Inc. (ClearFuels) jointly announced that they have been selected to receive up to $23 million as a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) to construct a biomass gasifier at Rentech’s Energy Technology Center
PetroSun, Inc., announced that the Department of Energy has advised Gas Technology Institute of Des Plaines, Illinois that its Integrated Biorefinery application has been selected for negotiations leading to an award. The GTI team members include PetroSun, Cargill, Blue Marble
BlueFire Ethanol Fuels, Inc., a company focused on changing the world's transportation fuel paradigm through the production of ethanol from non-food cellulosic wastes, announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) increased funding to $81.1 million dollars for Phase II construction
... The goals of this project were to produce biodiesel from a wide variety of feedstocks and to provide the characteristics of both the feedstock and biodiesel. The project is unique because it encompasses an extensive range of feedstocks and
Frontier Renewable Resources, the Michigan-based company building the state's first cellulosic ethanol plant in the Upper Peninsula, has provided a $2-million grant designed to strengthen the sustainable wood fiber supply, develop greater efficiencies in the harvest and transportation equipment and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the Health Care Bill passed the US House of Representatives and included - as part of a 42-page "manager's amendment", a provision striking a biofuel tax credit used by pulp and paper firms
Ensuring a sustainable supply of woody biomass for the state's first cellulosic ethanol plant is the goal of a research partnership between Michigan State University and Michigan Technological University supported by Frontier Renewable Resources, of Kinross, Mich. MSU and Michigan Tech
(Reuters) Oil major Royal Dutch Shell has sold its shareholding in German second-generation biofuels company Choren. ... Choren is building Germany's first biofuels plant using new generations of non-food raw materials as feedstock and is likely to start initial commercial
With gas prices continually in flux, interest in domestically produced bio-fuels like ethanol (E85) is on the rise. Recently, Coskata Inc., a leading developer of alternative bio-fuels, announced the successful start-up of its semi-commercial flex-ethanol facility. Unlike other technologies and facilities
Verenium Corporation, a pioneer in the development of next-generation cellulosic ethanol and high-performance specialty enzymes, announced that it has entered into an agreement with Value Prior to Pulping (VPP), an organization created by the Agenda 2020 Technology Alliance, a special
(Advanced Biofuels USA) A study published in Science magazine promotes a policy which would penalize American biofuels industries in US legislation and regulation and in international global climate change agreements. Advanced Biofuels USA would like to point out two items
by Juliet Eilperin (Washington Post) The world's policymakers and scientists have made a critical error in how they count biofuels' contribution to human-generated greenhouse-gas emissions, according to a paper published Thursday in the journal Science. ... (Steven P.) Hamburg, (chief scientist
Tom Buis (Growth Energy) “Ethanol is part of the natural carbon cycle. It has taken the lifetime of our planet to produce the oil that is in the ground. Biofuels come from the top of the earth, with emissions that
(Renewable Fuels Association) Biofuels produced from biomass feedstocks (i.e. plant matter) are, by definition, carbon neutral because carbon dioxide tailpipe emissions from the combustion of biofuels are readily absorbed by growing plants. As such, the tailpipe emissions resulting from the use
(Nitrogen News)... “The error is serious, but we can fix it,” said lead author Tim Searchinger, a research scholar at Princeton University and a fellow with the German Marshall Fund of the U.S. “The solution is to count all the
by Keith Johnson (Wall Street Journal) The law of unintended consequences strikes yet again. Global plans to tackle climate change, from the Kyoto Protocol to the recently-passed Waxman-Markey bill, have a fatal flaw: They essentially encourage large-scale deforestation, which pretty much
by Sindya N. Bhanoo (New York Times) ... The problem boils down to this: In emission calculations, all fuel derived from plants and other organic sources — including ethanol — is generally treated as if it has no effect on carbon dioxide in
by Marshall Wise, et al. (Science Magazine) Limiting atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations to low levels requires strategies to manage anthropogenic carbon emissions from terrestrial systems as well as fossil fuel and industrial sources. We explore the implications of fully
(Discover) ...(A)recent series of articles from Nature News feels like a public service, as the articles investigate the scientific and economic state of affairs for four different kinds of biofuels. The first article focused on the weedy plant jatropha, which was
by Lisa Gibson (Biomass Magazine) Researchers with China-based Ji Zhong Wei New Energy Technical Development Ltd. have discovered a way to convert biomass directly to regular gasoline and diesel, according to the company. The same international standard fuels many of
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced on August 31, 2009, that up to $21 million will be made available for the selection of five projects that will develop supply systems to handle and deliver high tonnage biomass feedstocks for cellulosic
... DME or dimethyl ether, a diesel fuel alternative made from a variety of renewable materials and fossil fuels, burns soot-free, produces almost no GHG upon combustion and is very energy efficient. With a high cetane number (the measure of
(ClearSkies.com) Clean Skies News Dipka Bhambhani reports on the rise of biofuels from algae as part of the nation's energy portfolio. WATCH VIDEO
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst recently granted a biofuels startup company, Anellotech, exclusive global rights to the university’s catalytic fast pyrolysis technology developed by chemical engineer and UMass Amherst faculty member George
Doug Newman, Ethanol Trade Analyst for the US International Trade Commission, has provided tables and a presentation which summarize amounts of ethanol imports to the US by source location and tariffs paid, along with a presentation which includes an outline
by Cath Everett (BusinessGreen.com) Corn ethanol industry accuses EPA of influencing independent panel to boost support for controversial biofuel carbon life cycle regulations. An independent peer review of proposed US biofuel regulations has only served to intensify a long-running dispute
by Bob Moen (Forbes) ... The business plan of KL Energy, which has been funded mostly through private investment, is to build plants based on its Upton (WY) model near forests around the country. The plants would produce up to 5 million gallons
Woody biomass from forest management is a renewable, low-carbon feedstock that can substitute for fossil fuels in the production of energy and other products — a potentially important tool in the national strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and resist
by Jason Szep (Reuters) From the outside, the rustic red-brick mill on a bend in Maine's Penobscot River resembles any other struggling American pulp and paper mill. But along with its usual business of pulp-making, the century-old mill is doing something
Every spring, the US Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Biomass Program hosts a FREE 2-day conference and expo exploring biomass as an energy source. The Biomass Program works with industry, academia and national laboratory partners
Dynamotive USA, Inc. executed a long-term contract for the supply of feedstock for a planned 200 TPD BioOil® plant to be developed in southern Arkansas. Contract envisages the supply of 220,000 green tons per year of green residues (sawdust) for
CHEMREC is helping pulp and paper mills transform into Biorefineries with a unique, proprietary black liquor gasification technology. Opening up new markets in sustainable, low-carbon chemicals and fuels will be a step-change in the industry. Full implementation of the Chemrec technology
Coskata’s biology-based technology enables production of ethanol from a wide variety of input material including biomass, agricultural and municipal wastes, as well as other carbonaceous material. Using proprietary microorganisms and patented bioreactor designs, the goal of Coskata is to play
Willow Biomass is an environmentally sound, locally produced, renewable source of energy and bio products. Driven by concerns about global warming, air pollution, rural development, and national security, research conducted by SUNY-ESF has reconnected the historic willow cultivation industry to
Research to turn trees into liquid fuel gets a boost with approval of the $410 billion federal omnibus spending bill today. The bill allocates $1.4 million for a new biofuel research program at the Michigan State University Upper Peninsula Tree
by Elizabeth Nesbitt (Journal of International Commerce and Economics) The increasing use of industrial biotechnology by the Chinese liquid biofuels and chemical industries is expected to help offset energy security and environmental concerns generated by China’s robust economic growth. The expanding use of bioprocesses
University of New Brunswick forestry professor Paul Arp has devised a tool that shows how removing the forestry sector's leftovers - the biomass - will affect how much wood the Crown forests produce sustainably by looking at the soil, water
by Adam Lashinsky and Nelson D. Schwartz (CNN Money/Fortune Magazine) You probably don't know it, but the answer to America's gasoline addiction could be under the hood of your car. More than five million Tauruses, Explorers, Stratuses, Suburbans, and other vehicles
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