by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register) Francis Thicke of Fairfield, the Democratic candidate for Iowa agriculture secretary, used his State Fair Soapbox speech Wednesday to call for a "new vision" for Iowa agriculture based on renewable fuels, ecologically sustainable production
by Jeremiah Stettler (Salt Lake Tribune) The prickly leafed crop is hardly inviting — it is like a weed sprouting atop 20 acres of parched government land near Salt Lake City International Airport. And yet, the safflower planted as part of Salt
by Katie Allen (The Guardian) It is not too late for equitable partnerships to flourish between foreign investors and local communities ...Sadly for anyone who happens to live on that farmland there are countless examples of governments handing it over at
by Robert F. Service (Science Magazine) Much of the optimism surrounding cellulosic ethanol has faded because of the ongoing economic slump, a plentiful supply of ethanol made from corn, and uncertainty among policymakers. Numerous companies have either shelved plans to
by Tom Richard (Pennsylvania State University/Science) Rapid growth in demand for lignocellulosic bioenergy will require major changes in supply chain infrastructure. Even with densification and preprocessing, transport volumes by mid-century are likely to exceed the combined capacity of current agricultural
by David Fridley (Post Carbon Institute) excerpt: Unlike conventional fossil fuels, where nature provided energy over millions of years to convert biomass into energy-dense solids, liquids, and gases--requiring only extraction and transportation technolgy for us to mobilize them--alternative energy depends
(EurekAlert) When it comes to selecting the right plant source for future cellulosic biofuel production, the solution won't be one-size-fits-all, and it certainly doesn't have to involve food and feed crops. In a "Perspective" article in the Aug. 13 edition of the
by Nidhi Subbaraman (Technology Review) ...The company, Gevo, has engineered a yeast that helps transform the cellulose found in wood chips and plant stalks into butanol, an ingredient of gasoline. The researchers can then modify the butanol into jet fuel. Butanol
(People's Daily) China's industrial experts are advising the government to halt projects making ethanol bio-fuel with corn, as the projects are pushing up corn prices and sparking food security concerns. Zhao Youshan, director of the Commercial Petroleum Flow Committee (CPFC) under
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, here’s a look at some of the more interesting biofuel-related patent applications logged at the US Patent and Trademark Office in recent weeks. The USPTO’s archive is not for the faint of heart, or
By Audrey McAvoy (AP) The federal government has turned to a 130-year-old Hawaii sugar grower for help in powering the Navy and weaning the nation off a heavy reliance on fossil fuels. It will spend at least $10 million over the next
by Richard Keller (Cattle Network) As renewable fuels continues to be something that people of the world support in general, there also continues to be those complaints that crop production and land use for fuels is inappropriate when so much
by James Clark (KCBD) A new study done in Lubbock and other parts of Texas will look at growing crops for use as bio-fuels. The Texas Ag Extension in Lubbock and five other cities will do the study that looks
(The Star) MALAYSIA needs to tap the full potential of oil palm biomass such as empty fruit bunches, palm fibre, palm kernel shells and palm oil mill effluent which can be developed into high-income generating renewable resource products for export, said
(Heinrich Böll Stiftung North America) In cooperation with 25x’25, the Heinrich Böll Stiftung North America hosted a transatlantic roundtable discussion on its new report Beyond Biofuels: Renewable Energy Opportunities for U.S. Farmers. As farmers struggle with increasing energy costs and decreasing
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...However, SARA (safe, affordable, reliable, available) feedstocks for advanced biofuels remain a goal rather than an assured reality. In this context, Genera should be seen as one of a handful of projects — aside from the
(New Zealand Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment) The purpose of this report is to take a fresh look at biofuels – to think strategically about how they might lessen our dependence on fossil fuels and thus reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
(LS9) Production Capabilities Successfully Demonstrated at Pilot Scale. LS9, Inc., the Renewable Petroleum Company(TM), today announced in Science magazine a major scientific breakthrough that will significantly lower the cost of producing "drop-in" hydrocarbon fuels that are low-carbon, sustainable and compatible with
by Jim Lane (Biomass Digest) Following the all-but-certain defeat of a renewal of the ethanol tax credit, left-wing environmental activists, confederated into the National Anti-Biomass Incineration and Forest Protection Campaign, are making a move to destabilize support for biomass-based power generation. At
(Biodiesel Magazine) ... He (Steve Howell, technical director for the National Biodiesel Board and president of the Marc-IV consulting firm) mentioned the disadvantage from this model, however, is that the fuel properties of biodiesel made from these products are based
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... IEA Bioenergy, part of the International Energy Agency, has published its report “Status of 2nd Generation Biofuels Demonstration Facilities in June 2010”, as a report to IEA Bioenergy Task 39. The 126-page report includes extensive data on
by Dina Bacovsky, Michal Dallos, Manfred Worgetter (International Energy Agency Task 39) Driven by the need to partly replace fossil transport fuels and by food versus fuel and highest possible GHG mitigation considerations, large efforts are dedicated to the development of
By Luke Geiver (Biodiesel Magazine) The U.S. EPA has released a Notice of Data Availability (NODA) for its recent modeling of the canola oil biodiesel pathway. As of March 26, when the EPA officially announced the final rule for the
by Sreenivas Ghatty (Commodity Online) ...Pongamia, a plant producing non-edible oilseeds, has the potential to become one of the cheapest feedstocks that can be produced in most of the tropical and sub tropical regions of the world. It can tolerate
by Hembree Brandon (Delta Farm Press) “We see a lot of potential in Freedom giant miscanthus — it’s the most promising of the hundreds of miscanthus cultivars we’ve evaluated over the years, and it’s light years ahead of any of the other
(BIOFerm) Cedar Grove Composting announced today that it is working with BioFerm Energy Systems, a German-based clean energy generation company owned by The Viessmann Group, to integrate anaerobic digestion into its composting process. The proposed technology employs a high-solids anaerobic digester
(Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc.) Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc. (OTC BB: BNET) today confirmed its participation at a public issues forum on July 14, hosted by SUNY Oswego's Office of Business and Community Relations at their Campus Center auditorium. The forum,
By Amy R. Remo (Philippine Daily Inquirer) State-owned PNOC-Alternative Fuels Corp. has forged an agreement with Dole Philippines and Toyota Tsusho Corp. to put up pilot jatropha plantations in Sarangani province. Under the memorandum of understanding, the three companies will explore possible
by David Esler (Aviation Week) This December, if the planets align properly and the members of the ASTM International concur, it will become legal to operate a business jet on a blend of conventional Jet-A and low-emissions biofuels refined from weeds,
(PR NewsWire) Regional assessment to outline biomass sources for creating renewable jet fuel. Alaska Airlines, Boeing, Portland International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Spokane International Airport and Washington State University today announced a strategic initiative to promote aviation biofuel development in the
(UPI) If agricultural waste can't go to a biofuel processing center, then the processing center should go to the agricultural waste, U.S. researchers theorized. Researchers at Purdue University propose creating mobile processing plants that would roam the Midwest to produce biofuels
(EurekAlert) ...In their article, "Global mapping of Jatropha curcas yield based on response of fitness to present and future climate," Antonio Trabucco and colleagues point out that Jatropha grows in a wide range of climatic conditions, including tropical and subtropical
by Dan Burciaga (President & CEO, TRI) Burciaga discusses TRI's proprietary steam reforming gasification system, and its applicability to the production of biofuels, biochemicals, and renewable power. TRI's biorefineries are feedstock-flexible, controlled to maximize thermal efficiency, scalable, and potentially self-powered. The
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...(D)oomsayers who have been predicting an inevitable conflict between food and fuel appear to have been completely off the mark. Rather than a shortage of food, the increased pace of biotechnology innovation associated with bioenergy is
(Ethanol Across America) The Flagship publication of the Clean Fuels Development Coalition and the Ethanol Across America program for nearly 15 years has been the Ethanol Fact Book. This unique document provides hundreds of sourced facts relating to ethanol and
(Citizen-Times.com) A small field of bright yellow flowers planted by the N.C. Department of Transportation along Interstate 40 may look like any other bed of wildflowers, but in the case of this crop, there is more than meets the eye. Two
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the USDA released its highly-anticipated “Regional Roadmap to Meeting the Biofuels Goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard by 2022.”... USDA identified dedicated energy crops, primarily switchgrass, as the practical platform for achieving a 20
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...McCarthy arrived less than a year ago from a long stretch at Verenium, where he was the key executive in the strategic partnership and investment from BP. Before Verenium, he was at Microbia. “The company needed
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Bottom line – if you make the ethanol blender credit go away, but stand behind the mandate and Shift the spending towards investment tax credits and loan guarantees, it is possible to do the following: 1.
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) All biofuels producers- from biobutanol to renewable diesel plus cellulosic ethanol and more-must work together to promote the biofuel industry interests, said Michael McAdams. The president of the Advanced Biofuels Association gave the keynote
(US Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) June 2, 2010, announced $5 million in funding for research focused on sustainable production of large quantities of non-food biomass for bioenergy. The intent of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to quantify
by Timothy D Searchinger (Environmental Research Letters) Use of biofuels does not reduce emissions from energy combustion but may offset emissions by increasing plant growth or by reducing plant residue or other non-energy emissions. To do so, biofuel production must generate and
by Joelle Dent (Biofuels Digest) ...Two years ago, the Korean Institute for Industrial Technology developed a process of extracting ethanol from seaweed, which proves to be more cost-efficient and advantageous than other sources of biofuel, writes Philippine Senator Edgardo Angara. Seaweed grows
(Biofuels Digest) ...Closely watched in Asia, the ongoing crisis is likely to be viewed in retrospect as an energy tipping point, emblematic of the case for biofuels and the decline of the world oil and gas industry, which like most
by Cary Blake (Western Farm Press) Ongoing biofuel field trials are yielding positive findings which one day could give California and Arizona farmers a new option to diversify their crop portfolios while producing renewable energy. Switchgrass, miscanthus, jatropha, sugar crops, and alfalfa
by Cary Blake (Western Farm Press) Steve Kaffka paints an optimistic picture of the future of California biofuels production. Weather, water availability, and state and federal policies, Kaffka says, will help determine if California agriculture one day serves as a larger
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, 90 US scientists wrote to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and US Senate Majority leader Harry Reid to fix accounting standards for greenhouse gas emissions associated with bioenergy projects. The scientists said they wanted to
(Environmental Protection) Existing technology can produce biodiesel fuel from municipal sewage sludge that is within a few cents a gallon of being competitive with conventional diesel refined from petroleum, according to the article, “Biodiesel Production from Municipal Sewage Sludges,” which was
(Bloomberg Business Week, AP) ...Federal statistics show barley acres jumped from 67,000 in 2009 to 105,000 this year. David Coleman with the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation says Osage Bio Energy's plant in Hopewell has created a market for barley. In the
by Angie Chui (Manilla Bulletin) Biofuels should not be viewed as a threat to food security. Instead, it should be considered a boone to the industry if the Brazilian experience is any indication. According to diplomat Andre Amado, many perceive the cultivation
by William Coyle (Amber Waves) Next-generation biofuel companies are using a variety of strategies to overcome high initial capital costs, limited access to low-cost biomass, and other hurdles to remain financially viable during pre-commercial development. ...There are more than 30 U.S.
by Philip Brasher (Des Moines Register) ...Now, agribusiness companies Monsanto Co., Archer Daniels Midland Co. and Deere and Co. see profits in stover and are collaborating on research into economical ways of harvesting, processing and using the stuff, including as
by Ben Lazarus (Biofuels Digest, American World Services) Looks at cassava, sugarcane, cellulosic feedstocks (rice husks, bagasse), spare production capacity, and export opportunities in Thailand. READ MORE
by B.A. (Ben) Thorp and Masood Akhtar (Ahead of the Curve, TAPPI) ...The first question to ask is, why do I need to know any of this? Reasons can range from increasing one's knowledge to helping guide personal investment to evaluating
(PRNewswire) The number of next generation biofuels projects reached 200 globally, a report from the Global Biofuels Center (GBC) recently announced, beyond the more than 100 Brazilian bioethanol facilities that will qualify as "Advanced Biofuels" in the U.S. These projects include
(Brookhaven National Laboratory) You might think bacteria that "invade" trees are there to cause certain destruction. But like the helpful bacteria that live within our guts, some microbes help plants thrive. To find out what makes these microbe-plant interactions "tick,"
(SNV) ...SNV together with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) implemented a project to analyse the socioeconomic and environmental risks and benefits caused by the production of biofuels and energy crops in (agricultural areas within) the Peruvian Amazon. In the socioeconomic study, cultivating
(The Clean) With Uncertainty Mounting About Climate/Energy Bill, Major New Study for CSI Details Path for Breaking Away From "Business As Usual" in the Electric Power Sector. What happens if Congress fails to pass a climate or energy bill in 2010? Even
by Per Dahlen (Biofuels Digest) ...Putting all this data together we seen that Southeast Asia requires some 2.7Mbpd, or 135 million tons per year to eliminate oil imports and to increase energy security. With second generation biofuels crops and technologies
by Will Thurmond (Biofuels Digest) As we enter a new decade in 2010, leagues of prescient scientists , businessmen, politicians, commodity traders, defense hawks, activists, NGOs and social entrepreneurs are taking on future challenges by invoking ancient wisdom. Necessity is
(VIASPACE) VIASPACE Inc., a clean energy company growing Giant KingTM Grass as a low-carbon, renewable energy crop, announced that Chief Executive Dr. Carl Kukkonen made an invited presentation at the International BIOMASS Conference and Expo held May 4-6 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
by Cary Blake (Delta Farm Press) The long-term growth of the U.S. sorghum industry depends in part with scientists unraveling paths to produce cellulosic ethanol economically. “We are very excited about the future of energy (forage — whole plant) sorghum as the
(US Department of Energy) The U.S. Departments of Energy (DOE) and Agriculture (USDA) today jointly announced up to $33 million in funding for research and development of technologies and processes to produce biofuels, bioenergy and high-value biobased products, subject to annual
(Biofuels Association of Australia) The Biofuels Association of Australia fired back at claims made by the Australian Lot Feeder's Association that biofuels are diverting crops away from food sources or pushing up food prices in Australia. "These sorts of comments by the
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...“It allows us to produce a greater abundance of all three which are at the heart of the intersection of energy and agriculture. We can put an end to the “food vs. fuel” debate and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) When we say bioisoprene, think synthetic rubber – but only for a start. Think “platform” for renewable diesel, jet fuel, renewable gasoline, and synthetic adhesives. It replaces fossil-based oils, can make money now, and can
(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 Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...With respect to energy security, consider this: it is estimated that ten percent of all US military casualties come from the delivery of fuel. Even if it were true that none of the deployments of
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On March 18, 2010, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing on the state of the cellulosic biofuel industry and its prospects for producing the volumes required by the federal Renewable Fuel Standard
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) ...The purpose of this project was to determine what incentives best support the commercialization of environmentally sustainable, low carbon, renewable biofuel technologies, to identify ways federal and state incentives can work together, and to determine
by Jeremy Shere (EnergyWorld.com) excerpts from his in-process book on the history of biofuels: ... Promoting alcohol as motor fuel would benefit not only the automobile industry, Ford thought, but also help farmers would find a ready and lucrative market for their surplus
(LetsRecycle.com) Introducing ambitious Europe-wide targets for the separate collection of both food and garden waste could offer environmental and cost benefits worth more than €7billion (£6 billion) between 2013 and 2020, according to a report published as part of the
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) Ethanol producers and corn farmers who were hoping for President Obama to make a strong show of support for the ethanol industry when he appeared at a POET plant in Missouri on Wednesday were probably a
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
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference in Washington, Chromatin CEO Daphne Preuss announced that the company is expanding its technology development portfolio to produce fit-for-purpose sorghum as a biofuels feedstock, and also announced that it
by Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Ph.D. (Director, Office of the USDA Chief Scientist) The USDA has a diverse protfolio of programs supporting the production of advanced biofuels. In this presentation to the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference in Washington, DC in April 2010,
(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 Jim Lane (BiofuelsDigest) ...Also, what exactly is up with biobutanol, perhaps the most important fuel you never heard of — one that is gaining serious traction among bioenergy cognoscenti as a more perfect solution to the ethanol blend wall
(University of Minnesota) The Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment (IREE) recently awarded over $5.1 million to 24 renewable energy research and demonstration projects at the University of Minnesota. The selected projects focus on a wide-range of topics including solar
by Kathrine Schmidt (dailycomet.com) A businessman from New Iberia is starting a national website that aims to match renewable-energy investors with local landowners and farmers. Kevin Caffery believes the state of the ethanol industry, which makes fuels from plant matter, is
by Nina Fowler (National Business Review) Queenstown tourism operators are scrambling to establish a viable local biofuel industry before government assistance expires. The Queenstown Lakes Biodiesel Consortium’s pilot scheme has been the beneficiary of a two-year government manufacturing subsidy of 42.5c a
(Michigan State University) Using productive farmland to grow crops for food instead of fuel is more energy efficient, Michigan State University scientists concluded, after poring over 17 years’ worth of data to help settle the food versus fuel debate. "It's 36
by Brett Walton (Circle of Blue) ...That tilt may soon be righted by researchers at the University of Virginia and the Seawater Foundation, who discovered that the most important source of the risk-benefit imbalance was the heavy reliance on fresh
by Matt Ford (Ars Technica) ...When it comes to the processing of organic feedstocks for use in biofuel operations, getting plant matter down to size often represents a significant cost, as grinding and milling do not come cheap. New work by
by Vance Owens (South Dakota State University). He stated that the overall objective was to” perform replicated field trials of diverse biomass feedstocks at different locations,” and in this way to determine the most promising feedstock as a future bioenergy
Crop Residue- What’s It Worth? Robert Fireovid (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service) explained the interest in crop residues, concerns about crop residues, how USDA-ARS is addressing these concerns, what research it has shown, and what would be the next
Zia Haq (Biomass Program, U.S. Department of Energy) focused his presentation on efforts that the Biomass R&D Board Interagency Working Group makes in order to increase the feedstock production. The priorities he pointed out in his talk are sustainability, modeling,
Moderator Laura Neal (Biomass Program, U.S. Department of Energy) emphasized the resources availability to ensure a sustainable supply of feedstock in order to meet increased biofuels demand. The presentation mainly pointed out three focused areas of feedstock platform: feedstock analysis, feedstock
By Leila Harfuch (Brazilian Institute for International Trade Negotiations). In her talk she underlined the modeling land use and land use change in Brazil, stressing out deforestation as a serious issue. Deforestation causes and affects cattle and pasture land expansion. 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
M. Cristina Negri (Argonne National Laboratory) directed her talk toward the Laboratory’s system perspective; “waste as another sector’s resource” in biomass production. The growth of biofuels needs to be sustainable meeting economic, environmental, and social standards. An important research question in
Jenny Hewson (Conservation International/CI) presented the multi- tiered sustainable biofuels crops projects funded by DOE. CI is building global and regional scale maps for potential biofuel cultivation. In other words, CI is looking for areas most suitable for biofeedstock cultivation
In their continuing effort to evaluate crops that can serve as biofuel feedstocks as well as cover crops (and that can fit into crop rotations in Pennsylvania and the Northeast) researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences have found
(Green Car Congress) Researchers in Spain have demonstrated the direct transformation of biomass consisting of the fungus M. circinelloides into biodiesel compliant with ASTM D6751 and EN14213 and 14214 standards. A paper on their work was published online 2 April
by James Cartledge (BrighterEnergy.org) The Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company (HC&S) has said it is aiming to become a large-scale “energy farm” to provide biofuels for the US Navy and Hawaii itself. The company based in Pu’unene, Hawaii, is set to
Energy Allied International, a Houston-based energy projects development company, and The Seawater Foundation and Global Seawater, Inc., pioneers in the development of Integrated Seawater Agriculture Systems (ISAS), have executed an MOU to jointly develop the world’s first commercial scale seawater-based
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Scott Carpenter once noted that we know more about the heavens than the sea — but for biofuels, there is every urgent reason to look carefully to salt-friendly projects that can utilize brackish water, or
The first ARIES biodiesel production system has been delivered to Naval Base Ventura County. ARIES is the result of a collaborative effort by the U.S. Navy, Biodiesel Industries and Aerojet to produce a sustainable and reliable renewable fuel, biodiesel, using
by Cary Blake (Western Farm Press) The long-term growth of the U.S. sorghum industry lies in part with scientists unraveling paths to economically produce cellulosic ethanol. “We are very excited about the future of energy (forage-whole plant) sorghum as the cellulosic
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Norway, Seaweed Energy Solutions has patented the first ever modern structure to enable mass seaweed cultivation on an industrial scale in the world¹s oceans. The structure, known as the Seaweed Carrier, makes a clean
(AP, Bloomberg) Hawaiian Electric Co. is looking for a long-term supply of biofuels made from feedstocks produced and processed in Hawaii. ... Proposals may use land- or water-based crops, waste animal fat or yellow grease feedstocks that may be converted
"Global trade and environmental impact of the EU biofuels mandate" is the title of a study finalised by the International Food Policy Research Institute this 25 March 2010. The report is one of four studies commissioned by the European Commission
General Motors Co. announced on March 30, 2010, a five-year partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to help develop the potential of the jatropha plant as a sustainable biofuel energy crop. Traditionally considered a weed, jatropha plants produce
by Mackinnon Lawrence (Biofuels Digest) ...Genomics research can be applied to energy crops to select for sequencing based on relevance to the DOE missions. Projects focus on one of three key aspects: the development of biofuel feedstocks; the identification of
“Advanced Biofuels: Your Guide to Sustainable Energy Sources” was published on March 31, 2010, by MediaPlanet as a supplement to the Capitol Hill editions of the Washington Post and will be distributed at coming advanced biofuels conferences and events. As part
(Masami Kojima of the Oil, Gas, and Mining PolicyDivision of the World Bank/Scribd.com) Liquid biofuels are being increasingly used to substitute fuels derived from oil. A number of governments have provided incentives for the liquid biofuel industry, prompted by a desire
The livestock sector can lead the agricultural economy to higher net farm income, assuming the farm economy benefits from a recovering general U.S. economy. That analysis tops a 2010 baseline report prepared by the University of Missouri Food and Agricultural Policy
by GTM Research in partnership with Enterprise Florida, Inc. In recent years, the growth in the U.S. biofuels production and consumption has been driven largely by policy measures. Mandates are requiring increasing amounts of biofuels to be blended into the
(New Energy Focus) The Standing Committee of the Bern Convention (the Council of Europe Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats), has adopted a new recommendation for biofuels. The recommendation, which is legally binding to member states, states
by Joshua Kagan (GreenTechMedia) ...Although biodiesel has many positive attributes, it is not immune from the criticisms leveled at first-generation ethanol, specifically the "food vs. fuel" debate. Biodiesel production uses at least 10% of the U.S. soybean crop and 60%
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.
(New Tang Dynasty Television) The kamani tree grows well throughout the coastal area in Yogyakarta, and produces abundant fruit. Traditionally, the fruit is used for cooking and firewood. But villagers in Yogyakarta are using it for biodiesel. This new “green business”
by Niall O'Keeffe (FlightGlobal) Both of the major commercial airframers have joined forces with industry peers to pursue new biofuel research initiatives, reflecting an intensification of concern about future availability of alternative fuels in the quantities required by aviation. In January,
(Environment News Service) The risk that biofuel crops will become invasive and outcompete native species is increasing as more advanced biofuel crops are planted, according to new research into this previously neglected but potentially costly problem. A new report by the
by Oil Price (iStockAnalyst) ...additives and substitutes such as biofuels will play an ever-increasing role by stretching beleaguered production quotas. As market forces and rising prices drive this technology to the forefront, one of the richest potential production areas has
Palm oil from South-East Asia, sugarcane from Brazil and sweet sorghum in China are the most sustainable energy crops at present. Maize from the US and wheat in Europe have a much more negative environmental impact. This conclusion was drawn
Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Mississippi, MSU professor Brian Baldwin provided an update on feedstock research at the MSU’s Sustainable Energy Research Center, where a focus on biofuels grasses has produced the recently licensed Freedom varietal of giant miscanthus. ...Baldwin’s presentation
by Gregor Heard (FarmOnline) THEY’RE back - after being flavour of the month in the middle years of the decade, renewable fuels were knocked out of the water over the past three years, and consigned to the scrap-heap by many. A
by James Kanter(New York Times)...In a memorandum, Jean-Luc Demarty, the top civil servant in the agriculture department at the European Commission, wrote to a colleague in December that “an unguided use of I.L.U.C. would kill biofuels in the E.U.” His words
by Campbell Wood (Business Lexington) Horse farm managers across the Bluegrass have their eyes on Keeneland's proposed bio-fuel project. ... The problem being what to do daily with tons upon tons of muck, a mixture of about 97 percent straw
by Nidhi Nath Srinivas (The Economic Times) Indian biodiesel companies always wanted to be players in the global green fuel market. Most are 100% export units. But a near-death experience over the last one year has now made the sector
The Standing Committee of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, acting under the terms of Article 14 of the Convention; Recalling that under Article 11, paragraph 2.b of the Convention, each Contracting Party undertakes to strictly control
Homegrown energy could reduce millions of pounds of nutrients from entering the Chesapeake Bay’s streams, creeks and rivers and create more than 18,000 jobs in the region, according to a new report released by the Chesapeake Bay Commission and the
by Will Thurmond (Biofuels Digest) As industry and governments enter a new decade and contemplate the outcome of the December, 2009 Copenhagen treaty, the ‘big picture’ on biofuels continues to get lost in the rhetoric of sustainability in Brussels and
by Bill Belden (Prairie Lands Bio-Products, Inc.) This presentation at the 4th Cellulosic Ethanol Summit describes developing a sustainable “fuel,” i.e., “feedstock” supply for biofuels and biomass-to-energy projects. Prairie Lands Bio-Products, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization with a current membership of
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The search for cheap sugars ... affects almost every company working on the ethanol platform (really, everyone there except the gasification technologies such as Coskata). It also impacts those like LS9, Amyris and Virent that use
by Emmanuel Sulle and Fred Nelson (Tanzania Natural Resource Forum’s Forestry Working Group and the International Institute for Environment and Development) In recent years, biofuels have rapidly emerged as a major issue for agricultural development, energy policy, and natural resource
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biofuels Digest provides a summary of various cellulosic ethanol production technologies; and who is using them where. ---... Companies that have been in the R&D phases for years — if not decades — are emerging
by Yong Jiang and Scott M. Swinton (International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology) Advanced biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol are of great interest in the USA. With agriculture being the major source of feedstock for advanced biofuels, how farmers would
(Atlantic Biomass) Research reported in the December issue of the American Society of Microbiology’s journal Applied and Environment Microbiology on the development of a thermostable enzyme opens the way to a new pathway for low-cost biofuel production using sugar beet
by Halima Abdallah (East African) The National Forestry Research Institute has embarked on a project to test the viability of biodiesel from jatropha, a drought resistant crop. According to a senior researcher at the institute, Dr Peter Kiwuso, they planted jatropha
The extent to which increased biofuels production will affect the nation’s water resources depends on the type of feedstock selected and how and where it is grown. ... (N)ext generation feedstocks have not yet been grown on a commercial scale
by Charles E. Wyman, Bin Yang (California Agriculture) Cellulosic biomass, which includes agricultural and forestry residues and woody and herbaceous plants, is the only low-cost resource that can support the sustainable production of liquid fuels on a large enough scale
by Bryan M. Jenkins, Robert B. Williams, Nathan Parker, Peter Tittmann, Quinn Hart, Martha C. Gildart, Steve Kaffka, Bruce R. Hartsough, Peter Dempster (California Agrigulture) Biomass constitutes a major renewable energy resource for California, with more than 30 million tons
...I’m here to talk about the role of advanced biofuels and why at BP we believe we need to get them into the market sooner. We believe this is necessary if biofuels are to fulfil their potential. Biofuels have a
... 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
(Applied and Environmental Microbiology, the Journal of the American Society for Microbiology) Directed evolution approaches were used to construct a thermally stabilized variant of Erwinia chrysanthemi pectin methylesterase A. The final evolved enzyme has four amino acid substitutions that together
by Christine Costello, et al. (Environmental Science and Technology) Many studies have compared corn-based ethanol to cellulosic ethanol on a per unit basis and have generally concluded that cellulosic ethanol will result in fewer environmental consequences, including nitrate (NO3−) output. This study
UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced today that it signed a memorandum of understanding with China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) under which the two companies will collaborate on a range of biofuels technologies and projects in China. Under the terms of
Our solution is creation of utility towers used for production of bio fuel and city air recuperation. The idea is to place these towers on positions of existing petrol stations in cities. Our research led us to the conclusion that
The International Centre of Science and High Technology of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (ICS-UNIDO) has been promoting programmes on capacity building and knowledge transfer in developing countries in several selected areas, including renewable resources. Due to the importance
by Professor Shiro Saka (IEA Bioenergy Task 39 Newsletter) ... According to our research in recent years, approximately 370 million tons of biomass resources are annually produced in Japan. Among these, approximately 77 million tons are disposed of without effective
by Michael Totty (Wall Street Journal) It's a tall order: Over the next few decades, the world will need to wean itself from dependence on fossil fuels and drastically reduce greenhouse gases. Current technology will take us only so far;
(United Nations Environment Programme) The number of scientific publications devoted to biofuels is growing exponentially, and the number of reviews is increasing rapidly. For decision makers it has become a hard job to find robust reference material and solid guidance.
by Gus Trompiz and Valerie Parent (Reuters) The current generation of biofuels meets a European target for cutting carbon dioxide emissions but its performance varies widely depending on the crop and production process used, an official French study has shown. Biofuels
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado, and the US Environmental Protection Agency have published a "State Bioenergy Primer: Information and Resources for States on Issues, Opportunities, and Options for Advancing Bioenergy" aimed at state-level policy makers and available to
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
by Alan Bjerga and Peter Cook (Bloomberg) Archer Daniels Midland Co., the world’s largest grain processor, expects improved yields will deliver enough crops during the next 40 years to supply rising demand for ethanol without hurting the food supply. Archer
The Council on Sustainable Biomass Production (CSBP) is a multi-stakeholder organization established in 2007 to develop comprehensive voluntary sustainability standards for the production of biomass and its conversion to bioenergy. CSBP intends for its Standard to serve as the foundation
The Penn State energy-crops field display, created by Penn State Farm Services, is now open to visitors on land across from the old armory building on Fox Hollow Road, University Park, Pa., showing a variety of energy crops in production.
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