by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biofuels Digest is projecting that global advanced biofuels capacity will reach 3.917 billion gallons by 2015, based on company announcements to date. Today, the Digest released version 1.6 of its free Advanced Biofuels Tracking Database, projecting
(Science Daily) Faster development of the promising field of cellulosic biofuels -- the renewable energy produced from grasses and trees -- is being significantly hampered by a "deep and thorny regulatory thicket" that makes almost impossible the use of advanced
(Audubon) A Lexington, KY woman is the recipient of a national conservation fellowship, enabling her to bring biofuel education to Kentucky schools. TogetherGreen Fellow. Supported by a conservation alliance of Audubon and Toyota, the TogetherGreen Fellowship offers specialized training in
(Focus Taiwan) ...The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) , which developed the technology, showed off the process of turning microalgae into biodiesel at the four-day Taipei International Invention Show and Technomart exhibition organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council... During
(USA Today) ...Ford says it wants to better understand the use of biomass to produce future biofuels as part of an overall strategy to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil and address climate change. ...This year, Ford researchers visited Wayne
(FIS) Scientists are proposing the creation of methane gas from algae grown in great offshore farms to power adapted vehicles. A new GBP 5 million (EUR 6.1 million) UK and Irish joint project called BioMara disclosed the plan and seeks to
(AgriMarketing/Purdue) Purdue University is receiving $1.59 million in federal funding for a project to conduct a sustainability assessment of energy crops for biofuels. The funding is part of a $16.5 million renewable fuel initiative by the U.S. Department of Energy to
by David Gold (RenewableEnergyWorld.com) ...While stimulus supporters and the press love to focus on the selection of award winners for grants and loans, funds appropriated but sitting in the U.S. Treasury have zero potential to stimulate the economy irrespective of
(TAPPI) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Washington, D.C., USA, has awarded the College of William & Mary, WIlliansburg, Va., $500,000 to study various aspects of using wild aquatic algae as both biofuel feedstock and as a medium for helping to
by Joseph Bonyo (Daily Nation) ...The plant that is expected to produce about 22 million litres of ethanol a year will be the latest addition to the firm’s portfolio. According to the company, the ethanol will be targeted for sale within
by Kelsey Volkmann (St. Louis Business Journal) Midwest Biodiesel Products LLC, the only biodiesel refiner in the St. Louis area, plans to use a $300,000 loan from the St. Louis Business Development Fund and St. Louis Private Fund to rehire
(Journal of Peasant Studies) In this collection we ask a number of questions emerging out of the new agrarian political economy created by the ‘biofuel complex’. Together the papers offer perspectives from political economy, political sociology and political ecology, and
by Bert Hill (Ottawa Citizen) Construction will start this year on a biofuel plant in Malaysia that uses the technology of Ensyn Technologies, an Ottawa company. A Malaysian government agency has announced that the plant will turn palm oil biomass into biofuel
by James Cartledge (BrighterEnergy.org) As the Senate debated and ultimately failed to pass reforms in the military this week, two Senators from Montana introduced legislation to boost markets for biofuel. Sens. Max Baucus and John Tester’s bill, American Security and Freedom Fuels
(Dayton Business Journal) Ohio is preparing to dole out $8 million to boost manufacturers by subsidizing ethanol and biodiesel refining equipment purchases. ...Under the Advancing Biofuels Beyond the Basics program, companies can snag $500,000 to $1 million for buying equipment that
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...With the collapse in markets, rising prices and the evaporation of the tax credits, condition were ripe for the end of biodiesel 1.0. By early 2010, only two major producers were left standing, Imperium Renewables
By Arpita Bhattacharyya, Andrew Light (Center for American Progress) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Tuesday an impressive collaboration at the Clinton Global Initiative that brings together U.S. agencies and the United Nations Foundation to form the Global Alliance for
by IANR News Service (North Platte Bulletin) ...Camelina is a yellow-flowering oilseed crop that grows one to three feet tall. It has some advantages as an industrial oil crop, said University of Nebraska-Lincoln scientist Ed Cahoon. For example, it's not
(AZo Materials) MemfoACT, a spin-off from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), has secured NOK 25 million to turn its award-winning membrane technology into a commercial product. Based on research conducted at NTNU's Department of Chemical Engineering, the company's
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...We have spoken to farmers, local business owners, environmentalists, community development officials, engine developers, scientists, policy makers, producers, investors, lenders, blenders, wholesalers, retailers, and end users. We have visited development projects on four continents. We have
by Val Walton (The Birmingham News) Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos wrote a letter of support last week for the SouthEast Region Algae Consortium (SERAC) -- a group of scientists, engineers and experts in biofuels and algae research which is pursuing a
by James Cartledge (BrighterEnergy.org) Abengoa Bioenergy has secured 60% of the feedstocks it needs for its hybrid ethanol facility being developed in Hugoton, Kansas. ...The Hugoton facility is set to be the first commercial-scale installation of a hybrid refinery – a
Interview of BIO's Brent Erickson by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...BE: I have been a little bit disappointed in the Obama administration. When he was in the Senate he as very pro-biofuels. He had to choose his priorities, and that
by Stephen Lacey (RenewableEnergyWorld) We often wonder when the next Google of clean energy will materialize. When will the lone inventor finally emerge from his garage to change the world and solve our energy problems? What stealth company will bring
by Graham Warwick (AviationWeek) In just five years, the aviation industry’s decades-long reliance on petroleum-based fuels has been turned on its head. The future lies in fuels from sources that range from animal fat to microalgae. But with the technology in
(PRNewswire) Contract Is Among First of Its Kind in U.S. BlueFire Renewables, Inc., a company focused on changing the world's transportation fuel paradigm through the production of renewable fuels from non-food cellulosic wastes, has announced an off-take agreement with Tenaska BioFuels,
(Algae Industry Magazine) Renewable Algal Energy, LLC of Kingsport, Tennessee, has announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded them $3,000,000 to develop “Algal Biodiesel via Innovative Harvesting and Aquaculture Systems.” READ MORE and MORE (Department of Energy)
by Dave Dreeszen (Sioux City Journal) The state of Nebraska on Thursday awarded a half million dollars in infrastructure funds to assist a northeast Nebraska startup planning to turn an ethanol byproduct into plastics. Laurel BioComposite, a producer of what’s known as
(Jakarta Globe/Bloomberg/Reuters/AFP) Singapore palm oil producer Golden Agri-Resources, part of Indonesia’s Sinar Mas Group, said on Friday that its subsidiary Golden VerOleum would form a $1.6 billion partnership with the government of Liberia in a palm oil project. The move comes
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Documents filed with the SEC confirm what many voices in the industry have been saying about the Amyris, Gevo and PetroAlgae IPOs – they are “financing events” to fund these companies’ yawning capital requirements rather
by Natasha Odendaal (Engineering News) Local general aviation company Adept Airmotive has developed the first general aviation engine that is able to power a light aircraft with a range of environment-friendly alternative fuels, such as biofuels and liquid petroleum gas. The Adept
by George Ford (SourceMedia Group News/Eastern Iowa Business) The Iowa Power Fund Board awarded a $2.9 million grant to a cellulosic ethanol plant in Blairstown. Fiberight-Blairstown Operating LLC received the grant to demonstrate how municipal solid waste can be converted into cellulosic
by Angel Gonzalez (Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal) Norwegian oil major Statoil ASA (STO) has agreed to invest in a San Francisco Bay Area start-up to develop ethanol from seaweed, and to potentially commercialize the fuel in Norway and other European countries. Under the
(RenewableEnergyFocus.com) Following the discovery of the genes of two enzymes that toughen plants, researchers aim to breed non-food crops that require less processing, energy and chemicals to convert them into biofuel. ...Lead Researcher, Professor Paul Dupree, says: “There is a lot
by Nicole Bleasdale (Biofuels Digest/AusBiotech) ...The last of five integrated biofuels facilities funded under the Commonwealth Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) Program was officially opened on Friday 9 September 2010. Located at the University of Sydney’s Darlington Campus,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The Navy’s long term strategy is to supply 50% of its energy from renewables by 2020. How much is that? Well, statistics on energy consumption from the Department Energy Supply Center (DESC) generally are DoD-wide, but
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) Training a workforce for the algae production industry is going to be a Catch 22 type of situation. It will take a large community of workers with highly developed skills to build the quantity of
by Andrew Pollack (New York Times) ...Now Dr. Venter is turning from reading the genetic code to an even more audacious goal: writing it. At Synthetic Genomics, he wants to create living creatures — bacteria, algae or even plants —
The University of California-Davis is a recipient of a $10,000 EPA People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) Phase I grant. They will design an integrated, efficient biological system that can be used to convert sugar beets into biofuel and bioenergy. Approach: Design industrial
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded 55 grants to teams of college and university students across the country who will design creative solutions to sustainability challenges in the developed and developing world. The People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3)
by Robert Rodriquez (The Fresno Bee) Mendota operation could employ about 100 people. ...The proposed plant would use sugar beets and orchard prunings to make ethanol, electricity and compressed natural gas. Another element of the project would involve treating urban and
by Luke Geiver (Biorefining Magazine) The work of ThermoChem Recovery International has already changed the future for one small Wisconsin community. A small town in the woods of Wisconsin, fresh off the bankruptcy and closing of its century-old paper mill, might
(Algae Industry Magazine) Solution Recovery Services, of Dexter Michigan, an employee owned industry leader in oil separation and purification systems has partnered with Touchstone Research Laboratory, a privately owned U.S. company with principal operations in Triadelphia, W.V. The project team together
(Agro2/PR.com) Agro2 announces it will be the first company to research and produce ethanol from cassava in Panama, thanks to funding from FACT Foundation and the Global Sustainable Biomass Fund of NL Agency, a division of the Dutch Ministry of
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Earlier this year, SG Biofuels and Life Technologies formed a strategic alliance, and recently announced they have completed the sequence of the Jatropha genome. The company’s integrated breeding and biotechnology approach forms the foundation for its
by Tyler Hamilton (Toronto Star) Could a unique microorganism found in the waters of Atlantic Canada represent the future of jet fuel production? That’s what Halifax-based Ocean Nutrition Canada is hoping to find out as part of a four-year demonstration project funded
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel) Fiberight-Blairstown Operating LLC has received a $2.9 million grant to help build a cellulosic ethanol plant in Blairstown, Iowa. The award was given by the Iowa Power Board Fund yesterday. Fiberight is developing technology to convert
by Dana Tims (The Oregonian) ...They propose breaking ground next year on a $25 million bioenergy park somewhere in the Willamette Valley. The multi-faceted facility would convert straw and other waste materials into saleable products such as ethanol, electricity, fertilizer, compost
by Karyn Houston (UC Berkley College of Natural Resources) ...The $793,000 grant from the Department of Energy looks at how to utilize the tons of leftover “crop residue” left behind after the kernel is used. Dr. Markus Pauly and Dr.
by John Timmer (Ars Technica) ...Cellulose is a very long polymer of sugar molecules. Yeast will happily use those sugars to produce ethanol, but it can't get at them while they're trapped in cellulose. As a result, a suite of
by By Jorge J. Muñiz Ortiz (Latin American Herald Tribune) State-owned utility AEE and the firm Bio-Lipidos on Thursday announced plans to build a plant in northern Puerto Rico that will produce a pure fuel based on tropical marine micro-algae. AEE’s executive
(AzoCleanTech) ...The two universities currently conducting the algae research are the Kasetsart University in the area of freshwater algae and the Burapha University in the area of marine algae. The Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency Department will not only provide financial
by Joe Napsha (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) A business that collects used cooking oil and processes it into fuel for diesel-powered vehicles plans to convert a dilapidated gas station in Braddock into a biofuels filling station next year. Fossil Free Fuel LLC in Braddock
by Lori Montgomery (The Washington Post) ... The senator is a strong advocate of responsible budgeting and has long called for increasing the gas tax, the traditional financing source for the nation's roadways. He said he mentioned that in his phone
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced September 7, 2010, the availability of funding under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to conduct feasibility studies for renewable energy systems for agriculture producers and rural small businesses. "Renewable energy production represents a promising
(U.S. Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced September 9, 2010, the selection of a biorefinery producer to receive payments under a program to encourage the use of renewable biomass as a replacement for fossil fuels that provide process heat
(US Department of Energy) U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced September 8, 2010, the investment of up to $16.5 million for two major research and development (R&D) initiatives that will support the expansion of renewable transportation fuels production. The first initiative
(The Alarm Clock) Camarillo, CA-based Cool Planet Biofuels has raised $3M as part of a $8M Series B funding round, according to a filing by the firm today. Source of the new funding was not announced, however, the firm is
by Lisa Gibson (Biomass Magazine) Ten years after NREL’s Aquatic Species Program was shut down, a similar initiative began and now is thriving in its algae research, which includes the evaluation of CO2 recycling. Between 1978 and 1996, the Aquatic Species Program at
(US Department of Energy) Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced research awards under a joint DOE-USDA program aimed at improving and accelerating genetic breeding programs to create plants better suited for bioenergy production. The $8.9 million
by Dean Close (Vinton Today) ...In layman’s terms, what Fiberight does is take waste from a paper mill in Cedar Rapids, and uses rare bacteria – Stewart Paul refers to that bacteria as “the bugs” – to convert the sugar
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the USDA adopted a bond mechanism into its Business & Industry Loan Guarantee Program to mirror what the DOE already had done in each of its Section 1703 and Section 1705 Loan Guarantee Programs. The
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In New Hampshire, Mascoma reported yesterday that it had acquired SunOpta BioProcess, a division of SunOpta Inc. (STKL) This combination brings together the fiber preparation and pretreatment technologies of SBI and the consolidated bioprocessing technology
(SDTC) Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) today announced its 18th round of funding for Canadian clean technology demonstration projects. Canadian entrepreneurs and technology developers with new technologies and a compelling business case are encouraged to submit Statements of Interests to
(E&ETV) As the biofuels industry awaits a decision by U.S. EPA on ethanol blend walls, how has the Obama Administration handled biofuels development and funding? During today's OnPoint, Matt Carr, managing director of policy at BIO, explains how the Gulf
(NewsWire) Enerkem Inc., a leading waste-to-biofuels company, today held a groundbreaking ceremony to signify the start of construction of its municipal waste-to-biofuels facility with its partners, the City of Edmonton and the Government of Alberta. Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach, Edmonton
by Dave Williams (Atlanta Business Chronicle) The nation’s first commercial plant producing ethanol from wood wastes is open for business in the timber country of southeastern Georgia. More than a year and a half behind its original schedule, Colorado-based Range Fuels Inc.
by William Hermann(The Arizona Republic) Clean, green energy source could replace fossil fuels. ...With its ideal climate and abundance of available land, Arizona is poised to become a major center of a multibillion-dollar, algae-based, biofuel industry. Scientists at Arizona State University's Polytechnic
(Indianapolis Business Journal) Indianapolis-based bioengineering firm Xylogenics Inc. has licensed its proprietary yeast strain to a Milwaukee firm that is a supplier to the fuel-ethanol industry. It is the first such licensing agreement for Xylogenics. Lallemand Ethanol Technology will use Xylogenics’
by Emily Wagster Pettus (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Mississippi lawmakers on Friday (August 27, 2010) will consider $50 million in state incentives for research and production of renewable fuel made from timber, one of the state's most widely available natural resources. ...Barbour's office
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Blue Marble’s effervescent CEO Kelly Ogilvie, well known on the renewables circuit for his high-energy presentations over the years, took us through the math. “Over the past 18 months,” he said, “while we have been developing
by Nidhi Subbaraman (MIT Technology Review) ...The company announced plans to build one of the first commercial-scale cellulosic-ethanol plants, in Kinross, MI; it would be able to produce 80 million gallons per year. But as of the summer of 2010, Mascoma had
by Sasha Lyutse (Natural Resources Defense Council) ... As a result, the VEETC has not only concentrated the ethanol industry in just a handful of states, but siphoned scarce resources away from more competitive biofuel technologies that create far less pollution
(The Hindu) The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has proposed to initiate and establish bio-fuel plantations with financial assistance of Central Government. ...“Increasing interest is shown towards the utility of Tree Borne Oilseeds (TBOs) like jatropha, pungam, illuppai, neem and simarouba as
by Michael Kanellos (GreenTechMedia) VCs and startups have complained that the biofuels industry has been stranded by indifference from the majors.That has changed. Shell and Cosan SA Industrio and Comercio, the world's largest sugar producer, finalized a multi-billion dollar joint venture today
(The Bioenergy Site) For the past two years, North Dakota State University Biofuels Economist, Cole Gufstafson, has been working in partnership with Green Vision Group and Heartland Renewable Energy (HRE) to create an energy beet for the biofuel industry in North
(PRNewsWire) Biodiesel Industries announced today the company's selection by the California Energy Commission for a project grant to support the state's Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. This Biofuel Production Plants grant provides funding and financial assistance for the
By Jennifer McEntee (The Voice of San Diego) Investors are a tough crowd to cultivate. Yet in the pond that is the biotechnology market, one product seems to be rising to the top like the green sludge it is: algae. Its
by Ben Leach (Press of Atlantic City) A multimillion-dollar ethanol plant is planned for a former landfill site, but members of the community can get a sneak peak of the technology in action next week. Garden State Ethanol will demonstrate extracting the
(Standard-Examiner) Utah environmental regulators have set a seven-year deadline for Logan officials to cut the amount of phosphorus in sewage lagoons west of the city. Water from the lagoons discharges into Cutler Reservoir. Phosphorous fuels algae blooms that produce oxygen during the day,
by Rod Walton (Tulsa World) ..."I got into it because of the potential with algae," said Geoffrey Price, professor, department chairman and part of the research team. "It's because they take in sunlight more efficiently than other plants." Price and his
(PRNewsWire) Awards Were Approved for Joint Development Projects Between the United States and Israel in the Areas Of Biofuels, Wind Energy, Solar Energy and Energy Efficiency The BIRD Foundation will invest $4.2M in five clean energy cooperative projects, between U.S. and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The Digest took the opportunity to visit with BlueFire’s CEO Arnold Klann, who has been working in the cellulosic biofuels space for more than a decade, and continues to be a driving force in the
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 Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...There has been, unsurprisingly, a ton of chatter about the sector, which escalated significantly last week with the PetroAlgae and Gevo announcements. ...The IPO is generally a liquidity event, providing lucrative exits for early investors. But
(Blue Fire Renewables) Name Change Designed to Better Reflect Its Fuel and Energy Production Capabilities BlueFire Ethanol Fuels, Inc., a company focused on changing the world's transportation fuel paradigm through the production of renewable fuels from non-food cellulosic wastes, today announced that
(US Department of Agriculture) On March 12, 2010, the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (the Agency) published a notice in the Federal Register for the Advanced Biofuel Payment Program seeking requests from eligible advanced biofuel producers for additional, supplemental payments from the
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...A significant number of voices in the community continue to caution that algal biofuels are 10 years away, or likely to arrive at commercial scale only in the waning years of the existing Renewable Fuel
by Andrew Maykuth (Philadelphia Inquirer) Sunoco Inc. is producing a new brew at a former Miller Brewing Co. plant. Last month, the Philadelphia refiner began distilling corn ethanol at a massive converted brewery just outside the Fulton city limits in central New
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In New York, biobutanol and renewable chemical developer Gevo, ranked #13 in the 2009-10 “50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy” by Biofuels Digest readers and international selectors, filed its S-1 registration statement with the SEC for
by Bob Boughner (Chatham Daily News) A proposed $38-million Chatham facility designed to prove corn cobs can be used to produce ethanol fuel received $4 million Wednesday from the province. The (Ontario) government is supporting the development of innovative, bio-fuel technology by Greenfield
by C.R. Roberts (The News Tribune) Auburn-based Forest Concepts LLC has won a $1 million Department of Energy Small Business Innovation Research grant for the second phase of a biomass-production system. The system makes uniform particles from wood waste, and the particles
by Jean Chemnick (Platts) US President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed legislation that would fund emergency assistance to various states, partly through the trimming of $1.5 billion in funding for renewable energy loan guarantees. The US House of Representatives approved the
(WTVY) ...Governor Riley will join local officials to celebrate the grand opening of a biodiesel facility that uses cooking oil collected from area restaurants to produce fuel for city vehicles and equipment. The project was funded in part with a
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The announcement was greeted with a hilariously inaccurate story in the New York Times, which apparently confused PetroAlgae’s technology with the OMEGA project developed by NASA (NASA proposed to grow algae in sealed bags floating
by Linsey Davis(North Dakota State University) Two NDSU professors received $309,357 from the National Science Foundation for research to improve conversion and reduce costs of making ethanol from cellulosic biomass. Andriy Voronov, assistant professor in the Department of Coatings and Polymeric
(AFP) Mozambique's state fuel company has partnered with the private sector to invest 19 million dollars (14 million euros) in biofuel production, state media reported on Monday. National supplier Petromoc, Portuguese fuel company Galp and biodiesel producer Ecomoz will produce biodiesel in
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Solazyme, which was ranked #1 in the 2009-10 “50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy” by Biofuels Digest readers and selectors, announced that it has raised $52 million in its Series D financing round.... In addition to its
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
(US Department of Energy) Secretary Steven Chu announced today that the Department of Energy is extending the application deadline for the July 2009 energy efficiency, renewable energy and advanced transmission and distribution technologies solicitation. The Round 8, Part 1 application deadline
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biofuels Digest reports that tracked biofuels companies and institutional projects received $3.45 billion in grants and investments in the past 12 months through August 2010. The Digest released its 120-page review: “Who’s Getting Some in Bioenergy?”, profiling
by Brent Erickson (BIO/New York Times) Letter to Editor: The refundable investment tax credit for wind, solar and geothermal energy proved the right policy at the right time to mobilize investment. ...Parity in tax policies would send a signal to
by Darrin Ihnen (The Hill/National Corn Growers Association) ...Unfortunately, many of the articles we’re seeing don’t get the facts quite right. The New York Times, for example, asserts that the Renewable Fuel Standard mandates the U.S. production of up to
by Patrick Peterson (Florida Today) Even as last of BP oil spilled on the Gulf Coast dissipates, interest in Florida's biofuel industry piqued by the spill may linger, and even grow. For the moment certainly, biofuels such as ethanol and algae-derived diesel
(Algae Industry Magazine) Dr. William L. Roberts, a professor in the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering at North Carolina State University, and his colleagues, four biologists and three engineers, are working on ways to produce and extract lipids from
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...“Investors constantly ask us the simple question,” says AE Biofuels CEO Eric McAfee, “ If the EPA is not enforcing the cellulosic ethanol mandate and only providing a few months of forward visibility each year, how
by Philippe Schild (Programme Officer, Directorate General Research, European Commission) In his presentation, Schild summarizes the mandated standards for biofuels in the EU, and ongoing programs to help meet these initiatives. Renewable fuel production research forms a substantial portion of
by Brian Liberatore (News Press) Paperwork, government foot-dragging delay plant, bust budget, partner says A local businessman says he spent $1 million on a $500,000 federal grant, yet his plans for a biodiesel plant in Fort Myers are a year behind
(Algae Industry Magazine) The Raytheon Co., Accelergy Corp. of Houston, TX, and A2BE Carbon Capture LLC/Algae at Work, of Boulder, CO have formed a joint venture to develop a technology to gasify algae mixed with coal and/or coal waste into a
(Washington Post) Editorial: PRESIDENT OBAMA was back in Michigan recently, breaking ground on a plant that will make batteries for the Volt, the plug-in hybrid electric car forthcoming from government-owned General Motors. The Energy Department paid half the factory's $300 million
(AP) BP's catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is fueling opposition to the University of California, Berkeley's research partnership with the British company, with activists on the famously liberal campus demanding a severing of ties. The oil giant gave UC
(EcoFriendlyMag.com) Texas Governor Rick Perry has awarded $2.75 million from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (TETF) to Terrabon for its work in biofuel technology development. Governor Perry made the announcement in Laredo, where he and city officials announce the benefits of a
by Alex Morales (Bloomberg) Global subsidies for fossil fuels dwarf support given to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power and biofuels, Bloomberg New Energy Finance said. Governments last year gave $43 billion to $46 billion of support to renewable
(OriginOil) Shipment of OriginOil Quantum Fracturing System to MBD Energy Triggers Payment OriginOil, Inc., the developer of a breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, today announced that it recently
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) National security is at the root of the nearly seventy-year old Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the world’s leading scientific research institutions. While originally organized for a single purpose: to design and build the
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 John M. Urbanchuk (ENTRIX/The Hill) In his July 27 blog posting “The economics of U.S. ethanol policy” Professor Bruce Babcock of Iowa State University reports the results of new research suggesting that allowing the current 45-cent-per-gallon ethanol blender’s tax credit
by Larisa Brass (KnoxvilleBiz.com) As its biorefinery demonstration plant churns toward one day generating automobile fuel from grass, Genera Energy is beginning construction of what will effectively be the staging grounds for that process. This week the company, spun out from the
(Süd-Chemie AG) Süd-Chemie AG, one of the world´s leading specialty chemical companies for catalysts and adsorbents based in Munich is to build Germany´s largest plant to date for the production of climate-friendly, second-generation bioethanol, so-called cellulose ethanol, based on biotechnological processes. The
(CORE Biofuel, Inc.) CORE BioFuel Inc., a Canadian biofuel company that is commercializing an advanced biomass to gasoline production process, today announced the engagement of RECAT Technologies (www.recattechnologies.com) to complete a pilot of our gasoline production reactors. Upon completion of the
by Katie Fehrenbacher (Earth2Tech) Wow, for a biofuel startup few have heard of, KiOR has raised a whole lot of money. According to an amended filing, KiOR, has now raised a whopping $110 million from backers including Khosla Ventures. KiOR was
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc. is moving to Phase II with its algae project at one plant and planning to install corn oil extraction technology at all six of its ethanol plants. On July 20,
(Algae Industry Magazine) Renewergy Corporation, of Erie, PA, has begun cultivating algae with its patent pending Aeroponic Algal Culture system at the Erie Wastewater Treatment Facility. The system is designed to encourage and enhance the growth of naturally occurring algae with nutrients from the
by Stacy Feldman (SolveClimate) Industry rips failing DOE loan program on the heels of EPA's decision to slash cellulosic biofuel mandate. ...EPA announced it expects 5 to 17.1 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol to be blended into the nation's fuels in 2011,
(PR-USA.net) Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger announced today that the department is now accepting applications through the state's $6 million Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant program, or AFIG, for homegrown fuel projects throughout Pennsylvania. "The AFIG program helps improve our environment and economy
by Andrew Willis (Bloomberg Businessweek) EU and Brazilian leaders are set to announce a new "triangular co-operation" initiative, under which they will aim to work together in some of the world's poorest countries, but NGOs say the duo's scheme is self-centred
by Josie Garthwaite (Earth2Tech) Cello Energy, a startup run by Alabama’s former ethics chairman and backed by Khosla Ventures that has been beset by production delays and fraud allegations, still ranks among the companies that the Environmental Protection Agency believes is
by Gerald Traufetter (Der Spiegel) There are plans within the aviation industry to replace kerosene with biofuel derived from algae. The new fuel comes with a surprising benefit: Planes will be able to fly farther on the same amount of
by Jim Lane (Biotech Digest) This past April, ARPA-E announced a new grant round, and the largest single award in the round, $6 million, went to a group led by OPX Biotechnologies, in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and
(Congressional Budget Office) The federal government supports the use of biofuels—transportation fuel produced usually from renewable plant matter, such as corn—in the pursuit of national energy, environmental, and agricultural policy goals. Tax credits encourage the production and sale of biofuels
(Growth Energy) Growth Energy, a coalition of U.S. ethanol supporters, today called for the redirection and eventual phasing out of government support for ethanol in return for a level playing field – infrastructure investments that will create competition in the fuels
By Alyson Zepeda (Reuters) * Greenhouse will test algae strains * Next step is outdoor testing * Spending will grow over the next decade Exxon Mobil Corp said on July 14, 2010,it opened a greenhouse facility to grow and test algae, the next step
(Verenium) BP to acquire Verenium's cellulosic biofuels business, including Jennings, San Diego facilities - - Verenium to receive $98.3 million and retain its commercial enzyme business including validated technology platform to apply to all business segments including biofuels BP and Verenium Corporation July
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
(HybridCars) ...It's been more than four years since then-President George W. Bush told the country in his State of the Union speech that it would soon be using corn, wood chips and switch grass to power its automobiles. Biofuels, Bush
(Renewable Fuels Association) ...“Access to capital is a chief hindrance to the commercial deployment of cellulosic ethanol technology,” said RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen. “DOE has created a loan guarantee program that in theory is helpful, but in practice
(US Government Accountability Office) Since the Department of Energy's (DOE) loan guarantee program (LGP) for innovative energy projects was established in Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, its scope has expanded both in the types of projects it
(Alternative Energy Africa) Stellenbosch Biomass Technologies (SBMT) has been officially launched in Sandton, South Africa holding the rights to commercialize and adapt the latest conversion technology developed by US-based Mascoma Technologies. Mascoma is rated one of the top 10 most innovative companies
(Renewable Fuels Association) ...Of note, EPA has revised down cellulosic ethanol use from original RFS targets for the second year in a row. While this may be prudent for EPA based on market conditions, it does send a chilling effect
(CO2 Solution) Codexis, Inc., and CO2 Solution Inc., on July 13, 2010, will make the first joint public presentation on their program to develop carbon capture technology to reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants. The presentation is being made at the 4th Annual
(BusinessWire) Technology Solutions Company to Develop Flexible Analysis Models for Simulating Plant Processing Performance and Economics )--Alion Science and Technology has been awarded a contract from the Biotechnology Research and Development Center (BRDC) to develop models that will assess options for
by Mike Ramsey (Wall Street Journal) Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda said Friday that his company will look for more partners in alternative-fuel technology, after buying a minority stake in Tesla Motors Inc. last month. ...Mr. Toyoda said the company
(Accelergy) Carbon Cycle Technology Alliance to scale carbon capture and recycling operations Accelergy Corporation, a global leader in the production of high-grade, domestically sourced liquid fuels, has been awarded an alternative and clean energy program grant from the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Financing Authority
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...“Iowa is rapidly becoming the development capital of the nation for the replacement of petroleum-based chemicals with bio-based chemicals,” according to a press release from the Iowa Department of Economic Development. Currently, the state has
(SDTC) Eighteen clean technology projects from across Canada that will help green Canada’s economy today received $40 million in funding to help move innovative technology solutions to the market. The announcement, confirming the decision of the Board of Directors of Sustainable
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel) A colleague of mine, Will Thurmond, who is the CEO of markets research firm Emerging Markets Online, sent me this great article about why companies are spending billions of dollars investing in advanced biofuels in Brazil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Among the changes proposed by the (Algal Biomass Organization) were: providing more flexible revenue requirements for qualifying under the program, including allowing consideration of co-product, or chemicals sales as part of revenue floors; increasing the
(Environment-Expert.com) VEPOWER Limited has entered into an exclusivity agreement with Jatropha Africa with the goal of financing the Company’s 50,000 hectare plantation in Ghana, West Africa. VEPOWER will thus secure more than 40,000 tonnes of crude bio-fuel. ...The plantation in Ghana
by Danielle Douglas (Washington Post/Capital Business) ...Many of the nearly 200,000 electric hybrids on U.S. roads use internal generators to create power, but a fraction of these cars are plug-in hybrids, the market's fastest growing segment. Yet, there are only 465
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