by Tim Sheehan (The Fresno Bee) Two plants aim for biofuels made without corn. With corn prices up and demand rising, work is under way in the Valley to develop two biorefineries to make ethanol without using the golden grain. In Visalia,
by Kurt A. Rosentrater, Ph.D. (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The fuel ethanol and distillers grains industry ...sustainably meets the growing needs for food, feed, fiber and fuel for our society as well as the rest of the world. ...Two key areas
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Cattlemen in the U.S. and Canada demonstrate feedlots and ethanol production are ideal companion enterprises In every case, the cattle came first. In an effort to find inexpensive and efficient ways to feed cattle—and in
(Advanced Biofuels USA) ...(T)here is a third, hybrid process which combines both biochemical and thermochemical elements, capturing the benefits of each pathway while mitigating some of their deficiencies. This process, called syngas fermentation, is a process where a biomass feedstock
(WOWT.com) Iowa State University's Hans van Leeuwen has moved his research team's award-winning idea for improving ethanol production from a laboratory to a pilot plant. Now he knows the idea, which produces a new animal feed and cleans water that can be
(National Advanced Biofuels Consortium) This 55-slide presentation from a National Advanced Biofuels Consortium Webinar describes the organization and work of the consortium using many valuable charts, graphs and illustrations, including those that depict existing infrastructure. One of the most useful illustrations
by Cole Gustafson (Ethanol Producer Magazine/North Dakota State University) ...Why beets? The Northern Plains is the nation’s lowest-cost producer of sugar due to a favorable growing climate and cold winters that extend feedstock storage and processing. The energy beet industry
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In part 3, we look at 12 companies and compare and contrast the Brazilian and US paths to advanced biofuels. Does Brazil have a “must emulate” model? ...What we found is a stable, straightforward system of
by Clayton McNeff (Biodiesel Magazine/BioCat Fuels) In the near future, “multifeedstock” and “nonfood-based” will provide the basis for salvation of the U.S. biodiesel industry. This change will occur through necessity and it must occur quickly in order for our industry
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) How replacing natural gas with biomass as feedstock for methanol production can improve biodiesel's already good environmental footing The vast majority of methanol produced today is sourced from natural gas, but this has not always been
by Garthia Elena Burnett (Commercial Dispatch) FedEx is the latest company to sign an offtake agreement with Kior, a biofuels plant slated to begin production in Columbus in 2012. FedEx plans to use oil produced from biomass, mainly wood chips,
(Grain Farmers of Ontario) Canadian biofuel is better for the environment than biofuel produced further south- in part due to our different agricultural practices - according to a new study released by the Grain Farmers ofOntario. The report, produced by Dr.
(Yahoo!News/PRWEB) Ashland Hercules Water Technologies is launching a new corn oil extraction aid that can triple corn oil production at ethanol manufacturing facilities. PTV M-5309 corn oil extraction aid, is easily introduced into the process, requires no additional capital expenditure
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Over the past 12 months, it has become hard to count the number of advanced biofuels companies that are setting up partnerships, or exploring them, in Brazil – but it is in the dozens. Hard
by Nathanial Gronewold (Greenwire/New York Times) ...Though 85 percent of Colombia's cane crop is harvested this old-fashioned way, industry leaders say they have no intention of mechanizing the harvest, for fear of mass unemployment in a rural area where people
(TMO Renewables) Leading Chinese corporations, COFCO and CNOOC, select TMO as second generation ethanol technology partner TMO Renewables Ltd, a leading developer of a new process for converting biomass into fuel ethanol is proud to announce that it has been selected
by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register) Prototypes of the biofuels refinery of the future sit in a 19,000-square-foot complex on the Iowa State Research Farm west of Ames. Two experimental plants, whose network of pipes and containers looks to the lay
(Biofuels Journal) Greenergy, a privately owned company that supplies one fifth of Britain’s road fuel, announced May 6 that it has begun producing biodiesel from food waste. In a unique partnership with Brocklesby Ltd, a specialist in recycling edible oils, unsaleable
(Algae Industry Magazine) ...Highlights of the discussion included updates on GPRE’s recently announced BioProcess Algae joint venture. Following are some comments by Mr. Becker and his answers to some shareholder questions regarding their algae ventures: ...The technology represents a true intersection
by Mary Meehan (Lexington Herald-Leader) The University of Kentucky has received a $6.9 million federal grant to help reduce America's reliance on imported oil, one of eight awards in the country. "It's going to be big," said UK's principal investigator, Sue
by Stephan Nielsen (Bloomberg) Dedini SA Industrias de Base, a Brazilian maker of ethanol-production machinery, is developing systems that will process sweet sorghum into renewable fuel, as an alternative to the widely used used sugar cane. ...“There’s growing interest among cane mills
(Logos Technologies) DOE commits full $20.5 million to retrofit and build pilot plant in Visalia, CA Logos Technologies®, Inc. and EdeniQ, Inc., announced U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approval to fully fund $20.5 million in federal cost share under DOE’s Integrated
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, Joule reported that they have signed a lease for 1,200 acres in Lea County, New Mexico, with the potential to scale the project up to 5,000 acres for production of renewable diesel and
Projects will help develop sustainable, renewable biofuels in the U.S. As part of the Obama Administration's comprehensive plan to address rising gas prices, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced a total of $47 million
(Bloomberg) Maple Energy Plc, a Lima-based oil and natural-gas producer, expects costs at an ethanol project under construction in northwest Peru to be higher than an earlier forecast. ...Most of the initial shipments will be to the Netherlands, Maple said today.
(Milken Institute Global Conference) With oil prices spiking and concern over climate change growing, biofuels hold tremendous appeal. But they must overcome considerable hurdles. Further process and technology refinements are needed to ensure that biofuels make a significant dent in
by Sharon McBrayer (Hickory Daily Record) ...Catawba County Board of Commissioners voted 3-1, with Randall Isenhower voting against the measure, to award a construction bid to Hamlett Associates, Inc. of Climax for $775,786 to build a crop processing facilityat its Biodiesel Research Facility. ...County officials
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Energy Information Administration released the full version of its Annual Energy Outlook 2011 (AEO2011) report on April 26. The report addresses a wide variety of energy markets and industries, including those related
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Renewable Energy Group (REG) executives hosted USDA Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson as well as leaders from the ethanol industry at their REG Newton biorefinery to discuss the role of advanced biofuels in
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) On Friday April 15, BioProcess Algae, dedicated its Grower Harvester bioreactorssignaling the final phase of construction for its commercial scale algae biorefinery. On hand for the event in Shenandoah, Iowa, were USDA Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack along
(Amyris) Amyris, Inc., announced the completion of the first industrial-scale facility for the production of Biofene™, Amyris’s renewable farnesene. The production facility is located in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil at a facility owned by Biomin do Brasil Nutricão Animal Ltda., a
(EurekAlert!) David Grewell flipped on the augers that carry corn from a truck to a biorefinery. Then, with a few more clicks of his computer mouse, he turned on the pumps that send grain all the way through an ethanol plant,
(OpenPR/Mettler Toledo) As food and alternative fuel demands continue to grow, increasing pressure is being placed on sugar and bioethanol producers to improve efficiency and process safety in order to maximize productivity. Process analytics can play a significant role in
(Pakistan Today) Brazil and Pakistan produce huge amount of sugarcane and Brazil will soon establish its industry to help Pakistan in ethanol extraction or production from sugarcane which would bring about stability in petroleum prices and also control price-hiking in
(Lignol) Lignol Energy Corporation, a leading technology company in the advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals sector today announced it has completed an engineering design package for a commercial-scale biorefinery that would produce up to 80 million litres of cellulosic ethanol
by J. Sadhik Basha and R. B. Anand (Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy) Biodiesel emulsions are considered as the propitious alternative fuels for diesel engines. The need of biodiesel emulsion fuels for the diesel engines is to curtail the dependency
(Biocommodity.com) Bhavnagar based research institute Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute(CSMCRI), is likely to initiate talks with oil companies for manufacturing jatropha-based biofuel on a commercial scale. “We have recently been granted the US patent for our technology, and now
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Although natural gas is king of power generation at ethanol plants, there’s increasing interest in renewable energy technologies that could help ethanol plants someday produce a domestically grown fuel without using fossil fuels.
by Bao Chang (China Daily) New process uses bio-waste instead of grains to make gasoline additive China should boost its fuel ethanol industry as part of its efforts to reduce carbon emissions and oil dependency, said China National Cereals, Oils and
(SustainableBusiness.com) Biobutanol company Cobalt Technologies and American Process Inc. (API), a developer of lignocellulosic sugar production technologies, announced an agreement to build the world's first industrial-scale cellulosic biorefinery to produce biobutanol. Additionally, the companies agreed to jointly market a GreenPower+TMBiobutanol solution
by Aaron T. Evans (Gant Daily) A spin-off industry from Bionol Clearfield’s ethanol plant is under development in Clearfield Borough. On Thursday night a representative from Air Liquide and a representative from Gannett Fleming Inc. gave a presentation during council’s committees
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...How’s an investor to parse out all these technologies. For many, it’s a case of “you’re making what, from what, using what?” ...Here at the Digest, we think of it as a kind of old fashioned
By Robert Kozak (Atlantic Biomass Conversions, Inc.) Worldwide Importance of Protein Animal Feed When I began working with sugar beet processors on our beet pulp biofuel sugar process, one of their first questions was, “Will there still be pulp available to
(U.S. Department of Agriculture) To support President Obama's goal of reducing America's oil imports by one-third by 2025, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Energy (DOE) today jointly announced up to $30 million over three to four years that
(BIOeCON) BIOeCON a leading pioneer in the field of non-edible biomass conversion, has raised an additional 1 million Euro’s from existing shareholders, including a grant from the Dutch Ministry of Economic affairs, to design and build a prototype of a
(PR NewsWire/OnSite Energy) With rising diesel prices smashing farmer, municipality and trucker budgets, OnSite Energy of Flint, Michigan announces its second generation series of automated 40-400 gallon biodiesel processors as a solution. "These processors are reliable, automated, and available now to people wishing
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Khosla-backed pyrolysis venture heads for the public markets. Is the IPO window still open? Will this one fly? Should it? The Digest looks at the technology, the team, the progress, the economics, the proof, and
by Gavin Maguire (Commodities Now/Reuters) Ethanol producers often get much of the blame for driving the price of corn to its current multi-year high levels due to that industry's strong usage of corn to make fuel. But critics overlook the
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) R3 Fusion, Inc. has announced the availability of its commercial system for recovering ethanol from waste scrubber water. The technology is coined the SPaCeRTM. The system is designed to process 50 gallons per minute of scrubber
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In New Zealand, LanzaTech is partnering with China’s LCY Chemical Corporation to identify key bio-based chemicals to produce for global fuels and chemicals markets. Mr Lee says LCY plans to investigate alternative bio-C2 to C5
(Dakota Spirit AgEnergy) Dakota Spirit AgEnergy, a proposed cellulosic biorefinery near Spiritwood, N.D., has evolved from a 20 million gallon per year (MGY) cellulosic ethanol plant into a 58 MGY “hybrid” ethanol plant comprised of a 50 MGY dry mill ethanol
by Ruona Agbroko (Reuters Africa) South Africa's Illovo Sugar may opt to produce biofuel from sugarcane if it makes commercial sense, its managing director said late on Wednesday. South Africa's Department of Energy said earlier this month it would make
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...NGOs in Africa have been touting for some time the use of ethanol cook stoves, to replace three-stone, wood based stoves that can trigger local deforestation and expose women and girls (who do much of
by Dean Brickley (East Oregonian) Zea-Chem’s cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant is more than one-third finished. Builders erected three 40,000-gallon fermentation tanks this week and continued bolting together the steel structure for the two-story operations building. Excavation began last fall, and contractors poured
by Surbhi Khyati (IndianExpress.com) The state department of science and technology is establishing a bio-diesel plant here for extraction of jatropha oil and its conversion into bio-diesel. The plant, funded by the department of science and technology, Government of India, will
(Algal Biomass Organization February 25 Newsletter) ...We are designing, manufacturing and operating systems that enable controlled, economical cultivation of algal biomass using attached growth technology. We are currently beginning the second phase of a project that utilizes waste products - including
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) A unique biorefinery being developed by Gen-X Energy Group Inc. in Moses Lake, Wash., is nearly complete. According to Ramon Benavides, the company’s co-founder and vice president of business development, Gen-X is in the final
(Logos Technologies) DOE commits full $20.5 million to retrofit and build pilot plant in Visalia, CA Logos Technologies®, Inc. and EdeniQ, Inc., announced U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approval to fully fund $20.5 million in federal cost share under DOE's Integrated
by Lisa Gibson (Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine) A growing number of U.S. ethanol plants are reaping the benefits of using biomass for power. The demand for ethanol with a lower carbon footprint seems to be spurring a movement in
(PhysOrg.com) Deep inside the University of Connecticut’s chemical engineering building in Storrs, Professor Richard Parnas and a team of students quietly monitor a murky brown emulsion bubbling inside an enormous 6-inch diameter glass tube like doctors carefully observing a patient
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Syntroleum reported a $9.6 million loss for fiscal 2010 in its 10K SEC form, with revenues having declined $19 million compared to 2009. In a teleconference to discuss Syntroleum’s report, Gary Roth, Syntroleum’s President and
(peHUB) CoolPlanetBiofuels Gets Series B Funding from Google Ventures Imagine a world where fuel doesn’t have to be pumped, dug out or extracted from the ground, and can be locally sourced. CoolPlanetBiofuels, located in Camarillo, Calif., is developing an innovative solution
(US Department of Agriculture) Funds Will Help Win the Future by Spurring Investment to Increase the Production and Use of Renewable Energy Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is seeking applications to increase the production and use of renewable energy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...(C)an the company make oil fast enough to meet the demand and capture all the opportunities? ...“Our proprietary technology transforms a range of low-cost plant-based sugars into high-value oils. Our renewable products can replace or
(ABC News) Farmers in South Australia could soon be producing biofuels on their properties to use in their machinery. Environment engineer Stephen Bedford Clark is setting up an algae-to-biofuel processing plant at Darke Peak on Eyre Peninsula in a bid to
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) But this week in the little burgh of Boardman, Oregon (population 3,300), which happens to sit adjacent to the second-largest inland port in the western United States (the port of Morrow, on the Columbia
by Myron Kukla (Grand Rapids Press/MLive.com) Angel Gonzalez looks over a new portable ethanol machine designed for farm use and wonders if it could help families in his Belknap neighborhood make low-cost “community fuel.” “It’s just an idea at this point,
by Heather Lammers (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) The scenario for your business dream plays out like this. You have an idea to make a fuel from biomass using a biochemical conversion processes. You and your investors have completed bench-scale
(SmartFlow Technologies) SmartFlow Technologies announces that it will supply its advanced continuous processing solids separation and cell concentration systems to INEOS New Planet BioEnergy for use in their commercial-scale advanced bio-energy facility, the first to use the INEOS Bio technology. The
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) KL Energy Corp. is preparing to validate its modified process technology to turn sugarcane bagasse into ethanol. As the bitter winter turns to spring in the tiny town of Upton, Wyo., located on the northern
(Syngenta) First corn output trait for ethanol industry Enables ethanol industry to improve efficiency and profitability Significant environmental benefits Syngenta announced February 11, 2011, it has received full deregulation for its corn amylase trait from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This is the
by Bill Brandon (Advanced Biofuels USA) On February 10 & 11, about 120 participants gathered in chilly Chicago for the first Municipal Solid Waste to Biofuels Summit presented by the British firm, Eye for Energy. The conference drew participants from
(Wayne State University) NextCAT Inc., a Detroit-based company, announced that it has received $250,000 in seed funding from Automation Alley in Troy, Mich. NextCAT is commercializing biodiesel catalyst technology developed at the National Biofuels Energy Lab at Wayne State University
by Alex Morales (Bloomberg) The market for ethanol made from plant waste and grasses rather than foodstuffs is set to ramp up in 2013 as the first commercial plants start, Novozymes A/S Chief Executive Officer Steen Riisgaard said. Novozymes partner Poet
(POET) First farmers completed BCAP applications Monday Farmers are now delivering biomass bales to POET's 22-acre storage site in Emmetsburg, Iowa, the future home of the 25 million-gallon-per-year cellulosic ethanol plant dubbed "Project LIBERTY." Area farmers harvested 56,000 tons of corn cobs, leaves,
by Todd Taylor with Christina Connelly, Ralph Groschen, Mark Lindquist, Gregg Mast, Tim Welle and Doug Cameron (Biofuels Digest/Minnesota) ...Venture capitalists in California support and encourage these and many other companies and deserve ample credit for the Cambrian-like explosion of new
(OriginOil) Owner of three ‘CO2 to energy’ projects will pilot extraction unit at large coal-fired power plant OriginOil, Inc., the developer of breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, today announced
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The California Air Resources Board will hold a public hearing Feb. 24 to consider 25 amendments proposed by various ethanol producers, representing 1.6 billion gallons of annual domestic production, to reduce the carbon intensity
by Isaac Davison (NZHerald.co.NZ) ...The truck, launched in Rodney yesterday by Auckland Mayor Len Brown, is the result of the first successful New Zealand project to turn landfill gas into a transport fuel. Its creators say the truck's
(BiotechNow) ...Paul Bryan, biomass program manager for the Energy Department, who also spoke at the Pacific Rim Summit, points out that the government’s transition to biofuels must be careful and deliberate. “We get a lot of products from a barrel of
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...(S)team reformation, a process by which gasified biomass is converted into a useful balance of hydrogen and carbon monoxide ... itself has struggled with high costs associated with the high temperatures at which the system operates.
by Barry Cohen (National Algae Association) ... Some of the accomplishments include: - Construction of commercial-scale demo PBR at Lone Star College - Delivery by NAA Engineering Consortium of plans and design for the 100-acre challenge - Delivery by NAA finance team of first financial
by Emily Bowen, Sean C. Kennedy, Kelsey Miranda (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) The aim of this project was to design a process for producing bioethanol from sugar beets as a possible feedstock replacement for corn. Currently eighty-five percent of the energy used by the United
(Algae Industry Magazine) According to Texas A&M University’s Robert Burns, writing in the Western Farm Press, Texas AgriLife Research engineer Dr. Alex Thomasson has developed an optical-electronic sensor to automatically measure algae growth stages and allow micro-management of its production
by Allison Dowd (Winnepeg Free Press) The City of Brandon is saying goodbye to its biodiesel processor. Getting the proper licensing from Manitoba Labour to run the processor proved too expensive and time-consuming, said Rod Sage, Brandon's director of operational services. The city
by Alison Lowe (The Tribune) Bahamas Waste's biodiesel production has been delayed after the company discovered used cooking oil donated for conversion was "in far worse shape" than expected. Having expected the first batch of biodiesel to be produced at its $750,000
Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Minnesota-based modular ethanol production system manufacturer Easy Energy Systems Inc. recently finalized its first commercial sale and will soon begin building equipment for a 2 MMgy corn-based plant in Lake Wales, Fla. The central Florida
by Wambi Michael (The Guardian Weekly) Cement kilns are used to transform waste, which would otherwise pollute the city, into a fuel that suits petrol engines Fred Kyagulanyi and James Sendikwanawa used to get up in the dark to dump bags of
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Ohio, Arisdyne Systems has pioneered technology that can increase ethanol production by 10 percent, or reduce the use of catalyst by 25 percent in biodiesel production. ...that could translate to roughly 1.8 billion additional
(PRNewsWire) AT&F Advanced Metals, LLC, a fully-owned subsidiary of Cleveland-based AT&F (American Tank & Fabricating Company), is completing production on the innovative and first of its kind Bench Scale Reactor System developed with AdvanceBio Systems LLC of Cincinnati. The system is
(FullOn Holdings, Inc./MMD Newswire) Richard Kamahele Figueroa, President and CEO of FullOn Holdings, Inc., a Native Hawaiian owned company, announed today that its Honolulu based division, Golden State Biofuels, has been awarded a forty nine year exclusive agreement by the
(Consortium on RuralTechnology) Biogas plants have been accepted by now in the country~as a device for improving the quality of the life of the people. They help in recycling of the cattie wastes and produce both fuel and manure from
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