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by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) They say that Sustainability is a three-legged stool: Environmental Sustainability, Economic Sustainability and Social Sustainability. If any of these legs is missing, the stool falls over. Climate Smart Agriculture The North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance is one group that has been thinking deeply about
Farming/Growing
April 14, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The U.S. Department of Energy’s EnergyEfficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) just released the workshop summary report from the virtual event they hosted last summer that discussed how to collect and valorize underused bioenergy datasets and associated knowledge, with the goal of
April 13, 2021
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(University of Hohenheim (Google translation)) European project with the participation of the University of Hohenheim researches how unprofitable fields with renewable raw materials can be used sustainably and with added value — Unused potential: Around 65 million hectares of agricultural land in Europe are hardly or not at all usable for
April 12, 2021
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by Ron Kotrba (Bio-Based Diesel Daily) Canada’s largest agribusiness, Richardson International Ltd., is doubling canola crush capacity at its processing facility in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. In addition to doubling capacity to 2.2 million metric tons, the company said it will optimize operational efficiencies and modernize the plant to meet growing demand. Construction
April 8, 2021
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by Chris Mallory (The Counter) Agrivoltaics—putting solar panels on farmland—lead to astonishing productivity gains and improved energy efficiency. Except when they don’t. — … Mounted on 9-foot-tall beams, so lofty a tractor could pass below them, the solar panels slant against the blue sky of the high desert, throwing shade on
April 6, 2021
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by Rebecca Bartels (Trust in Food) … 1) They’re Meeting Producers Where They Are … 2) They Speak Each Prospect’s Language … For example, Trust In Food’s proprietary data show that farmers with a high affinity for carbon markets gravitate toward informational content on succession planning and leaving a legacy
April 6, 2021
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(GreenAir Online) Analysis by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) shows there are sufficient sources of sustainable feedstock to support the production of 3.4 million tonnes (Mt) of advanced sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) annually in the EU by 2030, around 5.5% of projected EU jet fuel demand. Waste oils is
April 1, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From switchgrass, sorghum or sugarcane, feedstock development, genomics, and crops improvement abound with USDA’s help at the Biomass Research Center. Rob Mitchell, Research Leader and Research Agronomist at USDA ARS, shares all about the latest ethanol and biofuel feedstock innovations in Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, South
March 26, 2021
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(CoverCress Inc./PR Web) CoverCress Inc. announces $8 million in partner funding for new low carbon oilseed. — Midwestern farmers are one step closer to the prospect of growing a new cover crop that will generate a cash margin while supporting regenerative agriculture. CoverCress Inc. announced it has raised another $8 million to fund
March 25, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How to evaluate the economic and biological effects of bioenergy production and potential impacts on wildlife and wildlife habitat? Certified Wildlife Biologist Dr. Susan Rupp shares how to look at the environmental impact of projects, how to succeed at Permitting Your Project ensuring environmental sustainability,
March 19, 2021
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by Nicole Heslip (Brownfield Ag News) … Jim Zook with the Corn Marketing Program of Michigan tells Brownfield he believes the discussion will change as more emphasis is put on the importance of green, growing plants in carbon sequestration. “We have science behind us that does prove that corn-based ethanol—corn—is the
March 19, 2021
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(NewsWise) Microbiome and soil chemistry at long-term bioenergy research sites challenge the idea that switchgrass increases carbon accrual in surface soils on marginal lands. — In this study, researchers characterized the influence of crop and site on fungal and bacterial community structure, potential enzyme activity, soil carbon chemistry, and total
March 16, 2021
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(CJME News) A company is eyeing the Regina area to build a refinery that would produce billions of litres of renewable fuel each year. The proposal is from True North Renewable Fuels (TNRF). The company would also construct what is referred to in a report from Economic Development Regina (EDR) as an
March 13, 2021
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(Resource Magazine/American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers) … Three reports by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) in 2015, 2018, and 2019 highlighted the importance of FAS to the U.S. economy and national security, discussed FAS vulnerabilities, and emphasized the importance of including all components of
March 12, 2021
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by Janet Kubat Willette (Farm Progress) Madhu Khanna, distinguished professor of environmental economics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, says that CRP acres have the potential to produce harvestable bioenergy crops. Speaking at a Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics webinar earlier this year, Khanna addressed the food v. fuel debate and
March 11, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What’s the life cycle system for corn starch ethanol? What is the current best estimate for carbon intensity of corn ethanol? What about ethanol biorefinery energy use intensity and land use change carbon intensity? What is the potential for further reductions in carbon intensity? READ
March 11, 2021
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by Shane McGlaun (Slash Gear) … Researchers from the University of Nevada have been researching drought-tolerant crops that could be used for biofuel, sustainable foods, and forage crops. The team specifically looked at cactus called Opuntia ficus-indica because the plant has high heat tolerance and requires little water. Of all the crops the
March 10, 2021
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by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Mother Nature has already given us an extraordinary solar panel that covers several hundred million acres of cropland in America’s breadbasket, where energy absorbed from the sun is stored for later use in a perfect battery: an ear of corn. — As
March 10, 2021
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by Rod Nickel, Stephanie Kelly and Karl Plume (Reuters) … Refiners can produce renewable diesel from animal fats and plant oils, in addition to used cooking oil. Production capacity is expected to nearly quintuple to about 2.65 billion gallons (63 million barrels) over the next three years, investment bank Goldman Sachs said
March 3, 2021
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by Gary Polakovic (USC News) Using a “kelp elevator,” researchers at the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies were able to grow the biofuel crop in large quantities in the open ocean. … Scientists at the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies on Santa Catalina Island, working with private industry, report that a
March 3, 2021
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by Julio Bravo (Farm Futures) Brazil already has the largest fleet of cars driven by ethanol, mainly from sugarcane; now corn-based ethanol plants are on the rise. The ethanol produced by sugarcane and corn has have the potential to reduce up to 90% of the greenhouse gases. And, as mentioned in our
February 24, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Remember your grandma’s tale of talking to plants to help make them grow better? Well, that’s actually true – CO2 helps plants grow up to 30% more and now a company called CO2 GRO is using aqueous CO2 misting that uses 90% less CO2 and
February 23, 2021
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(Investancia/EIN Newswire) Pongamia Trees will produce 300,000 tonnes of sustainable second generation feedstock every year by 2030 in boost for global green transport initiatives — – Leading agroforestry and research company Investancia today signed a 30-year offtake deal with ECB Group that will see 300,000 tonnes of ‘reforestation oil’ from pongamia
February 23, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Increase agricultural production while decreasing environmental footprint – that’s the goal in a nuthsell, but check out this slide guide on 5 key USDA themes, USDA’s latest innovation contributions like a new sustainable diesel fuel additive modified from Tung Oil, a guayule plant concept tire,
February 19, 2021
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(Solutions from the Land) “There has never been a greater need for an Agricultural Renaissance. The many voices of farmers, echoing across centuries of scarcity and abundance, challenge us to find new ways forward, paths that produce abundance for expanding populations while rejecting wasteful destruction of resources. We must seek these
February 18, 2021
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by Rhiannon Branch (Brownfield Ag News) Interest and growth in carbon market programs is booming. A recent ecosystem markets webinar hosted by the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership had more than 1600 participants registered with more than 600 questions submitted ahead of time. Speaker Kari Hernandez, Global Head of Carbon Operations and Offer Marketing with Indigo
February 15, 2021
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(International Energy Agency) There are concurrent media campaigns and publications questioning the use of woody biomass for renewable energy production. Several of them misrepresent on-the-ground forestry practise and bioenergy systems, and associate the use of woody biomass for energy with overexploitation of forests, even permanent deforestation, and “the burning of trees”.
February 11, 2021
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(Truterra/PR Newswire) TruCarbon Promises Streamlined Experience for Farmers; Novel Approach for Buyers to Incentivize Change at Scale; TruCarbon Launching With Microsoft as First Secured Buyer — Truterra, LLC, the sustainability business and subsidiary of Land O’Lakes, Inc., one of America’s largest farmer-owned cooperatives, today announced the launch of TruCarbon, a transformational new carbon program that will help farmers generate
February 4, 2021
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by Hiroko Tabuchi and Nadja Popovich (New York Times) The administration has pledged to make agriculture a cornerstone of its plan to fight warming, but also to tackle a legacy of discrimination that has pushed Black farmers off the land. — … The administration has promised to make agriculture a cornerstone
February 1, 2021
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(Solutions from the Land) Solutions from the Land (SfL) has been selected by organizers of a global food security summit next week to hold a side event which will spotlight systems and practices farmers are using to deliver high value solutions to improve food and nutrition security. The side event, which,
February 1, 2021
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(Canola Council of Canada) Research and innovation are two key factors that continue to drive the success of Canada’s canola industry. Knowledge transfer is required to extend research findings to growers, agronomists, the scientific community and other industry stakeholders, to initiate the adoption of new practices and stimulate further research and
February 1, 2021
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(Department of Energy/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/EurekAlert) … Identifying and breeding varieties that have high productivity across a range of environments is becoming increasingly important for food, fuel and other applications, and breeders aren’t interested in waiting decades to develop new crops. One example is an ongoing collaborative effort to improve
January 29, 2021
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(European Commission Science Hub) A new JRC report on the use of woody biomass for energy production in the EU shows the need to recognise that sustainability of bioenergy remains a complex issue with no one-size-fits-all answers, but that win-win and lose-lose forest management pathways for climate and biodiversity exist. Bioenergy
January 29, 2021
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by Art Cullen (Storm Lake Times/New York Times) … Few took carbon sequestration seriously during his previous tenure, a time when “resilient agriculture” had not yet entered the vernacular. But the fundamental conversation in the corridors of power and along gravel roads has changed. Extreme weather, a pandemic jolt to
January 28, 2021
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(Department of Energy) U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) announced plans to make $8 million in Federal funding available for cost-shared research, development, and testing of technologies that can utilize carbon dioxide (CO2) from power systems or other industrial sources for bio-mediated uptake by algal systems to
January 28, 2021
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by Jeffrey T. Manuel and Thomas D. Rogers (The Hill) President Biden has placed the Department of Agriculture (USDA) at the center of his administration’s focus on climate change. “We see farmers making American agriculture first in the world to achieve net-zero emissions and gaining new sources of income in the
January 28, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Tying in with today’s top story, this is one slide guide you don’t want to miss from Dr. Patrick Gruber, CEO who recently shared this with investors. From the latest in market traction and demand for Gevo fuels, their first world scale project in South
January 27, 2021
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by Steinar Brandslet (Norwegian University of Science and Technology/Phys.Org) Growing perennial grasses on abandoned cropland has the potential to counteract some of the negative impacts of climate change by switching to more biofuels, according to an NTNU research group. Researchers consider increased use of biofuels to be an important part
January 23, 2021
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by Gabriel Popkin (Washington Post) President Biden says farmers can adopt agricultural methods that help fight climate change. Maryland farmer Trey Hill has been trying. … As the winter cover crops grow, they will feed microbes and improve the soil’s health, which Hill believes will eventually translate into higher yields of
January 22, 2021
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(Neste) In November 2020, the Dutch environmental organization Milieudefensie published a report “The Dark Side of Neste’s biofuel production”. At that time, we published a statement on the report on our website. Since the publication of our statement, we have continued to investigate the allegations in cooperation with our suppliers. Gathering enough
January 21, 2021
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by Jerry Perkins (Successful Farming) Weaker demand is the main factor now, the $5 corn market could delay the industry’s recovery. — Higher corn prices are roiling the U.S. ethanol industry, but the full impact of the corn price spike might not be felt for weeks. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA)
January 15, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Barriers abound in the bioeconomy, but this slide guide from Idaho National Lab shows how artificial intelligence and machine learning will lower the barriers to growing a bioeconomy. From biomass supply and logistics to preprocessing and conversion, AI and ML has many applications that can
January 15, 2021
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(Gevo) Gevo, Inc. (“Gevo”) (NASDAQ: GEVO), announces the concept of Net-Zero Projects for the production of energy dense liquid hydrocarbons using renewable energy and Gevo’s proprietary technology. The concept of a Net-Zero Project is to convert renewable energy (photosynthetic, wind, renewable natural gas, biogas) from a variety of sources into energy
January 12, 2021
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by Tom Karst (Farm Journal Ag Web) … More global produce marketers and retailers are taking measures to become regenerative companies. In a post on the chain’s website, Whole Foods called regenerative agriculture the number one food trend of 2020. “Farmers, producers, academics, government agencies, retailers and more are taking a closer
January 12, 2021
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by Julie Wurth (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment) … A study by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) found that energy sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) behaves more like miscanthus in the way it efficiently captures light and uses
January 8, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) UC Berkeley’s Dr. James Bentley Brown shared this illuminating slide guide at ABLC Digital on pattern discovery, the multi-scale analytical requirements of the bioeconomy, examples from a biotic field trial in corn, how artificial intelligence is enabling the engineering of agronomic systems, and more. READ
January 6, 2021
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(Malay Mail) A nimble push into higher biodiesel blends such as B40 — 40 per cent blend of palm oil-derived biodiesel — by Indonesia and B30 by Malaysia will help to mitigate the negative effects of the European Union’s (EU) lower palm oil demand for biofuel, the Malaysian Biodiesel Association said.
January 5, 2021
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(Our Daily Planet) Salty soil is a death sentence for crops, and for areas of coastal farmland, an increasing threat due to climate change. Known as saltwater intrusion, this occurs when storm surges or high tides overtop areas low in elevation. It also occurs when saltwater infiltrates freshwater aquifers and raises the
January 5, 2021
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(Indonesia Palm Oil Facts) Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) has made its submission to the EU Forests Regulation public consultation on reducing deforestation and forest degradation. As background, the European Commission is proposing a Due Diligence regulation to tackle deforestation / forest degradation with the aim to prevent European imports and consumption ‘causing’ deforestation, particularly from tropical
December 28, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Nuseed (which acquired Agrisoma last year) has four focus crops – carinata, sorghum, canola and sunflower – sound more like a cooking ingredient list but they are in fact fantastic feedstocks for a range of things including biofuels, non-GMO high protein meal, and great cover
December 28, 2020
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(Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants e.V. (UFOP) ) … German government agreed last Friday on key points for the national implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II). In addition to the gradual increase of the GHG quota to 22 percent in 2030, it includes the setting
December 27, 2020
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(LaTrobe University) A cropping trial is now in the ground at Katunga as a forerunner to a $1 billion renewable fuel development. Investment company, AgBioEn, is planning a massive biofuel plant on a 40 ha former dairy farm, which will use agricultural waste. The company is looking for ways of generating the bio-mass as
December 23, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Wastewater treatment is a huge problem with about 30 billion gallons per day in the U.S. You’ve got pathogens in the water that could reach drinking water supplies. You’ve got nutrients causing excess algae growth. You’ve got organic matter causing low dissolved oxygen. But MicroBio
December 23, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The $1.4 trillion spending package includes appropriation for Fiscal Year 2021, the COVID stimulus package, extensions of popular tax credits that otherwise expired on December 31st, and the Energy Act of 2020, a $35B version of a larger energy bill that has been drifting around
December 23, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Today, let’s look at an alternative to carpet-bombing Midwestern corn fields with around 150 pounds per acre of nitrogen fertilizer, in hopes that the plants will take up about half of that, en route to a big corn yield. Leaving aside the debate over what happens
December 22, 2020
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(UPM Biofuels) UPM Biofuels has joined the BIKE project that promotes low-ILUC risk biofuels production for European Bioeconomy. The project brings together companies and research organisations who believe that novel, safe and reliable biomass value chains can be deployed to produce food, feed, biofuels and biomaterials with a low risk of
December 21, 2020
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by Lena Nordgren (SEKAB) The second webinar by the EU project REWOFUEL – REsidual soft WOod conversion to high characteristics drop-in bioFUELs, was held in the beginning of December. The specific topic of the webinar was to address the sustainability aspects in the value chain focusing on “Application of LCA on innovative biorefinery concepts –
December 18, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There’s greenwashing and then there’s proof of sustainability. So what’s the difference? Check out RSB’s slide guide on how they help ensure sustainable aviation fuel or SAF is actually sustainable. From their involvement in the aviation sector to examples of biobased and recycled carbon feedstocks
December 16, 2020
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by Sarah Garland (Scientific American) The vast majority of the scientific community agrees on both their safety and their potential to help feed the world sustainably — … In order for global agriculture to rapidly become more sustainable and climate resilient, we must have the power to responsibly use every tool
December 15, 2020
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by Tyne Morgan (Farm Journal AgWeb) As a possible policy shift may put sustainable farming practices in the spotlight, companies are already paying farmers to shift to more “climate smart farming” like utilizing no-till as a production method. — … “Tom Vilsack will be integral to President-Elect Biden on climate change,
December 14, 2020
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by Jack Ellis (Ag Funder News) … He (FarmLab co-founder and CEO Sam Duncan) started FarmLab with co-founder and chief technology officer Shahriar Jamshidi in 2016 with the aim of making sampling on farms more efficient and wallet-friendly. Back then, it was still a largely paper-based process, requiring agronomists to trek
December 11, 2020
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“The time is right for ethanol advocates to make sure the right message gets to the right ears. What ethanol can provide is a high-octane additive that reduces the carbon footprint of not just the fuel burned in automobiles, but at the refinery level by replacing the energy-intensive aromatics that are
December 10, 2020
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(Asian Development Bank) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $2.5 million technical assistance (TA) to support advanced biofuel development in India. The grant is funded from the Asia Clean Energy Fund, financed by the Government of Japan under the Clean Energy Financing Partnership Facility, and the Republic of Korea’s
December 8, 2020
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by Vernon Graham (Farm Online National) A Toowoomba engineer aims to have all Australia farmers switched to biodiesel within 10 years. Johnny Wapstra has founded a start-up, Seed 2 Diesel, and hopes to have a state-of-the-art biodiesel plant somewhere between Toowoomba and Warwick ready for scaling and replication across Australia in two
December 4, 2020
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by Justin Catanoso (Mongabay) The French government, with the support of President Emmanuel Macron, appears eager to approve legislation that would bypass French environmental law banning large scale deforestation to build several soy-fired biofuel power plants in French Guiana — a French overseas department on the northeast coast of South
December 4, 2020
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by Tim Schley (Penn State News) New approach to nutrient management could make money for farmers and land managers; Best management practices for reducing runoff and other nutrient losses in agriculture have been difficult to implement, according to Penn State researchers. The team is hoping that duckweed could help make
December 3, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) To go along with our “green” holiday theme today, check out this slide guide on how iWi’s Omega-3 made from algae can go a long way in making us healthier in a much greener way. iWi skips the fish and krill and goes directly to
December 1, 2020
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(World Economic Forum) What is the World Economic Forum doing to help aviation meet net zero goals? Through the Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow coalition, stakeholders across the European aviation value-chain have aligned on key policy proposals to inform the EU’s RefuelEU initiative and the UK Government. Taken together, this industry-backed
November 30, 2020
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by Mary Ann Showalter (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) PNNL’s hydrothermal liquefaction shows promise for turning harmful algal blooms into biocrude — … Algal blooms can also raise treatment costs for drinking water suppliers, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center (ERDC)
November 25, 2020
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(Mississippi State University) A $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy will benefit Mississippi State researchers in the university’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center studying the economic and ecological benefits of growing trees for biofuel production. The DOE funding will help MSU scientists study how to produce better, hardier
November 25, 2020
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by Fintan Burke (Horizon Magazine/Phys.Org) Using light as an energy source, photosynthetic microalgae can be used to produce products like biofuels and cosmetics. But algae grown in a reactor block out the light on which they feed. New reactor designs could solve this problem and help the industry move forward. Photosynthetic
November 24, 2020
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(Biobased Diesel Daily) Researchers at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture have been awarded a $250,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to evaluate regional biomass supply chains with regard to their potential for supplying feedstock for domestic fuel production as well as rural economic development―a potential game changer for
November 24, 2020
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(Solutions from the Land) A 20-minute video presentation in which Solutions from the Land farmer leaders offer a vision of solutions that farming operations can deliver to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promoted by UN member nations is now available on YouTube. This presentation, Solutions from the Land: Enabling Farmers
November 20, 2020
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(Terravesta) The growing global bioeconomy has an indispensable role in tackling the climate crisis, and key to delivering a low carbon economy is securing enough supply of sustainable raw materials and linking them with a near-industrial scale of various bio-based products and end-markets. Miscanthus is a perennial energy crop with a
November 20, 2020
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by Elton Alisson (Agência FAPESP) … Some argue, for example, that biofuels are not sustainable because the conversion of non-agricultural land to grow energy crops could lead to a significant initial decrease in carbon storage, creating what is known as a “biofuel carbon debt”. A study by a cross-border group of
November 19, 2020
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by Sarantis Michalopoulos (EURACTIV.com) Governments around the world need to urgently address this year’s 11.6% drop in biofuel output, caused by the pandemic, in order to meet transport’s decarbonisation goals, the head of the renewable energy division at the International Energy Agency (IEA) told EURACTIV in an interview. Paolo Frankl said
November 17, 2020
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(Office of Senator Ron Wyden, D-OR) U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. introduced legislation to help address the climate crisis by encouraging farming practices that improve soil health and crop resilience and lower the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. “In 2020 alone, the climate crisis has delivered devastating wildfires, severe droughts and floods
November 16, 2020
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(AgriMarketing/American Farm Bureau Federation) A majority of U.S. adults have a positive view of farmers’ sustainability practices, and an overwhelming majority trust farmers, according to a new national public opinion poll from the American Farm Bureau Federation. The survey of 2,200 U.S. adults found that more than half (58%) rate the sustainability
November 13, 2020
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by Susan P. Rupp (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) Because of the challenges of registering it (hemp) as an agricultural crop, federal agencies have not yet provided clear direction on the use of agrochemicals (i.e., herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides) on hemp, and regulatory decisions have subsequently devolved to the states. However, the
November 11, 2020
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(Neste) A study report produced by Profundo, commissioned by Milieudefensie, has been published on 5 November 2020. The report claims that Neste’s raw material suppliers have been involved in serious sustainability violations, such as deforestation, fires, peat destruction, community and labor rights violations. Neste welcomes all efforts to monitor its raw
November 10, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There are major barriers in growing a bioeconomy, but Idaho National Laboratory is tackling some of those by applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve the supply of sustainable biomass feedstock for conversion to biofuels and high-value coproducts, which also can lower technical and
November 6, 2020
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by Benjamin Storrow (E&E News) … “Algae. A renewable source of energy. ExxonMobil is researching it. To revolutionize biofuels. For more energy. And fewer emissions.” Biofuels represent one of Exxon Mobil’s primary answers to climate change. In television ads and presentations to investors, the company showcases it as an example of
November 3, 2020
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by Jenna Kurtzweil (Brookhaven National Laboratory/Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation) From southeastern Florida to northern Mississippi to the Midwestern Corn Belt, CABBI scientists have struck sustainable oil with sugarcane. But the crop’s potential value to the renewable energy sector earns this particular variety a more appropriate designation: oilcane.
November 3, 2020
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by Susan Rupp (Land & Natural Resource Section at Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) … However, producers continue to face challenges in production and marketing of products because of constantly morphing state and federal regulations, typically revolving around total tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels within the plant, that affect both how crops are
November 3, 2020
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by Rebecca Pool (Engineering and Technology) A growing band of scientists and engineers wants to feed and fuel the world with seaweed. –… The last decade has seen a surge in seaweed aquaculture, driven by a rising interest in using the aquatic plant as a biofuel. It’s easy to see
October 31, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Mark P. Allen, Vice President of Integrated Carbon Solutions at Accelergy, shared this illuminating slide guide on how Accelergy’s TerraSync is cost competitive, has soil health benefits, gobbles up CO2 better than any other green goblin, and more. READ MORE
October 30, 2020
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(ePURE) A new report from the European Commission underlines the importance and sustainability of renewable ethanol, but also reveals yet again the Commission’s strangely contradictory stance wanting to minimise the role of biofuels in achieving the EU Green Deal. Published on 14 October, the Commission’s Renewable Energy Progress Report includes an assessment of
October 29, 2020
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by Tammy Klein (Future Fuel Strategies) … India is the largest consumer of palm oil. It is an extremely versatile ingredient that is firmly a part of our daily lives. According to WWF, palm oil is present in close to 50% of the packaged goods we regularly buy from supermarkets or online
October 29, 2020
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(CIRAD) Sharing efforts between biofuel production, the transition to reduced-meat diets and the reforestation of pastures would be a far better option for tomorrow’s agriculture than focusing on just one of these strategies. This mix would simultaneously address the goals of food security, biodiversity conservation and emissions reductions, according to a
October 28, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Partnership Watch: Lummus Technology, New Hope Technologies In Texas, Lummus Technology and New Hope Technologies today announced that the companies have entered into a cooperation agreement for the marketing and further development of a leading plastic waste conversion technology based on thermal pyrolysis. The
October 27, 2020
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(Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research/Phys.Org) In the future, the world may increasingly rely on renewable biomass resources for the provision of food, fodder, fiber and fuel. How this transition to a bioeconomy will affect Nordic water resources, is something BIOWATER, a Nordic Centre of Excellence, is currently looking into. In a
October 23, 2020
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(Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Association) … Among the Carbon-negative (and climate positive) solutions, those based on photosynthesis are by far the cheapest and most scalable options now, and likely for many decades to come. Properly implemented, these solutions can also provide many other benefits, including clean water, bio-diverse landscapes, healthy soil
October 23, 2020
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by Ad Crable (Bay Journal) Will switchgrass, a tall, resilient and fast-growing native plant once familiar to pioneers, become the next cash crop for farmers in states in the Chesapeake Bay drainage? In a convergence of promising developments, a new study gives switchgrass lofty environmental grades and assures skeptics that it would
October 23, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At ABLC Digital this summer, there was lots of talk about carbon. In this slide guide, GIC takes us on a learning journey about commodity plus carbon and how it monetizes carbon. What is CPC? What are the advantages? What is the methodology? How does
October 20, 2020
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(AgWeb) The stakes are high, business is tricky, but hemp still has a positive outlook for farmers interested in growing. The hemp industry is planting big roots in the world of row crop farmers. The stakes are high and the rewards can be high too, if you know how to
October 15, 2020
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by Sophie Hirsch (Green Matters) To significantly mitigate the climate crisis, there are a lot of problems humans need to solve — and as the new Netflix documentary Kiss the Ground suggests, one of the biggest problems is right under your feet: the soil. Narrated by Woody Harrelson and featuring music from
October 15, 2020
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(Yahoo! News/Business Wire) First-of-its-kind model provides unique win-win for farmers, grain buyers, consumers, and environment — Gradable™, the leading technology and services provider for scoring, sourcing, and pricing Low-Carbon Grain from farm to fork, today announced it’s been invited by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to demonstrate how its program
October 15, 2020
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(BioChannel TV) This panel will discuss how a national clean fuel standard can directly incentivize innovative agricultural practices like biostimulants, alternative fertilizers, and crop enhancements to create a more sustainable supply chain not only for fuels, but also the wide variety of biobased products that rely on the same supply
October 13, 2020
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(Petri’s The Dish/Biochannel TV) The use of genetic engineering and modification in traditional agriculture. With new lab-grown materials what’s the value proposition for large apparel brands? What’s the role of big companies in partnering with early-stage sustainable technologies? With Harvard’s Pam Silver, MIT’s Chris Voigt, Beyond Meats’ Bernhard van Lengerich
October 13, 2020
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by Nate Birt (Farm Journal Ag Web) Over the past year, a wave of global food companies have transitioned their focus from sustainable to regenerative agriculture. General Mills—maker of Cheerios cereal, Yoplait yogurt, Nature Valley granola bars and Pillsbury desserts, among its more than 100 brands—has been doing that for years.
October 13, 2020
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(KTN News) Laikipia residents decry of Opuntia Cactus that is slowly chocking livelihood. At 20:00 using destructive cactus to make biogas. WATCH VIDEO
October 12, 2020
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(Biogenic CO2 Coalition) Scientifically Backed Change in Status of Carbon Emissions from Ag Feedstocks Could Provide Massive Boost to Struggling U.S. Economy — The Biogenic CO2 Coalition, a working group of leading trade associations that support American agriculture, today released a new economic impact analysis in support of its petition for a U.S. Environmental
October 6, 2020
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by Laura Sanicola, Rod Nickel (AgCanada/Glacier Farm Media/Reuters) U.S. oil refineries are moving aggressively to produce renewable diesel, partly to cash in on Canada’s greener fuel standard before Canadian refiners modify their own plants. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government intends to present its Clean Fuel Standard this year, aiming to
October 6, 2020
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(EIA Bioenergy) Articles and statements in the media have raised concerns over the climate effects of bioenergy from managed forests1. As some of these statements seem to reflect misconceptions about forest bioenergy, IEA Bioenergy has prepared a brief document presenting key facts about the use of forest biomass for climate change
October 5, 2020
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(Yield10 Bioscience) Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq:YTEN), an agricultural bioscience company, today announced it has completed the harvest for its 2020 Field Test Program for Camelina and canola trials conducted in the United States and Canada. Yield10’s 2020 Field Test Program is designed to evaluate several novel traits in Camelina and canola, and the Company expects to begin
October 5, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Just look at those melons and what a difference algae can make! And that’s just part of the story that shows us that, yes, CO2 emissions CAN be used to grow algae and that algae CAN be used to grow crops. Get the latest on Accelergy’s carbon
October 2, 2020
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(Illinois State University) Though farmers consider pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) nothing more than a weed, Illinois State Professor of Genetics Dr. John Sedbrook is working to change their perspective—and the plant itself. Sedbrook and his student researchers in the School of Biological Sciences are genetically modifying pennycress as part of a
September 29, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … So as we look for better biofuel feedstocks, we look at switchgrass because of new U.S. Department of Energy AND U.S. Department of Agriculture funding to study it for biofuels. Could it be the next biofuel feedstock Rockstar? Or will it be a
September 28, 2020
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(University of Birmingham) The global spread of vast forest plantations and agricultural monocultures are turning once diverse landscapes into areas of land supporting single plant species, with profound implications for our terrestrial water cycle, according to new research. A new paper published in Nature Geoscience, and written by a global collaboration of
September 24, 2020
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by Jeff Kart (Forbes) …The researchers working on this are from University of California, Riverside (UCR) and it’s part of a two-year project. Those involved are being tight-lipped about the methods they’ll be using (pending the upcoming publication of research on a closely related project). What’s been announced so far: The work
September 23, 2020
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(Grain Farmers of Ontario/Globe Newswire) Grain Farmers of Ontario opposed to land use restrictions, and seek transparency on certification criteria — Grain Farmers of Ontario, the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmers today has deep concerns about the current Clean Fuels Standard (CFS) proposed
September 22, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In the world of biotechnology, it’s the same, which is to say that everyone wants protection, but no one agrees on ‘protection against what?’ Some people want to be protected against famine, disease, resource depletion — via the blessings of genetic engineering. Others want
September 22, 2020
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(European Commission) Jet fuel from renewable sources holds the key to significantly reducing the environmental impact of aviation. EU-funded researchers have set out to boost Europe’s production capacity, and are also developing a process that would leverage the growing of feedstock to rehabilitate land at risk of desertification. To fully
September 14, 2020
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(Alliance BioEnergy Plus Inc.) Alliance BioEnergy Plus Inc., (“Alliance”) announces it has leased 18 acres of land in Southwest Florida to establish a test plot to optimize the production of Giant King Grass as a renewable cellulosic feedstock. Giant King Grass grows year-round, up to 20 feet in height, and
September 8, 2020
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(AZO Cleantech) For years, researchers have been trying to harness the crop-growing benefits of the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), for example, can deliver water and nutrients to the roots of plants like sorghum, a grain used to produce biofuels. The US Department of Energy (DOE)
September 4, 2020
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by Amy Feldman (Forbes) Agtech unicorn Farmers Business Network is spinning out a new sustainable farming company, called GRO Network, that will track and score the carbon footprint of specific crops down to the bushel and allow farmers to make more for their crops that have lower carbon footprints. In a
September 4, 2020
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(SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry) SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), as a member of a mid-Atlantic consortium, has received $630,000 over five years from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop biomass systems and products with the potential to put abandoned lands and people
September 4, 2020
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(U.S. Department of Energy/ARPA-E) Today, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy announced $16.5 million in funding for six projects as part of the Systems for Monitoring and Analytics for Renewable Transportation Fuels from Agricultural Resources and Management (SMARTFARM) program. These projects will develop technologies that bridge the data gap in the biofuel
September 4, 2020
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(Malay Mail/Bernama) The biodiesel improvement programme and initiatives in the country as well as opening of new markets have contributed to the increase in palm oil price currently, said Plantation Industries and Commodities Deputy Minister Willie Mongin. … “We are optimistic and confident of at least maintaining the price at
September 4, 2020
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(IEA Bioenergy) Articles and statements in the media have raised concerns over the climate effects of bioenergy from managed forests2. As some of these statements seem to reflect misconceptions about forest bioenergy, IEA Bioenergy has prepared a brief document presenting key facts about the use of forest biomass for climate
September 1, 2020
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(Western Illinois University) Just 12 months after Western Illinois University Agriculture Professor Win Phippen announced the award of a $10 million federal grant to investigate the use of Pennycress as a commercial cash crop, a second grant has been awarded that dovetails into the initial grant and helps ensure a
September 1, 2020
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by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) “They seem to be serious,” said Atlantic Biomass’ Bob Kozak reflecting on a tour of a hemp farm in central Ohio. He noted, “They are going all-in, putting their own money into this—no grants and planting 26 acres the first year.” Kozak was there
September 1, 2020
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(U.K. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) Legislation would make it illegal for larger businesses to use products unless they comply with local laws to protect natural areas. — Plans to clamp down on illegal deforestation and protect rainforests have been published by the government today (25 August) as it
August 31, 2020
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by John Fargher (AgFunderNews/AgriWebb) Regenerative farming has often been a controversial topic – largely due to confusion regarding its true definition. Some believe that it involves a return to pre-industrial farming techniques, and fear it’s about pursuing sustainability instead of profits. This is simply untrue. In fact, the term was popularized
August 29, 2020
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by Peter Murphy (University at Buffalo) UB engineering professor Ian Bradley and his research group are collaborators on a $2 million project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy that will study the use of algae to purify wastewater while simultaneously producing biomass for fuel production. The project is led by
August 28, 2020
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(Auto123.com/Daimler) The seedlings for the first 100 hectares (250 acres) have been planted. Daimler AG has started a new project for the cultivation of the biodiesel raw material jatropha in the south of India. The company is supporting several village communities in the state of Tamil Nadu with funds and expertise from its already
August 28, 2020
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The Digest recently reported on CoverCress and why the U.S. Department of Energy’s $13 million grant for new high-value feedstock, pennycress, is so key. For an in-depth visual guide on how CoverCress is delivering new farm income and low carbon intensity feedstocks while producing cover crop benefits, how it fits between
August 28, 2020
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(Colorado State University/Science Daily) A new study predicted significant climate benefits stemming from the use of advanced biofuel technologies. — Biofuel and bioenergy systems are integral to scenarios for displacing fossil fuel use and producing negative emissions through carbon capture and storage. But the net greenhouse gas mitigation benefit of these
August 26, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) News just in from Yield10 Bioscience, Inc., a Massachusetts-based agricultural bioscience company, that they have obtained a positive response from USDA-APHIS’s Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) for its CRISPR genome-edited trait C3007 in canola plant lines developed for increased oil content and now have plans for
August 24, 2020
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(North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance) … In an article published in Nature Geoscience, Cornell University’s Johannes Lehmann and others wrote that scientists should develop new models that more accurately reflect the carbon-storage processes beneath our feet in order to effectively draw down atmospheric carbon dioxide. Carbon’s journey into the soil
August 21, 2020
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(Solutions from the Land) As dire as the COVID-19 pandemic appears today, there are many who are looking beyond the crisis, exploring ways not only to recover from this tragedy, but to rebuild our capabilities to an even higher level beyond what they were before the outbreak. The International Energy Agency’s
August 21, 2020
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(University of Hohenheim) In Sumatra, smallholders in particular have a key function, according to a study on the conversion of rainforests into monocultures and their effects — Oil palm plantations as far as the eye can see. In addition to a dramatic decline in many animal and plant species, such plantations often lead
August 17, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In the United Kingdom, Terravesta launched a new animation video to spread the word about building a bio-based future with Terravesta Performance Hybrids, and miscanthus grown from seed rather than the usual rhizomes, allowing it to be upscaled 200 times faster. Terravesta is reducing the world’s
August 17, 2020
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Brazil, Green Fuels and INOCAS announced an agreement to engage in the development of a sustainable fuels value chain in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Using macaúba in novel intercropping and agrosilvopastoral techniques, the partners intend to ensure future sustainable fuel production for distributed energy and land, marine and air transport sectors, as signatories of the Zona da Mata Biokerosene and Renewables Platform (an integrated
August 12, 2020
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(Palm Oil Monitor) Indonesia has picked up a number of allies in its battle with the EU over the bloc’s ban of palm oil in its renewable energy scheme. An additional 18 countries have reserved their rights to participate in the proceedings as third parties. These include palm producers Malaysia, Thailand, Guatemala,
August 11, 2020
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(Standford University/EurekAlert!) Generations of political support for sugar cultivation have helped India become the second-largest producer of sugar worldwide. Now, the country’s commitment to renewable energy could create additional benefits, like conserving natural resources and providing better nutrition to the poor. Stanford researchers conducted the first comprehensive analysis of India’s sugar
August 6, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bale analysis, probes, core samples – measuring and analysis of bioenergy feedstocks is key. In this illuminating slide guide from ABLC Digital, the Idaho National Laboratory, Antares Group, ASDI, and B Hames Consulting share how bale probes are a novel sensor for in-field, real-time analysis of
August 5, 2020
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by Rachel Hatch (News Illinois State University) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a $13 million grant to a nationwide project led by Illinois State University. Professor of Genetics John Sedbrook will head up the project aimed to genetically strengthen a plant for use in sustainable energy efforts. “We’re
August 4, 2020
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(Exelon) The year two application process is now open for startup projects addressing climate change in Atlantic City, NJ, Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Wilmington, DE — The Exelon Foundation and Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the nation’s largest generator of carbon-free energy and the largest energy service provider by customer
July 29, 2020
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by Zhichao Wang and Jim Ramm (EcoEngineers) Iowa’s fertile farmland could be a soil-based Fort Knox that — instead of gold — stores a wealth of carbon within its underground vaults. How farmers can tap into the potential riches of carbon capture and sequestration and how biofuels producers can benefit from forming
July 29, 2020
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(Department of Energy) Studies Will Focus on Improving Crop Productivity and Resiliencen — Today (July 28, 2020) the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $68 million in funding over five years for basic research aimed at making bioenergy feedstock crops more productive and resilient. “One key requirement for sustainable bioenergy
July 29, 2020
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by Sarah Spicer (Wichita Eagle) To preserve the environment, mitigate climate change and stabilize the U.S. food system, Midwest farmers should diversify their crops and move away from raising corn and soybeans, researchers say. The current crop system, which was founded after the 1930s Dust Bowl, is causing environmental and economic
July 29, 2020
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India Takes Action to Increase Use, Production of Ethanol
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) India is taking action to increase domestic production and use of ethanol. The government in December opened a comment period on draft automotive industry standards (AIS) related to the country’s plans to introduce E85 and E100 vehicles into regions with an ethanol surplus. Also in