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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
Farming/Growing
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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(North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance News) Some lesser-known options, such as integrated water management and increasing the organic content of soil, have fewer trade-offs than many well-known options, such as planting trees, according to a Rutgers-led study in the journal Global Change Biology. “We argue that if we want to have
July 28, 2020
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by Anna Marie Tomczyk (Argonne National Laboratory/Phys.Org) … The practices that grain farmers use to produce their crops—managing fertility, tillage practice and crop rotations—influence the overall carbon footprint of U.S. agriculture. By using sustainable practices, farmers could substantially reduce their carbon footprint and become a vital partner to the biofuel
July 24, 2020
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(The Eagle Online) The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Kebbi State Government have cultivated cassava on 2,675 hectares of land for production of bio-ethanol in the state. The Chairman of the Kebbi State Standing Committee on Biofuel, Prof. Mohammad Ka’oje, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Birnin
July 24, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Aequors green, non-toxic TSCA-approved ingredients can lower costs and improve the profitability of biofuel production. By dispersing clumping and killing bacteria that attack yeast, Aequors treatments boosts algae and yeast biomass by up to 40% in half the time, preclude the need for antibiotics
July 24, 2020
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(EnergyMarketPrice.com) Seaweed can be used as a low carbon foodstuff or as a sustainable biomass fuel — A Belgian wind farm on the North Sea claims it will become the first in the world to grow seaweed between its wind turbines. The Belgian-Dutch consortium “Wier & Wind” will test in the next
July 24, 2020
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(Farm Progress) ADM and one other U.S. exporter have partnered with the U.S. Soybean Export Council to certify U.S. Soy as part of the SSAP-RED (U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol-Renewable Energy Directive) program. This voluntary program, with support from the United Soybean Board, meets the specific requirements of the European Union’s
July 24, 2020
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(Nuseed) Nuseed Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nufarm Limited, has executed a commercial off-take agreement with Saipol, the largest biodiesel producer in Europe, to supply Nuseed Carinata as a feedstock for certified low carbon oil for renewable fuels and high protein non-GMO meal for livestock feed. The multi-year agreement follows the
July 22, 2020
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(Penn State News) Transdisciplinary research team aims to create new value chains on U.S. farms, with emphasis on the generation of renewable natural gas, improved rural economic outcomes and protection of the environment. — A new federal grant will allow a research team led by Iowa State University, Penn State and
July 22, 2020
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(Bayer) Bayer to reward growers to generate carbon credits by adopting climate-smart practices and creating a new revenue stream on-farm / The initiative makes Bayer the first company to develop a transparent, science-based and collaborative approach to a carbon market in agriculture — Agriculture may now have another solution to
July 22, 2020
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(NEGEM) ● Reducing GHG emissions continues to be the main priority in climate change mitigation, but carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere (CDR) is increasingly seen as a necessary supplement to traditional emission cuts. ● The NEGEM project will quantify the real-world potential for CDR and assess the feasibility of
July 17, 2020
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(Sime Darby) Publication of the research is to enable other researchers to accelerate their ability to increase oil palm yield. Over 10 years of research and RM150 million of investment in R&D has resulted in a much more detailed genome sequence than what has been publicly available before, with identification
July 17, 2020
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by Hannah C. (The Science Times) … Furthermore, the costs of culturing, collecting, and extracting algae can be countered by a safer way of milking the algae. Alice Uchida and Masaki Ihara led a team from Shinshu University, Japan in the development of cultivating microalgae while tackling three major issues of milking algae. The
July 15, 2020
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(Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University/EurekAlert!) Project to create a resource and CO2-neutral energy closed-loop technology from microalgae Chlorella sorokiniana and duckweed Lemna minor. — Researchers of Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University(SPbPU) in collaboration with Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) completed an international joint project to create a resource and CO2-neutral energy closed-loop technology
July 14, 2020
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(IEA Bioenergy) Novel regional and landscape governance approaches aim at addressing complex sustainability challenges by enhancing commitment and collaboration between multiple stakeholders and sectors to achieve common goals for a more sustainable production at larger geographical scales and across sectors, regardless of the purpose of produced raw materials, or the end-destination of products.
July 14, 2020
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by Helena Taveras Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, D.C., the Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium released their revamped website which features renovated content describing the FCIC’s eight main research areas. Each research area will enable the consortium to help biorefinery developers understand and mitigate biomass feedstock and process variability. The FCIC develops science-based knowledge
July 13, 2020
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The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) just released a new report that outlines five specific, yet broadly applicable, areas of focus to reduce costs in an integrated biorefinery. This analysis builds upon ongoing R&D strategies to lower the minimum fuel selling price of biofuels to approach $2
July 13, 2020
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(U.S. Department of Energy) Today, Michael Berube, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation presented a keynote address during Bioeconomy 2020. During his address he announced the release of two Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) reports. Bioenergy Technologies Office 2019
July 10, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What the delegates were saying about CNG, fuel cells, and hydrogen, biogas as a platform, new markets, including EVs and succinic acid, policy, methane, emissions, novel crops, and renewable diesel. In Florida, ABLC Digital opened for 583 registered delegates — and 774 additional viewers taking in the four hours of
July 8, 2020
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by Hans Nicholas Jong (Mongabay/EcoBusiness) Campaigners have blasted the move, noting that the fund is meant to empower small oil palm farmers and not subsidise the giant multinationals that produce biodiesel. — … The social and travel restrictions imposed in response to the pandemic have hit Indonesia’s economy hard, and small oil
July 2, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) On last week’s DigestConnect webinar, Christopher Bush, Founder of Canada-based Catalyst Agri-Innovations Society shared this fun and informative slide guide complete with poop pictures and more importantly, the reason why cow manure and farm waste makes a fantastic renewable biogas and renewable natural gas. From
June 29, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … Macaúba is known for its high productivity and adaptability to the most adverse climate conditions and even better, the fruit’s shell, pulp, endocarp, and almond can be converted into a range of food products, fuels and hydrocarbons, and other biomaterials including chemicals and
June 29, 2020
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David Liepman (Disruptive Nation) … Strong commercial applications of bamboo include sustainable branded products such as pulp paper, timber, lumber and textiles. And, in line with tissue and textile major brand owner concerns, bamboo is twice as soft as cotton and doesn’t require pesticides and fertilizers in its crops. As a
June 26, 2020
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by Conrad Prabhu (Oman Daily Observer/Zawya) UK-based SuSeWi is leading the development of a 100,000-tons per annum capacity farm in the Sultanate — Oman hopes to make a landmark foray into the multibillion dollar global algae farming industry with a maiden investment in a mega project on the South Al
June 23, 2020
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(North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance) The North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance (NACSAA) submitted last week a detailed set of policy and program recommendations to the Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis. The submission, which was made in response to the Committee’s request for input from agriculture and
June 22, 2020
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by Julie Chao (Joint BioEnergy Institute) Farmers have enough worries – between bad weather, rising costs, and shifting market demands – without having to stress about the carbon footprint of their operations. But now a new set of projects by scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), including scientists at the
June 22, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Macaúba as a biofuel feedstock has lots to offer, like its high productivity per ton/hectare surpassing that of soy, sunflower, rapeseed, and palm oil, and that it can grow even on degraded land making it a more sustainable feedstock to consider. And Soleá knows that, which
June 22, 2020
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(Solutions from the Land) In response to a call for input from the Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis for input on tools, programs, and support useful to address the impacts of severe weather and climate change on their community and business, we have constructed a response …
June 17, 2020
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(Solutions from the Land) A blog posted on the World Resources Institute (WRI) website last month dismissed the potential for regenerative agriculture and related systems to contribute to large-scale emissions reduction and carbon dioxide (CO2) removal – cuts that will be necessary to hold global warming below the 2-degree Celsius
June 17, 2020
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(BioCycle Magazine) A new report from Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions examines effective strategies to engage America’s farmers, ranchers and forestry stakeholders who are vital to solving climate change. “Rural Investment: Building a Natural Climate Solutions Policy Agenda that Works for Rural America and the Climate” by
June 17, 2020
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by Jim Morrison (Washington Post) When Randy Jordan, a fifth-generation dairy farmer in central Massachusetts, looked into turning manure from his 300 cows into natural gas more than a decade ago, he just wanted to find a way to lower his increasingly painful electric bill. He knew that biodigesters, a sort
June 17, 2020
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by Carrie Talus (New Mexico Consortium) New Mexico Consortium scientist, Joseph Msanne, along with colleagues Shawn Starkenburg and Juergen Polle, recently published an article titled An Assessment of Heterotrophy and Mixotrophy in Scenedesmus and its Utilization in Wastewater Treatment, in the June 2020 issue of Algal Research. This review looks at whether
June 15, 2020
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(Nuseed) Saipol, the main subsidiary of Groupe Avril, Europe’s largest producer of biodiesel, has received the first Nuseed Carinata grain shipment at its processing facility in Rouen, France. Grown as a scalable cover crop in Argentina, it will be processed into a renewable fuel with best in class greenhouse gas (GHG)
June 9, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Benson Hill, Yield10 and Marrone Bio are in the news this week with advances in their crop technologies aimed at yield improvement and nutritional composition. Yield continues to be the motherlode when it comes to agricultural innovation, you can see the recent waves of agtech investing
June 4, 2020
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by Valerie Volcovici (Reuters/Yahoo!) U.S. senators on Thursday introduced a bipartisan bill that would direct the Agriculture Department to help farmers, ranchers and landowners use carbon dioxide-absorbing practices to generate carbon credits, a rare collaboration on climate change. The proposed Growing Climate Solutions Act directs the USDA to create a program
June 4, 2020
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by Julie Chao (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Berkeley Lab launches three new projects to advance sustainable agricultural practices … The three projects, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), leverage Berkeley Lab’s strengths in artificial intelligence, sensors, and ecological biology. They aim to quantify and reduce the carbon intensity of
June 3, 2020
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(Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen) “This is not what perspective and collaboration look like.” This is how UFOP (Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen) summarises its criticism of the “Farm-to-Fork Strategy” presented today by the European Commission. Strategies focus on goals which shall be achieved collectively. With this
June 1, 2020
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by Karn Manhas (Terramera/AgFunder News) … Far less attention has been paid to agriculture’s capacity to be a climate solution. How? Through the production and maintenance of healthy living soil. The world’s soils contain 2,500 gigatons of carbon — more than three times more carbon than is currently in the atmosphere. And soil has
May 29, 2020
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(GreenAir Online) Fuel standards organisation ASTM International has approved the seventh technology pathway for the production and use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Annex A7 to ASTM’s SAF specification D7566 establishes approval for a type of synthesised paraffinic kerosene derived from hydroprocessed hydrocarbons, esters and fatty acids. The standard provides
May 29, 2020
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by Don Scott (Biodiesel Sustainability Now/National Biodiesel Board/Medium.com) … Biodiesel was developed in the U.S. as a beneficial use for the excess fats and oils created as co-products or byproducts of protein production. Biodiesel uses excess fats and oils from farms to restaurants and generates a low carbon alternative to
May 28, 2020
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(Neste) Neste has updated its traceability dashboard which provides detailed data on the company’s palm oil and palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD, a processing residue of refining food-quality palm oil) supply chains. The site provides a map service from which users can find the locations of Neste’s suppliers and review data on suppliers’
May 22, 2020
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(The Guardian) … Oil palm can fetch Nigeria as much revenue as the crude oil can so said the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele. But self-inflicted challenges that de-ranked the country from the largest producer in the pre-independence era to the fifth producer are getting compounded
May 21, 2020
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by Tina Casey (Triple Pundit) … (T)there are reasons to be optimistic about the future of biofuels, as the field continues to evolve remarkably from where it was a decade ago. … Rather than letting the rest of the plant go to waste, the focus has turned to developing enzymes that can
May 19, 2020
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(Carbon 180) Soil carbon storage offers significant economic and environmental opportunities for farmers and ranchers. Agricultural practices that store carbon in the soil can help fight climate change at a low cost. Those same practices can also improve overall soil health, build resilience to extreme weather, and improve the bottom
May 13, 2020
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(Solutions from the Land) Solutions from the Land (SfL), a national, farmer-led not-for-profit that works to place farmers at the forefront of resolving global challenges, announced today that it is broadly expanding its mission to combat the interconnected threats the world now faces, ranging from food and nutrition security, sustainable livelihoods,
May 11, 2020
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(Estonian Research Council/Phys.Org) A webtool giving an overview of climate change in Europe and predicting subsequent developments was created as a joint collaboration between French, Spanish, German and Estonian researchers. Climate change is one of the main challenges facing the entire world, and especially the agricultural sector, noted Associate Professor at the
May 6, 2020
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by Jamieson Murphy (North Queensland Register) … Nuffield scholar and a fourth generation farmer Steven Hobbs said if the federal government got the bioenergy strategy right, the industry could be “quite phenomenal”. He began experimenting with alternative fuel sources nearly 20 years ago, after becoming inspired by one his grandfather’s farming
May 5, 2020
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by Brian Wang (Next BIG Future) NASA NIAC fund work to use bioorganisms to perform atmospheric in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). Utilizing 100% ISRU for propellant production, they aim to reduce the Entry Descent Landing (EDL) mass of a crewed mission to Mars by approximately 7 tons. This technology will enable long-term human
May 4, 2020
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(Biofuels International) Malaysian palm oil producers have been urged to use technology to improve yield as the industry wrestles with concerns about sustainability, the chairman of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) revealed. Malaysia, the world’s second biggest palm oil producer, has set a cap of 6.5 million hectares on
May 1, 2020
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by Karl Plume (Reuters) Global commodities trader Cargill Inc [CARG.UL] starting this spring will pay American farmers for capturing carbon in their field soils and cutting fertilizer runoff, an executive said. The Soil & Water Outcomes Fund, a partnership with the Iowa Soybean Association and third-party verification company Quantified Ventures,
May 1, 2020
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by Sally Brown (University of Washington/BioCycle Magazine) The Climate Action Reserve (CAR) released a first draft of its new Soil Enrichment Protocol (SEP) on April 17th that gives carbon credits for regenerative farming practices. The purpose of the protocol — available for public comment — is to provide guidance on how
April 30, 2020
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by Nikki Macdonald (Stuff) … It was one of many pieces of breathless hype to come out of the Nelson company – the fuel was actually 95 per cent ordinary diesel and 5 per cent bio-diesel. But the stunt received worldwide attention and spurred a flurry of investment, research and
April 27, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Belgium, in a letter sent to the European Commission, Copa and Cogeca express their concerns about the potential consequences of the Covid-19 crisis on the vegetable oils, biodiesel, protein-rich by-products like rapeseed and sunflower meals and DDGS, and ethanol sectors. Faced with falling European production
April 27, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … We can add capacity for energy by turning to the massive spaces in the open oceans to gather sunlight to grow abundant, competitive biomass for carbon-neutral fuels. For scale, we need 220,000 square kilometers to grow kelp to replace 10% of fossil liquid fuels used
April 24, 2020
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(Suny College of Environmental Science and Forestry) Research published today in Nature suggests mature forests are limited in their ability to absorb “extra” carbon as atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations increase. These findings may have implications for New York state’s carbon neutrality goals. Dr. John Drake, assistant professor in ESF’s Department of
April 23, 2020
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(Ecostrat) The Biomass Supply Chain Risk Standards are a step-change advancement in the state-of-the-science for assessing biomass feedstock risk. They de-risk capital market investment in biofuels, biopower, biochemicals and bioproducts. The Standards enable capital to better structure around feedstock risk. With over 200 validated risk factors and indicators for agricultural and wood biomass supply
April 23, 2020
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(University of Maine) Incentivizing both sequestration and avoidance of emissions— using a carbon rental or carbon tax and subsidy approach — versus only a carbon tax encourages protection of natural forests by valuing the standing stock, according to a new study led by Georgia Institute of Technology. In their study, the
April 17, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … ZeaKal, which announced that its multiyear field trials of its PhotoSeed technology – and their soybeans increased the per acre production of oil and protein by 18 percent and three percent respectively without any penalty to seed yield. It’s probably the only oil glut you
April 17, 2020
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Most people in the U.S. have probably never heard of cyperus esculentus, but Victor Garlington, managing partner at BioEconomy Solutions, believes it is the next big thing in biomass-based diesel feedstock. The company has grand plans for this obscure crop, including a signed 10-year offtake
April 15, 2020
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by Nathan Anderson (Columbia Daily Tribune) Already hurting from the upheaval caused by a long-lasting trade war, U.S. farmers are now expected to lose billions in income as the novel coronavirus pandemic touches all areas of the agricultural marketplace. U.S. farmers will lose $20 billion in net income in 2020, according to
April 15, 2020
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by Laurie Bedord (Successful Farming) … Cattle require a specific diet to maintain proper nutrition and weight gain. For the past 10 years, Jon Auten has used the co-product from ethanol production as a source of energy and protein in his cattle ration. Using wet distillers’ grains in his cow-calf operation offers
April 15, 2020
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(Natural Resources Institute Finland/Phys.Org) Post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) must safeguard and stimulate the preservation of carbon-rich soils through protection of peatlands. Functional peatlands are the most space efficient long-term carbon store and sink in our planet’s biosphere. However, croplands on peat soils are currently large emission sources and they account
April 15, 2020
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by Anthony Westbury (Treasure Coast Business) … Pongamia is a tree crop with several key advantages over citrus. It grows wild in India, where its pods have traditionally been crushed to yield lamp oil. The left-over meal is often used for livestock feed or fertilizer. Now, a 9-year-old American startup,
April 10, 2020
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(University of San Diego Scripps Institute of Oceanography) Biologists and engineers design 3D printed corals that could help energy production and coral reefs — Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego, and the University of Cambridge, U.K., have 3D printed coral-inspired
April 10, 2020
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(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has released the “Bio-Restore Workshop Summary Report.” This report summarizes the results of a BETO-sponsored public workshop held at Argonne National Laboratory on September 25–26, 2019. The Bio-Restore Workshop brought together experts to
April 8, 2020
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(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Biofuels are an important part of the broader strategy to replace petroleum-based gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels that we use today. However, biofuels have so far not reached cost parity with conventional petroleum fuels. One strategy to make biofuels more competitive is to make plants do some
April 6, 2020
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(University of Hohenheim (Google Translation)) German-Chinese Research Training Groups at the University of Hohenheim and the China Agricultural University in Beijing are looking for solutions for sustainable phosphorus use using the example of maize cultivation systems If it is not possible to use the resource phosphorus more sustainably, mankind is
April 6, 2020
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by Liz Gyekye (BioMarket Insights) “These seeded hybrids are vital to our future business model and the rapid deployment of miscanthus as part of the climate change solution.” — Researchers at the Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences (IBERS) Aberystwyth University, with funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
April 2, 2020
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(Boss Magazine) … What else algae can suck up, though, is carbon dioxide. When harnessed for carbon capture, algae could become a force in combatting climate change. … Like other plants, algae take in carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. In fact, really all that’s required for algae to thrive are CO2,
April 1, 2020
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) USDA’s 2020 Prospective Plantings report released Tuesday estimates planted acres for corn this year at 97.0 million acres, up 8 percent or 7.29 million acres from last year. But when farmers were surveyed a month ago, coronavirus had yet to have the impact it is now having on ethanol
April 1, 2020
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(South Dakota Farmer’s Union) In addition to feeding and fueling the world, farmers across the Corn Belt are helping sequester carbon by raising corn for ethanol, livestock feed and Fourth of July barbecues. “Corn is one of only a handful of grasses (C4) which are superior at extracting carbon dioxide from the
March 30, 2020
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by Robert Kibet (Deutsch Welle) The prickly pear cactus has taken over thousands of hectares of grazing land in arid parts of Kenya. Now herders, NGOs and scientists are teaming up to fight back against the prickly menance that’s deadly to livestock. … The invasive Opuntia stricta, or prickly pear, was reportedly
March 13, 2020
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(American Associates/Ben-Gurion University of the Negev/EurekAlert!) Biomass fuels derived from various grasses could significantly mitigate global warming by reducing carbon, according to a long-term field study by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Michigan State University (MSU). In a new paper published in Environmental Science and Technology, the
March 10, 2020
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(North America Climate Smart Agricultur Alliance) The North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance (NACSAA) – a wide range of voices, focuses, and viewpoints from across the North American agricultural industry – submitted to the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis (HSCCC) today (March 5, 2020) a series of recommendations
March 6, 2020
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(Wilson Center) In China and the United States–the top two emitters of greenhouse gasses–most climate policies and civil society campaigns have focused on reducing fossil fuels.. At this China Environment Forum (CEF) meeting, speakers will instead shine a light on the need for rural climate action that helps farming communities become
March 6, 2020
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by Bidisha Bhattacharyya, Ryan Richards, and Rita Cliffton (Center for American Progress) Rural communities face many challenges, and climate change is only making matters worse. Flooding and drought are hitting rural communities hard, causing massive financial losses for farmers, who are also facing low commodity prices and bearing the brunt
March 6, 2020
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by Shingirai Huni (The Herald) Zimbabwe is facing fuel shortages, with long queues now the order of the day at fuel stations. Many motorists now leave their cars at home and use public transport to save money on fuel as prices keep rising. Yet, adopting bio-fuels can help ease the fuel shortages Zimbabwe
March 5, 2020
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(Lusaka Times) About 1700 out of the targeted 20,000 cassava out-grower farmers for the 2019/20 farming season have been captured by Sunbird Bioenergy Africa in Kawambwa District. Company Chief Executive Officer Richard Bennett has confirmed, following the launch of the out-grower scheme by President Edgar Lungu last month, adding that his company
March 4, 2020
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(Office of Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine)) Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today introduced the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), comprehensive legislation that sets a bold vision of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in U.S. agriculture by the year 2040. “Farming has always been a risky business, but unpredictable, extreme weather patterns are creating
March 4, 2020
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by Shelley Schlender (VOA) … The tiny single-celled, plantlike organisms known as algae are more efficient than other organisms at converting sunlight and carbon dioxide into the raw materials needed for foods, products and fuels. And not just a few specialized fuels. At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado,
March 3, 2020
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(AZO Cleantech) Despite the rising controversy over the sustainability of vegetable oil biofuels, these products are increasingly being utilized as a substitute for fossil fuels. — In a recent study headed by the University of Gottingen, scientists analyzed the impact of palm-oil biodiesel on greenhouse gas emissions for the whole life cycle. The scientists
March 3, 2020
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by Tim Wanyonyi (Daily Nation) Croton megalocarpus grows naturally in various ecological zones — from the Coast to the highlands of central Kenya and the drylands of the North Rift. It is called Msenefu in Kiswahili, Mukinduri in Gikuyu and Kelelwet in Kipsigis. In these regions, annual rainfalls ranges between 400mm and
March 2, 2020
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(National Science Foundation) Transportation produces a sizable amount of greenhouse gas emissions, largely by using petroleum to power internal combustion engines. Alternatives –- for example, organic materials such as grasses to produce fuels or electricity –- could avoid petroleum use altogether. Now, a team of scientists at the Great Lakes Bioenergy
February 28, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The USDA unveiled its Agriculture Innovation Agenda on Feb. 20. The initiative, in part, aims to support renewable fuels, including ethanol, biodiesel and biomass. This includes a goal to achieve market-driven blend rates of E30 by 2050. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the launch of
February 23, 2020
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by Translator: Ricky Mohammad Nugraha (Tempo.co) The Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Stef Blok said the Netherlands is not backing the European Union biofuel ban that targets Indonesia-produced crude palm oil (CPO). However, Blok asserts that this issue must not be dragged out any further and Indonesia must pursue a sustainable way of producing CPO. The foreign affairs
February 21, 2020
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by (Business Maverick) The recently published Biofuels Regulatory Framework is an important step in the attempt to develop a national biofuel industry, but it is far from sufficient to ensure the full benefits of biofuels while minimising the risks. — On 7 February 2020, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy
February 20, 2020
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(APK-INFORM) Ukraine may be banned to supply corn and rapeseed to European Union countries, due to exceeding of the permissible emissions of greenhouse gases in terms of the reporting crops growing, declared the acting Executive Director of Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA), Serhiy Ivaschenko. He reminded that the European demand for rapeseed
February 20, 2020
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(Oklahoma State University) Forage sorghum is being grown in Chickasha as part of the bio-energy research center work on using sorghum in the production of Cellulosic ethanol. Oklahoma received a $3.1 million grant to improve field-level data collection. — A recent $3.1 million grant awarded to Oklahoma State University to study
February 19, 2020
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(Biofuels International) Indian infrastructure company TATA Projects has received an order from Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) for its second-generation bioethanol project in Bargarh, Odisha, India. Proposed production capacity for the ethanol plant is 100,000 litres per day; the project is of considerable national significance, since the Indian Government is
February 14, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Everyone wants more productive algal strains – but how do you get them? Can you advance the technology enough to get economical, large-scale algal biofuel production? Ron Chance and Paul Roessler, both of Algenol Biotech, shared this illuminating presentation at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies
February 13, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Revolutionizing the product development process in life-science based markets through the use of Computational Predictive Biology platform – sounds like a big mission, but for Evogene, it’s just what they do. They utilize artificial intelligence and other algorithms on unique biological BIG DATA with deep
February 10, 2020
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(Gevo) Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO), a company producing a new generation of low-carbon, drop-in, liquid transportations fuels, has received certification from the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB). The certification is for Gevo’s sourcing of sustainable corn at its production facility in Luverne, Minnesota, and its production of intermediate feedstock Isobutanol. This
February 7, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Eliminating cost and site-location constraints –sounds like something we all want. But there’s a project working on getting rid of those constraints posed by the supply of concentrated CO2 to microalgae farms while simultaneously achieving high seasonal productivities. Their objectives include improving scale and productivity of
February 7, 2020
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(The Edge Markets/Bernama) Malaysia will engage four European countries next week on the direction of the Malaysian oil palm industry, to address the widespread anti-palm oil campaign in the continent. Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok said she would expound on the four policies of the national oil palm industry to government representatives
February 5, 2020
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by Navid Moheimani and Parisa Bahri (Naked Scientists) … Our team at Murdoch University Algae R&D Centre has developed a unique process that uses algae to treat effluent. The process involves first passing the effluent through an anaerobic digester, which converts the organic material in the waste into biogas (methane).
February 3, 2020
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by Jamey Mulligan and Moira McDonald (Morning Consult/World Resources Institute/Walton Family Foundation) American farmers know all too well the effects of our changing climate. If it’s not flooding, it’s drought, then flooding again. But American farmers — whether they know it or not — have also been quietly fighting the effects
February 1, 2020
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by Amie Simpson (Brownfield Ag News)An Illinois farmer has seen advancements in technology and biodiesel first-hand after being away from the farm for several years. Scott Gaffner grew up on a grain and dairy farm in Greenville. High operating costs and low commodity prices led him to look for different opportunities.
February 1, 2020
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by Matt Bungard (Sydney Morning Herald) One of Sydney’s most popular beermakers is using algae to make its products entirely carbon neutral, and encourage other breweries to do the same. Young Henrys has installed a 400-litre ‘bioreactor’ of algae at its brewery in Newtown to offset carbon emissions from its beer production.
January 31, 2020
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(Manuelita (Google Translation)) Vale do Paraná, our subsidiary in partnership with Pantaleón de Guatemala, is the first mill among 370 ethanol producers in Brazil to obtain RenovaBio sustainability certification for 100% of the area cultivated in sugar cane. This certification accredits our sustainable ethanol manufacturing process, and gives us an energy
January 31, 2020
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by Winthrop Phippen (IPREFER/CAFFI) READ MORE
January 30, 2020
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by Cris Handel (CoverCress Inc./CAAFI) Our conclusions from interactions with 500+ farmers over the last 3 years: CoverCress harvest date and $50+/acre cash margin (via yield) are the top 2 drivers for farmers. Post corn harvest planting methods fit enough farmers for 3 years in the southern half
January 30, 2020
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by Michael Robin (Western Producer) Carbon from bigger crops and more robust plants like this hybrid canola, and their larger root systems, is being sequestered at higher rates than it was in the past from annual cropping. As well, new breeding technologies are enhancing that with every breeding cycle. —
January 28, 2020
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(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment) The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a $3.3 million grant to a multidisciplinary research team at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to develop a precise system for measuring greenhouse gas emissions from commercial bioenergy crops grown in central
January 27, 2020
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(Our Daily Planet) …Under the bill, introduced to Parliament this week and expected to become law within a few months, farmers will be given subsidies not simply for cultivating land—the current EU system—but for delivering “public goods.” These include sequestering carbon in trees or soil, enhancing habitat with pollinator-friendly flowers,
January 23, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There’s a lot of flat, dry land in the U.S. but researchers at Arizona State University and others are looking at how that land could support biofuel production. How about evaporation-resistant reactors coupled with thermotolerant, high-productivity mixotrophic algae? Check out this Slide-Guide from P.I. Peter Lammers
January 22, 2020
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(Biofuels International) A new study carried out by economic modelling experts from Purdue University in the US has found the impacts of US biofuel policy on deforestation in Malaysia and Indonesia to be insignificant. The study, titled ‘US Biofuel Production and Policy Implications for Land Use Changes in Malaysia and
January 21, 2020
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(Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP)) The “Green Deal” starts in the field — Berlin, 16 January 2020. The Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP) would like to take the publication of the fourth edition of the Report on Global Market Supply as
January 20, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Imagine technology that is applicable across several crops that can enhance yield and improve seed composition including soybean and canola. No need to imagine as ZeaKal shared at ABLC NEXT in San Francisco with this illuminating presentation on their PhotoSeed technology and the latest results
January 20, 2020
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(National Science Foundation) Some trees, such as poplars, emit gases that worsen air pollution and alter climate. Poplar trees are sources of biofuels and other products, including paper and plywood. — Poplar trees are widely used in commercial products, but, like several other tree species, they emit gases to the atmosphere
January 17, 2020
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(Solutions from the Land) As discussions on climate change, clean water, hunger, poverty and biodiversity grow both on the domestic and global stages, the role of agriculture in addressing these mega-challenges is filling a growing role at the policy table. Statewide efforts facilitated by Solutions from the Land (SfL) and
January 16, 2020
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(Government Europa) Italian regulators today (January 15, 2020) fined Italy’s oil giant Eni over advertisements on TV and in newspapers, digital media and petrol stations that falsely claimed Eni Diesel+ was ‘green’. The watchdog states that the marketing campaign deceives consumers when it claims that the ‘green’ diesel has a positive
January 16, 2020
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by Benson Amadala (Business Daily Africa) The cash-strapped Mumias Sugar Company is expected to resume ethanol production Friday after reconnection of power supply to the factory. Mr Ponangipalli Venkata Ramana Rao, the receiver-manager appointed by Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) to oversee the revival of the miller said yesterday a team
January 16, 2020
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by Ron Kotrba (Biomass Magazine) Daryl Maas followed his dreams to California, where he is filling an important niche helping mitigate climate change and dairy farmers mine the lucrative rewards of cow manure. — Daryl Maas was raised among the Dutch dairy farms of Northwest Washington. After joining the military
January 14, 2020
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(Herald/George Maponga Masvingo Bureau) Three companies have applied for land irrigated by the new Tugwi-Mukosi Dam to grow sugar cane to make ethanol for blending into fuels. Greenfuel in Chisumbanje and Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe in Chiredzi are the only two firms producing ethanol at the moment. The completion of Tugwi-Mukosi
January 14, 2020
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by Katherine Baker (Planet Forward/Cornell University) … Surprisingly, there is no true precise or universal scientific definition of the phrase “GMO,” nor is there any regulation around its use for labeling in the United States, which may contribute to the large amount of public confusion surrounding the topic. Says Ronald:
January 10, 2020
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(The Food and Land Use Coalition) The Global Consultation Report of the Food and Land Use Coalition September 2019 — For people, nature and climate — There is a remarkable opportunity to transform food and land use systems, but as the challenges are growing, we need to act with great urgency. The
January 9, 2020
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Celebrating 25 years, the Hawaii-based company that has built biodiesel plants across the U.S. and Japan has gone back to its roots, focusing on sustainability and local energy independence for the archipelago. … Once a process technology-focused company that built 13 plants in Hawaii, Japan,
January 9, 2020
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(UABio)The UABIO Working Group has finalized work on amendments to legislation to stimulate cultivation of energy crops in Ukraine. Read also: aboutabout creation of UABIO Working group on energy crops and about creation of UABIO Working group on energy cropson energy crops. According to the results of the work, amendments to the legislation at
January 8, 2020
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(Malay Mail/Bernama) At least 50 per cent of the crude palm oil (CPO) windfall tax will be channelled to the biofuel stabilisation fund, which is expected to be set up within the first quarter of this year, says Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok. … Earlier in the forum, she said
January 7, 2020
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Microalgae Applications and Cultivation: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to mBio’s Algae Biomass
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From microalgae applications that include adding value to feed, shrimp larvae culturing, bioplastics and anti-bacterial constituents and other applications, do you know about the latest in algae cultivation technologies? Check out what this team from MicroBio Engineering and Cal Poly State University shared during this
January 6, 2020
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In the UK, the Scotsman newspaper reports that Zero Waste Scotland is promoting the development of an insect farming sector to diversify its circular economy, biofuels are seen as one of the opportunities for insects. With grubs fed on food waste, they can then be raised
January 3, 2020
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(Advanced Biofuel Center/AltEnergyMag.com) The Advanced Biofuel Center is a bioenergy crop research and development company that has established the Biodiesel Business Academy to provide quality, impartial, informative and enjoyable advanced-level training with enhanced technology in the field of biodiesel production. The knowledge arm of Advanced Biofuel Center (ABC), Biodiesel Business
January 2, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A mere “The Year in Rewind” as we sail into 2020? Not the good ship Digest! Instead, we dust off our crystal ball and offer our predictions for the year ahead. As the sunset of 2019 gives way to the dawn of 2020, once again roll the
January 2, 2020
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by Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) When Ohio farmer Fred Yoder testified last month before the House Select Committee on Climate Change, the long-time no-till farmer and champion of climate-smart farming practices told lawmakers one of the best things that could happen would be to get back a carbon market that
December 31, 2019
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(U.S. Department of Energy) A new microbial network inference method reliably predicts interactions that depend on neighboring organisms. — The Science Microbes in the soil form networks, which in turn make up larger communities. As the environment changes, so do the microbes and their relationships. For scientists to design or control
December 31, 2019
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(Hemp, Inc./Globe Newswire) Hemp, Inc. (OTC PINK: HEMP), a global leader in the industrial hemp industry with bi-coastal processing centers, including the largest multipurpose industrial hemp processing facility in the western hemisphere, announced today news coverage in Havasu News, a leading source for news, sports and opinions in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The
December 28, 2019
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(Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science/National Center for Biotechnology Information) The emergence of politically driven bioeconomy strategies worldwide calls for considering the ecological issues associated with bio-based products. Traditionally, life cycle analysis (LCA) approaches are key tools used to assess impacts through product life cycles, but they present limitations regarding
December 26, 2019
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(Concawe) In light of the EU’s ambitious targets for achieving a lowcarbon economy by 2030, Concawe has completed a study of the long-term availability of low-carbon feedstocks and fuels, and the associated costs, based on a literature review. This article summarises the outcomes of the Concawe study. … This article
December 21, 2019
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by Umar Ali (Power Technology) The ENBIO project uses excess energy from wind turbines to power 16 1,000-litre photo-bioreactors which grow algae that can then be used for biofuels. The project demonstrates how green technologies can work together, but can it make algae-derived fuel competitive? We find out more. The
December 20, 2019
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(Bernama/Sun Daily) The B20 biodiesel programme for the transport sector is expected to be launched in phases next year, that would give a fillip to the crude palm oil (CPO) price which is projected to reach RM3,000 per tonne. Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok Suh Sim (pix) said the programme
December 20, 2019
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(U.S. Department of Energy) Today (December 19, 2019), the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announced up to $20 million in funding to develop technologies to quantify feedstock-related emissions at the field level. The Systems for Monitoring and Analytics for Renewable Transportation Fuels from Agricultural Resources and
December 20, 2019
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(POET) Today (December 17, 2019) POET Founder and CEO Jeff Broin announced a $2 million gift for construction of the precision agriculture facility at South Dakota State University (SDSU). POET and SDSU have a strong history of collaboration on innovative research projects and training the next generation to use agriculture
December 19, 2019
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(ITOCHU Corporation) ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Yoshihisa Suzuki, President and COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it has decided to conduct an overseas demonstration project (hereinafter the “Demonstration Project”) in collaboration with euglena Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Mitsuru Izumo, President: hereinafter “euglena Co.”) to culture euglena
December 17, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Cover crops are not all the same – just ask Dr. Tim Ulmasov, CTO of CoverCress who shared this presentation at ABLC NEXT in San Francisco to introduce the first cash cover crop for the Midwest. It’s similar to canola, offers farmers a $50-70/acre cash margin, pluscover crop
December 17, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Noone wants to be negative…unless they are talking about carbon negative of course. The aviation industry has been all abuzz about lowering their carbon footprints for years, then carbon neutral, now carbon negative. According to Gevo’s Timothy Cesarek, EVP & Chief Commercial Officer, the carbon footprint
December 14, 2019
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(Solutions from the Land) The global climate negotiating sessions in Madrid come to a close this week, and producer advocates remain gratified that delegates to the talks have demonstrated a growing acceptance of the agricultural sector’s role in addressing the climate crisis. As SfL steering committee member Ray Gaesser pointed
December 13, 2019
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by Lorraine Muromo (NewsDay) Oil Castor Zimbabwe has pledged to end the country’s fuel crisis urging farmers to invest more in castor bean farming which will aid bio-diesel production. According to the company website, Oil Castor supplies castor seeds of high grade which it converts to castor oil for bio-diesel
December 13, 2019
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by Wilda Asmarini, Bernadette Christina Munthe and Fransiska Nangoy (Reuters) Indonesia, the world’s largest palm oil producer, plans to implement a biodiesel program with 40% bio-content (B40) between 2021 and 2022, a government official said on Tuesday. From January, Southeast Asia’s largest economy is set to bring in biodiesel with 30%
December 11, 2019
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(Algae Biomass Organization) Algae production technologies are gearing up to provide biomass that can be used in markets that are projected to reach hundreds of billions of dollars. To help meet that opportunity ABO ‘s sister organization, The Algae Foundation, is coordinating a number of projects that are educating and training the
December 9, 2019
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(Solutions from the Land) … SfL Steering Committee member Ray Gaesser, an Iowa corn and soybean producer, and SfL President Ernie Shea appeared on the panel, which focused on climate change and the agriculture sector. They spoke of the role farmers are playing in addressing climate change, sharing with those
December 9, 2019
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) A meeting last June in Newburg, Md., represented a change for U.S. farmers, Pro’s Helena Bottemiller Evich reports . The event was hosted by the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, a group made up of the heavyweights in American agriculture. It brought together three
December 9, 2019
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by Mark A. Bradford, Chelsea J. Carey, Lesley Atwood, Deborah Bossio, Eli P. Fenichel, Sasha Gennet, Joseph Fargione, Jonathan R. B. Fisher, Emma Fuller, Daniel A. Kane, Johannes Lehmann, Emily E. Oldfield, Elsa M. Ordway, Joseph Rudek, Jonathan Sanderman & Stephen A. Wood (Nature Sustainability) Soil-based initiatives to mitigate climate
December 5, 2019
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