Farming/Growing – Advanced BioFuels USA

Farm Carbon and Biofuels: Focus of Carbon Sequestration and Farming More Practical Than Global Climate Talks

by Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Ohio corn farmer Fred Yoder returned late Friday from a frustrating week in Poland listening to foreign ministers and others talk about what they think farmers globally must do to address climate change. As chairman of the North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance, Yoder

December 11, 2018 Read Full Article

Why North Carolina’s Poultry Industry Isn’t Creating Biogas Like Hog Farms Are

by Elizabeth Ouzts (Energy News) Poultry growers are under less pressure and have fewer incentives than hog farms to convert animal waste to energy. As pork producer Smithfield Foods commits to major investments in waste-to-energy projects in North Carolina, don’t expect a similar pledge from chicken or turkey companies in the state any time

December 8, 2018 Read Full Article

The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to ARPA-E’s Agro-Energy Programs

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment. ARPA-E awardees are unique because they are developing entirely new ways to generate, store, and use energy. ARPA-E projects have the potential to radically improve U.S. economic

December 6, 2018 Read Full Article

Ethanol Bio-Fuel: Kebbi Begins Cultivation of Cassava

(PM News) The Kebbi State Government has started the cultivation 47,000 hectares of cassava as raw material for the production of ethanol bio-fuel production in the state. The Kebbi State government and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had on Nov. 23, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for enthnol bio-fuel production

December 5, 2018 Read Full Article

Biofuel from Castor Oil: How Thabang Mabapa Is Helping Farmers

by Lesetja Malope (City Press) … Thabang Mabapa is a self-confessed curious social entrepreneur who might just have a viable alternative to the country’s current fuel price crisis. He makes biofuel from castor oil extracted from castor trees and its growing demand is proving to be a disruptor in the commercial farming

December 5, 2018 Read Full Article

Four Market and Policy Opportunities to Increase Agricultural Resilience

by Suzy Friedman, Colleen Willard and Stephanie Mercier (Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the Farm Journal Foundation (FJF) and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA)) In July 2018, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the Farm Journal Foundation (FJF) and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) convened, “Market and Policy Innovations for Resilient Agriculture,” a multi-stakeholder dialogue about opportunities to

December 4, 2018 Read Full Article

Ethiopia: Biodiesel Refinery Plant to Start Production

(AllAfrica.com) A biodiesel refinery plant that has a capacity to produce 12,000 liters of biodiesel per day will start operation soon in Adama industrial zone. The plant owned by a company named API is waiting approvals from the Ministry of Finance and Ethiopian Standards Agency to start production, company CEO, Marcos

December 4, 2018 Read Full Article

Florida ‘Best Site’ for Algae Cultivation

(Biofuels International) New research has evaluated a number of specific regions across the United States and concluded Florida is the best for algae production. According to a statement, the 19 month long study involving scientists from NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) and Arizona State University (ASU) concluded that Florida’s humidity and

December 3, 2018 Read Full Article

Bamboo: A Sustainable Alternative for Bioenergy Production in Indonesia?

by Monica Evans (Forest News) Perennial plant grows well on degraded land, allows farmers to diversify income streams — … So, say researchers from Australia’s RMIT University and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), it is crucial to start looking for other species that can provide sustainable supplies of biomass for energy production, without compromising

December 3, 2018 Read Full Article

More Sustainable: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to Intensification Response & Landscape Design in Bioenergy Production

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Many prominent bioenergy critiques are feedstock-focused — for example, iLUC (Searchinger et al. 2008), carbon debt. Marginal land strategies identify areas where energy crops likely have competitive advantage for productivity and/or conservation based on Biophysical characteristics (land capability classification) and past/current land use (pasture/rangeland, ‘abandoned’ land.

December 3, 2018 Read Full Article

Private Investment Boosts Booming Miscanthus Bio-Economy

(Terravesta) Former IG Group chief executive and current Scotgold chairman Nat le Roux has bought a personal stake in renewable biomass business Terravesta. Le Roux has invested £2 million in the business, reflecting the growing importance of clean energy, and the positive prospects for the rapidly-developing Miscanthus bio-economy. The investment

November 26, 2018 Read Full Article

Tapping the Genetic Power of Algae: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Algenol

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Algenol is a global, industrial biotechnology company that is commercializing its patented algae technology platform for production of ethanol and other biofuels, chemicals and biobased materials. Formed in 2006, and headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida with an R&D facility in Berlin, the company operates in multiple

November 26, 2018 Read Full Article

Algae ‘Blooms’ in Automotive Industry

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Mazda is investing in it. Honda is using it for R&D and potential byproducts. Algenol, AlgaEnergy and others grow and develop it. Euglena began producing it for biojet fuel at its new biofuel refinery plant in Japan. The U.S. government has a whole R&D department that is looking at this stuff. The list goes on. So

November 26, 2018 Read Full Article

The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to Antares and Innovations in Harvest, Pre-Processing of Herbaceous Biomass

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ANTARES has been assisting clients identify and use biomass resources since the company was founded and our experience ranges from conducting feedstock supply assessments to serving as owner’s representative in the conceptualization, development and operation of energy plants. A few examples of capabilities include: • Feedstock

November 21, 2018 Read Full Article

Analysis of High and Low Indirect Land-Use Change Definitions in European Union Renewable Fuel Policy

by Stephanie Searle & Jacopo Giuntoli (International Council on Clean Transportation) The European Union (EU) will continue incentivizing the use of biofuels and other renewable fuels through its recast Renewable Energy Directive for 2021-2030 (RED II). This directive includes a provision to limit and phase out by 2030 the contribution of

November 21, 2018 Read Full Article

Purple Bacteria Can Turn Human Waste into Clean Hydrogen Energy

(ResearchGate) The new method reduces carbon emissions and turns wastewater treatment plants into green generators. A significant downside to wastewater treatment plants is their carbon footprint. Now, researchers have found a way to reduce carbon emissions from sewage and produce hydrogen energy at the same time. Their method uses purple bacteria and electrical

November 19, 2018 Read Full Article

‘Breakthrough’ Harvesting Solution, Growing Market, Potential beyond Biodiesel – All Good Signs for Castor Oil’s Future

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) A ‘breakthrough’ mechanical harvesting solution for castor bean plants was developed by Evogene and agricultural equipment manufacturer, Fantini s.r.l., resulting in the removal of a major bottleneck in the conversion of castor beans into a fully modernized commercial crop. With field trial yield losses decreasing significantly

November 19, 2018 Read Full Article

Part of the Answer to Climate Change May Be America’s Trees and Dirt, Scientists Say

by Brad Plumer (New York Times) … A new study published on Wednesday, however, found that better management of forests, grasslands and soils in the United States could offset as much as 21 percent of the country’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. At the high end of the projections, that would be

November 19, 2018 Read Full Article

How Maryland Is Cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay: LiveBIG 2018-19

(BTN Live BIG) With a specially-built algae growth system, University of Maryland researchers are scrubbing excess nutrients from Chesapeake Bay waters, a process that will help restore oxygen levels in the troubled coastal ecosystem. The algae, in turn, can be used to produce methane, a renewable resource for green energy. WATCH

November 14, 2018 Read Full Article

Activating the Right Bacteria: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to 3Bar Biologics

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 3Bar Biologics’ Bio-YIELD uses naturally occurring microbes that are precisely matched to specific crops and soil environments. These microbes were discovered and isolated during a 15-year extensive research process by scientists at The Ohio State University. The Bio-YIELD inoculant system makes it easy for farmers to

November 14, 2018 Read Full Article

Duckweed Takes off in Nutrition Space as Well as Biofuel and Bioenergy

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … We are talking about the green stuff that grows in ponds and floats on the surface of water, often mistaken for algae. Why is this green goodness so good? Duckweed, also referred to as lemna or its scientific name lemnoideae, is high in protein

November 14, 2018 Read Full Article

World Industrial Photobioreactor Challenge 2019

(National Algae Association) The Challenge: To identify the best commercial algae cultivation systems on the market. With many different variations of algae cultivation systems throughout the world, the emerging algae production industry needs to identify the best commercial algae cultivation systems in indoor and outdoor commercial production. Commercially-minded algae producers, researchers and the investment community

November 12, 2018 Read Full Article

ASU Teams Find New Ways to Harness CO2 to Reduce Biofuel Costs

(Arizona State University/Biomass Magazine) The U.S. Department of Energy has announced 36 projects that together have been awarded $80 million to support early-stage bioenergy research and development. Two Arizona State University research teams are among the grantees, with the grants to ASU totaling about $4.5 million. The two teams are headed

November 12, 2018 Read Full Article

ZSL Report Finds Palm Oil Companies’ Commitments Lacking

(Zoological Society of London) World’s largest survey of palm oil producers and traders finds lack of assurance in tackling forest loss. Zero-deforestation commitments within the palm oil industry risk being undermined by a lack of monitoring within production landscapes – meaning the deforestation of tropical forests home to Critically Endangered wildlife such

November 12, 2018 Read Full Article

Heard on the Floor: Reflections and the Buzz from ABLC Global 2018

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It was, at times, not unlike the old trading floor of the Chicago Board of Trade and that was no coincidence, for there was optimism abounding and the deal-talk that flows from a general feeling that the advanced bioeconomy is, to use Amyris’ Joel Cherry’s characterization,

November 12, 2018 Read Full Article

The 40 Hottest Technologies in the Advanced Bioeconomy 2018

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Impossible Foods took the #1 spot in the 2018 “40 Hottest Technologies in the Advanced Bioeconomy” rankings, published today in The Digest, the world’s most widely-read bioeconomy daily. The announcement was made live at the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference (ABLC Global), which is meeting

November 9, 2018 Read Full Article

Evofuel and Fantini s.r.l Announce Breakthrough in Mechanical Harvesting for Castor Bean

(Evogene Ltd./Globe Newswire) Mechanical harvesting is a major bottleneck in conversion of castor bean to a fully modernized commercial crop; Combination of Fantini s.r.l Harvester with Evofuel proprietary varieties has demonstrated in field trials significant improvement in yield loss — Evofuel Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Evogene Ltd. (NASDAQ, TASE: EVGN),

November 7, 2018 Read Full Article

Biodiesel 2016/2017 – Report on Progress and Future Prospects; Excerpt from the UFOP Annual Report

(UFOP) The assessment report provides information on the most important aspects of the national and European biofuel policy and the biodiesel markets. It is an excerpt from the UFOP business report 2016/2017 and includes the chapters “Biodiesel and Co.”, the report of the UFOP expert commission “Biofuels and Renewable Resources” as

November 7, 2018 Read Full Article

Seed Yield, Oil Content: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Yield10 Bioscience

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Yield10 Bioscience is an agricultural bioscience company focusing on the development of disruptive technologies to produce step-change improvements in crop yield for food and feed crops to enhance global food security. Experts forecast that food production must be increased by over 70% in the next 35 years to feed

November 5, 2018 Read Full Article

EcoAgriculture Partners Announces Climate Smart Agriculture Training Curriculum

(North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance) EcoAgriculture Partners, a non-profit, integrated-landscape-management advocacy group, has announced a new climate smart agriculture (CSA) training curriculum is under development. Louise Buck, the organization’s director of collaborative management, was in New York City for last month’s Climate Week NYC , where she introduced the Training Curriculum

November 2, 2018 Read Full Article

EPA Acting Administrator Wheeler, USDA Secretary Perdue, and DOE Secretary Perry Send Letter to Congress on Biomass Carbon Neutrality — Managed Forests Can Bolster Domestic Energy Production

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, along with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry, sent a letter to the House and Senate Committee on Appropriations. The letter describes the agencies’ work to

November 2, 2018 Read Full Article

Environmental Groups File Petition with EPA Accusing It of Illegally Allowing Wildlife Habitat Conversion for Biofuels

by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, following on the heels of an Environmental Protection Agency report to Congress documenting wide-spread habitat loss following enactment of U.S. biofuels policy in 2007, environmental and conservation groups filed a petition with EPA, asserting the agency has illegally allowed millions of acres of wildlife habitat

November 1, 2018 Read Full Article

Can Utah Lake’s Algae Be Harvested? UVU Professor Has Plans, Is Seeking Funding to Turn Algae into Fuel

by Braley Dodson (Daily Herald) Barges could be running across Utah Lake by next summer, sucking up water and filtering out algae to prevent future massive blooms from forming on the lake. At least, that’s Kevin Shurtleff’s plan. Shurtleff, an associate professor of chemistry at Utah Valley University, presented his idea for

October 31, 2018 Read Full Article

Agri-Tech Can Turn African Savannah into Global Food Basket – African Development Bank

(African Development Bank Group) The African Development Bank is championing a new regional and global effort to transform the African Savannah from a “Sleeping Giant” to the cradle of the continent’s green revolution. “This sleeping giant needs to wake up,” the Bank’s Vice-President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Jennifer Blanke,

October 31, 2018 Read Full Article

Dispatch from the 2018 Algae Biomass Summit

(Algae Biomass Organization) This month hundreds of entrepreneurs, scientists, investors and government leaders gathered in Houston for the 2018 Algae Biomass Summit. The themes that emerged from the tours, speaker presentations, poster sessions and product demonstrations all pointed to an industry that is evolving, growing, and succeeding in more places than

October 31, 2018 Read Full Article

Smithfield Foods Announces Landmark Investment to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

(Smithfield Foods/CSR Wire) Smithfield Foods, Inc. is pleased to announce, through the nationwide expansion of Smithfield Renewables, innovative projects designed to help meet its goal to reduce the company’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 25 percent by 2025, which it set in concert with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). This month marks the

October 31, 2018 Read Full Article

Growing Algae More Sustainably for Biofuel Production

by Jessica Cox (Colorado State University/Phys.Org) … Another source used to create biofuel is algae – both single-celled microalgae and macroalgae such as kelp. Though algal biofuels are a more sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, there remains room to improve the production of the algae used to create them. Ken Reardon, the Jud and Pat Harper

October 26, 2018 Read Full Article

Lightfast Polyurethane; YPF Adds Biofuels; Mars, BH Improve Cacao, Chocolate; 20 New Food Waste Start-Ups; Fossil-Free Ocean Freight: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of October 24th

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of October 24th. … #2 Oil and gas giant YPF to start producing biofuels In Argentina, Miguel Gutiérrez, President of oil and gas company YPF, made a

October 26, 2018 Read Full Article

An Algal Biofuel Obituary

by Robert Rapier (Forbes) … It is true that some species of algae produce oils that can be converted into fuel. It is also true that crude oil originated from algae and plankton that lived millions of years ago, died, sunk to the bottom of the ocean, and were ultimately converted

October 25, 2018 Read Full Article

Biofuel-Friendly Trees Could Help Land Restoration

by Helena Tavares-Kennedy (Nuu Digest) In Indonesia, biofuel plantations could be central to meeting landscape restoration targets in Indonesia while helping the country meet growing energy demand. Scientists with the Center for International Forestry Research, the Korean National Institute of Forest Science, and Indonesia’s University of Muhammadiyah Palangkaraya are currently conducting a

October 25, 2018 Read Full Article

Blue Agave Crop Grown in Far North Queensland to Be Burnt at Sugar Mill for Power Generation

by Courtney Wilson (ABC News) Blue agave — which is the base ingredient for tequila — is currently grown on a commercial scale in Mexico, but Queensland’s MSF Sugar is aiming to become a world industry leader, with plans to plant 4,000 hectares of the succulent on the Atherton Tablelands. About

October 22, 2018 Read Full Article

EU to Engage Local Palm Oil Industry Stakeholders in Talks, Plantations Visits

(AFIQ AZIZ/The Malaysian Reserve) The visit is aimed to provide the EU delegations with a clearer and first-hand exposure to all issues concerned in RED — The European Commission will hold a consultation process with Malaysian palm oil industry stakeholders next week. The European Union (EU) Ambassador and head of delegation

October 19, 2018 Read Full Article

Asia’s Climate Arsenal: Are Biofuels Back?

by Beth Walker (The Third Pole) Biofuels will dominate future growth in renewables and are essential for decarbonizing the most difficult sectors; China and India should lead the way, argues new EIA report — … Bioenergy from liquid biofuels and biogas will continue to lead growth in renewable energy consumption to 2023,

October 12, 2018 Read Full Article

Sustainable Intensification: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to More Biomass for Bioenergy without Imposing iLUC

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sustainable intensification of agricultural systems in combination with biorefinery processing can produce more biomass for bioenergy without imposing iLUC. That’s the topic of this illuminating overview from Poul Erik Laerke and Uffe Jørgensen of Aarhus University Foulum, as presented at a recent IEA Bioenergy Task 43

October 10, 2018 Read Full Article

The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Optimizing Lignocellulosic Cropping Systems

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How attractive are systems for Bioenergy Feedstock Production in Sustainably Managed Landscapes for Rural Development? Ioannis Dimitriou, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Dep. of Crop Production Ecology offered this illuminating overview at a recent IEA Bioenergy Task 43 workshop. READ MORE

October 10, 2018 Read Full Article

Biomass Feedstocks for Energy Markets: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to the BELT Biorefinery Concept

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) IEA Bioenergy Task 43’s goal is to contribute to sound bioenergy development driven by well-informed decisions in the forestry, agriculture and energy sectors as well as in investment institutions and government agencies. The group addresses critical issues for deployment of sustainable biomass and bioenergy supply chains, including social,

October 10, 2018 Read Full Article

Nitin Gadkari: Use Biofuel for Public Transport

(Times of India) Referring to country’s high fuel import bill and rising oil prices, Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari said that Uttar Pradesh, being the largest producer of sugarcane and having a huge potential for manufacturing ethanol, should run all its public transport on biofuel. … Blaming the burning

October 9, 2018 Read Full Article

From Unloved Woods to Desirable Bioenergy: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Wood and Forest Projects

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Increasing global demand for energy, a push by governments and industry to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG), and a desire to increase energy independence are driving the demand for renewable alternatives to fossil fuels. As a source of renewable carbon that can be used in the existing

October 9, 2018 Read Full Article

‘Dirt Rich’ — The Importance of Biochar and Regenerative Systems for Soil Health

(Mercola) The creators of Dirt Rich are allowing for a full exclusive stream through October 12, 2018. STORY AT-A-GLANCE An estimated 80 percent of soil carbon in heavily farmed areas has been lost due to destructive plowing, overgrazing and the use of carbon-depleting chemical fertilizers and pesticides By adding more carbon back into

October 8, 2018 Read Full Article

Redesigning Poplar Trees to Take the Drought … and the Salt and the Heat

by Laura Shields (Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Improving poplar biomass production under stress conditions — … Stresses, such as high temperatures and a lack of freshwater, can cause reduced crop growth or even complete loss. The rising frequency of these stressful periods inspires a race to find more tolerant plants.

October 8, 2018 Read Full Article

Haryana Signs MoU with Indian Oil for Ethanol Plant

(Money Control) The initiative at village Bohali with a proposed capacity of 100 kilolitres of ethanol per day will manage crop residue and prevent straw burning before the upcoming paddy season, an official release said. — The Haryana government on September 10 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to set

October 2, 2018 Read Full Article

Minnesota Congressman Tours Syngenta R&D Site

(Syngenta/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Rep. Jason Lewis, R-Minn., recently toured the Syngenta Seeds Stanton, Minnesota, R&D facility and North America Seedcare Institute and participated in a discussion on the future of biofuels, including home-grown American ethanol. … “Recently I toured Syngenta’s Seedcare Institute and demo field in Stanton,” Lewis said. “During my

October 1, 2018 Read Full Article

A Switchgrass Sugar Situation

by Paige Short (Michigan Technological University) Switchgrass is a promising biofuel alternative to corn, but farmers, environmentalists and biofuel developers, find deciding on the right time to harvest particularly thorny. … The current viable harvest window for switchgrass extends from peak biomass, when the grass is at its biggest before it

September 24, 2018 Read Full Article

iSEE Helps Secure $6M+ in New Research Grants for U of I Agriculture Studies: $5M DOE Grant for Energy Crops Study

(Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment) … A U of I Crop Scientist will lead a team of researchers on a five-year study of new crops that could contribute to the production of affordable, sustainable sources for market-ready fuels and other valuable products. U of I College of Agricultural, Consumer, and

September 20, 2018 Read Full Article

Resilience through Regional Partnership: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to the SPARC Consortium

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Southeastern Partnership for Advanced Renewables from Carinata (SPARC) is a consortium consisting of the University of Florida (lead), the University of South Florida, the University of Georgia, Auburn University, and other institutions, government agencies, the civil aviation industry, and Agrisoma Biosciences and Applied Research Associates (ARA) from

September 20, 2018 Read Full Article

Conservation Helps the Ag Economy, but Farmers Bear All of the Costs

by Scott Henry (Des Moines Register) … A study from Environmental Defense Fund and managerial accounting firm K·Coe Isom AgKnowledge finds that conservation can boost farm profitability. The analysis includes detailed financial case studies of three Midwestern corn, soy and wheat farmers — including my fourth-generation farm — as well as a

September 14, 2018 Read Full Article

Harnessing Algae and Fungi to Create New Biofuel System

by Igor Houwat (Michigan State University) Michigan State University scientists have found a solution to enhance oil production and harvest using what many consider sea sludge. The new proof of concept, published in Biotechnology for Biofuels, is a biofuel production platform that uses two species of marine algae and soil fungi. It

September 14, 2018 Read Full Article

Cyanotech® Corporation Signs Asset Purchase Agreement for Cellana’s Kona Demonstration Facility

(MarketWatch/Cyanotech) Cyanotech [®] Corporation (nasdaq capital market:CYAN), a world leader in microalgae-based, high-value nutrition and health products, is pleased to announce that it has signed an Asset Purchase Agreement with Cellana LLC to acquire a six-acre production and research facility, known as the Kona Demonstration Facility (KDF), located adjacent to Cyanotech’s

September 10, 2018 Read Full Article

Farmers in Guatemala Are Destroying Dams to Fight ‘Dirty’ Renewable Energy

by Simon Granovsky-Larsen (The Conversation) … Ixpátz and four other rivers in the Champerico area had been re-routed from their natural courses and into large plantations. Joining forces with other small farmers, Santiago set out with pickaxes and sticks to break up dikes by hand. … A growing number of communities are

September 10, 2018 Read Full Article

Biogas Projects Popping up Everywhere – Are They the Magical Solution We’ve Been Looking for?

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … Like a beautiful unicorn flying in the sky, biogas production is taking off in Denmark, accounting for almost 19% of the gas used in Denmark this July – an impressive 50% increase from last year! The Danish state company Energinet, which owns and runs the

September 10, 2018 Read Full Article

Sunflowers at Dorothea Dix to Be Harvested for Raleigh’s Biodiesel Supply

by Barbara Gibbs and Gloria Rodriguez (ABC11.com) It’s time to say goodbye to the immensely popular sea of sunflowers at Raleigh’s Dorothea Dix Park. The good news, the five acres of beautiful blooms will be put to good use. Hundreds of people came out to see the field of bright golden stems all

September 6, 2018 Read Full Article

Govt Enlists FGV’s Help to Assist Smallholders Get MSPO Certification

by V. Ragananthini (Sun Daily) Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok said the ministry will assist FGV Holdings Bhd in attracting investors to develop the downstream palm oil segment and in turn look to it for help with getting small palm oil growers obtain Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification. Kok said at

September 5, 2018 Read Full Article

These Researchers Want to Use Pollution to Make Fuel

by Bruce Lieberman (Yale Climate Connections) They think nutrients in farm runoff could feed algae for biofuel. — When fertilizer and pesticides run off farmland, they can contaminate waterways with nutrient pollution. Davis: “A classic example is the Mississippi Basin.” That’s Ryan Davis of Sandia National Laboratories. He says a lot of

August 30, 2018 Read Full Article

Palm Oil Watchdog Urged to Take ‘Giant Leap’ to Save Forests

by Michael Taylor (Thomson Reuters Foundation) Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil must include a commitment to zero deforestation in new standards, environmental experts say — The global watchdog for the palm oil industry must strengthen its standards to require all members to commit to ending deforestation – or risk becoming irrelevant, an

August 28, 2018 Read Full Article

Strategic Intent: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to ADM

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Founded in 1902 and NYSE listed Since 1924, ADM is one of the premier global agribusinesses and a leading food ingredient provider with 31,000 employees, serving 170 countries and with 500 crop procurement locations, 270 ingredient plants and 44 innovation centers. The company gave this recent overview of its strategy, progress, promise

August 28, 2018 Read Full Article

Algaennovation Signs Deal with Iceland Geothermal Plant

(Algae Industry Magazine) exander Richter writes in thinkgeoenergy.com that Israel-based Algaennovation last week signed a 15-year contract with Icelandic energy utility and operator ON Power for the purchase of energy and other inputs for small-scale algae production, which the companies say will be the first of its kind in the world. Icelandic engineering group Mannvit

August 22, 2018 Read Full Article

Extending Palm Oil Production in Africa Threatens Primate Conservation

(EU Science Hub: The European Commission’s science and knowledge service) Future expansion of the palm oil industry could have a dramatic impact on African primates, according to the findings of a new study led by the JRC. The study has been published today (August 14, 2018) in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

August 17, 2018 Read Full Article

Lego’s Biobased Bricks; Vertoro’s Green Crude Oil; Nitogen-Fixing Microbes for Corn; Diapers from Food Waste; 3D Imaging; Apeel’s $70M: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of August 15th

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of invention and change is just too strong, we’ve realized, to highlight annual or even quarterly or monthly rankings and summaries of significant product and service advances. For now, we’re going to be tracking these on a weekly basis to keep pace with the

August 16, 2018 Read Full Article

Mechanisms and Indicators for Assessing the Impact of Biofuel Feedstock Production on Ecosystem Services

by Caroline Ochieng, Francis X. Johnson and Anne Nyambane (Stockholm Environment Institute) This paper synthesizes the current knowledge about the impact of biofuels on ecosystem services. — Biofuel feedstock production can be a significant driver of landscape modification, ecosystem change and biodiversity loss. There is a growing body of literature that shows

August 15, 2018 Read Full Article

Stink, Swine, and Nuisance: The North Carolina Hog Industry and Its Waste Management Woes

by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) … Biogas – Turning Hog Waste into Resources — Biogas technologies turn organic wastes, including manure, into energy and compost. When manure is turned into biogas, the smells, poor health effects, and methane emissions associated with hog farms are drastically reduced. At a

August 10, 2018 Read Full Article

How the Global Heatwave Is Harming Agriculture Today and Creating Problems for the Bio-Economy Tomorrow.

by Tom Joslin (Bio-Based World News) … Few of you will have escaped the heatwave that seems to have enveloped most of the northern hemisphere. Soaring temperatures exceeding 46°C have been recorded in Alvega, Portugal, while seventeen of eighteen of the countries regions experienced temperatures above 45°C. This follows recent headlines reporting

August 10, 2018 Read Full Article

The Arid West Moves East, with Big Implications for Agriculture

by Joe Wertz (NPR/StateImpact Oklahoma) The American West appears to be moving east. New research shows the line on the map that divides the North American continent into arid Western regions and humid Eastern regions is shifting, with profound implications for American agriculture. … Scientists say this shift — from grains

August 10, 2018 Read Full Article

Florida Posts Harmful Algal Bloom Management Grant Information

(Florida Department of Environmental Protection) On July 9, 2018, Governor Rick Scott issued an Executive Order for Glades, Hendry, Lee, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties to help combat algal blooms (HABs) caused by Lake Okeechobee water discharges from the Army Corps of Engineers. The Executive Order directed DEP to

August 6, 2018 Read Full Article

Sweet Sorghum Complementing Ethanol Production in Sugar Mills

(ICRISAT) To help the government achieve the national ethanol blending targets of 20% by 2017, private sugar mills and the public sector research institutes are collaborating with ICRISAT to identify and test sweet sorghum varieties suitable for ethanol production. A total of seven sugar mills are associated with ICRISAT in this

August 3, 2018 Read Full Article

Diversification: FG to Boost Jatropha Production

by O.C. Cluss (Daily Trust) The Federal Government is to focus more on the development of jatropha production as part of efforts to diversify the nation’s economy, the Director-General, Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Dr. Hussaini Doko Ibrahim, has said. The DG, who spoke at the distribution of improved

August 3, 2018 Read Full Article

Algal Biotechnology Research at Sheffield

(Algae Industry Magazine) Jags Pandhal is a senior lecturer in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, at the University of Sheffield, in the UK. His research involves biological resource recovery utilizing algae from landfill leachate at 300L scale. This project is in cooperation with Viridor, one the of UK’s largest

August 3, 2018 0 comment Read Full Article

Deeper into the Biomass: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to the DOE’s Billion Ton Report, Vol. 2

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The US Department of Energy’s Billion-Ton Report: Advancing Domestic Resources for a Thriving Bioeconomy says that 1.2 billion tons of biomass would be available at $40 or less per ton by 2040, and 1 billion tons would be available by 2030, for conversion into biofuels. Compared to the original

August 2, 2018 Read Full Article

FAO Offers CSA Sourcebook to Guide Policy Makers, Program Managers

(North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance) A digitized sourcebook that offers a wide range of knowledge and expertise on the concept of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) is among a series of products put out by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in recent months. The CSA sourcebook is a resource that can

August 1, 2018 Read Full Article

Future of Agriculture: Report to Address Climate Change Impacts on Hoosier Farms

(Purdue University) Hoosier farmers will have to adapt management practices and the types of crops they plant over the next several decades as they deal with the repercussions of climate change. That’s according to a new report from the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment team based at Purdue University. The report, “Indiana’s

August 1, 2018 Read Full Article

Soil Health Policy Resources Now Available: A Catalog of Academic, State Agency and Legislative Policies and Programs to Advance Soil Health

(The Soil Health Institute/Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire) Soil health policies are growing in number and importance across the United States but are widely dispersed across a variety of academic institutions, state agencies and legislative bodies. This catalog brings these policy efforts together to facilitate cross-pollination, learning and coordination. Developed by the Soil Health

August 1, 2018 Read Full Article

Association of Warm Season Grass Producers Meeting Goals

by Will Brandau (Association of Warm Season Grass Producers) The Association is experiencing success meeting our primary objectives. 1. Promotes the planting and use of warm-season grasses I know of 4 producers expanding the acreage they maintain. We have 3 new producers planting for the first time. 2. Works to maximize

August 1, 2018 Read Full Article

Proposals to Turn North Carolina Hog Waste into Biofuel Spur Debate

by Catherine Clabby (NC Health News/Carolina Public Press) Good news about hog waste can be scarce in this swine-rich state. But success at converting swine waste into usable renewable energy seems to be gaining steam. For the first time, this year a bioenergy project in hog-packed Duplin County injected natural gas harvested from hog

July 30, 2018 Read Full Article

Harmful Algal Blooms: Engineering Solutions to a Growing Problem

by Bethany Jensen (Ignite Utah State University) With the increase of global climate change effects, many local bodies of fresh water are experiencing dangerous toxic algae blooms. These are detrimental to water recreation, to agriculture, and to the natural ecosystem. They are potentially harmful to humans. Bethany has chosen a project

July 23, 2018 Read Full Article

Putting Bacteria to Work

(U.S. Department of Energy) The idea of bacteria as diverse, complex perceptive entities that can hunt prey in packs, remember past experiences and interact with the moods and perceptions of their human hosts sounds like the plot of some low-budget science fiction movie. But these are exactly some of the traits

July 20, 2018 Read Full Article

Attis Industries Taps Timber Industry Leader for Procurement of Raw Materials

(Attis Industries) Agreement Creates Feedstock Advantage for First Commercial Facility — Attis Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: ATIS) (the “Company” or “Attis”), a diversified innovation and technology holding company, today announced the execution of a letter of intent with Jordan Forest Products, LLC (“Jordan”) to provide raw material feedstock procurement services for its recently

July 20, 2018 Read Full Article

Benson Hill Biosystems Launches Saturn Agrosciences Subsidiary to Drive Canola Improvement

(Benson Hill Biosystems/PR Newswire) New Company Will Provide R&D Infrastructure to Harness the Genetic Potential of Canola for More Healthy and Sustainable Food and Feed Ingredients — Benson Hill Biosystems, a crop improvement company unlocking the natural genetic potential of plants, today announced formation of Saturn Agrosciences, a new subsidiary focused on canola

July 18, 2018 Read Full Article

New Research Calculates Capacity of North American Forests to Sequester Carbon

(University of California-Santa Cruz/EurekAlert!) Gains of only 22 percent over the next six decades represent best-case scenario — Researchers have calculated the capacity of North American forests to sequester carbon in a detailed analysis that for the first time integrates the effects of two key factors: the natural process of forest growth

July 18, 2018 Read Full Article

One Day at the World’s Leading Biomass Technology Conference, EUBCE 2018

by Steve Bi* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Renaissance-era facades capped with green copper patina and orange clay shingles harmonize seamlessly with imaginative, hallmark-of-Scandinavia, hyper-modern structures in downtown Copenhagen. The city provided the perfect backdrop for this year’s European Biomass Conference & Exhibition (EUBCE 2018), where European and international companies and organizations promoted