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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Partnership Watch: Lummus Technology, New Hope Technologies In Texas, Lummus Technology and New Hope Technologies today announced that the companies have entered into a cooperation agreement for the marketing and further development of a leading plastic waste conversion technology based on thermal pyrolysis. The
Farming/Growing
October 27, 2020
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(Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research/Phys.Org) In the future, the world may increasingly rely on renewable biomass resources for the provision of food, fodder, fiber and fuel. How this transition to a bioeconomy will affect Nordic water resources, is something BIOWATER, a Nordic Centre of Excellence, is currently looking into. In a
October 23, 2020
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(Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Association) … Among the Carbon-negative (and climate positive) solutions, those based on photosynthesis are by far the cheapest and most scalable options now, and likely for many decades to come. Properly implemented, these solutions can also provide many other benefits, including clean water, bio-diverse landscapes, healthy soil
October 23, 2020
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by Ad Crable (Bay Journal) Will switchgrass, a tall, resilient and fast-growing native plant once familiar to pioneers, become the next cash crop for farmers in states in the Chesapeake Bay drainage? In a convergence of promising developments, a new study gives switchgrass lofty environmental grades and assures skeptics that it would
October 23, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At ABLC Digital this summer, there was lots of talk about carbon. In this slide guide, GIC takes us on a learning journey about commodity plus carbon and how it monetizes carbon. What is CPC? What are the advantages? What is the methodology? How does
October 20, 2020
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(AgWeb) The stakes are high, business is tricky, but hemp still has a positive outlook for farmers interested in growing. The hemp industry is planting big roots in the world of row crop farmers. The stakes are high and the rewards can be high too, if you know how to
October 15, 2020
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by Sophie Hirsch (Green Matters) To significantly mitigate the climate crisis, there are a lot of problems humans need to solve — and as the new Netflix documentary Kiss the Ground suggests, one of the biggest problems is right under your feet: the soil. Narrated by Woody Harrelson and featuring music from
October 15, 2020
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(Yahoo! News/Business Wire) First-of-its-kind model provides unique win-win for farmers, grain buyers, consumers, and environment — Gradable™, the leading technology and services provider for scoring, sourcing, and pricing Low-Carbon Grain from farm to fork, today announced it’s been invited by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to demonstrate how its program
October 15, 2020
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(BioChannel TV) This panel will discuss how a national clean fuel standard can directly incentivize innovative agricultural practices like biostimulants, alternative fertilizers, and crop enhancements to create a more sustainable supply chain not only for fuels, but also the wide variety of biobased products that rely on the same supply
October 13, 2020
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(Petri’s The Dish/Biochannel TV) The use of genetic engineering and modification in traditional agriculture. With new lab-grown materials what’s the value proposition for large apparel brands? What’s the role of big companies in partnering with early-stage sustainable technologies? With Harvard’s Pam Silver, MIT’s Chris Voigt, Beyond Meats’ Bernhard van Lengerich
October 13, 2020
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by Nate Birt (Farm Journal Ag Web) Over the past year, a wave of global food companies have transitioned their focus from sustainable to regenerative agriculture. General Mills—maker of Cheerios cereal, Yoplait yogurt, Nature Valley granola bars and Pillsbury desserts, among its more than 100 brands—has been doing that for years.
October 13, 2020
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(KTN News) Laikipia residents decry of Opuntia Cactus that is slowly chocking livelihood. At 20:00 using destructive cactus to make biogas. WATCH VIDEO
October 12, 2020
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by Laura Sanicola, Rod Nickel (AgCanada/Glacier Farm Media/Reuters) U.S. oil refineries are moving aggressively to produce renewable diesel, partly to cash in on Canada’s greener fuel standard before Canadian refiners modify their own plants. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government intends to present its Clean Fuel Standard this year, aiming to
October 6, 2020
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(EIA Bioenergy) Articles and statements in the media have raised concerns over the climate effects of bioenergy from managed forests1. As some of these statements seem to reflect misconceptions about forest bioenergy, IEA Bioenergy has prepared a brief document presenting key facts about the use of forest biomass for climate change
October 5, 2020
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(Yield10 Bioscience) Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq:YTEN), an agricultural bioscience company, today announced it has completed the harvest for its 2020 Field Test Program for Camelina and canola trials conducted in the United States and Canada. Yield10’s 2020 Field Test Program is designed to evaluate several novel traits in Camelina and canola, and the Company expects to begin
October 5, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Just look at those melons and what a difference algae can make! And that’s just part of the story that shows us that, yes, CO2 emissions CAN be used to grow algae and that algae CAN be used to grow crops. Get the latest on Accelergy’s carbon
October 2, 2020
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(Illinois State University) Though farmers consider pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) nothing more than a weed, Illinois State Professor of Genetics Dr. John Sedbrook is working to change their perspective—and the plant itself. Sedbrook and his student researchers in the School of Biological Sciences are genetically modifying pennycress as part of a
September 29, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … So as we look for better biofuel feedstocks, we look at switchgrass because of new U.S. Department of Energy AND U.S. Department of Agriculture funding to study it for biofuels. Could it be the next biofuel feedstock Rockstar? Or will it be a
September 28, 2020
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(University of Birmingham) The global spread of vast forest plantations and agricultural monocultures are turning once diverse landscapes into areas of land supporting single plant species, with profound implications for our terrestrial water cycle, according to new research. A new paper published in Nature Geoscience, and written by a global collaboration of
September 24, 2020
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by Jeff Kart (Forbes) …The researchers working on this are from University of California, Riverside (UCR) and it’s part of a two-year project. Those involved are being tight-lipped about the methods they’ll be using (pending the upcoming publication of research on a closely related project). What’s been announced so far: The work
September 23, 2020
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(Grain Farmers of Ontario/Globe Newswire) Grain Farmers of Ontario opposed to land use restrictions, and seek transparency on certification criteria — Grain Farmers of Ontario, the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmers today has deep concerns about the current Clean Fuels Standard (CFS) proposed
September 22, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In the world of biotechnology, it’s the same, which is to say that everyone wants protection, but no one agrees on ‘protection against what?’ Some people want to be protected against famine, disease, resource depletion — via the blessings of genetic engineering. Others want
September 22, 2020
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(European Commission) Jet fuel from renewable sources holds the key to significantly reducing the environmental impact of aviation. EU-funded researchers have set out to boost Europe’s production capacity, and are also developing a process that would leverage the growing of feedstock to rehabilitate land at risk of desertification. To fully
September 14, 2020
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(Alliance BioEnergy Plus Inc.) Alliance BioEnergy Plus Inc., (“Alliance”) announces it has leased 18 acres of land in Southwest Florida to establish a test plot to optimize the production of Giant King Grass as a renewable cellulosic feedstock. Giant King Grass grows year-round, up to 20 feet in height, and
September 8, 2020
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(AZO Cleantech) For years, researchers have been trying to harness the crop-growing benefits of the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), for example, can deliver water and nutrients to the roots of plants like sorghum, a grain used to produce biofuels. The US Department of Energy (DOE)
September 4, 2020
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by Amy Feldman (Forbes) Agtech unicorn Farmers Business Network is spinning out a new sustainable farming company, called GRO Network, that will track and score the carbon footprint of specific crops down to the bushel and allow farmers to make more for their crops that have lower carbon footprints. In a
September 4, 2020
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(SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry) SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), as a member of a mid-Atlantic consortium, has received $630,000 over five years from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop biomass systems and products with the potential to put abandoned lands and people
September 4, 2020
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(U.S. Department of Energy/ARPA-E) Today, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy announced $16.5 million in funding for six projects as part of the Systems for Monitoring and Analytics for Renewable Transportation Fuels from Agricultural Resources and Management (SMARTFARM) program. These projects will develop technologies that bridge the data gap in the biofuel
September 4, 2020
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(Malay Mail/Bernama) The biodiesel improvement programme and initiatives in the country as well as opening of new markets have contributed to the increase in palm oil price currently, said Plantation Industries and Commodities Deputy Minister Willie Mongin. … “We are optimistic and confident of at least maintaining the price at
September 4, 2020
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(IEA Bioenergy) Articles and statements in the media have raised concerns over the climate effects of bioenergy from managed forests2. As some of these statements seem to reflect misconceptions about forest bioenergy, IEA Bioenergy has prepared a brief document presenting key facts about the use of forest biomass for climate
September 1, 2020
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(Western Illinois University) Just 12 months after Western Illinois University Agriculture Professor Win Phippen announced the award of a $10 million federal grant to investigate the use of Pennycress as a commercial cash crop, a second grant has been awarded that dovetails into the initial grant and helps ensure a
September 1, 2020
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by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) “They seem to be serious,” said Atlantic Biomass’ Bob Kozak reflecting on a tour of a hemp farm in central Ohio. He noted, “They are going all-in, putting their own money into this—no grants and planting 26 acres the first year.” Kozak was there
September 1, 2020
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(U.K. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) Legislation would make it illegal for larger businesses to use products unless they comply with local laws to protect natural areas. — Plans to clamp down on illegal deforestation and protect rainforests have been published by the government today (25 August) as it
August 31, 2020
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by John Fargher (AgFunderNews/AgriWebb) Regenerative farming has often been a controversial topic – largely due to confusion regarding its true definition. Some believe that it involves a return to pre-industrial farming techniques, and fear it’s about pursuing sustainability instead of profits. This is simply untrue. In fact, the term was popularized
August 29, 2020
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by Peter Murphy (University at Buffalo) UB engineering professor Ian Bradley and his research group are collaborators on a $2 million project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy that will study the use of algae to purify wastewater while simultaneously producing biomass for fuel production. The project is led by
August 28, 2020
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(Auto123.com/Daimler) The seedlings for the first 100 hectares (250 acres) have been planted. Daimler AG has started a new project for the cultivation of the biodiesel raw material jatropha in the south of India. The company is supporting several village communities in the state of Tamil Nadu with funds and expertise from its already
August 28, 2020
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The Digest recently reported on CoverCress and why the U.S. Department of Energy’s $13 million grant for new high-value feedstock, pennycress, is so key. For an in-depth visual guide on how CoverCress is delivering new farm income and low carbon intensity feedstocks while producing cover crop benefits, how it fits between
August 28, 2020
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(Colorado State University/Science Daily) A new study predicted significant climate benefits stemming from the use of advanced biofuel technologies. — Biofuel and bioenergy systems are integral to scenarios for displacing fossil fuel use and producing negative emissions through carbon capture and storage. But the net greenhouse gas mitigation benefit of these
August 26, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) News just in from Yield10 Bioscience, Inc., a Massachusetts-based agricultural bioscience company, that they have obtained a positive response from USDA-APHIS’s Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) for its CRISPR genome-edited trait C3007 in canola plant lines developed for increased oil content and now have plans for
August 24, 2020
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(North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance) … In an article published in Nature Geoscience, Cornell University’s Johannes Lehmann and others wrote that scientists should develop new models that more accurately reflect the carbon-storage processes beneath our feet in order to effectively draw down atmospheric carbon dioxide. Carbon’s journey into the soil
August 21, 2020
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(Solutions from the Land) As dire as the COVID-19 pandemic appears today, there are many who are looking beyond the crisis, exploring ways not only to recover from this tragedy, but to rebuild our capabilities to an even higher level beyond what they were before the outbreak. The International Energy Agency’s
August 21, 2020
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(University of Hohenheim) In Sumatra, smallholders in particular have a key function, according to a study on the conversion of rainforests into monocultures and their effects — Oil palm plantations as far as the eye can see. In addition to a dramatic decline in many animal and plant species, such plantations often lead
August 17, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In the United Kingdom, Terravesta launched a new animation video to spread the word about building a bio-based future with Terravesta Performance Hybrids, and miscanthus grown from seed rather than the usual rhizomes, allowing it to be upscaled 200 times faster. Terravesta is reducing the world’s
August 17, 2020
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Brazil, Green Fuels and INOCAS announced an agreement to engage in the development of a sustainable fuels value chain in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Using macaúba in novel intercropping and agrosilvopastoral techniques, the partners intend to ensure future sustainable fuel production for distributed energy and land, marine and air transport sectors, as signatories of the Zona da Mata Biokerosene and Renewables Platform (an integrated
August 12, 2020
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(Palm Oil Monitor) Indonesia has picked up a number of allies in its battle with the EU over the bloc’s ban of palm oil in its renewable energy scheme. An additional 18 countries have reserved their rights to participate in the proceedings as third parties. These include palm producers Malaysia, Thailand, Guatemala,
August 11, 2020
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(Standford University/EurekAlert!) Generations of political support for sugar cultivation have helped India become the second-largest producer of sugar worldwide. Now, the country’s commitment to renewable energy could create additional benefits, like conserving natural resources and providing better nutrition to the poor. Stanford researchers conducted the first comprehensive analysis of India’s sugar
August 6, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bale analysis, probes, core samples – measuring and analysis of bioenergy feedstocks is key. In this illuminating slide guide from ABLC Digital, the Idaho National Laboratory, Antares Group, ASDI, and B Hames Consulting share how bale probes are a novel sensor for in-field, real-time analysis of
August 5, 2020
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by Rachel Hatch (News Illinois State University) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a $13 million grant to a nationwide project led by Illinois State University. Professor of Genetics John Sedbrook will head up the project aimed to genetically strengthen a plant for use in sustainable energy efforts. “We’re
August 4, 2020
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(Exelon) The year two application process is now open for startup projects addressing climate change in Atlantic City, NJ, Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Wilmington, DE — The Exelon Foundation and Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the nation’s largest generator of carbon-free energy and the largest energy service provider by customer
July 29, 2020
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by Zhichao Wang and Jim Ramm (EcoEngineers) Iowa’s fertile farmland could be a soil-based Fort Knox that — instead of gold — stores a wealth of carbon within its underground vaults. How farmers can tap into the potential riches of carbon capture and sequestration and how biofuels producers can benefit from forming
July 29, 2020
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(Department of Energy) Studies Will Focus on Improving Crop Productivity and Resiliencen — Today (July 28, 2020) the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $68 million in funding over five years for basic research aimed at making bioenergy feedstock crops more productive and resilient. “One key requirement for sustainable bioenergy
July 29, 2020
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by Sarah Spicer (Wichita Eagle) To preserve the environment, mitigate climate change and stabilize the U.S. food system, Midwest farmers should diversify their crops and move away from raising corn and soybeans, researchers say. The current crop system, which was founded after the 1930s Dust Bowl, is causing environmental and economic
July 29, 2020
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(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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(Indiana Agriculture Coalition for Renewable Energy) Our first featured renewable energy project is a joint project between PU Chemical Enginering and PU Agronomy Department at the Sustainable Food, Energy and Water Systems (SFEWS) research project in West Lafeyette. … “This research will explore novel photovoltaic arrangements, structures, and materials such
April 30, 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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New Report Reveals EPA Reform on Biogenic Crops Ruling Could Add Hundreds of Millions in Wages, Thousands of Jobs to U.S. Economy
(Biogenic CO2 Coalition) Scientifically Backed Change in Status of Carbon Emissions from Ag Feedstocks Could Provide Massive Boost to Struggling U.S. Economy — The Biogenic CO2 Coalition, a working group of leading trade associations that support American agriculture, today released a new economic impact analysis in support of its petition for a U.S. Environmental