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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) To everything there is a season, goes the old Pete Seeger lyric, and the Book of Ecclesiastes, come to think of it, and they must be reading their Bibles closely at Neste. Once into petroleum as the original Finnish oil refiner, then turning to renewable
Presentations
October 21, 2019
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by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Stephen Censky, deputy secretary of the USDA, delivered a keynote address during the second day of the Global Ethanol Summit on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. … He also spoke to the efficiencies that U.S. ethanol producers and farmers have achieved, and what that may
October 18, 2019
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by Robert Pore (The Grand Island Independent) A group of visitors from Mexico were in Grand Island Thursday to see the area’s ethanol production. The 22 visitors represent various aspects of the ethanol industry in Mexico. They were in Grand Island to get an up-close and personal look at the Nebraska ethanol
October 18, 2019
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by Noah Fish (Post Bulletin/AgriNews) High-level officials from Middle Eastern and African countries were in Minnesota this week to learn more about the U.S. ethanol production process. The state tour, which kicked off in Eyota at the Kwik Trip fuel blending site on Wednesday, was hosted by the U.S. Grains
October 18, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Over 10 years (2007–2017), three Bioenergy Research Centers produced multiple breakthroughs in the form of deepened understanding of sustainable biomass production practices, targeted re-engineering of biomass feedstocks, development of new methods for deconstructing feedstocks, and engineering of microbes for more effective production of a diverse
October 18, 2019
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(Vital) “Health Impact of Blending Ethanol into Gasoline in Five Global Cities” University of Illinois at Chicago, Energy Resources Center — Dr. Steffen Mueller, PhD, and others at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Energy Resources Center looked at the effect of biofuel in reducing cancers connected to chemicals such as
October 17, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Agile BioFoundry brings together a specialist team of scientists, engineers, and technical staff from eight of the U.S. Department of Energy’s national laboratories, with the aim that their collective skills, expertise, and experience lead to rapid innovation and growth in the biomanufacturing sector. The
October 17, 2019
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by Sherell Jeffrey (Daily Express) Sabah’s biomass is grossly underutilised and industry players don’t seem to be very enthusiastic despite the State having what it takes for them to take full advantage of the situation, from raw materials, infrastructure and government support, according to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie
October 16, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Beyond Burger recently arrived as the world’s first plant-based burger that looks, cooks, and satisfies like beef, without GMOs, soy, or gluten, and has become a global sensation. Overall the company aims to “create The Future of Protein® – delicious plant-based burgers, sausage, crumbles,
October 16, 2019
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by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Maryland’s Commission on Climate Change advises the state’s Governor and General Assembly “on ways to mitigate the causes of, prepare for, and adapt to the consequences of climate change.” The MCCC is chaired by Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles and consists
October 16, 2019
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by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The first Global Ethanol Summit, sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council, Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association, kicked off in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 14 with presentations from Ryan LeGrand, president and CEO of USGC, and Mike Dwyer, chief economist of USGC. LeGrand gave
October 15, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) An organization well worth knowing in the world of biogas, or renewable methane, is the indefatigable group organized as IEA Bioenergy Task 37, an international working group which covers the anaerobic digestion of biomass feedstocks including agricultural residues, energy crops, organic-rich waste waters, the organic fraction of
October 14, 2019
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(IEA Bioenergy/Netzwerk Betreibstoffe) Presentation online This webinar presents the 2019 update of the 2014 IEA Bioenergy Task 39 “drop-in” biofuels report. It reviews the status of technologies, the progress of the various technical approaches and updates the successes, challenges and obstacles that have been encountered during the commercialisation of low
October 11, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It matters of course, what people think about bioenergy, not just the makers and political folk or offtakers, but the broader groups as well in what is called elsewhere ‘civil society’, amongst pressure groups, and ordinary customers at the pump or retail store. The measurement
October 11, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For some time it’s been widely thought amongst the Digestsceni that there’s a need to ‘demonstrate to market actors and policy makers how existing bioenergy chains can be made more fuel flexible, efficient and cost effective through the application of (a combination of) pretreatment technologies,”
October 10, 2019
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(Bioenergy Association of Ukraine) SEC Biomass experts Tetiana Zheliezna, Oleksandra Tryboi and Olha Haidai took part in the second BIOPLAT-EU (Promoting Sustainable Use of Underutilized Lands for Bioenergy Production through a Web-Based Platform for Europe) project meeting that was held in Kyiv on 26 of September, 2019. The project partners presented
October 9, 2019
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(Bioenergy Association of Ukraine) Prospects for biomethane production and consumption in Ukraine were reviewed on October 01 by the State Agency for Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving. Discussion participants: Head of the Agency Sergiy Savchuk, Head of the Bioenergy Association of Ukraine Georgii Geletukha, representatives of Ukrtransgaz, biogas producers and other
October 9, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) First comes the techno-economic assessment, then comes the deployment, as perhaps someone once said, or should have. For the road to bioeconomy passes through the graces of a successful evalutation of the inputs anf the outputs and the costs and values thereof. Those thoughtful assessors
October 9, 2019
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(Diesel Technology Forum) Oakland’s equipment and services manager, Joey Williams, chats about the difference using renewable diesel fuel has made for the city’s diesel-powered vehicles. WATCH VIDEO
October 8, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Several of the better known IEA Bioenergy rock stars — there are four and possibly five in this set, from the US and Canada, so we’ll put them sort of on a par with Neil Young and Crazy Horse for representing somethng tuneful, must-know and
October 8, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Pacific Ethanol is a leading producer and marketer of low-carbon renewable fuels and high-quality alcohol products, and in some ways more importantly, they are a beacon for us to understand the future of pure-play ethanol and protein companies, going forward. Among the major players are
October 7, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Wouldn’t it be great if we could boost fermentation of high-toxicity biomass hydrolysates? Well, folks are working on this via enhanced biocatalytic tolerance. At the recent DOE BETO 2019 Project Peer Review, Felix Lam and Gregory Stephanopoulos from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, shared how they
October 4, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Drop-in fuels from syngas are in. Syngas feedstocks are relatively inexpensive and diverse, thermophiles have several unique advantages, and end products have value as fuel and solvent applications among others. Sounds like win, win, win, right? But the big question that Kiverdi and NREL are working
October 3, 2019
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The California Council on Science & Technology hosted an expert briefing at the California State Capitol Sept. 19 focused on the beneficial uses of wood biomass from wildfire mitigation. The briefing was the fourth in a series on wildfires hosted by CCST. … Forests treatments,
October 2, 2019
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by Thomas Mulloy (C Store Decisions) …“Successfully Retailing Biofuels” sorted through the misconceptions and logistics of selling biofuels alongside non-renewable fuels. Doug Berven, vice president for corporate affairs for Poet Ethanol Products, made a strong case for growing the use of ethanol in America’s vehicles. Berven said that ethanol is good
October 2, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As frustrated as you may get with your pet sometimes, we aren’t talking about upcycling dogs and cats here, but PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic that is typically landfilled. One group at NREL and ORNL are working on developing cost-effective biological methods to better breakdown and upcycle
October 2, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The industry is always on the look for microbial pathways that are capable of producing high carbon efficiency intermediates that are amenable to economic bioconversion, separation, and catalytic upgrading to hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals. At the recent DOE BETO 2019 Project Peer Review, Min Zhang
October 1, 2019
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(U.S. House of Representatives Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Energy) STATEMENTS: Chairman Conor Lamb (D-PA) of the Subcommittee on Energy Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) WITNESSES: Ms. Ann M. Schlenker, Director, Center for Transportation Research, Argonne National Laboratory [Truth in Testimony] Mr. James Chen, Vice President of Public Policy, Rivian Automotive LLC [Truth
September 30, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Enzyme technology enables advanced biofuels. But can we do better? Can enzymes improve conversion? Can understanding enzyme structure, function, activity technology enable industrial enzyme improvement while reducing company R&D cost? Michael Himmel, Senior Research Fellow from NREL’s Biomolecular Sciences group gave this presentation at the DOE’s BETO
September 30, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The National Farmers Union envisions a world where farm families and their communities are respected, valued and enjoy economic prosperity and social justice and climate is a big part of that. Check out what Roger Johnson, President of National Farmers Union had to say about
September 27, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At the hot and happenin’ Algae Biomass Summit in Orlando, Florida,Steve Mayfield, Director at UCSD California Center for Algae Biotechnology and Martin Sabarksy, CEO of Cellana, gave this illuminating introduction of some of the latest policy highlights from the 2018 Farm Bill and how it
September 26, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Some people believe in magic and some don’t but MAGIC is real in this case – the Marine AlGae Industrialization Consortium, that is. MAGIC is working on answering the question “How do we produce that remaining 15 bboe/year of energy-dense, liquid hydrocarbon fuels to meet the
September 26, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Advanced Algal Systems. Maybe you’ve heard of it but did you know that technologies are being developed as part of a DOE program to enable production of sustainable algal feedstocks that perform reliably in conversion processes to yield renewable fuel blendstocks, as well as bioproducts and
September 24, 2019
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(North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance) State-level climate smart ag groups are growing, evidenced by wide media attention drawn by a forum held last month by the Florida Climate Smart Agriculture (FL CSA) Work Group, and an early meeting of a robust new work group of ag and forestry leaders
September 23, 2019
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(Our Daily Planet) What a day! Here are just a few highlights! We will have some special exclusive content for you fin the days ahead including interviews with the candidates. Senator Bernie Sanders had a standing room only crowd. We had a chance to talk with him after his interview with Chris
September 20, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Converting algae to fuels is challenging. But PNNL is working on developing process models and techno-economic analysis to inform hydrothermal liquefaction algae conversion research for fuels and chemicals. Check out what Susanne Jones and others from PNNL shared as part of the 2019 BETO Peer
September 20, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Had algae ice cream lately? BioMar is working on getting that to become a reality by making algae in food and food mainstream. At the recent Algae Biomass Summit in Orlando, Florida, Vidar Gundersen, Global Sustainability Director at BioMar shared how salmon feed has evolved
September 20, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)Advanced Algal Systems. Maybe you’ve heard of it but did you know that technologies are being developed as part of a DOE program to enable production of sustainable algal feedstocks that perform reliably in conversion processes to yield renewable fuel blendstocks, as well as bioproducts and
September 20, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At the recent Algae Biomass Summit, John Litynski, Deputy Director of Advanced Fossil Technology Systems at the DOE gave this illuminating overview of the federal government’s role in CCUS and detailed some of the major carbon capture demonstration projects. For example, the ADM ethanol facility
September 20, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … We’ve managed to get a hold of three presentations that really were the bomb at ABS 2019. Jonathan Male, director of the Bioenergy Technologies Office and one of the original Pyromaniax himself, gave this one on the algae R&D priorities and actions for fuels and
September 20, 2019
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(Advantage News) The NCERC at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville hosted a presentation from The Boeing Company’s Joe Ellsworth, regional director of environmental strategy and integration, who presented Boeing and Sustainable Aviation Fuels in late August. Ellsworth also met with NCERC Director of Research Dr. Yan Zhang and Assistant Professor of Chemistry and NCERC
September 19, 2019
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by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Vijay Singh, professor in Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told his Alcohol School audience Sept. 12 that he was going to “make the case for fractionation.” The conventional corn-to-ethanol production process does not maximize coproduct opportunities, he said.
September 19, 2019
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by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Minimizing feedstock cost is one rule for a successful cellulosic ethanol project, according to Mark Yancey, chief technology officer for D3Max. “That can be a very large component of your project costs.” Yancey spoke Sept. 13 at Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits’ Alcohol School, held
September 19, 2019
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by Nora Goldstein (BioCycle Magazine) Overall, demand for RNG is strong in spite of an oversupply of D3 RINs in 2018. — In 2018, cellulosic biofuel producers, including those making renewable natural gas (RNG), outperformed the annual Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) quantity for D3 RINs (Renewable Identification Numbers) set by
September 19, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We all know plastics are an issue but could there be a solution with a circular carbon economy for plastics? That’s exactly what BETO is looking at with biobased designs for recyclability, reduced use, improved properties, and anaerobic digestion and composting. They are asking what
September 19, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …Couple of good trends to point to: 1. Lot more emphasis on farms and farming these days. It’s still an industry dominated by people in white coats, but there are some more overalls around the ABS than we’ve ever seen before. 2. A little more emphasis
September 19, 2019
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(Biofuels International) A member of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has testified to the House Small Business Committee on Rural Development on the contribution of biodiesel to the clean energy economy. Thomas Brooks, general manager of Western Dubuque Biodiesel, spoke at a hearing on ‘Growing the Clean Energy Economy’, in
September 19, 2019
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(New England Fuel Institute /Biodiesel Magazine) The Northeast’s heating oil industry has resolved to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2050. This ambitious goal was set at the Northeast Industry Summit held during the 2019 Heating & Energizing America Trade Show at the Rhode Island Convention Center. The industry’s resolution
September 18, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Developing efficient and economical biological and chemical technologies to convert biomass feedstocks into energy-dense liquid transportation fuels, such as renewable gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, as well as bioproducts, chemical intermediates, and biopower is the primary goal of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Conversion R&D team. As
September 18, 2019
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by Barry Cohen (National Algae Association) Continuous and devastating algae blooms & HAB problems are affecting fishing, swimming, tourism, real estate values and local economies. NAA today is encouraging algae researchers to focus their efforts on ‘algae bloom and HAB remediation research’ and to work with private industry to find immediate
September 18, 2019
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by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) As the Maryland Commission on Climate Change and its Mitigation Work Group continue to look at mitigating the effects of climate change, they should look forward using a recent International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) study and others which find that biofuels are necessary to
September 17, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) CO2 is one of those things you love to hate, but it’s there and it’s not going away, so if we don’t find a way to use it, isn’t it a missed opportunity? As part of the 2019 BETO Peer Review, Ian Rowe from the
September 17, 2019
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(Biorenewable Deployment Consortium) BDC is a 501c3 organization focused on education and brokering partnerships in order to accelerate the deployment of economic bioprocesses and assist the forest products industry to get the most value from the tree. BDC membership represents bioprocess companies and the major forest products companies. BDC believes
September 16, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) PACE – Producing Algae for Coproducts and Energy, has several project goals including increasing algal biomass productivity to >25 grams dry weight per meter squared per day using robust engineered algal strains to reduce costs. So how do we get these high value, high market algal
September 16, 2019
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by Julie Harker (Brownfield Ag News) An Iowa biodiesel business manager has testified at a House subcommittee hearing that his business is contributing to the clean energy economy, saying strong consistent federal policy is needed, “It’s ironic that the EPA has such concern for the economic hardships facing small (oil)
September 13, 2019
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by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Delivering the last presentation of the day for The Alcohol School Sept. 12, Scott Kohl, chief technology officer for Franzenburg, discussed several innovations in ethanol production. Yield, amylase formulations, fiber separation, coproduct fractionation, accelerated fermentation, genetically modified (GM) yeast and water conservation techniques made his
September 13, 2019
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(U.S. Grains Council) U.S. Grains Council (USGC) staff, consultants and members attending the Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference (APPEC) in Singapore this week found reason for enthusiasm for ethanol’s future in the region. “This is the first time the Council has participated in a regional petroleum conference in Asia,” said Tim Tierney,
September 13, 2019
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by Donavan Lim and Yi Jeng Huang (S&P Gobal Platts) US ethanol exports are forecast to fall around 100 million gallons year on year to 1.5 billion gallons in 2019 as trade flows redirects away from China toward Southeast Asia and India, according to industry executive in an interview at
September 13, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Noone knows fungus like these guys. A PNNL team has been developing fungal genetic engineering tools for industrially relevant fungi (filamentous and yeasts) and applying them to development of biofuel and bioproduct bioprocesses in stirred tank reactors. Jon Magnuson from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory gave this
September 13, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Petroleum based lubricants are everywhere, but Cargill is working on producing lubricants from cellulosic sugars instead. Utilizing a novel bioprocess that converts lignocellulosic hydrolysate sugars to caprylatemethyl ester, they are laying the foundation for this product to be used more extensively in current applications and open
September 12, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Camelina is one of those fascinating feedstocks but often the yields aren’t high enough to be profitable for farmers. That’s a problem Kristi Snell from Yield10 Bioscience is tackling by developing a camelina feedstock with significantly increased seed yield and/or seed oil content to maximize
September 11, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Global Algae Innovations is working on a trifecta of goals: 1) to develop improved strains and cultivation methods to increase the algal biofuel intermediate yield by at least 70% AND 2) to develop new drying and extraction technology to reduce the energy for downstream processing by
September 10, 2019
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(South Dakota Farmers Union) It’s a critical time for the ethanol industry said former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle today, Sept. 9, 2019, when he met with more than 300 farmers, ranchers and agriculture supporters in D.C. as part of the National Farmers Union Fly-In. “It’s a critical time, not only for agriculture,
September 10, 2019
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by Ty Rushing (NWestIowa.com) … During his town hall, King addressed multiple topics including immigration, trade negotiations and the struggles of the agricultural renewable fuels community. POET Biorefining, the nation’s largest ethanol producer, has a plant south of Ashton, which King made reference to when questioning a recent decision by the
September 9, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Shawn Jones from White Dog Labs shared this as part of the of U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office presentations on second-generation mixotrophy for the highest yield and least expensive biochemical production. Check out The Digest’s slides on how this project is working on
September 9, 2019
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According to Reuters‘ reporters Humeyra Pamuk and Jarrett Renshaw, Terry Branstad, the former Iowa governor and now U.S. ambassador to China, showed a map of counties that had flipped in Trump’s favor in 2016 but were now considered at risk in the November 2020 election. Branstad also listed quotes from
September 6, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Versalis, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eni, and while their history lies with traditional chemicals, they now have strategic guidelines for chemistry from renewables. Their biotech business unit is one of the ways they are integrating renewable chemicals into products like biofuels, biochemicals, bioherbicides, cosmetic products,
September 6, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Product, processes and partnerships are what it’s all about in India right now with the country’s latest bioenergy policies and growing activity in the bioeconomy. Pramod Chaudhari, Executive Chairman at Praj Industries gave this illuminating presentation at ABLC 2019 in Washington, D.C. on how exactly India
September 4, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There’s nothing like a former fed to give a unique perspective on federal programs and policy. Paul Argyropoulos, President of Policy Nexus Advisors, gave this illuminating overview of what he thinks the future holds, influencing factors and drivers that can change the whole planes, trains
September 3, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Retired Vice Admiral Philip Cullom is as impressive on paper as he is in person and offers a unique perspective- a retired Vice Admiral in the U.S. Navy, a native of Illinois, having served around the world in nine named operations, a physics degree from the
August 30, 2019
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(Federal University of Goiás (UFG)) Isabela Almeida Rodrigues, undergraduate student of International Relations, was awarded by the Brazilian Association of International Relations (ABRI) Isabela Almeida Rodrigues, undergraduate student at Universidade Federal de Goiás (Federal University of Goias), won the 3rd Contest of Scientific Initiation in International Relations of the Brazilian Association
August 30, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It’s all about the life cycle, right? That’s what the USDA set out to find out about corn ethanol – just exactly what are the GHG emissions associated with the production of corn-based ethanol in the U.S.? Back in 2010, the RIA LCA concluded that –
August 29, 2019
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(Avfuel) In an effort to further business aviation’s carbon neutrality goals, Avfuel will make sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) available to operators fueling at Jackson Hole Aviation on September 3 and 4. For the event, Avfuel will supply 7,300 gallons of SAF to the FBO to fuel operators flying in and
August 28, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Whitefox uses membranes to carry out industrial water separation steps, including membranes for biofuels. Their first industrial installation was in Europe in 2002 for pharmaceutical grade ethanol, but installations now have expanded to industrial and potable alcohol, perfume reactors, and even Vitamin C facilities. Check
August 28, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Klobuchar says “I will stop the oil refinery waivers”: In Iowa, US Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said that, if elected President in 2020, would in her first 100 days in office order a moratorium on oil refinery waivers issued under the Renewable Fuel Standard, restore the
August 28, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Here’s The Digest’s very own condensed look at 9 bioeconomy companies –Amyris, Aemetis, Codexis, Gevo, Green Plains, Neste, Novozymes, Pacific Ethanol and Renewable Energy Group, in their own words and images. From their latest projects, expansions, accomplishments, financials, to their outlook on future plans, strategic objectives,
August 27, 2019
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by Lindsey Bahr (Associated Press/ABC 33/40) What if alternative energy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be? That’s the provocative question explored in the documentary “Planet of the Humans,” which is backed and promoted by filmmaker Michael Moore and directed by one of his longtime collaborators. It premiered last week
August 26, 2019
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by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) … At the American Coalition for Ethanol’s annual conference in Omaha, Nebraska, Fluid Quip Technologies and ICM Inc presented their cases for diversifying into protein production. “There’s a lot of opportunities to take the plants from strictly ethanol to the biorefineries of the future,”
August 26, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Vertimass’s catalytic conversion is so cool it can convert ethanol into fungible blend stocks in one step without added hydrogen. Their technology produces hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals from biomass – taking biomass through existing biofuels facilities and adding the Vertimass bolt-on catalytic conversion, it comes out
August 26, 2019
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) Mike Lewis co-founded Pearson Fuels in 2003 as an “alternative fuels” station in San Diego, California. Today, Pearson Fuels is the largest distributor of E85 in California, supplying over 140 locations and about 76% of the market. Receiving the Paul Dana Marketing Vision Award at the American Coalition
August 23, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sustainability is such a vague term that some throw around to make them sound good in a consumer environment that is asking for greener and more socially conscious products. The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials is tackling sustainability head on with its cutting edge sustainability tools for
August 23, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) MetGen are pioneers in industrial enzymes for lignocellulosic biomass and are trying to empower industries to get the most out of biomass with their enzymatic technologies. Alex Michine, CEO of MetGen gave this enlightening overview of MetGen’s ‘how’, the Sweetwoods project and its integrated biorefinery flagship, enzymatic
August 22, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Organisms are interesting creatures and genetic tools and biochemical pathway knowledge is changing the way we look at them. Brian Davison, Chief Scientist for Biotechnology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, gave this knowledge-filled presentation on how to leverage organisms for biofuels and bioproducts, consolidated bioprocessing, barriers
August 22, 2019
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) … During an earnings call, Gevo CEO Patrick Gruber discussed the company’s future plans for aviation fuel production and announced plans to launch a renewable natural gas (RNG) division. Gruber opened the call by discussing progress the company has made with its commercial off-take agreements, referencing
August 21, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Algae has a lot of recent federal support, and this presentation takes us there. The Advanced Algal Systems is working on a host of strategies to focus on enhacing productivity, feedstock, quality and robust yields while developing higher-value bioproducts. Alison Goss Eng, Program Manager, Feedstock
August 21, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Neste’s MY renewable diesel is the best part of ‘diesel molecules’ and diesel specs, according to Neste. Check out this presentation by Dirk Vaughn, Head of Renewable Diesel Sales North America for Neste given at ABLC 2019 in Washington, D.C.to get the details on how
August 21, 2019
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(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) The 22nd Annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forumbrought together 30-40 businesses, trade associations, and government agencies to showcase renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. In every state across the country, these technologies are having a significant impact in business development and
August 19, 2019
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by Doug Root* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Farm Fest in southern Minnesota is always a forum on the health of the agriculture sector of the economy and biofuels. This year was no exception as Rep. Colin Peterson hosted a listening session with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and six members of
August 17, 2019
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In Iowa, Candidates Are Talking About Farming’s Climate Change Connections Like No Previous Election
by Georgina Gustin (Inside Climate News) About half the candidates have policy proposals or statements addressing climate change impacts on agriculture or farming’s potential as a climate solution. … They also brought an unprecedented focus on agriculture‘s connections with climate change—an issue that’s getting more traction among rural Midwestern voters and farmers in
August 16, 2019
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(Ag News Wire) The 32nd annual American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) conference is taking place August 14-16, 2019 in Omaha, Nebraska. The event includes a welcome from Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, followed by industry updates and a keynote presentation by new U.S. Grains Council CEO Ryan LeGrand, as well as panels and
August 16, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Scars are a sign you’ve been there and survived. You overcame. You learned something, maybe the hard way. And Patrick Gruber, CEO of Gevo, a company that produces low-carbon, renewable, high-performance fuel products, shows us just how beautiful scars can be. Check out his illuminating presentation where
August 16, 2019
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(Transportation and Climate Initiative/Georgetown Climate Center) On Tuesday, July 30, more than 300 community members, transportation, environmental and social justice advocates, business and industry representatives, and state and local officials participated in the Transportation & Climate Initiative workshop on Low-Carbon Transportation Investments, Strategies, and Outcomes in Baltimore, Maryland. At the workshop
August 15, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) LanzaTech has produced 5.5 million gallons of ethanol since start up and has compelling project economics to back it up. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech gave this ‘Carbon Smart’ overview of how LanzaTech is recycling carbon from industrial off gas biomass and MSW syngas and
August 15, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Innovation is great but without implementation, the story ends there. Not so for ICM, a Kanasas-based company that took its small business roots in a farming community and an idea and turned it into 1/3 of the world’s ethanol produced every year by ICM technologies. With
August 14, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Axens Solutions is covering the entire project development cycle and working on things like BioTfuel and Vegan which are renewable diesel and jet fuels, Futurol, a cellulosic ethanol using biomass enzymatic fermentation, Atol made from ethylene using ethanol dehydration, and other feedstocks for fuel. David
August 14, 2019
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(UFG Journal (Google Translation)) … A research conducted at the Federal University of Goiás (UFG) evaluates the use of fruits as alternative and unconventional sources of natural origin for ethanol production. In addition to testing with jamelão, a plant of Indian origin that has adapted well in several regions of Brazil,
August 12, 2019
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(U.S. Grains Council/Farm Forum) … This goal of enabling expanded conversations on ethanol blending is why the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) organized a trade team in July to connect representatives from national refineries, ministries of energy and other key stakeholders in Latin America with U.S. refiners currently blending ethanol with
August 12, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The fuels market and demand for jet fuels is big, but what about the marine sector? After all, over 90% of all goods are shipped via marine vessels fueled with high sulfur (3.5 wt.%) heavy residual fuel oil (HFO). Zia Haq, Siva Sivasubramanian, Mark Shmorhun, Mohan
August 12, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Novozymes is a leader in biological solutions focusing on enzymes and microbes. The company just released their report on the first half of 2019 that showed while there was a second quarter improvement, overall the entire first half of 2019 was disappointing in performance, mostly due to
August 12, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuhttp://radar.weather.gov/radar_lite.php?product=NCR&rid=LWX&loop=yesels Digest) Gevo produces and sells low-carbon, renewable, high-performance fuel products. From ethanol to isobutanol, jet fuel, isooctane, oxygenate blendstocks, and more, Gevo is on a mission to replace fossil based products and decarbonize products for large markets. Tim Cesarek, Executive VP and COO of Gevo gave this
August 8, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Missed The Digest’s webinar on Biomass Gasification? Wondering what it is or where it’s at? Biomass Gasification is a thermochemical process in which a renewable solid carbonaceous feedstock is reacted with air, oxygen, CO2 and/or steam to produce a gaseous product stream containing hydrogen and carbon
August 7, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) GoodFuels is seeing a fast rise of low carbon marine fuels as a very logical one. The demand. The supply. The environmental impact. Even the economics. It’s all making sense now. In November, GoodFuels completed trials of the world’s first zero emission, ‘drop in’ Heavy Fuel
August 7, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Since 2006, the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) has sought to enhance energy security and environmental sustainability for aviation through the use of alternative jet fuels. CAAFI is a coalition of airlines, aircraft and engine manufacturers, energy producers, researchers, international participants and U.S. government agencies.
August 6, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Ecostrat supplies millions of tons of wood fiber and organic feedstock in North America and globally with a proprietary Biomass Supply Chain Analytics suite that looks into feedstock availability, competition, future cost, supply risks and mitigation. Jordan Solomon, Managing Director & CEO President of Ecostrat, Inc.,
August 6, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Global Bioenergies produces isobutene from sugars with a commercial plant in preparation. Their technology can transform isobutene into isooctane, ETBE, C12/C16 hydrocarbons and more, which makes it relevant for a wide range of markets including specialty fuels, green chemistry, cosmetics, jet fuels, car fuels, and more.
August 6, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) GranBio is focused on commercial deployment of technologies for the production of biofuels, biochemicals, and nanocellulose. Kim Nelson, PhD, CTO Nanocellulose of GranBio gave this illuminating overview of GranBio’s two distinct nanocellulose processes, the BETO project for jet fuel and nanocellulose co-production, the Thomaston Biorefinery which
August 5, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) On a recent Digest webinar, we heard all about biochar. The science. The markets. The technology. The results. The needs. And much more. If you missed The Digest’s webinar then check out the slides that cover all you need to know about biochar. Hugh McLaughlin, PhD,
August 5, 2019
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(National Road Carriers/Business.Scoop) There will not be one transport fuel for the future hydrogen, electric, biofuel and clean diesel energy will all play a part as the sector transitions to support the Governments goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. — That was the consensus of all the presenters at National
August 2, 2019
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(South Dakota Farmers Union/Farm Forum) South Dakota Farmers Union, together with leaders from 13 South Dakota agriculture organizations, sat down with Gregory Sopkin, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional administrator for District Eight to discuss challenges facing South Dakota farmers and ranchers, as well as opportunities to be found through expanded
August 2, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Oceans are the largest untapped growth opportunity for biomass and that macroalgae is the quintessential ocean crop, according to ARPA-E. But, it says that with the current state of technology, it will never scale to meet energy and CO2 capture demands. So what to do? That’s
August 2, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Fulcrum Bioenergy is a pioneer in making low-carbon, low-cost, transportation fuels from one of our nation’s most abundant resources – household garbage. And transforming waste to fuel is a beautiful thing, especially when industries like aviation are committed to alternative, more sustainable fuels. … Jim Macias,
August 1, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Federal Aviation Administration is a governmental body of the United States with powers to regulate all aspects of civil aviation in that nation as well as over its surrounding international waters and have been working on replacing petroleum jet fuel with drop-in renewable alternatives. Dr.
August 1, 2019
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by Douglas L. Faulkner (The Cleantech Conservative/Leatherstocking LLC/ Biofuels Digest) … (W)e first addressed bio-based plastic research needs; second, we reviewed government regulations preventing the growth of advanced biofuels, a controversial action; then we launched an effort for 2019 for an intensive look at forests of the future and their opportunities for woody
August 1, 2019
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by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Along with about 300 state lawmakers, business leaders, transportation experts, and public figures, I met in Baltimore, Maryland, July 30, 2019, at a regional public workshop on developing low-carbon investment strategies and priorities for the Transportation & Climate Initiative (TCI), a regional partnership for
July 31, 2019
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by David Law (MyKXLG) Cooperative board members and company employees spent most of Tuesday morning at the Glacial Lakes Energy plant in Watertown educating region 8 EPA head Greg Sopkin about the importance of ethanol to the state’s farm economy. Leading off was Mark Schmidt who is the president of the
July 31, 2019
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(Southern California Gas Company/CISION) Calgren’s dairy biogas operation–first of its kind in California-captures methane from animal waste to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide pipeline quality renewable natural gas — Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today joined Calgren Dairy Fuels, and state and local elected officials to announce the completion of Calgren’s dairy renewable
July 31, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Cloud based fermentation – sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it’s real. Culture Biosciences’ vision is to make biomanufacturing a digital experience: they want running bioreactors to be as easy as running code in a data center. In order to do this, they’ve
July 31, 2019
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(Renewable Fuels Association/AgWired) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Kenny Hauk of Hauk Designs are partnering to highlight the many benefits of using ethanol fuel blends in high-performance off-road vehicles. Fans can watch the Hauk team design and build an RFA flex-fuel Jeep Wrangler JL in a special “Hauk Machines” Amazon Prime video series airing
July 29, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Clariant, a Switzerland based specialty chemicals company, has four business areas: Care Chemicals, Natural Resources, Catalysis and Plastics & Coatings. While the first half of the year has been challenging, Clariant was able to increase sales by 4% and operating cash flow increased by 11%. Paolo
July 29, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How chemical products and novel substances are regulated in the U.S. has a huge impact on the bioeconomy and the companies that are producing bioproducts today. Bergeson & Campbell shares their thoughts on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and how it impacts you, how you
July 26, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Today’s top story talks about the value of hydrogen so what better Multi-Slide Guide than SBI BioEnergy and their renewable fuel process including their new venture of what they call bio-hydrogen using a proprietary catalytic technology. Simply put, they turn bioethanol into green hydrogen via their
July 23, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Proteins are molecular machines that carry out the vast majority of functions within living things and Arzeda’s unique combination of computational protein design and state-of-the-art high-throughput screening is a radical change over what’s possible with traditional protein engineering. Alexandre Zanghellini, CEO, Arzeda gave this illuminating overview
July 19, 2019
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by Mike Putz (Dyersville Commercial) Democratic presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand might be trailing in the polls both in Iowa and nationally, but she believes stops like the one she made to Big River Resources in Dyersville will convince Iowans to send her to the White House. The New York Senator visited
July 17, 2019
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(American Coalition for Ethanol) The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) and Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) hosted a tour in conjunction with the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) in Iowa last week to show nine decision-makers from key Mexican retail and supplier groups how ethanol blends have been successfully and profitably incorporated
July 17, 2019
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by Shiv Kumar (Tribune News Service) Minister for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and Transport Nitin Gadkari has proposed that sugar mills set up ethanol fuel pumps in their premises. The sugar co-operatives are under pressure because of unsold stocks and are already mulling switching over to large-scale production of ethanol provided
July 17, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) American Process has developed proprietary technologies for producing low cost cellulosic sugars from non-food based biomass. Theodora Retsina, Ph.D, CEO, American Process, gave this illuminating overview of what open innovation really means, how it takes place in biorefineries, associated challenges, and more at ABLC 2019 in Washington,
July 17, 2019
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(Diesel Technology Forum) The new generation of diesel technology is helping ports, cities, communities and entire nations meet climate and clean air challenges of today and tomorrow, according to a statement submitted today by the Diesel Technology Forum, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of diesel engines, fuel and the
July 16, 2019
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by Heide Pearson (Global News) A new refinery set to open in southern Alberta is aiming to change the way household waste is recycled and reduce the carbon footprint at the same time. Cielo Waste Solutions is set to open its first refinery in Aldersyde, Alta., where it will turn Albertans’ landfill
July 12, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Ag-Grid Energy LLC has 5 projects underway currently where the emphasis is organic waste to renewable energy. Ag-Grid Energy has a vision to drive dairy farm sustainability by converting agricultural and organic waste to energy, enhance nutrient management practices thereby improving farm viability and financial stability.
July 12, 2019
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by Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer) The uncertainty of the federal Renewable Fuels Standard and political fights with the petroleum industry are giving more weight to the need for major biofuel states to consider their own low-carbon fuel standards. After years of pushing for a federal low-carbon fuels standard, the
July 11, 2019
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(Xinhua) Social sustainability and justice in bio-economy were the leading themes as 350 bio-economy experts gathered in Helsinki on Tuesday. The Bio-economy Scene 2019 conference was organized by the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the European Commission. Matti Hayry, Professor of Business Philosophy at Aalto University, suggested more transparency
July 11, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … (T)he bioeconomy’s biggest and grandest show, the BIO World Congress, takes us on an accustomed journey through the present and future in a sector that has more twists and turns than the rides at Six Flags and the acceleration of a mission to Mars.
July 10, 2019
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(Solutions from the Land) Science-based decision making and putting farmers at the center of all discussions were among the guiding principles touted by representatives of NACSAA and many of its member organizations in a workshop held by United Nation’s facilitators in Bonn, Germany, on the development of an agricultural work program
July 9, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Algae Biomass Organization advocates for algae-advancing policy and funding, serves as a hub for innovation and networking, and drives demand for “made with algae” products and services. Mark Allen, Chairperson of ABO, offers this enlightening overview of the Algae Interagency Working Group, current state of the algae
July 9, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Agrisoma Biosciences, Inc. has the world’s largest collection of Carinata and an extensive modern crop improvement program that allows them to select high yielding varieties ideally suited for production across a broad range of geographies. Agrisoma has commercialized Carinata in North and South America, working with
July 5, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … (W)e have the satisfying slides that will satiate your hunger for thoughts from renowned due diligence experts on the latest and hottest technologies. You won’t want to miss these slides, esp. if you missed ABLC’s Wolfpack this April. Paul Bryan from Sandia National Labs, James Iademarco from Strategic
July 5, 2019
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) Airlines for Americais an American trade association and lobbying group based in Washington, D.C. that represents the largest airlines and more than 90 percent of U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. A4A advocates on behalf of its members to shape crucial policies and measures that promote
July 3, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Praj had a humble beginning as a supplier of ethanol plants, and today is a global company with a bouquet of sustainable solutions for bioenergy, high purity water, critical process equipment, breweries and industrial wastewater treatment. Dr. Pramod Kumbhar, Chief Technology Officer at Praj Industries offers
July 2, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For some time, many have been uncertain as to what direction former REG CEO Dan Oh would take in developing a new entry into the fast-growing bioeconomy, but now we can be certain, or rather, AgCertain. News has filtered out of Iowa that Oh’s new company,
July 2, 2019
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by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) … Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), in collaboration with a number of partners, held a public exhibition of projects to help California achieve greenhouse-gas (GHG) emission reductions. The California utility held the event at the San Diego State University Center for Energy Sustainability in Brawley, Calif.
July 2, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Aemetis is an international renewable fuels and biochemicals company using patented industrial biotechnology for the construction and operation of advanced biorefineries. They own and operate a 60+ million gallon ethanol plant in California, a 50 million gallon capacity Biodiesel and Glycerin refinery in India, they are building
July 1, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Synpet Technologiesuses Thermal Conversion Process (TCP), a patented non-combustion technology which breaks down all organic materials by using heat, pressure and water to produce renewable diesel oil and other valuable co-products from waste. So let’s get down with TCP, yeah, you know me. Brian Appel,Co-founder of
June 28, 2019
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(GreenAir Online) A coalition of EU States came together last week in the Netherlands to discuss how carbon pricing and taxes could be applied to Europe’s air transport sector. At a conference convened by the Dutch government, the country’s finance minister, Menno Snel, said it was unfair aviation escaped taxes compared to
June 28, 2019
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RNG Stakeholders Speak out on EPA’s 2020 Renewable Fuel Proposal
by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) More than two dozen representatives from the renewable natural gas (RNG) industry spoke at Wednesday’s public hearing in Michigan to provide feedback on 2020 biofuel volumes proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. “The RNG Coalition is the