Shi-You Ding, Yu-San Liu, Yining Zeng, Michael E. Himmel, John O. Baker, Edward A. Bayer (Science Magazine) Greater understanding of the mechanisms contributing to chemical and enzymatic solubilization of plant cell walls is critical for enabling cost-effective industrial conversion of cellulosic
(EurekAlert!) To celebrate World Toilet Day on November 19, researchers at Columbia University's Engineering School, working in Ghana with Waste Enterprisers Ltd., the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, are launching a pilot
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Ensyn – moving rapidly towards scale as a transport fuel technology after decades in smaller, high-value markets. What does Ensyn’s signature RTP technology, that’s making such a splash, look like? ...Ensyn has become a signature part
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Canada’s $500 million NextGen Biofuels Fund, five years after formation, gets close to making its first investments just as Canada’s leaders consider pulling the plug It was the most amazing sovereign commitment to biofuels of its
(University of Wisconsin-Madison) Using a biomass-derived solvent, University of Wisconsin-Madison chemical and biological engineers have streamlined the process for converting lignocellulosic biomass into high-demand chemicals or energy-dense liquid transportation fuel. Their new method eliminates the need for costly pretreatment steps that
by Lynn Yarris (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Joint BioEnergy Institute Researchers Find New Access to Abundant Biomass for Advanced Biofuels After cellulose, xylan is the most abundant biomass material on Earth, and therefore represents an enormous potential source of stored solar
by Matthew L. Wald (New York Times) For years, scientists and engineers have been juggling various combinations of acids, steam, bacteria, catalysts and the digestive juices of microorganisms to convert agricultural waste and even household garbage into motor fuel. So far,
by Marc Chase (Northwest Indiana Times) ...The board voted at the beginning of the year to find Powers Energy in breach of contract for failing to deliver on its promise to secure land and financing to construct a plant in
(Transparency Market Research/PR NewsWire) According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research (http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com) "Biofuel Enzymes Market- Global Industry Size, Market Share, Trends, Analysis and Forecast, 2012 - 2018," the global biofuel enzymes demand was worth USD 1,021.9
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) There is a new process that algae producers can use in the conversion stage to help increase their capacity and add to the bottom line, says Incitor’s VP of Business Development Jacob Berman.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Brent Crude trades this past week at a transorbital $109 per barrel (West Texas Intermediate at a suborbital, if high, $85). It puts the conventional wisdom that biofuels are too infrastructure incompatible and too costly
(Next-Gen Transportation News) Aemetis Inc., an advanced fuels and renewable chemicals company, has entered into an agreement to install technology from Edeniq at its plant in Keyes, Calif. Aemetis will use Edeniq's Cellunators ethanol platform and test the company's Pathway technology. ...Cellunator produces
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 500 ton per day wood biomass to biocrude plant commences oil production – the long wait for cellulosic biofuels at scale is over. ...But the news from Columbus, Mississippi, that cellulosic biocrude production has started up,
by Robert Sanders (Biodiesel Magazine/UC Berkeley) A long-abandoned fermentation process once used to turn starch into explosives can be used to produce renewable diesel fuel to replace the fossil fuels now used in transportation, University of California, Berkeley, scientists have
(PR NewsWire/Sacramento Bee) Praj Industries, the integrated process engineering and solutions provider for bioethanol, brewery, water & wastewater and process equipment globally shared it's advancement in the development of Commercial Demo Plant for Lignocellulosic Ethanol. This is a major game changer for
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) With the announcement of new investment from Bunge Global Innovation LLC, Cobalt Technologies’ n-butanol development is ready for deployment in Brazil. “We’re in a position now where the demonstration plant is fully funded and
by Kelley Price (Evening Gazette) A Scottish whisky distillery is about to become the first in the world to turn its waste into advanced biofuel - here on Teesside. Tullibardine, an independent malt whisky producer, is using Centre for Process Innovation’s
(National Science Foundation) The Bioenergy Center at North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T) will be an educational and research resource for the United States in the field of thermochemical conversion of biomass to bioenergy. The efficient and economic production of
by Nick Perry (The Australian) A Technology breakthrough by two Australian brothers could offer a solution to the world's insatiable appetite for food and fuel. Phillip and Geoff Bell have developed a new way to produce ethanol from waste products such
(EurekAlert!/University of Michigan) It looks like Mother Nature was wasting her time with a multimillion-year process to produce crude oil. Michigan Engineering researchers can "pressure-cook" algae for as little as a minute and transform an unprecedented 65 percent of the
(The Star) A Japanese technology, which is still in its pilot stage, may be used on sago to produce ethanol. Kansai Chemical Engineering Company Limited of Bio-Energy Corporation presdent Dr Hideo Noda said in Japan, several projects on bio-ethanol production from
by Jim Lane (Biobased Digest) Partnership aims for fuels, chemicals & co-products from brown seaweed In California, Bio Architecture Lab announced an agreement with China’s Xunshan Group, the world’s largest grower of brown seaweed and a global ocean fishery and aquaculture
by Christopher Doering (Des Moines Register) Novozymes said it has developed a new enzyme called Avantec that allows more ethanol to be produced from corn. The Danish industrial enzymes maker said Avantec enables ethanol producers to squeeze an extra 2.5 percent
(Energy Efficiency News) Finnish firm Neste Oil officially opened its first European pilot plant for producing microbial oil from waste material in Porvoo, Finland on Friday. ...Neste Oil, meanwhile, has invested €8 million in its pilot plant as part of its ongoing microbial
by Erin Miller (West Hawaii Today) Aina Koa Pono’s biodiesel proposal isn’t a good deal for Hawaii County residents, Mayor Billy Kenoi said Monday, hours before the Public Utilities Commission was set to begin its first Big Island hearing on
by Roger Moore (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Leifmark LLC) ...If you’re Denmark, and practically surrounded by the North Sea, global warming and the anticipated rise in the ocean level tend to focus the national mind. To thrive economically, as well as survive
by Gregory T. Benz (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Benz Technology International Inc.) Lignocellulosic slurries have long been used for paper production as well as for feedstock for water-soluble polymer production, such as carboxy methyl cellulose. More recently, they have been used as the
by Ronalds Gonzalez (Ethanol Producer Magazine/North Carolina State University) The concept of converting paper industry sludge to ethanol has been intensively studied in the past decade. Recently, research at North Carolina State University has shown that the process is clearly
(ZeaChem) ZeaChem Inc., developer of highly-efficient biorefineries, today announced that it has completed construction of its 250,000 gallons per year (GPY) cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in Boardman, Oregon. The project was completed on budget and is expected to begin production of
by Stefaniya Becking* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The 4th Nordic Wood Biorefinery conference held in Helsinki, Finland (October 23-25, 2012) brought together over 300 people from around 30 countries. The organizers successfully achieved the goal of having a stimulating event with
(Environmental Leader) Google has been using Cool Planet Energy Systems’ biofuel blend to run a fleet vehicle at the search giant’s Mountain View, Calif. campus, according to the energy-tech startup. ...During the Google trial, a campus vehicle called GRide ran on
by RP Siegel (TriplePundit) ... 3p: If you look at where we today relative to the RFS, it says that by the year 2022, a total of 21 billion gallons of biofuel needs to be provided by something other than corn. That puts a
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Novozymes becomes preferred enzyme supplier for Beta Renewables’ current and future cellulosic biofuel projects; embedded in Proesa production technology. In Denmark and Italy, Novozymes, the world’s largest producer of industrial enzymes, and Beta Renewables, a global
by Ysabel Yates (Renewable Energy World) ...Using microbes to create useful products is nothing new. Humans have been doing it for centuries to bake bread or brew alcohol, for example. More recent techniques have employed microbes in green technology,
by Tim Leeds (Havre Daily News) A standing-room-only crowd filled a newly re-opened building at Montana State University-Northern to hear dignitaries and university representatives talk about the latest addition to its cutting-edge alternative fuels laboratory. ...The center houses the oil presses
(Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes) Crude oil is getting scarce. This is why researchers are seeking to substitute petroleum-based products – like plastics – with sustainable raw materials. Waste wood, divided into lignin and cellulose, could serve as a raw
(POET) POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels has contracted for a key technology/process component in breaking down cellulose to produced advanced biofuel. POET-DSM has contracted with International Technology Group ANDRITZ, through its U.S. subsidiary ANDRITZ Inc., to supply a two-step biomass treatment process for
by Henry Fountain (New York Times) Nearly a decade after the adoption of federal renewable fuel standards led to a sharp increase in production of ethanol, some producers in the Corn Belt are considering making a different fuel. The fuel, butyl alcohol,
(Science Daily/The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)...Utilizing systems metabolic engineering, a Korean research team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has succeeded in demonstrating an optimized process to increase butanol production by generating an
(Aemetis/BusinessWire) Aemetis, Inc. (OTCPK: AMTX), an advanced fuels and renewable chemicals company, announced today that the company was awarded a patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) titled “Hydrolytic Enzyme Mixtures For Saccharification of Lignocellulosic Polysaccharides”, and
by Marsha W. Johnston (Renewable Energy World) By all rights, many believe aviation biofuel producers should be attracting deep-pocketed investors ambitious enough to build the infrastructure necessary to meet a clearly burgeoning industrial-sized demand. At the Aviation Biofuels Development Conference, representatives
by Bruce Dorminey (Renewable Energy World) ...Armed with a $200,000 U.S.D.A. two-year research grant, Fernando Resende will start work on a fast pyrolysis mobile reactor next year that could revolutionize how foresters and the timber industry currently deals with millions of
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Can local communities pyrolize their wastes and residues, to make renewable fuels and chemicals at biobased super-refineries? Two-step processes could be the ticket to the future, according to an Iowa State team. Imagine, for a
(Hyrax Energy) A licensing agreement for a novel renewable chemical and biofuel production method between Hyrax Energy and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation promises to accelerate commercial development of the technology and lead to high-quality U.S. jobs. Developed in the laboratory
by Billy Gunn (TheTownTalk.com) ...Not quite one year ago, Louisiana Economic Development chief Stephen Moret and local economic development officials announced that Sundrop Fuels would locate its biofuels plant at a site off Interstate 49 north of Alexandria. The company plans
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Deployment of next-gen bagasse-to-biofuels technologies could expand ethanol production in Brazil, India by 35 percent without land, water intensification. ...Guidance being given by the projects is that capacities could increase by up to 35 percent at
(Business Wire/Daily Finance) Biofuels ISOCONVERSION process licensed by Aemetis to produce 100% replacement renewable jet and diesel fuels from plant and algal oils Aemetis, Inc., an advanced fuels and renewable chemical company, announced today (10/19/2012) that the company signed an expanded,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...(California Energy) Commission staff have proposed a $4.6 million award to ZeaChem for the development of a pilot plant at its Menlo Park, Calif. research and development (R&D) facility to scale up the company’s C3 (three-carbon
(National Algae Association) ...NAA is proud of its efforts in promoting collaboration between the research community and the commercial algae production industry. Without any grant money from the government, NAA has been successful in promoting collaboration between researchers and producers, building commercial-scale
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Today, we’ll look at the bigger balance sheets to see who is investing what, and when, with whom, and why. ...We’ve also focused here, for the sake of brevity, on those financing commercial scale projects. So,
(RTI) RTI International began construction last week on a new 3,000-square-foot energy technology development facility on RTI’s main campus in Research Triangle Park, N.C. The facility will house a biomass pyrolysis reactor to further extend RTI’s biofuels research efforts. Using RTI’s technology, the
by Jim Lane (Biobased Digest) Could enzyme biocatalysts replace fermentation among the hottest process platforms in industrial biotech? Newlight thinks so, as it applies its supercatalyst to low-cost plastics. And no petroleum or food crops required. In the weeks and months
(Bioenergy Deployment Consortium/MarketWire) BDC held its 2012 Fall Symposium in Alpena, MI on September 18 & 19, capping the event with a tour of the new cellulosic ethanol plant owned by American Process Inc. (API), a BDC member. API's facility is
by Michael Fabey (Aerospace Daily and Defense Report/Aviation Week) Despite continued opposition from lawmakers like U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the U.S. Navy will continue its efforts to leverage biofuels technology for its ships and aircraft, service Secretary Ray Mabus
by Bernadette Tansey (Xconomy) The South San Francisco company LS9 recently produced five tons of industrial chemicals from plant sugars at a Florida demonstration facility, a step toward proving that its genetically engineered microbes can manufacture carbon compounds and fuels at a commercial
by Paul Morden (Sarnia Observer) Woodland Biofuels’ $12-million Sarnia demonstration plant is up and could be producing ethanol from wood waste by the end of the year, says president Greg Nuttall. The newly-built facility is located at the Western University Research
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) World’s largest producer of sugarcane ethanol commits investment to cellulosic ethanol development with Iogen. In Brazil, Raízen Group and Iogen Energy announced that Raízen has committed an initial investment to develop a commercial cellulosic ethanol project in Brazil
(The Ames Laboratory) Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Ames Laboratory are learning more about how nano-scale catalytic systems work, and their research could be the key to improved processes for refining biofuels and producing other chemicals. Nanospheres,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Are they biofuels? We think so – even if they are post-biomass. They do what organisms have done for eons to make biomass in the first place: convert lifeless CO2, sunlight and water and nutrients
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The story goes back some time, at least to the formation of Cargill Dow – now NatureWorks – a joint venture which Dow eventually left to Cargill as Dow’s views on the sector changed with
by Karen E. Kline (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) ...The 150-employee company (Sapphire Energy), backed by more than $350 million in public and private funds, is a leader in a rapidly growing cluster of 40 biofuels ventures around the city. The scientific breakthroughs
by Randal Yakey (The News Herald) Steve Baxley, the senior engineer at Applied Research Associates (ARA), stood Monday among jars of fluids, beakers and equipment, holding a tiny amount of seeds in the palm of his hand. They are carinata
(Food Product Design) The Soufflet Group opened a technological research facility and laboratory dedicated to the research and applications developed by OSIRIS and the Regional Biotechnology Research Programs to increase the value derived from agricultural resources and agro-industrial byproducts through
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Every great biofuels technology has its own companion feedstock strategy – with unique advantages and technical challenges. Who’s got what it takes to be a great Sherpa, providing that feedstock or intermediates edge that puts
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The next five years—the often scoffed mantra of cellulosic ethanol developers—is getting whittled down to the next year or two. A milestone was reached this year when Blue Sugars Corp. got the first cellulosic
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Quad County Corn Processors is working toward production of both grain-based and cellulosic ethanol from the same feedstock. Travis Brotherson, plant engineer at the 30 MMgy ethanol plant in Galva, Iowa, wasn’t even thinking about
by Derek Markham (Treehugger) ...A team of researchers in South Korea have developed a new process for converting the lipids in sewage sludge into biodiesel, at not only a lower cost than conventional biodiesel, but with much higher yields. The
(MarketWire) Hydrocarbon-like fuels and chemicals to come from agricultural and forest biomass With funding from Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions, the Biorefining Conversions Network aims to become a hub for bioeconomy investments and a world class centre of excellence for biorefining and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Canada, Ensyn Corporation and Fibria Celulose announced the creation of a strategic alliance between the two companies. This alliance includes the establishment of an equally-owned joint venture for the production of cellulosic liquid fuels and chemicals
(Proactive Investors) SWW Energy has delivered initial results from its waste water to biodiesel/biofuel testing which has demonstrated the potential for waste water to be converted to a fuel. Initial observations from the water sample showed usable effluent and that material could
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Every biofuels contender has its own route to the top – with unique advantages and technical challenges. Who is nearing the Summit, what’s their Hillary Step, who’s got Sherpas, who’s got oxygen? It’s the race
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A new drop-in, low-cost, high-octane fuel molecule? How does that work, and why, and when? How does it change the energy independence equation? Today, the Digest visits Incitor to find out about Alestron. ...Back in 2008,
(National Renewable Energy Laboratory/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Scientists at the U.S. DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory have demonstrated a better way to use photosynthesis to produce ethylene, a breakthrough that could change the way materials, chemicals, and transportation fuels are made,
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) ...High moisture feedstocks can muck up the hammer mill system. However, many advanced biofuel producers do not want completely dry feedstocks. The solution will lie in a technology that works well to produce uniform small particles from
by Sarah Gantz (Baltimore Business Journal) Fiberight LLC has been on the fast track to commercializing owner Craig Stuart-Paul’s technology for turning trash into biofuel since Stuart-Paul founded the company in 2007. READ MORE
(Reuters) A small Scottish whisky maker is aiming to turn its by-products into biofuel and become the world's first whisky distillery to fuel car and trucks in a move which could see Scotland's 100-plus distilleries feed a new 60-million-pound industry. Independent
(Renmatix) U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) visits facility to discuss job creation and growth of biobased markets Renmatix, the leading manufacturer of cellulosic sugars for biobased chemical and fuel markets, marked the opening of a new research and development center in
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Reoptimizing its technology, now expects return to reach target isobutanol production rates in 2013. In Colorado, Gevo announced that, while making significant progress towards economic production levels, the company does not now expect to achieve its
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Algenol hits 7000 gallon per acre mark in field operations. What’s the impact for Algenol, for energy independence, for the cost of transport fuel? ...Algenol CEO Paul Woods revealed that the company, at its 4-acre, outdoor
by Joe Cogliano (Dayton Business Journal) A division of Honeywell International Inc. is being tapped by the U.S. Air Force to expand the domestic supply of biofuels. On Thursday, the Defense Department announced Des Plaines, Ill.-based UOP LLC was awarded a $17.3 million contract
by Brian Wallheimer (Purdue University) If Purdue University researchers have their way, the term "biofuel plant" will take on a whole new meaning. A team received a $5.2 million U.S. Department of Energy grant to develop a plant that can make substances
by Prafulla D. Patil, Veera Gnaneswar Gude, Aravind Mannarswamy, Peter Cooke, Nagamany Nirmalakhandan, Peter Lammers, Shuguang Deng (Fuel) In this comparative study, direct conversion of algal biomass into biodiesel using supercritical methanol (SCM) and microwave-assisted (MW) transesterification methods was investigated. Wet
by Anh N. Phan, Tan M. Phan (Fuel) Alkali-catalyzed transesterification of waste cooking oils, collected within Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, with methanol was carried out in a laboratory scale reactor. The effects of methanol/waste cooking oils ratio, potassium hydroxide concentration
by N.H. Tran, J.R. Bartlett, G.S.K. Kannangara, A.S. Milev, H. Volkb, M.A. Wilson (Fuel) Micro-algae are seen as one of the major future fuel sources. Culture and growth of oil rich micro-algae and catalytic process for the conversion of their crude
by Masato Kouzu, Jyu-suke Hidaka (Fuel) Vegetable oil is one of the biomass resources generated from carbon dioxide and water with the aid of photosynthesis, and is converted into an alternative to fossil diesel fuel by transesterifying with methanol. The
by Yogesh C. Sharma, Bhaskar Singh, John Korstad (Fuel) Heterogeneous catalysts are now being tried extensively for biodiesel synthesis. These catalysts are poised to play an important role and are perspective catalysts in future for biodiesel production at industrial level. The review
by Haiping Yang, Rong Yan, Hanping Chen, Dong Ho Lee, Chuguang Zheng (Fuel) The pyrolysis characteristics of three main components (hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin) of biomass were investigated using, respectively, a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) detector and a pack bed. The
by Kim McDonald (Algae Industry Magazine) Chemists at UC San Diego have developed a method that for the first time provides scientists the ability to attach chemical probes onto proteins and subsequently remove them in a repeatable cycle. Their achievement, detailed
by Jean Décotte (Reuters) * A horsey twist to the search for alternative aviation fuel * French project targets use of farm waste on a large scale * Inventor dismisses fears of biofuel vs food competition Passenger jets could be chomping on straw
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What exactly happens in depolymerization, as hydrogen bonds break down? How could that revolutionize the process of making fuels, solvents, thinners, lacquers or paints out of biobased materials? Before one is able to arrange a global
(Oregon State University) Diatoms, tiny marine life forms that have been around since the dinosaurs, could finally make biofuel production from algae truly cost-effective – because they can simultaneously produce other valuable products such as semiconductors, biomedical products and even
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Once described as a “moon shot”, Beta Renewables’ commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol project hovers just over the lunar surface, weeks from completion. It’s transformative cost structure may well reignite the cellulosic rockets. The first thing you
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) For years, National Sorghum Producers have advocated for increasing the use of grain sorghum, or milo, as an ethanol feedstock. Lately, the idea seems to be gaining steam. “There’s been increased interest over
by Zhifang Cui, Caixia Wan, Jian Shi, Robert W. Sykes, and Yebo Li (Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research) Corn stover fractions (leaves, cobs, and stalks) were studied for enzymatic digestibility after pretreatment with a white rot fungus, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora. Among the three fractions, leaves had the least
by Robert Rapier (Biofuels Digest/Energy Trends Insider) ...Methanol is cheap to produce and has been tested extensively as a gasoline replacement. It is the simplest alcohol and one of the world’s most widely used commodity chemicals. Global capacity of methanol is
(Melodika.net) ...Biofuels of the 2nd generation are made of agricultural waste - from wood chips, straw or specially cultivated "energy crops". The Austrian competence centre acib (Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology) has found ways to make these renewable sugar resources
(PR NewsWire/DEINOVE) This breakthrough using Deinococcus could be the solution to a global issue: replacing fossil fuel with a fuel from nonfood biomass announced that its R&D team and its partners in the DEINOL program isolated and optimized a strain
(Missouri University of Science & Technology) Biofuel production can be an expensive process that requires considerable use of fossil fuels, but a Missouri University of Science and Technology microbiologist's patented process could reduce the cost and the reliance on fossil
by Todd Woody (Forbes Magazine) ...Funded with $85 million from Bill Gates and other investors – plus $104 million in government cash and loan guarantees – the world’s only commercial outdoor algal biorefinery went online this summer and will eventually expand to
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, Joule announced the commissioning of its first SunSprings demonstration plant in Hobbs, New Mexico, where the company will prove its scalable platform for solar fuel production – the first of its kind –
by Paul Brinkman (South Florida Business Journal) Officials at LS9, a new biofuel plant in Okeechobee, said Monday it completed its first production run of fatty alcohols, which are used in detergents. The San Francisco-based company unveiled the Okeechobee facility this
by Jennifer Marino Walters (Scholastic News) A Minnesota teen has discovered a way to power trucks and cars with algae Sixteen-year-old Josh Wolf spends up to 40 hours each week in a portable garage behind his family’s home in Elk River, Minnesota.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Closely-watched green gasoline producer collapses as Waste Management declines next financing round. What does it mean for companies like Fulcrum Bioenergy, Enerkem, Agilyx, Agnion, Renmatix, Genomatica, and InEnTec? The Digest looks at the inside story. In
by John Ramsey (Fayetteville Observer) The grass grows as tall as two men and thick as a jungle. This, farmers across the Cape Fear region keep hearing, is the future of ethanol. The giant miscanthus is one of the inedible crops
by Kerstin Nordstrom (News Observer) ...A Triangle-based company has now come up with a way to turn that trash into treasure. Well, fuel. The secret is using enzymes. Novozymes, a company with its North American headquarters in Franklinton, develops and
by Bruce C. Folkedahl (Biomass Magazine/Energy & Environmental Research Center) As part of the ongoing research at the Energy & Environmental Research Center, we have been developing a catalytic pathway to convert ethanol or mixtures of methanol and ethanol to higher
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Breakthroughs in making consistent syngas from negative-cost municipal solid waste spells “big prospects” for Enerkem in biobased fuels and chemicals. In oil we have the crack spread, corn ethanol and soy-based biodiesel we have the crush
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin have developed a proof-of-concept design to harvest, dewater and convert the dried algae to biodiesel in a one-step process using resins. In a paper titled, “Use of Anion
by Michael Sheffield (Memphis Business Journal) Infinite Enzymes LLC has received a $450,000 Small Business Innovation Research Phase II grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to advance its enzyme development technology. This is the second Small Business Innovation Research grant the Jonesboro,
(Waste Management World) Successful field tests of vehicles powered by a biofuel derived from the black liquor wastes produced at a pulp mill have been conducted by Volvo Trucks. The company said that ten of its specially adapted trucks have been
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The new trend in biofuels is not a biofuel at all – it’s an (usually unpronounceable) intermediate that can be refined into an array of fuels, chemicals, flavors, fragrances, and construction or packaging materials. ... Amyris,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In California, Codexis announced that Shell has granted Codexis a royalty-bearing, non-exclusive license to develop, manufacture, use and sell cellulase enzymes developed under the companies’ Amended and Restated Collaborative Research Agreement. The scope of the
(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) As a part of its 10th Anniversary celebration of progress and prosperity, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) today released a list of the ethanol and biodiesel industry’s Top 10 efficiency and technology innovations of the
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Despite low levels of publicity, North Dakota and Montana are making great strides in bioeconomy development – with a combination of strong R&D, feedstock abundance and some hot processing technologies. ...The bioeconomy has been getting a
by Matthew Aylott (National Non-Food Crops Centre) NNFCC gives its top ten of Britain's most progressive biofuel and biochemical companies. TMO Renewables ... Green Biologics ... British Airways ... Ensus ... BP ... Johnson Matthey ... Croda ... INEOS Bio ... Harvest Energy ... Greenergy ... READ MORE
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...While the economic growth in China has been drawing virtually all the headlines in recent years, the “Tiger” economies of Southeast and South Asia have been fast-growing for a long time, and with resources including
(Argonne National Laboratory) Nanoparticles synthesized from noble metals such as ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, silver (Ag), osmium, iridium, platinum, and gold (Au) are attracting increased attention by researchers around the world looking for advances in such fields as biomedicine and catalysts. Researchers
by Robert Rapier (Biofuels Digest/Consumer Energy Report) Distillates are petroleum products that includes diesel, jet fuel, and fuel oil. Renewable distillates may be categorized as substitutes or drop-in replacements. The most common distillate substitute is biodiesel, and drop-in replacements can
by David L. Chandler (MIT News) Genetically modified organism could turn carbon dioxide or waste products into a gasoline-compatible transportation fuel. A humble soil bacterium called Ralstonia eutrophahas a natural tendency, whenever it is stressed, to stop growing and put all its
Hui Shen, Xianzhi He, Charleson R. Poovaiah, Wegi A. Wuddineh, Junying Ma, David G. J. Mann, Huanzhong Wang, Lisa Jackson, Yuhong Tang, C. Neal Stewart Jr, Fang Chen, Richard A. Dixon (New Phytologist) The major obstacle for bioenergy production from switchgrass biomass is the low saccharification efficiency caused by cell wall recalcitrance.
by Chunxiang Fu, Jonathan R. Mielenz, Xirong Xiao, Yaxin Ge, Choo Y. Hamilton, Miguel Rodriguez, Jr., Fang Chen, Marcus Foston, Arthur Ragauskas, Joseph Bouton, Richard A. Dixon, and Zeng-Yu Wang (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) Switchgrass is a leading dedicated bioenergy feedstock in the United States
Lina Gallego-Giraldo, Luis Escamilla-Trevino, Lisa A. Jackson, and Richard A. Dixon (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) Down-regulation of the enzyme hydroxycinnamoyl CoA: shikimate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (HCT) in thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) leads to strongly reduced lignin levels,
Huanzhong Wang, Utku Avci, Jin Nakashima, Michael G. Hahn, Fang Chen, and Richard A. Dixon (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) Stems of dicotyledonous plants consist of an outer epidermis, a cortex, a ring of secondarily thickened vascular bundles and interfascicular
(Neste Oil Corp./Biodiesel Magazine) Neste Oil has completed the first phase of its project to build a pilot plant for producing microbial oil. Construction of the plant is on-schedule and on-budget. The first phase will enable the growth of oil-producing
(National Science Foundation) The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced 15 Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) grants for fiscal year 2012, awarding nearly $30 million to 68 investigators at 26 institutions. During the next four years, teams of researchers
by James Hataway (UGA Today) Since 2007, researchers at the BioEnergy Science Center, one of three Department of Energy-funded research centers, have partnered to figure out how to break down plants so that they easily release the simple sugars that
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) South Dakota has become one of the fastest-growing states in the US, at the same time as it has achieved energy independence through development of its biofuels fleet. Coincidence, or correlation? We look at the
(Ledger-Enquirer) ...Researchers at the University of Georgia may be close to finding it. A report by Susan Mittleman on Georgia Public Broadcasting and transcribed on the Public Broadcasting Atlanta website (pba.org) describes a promising new process for making ethanol and
(Innovation News Daily) A humble soil bacteria has become a genetically engineered factory capable of making fuel for cars. But the project still has to get out of the lab and scale up to industrial-size production. The MIT project aims to make transportation fuels 10
by Daehwan Chung, Joel Farkas, Jennifer R. Huddleston, Estefania Olivar, Janet Westpheling (PLoS ONE) Thermophilic microorganisms capable of using complex substrates offer special advantages for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to biofuels and bioproducts. Members of the Gram-positive bacterial genus Caldicellulosiruptor are anaerobic thermophiles with optimum growth
(Business Wire/AlphaJet) ...Having successfully demonstrated its cost-effective catalytic process for making jet fuel, diesel and high-octane gasoline from renewable plant oils or animal fats, AliphaJet is beginning its commercial scale-up program. ...The company has launched a program to build a demonstration
(Algae Industry Magazine) Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego (Scripps) have entered into an agreement focusing on the design of an innovative system in which algae consume carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) “There are a lot of things we don’t know about the biodiesel process.” This is not a comment expected from one of the most knowledgeable researchers in the biodiesel industry, Prof. Jon Van Gerpen of
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) Cleaner, more sustainable, more climate-friendly, more affordable advanced biofuels are closer to reality than many outside the industry seem to think. At least three new, advanced biofuel biorefineries are being commissioned this year, and at
by Pamela P. Peralta-Yahya, Fuzhong Zhang, Stephen B. del Cardayre, Jay D. Keasling (Nature) Advanced biofuels produced by microorganisms have similar properties to petroleum-based fuels, and can 'drop in' to the existing transportation infrastructure. However, producing these biofuels in yields high enough to be
(Business Wire/Aemetis) Biofuels ISOCONVERSION Process licensed by Aemetis to produce 100% drop-in renewable jet and diesel fuels from plant oils Aemetis, Inc., an advanced fuels and renewable chemical company, announced today that the company signed a license agreement with Chevron Lummus
(Renmatix) Companies embark on program to explore viability of MSW as inputs for PlantroseTM process Waste Management, Inc. , the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services, and Renmatix, the leading manufacturer of biobased sugar intermediates for global chemical and fuel markets,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In our investigations in Iowa this week, we noted 6 trends worth carefully watching, which take us from opportunities with existing feedstocks to exotic newcomers like algae. Our thesis now is essentially unchanged from 2010, when
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In North Carolina, Chemtex announced that it has received a $99 million conditional loan guarantee from USDA, under the USDA’s 9003 Biorefinery Assistance Program for the engineering and construction of “Project Alpha.” Chemtex is in discussions
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Like many states (or countries) that have limited oil reserves or reserves that are economically unfeasible to extract at this time – the path to energy independence lies generally in Missouri’s substantial “above-ground oil fields”
Alison Shouldice (The Whig) Piecing together “molecular Lego” is helping Queen's University researchers explore more efficient ways of producing biofuels. The research team has been looking at a certain bacterial complex, cellulosome, under the microscope. Cellulosome is known to be highly efficient
By Gregg Hennigan (KCRG.com) Iowa City is considering participating in a trash-to-ethanol project that could result in an 80-percent reduction in the amount of solid waste going to its landfill. City staffers have been talking with officials from Maryland-based Fiberight about
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) ...Steve McNinch with Western Plains Energy said his company is looking at how to move into the advanced biofuels category of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2). The biorenfinery, which produces ethanol from sorghum (milo), is currently
(PR NewsWire) POET Research Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of POET LLC, one of the world's largest ethanol producers, and Agrivida, Inc., a developer of biotechnology platforms for feedstock and feedstock processing, today announce the signing of a technology collaboration joint
by Bruce Dorminey (Renewable Energy World) Aviation remains as much a part of Washington State as its eastern dry-land agriculture or the rain-soaked forests on its mountainous western fringes. But only the alternative energy industry proposes to combine the three in
(EurekAlert!/American Chemical Society) With 1.3 billion tons of food trashed, dumped in landfills and otherwise wasted around the world every year, scientists today described development and successful laboratory testing of a new "biorefinery" intended to change food waste into a
by Thomas Corle (Leifmark LLC, Inbicon Technology Marketing Partner) Opening his presentation with imposing nature images of pristine beauty, Corle's presentation lays Denmark's aspirations on the table - to move from 2006's 15/85 (CO2 emission) to 85/15 (CO2 neutral) in
by Angie Bergenson (Hydrogen Fuel News) ...A team of researchers from Michigan State University have been working to make ethanol a more attractive source of fuel for the country. The team has made a breakthrough which is claims will boosts
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In New Mexico, ARA announced today that Chevron Lummus Globalhas joined the ReadiJet Alternative Fuel Initiative to develop drop-in biofuels for jet and diesel engines, eliminating the need for blending with petroleum. The joint development effort
(Algae Industry Magazine) Gas Technology Institute’s (GTI’s) new pilot-scale IH2 Plant in Chicago, Illinois, demonstrates their efforts to broaden biomass-to-liquid hydrocarbon fuel conversion. The 70-year-old research, development and training organization has turned much of its research toward renewable fuels. Their IH2 Technology,
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