by Matthew L. Wald (New York Times) High oil prices are generally bad news for American companies, but one, Gevo of Englewood, Colo., says that $100-a-barrel oil is opening up a niche. The company bought a factory in Luverne, Minn., that makes ethanol
(Ohio State University Extension) Waste is a terrible thing to waste. That’s the mantra guiding an OhioState University researcher and a bioenergy entrepreneur in the development of a brand-new, renewable source of polyurethane foam that’s expected to create up to 30 jobs in Mansfield, Ohio,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) But this week in the little burgh of Boardman, Oregon (population 3,300), which happens to sit adjacent to the second-largest inland port in the western United States (the port of Morrow, on the Columbia
(Algae Industry Magazine) V iral Genetics Energy (VG) has recently announced that it has been able to translate a research discovery related to cancer treatment into a potential breakthrough for biofuels made from algae. According to the company, laboratory experiments
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) New isobutanol-producing and protein-munching microbes from UCLA remind us that biofuels remain in the anything-but-static, eye-popping era of their development. The Digest’s “mind-bending breakthrough” in-basket is overflowing this week with advances in the fermentation of protein
by Michael Kanellos (GreenTechMedia) Enzymes will take off once the cellulosic economy gets moving, says Alan Shaw. ...Codexis meanwhile, has seen its stock go to $10.56, or $2.50 below the IPO price. CEO Alan Shaw, however, says that one has to
(Delft University of Technology) TU Delft and the Kluyver Centre have developed an innovative technology for efficient production of bioethanol from agricultural waste and licensed it to the Life Sciences and Material Sciences company DSM. As part of this
by Thomas Saidak (Biofuels Digest) In New York, DuPont Applied BioSciences President Craig F. Binetti, speaking at the Jeffries 11th Annual Clean Technology Conference, talked about Dupont’s intentions regarding biotechnology and biofuels. Dupont currently estimates the biofuels industry worldwide will
by Ryan McBride (Xconomy Boston) ...Agrivida also gained attention in July when it showed that its engineered crops could greatly boost the efficiency of the process of extracting sugars from the crops for biofuel production. Michael Raab, the firm’s president and
by Robert Sanders (UC Berkley News Center) University of California, Berkeley, chemists have engineered bacteria to churn out a gasoline-like biofuel at about 10 times the rate of competing microbes, a breakthrough that could soon provide an affordable and “green”
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Solazyme teaming up with Qantas for a renewable jet fuel project. A Dunaliella salina plant at Hutt Lagoon in Western Australia, co-developed by Murdoch University. The South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), which has
(Red Orbit) Gaining new insight into how efficiently the microbes in large bioreactors produce methane from brewery waste, Cornell scientists hope to use their new knowledge to shape these microbial communities to produce liquid biofuels and other useful products. The scientists
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) "The conclusions from the Aquatic Species Program are not correct,” says Algenol CEO Paul Woods, taking issue with the 1980’s assessment that photobioreactors cannot be a cost effective means for biofuel creation. He
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Is there enough energy, food, fiber and feed for all? Advances in industrial fermentation – a/k/a an incredulous “you’re making what? from what? using what? – will be the key to answering that question. The stars of this drama
by Heather Lammers (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) The scenario for your business dream plays out like this. You have an idea to make a fuel from biomass using a biochemical conversion processes. You and your investors have completed bench-scale
(The Local) Swedish oil and energy firm Preem has announced the development of the "world's first" green diesel developed using residue from the Swedish forestry industry. Describing the development of the product, which hits the market in April, as "unique", the firm
(MarketWire) Diversified Technologies, Inc. has introduced a low-cost process (patent pending) for the pre-treatment of algae using pulsed electric field (PEF) technology to streamline the extraction of oils from algal cells early in the biorefining process. The Diversified Technologies' PEF Pre-Treatment of Algae
by Graham Cooper (OilPrice.com) BP is poised for a major advance in its biofuel operations, as it is completing commissioning of the world’s first biobutanol pilot plant and plans to begin full–scale production later this year at its Vivergo Fuels
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) DuPont Applied BioSciences President Craig Binetti told attendees of a recent clean technology conference that DuPont expects the biofuels industry worldwide to grow by $25 billion in the next five years and it plans
(Virginia Tech/EurekAlert) Conversion of biomass to fuel requires several steps: chemical pretreatment to break up the biomass – often dilute (sulfuric) acid, detoxification to remove the toxic chemicals required in pretreatment, and microbial fermentation to convert the soluble sugars to
(SmartFlow Technologies) SmartFlow Technologies announces that it will supply its advanced continuous processing solids separation and cell concentration systems to INEOS New Planet BioEnergy for use in their commercial-scale advanced bio-energy facility, the first to use the INEOS Bio technology. The
(GlobeNewsWire) American Jianye Greentech Holdings, Ltd. , a leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of alcohol-based automobile fuel and civil-use fuel in China, today announced that AJGH has received approval to undertake a new project in alcohol-based biodiesel fuel production. Specifically, AJGH
(Amyris, Inc.) Amyris, Inc., announced that it has completed multiple runs of its fermentation process using Amyris engineered yeast to produce Biofene™, Amyris renewable farnesene, in 100,000 and 200,000 liter capacity fermentors. These runs were completed through contract manufacturing operations
by Vinod Khosla (GreenTechMedia) Mr. Khosla comes out swinging at the Wall Street Journal’s take on Range Fuels and biofuels. ...Regarding certain “facts” in the editorial, “The Range Fuels Fiasco” (Review & Outlook, Feb. 10): The WSJ persists in mischaracterizing my relationship
(Biofuels International) Technology provider for the energy and environment sectors Abengoa will implement its enzymatic hydrolysis process technology to produce bioethanol at a commercial-scale in the US. The news comes after the company's second generation bioethanol pilot production plant, located in
by Will Thurmond (Emerging Markets Online/Biofuels Digest) ...Digest columnist Will Thurmond released Algae 2020, Vol. 2 highlighting why some algae companies will be winners and some will be losers bringing their product from pilot to commercial scale from 2011-2020. ...The study
(Clarksville Online) ...Dr. Sergi Markov, associate professor of biology at Austin Peay State University, has an idea that could help push the alternative fuel race to new levels of possibility. For the last several years, Markov and two of his APSU
(Joule) Peer-reviewed article addresses the advances made by Joule to achieve direct, continuous conversion of solar energy to renewable diesel at 15,000 gallons/acre/year Joule Unlimited, Inc., pioneer of Liquid Fuel from the Sun™, today supported the high-productivity potential of its production process
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As the pulp and paper industry reels from the internet’s impact, biofuels and renewable chemicals are offering value-adds, waste remediation, and new markets In Florida, the affable Rod Young, perhaps the most pre-eminent analyst and forecaster
(Green Car Congress) A team from the Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy and Gas Hydrate, Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences reports on a pilot-scale biomass-gasification-reforming system with optimized catalyst to produce synthesis gas for liquid fuel
by Damian Carrington (The Guardian) Cuts to the government's low-carbon agency will cancel grants to biofuel projects and cause dozens of redundancies The government's leading low-carbon agency has had its funding cut by 40%, causing the cancellation of grants to a major
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) KL Energy Corp. is preparing to validate its modified process technology to turn sugarcane bagasse into ethanol. As the bitter winter turns to spring in the tiny town of Upton, Wyo., located on the northern
(Trend) Iranian experts and scientists for the first time managed to produce biodiesel fuel using the oil extracted from Jatropha curcas plant cultivated in Southern Iran, FARS news agency reported. "Iran could produce biodiesel fuel through extracting oil from Jatropha plant
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...From the low points like the closure of the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Aquatic Species Program to highs like 2009′s “Summer of Algae”, aquatic organisms from cyanobacteria to macroalgae have maintained a hold
(Dyadic) Dyadic International, Inc., a global biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, manufacture and sale of enzyme and protein products and solutions for the bioenergy, industrial enzyme and biopharmaceutical industries, announced today that it has been issued U.S. Patent
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Solazyme announced that it has begun a collaboration with Qantas, to pursue the potential for commercial production of Solazyme’s microbial derived aviation fuel, Solajet, in Australia. This represents the first collaboration in the Asia-Pacific region
by Bill Brandon (Advanced Biofuels USA) On February 10 & 11, about 120 participants gathered in chilly Chicago for the first Municipal Solid Waste to Biofuels Summit presented by the British firm, Eye for Energy. The conference drew participants from
by Tara Alatorre (Cronkite News) ...Bruce Rittman, director of the Center for Environmental Biotechnology at the Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute, said in a telephone interview that he thinks the technology needed to mass-produce algae probably is more like
by Annie Snider (New York Times/Greenwire) The Navy Research Laboratory's alternative energy projects -- each costing less than $500,000 -- are modest ventures that barely register in the Pentagon's gargantuan budget. But if history's a guide, what happens there
(OriginOil) Government-funded ‘Manhattan Project’ to pursue aggressive national jet fuels goal OriginOil, Inc., the developer of breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, has agreed to participate in a pilot scale
by Frank Jackson III (Medill Reports Chicago) A map of nearly 30,000 new microbial genes shows the path to enzymes that could provide improvements in biofuels, federal researchers are reporting. The microbes are easy to find – they are located in
(MarketWire) GNE-USA Will Have Exclusive US Rights to Breakthrough Bio-Diesel Technology Solar Acquisition Corp. and Global Natural Energy Cyprus Ltd today announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to form a joint venture, GNE USA, to produce algae-based bio-diesel
(INEOS) $130 million facility to produce ethanol and renewable power from waste; major first step in INEOS Bio global licensing strategy * Today the Indian River BioEnergy Center officially started construction; it will be the first commercial-scale facility in the United
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Highlights from the road show, according to our Digest spies. The company (Gevo) is touting that it will cost $40-45 million for each conversion of an existing ethanol facility to the production of biobutanol. The
(University of Tennessee) Facilities expected to advance biobased research for energy, fuels, chemicals and materials The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture has opened a comprehensive research facility to accommodate faculty and industry initiatives through the new Center for Renewable Carbon
by Eduard Gismatullin (Bloomberg) Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Europe’s largest oil company, and Codexis Inc. will roll out technology this year to make biofuels from wheat straw and sugar-cane bagasse, the cellulose-rich waste from cane processing. Shell and Codexis have been researching enzymes to
(Technische Universitat Muenchen) Food versus fuel - this rivalry is gaining significance against a backdrop of increasingly scarce farmland and a concurrent trend towards the use of bio-fuels. Researchers at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) are helping to resolve this
(Wayne State University) NextCAT Inc., a Detroit-based company, announced that it has received $250,000 in seed funding from Automation Alley in Troy, Mich. NextCAT is commercializing biodiesel catalyst technology developed at the National Biofuels Energy Lab at Wayne State University
by Maggie Fox (Reuters) Researchers looking for better ways to make biofuels turned to experts at breaking down grass -- cattle -- and found more than a dozen new compounds in their guts that might help make new, cheap sources
by Vinod Khosla (GreenTechMedia) Imagination is in shortest supply when it comes to agronomic econometrics that extrapolate the past instead of inventing a new future. Part II: Feedstock. Feedstock cost, environmental impact and even its politics are critical variables. With each
(ME NewsWire) Research confirms viability of using saltwater and arid land to create new forms of sustainable bio energy Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MI), the Boeing Company, Etihad Airways, and Honeywell’s UOP announced today the completion of a Sustainability
(KiOR) Project would produce drop-in fuels from wood biomass at four facilities across three states KiOR, Inc., announced today that it has received a term sheet for a loan guarantee supporting an over $1 billion biofuels project from the U.S. Department of Energy’s
(BioJet International Ltd.) BioJet International Ltd. announced that it has received a US $1.2 Billion funding facility from Cayman based Equity Partners Fund SPC. The funding structure is a 3 year facility, further terms of the funding were not disclosed. BioJet
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Codexis yesterday announced a stunning 29% increase in revenue, ...What’s driving the numbers in Redwood City? ”We achieved our technical milestones with Shell, we made our first shipments of two important enzymes to Merck and
by Dr. F. David Doty (GreenTechMedia) A startup proposes using off-peak excess wind energy to recycle CO2 into standard transportation fuels. For many years, greentech leaders have been saying renewables are never going to make a major contribution to our energy
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) ...Kent Bioenergy has been harvesting algae for years, as part of their aquaculture business that dates back the the 1970s. The original company needed to learn how to clean the water used for fish farms and
(Novozymes/Bradenton.com) The road to commercialization of cellulosic biofuels may be bumpy and less traveled, but it’s actually an easier road than many might think. This week at the DC Auto Show, Novozymes and POET will celebrate being one mile closer to their destination --
by Jenette Sturges (Naperville Sun) In only a few short years, it could be fueling cars and trucks while producing 90 percent less greenhouse gas, providing energy security for the nation, and creating high-tech jobs in the Naperville area. It’s a process
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) One year after receiving $1 million grant from Ohio Third Frontier, SuGanit Systems Inc. is getting another $2 million from the same group to establish a cellulosic ethanol pilot plant in Toledo, Ohio. The company, which
by Margot Roosevelt (Los Angeles Times) Frances H. Arnold, a California Institute of Technology researcher, has won the 2011 Draper Prize, often described as the Nobel Prize for engineering, for her pioneering work on “directed evolution.” The technique, a way to use
(Louisiana State University) The LSU AgCenter has received a five-year extension from the Louisiana Board of Regents to continue with the establishment of the Louisiana Institute for Biofuels and Bioprocessing. “We appreciate the vote of confidence,” said John Russin, LSU AgCenter interim
(CBC News) Diversified Metal Engineering in Charlottetown has been awarded the contract to design and build a pilot-scale ethanol plant, but it's not on P.E.I. It will be located in Edmundston at the New Brunswick Community College campus there and will be
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...Researchers at the U.S. DOE’s Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, based at the University of Wisconsin and Michigan State University, are three years into a research project focused on identifying new enzymes for cellulosic ethanol
by Lori Shull (Watertown Daily Times) Algae could, one day, save the Development Authority of the North Country money on its power bills. The agency is teaming up with a group of researchers from Clarkson University to find out whether wastewater
by Todd Taylor with Christina Connelly, Ralph Groschen, Mark Lindquist, Gregg Mast, Tim Welle and Doug Cameron (Biofuels Digest/Minnesota) ...Venture capitalists in California support and encourage these and many other companies and deserve ample credit for the Cambrian-like explosion of new
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Last week [after previously exiting their investment in Choren, a Fischer-Tropsch technology based in Germany] Shell announced that it will will exit its shareholding in Cellana, a joint venture between Shell and HR Biopetroleum. Today,
(NewsWire/University of Alabama) A strain of bacteria found in soil is being studied for its ability to convert waste from a promising alternative fuel into several useful materials, including another alternative fuel. A graduate student at The University of Alabama in
(Chemrec) The European Union has approved the SEK 500 million (€55 million, $75 million) R&D grant awarded by the Swedish Energy Agency towards the industrial scale demonstration biofuels plant based on Chemrec’s gasification technology at the Domsjö Fabriker biorefinery in
(OriginOil) Owner of three ‘CO2 to energy’ projects will pilot extraction unit at large coal-fired power plant OriginOil, Inc., the developer of breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, today announced
(Eco Friendly Magazine) Using CRI/Criterion’s catalyst technologies, Terrabon, Inc. has exceeded its target yield threshold of 70 gallons of biogasoline per dry ton of garbage received from the cafeteria dumpsters and paper shredders at Texas A&M University. ...The catalysts enabled Terrabon to
(Algal Biomass Organization) Today, the RAND Corporation published a study and accompanying press release calling into question the effectiveness of renewable fuels for military use. The report can be found here:http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2011/RAND_MG969.pdf A copy of the press release can be found here:http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/01/25.html It is
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) Dr. Jason Pyle, the high profile CEO at the even more high profile “green crude” developer, Sapphire Energy, holds a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Physiology, as well as an M.D., from
by Dr. Maureen McCann (Professor, Purdue University) Dr. McCann begins by describing the different plant cell wall architectures belonging to various types of feedstock. She shows how different processing methods can be utilized to more efficiently process biomass into biofuel.
by David Hoyt (Senior Research Scientist, Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Hoyt first provides an overview of EMSL and their mission to integrate experimental and computational resources with innovative technologies to support the biofuel industry. Focusing on
by Jane Fisher (Senior Engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory) Fisher first provides a general overview of the biofuel production process, identifying key areas for potential cost reductions through R&D and commercial scale production. Fisher focuses on the development of equipment
by Blake Simmons (Vice-President, Deconstruction Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute) Simmons provides an overview of Joint Bioenergy Institute (JBI) and their research associated with converting cellulosic biomass to biofuel. He describes the challenges of the various steps involved in current technologies
by Dr. Jose A Olivares (Executive Director, The National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bio-Products Los Alamos National Laboratory) Dr. Olivares first provides an overview of the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bio-Products organization. Olivares discusses the organization’s involvement
by Dr. Timothy Donohue (Director, Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Professor of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison) Dr. Donohue first provides an overview of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. Donohue moves on to discuss the research project involved with
by Dr. Mark Davis (BioEnergy Science Center, National Bioenergy Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory) Dr. Davis discusses a multidisciplinary approach to overcoming the current inability to access sugars in lignocellulosic biomass. By quickly identifying key genes in biomass composition, high
by Liz Moore (Project Officer, Biomass Program, Golden Field Office, U.S. Department of Energy) Moore begins with a breakdown of the cost structure describing the manufacturing process of ethanol from feedstock. She shows how each step in the manufacturing process
(US Department of Energy) Project Expected to Create Over 700 Jobs and Nearly Triple Amount of Renewable Diesel Produced Domestically U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu January 20, 2011, announced the offer of a conditional commitment to Diamond Green Diesel, LLC, the
(Coskata) Guarantee will support a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol facility in Alabama Coskata Inc., a developer of technology for the production of renewable fuels and chemicals, was notified by the USDA of their intent to provide a $250 million loan guarantee in
(Sandia National Laboratories) Engine experts and biofuels researchers at Sandia National Laboratories are working on a project that aims to modify an endophytic fungus so that it will produce fuel-type hydrocarbons for transportation purposes. The biofuels being investigated for the project
(Enerkem) Enerkem Inc. today announced that Enerkem Corporation, its wholly-owned U.S. affiliate, has obtained a conditional commitment for an US$ 80 million loan guarantee by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), for the construction of its landmark waste-to-biofuels project in Pontotoc, Mississippi, which
(Algae Industry Magazine) A new Australian company has been established to produce commercial quantities of clean, “green” fuels from algae. The company, Muradel Pty Ltd, is a joint venture of Murdoch University, Adelaide Research & Innovation Pty Ltd (the commercial development
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Research being conducted in Tennessee to take biomass from the “farm gate to the biorefinery gate” has zeroed in on switchgrass. That’s not to say that switchgrass is the only answer for cellulosic ethanol
by Susan Taylor (Reuters) A tiny Canadian startup company that is preparing to open a biodiesel plant in Toronto this spring says it will produce clean fuel, animal feed and human food all from the modest flax seed. Privately held Energy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Ohio, Algaeventure Systems advises that, today, they are releasing an RFP targeting the nation's leading algae producers to act as demonstration sites for its SLS Industrial algae dewatering technology under its 2009 DOE ARPA-E
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) NX Global Inc. has received a $100 million funding commitment from a private U.S.-based organization. The financial support will be used to purchase property and fund construction on a waste-to-energy and algae facility in Canada.
Algae.Tec Limited (ASX: AEB) an advanced biofuels company with a pioneering highly-efficient algae growth and harvesting system (the McConchie-Stroud System) is listing on the ASX today at 10am WST January 14, 2011. The McConchie-Stroud System uses low-maintenance technologies and a
(Iowa Office of Energy Independence) Project Would Produce Jobs and New Energy Technology for Iowa The Iowa Power Fund Board (Board) approved terms January 12, 2011, to start contract negotiations on a grant award for one of the first in the nation,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biofuels Digest is projecting that global advanced biofuels capacity will reach 4.003 billion gallons by 2015, based on company announcements to date. Today, the Digest released version 1.7 of its free Advanced Biofuels Tracking Database, projecting
by Bob Brooks (Automotive Industries) Photon8, a new venture algae oil development firm has emerged from research work at the University Of Texas, Brownsville, TX, by placing its priority on the economics of making algal based diesel fuel oil at
by Will Thurmond (Biofuels Digest/ Emerging Markets Online) 1 Emerging Markets Growth US and EU-based algae producers and licensors of technology are increasingly looking to the Emerging Markets in Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East ... 2 Renewable Oils
(Argus Media) Norwegian chemicals and technology specialist Borregaard has secured a government grant of 58mn kroner ($9.8mn) to build a 400m³ pilot ethanol plant in Sarpsborg, southeast Norway. ...The Sarpsborg plant will use a diverse array of agricultural feedstock including straw,
by Andrew Benedict-Nelson (Ultimate Clear Lake) Four inventors in the Clear Lake area are among a team receiving a U.S. patent for a new way of producing ethanol on an industrial scale. According to the patent, the inventors unexpectedly discovered
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...(S)team reformation, a process by which gasified biomass is converted into a useful balance of hydrogen and carbon monoxide ... itself has struggled with high costs associated with the high temperatures at which the system operates.
(PR NewsWire) Several Michigan companies recently received investments from the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund, pushing the total investments made through the Fund to over $11.6 million. To date, 52Michigan companies have received seed funding from the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund, a collaborative effort of Michigan's
(INEOS Bio) Funding will create jobs through the construction and completion of advanced commercial facility in Florida INEOS Bio and its joint venture partner, New Planet Energy, today announced they have received a conditional commitment for a $75 million loan guarantee
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Qteros and Praj will collaborate on a highly focused, multi-year development program with the objective of rapidly developing and commercializing Process Design Packages (PDPs) that enable cellulosic ethanol production using Qteros’ Q Microbe-enabled CBP platform
(Virent) BIRD Energy Grant Will Support Virent's Conversion of HCL CleanTech's Pine Tree Sugars Into Hydrocarbon Fuels and Products That can be Sustainable, Cost-effective, and Compatible With Existing Infrastructure Virent Energy Systems Inc. and HCL CleanTech announced today that they have been
by Barry Cohen (National Algae Association) ... Some of the accomplishments include: - Construction of commercial-scale demo PBR at Lone Star College - Delivery by NAA Engineering Consortium of plans and design for the 100-acre challenge - Delivery by NAA finance team of first financial
(National Institutes of Health/Department of Plant Sciences, Montana State University) An endophytic fungus of Persea indica was identified, on the basis of its anamorphic stage, as Nodulosporium sp. by SEM. Partial sequence analysis of ITS rDNA revealed the identity of the
by Damian Carrington (The Guardian) Scientists raise hopes for a large-scale renewable source of liquid fuel with a simple reactor that mimics plants A simple reactor that mimics plants by turning sunlight into fuel has been demonstrated in the laboratory, boosting
by Willie Vogt (Farm Futures) ...Cellana, an algal biofuel research company based in Kailua Kona, Hawaii, is leading a consortium that includes Cornell, Duke University, San Francisco State University, the University of Hawaii and the University of Southern Mississippi. The
(NewsGuide) Conversion of biomass to fuel requires several steps: chemical pretreatment to break up the biomass – often dilute (sulfuric) acid, detoxification to remove the toxic chemicals required in pretreatment, and microbial fermentation to convert the soluble sugars to fuels. Virginia
by Cynthia Barnett (Florida Trend) Some Florida businesses are squeezing a trickle of fuel from algae, claiming they can help power the world. But right now, a few expensive drops in the bucket are all they have to show. On 1,000
by Fiona Harvey (Financial Times) ...Green Biologics, an unlisted company, has signed deals with two Chinese biochemical businesses – Guangxi Jinyuan Biochemical and Lianyungang Union of Chemicals. Under the deals – expected to be worth about £10m ($15m) over the next five
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...But there’s another boundary, right around 374 degrees C of temperature and 218 atmospheres of pressure. At that point, the boundary between liquid and gaseous phase water disappears, and what you have is a supercritical
(IStockAnalyst/Cedar Rapids Gazette) U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack thinks soon-to-be announced federal grants for cellulosic ethanol plants are helping boost flagging ethanol support in Congress. Vilsack said the government plans to announce measures in early 2011 to provide support
by Nalin Viboonchart (The Nation(India)) US science company Dupont is working on a 10-year investment plan for Thailand, saying it does not want to miss the opportunity to expand in one of Asean's key drivers of economic growth. Carl Lukach, president
(Renewable Energy Magazine) Compact Contractors for America (CCA) has developed a dry process biofuel from algae which the company hopes will power military Unmanned Aerial Vehicles such as Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk in the not too distant future. CCA’s founder
by Teis Jensen (Reuters) Industrial enzymes producer Novozymes does not expect a major breakthrough for second-generation bioethanol in the United States for another four to five years, a senior executive said on Wednesday. Novozymes' marketing director for biofuels, Poul Ruben Andersen,
by Kassia Micek (The Courier of Montgomery County) Instead of trying to get rid of that slimy, green substance that habitually grows in water, Lone Star College-Montgomery students are are growing large amounts of the organism in hopes of turning it
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...ZeaChem CEO Jim Imbler and Elevance’s Andy Shafer gave updates on their progress towards commercialization. Elevance, of course, has been at it a while longer, and is generally exclusively focused on chemicals, while ZeaChem has some
(Biofuels Journal) Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels, LLC announced Dec. 16 that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted a patent number 7851188 encompassing Butamax’s isobutanol producing biocatalyst. The patent entitled “Fermentive Production of Four Carbon Alcohols” is a further demonstration
(PhysOrg.com) Is red seaweed a viable future biofuel? Now that a University of Illinois metabolic engineer has developed a strain of yeast that can make short work of fermenting galactose, the answer is an unequivocal yes. ...(M)arine biomass can be easily
(University of Texas at Austin) The Austin Technology Incubator (ATI), a not-for-profit unit of The University of Texas at Austin, announced today that Dorsan Biofuels, Inc., joined as a member company of the ATI-Clean Energy Incubator. Dorsan uses proprietary technology to create
(PR NewsWire) Cellulosic biomass from agricultural wastes converted to low-cost jet fuel Logos Technologies, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded the second phase of BioJET™ from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to produce fully compatible jet fuel
(FreshPlaza.com) Two years ago Citrotecno took its first steps with the help of a group of businessmen linked to the agriculture and livestock sector in Valencia (Spain). The main objective of the company was to use citrus waste to produce
by Dave Kolpack (AP/The Daily Republic) A North Dakota group said Monday it plans to open a test plant that would turn dry land sugar beets into ethanol, with hopes of building a dozen processing facilities throughout the state. Officials with Fargo-based
(University of Arkansas) A University of Arkansas researcher and his colleagues have created the first methane-producing microorganism that can metabolize complex carbon structures, which could lead to microbial recycling of waste products and their transformation into natural gas. Daniel J. Lessner, assistant
(OriginOil) Pilot Partner MBD Energy Praises OriginOil Team on Expertise and System Operation OriginOil, Inc., the developer of a breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, today announced the successful completion
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Oak Investment venture partner (and now Aurora chairman) Brian Hinman noted that “Aurora Biofuels has made a significant genetic engineering achievement in doubling the productivity of its proprietary algae, and this round of funding will
Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Minnesota-based modular ethanol production system manufacturer Easy Energy Systems Inc. recently finalized its first commercial sale and will soon begin building equipment for a 2 MMgy corn-based plant in Lake Wales, Fla. The central Florida
(PR NewsWire) NYU-Poly Chemist Uses Yeast, Plant Oils to Produce Super-Durable Recyclable Plastic. Next Step: Transforming It into Biofuel Dr. Richard Gross, professor of chemical and biological science at Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly), has developed a method for
(Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) At the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Sciences (PJAS) state competition earlier this year, Jacob Robertson took home a first prize for his project, “Could Corn be Put to Better Use?” Robertson, a high school student from
(BusinessWire) Viral Genetics, Inc., (Pinksheets: VRAL.PK) has launched a subsidiary called “VG Energy, Inc.” The new entity is majority-owned by Viral Genetics and its current shareholders, and was formed to market the company’s biofuel technology. “The new brand will help open
(Physorg.com/Oakridge National Research Laboratory) A significant barrier to greater use of biodiesel could be blasted away with a proprietary approach developed by a team of researchers led by Mike Kass of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Energy and Transportation Science Division.
by Wambi Michael (The Guardian Weekly) Cement kilns are used to transform waste, which would otherwise pollute the city, into a fuel that suits petrol engines Fred Kyagulanyi and James Sendikwanawa used to get up in the dark to dump bags of
by Ariel Schwartz (Fast Company) Lactococcus lactis is a hard-working bug. Designated as the state microbe of Wisconsin, Lactococcus is used in the production of buttermilk, cheese, and yogurt. And according to researchers from Concordia University, the microbe could help turn
(Business Journal) A Mendota biofuel company will be using a $1.5 million grant from the California Energy Commission to test the feasibility of converting sugar beets and agricultural waste into ethanol and other forms of clean energy. ...If proven feasible, the project
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Ohio, Arisdyne Systems has pioneered technology that can increase ethanol production by 10 percent, or reduce the use of catalyst by 25 percent in biodiesel production. ...that could translate to roughly 1.8 billion additional
(PRNewsWire) AT&F Advanced Metals, LLC, a fully-owned subsidiary of Cleveland-based AT&F (American Tank & Fabricating Company), is completing production on the innovative and first of its kind Bench Scale Reactor System developed with AdvanceBio Systems LLC of Cincinnati. The system is
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Australia, World Wide Carbon Credits Limited announced today that it has successfully lodged final patent applications over a gene that encodes an enzyme capable of producing a class of hydrocarbons known as triterpenoids, including di-hydro
(OriginOil) Former DOE Aquatic Species Program Site Will Enable Commercial Scale Testing for Algae-to-oil Industry OriginOil, Inc., the developer of a breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, today announced that
(Waste Management World) Two scientists from Sri Paramakalyani Centre of Excellence in Environmental Sciences (SPKCEES) - affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University - have extracted fuel from agro-waste, according to The Hindu Times. C. Sathesh Prabhu, a post-doctoral researcher of the centre,
(MarketWire) Applied Concepts for Energy, Inc. a subsidiary of NX Global, Inc., announced November 22, 2010, a joint venture to redevelop at least four former paper and pulp processing plants in the U.S. and Canada. Each one of these sites are Brownfield sites perfectly
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, a team of researchers from University of Massachusetts Amherst reported in Science that they have developed a new process to produce key chemical intermediates from pyrolytic bio-oils. According to the researchers, “the new process
(Green Car Congress/FavStocks) A team from East China University of Science and Technology (Shanghai) and Guangxi University for Nationalities reports on a study of hydrogen production via catalytic steam reforming of bio-oil in a fluidized-bed reactor in paper published online 12
(Algae Industry Magazine) he U.S. military wants New Mexico State University to find improved ways to turn algae into a sustainable source for jet fuel. The research project is part of a $2.346 million grant funded by the Air Force where
(Sweetwater Energy) Sweetwater has begun delivering concentrated sugar water from its expanded pilot system in Rochester, NY to sources developing bio-jet fuel. Production is ramping up over the next 3 months in preparation for major-scale deliveries beginning in 2011, utilizing Sweetwater's first commercial-scale processor. READ MORE
(Algae Industry Magazine) From Sergio Hernandez at the Village Voice comes word that New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection has a new pilot program that will convert algae at a Queens waste-water treatment plant into biofuel for cars, by
By Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...Venture-capital backed Proterro has developed a technology using a microorganism grown in a unique bioreactor that secretes fermentable sugars using sunlight, CO2, water and a few commonly available micronutrients. Economic modeling suggests the
by Candace Lombardi (Green Tech) GE subsidiary GE Energy Financial Services and North Bridge Venture Partners will invest $8 million in a company developing a biofuel production process coupled with the production of biochar. Cool Planet Biofuels converts cellulosic byproducts like plant
(The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center) National Method employs cost saving catalyst and produces useful byproducts The National Alliance for Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB), a consortium of leading scientists and engineers from universities, private industry, and national laboratories announced today that they
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In New Zealand, LanzaTech announced that its cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with PNNL has been given final approval by the DOE. The first phase of the CRADA work will focus on converting some of
by Iris Kuo (VentureBeat/Reuters) ...The good news is, biofuels and solar technology are the most likely of all alternative energies to reach the holy grail of grid parity in the next decade — that is, they may become competitive with
(Ethanol Producer Magazine) SEKAB E-Technology and Taurus Energy AB have successfully carried out a three-week long industrial demo scale evaluation of Taurus Energy’s yeast. The yeast has been specially developed, and, in contrast to ordinary yeast, it can ferment pentose
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) Since June of this year, Greg Bafalis has been CEO of Aurora Algae, formerly Aurora Biofuels, overseeing the Company’s strategy, operations, and high-level relationships. ...Aurora was founded in 2006 by three gentlemen from U.C. Berkeley.
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