(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,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, the state Energy Commission today unanimously approved funding of $1,974,330 for the expansion and upgrade of a biodiesel production facility and buy-downs of alternative-fuel vehicles. The awards improve the environment, reduce use of
(City of Raleigh, NC/Biodiesel Magazine) The city of Raleigh has received a $100,000 grant from the Biofuels Center of North Carolina to purchase processing equipment and begin biofuel production at the Neuse River Wastewater Treatment Plant. In 2010, the City of
by Daniel Grushkin (FastCoExist.com) Amyris’s breakthroughs in bioengineering--and its plans to make biofuels from Brazilian sugarcane--promised to transform how the world’s businesses produce energy, cosmetics, and medicine. Then reality (and Wall Street) got in the way. ...Already, in the short lifetime
by Brian Dowling (Hartford Current) ...Richard Parnas, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Connecticut's Institute of Materials Science, a few years ago started converting the school's used cooking oil, known as yellow grease, to biodiesel. The results
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Fewer people know that natural gas is a platform for producing ethanol – either through fermentation or catalytic conversion (typically via methanol) – and drop-in fuels using the methanol-to-gasoline method pioneered years ago by ExxonMobil
by Ian C. Campbell (The Oregonian) ...A new $6 million federal grant to develop jet fuel and clean diesel from grass and sugarcane could help. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture money to researchers at Oregon State University, the University of Hawaii and Washington
by Sue Retka Schill (Biomass Magazine) Fulcrum BioEnergy Inc. received a $105 million condition loan guarantee from the USDA, putting its planned 10 MMgy Sierra BioFuels Plant closer to groundbreaking. "This USDA loan guarantee provides a key piece of financing to
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Swiss specialty chemicals company Clariant is now operating its demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Straubing, Germany. With an annual capacity of up to 1,000 tons (330,000 MMgy), the demonstration facility is scaling up the
by Larry Kershner (The Messenger) A post-graduate student at Michigan State University thinks that upgrading ethanol to a higher grade of alcohol - 1-butanol - will help the ethanol industry get past the "blender's wall," especially as the price of
The race to create a better, less controversial biofuel has spawned plenty of research into a variety of potential new sources - including switchgrass, cornstalks and algae. One goal behind the next generation of ethanol fuel is to end the debate
By Bob Silberg (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory/R&D Magazine) If you’ve had to deal with termites in your house, you probably hate their guts. But not Jared Leadbetter. He loves termites, especially their guts! "It turns out termites do something we'd like
by David Pruitt (The Alestle) On July 16 and 17, John Caupert, director of SIUE’s National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center, met with USDA officials about a new process the NCERC has discovered to use corn more efficiently in the production
by Arthur Kollaras, Paul Koutouridis, Mary Biddy and James D. McMillan (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Feed yeast, green coal contribute to bottom line ...History shows that once an industry is established, significant technological improvements quickly evolve. But in the meantime, how does
by Luke Geiver (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. EPA has granted KiOR Inc. the necessary permit to sell renewable cellulosic gasoline in the U.S. According to Fred Cannon, the EPA’s acceptance of KiOR’s advanced biofuel blendstock “is a landmark” for the
(Innoget.com) IUCT has developed a technology to produce different biofuels in biodiesel plants and oleochemical production facilities. Our technology is very flexible because the starting raw materials may be glycerol, vegetable oils, animal fats or used cooking oils. The oupput,
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The once futuristic vision of integrating traditional and second-generation ethanol facilities appears more attainable as various companies emerge with technology improvements that will allow corn ethanol producers to add cellulosic ethanol streams without taking
(Expansion.com) Murcia University research has developed a process which allows the production of biodiesel in a single step and continuously through a combination of enzymes (biocatalysts) and solvent "green" nonaqueous ionic liquids such as carbon dioxide and supercritical. READ MORE
(Verenium) Verenium Corporation, a leading industrial biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of high-performance enzymes, and Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., the leading owner, operator, and developer of high-quality, sustainable real estate and technical infrastructure for the broad and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...But some of the most interesting work being done today at Joule Unlimited is of the “Don’t Bee” type: progressively knocking out characteristics and pathways that create limitations on biofuels production: “Don’t BEE a naughty
(R&D Magazine) With metabolically engineered microorganisms hungry for levulinic acid rather than sugar, a University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) chemical and biological engineer aims to create more sustainable, cost-effective processes for converting biomass into high-energy-density hydrocarbon fuels. ...Brian Pfleger, a UW-Madison assistant
by Rasha Dewedar (SciDev.net) A method for generating biofuel by breaking down plastics using a low-cost catalyst will be developed further in the United Kingdom next month (16 July). The process was developed by a sixteen-year-old Egyptian student, Azza Abdel Hamid Faiad, from the Zahran Language School
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As bio-based companies race across the Valley of Death, in the dash for scale, who’s getting financing now, and how? The path to financing success in bio-based project development used to be a little less complicated. Raise
(JustMeans.com) A patent that opens the door for the creation of biofuels from abundantly available plant fiber has been issued to researchers at the Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Technology (WIST) at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. WIST’s first patent is for
(CBC News) Lakehead University professor receives grant from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council ...Lakehead University professor Pedram Fatehi said he wants to generate environmentally friendly biofuels out of liquid waste produced by pulp mills — waste that's usually burnt off
(PhysOrg) Scientists from Queen Mary, University of London have discovered a mechanism that controls the way that organisms breathe or photosynthesise, potentially paving the way for improved biofuel production. READ MORE and MORE (EarthSky.org) Abstract
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Can the harnessing of the powers of magnetism overcome cost challenges in algal biofuels? Researchers across the globe pursue the answers. ...For the fossil molecule, its time within a living system is complete and its development
(PRNewsWire/MarketWatch) Butamax(TM) Advanced Biofuels, LLC, the biobutanol technology leader, today announced the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted Butamax Patent Number 8,222,017 which protects a subset of key enzymes in the isobutanol production pathway. ...This latest patent issued
(Bioenergy News) Chemical and biofuels company Gevo has signed a joint development agreement with Beta Renewables to develop an integrated process for the production of bio-based isobutanol from cellulosic biomass. The agreement anticipates production plants will be located where cellulosic feedstocks
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Rather than focusing on a single microbe capable of converting cellulose to ethanol in a fermenter, researchers at Michigan State University are mimicking nature, culturing two bacteria that grow synergistically. The process creates two
by Danny King (AutoblogGreen) ... Michigan State University scientists have found a biofuel production method that the institution says boosts energy from the production process by a factor of 20. Gemma Reguera, a microbiologist at MSU, led an effort that uses – stay with
(The Bioenergy Site) US-based Protabit, an off-shoot from the California Institute of Technology, has been awarded a Small Business Innovative Research grant (phase one) for engineering cellulose enzymes. The computational protein software platform designers will use the award from the National
(Science Daily) Scientists are reporting new evidence that a white rot fungus shows promise in the search for a way to use waste corn stalks, cobs and leaves -- rather than corn itself -- to produce ethanol to extend supplies
by Meghan Schiller (Medill News Service/Wall Street Journal) The head of BP’s alternative-energy business on Tuesday said biofuel and wind are the stars of the field as the firm ramps up its presence. Katrina Landis, CEO of BP’s alternative energy business, said
by Lindsay Riddell (San Francisco Business Times) Solazyme Inc. broke ground on its Brazil manufacturing plant adjacent to partner Bunge's sugarcane mill. The companies are targeting the end of 2013 to begin production on renewable oils made from sugarcane using Solazyme's algae-based
Thomas Content (Journal Sentinel) C5-6 Technologies of Middleton and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center in Madison are celebrating a milestone - the awarding of the first patent from the center's next-generation biofuels research. The patent covers research into a heat-resistant
(The Business Journal) EdeniQ, a biofuels technology company based in Visalia, received a $3.9 million grant from the California Energy Commission to help in its efforts of researching the commercial potential of cellulosic ethanol. The grant follows $20 million in
by Bill Esler (Woodworking Network) Enerkem Inc. a waste-to-biofuels and chemicals company, says it has begun production of cellulosic ethanol from used wood telephone poles at its demonstration facility in Westbury, Québec. Enerkem CEO Vincent Chornet called it "a significant
by Nick McCrea (Bangor Daily News) A research and technology hub that one day could help wean the United States off foreign oil opened Monday in a former paper products shipping bay on the grounds of Old Town Fuel and
(The Commercial Appeal) BioDimensions Delta BioRenewables (BDBR) will install a sweet sorghum processing facility at AgriCenter International after an investment from Epec Biofuels Holdings. ...“We consider industrial sugar to be ‘Nature’s Crude Oil’ and are making a commitment to help BDDR
(Biofuels International) US-based biomass company Incitor will use new funding to demonstrate its low-temperature biofuel production technology. The funding amounts to $1.5 million (€1.1 million) and comes from an investment group, led by Cottonwood Technology Fund, that hopes to finance an
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Key proteins have been identified in a family of bacteria that help the microbes grab onto pieces of plant material in order to better degrade it. This was discovered during the examination of eight
(National Non-Food Crops Center) Europe's first waste to jet fuel production plant came a step closer to construction this week as UK-based Oxford Catalysts were selected as the sole technology suppliers to the joint British Airways and Solena GreenSky project. British Airways and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Of all the microbes we know – and, basically, the human body is a boutique hotel for hosting them, with researchers now estimating that for every human cell in a body, there are at least
(OMV) On July 2, 2012 Doris Bures, Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology, and Gerhard Roiss, OMV CEO, opened the BioCRACK pilot plant at the OMV Refinery in Schwechat. The plant is the first of its kind in the world
(TheBioEnergySite.com) The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has joined forces with jet engine producer General Electric (GE) Aviation, in addition to the Ohio Aerospace Institute, air carriers and producer groups, to produce renewable jet fuel from agricultural products. The biojet will
by Mauricio Espinoza (Ohio State University/North Texas d-News) Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) will play a key role in the engineering of a novel plant-based fuel, funded by a $5.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Researchers in Southeast Asia have identified an approach to producing ethanol using an abundant waste feedstock that could potentially add a significant source of biofuel production from oil palm plantations. Oil palm empty fruit
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The Obama Administration has laid out an integrated strategy for commercializing advanced biofuels, with a focus in this phase on military advanced biofuels at cost-competitive prices with conventional fuels. The vehicle is a joint program between
(National Science Foundation) Study reveals the potentially large influences of fungi, one of the most biologically diverse classes of organisms, on our energy supplies A new study--which includes the first large-scale comparison of fungi that cause rot decay--suggests that the evolution
(Retail Solutions Online) Presentation at 16th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference Demonstrates Benefits of Revolutionary Straw-Pulp Technology to the Farmers and Rural Communities of China ...After more than 10 years of research and development, YFY Corp. has successfully moved NPulp from green
(Primus Green Energy) The test drive of an automobile fueled with 93-octane gasoline made from natural gas and biomass was the highlight of a dedication ceremony for Primus Green Energy's new $7 million demonstration plant at the company's Hillsborough, N.J.,
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Novozymes and China’s Shengquan Group have signed a final agreement to work together on producing cellulosic ethanol from a waste product of Shengquan’s current production process. Novozymes is supplying the necessary enzymes and Shenquan
(Science Daily/Purdue University) Sweet and biomass sorghum would meet the need for next-generation biofuels to be environmentally sustainable, easily adopted by producers and take advantage of existing agricultural infrastructure, a group of researchers led by Purdue University scientists believes. The scientists
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Yet, even in an era where venture capital has been harder to come by (Why? See these 42 article links under the rubric, “The VC Model is Broken” ) — some great technologies have been getting out
The call for abstracts is currently open for presentations in the International Conference on Biofuels for Sustainable Development of Southern Europe (Bio4SuD), which will take place in Thessaloniki, Greece on 19-20th of November 2012. The Bio4Sud conference will focus on the
by Max Frankel (ThinkProgress) ...But in the world of science, researchers around the world are working on some very innovative ways to produce gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from more sustainable feedstocks. Here’s a look at three cool recent developments
(BioTork) Harnessing the Power of Adaptive Evolution to Further Improve the Efficiency of Metabolic Engineering BioTork announces collaboration with BASF to optimize certain microbial strains for the industrial production of bio-based polymers and green chemicals. After six months of collaboration, BASF and
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The future of using corn stover for advanced biofuels was one of the discussion topics at last week’s Corn Utilization Technology Conference in Indianapolis. ...(Nathan) Mosier (with the Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering at Purdue University) says he’s been working
by Feoshia Henderson (SoapboxMedia) Fueled by a US EPA grant, University of Cincinnati faculty and students are leading an effort to transform cooking grease into biodiesel on a regional scale. This project is a collaboration among UC, the Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) and Bluegrass Biodiesel of
(BusinessWire) Rapidly Growing Renewable/Biomass Energy and Chemical Company Receives Funding Led by the Cottonwood Technology Fund Incitor Incorporated ("Incitor"), a Delaware Corporation based in Albuquerque, N.M. ( http://www.incitor.com ), announced today that the Cottonwood Technology Fund ("Cottonwood") ( http://www.cottonwoodtechnologyfund.com/ ) led an
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) One of biofuels’ hottest companies transitions from research phase to operating phase with opening of demo plant in Okeechobee – what’s next, and where? ...The opening of that fermenter column is what the VIPs are coming
(Amyris) Amyris to develop improved DNA assembly and integration across biological platforms Amyris, Inc. announced today (June 12, 2012) it has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop tools that can
by Kathie Bassett (The Telegraph) Researchers at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville have successfully produced an environmentally friendly, cost-effective biofuel from the non-edible portion of a corn kernel. "What we did was take the most common form of cellulose that exists and
by Emery P. Dalesio (The Republic/AP) An Italian company's Wilmington-based subsidiary is geared up to build a factory that can convert grassy plants into fuel for cars and trucks amid Sampson County's hog and turkey growers. With financial and verbal encouragement
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...With the coming of advanced bioprocessing, the picture of opportunity has radically changed and the Southeast, Northwest, and Southwest, in particular, have been assessing their opportunities and attracting projects. ...But in the Southeast, there’s been a
by Jim Kinney (Gazette) A company that runs recycling centers all over the country has researchers in UMass' biofuels program thinking trash can to gas can. ReCommunity Recycling has committed $635,000 to the Institute for Massachusetts Biofuels Research, also known as
(PRNewsWire/Enerkem) Enerkem Inc., a waste-to-biofuels and chemicals company, announced today the initial production of cellulosic ethanol from waste materials at its demonstration facility in Westbury, Québec. "The start of ethanol production at our Westbury facility is a significant milestone", said Vincent
(DSM) Royal DSM, the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company, has been qualified as supplier of enzymes for DONG Energy - Inbicon’s wheat straw to cellulosic ethanol process. The enzymes have been successfully used in the demonstration scale biorefinery
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Corn ethanol and cellulosic ethanol have previously been viewed as entirely separate products which will be manufactured by two unique types of producers, but the concept of integrating cellulosic production into corn ethanol plants
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In-field bioprocessing? Dramatically higher plant oil production? R&D breakthroughs offer new paths to victory for Millers vs Drillers. If you haven’t been getting most of your information on the Renewable Fuel Standard from the Grocers Manufacturing
(Biofuels Center of North Carolina) The Oxford Biodiesel Plant is capable of converting virgin or recycled fats and oils from multiple sources into 35,000 gallons of high quality biodiesel per year. The plant was constructed on North Carolina's Biofuels Campus
(Purdue University) A new Purdue University-developed process for creating biofuels has shown potential to be cost-effective for production scale, opening the door for moving beyond the laboratory setting. A Purdue economic analysis shows that the cost of the thermo-chemical H2Bioil method
by Andrew Herndon (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Flint Hills Resources LLC, the unit of Koch Industries Inc. that invested in Edeniq Inc. last month, is using the company’s equipment at one of its four corn-based ethanol plants to boost production. Flint Hills will
(Birmingham Business Journal) Scientists at the University of Alabama's manufacturing technology center are looking at kudzu, the non-native leafy vines that have spread across the South's fields and forests, as one of several sources that could be used to make
by Guy Chazan (Financial Times) In the world of biofuels, all eyes are on the tiny northern Italian town of Crescentino, site of the world’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant, which will start production this year. The venture might be small,
(EurekAlert/Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology) Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology and palm oil giants Felda, Sime Darby, in landmark collaboration on biomass waste Twelve tons of waste oil palm tree biomass is en route from Malaysia to a plant
by Jill Sakai and Renee Meiller (University of Wisconsin-Madison) A young generation of researchers are seeking biofuels in some unlikely sounding places: toxic algae blooms and cow stomachs. Two University of Wisconsin-Madison professors are drawing on these robust yet simple natural
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, the state Energy Commission today unanimously approved funding of $35,031,310 to projectsthat will accelerate the development of green fuels and technology in California. The awards are provided through the Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Novozymes, a global biotech company, first considered building its newly built enzyme production plant in China but eventually zeroed in on the U.S. One big deciding factor was the $28.4 million tax credit from
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Iowa Energy Center recently awarded three grants to research projects focused on improving thermochemical conversion of biomass to biofuels and renewable chemicals. The selected projects will receive one-year research and demonstration grants with negotiated renewal
(UPI) ...Now scientists led by researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have discovered how certain bacteria can tolerate those man-made toxic chemicals used in making biofuels. "Discovering microbes naturally tolerant to salty liquids and understanding their mechanisms of tolerance should
by William DeKay (The Western Producer) Lee Wilson thinks he has found a cost effective way to help produce biofuel using wheat straw. In a lab at the University of Saskatchewan, the chemist and his team of graduate students have developed
(JoyOnline) Human waste could soon be a precious commodity in Kumasi and other parts of the country with an ongoing solution to transform fecal sludge treatment into a profit-making venture. Waste Enterprisers Limited, a sanitation and waste energy company, is replacing
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Colorado, Gevo announced it has begun startup of the world’s first commercial biobased isobutanol production plant located in Luverne, Minn. “At 1 p.m. MDT yesterday we made history by initiating production of biobased isobutanol at commercial scale,”
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... (T)he company’s metrics in cellulosic biofuels are starting to look compelling. Not only is commercialization a lot less than five years away – a massive breakout in capacity building looks feasible within that time
by Robert Rapier (Consumer Energy Report) A reader recently called my attention to a new and very interesting presentation from the Department of Energy’s Biomass Program: Biofuels Design Cases The presentation explored the question of whether the U.S. government is spending
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Regardless of its naming deficiencies, waste has been hot and getting hotter as a bioenergy feedstock because it solves three of the most pressing problems blocking capacity expansion. 1. The feedstocks are available at fixed, affordable
(Climate Central/OPB.org) ...But a Princeton University senior named Amanda Rees may have come up with the most promising solution so far. Rees, 22, is convinced that an important part to the world’s energy future may lie in a fast-growing, nearly
(Western Farm Press) The U.S. military is very interested in alternative fuels — in particular, the wood-based biofuels being researched and produced at the University of Maine. Three methods, or pathways, to producing biofuel for use in military jets are
(MarketWatch) Nature published a paper that discusses the recent advances in biocatalysis, and the impact it is having on the commercial development of biofuels, renewable chemicals, and pharmaceutical products. The paper was published by researchers at Codexis, Inc., Emory University,
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