Brian Davison, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, provides an in-depth look at the challenges to breaking down cellulose so that it can be used to produce advanced biofuels. From the Advanced Biofuels Research & Development session at the US Department of
Andy Aden, National Renewable Energy Laboratory provides an assessment including biochemical and thermochemical pathways, and a review of sustainability challenges. From the Advanced Biofuels Research and Development session at the US Department of Energy's Biomass 2009 conference. Download PDF
Gerson Santos-Leon, Abengoa Vioenergy New Technologies, presents a combination enzymatic and gasification process as part of the Biofuels Commercialization session of the US Department of Energy's Biomass 2009 conference. Download PDF
Jack Huttner, DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol, explores the current science and financial situation of cellulosic ethanol production and commercialization. From the plenary session of the US Department of Energy's Biomass 2009 conference. Download PDF
In October of 2008, ASTM International, originally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, added the “Cold Soak Filtration Test” procedure to its mandated biodiesel testing methods. The stated goal of the Cold Soak Filtration Test is to
Royal Dutch Shell plc and Codexis, Inc., announced an expanded agreement to develop better biocatalysts that could accelerate commercialisation of next generation biofuels. ... As part of the agreement, Codexis will work closely with Shell and Iogen Energy Corporation to
by Dylan Dodd and Isaac K. O. Cann (Global Change Biology Bioenergy) The combustion of fossil-derived fuels has a significant impact on atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and correspondingly is an important contributor to anthropogenic global climate change. Plants have evolved photosynthetic
Mascoma Corporation, a leader in the development of low carbon cellulosic ethanol, announced that the company’s demonstration facility in Rome, New York, is now producing ethanol from non-food cellulosic biomass. The demonstration facility has the flexibility to run on numerous
The joint venture company will initially focus on developing and securing financing for a first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol facility in Highlands County, Florida and expects to break ground on that site in 2010. The estimated construction cost for this 36
Researchers at Virginia Tech, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and the University of Georgia have produced hydrogen gas pure enough to power a fuel cell by mixing 14 enzymes, one coenzyme, cellulosic materials from nonfood sources, and water heated to
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a two-step method to convert the cellulose in raw biomass into a promising biofuel. The key to the new process is the first step, in which cellulose is converted into the "platform"
A team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Delaware and Yeshiva University, has developed a new catalyst that could make ethanol-powered fuel cells feasible. The highly
Research is under way to pinpoint the enzymes produced in the four-spotted gribble’s stomach, and the genes that control them, so that the process can be applied to woody biofuel crops such as willow. The investigation is being carried out
At the University of Nottingham, two of six research projects being run by the national £27m BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre hope to lead the way in the development of sustainable bioenergy fuels — Ethanol and Butanol using non-food crops, such
A patented Michigan State University process to pre-treat corn-crop waste before conversion into ethanol means extra nutrients don't have to be added, cutting the cost of making biofuels from cellulose. READ MORE
The “self-shading” phenomenon for algae results in a layer that limits the amount of algae per acre that can be grown and harvested. The Light Immersion Technology developed by Bionavitas fundamentally changes this equation by enabling the algae growth layer
Cornell plant scientists have invented a new method that uses manure and other farm byproducts to remove toxic hydrogen sulfide from biogas -- a renewable energy source -- derived from the breakdown of animal waste. READ MORE
U.S. scientists say they can turn E.coli, a strain of bacteria present in the human digestive tract, into a fuel that is twice or three times more efficient than ethanol. The scientists, attached to the University of California in Los
California scientists say they can use E.coli, a strain of bacteria present in the human digestive tract, to make a fuel that is twice or three times more efficient than ethanol. READ MORE: Article 1 | Article 2 | Abstract
ZeaChem, a company that uses the microbes in termite guts to make ethanol, announced it has raised $34 million to build its first plant. The biorefinery, which could be located in Boardman, Ore., will begin operating next year, making 1.5
Two German scientists investigated the feasibility of replacing fossil fuels with biomass as the primary energy supply. Their paper, published in the journal Naturwissenschaften, posited a scenario in which degraded lands were planted with fast growing trees, which were then
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology are exploring the use of biomass or ethanol as a primary fuel in fuel cells instead of hydrogen to produce energy from electrochemical reactions with fewer emissions and greater efficiency than internal combustion
For every tonne of biodiesel made from vegetable oil, 100kg of thick, viscous glycerol is produced as a byproduct. The annual 6.8 billion liters of biodiesel production in the EU yields around 680,000 tonnes of crude glycerol. Although some of
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering to guarantee loans of up to $250 million for commercial-scale biorefineries that produce biofuels from something other than corn starch. One company that plans to apply for a loan guarantee is Florida-based
by Sam Bond (edie.net) A fungus that makes biodiesel as part of its natural lifecycle has attracted the attention of American scientists wishing to tap into its potential. The fungus has been discovered living in trees in the Patagonian rainforests
In 2006, Green Star started plans to construct biorefineries that produce ethanol from low cost agricultural waste products (wood chips, switch-grass, rice stalks, municipal waste, etc.) from biomass based on its proprietary process patents and production of biodiesel integrating Green
by Amit Avasthi and Vicki Fong (Penn State University, gantdaily.com) A little known fungus tucked away in the gut of Asian longhorned beetles helps the insect munch through the hardest of woods according to a team of entomologists and biochemists. Researchers
Following independent paths of investigation, two research teams are announcing this month that they have successfully converted sugar-potentially derived from agricultural waste and non-food plants-into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and a range of other valuable chemicals. READ MORE
C2 Biotechnologies, LLC of Germantown, New York (C2B) harnesses the power of biology to fuse different proteins, specifically, enzymes with desirable characteristics, into one product using a fusion enzyme technology platform. Download PDF or READ MORE
Several thousand gallons of bio diesel fuel that meets ASTM specification D-975 have been produced, road tested in diesel vehicles and declared ready for volume production, according to Harrison Dillon, President and Chief Technology Officer, Solazyme, Inc. South San Francisco,
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced July 10, 2008, that the FAA has selected the X PRIZE Foundation to develop a strategy to create monetary incentives for developing renewable aviation fuels and technologies to stem the affect of pollutants from
(New Energy and Fuel) A new bacterium, a cyanobacterium that is energized by sunlight and excretes the sugars glucose and sucrose with some cellulose has been created by Dr. R. Malcolm Brown and Dr. David Nobles at the University of Texas
Sugar beet pulp left over from sugar production is rich in 5-carbon (C-5) and 6-carbon (C-6) sugars that are ideal for the production of advanced biofuels. Atlantic Biomass Conversions, Inc., is currently developing "evolved" enzyme sets to release C-5 and
Virginia Dale and colleagues (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) from Stewardship sesssion at Biomass 2008 conference. Bioenergy feedstock choices. Download PDF.
GeneSyst upgraded the weak acid hydrolysis process to convert biomass from municipal waste to fuel ethanol by making it a 'continuous (flow) process ' using the patented Gravity Pressure Vessel instead of the former 'pump and pressure' tanks (batch). READ
by Jennifer Holmgren (UOP) This March 2008 presentation reviews biomass-based manufacturing technologies and aviation fuel requirements. READ MORE
U.S. Department of Energy has included Pacific Ethanol in a matching award totaling $24.32 million to build the first cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant in the Northwest United States. The plant will employ a technology to produce ethanol from wheat straw,
(Science Daily) Oklahoma State University’s sorghum-related biofuels research is taking a localized approach, with the aim of making possible the effective production of ethanol in the farmer’s own field. Sweet sorghum can be grown throughout temperate climate zones of the United
by Jeremy Elton (Treehugger) A team of scientists led by James Dumesic at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has discovered a way (subscription needed) to turn the sugar commonly found in fruits like apples and oranges into a biofuel with 40%
Based on the June 25-26, 2007 Workshop in Washington, DC, with Dr. George Hubner, University of Massachusetts--Amherst, Workshop Chair View the PDF
BIOPOLYGEN Group of the MEEC, Israel, reports a successful completion of the first phase of its new biomass hydrolysis process tests and announces the plans to construct and demonstrate a small-scale pilot biorefinery for co-production of second generation ethanol, organic-mineral
by Michael E. Himmel, Shi-You Ding, David K. Johnson, William S. Adney, Mark R. Nimlos, John W. Brady and Thomas D. Foust (Science Magazine) Lignocellulosic biomass has long been recognized as a potential sustainable source of mixed sugars for fermentation to biofuels and other biomaterials. Several technologies have
Wood with altered properties and cheaper ethanol through more efficient production are two possibilities as a result of a find by a biologist at Washington University in St. Louis. Erik Nielsen, Ph.D., Washington University adjunct professor of biology in Arts
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