Carbon Capture – Advanced BioFuels USA

When Negative Is Good – Carbon Negative: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Gevo’s Biojet Fuel

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Noone wants to be negative…unless they are talking about carbon negative of course. The aviation industry has been all abuzz about lowering their carbon footprints for years, then carbon neutral, now carbon negative. According to Gevo’s Timothy Cesarek, EVP & Chief Commercial Officer, the carbon footprint

December 14, 2019 Read Full Article

The Kodak Moment: The World’s Airlines Consider Their Low-Carbon Options in an Era of Flight-Shaming

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Now, the airlines were just about the first customers to clamor for advanced biofuels. In 2006, Richard Altman of the recently-formed Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative showed up at one of the earliest advanced biofuels events, and when he laid out the intent of the

December 14, 2019 Read Full Article

Carbon Capture and Storage Projects Advancing at Ethanol, Coal Plants

by Amy R. Sisk (Bismarck Tribune) As a Richardton ethanol facility gears up to store its carbon emissions underground, the company that runs a coal-fired power plant north of Washburn has secured funding to help determine whether it should pursue similar technology. Red Trail Energy, which turns corn into ethanol

December 11, 2019 Read Full Article

9 Hot New CO2 Applications

by Sam A. Rushing (Advanced Cryogenics/Biofuels Digest) … Food and beverage applications often account for 70% of all tonnage consumed in the merchant sector. There are also demands of a captive and sequestration nature, which in my view, are generally categorized outside of the merchant markets, such as large EOR (enhanced

December 10, 2019 Read Full Article

RNG Industry Launches SMART Initiative

(Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas/Biomass Magazine) The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition) announced the Sustainable Methane Abatement and Recycling Timeline (SMART) Initiative at the RNG 2019 conference this week in Dana Point, California, casting the vision for RNG stakeholders to develop an action plan to sustainably capture and repurpose

December 9, 2019 Read Full Article

An Electron Highway Headed for Methanol

by Jim Shelton (Yale News) … The discovery, published online Nov. 27 in the journal Nature, finds a novel solution for two chemical tasks: producing methanol — a volatile, liquid fuel that is prized by industry — and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Hailiang Wang, an assistant professor of chemistry

December 5, 2019 Read Full Article

Fuel from MSW and Biomass: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Velocys’ Aviation Fuel

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For 17 years, Velocys has been working on XTL projects and their FT technology has operated on syngas derived from natural gas, landfill gas, coal and biomass. Philipp Stratmann, VP Biofuels at Velocys shared the latest from Velocys at the recent IATA Sustainable Aviation Fuel Symposium.

December 5, 2019 Read Full Article

Scotland’s Carbon Reduction Ambitions Move forward with Groundbreaking New Charter Signed by Government and Industry

by Joanna Sampson (Gas World) A new alliance of industry, academics and government will today officially launch a programme to deliver industrial decarbonisation in Scotland through the deployment of the UK’s first carbon capture, usage and storage technology. The industry led coalition, known as NECCUS, will be instrumental in driving forward

December 4, 2019 Read Full Article

Argonne Collaboration Shows Benefits of Better Corn Residue Management Strategies

(U.S. Department of Energy) As the global population swells, boosting the demand for both food and energy, land management has never been more important. Now, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory are conducting pivotal research that will help keep soil healthy now and into the future.

December 4, 2019 Read Full Article

From Waste Woody Biomass to Carbon Negative Transportation Fuels via CCUS

by Philipp Stratmann (Velocys/Biofuels Digest) At this year’s ABLC Next Conference in San Francisco Velocys presented on the opportunity to produce negative emission fuels at our planned Bayou Fuels facility in Natchez, Mississippi. Whilst we were not the only company presenting on advanced biofuel products at the conference, our integration of

December 3, 2019 Read Full Article

Man-Made Bacteria that EATS Carbon Dioxide and turns it into eco-friendly biofuels could help tackle climate change, scientists claim

by Milly Vincent (Daily Mail) Escherichia coli bacteria have been engineered by scientists to consume CO2; Scientists removed some genes added one for an enzyme that converts CO2; The bacteria feed off carbon dioxide instead of sugar to produce biofuels — … Escherichia coli bacteria have been engineered by scientists at the Weizmann

November 29, 2019 Read Full Article

BECCS to the Future: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to ARPA’s Methane Fuel

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) If you missed ABLC NEXT in San Francisco, let’s go back to the future and look at BECCS – Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage – and examine the challenges, how it is fueled by methane and what methane pyrolysis can do, how we can go

November 29, 2019 Read Full Article

New Jersey Senator Calls for 45Q Probe

by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez called on the IRS’ watchdog to open an investigation into potentially fraudulent claims for the tax credit to capture carbon, known as 45Q. In a letter dated Nov. 19 to Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George,

November 28, 2019 Read Full Article

LanzaTech Moves Forward on Sustainable Aviation Scale Up in the USA and Japan

(LanzaTech) Carbon recycling pioneer, LanzaTech, continues to make strides in scaling up its alcohol to jet (ATJ) platform. Commercialization of the ATJ process has been years in the making, starting with the partnership between LanzaTech and the U.S Energy Department’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. PNNL developed a unique catalytic process to

November 26, 2019 Read Full Article

Direct Air Capture: The Key To Reversing Climate Change

by Graciela Chichilnisky (Global Thermostat) …A few companies are building “direct air capture” (DAC) plants that use chemical agents to scrub trace amounts of carbon dioxide from the air, allowing them to sell the gas to industrial customers or bury it underground. For example, Global Thermostat (GT) has created, developed

November 21, 2019 Read Full Article

Are Ancient Bugs the Key to Storing Wind and Solar?

by Stephen Lacey (GreenTechMedia) In this special podcast episode: We tour NREL’s new bioreactor that creates renewable methane from microorganisms, hydrogen and CO2. NREL and SoCalGas are finally running their novel power-to-gas system. — As grids get saturated with wind and solar electricity, there’s increasing pressure to find new ways to

November 6, 2019 Read Full Article

The Long Haul to Getting Aviation Biofuel off the Ground

by Angeli Mehta (Ethical Corporation) With the IPCC warning against growing crops for fuel, Angeli Mehta reports on how LanzaTech, SkyNRG and Velocys are trying to get the next generation of aviation biofuels to scale The first flight using a blend of kerosene and biofuel took place back in 2008. Eleven

November 5, 2019 Read Full Article

This Company Turns Emissions into Fuel

Article by Millie Dent; Video by Bryce Urbany & Deborah Brunswick (CNN) The world’s industrial sector — places like steel mills, refineries, and chemical plans — contributes over 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Where most people see this only as pollution, Chicago-based LanzaTech considers it opportunity. The biotech startup

November 4, 2019 Read Full Article

The Opportunity for Algae in Carbon Utilization: A $320 Billion Market that Could also Capture 3 Billion Tons of Carbon Emissions

(Algae Biomass Organization) A recent report by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) takes a close look at using carbon emissions as a feedstock to more efficiently decarbonize economies around the world. The authors identify an enormous opportunity for algae. C2ES published “Carbon Utilization–A Vital and Effective Pathway for Decarbonization” to

November 4, 2019 Read Full Article

The Digest’s 2019 State of the Industry Address

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It’s ABLC Week and the semi-annual State of the Industry Address was a highlight at the opening of the on-stage presentations — known as a networking event but also featuring a slide deck and commentary on US and international bioeconomy trends. READ MORE

November 1, 2019 Read Full Article

Heard on the Floor at ABLC Next

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) USDA releases Report on the Bioeconomy: The USDA released its Report on the Bioeconomy Imiplementation Framework. The Bioeconomy Initiative: Implementation Framework will serve as a guiding document for the BR&D Board member agencies to increase government accountability and efficiency, maximize interagency coordination on bioeconomy research and other

November 1, 2019 Read Full Article

Morgan Stanley Says These Firms Will Profit from Climate Change

by Ishika Mookerjee (Bloomberg/MSN) World needs to spend $50 trillion on 5 technologies by 2050; Investment in areas such as hydrogen and biofuels is key — The world needs to spend $50 trillion on five areas of technology by 2050 to slash emissions and meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of

October 28, 2019 Read Full Article

Planting a Trillion Trees Will Not Halt Climate Change

by Kay Ledbetter (Farm Progress/Southwest Farm Press) Tree planting in natural grasslands can destroy plant and animal habitat and won’t sequester enough carbon to compensate for fossil fuel emissions. — A group of 46 scientists from around the world, led by Dr. Joseph Veldman, assistant professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science

October 28, 2019 Read Full Article

Interaction Encouraged

by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Jaime Finguerut, director of the Sugarcane Technology Institute in Brazil, showed a presentation slide titled, “EMERGENCY!” as he explained to his audience at The Alcohol School Sept. 10 that the climate crisis is the largest global demand driver for ethanol. Finguerut presented at Lallemand

October 23, 2019 Read Full Article

Air Liquide Partners with ArcelorMittal in Pilot Project to Capture and Recycle Carbon

(Air Liquide) Air Liquide is partnering with ArcelorMittal in the first industrial scale demonstration plant to capture carbon gas from the steelmaking process and recycle it into chemicals, specifically advanced bioethanol*. In this project, Air Liquide Engineering & Construction will provide a technology solution that purifies the offgas coming from the

October 18, 2019 Read Full Article

The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Direct Air Capture

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Atmospheric CO2 levels have hit, er, stratospheric levels. The levels measured today were last recorded in 3 million B.C., and given the global concern about climate impact, a major industry is in the process of being born — namely, the Carbon Reduction Industry. Afforestation, bioenergy

October 15, 2019 Read Full Article

About Those Biobased Amines We Might One Day Dream up at Ptixar Amination

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Lately the amines, which in the simplest description are compounds with a bunch of nitrogen stuffed inside, have improved their reputation. For one, a number of Direct Air Capture technologies have been receiving big publicity as climate fighters for their CO2-scrubbing prowess. … “various

October 15, 2019 Read Full Article

Catch & Kill: The Velocys, Oxy, Cemvita, Carbon Engineering, BHP, Ginkgo Chase to Catch Waste, Kill Emissions, Armed with New Organisms to Liberate Value

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Mississippi, Velocys’ Bayou Fuels project has signed with Oxy Low Carbon Ventures to capture carbon dioxide from Velocys’ planned Bayou Fuels biomass-to-fuels project in Natchez, Mississippi, and securely store it underground in a geologic formation. OLCV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Occidental, will take,

October 11, 2019 Read Full Article

World First Products Made from Recycled Pollution Reduce Emissions and Keep Carbon in the Ground!

(Lanza Tech) Products made from recycled pollution are coming to a store near you! Beijing Shougang LanzaTech New Energy Science & Technology Co., Ltd. a joint venture between carbon recycler, LanzaTech, Shougang Group, a leading Chinese iron and steel producer, and its New Zealand partner, TangMing, have successfully produced over 9M

October 9, 2019 Read Full Article

The Truth About Hydrogen

by Patrick Molloy and LeeAnn Baronett (Rocky Mountain Institute) … There are four major sources for commercial production of hydrogen, three of which require fossil fuels: steam methane reformation (SMR), oxidation, and gasification. The fourth source is electrolysis, which separates water into its constituent elements (hydrogen and oxygen) using electricity. When

October 8, 2019 Read Full Article

$73 Million, 35 Projects, Who Won, for What and Why: The DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office 2019 Project Selections

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the U.S. Department of Energy has selected 35 projects totaling $73 million for bioenergy research and development support. Funded through the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, these projects will help reduce the price of drop-in biofuels, lower the cost of biopower,

October 2, 2019 Read Full Article

Convert CO2 into Raw Materials Using Nanoparticles

(Ruhr University Bochum (Google Translation)) Enzymes use cascade reactions to produce complex molecules from comparatively simple raw materials. The principle was copied by researchers. An international research team has converted carbon dioxide into raw materials using nanoparticles. The scientists at the Ruhr University Bochum and the University of New South

September 30, 2019 Read Full Article

Sizzlin’ Summit: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Algae in the 2019 Farm Bill

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At the hot and happenin’ Algae Biomass Summit in Orlando, Florida,Steve Mayfield, Director at UCSD California Center for Algae Biotechnology and Martin Sabarksy, CEO of Cellana, gave this illuminating introduction of some of the latest policy highlights from the 2018 Farm Bill and how it

September 26, 2019 Read Full Article

It’s MAGIC!: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Algae’s Pivotal Role

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Some people believe in magic and some don’t but MAGIC is real in this case – the Marine AlGae Industrialization Consortium, that is. MAGIC is working on answering the question “How do we produce that remaining 15 bboe/year of energy-dense, liquid hydrocarbon fuels to meet the

September 26, 2019 Read Full Article

NCFA: Carbon Stored in Forests Is Not Decreasing

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The North Carolina Forestry Association has spoken out to dispute a recent report released by the Center for Sustainable Economy and the Dogwood Alliance that claims that carbon stored in forests is decreasing. NCFA stresses it is not. The report, released Sept. 10, claims that industrial logging

September 25, 2019 Read Full Article

National Farmers Union Climate Presentation

Increase Value, Reduce Costs: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Advanced Algal Systems

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Advanced Algal Systems. Maybe you’ve heard of it but did you know that technologies are being developed as part of a DOE program to enable production of sustainable algal feedstocks that perform reliably in conversion processes to yield renewable fuel blendstocks, as well as bioproducts and

September 24, 2019 Read Full Article

Increase Value, Reduce Costs: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Advanced Algal Systems

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)Advanced Algal Systems. Maybe you’ve heard of it but did you know that technologies are being developed as part of a DOE program to enable production of sustainable algal feedstocks that perform reliably in conversion processes to yield renewable fuel blendstocks, as well as bioproducts and

September 20, 2019 Read Full Article

Grab It and Use It: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Carbon Capture

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At the recent Algae Biomass Summit, John Litynski, Deputy Director of Advanced Fossil Technology Systems at the DOE gave this illuminating overview of the federal government’s role in CCUS and detailed some of the major carbon capture demonstration projects. For example, the ADM ethanol facility

September 20, 2019 Read Full Article

The Algae Summit, Groups to Know, Slides to See, and the Megatrends

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … We’ve managed to get a hold of three presentations that really were the bomb at ABS 2019. Jonathan Male, director of the Bioenergy Technologies Office and one of the original Pyromaniax himself, gave this one on the algae R&D priorities and actions for fuels and

September 20, 2019 Read Full Article

Replacing the Barrel: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Conversion Technologies

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Developing efficient and economical biological and chemical technologies to convert biomass feedstocks into energy-dense liquid transportation fuels, such as renewable gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, as well as bioproducts, chemical intermediates, and biopower is the primary goal of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Conversion R&D team. As

September 18, 2019 Read Full Article

Algae Researchers and Private Industry Are Working in Open Collaboration to Find Algae Bloom and HAB Remediation Solutions.

by Barry Cohen (National Algae Association) Continuous and devastating algae blooms & HAB problems are affecting fishing, swimming, tourism, real estate values and local economies. NAA today is encouraging algae researchers to focus their efforts on ‘algae bloom and HAB remediation research’ and to work with private industry to find immediate

September 18, 2019 Read Full Article

Use It or Lose It: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Waste Carbon Utilization

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) CO2 is one of those things you love to hate, but it’s there and it’s not going away, so if we don’t find a way to use it, isn’t it a missed opportunity? As part of the 2019 BETO Peer Review, Ian Rowe from the

September 17, 2019 Read Full Article

VTT Says Materials and Chemicals the First Commodities to Be Commercialized by Carbon Reuse

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Finland, VTT published a new report called “The Carbon Reuse Economy – Transforming CO2 from a pollutant into a resource” and presents its view on how carbon can be turned from a pollutant into a resource with a favorable impact on climate change. It

September 16, 2019 Read Full Article

How Synthetic Biology Can Help Build Sustainable Cities

by John Cumbers (Green Biz/SynBioBeta) Sustainability is in vogue, with businesses and cities jostling to improve their public image and produce goods and services using renewable sources. Yet cities exponentially swell and carbon emissions continue to increase. Global CO2 emissions rise nearly every year (about 36 billion tons in 2014), with

September 9, 2019 Read Full Article

Rice Reactor Turns Greenhouse Gas into Pure Liquid Fuel

by Mike Williams (Rice University) Lab’s ‘green’ invention reduces carbon dioxide into valuable fuels — A common greenhouse gas could be repurposed in an efficient and environmentally friendly way with an electrolyzer that uses renewable electricity to produce pure liquid fuels. The catalytic reactor developed by the Rice University lab of chemical and

September 5, 2019 Read Full Article

SoCalGas Project Uses Renewable Electricity for RNG Production

by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and Electrochaea have commissioned a new biomethanation reactor system, which uses renewable electricity to convert hydrogen into pipeline-quality methane for use in homes, businesses and transportation. The pilot project is located at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory

August 29, 2019 Read Full Article

If We Really Want to Sequester More Carbon, Agriculture Can’t Be Made the Enemy, Says Microbial Input Startup Locus

by Lauren Manning (Ag Funder News) … Carbon sequestration is a phrase that’s becoming commonplace in the media, in food policy circles, and more recently around the dinner table. Put simply, Zorner says, carbon sequestration describes the process that plants use to absorb carbon from the air through photosynthesis, convert it

August 23, 2019 Read Full Article

How Floating Solar Farms Could Make Fuel and Help Solve the Climate Crisis

by Denise Chow (NBC News) “Solar methanol islands” could curb our reliance on fossil fuels that belch harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. — Huge solar farms floating in the ocean could be used to convert carbon dioxide in seawater into methanol, a fuel that can power airplanes, trucks and other long-haul

August 16, 2019 Read Full Article

Scars Are Beautiful: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Gevo’s Market Perspectives

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Scars are a sign you’ve been there and survived. You overcame. You learned something, maybe the hard way. And Patrick Gruber, CEO of Gevo, a company that produces low-carbon, renewable, high-performance fuel products, shows us just how beautiful scars can be. Check out his illuminating presentation where

August 16, 2019 Read Full Article

SoCalGas and Electrochaea Announce Commissioning of New Biomethanation Reactor System Pilot Project

(Southern California Gas Co./PR Newswire) Innovative project with U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory converts renewable electricity into renewable methane for storage in existing natural gas pipelines — Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and Electrochaea today announced the commissioning of the nation’s first scalable biomethanation reactor system at the U.S. Department of

August 15, 2019 Read Full Article

Aemetis Cuts Carbon Score of Keyes Ethanol Plant

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Aemetis Inc. released second quarter 2019 financial results Aug. 8. The company reported strong growth for its biodiesel business in India, outlined improvement projects underway at its corn ethanol plant, and discussed planned renewable natural gas (RNG) and cellulosic ethanol production. During an earnings call,

August 14, 2019 Read Full Article

FuelCell Energy, Drax Announce New Carbon Capture Project

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) FuelCell Energy Inc. announced June 27 it has entered into a contract with Drax Power Station for an application of its carbon capture solution. Drax secured £500,000 ($633,503) in government funding to support the project. Under the contract, FuelCell Energy will support Drax with a front

August 7, 2019 Read Full Article

Novo Holdings Invests $72 Million in Sustainable Products Leader LanzaTech

(Lanza Tech) Novo Holdings A/S (Novo Holdings) and LanzaTech, a pioneer in the production of next generation fuels and chemicals through the recycling of carbon pollution, announce today that they have formed a partnership to grow LanzaTech’s revolutionary sustainable fuels and chemicals platform. Novo Holdings is making a $72 million investment

August 6, 2019 Read Full Article

How Slime Will Save the World

by Ruth Kassinger (Boston Globe) … We’ve turned algae into killers. But we can change their future and ours. We can harness them to help save the environment we’ve been ravaging. AFTER THE OPEC oil embargo of the mid-1970s caused gas shortages and price hikes, government-funded biologists and engineers across the country began

August 5, 2019 Read Full Article

“I Am Not Charcoal.” – Sincerely, Biochar: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Biochar

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) On a recent Digest webinar, we heard all about biochar. The science. The markets. The technology. The results. The needs. And much more. If you missed The Digest’s webinar then check out the slides that cover all you need to know about biochar. Hugh McLaughlin, PhD,

August 5, 2019 Read Full Article

Euglena Sets Sights as an Olympic Hopeful for Algae-Based Aviation Jet Fuel

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Midorimushi – other than being a cool sounding Ninja name, it’s scientific name is Euglena. No, it’s not the latest superhero in a manga comic. It’s a kind of algae. In a magical sort of hybrid way, it has both plant and animal properties and has

August 5, 2019 Read Full Article

MARINER’s Magnificent Macroalgae: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to ARPA-E

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Oceans are the largest untapped growth opportunity for biomass and that macroalgae is the quintessential ocean crop, according to ARPA-E. But, it says that with the current state of technology, it will never scale to meet energy and CO2 capture demands. So what to do? That’s

August 2, 2019 Read Full Article

American Coalition for Ethanol : ACE Calls on EPA to Rely on the GREET Model as It Considers Future RFS Volumes

(American Coalitin for Ethanol/Market Screener) American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings highlighted the important role corn ethanol could have in further reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions if properly valued under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler today, informing the agency of

July 26, 2019 Read Full Article

Airgas Opens Liquid Carbon Dioxide and Dry Ice Facility in Stockton, California

(Airgas) Airgas, an Air Liquide company and a leading U.S. supplier of industrial, medical and specialty gases, and related products, announces the grand opening of its new liquid carbon dioxide and dry ice facility in Stockton, California. The facility, which was engineered to have minimal environmental impact, is a zero runoff/discharge

July 23, 2019 Read Full Article

New University and Government Reports Set the Record Straight on Ethanol’s GHG Benefits

(Renewable Fuels Association) Two new academic studies released this week provide further evidence that grain-based ethanol is significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and call into question the reliability of recent “land use change” analyses based on flawed satellite imagery-based methodologies. These studies add to a large body of existing literature that

July 17, 2019 Read Full Article

Carbon-Negative Fuels Come Clearer, Closer with Oberon’s Leap to Demo Scale

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From California comes news that Oberon Fuels has been officially awarded a grant for $2,876,139 from the California Energy Commission (CEC) for a first-of-its-kind, multi-phase project to produce the first renewable dimethyl ether (rDME), with what could arguably be the most carbon-negative transport fuel ever produced

July 16, 2019 Read Full Article

Firm Launches Plan to Cut One Trillion Tons of CO2 From Atmosphere

(Solutions from the Land) A company that says it is “dedicated to harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet,” announced last month the launch of The Terraton Initiative™, a project designed to accelerate carbon sequestration at an unprecedented scale. … Among the steps cited by Indigo are regenerative farming practices

July 9, 2019 Read Full Article

ABLC Wolves Devour 6 Technologies: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to The Wolfpack

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … (W)e have the satisfying slides that will satiate your hunger for thoughts from renowned due diligence experts on the latest and hottest technologies. You won’t want to miss these slides, esp. if you missed ABLC’s Wolfpack this April. Paul Bryan from Sandia National Labs, James Iademarco from Strategic

July 5, 2019 Read Full Article

Raised & Rooted Alt Protein, African Iron Superfood, Biological Biocide, Digital Agronomic Tools, CO2 Munching Microbe, and More: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of July 4th

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the U.S., it’s Independence Day and many folks are celebrating across the country, but it doesn’t mean the bioeconomy is taking a break. In fact, bioeconomy innovations, much like hamburgers and hot dogs across America, are getting hot, hot, hot! Here are the top innovations

July 5, 2019 Read Full Article

These Nano-Bugs Eat CO2 and Make Eco-Friendly Fuel

by Trent Knoss (University of Colorado Boulder) CU Boulder researchers have developed nanobio-hybrid organisms capable of using airborne carbon dioxide and nitrogen to produce a variety of plastics and fuels, a promising first step toward low-cost carbon sequestration and eco-friendly manufacturing for chemicals. By using light-activated quantum dots to fire particular

July 3, 2019 Read Full Article

European Research Project Claims Breakthrough in Production of Renewable Jet Fuels from Sunlight

(GreenAir Online) A project funded by the EU and Switzerland claims to have made a breakthrough in producing renewable jet kerosene from sunlight, water and CO2. The SUN-to-LIQUID project follows on from an earlier project, SOLAR-JET, that developed the technology to achieve the first-ever production of solar jet fuel in a

June 28, 2019 Read Full Article

From FEW: 45Q Represents Opportunity for Ethanol; Request for Comments DEADLINE: July 4, 2019

by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Under new size specifications for the 45Q tax credit, almost all ethanol plants are eligible, said Jamey Cline, in business development for Christianson PLLP. With revenues trending downward since 2018 and falling below operating expenses, diversification of revenue streams is crucial, he added. Cline was

June 23, 2019 Read Full Article

Iowa State Researchers Studying Slow-Release Fertilizer to Feed Crops, Improve Water Quality

(Iowa State University) Iowa State University researchers weren’t looking for a slow-release fertilizer that could feed crops while protecting water quality, but they may have found one. Researchers looking to add value to biochar – a solid, porous co-product of heating corn stalks and other sources of biomass to produce liquid

June 21, 2019 Read Full Article

Amazing Algaculture: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to MicroBio Engineering

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) MicroBio Engineering works on facility designs, algae equipment, R&D, engineering consulting, techno-economic analyses, LCAs and wastewater treatment. Their focus on algaculture, specifically microalgae cultivation, is what the focus of this presentation is on. John Benemann, CEO and Tryg Lundquist, CTO, both of MicroBio Engineering, gave this

June 18, 2019 Read Full Article

List of Current Carbon Capture Projects

by Lee Beck (Global Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Institute) and William Brandon ( Industrial Ecosystem Partners) Here is a list of carbon capture projects now in operation in North America. Note that the last three are direct sequestration while the rest are enhanced oil recovery (EOR) uses. Boundary Channel. https://www.saskpower.com/Our-Power-Future/Infrastructure-Projects/Carbon-Capture-and-Storage/Boundary-Dam-Carbon-Capture-Project Canada

June 12, 2019 Read Full Article

All I Need Is the Air that I Breathe: The Search for Better Sources for Octane and Better Uses for Aromatics

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, a new report concludes that emissions from petroleum-based gasoline “are one of the biggest health threats facing the American public”. The report links a wide range of respiratory and even neurological diseases to toxic carcinogenic compounds refiners used to increase octane in gasoline. A

June 12, 2019 Read Full Article

Rewriting the Equation for Fossil Fuel Emissions

by Kyle Saukas (Leaders in Energy) … On May 29th, Leaders in Energy (LE) members met to discuss how to better utilize the abundant fossil fuel resources we already have in order to move towards a cleaner future at the Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Fossil Energy: Searching for the Next Better Event.

June 11, 2019 Read Full Article

EU-India Conference on Advanced Biofuels

(Netzwerk Biotreibstoffe) The 2nd EU-India Conference on Advanced Biofuels was organised by the Directorate General for Energy of the European Commission and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas of India under the framework of the India-EU CECP. The conference aimed at facilitating contacts between industry and technology developers from both

June 3, 2019 Read Full Article

The Fuzzy Math of Carbon Capture

by RP Siegel (American Energy Society) … But when (Peter) Eisenberger talks about a sustainable economy, he’s talking about supplementing the work of trees by capturing the greenhouse gas from, say, the smokestack of a coal-fired power plant, or even directly from the air, and then burying it underground or using

June 3, 2019 Read Full Article

Startups Strive to Recycle Emissions for ‘New Carbon Economy’

by Sebastien Malo (Reuters) Jennifer Holmgren, chief executive of carbon recycling firm LanzaTech, explained modestly how the Chicago-based startup had cut multi-million-dollar deals on four continents, including in China, aimed at helping curb climate change and air pollution. At the Jingtang Steel Mill in Heibei province, the company uses bacteria to convert

May 31, 2019 Read Full Article

Expanding US Cropland Emits Same as 36 New Power Plants

by Jon Cartwright (Physics World) Between 2008 and 2012 expansion of cropland in the US released carbon each year equivalent to the running of 36 coal-fired power plants, according to scientists in the US. “Folks can easily see and understand how tropical deforestation removes carbon from the landscape and emits it to the

May 29, 2019 Read Full Article

BASF Develops Process for Climate-Friendly Methanol

(BASF) Successful team of experts applies for patent for complex process; With the help of BASF’s OASE® gas treatment technology, no carbon dioxide should be emitted during the entire production process The production processes of the most important basic chemicals are responsible for around 70 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in the

May 28, 2019 Read Full Article

Six MSU Researchers Receive Prestigious NSF Early Career Awards

(Michigan State University) … Daniel Ducat, assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, received $1,033,970 from NSF’s Division of Systems and Synthetic Biology to investigate the fundamental interactions that underpin resilient microbial partnerships and may be key to solving some of the earth’s biggest resource challenges. Ducat’s team will

May 28, 2019 Read Full Article

Scientists Want to Limit Climate Change by Releasing More CO2 — Converting Methane to Carbon Dioxide Could Help.

by Ula Chrobak (Popular Science) … In a surprising and counterintuitive proposal published Monday in the journal Nature Sustainability, Stanford University scientists argue that we can limit warming by chemically converting methane to carbon dioxide. “Our paper is a call to view methane removal as an opportunity,” says Rob Jackson, the study’s lead author.

May 24, 2019 Read Full Article

The Largest US Carbon Capture and Sequestration Project to Be Developed by Wabash Valley Resoureces with Funding Support from OGCI Climate Investments

(Wabash Valley Resources) – The project is expected to be the largest carbon sequestration project in the United States to date, and will create the world’s first ammonia produced with near zero carbon footprint – The project will capture and sequester 1.5-1.75 million tons of CO2 annually from Wabash Valley Resources

May 24, 2019 Read Full Article

Methanol Institute Releases New Report on Renewable Methanol

(Methanol Institute) Compared to conventional fuels, renewable methanol cuts carbon dioxide emissions by up to 95%, reduces nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 80%, and completely eliminates sulfur oxide and particulate matter emissions. The report, prepared for MI by ATA Insights, features case studies on renewable methanol production by Carbon Recycling International

May 23, 2019 Read Full Article

Engineered Bacteria Could Be Missing Link in Energy Storage

by Krishna Ramanujan (Cornell Chronicle) One of the big issues with sustainable energy systems is how to store electricity that’s generated from wind, solar and waves. At present, no existing technology provides large-scale storage and energy retrieval for sustainable energy at a low financial and environmental cost. Engineered electroactive microbes could

May 23, 2019 Read Full Article

Greening the Chemical Industry Requires Massive Amount of Renewables

by Michael Le Page (New Scientist) … While in theory carbon dioxide captured from the air could replace fossil fuels as a feedstock for the global chemicals industry, in practice it would likely require vastly more clean electricity than we currently have. … They calculated that capturing carbon from the air to use as

May 16, 2019 Read Full Article

Carbon Removal Takes Hold on Hill

by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) CAPTURING HEARTS AND MINDS: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will dive into the Energy Department’s carbon capture, utilization and storage programs during a hearing this morning (May 16, 2019), where Assistant Energy Secretary for Fossil Energy Steven Winberg will testify. The panel

May 16, 2019 Read Full Article

Converting CO2 to Carbon at Mild Conditions

by Paul Grad (Chemical Engineering) … (C)onverting CO2 into a solid offers an attractive alternative method for safely and permanently removing CO2 from the atmosphere. To date, CO2 has only been converted into a solid at extremely high temperatures, making it industrially unviable. The team created a liquid metal electrocatalyst that contains metallic elemental cerium nanoparticles, which facilitate

May 15, 2019 Read Full Article

Indian Perspective on Bioenergy: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to IndianOil Corp.

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) IndianOil has a 33,000-plus work-force, extensive refining, distribution & marketing infrastructure and advanced R&D facilities. In the country’s pursuit of alternative sources of energy, IndianOil is focusing on CNG (compressed natural gas), Autogas (LPG), ethanol blended petrol, bio-diesel, and Hydrogen energy. Dr SSV Ramakumar, Director (R&D),

May 15, 2019 Read Full Article

Feedstock Flexibility

by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Beyond Enerkem, a few companies around the world are looking to feedstocks outside of corn to produce cellulosic ethanol. — A few well-known ethanol producers are developing cellulosic pathways that use feedstocks other than elements of corn. … Waste Gas LanzaTech, a U.S.-based carbon capture and

May 14, 2019 Read Full Article

ExxonMobil Promises $100m for Biofuels and CCS Research

(Business Green) Oil giant ExxonMobil this week promised a fresh wave of up to $100m R&D cash to support the development of carbon reduction technologies. The company announced a 10-year agreement with the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory and National Energy Technology Laboratory to fund research into biofuels and carbon capture technologies,

May 12, 2019 Read Full Article

The Case for a Credit

by Steffen Mueller and Sam Rushing (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The role of ethanol-based carbon dioxide is often underappreciated, both as an important source for the nation’s carbon dioxide market and for its carbon-reduction impact. Fermentation CO2 is captured, cleaned and condensed at 49 ethanol plants in the U.S., contributing between 30

May 10, 2019 Read Full Article

Experts Secure £200,000 from the Department for Transport for Research into Greener Travel

(Loughborough University) Loughborough University has been awarded £200,000 for two projects which aim to make the transport sector more environmentally friendly. Dr Jin Xuan, a Senior Lecturer in Low Carbon Processes, Dr Tanja Radu, a Lecturer in Water Engineering, and Dr Jonathan Wagner, a Lecturer in Chemical Engineering, successfully bid for the grant which

May 9, 2019 Read Full Article

The Plan to Grab the World’s Carbon with Supercharged Plants

by Emily Dreyfuss (Wired) … Plant biologist Joanne Chory thinks plants can do more. She has studied the genetics of plants at the Salk Institute in San Diego for more than 30 years, and she and the rest of the five-person Harnessing Plants Initiative team are convinced that photosynthesis itself can

May 4, 2019 Read Full Article

Government, National Labs, Academia, and Industry Convene at the 2019 BETO Peer Review! Presentations Now Available

(U.S. Department of Energy) From March 4–8, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, hosted the 2019 Project Peer Review in Denver, Colorado. This was the largest Peer Review in BETO history—almost 600 people attended the event! Bioenergy researchers

May 3, 2019 Read Full Article

What if Air Conditioners Could Help Save the Planet instead of Destroying It?

by Matt Simon (Wired) … But what if we could weaponize air conditioning units to help pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere instead? According to a new paper in Nature Communications, it’s feasible. Using technology currently in development, AC units in skyscrapers and even your home could get turned into machines

May 3, 2019 Read Full Article

Better Biomaterials: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the “new ideas” laboratory, was established in 1952 at the height of the Cold War to meet urgent national security needs by advancing nuclear weapons science and technology and they continue to aspire to intellectual leadership, originality, and audacity. A.J. Simon, Group

May 2, 2019 Read Full Article

Solar Fuel Turns to Plants for Inspiration

(European Commission) An ‘artificial leaf’ being developed by EU-funded researchers to produce fuel from sunlight, carbon dioxide and water, could tackle soaring global energy demands, the growing impact of climate change, and dwindling supplies of fossil fuels. — Developing new sources of clean, renewable energy that can compete against fossil fuels is

April 30, 2019 Read Full Article

Reducing Energy Required to Convert CO2 Waste into Valuable Resources

(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign/Phys.Org) Surplus industrial carbon dioxide creates an opportunity to convert waste into a valuable commodity. Excess CO2 can be a feedstock for chemicals typically derived from fossil fuels, but the process is energy-intensive and expensive. University of Illinois chemical engineers have assessed the technical and economic feasibility

April 26, 2019 Read Full Article

UMD College Park Engineering Sustainability Day Highlights Real Projects and Difficulties

by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) No matter what you think of engineers, they have an important role to play in achieving goals of the Green New Deal and climate change mitigation. It was a great way to spending Earth Day — at University of Maryland College Park as a

April 25, 2019 Read Full Article

Earth Day 2019 – A Look at Carbon Negative and Carbon Capture Technologies, Advancements, and Possibilities

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … What was a nationwide celebration and peaceful demonstrations for environmental reform in the U.S. by some estimated 20 million Americans, Earth Day events have now expanded to over 193 countries and more than a billion people every year. … The top 5 CO2 producing countries in the

April 23, 2019 Read Full Article

Putting CO₂ Emissions to Work: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Opus 12

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Opus 12 has developed a device that recycles CO₂ into cost-competitive chemicals and fuels. Their technology bolts onto any source of CO₂ emissions, and with only water and electricity as inputs, transforms that CO₂ into some of the world’s most critical chemical products. Opus 12 was

April 19, 2019 Read Full Article

Richardton Ethanol Plant Moves Forward with Carbon Capture Project

by Amy Dalrymple (Bismarck Tribune/Grand Forks Herald) A project to capture carbon dioxide from a western North Dakota ethanol plant continues to advance as researchers work to better understand the geology below the facility. Red Trail Energy in Richardton proposes to capture carbon dioxide rather than emit it into the

April 17, 2019 Read Full Article

Senators Introduce Bipartisan Carbon Capture Bill

by Miranda Green (The Hill) A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill Thursday to increase federal funding toward developing carbon capture technology while also committing to fossil fuel use. Introduced by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ranking member Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), the bill is being hailed as an important step to addressing

April 12, 2019 Read Full Article

ABLC 2019 Round-Up

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … ABLC 2019 kicked off on Wednesday with about 540 delegates in Washington, D.C. at the U.S. Department of Agriculture building complete with secret service protection and escorts for some big-name super star speakers, with a pretty exciting vibe in the room. In ABLC terms,

April 8, 2019 Read Full Article

CO2CRC to Investigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reducation in Steel Manufacturing

(CO2CRC) CO2CRC has been awarded funding to conduct important research into reducing greenhouse gas emissions in steel production. The year-long study has been made possible by a grant from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (Coal Innovation NSW Fund). The project will explore pathways for reducing greenhouse gas emissions

March 28, 2019 Read Full Article

Scientists Develop High-CO2-Tolerant Microalgae

(Algae Industry Magazine/Chinese Academy of Sciences) … However, the high concentration of carbon dioxide in flue gases generally inhibits the growth of industrial microalgae. Therefore, reducing the so-called “CO2 poisoning effect,” i.e., improving tolerance to high levels of CO2, has become a priority in the development of super microalgae for carbon fixation.

March 27, 2019 Read Full Article

The Next Chapter for Algae: The Farm Bill of 2018 Recognizes Algae as a Crop for the First Time. Will We Be Bold Enough to Treat It Like One?

by Rebecca White (iWi (Qualitas Health, Inc.)/Biofuels Digest) This Wednesday marks a major milestone in the history of the American algae industry: the first meeting in which the Biomass R&D Board Technical Advisory Committee officials will discuss algae as an agricultural crop. Up until now, the vast majority of governmental funding and support

March 27, 2019 Read Full Article

Alternative Protein Startups: Let’s Get the Facts Straight about Livestock’s Carbon Footprint

by Lauren Manning (AgFunder News) … the issue of livestock farming’s impact on the environment is not as clear cut as many of these businesses would have you believe. In fact, many of the data dairy and meat alternative businesses are using to market their animal-free wares are inaccurate and misleading.

March 23, 2019 Read Full Article

Avenue 45Q

by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) The Trump administration is developing guidance to help companies qualify for a built-out tax credit for carbon capture, utilization and storage — a welcome addition for industry officials and lawmakers who have complained the IRS is moving too slowly to implement the increased credit,

March 14, 2019 Read Full Article

NFU Says No to Green New Deal: Climate Plan Proposed by Democrats Has Quickly Become Toxic in Rural America

by Jerry Hagstrom and Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Delegates to the National Farmers Union annual convention here on Tuesday maintained the group’s commitment to addressing climate change, but they rejected a proposal that it become involved in the Green New Deal that some Democrats in Congress have proposed. The NFU,

March 11, 2019 Read Full Article

World’s Biggest Terrestrial Carbon Sinks Found in Young Forests – New BIFoR Study

(BioEnergy International) More than half of the carbon sink in the world’s forests is in areas where the trees are relatively young – under 140 years old – rather than in tropical rainforests. These trees have typically ‘regrown’ on land previously used for agriculture, or cleared by fire or harvest and

February 26, 2019 Read Full Article

Carbon Dioxide Now Being Captured in First of Its Kind BECCS Pilot

(Drax) The first BECCS pilot project of its kind in the world at Drax Power Station – the UK’s biggest renewable power generator, has started capturing carbon dioxide. — The first carbon dioxide has been captured using C-Capture technology at Drax Power Station in their innovative bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS)

February 19, 2019 Read Full Article

Lisa Murkowski Sees ‘Green New Deal’ as Opportunity to Push Stalled Energy Bill

by Josh Siegel (Washington Examiner) Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Wednesday the push for a “Green New Deal” could provide an opportunity for her to revive a comprehensive energy bill she co-authored that would be the first update to the country’s energy policies from Congress in a decade. “There is a

February 18, 2019 Read Full Article

Bustos Helps Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Boost Ethanol Production and Combat Climate Change

(Office of Congresswoman Cheri Bustos) Today (February 14, 2019), Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) helped introduce the Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies (USE IT) Act. This bipartisan legislation would implement strategies that help ethanol producers develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. Specifically, USE IT simplifies the permitting process for the construction of carbon

February 18, 2019 Read Full Article

Exploitation Permit for CO2 Storage on the Norwegian Continental Shelf

(Government of Norway) Equinor has been awarded an exploitation permit for CO2-storage on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. — This was decided by King-in-council today (January 11, 2019). The allocated area for storage of CO₂ is located near the Troll oil and gas field and was announced in July 2018. Equinor is

February 5, 2019 Read Full Article

No Carbon Left Behind: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to LanzaTech

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) LanzaTechhas over 20 years experience sourcing and supplying over 5 million tons of wood fiber and organic feedstock in markets across North America. They offer biomass feedstock supply and analytics to understand and minimize supply chain risk. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech gave this illuminating overview of

February 5, 2019 Read Full Article

Marine Sequestration of CO2: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to SNAME

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) was organized in 1893 to advance the art, science, and practice of naval architecture, shipbuilding, marine engineering, ocean engineering, and other marine-related professions. Christopher D. Barry from SNAME gave this illuminating overview of the opportunities for marine

January 28, 2019 Read Full Article

Algae Solutions to Global Dilemmas: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Global Algae Innovations

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Global Algae Innovations was founded in 2013 and focuses on algae for commodities with initial technology development nearly complete. Dave Hazlebeck from Global Algae Innovations gave this illuminating overview of how the algae industry can provide a solution to the protein crisis, algae production process, and

January 23, 2019 Read Full Article

From Take-Off to Offtake – Driving Sustainable Aviation Fuels to Commercial Scale

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In a tale of two Washingtons, the sustainable aviation fuels movement will gather in Washington state in March and in Washington, D.C. in April to seek breakthroughs in the adoption rate of jet biofuels, which have been stalled for some time between the successful certification/demonstration efforts

January 23, 2019 Read Full Article

Emerging Process Tech: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to EPIC

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) EPIC helps pilot plants test and scale new process technologies. Check out their latest presentation with top four emerging process technologies that they are seeing a lot of right now: carbon capture, gas-to-liquids technologies, bio-based ethylene glycol, and biomass to commodity chemical application – and it’s ready

January 2, 2019 Read Full Article

Alt-Shift: As Alternatives to Alternatives, RNG and Fuel Cell Tech Markets Come Clearer, Closer

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, on the final day of California’s 2018 legislative session, a bill sponsored by the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas that would pave the way for a state renewable natural gas procurement program was approved by the Legislature, passing 29-10 in its reconciliation in the Senate.

December 26, 2018 Read Full Article

Greener Days Ahead for Carbon Fuels

by Theresa Duque (Berkeley Lab) Researchers discover copper has potential as a catalyst for turning carbon dioxide into sustainable chemicals and fuels without any wasteful byproducts, creating a green alternative to present-day chemical manufacturing — For decades, scientists have searched for effective ways to remove excess carbon dioxide emissions from the air,

December 20, 2018 Read Full Article

Carbon Capturing: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to Carbon Engineering

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Carbon Engineering is commercializing two clean energy technologies that can rapidly accelerate our shift to a net-zero world by removing carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere and converting it to fuel. Geoffrey Holmes,Business Development lead from Carbon Engineering gave this illuminating overview of their Direct Air Capture

December 20, 2018 Read Full Article

Kampachi Company Wins $3.3m Grant to Turn Seaweed into Food, Feed, Fuel

by Jason Huffman (Undercurrent News) The Kampachi Company may be best known for its recent efforts to grow “king kampachi”, aka kahala or almaco jack (Seriola rivoliana), in ocean-based cages, but it also is performing research with plans to make a play in the seaweed space. The Kona, Hawaii-based company has

December 17, 2018 Read Full Article

Farm Bill Energy Title Contains Climate Tweaks, Slimmer Funding

by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) … While the bill is largely viewed as a status-quo farm bill, the bill importantly reauthorizes the Energy Title (IX) and contains some new programs and tweaks aimed at helping producers become more resilient to climate change. … While overall the Energy Title

December 14, 2018 Read Full Article

Biofuels and Environmental Groups Commend New Pilot Environmental Quality and Incentive Program in 2018 Farm Bill Report

(Grain Net) The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Environmental Entrepreneurs(E2), the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) thank the Farm Bill conferees for including a new pilot Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) in the 2018 Farm Bill Conference Report to promote and document the benefits of farming practices which improve soil health.

December 13, 2018 Read Full Article

Farm Carbon and Biofuels: Focus of Carbon Sequestration and Farming More Practical Than Global Climate Talks

by Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Ohio corn farmer Fred Yoder returned late Friday from a frustrating week in Poland listening to foreign ministers and others talk about what they think farmers globally must do to address climate change. As chairman of the North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance, Yoder

December 11, 2018 Read Full Article

How the Airline Industry Is Cleaning up Its Climate Act

by Adele Peters (Fast Company) At a steel mill outside Beijing, reactors attached to the building capture emissions from the factory. Those waste gases can then be turned into fuel. LanzaTech, a biotech startup that designed a way to turn those emissions into ethanol, recently blended that ethanol into jet fuel that powered

December 5, 2018 Read Full Article

Brain Regeneration, Data Storage with Biocomputers, Plastic from Waste Gases, Bamboo Diapers, Gene-Edited Wheat, Jackets from Bison Fluff : The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of November 29th

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of November 29th. … #3 Munich researchers use algae to convert waste gas to carbon fiber In Germany, researchers at the Technical University of Munich are

November 30, 2018 Read Full Article

Algae ‘Blooms’ in Automotive Industry

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Mazda is investing in it. Honda is using it for R&D and potential byproducts. Algenol, AlgaEnergy and others grow and develop it. Euglena began producing it for biojet fuel at its new biofuel refinery plant in Japan. The U.S. government has a whole R&D department that is looking at this stuff. The list goes on. So

November 26, 2018 Read Full Article

National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Publishes “Gaseous Carbon Waste Streams Utilization: Status and Research Needs”

(U.S. Department of Energy) The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine conducted a study, co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office, Office of Fossil Energy, and Office of Science, and Shell, which resulted in a report titled Gaseous Carbon Waste Streams Utilization: Status and Research Needs.

November 18, 2018 Read Full Article

ASU Teams Find New Ways to Harness CO2 to Reduce Biofuel Costs

(Arizona State University/Biomass Magazine) The U.S. Department of Energy has announced 36 projects that together have been awarded $80 million to support early-stage bioenergy research and development. Two Arizona State University research teams are among the grantees, with the grants to ASU totaling about $4.5 million. The two teams are headed

November 12, 2018 Read Full Article

Heard on the Floor: Reflections and the Buzz from ABLC Global 2018

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It was, at times, not unlike the old trading floor of the Chicago Board of Trade and that was no coincidence, for there was optimism abounding and the deal-talk that flows from a general feeling that the advanced bioeconomy is, to use Amyris’ Joel Cherry’s characterization,

November 12, 2018 Read Full Article

The 40 Hottest Technologies in the Advanced Bioeconomy 2018

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Impossible Foods took the #1 spot in the 2018 “40 Hottest Technologies in the Advanced Bioeconomy” rankings, published today in The Digest, the world’s most widely-read bioeconomy daily. The announcement was made live at the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference (ABLC Global), which is meeting

November 9, 2018 Read Full Article

Carbon Utilization Research Can Lead to Big Emissions Reductions

(Algae Biomass Organization) A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine makes the case for robust, coordinated research and development programs that can accelerate the development of technologies that can turn greenhouse into useful products such as fuels, construction materials, and chemicals. Algae cultivation is prominently featured in the report,

October 31, 2018 Read Full Article

The 40 Hottest Technologies of 2018 – As Voting Gets Underway, the Nominees in Depth

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) All through this month, Digest subscribers have been voting on the 40 Hottest Transformative Technologies in the Advanced Bioeconomy. While the Hot 50 concentrates on organizations — this set of rankings could include a complete process, a component, subprocess, a metabolic pathway, a computational system, a

October 12, 2018 Read Full Article

IPCC Report Says Biofuel Necessary to Keep Climate Change under Control

by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In South Korea, AFP reports the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change has launched a new report saying time is running out to stop climate change but that significant investment in biofuels and associated carbon capture and storage could make a big difference. The report says it the Earth’s

October 9, 2018 Read Full Article

From Waste to Fuel: Researchers to Develop Next-Generation Biofuels and Bioproducts

by Julianne Beck (Northwestern University Campus News) A new collaboration led by Michael Jewett, professor of chemical and biological engineering at Northwestern University, will combine recent technological advancements in bioengineering to develop a transformative production system for next-generation biofuels and bioproducts. The multi-institutional project is supported by a three-year, $1.6 million contract

October 5, 2018 Read Full Article

Development, Deployment of Integrated Biorefineries: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to Biorefining in the US

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) IEA Bioenergy Task 42’s goal is to contribute to the development and deployment of integrated biorefineries as part of highly efficient sustainable value chains (co-)producing food/feed ingredients, chemicals, materials, fuels, power and/or heat out of sustainably sourced biomass (wood, crops, residues, etc.) as base for a global

October 2, 2018 Read Full Article

Chemists Demonstrate Sustainable Approach to Carbon Dioxide Capture from Air

(Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Chemists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated a practical, energy-efficient method of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from air. They report their findings in Nature Energy. If deployed at large scale and coupled to geologic storage, the technique may bolster the portfolio of responses to

September 25, 2018 Read Full Article

On the Origin of the Elusive First Intermediate of CO2 Electroreduction

by Irina V. Chernyshova, Ponisseril Somasundaran and Sathish Ponnurangam (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) The understanding of a catalytic reaction starts with understanding its first elementary step. Surprisingly, despite the large number of studies, it is unclear whether one common or two different first intermediates control the selectivity of

September 20, 2018 Read Full Article

United States Biochar Initiative 2018 Conference: “The Carbon Link in Watershed Ecosystem Services” Stories from Stockholm to Virginia

by Bill Keba* (Advanced Biofuels USA) My wife checked my fishing gear upon learning that I was attending the Biochar 2018 Conference in Wilmington, Delaware. Why? She thought I made up “biochar” and the conference as a way escape to a few days of fishing on and off Cape Henlopen,

September 10, 2018 Read Full Article

Department of Energy Announces 36 Projects for Bioenergy Research and Development

(U.S. Department of Energy) Today, the U.S. Department of Energy announced the selection of 36 projects totaling $80 million to support early-stage bioenergy research and development (R&D). This R&D will enable cost-competitive, drop-in renewable hydrocarbon fuels, bio-based products, and power from non-food biomass and waste feedstocks. This work supports the Department

September 4, 2018 Read Full Article

27 Technologies to Produce Lower Carbon Fuels from “Second Chance Carbon” — and Its Practicioners. Who’s Doing What, Where, When, Why and How?

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the EU, perhaps the most comprehensive and useful guide to fuels and chemicals produced from “Recycled carbon fuels”, such as those produced from waste plastics or waste industrial gases, appeared from the gurus at E4Tech. And, there’s the world of alternative fuels and chemicals produced from

August 22, 2018 Read Full Article

Federally Funded Project Uses Microbes to Convert CO2 to RNG

by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) has announced new grant funding for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LNNL) and Stanford School of Engineering’s Spormann Laboratory to conduct new power-to-gas research. The two entities will also receive $800,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy. SoCalGas will provide co-funding of

August 7, 2018 Read Full Article

This Start-Up Turns Pollution from Factories into Fuel That Powers Cars — and One Day Planes

by Catherine Clifford (CNBC) A bacteria found in the gut of a rabbit can now help cars run in a more eco-friendly way. The bacteria, identified by biotech start-up LanzaTech, helps turn factory carbon emissions, a.k.a. pollution, into ethanol …. … “While there are many sustainable sources of sugar-derived ethanol … it’s not enough

July 30, 2018 Read Full Article

NPPD Part of DOE Study to Develop Integrated CO2 Collection, Transportation, and Storage Infrastructure

(Nebraska Public Power District) Nebraska Public Power District is taking another step forward in the carbon world with a second Department of Energy (DOE) study. This most recent initiative has a goal of developing an integrated carbon dioxide (CO2) collection, transportation, and storage infrastructure in the Midwest for ethanol facilities

July 20, 2018 Read Full Article

New Research Calculates Capacity of North American Forests to Sequester Carbon

(University of California-Santa Cruz/EurekAlert!) Gains of only 22 percent over the next six decades represent best-case scenario — Researchers have calculated the capacity of North American forests to sequester carbon in a detailed analysis that for the first time integrates the effects of two key factors: the natural process of forest growth

July 18, 2018 Read Full Article

The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of July 18th

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …In today’s Digest, wool without the sheep, fuels from water and C)2, bacteria-powered solar cells, spectral imagery in the sky, artificial intelligence in the crop field, sugar-based straws and more, ready for you now at The Digest online. #1 Sheep-free wool nabs PETA prize … #2

July 17, 2018 0 comment Read Full Article

From Water to Hydrogen Biofuel – ASU Uses Light-Driven Energy Extraction

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Arizona, Arizona State University researcher Kevin Redding is working on biological, light-driven energy extraction. Redding, a biochemist who leads the Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis at ASU, is producing hydrogen biofuel from water instead of from natural gas which is a fossil fuel. Redding said,

July 9, 2018 Read Full Article

From LanzaTech to Sierra Energy and the Latest Research, Syngas Is on Fire

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Syngas, or synthesis gas, is on fire lately, with new technologies making the most of waste products like CO2 or low-grade biomass and converting them into useful hot stuff like syngas that can then be turned into even better and hotter stuff like jet fuel,

July 9, 2018 Read Full Article