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by Howard Lerner (Crain’s Chicago Business/Environmental Law & Policy Center ) Current gas tax revenues are insufficient to meet Illinois’ infrastructure needs. Oil companies, the trucking industry and a few politicians propose raising more revenues by shifting from gas taxes to VMT taxes, which charge drivers based on how many miles
Illinois
November 15, 2018
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(Loyola Phoenix (Chicago)) One of Loyola’s intercampus shuttles stopped running on the road, and another couldn’t drive faster than 20 miles per hour after biodiesel froze in their engines Friday, Loyola officials said. A third shuttle stopped running Tuesday for the same reason, according to the university, leaving students to wait
November 14, 2018
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Biodiesel Magazine spotlights a producer whose recent acquisition fulfills increased feedstock demand, a consulting firm that assists in market entry and production efficiencies, and the expansion of one of today’s fastest-growing biodiesel refiners. — BioJoe Renwick, founder and co-owner of Winnsboro, South Carolina-based Green Energy Biofuel, is
November 6, 2018
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … Phillips 66 and REG’s announcement about a new renewable diesel plant on the U.S. West Coast planned for 2021 comes after a notable increase in refineries that are being converted and changed over to renewable diesel. Change is good, especially in this case. … While it was
November 5, 2018
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(North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance) An international research team has found they can increase corn productivity by targeting the enzyme in charge of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. In a report published in the journal Nature Plants, researchers note that corn is a staple food for billions of people around
November 2, 2018
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by Daniel Grant (FarmWeekNow) The rate of growth for the U.S. ethanol industry may have slowed in recent years, but it’s far from over, according to Bill Holbrook, senior analyst for ProExporter. Production capacity continues to grow as producers look to overseas markets to export ethanol and one of its key co-products,
October 26, 2018
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(Biofuels International) According to the Aiken Standard a 36,000 square foot recycling facility is to be built by Green Energy Biofuel in Warrenville, Illinois. The plant is expected to provide more than 40 new jobs over the next five years and is scheduled to be up and running by December 2018.
October 26, 2018
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by Jeffrey Tomich (E&E News Energywire) State utility regulators across the Midwest are revving up their interest in electric vehicle charging infrastructure. And the petroleum industry and its allies are urging them to hit the brakes. The American Petroleum Institute, American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, and Americans for Prosperity have all weighed
October 25, 2018
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(Middleburg Observer) A gas to fuel green energy plants to the value of R1,1 billion will be built in Middelburg next year, anchoring the town as South Africa’s flagship commercial ethanol production region. … A pilot fermentation unit was shipped to South Africa, and successful fermentation tests have already been conducted.
October 24, 2018
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by DeLoss Jahnke (Farm Week Now) NCERC has contributed dozens of technologies being used by manufacturers across the country, and interest in continued collaboration keeps growing. In just 15 years, the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) has become a nationally recognized research facility and made a major impact on ethanol production throughout the
October 20, 2018
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(Office of Congressman Ruben Gallego D-AZ))… Reps. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Danny Davis (D-IL) led a letter signed by 17 of their colleagues to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expressing concern over the Trump Administration’s widespread issuance of waivers to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). With transportation emissions representing the
October 20, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The problem: The vast number of potential chemicals and products that could be made from biomass makes prioritization of research difficult for optimizing market viability, cost competitiveness, environmental benefits, and supply chain development. The project: This CEMAC/DOE initiative studied 160 potential chemicals, and the list was pared to
October 18, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Illinois, a research team at Argonne National Lab released its GREET 2018 update. GREET is a life-cycle analysis (LCA) tool, structured to systematically examine energy and environmental effects of a wide variety of transportation fuels and vehicle technologies in major transportation sectors (i.e., road, air, marine,
October 12, 2018
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(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign/Phys.Org) For centuries, sugarcane has supplied human societies with alcohol, biofuel, building and weaving materials, and the world’s most relied-upon source of sugar. Now, researchers have extracted a sweet scientific prize from sugarcane: its massive and complex genome sequence, which may lead to the development of hardier
October 11, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … And that’s the story of the bioeconomy in some ways — the search for ways to use the things we have too much of, so that we can stop using the things that lead to imbalances — environmental, social or economic. … The story goes back
October 9, 2018
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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
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by Lyndsay Jones (News-Gazette) Twenty years, two budget cuts and several billion dollars in funding later, the University of Illinois’ Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory held what Chancellor Robert Jones called its “final grand opening” Thursday afternoon. … The 42,000-square-foot building at 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. is intended to bridge academic research on
October 2, 2018
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by Marianne Lavelle and Dan Gearino (Inside Climate News) Governors have the power to set the agenda on renewable energy or throw up roadblocks to its progress. It’s become an issue in several races this year. — Some of the most consequential elections for climate policy this fall could be the 36 governor’s
September 28, 2018
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(G&D Integrated) A new video, entitled “Biodiesel by a Mile”, that promotes the many advantages of biodiesel fuel use versus traditional fuel has been produced and funded by the Illinois Soybean Association checkoff program. G&D Integrated, a provider of transportation and logistics services, partnered with the group to provide drivers,
September 27, 2018
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by Bob Bowman (Clinton Herald) The ethanol industry is critical to the Midwest, supporting thousands of jobs and adding billions of dollars to our economy. It also drives corn demand at a time when Iowa farm family income is at the lowest level in over a decade. However, the sale of
September 20, 2018
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(Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment) … A U of I Crop Scientist will lead a team of researchers on a five-year study of new crops that could contribute to the production of affordable, sustainable sources for market-ready fuels and other valuable products. U of I College of Agricultural, Consumer, and
September 20, 2018
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by Carrie Muehling (AgWired.com) Illinois FFA State Officers including Treasurer Taylor Hartke helped to bring in the flags during a moving ceremony to open the GROWMARK Annual Meeting in Chicago. The Illinois FFA members joined FFA officers from Iowa and Wisconsin and 4-H youth from Ontario in marching in the 4-H
September 14, 2018
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by Tammy Duckworth (Quad City Times) … Time and again, he’s (Judge Brett Kavanaugh) chosen Big Oil over everyday Americans, serving as the lone dissenter in decisions that have pitted the fossil fuel industry against our farmers. In a recent case, Grocery Manufacturers Assoc. v. Environmental Protection Agency, he proved
September 10, 2018
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by David Vander Griend (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Urban Air Initiative) Dave VanderGriend, president of Urban Air Initiative, doesn’t mince words in his column this month, calling out EPA for what he says is collusion with the oil industry. — … The 15.8 billion gallons of ethanol we produce and the economic benefits it
September 5, 2018
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by Brian Jennings (American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … Consider this a blueprint for restoring the trust EPA has broken with farmers and rural America. 1. Make good on the president’s promises to allow E15 use year-round. Trump has made three or four public promises to allow E15 use year-round and
September 3, 2018
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(U.S. Energy Information Administration) Six states accounted for 72% of U.S. fuel ethanol production in 2016, according to the most recent estimates from EIA’s State Energy Data System. Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, and South Dakota collectively produced 265 million barrels of fuel ethanol out of the U.S. total of 367 million
September 1, 2018
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(National Corn Growers Association) The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) today said plans unveiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide aid to farmers negatively impacted by trade tariffs and ongoing trade uncertainty would be insufficient to even begin to address the serious damage done to the corn market
August 31, 2018
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by Yu Wang, Ming‐Hsun Cheng, Mark Mba Wright (Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining) Converting corncobs into fuel ethanol is different from converting stover because cobs have higher hemicellulose and lower lignin than stover. Current research provides life‐cycle assessments of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for stover ethanol but lacks such assessments for corncob ethanol.
August 8, 2018
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(Advantage News) Passersby can’t help but notice the 12-foot tall corn growing in front of The NCERC (National Corn To Ethanol Research Center) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s University Park. SIUE students are working the “Feedstock Diversity Showcase” that features not only corn, but also grain sorghum and sweet sorghum. These
(Argonne National Laboratory/Biomass Magazine) Named for the mythical god with two faces, Janus membranes –double-sided membranes that serve as gatekeepers between two substances—have emerged as a material with potential industrial uses. Creating two distinct “faces” on these delicate surfaces, however, is a process fraught with challenges. By applying a common high-tech
August 6, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The US Department of Energy has a key project called Co-Optima, which aims to determine key fuel properties that enable improved engine efficiency, provide key science to enable high efficiency combustion modes, and capitalize on unique properties available from bio-blendstocks. Within that project is an emphasis
July 31, 2018
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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
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University of Illinois professor Stephen Long, explaining the need for home-grown biofuels said, “(P)eople of my age have seen these past (oil) disruptions. You know we’ve probably three major ones since the ’70s really in our oil supplies. You know they are vulnerable, that and we know that they won’t last
July 22, 2018
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(U.S. Department of Energy) The idea of bacteria as diverse, complex perceptive entities that can hunt prey in packs, remember past experiences and interact with the moods and perceptions of their human hosts sounds like the plot of some low-budget science fiction movie. But these are exactly some of the traits
July 20, 2018
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Understand the latest challenges surrounding the RFS2 program and how you can spot opportunities in this shifting landscape. Perhaps never before in its 11-year history has the RFS2 program faced such upheaval as now. Battle lines are being drawn over the program’s future as biofuel producers look to expand market
by Frank Jossi (Energy News) A federal tax credit passed earlier this year could increase the amount of carbon being stored underground. The revamped “45Q” tax credit boosts the amount of money available to companies willing to capture and store carbon emissions in geologic formations or use CO2 to extract oil
July 11, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What is the Feedstock Conversion Interface Consortium and why does it exist? The Why is simple. #1 issue plaguing High and Low Temperature IBR projects is consistent operability of preprocessing and primary deconstruction. In response, researchers have joined together from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, DOE,
July 6, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The meanest, nastiest, ornierest, heat-seeking organism ever found that munches biomass and other microbes that got a booster via the DOE’s $40M grants for advanced microbes R&D. And aromatics without the mess, a sky-vacumming organism and much more. As we reported last week here, the U.S.
June 28, 2018
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(American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The American Coalition for Ethanol congratulates the 2018 scholarship recipients Keithen Drury, Brett Galles, and Emma Baker. Each student receives a $1,000 scholarship through ACE’s scholarship program to help further their collegiate education. … Keithen Drury from Blue Hill, Nebraska, is pursuing a degree in Mechanical
June 26, 2018
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … In Illinois, carbon recycling company, LanzaTech, and its joint venture partner, Shougang Group, a leading Chinese iron and steel producer, announced the successful start-up of the world’s first commercial facility converting industrial emissions to sustainable ethanol. The facility, located at the Jingtang Steel Mill in Caofeidian
June 11, 2018
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by Tim Albrecht (Biomass Magazine) Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., introduced three bills this week to boost rural economic opportunities by expanding USDA funding eligibility for clean energy projects. This funding would help improve electric grid security, create more energy choices for businesses, and advance the development and deployment of low-carbon, clean
June 8, 2018
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(Bioenergy Insight) A problem facing biorefinery operations is the flow of biomass into and throughout facilities. Lignocellulosic biomass, often made up of post-harvest agricultural materials such as corn stover and soybean hulls, often accumulates and compacts while moving through augers, forcing shutdowns for maintenance. A team led by Purdue University scientists
June 5, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In these top 20 projects, we usually say that we are using waste, but really we are converting something from a state of waste to a state of value — and that’s not just good for the project owners in question, it’s good for every stakeholder
by Dave VanderGriend (Urban Air Initiative/ICM/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Urban Air Initiative President Dave VanderGriend says increasing the availability of ethanol blender pumps and higher blends will keep ethanol in the Midwest, pumping millions of dollars into the economy. — … The problem lies in the fact that Iowa consumes 1.4 billion gallons
June 4, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Pacific Ethanol was founded in 2003 as the first pure-play ethanol company and today is a leading producer and marketer of low-carbon renewable fuels with 9 strategically located bio-refineries in the U.S., production capacity of 605M gallons/yr., a current run rate of 1B gallons/yr. of marketing volume, and
June 1, 2018
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(Southern Illinois University Edwardsville/Ethanol Producer Magazine) More than 50 Brownies, Juniors, and parents from the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois learned about the benefits of biofuels, fermentation, and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) during the “Fueling Fun” biofuels workshop at the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center at Southern Illinois
May 23, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Near Reno, Nevada, Fulcrum BioEnergy broke ground today for its 10 million gallon per year first commercial plant that makes jet fuel from municipal solid waste. For thousands of years we have had a love/hate relationship with waste. We love to make it, we hate
May 17, 2018
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(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Today (May 3, 2018) five Midwest biofuels associations sent a letter to the EPA asking the agency to shift administrative time and staff away from demand-destroying Renewable Fuel Standard exemptions and toward pathway approvals for cellulosic ethanol. The letter was signed by the Iowa Renewable
May 9, 2018
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(U.S. Department of Energy) Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $3 million in funding for advanced biofuels, bioenergy, and biobased products available through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI). DOE has selected two projects from the University of Tennessee and Northwestern University that will receive
May 9, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. ARS conducts research to develop and transfer solutions to agricultural problems of high national priority and provide information access and dissemination to: Ensure high-quality, safe food, and other agricultural products; Assess the
May 8, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) A coalition of Midwest biofuels associations sent a letter Thursday to EPA asking it to move administrative time and staff away from Renewable Fuel Standard exemptions and instead toward approvals for cellulosic ethanol. “The discrepancy between the way EPA is handling RFS exemptions and
May 4, 2018
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by Raphael Orlove (Jalopnik) Our emissions standards are probably the biggest booster to automotive performance in the past half century, making our cars not only more eco-friendly but more powerful, too. Trump has been trying to cut it all down, but now California and 16 other states suing to stop him. … …
May 1, 2018
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(Stanford University/Phys.Org) Although considered critical to avoiding catastrophic global warming, the feasibility of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it underground – known as negative emissions – has been in question. But researchers at Stanford and other institutions have found new hope for cost-effective carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).
April 24, 2018
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) A coalition led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the California Air Resources board has announced plans to sue the U.S. EPA over its failure to enforce existing landfill methane regulations. The coalition announced its plans on March 23 when it submitted a 60-day notice of
April 11, 2018
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by Lauren Quinn (University of Illinois) Growing in its native Australia, the unobtrusive perennial vine Glycine tomentella could easily be overlooked. But the distant relative of soybean contains genetic resources that can substantially increase soybean yield, according to a new study from the University of Illinois. “We saw yield increases of 3.5 to
April 9, 2018
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(Univeristy of Illinois) The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture has announced a grant for $1 million to support research led by a University of Illinois scientist. The research will address the need for better-adapted and higher-yielding biomass cultivars ready to plug into the biofuel supply chain in the
April 6, 2018
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by Katie Worth (Frontline/The Groundtruth Project) Last spring, science teachers across the nation began receiving unsolicited packages containing classroom materials from a libertarian group that rejects the scientific consensus on climate change. This spring, some of the same teachers are opening packages containing very different materials: A book written by
April 2, 2018
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(DSM/Newswire Today) Royal DSM announces its commitment to bring innovative solutions to the biofuels industry with a full portfolio offering of yeast and enzymes for starch, fiber and biomass conversions – DSM.com. Euronext: DSM KON — Royal DSM, a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials, announces its commitment to
March 30, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) According to BIO, the global economic value today of the biobased economy – including industrial biotechnology, renewable chemicals and polymers, biofuels, enzymes and biobased materials – is $355.28 billion. And looking at the new USDA Indicators report and other sources, BIO estimates that the United States generates
March 30, 2018
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by Michael Torrice (Chemical & Engineering News) Finding a way to reuse the element could help lower nutrient pollution — … When industrial plants process corn grains to make the fuel, or even food products such as corn syrup, they generate by-products containing high levels of phosphorus, some of which end up flowing
March 30, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The IH2 process was developed by Gas Technology Institute (GTI) of Des Plaines, Illinois—a research, development, and training organization serving energy markets. GTI experts invented, tested, and patented IH2 technology and are providing ongoing commercialization support. Twelve US and seven international patents have been issued on the technology.
March 30, 2018
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by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $4 million to support three new cost-shared research projects focused on medium- and heavy-duty, on-road natural gas engines, as well as $3 million to support two new cost-shared research projects for advancing fluid power systems for off-road vehicles. These five
March 8, 2018
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(National Biodiesel Board) National Biodiesel Board releases field of “Elite Eight” — March Madness kicks off next week, showcasing the very best of college basketball. In that spirit, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has released its own bracket of colleges and universities upping their game with a different kind of prowess –
March 8, 2018
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by Meltem Urgun-Demirtas (U.S. Department of Energy) … With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) totaling nearly $1.3 million since 2013, ANL researchers are using X-ray spectroscopy to move the nation closer to achieving cost-effective production of renewable liquid transportation fuel. Biomass-based fuels, or biofuels, can
(University of Illinois, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology/Biomass Magazine) The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the University of Illinois a $10.6 million, five-year grant to transform two of the most productive crops in America into sustainable sources of biodiesel and biojet fuel. The new research project Renewable Oil Generated
February 27, 2018
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by Ray Baker (Journal Standard) Adkins Energy is excited to welcome Casey’s, the first gas station in Freeport to offer E15 fuel. E15 is 85 percent regular gasoline and 15 percent ethanol, and it gives all of us a cleaner, greener, homegrown and cheaper choice at the pump! … When you
February 22, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The US Department of Energy has a key project called Co-Optima, which aims to determine key fuel properties that enable improved engine efficiency, provide key science to enable high efficiency combustion modes, and capitalize on unique properties available from bio-blendstocks. Within that project is an emphasis
February 21, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … The biggest news along that front represents early-stage technology, but we read here that engineers at Ohio State announced that they’ve devised a process that under certain circumstances can convert coal, shale gas and biomass into electricity or syngas, while consuming carbon dioxide at the same time. In some
February 21, 2018
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by Emily Druckman (Renewable Fuels Association) A new analysis from the University of Illinois shows that the conditions that caused high conventional biofuel (D6) RIN prices are changing rapidly and that “…it is not out of the realm of possibility for D6 RINs prices to fall back their pre-2013 level of just a
February 16, 2018
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by Clarence Schutte (LincolnLand Agri-Energy/Effingham Daily News) … The statement that ethanol costs the consumer more is false. The RBOB which is the gasoline blended with ethanol to make 10 percent ethanol fuel. Ethanol is 114 octane, RBOB is 84 octane, the mix makes 87 octane. As of Feb. 5, 2018, RBOB
February 6, 2018
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(NGV Journal/Energy Vision) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and the sustainable energy NGO Energy Vision released two case studies of successful projects that were among the first to produce Renewable Compressed Natural Gas (R-CNG) vehicle fuel using anaerobic digesters to capture biogases from decomposing organic waste. Energy
February 5, 2018
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byJulie Wurth (News Gazette) A Midwest crop of the future: grasses and other plants that produce their own oils to be used as fuel or byproducts. That’s the vision behind a new bioenergy research center being launched today at the University of Illinois with help from a five-year, $115 million grant
February 1, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Deliver high performing, cost-effective catalytic materials that meet the needs of the ChemCatBio catalysis projects? That’s the ambitious goal of a project led by researchers from Argonne National Lab, Oak Ridge National Lab and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The project aims to leverage advanced characterization
February 1, 2018
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Continued investment and expansion took place in the U.S. biodiesel sector throughout 2017, despite rising political uncertainty and a lapsed tax credit. Here is an overview of some of the activity, plus a special sidebar story from Joe Jobe. As 2017 dawned with another expired biodiesel
(4-Traders) New calculations show an estimated $1.2 million in health cost savings for Illinois communities where B20 biodiesel fuel is used routinely in diesel vehicles. The calculations come from data submitted by 15 members of the B20 Club, a partnership between the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) checkoff program and the American Lung Association in
January 24, 2018
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(Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Christopher Wense, a former steel mill worker who has returned to school while working full-time in the U.S. ethanol industry, is this year’s student scholarship winner to attend the Renewable Fuels Association’s National Ethanol Conference next month in San Antonio. RFA and the Renewable Fuels Foundation
January 22, 2018
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(National Biodiesel Board) Argonne National Laboratory, US Dept. of Agriculture, and Purdue University affirm impressive emissions reductions — A new study on biodiesel’s lifecycle energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission effects updates and reaffirms the long-understood benefits of using the renewable fuel. The study is the latest in the significant body of
by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) New research from Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Chicago at Illinois and the International Food Policy Research Institute shows that incorporating conservation practices can both increase soil organic content and improve the greenhouse gas profile of biofuels produced from crop residues. A
January 22, 2018
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by David Bennett (Convenience Store Decisions) Whether it’s teaming with Tesla to install charging stations or integrating alternative fuel solutions, retailers are part of a changing transportation marketplace. — … Some analysts insist the internal combustion engine has been around more than a century and should be around for decades to come,
January 19, 2018
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by Christopher Wense (St. Louis Post Dispatch) … While it appears the steel industry has likely reached its ceiling of growth, the U.S. ethanol industry is only scratching the surface of future biofuels, biochemicals and biomaterials from renewable feedstocks, and I wanted to be a part of that expansion. In conjunction with
January 19, 2018
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(University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences/Science Daily) A new report provides practical agronomic data for five cellulosic feedstocks, which could improve adoption and increase production across the country. — … “Early yield estimates were based on data from small research plots, but they weren’t realistic. Our main goal
January 17, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Tie-ins for Zymergen, Radiant Genomics, DMC, Capricorn Venture Partners, Syngenta and CHS demonstrate the firepower and scope of digital biology. Today, products made via traditional biological tools tap into easy-to-grow-in-a-lab organisms, and mostly nothin’ else. Sort of like making all the wines in the world from
January 10, 2018
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by Deepak Kumar; Stephen P. Long; Vijay Singh (The Conversation/Inverse Innovation) Airlines look to biomass-derived jet fuels to reduce their carbon footprint. … Bio-jet fuel can be produced from various plant materials, including oil crops, sugar crops, starchy plants and lignocellulosic biomass, through various chemical and biological routes. However, the technologies
January 2, 2018
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by Todd Neeley (DTN/KTIC) Capping the price of biofuel credits at 10 cents would essentially eliminate the Renewable Fuel Standard mandate for biodiesel and possibly hurt corn-based ethanol, according to an analysis by farmdoc at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In meetings with President Donald Trump’s administration in recent weeks, Sen.
December 26, 2017
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by Howard A. Learner (Crain’s Chicago Business/Environmental Law & Policy Center) … The recent North American Climate Summit here brought together 50-plus mayors to sign the Chicago Climate Charter, committing to take initiatives to help meet the Paris Climate Agreement’s pollution reduction goals. … Using wind and solar energy to power
by M. Cristina Negri (U.S. Department of Energy) Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in Argonne, Illinois, are examining innovative new agricultural landscapes that incorporate perennial bioenergy crops to provide environmental benefits, such as improved nutrient management and pollinator nesting. This work prioritizes economic output while simultaneously providing important services to the environment.
December 14, 2017
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(National Biodiesel Board) Growmark, Inc., a regional agricultural cooperative from Illinois, is providing Top Tier Diesel Fuel blended with biodiesel. Top Tier performance standards are gaining popularity across the country, helping vehicle owners ensure they are purchasing a clean, high quality fuel. As one of the only Top Tier Diesel Fuel providers in
December 6, 2017
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by Tony Briscoe (Chicago Tribune) As scientists and politicians around the world debate the best way to combat rising greenhouse gases, an Illinois ethanol plant, with help from state and federal researchers, is advancing a strategy that buries carbon emissions underground. After a successful pilot program, the public-private research project spearheaded
November 27, 2017
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by Zheng Xin and Wang Wen (China Daily) Hainan Airlines Flight 497 took off from Beijing at 2:15 pm Tuesday, headed to Chicago. The aircraft flew with biological aviation fuel that is produced from waste cooking oil, signaling the first China-US flight to use green aviation fuel. The flight on a Boeing
November 22, 2017
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(The Illinois Soybean Association/Biodiesel Magazine) The Illinois Soybean Association checkoff program is partnering with Tow Trucks for Tots to help bring toys to needy children, while educating tow truck drivers on the benefits of B20 biodiesel fuel. During the annual Tow Trucks for Tots event on Nov. 12, towing companies from
November 15, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Last week, DowDuPont said it was exiting the cellulosic biofuels business and you’d think that the company just burned down the warehouse with the original text of the Renewable Fuels Standard — the coverage of the announce in few cases focused on the changes in DowDuPont’s
November 14, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Illinois, today is Fly Green Day, sponsored by the O’Hare Fuel Committee, at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. 7 commercial airlines, plus Atlas Air and FedEx are flying out of O’Hare today on Gevo-based sustainable aviation fuel. Among them: Lufthansa, United Airlines, Etihad, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Japan Airlines, Korean Air,
November 8, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From California we received the news that Chicagoland has been selected as the site of Fulcrum BioEnergy’s second commercial-scale waste-to-fuels biorefinery. We reported last month that the long-awaited financing was completed for Fulcrum Bioenergy’s highly-anticipated first commercial project near Reno, Nevada. … “We have not publicly said
November 7, 2017
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(Phys.org/ University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Vastly expanding sugarcane production in Brazil for conversion to ethanol could reduce current global carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 5.6 percent, researchers report in the journal Nature Climate Change. This would be a massive undertaking, involving the conversion of hundreds of thousands of square
October 24, 2017
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by Ben Wolfgang (The Washington Times) Citing one nominee’s stance on the federal ethanol mandate and another’s supposed ties to Koch Industries, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Democrat, on Wednesday placed holds on two key nominations for top-level jobs at the Environmental Protection Agency. The move comes a day after Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Iowa
October 19, 2017
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by Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) (The Hill) There is a reason that the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), our nation’s policy governing the production and sale of biofuels, has broad bipartisan support in Congress. This policy is helping us revive rural economies, reduce our greenhouse gases, and become less dependent on foreign
by Curtis Tate (NorthJersey.com) … The flammable biofuel is transported in trains that look virtually identical to the oil trains that have attracted so much attention, and controversy, in the country’s energy boom of the past decade. But according to federal data, 1 million gallons more ethanol spilled from derailed trains than
October 17, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Somewhere in the files of the Department of Energy it is called the Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium. Inside the halls of National Labs, they call it ChemCatBio. … They’re on a mission to bring forward commercial bioenergy applications two times faster and at half the cost If
October 5, 2017
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by Jill Loehr (Prairie Farmer) Illinois has the third-largest ethanol production capacity in the U.S. Marquis Energy, one of the state’s 13 ethanol plants, contributes 300 million gallons each year. What’s the secret to its success? Proximity to the river, rails and roads. … States like Iowa needed ethanol plants
October 4, 2017
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … Regardless of which side of the fence you are on, the chopping continues and there are literally tons of wood waste left behind that doesn’t get used up, but we can all agree we should do something with that waste. Today, we look at
October 2, 2017
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by Tom Steever (Brownfield Ag News) An agriculture economist says biodiesel production has had less impact on soybean oil prices than previously thought. The impression was that the U.S. biodiesel production boom following the establishment of the Renewable Fuel Standard would put upward pressure on the price of soybean oil,
September 18, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The US Department of Energy is supporting a project to identify and mitigate the challenges of moving new fuels and vehicles into markets. Including but not limited to: facilitating new fuel standards needed for introduction into the marketplace; identifying vehicle, distribution, and infrastructure compatibility of
September 18, 2017
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(U.S. Department of Energy) U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry announced $19.7 million in funding to help businesses move promising energy technologies from DOE’s National Laboratories to the marketplace. This second Department-wide round of funding through the Office of Technology Transition’s Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) will support 54 projects across 12
September 15, 2017
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(Phys.Org/ University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) A Boeing 747 burns one gallon of jet fuel each second. A recent analysis from researchers at the University of Illinois estimate that this aircraft could fly for 10 hours on bio-jet fuel produced on 54 acres of specially engineered sugarcane. … Plants Engineered
September 12, 2017
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(U.S. Department of Energy/Newswise) Those who are selected for the Chain Reaction Innovations program will gain, among other things, access to Argonne National Laboratory’s world-class R&D infrastructure and technical expertise. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory announced the opening of applications for innovators to join the second
September 7, 2017
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by Kathy Swisher (West Virginia University) West Virginia University biologists are part of a $40 million Department of Energy effort to create sustainable, cost-effective bioproducts through four new bioenergy research centers. As part of the Center for Bioenergy Innovation led by the DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Steve DiFazio and
September 7, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The most visible advanced industrial fermentation target for a number of years has been cellulosic ethanol, but the targets are diversifying and cellulosics themselves are shifting gears from process to feedstocks. There’s a fervent ferment in fermentation these days. Today, we go through the Top
September 6, 2017
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by Timothy Cama (The Hill) Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) is calling on the FBI to investigate whether Carl Icahn, a former external adviser to President Trump, violated conflict of interest laws. Duckworth’s request, outlined in a Wednesday letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, cites reports, including one this month in
September 1, 2017
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(Phys.Org/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Fuels that are produced from nonpetroleum-based biological sources may become greener and more affordable, thanks to research performed at the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute that examines the use of a processing catalyst made from palladium metal and bacteria. Biofuels are made from renewable
August 25, 2017
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(Advantage News) The Illinois Department of Transportation has approved implementation of a renewable energy demonstration project using grasses collected from mowing highway rights-of-way. The work will implement the findings of a three-year study by a multidisciplinary team, including the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center at the Prairie Research Institute of the
August 14, 2017
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by Scott Irwin and Darrel Good (FarmDocDaily/University of Illinois) Three words–inadequate domestic supply–have taken center stage in the implementation of the RFS since 2014. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) used a controversial definition of this term to reduce the (implied) conventional ethanol mandate below statutory levels for 2014, 2015, and
August 11, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The US Department of Energy has set a goal to “Select and develop at least one route for catalytic upgrading of sugars/related intermediates and/or biologically derived intermediates into fuel blendstockswith conversion performance than can achieve a MFSP of $3/GGE by 2022 with >25% (GGE basis)
August 7, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ChemCatBio is a research and development consortium dedicated to identifying and overcoming catalysis challenges for biomass conversion processes. Led by U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories, the consortium works “with industry to rapidly transition R&D discoveries into commercial processes and grow the bioeconomy in the
August 3, 2017
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by Karl Plume and Michael Hirtzer (Reuters/St. Louis Today) A U.S. glut of fuel-grade ethanol has major producers, including Green Plains Inc. and industry pioneer Archer Daniels Midland Co., pursuing other markets and idling excess capacity in an effort to rebuild sagging margins. ADM and Green Plains both said on
August 2, 2017
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by Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer) … The House Agriculture Committee has its road trip, labeled “Conversations in the Field,” which included a field hearing in Texas on Monday and another one at Farmfest in Minnesota on Thursday. Now Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is taking off on a five-state RV
August 2, 2017
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Perspectives on the Evolving Renewable Fuel Standard — The Renewable Fuel Standard at a Crossroads: Considerations and Opportunities While the Trump administration’s proposed 2018 RVOs largely offered continued support for the renewable fuels industry, questions remain over how the White House will come down on a number of key issues,
July 23, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry today (July 17, 2017) announced $40 million in Department of Energy awards for the establishment of four DOE Bioenergy Research Centers (BRCs), which will provide the scientific breakthroughs for a new generation of sustainable, cost-effective bioproducts and bioenergy.
July 19, 2017
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(Renewable Energy Group/NASDAQ.com) Renewable Energy Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:REGI) leaders praised Illinois lawmakers for approving a five-year extension of a significant biodiesel incentive. Current Illinois law, which expires at the end of 2018, offers retailers a 20 percent exemption of the state’s 6.25 percent excise tax for selling biodiesel blends of
July 7, 2017
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(Illinois Soybean Association/Biodiesel Magazine) In recognition of its work in reducing motor vehicle emissions and supporting the Illinois economy, the B20 Club welcomes Al Warren Oil Co. Inc. as its newest member. Sponsored by the Illinois Soybean Association checkoff program, in partnership with the American Lung Association in Illinois, the B20 Club recognizes Illinois-based fleets and municipalities
June 29, 2017
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(Phys.Org/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Corn is grown not only for food, it is also an important renewable energy source. Renewable biofuels can come with hidden economic and environmental issues, and the question of whether corn is better utilized as food or as a biofuel has persisted since ethanol came
June 21, 2017
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by Ann Bailey (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The ethanol industry provides young people with wealth of job opportunities. — Nineteen-year-old Marcus Niehaus sees a future in the ethanol industry. The Southeastern Illinois College student said he wants to make a difference in the world and believes working in the biofuels
June 2, 2017
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(U.S. Department of Energy)The Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced the winner of the 2017 BioenergizeME Infographic Challenge on May 4 during a special awards ceremony. The winning infographic, titled “Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Algae,” was created by two students from Normal Community West High School in Normal, Illinois. BETO is excited
May 26, 2017
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(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is proud to announce five businesses that will collaborate with national labs as part of the third round of the Small Business Vouchers (SBV) Pilot! The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE’s) SBV Pilot
by Claudia Lutz (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Illinois) New approach combines synthetic biology, genome editing tools, and automation to quickly and effectively produce novel yeast strains One of humankind’s oldest industrial partners is yeast, a familiar microbe that enabled early societies to brew beer and leaven bread and empowers modern
by Gary Luth (News-Gazette) … Assertion one: “ethanol does not reduce greenhouse gases or lower emissions from automobiles vs. straight gasoline.” Fact: A 2016 study released by USDA: “Life Cycle Analysis of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Corn-Based Ethanol” finds just the opposite. This study finds that US corn-based ethanol reduces
May 15, 2017
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by Ron Swoboda (Wallaces Farmer) E15 provides motorists better value in addition to higher performance and reduced emissions. — In early May, the Kwik Trip convenience store chain announced it is joining other major fuel retailers in offering E15 — the corn-based biofuel containing 15% ethanol — to customers in
May 12, 2017
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(Gevo) Funding Being Provided Through Department of Energy’s Small Business Voucher Program — Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ:GEVO) announced today that it was selected to collaborate with researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of DOE’s Small Business Vouchers (SBV) program. The SBV program provides funding for DOE’s national
May 12, 2017
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The Biomass Power Association has released the results of a study demonstrating dramatic carbon benefits can be achieved by using forest residue-based biomass instead of natural gas in power generation facilities. The research determined that emissions from a biomass power facility using forest residue-based fuel
May 10, 2017
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by Charles Komanoff (Huffington Post) The Carbon Tax Center is out with a new report timed to the surging climate movement. We surveyed all 50 U.S. states (and Washington, DC) to identify the ones with the most favorable conditions for enacting a statewide carbon tax. Joining the report is a
May 8, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From Iowa we received news that Renewable Energy Group has agreed to acquire approximately 82 acres of land at its Geismar, Louisiana biorefinery from Lion Copolymer, for $20M. The goal? To improve and utilize to support existing production capacity and future expansion opportunities. Previously, the
May 8, 2017
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) Midwest convenience store chain Casey’s General Stores will begin offering higher ethanol blends of E15 and E85 at 17 sites in Illinois, Iowa, and Kansas. The Illinois Corn Marketing Board, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, and Kansas Corn Commission along with Growth Energy are assisting Casey’s with
April 28, 2017
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(U.S. Department of Energy) At Earth Day Texas 2017, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the 38 small businesses that will collaborate with national lab researchers through the Small Business Vouchers (SBV) pilot. SBV facilitates access to the DOE national labs for American small businesses, enabling them to tap
April 28, 2017
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by Vernon F. Johnson (Daily Chronicle) To answer Pat Vary and the Daily Chronicle Editorial Board (“Don’t close door on wind power, page 12, April 14): We don’t need wind turbines as we have a renewable fuel source that farmers grow every year, ethanol from corn and soy diesel made
April 28, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Algae Butter can reduce saturated fat by up to 50 percent in most applications. … While butter doesn’t exactly rival gasoline as a market — it’s pretty substantial, when you get down to it. The global market is something like $4.4 billion – a demand
April 20, 2017
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by Scott Irwin (Farm Doc Daily/University of Illinois) Previous farmdoc daily articles (e.g. January 28, 2015; February 11, 2016; March 1, 2017) have documented a “feast or famine” pattern in production profitability of the U.S. biodiesel production industry. The feast or famine pattern is closely tied to expiration of the biodiesel
April 13, 2017
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by Chris Mooney (The Washington Post) A new large-scale technology has launched in Decatur, Illinois that, by combining together corn-based fuels with the burial of carbon dioxide deep underground, could potentially result in the active removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. It’s an objective described as crucial by scientists hoping
April 11, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Illinois, obtaining a certificate of occupancy on a building constructed of 60 Intermodal Shipping Containers is a huge accomplishment for Chip Energy, said company president Paul Wever, president of Chip Energy Inc. These types of containers are built out of at least 5,000 lbs.
April 10, 2017
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(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign/Laboratory Equipment) A multi-institutional team led by the University of Illinois have proven sugarcane can be genetically engineered to produce oil in its leaves and stems for biodiesel production. Surprisingly, the modified sugarcane plants also produced more sugar, which could be used for ethanol production. The
April 5, 2017
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(Convenience Store News) Blend coming to 44 Dallas-Fort Worth area c-stores. — QuikTrip Corp. will begin offering E15 fuel at 44 of its convenience stores in the Dallas-Forth Worth Metro area. E15 was approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2011 for use in 2001 and newer vehicles.
April 3, 2017
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by Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) (The Hill) Six billion gallons. That is the approximate amount of ethanol produced in Iowa and Illinois each and every year. It is more than the annual gasoline equivalent production of some Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members. …
March 30, 2017
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by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Ethanol critics bash the fuel for its lower energy value than gasoline, while ethanol supporters point to its octane-boosting properties. University of Illinois ag economists Scott Irwin and Darrel Good analyze the value of ethanol in blended gasoline over the past decade based
March 20, 2017
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Since its inaugural event in 2009, tcbiomass has become a hallmark conference in the world of bioenergy. From the beginning, the role of event founder Gas Technology Institute (GTI), a pioneering energy research and development organization, granted tcbiomass a unique position from which to unite R&D laboratories, industry and commercial
March 14, 2017
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Researchers and technology developers are invited to share their process innovations and insights to enable the production of clean heat and power, transportation fuels, chemicals, biochar, and other high-value products. Undergraduate and graduate students whose posters are selected will be invited to compete in this year’s tcbiomass2017 Student Poster Challenge,
by Sharita L Forrest (Phys.Org) A semiautonomous robot may soon be roaming agricultural fields gathering and transmitting real-time data about the growth and development of crops, information that crop breeders—and eventually farmers—can use to identify the genetic traits in plants likely to produce the greatest yields. A team of scientists from the
(Bioenergy Insight) US-based science and engineering centre Argonne National Laboratory has developed technology that synergistically uses two waste biomass streams to generate two bioproducts and enhance the process of anaerobic digestion (AD). According to the organisation, the digestion of wastewater can be improved sludge by incorporating biomass-derived, carbon-sequestering char within
March 7, 2017
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by Chris Lusvardi (Herald & Review) Legislation introduced in Springfield could boost efforts to attract bio-based businesses to Decatur and Central Illinois. The legislation introduced by state Sens. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, and Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, would provide incentives to produce and sell new renewable products made from biomass and
February 13, 2017
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