Ohio

Dunkin’ Donuts® Coffee at Home and Actress, Activist, and Filmmaker Olivia Wilde, Partner to Introduce the Home That Runs on Dunkin’

(Dunkin’ Donuts) Actress and Coffee Enthusiast, Olivia Wilde, Incorporates Her Personal Style into the Home That Runs on Dunkin’ — For years America has run on Dunkin’, and today Dunkin’ Donuts® Coffee at Home is bringing that slogan to life in New York City with the Home That Runs on Dunkin’, the tiny home powered

October 5, 2018 Read Full Article

Election 2018: Clean Energy’s Future Could Rise or Fall with 36 Governors’ Races

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 Read Full Article

“LabPats” “Lose Yourself” Video, Especially for Biologists, the iGEM Edition

LabPats (Carroll High School) Just some Syn. Bio nerds dropping some sick beats to the tune of Lose Yourself. WATCH VIDEO Editor’s note: Insights gathered when working in a bio lab on a bacterial way to fight biofilm in biofuel storage tanks as part of the iGEM competition in collaboration

September 18, 2018 Read Full Article

Eliminating Biofilms in Biofuels: A Bacterial Approach

by Anna Bete, Yazmin Camacho, Jonah Carter, Jason Dong, Christopher Guptil, Max Herrmann, Hayley Jesse, Peter Menart, Travis O’Leary, and Laura Polanka* (Carroll High School and the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Air Force Research Laboratory) With growing environmental concerns on the rise in recent years, more companies and individuals are becoming

September 18, 2018 Read Full Article

Strategic Diversification: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to The Andersons

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Andersons operate four ethanol plants for respective LLCs in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Iowa that are collectively capable of producing over 475 million gallons of ethanol. The company’s Ethanol Group provides facility operations, risk management, ethanol and distiller dried grains marketing. The Andersons’ recently provided this illuminating

September 7, 2018 Read Full Article

Ohio Man Gets Five Years for His Role in $47 Million Biofuel Fraud Scheme

by Tim Pearce (Daily Caller) The owner of a New York-based renewable fuels trading company was sentenced to over five years in prison and fined roughly $26 million Monday for his role in a massive biofuel fraud scheme, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Ohio resident Gregory Schnabel used his company GRC

August 28, 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

Significant Environmental Milestone for Mississippi Project

(Velocys) The USDA has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact on the environmental assessment report for Velocys’ planned Mississippi biorefinery. Velocys plc (VLS.L), the renewable fuels company, announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on the environmental assessment report

August 7, 2018 Read Full Article

Higher Blends of Ethanol Should Be Available Year-Round

by Anthony Bush (Marion Star) … Most urgently, (Agriculture) Secretary (Sonny) Perdue must follow the president’s directive to work with the Environmental Protection Agency to end harmful sales regulations on higher ethanol blends like E15 and above. These regulations restrict the sale of higher blends during the summer months when travel

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

Custom RFA E85 Motorcycle Hits the Road

by Kelsey Quargnenti (Renewable Fuels Association) Last month, the Renewable Fuels Association custom E85 motorcycle from Paul Jr. Designs made its debut on “American Chopper.” It seems that most companies that commission a custom motorcycle from Paul Jr. Designs never register it, and never ride it. They become corporate lobby trophies

July 6, 2018 Read Full Article

The Yosemite Sam of the Microbial World, Hot Rodded Lichen, BYO Nitrogen, The Microbial Marx Brother, Sexy Hexy and More: The DOE Delves into New Orgamsism for Fuels & Chems

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 Read Full Article

A First-of-a-Kind Algal-based College Certificate Program Sends Off Its First Graduates

(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)-funded Algae Technology Educational Consortium (ATEC) is proud to announce its first graduates from the algal certificate program at Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. These first ATEC graduates received their Associate Applied Science Degree in Controlled Environment

June 27, 2018 Read Full Article

Strategic Intent: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to The Andersons

June 18, 2018 Read Full Article

The Carbon Rescuers: 20 Top Waste Projects and Breakthroughs that Capture Used Carbon from the Waste Pile for New Uses

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

June 5, 2018 0 comment Read Full Article

Energy Department Announces Nearly $13 Million in Small Business Research and Development for EERE

(U.S. Department of Energy) As part of today’s (May 21, 2018) $34 million announcement by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary, Rick Perry, for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) research and development projects, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) will fund 87

May 24, 2018 Read Full Article

Large U.S. Refiner Marathon Seeks Biofuel Hardship Waiver – Sources

by Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice (Reuters/Daily Mail) Marathon Petroleum Corp, the second-biggest refining company in the United States, has asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a hardship waiver exempting one of its facilities from the nation’s biofuels law, two sources with knowledge of the application told Reuters. … Ohio-based

May 23, 2018 Read Full Article

2018 Biodiesel Seminar Tour Exploring Biodiesel — June 12 – September 18, 2018 — Various locations

Exploring Biodiesel (XBX) is a series of regional, one-day seminars designed to educate those in the industry on the benefits and opportunities surrounding biodiesel. The National Biodiesel Board, in partnership with several industry sponsors, has announced a series of regional, one-day seminars designed to educate fuel wholesalers, distributors, retailers, marketers,

May 21, 2018 Read Full Article

How Trump Might Make SUVs Pricier in Seattle than Omaha

by Camille von Kaenel (E&E News) … The Trump administration’s efforts to weaken vehicle pollution requirements could set up a split U.S. market, concentrating fuel-efficient cars in mostly Democratic states and gas guzzlers in the red states. President Trump’s plans could drastically skew how much consumers pay for the same cars,

May 4, 2018 Read Full Article

Marathon Petroleum to Acquire Andeavor for $23B

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … The deal creates the largest US oil refiner (and a top-five refiner globally) at 3.1 million barrels per day of capacity — Valero is around the same size, but that includes overseas operations. … The (Marathon Petroleum) Company formed a joint venture with The Anderson’s, Inc., The

May 1, 2018 0 comment Read Full Article

Advanced to Go: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Ensyn

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Ensyn uses its patented and proprietary RTP fast thermal technology to convert wood residues and other non-food, cellulosic biomass to liquid biofuels. Ensyn has had continuous commercial operations for more than 25 years. Its technology has produced over 37 million gallons of renewable fuels and chemicals

April 13, 2018 Read Full Article

Bioemergent Materials: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Alternative Natural Rubber Development

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) “What would industrial progress be without natural rubber?” asks Rubber Journal Asia. “It’s hardly imaginable.” Listed as one of our four most important natural resources (the others being air, water, and petroleum and rubber), it is used as raw material for the manufacture of about 50,000

March 30, 2018 Read Full Article

Consortium for Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership & Education Program Student Addresses Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference in Washington, DC

by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Leyla Battista, a senior biosystems engineering student at Auburn University, took advantage of an extraordinary opportunity to attend and speak at the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference (ABLC) Friday in Washington, DC. This annual gathering of hundreds of international leaders, C-level business executives and federal

March 5, 2018 0 comment Read Full Article

Engineering Clostridia: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to n-Butanol Production from Biomass and CO2

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The DOE is supporting a project to develop engineered clostridia strains and fermentation process that can directly utilize cellulose and fix CO2 for n-butanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. The engineered strains can be used in fermentation to produce n-butanol from lignocellulosic biomass at a targeted cost of

March 5, 2018 Read Full Article

Carbon-Negative Fuels in the Spotlight as Ohio State, Argonne National Labs, Energy Vision Make Material Progress

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 Read Full Article

Natural Rubber: Viable Industrial BioEconomy Crop, It’s Going to Be Big

by Katrina Cornish and Corinne Young (re:chem/Bioemergent Materials, The Ohio State University/Biofuels Digest/Lee Enterprises) Bioenergy/biofuel/platform chemical biomasses, whether grown (crops) or collected (forestry waste and municipal wastes of various kinds), still struggle with commercial competitiveness against the low cost, enormous scale, and market barriers presented by mature fossil fuels juggernauts. The answer is

February 7, 2018 Read Full Article

Ohio Science Could Spawn a New Sustainable Oil Boom

(Agragen) Agragen, LLC, a Cincinnati-based plant sciences company, predicts that the recent surge in oil prices will soon permit biofuels derived camelina oil to be on parity with petroleum derived fuels in costs. Sam Huttenbauer Jr., CEO of Agragen notes that “this recent development will mark the first time a renewable

January 25, 2018 Read Full Article

Ohio EPA Invites Application to a New Alternative Fuel Vehicle Conversion Grant Program

(Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Education) Ohio EPA invites applications to a new Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) Conversion Grant program that will award $5 million in grants to reimburse Ohio owners of large diesel or gasoline vehicles for a portion of the cost of replacing or converting the

January 24, 2018 Read Full Article

Top 20 Advanced Bioeconomy Projects underway in North America

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) To date, North America is the most active of all regions in terms of deploying advanced technology — whether it is cellulosic ethanol, isobutanol for fuels and chemicals, or renewable chemical plants, you see the first and the most, here. There are three drivers for that:

January 19, 2018 Read Full Article

South Bibb Neighbors Protest Decision to Allow Ethanol Rail Line

(13WMAZ) The Executive Director of Macon’s Planning and Zoning Commission, Jim Thomas, says they are going to appeal a judge’s ruling to allow an ethanol-transfer station to open up in south Macon. Two years ago, the commission rejected the Texas company’s application, but last week, Judge David Mincey said there was

November 16, 2017 Read Full Article

Tire Trash-to-Cash in the Aussie Outback

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … There are no tires in Nevertire because Green Distillation Technologies, some 20 clicks up the road in Warren, is operating its Destructive Distillation technology at pilot scale and is recycling used tires into oil, carbon and steel wire cord. … Tires are a potent source of raw material.

November 9, 2017 0 comment Read Full Article

Breaking the Bottleneck – POET-DSM Achieves Cellulosic Biofuel Breakthrough

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In South Dakota, POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels achieved a major breakthrough in cellulosic biofuels production at its Project LIBERTY plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa. The company has solved the critical challenge in pretreatment, overcoming what has been the No. 1 hurdle to commercialization for producers around the world, according

November 6, 2017 Read Full Article

Beta Renewables in Cellulosic Ethanol Crisis, as Grupo M&G Parent Files for Restructuring

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) “Italian newspapers reported over the weekend that cellulosic ethanol developer Mossi & Ghisolfi shuts down this week,” reported a source from Europe. “227 people of whom 121 from the Crescentino ethanol refinery are to stay at home. The Crescentino operation has 60 days to present a

October 31, 2017 Read Full Article

Industry Teams Learn About U.S. Ethanol Value Chain Firsthand

(U.S. Grains Council) Three ethanol trade teams consisting of ministry and industry delegates traversed the U.S. ethanol value chain from the field to the pump ahead of the Ethanol Summit of the Americas. The three teams included representatives from 12 countries that explored the U.S. ethanol industry in Missouri, South Dakota

October 29, 2017 Read Full Article

Lake Erie’s Toxic Algae: Does Ethanol Mandate Make it Worse?

by Mary Kuhlman (Public News Service) The huge algal bloom in Lake Erie is receding, but clean water advocates say the annual problem won’t go away without changes in federal policies. One measure raising concerns is the ethanol mandate, which requires a certain amount of corn-based ethanol to be blended into

October 26, 2017 0 comment Read Full Article

Ethanol Has Replaced Oil Trains as Hidden Safety Risk in N.J.

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 Read Full Article

The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to High Productivity, Flexible Microalgae

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week we’ve been looking at major advances in crops and feedstocks and algae is very much in the mix in that respect – the sustainable production of microalgae with high productivity and flexible composition is of special interest and today’s slide deck in The Digest

October 6, 2017 Read Full Article

Producing High Productivity Microalgae with Flexible Composition

by Mohammad-Matin Hanifzadeh (Algae Industry Magazine) Editor’s note: Matin is a PhD graduate research assistant at the University of Toledo. He has worked for more than five years on research related to improving economic and environmental sustainability of algae production. During his research, he was able to reduce 50-80% of the cost

October 3, 2017 Read Full Article

Top 10 Wood Waste Projects – Not Letting Waste Go to Waste

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 Read Full Article

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the Editor: Blended Fuels Are the Way to Go

by Glenn Badenhop (The Blade) Oil refineries in Ohio and across the country are misleading the public about the Renewable Fuel Standards, and this deception was most recently on display in The Blade’s Sept. 18 article on the impacts of the standards on Toledo Refining Co. I farm and have a retail

September 26, 2017 Read Full Article

Ohio State Leads Effort to Prep Students for Biobased Careers

by Tracy Turner (Ohio State University) Students at The Ohio State University and Central State University, a historically black university in Wilberforce, will soon benefit from a $2.8 million grant designed to develop leaders for the bioeconomy industry in Ohio and nationwide. Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental

September 25, 2017 Read Full Article

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Announces $21.1 Million to Grow the Bioeconomy

(U.S. Department of Agriculture) The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced six grants totaling nearly $21.1 million to support the development of new jet fuel, biobased products and biomaterials from renewable sources. Funding is made through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI),

September 25, 2017 0 comment Read Full Article

UT Algae Research

(Algae Industry Magazine) Toledo, Ohio, has certainly seen its share of unwanted algae over the past years. Now, a new research program is looking toward the potential of turning that algae into useful products. The University of Toledo was recently awarded nearly $2.4 million by the United States Department of

September 15, 2017 Read Full Article

DOE: Up to $8.8M for Algae Tech Innovations

(Algae Industry Magazine) he U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the selection of four additional projects from the Productivity Enhanced Algae and ToolKits funding opportunity to receive up to $8.8 million. “These projects will deliver high-impact tools and techniques for increasing the productivity of algae organisms in order to reduce the costs

September 11, 2017 Read Full Article

The Electrochemical Approach: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Upgrading Biorefinery Waste to Industrial Chemicals and Hydrogen

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The DOE is funding a fascinating project to develop a continuous electrochemical process to convert biorefinery waste lignin to substituted aromatic compounds for resins and resin binders. The goal? Integration into biorefinery with revenue generated, to reduce cost of biofuel by 25% The problem? Lignocellulosic biofuels

August 11, 2017 Read Full Article

Processing Pathways

by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Interest in cellulosic ethanol from corn fiber is piqued, as technology providers improve on their processes, increasing revenue stream possibilities for producers. — Some producers and technology developers in the ethanol industry say cellulosic ethanol from corn fiber will someday be as commonplace as corn

August 4, 2017 Read Full Article

From Fish Tank to Gas Tank

(University of Dayton) Once known only as the slimy scourge of backyard ponds and lakes, algae is emerging as a superhero in the race for cleaner and renewable energy resources. But this hero is not without its Achilles’ heel: algae is vulnerable to fluctuations in weather and temperature, limiting commercial

July 21, 2017 Read Full Article

Technology Could Transform Microalgae into Bio-Based Chemicals to Increase Biofeedstock, Reduce Landfill Waste

(Phys.Org/Purdue University) Gen3Bio Inc., a Purdue Foundry-affiliated company, is developing a unique process that could more effectively and affordably transform microalgae into bio-based chemicals to maximize the value of biofeedstock and reduce landfill waste…. Okamoto (Kelvin Okamoto, founder of Gen3Bio) earned his Bachelor of Science and Ph.D. in chemistry from Stanford

July 21, 2017 Read Full Article

Capturing CO2: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Algae-Based CO2 Sequestration

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The DOE completed an illuminating workshop on Carbon Capture and Sequestration with relation to algae-based technologies, and The Digest has prepared a selection of key slides presented by AquaFiber, Pacific Northwest National Lab, University of South Florida, Algenol, Montana State University, University of Toledo, NREL,

June 29, 2017 Read Full Article

Things to Do with Lignin: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Upgrading Biorefinery Waste to Chemicals and Hydrogen

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At the 2017 DOE Project Peer Review, John Staser of Ohio University gave this illuminating overview on a continuous electrochemical process to convert biorefinery waste lignin to substituted aromatic compounds for resins and resin binders. The hope? To generate additional biorefinery revenue stream and reduce

June 26, 2017 Read Full Article

Responding to Trump: The New Economies of Pittsburgh…and Paris and Paris and Paris

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Where Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto joined the mayors of more than 175 cities in a rebel yell that has been heard nationwide since President Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate Accords last Thursday. Peduto said: “As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you

June 5, 2017 Read Full Article

Natural Alternatives to Rubber: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to Novel, US-Based Rubber-Producing Crops

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The US can support rubber/energy crops the size of corn or soybean with hundreds of thousands of new jobs, says Katrina Cornish of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, and the need is pressing, she notes, because world rubber demand is expected to grow

May 31, 2017 Read Full Article

Roll-Out of Smaller-Scale GTL: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Velocys

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Velocys enables modular gas-to-liquids and biomass-to-liquids plants to convert unconventional, remote and problem gas and waste biomass into valuable, drop-in liquid fuels. After 15 years and some $300 million in investment, Velocys technology is headed for scale.The ENVIA project is now producing fuels in Oklahoma,

May 30, 2017 Read Full Article

Ohio Ethanol Tour Highlights Efforts to Break the Blend Wall

by Matt Reese (Ohio’s Country Journal) … This summer, Ohio’s corn farmers and their checkoff are chipping away at the ethanol blend wall in the state by highlighting opportunities to buy higher ethanol blends at fueling stations on the 2017 Ohio Ethanol Tour. The summer-long tour kicked off in May and

May 26, 2017 Read Full Article

Perdue Unveils Plan to Reorganize USDA

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On May 11, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue released a plan to reorganize the USDA that creates an undersecretary for trade and agricultural affairs and eliminates the undersecretary for rural development. USDA Rural Development agencies will now report directly to the agriculture secretary. In addition,

May 12, 2017 Read Full Article

Remove the Ethanol Albatross from around the Necks of U.S. Consumers: Robert W. Chase (Opinion)

by Rob W. Chase (Cleveland.com) … Less than 5 percent of all service stations in the United States offer ethanol-free gasoline. Almost all the gasoline sold nationally is E10 (10 percent ethanol, 90 percent gasoline). And some of the biofuel being sold is 15 percent ethanol. … But there’s a problem with ethanol: Given a dramatic

May 1, 2017 Read Full Article

Two PA Companies Partner to Fuel Economy

(Gant News) Pennsylvania Grain Processing Corn Merchandiser, Brian Kelly, was a little doubtful four years ago when he first approached Sheetz Inc. about selling new blends of ethanol at its fuel station near Interstate 80 in Clearfield. “Truthfully, I didn’t think we would get too much of a response. I

April 7, 2017 Read Full Article

Youngstown Steam Plant Is World’s First to Use Wood Fuel in New Way

by Stan Boney (WKBN) Youngstown Thermal is now burning a more environmentally-friendly fuel — Youngstown Thermal supplies the steam used to heat most of the buildings in downtown Youngstown. Recently, the company made a million dollar investment, now burning a new form of wood waste. Youngstown Thermal CEO Carl Avers explained what’s

March 7, 2017 Read Full Article

Ace Ethanol to Install D3MAX Cellulosic Ethanol Pilot Plant

(BBI International/Ethanol Producer Magazine) D3MAX has announced the completion and shipment of its pilot plant employing the patented D3MAX cellulosic ethanol technology. The pilot facility will be installed at ACE Ethanol LLC, in Stanley, Wisconsin, in late February. Installation is expected to be complete by mid-March with startup and testing

February 17, 2017 Read Full Article

Advanced Biobased Systems Workshop: Growing an Industry — March 16, 2017 — Wooster, OH

Ohio State University Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering workshop on Advanced Biobased Systems PERSPECTIVES ON BIOBASED INDUSTRIES Biobased Industries: Setting the Stage Denny Hall, Director, OBIC Bioproduct Innovation Center, Ohio State University Biomass Utilization in Iowa: Research and Technology Development Kevin Keener, Director, Center for Crops Utilization Research

February 15, 2017 0 comment Read Full Article

Letter to Editor: Ethanol Is a ‘Win-Win’

by Rick Fox (Ohio Ethanol Producers Association/The Courier) … Back in 1996, well before the Renewable Fuel Standard was ever implemented, corn was $3.67 a bushel. Today it is $3.64 a bushel. Why? Thanks to technology and improvements in farming practices, farmers are able to grow more corn per acre, resulting in

February 15, 2017 Read Full Article

Letter to Editor: Allow RFS to Work

by Mark Drewes (The Courier) The irony of a recent letter from a think tank policy analyst was compelling. In a reference to the EPA, Greg Lawson (letter, Feb. 6) states that they should discontinue the one size fits all policy in the energy markets by repealing the RFS (Renewable Fuel

February 8, 2017 0 comment Read Full Article

Waste to Fuels Viability: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Velocys Economics

February 8, 2017 Read Full Article

Poll: Trump Voters Overwhelmingly Support Ethanol

(Growth Energy) A new post-election survey released today shows that decisive voters in the 2016 presidential election are staunch supporters of American ethanol. The survey of 3,000 Trump voters in the Midwestern battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana and Minnesota found that more than eight in 10 respondents

January 13, 2017 Read Full Article

How Corn Farmers and Ethanol Producers Helped Deliver Trump’s Historic Win

by Bob Dinneen (The Hill/Renewable Fuels Association) In the flurry of post-election punditry and analysis, much credit was given to disenfranchised factory workers and coal miners in the Rust Belt and Appalachia for delivering Donald Trump’s surprising swing state victories on Election Day. To be sure, those voters played a

January 6, 2017 Read Full Article

Battelle Unlocks Door, Algae Could Rush In

by Stafford “Doc” Williamson (DaoChi Energy/Biofuels Digest) Reported in the Feednavigator.com (Dec. 8, 2016) is news that soymeal has taken a step toward replacing fishmeal as aquaculture feed. The Battelle company, at the behest of the Ohio Soybean Council, has developed a non-fermentation method that instead adds an enzyme to remove oligosaccharides (an “anti-nutritional factor”)

December 14, 2016 Read Full Article

RFS Standards Help Ohioans

by Rick Fox (The Clermont Sun) Letter to Editor: Commissioner Uible’s recent letter “Fixing the RFS Pothole” was full of myth and inaccuracies regarding the ethanol industry and the Renewable Fuel Standard. Uible claims ethanol is raising the price of corn for his livestock. If this was the case, why

December 12, 2016 Read Full Article

US Corn Ethanol Market: Understanding the Past to Assess the Future

by Carl Zulauf (FarmDoc Daily) Ethanol was a factor in both the price run-up that began in 2006 and the price run-down that began in 2013. Tepid growth replaced explosive growth. The question for the future is, “What is ethanol’s organic growth rate (growth without government policy stimulus)?” Recent history

December 2, 2016 Read Full Article

Renewable Drop-In Fuels at Scale: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Ensyn

December 1, 2016 Read Full Article

Bio-Based Jet Fuels Consortium Recognizes USDA Leaders

(U.S. Department of Agriculture) The Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) has awarded U.S. Department of Agriculture Ohio Rural Development State Director Tony Logan its 2016 Partnership Award. An industry initiative sponsored by airlines, aircraft and engine manufacturers, airports, and the Federal Aviation Administration, CAAFI’s primary goal is promoting the

November 21, 2016 Read Full Article

Not Energy Independent, Yet

by Rick Uldricks and Hudson Councilman Casey Weinstein (Twinsburg Patch) In truth, when it comes to energy security, there is good news to be found, but not at the bottom of a well. — Fossil fuel boosters love to say that energy independence is nearly a reality, thanks to a massive expansion

November 15, 2016 Read Full Article

America’s Most Prolific Gas Play Needs 50 Rigs to Keep Booming

by Ari Natter and James Rowley (Bloomberg) … Fifty rigs need to be drilling for natural gas in America’s most prolific shale region to keep production of the fuel from falling — and by one explorer’s count, they’re already below that level. The Appalachian Basin, home to both the Marcellus

November 7, 2016 Read Full Article

Letter to the Editor: Fixing the RFS Pothole

by David Uible (Clermont County Commissioner/Clermont County GOP/The Clermont Sun) … On principle, I believe in free markets, and in keeping the government small and control as local as possible. The EPA, an unelected federal agency, shouldn’t have the power to control the fate of the corn, ethanol, and Ag industries in

October 13, 2016 Read Full Article

Six POET Plants Installing Combined Heat and Power Processes

(POET) Six POET biorefineries in Ohio and Indiana are installing a new energy generation system using combined heat and power. These systems will reduce reliance on the electrical energy grid, recover waste energy for additional use in the plant and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The system will use steam in

October 12, 2016 Read Full Article

A Man and His Turbine Engine

by Suzi Thaye (Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper) David Stapp’s invention is “fuel-agnostic” — … It’s a nice spot for CEO Stapp to concentrate on his pet project, the Peregrine Turbine, a jet engine that can run solely on biofuels, but will work also work quite well on conventional fuels like diesel fuel and

October 5, 2016 Read Full Article

Railroad to Settle for $170,000 over Ethanol Spill, Fire

by Kimball Perry (Columbus Dispatch) Four years ago, a broken rail caused 16 railroad cars to jump the track near Columbus’ Weinland Park neighborhood, igniting a fireball of ethanol on board. On Tuesday, the Franklin County commissioners are prepared to accept $170,709.34 from Norfolk Southern Railroad to pay the government

October 3, 2016 0 comment Read Full Article

The War Against Ethanol, Part II–A History of the Fuel

by Jamie Kitman (Automobile Magazine) “It is “a universal assumption that [ethyl] alcohol in some form will be a constituent of the motor fuel of the future.” — So wrote Scientific American. The year was 1920, and the respected journal was not alone in this belief. In October 1921, less than

October 1, 2016 Read Full Article

Column Full of Downright Lies

by Art Thomas (POET-Fostoria/The Courier) Last week’s column “corn ethanol is a climate-control scandal” was full of half-truths and downright lies about the ethanol industry. It was authored by a New York think tank funded by oil. Study after study has shown that global production of biofuels like ethanol reduces greenhouse

October 1, 2016 Read Full Article

Biofuels Buy Could Bring Plant to County

(Van Wert Independent News) Van Wert County officials are hoping a big biofuels purchase by JetBlue airlines will eventually mean jobs for county residents. The biofuels purchase by JetBlue is from SG Preston, a company that has been looking at sites in Van Wert, as well as the Ohio community

September 21, 2016 Read Full Article

jetBlue loves you: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to SG Preston

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) jetBlue has announced a 10-year, 330 million gallon renewable jet fuel purchase agreement with SG Preston. This marks one of the largest renewable jet fuel purchase agreements in aviation history, and the largest, long-term, binding commitment by any airline globally for HEFA (hydro-processed esters and

September 20, 2016 Read Full Article

JetBlue Announces One of the Largest Renewable Jet Fuel Purchase Agreements in Aviation History

(JetBlue) Preparing for a Lower Carbon Future, Airline Partners with SG Preston to Purchase Renewable Jet Fuel; JetBlue Expects To Take First Delivery of Renewable Jet Fuel In 2019 With A 10-Year Purchase Agreement and the Ability to Lower the Fuel’s Carbon Footprint through the Use of Renewable, Biomass Based

September 19, 2016 Read Full Article

Know Your Cyanobacteria

(Algae Industry Magazine/Water Research Foundation) Water Research Foundation prepared this video for those wanting to know more about the science behind cyanobacteria, and get a utility perspective on the latest in source water protection, monitoring, detection, and treatment. Experts from Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, SUEZ, City of Alliance (OH),

September 18, 2016 Read Full Article

Iowa Teen Promotes Ethanol at DNC, RNC

by Kathie Obradovich (Des Moines Register) It’s hard to beat this as a summer job for a Des Moines teenager: Two weeks at the Republican and Democratic national conventions as part of an Iowa team promoting ethanol. Otto Gunderson, 16, traveled to Cleveland last week with the America’s Renewable Future organization and

August 23, 2016 Read Full Article

There Is an E15 Consumer Disconnect

by Susanna Retka-Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Sheetz, Thortons executives give careful thought to strategically offering the new fuel. — Almost weekly, another announcement is made about a retail location offering E15. The rollouts, large and small, are indicators E15 is gaining steam and, in late July, HWRT Oil Co. announced

August 17, 2016 Read Full Article

Turn and Face the Strange: The New Algae Makes a Bowiesque Pivot into New Markets

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … But the RE in algae these days has been, more or less, REposition. Possibly REthink. Certainly not much REfinance, or REcommit to the original targets. The algae business models of 2009 burst up in a bloom, and busted when OPEC took the oxygen out of

July 1, 2016 Read Full Article

Solutions from the Land’s ‘Farmer-First’ Climate Smart Agriculture Principle

(25 x ’25) The award of a $500,000 grant from the prestigious W.K. Kellogg Foundation to Solutions from the Land (SfL) this week (week of June 1, 2016) underscores the priority and responsibility that SfL takes in putting farmers first in developing practices and policies that can meet and address

June 22, 2016 Read Full Article

House Bill Could Help Small and Mid-Size Dairies Deal with Excess Nutrients

(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On June 16, Representative Tom Reed (R-NY) and Ron Kind (D-WI) along with 12 Republican and Democratic co-sponsors introduced the Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Act (H.R. 5489), which would expand the eligibility of biogas systems under the Investment Tax Credit (ITC), a 30 percent tax credit for

June 20, 2016 Read Full Article

USDA Resumes Incentives to Grow and Harvest Biomass for Energy and Biobased Products

(U.S. Department of Agriculture) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini today announced that incentives resume this month for farmers and foresters who grow and harvest biomass for renewable energy and biobased products. The funds come through the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), which was

May 28, 2016 0 comment Read Full Article

Senator Sherrod Brown Announces Up to $2 Million in New Federal Resources for The Ohio State University to Support Research on Biofuel

(Office of Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) 25 Percent of Soybean Oil Processed in U.S. is used for Biodiesel and Bioheat. Ohio Ranks Sixth in the Nation for Soybean Production. — Today (May 11, 2016), U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) ) – a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee –

May 13, 2016 Read Full Article

USDA, DOE Partner to Invest $10 Million in Green Energy Research

(U.S. Department of Agriculture) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the joint investment of $10 million towards research that will drive more efficient biofuels production and agricultural feedstock improvements. These awards were made through the

May 9, 2016 Read Full Article

Cessna 182 Crosses Country on Biofuel

(Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) Ross McCurdy, a science teacher from Ponaganset High School in Glocester, Rhode Island, has flown to Santa Monica, California, and back in a 1980 diesel-powered Cessna 182 owned by a New Jersey flying club using a 50-50 mix of Jet A and Camelina plant-seed oil,

May 4, 2016 Read Full Article

Protein Packs A Punch in New Ethanol Coproducts

by Holly Jessen and Kassidi Andres (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Two companies gain traction in the quest to produce high-protein feed products from ethanol coproducts. — Novita Nutrition and Nutrinsic Corp. approach producing high-value feed products from ethanol coproducts differently—Novita removes unsaturated fat from distillers grains while Nutrinsic targets the condensed syrup

April 15, 2016 Read Full Article

Duel Fuel–Colocating Ethanol, Biodiesel

by Keith Loria (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Biodiesel tanks are popping up in the tank farms at some ethanol plants these days. — During the past decade, there has been a great deal of innovation and thought put into the synergies between ethanol and biodiesel production, as plants share infrastructure and process

April 15, 2016 Read Full Article

Farm Bill Energy Programs Enable New Feedstock Production To Help Fuel the Biobased Economy

by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Innovation Organization/Biofuels Digest) … Congress changed mandatory funding for two key bioenergy programs – despite their tangible successes – through its Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) Omnibus spending bill. USDA’s Section 9003 Loan Guarantee Program and the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) were capped well below the funding

April 6, 2016 Read Full Article

OBIC Bioplastics and Biobased Composites Technology Forum — May 18, 2016 — Columbus, OH

Bioplastics are in your future. Discover what you need to know to grow your bio-business. If you’re in the plastics industry, you’re aware of bioplastics. But do you know what bioplastics could mean to your business growth and what value they bring to your customers? Devote a day to learning

March 29, 2016 Read Full Article

Science Teacher Plans First Coast-to-Coast Biofuel Flight

by Megan Elliott (Flying Magazine) First transcontinental flight using aviation biofuel in a certified light aircraft. — High-school science teacher Ross McCurdy is planning the first transcontinental flight using aviation biofuel in a certified light aircraft. McCurdy will launch from North Central Airport near Providence, Rhode Island, in a Cessna 182

March 23, 2016 0 comment Read Full Article

Study Says Ethanol Harms Corn Counties

by Ann Purvis (Heartland Institute) … (A) new study from researchers at Strata Policy (SP) and the Institute of Political Economy (IPE) at Utah State University suggests RFS also harms the very farmers the ethanol mandate was designed to help. … According to the study by SP and IPE, the result

March 21, 2016 0 comment Read Full Article

Alternative Crops for Biofuel Gaining Attention

by Colleen Scherer (Ag Professional) … A recent University of Illinois study is using genetic markers to identify early developmental traits in Miscanthus that correlate with future yield. … On a practical level, the researchers saw strong positive correlations between biomass yield and plant basal circumference, height, and tiller (stem) number,

March 11, 2016 Read Full Article

Miscanthus Harvest Field Day — March 11, 2016 — Jefferson/Andover/Ashtabula, OH

The goal of this workshop is to share how Miscanthus is being harvested and used in the northeastern Ohio area. During the program, participants will learn about how Miscanthus is managed, observe local harvesting operations, and visit two local processing facilities to see a few of the products being made

March 1, 2016 Read Full Article

Ethanol Keeps Gasoline Prices Down

by Fred Yoder (The Columbus Dispatch/Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association) When the original renewable fuel standard was passed in 2005, gasoline manufacturers were under heavy pressure to do something about the contamination of thousands of groundwater sources from using methyl tertiary butyl ether as the oxygenate to conform with the

February 29, 2016 Read Full Article

Best for Biofuels

by Dave Evensen (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Research finds where bioenergy crops would grow best while minimizing detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems — … Researchers at the University of Illinois used detailed models to examine impacts on water quantity and quality in soils that would occur if existing vegetation was replaced

February 24, 2016 Read Full Article

Review of Water Consumption and Water Conservation Technologies in the Algal Biofuel Process.

by Tu Q, Lu M, Thiansathit W, Keener TC (PubMed) Although water is one of the most critical factors affecting the sustainable development of algal biofuels, it is much less studied as compared to the extensive research on algal biofuel production technologies. This paper provides a review of the recent

January 28, 2016 Read Full Article

Ohio Has Few Checks for Natural-Gas Storage Leaks

by Laura Arenschield (Columbus Dispatch) … In fact, Ohio ranks eighth nationwide in the volume of natural gas stored below ground. California officials issued emergency-oversight measures last week requiring daily inspections of storage fields using infrared technology to catch leaks. In contrast, Ohio relies on annual visual inspections by state workers

January 22, 2016 Read Full Article

Cellulosic Biofuel: The Importance of Managing Biomass Supply Chain

by Ajay Shah (Renewable Energy World) Massive availability of agricultural waste, left unutilized in the field, and its potential to be converted to environmentally friendly biofuel has led to an increasing attention towards the advancement of cellulosic biofuel. … Cellulosic biofuel sector has immense potential, and advancements have been made

January 15, 2016 Read Full Article

Algae Industry Magazine’s 2015 International Readers’ Poll — Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

(Algae Industry Magazine) In any industry, a few incredible people make an enormous impact. The algae industry is fortunate to honor Algae Ambassadors that are great scientists and industry leaders. They are also superb educators for our next generation of algae scientists and business leaders. The Algae Ambassadors have inspired

January 11, 2016 Read Full Article

Biofuels Mandates Around the World: 2016

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who mandates what in biofuels? 64 countries have targets or mandates — but how much where, and when, and what? In Florida, the Digest today releases its annual review of biofuels mandates and targets around the world, looking at the state of biofuels mandates in 64

January 4, 2016 Read Full Article

USGC Ethanol Export Program Yields Results in Peru

(U.S. Grains Council/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Grains Council’s ethanol export promotion program has seen an early success with a U.S. exporter confirming sales of 10 million gallons of U.S. ethanol to Peru—valued at more than $15 million—following a trade team’s visit. Earlier this year, the council led a team

December 21, 2015 Read Full Article

“High Confidence Level” as Alcohol-to-Jet Fuel Closes in on Historic ASTM Approval

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As ASTM technical balloting is underway and as experts sift through and request revised submissions of technical data, insiders are pointing to an early 2016 approval for Gevo’s renewable alcohol-to-jet fuel. In Washington, CAAFI Executive Director Steve Csonka declared a “high confidence level” in the

December 17, 2015 Read Full Article

Walking the Walk in Advanced Biofuels USA’s “E30 and Beyond Retrofitted” Focus

by Robert E. Kozak* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Here at Advanced Biofuels USA we’ve been banging the drum for E30 for a number of years. Equal fuel mileage, better performance, you know the facts. Well, all that time we never had a Flex Fuel car, either factory built or retrofitted. This

December 9, 2015 0 comment Read Full Article

Corn Has Competition as Ethanol’s Leading Grain

by Anna McConnell (Agriculture.com) In terms of ethanol production, corn has some competition this winter— grain sorghum. The grain, also known as milo, produces the same amount of ethanol per bushel, but uses one third less water in the process of creating the fuel. It is also used as feed,

November 20, 2015 Read Full Article

Renewable Fuel Proponents Speaking up as EPA Decision Draws Near

(Ohio’s Country Journal) National Corn Growers Association President Chip Bowling has urged President Obama to reverse the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed cuts in the Renewable Fuel Standard’s volume obligation and adhere to the statute of the law itself. … “Contrary to the erroneous criticism spread by the oil industry,

November 18, 2015 Read Full Article

New Biobased Projects Around the World

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who’s building what, where, now. 29 projects in construction or in commissioning in Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, and the Americas Despite low oil prices, first-gen biofuels and advanced biofuels continue to develop, and especially in the developing world. In this report, we

November 18, 2015 Read Full Article

What Facts Are Really Facts?

by Matt Reese (Ohio’s Country Journal) … The heated debate over the RFS really ramped up in recent weeks with dueling ad campaigns in Ohio and Washington, D.C. highlighting very different sets of facts pertaining to ethanol’s impact on the environment, the economy and so forth. So whose facts are

November 17, 2015 Read Full Article

Ethanol: The Common Sense Approach

by Patty Mann (Sidney Daily News) To the Editor: Each day we are flooded with advertisements and messages. It’s easy to not know who to trust or what information to believe. But sometimes we need to approach situations with more common sense. The facts are clear. • Ethanol is made from

November 16, 2015 Read Full Article

Pigs Can Regulate Sulfur in Distiller Grains

(AgriNews) Distillers dried grains with solubles, a co-product of the ethanol industry, is becoming a more common ingredient in swine diets. However, DDGS can be high in sulfur, and data is limited on the amount of sulfur that pigs can tolerate in the diet. Therefore, researchers at the University of

November 16, 2015 Read Full Article

Anti-Ethanol Ad Sparks Outrage Among Ohio’s Corn, Ethanol Producers

by Karen Kasler (Ohio Public Radio) Ohio’s corn and ethanol industry is fighting back at ads it says are misleading and funded by big oil. … The ad comes from the American Council for Capital Formation. It’s a conservative organization that lists Republican former Ohio Congressman Mike Oxley as an advisor.

November 13, 2015 Read Full Article

Anti-Ethanol Group Expands National Ad Buy

by Devin Henry (The Hill) A group opposing the federal ethanol mandate has extended its advertising campaign against the rule into several corn-growing states. The American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF), a D.C.-based free market group, is hitting the airwaves in Indiana on Tuesday with an ad warning about the

November 11, 2015 Read Full Article

Boston-Area TV Ad Campaign Urges Federal Action on Corn Ethanol Mandate

by Shannon Young (MassLive) A Washington D.C.-based group launched a television ad campaign in Boston this week that takes aim at the federal corn ethanol mandates and calls on congressional lawmakers to end them. The 30-second ad, sponsored by American Council for Capital Formation, contends that while the mandates were

November 9, 2015 Read Full Article

Strong RFS Support Offers Low-Risk Opportunity for Democrats to Connect with Voters They Need to Retake Majority

by Ryan Fitzpatrick (Third Way) Although relatively obscure by Washington standards, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) carries a unique level of importance and visibility in many rural states. The fact that the RFS invariably becomes a priority campaign issue for presidential primary candidates passing through Iowa serves as evidence of

November 9, 2015 Read Full Article

Will the Renewable Fuel Standard Impact the 2016 Elections?

by Jonathan H Harsch (Agri-Pulse) The escalating battle over the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) added another front Thursday. National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson warned President Obama that lowering the RFS volume requirements could result in Democrats losing otherwise winnable congressional races in the 2016 elections. Johnson warned that unless Obama

November 9, 2015 Read Full Article

Renewable Drop-iIn Fuels at Scale, Construction in 2016: The Digest’s 8-Slide Guide to Ensyn

November 9, 2015 Read Full Article

New CRS Report: How Corn Ethanol Mandates Have Hurt Ohio’s Environment and Economy

(Center for Regulatory Solutions) Washington-imposed mandates that have forced increasing volumes of corn ethanol to be added to Ohio’s and our nation’s fuel supply have produced an additional 1.92 million metric tons of CO2 emissions in Ohio alone since 2005, the emissions equivalent of adding nearly 400,000 cars to the

November 6, 2015 Read Full Article

Supercritical Biodiesel Plant at Ethanol Refinery Now Operational

by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Nearly two years after the project was announced, a 5 MMgy supercritical biodiesel plant in Annawan, Illinois, is now operational. Designed and built by Jatrodiesel Inc., the innovative facility is co-located with the 125 MMgy CHS-owned Patriot Renewable Fuels ethanol plant, leveraging the existing refinery’s

November 6, 2015 Read Full Article

High-Content Ethanol Pumps in Ohio to Get Boost from $3.4 Million Grant

(Columbus Dispatch) Ohio received a $3.4 million grant to install more than 100 pumps for ethanol-blended fuels. The grant was through the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the Ohio Corn Marketing Program and will double the number of higher-ethanol pumps — pumps that can dispense fuel with more than 10

November 3, 2015 Read Full Article

Waste to Wheels II: Renewable Natural Gas for Transportation — December 2, 2015 — Wilberforce, OH

Join Clean Fuels Ohio, Energy-Vision, and Central State University for the Waste to Wheels II: Renewable Natural Gas for Transportation, sponsored by Vectren and Renergy. This conference will give participants a strong, working understanding of RNG production, utilization as a vehicle fuel, and viable models for successful project development. Learn

November 3, 2015 Read Full Article

Neutrons Help Decipher Enzyme Function for Cellulosic Conversion

(Technical University of Munich/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … Using neutrons, researchers have now investigated the reaction mechanism of an important class of enzymes: the glycosidases. The measurements were made at the neutron sources in Los Alamos and Oak Ridge (USA), as well as at the research neutron source FRM II of

November 3, 2015 Read Full Article

The Biobased Option: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide to Biobased Products

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Includes Ohio State University’s “Advanced Bioeconomy” flowchart and BioPreferred Program map; results of surveys regarding awareness of bio-based products, etc. READ MORE

November 3, 2015 Read Full Article

Energy Department Harvesting Technology Goes Commercial

by Alison Goss Eng and Daniel Adams (U.S. Department of Energy) … Earlier this year, we highlighted five cost-saving harvesting technologies that private companies and universities developed through $21 million in 2009 funding from the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO). At the time, several types of equipment, including Tigerats’ feller buncher, were

October 29, 2015 Read Full Article

New BETO Fact Sheets Profile the Emerging Bioeconomy by State

(U.S. Department of Energy) How is funding from BETO a part of the emerging bioeconomy in some states? Find out with our new state fact sheets. For select states, these fact sheets give information about efforts to develop the advanced bioenergy industry. The U.S. Department of Energy provides joint funding

October 29, 2015 Read Full Article

Priming the Pump for Higher Blends

by Ray Defenbaugh (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Prime the Pump/Growth Energy) Prime the pump, an effort to grow the ethanol market to accelerate the build-out of higher blend retail infrastructure, has had tremendous success, writes Ray Defenbaugh. — The ethanol industry is going on the offense to bring higher blends into the

October 27, 2015 Read Full Article

SG Preston and IHI E&C Announce Strategic Agreement To Engineer and Construct A Portfolio Of Advanced Renewable Fuels Plants

(PR Newswire/IHI E&C) SG Preston, a Philadelphia-based bioenergy company, and IHI E&C, a Houston-based engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) subsidiary of IHI Corporation, today announced a ground-breaking agreement for a Multi-Facility Program that will include the development and construction of a series of commercial volume, advanced biofuels manufacturing plants, initially

October 21, 2015 Read Full Article

A Secret Password for Advanced Biofuels at Scale? Forget “Open Sesame”, Try “Velocys Inside”

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Four new technologies approach scaled operations, all with one element in common – Velocys technology on the back-end. Why Velocys, why now? The Digest investigates. In Oklahoma, Southeast Oregon, Eastern Ohio, and a site near London we’re about to see the commercial-scale debut of Velocys

October 5, 2015 Read Full Article

A Biorefinery Approach for Castor Biodiesel — Whole Plant Used for 100% Renewable Biodiesel

by Helen Tunnicliffe (The Chemical Engineer Today) Chemical engineers from Iran have found a way to produce biodiesel from castor oil without the need for extra petrochemical methanol, using a biorefinery set-up. Producing biodiesel from vegetable oils is not completely renewable, as the standard transesterification process requires the use of

September 30, 2015 Read Full Article

USDA Invests $100M in Renewable Fuel Pumps: The Deep Dive into Who Got What, and How the Landscape Shifts

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) USDA announces state finalists for the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership. Will it move the needle? The Digest investigates. In Washington, US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that 21 states will receive grants through the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) to add infrastructure needed to supply more renewable

September 14, 2015 1 comment Read Full Article

USDA Announces State Finalists for the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership

(US Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that 21 states will receive grants through the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) to add infrastructure needed to supply more renewable fuel to America’s drivers. Since announcing the program in May 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency

September 10, 2015 0 comment Read Full Article

Carlisle Planners OK $10M Biofuels Project

by Ed Richter (Journal-News) Plans are moving forward to build a bio-energy production facility in Carlisle. The Carlisle Planning Commission recently approved zoning changes for Agro BioFuels and BioEnergy Inc. to enable construction of a green energy production facility to make biodiesel products from agricultural byproducts at the Carlisle Business

September 8, 2015 Read Full Article

$11M Green Energy Project Could Fuel More than 100 New Local Jobs

by Joe Cogliano (Dayton Business Journal) … Mason-based Agro BioFuels and BioEnergy Inc. is looking to build a biodiesel production facility on a vacant 10-acre site near the end of Business Parkway. The plant — which would include a 6,800-square-foot office plus additional space for production equipment — would make fuel from

September 1, 2015 Read Full Article

Dean And Brenda Daniels To Prison For Biodiesel Fraud

(Southwest Florida Online) Dean Daniels, 52, Richard Smith, 57, Brenda Daniels, 45 and William Bradley, 58, all of Florida, pleaded guilty and were sentenced today in U.S. district court for charges related to a scheme involving the false production of biodiesel. Dean and Brenda Daniels were noted in many Southwest

August 28, 2015 0 comment Read Full Article

Energy Department Awards up to $4 Million to Develop Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts

(US Department of Energy) The Energy Department today announced two additional projects selected to receive up to $4 million to develop next-generation biofuels that will help reduce the cost of producing gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels from biomass. These projects—in addition to five projects previously selected in October 2014 under the

August 27, 2015 Read Full Article

E85 Available at Lima Station

(LimaOhio.com) Despite industry experts citing little demand, one Lima gas station has begun to sell E85 fuel. Speedway, at 1875 Harding Highway, installed an E85 pump with two dispensers on May 21, according to an email from Stefanie Griffith, communications manager with Marathon Petroleum Corp. Griffith said it added the

August 25, 2015 Read Full Article

USDA Announces Incentives to Establish Biomass Crops

(US Department of Agriculture) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini announced that enrollment begins today for farmers and forest landowners seeking financial assistance for growing new sources of biomass for energy or biobased products within designated projects areas. The funds are available from the

August 21, 2015 0 comment Read Full Article

Making Tires From a Desert Shrub Found in the U.S.

by Diane Cardwell (New York Times) For years, tire industry executives, as well as government officials and scientists, have sought a domestic source for natural rubber to escape the price fluctuations of imports and, more recently, to avoid petroleum, which is used to make synthetic rubber. Now, Cooper Tire and

August 19, 2015 Read Full Article

RFA Asks EPA to Provide Relief to Midwest Consumers in Wake of Refinery Outage

(Renewable Fuels Association) Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen issued the following statement in response to the shutdown of the BP 240,000-barrels-per-day refinery in Whiting, Indiana, which has caused gasoline prices to spike in Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and Wisconsin, and could cause prices to increase in

August 17, 2015 Read Full Article

POET Drives $13.5B in Economic Impact in 2014: Report

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In South Dakota, POET released its first-ever economic impact study, and reported that in 2014 the company generated a total of $13.5 billion in sales for U.S. businesses; added $5.4 billion in national gross domestic product; supported an estimated 39,978 full time jobs; and contributed

August 17, 2015 Read Full Article

50 Grassroots Events Planned in Support of Renewable Fuel Standard

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, more than fifty grassroots events are now scheduled take place at state and county fairs throughout the month of August, starting August 7th. Farmers and consumers will have the chance to inform and educate elected officials, and local and national media on the

August 10, 2015 Read Full Article

Lindsey Graham: I Wouldn’t Disagree With Hillary Clinton on Science of Climate Change

by Rebecca Leber (New Republic) Only two candidates, Senator Lindsey Graham and George Pataki, in the second-tier Republican presidential debate on Thursday have accepted that climate change is real and man-made. That doesn’t neecssarily mean they support policies to mitigate the problem, and Graham even managed to use a question

August 7, 2015 Read Full Article

Voters Want Pro Clean Energy Prez Candidates

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) NextGen Climate has released the results of a survey that finds voters in key presidential swing states support transitioning to at least 50 percent clean energy by 2030. Hart Research conducted the poll in eight battleground states including: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina,

August 4, 2015 Read Full Article

Integrating Source Apportionment Tracers into a Bottom-up Inventory of Methane Emissions in the Barnett Shale Hydraulic Fracturing Region

by Amy Townsend-Small, Josette E. Marrero, David R. Lyon, Isobel J. Simpson, Simone Meinardi, and Donald R. Blake (Environmental Science and Technology) A growing dependence on natural gas for energy may exacerbate emissions of the greenhouse gas methane (CH4). Identifying fingerprints of these emissions is critical to our understanding of potential

July 7, 2015 Read Full Article

Rep. Kaptur Welcomes $50,000 NSF Award For UT Algal Bio-Chemistry Research‎

(Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)) Innovative extraction method sources chemicals from algae instead of from imported oils — Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) welcomed news that The University of Toledo (UT) will receive $50,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support research into commercial development of an innovative method developed at UT to

July 3, 2015 Read Full Article

Ensyn and Youngstown Thermal Sign RFO™ Biofuel Supply Agreement

(Ensyn) Ensyn Fuels Inc. (“Ensyn Fuels”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ensyn Corporation (“Ensyn”), has signed a contract with Youngstown Thermal LLC (“Youngstown Thermal”) for the supply of RFO™, Ensyn’s advanced cellulosic biofuel. Ensyn Fuels is to provide Youngstown Thermal up to 2,500,000 gallons of RFO per year, with deliveries to

June 30, 2015 Read Full Article