by Lutho Mtongana (BizNews.com) PhytoEnergy International Holding AG said it will only proceed with a plan to build a 5 billion rand ($418 million) plant to convert canola into diesel in South Africa if the government passes laws needed by the
U.S. Industrial Production Falters as Oil Sector Weighs
by Eric Morath (The Wall Street Journal) Quarterly decline is first since end of recession in 2009 -- U.S. industrial output fell in March and posted the first quarterly decline since the recession ended, signs that a retrenching domestic oil industry
April 16, 2015 Read Full Article
TSCA Nomenclature May Be Barrier for Advanced Biofuels
(The Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group/The Oil Price Information Network) (The Oil Price Information Network (OPIS) spoke with BRAG's Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Senior Policy Advisor with B&C, regarding the application of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to
April 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Report: PA Dishes out $3.2 Billion in Fossil Fuels Subsidies while State Faces $1.5 Billion Deficit
by Natasha Khan (PublicSource) A new report out Tuesday says Pennsylvania provided more than $3.2 billion in subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, much of which went to the state’s booming natural gas industry, at a time when the state
April 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Liberal Groups Aim to Register a Million Climate Voters
by Andrew Restuccia (Politico) A coalition of environmental, civil rights and progressive groups aims to register a million climate-conscious voters by Election Day. The goal, shared first with POLITICO, is the latest indication that liberals view climate change as a wedge
April 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels: What's Happened and Where Are We Going?
by Scott Chabina (Fierce Energy) The transformation of Gen 1.0 to 1.5 and the reality of Gen 2.0. Advanced, commercially viable biofuel facilities no longer "unicorns on the horizon" ... Conventional, or "Gen 1.0", corn ethanol producers have continued to diversify
April 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Cascades Announces Major Investments in Biorefinery Project at Cabano Plant
(Cascades/PRNewswire) Cascades Inc. (TSX: CAS), a leader in the recovery of recyclable materials and manufacturing green packaging products and tissue paper, is pleased to announce the company's investment in a new technology at its Norampac – Cabano facility. This innovative
April 16, 2015 Read Full Article
On Campuses, a Fossil-Fuel Divestment Movement
by Steven Mufson (The Washington Post originally posted December 2013; includes 2015 updates) A divestment movement is marching across U.S. college campuses, borrowing tactics from the 1980s anti-apartheid campaign and using them against oil, gas and coal companies to fight
April 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Tobacco Plants May Boost Biofuel and Biorefining Industries
(Science Daily) Researchers will genetically modify tobacco plants to produce enzymes that can break down biomass from forest raw materials. This may lead to a more effective, economic and sustainable production of biofuels, they say. ... Today the forest-based biorefining industries face
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Iowa Lawmakers Ride-and-Drive on Biodiesel
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) Lawmakers in Iowa got the chance to experience the power of biodiesel for themselves. The Iowa Biodiesel Board (IBB)held its its first ever Ride-and-Drive event at the capitol in Des Moines as part of the group’s
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Top of Biofuels Class
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Training programs around the U.S. offer opportunities in the biofuels industry for part- and full-time students. ... Mick Miller, president of NuVu Fuels and general manager of DENCO II in Morris, Minnesota, also went through the
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Setting The Table For The Big Score
by David VanderGriend (Ethanol Producer Magazine/ ICM Inc./Urban Air Initiative) The RFS is important and worthy of support, writes David VanderGriend. However, it should not be viewed as what defines the value of biofuels, a value which can only be
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Report: 2,000 People in East Kansas Employed in Biofuels
by Megan Hart (CJ Online) More than 2,000 people are employed in the biofuel industry in the Congressional district including Topeka, according to a report from Fuels America. The group is made up of major players in the ethanol industry and advocates
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Nebraska Corn Representatives Tell Ethanol’s Story on Capitol Hill
(NebraskaCorn.org) Ethanol advocates from across the nation came together in Washington, DC in late March as part of a “Biofuels Beltway March” to share their ethanol stories and communicate the widespread grassroots support for American Ethanol and the Renewable Fuel
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Malloy's Rhode Island Company Recognized for Use of Biodiesel
(vtdigger.org/TH Malloy and Sons) Jim Malloy, of Plainfield, Vermont, is being recognized for his contributions to reducing the use of petroleum fuel in the transportation sector. His business, TH Malloy and Sons in Newport, Rhode Island, is being recognized with
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
US Navy’s 2015-2016 Solicitation for Biofuel Blends Now Posted
(Green Car Congress) The US Defense Logistics Agency-Energy (DLA-Energy) has posted the Rocky Mountain/West Coast/Offshore (RMW) solicitation (SPE600-15-R-0711) on behalf of the US Navy for fuel deliveries from 1 October 2015 to 30 September 2016. Vendors can submit bids with
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Direct Conversion of Plant Biomass to Ethanol by Engineered Caldicellulosiruptor bescii
by Daehwan Chung, Minseok Cha, Adam M. Guss, and Janet Westpheling (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) The ever-increasing demand for transportation fuels, the decrease in global petroleum reserves, and the negative impact of greenhouse gases resulting from burning petroleum
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
University of Rostock Project to Investigate Biodiesel for Stage IV Engines
by Isabel Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Germany, a project at the University of Rostock is investigating the technical feasibility of using certified sustainable rapeseed oil to produce biodiesel. In order to pave the way for manufacturers, the University of Rostock
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with…David Glass, principal, D. Glass Associates
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... My technical training was in molecular biology, and throughout my career I’ve worked to promote the development, government approval and public acceptance of the uses of advanced biotechnologies in agriculture, environmental remediation, and energy production. ... I’ve
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
ARF Challenges Confirmed Candidates
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The America’s Renewable Future campaign is challenging the two confirmed Republican presidential candidates to take a stand for renewable fuels. In a letter to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who has been forthcoming about his opposition to the
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
High-Yield Hydrogen Production from Biomass by in vitro Metabolic Engineering: Mixed Sugars Coutilization and Kinetic Modeling
Joseph A. Rollin, Julia Martin del Campo, Suwan Myung, Fangfang Sun, Chun You, Allison Bakovic, Roberto Castro, Sanjeev K. Chandrayan, Chang-Hao Wu, Michael W. W. Adams, Ryan S. Senger, and Y.-H. Percival Zhang (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Engineers Develop New Yeast Strain to Enhance Biofuel and Biochemical Production
(University of Texas at Austin) Researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have used a combination of metabolic engineering and directed evolution to develop a new, mutant yeast strain that could lead to
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
University of Wisconsin Study Based on Shaky Foundation of Faulty Data and Conclusions
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) A recent study published in Environmental Research Letters by authors at the University of Wisconsin uses error-prone satellite data to suggest that growth in U.S. corn and soybean production from 2008 to 2012 drove
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
FFV Fleet Can Serve as Bridge to More Efficient, E30-Burning Vehicles
(25 x '25) ... The latest report, which is from experts at the DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), describes a study that explores the potential performance benefits of high-octane ethanol blends in the legacy fleet of nearly 18 million flex-fuel
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA to Finalize 2014, 2015 and 2016 RFS Rules by November
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. EPA has posted a notice to its website announcing that the volume requirements for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 renewable fuel standard (RFS), along with the 2017 volume requirement for biomass-based diesel, will
April 10, 2015 Read Full Article
New Study Raises Possible Link between Gas Drilling and Radon Levels
by Jon Hurdle and Susan Phillips (StateImpactNPR.org) Radon levels in buildings near unconventional natural gas development in Pennsylvania are higher than those in other areas of the state, suggesting that hydraulic fracturing has opened up new pathways for the carcinogenic
April 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Minnesota, the Green Giant: Going All out on Agrastructure and the Advanced Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Today, we look at how Minnesota, too, has been experiencing success via its bioeconomy, and how and why. The traditional view of “Minnesota”? A giant metropolis in the Twin Cities, replete with giant ag-focused corporations
April 10, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Brian Sefton, Founder, Chief Scientist, President, Oakbio
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Oakbio has developed highly versitile microbial platforms and processes for waste carbon conversion. We have fluegas capture microbe, proven fluegas resistant, which producing PHAs and n-butanol. We also have an ecoli platform which can covert
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Gina Lewin Explores How Ants Break Down Cellulose
by Silke Schmidt (Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) ... In the summer of 2009, Gina Lewin participated in a National Science Foundation-funded program called Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), which invites college juniors and seniors to join research projects around the country. At
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels Research Uncovers Natural Fungicide
by Krista Eastman (Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) Scientists at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) reported today (March 9, 2015) the discovery of a chemical compound called poacic acid that could eventually be used as a fungicide in
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Enhancing Microbial Lipid Production
(Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) By revealing a novel molecular pathway involved in microbial lipid accumulation in the bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides, this study could lead to strategies for engineering microbes to increase the production of lipid biofuels and chemicals. Lipids derived
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Daniel Amador-Noguez Engineers Better Bacteria for Biofuels
... (Daniel) Amador-Noguez’s lab focuses on understanding metabolism in biofuel-producing bacteria with the goal of engineering microbes that can more efficiently convert plant biomass to energy. It’s exciting research, but it’s also the kind of data-driven work that Amador-Noguez hungered
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Join Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center: Energy Institute for Educators
(Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) GLBRC is partnering with the Wisconsin Energy Institute to offer the Energy Institute for Educators, August 10-13. This program provides the opportunity for educators to engage with cutting-edge energy research at UW-Madison and gain practical tools
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Join Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center: Bioenergy Institute for Educators
Bioenergy is an exciting area of research and development and can provide excellent opportunities for engaging students. Join us for an intensive 5-day program to learn about the latest developments in bioenergy research and hands-on materials to use with students.
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Telling the Biofuels Story to Students: Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center Teacher Resources
(Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) Understanding role of biofuels in meeting our energy needs and mitigating global climate change is a complex task. Telling stories is an effective way to help students make sense of science ideas and important societal
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Transesterification of Jatropha and Karanja Oils by Using Waste Egg Shell Derived Calcium Based Mixed Metal Oxides
by Girdhar Joshi, Devendra S. Rawat, Bhawna Y. Lamba, Kamal K. Bisht, Pankaj Kumar, Nayan Kumar, Sanjay Kumar (Energy Conversion and Management) Highlights: Waste chicken eggshell derived CaO(cesp) based mixed metal oxides were prepared. Transesterification of high free fatty acid containing non-edible
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Risk and Reward for Boardman Biomass Proposal
by George Plaven (Capital Press) One possible biomass fuel for the coal plant is giant cane, known as Arundo donax, which PGE has spent several years growing in small test plots. ... As a potential source of renewable energy, giant cane
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Aemetis Expands Biodiesel Sales to Travel Bus Operators in Tourism Industry in India
(Stockhouse/Aemetis) Aemetis, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMTX), an advanced renewable fuels and biochemicals company, today announced that biodiesel sales activity is accelerating in India with travel bus operators who cater to the tourism industry. Aemetis has expanded sales activity since the Government of India
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Answers for Your Questions about Biofuels, Renewable Chemicals, Bioproducts and Sustainable Agriculture.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Amazing questions get asked at ABLC — and except for attendees, you generally don’t hear them, or the answers. Let’s change that. With great sessions at conferences, delegates are usually keen to get a hold of
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Top 12 Media Myths On Oil Prices
by Dan Doyle (OilPrice.com) The upstream oil and gas industry is not a black hole. There’s no mystery wrapped in an enigma here. ... There is so much hyperbole and unsupported guesswork that investors don’t have a chance. So, in a
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Advanced Energy Legislation Tracker Database Serves as a Central Resource for current Session State Advanced Energy Legislation and Policy Trend Analysis
(Advanced Energy Legislation Tracker) U.S. states are the laboratories of innovation for advanced energy policy. Tracking national trends in advanced energy therefore requires proficiency in 50 state legislative websites. The AEL Tracker solves this challenge by collecting all advanced energy
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Transportation Budget Cuts Alternative Fuel Mandate
by Karen Kasler (WOSU) The transportation budget signed last week includes a change for the state’s vehicle fleet: The budget cuts out a requirement on alternative fuels that had been in place for most of a decade. In July 2006 alternative fuels
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
6 Factions Rand Paul Must Court in Iowa, Activists Say
by Jennifer Jacobs (Des Moines Register) For Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul to make inroads in Iowa, here are the factions he'll need to tend closely, according to Iowa political strategists and activists. 1. LIBERTY MOVEMENT: ... 2. CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVES: ... 3. LIBERTARIANS:
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
The LCFS Re-Adoption and Its Possible Repercussions
by John Sens (Biodiesel Magazine/EcoEngineers) ... Some important items that have resulted from this re-adoption process are: -Setting compliance curve to meet 10 percent GHG reduction by 2020. -Cost containment measures, including a price ceiling of $200 per CI credit. -A two-tiered system for
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Unique Oakland Biodiesel Project Receives $3.4 Million Grant
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Viridis Fuels, a state-of-the-art biodiesel project in Oakland, California, is prepared to receive an official notice of award today for a $3.4 million state grant at a California Energy Commission business meeting in Sacramento. A
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
CALL FOR SPEAKERS: 2015 Rural Summit – “ASPIRE Rural Maryland” — December 1-2 — Annapolis, MD DEADLINE: July 1, 2015
The Rural Maryland Council (RMC) Conference Planning Committee is accepting speaker proposals. We are especially interested in presentations on best practices, engagement, and/or innovation in these areas: Agriculture Broadband implementation and access Youth Engagement Workforce and Economic Development Community Development Health Care Energy Tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, December
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
The Experiment in Exploitation of Engines Working on Biofuel Has Been Completed in Sweden
(Ukrainian Biofuel Portal) Stockholm authorities reckoned up the results of a four-year experiment in testing the trucks with engines using alternative fuel. Within the framework of the experiment, fifty trucks appeared on the roads of Stockholm, equipped with methane-diesel, diesel-electric and
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
UH Researchers Discover N-Type Polymer for Fast Organic Battery
by Jeannie Kever (University of Houston) New Material Opens the Door to Low-Cost, Environmentally Friendly Energy Use -- Researchers at the University of Houston have reported developing an efficient conductive electron-transporting polymer, a long-missing puzzle piece that will allow ultrafast battery applications. The discovery
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
American Ethanol Car to Appear at Nebraska State FFA Convention
(Nebraska Ethanol Board) American Ethanol is proud to announce its partnership with the Nebraska Corn Board, Nebraska Ethanol Board and ethanol producer Green Plains Inc. to promote homegrown American Ethanol at this week’s Nebraska State FFA Convention held April 8-10,
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
54.5-mpg Rules Expected to Stick
by David Shepardson (Detroit News) A growing number of foreign automakers believes U.S. regulators won’t soften the planned 54.5-mpg fleet-wide average by 2025, and that could make it tougher for truck-heavy U.S. automakers to challenge the requirements. U.S. fuel efficiency standards will
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Residue or Residon’t: Untapped Fuel Yields from the US Corn Production System
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Why not use the materials we don’t need, to produce the fuels we do need? ... (R)educe, re-use, recycle. Use what’s already there. And there’s nothing more powerful in the Imperial Department of Re-Use than sustainable agricultural
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Algenol Joins U.S. Mission to China
(Algae Industry Magazine) Fort Myers, Florida-based Algenol has joined the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Ernest Moniz, and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, on a business development mission to China. Other influential companies including GE, Southern Company, Honeywell, Praxair,
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Billionaire Environmentalist Comes to Sacramento, Clashes with Businesses over Climate Change Bill
by Allen Young (Sacramento Business Journal) Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer came to Sacramento on Tuesday to promote a wholesale expansion of air quality regulations promoted by the governor and Senate leader Kevin de León. Asked point blank why Steyer approved of the
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Continues to Evolve as Usage Levels off
by Loretta Sorensen (Midwest Producer) ... Kansas Corn CEO Greg Krissek said there is some slowing of ethanol production on the eastern and western edges of the cornbelt. But ethanol industry leaders are responding to market conditions by implementing new technology
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Telling the Story of Energy Through Online Educational Resources
(American Farm Bureau Federation) The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has launched new, free energy-based educational resources online for middle- and high-school educators and volunteers. Educators will discover the power of energy education and the unique connections to agricultural literacy with
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Fees, Taxes Increase with Highway Funding Package
(Rapid City Journal) South Dakota drivers will be paying more for that privilege in the very near future. The 2015 S.D. Legislature, with guidance from an Interim Committee on Highway Needs and Financing, overwhelmingly passed Senate Bill 1 and Governor
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Douglas O. Cochran, Manager, Rail Projects Creative Rail Solutions
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Creative Rail Solutions, LLC helps clients who want to secure the efficiency, economy, and environmental friendliness of rail transportation. ... My primary role is to meet with the prospect or client, observe the site conditions, develop
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Keith Brazzell, Chief Operating Officer, Genera Energy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Leaders looking for cellulose feedstock often first consult with Genera. We then prepare the supply. ... I was asked to startup and manage the cellulosic ethanol business in Tennessee that is now wholly owned by
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Richard Palmer, President & CEO, Global Clean Energy Holdings
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... We develop non-food based oil seed crops to be used as a feedstock for biofuels and renewable chemicals. Our crops do not take away from food land and when grown at scale can compete with
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Ezekiel Oyediji, Managing Director/CEO, Elzek Multilink Services & Investment
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Elzek Multilink Services & Investment[E M S I]LTD.is a private limited liability company duly registered in Nigeria.This is a small company that is aspiring to grow big with the co-operation of a Technical Partner to
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
In Vietnam, Many Provinces about to Sell Biofuels Following Gov’t Decision
(Tuoi Tre News) Authorities in many localities in Vietnam have prepared to widely distribute E5 and E10 biofuels to spur consumption and gradually replace traditional fuels following a roadmap set out by the central government three years ago, according to
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Germany: Start-Up of Second Generation Biofuel Production through the Bioliq™ Project
(Air Liquide) Conducted in partnership with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the bioliq™ pilot plant aims at demonstrating the feasibility of a process to produce high-quality sulfur-free fuel from residual biomass. These “second generation” biofuels are produced using the inedible
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
BioTfuel: A Project to Produce Biofuels via Thermochemical Conversion
(Total) The BioTfueL project focuses on producing second-generation biodiesel and bio-jet fuel via thermochemical conversion. Total is working with five partners to bring the process to commercial-scale production. In the BioTfueL project, Total is working with five partners to develop technologies for
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Ceres and Raízen Sign Multi-Year Collaboration to Scale-Up Sweet Sorghum for Ethanol
(Ceres) Ceres, Inc. (Nasdaq:CERE), an agricultural biotechnology company, and Brazilian energy company Raízen S.A., today announced that they have signed a multi-year collaboration agreement to develop and produce sweet sorghum on an industrial scale. Sweet sorghum can be grown to
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Gevo Sells Renewable Jet Fuel to NASA
(Gevo/Biomass Magazine) Gevo Inc. has announced that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has purchased Gevo's renewable alcohol-to-jet fuel (ATJ) for aviation use at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Gevo's ATJ is manufactured at its demonstration biorefinery
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
European Biomethane Roadmap
(Netzwerk Biotreibstoffe) The GreenGasGrids project has reviewed the present market status and has thoroughly looked at the obstacles hindering the broader production and application of biomethane. The Roadmap indicates, that - if the necessary actions will be taken - the level
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Businesses Fight Oregon’s New Rule on Clean Fuels
by Ilene Aleshire (The Register-Guard) Energy and manufacturing groups file a lawsuit challenging the state’s standard ... The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, the American Trucking Associations and the Consumer Energy Alliance, whose backers include oil companies and large manufacturers, filed suit
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
The Algae Whisperer
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A new project aims to capture atmospheric CO2, affordably, using traits and techniques known to algae for millenia. ... To date, no one has figured out how to get the CO2 out of the air, or the air
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Ethiopia: Ministry to Step Up Bio-Fuel Development Efforts
by Daniel Beyene (AllAfrica/Ethiopian Herald) The Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy announced that the ongoing efforts in tapping the rich bio-fuel resources in Ethiopia would be stepped up with a view to ensuring domestic energy security, rapid economic development
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA Opens Comment Period on Cellulosic Waiver Credit Rules
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On April 3, the U.S. EPA published its direct final rule and parallel proposed rule on cellulosic waiver credits (CWCs) in the Federal Register, officially opening a 30-day comment period. The agency released prepublication
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
The Motley Fool Criticizes Ethanol Subsidies That Don't Exist
by Denise Robbins (Media Matters) The multimedia financial services company The Motley Fool criticized ethanol for allegedly relying on government subsidies -- despite the fact that subsidies for corn ethanol, which comprises the vast majority of ethanol used in the
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
US Safety Board: Oil Train Tank Cars Need Urgent Upgrades
by Matthew Brown (Associated Press/Monterey Herald) Fuel-hauling tank cars need retrofits to prevent more explosive train wrecks — and the public can't wait another decade for the improvements as has been suggested by industry, U.S. safety officials said. The National Transportation Safety
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Opinion: Learning about Fusel Oils
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... Back in early February I got an email from a reader searching for ethanol producers that want to sell fusel oil. He was contacting me on behalf of a trading company located in Saigon,
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Corn Husks a Promising Source of Renewable Fuel
(Yahoo! News/Agence France-Presse) US scientists said Monday they have found a way to use discarded corn husks and stalks to make cheap hydrogen fuel that doesn't pollute the environment like fossil fuels. The advances by a team at Virginia Polytechnic Institute
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Prices Giving Positive Ethanol Margins, Negative for Corn Farmers
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Market conditions in mid-March indicated ethanol producers could pay about 10 percent more than the current cash corn price before reaching the plant “shut-down level,” according to an analysis by retired Iowa State
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Sen. Kaine Visits Hopewell Ethanol Plant
by Shelby Mertens (Progress-Index) U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine made a stop at the Vireol Bio Energy LLC plant in Hopewell on Monday for the first leg of his five-day spring break tour of Virginia. Kaine said he has been hoping to visit
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Ulla Pettersson, Director, e for energy Management Consulting
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... I am currently working on a big survey about Staff Motivation Factors in different sources of power generation and would be happy to have more participants in this survey! (email: survey_motivation_survey@e-for-energy.com) I am also working on
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Industry Seeks to Reverse Argentina Import Decision
(National Biodiesel Board) The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is calling for the EPA to stay its recent decision to streamline Argentinian biodiesel imports to the U.S. under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) pending public review and comment. In a petition filed
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Grease-to-Biodiesel Truck Startup Raises nearly $1M
by Katharine Grayson (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal) Revolution Fuels, a startup that mounts equipment for converting grease to biofuel on trucks, has raised nearly $1 million in funding, according to a regulatory filing. The St. Louis Park-based company rounded up $983,332
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Confronting and Solving “Chicken or Egg” Conundrums in Renewable Project Development
by Tim Sklar (Biofuels Digest) Looking to turn vicious project financing cycles into virtuous cycles? This case study in developing a small-scale Bio-LNG plant offers cautionary tales and a way forward. In July 2014, Biofuels Digest had published an article titled
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Lund Researchers Develop Optimized Two-Phase Enzymatic Process for Production of Biodiesel
(Green Car Congress) Researchers at Lund University (Sweden) have developed an optimized two-phase enzymatic (lipase) system for the conversion of plant oils to biodiesel. Applied to the solvent-free ethanolysis of rapeseed oil, the system delivered a yield of 96% under mild
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
N.J. Man Charged in Biodiesel Scam Accused of Death Threats, Report Says
by Myles Ma (NJ.com) Prosecutors say a Bergen County man accused in a $90 million biodiesel trading scam threatened to harm or kill anyone who provides evidence against him, the Star Press of Muncie, Ind., reported Monday. Joseph Furando, 49, was
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with Gerard Goma, Emeritus professor, INSA
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... My lab is “laboratory of engineering of biosystems and bio process” in Toulouse France .inside a scool of engineer :INSA Our lab is recognized By CNRS and INRA. I built this lab now with a
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Biodegradable Plastics from Potato Waste for High-Tech Applications
(Bio-on) Bio-on S.p.A., the leader in eco-sustainable chemical technologies, and Pizzoli S.p.A., Italy's largest operator in the potato sector, will collaborate to build Italy's first PHAs bioplastic production plant using waste product from the potato agro-industrial process. The collaboration, signed by
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
The Wealth Effect, and Farm Impact on the US Economy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Though representing just 1.3% of the US GDP, if the farm sector has a major impact on US economic health, it may tie back to what economists call “the wealth effect”. In today’s Digest, we
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: Prairie & Native Grass International Conference — September 30 – October 2, 2015 — Knoxville, TN DEADLINE: June 30, 2015
The conference will bring together scientists and students interested in switchgrass and other prairie grasses to discuss the state of the art of prairie grass research. It will be an excellent opportunity to meet and interact with researchers from a
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
SouthEast Energy Development (SEED) Fellowship Recipients Selected
(Southeast Partnership for Integrated Biomass Supply Systems) As a part of the Southeast Partnership for Integrated Biomass Supply Systems (IBSS) project goals centered on education and job training, the Southeast Energy Development (SEED) Fellowship has selected five new fellows to participate
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
In China’s Inner Mongolia, Mining Spells Misery for Traditional Herders
by Simon Denyer (The Washington Post) ... The vast, wind-swept grasslands of Inner Mongolia have been home to nomadic pastoralists for thousands of years, but the rich resources that lay under these rolling prairies have proved a curse to the people
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
RFA: Economic Models Are One Thing, Reality Is Another
(Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Science Magazine has published yet another study from environmental activist and attorney Timothy Searchinger that re-packages his already disproven theory of food vs. fuel. His assertions about the impact of biofuels on food markets run
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
ISU Agronomist Weighs Impacts of Corn Residue Removal
(Iowa State University/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Farmers who are considering selling corn residue from their fields to produce cellulosic ethanol first should weigh a range of site-specific factors to their operations, according to new research from an Iowa State University agronomist. Mahdi
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
National Farmers Union Concerned over Omission of RFS from GHG Reduction Plan
(National Farmers Union/Ethanol Producer Magazine) National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson recently expressed concern over the exclusion of the renewable fuel standard (RFS) in President Obama’s formal submission of a plan to the United Nations to cut United States greenhouse
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Industry Provides Input to SAB Biogenic Carbon Emissions Panel
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) In late March, the U.S. EPA’s Science Advisory Board Biogenic Carbon Emissions Panel held a public face-to-face meeting to review the agency’s Framework for Assessing Biogenic CO2 Emissions from Stationary Sources. A public teleconference
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Update Released to BETO’s Multi-Year Program Plan
(US Department of Energy) The Bioenergy Technologies Office is pleased to announce the release of its newly updated Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP). The MYPP sets forth the goals and structure of the Office. It identifies the research, development, demonstration, market
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA Approves Efficient Producer Pathways for 5 Ethanol Plants
(Ethanol Producer Magazine) In March, the U.S. EPA approved five new corn ethanol pathways under the agency’s Efficient Producer petition process (EP3), including Heron Lake BioEnergy LLC, Heron Lake, Minnesota; United Wisconsin Grain Producers LLC, Friesland, Wisconsin; Guardian Lima LLC,
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
France Increases Biodiesel Limit to 8 Percent in Diesel Fuel
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) France’s energy ministry recently issued an order to up the allowable biodiesel concentration in diesel fuel sold at public fueling stations across France. Ministerial order DEVR1431074A increases the allowable concentration of biodiesel from 7 to 8 percent.
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Western Victorian Farmer Growing Crops to Produce Biofuel
by Brett Worthington (ABC Rural) Farmers spend thousands of dollars a year buying fuel that comes from the other side of the world. They do so to grow crops in variable, and often difficult, conditions. One farmer, tired of wheat
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
PureVision to Scale up Biorefining Technology at ZeaChem Site
(PureVision Technology Inc./Ethanol Producer Magazine) PureVision Technology Inc., a Colorado-based biorefinery developer, recently announced that it will scale up its biorefining technology at an industrial site in Boardman, Oregon, owned by ZeaChem Inc. The public announcement was made March 28
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Recent Researches of European Scientists Evidence a Strong Possibility to Prevent Deforestation Caused by Biofuel Production
(Ukrainian Biofuel Portal) Nonetheless, the ecologists demonstrated their critical attitude towards the results of the research. Lately, the use of biofuel is regarded as one of the most efficient ways to reduce the emissions into the atmosphere by automobiles, motor
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with…Professor George Willis Huber, Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... I lead a research group of graduate students and post-docs whose mission is to design new catalyst processes for more efficiently and economically converting biomass into fuels and chemicals. We have some excellent collaborators here
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Netherlands-Based Firm to Open Ethanol Plant
(Sun Star) A Netherlands-based firm is set to pour in P13.5 billion investments in the eastern coast of Zamboanga City. Second district Representative Lilia Nuño said the Van Kessel Inc. is putting up an Ethanol processing plant in the village
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Study Shows: Big Oil Is Chicken Little over Ethanol
by Ryan Koopmans (Des Moines Register) ... For the last decade, Big Oil has been running nervously through the halls of the U.S. Capitol and the EPA, screaming — to anyone who will listen — that the Renewable Fuel Standard is
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
IH2* Technology Licensed to Leading Global Forest Products Company
(BusinessWire/IH2) Producing liquid transportation fuels from woody biomass -- A leading global forest products company headquartered in Northern Europe has entered into an FEL-1 license agreement with CRI Catalyst Company (CRI), a global catalyst technology company. IH2 technology is a thermal catalytic
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
SDTC Looking for Canada’s Next Cleantech Innovators
(Government of Canada and Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC)) On behalf of the Government of Canada, SDTC is looking for the next wave of innovative cleantech entrepreneurs. The SD Tech Fund™ and the SD Natural Gas Fund™ are open for
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
AG Ventures Alliance, Cellulose Sciences Int'l form New JV Stover Ventures
(Ag Ventures Alliance Cooperative and Cellulose Sciences International/AgriMarketing.com) Ag Ventures Alliance Cooperative (AgVA) of Mason City, Iowa, and Cellulose Sciences International (CSI) of Madison, Wis., completed a financing agreement resulting in the formation of a new joint venture, Stover Ventures,
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
California Air Resources Board Holds Workshop on LCFS Re-Adoption
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, the California Air Resources Board held a workshop on the Low Carbon Fuel Standard re-adoption process. The CARB workshop presentation is now posted online, ... CARB’s revision of indirect land-use change (ILUC) modeling resulted in reduced penalties for
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
US Poised for Biobased Chemicals Breakout, Says National Research Council
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Though challenges remain, particularly in affordable feedstock, the US National Research Council says “Despite impressive recent and projected growth, the manufacturing of chemicals using biological synthesis and engineering could expand even faster.” ... In Washington, the National
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Ethanol Is Getting a Big Boost from Corn, for Now
by Ryan Fitzpatrick (Third Way) Cellulosic fuels offer economic, environmental, and national security benefits, but scaling-up the technology has proven difficult and costly. Companies with an extensive background in the corn ethanol industry are cracking the cellulosic code, with projects that
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Rand Paul Finds Way to Champion Iowa Ethanol
by Jennifer Jacobs (Des Moines Register) It looks like presidential hopeful Rand Paul has found a clever way to champion ethanol, with an issue that's in harmony with his keep-government-out-of-the-marketplace mentality. Paul, a Republican U.S. senator from Kentucky, has teamed
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Algae from Wastewater Solves Two Problems: Biofuel and Clean-Up
(Science Daily/Rice University) In one of the first studies to examine the potential for using municipal wastewater as a feedstock for algae-based biofuels, scientists found they could grow high-value strains of oil-rich algae while simultaneously removing more than 90 percent of
April 03, 2015 Read Full Article
New Bill Could Add Value To Iowa Biofuel
(WHOTV.com) ... At the Iowa Biotech Association’s Partnering for Growth event on April 1st, Director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority Debi Durham was a keynote speaker. She talked about using Iowa’s ethanol and biodiesel production, and incentivizing, “bolt on” facilities to
April 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Cool Planet Offers Help to California on Water Usage
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Cool Planet, a California-based company that makes an organic, water-saving soil enhancer, was inspired by the order and is offering to help reach this goal by delivering a truckload of its water-saving CoolTerra product to reduce water usage
April 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Global Bioenergies Heads for Demo Scale: A Magic Path to Isobutane in Sight
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In France, Global Bioenergies announced that it has completed the financing of its demo plant, and is commencing construction immediately. The 5,000L demonstration-scale facility will be completed in spring 2015, and will be located at
April 03, 2015 Read Full Article
University of Toledo Gets Nearly $200,000 Grant for Biofuel Project
(The Toledo Blade) The University of Toledo is getting $199,997 for an algae biomass research project. U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) said in a news release today that the National Science Foundation is awarding the grant to advance research and
April 03, 2015 Read Full Article
RFA Slams Misleading Statements on Ethanol Availability Made by Oil Industry
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) sent a letter to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to set the record straight and counter misleading and inaccurate statements about ethanol availability and infrastructure made by
April 03, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Warren Nevad, Director, TREEDC
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... TREEDC is a statewide grassroots organization of 96 Tennessee mayors who work together to create a path to help fast track renewables in Tennessee since 2008. We are now replicating our approach with universities and
April 03, 2015 Read Full Article
China New Energy Making Progress on Hungarian and Thai Ethanol Projects
by Isabel Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the UK, China New Energy reports that its projects in Hungary and Thailand are proceeding well. Visontai Bioetanol Fejlesztő Korlátolt Felelősségű Társaság has informed CNE that the 30 million Euro project finance has been
April 03, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Andrew Holt, Director, Catal International
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Contract R&D Organization in Catalyst Technologies developing Catalysts and Catalytic Processes for waste and Biomass upgrading. Development of conversion technologies for Pyrolysis derived oils. READ MORE
April 03, 2015 Read Full Article
The Unrecognized Value of Bio-Energy
by Chad Smith (Midwest Producer) "We threw a whole bunch of stuff up on the wall to see if anything sticks." Dave VanderGriend quoted a Kansas state legislator describing House Bill (HB) 2401, a proposal to add a 4.5-cent per gallon
April 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Vehicles Running on Cooking Oil Deliver Big Carbon Savings
by Jack Loughran (MRW Magazine) A study has shown that low-carbon trucks running on used cooking oil (UCO) can achieve 97% carbon savings in comparison with dual diesel/gas engines. READ MORE
April 03, 2015 Read Full Article
More Gevolution
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The results from Gevo’s 4th quarter are in, and a worth a look-see, not only for fans of isobutanol and its prospects. Also for a look at how this member of the 2010-12 IPO group of
April 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Plowing Prairies for Grains: Biofuel Crops Replace Grasslands Nationwide, U.S. Study Shows
(Science Daily/University of Wisconsin-Madison) Clearing grasslands to make way for biofuels may seem counterproductive, but researchers show that crops, including the corn and soy commonly used for biofuels, expanded onto 7 million acres of new land in the U.S. over
April 03, 2015 Read Full Article
The Urban Air Initiative's Comments On EPA’s Proposal to Update the Air Quality Standards for Ground-Level Ozone Docket ID#: EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0699
(The Urban Air Initiative) UAI appreciates this opportunity to comment on EPA’s proposal to strengthen the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground level ozone, as set forth on November 25, 2014. As summarized here and developed more fully
April 02, 2015 Read Full Article
End the Ethanol Mandate: Our View
(USA Today) ... Apart from Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, they all supported the mandate, including Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, the latest conservative darling, who arrived at his pro-ethanol position thanks to a 180 degree reverse back flip that would
March 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Minnesota Bio-Fuels Assoiation Member Spotlight: Christianson & Associates
(Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) Christianson & Associates, PLLP (C&A) is a full service Certified Public Accounting firm established over 28 years ago, with offices in Willmar and Litchfield, MN. C&A has deep roots in the agricultural industry; the partners and many
March 31, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Bill Topp, Manager, Biotechnology Associates
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... We provide due diligence analyses to the venture capital community of investment opportunities in firms that exploit advanced technologies ... Most of our work at the present time is coming out of the Middle East. This is a naive
March 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Industry, Water Advocates Come Together on Bioenergy Bills
by Frank Jossi (Midwest Energy News) Environmentalists and bioeconomy advocates reached an agreement last week to modify a bill moving through the Minnesota legislature that they hope will create a new clean energy and green chemical industry in Minnesota. The BioEconomy
March 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Moonshine, Hogs and Drought Fuel Sorghum Boom Across U.S. Plains
by Megan Durisin, Jeff Wilson, Lydia Mulvany (Bloomberg) ... A kernel-yielding stalk that’s native to Africa, sorghum has three things going for it right now: it’s cheap to plant; it holds up better in drought-like conditions than other crops; and most importantly,
March 31, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA Awards Student Fellowships in 25 States and Puerto Rico to Support the Next Generation of Environmental Scientists
(US Environmental Protection Agency) Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced 34 fellowships for undergraduate students in 25 states and Puerto Rico to pursue environmental science and related fields of study at universities and colleges across the nation, helping
March 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Energy Beets Slow to Catch on in North Dakota
by Mikkel Pates (Agweek) Development of energy beets in North Dakota is still nebulous, while projects in California are moving forward. Attendance was light for a recent series of grower meetings about energy, or industrial, sugar beet production hosted by North
March 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Challenge to Manage Farms during Volatile Periods
by Martha Blum (AgriNews) The mood in agriculture is cautiously optimistic. “A few years ago agriculture was going like gangbusters, but now it is in transition,” said David Kohl, professor emeritus of agricultural and applied economics at Virginia Tech. ... The flyover
March 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Foreign Company Studied Installing Biodiesel Plant in Nicaragua
(Prensa Latina (Google translation)) The company Plastic Energy presented a project to estimate the feasibility of installing a biodiesel processing plant in Nicaragua, said today the deputy mayor of Managua, Enrique Armas. Currently, foreign capital enterprise that has just presented the
March 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Zambia: ZDA Okays U.S.$150 Million Ethanol Plant
(AllAfrica/Times of Zambia) THE Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) has given Sunbird Bio-energy Africa an investment licence to set up a US$150 million ethanol plant in Luena farm bloc in Kawambwa District of Luapula Province. ... In a separate interview, Luapula Province Permanent
March 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Wall Street Losing Millions From Bad Energy Loans
By Nick Cunningham (OilPrice.com) Oil companies continue to get burned by low oil prices, but the pain is bleeding over into the financial industry. Major banks are suffering huge losses from both directly backing some struggling oil companies, but also
March 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Rubber Security
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Though we usually think of diversifying away from petroleum via the fuels for our cars — what about the petroleum in the tires? Rubber security, as it turns out, offers some of the same chills
March 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Croda to Manufacture Surfactant from Ethanol, Opening New Market
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Specialty chemical manufacturer Croda Inc. is planning to break ground in April on a $170 million upgrade to its Atlas Point manufacturing site in Delaware. When completed in about two years, the company
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
'Where's my ethanol?'
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... The ethanol industry would like nothing better than to have every consumer that wants E85 to have access to it. Unfortunately roll out of E85 stations has been slow, especially outside the Midwest, where
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Maintenance Managers Meet to Share Experiences, Meet Vendors
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Ethanol maintenance managers met in Des Moines, Iowa, for their semiannual gathering to meet with vendors and learn from each other. In the best attendance yet, nearly 50 maintenance managers from plants in
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Know Your Oil: Creating a Global Oil-Climate Index
by Deborah Gordon, Adam Brandt, Joule Bergerson, Jonathan Koomey (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) Oil is changing. Conventional oil resources are dwindling as tight oil, oil sands, heavy oils, and others emerge. Oil is changing. Conventional oil resources are dwindling and technological
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
4 minutes with… Edward Huxel, Co-Owner, Osage Orange BioProducts Company
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Our company theme is to create a profitable company that raises Osage Orange (Maclura promifera)trees on the southern plains of Oklahoma and Texas, and process the tree fruit for nonfood biomass products for renewable energy,
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Hastert Delivers Personal Pitch for Ethanol
by Alan K. Ota (Roll Call) Former Speaker J. Dennis Hastert delivered a blunt reminder to farm-state lawmakers about the clout of the ethanol industry with a visit for nearly an hour to the main lobby off the Senate floor
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Sustainable Biofuels Highlighted as Key for Future Transport Needs
(Click Green) The Transport Energy Task Force has today highlighted the important role sustainable biofuels will play in meeting the UK’s future transport needs, in its concluding report. The report identified that there is a clear role for sustainable biofuels over
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Risi Competizione's Ferrari Takes the Green at Sebring
(Department of Energy) Each new Green Racing season brings with it new opportunities for manufacturers to demonstrate advanced transportation technologies and renewable fuels, and the Twelve Hours of Sebring race at Sebring International Raceway provides excellent testing grounds. Built on a former
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Dennis Seid: Enerkem’s Ethanol Plant Still a No-Go
by Dennis Seid (Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal) ... In fact, if you visit Enerkem’s website, there’s no mention of Pontotoc. Nothing on its facilities or projects – where Pontotoc once had a prominent location. Nothing when you do a search
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Value-Addition in Production of Ethanol from Macro Algae
by K. S. Rajgopal (The Hindu) As the quest for alternate sources of energy in the face of global warming due to fossil-fuel usage gains momentum, the focus has turned to macro algae (sea weeds) as a source of bio-fuel. A
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Growth Energy Supports Senators Paul and Grassley Efforts to Give Consumers Choice at the Pump
(Growth Energy) Following the introduction of S. 889, the Fuel Choice and Deregulation Act, legislation by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), which contains a provision to extend the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) volatility waiver to E15, Tom
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Algae.Tec to Expand Georgia Algae Production Facility
by Isabel Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Georgia, following successful algae growth trials, Algae.Tec has commenced the expansion of its development and manufacturing facilities in Cumming, Georgia and the building of an initial small scale plant for the production of algae
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
White House Science Fair Celebrates Student Research
By Emily Conover (Science Magazine) Sixteen-year-old Sophia Sánchez-Maes is all about algae. The slimy green stuff is an attractive candidate for biofuel production, but Sánchez-Maes wondered why the biofuel startups near her hometown of Las Cruces, New Mexico, weren’t having more
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
API, AFPM Sue EPA over RFS Delays
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) On March 18, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers and American Petroleum Institute filed a new lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia against the U.S. EPA regarding delays in finalizing
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Group of Lawmakers Continues to Seek Ways to Block Biofuels, Through Any Means Possible
(Energy and Environmental Study Institute) On March 23, a letter signed by 18 members of Congress to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture asked the subcommittee to include “language to limit continued government support for corn ethanol,” primarily by limiting
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Our Federal Policy on the Use of Ethanol
(New York Times) To the Editor: Re “End the Ethanol Rip-Off,” by Robert Bryce (Op-Ed, March 10): The notion that the Renewable Fuel Standard is somehow a hidden tax is a strange assessment for a policy that is reducing costs