(The Hindu) New data show that the balance between airborne and absorbed Carbon dioxide has stayed approximately constant since 1850, despite emissions of CO2 having risen from about 2 billion tons a year in 1850 to 35 billion tons a
DOE and USDA Select Projects for more than $24 Million in Biomass Research and Development Grants
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy today announced projects selected for more than $24 million in grants to research and develop technologies to produce biofuels, bioenergy and high-value biobased products. Of the $24.4 million announced today, DOE plans to
November 13, 2009 Read Full Article
US May Reduce Cellulosic Mandate for 2010
(FarmOnline; North Queensland Register) Not enough cellulosic ethanol may be produced to fill the United States proposed 100 million gallon mandate for 2010, prompting a rethink from officials. At a recent conference, Environmental Protection Agency Office of Transportation and Air Quality
November 13, 2009 Read Full Article
Canadian Government Program Invests Money in SK Ethanol Plant
(TradingMarkets.com) The Government of Canada announced Tuesday that it would invest up to C$77.75 million over seven years to help support ethanol production in Saskatchewan, said National Resources Canada in a press release November 10. The money is being delivered
November 13, 2009 Read Full Article
USAF to Build Facility for Alternative Fuel Research
by Mark Barkoviak (Daily Tech) The United States Air Force hopes to conduct research related to alternative fuels that could one day help the military transition away from gasoline. The $2.5 million Assured Aerospace Fuels Research Facility, located at the
November 13, 2009 Read Full Article
DOE Intends to Develop Drop-In Advanced Biofuels: Focus on Algae
by Anna Austin (Biomass Magazine)Valerie Reed of the U.S. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy talked about the direction the DOE is taking to accelerate the development of algae-based biofuels at the Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology
November 13, 2009 Read Full Article
IEA World Energy Report Calls for Switch to Low Carbon Energy: Growing Biofuels Production Will Play a Role in Reducing GHG Emissions
(Marketwire) The International Energy Agency (IEA) released its 2009 World Energy Outlook, which confirms the growing need for low carbon biofuels to increase global energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) relative to petroleum. The extensive annual report was unequivocal
November 13, 2009 Read Full Article
Ants May Provide Cellulosic Solution
by Craig A. Johnson (Biomass Magazine) At the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center in Madison, Wis., researchers are looking to leafcutter ants for new enzymatic processes that will further progress to commercialize cellulosic ethanol. Leafcutter ants, which are found in
November 11, 2009 Read Full Article
Deforestation and Exploitation in Papua's Plantations Boom
(Environmental Investigation Agency) Field investigations by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Telapak reveal that ill-prepared indigenous Papuan communities are being enticed, tricked and sometimes coerced into releasing large swathes of forested land to powerful conglomerates, backed by overseas investors
November 11, 2009 Read Full Article
United Nations Environment Programme Bioenergy Issue Paper Series
As bioenergy policies are increasingly being adopted by governments, it is important for decision makers to have the most up to date information on the science and debate surrounding modern bioenergy. UNEP is responding to this need by hosting a
November 11, 2009 Read Full Article
Jatropha Production Technology
Published by Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Jatropha Production Technology gives straight-forward answers to frequently asked questions about cultivating and using jatropha curcas for commercial applications. READ MORE
November 11, 2009 Read Full Article
Natural Resources Defense Council Publishes "The Promise of Algal Biofuels"
The algae biofuels industry is comprised of many pathways to produce fuels from algae and is developing rapidly, with most companies operating in “stealth” mode. This makes measuring progress toward the promise of algae extremely difficult. Given the thousands of
November 11, 2009 Read Full Article
U.S. Incentives to Promote Renewable Energy
by Mark Riedy, et al (Mintz Levin) This presentation focuses on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus Act) with emphasis on "green" energy elements. It dealves into US Department of Energy loan guarantee programs and tax credit extensions. READ MORE
November 10, 2009 Read Full Article
Deloitte Reports on Significant Concerns for Military Energy Security, Suggests Solutions
Despite the improved efficiency of vehicles, ships and aircraft, and the use of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines, there has been a 175 percent increase in gallons of fuel used per day, per United States soldier during wartime since the
November 10, 2009 Read Full Article
Minister Ryan Announces New Biofuels Obligation for Irish Fuel Industry
From July of next year, fuel suppliers in Ireland will have to include an average of 4% biofuels (fuels derived from sustainable sources) in their annual fuel sales. The Obligation will be on the companies in question and at no cost
November 10, 2009 Read Full Article
Joule Reports Breakthrough in Renewable Diesel Production
Joule Biotechnologies, Inc. today announced a major step forward in its development of renewable fuels, achieving direct microbial conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into hydrocarbons via engineered organisms, powered by solar energy. Joule is advancing a new, photosynthesis-driven approach to producing
November 10, 2009 Read Full Article
Genomes Of Biofuel Yeasts Reveal Clues That Could Boost Fuel Ethanol Production Worldwide
(Science Daily) ... (I)n two studies published online in Genome Research, scientists have analyzed the genome structures of bioethanol-producing microorganisms, uncovering genetic clues that will be critical in developing new technologies needed to implement production on a global scale. yeast
November 10, 2009 Read Full Article
Closing Down $24 Billion Biofuels Tax Credit Loophole: a Good Idea (Here’s Why)
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the Health Care Bill passed the US House of Representatives and included - as part of a 42-page "manager's amendment", a provision striking a biofuel tax credit used by pulp and paper firms
November 10, 2009 Read Full Article
KLM to Join the Jet Biofuel Demonstration Flight Club Using a Camelina Blended Bio-Kerosene
(GreenairOnline.com) KLM has announced that it will conduct a demonstration flight on November 23 in which one of the four engines of a Boeing 747 will be powered by a blended mixture of 50 percent camelina and 50 percent standard
November 10, 2009 Read Full Article
MSU, Michigan Tech Sign Biofuel Research Contract with Frontier
Ensuring a sustainable supply of woody biomass for the state's first cellulosic ethanol plant is the goal of a research partnership between Michigan State University and Michigan Technological University supported by Frontier Renewable Resources, of Kinross, Mich. MSU and Michigan Tech
November 10, 2009 Read Full Article
FDA Approves Camelina Meal for Cattle Feed
The FDA today approved the inclusion of omega 3-rich Camelina meal in cattle feed. Under the guidelines, the FDA says that up 10 percent of Camelina in cattle feed is satisfactory, providing the potential for omega 3-rich beef for consumer
November 10, 2009 Read Full Article
HUMMER Introduces Biofuel Capability, New Colors for the 2010 H3 and H3T
HUMMER announced updates to the 2010 HUMMER H3 and H3T midsize all-terrain vehicles including the addition of three new exterior colors and an available E85 Flex Fuel capable 5.3L V8 engine as part of its commitment to offer a biofuel
November 10, 2009 Read Full Article
CO2 from Forest Destruction Overestimated – Study
by David Adam (Guardian) The carbon dioxide emissions caused by the destruction of tropical forests have been significantly overestimated, according to a new study. The work could undermine attempts to pay poor countries to protect forests as a cost-effective way to
November 10, 2009 Read Full Article
Van Hollen Introduces Second Generation Biofuel Producer Tax Credit Act
Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) issued the following statement on the Second Generation Biofuel Producer Tax Credit Act of 2009. Congressman Van Hollen introduced the legislation yesterday to improve and enhance the existing cellulosic biofuel credit. "The Second Generation Biofuel
November 06, 2009 Read Full Article
Green Is Cool, But U.S. Land Changes Generally Are Not
Most land-use changes occurring in the continental United States reduce vegetative cover and raise regional surface temperatures, says a new study by scientists at the University of Maryland, Purdue University, and the University of Colorado in Boulder. The study, which will
November 06, 2009 Read Full Article
Brazil Raises Cane over U.S. Ethanol Tariff
by Chris Kraul (LA Times) Who could resent the attention being showered on electric cars? Stylish and clean, they're the darling of the renewable-energy crowd, which is hailing the scheduled rollout of several e-powered models next year as a major blow
November 06, 2009 Read Full Article
Shell Sells Stake in German Biofuel Firm Choren
(Reuters) Oil major Royal Dutch Shell has sold its shareholding in German second-generation biofuels company Choren. ... Choren is building Germany's first biofuels plant using new generations of non-food raw materials as feedstock and is likely to start initial commercial
November 06, 2009 Read Full Article
Clean Algae Biofuel Project Leads World in Productivity
... A joint $3.3 million project led by Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia, and involving the University of Adelaide in South Australia, now leads world algae biofuel research after more than 12 months of consistent results at both universities. "It
November 05, 2009 Read Full Article
Neste Oil and St1 to Collaborate as Part of VTT's TransEco Development Program
Neste Oil and St1 have begun working together on a fuel project as part of the TransEco development program coordinated by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. The project will focus on developing cost-efficient solutions tailored to Finnish conditions that
November 05, 2009 Read Full Article
Access to Clean Energy Challenge: A Business Plan Competition for Entrepreneurs that Deliver Access to Clean Energy in Developing Countries
Receive coaching, feedback and support in writing your business plan Win a trip to the Netherlands to meet investors and business partners, and the opportunity of being considered for more than USD $100.000 of finance Get expert advice while starting your business Access
November 05, 2009 Read Full Article
Biodiesel via the Heterogeneous Catalysis Catilin Process
by Ronald G. Bray (SRI Consulting) The majority of the biodiesel production facilities utilize a homogeneous alkaline catalyst, either sodium hydroxide or sodium methoxide. Axens has commercialized a process for the production of biodiesel via heterogeneous catalysis at elevated temperatures
November 05, 2009 Read Full Article
KLM to Fly First Passengers Using Bio-Diesel
by Sukhpreet Manchanda (TopNews) Dutch KLM will be the first airline to fly a passenger flight using bio-diesel. The Boeing 747 flight, carrying a limited number of passengers, will take off on November 23 using a mixture of bio-fuel and
November 05, 2009 Read Full Article
Impact of Biofuel Crop Production on the Formation of Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico
by Christine Costello, et al. (Environmental Science and Technology) Many studies have compared corn-based ethanol to cellulosic ethanol on a per unit basis and have generally concluded that cellulosic ethanol will result in fewer environmental consequences, including nitrate (NO3−) output. This study
November 05, 2009 Read Full Article
Turning Trash Into Fuel: D.C. Start-Up Aims to Pitch Oil Made From Plastic Waste
by Mike Musgrove (Washington Post) Plastic soda bottles, Big Gulp cups and empty sour cream containers get fed into the top of the three-story machine. About 10 minutes later, out the other side comes a light-brown synthetic oil that can
November 05, 2009 Read Full Article
K-Fuel Finally Coming Together: City Biodiesel Endeavor Ran into Early Problems
by Scott Smith (Kokomo Tribune, Ind., Waterworld) Microorganisms, it seems, can live in about anything -- including diesel fuel. That's why it's taken the city of Kokomo several months to -- quite literally -- work the "bugs" out of the
November 05, 2009 Read Full Article
Abandoned Mines Would Grow Algae in Mo. Biofuels Project
by Katie Howell (New York Times/Greenwire) Backers of algae-based biofuels tout the simplicity of their feedstock. Sunlight and water are all that's needed to convert carbon dioxide into fuel. Now, some scientists are testing the notion that sunlight might be
November 05, 2009 Read Full Article
Engine That Runs on Any Fuel Advances Toward Chinese Patent
Robert L. Scragg, the inventor of the Detonation Cycle Gas Turbine ("DCGT") engine and founder of Alpha Engines Corporation, has received confirmation that the National Stage Application for an advanced version of the DCGT engine was accepted by the Chinese
November 05, 2009 Read Full Article
Lake Deemed Unsuitable for Algae Harvesting
by Eva Cohen (Winnepeg Free Press) The Manitoba government has looked into harvesting algae to help reduce phosphorus levels in Lake Winnipeg, but concluded it is just not feasible right now. Commercial algae harvesting, being done in other parts of
November 05, 2009 Read Full Article
Irish Firm Cleanses Chernobyl’s Fields
by Jan Battles (The Sunday Times) It will be centuries before Belarus is completely free from the radio-activity that fell after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster 23 years ago. But an Irish company has come up with an innovative way of
November 04, 2009 Read Full Article
U.N. Panel Report Confirms Potential for Significant GHG Reductions from Biofuels
The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) today responded to a report on biofuels produced by the United Nation’s International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management. The report, “Towards Sustainable Production and Use of Resources: Assessing Biofuels”, asserts that more research and
November 04, 2009 Read Full Article
POET’s Project LIBERTY Field Day Showcases New Equipment, Outlines New Federal Programs for Farmers to Start Collecting Biomass
Farmers today witnessed the rapid progress being made toward solving a key challenge to commercial cellulosic ethanol production: establishing the feedstock infrastructure and market. At POET’s Project LIBERTY Field Day, 16 companies showcased equipment to help make the process of harvesting
November 04, 2009 Read Full Article
PetroAlgae to Partner with India’s Largest Energy Company to
PetroAlgae Inc. announced that its operating subsidiary has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enter into an agreement to license the Company’s proprietary micro-crop technology to Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) for its future large-scale production of renewable fuels.Under
November 04, 2009 Read Full Article
Honeywell's UOP and China National Petroleum Corp. to Collaborate on Biofuels Projects in China
UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced today that it signed a memorandum of understanding with China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) under which the two companies will collaborate on a range of biofuels technologies and projects in China. Under the terms of
November 04, 2009 Read Full Article
Recovery Act Announcement: DOE Awards up to $5.5 Million for X PRIZE to Promote Clean, Energy Efficient Vehicles
Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that the Department of Energy is providing up to $5.5 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support the X PRIZE Foundation's work to inspire a new generation of energy efficient
November 04, 2009 Read Full Article
Used Cooking Oil to Reduce South Africa’s Carbon Emissions
Biogreen Diesel, a renewable energy company that is pioneering the conversion of waste oil to a less expensive, pollution-free biodiesel, ... uses the first patented Jet Reactor, invented by Org Nieuwoudt, to convert waste oil from restaurants and retailers, to
November 04, 2009 Read Full Article
Where are the Swing Voters on the Climate Bill?
(Or, Why We Need More Public Education on Advanced Biofuels) by Scott Bittle & Jean Johnson (PublicAgenda.org and REnewableEnergyWorld) ... Right now, too many Americans are heading into this fight unarmed. Four in 10 Americans can't name a fossil fuel, according to
November 04, 2009 Read Full Article
Innovation Hot Spots: Mining Patent Data for Tomorrow's Breakthroughs
What areas are hotbeds of inventive activity and will be tomorrow's big innovations? To find out, the IP Solutions business of Thomson Reuters tracked hot spots of innovation through the first quarter of 2009, analyzing global patenting activity in fields
November 02, 2009 Read Full Article
US House Agriculture Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Future of Next Generation Biofuels
Tim Holden (D-PA) chair of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research, held hearings concentrating on the future of next generation biofuels. Dallas Tonsager, Under Secretary for Rural Development in the U.S. Department of Agriculture admitted in prepared testimony that
October 30, 2009 Read Full Article
Hauling Garbage with Fuel Created from Garbage
At Frederick County's Solid Waste Options presentation, Dave Specca, Assistant Director of the Rutgers EcoComplex described how landfill gases fuel compressed natural gas garbage trucks at the EcoComplex. Watch video of similar process in California. READ MORE
October 30, 2009 Read Full Article
Bio-Based Jet Fuel Studies a "GR-8" (Great R-8) Success
In support of the Department of Defense Assured Fuels Initiative for securing domestic fuel sources to meet the military's energy needs, Air Force Research Laboratory and the Southwest Research Institute conducted tests of the first biologically based synthetic jet fuel
October 30, 2009 Read Full Article
NASCAR, Rooted in Fossil Fuels, Turning over New, Green Leaf
by Nate Ryan (USA Today) ...The concept might seem incongruous in a sport inherently tied to an internal combustion engine that many find synonymous with global warming, but NASCAR, despite cars with an eye-popping 5 mpg, is trying to embrace
October 30, 2009 Read Full Article
Senator Charles Grassley Speaks Out Against Inappropriate Use of International Indirect Land Use Change Analysis
Prepared Floor Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley: Biofuels and the Environmental Protection Agency Thursday, October 29, 2009 ... The first issue I’m speaking about relates to the EPA’s proposal to penalize biofuels for greenhouse gas emissions from supposed changes in international
October 30, 2009 Read Full Article
Research into Renewable Biofuel Set to Reduce Reliance on Fossil Diesel Imports
(Alpha Galileo) Aston University in Birmingham, UK is involved in a € 3.73m (£3.4 million) research project, which will transform organic residues from biofuel production processes into a renewable biofuel that can reduce reliance on fossil diesel imports. A particular benefit
October 30, 2009 Read Full Article
Midwestern Legislators Group Moves in Support of Ethanol and Sound Science
(National Corn Growers Association) The Midwest Legislative Conference of The Council of State Governments issued a series of resolutions recently containing policy resolutions adopted that aim to increase the use of both ethanol and blender pumps. Additionally, the group adopted
October 29, 2009 Read Full Article
The BioWorld® Biofuels Report 2009: Lane-Changing Trends and Fork-in-the-Road Dynamics
The contemporary biofuels market, born amid the chaos of the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973, has alternately sputtered, stalled and lurched, but has yet to cruise at its objective speed limit on the road to challenging gasoline as the transportation
October 29, 2009 Read Full Article
New Facility Showcases World's First Commercially Viable Flex-Ethanol Process
With gas prices continually in flux, interest in domestically produced bio-fuels like ethanol (E85) is on the rise. Recently, Coskata Inc., a leading developer of alternative bio-fuels, announced the successful start-up of its semi-commercial flex-ethanol facility. Unlike other technologies and facilities
October 29, 2009 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuels Association Concerned about Flaws in DOE Loan Program
Dear Secretary Chu: The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), the national trade association representing the U.S. ethanol industry, is writing to express our concern about the current operation and direction of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) loan guarantee program. As an
October 29, 2009 Read Full Article
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Cleantech Group Announce Launch of Government Funding Resource
The publicly available tool--driven by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati content--aggregates and frequently updates the numerous financing opportunities, such as grants, loan guarantees, tax credits, and other programs, being offered by federal and state governments. Users are able to search
October 29, 2009 Read Full Article
Quebec Company Turns Trash Into Fuel
by John Lorinc (New York Times) Enerkem, a green energy company based in Quebec, has developed an alternative approach to mining the carbon out of non-recyclable plastics, construction waste and other materials found in the municipal waste stream. The company says it
October 29, 2009 Read Full Article
Bio Base Europe Training Centre on Track for 2011 Opening
Bio Base Europe, the Biopark Terneuzen and Ghent Bio-Energy Valley joint initiative launched in April 2009, has said its new bio-focused Training Centre is on course to open in early 2011. The Bio Base Europe initiative will be the first
October 28, 2009 Read Full Article
Low Carbon Future Needs Low Carbon Fuel
(Novozymes) ... “The article in Science overlooks one important fact: Biofuels recycle atmospheric carbon while fossil fuels release carbon that has been stored underground for millions of years. In the transport sector, biofuels are the only viable alternative to fossil
October 28, 2009 Read Full Article
Univ. of Minnesota Spin-Out Wins $2.2M Federal Grant
by Katharine Grayson (Minneapolis-St.Paul Business Journal) BioCee Inc. a startup that’s commercializing technology invented by a University of Minnesota professor, has received a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The firm will use the funds to
October 28, 2009 Read Full Article
ARPE-E Awards $151 Million in Advanced Energy R&D – Pyrolysis, Algae, Butanol, CO2 Capture among Hot Technologies Funded
In California, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced that ARPA-E — the Department’s recently-formed Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy — has awarded $151 million in funding for 37 research projects. Biofuels Digest lists and describes the projects that relate to advanced
October 28, 2009 Read Full Article
US Seeking Partnership with Philippines in Research on Biofuel
(Philstar.com) Visiting US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Monday that the US government is seeking partnership with the Philippines in terms of research on biofuel. Speaking at a press conference, Vilsack said both countries recognize the need to cooperate more
October 28, 2009 Read Full Article
The Global Oil Depletion Report
The 'peak oil' debate is polarised, contentious and characterised by competing interpretations of the available data. A growing number of commentators are forecasting a near-term peak in global oil production with potentially serious economic impacts. Others, however, argue that production
October 28, 2009 Read Full Article
BIOOCTANIC, Zagreb, Croatia
Our solution is creation of utility towers used for production of bio fuel and city air recuperation. The idea is to place these towers on positions of existing petrol stations in cities. Our research led us to the conclusion that
October 28, 2009 Read Full Article
Background Paper on Biofuel Production Technologies
The International Centre of Science and High Technology of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (ICS-UNIDO) has been promoting programmes on capacity building and knowledge transfer in developing countries in several selected areas, including renewable resources. Due to the importance
October 28, 2009 Read Full Article
Use of Forests as Carbon Offsets Fails to Impress In First Big Trial
by Juliet Eliperin (Washington Post) More than a decade ago in the northeast corner of Bolivia, a group of polluters and environmentalists joined forces in the first large-scale experiment to curb climate change with a strategy that promised to suit
October 28, 2009 Read Full Article
Brazil's Cosan Sees 2010/11 Cane Crush at 58 mln T
by Inae Riveras (Reuters) ... Brazil's largest sugar and ethanol producing group, said it expects to crush 58 million tonnes of cane in 2010/11 (April-March), up from 54 million tonnes in 2009/10. "We expect to grow at the same rate as
October 27, 2009 Read Full Article
Brazil Drivers Ditch Biofuel Over High Sugar Costs
by Peter Murphy (Reuters) Some Brazilian motorists who fuel their cars solely on cane-based ethanol are switching back to gasoline as high sugar prices now make the biofuel more costly in some states. Brazil is a pioneer in biofuel with its
October 27, 2009 Read Full Article
The BB Gun – the DOE’s “BB” Rating Requirement Blasts Diversity in Clean Energy Development
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the US Department of Energy is requiring that to receive DOE loan guarantees renewable energy projects meet a debt rating standard higher than 63 percent of all US corporate first-time debt issuers since
October 27, 2009 Read Full Article
Indirect Emissions from Biofuels: How Important?
by Jerry M. Melillo, et al. (Science Express) A global biofuels program will lead to intense pressures on land supply and can increase greenhouse gas emissions from land-use changes. Using linked economic and terrestrial biogeochemistry models, we examine direct and
October 27, 2009 Read Full Article
Why Sustainability Standards for Biofuel Production Make Little Economic Sense
by Harry deGorter and David R. Just (Policy Analysis, Cato Institute) The federal “sustainability standard” requires ethanol to emit at least 20 percent less carbon dioxide (CO2) than gasoline. Recent rulings by California and the Environmental Protection Agency, however, have cast doubt
October 25, 2009 Read Full Article
Is Garbage The Solution To Tackling Climate Change?
(Science Daily) Converting the rubbish that fills the world’s landfills into biofuel may be the answer to both the growing energy crisis and to tackling carbon emissions, claim scientists in Singapore and Switzerland. New research published in Global Change Biology:
October 24, 2009 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Returns More Energy To The Earth Than Ever, Study Finds
(Reuters) Biodiesel is better than ever at harnessing the power of the sun and turning it into fuel. In fact, a study shows the fuel is returning more than four times the energy that it takes to make biodiesel. Newly published
October 24, 2009 Read Full Article
Bio-Oil from Wastewater Algae
New Zealand's National Instititue of Water and Atmospheric Research's mission is to conduct leading environmental science to enable the sustainable management of natural resources for New Zealand and the planet. In order to produce biofuels cost-effectively there is a need for
October 24, 2009 Read Full Article
Report Examines Hidden Health and Environmental Costs Of Energy Production and Consumption In U.S.
... Damages per vehicle mile traveled were remarkably similar among various combinations of fuels and technologies -- the range was 1.2 cents to about 1.7 cents per mile traveled -- and it is important to be cautious in interpreting small
October 24, 2009 Read Full Article
Big Oil Looks to Biofuels
by Guy Chazan (Wall Street Journal) The biofuels industry, hit hard by the global credit crunch, is getting a shot in the arm from a new source–the oil majors. Among the oil companies, BP PLC and Royal Dutch Shell PLC have
October 24, 2009 Read Full Article
Verenium and VPP Sign Agreement to Test C5 Cellulosic Technology on Pulping Feedstocks for the Production of Ethanol
Verenium Corporation, a pioneer in the development of next-generation cellulosic ethanol and high-performance specialty enzymes, announced that it has entered into an agreement with Value Prior to Pulping (VPP), an organization created by the Agenda 2020 Technology Alliance, a special
October 24, 2009 Read Full Article
Opening Second Tender Global Sustainable Biomass Fund
The Global Sustainable Biomass Fund supports developing countries in making their biomass production for energy uses sustainable. It thus enables them to access the local or international market of sustainable biomass for energy uses. The overall goal of the subsidy
October 24, 2009 Read Full Article
Recent Progress in Biofuels in Japan
by Professor Shiro Saka (IEA Bioenergy Task 39 Newsletter) ... According to our research in recent years, approximately 370 million tons of biomass resources are annually produced in Japan. Among these, approximately 77 million tons are disposed of without effective
October 24, 2009 Read Full Article
Kumho Petrochemical to Build Algae Bioethanol Plant in Yeosu, Korea
(The Korea Herald) Kumho Petrochemical Co., the South Jeolla provincial government and a local biotechnology firm agreed Thursday to establish an algae bioethanol plant by 2013, officials said, according to Yonhap News. The agreement calls for Kumho to invest a
October 24, 2009 Read Full Article
Five Technologies That Could Change Everything
by Michael Totty (Wall Street Journal) It's a tall order: Over the next few decades, the world will need to wean itself from dependence on fossil fuels and drastically reduce greenhouse gases. Current technology will take us only so far;
October 24, 2009 Read Full Article
Towards Sustainable Production and Use of Resources: Assessing Biofuels
(United Nations Environment Programme) The number of scientific publications devoted to biofuels is growing exponentially, and the number of reviews is increasing rapidly. For decision makers it has become a hard job to find robust reference material and solid guidance.
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Boeing, Honeywell’s UOP and Government of Mexico Launch Research and Advocacy Collaboration to Drive Commercial Use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels
Boeing [NYSE: BA], the Airports and Auxiliary Services agency (ASA), an arm of Mexico’s Ministry of Communications and Transport, and Honeywell’s UOP today announced a collaboration to identify, research and further the development of a commercially viable market for Mexico-sourced
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Scaling Up Is Hard to Do
by Peter Fairley (Technology Review) ... Producing advanced biofuels on the scale of tens of billions of gallons per year will mean financing several hundred commercial-scale biorefineries at a net cost of roughly $250 billion. For investors in cellulosic ethanol
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
BioFuel Africa Begins Commercial Production of Jatropha Oil
Biofuel Africa Ltd. has begun commercial production of jatropha oil, the first company in West Africa to move from growing and selling jatropha fruits and seeds to production and sale of jatropha oil on a commercial scale for direct use,
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Cane Ethanol Helps Cut Greenhouse Emissions: Brazilian Study
by Inae Riveras (Reuters) Use of sugar cane-based ethanol as a substitute for gasoline is among the cheapest and easiest ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a Brazilian study. Cane ethanol provides about eight times the energy used
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
The 7% Solution: Sustainable US Biofuels without International Indirect Land Use Effects
by Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) Looking at some real-world numbers, it becomes clear that the fear raised in Fixing a Critical Climate Accounting Error, Science, October 23, 2009, misses the point. Growing energy crops, including perennial grasses or
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels USA Reacts to Science Magazine Article
(Advanced Biofuels USA) A study published in Science magazine promotes a policy which would penalize American biofuels industries in US legislation and regulation and in international global climate change agreements. Advanced Biofuels USA would like to point out two items
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Carbon Advantage of Biofuels May Be Overstated
by Juliet Eilperin (Washington Post) The world's policymakers and scientists have made a critical error in how they count biofuels' contribution to human-generated greenhouse-gas emissions, according to a paper published Thursday in the journal Science. ... (Steven P.) Hamburg, (chief scientist
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
10%
(Detroit Public Television) When most folks see a number like 10% they're receiving a discount on a sale item or reading a nutritional chart at the grocery store. But the number that we're talking about on this week's Autoline is
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Growth Energy Reacts to Science Magazine Paper
Tom Buis (Growth Energy) “Ethanol is part of the natural carbon cycle. It has taken the lifetime of our planet to produce the oil that is in the ground. Biofuels come from the top of the earth, with emissions that
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Science Article on GHG Accounting Misses the Mark on Biofuels
(Renewable Fuels Association) Biofuels produced from biomass feedstocks (i.e. plant matter) are, by definition, carbon neutral because carbon dioxide tailpipe emissions from the combustion of biofuels are readily absorbed by growing plants. As such, the tailpipe emissions resulting from the use
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Accounting Error Undermines Climate Change Laws
(Nitrogen News)... “The error is serious, but we can fix it,” said lead author Tim Searchinger, a research scholar at Princeton University and a fellow with the German Marshall Fund of the U.S. “The solution is to count all the
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
They’d Shoot Trees, Wouldn’t They? Climate Laws Encourage Deforestation, Scientists Say
by Keith Johnson (Wall Street Journal) The law of unintended consequences strikes yet again. Global plans to tackle climate change, from the Kyoto Protocol to the recently-passed Waxman-Markey bill, have a fatal flaw: They essentially encourage large-scale deforestation, which pretty much
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Calculating Emissions Is Problematic
by Sindya N. Bhanoo (New York Times) ... The problem boils down to this: In emission calculations, all fuel derived from plants and other organic sources — including ethanol — is generally treated as if it has no effect on carbon dioxide in
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Another Biofuels Drawback: The Demand for Irrigation
by Robert F. Service (Science Magazine) At first blush, it's easy to make the case for biofuels. By converting crops into ethanol or biodiesel, farmers can reduce demand for imported oil, lower national dependence on authoritarian governments in the Middle
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Fixing a Critical Climate Accounting Error
by Tim Searchinger, et al. (Science Magazine) The accounting now used for assessing compliance with carbon limits in the Kyoto Protocol and in climate legislation contains a far-reaching but fixable flaw that will severely undermine greenhouse gas reduction goals (1).
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Implications of Limiting CO2 Concentrations for Land Use and Energy
by Marshall Wise, et al. (Science Magazine) Limiting atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations to low levels requires strategies to manage anthropogenic carbon emissions from terrestrial systems as well as fossil fuel and industrial sources. We explore the implications of fully
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Recommendations for Improving the Effectiveness of Renewable Energy Policies in China
REN21 released its report Recommendations for Improving the Effectiveness of Renewable Energy Policies in China. This report provides a list of recommendations to the policy makers in China on improving the effectiveness of renewable energy policies domestically. This report was commissioned
October 22, 2009 Read Full Article
Pennsylvania Project Uses Mine Lands for Biofuel Crops
by Lisa Gibson (Biomass Magazine) A project in Pennsylvania seeks to determine if abandoned and active mine lands can be reclaimed and used to grow biofuel crops such as switchgrass and other warm-season grass species. Pennsylvania has about 180,000 acres
October 22, 2009 Read Full Article
BlueFire Shifts Cellulosic Ethanol Project to Mississippi; Taxes, Timing Issues in Move from California
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, cellulosic ethanol pioneer BlueFire Ethanol Fuels announced strategic relocation of its second planned biorefinery to Fulton, Mississippi. After having been awarded a $40 million dollar grant from the DOE for a second planned
October 22, 2009 Read Full Article
Combining Two Innovations Brought Oxford Catalysts and Velocys Success for ICIS's Best Innovation by an SME
Production of liquid biofuels such as diesel and jet fuel from organic materials including municipal waste, is an attractive proposition. But using conventional large scale plants requires bulky waste to be transported, often over long distances, negating some, if not
October 22, 2009 Read Full Article
NC State Receives $2 Million for Algae Research
Imagine filling up your car with fuel that comes from inexpensive algae that grow quickly, don’t use up freshwater supplies and can be cultivated in areas where they won’t compete with traditional food crops, such as corn or soybeans. Researchers
October 22, 2009 Read Full Article
Coskata Unveils Semi-Commercial Feedstock Flexible Ethanol Facility in Madison, PA
Coskata Inc., a leading developer of next generation biofuels, today announced the successful start-up of their semi-commercial flex ethanol facility located in Madison, PA. The accomplishment represents the successful scale-up of the company’s technology, and will serve as a showcase for
October 22, 2009 Read Full Article
Industry Built From Scratch
by Matthew L. Wald (New York Times) ... The facility, built by a company called Coskata, is not quite proof that a new era is at hand for American transportation fuels. But with the company claiming it will be able to
October 22, 2009 Read Full Article
Racing for the Next Generation
by Jeremy Burne (Just-Auto) Not many dispute the relationship between success on the track and success at the dealership, most acknowledge the global power of motorsports as a marketing tool for certain automotive brands. Many also concede that racing can serve
October 22, 2009 Read Full Article
Green Racing at Petit Le Mans: Jetta TDI's Demonstrate the Future of Racing
[caption id="attachment_3982" align="alignright" width="549" caption="Jetta TDI #5 races to qualify at Petit Le Mans."][/caption] by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Back to my beloved TDI. This time not the expensive Audi's, but Volkswagen's Jetta TDI's swoop relatively quietly and gracefully around
October 16, 2009 Read Full Article
Branson on the Power of Biofuels and Elders
by Andrew C. Revkin (New York Times) ... By 2020, he hopes that fuel for his companies’ jet fleets will be derived from algae or consist of isobutanol, derived from sugars. The advantage of isobutanol, he said, is that unlike
October 16, 2009 Read Full Article
POET's 'Inviz' to Replace More Petroleum Products
POET is one step closer to gleaning the maximum value from each part of the corn kernel with a new ethanol co-product, "Inviz," which is set to replace petroleum-based ingredients in household products ranging from pill coatings to plastic packaging. Inviz
October 16, 2009 Read Full Article
Cyclone Power Technologies Receives the "Algaepreneur 2009 Award"
Cyclone received the NAA award for its heat regenerative, Rankine cycle engine, an efficient and earth-friendly modern steam engine capable of running on virtually any fuel, including today’s most promising biofuels. In tests performed by the company earlier this year,
October 15, 2009 Read Full Article
Santa Fe Community College Opens Algae Lab in Oshara Village
by Alan Hoffman Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) recently broke ground on the new Sustainable Technologies Center. This multimillion-dollar LEED certified training facility will teach the next generation of American workers how to fill the Green jobs we need today
October 15, 2009 Read Full Article
Navy Secretary Announces Energy Changes
by Bettina H. Chavanne (Aviation Week) ... (U.S. Navy Secretary Ray) Mabus also introduced the idea of a Great Green Fleet, a green strike group comprising nuclear vessels, surface combatants equipped with hybrid electric systems operating on biofuels and aircraft
October 15, 2009 Read Full Article
Vehicles Running E85 Corn Ethanol Have 30 Percent Lower CO2 Emissions than the All-Electric Tesla Roadster, Study Finds
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Florida, Biofuels Digest has found that cars running on E85 corn-based ethanol, at the proposed new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, will generate 30 percent lower CO2 emissions over an average car lifetime
October 14, 2009 Read Full Article
Sandia Algae Project Converts Dairy Wastes to Energy, Other Products
( Greenjobs ) ...Recently Cecelia Williams and other Sandia researchers have grown green algae in a 12-by-30-foot greenhouse using a simulated dairy effluent, the nutrient-rich liquid remaining after bacterial digestion of dairy manure. The solids from the digestion of dairy manure
October 14, 2009 Read Full Article
Indian States Fast-Track Jatropha 2.0, a Special Biofuels Digest Report
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest) Despite the Indian Government’s official go-slow policy on Jatropha, several Indian states are now planting the crop in a big way. These are not the old style monoculture plantations that led to the central government’s
October 14, 2009 Read Full Article
Green Racing at Petit LeMans: Corvette Flies a 2008 Winner Banner
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) GM's Corvette proudly flies the Green Challenge Champion banner over its paddock at Petit Le Mans, having taken the honor for 2008. Todd Christensen, GM sport compact marketing manager pointed out the E-85 logo
October 13, 2009 Read Full Article
US Dept. of Energy Secretary Cho Articulates Administration's Real Attitude toward Advanced Biofuels
Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the US Secretary of Energy, Dr. Steven Chu, broke with Obama administration renewable energy policy, telling stunned alternative energy developers at a recent meeting on alternative fuels that “if it were up to me,
October 13, 2009 Read Full Article
Improvements in Life Cycle Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Corn-Ethanol
(Journal of Industrial Ecology) Corn-ethanol production is expanding rapidly with the adoption of improved technologies to increase energy efficiency and profitability in crop production, ethanol conversion, and coproduct use. Life cycle assessment can evaluate the impact of these changes on
October 13, 2009 Read Full Article
Industry Leaders Announce Alliance to Commercialize Integrated-Carbon-to-Liquids™ (ICTL) Fuel Technologies
(BusinessWire) Accelergy Corporation and A2BE Carbon Capture LLC today announced the formation of the Carbon Cycle Technology Alliance at the 2009 Algae Biomass Summit. The Alliance will commercialize a platform for Integrated Carbon to Liquids™ (ICTL) fuel production technologies that
October 13, 2009 Read Full Article
Boeing Looks at Greener Partnerships for Aviation
(CCTV) After producing aircraft components for Boeing for more than two decades, China is expected to become the US airplane manufacturer's research and development (R&D) partner for environmentally friendly technologies that will make the aviation industry greener. A key part of the
October 13, 2009 Read Full Article
ANZ CEO Rob Fyfe Takes Off Gloves to Fight Environmental Inertia
by Geoffrey Thomas (Eco-Aviation Today) In one of the hardest-hitting speeches in recent times, Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe lashed out at the "inconvenient truth" that the world's leaders, regulators and airlines are continuing to "invest enormous resources the world
October 13, 2009 Read Full Article
Green Racing at Petit Le Mans: Put Some Teeth ($) into the Green Challenge
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Bryan MacDonald, Highcroft Racing’s chief operating officer took a crack at explaining how important racing is to developing technologies with rest-of-the-world applications. His personal view of the future is inhabited by high performance
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
Bayer Says It Cracked Rapeseed Gene Code
(Reuters) Germany's Bayer, the world's largest supplier of genetically modified (GM) rapeseed seeds, mapped out the entire genetic code of the oil plant, in bid to speed up development of new varieties. ... Rapeseed, also known as canola, is used
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
Total Intends to Take an Active Part in BioTfueL France’s Second-Generation Biodiesel Pilot Program
As Europe’s leading automotive fuel refiner and marketer, Total is committed to stepping up the development of second-generation biofuels, which are needed to improve the environmental profile of crop-based fuels and avoid the use of food crops as feedstock. Already a
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
International Civil Aviation Organization Sets Aviation Emissions Targets
by Adrian Schofield (Aviation Week) ICAO members have reached agreement on a set of environmental targets for the aviation sector, although it is setting higher fuel efficiency standards than industry was proposing. After a high-level meeting in Montreal that finished
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
United Airlines Chief calls for More Investment in Developing the Alternative Jet Fuels Market
(GreenAirOnline.com) Glenn Tilton, Chairman of both United Airlines and the Air Transport Association of America, called on government, investors and producers to seize the opportunity to provide the airline industry with alternative fuels. Speaking at the annual meeting of the
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
Nitrogen Deposition Limits Climate Change Impacts on Carbon Sequestration
(Alpha Galileo) The role of the forests is assumed to increase in the future, as an important buffer of climate change and increasing CO2 concentrations. So-called Earth System Models, computer systems making predictions for the globe, estimate that this effect
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
Biofuels Meet EU CO2 target but Gains Vary
by Gus Trompiz and Valerie Parent (Reuters) The current generation of biofuels meets a European target for cutting carbon dioxide emissions but its performance varies widely depending on the crop and production process used, an official French study has shown. Biofuels
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
Mid-Level Ethanol Blend Study: Chassis Dynamometer Study of Flex-Fuel Vehicles
The objective of this study was to determine the fuel efficiencies and emission profiles of flex fuel vehicles operating on different ethanol blends (E10, E20, E30, and E85). … The E85 fuel blend consumed less BTU’s per mile than all other ethanol fuel blends
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
EPA Expects 86 Ethanol Facilities to Be Major GHG Emitters
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA said 86 U.S. ethanol production facilities will qualify as “major” sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and be required to obtain Title V permits if the agency’s GHG regulation rule passes as
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
Nanotechnology Used In Biofuel Process To Save Money, Environment
by Dave Guerin (Louisiana Tech University) Dr. James Palmer, associate professor of chemical engineering at Louisiana Tech University, is collaborating with fellow professors Dr. Yuri Lvov, Dr. Dale Snow, and Dr. Hisham Hegab to capitalize on the environmental and financial benefits
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
Africa: Land-Grabbing - the Why and the How
by Nikolaj Nielsen (All Africa.com; Pambazuka News) … Biofuels were then and continue to be in many respects hyped as an environmentally friendly alternative to oil-based transport fuels. The United States, the EU and other OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
Medicago to Work with U.S. Army on Biofuel Enzyme Study
(Reuters) Medicago Inc., a small Canadian biotech company, said on Thursday it will work with the U.S. Army to study ways of creating fuels from plants, sending its shares up more than 20 percent. The Quebec City-based company, known for
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Myths Busted
by Joanne Schroeder (DomesticFuel) The biofuels industry has yet to get a famous show like Mythbusters to test some of the false information floating around about biodiesel and ethanol. Well, maybe we don’t need them. The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) just
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
Will These 4 Biofuels Be Bonanzas or Busts?
(Discover) ...(A)recent series of articles from Nature News feels like a public service, as the articles investigate the scientific and economic state of affairs for four different kinds of biofuels. The first article focused on the weedy plant jatropha, which was
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
Project LIBERTY Field Day Demos Cob Harvesting Equipment
Area farmers will see new and pre-commercial equipment in action harvesting corn cobs for cellulosic ethanol next month at Project LIBERTY Field Day in Emmetsburg, Iowa. Farmers, agricultural equipment manufacturers, POET representatives and state and federal officials will be at POET
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
Algae repositions as biofuels’ “humble but lovable” feedstock: industry gathers in positive, but low-key annual Summit
Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) provides a summary of the developing algae ethos at the Algae Biomass Summit in San Diego: The biotech elevator pitch usually adheres to a 'rule of 5′. The offer is invariably a product platform that "is
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
ALMS: Acura, Porsche First To Claim Michelin Green X Challenge Titles
(SpeedTV) The tenth and final race of the 2009 American Le Mans Series season provided a fitting test to determine the event winners and the first MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge season champions. The Lowe's Fernandez Acura and drivers Adrian Fernandez
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
Green Racing at Petit Le Mans: Ethanol Never Tasted So Good: BP Biobutanol and Patron Tequila
[caption id="attachment_3971" align="alignright" width="270" caption="The Audi TDI, Peugeot and BP Mazda competing for green racing points on three kinds of fuel and (at least) two kinds of coolant."][/caption] by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) BP and Shell had a bit of
October 11, 2009 Read Full Article
Green Racing at Petit Le Mans: Audi and Shell
Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) I am not a car guy. Not a car gal. That said, I LOVE the TDI Audi's that race the LeMans endurance races. I love them like I have never loved a car before. Up close,
October 10, 2009 Read Full Article
Biofuels Producers Warn They Are Going to Fall Far Short of Federal Mandates
by Jessica Leber (New York Times Climatewire) The emerging cellulosic biofuel industry, stung by frozen credit markets, ineffective federal loan programs and lagging federal policies, will fall far short of mandated production volumes over the next few years. U.S. EPA is
October 10, 2009 Read Full Article
Green Racing at Petit Le Mans: Drayson Racing
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Drayson Racing (without Barwell this year) had a new, much faster car (built less than a month earlier in only 12 days) at the 2009 10 hour or 1000 miles Petit Le Mans at
October 09, 2009 Read Full Article
Green Racing at Petit Le Mans: The Beginnings
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) In search of the real people doing real work on real technologies to develop advanced biofuels and improve the efficiency of our personal modes of transportation, I've begun following the green racing espoused by the
October 08, 2009 Read Full Article
Journal of the Association for Laboratory Automation Focuses Issue on Biofuels
The Journal of the Association for Laboratory Automation focused its August 2009 issue on papers related to biofuels including: A Convenient Low-Resolution NMR Method for the Determination of the Molecular Weight of Soybean Oil-Based Polymers, Automated Yeast Mating Protocol Using Open
October 08, 2009 Read Full Article
Survey: Broad Support for Biofuels in Wisconsin, but Clear Partisan Differences
by Bob Mitchell Although almost two-thirds of Wisconsinites support the use and production of biofuels, less than half think the government should subsidize their development, according to a new study by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers. ... The researchers did find quite
October 08, 2009 Read Full Article
New Yeasts Could Help Fast-Track Biofuel Production
(Science Daily) A new yeast that makes ethanol from both five-carbon and six-carbon sugars without needing oxygen has been developed by an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist. This could be an important breakthrough in industrial ethanol production, because it's difficult to
October 08, 2009 Read Full Article
Genome Sequence Published for Important Biofuels Yeast
A strain of yeast that thrives on turning sugar cane and other tough grasses into ethanol that might be used as biofuel has had its genome completely sequenced by researchers at Duke University Medical Center. "Understanding this microbe may enable more
October 08, 2009 Read Full Article
European States Split Over EU-Wide Carbon Tax Plan
(Reuters) European Union countries are split over plans to introduce an EU-wide carbon tax on fuel, which could be proposed early next year. The idea, which EU officials say has gained fresh momentum after losing impetus earlier this year, is