(Novozymes) The United States has a lot riding on the success of its biofuel industry – energy independence, job creation, and environmental stewardship. But really, how far is the country in achieving its goals? There is no definitive answer to
Saint Michael’s Receives $766,000 NSF Grant as Part of Plant Genome Project
(VermontBiz.com) Saint Michael's College biologist Dr Mark Lubkowitz and his students join a team of researchers from the University of Missouri, University of Florida, Purdue University and the University Nebraska-Lincoln, on a five-year project to study the genes that control
March 24, 2011 Read Full Article
Jatropha Biofuels More Harmful than Oil
by Ricardo Sequeiros Coelho (CoolTheEarth) A report by ActionAid, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Nature Kenya revealed that using biofuels from jatropha results in more greenhouse gas emissions than using oil (PDF). More specifically, taking into
March 24, 2011 Read Full Article
Brazil’s BNDES Bank Offers $1 Billion to Ethanol R&D
(Forbes) Brazil’s behemoth development bank, BNDES, offered $1 billion to the Brazilian Innovation Agency to fund research and development into second generation ethanol, the bank said late Tuesday. The money goes to support companies working on turning sugarcane biomass and sugarcane
March 24, 2011 Read Full Article
Airbus Teams up with Tarom to Build Biofuel Plant in Romania
by Kerry Reals (FlightGlobal) Airbus has teamed with Tarom to establish a facility in Romania to produce aviation biofuel from the camelina crop, as part of the European airframer's plan to develop at least one such facility on every continent. The
March 24, 2011 Read Full Article
Playing “Clue” at World Biofuels Markets
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...At World Biofuels Markets 2011 in Rotterdam, the overwhelmingly remarkable impression is the ramp-up in the quality and quantity of strategic investment and off-take partners. Closely followed by the rise of renewable chemicals, and the
March 24, 2011 Read Full Article
Logos and EdeniQ Receive Department of Energy Funding for Corn-to-Cellulosic Pilot Biorefinery
(Logos Technologies) DOE commits full $20.5 million to retrofit and build pilot plant in Visalia, CA Logos Technologies®, Inc. and EdeniQ, Inc., announced U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approval to fully fund $20.5 million in federal cost share under DOE's Integrated
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
The Great Green Fleet
by James Marvin (The Virginia Pilot) ...Off the capes of Virginia, a modern Navy swift boat cuts a wake at more than 50 miles per hour on fuel made from algae and petroleum. High over Maryland's Patuxent River, a Navy
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
U.S. Military Supports Hawaii Biodiesel Demonstration Program
by Bryan Sims (Pacific Biodiesel/Biodiesel Magazine) This month Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie introduced a new oilseed crop research program—the Biodiesel Crop Demonstration Project—that will span two years as part of the state’s effort to promote energy security and sustainable local
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Proposed Senate Bill S.559: Securing America’s Future with Energy and Sustainable Technologies Act Comment on the Bill from an Advanced Biofuels Perspective
by Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) US Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) recently introduced Senate Bill S.599, the “Securing America’s Future with Energy and Sustainable Technologies Act” or SAFESTA. This bill contains numerous amendments to existing
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Book Review – The Green Miracle
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) This week I read the book called “The Green Miracle,” by Clayton McNeff who is one of the creators of the Mcgyan Process. It’s the story of how in less than four years, with the inkling
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Whole New World of Corn
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) Everything you ever wanted to know about corn is contained in the latest edition of the World of Corn from the National Corn Growers Association. This year’s publication, available online now, highlights the wide variety of roles that farmers
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Isuzu Debuts Biodiesel-Compatible Van
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) Japan-based auto maker Isuzu has debuted a utility van that will be more compatible with higher blends of biodiesel. This company press release says the new Reach will not only be green, but it will last a
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Companies to Produce Edible Ethanol Co-Product
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) ...Prairie Gold (PGI) of Bloomington, and GTL Resources USA of Itasca, Illinois have agreed to collaborate on the construction of a zein protein production plant. Zein is a high valued co-product that can be produced from
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Alternative Form of Gasoline is Now Available at Sheetz
by Karen Kiley (WDBJ7.com) Americans are paying more than $3.50, on average, for a gallon of gasoline. In Virginia, the average gallon of gas is $3.45. The prices have been on the rise for weeks with no end in sight. But
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol to Reduce GHGs by 105 Million Tonnes in 2011 Forecasted Reductions Will Offset the Emissions of 19.4 Million Cars
(Global Renewable Fuels Alliance) As the biofuels industry gathers at the annual World Biofuels Markets conference, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) is highlighting the positive influence ethanol production is having on reducing global Green House Gas emissions. (S&T)2 Consultants Inc.,
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Amyris Lands More Production, Distribution Agreements
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...(T)he company (Amyris) entered into a manufacturing agreement with Paraíso Bioenergia S.A., a renewable energy company producing sugar, ethanol and electricity headquartered in São Paulo State, Brazil. Under the agreement, Amyris will construct fermentation and
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels Launches Third-Party Sustainable Biofuels Certification System
(Biofuels Journal/National Wildlife Federation) The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) launched March 22 the first global third-party certification system for sustainable biofuels. The RSB Certification System includes environmental, social and economic principles and criteria and features a unique set of online tools
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Dyadic International Introduces Advanced Biofuels Enzyme AlternaFuel® CMAX™ at the World Biofuels Markets
(Dyadic International) Dyadic International, Inc., a global biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, manufacture and sale of enzyme and protein products for the bioenergy, industrial enzyme and biopharmaceutical industries, announced today the introduction of its most advanced biofuels enzyme, AlternaFuel®
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
2011 AiChE Annual Meeting October 16-21 Minneapolis, MN Call For Papers
Please consider submitting an abstract to the session on Bio-Based Alternative Fuels at the annual AICHE meeting that is coming up on October 16-21, 2011, at the Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, MN. The session is: 23B03 Developments in Biobased Alternative Fuels. Sponsor: Sustainable Biorefineries Co-Sponsor(s): Catalysis
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
OriginOil Announces Breakthrough Innovation to Increase Algae Yield
(OriginOil) Algae Screen technology protects algae from microscopic predators, integrates with Live Extraction OriginOil, Inc., the developer of breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, today announced Algae Screen™, a process
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Marines Trying to Get Afghan Farmers Hooked on Energy Crops
by Annie Snider (Greenwire/New York Times) ...Nelson, who has already served two tours in Iraq, spent this past winter tinkering with combinations of cottonseed oil and JP-8, the military's universal fuel, to find a blend that works best in
March 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Biomass-Powered Ethanol Plants
by Lisa Gibson (Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine) A growing number of U.S. ethanol plants are reaping the benefits of using biomass for power. The demand for ethanol with a lower carbon footprint seems to be spurring a movement in
March 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Who Wins with Higher Gas Prices?
by Dan Chapman (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) ...Higher gas prices could finally translate into a sustainable market for Georgia’s alternative energy industry. ...And, finally, a shift from gas and diesel to home-grown energy, i.e. ethanol for cars and biodiesel for trucks, could lessen
March 22, 2011 Read Full Article
State of Wisconsin Issues Air Permit for United Ethanol
by Maureen White (Eisenmann Corporation/Renewable Energy World) The Air Permit was recently approved by the State of Wisconsin for United Ethanol to begin construction of the EISENMANN BIOGAS-TS Anaerobic Digester. The $6.75 million project will install an anaerobic digester and
March 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Airline Industry Last in Line to Sign up for Algae Fuel: Sapphire CEO
by Kerry Reals (FlightGlobal) One or two pioneering airlines may begin using jet fuel derived from algae and use it to create a competitive advantage in the nearer term, but the commercial airline industry as a whole will
March 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Boeing And EPFL Join Forces To Lower Sustainability Certification Costs
(DailyMarkets/PR Newswire) Boeing and the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) today announced the creation of the Sustainable Biomass Consortium, a research initiative focused on increasing collaboration between voluntary standards and regulatory requirements for biomass used to create jet fuel and
March 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Boeing and Algae Fuels, a Euro Perspective
(Algae Industry Magazine) In the aviation biofuels market, as goes Boeing, so goes the industry. Boeing was a founding member of the Algal Biomess Organization (ABO) and is committed to a future of renewable fuels. “Without biofuels we cannot get
March 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Proposal: VEETC Phased Out, Replaced with Variable Tax Credit
(OPIS) ...According to sources familiar with the proposal, the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, the American Coalition for Ethanol and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) have agreed to phase down the current 45 cts/gal ethanol tax credit over three
March 22, 2011 Read Full Article
UConn Reactor Uses More Efficient Process to Make Biodiesel Fuel
(PhysOrg.com) Deep inside the University of Connecticut’s chemical engineering building in Storrs, Professor Richard Parnas and a team of students quietly monitor a murky brown emulsion bubbling inside an enormous 6-inch diameter glass tube like doctors carefully observing a patient
March 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Brazil and US to Deepen Cooperation on Energy; Aviation Biofuels
(Green Car Congress/FavStocks) ...Noted President Obama,...Now, even as we focus on oil in the near term, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the only long-term solution to the world’s dependence on fossil fuels is clean energy technology. And
March 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Excalibur: Mighty Claims, Mighty Prizes, and the Problem of Myth in Bioenergy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There are no shortage of reasons why high-yield biofuels, particularly microalgae, continue to fascinate practically everyone in the pursuit of alternative energy. Carbon fixation, water remediation, local economic opportunity are among the many offered fruits. But
March 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Betting on Green
(The Economist) Vinod Khosla thinks most venture capitalists are being too cautious with their green investments. But is his own approach too risky? “ENVIRONMENTALISTS are fiddling while Rome burns,” says Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture-capital firm.
March 22, 2011 Read Full Article
AWMA Student Competition Seeks Scenarios Leading to 25x'25 Energy Future
(25 x '25/Air & Waste Management Association) A single, plausible scenario under which at least 25 percent of the energy consumed annually in the United States must be produced or generated from renewable sources of energy by 2025 is the
March 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Algae.Tec Opens in Atlanta
(Algae Industry Magazine) Perth, Australia-based Algae.Tec Ltd. has announced the opening of their Algae Development & Manufacturing Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, where their photo-bioreactor algae growth and harvesting system—termed the McConchie-Stroud System—will serve the international market from an 18,200 square foot fabrication facility. “The Centre
March 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Has Come a Long Way Since Its Iowa Roots
by Richard Johnson (Globe Gazette) ...And, he (Walt Wendland) said, his industry can adapt to technological changes, such as cellulosic ethanol, a biofuel derived from cellulose plant fiber. “We think there’s great synergy between cellulosic production and what we’re doing now,” Wendland
March 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Obama's Visit to Brazil Yields 'Encouraging' Renewable Fuels Cooperation, According to Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association
(PR Newswire/EIN News/UNICA) Two important announcements involving renewable energy made on the opening day of U.S. President Barack Obama's official visit to Brazil, both directly relevant to Brazil's successful sugarcane ethanol industry, are encouraging signs that Brazil and the U.S. are on a
March 21, 2011 Read Full Article
F-22 Raptor Flown on Synthetic Biofuel
by 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs (Edwards Airforce Base) An F-22 Raptor successfully flew at supercruise March 18 on a 50/50 fuel blend of conventional petroleum-based JP-8 and biofuel derived from camelina, a weed-like plant not used for food. The
March 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Jatropha to Be Planted in Jordan
by Raed Omari (The Jordan Times) An oil producing plant which can generate bio-fuel will be cultivated in the Kingdom on an experimental basis as part of a Jordanian-Brazilian partnership, an agriculture official said on Tuesday. Ministry of Agriculture Spokesperson
March 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Turning Grease Into Gold: Two Startups Making Big Leaps in Biofuels
by Allison Arieff (Good) Two innovative companies, Blackgold Biofuels and FogBusters, are unlocking the power of fat, oil, and grease (more pleasingly referred to in aggregate as "FOG"). The two startups are the runners-up in Imagine H20's Water-Energy Nexus Prize, which
March 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Putnam: Highlands County Is 'Cradle of Innovation' in Biofuels
By Christopher Tuffley (News Sun) Highlands County is well positioned to benefit from the new push toward alternative fuels, local growers and investors were told Friday during a visit to the county by Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. The shift to
March 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Firm Eyes Sarawak for RM555mil Move to Help Natives Plant Jatropha on NCR Land
by Stephen Then (The Star Sarawak) A leading biofuel company with global links wants to turn Sarawak into a producer of green jet fuel, diesel and petrol and is willing to invest RM555mil in the state for the purpose. Bio Oil
March 21, 2011 Read Full Article
BoI Okays P5.2-B Negros Ethanol Plant
By Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat (Manila Bulletin) Canlaon Alco Green Agro Industrial Corp. is investing P5.192 billion for the establishment of a bioethanol plant and production of by products in Bago, Negros Occidental. The project has been approved by the Board of
March 21, 2011 Read Full Article
American Soybean Association Expresses Concerns about EU Renewable Energy Directive to USDA and USTR
(American Soybean Association) The American Soybean Association (ASA), joined by other U.S. oilseed producer and industry organizations, has expressed serious concerns to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk about the requirements
March 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels at the Crossroads
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Good news: Advances in processing technology In the past year, we’ve seen costs coming down across the line. Last spring, new cellulosic ethanol enzyme collections appeared from the likes of Novozymes and Genencor, with the
March 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Americans Expect Rising Gas Prices, Slow to React in Comparison
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Twenty-seven percent of Americans expect that gas prices will reach $5 or more a gallon this year and another 37 percent anticipate prices to reach $3.75 to $4 a gallon. Only 8 percent of
March 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Who Gets Your Food Dollar?
by Matt Hartwig (Renewable Fuels Association) ...As a result, many in the industrial meat sector, along with junk food processers and other food manufacturers are once again seeking to blame ethanol for the spike in corn prices and the subsequent
March 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Crops Could Lower Surface Temperatures, Stanford Researchers Say
(Stanford University News) Concerns about the impact of corn ethanol on global warming have raised interest in more eco-friendly perennial grasses. A new study finds that large-scale cultivation of perennials could actually reduce regional surface temperatures. Converting large swaths of farmland
March 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Lignol Provides Update on Cellulosic Ethanol Project with Novozymes
(Lignol) Lignol Energy Corporation, a leading technology company in the advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals sector, announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Lignol Innovations Ltd., has recently completed a major body of work with Novozymes in producing cellulosic ethanol at Lignol's pilot-scale biorefinery. Lignol and
March 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Foster Wheeler Provides Engineering Services to Cynar for Conversion of Waste Plastics into Liquid Fuels in Ireland
Foster Wheeler AG announced that its Global Engineering and Construction Group has been awarded a contract by Cynar Plc to provide basic process engineering design services for a 6,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) plant to convert non-recyclable waste plastics into
March 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Syntroleum Reports $9.6M Loss for 2010, Bullish for 2011
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Syntroleum reported a $9.6 million loss for fiscal 2010 in its 10K SEC form, with revenues having declined $19 million compared to 2009. In a teleconference to discuss Syntroleum’s report, Gary Roth, Syntroleum’s President and
March 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Google Ventures Backs CoolPlanetBiofuels
(peHUB) CoolPlanetBiofuels Gets Series B Funding from Google Ventures Imagine a world where fuel doesn’t have to be pumped, dug out or extracted from the ground, and can be locally sourced. CoolPlanetBiofuels, located in Camarillo, Calif., is developing an innovative solution
March 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Bracketology: Which 3 of 6 Will Win in NABC Drop-In Fuels Consortium Cut-Off?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Amongst the various projects that received support under the 2009 Recovery Act were an algal R&D consortium called the NAABB, and a drop-in biofuels R&D consortium called the NABC, of the National Advanced Biofuels Consortium. ...Within
March 18, 2011 Read Full Article
DuPont Leader: Renewables at the Heart of Clean Technology Market Opportunity
(DuPont) DuPont is uniquely positioned to deliver clean technology opportunities, including both advanced biomaterials and biofuels, DuPont Applied BioSciences President Craig F. Binetti told attendees at the Jeffries 11th Annual Clean Technology Conference. “We are meeting the growing demand for reducing dependence
March 17, 2011 Read Full Article
California Should Promote the Use of Diesel and Biodiesel-Powered Vehicles
(Diesel Technology Forum) An interesting White Paper by Serj Berelson concludes that the State of California would benefit from implementing new policies to promote the use of diesel and biodiesel-powered vehicles to assist California’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions
March 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Governors Call for Improved Corn-for-Ethanol Reporting
(Western Farm Press) A coalition of 34 U.S. governors from Washington to New York to Texas have called on U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to alter the way his department reports the use of corn for ethanol production. They argue
March 17, 2011 Read Full Article
A Flock of Speculation: How Paper Bushels, Not Ethanol, Are Driving Corn Prices
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) ...If you needed any more proof that large speculative investors are toying with the agricultural commodities markets and causing wild volatility, you need look no further than the erratic behavior of the corn market
March 17, 2011 Read Full Article
US Oilseed Growers Protest EU Biofuel Requirement
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) Oilseed growers, led by the American Soybean Association (ASA), have raised concerns with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk over the European Union’s (EU) Renewable Energy
March 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Genifuel Patents Sugar to Heterotrophs to Oil
(Algae Industry Magazine) ...(P)atent attorney Lawrence B. Ebert notes the first claim of US 7,905,930 issued to Genifuel on March 15, 2011 for “A process for production of biofuels from algae, comprising: a) cultivating an oil-producing algae by promoting sequential
March 17, 2011 Read Full Article
USDA Calls March 21 Meeting with Major US Biofuels Trade Association Heads
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the USDA has called the heads of nearly every major biofuels association into a “friendly, open” discussion, but on an urgent timetable, to discuss opportunities to find common ground and synchronize biofuels industry
March 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Swazi Biofuels Strategy Complete, Awaiting Cabinet Approval
by Winile Mavuso (The Swazi Observer) ...Director of Energy Henry Shongwe said the document was basically a policy which would guide companies which want to venture into the bio fuels industry. Such companies include among others; D1 Oils and others.
March 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Diester Sees No Respite for EU Biodiesel Industry
by Sybille de La Hamaide (Reuters) Overcapacity, squeezed margins and massive imports should continue to hurt Europe's biodiesel industry this year and lead to further consolidation, the chief executive of EU giant Diester Industrie said on Monday. Several biodiesel firms in
March 17, 2011 Read Full Article
EU Bioethanol Group Weighs U.S. Subsidy Lawsuit
By Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck (Reuters/Forexyard) European bioethanol producers will decide by the end of March whether to file a legal complaint with the European Commission over U.S. subsidies, the EU's main bioethanol lobby said. Producers such as Germany's CropEnergies and Spain's
March 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Lake Mayors Range from Optimistic to Concerned on Trash-to-Ethanol
by Marc Chase (NWI Times) Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. expressed reservation at signing a 20-year agreement to commit his city's trash to a process that remains commercially unproven. "I talk to smart people that know what they're talking about, and
March 17, 2011 Read Full Article
DOE’s Duff Warns that Asian Industrial Buildup Threatens “Our Way of Life” if US Does Not Reduce Oil Consumption
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) DOE’s Biomass Program Lead Engineer warns that, when it comes to biofuels, “it’s the economy, stupid”. In Georgia, DOE Biomass Program Lead Engineer Brian Duff, keynoting the BioPro Expo in Atlanta, said that “dependence on
March 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Delay to Certification of Aviation Jet Biofuels May Damage Investor Confidence, Claims Lufthansa
(GreenAirOnline) The approval of Bio-SPK jet fuels for use in commercial aircraft operations is not now expected until the middle of the year at earliest and could possibly be delayed until the end of 2011, says the FAA representative on
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Action Required Now if Alternative Aviation Fuels Are to Help Meet Emissions Targets, Concludes Major European Study
(GreenAirOnline) The transfer from fossil fuels to biofuels is a must if the air transport industry is to survive beyond the middle of century, was the stark message from Dirk van Vreckem of the European Commission’s mobility and transport directorate
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
New UT/ORNL Center: Taking on the World's Energy Problems and Translating Intellectual Capital into Economic Investment
(University of Tennessee) The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), is launching an academic unit that seeks to transform the energy industry in our country and the world, as well as the state and
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Sustainability and the Environment I: Uncertainty in Indirect Land Use Change in the Life Cycle of Biofuels: Impacts for Legislation
by Adam J. Liska (Department of Biological Systems Engineering at University of Nebraska-Lincoln) Liska opens his presentation with the formerly impending climate change legislation H.R. 2454, and states that the act would have done away with the inclusion of
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Sustainability and the Environment I: Bioenergy & Climate: the Long, Medium, and Short of It
by Nathanael Greene (Natural Resources Defense Council Representative) Greene begins by making the point that “long-term environmental imperatives” need to be applied at a global level, and that bioenergy must be an integral part of a sustainable future. Bioenergy needs to
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Sustainability and the Environment I: Advanced Biofuels: Technology Trends and Policy Opportunities
by Amy Ehlers (Biotechnology Industry Organization) The group BIO (Biotechnology Industry Organization) is a trade association which is located in Washington D.C. and has over 1,200 member companies in both the U.S. and 31 other countries. Their industrial biotechnology member companies
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Budgets & Biotech: Congress Urged to Continue Supporting Advanced Biofuels
(BIOtechNOW) Industry leaders point out that biotech-enabled advanced biofuels spur job growth and reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil. Three leading biotechnology trade groups are urging Congress to protect important bioenergy program funding. In a Feb. 25 letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
E85 Sales in Iowa Break Records
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) E85 sales in Iowa have broken all records reaching an all-time high for the state. According to the Iowa Department of Revenue, sales of E85 by Iowa retailers reached 9,311,908 gallons last year representing a 43%
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
U.S. Sen. Grassley: Ethanol and Energy
(IowaPolitics.com) Floor Speech of Sen. Chuck Grassley Ethanol and Energy Independence Delivered Monday, March 07, 2011 ...We must look to alternative and renewable resources so we can improve our energy and national security. This includes supporting energy from wind, biomass, hydroelectric, solar,
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
North Dakota's Ag Commissioner Confident in Hybrid Ethanol Plant
(The Republic) ...Doug Goehring earlier this month led a North Dakota delegation on a trip to Denmark to learn about that country's efforts to develop a cellulosic ethanol industry. ...Goehring tells Prairie Public Radio that there's going to be more of
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Letter to Editor: Ethanol Helps Stabilize Energy Prices
by Matt Hartwig (Renewable Fuels Association/Baltimore Sun) The Sun may have cut back its foreign bureaus, but your editorial writers ("End subsidies for corn-based ethanol," March 14) must still be aware of the turmoil in North Africa and the Middle
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Corn Growers To Explore Payment Shift
(Wallaces Farmer) ...NCGA (National Corn Growers Association) delegates attending the meeting in Tampa, Fla., adopted ethanol policy that states "NCGA supports reforming existing ethanol tax policy. Ideas to replace existing tax law, in the following priority order, should be a variable
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Sugar Beet Acreage Could Rise as Alternative Uses Are Developed
by Philip Case (Farmers Weekly Interactive) Sugar beet is on the cusp of benefitting from a host of technological advances that could increasingly see it grown for uses other than to create sugar, according to the director of Rothamsted Research. Maurice Moloney said
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
National Agricultural Statistics Service Seeks Public Input on Distillers By-products Survey
(US Department of Agriculture) The Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is seeking stakeholder input as it develops its survey focused on the use of distiller’s grains and by-products. The Distillers’ By-products Survey will gather information from livestock producers
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuel from Olive Cake - Spain
(agra-net.com) Cardiles Oil plans to produce more than 12 mln litres of biofuel annually from olive cake at a project in Canete de las Torres, Cordoba. READ MORE and MORE and MORE (Biofuels Digest)
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Why Make a $2 Fuel When You Can Make a $5 Chemical” – Cobalt CEO Rick Wilson
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...“I’m not saying that any of the companies, including us, should not be pursuing fuels. The markets are huge and the molecules work. But the country has got all its priorities screwed up. Here
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
New Generation Biofuels Are More Farm-Friendly
(Grand Junction Sentinel) ...In a post-9/11 world, dependence on foreign oil has become increasingly unpopular, opening the door for farm-grown fuel to gain mainstream support. ...(S)ince about 1900 when the first diesel engine demonstrated at the World’s Fair by Mr. Diesel
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels Only Major Way to Decarbonise Road Fuel - BP
by Nigel Hunt (Reuters) Biofuels represent the only way to significantly reduce carbon emissions in road transport fuel and are likely to account for at least 12 percent of supply by 2030, an official with oil giant BP said on Wednesday. "There
March 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuel, Economics, and Society: An Interview with Daniel De La Torre Ugarte
(ActionBioScience) ...If we improve the agricultural system, can biofuels become sustainable? Ugarte: Definitely. I think that it is important to understand that biofuels do not have to be the goal of production, but rather, a means to a goal. An important
March 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Rules
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) t may not be sexy, but with higher energy density than ethanol, a wide range of available feedstocks, comparatively low-tech processing and growing evidence of its climate and air quality benefits, biodiesel is here now
March 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Creating Rural Jobs in the Bioeconomy
by Charity Pennock (Southern Growth Policies Board) One of the South’s opportunities for job creation and renewed economic growth is through the development of the region’s bioeconomy. The bioeconomy is the creation of power, fuels, and products from biomass—organic material
March 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Mission NewEnergy Limited Announces Asia’s First Fully Integrated Sustainability & Carbon Certified Palm Biodiesel Supply Chain
(Daily Markets/PRNewswire) Multi-Media Enterprises is reporting that Mission NewEnergy Limited has announced the establishment of Asia’s first fully integrated Sustainability & Carbon Certified palm biodiesel supply chain. The announcement was made in Australia in the following news release: Mission NewEnergy Limited
March 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Arizona State University's Dr. Qiang Hu
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) ...So we drive over to the Arizona State University Algae Farm, at the Polytechnic campus located in Mesa, AZ, and drop in on Dr. Qiang Hu at his Laboratory for Algae Research and
March 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Oklahoma State Professor Turns Soda Waste into Ethanol
by Kristi Eaton (Bloomberg Business Week) An Oklahoma State University professor says she's found a way to turn byproducts from the production of soda pop into ethanol. Biosystems and agricultural engineering associate professor Danielle Bellmer said that by adjusting the pH
March 15, 2011 Read Full Article
USDA Seeks Applications for Renewable Energy Funding, Loan Guarantees
(US Department of Agriculture) Funds Will Help Win the Future by Spurring Investment to Increase the Production and Use of Renewable Energy Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is seeking applications to increase the production and use of renewable energy
March 15, 2011 Read Full Article
‘High Crude Oil Unlikely to Spur Further Ethanol Production'
by Harish Damodaran (The Hindu Business Line) Will crude oil at above $ 100-a-barrel prompt more cane diversion to ethanol, causing further spike in world sugar prices? Unlikely, says Mr Narendra Murkumbi, Managing Director of Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd (SRSL), which
March 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Chromatin Announces Dual-Purpose Hybrid Sorghum for Sugar and Bioenergy Production
(Chromatin) Chromatin Inc. announced its dual-purpose SweetFuel™ sorghum hybrids, which combine high yields of both fermentable sugar and biomass per acre. Chromatin's SweetFuel™ hybrids are ideal for capturing the value of sugars produced in sorghum juice as well as the
March 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Solazyme Files $100M IPO
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...(C)an the company make oil fast enough to meet the demand and capture all the opportunities? ...“Our proprietary technology transforms a range of low-cost plant-based sugars into high-value oils. Our renewable products can replace or
March 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Highlights of the AquaFUELs Roundtable
(IEA Bioenergy Task 39) The EU project AquaFUELs intends to establish the state of the art on research, technological development and demonstration activities relevant to producing 2nd generation biofuels from non-food aquatic biomass, including algae. More information on the project
March 14, 2011 Read Full Article
The College of William & Mary’s Algal Fuel Research Program
(Algal Industry Magazine) Joyce Yang, Technology Manager at U.S. Department of Energy talks to Tyler Suiters about the College of William & Mary’s algal fuel research program and the state of that science as well. Yang says the DOE is funding
March 14, 2011 Read Full Article
U.S. Leads Ranking of Top 25 Countries For Global Biofuels Production Capacity
(Hart Energy Consulting) The U.S. concluded 2010 as the top renewable ethanol producing country, according to the Global Biofuels Outlook to 2020, recently released from Hart Energy Consulting's Global Biofuels Center (GBC). With more than 51 billion liters (13.47 billion
March 14, 2011 Read Full Article
SG Biofuels Advances Jatropha Biotech Platform with Application of Genetic Markers to Reference Genome: Library of Diverse Genetic Material Expands to 12,000 Unique Genotypes
(SG Biofuels) SG Biofuels, a bioenergy crop company using breeding and biotechnology to develop elite hybrid seeds of Jatropha, today announced it has applied more than 1.6 million genetic markers (SNPs) for Jatropha curcas toward the development of marker assisted
March 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Amid Rising Gas Prices, President Obama Calls for Long-Term Energy Strategy
by Andrew Restuccia (The Hill/E2Wire) President Obama called Friday for a "comprehensive energy strategy" in which the administration continues to develop the country’s oil and gas resources in the short term, but begins to wean the country off oil in
March 14, 2011 Read Full Article
The Need for Alternative Fuel: When Biofuels and Genetic Engineering Meet
by Alexander Kunev (The McGill Daily) ...However, getting rid of a system of distribution that encompasses a large network of filling stations and refineries is far from the most efficient way to ensure that more vehicles will be powered by
March 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Cheap Food, Elevated Oil Prices Don't Mix
By Kevin Hursh (Postmedia News/Montreal Gazette) ...The ethanol industry, particularly in the U.S., is a prime target of those who worry about food prices. About 37 per cent of the American corn crop goes to making ethanol. Cancelling the ethanol incentives
March 14, 2011 Read Full Article
National Security Interests Require Tax Incentives for Biofuels and Advanced Biofuels
by Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) With the oil industry, a 150-year old mature enterprise, still receiving at least 2.5 times the subsidies of the renewable fuel industry ($72 billion 2002-2008, Environmental Law Institute 2009 study), it is disingenuous
March 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Maize Farmers Lobby to Supply Biofuel Industry
by Stephanie Nieuwoudt (Interpress Service News Agency) South African maize farmers are pushing hard to change a government decision to exclude their crops as feedstock for bioethanol, in view of food security concerns. Shortly after the government unveiled its biofuel strategy last
March 14, 2011 Read Full Article
“Aviation Industry Needs to and Can Be First to Transition to Alternative Fuels”: Avalon 2011
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Australia, CAAFI executive director Rich Altman and Dr. Susan Pond of the US Studies Center at the University of Sydney, ... provided an overview of the Alternative Aviation Fuels Forum at the Australian International
March 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Freedom Environmental Acquires David M. Hickman Septic Service Company of West Chester, PA
(CityBizList Philadelphia) Freedom Environmental Services announces today that it has acquired in an asset purchase the business and assets of David M. Hickman Septic Service Company, a family owned residential and commercial septic service company operating for over 100 years in
March 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Algal Fuel: VG Energy Study Shows Price Parity Possible With Conventional Oil
by Mitchell Anderson (EnergyBoom) Proprietary technology owned by VG Energy could create algal biofuel at costs competitive with current prices for conventional crude according to a report released by the company this week. The study was authored by John Sheehan, former project manager at
March 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Phytonix Corporation Obtains Global License for a Revolutionary Biofuels Technology to Replace Gasoline
(Morningstar Business Wire/Phytonix) Asheville, NC-based Phytonix Corporation now owns the exclusive worldwide licensing rights for a cutting-edge technology to create an environmentally friendly fuel that replaces gasoline. It also has partnered with a top European University laboratory to create the biosafe bacteria
March 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Solutions from the Land Initiative to Address Food Security, Economic Development, Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change
(Solutions from the Land) Sustainable solutions to the challenges of food and energy security, economic development, biodiversity conservation and climate change are the goals of a coalition of resource organizations that was formally announced February 15, 2011. The Solutions from
March 13, 2011 Read Full Article
Have You Heard the Ethanol Production Efficiency Story?
by Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) When I was looking at this “Well-to-Wheels” CO2 Emissions From Alternative Fuels graph produced by NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) I was impressed by the decreasing CO2 emission trendline for the various
March 13, 2011 Read Full Article
Kellogg Biological Station K-12 Partnership Applications due April 19, 2011
(Michigan State University) The KBS K-12 Partnership is is a joint effort among KBS scientists, MSU College of Education faculty, and science teachers and administrators in 12 rural school districts in southwest Michigan. Since 1999 the partnership has been supported
March 13, 2011 Read Full Article
Biomass to Biofuels March 25-April 30 Burlington, VT
Course Description: Depleting fossil fuel reserves and adverse affects of fluctuating oil prices have renewed interest in alternative and sustainable sources of energy. The University of Vermont is actively involved in this area through research and instruction. Experts in following
March 13, 2011 Read Full Article
ACE says Ethanol Better Solution than Tapping into Oil Reserves
(American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) With oil prices now in triple digits and gas prices averaging 75 cents higher than last year, some are calling for oil to be released from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a way to
March 13, 2011 Read Full Article
Big Meat and Its Big Lie
By Stephanie Dreyer (Growth Energy/RenewableEnergyWorld.com) Smithfield, the world's largest producer and processor of pork, reported record profits this quarter as the global economy continues to recover and exports rise. ...Despite these record earnings, just yesterday the American Meat Institute supported legislation introduced from Senators
March 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Klobuchar, Johnson Introduce Legislation to Promote Domestic Energy Production
(Senator Amy Klobuchar) Bill would reduce U.S. dependence on oil, strengthen rural economies, and spur innovation in the energy sector U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) introduced legislation today that focuses on developing and deploying safe, reliable domestically
March 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Growth Energy, Pacific Ethanol Speak Out on Ethanol Tax Credit
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Tom Buis, CEO, Growth Energy: “Anyone who blames ethanol for pain at the pump simply hasn’t looked at the market, where ethanol is historically cheaper than gasoline. In fact, ethanol is the cheapest motor fuel
March 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Enzymes from Garden Compost Could Favour Bioethanol Production
(Lund University) The researcher in question is Nadia Skorupa Parachin and the secret of her technique is enzymes that she extracted from garden soil. If ethanol can be successfully made from xylose then ethanol production could increase by over 20
March 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Plant Is Switching to Butanol
by Matthew L. Wald (New York Times) High oil prices are generally bad news for American companies, but one, Gevo of Englewood, Colo., says that $100-a-barrel oil is opening up a niche. The company bought a factory in Luverne, Minn., that makes ethanol
March 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Neste Oil Celebrates the Grand Opening of Its ISCC-Certified Renewable Diesel Plant in Singapore
(Neste Oil) Neste Oil with Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Mr. Teo Chee Hean, Finnish Minister for Ownership Steering Mr. Jyri Häkämies, and some 200 guests celebrate the grand opening of its renewable diesel plant in
March 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Carnival: BP Doubles Down in Brazil as the Advanced Biofuels Frenzy Continues
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Fast-rising sugar prices, which have made the Brazilian ethanol business a whole lot less appealing (why not simply distribute sugar at 32 cents a pound, instead of processing into ethanol and making less?), haven’t dimmed
March 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Volvo Unveils 3-Mode Hybrid
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Volvo has introduce the first three-mode hybrid in the world during the 81st Geneva International Motor Show this week. During a media preview, the hybrid diesel V60 sedan was unveiled. ...The driver chooses the preferred driving mode via
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Top Advanced Biofuels Groups Meet in Washington for Collaborative Discussion and Capitol Hill Briefing
(Sun Herald) The top trade groups representing the advanced biofuels industry in the United States met today in Washington, D.C. to continue industry-wide collaborative efforts begun last year aimed at improving communication among stakeholders while building a more cohesive industry
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
SG Biofuels Expands into India
(Biofuels International) In the US SG Biofuels, a bioenergy crop company, located in San Diego, California, is expanding its operations into India and has named Subhas Pattnaik as director of operations for the market. ...In India Pattnaik's new role will see
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Sinclair Partners with REG on Biodiesel Blending Terminal
by Luke Geiver (Biodiesel Magazine) Drivers in the Ft. Madison, Iowa, area will now have access to biodiesel after Sinclair Oil Corp. officially announced the company will offer REG-9000 dyed and clear biodiesel blends at its Ft. Madison blending
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
International Energy Agency's Task 39 Publishes 'Algal Biofuels Status and Prospects'
(IEA Bioenergy) The IEA Bioenergy 2010 Annual Report includes a special feature article 'Algal Biofuels Status and Prospects' prepared by Task 39. The Annual Report also includes a report from the Executive Committee and a detailed progress report on each of
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Germany to Proceed with Introduction of E10 after Fuel Summit
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Despite a difficult start, Germany will continue to introduce E10 as a new fuel. Representatives of the German government, as well as agriculture, fuel and auto industries met in a fuel summit March
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Propel Fuels Hosts USDA’s Judith Canales
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Propel Fuels hosted Judith Canales, Administrator for Rural Business and Cooperative Programs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), yesterday at one of the fuel retailer’s stations in Oakland, California yesterday to promote the positive and
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Budget Hawks: Does US Need to Give Gas and Oil Companies $41 Billion a Year?
by Mark Clayton (Christian Science Monitor) As President Obama and Congress look for budget cuts, some experts say federal energy subsidies are ripe for trimming. Among oil companies, nuclear power, and coal, who gets what from US taxpayers? ...But the American
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
ASA Bans ExxonMobil Biofuel Ad
(RAC) The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned an ExxonMobil advertisement after its claims relating to environmental benefits of using algae to form biofuels were found to be misleading. A complaint was filed by a viewer against the TV ad, featuring
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
OARDC Helps Mansfield Company Produce 'Green' Polyurethane Foam, Jobs
(Ohio State University Extension) Waste is a terrible thing to waste. That’s the mantra guiding an OhioState University researcher and a bioenergy entrepreneur in the development of a brand-new, renewable source of polyurethane foam that’s expected to create up to 30 jobs in Mansfield, Ohio,
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Algae to Biofuel Plan on Eyre Peninsula
(ABC News) Farmers in South Australia could soon be producing biofuels on their properties to use in their machinery. Environment engineer Stephen Bedford Clark is setting up an algae-to-biofuel processing plant at Darke Peak on Eyre Peninsula in a bid to
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Kenya: NEMA Orders New Study On Biofuel Tree
by Mazera Ndurya (AllAfrica.com) A team of specialists has been set up to study the viability of the controversial jatropha trees after renewed interest by foreign investors to start the project. The team was formed by the National Environment management Authority
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
KiOR Signs Offtake Agreement with Hunt Refining Company for Renewable Fuels
(American Fuels) KiOR, Inc., announced today that it has signed an offtake agreement with Hunt Refining Company, who has agreed to purchase renewable gasoline and diesel blendstocks and fuel oil produced at KiOR’s first commercial facility to be located in
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Solazyme, Dow Ink 80 Million Gallon Renewable Oil Order from Algal Platform
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Solazyme announced today the execution of both a joint development agreement and a letter of intent with Dow Chemical, to use Solazyme’s algal oils in next generation, bio-based dielectric insulating fluids key to
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Steel in the Ground
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) But this week in the little burgh of Boardman, Oregon (population 3,300), which happens to sit adjacent to the second-largest inland port in the western United States (the port of Morrow, on the Columbia
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
VG Releases Algal Fuel Energy Study
(Algae Industry Magazine) V iral Genetics Energy (VG) has recently announced that it has been able to translate a research discovery related to cancer treatment into a potential breakthrough for biofuels made from algae. According to the company, laboratory experiments
March 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Bill to Handcuff EPA's Greenhouse Gas Regs a Mixed Bag for Biofuels Industry
by Jean Chemnick (Greenwire/New York Times) ...The 2007 energy law requires EPA to consider land-use changes in other countries that result from fuel production when calculating a fuel's carbon footprint. But before he agreed to support the climate change bill
March 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Grassley Says Corn-Based Fuel Part of Overall Energy Picture
by Matt Kelley (Radio Iowa) At a political event in central Iowa last night, former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer promised to end ethanol subsidies if he’s elected president. Roemer’s comment didn’t wow the crowd in the heart of the nation’s
March 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Gas Prices and the Use of E85
by Max Resnik (Indiana's News Center) Could E-85, the 85% ethanol based gasoline, prove to be the cure to curb the pain at the pump? In the Summit City, E-85, on average, is going for about $0.40 less per gallon. But
March 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Illinois Corn Farmers Back Coupons for Ethanol Blend in Rental Vehicles
(WQAD/AP) Illinois corn farmers and the American Lung Association are teaming up to encourage drivers to use an ethanol blend to fuel up their rental cars. Enterprise Rent-A-Car customers renting "flex fuel vehicles" will get $10 coupons for the purchase of E85...
March 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Gets Boost from Rising Oil Prices
by Erin Golden (Omaha.com) ...Headlines about higher gas prices are putting a big-picture focus on the country’s dependence on oil, said Todd Becker, the CEO of Omaha-based ethanol producer Green Plains Renewable Energy. And on a smaller scale, he said,
March 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Japan's First Plant for Manufacturing Ethanol from Tangerine Residue Reaches Completion
(Japan for Sustainability) A pilot plant for manufacturing bioethanol fuel from the residue from tangerine juice production was completed on October 25, 2010, at the Matsuyama Factory of Ehime Beverage Inc., a manufacturer of citrus juice. The technology for manufacturing bioethanol
March 09, 2011 Read Full Article
New Economic Study Affirms that Livestock Producers Benefit from Biodiesel
(National Biodiesel Board) Thanks to biodiesel, soybean oil and meal economics favor the livestock industry concludes a study released today. In addition without America’s advanced biofuel in the marketplace higher soybean meal prices could have cost the livestock industry $4.8 billion
March 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Monsanto Invests in Sapphire; Goes Hunting for Yield Traits in the Wild, Wild Wet
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...But let’s take this opportunity to really lock down an understanding of Sapphire. That will help reveal the motivations and opportunities in this deal. But also, in a larger sense, will help clarify the algal
March 09, 2011 Read Full Article
What’s the Difference between Biodiesel and Renewable (Green) Diesel?
This remains here for historical purposes. See updated and expanded version: https://advancedbiofuelsusa.info/advanced-biofuels-usa-publishes-updated-whats-the-difference-between-biodiesel-and-renewable-green-diesel/ editor's note: We have observed confusion in conversations about biodiesel and renewable diesel. Just as many people ask for a "Kleenex" when they have a cold, many people say
March 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Evaluating a Biomass Refinery
by Rowley Tedlock (Kleinfelder) and Richard Holder (Jason Associates/Renewable Energy World) Detailed environmental evaluations consider alternatives and the effect of developing a cellulosic ethanol plant with a power generation component. The Abengoa Bioenergy Biorefinery of Kansas (ABBK) in Hugoton, Kansas,
March 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Feels Squeeze as Congress Tightens Belt
by Elana Shor (Greenwire/New York Times) ...Major oil companies, Hartwig added, "make $50 billion a quarter in profits, yet still get billions of dollars of permanent subsidies in the tax code each and every year. Is that a wise
March 08, 2011 Read Full Article
New Study – More Ethanol Commitment Needed to Meet RFS2
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) In a new study from Air Improvement Resource, Inc. (AIR) commissioned by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), the requirements of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) can be met with ethanol if more infrastructure is put into
March 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Mind-Bending Microbes
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) New isobutanol-producing and protein-munching microbes from UCLA remind us that biofuels remain in the anything-but-static, eye-popping era of their development. The Digest’s “mind-bending breakthrough” in-basket is overflowing this week with advances in the fermentation of protein
March 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Codexis Expanding Beyond Biofuels to Carbon Capture, Plastics
by Michael Kanellos (GreenTechMedia) Enzymes will take off once the cellulosic economy gets moving, says Alan Shaw. ...Codexis meanwhile, has seen its stock go to $10.56, or $2.50 below the IPO price. CEO Alan Shaw, however, says that one has to
March 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Who’s the Boss? The Salt-Water, Fresh-Water Divide in Agricultural Research
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Reporter Bob Brooks followed up on the Digest’s story on phosphorus reserves with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, asking about opportunities with and research in aqua farming and salt-water tolerant species. “USDA’s scope is limited to
March 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Portable Ethanol Machine Studied as Way to Have Grand Rapids Community Fuel Depot
by Myron Kukla (Grand Rapids Press/MLive.com) Angel Gonzalez looks over a new portable ethanol machine designed for farm use and wonders if it could help families in his Belknap neighborhood make low-cost “community fuel.” “It’s just an idea at this point,