by Jennifer Larino (NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune ) Cool Planet Energy Systems, a Colorado energy startup that aims to turn woodchips and other organic waste into gasoline as well as a crop-boosting soil enhancer, says it has started clearing land to build
biochar
Back TO HOMEAnswers for Your Questions about the Bioeconomy, Biofuels, Renewable Chemicals and Bioproducts
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... With great sessions at conferences, delegates are usually keen to get a hold of the powerpoint decks. But how do you get a hold of the great Q&A that follows the presentations — or the
August 14, 2014 Read Full Article
Students Present Research at Ethanol Conference
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Several University of Minnesota students are giving the ethanol industry a preview of their cutting-edge research in biofuels, biochemicals and bioproducts during the 27th Annual Ethanol Conference in Minneapolis. One such student is Sahana Ramanna who is a
August 07, 2014 Read Full Article
Pyrolysis of Biomass for Fuels and Chemicals: NEWBio Webinar Report
by Olatomiwa Bifarin* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The June edition of the Northeast bioenergy webinar series by Northeast Woody/Warm-season Biomass Consortium (NEWBio) featured Kwesi Boateng - Lead Scientist at the United States Department of Energy, Agricultural Research Service, (USDA-ARS) Eastern Regional
June 13, 2014 Read Full Article
Hoke Refinery to Reopen Using Tobacco to Make Ethanol
by Matthew Burns (WRAL) A Virginia company plans to reopen an ethanol refinery in Hoke County, using tobacco as its primary feedstock, officials said Monday. The former Clean Burn Fuels biorefinery in Raeford has been idle for more than three
June 03, 2014 Read Full Article
10 Bellwether Biofuels & Biobased Projects for 2014
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Advanced biofuels – are plans turning into reality? Are development plans realistic? When these 10 projects open for business (or not) in 2014, you’ll know for sure. ...Well, the picture is incomplete. Plants like the Valero Darling renewable
April 15, 2014 Read Full Article
Of Auxins, Toxins and Raging Hormones: Does Biochar Really Work?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... One of the latest entries is a study out of the UK’s University of Southampton, with assist from researchers in Scotland and Italy, that delves into the pros and cons of the soil amendment known
April 01, 2014 Read Full Article
Cool Planet Breaks Ground on Commercial Facility
(Cool Planet/Biomass Magazine) Cool Planet Energy Systems, a technology company producing green fuels and biochar products, has broken ground on the company’s first commercial facility in Alexandria, La., dubbed Project Genesis. Permits have been received to begin earthwork and grading,
February 28, 2014 Read Full Article
New Policy Paper Discusses Future of the Biochar Industry
(University of Northern British Columbia) Biochar, a renewable charcoal-like product derived from burning organic matter in a high-temperature oxygen-limited kiln, could be a substitute for the coal and some of the natural gas burned in British Columbia, according to a
February 24, 2014 Read Full Article
Scientific Results Presented at 2013 ASA Annual Meeting Indicated: The Environmental Benefits of Biofuels Are Much More than We Had Thought
by Danilo Gusmão de Quadros* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The substitution of fossil fuels by advanced biofuels per se has a huge impact on the environment through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, consequently mitigating global warming effects by the transportation
December 31, 2013 Read Full Article
2013 North American Biochar Symposium: Science, Passion and Practice
by Danilo Gusmao de Quadros (Advanced Biofuels USA)* Biochar is a black matter produced by pyrolysis of biomass (burned without or with a little amount of oxygen), which can be used as a soil amendment. Pyrolysis is a thermochemical process
November 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Biochar Quiets Microbes, Including Some Plant Pathogens
by Jade Boyd (Rice University) Synthetic biologists at Rice probe biochar’s impact on microbial signaling In the first study of its kind, Rice University scientists have used synthetic biology to study how a popular soil amendment called “biochar” can interfere with
November 22, 2013 Read Full Article
A Systematic Review of Biochar Research, with a Focus on Its Stability in situ and Its Promise as a Climate Mitigation Strategy
by Noel P. Gurwick, Lisa A. Moore, Charlene Kelly, Patricia Elias (PLOSone) Claims about the environmental benefits of charring biomass and applying the resulting “biochar” to soil are impressive. If true, they could influence land management worldwide. Alleged benefits include increased crop yields, soil
October 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Cool Planet Announces Commercial Trials of Biochar
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) Cool Planet Energy Systems has announced the launch of its trademarked Cool Terra biochar for commercial agricultural trials. The company’s high-performance biochar soil amendments are designed for specific applications. Rick Wilson, vice president of biochar at
October 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Soils (English)
(World Bank) The purpose of this report is to improve the knowledge base for facilitating investments in land management technologies that sequester soil organic carbon. While there are many studies on soil carbon sequestration, there is no single unifying volume
October 17, 2013 Read Full Article
Acritaz Greentech Taps Cool Planet System for Commercial Biorefineries in Malaysia
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Colorado, Cool Planet Energy Systems and Acritaz Greentech announced that they have signed an agreement to explore the building of multiple commercial facilities in Malaysia. The plan is to begin construction on the first plant
October 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Cool Planet for Biogasoline
by Rich Piellisch (Fleets and Fuels) Vehicle in Ventura ‘Brings Us One Step Closer to Commercializing’ Camarillo, Calif.-based Cool Planet is talking up the successful trial of its biomass-derived synthetic gasoline with the Ventura County Parks Department. There, officials ran a
August 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Cool Planet to Invest $168M in Louisiana – Stealthy Biotechnology Heads for Scale
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The complete Cool Planet story. What is it? Why transformational? What are the next steps? New venture will convert wood waste to gasoline. In Louisiana, Cool Planet Energy Systems CEO Howard Janzen, flanked by Louisiana Gov.
August 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Whoops: Soils Can't Lock Away Black Carbon or Biochar, Study Says.
by Tim Radford (The Daily Climate) Charcoal and other forms of black carbon do not, as previously thought, stay where they are buried. They migrate to the oceans and recirculate the carbon they contain. Climate scientists may have to rethink some
May 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Biochar Slashes Bioenergy Soil Emissions
by Tom Marshall (Planet Earth Online) Adding charcoal to land used to grow bioenergy crops can greatly increase their overall benefit in helping cut our greenhouse-gas emissions, scientists have shown. Applying so-called 'biochar' before planting energy crops can cut soil greenhouse-gas
April 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Biorefinery 2015 – The Shape of Advanced Biofuels to Come – Part II
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Today in part II, we look at a new set of technologies coming along that are redefining our ideas about scale and cost. ... A barrier to long term deployment? The $11 per gallon average capital
March 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Team Develops Sustainable Process for Wastewater Algae to Biocrude
(FIS.com) A team at the University of Kansas has demonstrated the feasibility of an integrated wastewater algae-to-biocrude process using hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) that can sustainably cultivate algal biomass for biofuel production. A paper on their work is published in the
February 19, 2013 Read Full Article
New Initiative Equips Farmers to Combat Climate Change and Increase Food Security
(BusinessWire) Radio Lifeline, a non-profit based in the US, announces the launch of the Black Earth Project, a new initiative designed to help farmers mitigate the growing effects of climate change. Radio Lifeline’s partner in this project is re:char, a leading developer of small-scale biochar
February 19, 2013 Read Full Article
CALL FOR PAPERS: North American Biochar Symposium 2013 October 13-16, 2013 Amherst, MA DEADLINE: March 4, 2013
The symposium will be organized into the following tracks: Feedstocks and Technology, chaired by Hugh McLaughlin Benefits of Biochar, chaired by Kathleen Draper Scales, Sales, and Marketing, chaired by Amanda Ravenhill Policy and Community Engagement, chaired by Erich Knight We are currently reviewing abstracts for these tracks. We look forward to hearing about
January 23, 2013 Read Full Article
The Pine Beetle Problem: Making Renewable Energy Lemonade from Biomass Lemons
by Bruce Dorminey (Renewable Energy World) ...Armed with a $200,000 U.S.D.A. two-year research grant, Fernando Resende will start work on a fast pyrolysis mobile reactor next year that could revolutionize how foresters and the timber industry currently deals with millions of
October 24, 2012 Read Full Article
[LL] Cool Planet Rocks the Bells
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What are Google, BP, Conoco, and GE investing? Is 3,000 gallons per acre of renewable gasoline possible? In the past few weeks, news has begun to circulate around the industry – and expanded by Twitter and
March 05, 2012 Read Full Article
Cool Planet BioFuels Announces Road Testing of Negative Carbon Gasoline Begins in California
(Cool Planet BioFuels/MarketWatch) Cool Planet BioFuels announced today it has received approval from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to begin fleet-testing its negative carbon gasoline. Cool Planet BioFuel's technology converts low-grade biomass -- such as grass and woodchips --
January 12, 2012 Read Full Article
Could Biomass Technology Help Commercialize Biochar?
by Robert Crowe (Renewable Energy World) ...Research shows biochar improves soil fertility, decreases water pollution and even mitigates heavy metals. The charcoal-like substance has enthusiastic support from researchers and the sustainability movement, but it has been slow to commercialize. “This is a
November 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Grass to Fuel: Study Aims to Grow Energy Crops on Marginal Lands
by Phil Brasher (Des Moines Register) Researchers at Iowa State University have won a $25 million federal grant to figure out ways to make it economical for farmers in the region to grow switchgrass and other perennial crops for production
September 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Farms of the Future: Bio-oil, Biochar from Biomass
by Lance Nixon (Renewable Energy World) Those pyrolysis plants would pass that crude “bio-oil” on to refineries elsewhere to be made into drop-in fuels and industrial chemicals; they would capture and use for their own energy needs a byproduct called
July 26, 2011 Read Full Article
Greenhouse Packs A Power Punch
by Joan Melcher (BioCycle) Closed loop system utilizes gasification, algae ponds and anaerobic digestion to convert wood waste to a variety of products, including biofuel, biogas and a soil amendment. Michael Smith is supervising the first commercial-scaleGreen Power House at the
July 19, 2011 Read Full Article
Iowa State Hybrid Lab Combines Technologies to Make Biorenewable Fuels and Products
(Iowa State University) Laura Jarboe pointed to a collection of test tubes in her Iowa State University laboratory. Some of the tubes looked like they were holding very weak coffee. That meant microorganisms - in this case, Shewanella bacteria - were
June 24, 2011 Read Full Article
Earthworm Avoidance of Biochar Can Be Mitigated by Wetting
by Dong Li, William C. Hockaday, Caroline A. Masiello and Pedro J.J. Alvarez (Science Direct) Biochar has a great potential for enhancing soil fertility and carbon sequestration while enabling beneficial waste disposition. Because of the potential for widespread application, it is essential to proactively assess
June 06, 2011 Read Full Article
Stevens Students Develop Cheaper, Greener, Alternative Energy Storage
(Stevens Institute of Technology) Every year, the world consumes 15 Terrawatts of power. Since the amount of annual harvestable solar energy has been estimated at 50 Terrawatts, students at Stevens Institute of Technology are working on a supercapacitor that will
June 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels Project Wins $1 Million Competition
(University of Hawaii) A two-pronged University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa project to advance the use of biofuels in the Islands has won a $1 million sustainability research competition. The two-year project, led by Michael J. Cooney from UH Mānoa’s Hawai‘i Natural
May 16, 2011 Read Full Article
USDA Grants Support Sustainable Bioenergy Production
(U.S. Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced research grants awarded to spur production of bioenergy and biobased products that will lead to the development of sustainable regional systems and help create jobs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
April 13, 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
GE Unit Invests in Biofuels Producer
by Candace Lombardi (Green Tech) GE subsidiary GE Energy Financial Services and North Bridge Venture Partners will invest $8 million in a company developing a biofuel production process coupled with the production of biochar. Cool Planet Biofuels converts cellulosic byproducts like plant
November 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Sustainable Biochar to Mitigate Global Climate Change
by By Dominic Woolf, James E. Amonette, et al. (Nature Communications) Production of biochar (the carbon (C)-rich solid formed by pyrolysis of biomass) and its storage in soils have been suggested as a means of abating climate change by sequestering carbon,
September 14, 2010 Read Full Article
Keeneland Races Ahead on the Green
by Campbell Wood (Business Lexington) Horse farm managers across the Bluegrass have their eyes on Keeneland's proposed bio-fuel project. ... The problem being what to do daily with tons upon tons of muck, a mixture of about 97 percent straw
February 10, 2010 Read Full Article
Biochar as the New Black Gold
by Bill Hewitt (Grist) Imagine a system that can: (potentially) store billions of tons of carbon in soil for centuries; dramatically reduce agricultural waste, forest debris and some municipal solid waste, thus eliminating the production of greenhouse gases that result from their