by Marcius Extavour (XPRIZE/Biofuels Digest)  … Hydrocarbon drop-in fuels are among the leading products targeted by the CO2 conversion community, be it diesel, methanol, butanol, or others. New approaches to the science and technology of CO2-to-fuels may …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  Colorado State University scientists and Arizona State University’s Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation are partners in a three-year grant of up to $3.5 million from the Department of Energy, aimed …

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest)  … Regardless of which side of the fence you are on, the chopping continues and there are literally tons of wood waste left behind that doesn’t get used up, but …

(VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland/Biomass Magazine)  EU-funded project COMSYN aims to develop a production concept for competitive biobased fuels by means of a compact gasification and synthesis process. The target reduction of the biofuel …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The US Department of Energy is supporting a project to develop and optimize a hybrid separation method to recover high-value methoxyphenols to improve the process economics and environmental impact for the …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … Let’s look at the hard data — let’s see what is critically different about algae, compared to other staple crop agriculture we known and understand. in this case, the …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The US Department of Energy is supporting a project to demonstrate solvent liquefaction as viable path to stable intermediates for subsequent upgrading to fuel blendstocks. This is based on a …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Back in 2014, Sapphire Energy and the US Department of Energy embarked on a project to advance Sapphire’s (then) biomass production technologies across three priority areas to meet a target …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Hydrothermal liquefaction has a huge fan base in the biorefinery R&D sector. There’s lots to like.  It’s robust tech and can be applied to attractive, low-cost wet feedstocks (ag resid, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Honeywell’s UOP has developed a renewable jet fuel processing technology, a renewable diesel process, as well as a joint venture, Envergent Technologies, that will market technologies and equipment for generating …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Lysle Whitmer on behalf of an Iowa State-led group of researchers gave this illuminating overview of Liquefaction of Forest Biomass to Drop-in Fuels, at the 2017 DOE Project Peer Review sessions. …

by Geert De Clercq (Reuters)  Norwegian utility Statkraft has found a way to produce biofuel from wood chippings and other solid organic waste, which it says replicates in minutes a process that made crude oil underground …

(UPM)  UPM Biofuels commissioned a study from leading international energy and climate consultancy Ecofys – A Navigant Company, entitled “Crude tall oil low ILUC risk assessment: comparing global supply and demand”. The study looked into …

by Blaine Friedlander (Cornell University)  In a classic tale of turning trash into treasure, two different processes soon may be the favored dynamic duo to turn food waste into green energy, according to a new …

by Lorenz Bauer (Lee Enterprises Consulting, Inc./Biofuels Digest)  After many years of development biomass pyrolysis is finally maturing as a commercial technology. Pyrolysis is not incineration. The goal is to use heat in the absence of …

(U.S. Department of Energy)The Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced the winner of the 2017 BioenergizeME Infographic Challenge on May 4 during a special awards ceremony. The winning infographic, titled “Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Algae,” was created …

by Francesca Brindle (Hydrocarbon Engineering)  Southern Oil has announced that Queensland Premier, the Hon. Annastacia Palaszczuk MP, will officially open the Northern Oil advanced biofuels pilot plant in Gladstone on 1 June 2017. The $18 …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Canada, Advanced Biofuels Canada revealed a signficant expansion of its membership. New members include: Cellufuel Inc. is currently operating a demonstration-scale facility producing clean synthetic diesel from lowvalue forestry residues. Ensyn Corporation …

by Dyani Lewis (The Guardian)  Oilier plants, new processing technologies and multipurpose crops could put the biofuel industry back in the race for greener transport fuels.  —  Biofuels have long been touted as a carbon-neutral …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For the world of renewable fuels — the only significant carbon legislation on the books, it really doesn’t matter what the oil price is. The RFS creates a separate market for …

(University of Washington/Biomass Magazine)  The mountain pine beetle has destroyed more than 40 million acres of forest in the western United States. That amounts to an area the size of Washington state that is strewn …

by Tux Turkel (Portland Press Herald)  ‘The biggest obstacle now is financing,’ says Stephen Fitzpatrick, president of Biofine Technology LLC, which is partnering with UMaine on a pilot plant at the site.  —  The former …

by Liz Gyekye  (Bioenergy Insight)  A new paper by researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) describes a process that captures methane from natural gas and biogas and that uses photosynthesis to convert it into biomass feedstock.
The …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Licella produces drop-in biofuels from a wide range of biomass and uses a supercritical water-based technology and catalysts to break up biomass and reform it into a drop-in fuel hydrocarbon.
The …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Honeywell’s UOP has developed a renewable jet fuel processing technology, a renewable diesel process, as well as a joint venture, Envergent Technologies, that will market technologies and equipment for generating …

(Government of Canada/CNW)  Investments support Canadian-based technologies and create opportunities for businesses to grow and contribute to clean economic growth. —  Technology and the innovation it helps promote are key to the future of Canada’s …

(Netzwerk Biotreibstoffe/WERF (Water Environment and Reuse Foundation))  This project was conducted in order to determine if hydrothermal processing (HTP) technology has potential for treating wastewater solids. In particular, it looked at the Genifuel HTP technology …

(Iowa State University)  A special issue of the journal Energy Technology details the latest advances in pyrolysis technologies for converting biomass into fuels, chemicals and fertilizers.
Two pyrolysis experts are guest editors of the issue: Robert …

by Emily Witty (MD Biz News)  … (Ryan) Powell and his business partner Onur Unal are the founders of Manta Biofuel, a Baltimore-based biotechnology firm producing renewable crude oil through the harvesting and processing of algae. …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  To demonstrate an advanced biofuels technology that integrates a catalytic biomass pyrolysis step and a hydroprocessing step to produce infrastructure compatible biofuels, here’s the basic recipe, according to a research …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  To “Demonstrate an advanced biofuels technology that integrates a catalytic biomass pyrolysis step and a hydroprocessing step to produce infrastructure compatible biofuels,” that’s the ratuional behind a DOE project with …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  Today, the Energy Department (DOE) announced the selection of six projects for up to $12.9 million in federal funding, entitled, “Project Definition for Pilot- and Demonstration-Scale Manufacturing of Biofuels, Bioproducts, and …

by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest)  In Maryland, the state’s Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) announced today that 19 companies have received over $1.9 million in funding from the organization’s Seed Investment Fund in the last six …

(Australian Renewable Energy Agency) Australia’s first advanced green fuels laboratory has opened its doors in regional Queensland, thanks to support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), allowing researchers to test biocrude on our shores …

by Megan Geuss (Ars Technica)  Wastewater treatment plants rejoice—you may have a hot commodity on your hands.  —  Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Labs (PNNL) have developed a new method for treating human sewage to …

(The Villager)  The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Colorado announced the winners of its 2017 Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) on Nov. 7 at a celebration luncheon held at The Brown Palace Hotel and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Ensyn uses its patented and proprietary RTP fast thermal technology to convert wood residues and other non-food, cellulosic biomass to liquid biofuels. Ensyn has had continuous commercial operations for more than …

by Mark Elless (U.S. Department of Energy)  Switchgrass, algae, forest trimmings, corn husks and corn stalks you can’t eat these crops, and you would never put them on your table for Thanksgiving; however, together they …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In 2011, KiOR raised $150 million in its June IPO, claiming that it was generating yields of 67 gallons per ton in its Demo unit operations. But it was miles …

by Antoine C. Schellinger (Biofuels Digest/ International Alliance Group)  … The EPA has performed lifecycle analysis on certain pathways and published them in the CFR as approved pathways. They are labeled with sequential alphabetical characters and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Fulcrum BioEnergy has developed a “game-changing process for converting municipal solid waste that would otherwise be landfilled, into renewable transportation fuels including syncrude, jet fuel and diesel”. The company has …

by Alison Goss Eng (U.S. Department of Energy/Renewable Energy World)  The beautiful island of Kauai, Hawaii, is known for its pristine beaches and dramatic mountain ranges. But Kauai is not just a vacation spot; it …

(Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)  Technology converts human waste into bio-based fuel  —  It may sound like science fiction, but wastewater treatment plants across the United States may one day turn ordinary sewage into biocrude oil, …

by Terry Mazanec (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest)  … So the process removes and processes about 25 tonnes of earth to obtain each gram of Pt, valued at about $35. It is a very lucrative business.
Biomass is much …

by Meghan Gordon (Platts)  US advanced biofuels production could get a boost under a rule change the Environmental Protection Agency is considering that would allow conventional refineries to receive renewable fuel credits for using drop-in biofuels …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  This past June, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in partnership with Particulate Solids Research, Inc. and Springs Fabrication, installed a recirculating regenerating riser reactor (R-Cubed) in their pilot-scale …

(Bioenergy Deployment Consortium)  A successful BDC Fall Symposium was held in Washington DC on September 27-28, 2016.  A combination of Government Agency Directors and Sr. Advisors were joined by outstanding leaders in the bio-industry to …

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine)  … Within the proposed rule, the EPA explains that the RFS registration, reporting, recordkeeping and product transfer document (PTD) requirements were designed with the general expectation that renewable biomass would be …

(Fuel Marketer News)  Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released their proposed rule for Ethanol Flex Fuel and Renewable Enhancement and Growth Support (REGS) Rule. This proposal intends to provide regulatory clarification for ethanol blends …

(Environmental Protection Agency)  EPA is proposing enhancements to its Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) program and other related fuel regulations to support market growth of ethanol and other renewable fuels in the U.S. These proposed changes …

(PR Web)  Monarca BioJet fuel project in the Yucatan of Mexico is adding another 33,000 hectares of Jatropha to produce seed oil feedstock so they can export directly to the US to supply BioFuel refineries …

by Susan van Dyk and Stephen Schuck (IEA Bioenergy Task 39 and Bioenergy Australia)  …  While Australia has large energy resources, it is a net importer of crude oil and refined petroleum products. In
2013, net product imports were …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  This season, The Digest is hosting the Strategic Intent webinar series, looking at the plans, progress and future milestones of strategic stakeholders in the Advanced Bioeconomy.  In this slide deck, we looked …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  You may recall that The Bloomberg investigative team of Ben Elgin & Peter Waldman in 2013 published an expose on Chevron claiming that the company had developed — then buried …

by Jim Lane and Ron Cascone (Biofuels Digest/NEXANT)  Recently, we held a popular webinar on Renewables and the Advanced Bioeconomy with NEXANT principal Ron Cascone, for which you can see the slides here.
During the webinar, we received …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … But so far, the company and its celebrity investors and directors such as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and famed venture capitalist Vinod Khosla had escaped close scrutiny.
…
The methods …

by Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice (Reuters/Yahoo! Finance)  …  The alternative is for merchant refiners to increase their ability to blend ethanol. PBF Energy is the latest refiner to take this approach.
PBF has asked Delaware regulators …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Wisconsin, Tesoro reached an agreement for Tesoro to acquire Virent. The acquisition, the partners said, will support the scale up and commercialization of Virent’s BioForming technology for the production …

(RTI International)  The U.S. Department of Energy awarded RTI International a project to support the development of biomass-to-hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways that can produce variable amounts of fuels or products.
As part of the more than …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, the US Department of Energy announced up to $11.3 million for three projects that support the development of biomass-to-hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways that, as the DOE remarked, “can …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … The company was beginning to hurtle towards an IPO. But the fuel yields were low; the fuel was not usable by their initial chosen downstream partner; the catalyst they were …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … Ensyn announced ground-breaking on a new 10.5 million gallon biocrude project in Port-Cartier Quebec.  The facility, which will be 50% owned by Ensyn and will receive financing support from Sustainable Development Technology Canada.
The …

by Niall Byrne (Renewable Energy World)  Ongoing research at the AINST, which is headquartered at the new AU $150 million Sydney Nanoscience Hub, could give us energy storage embedded in the walls and roofs of …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  Kate Sequeira produced this video interview with UCSD biology professor Stephen Mayfield for the San Diego Union Tribune. Dr. Mayfield has spent the past 25 years experimenting with algae, and now focuses …

(Algae Industry Magazine) Manta Biofuel, of Bethesda, Maryland has won a $1 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy to further develop its algal technology. A member of Bethesda Green’s business incubator, Manta Biofuel LLC is a …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  A Digest reader writes: I’m looking to summarize the changes over the last 2-3 years in the biofuels market. Are you aware of any articles or summaries on this topic? It’s a …

by Jon Hernandez (CBC News)  New facility could produce up to 400,000 barrels of biocrude annually, says Canfor Pulp president  —  One of the world’s largest logging companies is looking to get into the oil business.
Canfor is …

by Militsa Mancheva  (See News Renewables)  The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) said Thursday it will help finance Southern Oil Refining Pty Ltd’s (SOR) biocrude and biofuel test laboratory in the state of Queensland.
ARENA is contributing …

(Phys.Org) A jar of bio-oil, an alternate “crude oil” for transportation fuels currently made from petroleum, is created by first rapidly heating plant matter in a process called pyrolysis. Scientists then use catalysts to remove oxygen …

(University of Sydney)  International paper waste and plastic recycling contracts signed for ground-breaking Australian technology.  —  It’s been a busy few days for Australian start-up Licella, whose innovative technology, developed in partnership with the University …

(IWBweek.com)  IWB Week was held at Stockholmsmässan 24-26 May, 2016. The three eventful days confirmed IWB Weeks´s status as the premier and most progressive meeting place for the wood biorefining industries including pulp, paper, bioenergy …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Licella produces drop-in biofuels from a wide range of biomass and uses a supercritical water-based technology and catalysts to break up biomass and reform it into a drop-in fuel hydrocarbon.
The …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Licella and Canfor will form a joint-venture under the name “Licella Pulp Joint Venture” to integrate Licella’s unique Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor upgrading platform into Canfor Pulp’s kraft and mechanical pulp …

by Mahmood Ebadian (Biomass and Bioenergy Research Group/Biomass Supply Chain Consulting Ltd./Biofuels Digest)  …With specialization occurring in feedstock engineering, these new business entities will be well-positioned to produce multiple products including both intermediate and final …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  Recognizing the importance of biofuels to energy and climate security, the Energy Department today announced up to $90 million in project funding focused on designing, constructing and operating integrated biorefinery facilities. …

by  Rosalie Marion Bliss (US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service)  …  Now, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have advanced a process to produce crude liquid fuel called “bio-oil” from agricultural waste. The bio-oil is …

(James Cook University)  A native freshwater algae grown in northern Australia can be used to create a high-quality, renewable jet fuel, an international research team has found.
The multi-disciplinary team including researchers from James Cook University, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Yesterday, we held a well-attended webinar on “Drop-In Fuels” Here below is the first slide deck presented on the day. We’ll have the remainder of slides tomorrow.
The recorded version can …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In California, United Airlines will be using jet biofuels produced by AltAir using Honeywell UOP technology on up to 150 flights a day out of Los Angeles, the Digest has …

by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine)  Ensyn Corp.’s chief technology officer Barry Freel announced the company has been granted key regulatory approvals by California Air Resources Board pursuant to the low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) on …

by David MacNeal (Ars Technica)  The facility smell? “That’s money,” Todd French says. “That’s what it smells like.” —  “By the time it gets here, David, it’s no longer my poop,” says microbiologist Todd French …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, Ensyn Chairman Dr. Robert Graham has received the 2016 Holmberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in Bioenergy.  …  Commenting on the award, Jim Lane said “Bob Graham founded Ensyn in …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Florida, ARA completed the delivery of over 150,000 gallons of 100% drop-in jet and diesel fuel to fulfill its DLA/US Navy certification fuel contract, two months ahead of schedule. …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Texas, Tesoro has unveiled its plan to foster the development of biocrude made from renewable biomass, which can be co-processed in its existing refineries, along with traditional crude oil.
And …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Tesoro has unveiled its plan to foster the development of biocrude made from renewable biomass, which can be co-processed in its existing refineries, along with traditional crude oil. And the …

by Rosalie Bliss (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service)   … U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have advanced a process to produce a crude liquid called “bio-oil” from agricultural waste. The team is headed …

by Tom Ewing (Renewable Energy World)   As oil prices plummet, are drop-in aviation biofuel refineries ever going to be built?  —  In September 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE), along with the Departments of the …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a conditional commitment for a $70 million loan guarantee to help build a cellulosic biorefinery in central Georgia. USDA is providing the loan guarantee conditional …

by Frances White (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)  Three technologies — a computational tool to improve power grid planning, a process to create biofuel from kelp and a hybrid device that makes hydrogen and stores energy …

(Ensyn/Biomass Magazine)  Robert Graham, chairman of Ensyn Corp., is pleased to announce that Ensyn has been granted a key regulatory approval from the U.S. EPA for its renewable gasoline product, RFGasoline. This approval, pursuant to …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Taking in algae, biomass and organic waste streams, Muradel is using Green2Black, a suite of state of the art harvesting, extraction and sub-critical water reactor technologies, to produce “green crude” …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Ensyn uses its patented and proprietary RTP fast thermal technology to convert wood residues and other non-food, cellulosic biomass to liquid biofuels. Ensyn has had continuous commercial operations for more than …

(Michigan State University)  A new $1 million relationship between Michigan State University and ExxonMobil will expand research designed to progress the fundamental science required to advance algae-based fuels.
David Kramer, MSU’s John Hannah Distinguished Professor in …

(Lux Research/MarketWired)  Ethanol and Biodiesel Continue Their Domination but Remain Relatively Flat, While Novel Fuels and Novel Feedstocks Grow at Double-Digit Rates, Says Lux Research
Global biofuels capacity will grow to 61 billion gallons per year …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Fulcrum BioEnergy has developed a “game-changing process for converting municipal solid waste that would otherwise be landfilled, into renewable transportation fuels including syncrude, jet fuel and diesel”. The company has …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  It’s been around for a generation or so — fast pyrolysis, that is. Though in the original low-tech incarnation — known as “cooking fire” — pyrolysis has been around since …

(Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute )  The Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program, an initiative of the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) in the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, has approved …

(Algae Industry Magazine)   Biocrude oil obtained from hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of algae can be an energy-efficient replacement for the fossil crude oil normally used in the production of fuels. HTL is a high-pressure, high-temperature …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … “ALTACA Enerji” is the leading technology company of Turkey focused on energy from waste. We currently own and operate the largest integrated biogas and bio-fertilizer plant in the region. We …

(Global Newswire/Global Bioenergies)  First batch of  “renewable oil”; Ground and air transportation fuels; Perspective of new industrial sectors; Prevention of climate change
Global Bioenergies announces today having converted renewable resources into gaseous isobutene, and secondarily into liquid fuels similar …

(Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc.)  Fixed-Price Contract Guarantees Cost, Schedule and Plant Performance —  Launches Commercialization of Fulcrum BioEnergy’s Process for Converting Household Garbage into Low-Cost Renewable Jet Fuel and Diesel
Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc., announced today that it …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington state, a new study released in the journal Energy & Fuels is providing the first, fully integrated assessment of common feedstocks from the field to refinery-ready crude fuel, …

(TopSpeed.com)  According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, carbon dioxide levels are at an 800,000-year high, but what if we could pluck CO2 particles out of thin air to use as a raw material …

by Leqian Liu, Anny Pan, Caitlin Spofford, Nijia Zhou, Hal S. Alper (Metabolic Engineering)  Lipogenic organisms provide an ideal platform for biodiesel and oleochemical production. Through our previous rational metabolic engineering efforts, lipogenesis titers in Yarrowia …

by Stefaniya Becking* (Advanced Biofuels USA)  The “Waste to Biogas and Clean Fuels Finance and Investment” summit provided a myriad of opportunities to get the latest intelligence on biogas and the clean fuel industry as …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A Florida algae-to-ethanol operation is poised to go commercial scale with a project colocated with a natural-gas-fired power plant.
By harnessing CO2, sunlight, saltwater and algae, Algenol’s technology takes only 25 …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  Developing renewable fuel from wet algae is one of the latest innovations Richland, Washington-based Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has successfully driven to the market with the help of commercial partners. As …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … Why must “the entire value chain of production from feedstock to finished product be conducted at a single location” asks Antoine Schellinger, VP of Strategy and Technology at Triten IAG.
Should …

by Jeff Amy  (The Dispatch/Associated Press)  The state of Mississippi has sued billionaire Vinod Khosla and others, saying they knew long ago that bankrupt biofuel firm KiOR had poor prospects for success, but misled the …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  As the specter of falling oil prices spooks the sector, here’s good news from the Land of ILUC — a shocker study pointing a way towards mitigating or eliminating that …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Oil prices continue to show incredible volatility. $106 in June, $50 today. Which biofuels ventures have the pro-formas to make money in a tough market? The Digest investigates.
…
Avello Bioenergy
Cost: $57.50 per …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  Renewable fuels company Muradel has launched Australia’s first integrated demonstration plant to sustainably convert algae into green crude, as a first step towards a commercial plant with the potential to produce 80 …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The state of R&D so far. 4 NAABB advances  have brought the cost of algae biocrude oil down to $7.50 per gallon.  3 roadblocks remain between today’s cost and $3.00.  In our …

by Mark Waller (New Orleans Times Picayune) For Brandon Iglesias, there wasn’t a specific moment of revelation. Unlike some entrepreneurs, he didn’t spot a glaring gap in an industry and move in to solve the problem. …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Think affordable, available, sustainable carbon is the biggest barrier to the growth of biofuels? Or, access to market via blender pumps?   In the case of drop-in biofuels, the biggest challenge …

(University of Twente)  Catalyst developed at University of Twente helps achieve European 2020 objective
Oil produced from biomass – such as wood chips or plant residues – seldom has the same quality and energy content as …

(American Council On Renewable Energy)  Today (June 2, 2014), the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) announced that it has submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) which sought stakeholder input regarding the biofuel pathways …

By Alta LeCompte(Las Cruces Bulletin) On a tour Thursday, Jan. 23, of Sapphire Energy’s research and development facility in the West Mesa Industrial Park, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich addressed the unique nature of the advanced biodiesel industry …

The Bioenergy Technologies Office is hosting a Workshop on Thursday, April 3, 2014 at the Renaissance New Orleans Arts Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. This workshop will explore the resource expansion potential for conventional refineries …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Algae has been touted as the ultimate platform for fuels, chemicals, nutraceuticals, proteins — even cancer therapies.
There’s been a rate of progress that would impress any devotee of Moore’s Law …

by Milsa Vijayadharan* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Most of the oil that we drill out of the ground was formed by algae and other sea-borne flora that piled up at the bottom of the ocean over …

by Andrew Soare (Lux Research, Inc.)  The 53.2 billion gallon biofuel industry has enjoyed capacity growth of 19.6% annually since 2005, but growth will slow to just 3.2% annually through 2017. Ethanol represents 65.9% of …

The US Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office is hosting a Bio-Oil Co-Processing: Expanding the Refinery Supply System Workshop on April 3, 2014, in New Orleans, Louisiana. This workshop will explore the potential to partner …

(Sapphire Energy/PR NewsWire)  Agreement to Co-Process Algae Crude Oil with Conventional Crude Oil and Complete Fuel Certifications
 Sapphire Energy, Inc., one of the world leaders in algae-based Green Crude oil production, and Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX), an …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the availability of $181 million to develop commercial-scale biorefineries or retrofit existing facilities with appropriate technology to develop advanced biofuels. The U.S. Department of Agriculture …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  Algae-derived biofuel can reduce life cycle CO2 emissions by 50 to 70 percent compared to petroleum fuels, and is approaching a similar Energy Return on Investment (EROI) as conventional petroleum, according to a …

by Julie Hare (The Australian)  Researchers from James Cook University are close to producing a low-cost biofuel extracted from seaweed that will be powerful enough to fly jet aircraft.
That same seaweed may also have helped to …

by Herman Wang (Platts/The Barrel) It’s hard to get excited over a producer making a scant 2 barrels/day of crude.
But in the case of Sapphire Energy, those barrels represent the beginnings of a potential revolution that …

by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest)   …KiOR’s fallen into the penalty box this week — it’s stock falling from a high of nearly $5 just a week ago — now disappearing into the sub-$3 range …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  During remarks at the Energy Department’s Biomass 2013 annual conference, Secretary Moniz today highlighted the important role biofuels play in the Administration’s Climate Action Plan to increase our energy security and reduce greenhouse …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In today’s Digest – visit our 5-Minute Guide to Loan Guarantees — INEOS Bio, Myriant, Sapphire Energy, Abengoa, Chemtex, Enerkem, Fiberight, Fulcrum, ZeaChem – Plus POET-DSM, Diamond Green Diesel, Coskata and Range Fuels
Projects open …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Sapphire raises new round of equity, pays off USDA Loan Guarantee: “Sapphire Energy is very grateful to the USDA for supporting algae crude oil,” says CEO C.J. Warner.
…
Reached by telephone, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … The Summer of Algae has passed, but dozens of companies have remained hot in pursuit of a solution for fuels, feed, nutraceuticals, fragrances, flavorings and tailored renewable oils.
Their technologies? Closed …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)   Advanced biofuels – mirage or reality? In January we wrote: “When these 12 projects open for business (or not) in 2013, you’ll know for sure.”  So, what do we know?
…
We …

by Fred Cannon (The Hill’s Congress Blog/KiOR)  More than one-third of the world’s total energy usage relies on liquid fuels – primarily from fossil fuels. In the first quarter of 2013 consumption outpaced production, and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Texas, KiOR announced the initial shipments of cellulosic diesel from its first commercial-scale facility in Columbus, Mississippi.
KiOR’s facility uses pine wood chips previously feeding a shut down paper mill …

(Tucson News/Sapphire Energy)  Sapphire Achieves Major Milestone with Continuous Green Crude Oil Production
Sapphire Energy, Inc., a leader in algae-based Green Crude oil production, today announced it has entered into a commercial agreement with Tesoro Refining …

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) In early March, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany announced the successful commissioning of the second stage of its bioliq pilot plant. The achievement was made in cooperation with …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  What is fibre fuel, how does it displace petroleum via supercritical technology, and what does the plant look like?
… For those less familiar with New Zealand’s energy brands, Z Energy …

by Mona-Maria Brinker & Roger Coombs (Waste Management World)  Rising prices, continued conflict in producing regions and the spectre of peak oil have highlighted uncertainties about the future of fossil transport fuels in Europe. Mona-Maria Brinker …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  You’ve heard about the crack spread, and the crush spread — as means to value oil refining and crop refining.  Let’s think about biomass densification and compression, and in that …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Though building capacity globally, Solazyme’s operations in Brazil are getting traction fast – and raised $235M last week.   How much oil could be produced in Brazil via sugar-munching microalgae? …

by Robert Rapier  (Biofuels Digest/Energy Trends Insider)  Last month KiOR announced the start of production of biocrude from their Columbus, Mississippi plant. KiOR CEO Fred Cannon stated in an earnings call that when the product shipped …

by Andrew Herndon  (Bloomberg/Renewable Energy World)  Cellulosic biofuel companies will boost production almost 20-fold in 2013 as the first high-volume refineries go into operation, signaling a shift from an experimental fuel into a commercially viable …

by Jeff Ayres  (Clarion Ledger)  Mississippi alternative-energy development projects that have received more than $400 million in state backing through loans, grants and other incentives in recent years have seen widely varying degrees of success.
KiOR, a …

by Robert Rapier (Biobased Digest/Energy Trends Insider)  Researchers tout a process to make oil from algae biomass – is it pyro oil or a real biocrude?
…Researchers at the University of Michigan announced that they had …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Brent Crude trades this past week at a transorbital $109 per barrel (West Texas Intermediate at a suborbital, if high, $85).  It puts the conventional wisdom that biofuels are too …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  500 ton per day wood biomass to biocrude plant commences oil production – the long wait for cellulosic biofuels at scale is over.
…But the news from Columbus, Mississippi, that cellulosic …

(EurekAlert!/University of Michigan)  It looks like Mother Nature was wasting her time with a multimillion-year process to produce crude oil. Michigan Engineering researchers can “pressure-cook” algae for as little as a minute and transform an …

(Biomass Magazine)  A report published by Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) demonstrates that the biofuel industry is well-positioned to meet increased demand for advanced biofuels, which will be driven by the federal renewable fuel standard (RFS) and …