(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has announced $52 million in funding for six university and industry projects to advance the production of low carbon intensity, purpose-grown energy crops critical to accelerating a clean energy
biomass sorghum
Back TO HOMEThe Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to Sustainable Herbaceous Energy Crop Production in the Southeast US.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What is the potential for cellulosic bioenergy crop production? Cellulosic bioenergy crop production is a nascent industry in the U.S. and has the potential to supply 5% of U.S. energy demand while achieving increased carbon reduction.
October 25, 2024 Read Full Article
One-Stop Data, Tools for the Bioeconomy: The Bioenergy Knowledge Discovery Framework
by Erin Webb (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Stakeholders, such as farmers, industry, and local, regional, and national planners, have a powerful, free, and easy-to-access data portal at their command to unlock the power of bioenergy: the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Bioenergy
August 29, 2024 Read Full Article
Researchers Develop Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Models to Analyze Corn Kernels and Biomass
by Marianne Stein (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign/Phys.Org) In the agricultural and food industry, determining the chemical composition of raw materials is important for production efficiency, application, and price. Traditional laboratory testing is time-consuming, complicated, and expensive. New research from the University
August 28, 2024 Read Full Article
The Bioeconomy Risk Indexes Launched by The Daily Digest and Digest Data
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Florida, Digest Data launched the BRISKIs, the Bioeconomy Risk Indexes, tracking risk for 30 bioeconomy fuels and chemical molecules, and 60 feedstocks. They are free, and here. The purpose The BRISKIs offer insight for decision makers, at a time
August 12, 2024 Read Full Article
2023 Billion-Ton Report
(U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy KDF) The U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technology Office's (BETO's) 2023 Billion-Ton Report (BT23) is an assessment of renewable carbon resources potentially available in the United States. BT23 explores these resources in terms of quantity, price,
April 04, 2024 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Biofuels Still a Win for Ground Transportation
by Deborah Gertz Husar (Herald-Whig) ... With conventional vehicles likely to dominate the ground fleet for the foreseeable future, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign experts say cellulosic biofuels shouldn’t be discounted. Researchers in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and the
March 18, 2024 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Sorghum Wax Could Generate Extra Revenue for Producers
(Research at Texas A&M) Already valued for its resilience, biomass production and ability to improve soil fertility, bioenergy sorghum has another attribute that researchers have recently characterized: high wax production. Plant waxes are useful across a wide scope of commercial products like
February 21, 2024 Read Full Article
Funding Notice: Department of Energy Announces $29 Million to Drive Feedstock Innovation for Clean Energy Production DEADLINE March 14, 2024
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced $29 million in funding to drive research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of low-carbon-intensity, purpose-grown energy crops critical to accelerating a clean energy economy. The Regional Resource Hubs for Purpose-Grown Energy Crops funding
February 08, 2024 Read Full Article
DOE Issues Notice of Intent to Advance Low Carbon Feedstocks for Clean Energy Technologies
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office announced its notice of intent (NOI) to issue a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) that will drive the research and development (R&D) of low-carbon, purpose-grown energy crops leading to the deployment
December 18, 2023 Read Full Article
Biomass to Liquid Fuels: We Need Commercial Scale Gen 2 Success
by Doug Rivers (Lee Enterprise Consulting/Biofuels Digest) ... And while advances have been made in the materials handling and pretreatment of these feedstocks, commercial scale attempts produce ethanol have been met with multiple and highly visible failures measured in at least hundreds
December 04, 2023 Read Full Article
Workshop: Deploying Purpose-Grown Energy Crops for Sustainable Aviation Fuel --- June 6-7, 2023 --- Kansas City, MO Summary Report and Presentations Available
The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge is the result of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other federal government agencies working together to develop a comprehensive strategy for scaling up
May 04, 2023 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2022 Multi-Slide Guide to Sustainable Herbaceous Energy Crop Production in the Southeast United States
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Cellulosic bioenergy crop production is a nascent industry in the U.S. and has the potential to supply up to 5% of U.S. energy demand while achieving increased carbon reduction. The Southeast U.S. is ideally suited
October 06, 2022 Read Full Article
Ethanol vs. Petroleum-Based Fuel Carbon Emissions
by Valerie Sarisky-Reed (U.S. Department of Energy) Biofuels have been proven to emit significantly lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than petroleum-based fuels, and recent scientific studies indicate that net-zero emission biofuels are not only possible, but achievable. Corn ethanol and other biofuels are
June 24, 2022 Read Full Article
2022 MEIA Pitch Competition Finale --- June 21, 2022 --- ONLINE
The MEIA Pitch Finale is the culmination of work by teams participating in the Maryland Energy Innovation Accelerator’s latest cohort. The winner of this pitch competition will receive $1,000, sponsored by the Maryland Department of Commerce. We'll be joined by guest
June 02, 2022 Read Full Article
Young Farm Entrepreneurs Look at High-Biomass Sorghum and Pearl Millet for Biofuel Feedstock
(CGIAR) The Government of India’s concerted efforts to replace 20% fossil fuels with ethanol blends by 2025 is attracting agricultural entrepreneurs to invest in renewable energy. This week, Mr Lalit Jhawar and Mr Mayank Gupta, two young IIT graduates running a
October 13, 2021 Read Full Article
Is Sorghum the Solution?: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Cellulosic Bioenergy Crops
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Everyone wants to reduce the price of biofuels – and a team from Texas A&M, USDA, AgriLife Research, Mississippi State University and others are working on improving the economics and environmental sustainability of biomass sorghum
May 21, 2021 Read Full Article
Energy Sorghum May Combine Best of Annual, Perennial Bioenergy Crops
by Julie Wurth (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment) ... A study by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) found that energy sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) behaves more like
January 08, 2021 Read Full Article
Scientists Develop Efficient Methods to Turn Woody Biomass into Fuels
by Brian Wallheimer (Purdue University) ... Lignin, a complex compound in cell walls, blocks access to plant carbohydrates that could be cleaved into sugars and then fermented into biofuels. The compounds that hold plant cells together, as well as their
October 25, 2019 Read Full Article
US-India Consortium for Development of Sustainable Advanced Lignocellulosic Biofuel Systems
by Vermerris, Wilfred; Ingram, Lonnie O.; O'Connor, George; Pullammanappallil, P.; Shanmugam, K. T.; Tong, Zhaohui; Wilkie, Anne; Jose, Shibu; Bardhan, Sougata; Kitchen, Newell; Fritschi, Felix; Alavalapati, Janaki; Quesada-Pineda, Henry J.; Smith, Robert; Lal, Pankaj ; Gan, Jianbang (University of Florida/U.S.
August 30, 2019 Read Full Article
Genera Repositions Itself, Gets $118M Investment – Movin’ on up to Get a Piece of the Pie
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... A $118 million pie in new investment money for this Tennessee-based biomass company. The financing was anchored by an equity investment from WindSail Capital Group, which partnered with investors Coppermine Capital and Stairway Capital
July 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Iowa State University Is Home to a New Bioenergy Crops Research Farm
(Iowa State University Extension and Outreach) Iowa and Midwest agriculture has started to change in recent years. One visible change is the interest to grow crops for biofuel and bioproducts (referred to as “energy crops”). Fossil fuel usage contributes to the
July 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Genera Begins Farmer Recruitment
(Genera) Genera is launching a new business line that will manufacture disposable food service and packaging products from sustainable ag fibers in Vonore, made from locally grown biomass crops. Genera will be making a variety of ag-based paper products like plates, bowls,
May 16, 2019 Read Full Article
Research Uncovers Potential Sustainable Refining Method for Lignin
(Phys.Org/Texas A&M University) Lignin, used as a renewable resource to produce high-value products, has presented both production and economical challenges for biorefinery operations. However, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist suggests the use of an extraction method, plus other refining processes
February 27, 2019 Read Full Article
10-Slide Guide to the US Ethanol Industry
by Douglas B. Rivers (Biofuels Digest/Lee Enterprises, Inc.) Past, Present and Future Douglas B. Rivers, PhD, from Sunflwr Consulting and a member of Lee Enterprises Consulting, offers this illuminating overview of the U.S. ethanol industry’s history, current technologies, new developments
February 26, 2019 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to ARPA-E’s Agro-Energy Programs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment. ARPA-E awardees are unique because they are developing entirely new ways to generate, store, and use energy. ARPA-E
December 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Diverse Biofeedstocks Have High Ethanol Yields and Offer Biorefineries Flexibility
(U.S. Department of Energy/Phys.Org) ... Researchers processed and experimentally measured ethanol production from five different herbaceous feedstocks. They examined two annuals (corn stover and energy sorghum) along with three perennials (switchgrass, miscanthus, and restored prairie). They determined that a lignocellulosic ethanol
November 12, 2018 Read Full Article
Global Sorghum Seed Market Is Driven by Growing Demand Biofuel across the Globe
(Futures Trading Charts) The global sorghum seed market revenue is expected to expand at a lucrative CAGR over the forecast period. Sorghum is a cereal grain used as human feed and livestock feed and the rest is turned into ethanol. Sorghum
May 18, 2018 Read Full Article
No Boredom for Sorghum – Sorghum Reaches Stardom Status with Huge $16 Million Grant
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sweet sorghum stardom! In possibly one of the largest government grants given to anyone for research on a single feedstock, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is receiving a 5-year $16 million grant from the U.S. Department
October 09, 2017 Read Full Article
NexSteppe Malibu Sweet Sorghum and Palo Alto Biomass Sorghum Approved for Commercial Sale in South Africa
(NexSteppe) NexSteppe, a company dedicated to pioneering the next generation of sustainable feedstock solutions for biobased industries, announced today that the South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has approved four NexSteppe sorghum hybrids for commercial sale in country.
December 15, 2016 Read Full Article
NexSteppe and Longping Partner to Develop Solutions for Bioenergy and Land Remediation in China
(NexSteppe) NexSteppe, a company dedicated to pioneering the next generation of sustainable feedstock solutions for the biobased industries, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Longping Hi-Tech Arable Land Remediation Technology Company, a subsidiary of the
November 16, 2016 Read Full Article
A Giant Crop-Scanner Is Turning Heads in Arizona
by Dennis O'Brien (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service) With its 30-ton frame and 50-foot-high catwalk, the newest scanner for measuring crop plants in Maricopa, Arizona, can be seen for miles. It looms over a tract the length of
October 13, 2016 Read Full Article
Advanced Breeding: The Digest’s Updated 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to NexSteppe
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) NexSteppe is dedicated to pioneering the next generation of scalable, reliable, cost-effective feedstock solutions for the biofuels, biopower and biobased products industries. Using advanced breeding techniques and cutting-edge analytical technologies, NexSteppe is developing Malibu sweet sorghum
August 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Mitigating Risk in Cellulosic: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to Genera Energy’s Portfolio Approach
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Genera Energy “leads the nation in the commercialization of integrated biomass supply chain solutions for the biofuels, biopower and biochemicals markets.” Initially formed in 2008, Genera works with leading technology providers and strategic investors to develop
July 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Reliable, Affordable, Scalable, Sustainable: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to NexSteppe
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) NexSteppe is dedicated to pioneering the next generation of scalable, reliable, cost-effective feedstock solutions for the biofuels, biopower and biobased products industries. Using advanced breeding techniques and cutting-edge analytical technologies, NexSteppe is developing Malibu sweet
May 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Crops of the Biofrontier: In Search of Opportunities for Sustainable Energy Cropping
by Stephanie Searle, Chelsea Petrenko, Ella Baz, and Chris Malins (International Council on Clean Transportation) Describes case studies of energy cropping in Europe in the context of advanced biofuel and bioproducts sustainability. -- European biofuel policy has been dominated by discussions
April 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Whatever Happened to Jatropha, and All Those Other Wonder Feedstocks?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... If jatropha faltered, never mind, went the argument, we’ll always have switchgrass. Or giant miscanthus, or pongamia, or poplar, or camelina. The list could get really long. For example, try this list of the 44
March 07, 2016 Read Full Article
Aemetis Harvesting Biomass Sorghum in California
(Aemetis/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Aemetis Inc., an advanced renewable fuels and biochemicals company, announced the harvesting of 12- to 15- foot tall biomass sorghum grown in Central California that was produced using proprietary Nexsteppe seed genetics. Biomass Sorghum is a feedstock