by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Russia, ETB Catalytic Technologies has received $0.6 million from ZAVKOM and Skolkovo Fund as a series A investment to build a pilot plant for the production of 1,3-butadiene from ethanol, The investors received 22%
BioRefineries/Renewable Fuel Production
Back TO HOMEProduction Test Factory for Fossil Free Fuel Is Built in Bäckhammar
(Nordic Paper) RenFuel and Nordic Paper have signed an agreement to build a production test facility in Bäckhammar in the region of Värmland, in order to test manufacture an advanced biofuel based on lignin. The project has been granted 71
April 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Butterfield-Odin Students Visit Heron Lake Bioenergy
(Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) Fourteen students from Butterfield-Odin visited the Heron Lake Bioenergy ethanol plant on April 8 to get a better understanding of clean Minnesota-grown renewable energy. During the 90 minute tour, the students were briefed on the various processes of
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Exports Give U.S. Ethanol Producers an Outlet for Surplus
(Omah.com/Bloomberg) At the Plymouth Energy plant in the heart of the U.S. Corn Belt — where homegrown fuel from grain was supposed to ease American dependence on foreign oil — every drop of ethanol goes to motorists in Brazil. Like many
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Boom-boom: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Renewable Diesel’s Growth and Horizons
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week, we held a well-attended webinar on the boom on in Renewable diesel. Here below is a slide deck presented on the day, from Will Thurmond, President of Emerging Markets Online — highlights from the upcoming Drop
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Could Renewable Diesel’s Boom Be Cut Short by Feedstock Access and Availability?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Renewable diesel demand is booming, booming, booming. We’ve tipped it repeatedly in The Digest, not least with our March Madness webinar last week on “Renewable Diesel’s Boom”. Any doubts may well have been swept aside
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Towns to Vote on Whether to Burn Their Trash or Convert It into Biofuel
by Andy O’Brien (The Free Press) ... With PERC out of the picture, two nonprofits are bitterly competing for thousands of tons of midcoast waste. In one corner is the Municipal Review Committee, a municipal cooperative serving PERC’s 187 user communities and
April 08, 2016 Read Full Article
New Platforms, New Pathways: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to Organic Acids, the Molecules and Markets
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Late last week, Michele Rubino joined us in a March Madness webinar on the molecules and markets for organic acids, and presented the illuminating slides seen here. The main Digest slide deck can be seen
April 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Circling Opportunity
by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine) Blue Sphere Corp.’s two-prong business development strategy in the global waste-to-energy industry is proving to be fruitful. -- ... Blue Sphere’s first two stateside anaerobic digestion (AD) projects have reached final stages of construction, and a
April 07, 2016 Read Full Article
Branstad Signs Chemical Tax Credit Bill in Ames
by Austin Harrington (Ames Tribune) Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds came to Iowa State University Wednesday to sign a bill into law that will create a $10 million tax credit for companies in the renewable chemical manufacturing
April 07, 2016 Read Full Article
Nigeria: NNPC Shops for Investors for Ethanol Plant
by Roseline Okere (AllAfrica) The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is seeking investors for its Renewable Energy Division (RED) to implement Nigeria's automotive biofuels industry programme through a series of planned Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs). The automotive biofuels industry programme, according to
April 07, 2016 Read Full Article
Boom Times: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to Renewable Diesel’s Explosive Growth
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week, we held a well-attended webinar on “Boom times in Renewable Diesel” Here below is the first slide deck presented on the day, from The Digest. The recorded version of the webinar can be accessed
April 07, 2016 Read Full Article
Grease Is the Word
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In short, renewable fuels has reached a crisis of growth in the United States — years of expansion have halted, and everyone is entitled to ask why. ... Let’s look at the hard data. Demand signals As
April 07, 2016 Read Full Article
Carbon Intensity Creates Opportunities
by Bernie Hoffman (K-Coe Isom/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The more proactive roles producers take in reducing carbon intensity, the more they will benefit as energy use reduction moves from an incentive to a requirement. -- ... Carbon intensity and carbon accounting have moved
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
California Energy Commission Grant: Altex & Unitel Partner to Demonstrate a New Technology for Making Synthetic Gasoline from Biomass
(Business Wire / Unitel Technologies) -Unitel Technologies announced that Altex Technologies has selected Unitel to provide engineering services to design and build a pilot system that will produce 1 BPD of synthetic gasoline from biomass. This project is funded by
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Importing to Meet California Demand
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) The U.S. imported a record volume of biomass-based diesel in 2015. ... This increase in imports is particularly interesting because 2015 was a year with no forward-looking $1-per-gallon blender’s tax credit, and, for 11 months
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Austrian Biodiesel Technology Provider Wins Award for BTL Process
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) BDI-BioEnergy International AG received an innovation award for its biomass-to-liquid technology, called BioCrack, March 29 during Austria’s State Awards Innovation 2016 ceremony held by the Federal Ministry for Science, Research and Industry. BDI was awarded
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Plants in Troubles as Vietnam’s Plan to Boost Biofuel Fails
(Tuoi Tre News) An ambitious plan by the Vietnamese government to encourage the use of biofuel, or ethanol-mixed petrol, is not working as well as expected, sealing the fate of three multimillion-dollar ethanol plants. The ethanol making facilities were built in
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Carbon Levy Cash to Finance Biodiesel Refinery in Edmonton
(CBC News) Edmonton company promises cheaper, cleaner biodiesel on a commercial level -- An Edmonton based company plans to commercially produce a new biofuel capable of completely replacing diesel by the end of the year, at a lower cost than
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Up, Up & Away: The Top 10 Magic Moments in Aviation Biofuels in 2016
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia formed a partnership to investigate options for locally produced aviation biofuel. The trans-Tasman alliance partners are issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to the market to explore the opportunity
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Landfill Gas Project Opens in Orange County, California
(Orange County, CA/Biomass Magazine) Orange County 3rd District Supervisor Todd Spitzer recently joined with government, business and project development officials for a ribbon-cutting to ceremonially open the Bowerman Power Project renewable energy facility. The landfill gas-to-electricity plant at the Frank R.
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
China's Grain Reforms to Boost Depressed Corn Processing Industry
by Niu Shuping and David Stanway (Reuters/AgWeek) China's plan to let the market set corn prices is bad news for international grain exporters, but should boost the country's struggling corn processors that use the grain in products ranging from food
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Sweet Spot: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to Organic Acids, the Molecules and Markets
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Late last week, Michele Rubino joined us in a March Madness webinar on the molecules and markets for organic acids, and presented the illuminating slides seen below. For further illumination, Michele can be reached here.
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Farm Bill Energy Programs Enable New Feedstock Production To Help Fuel the Biobased Economy
by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Innovation Organization/Biofuels Digest) ... Congress changed mandatory funding for two key bioenergy programs – despite their tangible successes – through its Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) Omnibus spending bill. USDA’s Section 9003 Loan Guarantee Program and the Biomass
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
DOE BETO Updates Multi-Year Program Plan
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office has released the 2016 update of its Multi-Year Program Plan, which serves as an operational guide to help the BETO manage and coordinate its activities. The plan
April 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Argentina Ups Ethanol Blending Mandate in Gasoline to 12% from 10%
by Charles Newbery (Platts) The Argentine government Friday said it has raised the ethanol blending mandate in gasoline to 12% from 10% with immediate effect, according to a decree published in the Official Bulletin, the government's newspaper of record. In February, President
April 05, 2016 Read Full Article
REG’s Rolling Thunder: What Did Not Kill Them (Falling Oil Prices), Made Them Stronger
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... It’s been a couple of years since we visited REG and the difference is palpable. The company has become a little ADM, rather than a big Amyris or TerraVia. You see the trading desks at
April 05, 2016 Read Full Article
BRAG Petition Succeeds: EPA Expands Chemical Data Reporting Exemptions To Biodiesel Products
(Bergeson & Campbell/BRAG) On March 29, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the Partial Exemption of Certain Chemical Substances from Reporting Additional Chemical Data final rule in the Federal Register. This final rule amends the list of chemical substances
April 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Johor Ready to Lead Production of Biodiesel Alternative Energy, Says Khaled
(Bernama/New Straits Times) Johor is ready to lead the production of biodiesel as an alternative source of fuel energy and become a major global energy generator in the future. Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the objective would
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Sugar Producers Cooperative Collaborating with Comet Biorefining to Develop Agricultural Biomass Supply Chain
(Comet Biorefining) Cellulosic Sugar Producers Cooperative, an Ontario-based farmer's cooperative, confirms that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Comet Biorefining to collaborate on the development of a sustainable agricultural biomass supply chain in southwestern Ontario. Comet Biorefining
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Enerkem Biofuel Plant, Backed by City of Edmonton, Mired in Legal Controversy
by Sylvain Bascaron (CBC News) Lawsuits totalling $7.4 million allege unpaid services and supplies -- Already years behind schedule and tens of millions of dollars over budget, a project to turn the city of Edmonton's waste into biofuel is now facing
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Making Lignin Pay: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Last week, we held a well-attended webinar on “Making Lignin Pay — Now, Soon, Never?” Here below are the slides presented on the day. The recorded version can be accessed here. READ MORE / MORE
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Gevo’s Alcohol to Jet Fuel Clears Key ASTM Hurdle
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) First commercial test flight with Alaska Airlines comes closer In Colorado, ASTM International Committee D02 on Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels, and Lubricants and Subcommittee D02.J on Aviation Fuel passed a concurrent ballot this week approving the
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada Visits the BioCube™
(BioCube™) The BioCube Corporation was delighted to have The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada visit the BioCube™ at the GLOBE 2016 Conference in Vancouver last week. Held every two years in Vancouver, BC the GLOBE Series of
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Gevo Restarts Production of Isobutanol in March 2016 Following Completion of Capital Projects
(Gevo) Gevo, Inc.(NASDAQ:GEVO) today announced financial results for the three months endedDecember 31, 2015. Key highlights for Gevo included: Gevo restarted the production of isobutanol at its production facility in Luverne, Minnesota following the completion of capital projects designed to decrease
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Key Projects and Trends: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Drop-in Fuels 2020
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week, we held a well-attended webinar on “Drop-In Fuels” Here below is the second slide deck presented on the day, from Will Thurmond, President of Emerging Markets Online — highlights from the upcoming Drop In Fuels
April 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Exploring the Viability of Small Scale Anaerobic Digesters in Livestock Farming
by Clare Lukehurst and Angela Bywater (IEA Bioenergy) This report explores the viability of small scale anaerobic digestion for livestock farming where there is a need to deal with animal manure and slurry in a manner that minimises the emission of greenhouse
April 01, 2016 Read Full Article
KLM Launches New Series of Biofuel Flights from Oslo to Amsterdam
(Newswire.com) KLM Royal Dutch Airlines today launched a series of around 80 biofuel flights from Oslo to Amsterdam operated with an EMBRAER 190. The flights are marking yet another step in the right direction towards phasing in jet biofuel in
March 31, 2016 Read Full Article
Central High School Visits Heartland Corn Products / Sibley East High School Visits Heartland Corn Products
(Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) Nineteen high school students from Norwood Young America visited Heartland Corn Products in Winthrop today (March 24, 2016) to get a closer look at how clean, homegrown renewable fuels are produced. The students, from Central High School, toured
March 31, 2016 Read Full Article
DuPont Industrial Biosciences Honored with Biorenewable Deployment Consortium’s Outstanding Achievement Award
(Biorenewable Deployment Consortium) The Biorenewable Deployment Consortium (BDC) honored DuPont Industrial Biosciences (DuPont) with the organization’s 2016 Outstanding Achievement Award for the company’s continuous contributions to the deployment of biochemical and advanced cellulosic biofuels. “The Biorenewable Deployment Consortium is proud to
March 31, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels Company Given Permission To Carry On
by Tao Woolfe (The Sandwich Enterprise) Cape Cod Biofuels, Inc. has been cleared by all local regulatory boards and agencies and given the Sandwich Board of Selectmen’s blessings—a happy ending to an administrative scramble the company had to complete following
March 31, 2016 Read Full Article
Rivertop Renewables, DTI Blast thru Nameplate at First Commercial
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Benchmark tests prove higher volumes than initial forecast; plant receives “Recommended” rating after first customer audit In Montana, Rivertop Renewables, a Montana-based novel chemicals company, announced it exceeded the nameplate capacity of its first commercial production
March 31, 2016 Read Full Article
Finland Hopes for New Growth from Shrunken Forest Industry
by Jussi Rosendahl (Reuters Canada) It has created a modest 200 jobs in a Finnish forestry industry that has lost around 20,000 in the past decade, but UPM-Kymmene's new biofuels plant offers long-awaited growth and hope. The 180 million euro ($200
March 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Biobased Plastics and Resins, What’s New, and Who’s Top Cat?: The Digest’s 2016 Visual Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Yesterday, we held a well-attended webinar on “Biobased Plastics and resins?” Here below are the slides presented on the day. The recorded version can be accessed here. READ MORE
March 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Queensland Greenlights Advanced Drop-In Biofuels Project for Military, Aviation, Marine
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Queensland, the state premier Anna Palaszczuk, the Minister for State Development Anthony Lynham, and the Minister for Energy, Biofuels and Water Supply Mark Bailey jointly announced that a AUD $16 million advanced biofuels pilot plant will
March 30, 2016 Read Full Article
ARA Delivers Game-Changing 100% Renewable Fuels to the Navy
(Applied Research Associates/ARA) No More Blending: 100 Percent Drop-In Renewable Fuel will Increase Energy Security for U.S. Military While Reducing CO2 Emissions -- The Navy is performing certification testing on neat, unblended ReadiJet® and ReadiDiesel® which will result in new
March 28, 2016 Read Full Article
Column: Clean Energy Fuels Our Economy
by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) (Daily Globe) ... The United States can’t sit on the sidelines and depend on foreign oil to keep our economy running. America is a powerful nation. We can’t let oil imports set the agenda. We
March 25, 2016 Read Full Article
GS Caltex to Build Plant for Biobutanol in H1
by Lee Seo-young (Korea Herald) GS Caltex will begin the construction of a plant for mass-production of biobutanol, a renewable biofuel for cars that can be used as a substitute for gasoline, during the first half of this year, the
March 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Doing More with Less: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to Stora Enso
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We knew that Stora Enso has become awesomely serious about the advanced bioeconomy when news emerged in 2014 that the company had acquired Virdia for $33 million with additional potential payouts totaling approximately $29 million following
March 25, 2016 Read Full Article
SDSU Works toward Ground-Breaking Way to Fuel Planes
by Kelli Gerry (The Collegian) South Dakota State researchers are working to perfect a process that could allow them to turn mustard seeds into jet fuel for Navy fighter planes. If people like Bill Gibbons are successful, some West River farmers could
March 24, 2016 Read Full Article
What’s up with Cellulosic Fuels: The Digest’s 2016 March Madness Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week, we conducted a webinar on the state of cellulosic fuels as part of our 2016 March Madness series. You can experience the recorded version of the webinar here. Meanwhile, here is the primary slide
March 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Aemetis Licenses Edeniq’s Cellulosic Ethanol Technology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Edeniq and Aemetis have entered into a License Agreement under which Aemetis will deploy Edeniq’s Pathway technology at its 60 million gallon per year ethanol production facility located in Keyes, California. Edeniq’s Pathway Technology integrates Edeniq’s Cellunator equipment with cellulase
March 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Greenbelt Resources CEO Visits Cuba -- Company Seeks Partners to Deploy Sustainable Energy Technology
(Greenbelt Resources/PR Newswire) As a result of recent changes to Commerce Department regulations by the Obama administration regarding trade with Cuba, the advanced modular technology available from Greenbelt Resources Corporation (OTC: GRCO), an innovator of sustainable energy production systems, is
March 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Aemetis Nabs Exclusive California Rights to LanzaTech’s Advanced Ethanol Tech
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, news arrived that Aemetis has acquired 12 years of exclusive rights in California (based upon achieving certain milestones) to LanzaTech’s technology for the conversion of agricultural waste, forest waste, dairy waste and construction
March 24, 2016 Read Full Article
AST Increases Scale of Wisconsin Research Facility
by Ann Bailey (Ethanol Producer Magazine) American Science and Technology has completed the scale-up of its biorefinery in Wausau, Wisconsin. The scale-up increase’s the processing capacity of AST, an emerging technology company in the biochemicals and renewable fuel sector, from 100 kilograms
March 23, 2016 Read Full Article
First Midwest Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Is Producing Tank-Car Loads of Fuel
by David Shaffer (Star Tribune) Poet Inc. is shipping fuel from Iowa facility, which could hit full output by year's end. -- Poet Inc., the nation’s first commercial-scale producer of cellulosic ethanol, is shipping the fuel from its plant in
March 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Bust Adds to U.S. Fuel Glut and Losses Across Corn Belt
by Mario Parker (Bloomberg Business) ... Back in 2007, when crude oil was headed toward a record $147.27 a barrel, ethanol was being touted as a cheap alternative from abundant domestic resources. The U.S. is the world’s biggest corn grower and
March 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Explosive Growth: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to Nanocellulose and Its Applications
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Last year, we reported that Research & Markets projected the “Nanocellulose Market by Type (Cellulose nanocrystals, Cellulose nanofibrils, cellulose nanocomposites, and others) to reach $250 Million by 2019, signifying annualized CAGR of 19% between 2014 and 2019. Heft growth
March 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Ethanol Will Get Back Up
(RPA News) Our top story this month is a blunt reminder of how deeply U.S. policy uncertainty cut down and yanked back the progress of commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol over the past few years. The U.S. EPA’s epic indecision and sometimes indifference
March 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Wärtsilä to Deliver Nordic Countries’ Largest Biogas Plant to Produce Fuel for Buses
(Bioenergy Insight) Finnish energy solutions provider Wärtsilä has been awarded an order to supply the largest biogas liquefaction plant in the Nordic Countries to produce fuel for public transport vehicles. The supply contract was signed in December 2015, and is with
March 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Company Plans Expansion to Fort Pierce
by Keona Gardner (TCPalm) ... Indian River Bio Diesel is seeking city approval to operate a plant that would process 250,000 gallons of its product a month in the now-vacant Egan packinghouse, 1103 N. Second St. The plant is a subsidiary
March 22, 2016 Read Full Article
AVA-CO2’s Move to Replace Formaldehyde Shows the Endurin’ Allure in Furans
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In June 2014 the 6th adaptation to technical and scientific progress of the CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) directive was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. This classified formaldehyde as carcinogenic and
March 22, 2016 Read Full Article
In Fish Fry Season, Oil Finds another Use as Homemade Fuel
by Grant Gerlock (Harvest Public Media) ... Fridays between Ash Wednesday and Easter you’ll find hundreds of hungry parishioners lining up at church fish frys around the Midwest. All of that frying uses up vegetable oil that can just go to waste,
March 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Study Says Ethanol Harms Corn Counties
by Ann Purvis (Heartland Institute) ... (A) new study from researchers at Strata Policy (SP) and the Institute of Political Economy (IPE) at Utah State University suggests RFS also harms the very farmers the ethanol mandate was designed to help. ... According to
March 21, 2016 Read Full Article
'Ethanol Blending in Petrol Can Cut down Crude Import'
(Daily Hunt) Concerned over slow progress of ethanol blending in petrol and diesel, a parliamentary committee has expressed that the government should implement the Ethanol Blending Programme in order to cut down on crude oil import in the future and
March 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Bringing up the Throttle on Cellulosic Ethanol
by Holly Jessen and Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Although there are challenges facing the second generation ethanol industry, progress is being made -- U.S. EPA data shows 2.18 million cellulosic ethanol D3 RINs (renewable identification numbers) were generated in 2015.
March 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Low Oil Prices Drying up Ethanol Producers' Profits
by Donnelle Eller and Christopher Doering (Iowa City Press-Citizen) Ethanol producers across the Corn Belt are being battered by tumbling gasoline prices and a glut of the corn-based fuel, pushing some companies to consider scaling back production or merging with another plant to
March 18, 2016 Read Full Article
NREL Updates Survey of Advanced Biofuel Producers in the United States
(U.S. Department of Energy) The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) updated its annual survey of U.S. non-starch ethanol and renewable hydrocarbon biofuels producers. The survey report, titled 2015 Survey of Non-Starch Ethanol and Renewable Hydrocarbon Biofuels Producers, documents important changes
March 18, 2016 Read Full Article
No Pain, No Gain: A Tale of Three Companies, Pacific Ethanol, BioAmber and TerraVia at a crossroads
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... a fascinating look at the evolution in the fuels, renewable chemicals, specialty products and nutrition that make up the advanced bioeconomy. ... The most spectacular news of the week belonged to TerraVia, which landed a
March 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Commentary: Implementing The Electric RFS
by Jim Lemon and Michael Lemon (BioCycle/Biogas Researchers, Inc.) Michael Lemon describes steps to move EPA forward on the RFS renewable electricity pathway on Tuesday, April 5 at BioCycle WEST COAST16. ... Steps to expand deployment of clean energy technologies like renewable
March 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Many Agree: Hyacinth's a Gas
by Reed Fujii (Recordnet.com) Water weed holds promise as biofuel -- Water hyacinth, the invasive water weed that carpets San Joaquin Delta channels in the warm season, choking out native species, degrading water quality, blocking recreational boaters and interfering with
March 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Clean Fuels Shaping up as Fight of the Year in Sacramento
by Laurel Rosenhall (CALmatters/San Francisco Chronicle) A Harvard economist known globally for his work on climate change policy sat in the Sacramento office of the oil industry’s lobbying firm recently, making the case that California is fighting global warming the wrong way. California’s
March 16, 2016 Read Full Article
DE-FOA-0001481: Request for Information (RFI): Understanding Scale-Up and Operation Challenges for Integrated Biorefinery Optimization
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) seeks feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on issues related to “challenges encountered
March 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Illegal UCO Cartels Hinder Biofuel Program: Observers
by Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) The illegal activity of passing off used cooking oil (UCO) as non-brand cooking oil (NBCO), which is allegedly becoming widespread on a massive scale in the country, may be disrupting the government’s biofuel program, observers
March 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Contributed $2.1 Billion to Minnesota's Economy in 2015
(Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) Minnesota’s ethanol industry contributed $2.13 billion to the state’s gross domestic product in 2015, according to a new study by ABF Economics. The study, commissioned by the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association, said the industry generated $7.37 billion in gross
March 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Going to Scale: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to Avantium
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) BASF and Avantium have now signed a letter of intent and entered into exclusive negotiations to establish a joint venture for the production and marketing of furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), as well as marketing of polyethylenefuranoate
March 16, 2016 Read Full Article
EU’s 2030 Climate and Energy Objectives Will Be Missed without Biofuels
by Peder Holk Nielsen (Novozymes/EurActiv) If Europe is serious about its climate commitments, and if Europe wants to reduce its dependence on imported oil, then we need to increase the amount of low-carbon biofuels in the energy mix, writes Peder
March 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Cassava May Help Support Ethanol Needs
by Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat (Bangkok Post) Rising ethanol demand this year, coupled with expected sugar-cane production cuts due to the severe drought, are likely to force ethanol producers to switch to cassava as their feedstock instead of molasses, industry officials say. Weaker oil
March 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Tyton BioEnergy Systems Announces Technology Breakthrough, New Method for Turning Plant Oils into Jet Fuel
(Tyton/Digital Journal) Tyton BioEnergy Systems announced today a major technological advancement in the production of sustainable jet fuel. Tyton filed a patent application for a new method and system of converting oil extracted from plant biomass or seeds directly into
March 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Building a Bioethanol Coalition in the Fight Against Climate Change
by Jan Koninckx (DuPont/Biofuels Digest) ... (O)ur call is clear: we must act with the utmost urgency as we work toward solutions to help slow man-made climate change. Transportation contributes a quarter of all man-made CO2 emissions, and it needs
March 15, 2016 Read Full Article
BIODEX-SA First in Tunisia to Earn RSB Certification
(PRLog/Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) BIODEX-SA, a company based in Tunisia, earned the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) certification for the production of biodiesel. BIODEX-SA is the first company to collect waste oils and transform them into biodiesel in Africa, as
March 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Optimizing Biofuel Production from Algae Using CO2 Emissions
(American Chemical Society) ... Now, a team reports in ACS’ journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research an optimized way of producing biofuel from algae that also removes CO2 emissions from the environment. ... Eusiel Rubio-Castro and colleagues developed a mathematical model to determine the optimal
March 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Canadian Company to Produce New Kind of Biodiesel
(Biofuels International) Edmonton, Canada-based SBI BioEnergy plans to commercially produce a new biofuel capable of completely replacing diesel by the end of the year, at a lower cost than existing renewable fuels. SBI is in the final stages of building a
March 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuel or Biofraud? The Vast Taxpayer Cost of Failed Cellulosic and Algal Biofuels
by Almuth Ernsting (Independent Science News) ... The disastrous experience with Fischer-Tropsch biofuels is just one part of a much larger failure of cellulosic and algal biofuels, on which billions of dollars of public subsidies have been spent. ... Those are just the largest
March 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Farmer-Owned Ethanol Plant Outlasts Many of Its Competitors
by Sean Pratt (The Western Producer) A small farmer-owned ethanol plant in northwestern Iowa has accomplished what many other companies have been unable to do. Quad County Corn Processors broke new ground July 1, 2014, when it became the first
March 14, 2016 Read Full Article
“Call Me TerraVia”: Solazyme Transforms, Shakes up and Refinances
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Solazyme undergoes Focus Reassignment Surgery and re-emerges as TerraVia. Industrials to spin off, nutrition the focus now. The what, the why, and the “why now?” In California, Solazyme said that it is now focusing exclusively on
March 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Korean Company Enters JV to Produce Bioethanol in Laos
(Biofuels International) South Korea's TN Energy has entered into an agreement with Lao State Fuel to set up a joint venture (JV) to produce Power Gasoline-branded bioethanol fuel. The JV, to be called Lao K-tech, will be established later this year
March 11, 2016 Read Full Article
One if by Land, Two if by Sea, Three if by Air: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to Honeywell UOP renewable fuels technology
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 power, transportation fuel and heating
March 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Fly the Eco-Friendly Skies: United to Launch 50% Jet Biofuels on LAX-SFO Route
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 learned. March 11. A two week,
March 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Biodico Trains Future Bioenergy Leaders To Excel in Green Economy, Drive Local Job Growth
(Biodico/BusinessWire) Program Part of Commitment to Spur Job Growth in San Joaquin Valley; Train Engineers in Next-Generation Bioenergy Technologies -- Internship Program Aligns with Curricula at University of California Santa Barbara and West Hills Community College To train students for the next-generation
March 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Comet Biorefining Picks up $10.9M SDTC Grant for Low-Cost, Non-Food, Bio-Based Sugars Project
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Canada, Sustainable Development Technology Canada awarded Comet Biorefining a CA$10.9 million grant for the construction of its first-of-a-kind advanced bio-based chemicals plant. Located in Sarnia, Ontario, the plant will use proprietary conversion technology to
March 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Contributed $2B to Minnesota’s Economy
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) A new study by ABF Economics found that the ethanol industry in Minnesota contributed $2.13 billion to the state’s gross domestic product in 2015. The report also found the industry generated $7.37 billion in gross sales
March 09, 2016 Read Full Article
‘Digester’ Turns Supermarket Produce Waste into Liquid Fertilizer
by Tom Leyde (The Californian) The invention of a digester that turns supermarket produce waste into liquid fertilizer is on the cusp of revolutionizing the farming industry. It is the brainchild of Dan Morash, founder of California Safe Soil, one of
March 09, 2016 Read Full Article
BDI Subsidiary Reopens Expanded Distillation Research Center
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) UIC GmbH, a subsidiary of Austrian biodiesel technology provider BDI-BioEnergy International AG, has just reopened its expanded and modernized research center near Frankfurt, Germany, in Alzenau. According to BDI, UIC is a pioneer in fine vacuum
March 09, 2016 Read Full Article
RFA Analysis Finds Improvement of Corn Ethanol Net Energy Balance
(Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) An analysis conducted by the Renewable Fuels Association and released March 7 finds the net energy balance of corn-based ethanol at U.S. dry mill biorefineries averages 2.6–2.8, an improvement over previous estimates, reflecting efficiency gains. The figures build
March 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Chasing Viability: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to the Abengoa Viability Plan
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Last month, Abengoa Bioenergy US Holding, LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on behalf of itself and 5 of its US bioenergy subsidiaries. The companies
March 08, 2016 Read Full Article
“Lack of Collateral” Damage: Abengoa’s Descent into Fiscal Hell, and Its Hopes for Redemption
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Last week, we reported that potential buyers of Abengoa Bioenergy’s six first generation ethanol facilities have been looking at acquiring the assets even before the company’s announcement that they would be put up for sale. We
March 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Obligation Reduces Biodiesel Sales
(Union for Promoting Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP) google translation) The Union for Promoting Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP) feel their expectations to those established in Germany by 1 January 2015 greenhouse gas mitigation through the development of sales of biodiesel
March 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuel Manufacturer to Invest US$95 Million in Jamaican Plant by 2017
(South Florida Caribbean News) As renewable energy demands increase globally, biofuel developer Benchmark Renewable Energy LLC has officially announced plans to develop a large scale bio-ethanol operation in Jamaica. The company has confirmed that the project will include the development of
March 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Biogas in Europe: Current Situation and Perspectives
by Dan Quadros* (Advanced Biofuels USA) This article is the result of a technical trip to Germany and the UK to participate in strategic meetings and visit labs; to attend seminars, an expo, a short course and a symposium. Posted after
March 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Velocys: Study Commences on UK-Based Waste-to-Liquids Plant
(Velocyc/Biomass Magazine) Velocys plc, the company at the forefront of smaller scale gas-to-liquids (GTL), is pleased to announce the commencement of an initial engineering study on the development of a new waste-to-liquids (WTL) project in the U.K. The proposed project would
March 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Arizona High School Students Take Part in Biodiesel Project
(Arizona Charter Academy/Biodiesel Magazine) Thanks to the hard work and dedication of a high school math and science teacher from Arizona Charter Academy and a group of enthusiastic high school students, a diesel bus will soon driving down the road,
March 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Corn Ethanol: The Rise and Fall of a Political Force
by Tristan R. Brown (The Conversation) The 2016 primary race is defying conventional wisdom, with erstwhile fringe candidates competitive in the polls despite their unorthodox policy positions. The Iowa Republican Caucus provided additional material for this storyline as Senator Ted Cruz defied
March 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Implementation of 1st Project of Extraction and Export of Bio-Ethanol
(Agence Tunis Afrique Presse) A contract on the implementation of a project of cane cultivation to extract and export bio-ethanol was signed Friday in Tunis by the Ministry of Development and International Co-operation and the Manager of the Tunisian-Italian joint
March 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Portable Biodiesel Refinery on Display at GLOBE 2016
(Exchange Magazine) Visitors to the GLOBE Innovation Expo will get an up-close look at a made-in-B.C. portable biofuel refinery built inside a standard 20-foot shipping container. BioCube has successfully deployed its refinery on remote sites in The Congo, in India,
March 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Boardman Biorefinery Gets $11 Million USDA Backing
by George Plaven (East Oregonian) The U.S. Department of Agriculture is stepping up with an $11 million loan to build a new biorefinery in Boardman. -- With financing in place, a Minnesota-based energy company plans to build its first
March 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Sugar-Cane Fuel Wins In Brazil As Cheap Ethanol Beats Gasoline
(Bloomberg/European Supermarket Magazine) Brazil’s economic and political crises are proving to be a boon to one of the nation’s most embattled sectors: ethanol producers. Drivers, who used to switch between ethanol and gas depending on the price gap, are now just going
March 02, 2016 Read Full Article
IKEA Joins Advanced Bioeconomy via Newlight Deal
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Sweden, IKEA and Newlight Technologies have entered into a supply, collaboration, and technology license agreement that will supply IKEA with Newlight’s AirCarbon and enable IKEA to produce AirCarbon thermoplastic under a technology license. Under the
March 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Leaf Resources Expands Equity Stake in ZeaChem, Signs JV to Develop Celluosic Sugars Project in US
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Australia, Leaf Resources and ZeaChem signed a joint venture agreement to establish a Glycell based project in the USA. The new agreenent advances the relationship between the two companies from an October 2014 Collaboration
March 01, 2016 Read Full Article
New Resource for Farmers: A Legal and Regulatory Overview of On-Farm Biodiesel Production in Vermont
(VTDigger.org) Vermont Law School research commissioned by the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund will help reach biodiesel goals of Vermont’s Comprehensive Energy Plan -- A new report, On-Farm Biodiesel Production in Vermont: Legal and Regulatory Overview, conducted by the Institute for
February 29, 2016 Read Full Article
White Mountain Biodiesel Announces Plans to Expand Plant Capacity and Begin Direct Sales of Biodiesel to Retail Customers
(White Mountain Biodiesel) NBB member White Mountain Biodiesel, LLC announced today that it has begun the expansion of its plant in North Haverhill, NH. The expansion, which will occur over the next two years, will include a 10,000 square foot
February 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Stimulating Investment To Grow the Biobased Economy
by Brent Erickson (Biofuels Digest/Biotechnology Innovation Organization) ... The challenge our industry faces right now is to continue building investment in the biobased economy. That can be accomplished with both policy and non-policy activities. ... On the policy front a new coordinated federal
February 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Benefits and Ordeals of a Biofuel Project in Nigeria
by Oladunjoye A. Waleola (Avandith Renewable Energy Limited Nigeria; special to Advanced Biofuels USA) Avandith Renewable Energy Limited Nigeria is a company deeply involved in Jatropha curcas cultivation as well as biofuel production. We have been on the ground and
February 29, 2016 Read Full Article
DOE Posts Presentations from Hydrogen, Hydrocarbons, and Bioproduct Precursors from Wastewaters Workshop
The Hydrogen, Hydrocarbons, and Bioproduct Precursors from Wastewaters Workshop was held March 18–19, 2015, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Washington D.C. offices. Sponsored by the DOE's Bioenergy and Fuel Cell Technologies Offices, the
February 27, 2016 Read Full Article
Gevo Signs Licensing and Joint Development Agreements With Porta
(GEVO) Gevo and Porta Are Targeting the Construction of at Least Four Isobutanol Plants in Argentina; First Plant to be Wholly Owned by Porta, With a Targeted Production Capacity of Up to Five Million Gallons Per Year -- Gevo, Inc.(NASDAQ:GEVO),
February 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Bio Plant for Handling Household Waste to Be Built in UK
(DONG Energy/Biomass Magazine) A world first bio plant for handling unsorted household waste will be built in Northwich, Cheshire by DONG Energy. It will be the first bio plant in the world to handle unsorted household waste, without prior treatment, using
February 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Fuels Missouri Corn Checkoff Success
by Benjamin Herrold (Missouri Farmer Today) Gary Marshall has seen how the Missouri corn checkoff has shaped the industry and impacted farmers. Marshall, the CEO of the Missouri Corn Growers Association and the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council, says the key focus
February 26, 2016 Read Full Article
DSM's Welsh Talks Company's Plans to Shift Investments to China
by Monica Trauzzi (OnPoint/E&E TV) As the renewable fuel standard continues to face legal and legislative challenges, advanced biofuels companies are seeking alternative investment markets. During today's OnPoint, Hugh Welsh, president of DSM North America, discusses his company's ongoing work
February 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Abengoa Bioenergy Files for Chapter 11 for Parent and 5 Subsidiaries
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Missouri, Abengoa Bioenergy US Holding, LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on behalf of itself and 5 of its US bioenergy subsidiaries. The companies
February 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Zeitgeist at the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference
[caption id="attachment_70483" align="alignright" width="260"] LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren visits with Advanced Biofuels USA's Bill Brandon at a pre-conference get-together.[/caption] by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) You might think that annual conferences feel the same year after year. Not true. One of
February 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Raizen Has Lowest Price as Cellulosic Ethanol Hinges on Feedstock Cost
(Lux Research/MarketWired) Of the Six Existing Commercial Cellulosic Ethanol Facilities, Raizen's Projected Price of $2.17 per Gallon Is Lowest, as Innovations Help Bring Next-Generation Biofuels to Market, Says Lux Research Six companies have now brought cellulosic ethanol facilities online, but with
February 24, 2016 Read Full Article
UW Scientists Team up with Big Oil to Develop Renewable Jet Fuel
by Thomas Content (Milwaukee, Wisconsin Journal Sentinel) ... In one project among several around the nation, ExxonMobil is working with researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on technology to bring down the cost of renewable diesel and jet fuel. Researchers led
February 24, 2016 Read Full Article
India’s HPCL Eyes Bihar Sugar Mills for Captive Ethanol Production
by Ajoy K Das (ICIS News) India’s Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) is keen to venture into sugar production, making it the first among the country’s oil refiner-marketer to seek captive ethanol capacity through acquisition, a company official said on Friday. The
February 24, 2016 Read Full Article
IEA and GBEP Launch Bioenergy and Water Paper
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Italy, IEA Bioenergy and the Global Bioenergy Partnership have published the “Examples of Positive Bioenergy and Water Relationships,” which includes examples that illustrate an encouraging variety both in terms of bioenergy systems and geographical
February 24, 2016 Read Full Article
High Margin Alternatives to Petroleum: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to Earth Energy Renewables
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Earth Energy Renewables is a company focused on commercializing bio-based chemicals and fuels. The company has demonstrated success in creating high-margin green alternatives to petroleum-based products. With a robust technology that can process any biodegradable
February 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Putting Corn in Your Car Isn’t as Crazy as It Sounds
by Nathanael Johnson (Grist) When I first looked at the environmental impact of corn ethanol I thought it was simple: Grow an acre of corn for fuel and it means you have to grow another acre elsewhere for food, which
February 23, 2016 Read Full Article
German Sugarbeet Consumption for Ethanol Jumps 9% in 2015
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Germany, sugarbeet led the way in 2015 with 9% more used for ethanol production than the previous year, while production from feed grain fell nearly 2%, with overall production rising 1.8% over 2014 at
February 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Ensyn Chairman Dr. Robert Graham Receives Lifetime Achievement Award at ABLC 2016
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 the early 1980’s and has
February 23, 2016 Read Full Article
7 Megatrends for the Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Where is the bioeconomy headed? In the annual State of the Industry briefing at the 2016 Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference, the Digest presented a survey on that topic. Here are the trends we spotted in the
February 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Second-Generation Biofuel Markets: State of Play, Trade and Developing Country Perspectives
(United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) UNCTAD's first report on the state of biofuel technologies in 2007 highlighted a sector with great potential, but at the time that was a long way off from markets. In 2015, countries made commitments
February 23, 2016 Read Full Article
A.G. Schneiderman Reaches Agreement With Buffalo Biodiesel Over Lawsuits Targeting Small Businesses
(Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman) Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced an agreement with Buffalo Biodiesel, a company that collects cooking oil waste and converts it into biodiesel, over claims that the company filed lawsuits against hundreds of small
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Duckweed to Biofuel Plant to Set up in Sparta, Ga.
(Associated Press/Florida Times Union) $4 million facility would convert duckweed in wastewate treatment ponds to fuel, officials say -- WMAZ-TV reports officials in Sparta announced Wednesday that Duckweed USA will be setting up shop at the city’s wastewater plant. Mayor William
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Alliance BioEnergy: CTS Pilot Plant Producing Cellulosic Sugar
(Alliance BioEnergy Plus/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Alliance BioEnergy Plus Inc. is pleased to announce that the CTS pilot plant located at the company’s subsidiary Ek Laboratories, is now running the complete conversion process from raw feedstock through fermentation of cellulosic sugars.
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Report: Energy Efficiency of Ethanol Continues to Improve
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Reports recently published by the USDA Office of the Chief Economist and the University of Missouri’s Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute demonstrate that ethanol production continues to become more energy efficient and shows
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Comet Biorefining to Build Biomass Sugar Plant in Ontario
(Comet Biorefining/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Comet Biorefining Inc. has announced the location of its commercial-scale biomass-derived sugar facility in the TransAlta Energy Park in Sarnia, Ontario. The 60 million pounds per year plant will come online in 2018 producing dextrose sugar from
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Ethanol Falls A Few Billion Gallons Short
by Robert Rapier (Energy Trends Insider) ... From zero commercial production in 2006, (Vinod) Khosla foresaw the first 100 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol hitting the market in 2008 (see Slide 78), ramping rapidly to 2.5 billion gallons in 2011, 14.6
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Book Review: Biofuels, Food Security and Developing Economies
(merinews) ... Giving the intensity of debate of food versus fuel debate, Naziz (Mintz-Habib)'s fascinating study explores how and in what circumstances Biofuel crops contribute to either perpetuating or alleviating poverty and food in security by considering the complex interactions
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Meeting the California Low Carbon Challenge
by Susanna Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Eighty-nine ethanol producers west of the Mississippi River prepare for the revised LCFS. ... After a couple of years in limbo due to challenges to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, the California carbon credit
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Analyst: Biofuels Consolidation Will Continue in 2016
(Ocean Park Advisors/Ag Professionals) ... "Our experience leads us to believe there will be an increased number of owners and boards of renewable fuel companies evaluating their options in 2016, if not testing the market for reasonable assessments of the value
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
American Chemical Society Launches Biochemical Technology Leadership Roundtable
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the American Chemical Society in cooperation with LanzaTech, Intrexon and other leading bio-based chemical companies, announced at ABLC the formation of a Biochemical Technology Leadership Roundtable. This collaboration will identify and address key
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Protein and Perfume: At ABLC, Even Less of a Focus on Fuels
by Pavel Molchanov (Raymond James/Biofuels Digest) This week, we attended the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference, a major annual gathering of firms in the bioindustrial space. As we noted in our conference recap from March 2015, the industry’s focus had been pivoting
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Comet to Build 30K Ton Biomass Sugar Plant in Ontario
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, Comet Biorefining announced at ABLC 2016 the location of its commercial-scale biomass-derived sugar facility in the TransAlta Energy Park in Sarnia, Ontario. The 60 million pounds per year plant will come online in
February 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Bailout the US Shale Oil/Gas Industry or Fund Clean Sustainable Renewable Transportation? A New Way of Looking at the Options. Press Release
For Immediate Release February 12, 2016—Frederick, MD Advanced Biofuels USA correspondent Robert E. Kozak analyses the potential for a reinvigorated US shale oil/gas industry with and without government subsidies; and compares it to the potential for near-term growth of renewable sustainable clean,
February 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Harnessing the Power of Biology: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to Genomatica
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 1. Harnessing the power of biology to unlock new alternative feedstocks. -- Genomatica is a widely-recognized technology leader for the chemical industry, and for four years running has been the #1-ranked company in the Hot 30.
February 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Researchers ‘Explode’ Sugar Beet Cells for Faster Fermentation
(Wageningen University/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... The European ERA-NET innovation project ChemBeet is developing a very promising technology in which cells are exploded to create a faster and cheaper fermentation process. “The sugar from sugar beet can be used to make other molecules
February 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Technology Harnesses Waste Gases for Power
by Tom Bryan (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... Castro (Alain Castro, CEO of Irvine, California-based Ener-Core) means he believes Ener-Core’s patented Power Oxidizer, which turns low-value industrial waste gases into base-load, on-site power, is poised to change the way industries manage
February 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Oil Rout to Spark U.S. Ethanol Consolidation, Green Plains Says
by Mario Parker (Bloomberg/Chicago Tribune) The cheapest crude oil prices in 12 years could spark a wave of ethanol industry mergers in 2016, Green Plains Inc., a producer of the biofuel, said Thursday. So far this year, returns from converting a
February 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Abu Dhabi Goes Green! Used Cooking Becomes Biodiesel in New Project
by Sarvy Geranpayeh (Albawaba) Tadweer, the Centre of Waste Management Abu Dhabi, has launched an initiative to convert household’s cooking oil waste into biodiesel for vehicles. The project has been started in Abu Dhabi’s Al Raha area whereby residents are provided with
February 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuel Company with Polygamous Ties Spent Big on Utah Politicians even as Frauds Were Found
by Nate Carlisle and Brian Maffly (The Salt Lake Tribune) Federal agents raided offices of Washakie and Kingstons amid claims the company hasn’t actually manufactured its own biofuels. -- The storage tanks Washakie Renewable Energy was planning to build while
February 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Energy Department Requests Information on Biofuels & Bioproducts Process Pilot Verification Capabilities
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy is seeking input from industry, academia, national laboratories, and other biofuels and bioproducts stakeholders to identify existing pilot- or process development-scale facilities with the capability to perform process verifications for biomass