by Scott Warfield (CERES Project Services/Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) ... The big game changer for financing, profitability and financial returns of anaerobic digester (AD) projects regardless of feedstock is carbon offset credits and specifically California’s low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) which provides
California
Back TO HOMEClean Energy’s Redeem™ Sales Reports Double Digit Growth In 2017; Continues Position As North America’s Largest Provider Of Renewable Natural Gas
(Clean Energy) Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (Nasdaq: CLNE) announced today that sales of Redeem™, its renewable natural gas (RNG) offering and the cleanest fuel commercially available today, grew by 32% in 2017, from 60 million gallons in 2016 to 79 million gallons in 2017. The 2017 volume from Clean
February 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Neste's Renewable Fuels Reduced Global Climate Emissions by 8.3 Million Tons in 2017
(Neste/Globe Newswire) Replacing fossil fuels with Neste's renewable fuels reduced global climate emissions altogether by a staggering 8.3 million metric tons or 8.3 billion kilograms in 2017. The figure equals removal of 3 million passenger cars from the roads for a
February 06, 2018 Read Full Article
10 Years After: Advanced Biofuels’ Status, Opportunities and Challenges
by Lorenz Bauer (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) In 2007 the US government established a national strategy for the development of advanced biofuels made using non-edible biomass. After 10 years we are still short of achieving the targets of this plan
February 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Case Studies Demonstrate Success of Biomethane as Vehicle Fuel
(NGV Journal/Energy Vision) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and the sustainable energy NGO Energy Vision released two case studies of successful projects that were among the first to produce Renewable Compressed Natural Gas (R-CNG) vehicle fuel using
February 05, 2018 Read Full Article
California Gears Up for Trump Battle on Car-Emissions Rules
by Mark Chediak, Dana Hull and John Lippert (Bloomberg) Official sees ‘war’ if state’s rule-setting rights revoked; Air Resources Board planning zero-emissions bus proposal -- ... The state has special authority under the 1970 Clean Air Act to make its own pollution
February 05, 2018 Read Full Article
BP Verenium Biofuels Plant up for Sale
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The BP Verenium Biofuels plant in Jennings, Louisiana, is being offered for sale. The 1.4 MMgy demonstration-scale facility celebrated its grand opening in 2008, and was acquired by BP Biofuels North America in mid-2010. On Jan.
February 02, 2018 Read Full Article
9 States Buck the Trump Administration and Move Forward with a Price on Carbon Pollution
by Natasha Geiling (ThinkProgress) Currently only one state in the country has an economy-wide cap on carbon. These states want to change that -- Lawmakers from nine states announced on Wednesday that they would be forming a coalition to help pass carbon pricing
February 01, 2018 Read Full Article
California Advanced Biofuels Alliance Joins Biofuels Groups in Opposing AB 1745
(California Advanced Biofuels Alliance) On January 19th, CABA joined biofuels groups in opposing AB 1745. Here is the text of the letter: Dear Assembly Member Ting: It is after careful deliberation that the undersigned organizations respectfully express opposition to AB 1745, a bill
January 31, 2018 Read Full Article
Busy Truck Stop Finds Success with Biofuels
(Trucking Info) Fontana Truck Stop Center has an ideal location. It’s just off one interstate and near another, both of them taking traffic to and from Los Angeles. It’s also in an industrial area populated with distribution centers, manufacturers and equipment
January 31, 2018 Read Full Article
Study: Renewable Diesel Doing Its Part
(Trucking Info/Neste) According to a recent study by Gladstein, Neandross & Associates (GMA), renewable diesel (RD) is playing an active part in ensuring that heavy-duty vehicles, including Class 8 trucks, are meeting near-zero emissions mandates in California. The study, which was
January 31, 2018 Read Full Article
World First as AltAir Biojet Fuel Refinery Achieves RSB Certification
(Roundtable for Sustainable Biomaterials) The RSB is delighted to announce the certification of AltAir to produce biojet fuel, renewable diesel and naphtha, a gasoline component. This industry first sees AltAir join the ranks of RSB certified operators who have applied the RSB Global Standard
January 30, 2018 Read Full Article
Qantas, Agrisoma, Honeywell, AltAir, WFS Partner in Historic First Pacific Jet Biofuels Flight
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The world’s first dedicated biofuel flight between the United States and Australia, QF96 from Los Angeles to Melbourne, has departed from LAX and arrives roughly at Digest press time. The trans-Pacific 15 hour flight will operate
January 30, 2018 Read Full Article
Clean Energy Sees Double-Digit Growth for Redeem RNG in 2017
by Joseph Bebon (NGT News) Clean Energy Fuels Corp. has announced that sales of Redeem, its renewable natural gas (RNG) vehicle fuel brand, grew by 32% in 2017, up from 60 million gallons in 2016 to 79 million gallons in 2017. According to the
January 30, 2018 Read Full Article
EPA Pushes Unified National Fuel Emissions Standard
by Miranda Green (The Hill) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is pushing for a unified national fuel emissions standard for automobiles, a move that could significantly impact California's stringent car emissions standards. EPA air and radiation head Bill Wehrum, speaking at the Washington Auto
January 26, 2018 Read Full Article
'Diesel Brothers' Stars at MN Ag Expo
by Tim Krohn (Mankato Free Press) The DieselSellerz, stars of Discovery’s “Diesel Brothers” show, were at the MN Ag Expo on Wednesday talking with fans and previewing a truck the foursome is building for the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council. “People
January 26, 2018 Read Full Article
Company Official Shares Biofuel Plant Details
by Tina Alvey (The Register-Herald) PPD of WV is putting together the final financial pieces of the puzzle, in hopes of breaking ground on its new biofuel plant near Sam Black Church this spring, according to company official Jason Perry. Perry spoke
January 25, 2018 Read Full Article
Energy Commission Grant Gives Processing Industry Food for Thought
(California Energy Commission) Funding Also Awarded for Biofuel, Solar, and Hydrogen Fuel Infrastructure Projects -- The California Energy Commission is helping the state’s $82 billion food industry become more energy efficient. ... Researchers will visit plants around the state to evaluate processing equipment and
January 25, 2018 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Agents of Change
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Biodiesel Magazine spotlights four companies—a respected producer, a service-oriented wholesaler, a 200-year old chemical firm, and a fuel conditioning company—that enable biodiesel's role as an effective change agent. PQ Corp. ... John Votta, global business director for PQ’s silica
January 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Against the Odds
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Continued investment and expansion took place in the U.S. biodiesel sector throughout 2017, despite rising political uncertainty and a lapsed tax credit. Here is an overview of some of the activity, plus a special sidebar story
January 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Off-Grid Power with Ethanol, Pay with Bitcoin
(Biofuels International) E-Fuel has launched its solution for people who want energy independence and to be green about it. The Silicon Valley company introduced its 100% ethanol generator, the Personal Energy System (PES), 8 January. It is intended to give customers full
January 24, 2018 Read Full Article
A Straighter, Shorter Pathway: Confidence Builds in Overcoming the Hurdles Slowing Corn Kernel Fiber-to-Ethanol Approvals.
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Seven years after the U.S. EPA published the final rule for administering the Renewable Fuel Standard, the path to getting corn kernel fiber-to-ethanol approvals appears to be getting much shorter. Edeniq CEO Brian Thome reports
January 23, 2018 Read Full Article
INSIGHTS Anaerobic Digesters as a Tool for California’s Clean Transportation Efforts
by Cliff Gladstein (Gladstein, Neandross & Associates/ACT News) As one of the most populous states in the nation and a center of agricultural activity, California faces a waste disposal problem. Organic waste sent to municipal waste water treatment plants and landfills
January 23, 2018 Read Full Article
Phosphoethanolamine Cellulose: A Naturally Produced Chemically Modified Cellulose
by Wiriya Thongsomboon, Diego O. Serra, Alexandra Possling, Chris Hadjineophytou, Regine Hengge, Lynette Cegelski (Science Magazine) Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on Earth and an important component of bacterial biofilms. Thongsomboon et al. used solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to identify a
January 22, 2018 Read Full Article
US Government Report Strengthens Consensus on Biodiesel Benefits
(National Biodiesel Board) Argonne National Laboratory, US Dept. of Agriculture, and Purdue University affirm impressive emissions reductions -- A new study on biodiesel’s lifecycle energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission effects updates and reaffirms the long-understood benefits of using the renewable fuel.
January 22, 2018 Read Full Article
Top 20 Advanced Bioeconomy Projects underway in North America
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) To date, North America is the most active of all regions in terms of deploying advanced technology — whether it is cellulosic ethanol, isobutanol for fuels and chemicals, or renewable chemical plants, you see the first
January 19, 2018 Read Full Article
California-Trump Administration Fuel-Efficiency Talks Intensify
by David Shepardson (Reuters) California and the Trump administration will hold a series of new talks over fuel efficiency rules as the auto industry still hopes for a deal to retain nationwide requirements. Officials from the California Air Resources Board are set
January 17, 2018 Read Full Article
NASA and DLR Investigate the Impact of Aviation on the Climate - Joint Flight Tests on Alternative Fuel Emissions
(German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, DLR)) Three weeks of research flights from Ramstein Air Base; NASA DC-8 and DLR A320 ATRA fly together; The focus is on particle emissions of alternative fuels and their influence on cloud formation from
January 15, 2018 Read Full Article
WEBINAR Review: Preparing the Energy Grid for Electrified and Autonomous Vehicles
by Michael Eggleston* (Advanced Biofuels USA) On December 13th, SAE International moderated a webinar clarifying how the energy grid prepares to support a high volume of fully electric, autonomous vehicles in the coming future. In order to prepare for the rise
January 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Bill de Blasio: This Is Why New York Is Suing and Divesting from Big Oil
by Bill de Blasio (New York City Mayor/Washington Post) ... America’s largest city, 8.5 million strong, is taking decisive action on two separate fronts. We are demanding compensation from those who profit from climate change. And we plan to withdraw our
January 14, 2018 Read Full Article
U.S. Regulators Meet with California on Fate of Vehicle Fuel Rules
by David Shepardson (Reuters) Senior U.S. government officials held talks in recent weeks with California’s Air Resources Board (CARB) to discuss the goal of maintaining one set of national requirements for automakers, a move that will determine the fate of vehicle
January 12, 2018 Read Full Article
Canada’s Regional Governments Press on with Carbon Pricing
(Bioenergy Insight) Alberta is moving into phase two of its carbon levy and Ontario has expanded its cap and trade market. The moves mirror similarly anti-emissions sentiments in Federal governments. Introduced in 2017, Alberta's carbon tax is being raised from CA$20 to
January 12, 2018 Read Full Article
Jet Fuel from (Any) Bio-Alcohol: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Byogy Renewables
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Byogy has developed a catalytic platform that converts any source of ethanol, butanol, mixed alcohols, or related olefins, into full replacement, and cost competitive biofuels including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Byogy’s jet fuel is not
January 10, 2018 Read Full Article
Last Train to Emeryville: The DigiBio Value Engine Is Leavin’ the Station, Are You on It?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Tie-ins for Zymergen, Radiant Genomics, DMC, Capricorn Venture Partners, Syngenta and CHS demonstrate the firepower and scope of digital biology. Today, products made via traditional biological tools tap into easy-to-grow-in-a-lab organisms, and mostly nothin’ else. Sort of
January 10, 2018 Read Full Article
Cell-Free Bio-Discovery: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to SynVitroBio
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Synvitrobio accelerates bio-discovery through cell-free systems. Synvitrobio’s Next Generation Expression platform allows for high-throughput data collection that is real and experimentally validated at speeds of simulation based approaches. A cell-free system is a mixture that contains only the
January 08, 2018 Read Full Article
New California Program to Develop 5 Dairy Digester RNG Projects
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) In mid-December, the California Public Utilities Commission established a new program that aims to reduce methane emissions from manure generated at dairies. The CPUC said the pilot program will incentivize at least five projects where dairy
January 05, 2018 Read Full Article
Washington State Readies Carbon Tax Push
(Axios) Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, will unveil a carbon tax proposal in his address to the state Tuesday, local media reported Thursday. Why it matters outside of that Washington: The debate, while unique to the Evergreen State, is also emblematic of the struggles
January 05, 2018 Read Full Article
California Bill Seeks Ban on Fossil-Fueled Vehicles by 2040
by Ryan Beene (Bloomberg) California would ban the sale of new cars and trucks powered by fossil fuels in 2040 under legislation introduced Wednesday in the state legislature. "We’re at an inflection point: we’ve got to address the harmful emissions that cause
January 04, 2018 Read Full Article
US Navy Researchers Develop New Class of Renewable Diesel
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In California, researchers from the US Navy at China Lake have developed a new class of drop-in renewable diesel from biomass using acid catalyzed condensation of 2-tridecanone with a series of diols through fermentation that provide similar energy levels
January 04, 2018 Read Full Article
2017 — It Was a Seaweed Year for Algae
(Algae Industry Magazine) ... In September, the US Department of Energy (DOE) awarded $22 million in grants to fund projects for marine biomass farming for production of commercial products, including feedstock for domestic transportation fuels. The funding was provided through the
January 03, 2018 Read Full Article
Biofuels Mandates Around the World 2018
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Florida, the Digest today releases its annual review of biofuels mandates and targets around the world, looking at the state of biofuels mandates in 65 countries. The bulk of mandates continue to come from the EU-27,
January 02, 2018 Read Full Article
Meet the Lawyer Trying to Make Big Oil Pay for Climate Change
by Geoff Dembicki (Vice.com) The attorney who won a $200 billion settlement from tobacco companies in the 90s has set his sights on an even bigger target. When you want to sue the largest, most powerful companies on the planet,
January 02, 2018 Read Full Article
Regulating Indirect Land Use Carbon Emissions Carries Cost to Consumers
by Deborah Gertz Husar (Herald-Whig) ... University of Illinois agricultural economist Madhu Khanna said the low-carbon fuel standard creates incentives to switch to low-carbon advanced biofuels, but including the indirect effect makes compliance more costly and fuel more expensive for consumers. "What
December 30, 2017 Read Full Article
CARB Working to Address Biodiesel NOx Emissions: Court Filing
by Josh Pedrick (Platts) Ongoing legal challenges to the way California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard deals with nitrogen oxide emissions from biodiesel could continue to hamper the state's efforts to meet carbon reduction goals. Earlier this week, the California Air Resources Board told
December 26, 2017 Read Full Article
Notes from Scaleville: The Global Bioenergies, Gevo and Siluria Stories
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week we’ve received news from three companies that have struck out in search of new markets for their fundamental processes, and new applications for biotechnology in some ancient and ossified markets such as jet fuel,
December 20, 2017 Read Full Article
Can Lawmakers Find a Middle Way on Fuel Efficiency? House Lawmakers Debate Harmonizing EPA, NHTSA Standards
by Jessie Stolark (Enviromental and Energy Study Institute) On December 12, the House Energy & Commerce Committee held a hearing, “Update on the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Program (CAFE) and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Motor Vehicles.” At the heart of
December 15, 2017 Read Full Article
General Automation Lab Technologies (GALT) Partners with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to Improve Biofuel Production
(General Automation Lab Technologies/PR Newswire) New $1.5 million DOE grant will utilize GALT's novel high throughput microbiome research platform to improve algal biofuel growth through microbiome engineering -- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has been awarded a 3 year $1.5 million grant by the
December 14, 2017 Read Full Article
SoCalGas Model Energy Design Includes RNG Focus
by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) is partnering with the University of California-Irvine’s Advanced Power & Energy Program to design an “Advanced Energy Community” in an underserved neighborhood in Huntington Beach. The community will be planned as a
December 14, 2017 Read Full Article
California Advanced Biofuels Conference --- March 1, 2018 --- Sacramento, CA
E V O L V E -- Master the Changes in California's Dynamic Advanced Biofuels Markets The group's annual conference enters its seventh year as the 2018 California Advanced Biofuels Conference. The theme — Evolve — reflects the inclusive new name as well as
December 14, 2017 Read Full Article
California Biodiesel Alliance (CBA) Becomes California Advanced Biofuels Alliance (CABA)
(California Biodiesel Alliance/California Advanced Biofuels Alliance) The board of directors of the California Biodiesel Alliance (CBA) — which has been the respected voice for biodiesel in the state since its founding in 2006 — has voted to broaden the scope of membership to
December 14, 2017 Read Full Article
Leaders Across the Americas Vow to “Make the Planet Great Again” by Establishing a Price on Carbon
by Waldo del Bosque (EcoSystem Marketplace) The United States may have withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement, but national and regional leaders from across the Americas have vowed to “Make the Planet Great Again” by embracing a price on carbon at
December 13, 2017 Read Full Article
The 12: The Advanced Bioeconomy’s 12 Biggest Talking, Fretting, Praying and Action Points Right Now
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... What are the top trends? Here are the 11 we see dominating the debate on the stage and on the floor. Jet fuel deployment – how much, how soon, by whom? California, look up, not down!
December 13, 2017 Read Full Article
California Readies $398-Million Green Truck Incentive Package
(Diesel Technology Forum) There are about 950,000 commercial trucks registered in California, and the vast majority are powered by diesel engines. State law says that in 2023 and after, only trucks meeting or exceeding 2011 diesel emissions standards will be able
December 12, 2017 Read Full Article
EKAE, Pearson Fuels Announce Exclusive Marketing Agreement
(Pearson Fuels/Ethanol Producer Magazine) East Kansas Agri-Energy of Garnett, Kansas, and Pearson Fuels of San Diego, California, announce the signing of an exclusive West Coast marketing agreement for the distribution of renewable diesel from EKAE’s recently commissioned plant in Garnett. Renewable diesel
December 11, 2017 Read Full Article
California Looks at Dumping Gas Tax for Per-Mile Fee as Cars Use Less Fuel
by Tony Bizjak (Sacramento Bee) Weeks into a new gas tax hike, California transportation officials said Thursday they are studying ways to charge drivers based on how many miles they drove since their last fill-up rather than the amount of fuel
December 11, 2017 Read Full Article
California’s LCFS: Unlocking Value in Low-Carbon Liquid Fuels
(Propel) New study outlines how to make America’s most important low carbon policy more equitable. -- According to new research, low carbon liquid fuels must play a more significant role to meet California’s 2020 and 2030 carbon reduction goals under the Low
December 11, 2017 Read Full Article
This Is an Algorithm, That Is Alive: The Rise of Arzeda and Digital Biology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The question is being raised all over Silicon Valley — and increasingly around the world — if biotechnology is essentially a branch of information technology. ... Investors, theorists, entrepreneurs are forming a thesis that profound improvements in the physical world
December 08, 2017 Read Full Article
Tri Delta Transit Goes All-In with Neste MY Renewable Diesel
by Joseph Bebon (NGT News) Tri Delta Transit, which provides public transportation in Eastern Contra Costa County, Calif., has switched its entire fleet of transit buses from operating on petroleum diesel to using only Neste MY Renewable Diesel. ... “Tri Delta Transit is
December 07, 2017 Read Full Article
California Bill in the Works to Banish Gasoline Cars by 2040
by Ryan Beene and Dana Hull (Bloomberg) Assemblymember Ting says he will introduce proposal next month; Only ‘clean’ cars could be registered by DMV under bill: Ting -- A California lawmaker wants to put the state alongside China, France and the U.K. and have its legislature consider
December 06, 2017 Read Full Article
Mid America Agri Products – Wheatland LLC Receives EPA Approval for Cellulosic Ethanol Using Edeniq’s Technology
(Edeniq/Business Wire) Edeniq, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved Mid America Agri Products – Wheatland LLC’s (MAAPW) registration to produce cellulosic ethanol at its ethanol production facility in Madrid, Neb. using Edeniq’s Pathway technology. The
December 05, 2017 Read Full Article
Lo-Carb at Ay Speed: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There are two approaches to encouraging low-carbon fuels — volumetric mandates and carbon reduction incentives. What is different about a Low Carbon Fuel Standard — as compared to a Renewable Fuel Standard? There are 4 primary differences. 1. An
December 05, 2017 Read Full Article
VW Bosses Coached Me to Lie, Jailed Manager Tells U.S. Judge
by Christie Smythe (Bloomberg Technology) (Oliver) Schmidt to be sentenced on Dec. 6 over emissions scandal; ‘Regrettably, I agreed to follow it’; faces 7 years in prison -- ... In a letter to the judge last week, Schmidt, former general manager of Volkswagen’s
December 04, 2017 Read Full Article
Toyota to Produce Its Own Hydrogen to Supply 1,500 Vehicles per Day
(NGV Journal) Toyota Motor North America, Inc. will build the world’s first megawatt-scale carbonate fuel cell power generation plant with a hydrogen fueling station to support its operations at the Port of Long Beach. The Tri-Gen facility will use bio-waste sourced
December 04, 2017 Read Full Article
What Is Renewable Natural Gas?
(RNG Coalition) Renewable Natural Gas ('RNG') is an ultra-clean and ultra low-carbon natural gas alternative. As organic waste breaks down it emits methane gas, called biogas, that can be processed to meet natural gas pipeline quality specifications. Biogas is a mixture
December 04, 2017 Read Full Article
That Unsold Bottle of Merlot Is Probably Winding up in Your Gas Tank
by John Capone (Quartz Media) ... It’s where the dregs of every vodka still and every 9-year-old barrel-aged small batch bourbon expire. It’s where all the watery beer that didn’t end up at frat parties does its final keg stand. And
November 29, 2017 Read Full Article
From Conventional to Advantaged: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Aemetis
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Aemetis owns and operates 110 million gallons per year of ethanol and biodiesel facilities in the US and India, and is upgrading the plants using patented technology to produce lower carbon, higher value advanced biofuels and
November 29, 2017 Read Full Article
Provivi and the Insect Love Story that Never Happens
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Could a biotechnology succeed in reducing pests and the resultant damage to crops they bring — by making it nearly impossible for them to find mates and produce future pest generations? Provivi’s Big Series B raise What you
November 29, 2017 Read Full Article
Lead, Squabble or Waffle Away: Shuffling the Deck on Global Bioenergy
by Gerard Ostheimer and Douglas L. Faulkner (Biofuels Digest) ... In the U.S., fighting between Big Ag and Big Oil over first-generation biofuels is slowing the deployment of advanced biofuels projects. This further undercuts the industry in a depressing frittering away of
November 28, 2017 Read Full Article
Renewable Diesel Maker Neste Lines Up Four Calif. Distributors
by Joseph Bebon (NGT News) Houston-based Neste US Inc. has announced exclusive partnerships with four fuel distributors in California to provide public and private fleets access to Neste MY Renewable Diesel. The distribution partners include IPC (USA) Inc., Ramos Oil Co., Van De Pol Petroleum,
November 28, 2017 Read Full Article
Brazil to Launch Ambitious Biofuels Program
by Leticia Phillips (UNICA/Ethanol Producer Magazine) RenovaBio will help Brazil meet its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent of 2005 levels by 2030. -- Building, in part, on the successes and lessons learned from two signature American policies, Brazil is
November 27, 2017 Read Full Article
Pollutant Powerplay
by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... Pacific Ethanol in Stockton, California, will be the first ethanol plant to use Ener-Core’s Power Oxidizer, a combined-heat-and-power plant fueled by waste gas, using volatile organic compounds as fuel. The unique technology allows
November 27, 2017 Read Full Article
Charting a Cellulosic Path -- Enzyme Advances Hold Promise in Corn Ethanol
by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Cellulosic technology companies have invested time and millions of dollars to explore ways to convert biomass into cellulosic ethanol for the better part of 20 years. Most technologies have fallen victim to high capital and
November 22, 2017 Read Full Article
Microorganism Factories: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Verdezyne
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Verdezyne is a privately held industrial biotechnology company that is developing and commercializing novel genetically engineered microorganisms for use as “factories” to manufacture renewable chemicals. Verdezyne’s unique microorganisms permit greener, cleaner and more cost effective production
November 21, 2017 Read Full Article
Does Regulating Indirect Land Use Change Work? The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to ILUC Reform
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana professor Madhu Khanna has been raising issues with including an indirect land use change factor for compliance with low carbon fuel standards. Why, since ILUC is a required calculation for the Renewable Fuel
November 20, 2017 Read Full Article
A Winning Combination: Renewable Hydrocarbon Diesel and Biodiesel Blend
(OPIS) Written by REG, this free white paper takes a look at the benefits of the latest innovation in renewable fuel – the blending together of two leading diesel replacements: biodiesel and renewable hydrocarbon diesel. Read this informative white paper to see why
November 16, 2017 Read Full Article
DFW Airport Signs Up for Renewable Natural Gas
by Joseph Bebon (NGT News) During the Airports Going Green 2017 conference, Clean Energy Fuels Corp. announced that event host Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport awarded Clean Energy a renewable natural gas (RNG) fueling contract for the airport’s vehicle fleet. The contract calls
November 16, 2017 Read Full Article
Research Is Making Plant Waste a Viable Option in Ethanol Production
by J.D. Warren (UCR Today) Relatively cheap "biomass" has been a poor option due to its production cost -- UC Riverside researchers have developed a streamlined process that could finally make the ethanol production cost from abundant “second generation” plant wastes competitive
November 15, 2017 Read Full Article
To Find New Biofuel Enzymes, It Can Take a Microbial Village
(Newswise) Berkeley Lab-led study unveils new source of robust cellulases in compost -- A new study led by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), based at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), demonstrates the importance of microbial communities
November 14, 2017 Read Full Article
California Awards over $35M to Fund Biogas Projects
(NGV Journal) The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has awarded $35.2 million in grant funding to 18 dairy digester projects across the state. These projects, part of the Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP), will reduce greenhouse gas
November 14, 2017 Read Full Article
Aemetis Provides Update of Cellulosic Ethanol Initiatives
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... During an earnings call, McAfee provided an overview of advanced biofuel projects under development by Aemetis, including the LanzaTech cellulosic upgrade to the company’s Keyes, California, plant and the agreement to acquire Edeniq to
November 14, 2017 Read Full Article
BDI Receives Further Order from US-American Customer
(BDI) The Austrian plant engineering company BDI – BioEnergy International AG (“BDI”) was awarded a contract for a new BioDiesel plant in the United States featuring BDIs latest technology. Recycling waste oils and fats into high-quality BioDiesel using patented BDI
November 14, 2017 Read Full Article
30 Hot Cellulosic Technologies, 30 Quick Takes
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Last week, DowDuPont said it was exiting the cellulosic biofuels business and you’d think that the company just burned down the warehouse with the original text of the Renewable Fuels Standard — the coverage of the
November 14, 2017 Read Full Article
New Report Details Racial, Economic Injustice of Pollution Trading Programs
(Food & Water Watch) Under plans like California’s “cap-and-trade” program, pollution and public health impacts actually increase in lower-income communities of color. -- New analysis published today details the disproportionate burdens of air and water contamination and serious human health effects placed
November 13, 2017 Read Full Article
A Carbon Tax by Any Other Name Would Smell “Tax”
by Richard Gilmore (Biofuels Digest/GIC Group) ... The carbon tax alliance is led by prominent Republicans along with some fence sitting Dems and their respective linesmen from public policy think tanks. While seemingly counter-intuitive in light of the Administration’s rejection of any
November 13, 2017 Read Full Article
Can California Eliminate Gas Cars?
by Anne C. Mulkern, ClimateWire (Scientific American) State leaders are discussing banning the sale of cars that run on gasoline or diesel -- ... Switching to all clean cars would require a herculean transformation in the Golden State. They accounted for less than
November 10, 2017 Read Full Article
Is Cellulosic Ethanol Dead? Despite Setbacks, Signs of Progress
by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) ... Several factors have hindered the production of the volumes originally envisioned: extracting energy from cellulose proved much more difficult than extracting it from corn starch, challenges of collecting, moving and storing significant
November 10, 2017 Read Full Article
New Report: California Oil Among World's Dirtiest -- Rampant Oil Production Undermines State's Climate Leadership
(Center for Biological Diversity) Three-quarters of California’s oil is as climate-damaging as Canadian tar sands crude, according to a Center for Biological Diversity report released today at the United Nations climate change conference in Bonn, Germany. Oil Stain: How Dirty Crude Undercuts California’s Climate
November 10, 2017 Read Full Article
Study Speeds Transformation of Biofuel Waste into Useful Chemicals
by Jules Bernstein (Phys.Org/Sandia National Laboratories) A Sandia National Laboratories-led team has demonstrated faster, more efficient ways to turn discarded plant matter into chemicals worth billions. The team's findings could help transform the economics of making fuels and other products from
November 10, 2017 Read Full Article
Advanced Bioeconomy Horizons: The 5 Top R&D Trends Right Now
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Catalytic reaction rates, microcrystalline cellulose, cyanobacteria working in teams, vertical farming, vegan products & markets. The 5 top disruptive techs we’ve seen in recent weeks are attacking these fronts. Here’s what we see. 1. Breakthrough on (microcrystalline) cellulose
November 10, 2017 Read Full Article
Report from EUBCE 2017 in Stockholm, Sweden
by Maija Sihvonen* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Participants from over 70 countries gathered at Stockholm’s Älvsjömässan for the annual European Biomass Conference, EUBCE 2017 in June 12-15. In the field of advanced biofuels two years is a long time, so it
November 09, 2017 Read Full Article
Chicago! Fulcrum BioEnergy Picks the Midwest Hub for Its Next MSW-to-Jet Fuel Project
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From California we received the news that Chicagoland has been selected as the site of Fulcrum BioEnergy’s second commercial-scale waste-to-fuels biorefinery. We reported last month that the long-awaited financing was completed for Fulcrum Bioenergy’s highly-anticipated first commercial project
November 07, 2017 Read Full Article
Are Electrics a Bridging Technology, and Hydrogen Fuel Cells the Future?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Recently, Lexus’ Paul Williamsen told Australia’s CarAdvice team: “Both hybrid and EVs are merely bridging technologies on the way to the solution, which is hydrogen. The problem with EVs is a simple matter of chemistry – we won’t
November 04, 2017 Read Full Article
Got Feedstock? Have Greenbelt Resources Test For Feasibility
(PR Newswire/Greenbelt Resources) The beauty of bioethanol is that it can be created from an amazing number of feedstocks of which many are considered waste – especially "food wastes". Greenbelt Resources Corporation(OTC: GRCO) (Greenbelt) evaluates these feedstocks through its Feedstock Feasibility
November 02, 2017 Read Full Article
Planes across Europe to Start Running on Vegetable Oil and Animal Fat in Bid to Tackle Climate Change and Toxic Air
by Ben Chapman (Independent) With long-distance electric-powered transport still a long way off, can advances in renewable fuel made from vegetable oil and waste fill the gap to combat climate change and clean up our toxic air? Planes across Europe will soon
November 01, 2017 Read Full Article
10 Disruptive Israeli Companies that Can Wean the World off Fossil Fuels
by Abigail Klein Leichman (Israel 21c) ... H2 Energy Now is building a prototype battery-free solution for storing and increasing the usability of alternative energy from intermittent sources – sun and wind – to meet times of peak demand reliably. Radio
October 31, 2017 Read Full Article
Greenbelt Resources' Feedstock Testing for BarrelHouse Finds Trub Suitable for PRECO
(Greenbelt Resources Corporation/PR Newswire) Greenbelt Resources Corporation (OTC: GRCO) (Greenbelt) has completed feedstock feasibility testing of trub (brewery waste) for BarrelHouse Brewery. Greenbelt Chief Technology Officer Floyd Butterfield says the ethanol derived from trub, as well as the high protein animal feed, met
October 31, 2017 Read Full Article
Low Carbon Demand Regears Biodiesel Inputs
by Niamh Boyle (Biodiesel Magazine/Prima Markets) Prima Markets provides a comprehensive summary of the growing international demand for low carbon fuels, including U.S. policy drivers and waste feedstock consumption, along with a detailed overview of the international trade of low carbon
October 30, 2017 Read Full Article
Carbon Negative, Compression Ignition: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Oberon Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Oberon Fuels is facilitating the growth of the DME transportation industry by converting biogas and other hydrocarbon rich waste streams to higher valued commodities such as DME. Using its proprietary small-scale process, Oberon makes DME and
October 26, 2017 Read Full Article
Greenbelt Resources Conducts Feedstock Testing For Central Coast Wine Services
(Business Insider/PR Newswire/Greenbelt Resources) Greenbelt Resources Corporation (OTC: GRCO) has agreed to perform feedstock testing with Central Coast Wine Services (CCWS) to test various streams of wastes generated in the winemaking process. The wastes will be tested for potential use as
October 25, 2017 Read Full Article
California Cars Are Running on Restaurant Grease
by Robert Tuttle (Bloomberg Technology) Renewable diesel use surges amid low-carbon fuel program; Second-biggest source of low-carbon fuel credits after ethanol -- California’s battle against climate change is being fought more fiercely in fast food restaurants than in Tesla Inc.’s car factory in Fremont. Seven
October 25, 2017 Read Full Article
A Dozen Global Cities Commit to Fossil-Fuel-Free Streets
(Next-Gen Transportation News) The mayors of London, Paris, Los Angeles, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Quito, Vancouver, Mexico City, Milan, Seattle, Auckland and Cape Town have signed the C40 Fossil-Fuel-Free Streets Declaration. Under the declaration, the city leaders have pledged to procure only zero-emission buses from 2025
October 24, 2017 Read Full Article
SimPath Licenses Novel ORNL System for Enhanced Synthetic Biology
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory) SimPath has licensed a novel cloning system developed by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory that generates and assembles the biological building blocks necessary to synthetically bioengineer new medicines and fuels. Knoxville, Tennessee-based startup SimPath
October 20, 2017 Read Full Article
Marketing Sustainability: How Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) Are Planning to Take Flight
By Michael Eggleston* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Flying in Formation: Since the first test flight almost 10 years ago, there have been over 40,000 commercial flights supported by four international airports supplying SAFs. Michael Gill, Executive Director of the cross-industry Air
October 19, 2017 Read Full Article
Aemetis Signs Long Term Lease for Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Site in California
(Aemetis) 55 year Lease Agreement at Former Army Munitions Facility -- Aemetis, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMTX) announced today that its Aemetis Advanced Products Keyes subsidiary signed a 55 year lease at a former US Army munitions facility located in Riverbank, California which is near
October 19, 2017 Read Full Article
Low Carbon Demand Regears Biodiesel Inputs
by Niamh Boyle (Prima Markets/Biodiesel Magazine) Prima Markets provides a comprehensive summary of the growing international demand for low carbon fuels, including U.S. policy drivers and waste feedstock consumption, along with a detailed overview of the international trade of low carbon
October 18, 2017 Read Full Article
Iowa Plant Receives EPA Approval for Cellulosic Production
(Edeniq Inc./Ethanol Producer Magazine) Edeniq Inc., a leading cellulosic and biorefining technology company, recently announced that the U.S. EPA has approved Flint Hills Resources’ registration of its 100 million gallons per year Iowa Falls, Iowa, ethanol plant for cellulosic ethanol production
October 18, 2017 Read Full Article
Ethanol Has Replaced Oil Trains as Hidden Safety Risk in N.J.
by Curtis Tate (NorthJersey.com) ... The flammable biofuel is transported in trains that look virtually identical to the oil trains that have attracted so much attention, and controversy, in the country's energy boom of the past decade. But according to federal data, 1
October 17, 2017 Read Full Article
Jumping for Joy for Qantas Biofuel Powered Aircraft
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Australia, Qantas will buy eight million gallons of renewable jet fuel each year from U.S. based bio-energy company, SG Preston, in order to fuel its Los Angeles based aircraft. Their goal is to have the LAX to
October 17, 2017 Read Full Article
Productionizing Synthetic Biology: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to the Agile BioFoundry
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Agile BioFoundry, designed to productionize synthetic biology, is a public infrastructure investment aimed at increasing U.S. industrial competitiveness and enables new opportunities for private sector growth and jobs. Specifically, the foundry aims to enable a biorefinery
October 17, 2017 Read Full Article
Qantas to Use Biofuel Blend on Los Angeles Flights
by Ellen Read (Stuff) Qantas aircraft based in Los Angeles will use a renewable biofuel blend from 2020. The airline said on Friday it would buy eight million gallons of the fuel each year, for the next decade, from United States bio-energy company SF Preston. Qantas trialled domestic
October 13, 2017 Read Full Article
GM’s Barra Skeptical of Electric Car Mandates
by Keith Laing (Detroit News) General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra said Tuesday that Chinese officials should consider whether there is sufficient demand for electric cars before they move to ban gasoline and diesel engines. Speaking at a conference in Washington honoring
October 11, 2017 Read Full Article
Biofuel Production with the Sun, the Sea and Thermochemical Reactions
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 alter the energetics, the economics,
October 11, 2017 Read Full Article
Conventional and Cutting Edge Biofuels: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Aemetis
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Aemetis owns and operates 110 million gallons per year of ethanol and biodiesel facilities in the US and India, and is upgrading the plants using patented technology to produce lower carbon, higher value advanced biofuels and
October 11, 2017 Read Full Article
Neste's Taking Action on Climate Change Examines Changes in Energy and Transport Markets
(Neste Corporation) Neste has published a business environment outlook called Taking Action on Climate Change. It discusses key changes taking place in the energy, transport and chemicals markets. As global commitment to tackle climate change requires major efforts to reduce emissions, the use of
October 10, 2017 Read Full Article
AVAPCO, BYOGY Renewables, and Petron Scientech Announce Partnership to Demonstrate Technologies in the ABBA Integrated Biorefinery Projec
(PR Web) The ABBA Integrated Biorefinery project, to be built at the AVAPCO Thomaston Georgia site, will co-produce bio jet fuel and Bioplus® nanocellulose. It has received a Phase 1, $3.7 million award from the Department of Energy. Negotiations with the Department
October 10, 2017 Read Full Article
Engage the Hyper-Drive: Synbio’s Fastest Are Going Faster, Bigger as Kytopen, Ginkgo, Twist Biosciences, Arzeda, TeselaGen Feel the Need for Speed
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Is everyone’s organism for making fuels, chemicals, materials, foods, flavors, fragrances and therapeutics — beautifully and slowly — heading for rapid obsolescence? “Everyone wants to make it faster,” notes Kytopen co-founder Cullen Buie. “Over the past
October 10, 2017 Read Full Article
Dairy-Derived RNG Fuel Cleaner than Electricity As the Company Opens New Office in Los Angeles And Pledges 100% RNG to All Its CNG Customers
(Fleets and Fuels) Amp Claims Lowest CI Rating Ever By Far -- Amp Americas said yesterday that its RNG/renewable natural gas operation at Indiana’s Fair Oaks Farms is the first dairy-derived, waste-to-vehicle fuel pathway certified by California’s Air Resources Board
October 05, 2017 Read Full Article
8 Fast Flyers Chosen for Top Cat: The Big Attack on Biomass Catalysis Begins
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Somewhere in the files of the Department of Energy it is called the Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium. Inside the halls of National Labs, they call it ChemCatBio. ... They’re on a mission to bring forward commercial bioenergy applications two
October 05, 2017 Read Full Article
Bioenergy and Biofuel Projects Win DOE Support
(Bioenergy Insight) A number of research projects focused on bioenergy and biofuels have been selected for the US Community Science Programme (CSP) of the US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute. ... Boulos Chalhoub of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research is
October 03, 2017 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Biofuels Digest's Jim Lane analyzes the cost and emissions profile for electric vehicles compared to "gasoline-powered" ones. The findings? On price, the lowest-cost option is a Cruze running on E85 conventional ethanol — which also reduces emissions compared to a
October 03, 2017 Read Full Article
Data Surprise: Biofuels Still Beating Electrics on Cost, Emissions
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Electrics are improving on emissions and cost, but not enough to make driving an electric car the smart choice for consumers looking to save time and reduce environmental impacts. According to a new analysis, biofuels still
October 03, 2017 Read Full Article
MSU Research to Harness Algae to Contain Power Plant Emissions
(Michigan State University) Michigan State University scientists will explore new algae-based technologies to capture power plant emissions and sustainably turn them into valuable products. The research project, funded by a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, unites faculty from
September 26, 2017 Read Full Article
Crossing the Valley of NLACM with Alcohol-to-Hydrocarbon Technology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There’s one crossing worse than the Valley of Death and that is the Valley of NLACM. Although it sounds more like a goose trying to say “You’ll like him” — it’s the Natural Law of Alternative Commodity
September 26, 2017 Read Full Article
Growing Diesel-Side Demand: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Renewable Energy Group
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Renewable Energy Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGI) is the biggest US-based producer of biomass-based diesel, and leading provider of cleaner, lower carbon intensity products and services. REG utilizes an integrated procurement, distribution, and logistics network to
September 26, 2017 Read Full Article
Solar-to-Fuel System Recycles CO2 to Make Ethanol and Ethylene
(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Solar-to-Fuel System Recycles CO2 to Make Ethanol and Ethylene -- Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have harnessed the power of photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide into fuels and alcohols
September 21, 2017 Read Full Article
Oakland and San Francisco Lawsuits to Hold Fossil Fuel Companies Accountable for Their Contributions to Sea Level Rise a 'Bold and Necessary Step to Protect Their Communities,' Says Science Group
by Ken Kimmell (Union of Concerned Scientists) Oakland and San Francisco today (September 20, 2017) announced lawsuits against fossil fuel companies seeking compensation for current and future costs of adapting to climate-related sea level rise. These lawsuits come on the
September 21, 2017 Read Full Article
Yelp! 18 Kelp Wheps Get $22M in ARPA-E Help
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Yes, ARPA-E has unveiled its latest moonshot and is investing $22M in Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources — also known as MARINER. The projects that comprise ARPA-E’s Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources (MARINER) program
September 21, 2017 Read Full Article
Rethink Methane --- February 6-7, 2018 --- Sacramento, CA
Learn how renewable methane can help California: Achieve GHG emissions reduction objectives in SB 32, AB 197, and SB 1383 Integrate sustainability goals for organic waste (ag, food, forestry, and wastewater) Accelerate development of practical, large-scale storage for renewable power Facilitate the creation of
September 19, 2017 Read Full Article
Secretary of Energy Rick Perry Announces Nearly $20 Million To Help Commercialize Promising Energy Technologies
(U.S. Department of Energy) U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry announced $19.7 million in funding to help businesses move promising energy technologies from DOE’s National Laboratories to the marketplace. This second Department-wide round of funding through the Office of Technology Transition’s
September 15, 2017 Read Full Article
CARB to Hold Workshop on Proposed LCFS Amendments Sept. 22
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The California Air Resources Board has announced plans to hold a public workshop to discuss proposed amendments to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard on Sept. 22. Members of the public can participate in the event
September 15, 2017 Read Full Article
New Process for Microalgal Separation by Shape
(Algae Industry Magazine) Researchers from UCLA and the University of Tokyo have demonstrated a new capability to sort microalgae cells by their shape, creating a baseline of uniform cells for a large range of research, industrial and clinical applications. While
September 13, 2017 Read Full Article
DMT to Supply Desulfurization Process to California AD Facility
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) DMT Clear Gas Solutions recently announced that Calgren Dairy Fuels LLC is going to install DMT’s desulfurization technology, Sulfurex BR. The anaerobic digestion (AD) facility is located adjacent to Calgren Renewable Fuels LLC, a
September 12, 2017 Read Full Article
DOE: Up to $8.8M for Algae Tech Innovations
(Algae Industry Magazine) he U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the selection of four additional projects from the Productivity Enhanced Algae and ToolKits funding opportunity to receive up to $8.8 million. “These projects will deliver high-impact tools and techniques for increasing the
September 11, 2017 Read Full Article
California’s Supreme Court Denies ARB Petition To Review LCFS Case
By Joshua T. Bledsoe and Kimberly Farbota (Latham's Clean Energy Law Report) In a previous post, we described how potential delays in the resolution of the case commonly known as POET I could create uncertainty regarding the future of the California Low Carbon Fuel
September 01, 2017 Read Full Article
Markus Ribbe and Yilin Hu: Brewing Biofuel from Bacteria
by Wendy Wolfson (University of California Irvine Applied Innovation) In a high-ceiling room in professor Markus Ribbe’s lab, a giant still emits pungent vapors from fermenting bacteria. Ribbe, chancellor’s professor of molecular biology and biochemistry at the UCI School of
August 31, 2017 Read Full Article
Hot Spots: The Top 10 Advanced Bioeconomy Places to Watch in California
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The sexy PR is almost always and rightly focused on San Francisco and its environs — but some of the largest industrialization efforts for advanced technology take place in the rural areas that provide the
August 31, 2017 Read Full Article
Academic Study: Biodiesel Benefits Under-Valued for Years
(National Biodiesel Board) A new academic paper published in Biotechnology for Biofuels shows biodiesel’s benefits are even better than previous models suggest. Updated modeling from Purdue University suggests the advantage of using biodiesel has been underestimated by 10 percent. “This latest research verifies
August 30, 2017 Read Full Article
Hot Spots: 10 Advanced Bioeconomy Places to Watch in Iowa
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Eddyville, Fort Dodge, Clinton, Newton, Cedar Rapids. Communities like these have been mainstays of the Iowa bioeconomy for years, even decades — home to corn and soy processing on the largest world scale, and much
August 30, 2017 Read Full Article
Grant Funding Opportunity: Renewable Intermediate Fuel Production for Jet Fuel in Heavy-Duty Transportation Sector
The purpose of this solicitation is to support research and pre-commercial demonstration of fungible low carbon fuels synthesis by providing funding for innovative, pre-commercial low-carbon fuel production processes that result in the development of bio-oil as an intermediate fuel with
August 30, 2017 Read Full Article
Cyborg Bacteria Outperform Plants When Turning Sunlight into Useful Compounds
(American Chemical Society) ... “Rather than rely on inefficient chlorophyll to harvest sunlight, I’ve taught bacteria how to grow and cover their bodies with tiny semiconductor nanocrystals,” says Kelsey K. Sakimoto, Ph.D., who carried out the research in the lab
August 29, 2017 Read Full Article
Aemetis Completes Enzymatic Biodiesel Production Unit at India Plant to Supply US and Europe
(Aemetis) Company well positioned to fill expected supply gap caused by anti-dumping ruling against Argentina and Indonesian biodiesel in the U.S. market -- Aemetis, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMTX) announced today that its Universal Biofuels subsidiary in India has completed the construction
August 29, 2017 Read Full Article
Californian Pipelines Increasing Offer of Renewable Natural Gas
(NGV Journal) Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) announced new initiatives that will make it easier for renewable gas production facilities to connect to the company’s natural gas pipeline system. First is the creation of a downloadable toolkit to assist renewable
August 24, 2017 Read Full Article
Vertibirds Are GO: DOE OKs Vertimass Drop-In Biofuels Technology, Clears Path to Demo Scale
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Vertimass gained its intermediate technology validation with the US DOE’s Bioenergy Technology Office, which verified performance against negotiated milestones, provided progress on scale-up, and reviewed Vertimass’ estimated cost for their transformative catalytic technology.
August 23, 2017 Read Full Article
Alternative Jet Fuel Slow to Launch
by Gerald Butt (Petroleum Economist) The global aviation industry is committed to long-term carbon emission cuts, but low oil prices are slowing the development of alternative types of jet fuel -- ... Then comes the big promise. By 2050, the
August 22, 2017 Read Full Article
California Dairy Farm Powers Truck with Methane from Cow Manure
(NGV Journal/Straus Family Creamery) California dairy farmer Albert Straus, a pioneer in organic dairy and sustainable agriculture, announced the launch of the first full-scale electric truck—powered by cow poop. This new full-scale-electric feed truck is the next step in Straus’
August 22, 2017 Read Full Article
Ninth Annual Green Innovation Index Finds California Clean Economy Thriving but Emissions-Reduction Challenges Loom
(Business Wire/Next 10) As California’s economy continues to grow, the state’s carbon footprint continues to shrink, albeit at a slower pace than in earlier years due in part to a spike in transportation emissions. The ninth annual California Green Innovation Index — released by
August 22, 2017 Read Full Article
Biofuels from Bacteria: Sandia Labs Helps HelioBioSys Understand New Clean Energy Source
by Jules Bernstein (Sandia National Laboratory) ... A Bay Area company has patented a group of three single-celled, algae-like organisms that, when grown together, can produce high quantities of sugar just right for making biofuels. Sandia is helping HelioBioSys Inc. learn whether farming
August 22, 2017 Read Full Article
Mexico Looks to Curb Carbon with a New Cap-and-Trade System
by Lucas Laursen (Scientific American) ... Mexico kicked off 2017 with a 20 percent spike in gasoline prices, driven in part by the phasing out of subsidies. Some consumers set fires at gas stations—a response that highlights the backlash countries can
August 17, 2017 Read Full Article
Partner Power in Process Piloting: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to the Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What is the Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit, where is it, who does it serve and how? Located at Berkeley Lab, the ABPDU aims to “support the commercialization of industry-, academic-and DOE-driven biofuels and bio-products by providing
August 16, 2017 Read Full Article
'Imperative' for Fruit and Nut Orchards to Be Included in US Bioenergy Programmes
(Bioenergy Insight) The Almond Alliance of California has called for increased funding from the Farm Bill in order to help develop bioenergy outlets for almond biomass and byproducts in the state. Kelly Covello, president of the Almond Alliance of California, explained to