by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Getting the right business model drives E85 sales. ... Protec in the East and Propel in California are learning what it takes to drive E85 sales. With both companies reaching about a decade
California
Back TO HOMEBESC Creates Microbe that Bolsters Isobutanol Production
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Another barrier to commercially viable biofuels from sources other than corn has fallen with the engineering of a microbe that improves isobutanol yields by a factor of 10. The finding of the Department of Energy’s BioEnergy Science
August 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Ionic Liquid Pretreatment: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) JBEI has opened up the licensing door for some of their signature ionic liquid pre-treatment technologies: Long Alkyl Chain Alcohols as Co-solvent, Precipitant, and Extraction Medium in Ionic Liquid Pretreatment (2013-105), a cost-effective and efficient process to
August 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Pearson Fuels Announces Agreements with Sacramento Metro Stations to Sell E85 Fuel
(Digital Journal) Pearson Fuels is announcing its new supply agreements with five additional gas stations in and around the Sacramento metropolitan area. ... Shell 5103 Fair Oaks Blvd., Carmichael, CA 95608 Shell 730 29th Street. Sacramento, CA 95816 Shell 3721 Truxel Road, Sacramento, CA 95834 Shell
August 13, 2015 Read Full Article
FedEx, Southwest Airlines Combine to Buy Entire Jet Fuel Output of Red Rock Biorefinery, through 2024
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) FedEx joins Southwest Airlines to buy out Red Rock’s entire 8-year jet fuel inventory — key milestone for project construction. In Colorado, Red Rock Biofuels will produce approximately three million gallons of low-carbon, renewable jet fuel
August 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Gently Stressing Algae for Higher Lipids
(Algae Industry Magazine) Some algae like Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (or “Chlamy,” as it’s known to its large research community) produce energy-dense oils or lipids when stressed, and these lipids can then be converted into fuels. However, researchers walk a fine line
August 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Numbitrax Buys Blume’s First African Bioethanol Refinery
(Biofuels International) Blume Distillation, a biorefinery systems provider for bioethanol production, has announced the sale of its first Africa-based biorefinery. The Blume biorefinery system has been purchased by Numbitrax, based in Touwsriver, Western Cape, South Africa, which has completed a purchase
August 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Tensions over U.S. Electric Vehicle Mandates Spill into the Open
by Joseph White (PlanetArk) A long-simmering dispute between automakers and U.S. regulators over policies to promote electric vehicles spilled into the open on Tuesday, in the high stakes struggle over the future of automotive technology. The heads of two major lobby groups
August 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Editorial: Obama's Clean Energy Plan Doesn't Go Far Enough
(Los Angeles Times) ... More important than the dollar amount are the greater losses of life, home and habitat expected to result from rising seas, weather catastrophes and changes in the environment that will affect the ability to grow food or
August 05, 2015 Read Full Article
The Roar for Diesel, Diesel, Diesel: UPS Jumps Its Renewable Diesel Use by 15X
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) UPS brings overall use of drop-in fuels over 10% of fleet use in REG, Neste , Solazyme buy. In Georgia, UPS announced agreements for the purchase up to 46 million gallons of renewable fuels over the
August 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Orange is the New Red
by Lynn Yarris (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Berkeley Lab Study Shows Orange Carotenoid Protein Shifts More Than Just Color for Cyanobacterial Photoprotection ... “Prior to our work, the assumption was that carotenoids are static, held in place by the protein scaffold,” Kerfeld
August 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Shampoo, New and Improved! BASF and Solazyme Launch the First Commercial Microalgae-Derived Betaine Surfactant
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, BASF and Solazyme have launched of the first commercial surfactant derived from microalgae oil, a high performance algal betaine for use in home and personal care applications. Generally speaking, surfactants, which are the “lifting
July 31, 2015 Read Full Article
$1 Million Fund to Develop Algae Biofuels
(Biofuels International) A research team from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a multi-program US security laboratory, has received an additional $1 million (appr. €907,000) to protect algal crops by developing ‘probiotic’ bacteria to combat pond infestation and increase ecosystem function and
July 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Greenbelt Resources Looks at Commercial-Scale Success
by Joanna Schroeder (Biofuels Journal) Greenbelt Resources Corp. has developed a feedstock testing program so potential cellulosic ethanol producers can see if their enterprise will succeed at commercial scale by processing a certain feedstock. Darren Eng, chief executive officer of Greenbelt
July 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Despite Drawbacks, Watsonville Sold on Biodiesel
by Ryan Masters (Santa Cruz Sentinel) A Watsonville street sweeper has been running on a potent biodiesel mix produced from beef tallow for the past year. “Our fleet has used a 5 percent mix for years, but we tried a 20
July 29, 2015 Read Full Article
San Francisco Mayor Says City Fleet to Use Renewable Diesel
( The Office of Mayor Edwin M. Lee/Biodiesel Magazine) San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee announced July 21 that his city will leapfrog its efforts to protect the climate from harmful effects of diesel emissions by phasing out the use
July 29, 2015 Read Full Article
UPS Makes Substantial Move To Renewable Fuels
(UPS/Globe Newswire) UPS® (NYSE:UPS) today announced agreements for up to 46 million gallons of renewable fuels over the next three years, constituting a 15-fold increase over prior contracts and making UPS one of the largest users of renewable diesel in
July 29, 2015 Read Full Article
United Airlines Invests in Biofuels
(SustainableBusiness.com) A few years ago, we were hearing a lot about airlines testing and beginning to run on biofuels (combined with petroleum). With the latest announcements, are we ready for take off? This summer, United Airlines begins flying from Los Angeles to San
July 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Funds Bolster Algae Biofuel Development
by Greg Watry (R&D Magazine) Rotifers are semitransparent microscopic animals. Watching them feed under a microscope, one can’t help but feel a sense of awe at nature’s complexity. Its oval-shaped body rotates as it ingests small beads of algae. However, grazers, such as
July 28, 2015 Read Full Article
What’s U(o)P at UOP? The Renewables Story, Revealed.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... For a decade, it’s (UOP's) been an unquestioned leader in renewable fuels and chemicals development. Technologies like its HEFA jet fuel conversion (the first certified renewable jet fuel), its Ecofining technology that produces both jet
July 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Drilling into Distillation, Dehydration
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Companies aim to tweak and transform key systems to reduce energy use and resolve bottlenecks. -- Optimization efforts most often look at boosting yield, but as finely tuned and balanced as ethanol plants are,
July 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Engineering the Future of Biofuel: UC Santa Cruz iGEM 2015
(University of California Santa Cruz) We are the UC Santa Cruz iGEM team! We are a team of 24 bioengineers, biochemists, and MCD biologists and overall a group of passionate undergraduates involved in an exciting international synthetic biology competition. The iGEM program
July 27, 2015 Read Full Article
UCSC Students Seek Solutions in Salt
by Ryan Masters (Santa Cruz Sentinel) The salt ponds of Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, just north of San Jose International Airport, may hold the key to a sustainable energy source. For more than 100 years, people have
July 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Ethanol Working to Benefit Brazil, America, the World
by Leticia Phillips (UNICA/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Brazil and the U.S. have a responsibility to collaboratively build a global biofuels market, writes Leticia Phillips of UNICA, following a visit between Brazilian President and President Obama. In late June, Brazilian President Dilma
July 20, 2015 Read Full Article
Johnson Matthey Process Technologies and Rennovia Announce On Time Start-up of Mini-Plant for Bio-Based Glucaric Acid Production Using Jointly Developed Technology
(Rennovia) Johnson Matthey Process Technologies, a global provider of advanced process technologies, and Rennovia Inc., a privately held company that develops novel catalysts and processes for the cost advantaged production of chemical products from renewable feedstocks, announced today that they
July 17, 2015 Read Full Article
$2.69 per Gallon! Cheaper Fuel Alternative Comes to Valley
by Megan Terlecky (News Channel 3 KESQ) E85 is made up of 85% corn ethanol but only flex fuel vehicles can use it It's called E85. It's made up of 85 percent corn ethanol and burns clean. The price right now is
July 16, 2015 Read Full Article
One Billion Pounds of Carbon-Negative Plastic, Made from Greenhouse Gas and Pure Air
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Newlight Technologies has signed a 20-year take-or-pay off-take agreement with Vinmar International for 1 billion pounds of AirCarbon PHA. Critical to the deal? Newlight’s catalyst aims to transform the economics of PHA-based plastics, solving
July 14, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA Honors Winners of the 20th Annual Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards/Innovative Technologies Tackle Climate Change, Water, and Chemical Issues
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is recognizing landmark green chemistry technologies developed by industrial pioneers and leading scientists that turn climate risk and other environmental problems into business opportunities, spurring innovation and economic development. “From academia
July 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Novvi Engine Oil Achieves Critical Performance Milestones
(Novvi/BusinessWire) Novvi, a leading producer of high performance renewable oils, today announced Novvi engine oils are now American Petroleum Institute (API) certified and delivered superior performance over more than a half million miles of raceway driving. Together, these accomplishments mark
July 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Hybrid Electric-Biodiesel Buses: Cleaner, Fuel-Saving Alternative for Public Transportation
by Milsa Vijayadharan* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Hybrid Electric-Biodiesel Buses used in California, Washington and Michigan Model Lower GHG Emissions Options for Cities Everywhere Public transportation plays an important role in green and sustainable practices. Public transportation use means fewer cars on the road and a cleaner environment.
July 10, 2015 Read Full Article
What’s up with Algae Now?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... 31 Algae players, what do they make now, and how are they making out? ... Here’s our company by company guide to 31 of the players on the scene — project developers and technology suppliers. ... AlgaEnergy AlgaEnergy is
July 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Energy Department Awards $18 Million to Develop Valuable Bioproducts and Biofuels from Algae
(US Department of Energy) The Energy Department today announced six projects that will receive up to $18 million in funding to reduce the modeled price of algae-based biofuels to less than $5 per gasoline gallon equivalent (gge) by 2019. This
July 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels Can Be a Bigger Part of Green Energy
by Johannes Escudero, Tim Cremins and Jose Mejia (The Sacramento Bee) Despite California’s leadership in green energy promotion, our state is a woefully lopsided net importer of clean biofuels. State lawmakers have a golden opportunity to correct this unfortunate paradox by
July 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Integrating Source Apportionment Tracers into a Bottom-up Inventory of Methane Emissions in the Barnett Shale Hydraulic Fracturing Region
by Amy Townsend-Small, Josette E. Marrero, David R. Lyon, Isobel J. Simpson, Simone Meinardi, and Donald R. Blake (Environmental Science and Technology) A growing dependence on natural gas for energy may exacerbate emissions of the greenhouse gas methane (CH4). Identifying fingerprints
July 07, 2015 Read Full Article
3 Biobased Strategies to Beat $60 Oil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Oil price predictions are all over the map. So, how are biobased businesses coping when no one quite knows what’s up with the incumbent? Amyris, Cellerate and Propel Fuels are three ventures showing the way(s) forward. If
July 06, 2015 Read Full Article
At a Crossroads, Biofuels Seek a New Path Forward
by Richard Martin (MIT Technology Review) New microbes and new techniques show promise for advanced biofuels, but the industry is still years away from real progress. Attempting to chart a path forward for the beleaguered biofuels industry, a group of researchers
July 06, 2015 Read Full Article
INSIGHT-California's Push for Cleaner Buses Could Edge out Natural Gas
by Nichola Groom (Reuters) Fifteen years ago, California led the way to cleaner transit buses with strict tailpipe emissions standards that effectively ushered out diesel as the primary fuel for buses in the state and replaced it with natural gas. Now,
July 02, 2015 Read Full Article
UPDATE: Single Tank Of Renewable Diesel Fuel Takes Car Cross-Country at 67 MPG
by Stephen Edelstein (Green Car Reports) ... Green Car Reports contributor and electric-motorcycle roadtripper Ben Rich encountered an unusual vehicle on U.S. Route 12 Sunday, while bypassing New Orleans on a cross-country ride. He wrote us to ask about the identity of the
July 02, 2015 Read Full Article
California Ethanol Granted $750K Loan from County
by Michael Dukes (Imperial Valley Press) The Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved California Ethanol + Power LLC's proposal to build an ethanol plant in Imperial County back in 2013, but at the time, significant funding hurdles remained in place
July 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Hybrid, EV Sales Tumble in 2015
by David Shepardson (Detroit News) Sales of hybrid and electric vehicles fell sharply in the first half of 2015, hurt by low gas prices, fewer incentives and a broader market shift away from cars. This is shaping up to be the
July 01, 2015 Read Full Article
United to Start Flying Biofuels out of LAX in 2015; AltAir to Supply 15 Million Gallons in 3-Year Deal
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, AltAir Fuels will begin regularly scheduled deliveries of sustainable biojet fuel to United Airlines LAX operations this year, the airline announced today. AltAir’s Paramount, California-based refinery converts sustainable feedstocks, like non-edible natural oils and
July 01, 2015 Read Full Article
Udder Confusion: Dairy Digester Development in California
by Ron Kotrba (Biomass Magazine) The Golden State has borderline personality disorder regarding promotion and discouragement of dairy biogas projects. -- California is by far the No. 1 dairy state in the U.S. with roughly 1.8 million head, concentrated mostly
June 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Emails Show Inslee Administration Discussions With Energy Company On Columbia River Oil Refinery
by Conrad Wilson & Tony Schick (Northwest Public Radio) ... A Texas-based energy company wants to site a combined crude oil and biofuel refinery in Longview, Washington. The company’s goal is to capitalize on low carbon fuel standards championed by West
June 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Innovative Breakthrough Demonstrated for Biological Ethanol Production
(US Department of Energy) Microvi Biotechnologies, a leading innovator of biocatalytic processes, together with the Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit (ABPDU) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), has demonstrated a major breakthrough to biological ethanol production. Compared with a conventional
June 30, 2015 Read Full Article
United Airlines Flies Climate-Friendly Skies with Biofuel Powered Plane
(MalayMailOnline) — Sometime this summer, a United Airlines flight will take off from Los Angeles International Airport bound for San Francisco using fuel generated from farm waste and oils derived from animal fats. For passengers, little will be different —
June 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Amyris Announces Total's Decision to Proceed With Jet Fuel Joint Venture and Plans to Restructure and Convert $175 Million of Outstanding Convertible Debt for Common Stock
(Amyris) Amyris, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMRS), the industrial bioscience company, today announced that it has agreed on key business terms with Total Energies Nouvelles Activités USA (a wholly owned subsidiary of Total S.A.) ("Total") for restructuring its fuels joint venture to open
June 30, 2015 Read Full Article
United Airlines Purchases Stake in Fulcrum BioEnergy with $30 Million Investment
(United Airlines/PR Newswire) Airline has opportunity to purchase at least 90 million gallons of sustainable aviation biofuel a year -- Single largest investment by a U.S. airline in alternative fuels United Airlines today announced an historic $30 million equity investment in U.S.-based
June 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Fueling the Sorghum Ethanol Coproducts Engine
by Kelli Fulkerson (Ethanol Producer Magazine/National Sorghum Producers) Producers work to expand markets for sorghum distillers and oil. While exports are undeniably the hottest market for grain sorghum right now with China set to buy over 70 percent of the 2014-’15
June 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Innovative Microvi Bio-Ethanol Technology Validated at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
(Microvi/PR Newswire) Microvi Biotechnologies, a leading innovator of biocatalytic processes, working with the Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit (ABPDU) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), has demonstrated breakthrough improvements to biological ethanol production. Microvi's technology uses engineered biocatalyst composites
June 25, 2015 Read Full Article
Advanced Diesel Technologies Featured During Sustainable Transportation Day In Washington D.C.
(Diesel Technology Forum/PR Newswire) ... Advanced Biofuel Capabilities Enhance Diesel as a Sustainable Transportation Option -- Diesel engines found in vehicles ranging from passenger vehicles all the way to large tractors are capable of operating on blends of high quality, bio-based
June 22, 2015 Read Full Article
From Florida to California on Just One Tank of Renewable Diesel?
(NGT News) A team of motorsport enthusiasts is aiming to drive a car from the Atlantic Coast of Florida to the Pacific Coast of California on just one tank of Neste NExBTL renewable diesel fuel. As part of what Neste has
June 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Researchers Develop Process for Drop-In Aviation Biofuel
(Department of Energy/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/ECNMag.com) While biofuels have proven to be an effective, renewable, low-carbon alternative to gasoline and diesel, jet fuels pose unique challenges. These challenges have now been met with a new technique developed by researchers at
June 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Why We Have a Joint BioEnergy Institute: The Story of Ionic Liquids
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... You see, JBEI’s team believe they have come up with the solution in a new generation of ionic liquids. What are ionic liquids, anyway? They are environmentally benign organic salts. In this case, salts that are liquids
June 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Neste going Google and Google going NEXBTL
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Finland, the world’s leading producer of renewable fuels, Neste is going Google by introducing Google Drive for Work services to its personnel globally. Being at the forefront of technology development Neste is taking the
June 15, 2015 Read Full Article
CA-GREET 2.0 Model and Documentation
(California Air Resources Board) At its July 2015 hearing, the California Air Resources Board (Board) will consider the re-adoption of the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). Among the staff proposals the Board will be considering is the adoption of
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Meeting the Energy and Climate Challenge in California: FOCUS: Can Biofuels Save the Day?
(Diesel Technology Forum) Public funding provided over many years to incentivize the purchase of alternatives to diesel for heavy-duty trucks has barely made a small dent in introducing these alternatives into the vehicle population. Yet one alternative fuel is making
June 04, 2015 Read Full Article
The Most Complete Functional Map of an Entire Enzyme Family
(Joint Genome Institute) DOE-funded researchers develop a new process for annotating cellulose-degrading enzymes. Researchers at two Department of Energy-funded Scientific User Facilities collaborated with one of three Bioenergy Research Centers to develop and analyze high-resolution crystal structures of an enzyme from
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Novvi Launches First-Ever 100 Percent Renewable Base Oils
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Portrait of a breakout: Amyris, Cosan JV launches “next generation of revolutionary oils” touting “unmatched value” and “unbeatable economics” ... Novvi’s 100 percent renewable PAO is a clean, direct replacement for conventional Group IV PAO base oils
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
California Achieves 600% Growth in Use of Low Carbon E85, Establishes National Leadership in E85 Fuel Market
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Propel Fuels has published E85: A California Success Story, a white paper and associated website illustrating California’s emergence as the national leader in the use of sustainable E85 Flex Fuel. Developed by the
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
8 Hot Targets in Advanced Bioeconomy R&D
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Fuels, chemicals, pathways, and microbes that could shake it all up ... (H)ere are 8 Hot Targets that we can point to that could be game-changers in the world of making fuels, chemicals and biomaterials from
May 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Air Liquide Commissions New Carbon Dioxide Plant in California
(Air Liquide) Air Liquide Industrial U.S. LP (“Air Liquide”) has commissioned a new state-of-the-art carbon dioxide liquefaction plant in Tulare County, California. The new 450 ton-per-day facility is one of three carbon dioxide liquefaction facilities owned and operated by Air
May 29, 2015 Read Full Article
San Francisco Gets New Biodiesel-Electric Bus; Many More to Come
(San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency) The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which oversees all transportation in the city, including the Municipal Railway (Muni), has taken delivery of its first New Flyer Industries electric trolley and biodiesel-electric hybrid buses. These two
May 20, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Mike Lewis, Co-Founder, Pearson Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Pearson Fuels develops alternative fuel infrastructure at both the retail and terminal level and then concentrates on maximizing throughput of those assets. We built the first retail E85 site on the West Coast and now
May 19, 2015 Read Full Article
Oakbio Announces New Green Biofuel Production Platform
(Oakbio/Digital Journal) his ecoli based microbe platform expands the sources of waste materials Oakbio can convert to green, renewable fuels and other chemicals to include agricultural and municipal waste products. Oakbio announced today (May 14, 2015) the development of a novel
May 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Auctions for All Assets of Two Silicon Valley-Based Clean Technology Firms: Biofuel producer, Cobalt Technologies and Flow Cell Energy Storage Company, EnerVault
(Silicon Valley Disposition/PRNewswire) Silicon Valley Disposition (http://www.svdisposition.com) announced today that it will simultaneously run online auctions of all of physical assets from the head quarter facilities for Cobalt Technologies located in Mountain View, California and EnerVault located in Sunnyvale,
May 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Kansas Plant Maximizes Value of Inputs by Adding Diesel Production
by Loretta Sorensen (Midwest Producer) ... But one Kansas ethanol company, East Kansas Agri-Energy LLC (EKAE), is taking steps to stabilize its business with diversified income streams generated from the same corn source used to make ethanol. For EKAE, that means
May 14, 2015 Read Full Article
The Push Is on for “High Renewable Content Fuels”
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In the world of gasoline replacement, it is any fuel which has a renewable content higher than the typical E10 ethanol saturation point. It can include drop-in renewable gasoline, or E85 ethanol blends, or
May 12, 2015 Read Full Article
Joule, Audi Confirm Revolutionary Sunflow Fuel Meets US, EU Specs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, news arrives from Joule that the company’s CO2-recycled ethanol meets US and European fuel specifications. No one is dying of surprise that they would do so, but getting Joule fuels registered for commercial
May 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Whitefox Signs Agreement with Pacific Ethanol Inc.
(Whitefox) Whitefox (www.whitefox.com), the clean fuel membrane specialist, announced today that it has signed an agreement with California based Pacific Ethanol, Inc. (Nasdaq: PEIX) for the delivery of an industrial scale membrane system. The objective is to reduce the consumption
May 08, 2015 Read Full Article
DEKRA Announces Risi Competizione's Ferrari F458 Italia Green Challenge Winner of TUDOR Championship Race in Monterey, CA
(MarketWatch/DEKRA North America, Inc.) DEKRA North America, Inc. congratulates Risi Competizione's Ferrari F458 Italia as the winner, for the third consecutive time, of the DEKRA Green Challenge Award in the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix race held in Monterey, California
May 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Profit in Plug and Play
by Katie Fletcher (Biomass Magazine) A cutting-edge waste-to-energy venture at an Oregon landfill will channel flared gas into ethanol production, and potentially other renewable fuels if future markets are favorable. ... At Knott Landfill in Bend, Oregon, Waste to Energy Group is hoping
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Fulcrum BioEnergy Awards Engineering, Procurement And Construction Contract To Abengoa
(Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc.) Fixed-Price Contract Guarantees Cost, Schedule and Plant Performance -- Launches Commercialization of Fulcrum BioEnergy's Process for Converting Household Garbage into Low-Cost Renewable Jet Fuel and Diesel Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc., announced today that it has awarded a $200 million
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Schwarzenegger: Three Things Weightlifting and California Can Teach Us About How To Save the World
by Arnold Schwarzenegger (Time Magazine) ... When I praise Governor Brown, some people look at me like I’ve lost my mind. I’m a Republican, and he is a Democrat. In our current political climate, we are supposed to be mortal enemies. This
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
ZERO SOUTH Heads to Pole Powered by 100% Biofuels
by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Jonathon Ramsey, in a recent AutoBlog post, described ZERO SOUTH's mission: "One modified Hummer H1, traveling with another vehicle that looks like a modified Hummer H1, will spend six to 10 days driving to
May 01, 2015 Read Full Article
California Is Smiling On Renewable Diesel HPR Fuel
by Jeff Cobb (Hybrid Cars) ... More than a pilot project, last month’s launch of 18 stations for the diesel alternative is being propped by a few laws including California’s Low Carbon Fuel standard described by Allen Schaeffer, Executive Director of
April 30, 2015 Read Full Article
This Modified Hummer Hybrid Will Go to the South Pole on Biofuel
by Jonathon Ramsey (AutoBlog) Zero South Has Been Planning This Trip For At Least Seven Years -- One modified Hummer H1, traveling with another vehicle that looks like a modified Hummer H1, will spend six to 10 days driving to the South
April 30, 2015 Read Full Article
California's New Goal: 40% Lower Emissions by 2030
(SustainableBusiness.com) ... California will cut greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030, below 1990 levels, making it possible to reach the ultimate goal of 80% cuts by 2050, he says. These goals are the same as the European Union and are what's needed to keep temperature
April 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Major Advance in Artificial Photosynthesis Poses Win/Win for the Environment
by Lynn Yarris (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Berkeley Lab Researchers Perform Solar-powered Green Chemistry with Captured CO2 -- A potentially game-changing breakthrough in artificial photosynthesis has been achieved with the development of a system that can capture carbon dioxide emissions before
April 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Surfing into a Greener Future
(University of California -- San Diego) World’s first algae-based, sustainable surfboard produced by UC San Diego biology and chemistry students -- UC San Diego’s efforts to produce innovative and sustainable solutions to the world’s environmental problems have resulted in a
April 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Propel Fuels Relocates Headquarters to Sacramento
(Propel Fuels) Announces new management and directors, strategic focus and operating milestones. Propel Fuels, California’s largest retailer of low-carbon liquid fuels, has announced it will move its headquarters from Redwood City to Sacramento. As California’s low carbon economy grows over
April 27, 2015 Read Full Article
A.I.M. Interview: Sapphire Energy’s Bryn Davis
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) In January of this year, after six months of plummeting oil prices, Sapphire Energy CEO James E. Levine announced that the company – with eight years and $300+ million of investment into drop-in algal
April 24, 2015 Read Full Article
Scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute Publish Paper Outlining Efficient Synthetic Biology Methods to Genetically Engineer Microalgae
(J. Craig Venter Institute) Results have important implications in developing algae-based products such as biofuels and chemicals -- Scientists from the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), a not-for-profit genomic research organization, published a paper today (April 21, 2015) outlining new
April 24, 2015 Read Full Article
How Scientists Are Engineering Algae To Fuel Your Car And Cure Cancer
By Jessica Dineen (Forbes) ... Once (UC San Diego’s California Center for Algae Biotechnology Director Steve) Mayfield’s lab created cancer-fighting human antibodies, there was no looking back. “We said, what other products can algae make? Fuel? Plastics? Nutraceuticals? Animal feed? Cosmetics?
April 24, 2015 Read Full Article
NexSteppe Takes Biomass Sorghum to Commercial-Scale in Brazil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Next-gen feedstock developer records 1000% year-on-year growth for its Palo Alto Biomass Sorghum hybrids in Brazil. Sustainable, available, reliable and affordable? Yes, as the Digest discovers. In California, NexSteppe announced that it sold more than
April 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Pearson Fuels and G&M Oil Company Announce Plans to Open 13 E85 Flex Fuel Stations in Southern California in 13 Months
(Business Wire/Pearson Fuels) Pearson Fuels of San Diego, CA and G&M Oil Company of Huntington Beach, CA (held) a grand opening of their newest E85 Flex Fuel location on April 15 at 499 Sandalwood Drive, Calimesa, CA. There(was) a ribbon cutting
April 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Cascades Announces Major Investments in Biorefinery Project at Cabano Plant
(Cascades/PRNewswire) Cascades Inc. (TSX: CAS), a leader in the recovery of recyclable materials and manufacturing green packaging products and tissue paper, is pleased to announce the company's investment in a new technology at its Norampac – Cabano facility. This innovative
April 16, 2015 Read Full Article
The LCFS Re-Adoption and Its Possible Repercussions
by John Sens (Biodiesel Magazine/EcoEngineers) ... Some important items that have resulted from this re-adoption process are: -Setting compliance curve to meet 10 percent GHG reduction by 2020. -Cost containment measures, including a price ceiling of $200 per CI credit. -A two-tiered system for
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Unique Oakland Biodiesel Project Receives $3.4 Million Grant
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Viridis Fuels, a state-of-the-art biodiesel project in Oakland, California, is prepared to receive an official notice of award today for a $3.4 million state grant at a California Energy Commission business meeting in Sacramento. A
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Billionaire Environmentalist Comes to Sacramento, Clashes with Businesses over Climate Change Bill
by Allen Young (Sacramento Business Journal) Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer came to Sacramento on Tuesday to promote a wholesale expansion of air quality regulations promoted by the governor and Senate leader Kevin de León. Asked point blank why Steyer approved of the
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
California Air Resources Board Holds Workshop on LCFS Re-Adoption
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, the California Air Resources Board held a workshop on the Low Carbon Fuel Standard re-adoption process. The CARB workshop presentation is now posted online, ... CARB’s revision of indirect land-use change (ILUC) modeling resulted in reduced penalties for
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Cool Planet Offers Help to California on Water Usage
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Cool Planet, a California-based company that makes an organic, water-saving soil enhancer, was inspired by the order and is offering to help reach this goal by delivering a truckload of its water-saving CoolTerra product to reduce water usage
April 03, 2015 Read Full Article
The Urban Air Initiative's Comments On EPA’s Proposal to Update the Air Quality Standards for Ground-Level Ozone Docket ID#: EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0699
(The Urban Air Initiative) UAI appreciates this opportunity to comment on EPA’s proposal to strengthen the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground level ozone, as set forth on November 25, 2014. As summarized here and developed more fully
April 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Energy Beets Slow to Catch on in North Dakota
by Mikkel Pates (Agweek) Development of energy beets in North Dakota is still nebulous, while projects in California are moving forward. Attendance was light for a recent series of grower meetings about energy, or industrial, sugar beet production hosted by North
March 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Look, up in the Sky! The Best of the Aviation Biofuels Slides from ABLC 2015
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Great Scott! New molecules, new feedstocks, new technologies, and reaching scale — the best of the best. At ABLC 2015, the focus on innovation included a complete program on aviaiton — and numerous producers elsewhere
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
High Flying
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Can you make ultra-performing diesel and jet fuels from essential oils found in hemp, a/k/a cannabis sativa, a/k/a marijuana? Turns out, you can. ... Beta caryophyllene — regardless of source — is in the news this month
March 27, 2015 Read Full Article
California Demo Produces First Low-Carbon, Whole-Beet Ethanol
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Results from Mendota Bioenergy LLC’s Phase I demonstration plant in Fresno County, California, arrived last week, and were quite favorable, reported project manager, Jim Tischer. “We’ve made the first whole-beet, low-carbon ethanol in
March 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Advancing from Lab to Industrial Algae Production
(Algae Industry Magazine) Computer Science and Engineering Professor at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Vineet Bafna was on the roster of experts who spoke at Green Revolution 2.0. The symposium, March 12-13 in the Qualcomm Institute, was organized
March 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Diversifying Products Creates New Opportunities
by Stefaniya Becking* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The “Waste to Biogas and Clean Fuels Finance and Investment” summit provided a myriad of opportunities to get the latest intelligence on biogas and the clean fuel industry as well as on the financing
March 20, 2015 Read Full Article
Digital Soil: The Four Secrets of the New Agriculture
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) To make fuel, chemicals, fiber, food more productively than ever before — it starts in the field with the New Agriculture. Here’s what’s happening as Silicon Valley converges with Silicon Farm. ... Well, ultimately land productivity
March 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuel Proteomics: Joint BioEnergy Institute Researchers Use Proteomics to Profile Switchgrass
by Lynn Yarris (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) If advanced biofuels are to replace gasoline, diesel and jet fuel on a gallon-for-gallon basis at competitive pricing, we’re going to need a new generation of fuel crops – plants designed specifically to serve
March 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Metabolic Path to Improved Biofuel Production
(EurekAlert!/US Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Researchers with the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), a partnership that includes the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley, have found a way to increase the
March 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Visalia-Based Edeniq Engineering Ethanol’s Future
by George Lurie (The Business Journal NOW) ... Lower oil prices, (Brian) Thome (president and CEO of Edeniq) said, translate into “lower prices for ethanol too. That means margins for ethanol producers will be squeezed” — a scenario that plays right into
March 03, 2015 Read Full Article
The Cellulosic-RIN Revolution
by Katie Fletcher (Biomass Magazine) Expanded cellulosic fuel pathways have led to a surge of biogas-based fuel credits, and producers are taking advantage of a significant boost to project economics. Traditionally, the biogas project end market has been the sale of
March 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Energy Group, Total, Makes Investment & Initiates Joint Development Agreement with Renmatix
(Renmatix/Total/PR Newswire) - Total invests in Renmatix – Takes equity and Board seat in Philadelphia based licensor of supercritical hydrolysis technology for conversion of biomass into economical cellulosic sugar -- Companies complete Joint Development Agreement to initiate distinct R&D
March 03, 2015 Read Full Article
California GHG Reporting Obligations Extend to Ethanol
by Graham Noyes.(Ethanol Producer Magazine/Keyes, Fox & Wiedman LLP) California has embarked upon the most aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction program in the world. As a result of California’s Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions program (the MRR), biofuel producers,
March 02, 2015 Read Full Article
The Great Algae Robbery
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) An arbitration ruling details how Roquette seemingly attempted one of the most brazen intellectual property heists in the history of biotechnology, and almost got away with it. Today, the story of a JV gone wrong,
February 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Novel Pretreatment Could Cut Biofuel Costs by 30 Percent or More
(Science Daily/University of California-Riverside) Researchers have invented a novel pretreatment technology that could cut the cost of biofuels production by about 30 percent or more by dramatically reducing the amount of enzymes needed to breakdown the raw materials that form
February 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuel Industry Criticizes Toomey, Feinstein RFS Bill
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On Feb. 26, Sens. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., introduced the Corn Ethanol Mandate Elimination Act of 2015. The bill, which is cosponsored by Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., aims to alter the
February 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Toomey, Feinstein Introduce Bill to Repeal Ethanol Mandate
(Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA)) U.S. Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) are working to repeal a law that drives up the cost of everything from gasoline to groceries. The Toomey-Feinstein Corn Ethanol Mandate Elimination Act of 2015, introduced today,
February 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Byogy Renewables and GEN 2 Energy Advance Value Chain to Produce Biofuels Competitive With Today's Oil Price
(Byogy/PR Newswire) Byogy Renewables, a biofuels producer based in San Jose, California, has executed a strategic partnership agreement with Gen 2 Energy, an alternative energy company from Ames, Iowa, to develop a more cost-effective biofuel production process. New yeast strains developed by
February 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Oberon Fuels Poised for Growth as State of California Approves Dimethyl Ether (DME) for Legal Use as a Vehicle Fuel
(Oberon Fuels) Another milestone for the introduction of a new, low carbon fuel in the United States Oberon Fuels, Inc. (“Oberon”), the first company to produce fuel-grade dimethyl ether (“DME”) in North America, announced today that DME is now approved for
February 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Amyris Says 132% Increase in Sales to $100M Is in the Cards for 2015
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The first of the “2010-12 IPO kids” completes its transformation to a lively, product-driven commercial company with revenues in fragrances, emollients, solvents and fuels. In California, Amyris announced Q4 2014 revenues of $11.6 million and $43.3M
February 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Uncertainty in RFS Sends the US Ethanol Industry to Overseas Markets: A Report from the National Ethanol Conference, "Going Global"
[caption id="attachment_59831" align="alignleft" width="300"] Renewable Fuels Association President, Bob Dinneen introduces NEC scholarship winner, Lais Thomaz at the National Ethanol Conference.[/caption] by Lais F. Thomaz* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Last week, from February 17 to 21, the 20th National Ethanol Conference "Going
February 26, 2015 Read Full Article
California's Revised LCFS Challenged: Biofuel Industry Questions Standard's Lack of Real-World Data
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Though real-world data suggest biofuel production has not led to so-called indirect land-use change, the California Air Resources Board, or CARB, continues to see ILUC as a vital part of its low-carbon fuel standard. The state's
February 18, 2015 Read Full Article
Washington Solicits Comments on Potential Clean Fuel Standard
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Washington Department of Ecology recently published a discussion document to jumpstart dialogue on a potential rulemaking for a state clean fuel standard. According to information released by the department, it was directed by
February 16, 2015 Read Full Article
California Air Resources Board (ARB) Hearing on the Re-Adoption of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
(California Air Resources Board) On Thursday, February 19th (and perhaps continuing to the 20th), the California Air Resources Board (ARB) will hold a Board Hearing to consider the re-adoption of a revised Low Carbon Fuel Standard. The last day to
February 16, 2015 Read Full Article
US, California Double Down on Climate Change, Energy Security via New Initiatives
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Obama unveils Clean Energy Investment Initiative; California lawmakers introduce a trio of bills aimed at 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In Washington, the Obama Administration launched its Clean Energy Investment Initiative, with a
February 12, 2015 Read Full Article
Biomass Power Generation the Key to Carbon-Negative Energy, Study Concludes
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, a new UC Berkeley study shows that if biomass electricity production is combined with carbon capture and sequestration in the western United States, by 2050 power generators could reduce emissions up to 145
February 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Tulare County Collaboration Changing Cow Waste Into Clean Energy For Calgren
(Regenis) Sustainable energy production entered a new era in California today as a consortium of American companies joined together with state energy officials to launch the Calgren Ethanol Biodigester, which utilizes waste from dairy farms to power the production of
February 10, 2015 Read Full Article
SRS & BEI Partner to Develop Enzyme Catalyst Transesterification
(SRS International/PR.com) SRS and Biodiesel Experts have developed a transesterification system for biodiesel production process that utilizes enzymes efficiently to produce quality biodiesel on any scale. While using high-FFA feedstock, the primary job of the enzyme becomes the conversion of
February 10, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes… Mark Herrema. Co-Founder and CEO, Newlight Technologies
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Newlight is harnessing methane-based carbon emissions as a resource to replace oil and reduce the cost of plastics production ... Newlight successfully scaled up to commercial scale at a four-story manufacturing facility in California, converting methane
February 09, 2015 Read Full Article
CARB Issues First-Of-Its-Kind LCFS Pathway for Sustainable Oils' Patented Camelina
(Globe Newswire/Sustainable Oils, Inc.) Sustainable Oils Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB:GCEH), has been issued a first-of-its-kind feedstock-only pathway by the California Air Resources Board for the production of Camelina-based fuels under the Low
February 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Greenbelt Resources Selected to Manufacture First Commercial-scale, Vapor-capture System for EcoPAS
(Greenbelt Resources Corporation) Greenbelt Resources Corporation (OTC: GRCO) an innovator of sustainable energy production systems, today announced that it was selected by EcoPAS, a California company, to manufacture its PAS (Passive Alcohol System) – a revolutionary pollution control device that captures
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
California Should Stay on Track with Standard on Cleaner Fuels
by John Boesel and Michael McAdams (Sacramento Bee) Legal challenges, political battles and scare tactics have not derailed California’s low-carbon fuel standard. As the state Air Resources Board gets ready to re-adopt the standard, we have one simple message: Keep going. California’s
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
George W. Bush’s Favorite Green Car Is Making a Comeback
by Jason Plautz (National Journal) Under President George W. Bush, hydrogen-powered cars were the automotive technology of the future, with the promise of ditching gasoline and driving for miles with only water as exhaust. But a lackluster market and tepid government
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
OriginOil Joins Idaho National Laboratory In Project Proving Algae For Biofuels
(OriginOil) Disinfection capabilities of OriginOil technology may help make giant open-air ponds feasible for large-scale fuels production OriginOil Inc. (OTC/QB: OOIL), developer of Electro Water Separation™ (EWS), the high-speed, chemical-free process to clean up large quantities of water, announced today that it
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
“Faces” Debuts: New Original Series on the Advanced Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Digest’s first original series, Faces, debuts episode #1 for online viewing and download. More new episodes and new programs to come. ... the one-to-one interview program Faces. It’s here. Episode #1 features Industrial Microbes Chief Scientific
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Clean Fuel Availability, for the Pacific Coast
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, the International Council on Clean Transportation and E4Tech released a comprehensive study of clean fuel availability for the Pacific Coast. The report is available here. ... There are four key original findings: (1) low-carbon fuels could replace over
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Welcome to the Twilight Zone
by Robert E. Kozak* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Imagine if you will a country with two natural resource industries. Both produce high demand products. One is the lowest priced producer on the planet and is able to sustain output from their
January 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Biodiesel 2015: The Top 14 Trends for the New Year
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) New technologies, new markets, new research and most of the same policy challenges, as we look at the 14 top trends for 2015. ... 1. Falling oil prices – what’s the impact? The headlines in recent months
January 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Time For a Reality Check On Computer Models
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Predictive computer models have their place, writes Bob Dinneen of the RFA, but where concrete real-world data and observations exist, they should take precedence. Sound policymaking and regulation must be grounded in
January 20, 2015 Read Full Article
BP’s Exit from Cellulosic Ethanol: the Assets, the Auction, the Process, the Timing, the Skinny
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The complete details on BP’s exit and the considerable physical and intellectual assets available for acquisition, in part or in whole. As BP continues to reel from its oil leak capital calls and the impact
January 19, 2015 Read Full Article
RFS Roundup: Senators Feinstein, Toomey Float Amendment to Cut Corn Ethanol from RFS
(Environmental and Energy Study Insitute) On January 16, Sens. Feinstein (D-CA) and Toomey (R-PA) floated an amendment to the Keystone XL pipeline bill, the ‘Corn Ethanol Mandate Elimination Act of 2015,’ that would remove corn ethanol from the Renewable Fuel
January 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Carbon Pricing Coming to Ontario, Strategy to Be Unveiled this Year
by Adrian Morrow (Globe and Mail) The Ontario government is closing in on a plan to put a price on carbon emissions after nearly seven years of delays. The Liberals have promised to make corporations and consumers pay for
January 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Rep. Jared Huffman Introduces New Bill to Replace Gas Tax, Ensure Solvency of Highway Trust Fund, Fight Climate Change
(Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA 2nd)) New bill would ensure solvency of Highway Trust Fund, fully-fund public transportation -- Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) today introduced the Gas Tax Replacement Act of 2015, new legislation to stabilize the Highway Trust Fund— which
January 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Pacific Ethanol to Cut Electricity Costs with Cogeneration at Stockton Plant
by Mark Anderson (Sacramento Business Journal) Pacific Ethanol Inc. is installing a $12 million cogeneration system at its Stockton plant that will save the company between $3 million and $4 million annually in electricity costs. The 3.5 megawatt cogeneration system will use
January 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Minnesota Boasts Some Pretty Awesome E85 Prices
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A few weeks ago, a reader question sparked an interesting search for answers. That one comment has led to several stories and blogs at our website. In mid-December, a reader asked me why, as opposed
January 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Stanford Professors Urge Withdrawal from Fossil Fuel Investments
by Suzanne Goldenberg (The Guardian) Faculty members call on university to recognise urgency of climate change and divest from all oil, coal and gas companies Three hundred professors at Stanford, including Nobel laureates and this year’s Fields medal winner, are calling
January 12, 2015 Read Full Article
State Panel OKs Rules for Alternative Motor Vehicle Fuels
by Steve Law (Portland Tribune) The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission voted Wednesday to approve operating rules for the state’s Clean Fuels Program, which mandates an overall 10 percent reduction in carbon emissions from gasoline and diesel fuel over the next
January 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Rising Capacities, Shift to Distributed Models and Policies Are Top Advanced Biofuels Trends, Says E2 Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The E2 report is something of a hybrid — for one, it includes actual biodiesel production, but in the case of other fuels, it reports production capacity rather than production, and includes projects which are
January 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Mechanics Corner: FAME, NERD, GTL and Pond Scum: Powering Equipment in the Future
by Allen Schaeffer (Progressive Dairyman/Diesel Technology Forum) ... Moving to ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel was the biggest change in diesel fuel in the last 50 years, and now it’s already been nine years since that happened. Next up is expanded use
January 08, 2015 Read Full Article
E2 Report: North America's Advanced Biofuel Industry Produced 800 Million Gallons in 2014
( Environmental Entrepreneurs) Smart clean fuel policies in OR, WA, CA and at federal level could drive additional job growth, improve air quality, generate more homegrown energy North America’s advanced biofuel industry reached a production capacity of more than 800 million gallons in 2014,
January 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Oregon Helps Spark National Surge in Biodiesel Production
by Wendy Culverwell (Portland Business Journal) Clean fuel policies in Oregon, Washington and California are helping drive the advanced biofuel industry. In its fourth annual report on the state of the advanced biofuel industry, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) reports the U.S. capacity
January 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Calif. Governor Wants to Slash Fuel Use, Grow Renewables
by Timothy Cama (The Hill) California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) proposed Monday to cut in half the gasoline and diesel fuel used by vehicles and get half the state’s electricity from renewable sources. Brown set out both proposals in his
January 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels Mandates Around the World: 2015
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who mandates what in biofuels? 64 countries have targets or mandates — but how much where, and when, and what? In Florida, the Digest today releases its annual review of biofuels mandates and targets around
January 05, 2015 Read Full Article
UMass Amherst Lignin Research Sheds Light on How Plants Adapt to Environmental Stress
by Isabel Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, new research may advance our understanding of “how the relative proportions of biopolymers,” like lignin, “are controlled in plant tissue”. The study, led by Sam Hazen at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, was
January 05, 2015 Read Full Article
The 41 Weirdest Things Ever Used to Make Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bunnies, liposuction fat, Prince Charles’ leftover wine, day-old whale, the human poo bus, fire ants dipped in hexane, old beer, raging fireballs, vibrating blobs, dope, and even the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Take your pick and,
December 31, 2014 Read Full Article
West Sacramento Says No to Ethanol Trains
by Tony Bizjak (Sacramento Bee) The city of West Sacramento and a Texas-based gasoline company are battling over whether it’s riskier to ship large amounts of ethanol through city streets on trains or on tanker trucks – a dispute that
December 23, 2014 Read Full Article
Gov. Inslee Wants To Cap And Tax Emissions From Washington State’s Major Polluters
by Katie Valentine (ThinkProgress) Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has big plans for carbon reductions in his state, as outlined in climate change and transportation proposals announced by the governor’s office this week. On Tuesday, Inslee announced a proposed tax on
December 18, 2014 Read Full Article
Indirect Land Use Change: ARB Needs Evidence, Not Theory
by Steve Shaffer (Capitol Weekly) ... More than two millennia later, Sacramento has its own version of the Flat Earth Society—the California Air Resources Board (ARB). Only this time, the debate isn’t over the shape of the Earth; it’s over