(KQED/Quest/Planet Forward) For years there’s been buzz — both positive and negative — about generating ethanol fuel from corn. The Bay Area is rapidly becoming a world center for the next generation of green fuel alternatives. Meet the scientists investigating
California
Back TO HOMEAgrivida Reports Increased Glucose Yields from Cellulosic Biomass for Fuel and Chemical Production
(Agrivida) —New Data Presented at Annual American Chemical Society Meeting— Agrivida's engineered feedstock and proprietary low temperature, low cost processes release over 80 percent theoretical glucose yield from cellulosic biomass, according to data presented today at the annual meeting of
April 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Indirect Fuel Use Change (IFUC) and the Lifecycle Environmental Impact of Biofuel Policies
by Deepak Rajagopal, G. Hochman, and D. Zilberman (Science Direct) A common assumption in lifecycle assessment (LCA) based estimates of greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits (or costs) of renewable fuel such as biofuel is that it simply replaces an energy-equivalent amount of
April 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Key Players: Advanced Biofuels
by David Beattie (Renewable Energy World Magazine) ...Importantly, and what sets these latest fuels apart from their first-generation predecessors, is the fact that they are produced using feedstock that would normally be classed as waste or non-food. These include parts
April 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Waste Management, Total Invest in Agilyx, Waste Plastics-to-Crude Oil Pyrolysis
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The Portland-based company, once known as Plas2Fuel, is developing a novel, scalable technology that converts difficult-to-recycle waste plastics into synthetic sweet crude oil. Last year, it received TechAmerica’s 2010 Cool Product of the Year Award.
April 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Scientists Aim to Improve Photosynthesis to Increase Food and Fuel Production
(University of Glasgow) Scientists from the University of Glasgow are working with international colleagues on a £5.4m collaboration to improve the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process whereby biological systems convert sunlight into food and the source of all the
April 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Start-Ups Work to Reinvent the Combustion Engine
by Todd Woody (New York Times) ...As the first mass-produced electric cars hit the streets, Pinnacle is just one of several start-ups backed by prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalists aiming to reinvent the century-old internal combustion engine. The big
March 31, 2011 Read Full Article
Pinnacle Engines Introduces its Ultra-Efficient Combustion Engine
(Pinnacle Engines) Top Investors Commit $13.5 Million; Former Cummins Executive Ron Hoge Named Chairman and CEO Pinnacle Engines today unveiled plans to commercialize a breakthrough ultra-efficient engine by 2013. The new engine design enables significant reductions in fuel consumption and greenhouse
March 31, 2011 Read Full Article
Microfuelers: Biofuels Companies Aim Big, by Thinking Small
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...NGOs in Africa have been touting for some time the use of ethanol cook stoves, to replace three-stone, wood based stoves that can trigger local deforestation and expose women and girls (who do much of
March 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Logos and EdeniQ Receive Department of Energy Funding for Corn-to-Cellulosic Pilot Biorefinery
(Logos Technologies) DOE commits full $20.5 million to retrofit and build pilot plant in Visalia, CA Logos Technologies®, Inc. and EdeniQ, Inc., announced U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approval to fully fund $20.5 million in federal cost share under DOE's Integrated
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
OriginOil Announces Breakthrough Innovation to Increase Algae Yield
(OriginOil) Algae Screen technology protects algae from microscopic predators, integrates with Live Extraction OriginOil, Inc., the developer of breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, today announced Algae Screen™, a process
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Biomass-Powered Ethanol Plants
by Lisa Gibson (Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine) A growing number of U.S. ethanol plants are reaping the benefits of using biomass for power. The demand for ethanol with a lower carbon footprint seems to be spurring a movement in
March 22, 2011 Read Full Article
F-22 Raptor Flown on Synthetic Biofuel
by 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs (Edwards Airforce Base) An F-22 Raptor successfully flew at supercruise March 18 on a 50/50 fuel blend of conventional petroleum-based JP-8 and biofuel derived from camelina, a weed-like plant not used for food. The
March 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Turning Grease Into Gold: Two Startups Making Big Leaps in Biofuels
by Allison Arieff (Good) Two innovative companies, Blackgold Biofuels and FogBusters, are unlocking the power of fat, oil, and grease (more pleasingly referred to in aggregate as "FOG"). The two startups are the runners-up in Imagine H20's Water-Energy Nexus Prize, which
March 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Crops Could Lower Surface Temperatures, Stanford Researchers Say
(Stanford University News) Concerns about the impact of corn ethanol on global warming have raised interest in more eco-friendly perennial grasses. A new study finds that large-scale cultivation of perennials could actually reduce regional surface temperatures. Converting large swaths of farmland
March 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Google Ventures Backs CoolPlanetBiofuels
(peHUB) CoolPlanetBiofuels Gets Series B Funding from Google Ventures Imagine a world where fuel doesn’t have to be pumped, dug out or extracted from the ground, and can be locally sourced. CoolPlanetBiofuels, located in Camarillo, Calif., is developing an innovative solution
March 18, 2011 Read Full Article
California Should Promote the Use of Diesel and Biodiesel-Powered Vehicles
(Diesel Technology Forum) An interesting White Paper by Serj Berelson concludes that the State of California would benefit from implementing new policies to promote the use of diesel and biodiesel-powered vehicles to assist California’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions
March 17, 2011 Read Full Article
SG Biofuels Advances Jatropha Biotech Platform with Application of Genetic Markers to Reference Genome: Library of Diverse Genetic Material Expands to 12,000 Unique Genotypes
(SG Biofuels) SG Biofuels, a bioenergy crop company using breeding and biotechnology to develop elite hybrid seeds of Jatropha, today announced it has applied more than 1.6 million genetic markers (SNPs) for Jatropha curcas toward the development of marker assisted
March 14, 2011 Read Full Article
SG Biofuels Expands into India
(Biofuels International) In the US SG Biofuels, a bioenergy crop company, located in San Diego, California, is expanding its operations into India and has named Subhas Pattnaik as director of operations for the market. ...In India Pattnaik's new role will see
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Turning Bacteria into Butanol Biofuel Factories
by Robert Sanders (UC Berkley News Center) University of California, Berkeley, chemists have engineered bacteria to churn out a gasoline-like biofuel at about 10 times the rate of competing microbes, a breakthrough that could soon provide an affordable and “green”
March 02, 2011 Read Full Article
CARB Tackling Crude Oil’s Carbon Intensity in LCFS
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) ...(S)till under fire is CARB’s final ruling on the carbon intensity levels given for ethanol and biodiesel. When CARB determined the original levels of corn ethanol, it essentially barred the fuel from qualifying as a low
February 23, 2011 Read Full Article
National Security Leaders, CEOs Call for Action to Reduce California Oil Dependence
(CalSTEP) Former Sec Shultz and Panel Cite Skyrocketing State Oil Imports, Price Shocks, Federal Inaction in Report A diverse group of leaders, including President Reagan’s Secretary of State, released a report today that said California would benefit if it took a
February 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Challenges for Biofuels: Not Just Technical Hurdles To Overcome
by Lynn Yarris (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/Renewable Energy World) That is the promise of advanced biofuels and the focus to date has been on the technological challenges of producing high quality biofuels in a way that is both sustainable and
February 21, 2011 Read Full Article
2 Studies Target Sticking Points, Gaps in Life-Cycle Calculations of Biofuels
by Jenny Mandel (New York Times/Greenwire) Conducting in-depth life-cycle assessments of the environmental impacts of biofuels is complicated, and new research suggests some questions in comparing biofuels to alternatives like petroleum-based fuels will never be answered. Furthermore, one study argues, consumer
February 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Gets Seat on California LCFS Panel
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Vice President of Research and Analysis Geoff Cooper has been selected to represent the ethanol industry on the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS) Advisory Panel. Panel
February 18, 2011 Read Full Article
The Faces of Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Propel Fuels and Biofuels Digest undertook to discover, and publish, the stories of people that use renewable fuels. Too often, in our view, stories about renewable energy focus on oil companies, or the environmental establishment,
February 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Chevy Volt to Get California Tax Credit in 2012
by Michael Kanellos (GreenTechMedia) A crazy wrinkle in a California law makes it a bit difficult for the Volt to qualify for the $5,000 rebate, but the company believes it will make it. Also, updates on Volt shipments. ...General Motors won't
February 03, 2011 Read Full Article
Department of Energy Funds SRI to Enhance Bioinformatics Tools for Renewable Energy Research
(SRI) DOE-funded project will develop enhanced tools to accelerate bioenergy research SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development organization, announced today it has been awarded a grant by the Department of Energy (DOE) to expand its MetaCyc database and enhance
February 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Go West, Young Biofuels Entrepreneur
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...California remains the heartland of technological innovation and there is no place on earth where ideas go farther, faster, and find more support from academia, the science establishment, and venture capitalists. (Let us not mix
January 28, 2011 Read Full Article
CARB to Review Ethanol Carbon Intensity Amendments
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The California Air Resources Board will hold a public hearing Feb. 24 to consider 25 amendments proposed by various ethanol producers, representing 1.6 billion gallons of annual domestic production, to reduce the carbon intensity
January 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Many Shades of Green: Diversity and Distribution of California’s Green Jobs
(Next 10) Many Shades of Green provides the most comprehensive green jobs accounting to date, systematically tracking the most recent available data on green companies, job type, location and growth across every sector and region of California. From January 2008 to
January 21, 2011 Read Full Article
San Francisco Falling Short on Use of Biodiesel for Public Vehicles
by Katie Worth (San Francisco Examiner) In late 2007, Mayor Gavin Newsom announced that every diesel-powered vehicle owned by The City — 1,500 in all — had been converted to run on a 20 percent biodiesel blend. ...But while Muni buses
January 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Strong Ethanol Industry an Important Step
by Bill Jones (San Francisco Chronicle) ...Separating fact from fiction in the ethanol debate is not easy. "Food versus fuel" is a nice catch phrase, but worldwide, biofuel production accounts for less than 1 percent of total agricultural acreage. Corn ethanol
December 23, 2010 Read Full Article
Navy Drives Biofuel Production With Goal to Buy 336M Gallons a Year by 2020, Enhancing San Diego’s Role as Center for Algae Biofuels
by Bruce V. Bigelow (Xconomy.com) The U.S. military’s interest in developing algae biofuels dates back at least three years, when the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) began to assess the technical capabilities needed to produce JP-8 grade jet fuel. By
December 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Mendota Firm Gets $1.5M for Bioenergy Testing
(Business Journal) A Mendota biofuel company will be using a $1.5 million grant from the California Energy Commission to test the feasibility of converting sugar beets and agricultural waste into ethanol and other forms of clean energy. ...If proven feasible, the project
December 03, 2010 Read Full Article
Fat-to-Biodisel Plant Approved
by John Upton (The Bay Citizen) A proposal to convert a rendering facility in southeastern San Francisco into a biodiesel manufacturing plant was approved Tuesday by the Port of San Francisco. ...Under the plan, animal and food waste that is currently turned
December 02, 2010 Read Full Article
GE Unit Invests in Biofuels Producer
by Candace Lombardi (Green Tech) GE subsidiary GE Energy Financial Services and North Bridge Venture Partners will invest $8 million in a company developing a biofuel production process coupled with the production of biochar. Cool Planet Biofuels converts cellulosic byproducts like plant
November 22, 2010 Read Full Article
A.I.M. Interview: Gregory L. Bafalis, CEO, Aurora Algae
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) Since June of this year, Greg Bafalis has been CEO of Aurora Algae, formerly Aurora Biofuels, overseeing the Company’s strategy, operations, and high-level relationships. ...Aurora was founded in 2006 by three gentlemen from U.C. Berkeley.
November 21, 2010 Read Full Article
Energy Commission Awards $9.6 Million for Electric Vehicles, Biofuels, More
(California Energy Commission) Hundreds of Jobs Created in California's Alterative Vehicle and Transportation Fuel Sector The California Energy Commission has approved eight grants that leverage more than $9.6 million in state funding with $11,969,855 in private funds. The projects will reduce
November 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Valley Company to Test New Crop for Biofuel
(The Business Journal) A $2-million grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC) will help to install a testing facility in Hanford to evaluate biofuel production using a crop new to the Central Valley. The grant, part of a $9.6-million allocation across the
November 08, 2010 Read Full Article
CARBON CORNER: New Carbon Opportunities Coming to Market for Agriculture
by Dawson Williams and Rick Gilmore (GIC Group/Biofuels Digest) ...The Climate Action Reserve (CAR), which was chartered by state legislation in California in 2001, has just proposed three new agriculture related offset categories, including: cropland management, nutrient (fertilizer) management, and rice
November 03, 2010 Read Full Article
U.S. Navy, Cobalt to Develop Military Jet Biofuel
by Andrew Nusca (SmartPlanet) The U.S. Navy and Mountain View, Calif.-based biofuel outfit Cobalt Technologies on Wednesday agreed to jointly develop military jet fuel converted from biobutanol. Under the new agreement, Cobalt’s biobutanol will be converted to bio-jet and biodiesel fuels using
November 03, 2010 Read Full Article
California Unveils Greenhouse Gas Trading Plan
by Peter Henderson (Reuters) California unveiled on Friday its final blueprint of a market system to curb greenhouse gases, relaxing expected rules in the face of a weak economy in a measure that could set the tone for the nation's climate
November 03, 2010 Read Full Article
iDiverse Modifies Yeast to Excel under Stress
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Using a proprietary gene construct, California-based iDiverse has successfully modified yeast to be highly resistant to a number of lethal stresses normally encountered in the bioproduction of fuel ethanol, improving yields. “We’ve targeted
October 27, 2010 Read Full Article
Dept. of Energy Researchers: ILUC Impact "Minimal to Zero"
(Renewable Fuels Association) The unproven notion that expanded U.S. ethanol production means new acres around the world must be brought into cultivation is taking another blow. In a soon-to-be published paper, researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National
October 21, 2010 Read Full Article
OriginOil’s Riggs Eckelberry on CA Prop. 23
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) California’s clean energy initiatives and businesses are at a crossroads, pending the outcome of Proposition 23 on the November ballot. Should the proposition succeed, it would suspend California’s 2006 history-making climate bill, AB32, which mandates,
October 21, 2010 Read Full Article
San Diego Biofuels Company Lands $1.8M Grant
by Onell R. Soto (Sign On San Diego) Pearson Fuels is working on infrastructure to make it easier and cheaper to distribute biodiesel. San Diego-based Pearson Fuels has landed a $1.8 million state grant to help put biodiesel into more tanker trucks. "We
October 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Alternative Fuels Center of Excellence to be Launched
(University of California, Riverside) Introducing new center on Oct. 14 at the Center for Environmental Research and Technology highlights day of alternative fuels related ...A $1.2 million grant from the California Energy Commission will allow the center of excellence to work
October 13, 2010 Read Full Article
EPA and NHTSA Announce a First Step in the Process for Setting Future Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Economy Standards for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks
(US Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), are announcing the next step toward reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fuel
October 08, 2010 Read Full Article
Program to Create Biodiesel from Brown Grease Begins Operation at San FranciscoTreatment Plant
(PowerMag.com) A demonstration plant that creates biodiesel fuel from restaurant trap grease (commonly called brown grease), located at the Oceanside Wastewater Treatment Plant in San Francisco, has begun operation. Developed by URS Corporation, it is the first municipal wastewater program in the
October 08, 2010 Read Full Article
California Bioenergy Bill Killed
by Anna Austin (Biomass Magazine) A bill (AB 222) that would have expedited the introduction of new conversion technologies to produce green power and advanced biofuels from solid waste materials in California is officially dead, due to lack of key
September 24, 2010 Read Full Article
The A.I.M. Interview: Algae Genetic Engineer Dr. Stephen Mayfield
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) If moving genes around on a chromosome is your idea of a good time, meet Dr. Stephen Mayfield, Director of the San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology. ...Steve is now the John Dove Isaacs Professor
September 23, 2010 Read Full Article
Statoil Invests In Ethanol-From-Seaweed Venture In California
by Angel Gonzalez (Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal) Norwegian oil major Statoil ASA (STO) has agreed to invest in a San Francisco Bay Area start-up to develop ethanol from seaweed, and to potentially commercialize the fuel in Norway and other European countries. Under the
September 16, 2010 Read Full Article
Honeywell UOP Technology Selected to Support Conversion of Biomass to Fuel at California Renewable Energy Facility
(PRNewsWire) UOP refining technologies will be used to produce renewable fuels from biomass UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced September 1, 2010, that its technology was selected for use in Rentech, Inc.'s Rialto Renewable Energy Center for the conversion of biomass to transportation
September 02, 2010 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Industries Selected for Proposed Grant by the California Energy Commission
(PRNewsWire) Biodiesel Industries announced today the company's selection by the California Energy Commission for a project grant to support the state's Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. This Biofuel Production Plants grant provides funding and financial assistance for the
August 25, 2010 Read Full Article
The Green Behind Green Crude
By Jennifer McEntee (The Voice of San Diego) Investors are a tough crowd to cultivate. Yet in the pond that is the biotechnology market, one product seems to be rising to the top like the green sludge it is: algae. Its
August 23, 2010 Read Full Article
Air Resources Board Is Clinging to Old Science
by Joe Irvin (Capitol Weekly) This week, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) convened a group of experts to discuss issues related to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) that was approved last year. The Expert Working Group has been
August 19, 2010 Read Full Article
Oil Spill Mars UC Berkeley's BP-Funded Research
(AP) BP's catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is fueling opposition to the University of California, Berkeley's research partnership with the British company, with activists on the famously liberal campus demanding a severing of ties. The oil giant gave UC
August 02, 2010 Read Full Article
CARB Proposes LCFS Soil Sustainability Provisions
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel) The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is far from over on discrediting biofuels as part of their mandated policy known as the Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS). For the past year, the ethanol industry has been
July 30, 2010 Read Full Article
2010‐2011 Investment Plan for the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program
(California Energy Commission) The investment plan for the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (program) serves as the guidance document for the allocation of program funding and is prepared annually based on input and advice of the Assembly
July 06, 2010 Read Full Article
Climate Policies Drive California’s Economic Future
by Mary Nichols (California Air Resources Board, Sustainable Industries) When California Gov. Schwarzenegger cut the ribbon at the opening of the world’s first bio-butanol plant earlier this year, he credited California’s climate action law Assembly Bill 32. ... In the case of
June 03, 2010 Read Full Article
Project Jatropha
(Environmental Protection Agency) President's Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA) Winner: Adarsha Shivakumar, Apoorva Rangan, and Callie Roberts Pleasant Hill and Martinez, California - The Project Jatropha Team promotes the cultivation of Jatropha curcas, a perennial shrub with oil-rich seeds, as an ecologically
May 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Rep Appointed to California Panel
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) At least one ethanol industry representative has been appointed to an expert work group attempting to assess the true carbon footprint of all fuel sources under the California’s proposed Low Carbon Fuel Standard. POET Senior Vice President
February 23, 2010 Read Full Article
U.S. Foodservice-SF Moves to B5
(Biodiesel Magazine) U.S. Foodservice-San Francisco, the only green-certified broadline food distributor in California—one of only a handful across the country—is now running its entire delivery fleet on B5. All of the San Francisco division’s 136 tractors and 148 trailers began using
February 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Is Ethanol from Corn Bad for the Climate? The Obama Administration Says No, California Says Yes. Who Is Right?
by Douglas Fischer (Scientific American) The Obama administration last week gave the green light to corn ethanol as a low-carbon renewable fuel – in apparent contradiction to California's declaration last summer that the biofuel's carbon footprint was too big to
February 17, 2010 Read Full Article
Truckers, Oil Refiners Sue California to Overturn State's Low-Carbon Fuel Standard
(edmunds.com) Oil refiners and truckers have sued California to overturn the state's low-carbon fuel standard. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, alleges that the LCFS violates the Constitution's commerce clause, which reserves
February 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Propel Fuels of Sacramento Receives $20-million Investment
by Tiffany Hsu (Los Angeles Times) Propel Fuels received $20 million in funding, the renewable-fuels retailer said. Along with a $12-million investment from Craton Equity Partners, Nth Power and @Ventures, the company received $8 million in debt financing. The funds
February 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Southland Panel Rejects Funds for Ethanol Fueling Stations
by Catherine Saillant (Los Angeles Times) Members of the Southern California Assn. of Governments reject $11 million in federal stimulus money to set up 55 stations throughout the Southland. They say ethanol causes environmental problems. A regional panel Thursday turned
February 11, 2010 Read Full Article
California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard: Testing the Boundaries of Green Federalism
Mackinnon Lawrence (Biofuels Digest) California, a long-time pioneer in the area of environmental law and policy, is now the target of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of its recently adopted Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), given final approval by the
February 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Keyes Ethanol Plant to Reopen in Spring
by John Holland (Modesto Bee) ...The Keyes plant, the only ethanol operation in Stanislaus County, has dominated the landscape but produced little fuel since it was finished next to a feed mill on the west side of the highway. ...
January 28, 2010 Read Full Article
BIO Comments on Preliminary Draft Regulation for the California Cap-and-Trade Program
Comments by Brent Erickson, Executive Vice President, Industrial and Environmental Section of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) to the California Environmental Protection Agency and Air Resources Board (January 11, 2010): ... The essence of the cap-and-trade program is the establishment
January 18, 2010 Read Full Article
California Governor Launches Cobalt Technologies Low Carbon Fuel Plant
Cobalt Technologies, the leader in commercializing biobutanol as a renewable fuel and chemical, today formally launched its first facility. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Silicon Valley cleantech leaders were on hand, demonstrating the importance of clean technology to the state’s
January 12, 2010 Read Full Article
U.S. Development Group Begins Operations at Southern California Ethanol Handling and Distribution Terminal
U.S. Development Group LLC (USDG), an industry leader in ethanol handling and distribution terminals, announced today that its West Colton Rail Terminal has begun to receive and offload ethanol railcars. The terminal, located in Rialto, Calif., is served by the
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Ethanol Groups Sue California Over Low-Carbon Rule
by Stephen Power (Wall Street Journal) Two groups representing ethanol producers asked a federal court on Thursday to strike down a California rule that calls for a reduction in the carbon content of fuels sold in that state, saying the
December 29, 2009 Read Full Article
Synterra Fuels to Commercialize Next-Generation Biorefineries
(Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal) Pacific Renewable Fuels (Sacramento, California) and Red Lion Bio-Energy (Toledo, Ohio) have announced that they have formed Synterra Fuels, a joint venture, to focus on the commercialization and deployment of integrated biorefineries for the production
December 09, 2009 Read Full Article
City's Solid Waste Management Division Offers Oil and Grease Recycling Service for Santa Monica Restaurants
In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, combat climate change and curb the growing number of clogged sewers plaguing residents and businesses, the City of Santa Monica launched an innovative solution to collect fats, oil and grease (FOG) free
December 04, 2009 Read Full Article
Biofuels: Growing toward Sustainability
by Bryan M. Jenkins, Chris Somerville, James J. Stapleton (California Agriculture) Biofuels — fuels derived from plant materials and other kinds of biomass — have ridden a rollercoaster of public debate. When Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on U.S. energy supplies
December 03, 2009 Read Full Article
Can Feedstock Production for Biofuels Be Sustainable in California?
by Stephen R. Kaffka (California Agriculture) The use of crops and crop residues as feedstocks for biofuels increases domestic and global supplies, creates new industries, and may result in reduced greenhouse-gas emissions. Uncertainty about the best crop and residue sources,
December 03, 2009 Read Full Article
Model Estimates Food-Versus-Biofuel Trade-Off
by Deepak Rajagopal, Steven Sexton, Gal Hochman, David Roland-Holst, David Zilberman (California Agriculture) Biofuels have been criticized for raising food prices and reducing food production. While biofuels have rightly been blamed for contributing to reduced food security at a time
December 03, 2009 Read Full Article
Biofuel Policy Must Evaluate Environmental, Food Security and Energy Goals to Maximize Net Benefits
by Steven Sexton, Deepak Rajagopal, Gal Hochman, David Zilberman, David Roland-Holst (California Agriculture) The biofuel industry has received billions of dollars in support from governments around the world, as political leaders respond to new environmental and energy-security imperatives. However, a
December 03, 2009 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Biomass Could Help Meet California's Transportation Fuel Needs
by Charles E. Wyman, Bin Yang (California Agriculture) Cellulosic biomass, which includes agricultural and forestry residues and woody and herbaceous plants, is the only low-cost resource that can support the sustainable production of liquid fuels on a large enough scale
December 03, 2009 Read Full Article
Plant and Microbial Research Seeks Biofuel Production from Lignocellulose
by Laura E. Bartley, Pamela C. Ronald (California Agriculture) A key strategy for biofuel production is making use of the chemical energy stored in plant cell walls. Cell walls are a strong meshwork of sugar chains and other polymers that encircle
December 02, 2009 Read Full Article
Sustainable Use of California Biomass Resources Can Help Meet State and National Bioenergy Targets
by Bryan M. Jenkins, Robert B. Williams, Nathan Parker, Peter Tittmann, Quinn Hart, Martha C. Gildart, Steve Kaffka, Bruce R. Hartsough, Peter Dempster (California Agrigulture) Biomass constitutes a major renewable energy resource for California, with more than 30 million tons
December 02, 2009 Read Full Article
California Energy Commission Awards UCR $1M Grant for Synthetic Fuel Facility
The California Energy Commission has awarded a $1 million grant to UC Riverside’s College of Engineering-Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) to build a process demonstration unit (PDU) to convert biosolids to clean synthetic diesel fuel. The PDU will be
November 30, 2009 Read Full Article
Growth Energy Calls on ARB to Allow Public Comment on Undisclosed LCFS Documents
Growth Energy, the coalition of U.S. ethanol supporters, called on the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to allow the public to comment on documents pertaining to their low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) rulemaking that were not disclosed and should influence the
November 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Interest in Algae's Oil Prospects is Growing
by Tiffany Hsu (Los Angeles Times) Firms and scientists are racing to figure out how best to separate the oil produced in algae organisms for biofuel. The San Diego area has become a hotbed for these efforts that are drawing investors. To
September 17, 2009 Read Full Article
Embracing Pond Scum: Algae Farms Taking Root in High Desert
by Brooke Edwards and Natasha Lindstrom (Victor Valley Daily Press) That green, slimy scum that makes swimmers and pool owners cringe may soon grow the High Desert into a hotbed for algae-based biofuel production. The algae technology can be used to
August 17, 2009 Read Full Article
Solazyme Awarded California Energy Commission Grant to Develop Clean Fuel from Local Cellulosic Feedstocks
Solazyme, Inc., a renewable oil production company and algal biotechnology company, was awarded a $789,697 Biosynthetic Transportation Fuel Production grant from the California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program. ... The PIER Program Opportunity Notice (PON) announced that
August 11, 2009 Read Full Article
California's Largest Biodiesel Plant Opens
California's largest biodiesel plant is ready for business. State Sen. Dean Florez joined executives Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Crimson Renewable Energy's new Kern County plant off Interstate 5. The plant is designed to produce 30 million gallons of
July 31, 2009 Read Full Article
EPA Grants California Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards Waiver Request
EPA is granting California’s waiver request enabling the state to enforce its greenhouse gas emissions standards for new motor vehicles, beginning with the current model year. ... The first California waiver request was made in December 2005 and was subsequently
July 01, 2009 Read Full Article
Meeting Ethanol Mandates in California: A 5-Part Series
Spot.us, a new venture dedicated to crowdfunded reporting, was able to commission Wired.com staff writer Alexis Madrigal to move forward with his article on meeting ethanol mandates in California. Gas2.0 is proud to be the first media source to publish Alexis’