(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On April 12, the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) announced a new funding opportunity aimed at increasing the carbon storage potential of U.S. agricultural soils. Land-use, which includes agriculture, is responsible
carbon/CO2 sequestration
Back TO HOMECool Planet Partners with J.R. Simplot Company to Distribute Innovative Cool Terra® Engineered Biocarbon™ Product to Improve Soil Health
(Cool Planet) Cool Planet is proud to announce a new distribution agreement with the J.R. Simplot Company, one of the largest privately held agricultural companies in the nation. Simplot will serve as a distributor for Cool Terra throughout the Western United States
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Energy Department Requests Information on Carbon Use and Reuse Technology Opportunities for the U.S. Power Generation Sector
(Department of Energy) DOE is considering more significant support for Research & Development (R&D) in carbon use. It is surveying technology approaches and seeking up-to-date information on technologies for beneficially using CO2 captured from fossil-fuel power plants. To complement existing
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Is It the perfect Energy Solution? Where Solar, Carbon Capture and Bio Collide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) One of these days your personal transportation system might look like this. A solar or wind energy facility generates renewable electricity, which is converted into a solar fuel using electrofuel technology that converts CO2 and
March 23, 2016 Read Full Article
PHYCO2 and MSU Make Breakthrough in Clean Air Technology, Growing Pure Algae 24/7 and Without Sunlight
(PHYCO2) PHYCO2 -an emerging algae growth and carbon dioxide sequestration company- has made a technology breakthrough in Phase I of the multi-year trial with Michigan State University (MSU). The technology partnership set out to capture manmade carbon dioxide (a greenhouse
March 21, 2016 Read Full Article
MSU, PHYCO2 Collaborate on Algae Growth Demonstration Project
(PHYCO2) PHYCO2, an emerging algae growth and carbon dioxide sequestration company, and Michigan State University (MSU) have announced a partnership designed to generate sustainable, clean energy sources through a new method to produce algae. The partnership will demonstrate the patent-pending PHYCO2-developed technology to sequester CO2, reclaim
March 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Making Concrete Green: Reinventing the World's Most Used Synthetic Material
by Annie Kane (The Guardian) ... Dr Rabin Tuladhar, senior lecturer at the university’s college of science, technology and engineering, supervised (Shi) Yin’s work. He says using recycled plastic in reinforced concrete has great environmental savings. “Steel is often used as a
March 09, 2016 Read Full Article
E Pluribus, Unum: LanzaTech, Global Bioenergies Demonstrate The Biotechnology App Store
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As Global Bioenergies, LanzaTech tighten isobutene partnership, the era of “swap-in, swap out” biorefining microbes comes clear, closer -- In France, Global Bioenergies and LanzaTech signed a new collaboration agreement to broaden the feedstock flexibility
January 11, 2016 Read Full Article
17 Answers for Your Burning Questions about Biofuels, Renewable Chemicals, Biomass and More.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Q. We’ve heard a lot about carbon capture, but what about carbon capture and conversion (to a more soluble, transportable and storable form), for example conversion to bicarbonate? A. To date, all ventures in the carbon
December 28, 2015 Read Full Article
State Should Set Goals on Use of Low-Carbon Biofuel
by Dave Eames, Ethan N. Elkind (Sacramento Bee/Kansas City Star) New federal rules issued last week will boost biofuel production nationwide; Biofuel comes from a variety of agricultural crops, algae, forest residue; California has not taken full advantage of low-carbon biofuel production We use
December 08, 2015 Read Full Article
U.S. Climate Smart Farm Leaders Call on COP21 To Address Role of Ag in Battling Climate Change
(Oklahoma Farm Report) Leaders of the North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance (NACSAA) told policy makers and others attending climate talks here this week that agriculture can provide impactful and measurable contributions to global efforts to reverse climate change. Speaking at
December 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Biomass Supplies, Sri Lanka - First Smallholder Project in Southeast Asia to Earn RSB Certification
(Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) Biomass Supplies (Pvt) Ltd, a company based in Sri Lanka, earned the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) certification for biomass produced from branches pruned from live fences of Gliricidia trees. The certification covers Biomass Supplies' work
October 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Exxon Sowed Doubt About Climate Science for Decades by Stressing Uncertainty (Part 6)
by David Hasemyer and John H. Cushman Jr. (Inside Climate News) Collaborating with the Bush-Cheney White House, Exxon turned ordinary scientific uncertainties into weapons of mass confusion. ... No wonder: in the opening days of the oil-friendly Bush-Cheney administration, Exxon's chief lobbyist had
October 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Highlighting the Allure of Synfuels, Exxon Played Down the Climate Risks (Part 5)
by John H. Cushman Jr. (InsideClimate News) In the 1980s, Exxon lobbied to replace scarce oil with synthetic fossil fuels, but it glossed over the high carbon footprint associated with synfuels. Early in the 1980s, ... Exxon believed oil supplies could not
October 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Exxon's Business Ambition Collided with Climate Change Under a Distant Sea (Part 4)
by Neela Banerjee & Lisa Song (Inside Climate News) Throughout the 1980s, the company struggled to solve the carbon problem of one of the biggest gas fields in the world out of concern for climate impacts. In 1980, as Exxon Corp.
October 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Exxon Confirmed Global Warming Consensus in 1982 with In-House Climate Models (Part 3)
by Lisa Song, Neela Banerjee, David Hasemyer (Inside Climate News) The company chairman would later mock climate models as unreliable while he campaigned to stop global action to reduce fossil fuel emissions. Steve Knisely was an intern at Exxon Research and Engineering
October 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Bernie Sanders Calls For Federal Investigation Of Exxon
by Emily Atkin (Think Progress) Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wants ExxonMobil investigated by the Department of Justice. In a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Tuesday, Sanders charged the oil giant of engaging in a cover-up
October 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Algae at the Crossroads: Tackling Big Markets, Big Challenges in the New Carbon Economy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The make-or-break moment for algae-based and cyanobacteria fuels is nigh upon us, and it turns on the prospects for carbon capture and use. Will policymakers enable low-cost carbon to become available for this nascent, petroleum-displacing
September 22, 2015 Read Full Article
PhyCO2, MSU Develop Algae Tech to Capture Power Plant CO2
(PhyCO2/Biomass Magazine) Michigan State University and PHYCO2 have entered into a partnership to develop algae technologies produced from PHYCO2’s revolutionary and patented concept that promotes algae growth and sequesters, or captures, carbon dioxide from power plant emissions. The collaboration is a
September 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Exxon's Own Research Confirmed Fossil Fuels' Role in Global Warming Decades Ago (Parts 1 and 2)
by Neela Banerjee, Lisa Song and David Hasemyer (Inside Climate News) Top executives were warned of possible catastrophe from greenhouse effect, then led efforts to block solutions. ... This untold chapter in Exxon's history, when one of the world's largest energy
September 17, 2015 Read Full Article
A Hoover for Atmospheric CO2
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Why not reduce atmospheric CO2 by capturing it? Why pay $500-$1000 per ton to reduce CO2 via electric cars, if you could pay 80% less via a direct capture of greenhouse gases. Can it succeed? How,
September 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Joule Unlimited: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 1. Who are Joule? Joule is advancing a production platform for Liquid Fuel from the Sun, expected to eclipse the scale, productivity and cost efficiency of any known alternative to fossil fuel today. Its transformative
September 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Carbon Dioxide and Its Practical, Green Uses
by Sam A. Rushing (Advanced Cryogenics, Ltd/Biofuels Digest) ... WHEN CO2 is the subject of discussion, outside of those in the gas trade, it is usually associated with greenhouse gases, a gas exhaled endlessly, and soft drinks. As those in the gas
September 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Making Cash from CO2 Trash: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide to Accelergy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Accelergy uses advanced catalysts and state-of-the-art process technologies to transform natural gas, biomass, and/or coal into clean specialty products and transportation fuels. Accelergy’s Hydroconversion to X (where X = solvents, lubricants, performance fluids, or fuels)
August 21, 2015 Read Full Article
ABO Applauds Senators Manchin and Heitkamp on Introduction of Carbon Utilization Legislation
(Algae Biomass Organization) Addition of just 12 words could accelerate pace of large scale, emissions reducing algae projects at fossil fired power plants -- The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the US algae industry, today applauded new legislation
May 14, 2015 Read Full Article
The Algae Whisperer
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A new project aims to capture atmospheric CO2, affordably, using traits and techniques known to algae for millenia. ... To date, no one has figured out how to get the CO2 out of the air, or the air
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Opportunity: Lab&BenchScale Application of Transformational CO2
(U.S. Department of Energy) This Funding Opportunity Announcement is focused on developing transformational technologies for CO2 capture and purification at the lab-scale, TRL 3-4, through bench-scale, TRL 5, for pulverized-coal and Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle power plants, and transfer and
March 24, 2015 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Solutions Deserve a Major Role in U.S. Emission-Reduction Strategy
(25 x '25) A broad survey of farmers has documented a yield boost from the use of cover crops in corn and soybeans. The increased yields reflect an upward trend in all of the benefits that come from planting cover
December 12, 2014 Read Full Article
Biomass Producers Today, Carbon Kings Tomorrow
by Matt Carr (Biomass Magazine/Algae Biomass Organization) ... To control carbon dioxide (CO2), the agency (Environmental Protection Agency) places a significant emphasis on burying emissions underground (carbon capture and sequestration or CCS), but I believe it should equally encourage the
December 11, 2014 Read Full Article
Building Blocks: LanzaTech, IOC, NatureWorks, Calysta make strides on Omega-3s, lactic acid
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Illinois, LanzaTech and a research team from the IOC-DBT Center for Advanced Bio-Energy Research (an entity co-funded by India’s Department of Biotechnology and Indian Oil Corporation Limited) announced the development of a new process
November 03, 2014 Read Full Article
Study Casting Doubt on GHG Benefits of Corn Stover Ethanol Draws Sharp Criticism by Other Researchers; Liska Responds
(Green Car Congress) A study published earlier this year in the journal Nature Climate Change that cast doubt on whether biofuels produced from corn residue could meet federal mandates for cellulosic biofuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% compared
October 31, 2014 Read Full Article
Critical Dialogue on Adapting to a Changing Climate Underway
(25 x '25) ... UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon brought government, finance, business and civil society leaders to New York because it is recognized that climate change is not a theory or a concept, but is, in fact, an immediate problem, having
October 03, 2014 Read Full Article
DE-FOA-0001162: Targeted Algal Biofuels and Bioproducts (TABB)
(US Department of Energy) The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing, on behalf of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0001162, entitled “Targeted Algal Biofuels and Bioproducts (TABB)”. The TABB FOA seeks alternative
September 30, 2014 Read Full Article
A Carbon Accounting System for the Future
(25 x '25) Making sure the federal accounting system for biogenic carbon emissions—ensuring that it is an accurate system, and taking into scientific account the unique features of biomass in the carbon cycle is front and center for over 100
August 15, 2014 Read Full Article
Greenhouse Gas Report to Assist Producers Facing Climate Challenges
(US Department of Agriculture) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released a report that,for the first time, provides uniform scientific methods for quantifying the changes in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and carbon storage from various land management and conservation activities.
August 04, 2014 Read Full Article
Can CO2 Be a Green Chemical? Yes, When Derived from Biofuels and Other Sources
by Sam A. Rushing (Advanced Cryogenics, Ltd./Biofuels Digest) ... The problem with CO2 sequestration and carbon reduction schemes is the lack of economic return for many purely sequestration projects, unless government funding or subsidies are guaranteed. Then, the challenge is to
July 21, 2014 Read Full Article
Anticipation Bubbles Up for ADM Carbon Capture Project
by Chris Luvardi (herald-review.com) Archer Daniels Midland Co. passed through a public hearing process Wednesday with limited concern voiced about its proposal to drill a second injection well in Decatur to store carbon dioxide deep underground. The hearing at the Decatur Public
June 27, 2014 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Sorghum May Be a “Sink” For Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Texas A&M Study Finds
by Rafaela Relvas (BioNews Texas) Researchers at Texas A&M University conducted a study that brought new insights regarding bioenergy sorghum, finding that, more than an energy supply, it may offer a “sink” for greenhouse gases. ... The team worked in a field near
June 09, 2014 Read Full Article
EPA Outlines 30% Cut in Power-Gen CO2 by 2030: What’s the Role for Carbon Capture and Use, Algae?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) EPA comes down hard on CO2, with proposed rule calling for deep emission cuts, but opts for highly-flexible, state-by-state approach. Carbon Capture and Use not deemed a key strategy, but algae advocates aim to change
June 03, 2014 Read Full Article
Fortunately, Unfortunately: Pathways and Barriers to Algae Biofuels at Scale
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Think algae biofuels are real and near? Or, think it’s a promotional scheme for attracting finance for nutraceuticals and academic bridges-to-nowhere? The barriers might be more, or less, daunting than you think. Let’s look at
May 27, 2014 Read Full Article
CEC Issues Final Report on OMEGA System
(Algae Industry Magazine) The California Energy Commission (CEC) has just issued their “final” report on the Offshore Membrane Enclosures for Growing Algae (OMEGA) approach to algae cultivation and wastewater remediation. Outlining the research findings for the multiyear OMEGA project,
April 25, 2014 Read Full Article
Commentary: Cellulosic Ethanol Worse than Gas? Not so Fast
by Brendan Jordan (Midwest Energy News) A new academic paper on biofuels was released this week, and some media outlets have reached sweeping conclusions. “Fuels from corn waste not better than gas,” claimed the Associated Press. The Daily Caller one-upped
April 24, 2014 Read Full Article
Canada: Biofuels Digest’s Spring 2014 5-Minute Guide – CCEMC Grand Challenge Hands $500K Seed Grants to 24
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Alberta’s Grand Challenge on carbon — Liquid Light, Enerkem among 24 winners picking up $500,000 seed grants in first round. Next round will result in up to five $3M grants in 2018, and $10M to
April 17, 2014 Read Full Article
The Science of Clean Energy
By Nahla Nainer (The Hindu) On International Women’s Day, Dr. M. Premalatha, associate professor at the Centre for Energy and Environmental Science and Technology (CEESAT), NIT-T in Tiruchi India explains why more female science students should opt for research in this
April 15, 2014 Read Full Article
Ethanol Plant CO2 Sequestration Project Reaches New Milestone
by Chris Hanson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The $163.9 million Illinois Basin-Decatur Project celebrated as new milestone as its carbon sequestration project stored 750,000 metric tons carbon dioxide from Archer Daniels Midland Co.’s ethanol plant in Decatur, Ill. “We are here today
April 01, 2014 Read Full Article
Research Summary: Sequestration of Carbon by Shrub Willow Offsets Greenhouse Gas Emissions
(Extension.org) Grown for biofuel, energy-efficient shrub willow sequesters carbon below-ground, life-cycle assessment shows. Shrub willow is a short-rotation woody biomass crop that could be an important part of our renewable energy future. By sequestering carbon in below-ground biomass, it can
April 01, 2014 Read Full Article
Of Auxins, Toxins and Raging Hormones: Does Biochar Really Work?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... One of the latest entries is a study out of the UK’s University of Southampton, with assist from researchers in Scotland and Italy, that delves into the pros and cons of the soil amendment known
April 01, 2014 Read Full Article
New Catalyst Could Lead to Cleaner Energy
by Anne Trafton (MIT News) MIT chemists have devised a way to trap carbon dioxide and transform it into useful organic compounds, using a simple metal complex. More work is needed to understand and optimize the reaction, but one day this
March 06, 2014 Read Full Article
The Race to Capture, Use and Monetize Waste CO2
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Reduce carbon? Rid the world of excess CO2? Not so fast, buster. A new generation of technologies has come along that capture, re-purpose and monetize CO2 emissions. Will they realize their promise? As Liquid Light steps out of
March 05, 2014 Read Full Article
Carbon Sequestration Not So Simple in Biomass Crop Production
by Ann Perry (USDA/Biomass Magazine) Findings at the USDA are providing information about the soil carbon dynamics that play a crucial role in lifecycle assessments of bioenergy production. These studies at the Agricultural Research Service, USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency, support
February 28, 2014 Read Full Article
Evonik and LanzaTech Working on Bio-Processed Precursors for Specialty Plastics
(Lanza Tech) Evonik Industries and LanzaTech have signed a three year research cooperation agreement which will see Evonik combining its existing biotechnology platforms with LanzaTech’s synthetic biology and gas fermentation expertise for the development of a route to bioprocessedn precursors
December 09, 2013 Read Full Article
The Clogged Carbon Sink: U.S. Public Lands Are the Source of 4.5 Times More Carbon Pollution Than They Can Absorb
by Jessica Goad and Matt Lee-Ashley (Center for American Progress) Spanning more than one-fifth of the U.S. landmass, America’s national forests, national parks, and other public lands have long been valued for their ability to absorb and store carbon and other air pollutants.
December 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Why UN Climate Talks Are Still Relevant: Report from COP 19 in Warsaw
by Michael Davidson (East Winds/The Energy Collective) We are heading into the second week of UN climate negotiations in Warsaw (refered to as COP 19), where 194 countries are busy laying the groundwork for an international treaty hopefully to be
November 21, 2013 Read Full Article
A Systematic Review of Biochar Research, with a Focus on Its Stability in situ and Its Promise as a Climate Mitigation Strategy
by Noel P. Gurwick, Lisa A. Moore, Charlene Kelly, Patricia Elias (PLOSone) Claims about the environmental benefits of charring biomass and applying the resulting “biochar” to soil are impressive. If true, they could influence land management worldwide. Alleged benefits include increased crop yields, soil
October 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Hand Up vs. Hand Out: New Government Programs Target Biofuels for Support in US, Canada
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...As most know, the US Government in the past few days re-opened for business, and there’s an attractive USDA Loan Guarantee program recently unveiled that aspiring bioeconomy projects definitely will want to take a look
October 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Soils (English)
(World Bank) The purpose of this report is to improve the knowledge base for facilitating investments in land management technologies that sequester soil organic carbon. While there are many studies on soil carbon sequestration, there is no single unifying volume
October 17, 2013 Read Full Article
5-Year Research MOU to Further Pongamia Development in India
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Tree Oils India Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture to conduct collaborative research over the next five years for developing an alternate farming system focused on
August 14, 2013 Read Full Article
Biomass Row Heats up after Green Groups Call for Subsidy Cuts
by Jessica Shankleman (BusinessGreen.com) ...Three campaign groups, backed by 12 organisations in the timber, paper and furniture industries, yesterday warned that a surge in demand for wood as a result of renewable electricity subsidies would increase prices, risking 40,000
May 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Whoops: Soils Can't Lock Away Black Carbon or Biochar, Study Says.
by Tim Radford (The Daily Climate) Charcoal and other forms of black carbon do not, as previously thought, stay where they are buried. They migrate to the oceans and recirculate the carbon they contain. Climate scientists may have to rethink some
May 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Biochar Slashes Bioenergy Soil Emissions
by Tom Marshall (Planet Earth Online) Adding charcoal to land used to grow bioenergy crops can greatly increase their overall benefit in helping cut our greenhouse-gas emissions, scientists have shown. Applying so-called 'biochar' before planting energy crops can cut soil greenhouse-gas
April 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Study Shows Carbon Sequestration from Corn Production Runs Deep
(25 x '25) The ethanol industry has some good news to share. And it comes in an arena where the domestically produced biofuel has often been challenged – carbon sequestration and the life-cycle assessment of ethanol made from corn. A study
March 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Algaetech International Signs R&T Agreement with EADS and AMIC for Wastewater Remediation Using Algae for Jet Fuel Production.
(Algaetech International) AMIC, Malaysia, and Algaetech International Sdn Bhd, Malaysia, announces the signing of a Research & Technology agreement on a “Waste to Fuel” project today 4th March 2013, at Algaetech International corporate head office. With the signing of this agreement,
March 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Combined with CCS Could Enable Carbon-Negative Energy
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Stanford University’s Global Climate and Energy Project has released a report highlighting the potential to combine bioenergy production with carbon capture and storage techniques to enable carbon-negative energy production. "Net negative emissions can be
February 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Arcadia Biosciences and FuturaGene Enter Agreement to Develop Nitrogen Use Efficient and Water Use Efficient Eucalyptus and Poplar
(Arcadia Biosciences) New Tree Crops To Increase Productivity While Preserving Natural Resources and Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., an agricultural technology company focused on developing technologies and products that benefit the environment and human health, and FuturaGene, Inc., a
February 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Study Looks at Environmental Benefits of Ethanol
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) According to a new study performed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, corn grown using no-till methods may sequester larger amounts of carbon than previously believed. The study was published in BioEnergy Research and showed that
January 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Carbon Dioxide: Key to Boosting Revenues and Limiting Emissions from Biofuels and Allied Ventures
by Sam A. Rushing (Advanced Cryogenics, Ltd. ) ...Pure carbon dioxide sequestration projects have been evaluated by my office for large US and Brazilian ventures, primarily fed by CO2 from ethanol projects. In the future, it is entirely likely
November 29, 2012 Read Full Article
The Greening of Petronas: Oil Giant Signs with LanzaTech to Turn Waste CO2 into Sustainable Chemicals
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In Malaysia, LanzaTech and the Malaysian national oil company, Petronas, announced they will work together to accelerate the development and commercialization of technologies to produce sustainable chemicals from carbon dioxide (CO2) and natural gas. ...The good
October 16, 2012 Read Full Article
Reducing CO2: Research Shows Chemical and Economic Feasibility for Capturing Carbon Dioxide Directly from Air
(Georgia Tech University) With a series of papers published in chemistry and chemical engineering journals, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have advanced the case for extracting carbon dioxide directly from the air using newly-developed adsorbent materials. The technique might
July 30, 2012 Read Full Article
eco2capture awarded $100,000 for algal growth project to capture CO2
(HiVelocityMedia.com) The Athens-based company Eco2Capture has been awarded $100,000 by the Ohio Third Frontier for its project, Demonstration of Advanced Polymer Membranes for Algal Growth Enhancement, which will showcase how to mass-produce algae for the CO2 capture and biofuel markets. “We’re commercializing some technology developed
June 05, 2012 Read Full Article
When, Where and How Wood Is Used Impact Carbon Emissions from Deforestation
(Environmental Research Web) A new study from the University of California, Davis, provides a deeper understanding of the complex global impacts of deforestation on greenhouse gas emissions. The study, published May 13 in the advance online edition of the journal Nature
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Net Benefits: The Idea of Pulling Carbon Dioxide out of the Atmosphere Is a Beguiling One. Could It Ever Become Real?
(The Economist) ...A report published last year by the American Physical Society (APS) put the cost of extracting and storing carbon dioxide using an air-capture system based on known technology at between $600 and $800 a tonne. That is about
March 27, 2012 Read Full Article
Obama Touts Algal Biofuels; $14M in New R&D Funding; $2.28 per Gallon Algal Biofuels in Sight?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In Washington, the Obama Administration outlined a new $14 million round of R&D grants for algal biofuels, as the US President highlighted algal biofuels in a speech at the University of Miami which focused on energy policy. In
February 27, 2012 Read Full Article
Switchgrass as Ideal Biofuel Feedstock?
by Derek Mead (CleanTechMedia) Can biofuel be economically coaxed from a modest plant? ...A new research review published today(December 13, 2011) in the journal GCB Bioenergy states that switchgrass is indeed viable as a cellulosic feedstock, as has been previously suggested, and that
December 14, 2011 Read Full Article
US Carbon Storage System Breaks New Ground
by Tim Wall (Discovery.com) The Midwest now boasts the United States' first large scale carbon sequestration project working in conjunction with a biofuel plant. Carbon dioxide emissions from an Archer Daniels Midland Company corn ethanol plant are being pressurized and stored
November 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Carbon Dioxide Applications – A Key to Ethanol Project Developments
by Sam A. Rushing (Biofuels Digest) ...All ethanol ventures should take a fresh look at CO2 as a great opportunity for future revenue developments, probably as a primary reason, would be for CO2 recovery and marketing. The second reason, of
November 28, 2011 Read Full Article
BioAmber’s $150 Million IPO: The 10-Minute Version
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Minnesota, BioAmber has filed an S-1 registration statement for a proposed $150 million initial public offering. The number of shares to be offered in the proposed offering and the price range for the offering
November 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Heavy Breathing by Plants Could Alter Climate Models, 30-Year Study Finds
by Ben Cubby (Sydney Morning Herald) Plants have been breathing a lot more quickly than we thought, according to a study that suggests some climate change models may have to be modified to account for faster rates of photosynthesis. An analysis
October 03, 2011 Read Full Article
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Major Investments to Spur Innovation and Job Creation in Research, Development and Production of Next Generation Biofuels
(US Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced five major agricultural research projects today aimed at developing regional, renewable energy markets, generating rural jobs, and decreasing America's dependence on foreign oil. Altogether, the five-year program will deliver more than
September 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Fraunhofer Opens Center for Systems Biotechnology in Chile
(EurekAlert!) The Fraunhofer Center for Systems Biotechnology is the first research center to be launched by the Fraunhofer Chile Research Foundation which was established on October 4, 2010. The research carried out at the new Center will benefit from and
September 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Newcastle University Outlines Plans for North East Carbon Capture Hub
by James Murray (Business Green) Could gasification hold the key to the decarbonisation of the North East's heavy industries? Researchers at the Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability(NIReS) are working on ambitious plans that could establish the North East as a global
September 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Work Begins on Carbon-Capture at ADM Decatur Site
(St. Louis Today/AP) The U.S. Department of Energy says construction has started on a $207.5 million project to capture carbon dioxide produced by an ethanol plant in Illinois and store it underground. The Energy Department said construction started Tuesday on the
August 26, 2011 Read Full Article
The XTL Diet: New Paths to Feasible, Domestic Low-Carb Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Can synthetic biology capture and utilize CO2 to such an extent that it not only can make money – but can mitigate the carbon intensity of no-no feedstocks like coal, gas and oil, opening up
August 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Switch from Corn to Grass Would Raise Ethanol Output, Cut Emissions
(EurekAlert!/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Growing perennial grasses on the least productive farmland now used for corn ethanol production in the U.S. would result in higher overall corn yields, more ethanol output per acre and better groundwater quality, researchers report
July 13, 2011 Read Full Article
The Economics of Power Plant CO2 Capture
by Riggs Eckelberry (OriginOil/Algae Industry Magazine) ...Today’s carbon capture process requires separating and condensing CO2, then transporting it in dedicated pipelines to distant locations where it can be stored. Processing CO2 close to power plants eliminates the capital and operating
July 05, 2011 Read Full Article
ASA Bans ExxonMobil Biofuel Ad
(RAC) The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned an ExxonMobil advertisement after its claims relating to environmental benefits of using algae to form biofuels were found to be misleading. A complaint was filed by a viewer against the TV ad, featuring
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuel Crops to Fall within Assurance Chain
by Julian Gairdner (Farmers Weekly Interactive) Grain destined for the biofuel chain looks set to fall within farm assurance following negotiations between Assured Food Standards, the NFU and the European Commission. Ensuring there was a single assurance programme was a key objective of
February 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Algae Project Advances at Green Plains Renewable Energy Plant
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) BioProcess Algae LLC has begun operating commercial-scale algae bioreactors at Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc.’s 65 MMgy ethanol plant in Shenandoah, Iowa. The project is a joint venture among GPRE, BioProcessH20 LLC, a division
February 03, 2011 Read Full Article
A.I.M. Interview: Sapphire Energy’s CEO Dr. Jason Pyle
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) Dr. Jason Pyle, the high profile CEO at the even more high profile “green crude” developer, Sapphire Energy, holds a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Physiology, as well as an M.D., from
January 24, 2011 Read Full Article
The Impact Of A Renewable Electricity Standard & A Carbon Payment Program
By Don Hofstrand (Iowa State University Extension/JoplinStockyards.com) U.S. energy policy has recently moved into the background due to concerns about the current economic downturn. However, the importance of the two major drivers of energy policy - the need to wean
December 30, 2010 Read Full Article
Carbon Dioxide Recycling in the Biofuels Industry,” a Special Digest report
by Sam A. Rushing (Biofuels Digest) ...Since CO2 has been shown to be the globe’s worst offender as a greenhouse gas, the very use of this gas in a technology which would foster the production of viable basic chemicals, plastics,
September 14, 2010 Read Full Article
Negative Carbon Gasoline's Cool Planet Biofuels Funded
(The Alarm Clock) Camarillo, CA-based Cool Planet Biofuels has raised $3M as part of a $8M Series B funding round, according to a filing by the firm today. Source of the new funding was not announced, however, the firm is
September 07, 2010 Read Full Article
The Missionary Position: The Export of Carbon Guilt to the Developing World
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...We see the battle over rural development flashing at other points around the globe, but nowhere so starkly do we have a choice between the War on Poverty and the War on Carbon as we see
August 31, 2010 Read Full Article
Energy Grasses Take Center Stage at Ceres Field Day
(PRNewsWire) Energy industry executives joined investors and policymakers near Houston, Texas earlier today to take a firsthand look at energy grasses and research developments that are expected to push bioenergy to the forefront of renewable power and transportation fuels. The bioenergy field
August 26, 2010 Read Full Article
Sustainable Biochar to Mitigate Global Climate Change
by Dominic Woolf, James E. Amonette, F. Alayne Street-Perrott, Johannes Lehmann & Stephen Joseph (Nature Communications) Production of biochar (the carbon (C)-rich solid formed by pyrolysis of biomass) and its storage in soils have been suggested as a means of abating
August 20, 2010 Read Full Article
LakeMaster Building Algae-to-Biofuel System
by Joseph Holroyd (Algae Industry Magazine) LakeMaster Corporation, a clean energy technology company headquartered in Rochester, New York, is engaged in the development and commercialization of a proprietary algal to biofuel system that captures carbon dioxide. The company recently filed for
August 13, 2010 Read Full Article
Pennsylvania Pursues Alternative Fuel JV
(Algae Industry Magazine) The Raytheon Co., Accelergy Corp. of Houston, TX, and A2BE Carbon Capture LLC/Algae at Work, of Boulder, CO have formed a joint venture to develop a technology to gasify algae mixed with coal and/or coal waste into a
August 03, 2010 Read Full Article
One Potato, Two Potato: the Counting of Biomass Emissions
by Jim Lane (Biomass Digest) Following the all-but-certain defeat of a renewal of the ethanol tax credit, left-wing environmental activists, confederated into the National Anti-Biomass Incineration and Forest Protection Campaign, are making a move to destabilize support for biomass-based power generation. At
July 30, 2010 Read Full Article
Green Plains Renewable Energy Moves on Algae, Corn Oil Extraction
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc. is moving to Phase II with its algae project at one plant and planning to install corn oil extraction technology at all six of its ethanol plants. On July 20,
July 27, 2010 Read Full Article
Secretary Chu Announces Six Projects to Convert Captured CO2 Emissions from Industrial Sources into Useful Products
(US Department of Energy) $106 Million Recovery Act Investment will Reduce CO2 Emissions and Mitigate Climate Change U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced today the selections of six projects that aim to find ways of converting captured carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
July 23, 2010 Read Full Article
Codexis and CO2 Solution Unveil Carbon Capture Program
(CO2 Solution) Codexis, Inc., and CO2 Solution Inc., on July 13, 2010, will make the first joint public presentation on their program to develop carbon capture technology to reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants. The presentation is being made at the 4th Annual
July 13, 2010 Read Full Article
A Simpler Path to Cutting Carbon Emissions
by Vinod Khosla (Washington Post) If our goal is carbon reduction, a cap-and-trade or carbon-pricing bill, with its likely compromises, would be worse right now than no regulation. Pricing carbon below $40 per ton will not change how industry does
July 02, 2010 Read Full Article
Using Carbon to Fight Carbon
by Janneke Pieters (REnewable Energy World) ...CO2 — along with sunlight and water — is needed to grow algae, which can in turn produce oil, otherwise known as “oilgae” or “green crude.” While in its nascent stages, the “oilgae” industry
June 24, 2010 Read Full Article
Biomass Better than Coal? War over Carbon Accounting Erupts
by Jim Lane (Biomass Digest) In Washington, the Environment Working Group has released a study that claims the impacts of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACESA)—which has already passed the House of Representatives—would require the equivalent of cutting
June 24, 2010 Read Full Article
ADM Receives $99 Million in Federal Aid for Second Carbon Capture Project
(Herald-Review.com) Archer Daniels Midland Co. has been selected to receive funding for a second carbon sequestration project that is in addition to one that could begin injecting carbon dioxide deep below ground next year. The U.S. Department of Energy announced Thursday that
June 14, 2010 Read Full Article
Cropland Carbon Fluxes in the United States: Increasing Geospatial Resolution of Inventory-Based Carbon Accounting
by Tristram O. West, Craig C. Brandt, Latha M. Baskaran, Chad M. Hellwinckel, Richard Mueller, Carl J. Bernacchi, Varaprasad Bandaru, Bai Yang, Bradly S. Wilson, Gregg Marland, Richard G. Nelson, Daniel G. De La Torre Ugarte, and Wilfred M. Post
June 04, 2010 Read Full Article
Carbon Capture on the Cheap?
by Michael Kanellos (GreenTech) It’s a sulfur scrubber, mineral maker and carbon capture machine all in one. Skyonic, which has developed a system for converting smokestack fumes into sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and other minerals, is moving toward commercialization and says that
June 04, 2010 Read Full Article
RFA: Carbon Accounting Should Be Equitable, Based on Science
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today continued to call into question accounting gimmicks and unproven theories used by environmental activists seeking to undermine the growth of biofuels as a way to displace fossil fuels. The latest iteration is a
June 04, 2010 Read Full Article
Biofuels and the Need for Additional Carbon
by Timothy D Searchinger (Environmental Research Letters) Use of biofuels does not reduce emissions from energy combustion but may offset emissions by increasing plant growth or by reducing plant residue or other non-energy emissions. To do so, biofuel production must generate and
June 03, 2010 Read Full Article
90 US Scientists Demand Revision of Biofuels Carbon Accounting
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, 90 US scientists wrote to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and US Senate Majority leader Harry Reid to fix accounting standards for greenhouse gas emissions associated with bioenergy projects. The scientists said they wanted to
May 25, 2010 Read Full Article
EPA's 'Tailoring Rule' and the Biomass Industry
(RenewableEnergyWorld.com) ...Including biomass power plants under the EPA’s tailoring rule is a clear policy shift and may imply a change in position for future policy. The lack of distinction between renewable biomass as an alternative fuel to traditional fossil fuels like
May 21, 2010 Read Full Article
To Fix Carbon, Food, Energy: Fix RuBisCO (The Mother of All Biofuels Challenges)
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...It was the biochemist Dr. Ganesh Kishore, now the CEO of the Malaysian Life Sciences Capital Fund and formerly Chief Biotechnology Officer of Dupont, who raised the issue at a recent Burrill & Company Limited
May 12, 2010 Read Full Article
CO2-Eating Algae Turns Cement Maker Green
by Tyler Hamilton (TheStar.com) A mixture of hot gas rises out of a flue stack at the St. Marys Cement plant about 50 kilometres west of Waterloo. But not all the CO2-rich exhaust is vented to the open air. Some is redirected
March 23, 2010 Read Full Article
Today in Biofuels Opinion: “If Policymakers Thought This Is a CO2 Sequestration Approach…We Would Be Entirely Screwed.”
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Jack Oswald, CEO, SynGest: “One of the things worth pointing out about most algae approaches, is that they rely on large sources of CO2. These will come from our existing fossil fuel sources such as
March 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Honeywell's UOP Awarded Funding for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Reuse Through Algae Growth and Biofuel Production
UOP, a Honeywell ( HON) company, announced today that it has been awarded a $1.5 million cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Energy for a project to demonstrate technology to capture carbon dioxide and produce algae for use in
March 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Ensus Signs with Shell, Sends First Tanker
by Luke Geiver (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The first tanker of ethanol has left Ensus, Europe’s largest wheat-based ethanol facility. Headed for the Netherlands, the cargo, which has been purchased by Shell as part of a long term deal, is a
March 02, 2010 Read Full Article
Honeywell's UOP Awarded Funding for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Reuse Through Algae Growth and Biofuel Production
UOP, a Honeywell (NYSE:HON) company, announced today that it has been awarded a $1.5 million cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Energy for a project to demonstrate technology to capture carbon dioxide and produce algae for use in biofuel
March 02, 2010 Read Full Article
“Making Money from Carbon Dioxide Derived from Biofuels and Similar Projects”, a Digest Special Report
by Sam A. Rushing (Biofuels Digest) ...It is increasingly important to acquire revenues from the sale of CO2 as one of the primary co-products from fermentation and biofuels; plus depending upon destination and mode of utilization, such commercial use of CO2
February 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Algae, Brine Shrimp and Tilapia Make Recipe for Biofuel
(MidWest AgNet) Using algae, brine shrimp and tilapia, researchers have designed a novel system that extracts oil for use as biofuel, potentially reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a proposed electric power plant. Microalgal biomass production offers the potential to reduce
February 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Bacteria Engineered to Turn Carbon Dioxide Into Liquid Fuel
by Matthew Chin (Science Daily) In a new approach, researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have genetically modified a cyanobacterium to consume carbon dioxide and produce the liquid fuel isobutanol, which holds great potential
December 11, 2009 Read Full Article
Australian Firm to Launch "World's Largest" Green Slime Facility
by Yvonne Chan (BusinessGreen.com) Australian biofuel specialist MBD Energy is poised to unveil a new facility that it claims will be the world's largest refinery for producing algae-based biofuels and high-protein livestock feed. The Melbourne-based company plans to showcase its
November 22, 2009 Read Full Article
Biofuels Innovator Forms Division in Charleston to Capture Carbon
by Andy Owens (Charleston Regional Business Journal) Opposition to coal-fired power plants in the South has spurred a producer of microalgae-based renewable energy and industrial products to create a division based in Charleston. Barry Toyonaga, chief business officer for San Diego-based
August 11, 2009 Read Full Article
W2 Energy Completes Algae Bioreactor
(Energy Current) W2 Energy Inc., has successfully completed a commercial scale algae bioreactor. The Sunfilter bioreactor will be used to sequester any CO2 byproducts from the W2 Energy waste-to-energy processes. The product can also be sold separately. Customers such as
August 11, 2009 Read Full Article
China Recruits Algae to Combat Climate Change
by Jonathan Watts (The Guardian) Chinese firm behind ambitious plan to breed microalgae in greenhouse with the potential to absorb carbon emissions ...Developed by a groundbreaking Chinese firm, ENN, the greenhouse is a bioreactor that breeds microalgae, one of the fastest
June 30, 2009 Read Full Article
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