(VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland) VTT, LUT University, and companies have opened a pilot plant in Espoo, Finland, to process captured carbon dioxide into compounds that can replace fossil raw materials in plastic products and chemicals. The pilot plant, built
carbon sink
Back TO HOMEBiden-Harris Administration Announces $4.3 Billion in Grants for Community-Driven Solutions to Cut Climate Pollution Across America
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Funded by President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, EPA announces 25 selected applications through competitive Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program to tackle climate change, improve air quality, and advance environmental justice -- When estimates provided by all selected
July 22, 2024 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to the Global Impacts of Enhancing Domestic Ecosystem Carbon Sinks
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 30-50% of the CO2 removals needed for a net zero U.S. economy could come via domestic terrestrial carbon sink enhancements. What’s needed? A project supported by DOE aims to specify U.S. cropland carbon sink strategies and
March 20, 2024 Read Full Article
Soil Carbon Capture Sequestration, Low Carbon Intensity Scores and the Small Water Cycle: The Symbiotic Connection
by Joel Stone (LEC Partners/Biofuels Digest) Soil Carbon Capture Sequestration (SCCS), low carbon intensity (low CI) scores and the Small Water Cycle are connected through various ecological and hydrological processes that occur within terrestrial ecosystems. SCCS refers to the process of
March 04, 2024 Read Full Article
Opinion: Canada’s Greatest Climate Challenge and Responsibility Is Our Forests
by Jamie Stephen (Canadian Biomass Magazine/TorchLight Bioresources) ... Research on the world’s boreal forests shows two diametrically opposed approaches and outcomes. On one side is Canada, Alaska, and Russia, which see massive carbon losses from wildfires. On the other are the Nordic
January 03, 2024 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2023 Multi-Slide Guide to Terviva
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Terviva is a food and ag innovation company partnering with farmers to grow pongamia, a climate-resilient tree which produces abundant, protein- and oil-rich legumes. Pongamia is uniquely suited to meet today’s environmental challenges. Chief Business Officer
December 21, 2023 Read Full Article
Global Increase in Biomass Carbon Stock Dominated by Growth of Northern Young Forests over Past Decade
by Yang, H., Ciais, P., Frappart, F. et al (Nature Geoscience) Changes in terrestrial carbon storage under environmental and land-use changes remain a critical source of uncertainty in regional and global carbon budgets. We generated global maps of annual live vegetation biomass using
October 24, 2023 Read Full Article
Enviros Assail Forest Service Report, Saying It Could Promote Logging
by Minho Kim (Politico Pro Climatewire) The Forest Service faces criticism for projecting that forests could become carbon emitters by 2070 instead of continuing as carbon sinks. -- Activists are condemning a recent Forest Service report to Congress, saying one of its
August 15, 2023 Read Full Article
ANL: Can Farms Produce to the Max and Still Reduce GHG Emissions?
by Kristen Mally Dean (Argonne National Laboratory/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... With new practices, farmers can make farms a net sink of CO2, helping the U.S. reach its goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Sustainable intensification is a two-prong approach many think
July 08, 2022 Read Full Article
Can Farms Produce to the Max and Still Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions?
by Kristen Mally Dean (Argonne National Laboratory) Decarbonizing agriculture is critical for the U.S. to reach net zero emissions by 2050. A new data-driven approach looks at practices that are good for the earth and profitable for farmers. -- The
June 27, 2022 Read Full Article
The Limits of Forest Carbon Sequestration
by Julia K. Green and Trevor F. Keenan (Science Magazine) Although nations are grappling with reducing carbon emissions to minimize climate change risks, they actually need to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere if the goal is to keep warming
May 13, 2022 Read Full Article
Under Pressure to Revise Estimates, EPA Mulls Lifecycle Biofuel GHGs
(Inside EPA) As EPA comes under growing pressure to increase its estimates of how much greenhouse gas emissions biofuels save over their lifetime, the agency is holding consultations that could result in changes that may boost programs encouraging biofuels use
March 04, 2022 Read Full Article
Forest Forward: Illuminating the Path for Climate Action and Conservation
by Elena Schmidt and Nicola Noponen (RSB/Biofuels Digest) The urgent move away from fossil resources means that biomass use will be heavily incentivised for the use in fuel, energy and material supply chains and this presents serious sustainability risks which must
February 22, 2022 Read Full Article
U.S. Department of Energy Announces $19 Million for Carbon Utilization Funding Opportunity DEADLINE: March 18, 2022
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s (FECM's) Carbon Utilization Program announced up to $19 million
February 11, 2022 Read Full Article
Could Nature’s Own Fuel Save Us from Greenhouse Effect and Electric Grid Failure?
by Ellen Brown (LA Progressive) While biofuels are a less high-tech, cheaper and in many ways more effective solution to our dependence on petroleum, the United States and other countries are discussing similar plans to the EU’s and California is
August 02, 2021 Read Full Article
On the Path to Net Zero, Canada Must Grow a Circular Bioeconomy
by Sandy Ferguson and Rob van Adrichem (SF Consulting and City of Prince George respectively/Biofuels Digest) Bathroom sinks made of wood fibre, energy derived from garbage, skyscrapers built of cross-laminated timber, and carbon fibre that is used in Formula 1
July 08, 2021 Read Full Article
The Importance of Net-Zero Ethanol
by Jim Ramm (EcoEngineers) ... In a world demanding net-zero, the way forward for ethanol is to take advantage of the two great carbon sinks available: farm-level soil carbon and underground carbon dioxide storage. But first, what exactly is net-zero carbon? It
June 10, 2021 Read Full Article
Carbon-50: Leaders Push for 50-State Solution to Climate Change
(Carbon -50) A new network of former lawmakers, farm leaders, and clean energy advocates has gathered under the banner of Carbon-50 to support an inclusive, 50-state strategy to address climate change. The project is co-chaired by former House Education and
May 05, 2021 Read Full Article
Draft Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2019 Open for Public Comment DEADLINE: March 15, 2021
(Environmental Protection Agency) Per an announcement in the Federal Register (FR) FRL-10019-87-OAR, the Draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory is now available for public comment. To ensure your comments are considered for the final version of the document, please submit your comments
February 17, 2021 Read Full Article
Is Seaweed the Future of Fuel?
by Rebecca Pool (Engineering and Technology) A growing band of scientists and engineers wants to feed and fuel the world with seaweed. --... The last decade has seen a surge in seaweed aquaculture, driven by a rising interest in using
October 31, 2020 Read Full Article
Why Is No One Talking about Agriculture as a Solution to Climate Change?
by Karn Manhas (Terramera/AgFunder News) ... Far less attention has been paid to agriculture’s capacity to be a climate solution. How? Through the production and maintenance of healthy living soil. The world’s soils contain 2,500 gigatons of carbon — more than three times more
May 29, 2020 Read Full Article
Leading with Soil: Scaling Soil Carbon Storage in Agriculture
(Carbon 180) Soil carbon storage offers significant economic and environmental opportunities for farmers and ranchers. Agricultural practices that store carbon in the soil can help fight climate change at a low cost. Those same practices can also improve overall soil
May 13, 2020 Read Full Article
Don’t Look to Mature Forests to Soak Up Carbon Dioxide Emissions: Results of Australian Study May Have Impact on New York State Carbon Neutrality Goals
(Suny College of Environmental Science and Forestry) Research published today in Nature suggests mature forests are limited in their ability to absorb "extra" carbon as atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations increase. These findings may have implications for New York state's carbon neutrality
April 23, 2020 Read Full Article
Request for Comment: Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2018 DEADLINE: March 13, 2020
(Environmental Protection Agency/Federal Register) The Draft Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2018 is available for public review. EPA requests recommendations for improving the overall quality of the inventory report to be finalized in April 2020, as well
February 17, 2020 Read Full Article
Fuel from MSW and Biomass: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Velocys’ Aviation Fuel
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For 17 years, Velocys has been working on XTL projects and their FT technology has operated on syngas derived from natural gas, landfill gas, coal and biomass. Philipp Stratmann, VP Biofuels at Velocys shared the latest from
December 05, 2019 Read Full Article
NCFA: Carbon Stored in Forests Is Not Decreasing
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The North Carolina Forestry Association has spoken out to dispute a recent report released by the Center for Sustainable Economy and the Dogwood Alliance that claims that carbon stored in forests is decreasing. NCFA stresses it
September 25, 2019 Read Full Article
VTT Says Materials and Chemicals the First Commodities to Be Commercialized by Carbon Reuse
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Finland, VTT published a new report called “The Carbon Reuse Economy – Transforming CO2 from a pollutant into a resource” and presents its view on how carbon can be turned from a pollutant into
September 16, 2019 Read Full Article
Firm Launches Plan to Cut One Trillion Tons of CO2 From Atmosphere
(Solutions from the Land) A company that says it is "dedicated to harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet," announced last month the launch of The Terraton Initiative™, a project designed to accelerate carbon sequestration at an unprecedented scale. ... Among the
July 09, 2019 Read Full Article
The Energy Transition and Oil Companies’ Hard Choices
by Rob West and Bassam Fattouh (The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies) In this Energy Insight, we explore the challenges of the energy transition for international oil companies (IOCs). We argue that energy demand forecasts are inconsistent with meeting Paris Agreement
July 09, 2019 Read Full Article
The Think Tank Struggling to Write the Green New Deal
by Robinson Meyer (The Atlantic) New Consensus, the group charged with fleshing out the plan, doesn’t aim to publish policy specifics until early next year. -- ... New Consensus aims to be the policy quarterback for the Green New Deal. It wants
June 13, 2019 Read Full Article
World's Biggest Terrestrial Carbon Sinks Found in Young Forests - New BIFoR Study
(BioEnergy International) More than half of the carbon sink in the world’s forests is in areas where the trees are relatively young – under 140 years old – rather than in tropical rainforests. These trees have typically ‘regrown’ on land previously
February 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Environmental Benefits of Energy Crops: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to University of Illinois Research
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign has been researching the economic incentives and policy implications of energy crops such as miscanthus and switchgrass. Madhu Khanna, from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, gave this illuminating overview of the environmental benefits of energy crops
December 21, 2018 Read Full Article
Reforms Must Prepare the UK Countryside for Climate Change and Ensure that Our Use of Land Supports Reduced Emissions
(Committee on Climate Change) The Paris Agreement demands tougher action to remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. We must, at the same time, prepare for the inevitable climate change that is already happening. In this context, current uses of land
November 21, 2018 Read Full Article
Part of the Answer to Climate Change May Be America’s Trees and Dirt, Scientists Say
by Brad Plumer (New York Times) ... A new study published on Wednesday, however, found that better management of forests, grasslands and soils in the United States could offset as much as 21 percent of the country’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. At
November 19, 2018 Read Full Article
5 Hard-to-Believe Renewable Energy Facts
by Maxx Chatsko (TMFBlacknGold/The Motley Fool) Renewable energy from wind and solar went from impossibly expensive to nearly 10% of American electricity in less than 20 years. What's ahead may be even more astounding -- ... 3. American ethanol helps create the biggest
November 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Climate Researchers: More Green Space, Less Biofuel
(Iran Daily) ... According to UPI, John M. DeCicco, a research professor at the University of Michigan Energy Institute, and William H. Schlesinger, president emeritus of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, want to see more conservation of the planet's natural
October 01, 2018 Read Full Article
New Research Calculates Capacity of North American Forests to Sequester Carbon
(University of California-Santa Cruz/EurekAlert!) Gains of only 22 percent over the next six decades represent best-case scenario -- Researchers have calculated the capacity of North American forests to sequester carbon in a detailed analysis that for the first time integrates the effects
July 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Shell Releases Energy Transition Report: Commits to 50% Lower Emissions by 2050, Biofuels to Top Oil by 2100 in “Sky” Scenario
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the Netherlands and England, Shell released its most definitive statement yet on its low-carbon future and committed to 50% lower emissions by 2050 and net zero by 2070 in its operations and emissions from its
April 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Bio-CCS and Bio-CCUS in Climate Change Mitigation--Market and Regulatory Issues Related to Bio-CCUS
(International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 41) The fourth IEA Bioenergy Task 41 workshop on Bio-CC(U)S was organized in Brussels 16 January 2018. The topic of the workshop was Market and regulatory issues related to Bio-CCUS. The workshop was a full day event divided
February 27, 2018 Read Full Article
Despite EU Palm Oil Ban, Biofuel Problems Will Continue
(Deutsche Welle) Members of the European Parliament have rejected an attempt to phase out support for crop-based biofuels. So what's next in the food versus fuel debate? -- ... The legislative shift, set to take effect in 2020, won't actually change much
January 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Potential Biofuel Crops in Hawaii May Successfully Sequester Carbon in Soil
(EurekAlert!/PLOS) Two potential biofuel crops in Hawaii--sugarcane and napiergrass--may sequester more carbon in soil than is lost to the atmosphere, according to a study published January 4, 2017 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Meghan Pawlowski from University of
January 05, 2017 Read Full Article
Life Cycle Assessment of Integrated Seawater Agriculture in the Arabian (Persian) Gulf as a Potential Food and Aviation Biofuel Resource
by Brian Warshay, J. Jed Brown, Sgouris Sgouridis (The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment) Prospective evaluation of the lifecycle impacts of aviation biofuel production in Abu Dhabi, UAE based on a production system that integrates aquaculture, saltwater agriculture, and mangrove silviculture, termed an
December 27, 2016 Read Full Article
New Feed Sources Key to Ambitious Climate Targets
by Brian J. Walsh, et al. (Carbon Balance and Management) Net carbon sinks capable of avoiding dangerous perturbation of the climate system and preventing ocean acidification have been identified, but they are likely to be limited by resource constraints (Nature 463:747–756,
December 23, 2016 Read Full Article
North America’s Grasslands Are Slowly Disappearing — And No One’s Paying Attention
by Chelsea Harvey (The Washington Post) The Great Plains lost more grassland to agriculture in 2014 than the Brazilian Amazon lost to deforestation, says a recent report from the World Wildlife Fund. And it argues that the continued expansion of cropland
December 01, 2016 Read Full Article
The Significance of Seaweed
(R&D Magazine) Our understanding of the global carbon cycle has been reshaped by KAUST researchers who have helped to reveal a major role for the abundance of seaweed growing around the world's coasts. Some years ago, Carlos Duarte, now director of
September 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Point/Counterpoint: Is It Time for Greens To Reassess Their Opposition to Ethanol?
by Senator Timothy Wirth and C. Boyden Gray (Yale Environment 360) The criticism of ethanol by environmentalists is misguided and just plain wrong. In fact, thanks to improvements in farming techniques, increasing the amount of corn ethanol in U.S. gasoline
May 28, 2016 Read Full Article
EPA Releases Clean Power Plan, Uncertainty for Biomass Remains
by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. EPA has released the final Clean Power Plan rules, which contain some key changes from the original rule, as well as vague language related to using certain kinds of biomass fuel as a
August 04, 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
Where is Blue Carbon Going?
by Olatomiwa Bifarin* (Advanced Biofuels USA) On Wednesday, May 21, 2014, a panel of experts discussed the importance of blue carbon and the ramifications of its release in a “Managing Our Planet” seminar series developed jointly by George Mason University,
May 23, 2014 Read Full Article
Time to Rethink Misguided Policies that Promote Biofuels to Protect Climate
(Nanowerk News) ...His paper concludes that for now, it makes more sense to enable plants to soak up carbon dioxide through reforestation and to redouble efforts to protect forests, rather than producing and promoting biofuels. Corn ethanol production of 14 billion
September 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Plant Is Switching to Butanol
by Matthew L. Wald (New York Times) High oil prices are generally bad news for American companies, but one, Gevo of Englewood, Colo., says that $100-a-barrel oil is opening up a niche. The company bought a factory in Luverne, Minn., that makes ethanol
March 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Weizmann Institute scientists show that in one kind of forest, its ‘energy budget’ includes significant reserves of heat
The simple formula we’ve learned in recent years – forests remove the greenhouse gas CO2 from the atmosphere; therefore forests prevent global warming – may not be quite as simple as we thought. Forests can directly absorb and retain heat,