by Wayne Seames (American Oil Chemists Society/Inform Magazine) A new generation of technologies to generate renewable fuels is nearing commercialization. Some of these are focused on producing ethanol and other alcohols from cellulosic biomass using fermentation technologies. These alcohol-based fuels
Cellulosic biomass
Back TO HOMEGenerating Ethanol from Lignocellulose Possible, but Large Cost Reductions Still Needed
(Wiley-Blackwell/ScienceNewsLine) The production of ethanol from lignocellulose-rich materials such as wood residues, waste paper, used cardboard and straw cannot yet be achieved at the same efficiency and cost as from corn starch. A cost comparison has concluded that using
November 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Shell Looking at Biofuel Plant for Local Area
by Angela Brown (Central Plains Herald-Leader) Shell Canada is looking into the possibility of establishing a biofuel plant in the Portage la Prairie area. The facility would be a cellulosic ethanol plant, which is proposed for the area southwest of Portage
November 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Genome-scale Network of Rice Genes to Speed the Development of Biofuel Crops
(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Joint BioEnergy Institute Researchers Create RiceNet for Predicting Genetic Functions in Rice The first genome-scale model for predicting the functions of genes and gene networks in a grass species has been developed by an international team of
November 04, 2011 Read Full Article
A Way to Make Motor Fuel Out of Wood? Add Water
by Matthew L. Wald (New York Times) A Georgia company says it has overcome a major roadblock in turning agricultural waste into vehicle fuel and other useful chemicals by experimenting with a technology that treats the waste with compressed water
September 27, 2011 Read Full Article
Traffic Jams Reduce Hydrolytic Efficiency of Cellulase on Cellulose Surface
by Kiyohiko Igarashi, Takayuki Uchihashi, Anu Koivula, Masahisa Wada, Satoshi Kimura, Tetsuaki Okamoto, Merja Penttilä, Toshio Ando, and Masahiro Samejima (Science Magazine) A deeper mechanistic understanding of the saccharification of cellulosic biomass could enhance the efficiency of biofuels development. We report here the real-time visualization of crystalline
September 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Berkeley Lab Opens Advanced Biofuels Facility
(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) The ailing United States’ economy would receive a much needed boost with the commercial development of a domestic source of transportation fuel – especially if that fuel were to be clean, green and renewable, and could
August 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Researchers Find Potential Key for Unlocking Biomass Energy
(Department of Energy/Los Alamos National Laboratory/EurekAlert!) LANL molecular model helps expose cellulose weakness Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory and Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center have found a potential key for unlocking the energy potential from
July 22, 2011 Read Full Article
No Eureka Moments in Long U.S. Campaign to Crack Cellulosic Code
by Paul Voosen (New York Times/Greenwire) ...For eons, plants have locked the sun's energy into complex strands of sugar, used to build their stems and leaves. These chains are far different from table sugar or grain starch; they cling together,
July 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Purdue Research Investigates Digestive Enzymes in Termites
by Bryan Sims (Biorefining Magazine) Delving into termite guts to find the best cellulases or lignocellulases to efficiently convert cellulose and hemicelluloses, even lignin, into advanced biofuels isn’t a new concept within the biorefining community, but researchers at Purdue University
July 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Aiming for the Complete Utilization of Sugar-Beet Pulp: Examination of the Effects of Mild Acid and Hydrothermal Pretreatment Followed by Enzymatic Digestion.(Research)
Stefan Kuhnel; Henk A Schols; Harry Gruppen (Biotechnology for Biofuels/Highbeam Business) Sugar-beet pulp (SBP) consists of up to 75% w/w of carbohydrates (dry matter). Arabinose, glucose and galacturonic acid (GA) are the main sugar moieties present in complex polysaccharide structures
June 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Brazilalot: Heard on the Floor at World Biofuels Markets
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The hottest companies in bioenergy all know it – the name of the game is low-cost sugars, or affordable syngas that competes with natural gas. For those who don’t make or use syngas and need
March 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Update on DDCE Cellulosic Ethanol Projects
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Two and a half years ago DuPont partnered with Danisco (whom DuPont is now acquiring) to create DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol (DDCE). In just a short amount of time, the venture has come a long way
February 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Shell, Codexis to Roll Out Cellulose Technology for Biofuel
by Eduard Gismatullin (Bloomberg) Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Europe’s largest oil company, and Codexis Inc. will roll out technology this year to make biofuels from wheat straw and sugar-cane bagasse, the cellulose-rich waste from cane processing. Shell and Codexis have been researching enzymes to
February 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Tagging the Most Promising Feedstocks for Biofuels
by Cole Gustafson (Western Farm Press/North Dakota State University Extension Service) A USDA-funded study is developing new pricing and trading standards for cellulosic biomass feedstocks. A first step in the study is to identify the most promising feedstocks and the
February 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Poet’s Broin Says E27 Is Needed to Satisfy RFS
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Poet LLC CEO Jeff Broin told attendees at a recent energy conference that the U.S. will need to eventually utilize the equivalent of E27 in the nation's fuel supply in order to meet renewable
December 12, 2010 Read Full Article
The Future of Biofuels: The Post-Alcohol World
(The Economist) Biofuels are back. This time they might even work. MAKE something people want to buy at a price they can afford. Hardly a revolutionary business strategy, but one that the American biofuels industry has, to date, eschewed. Now a new
October 29, 2010 Read Full Article
Advanced Energy Crops: Industry Perspectives --Miscanthus Commercial Varieties and their Production
by Dr. Neal Gutterson (President and Chief Executive Officer, Mendel Biotechnologies, Inc.) Dr. Gutterson details the activities of Mendel Biotechnologies relevant to the advanced biofuels business space. Mendel developed Miscanthus x giganteus, a custom, sterile, weed-resistant variation of miscanthus. Currently, Mendel is
October 27, 2010 Read Full Article
Feedstock Logistics: Demonstration of a Large-Scale Integrated Switchgrass Supply Chain
by Dr. Kelly Tiller (President and Chief Executive Officer, Genera Energy, LLC) Dr. Tiller details the large commitment the state of Tennessee has made to biofuels research. Genera Energy, a research firm owned by the University of Tennessee, has worked with switchgrass
October 27, 2010 Read Full Article
Is Corn Stover the Next Big Biofuel?
by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register) If the cobs, stalks and leaves left behind after corn harvest become the next big source for ethanol, the technology to pick up the stover is decidedly old-school. "A farmer who bales hay can do this,"
October 25, 2010 Read Full Article
BlueFire Renewables Signs 15 Year Feedstock Supply Contract for Fulton, MS Cellulosic Ethanol Facility
(PRNewsWire) BlueFire Renewables, Inc., a company focused on changing the world's transportation fuel paradigm through the production of renewable fuels from non-food cellulosic wastes, announced a contract with Cooper Marine & Timberlands to provide feedstock for BlueFire's planned cellulosic ethanol
September 27, 2010 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Ethanol Production Shows Promise
By Kerri Ebert (Midwest Producer) ...Kansas State University agricultural economist David Lambert has been developing economic models focusing on how development of the cellulosic ethanol industry could help meet EISA targets of 16 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol production by
September 23, 2010 Read Full Article
A New Tool for Improving Switchgrass
by Dennis O'Brien (USDA Agricultural Research Service) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have developed a new tool for deciphering the genetics of a native prairie grass being widely studied for its potential as a biofuel. The genetic map of switchgrass, published
July 30, 2010 Read Full Article
IEA Releases Landmark “Status of 2nd Generation Biofuels Demonstration Facilities” Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... IEA Bioenergy, part of the International Energy Agency, has published its report “Status of 2nd Generation Biofuels Demonstration Facilities in June 2010”, as a report to IEA Bioenergy Task 39. The 126-page report includes extensive data on
July 29, 2010 Read Full Article
Status of 2nd Generation Biofuels Demonstration Facilities in June 2010
by Dina Bacovsky, Michal Dallos, Manfred Worgetter (International Energy Agency Task 39) Driven by the need to partly replace fossil transport fuels and by food versus fuel and highest possible GHG mitigation considerations, large efforts are dedicated to the development of
July 29, 2010 Read Full Article
Firm Selected to Supply R&D Equipment for Pretreatment of Biomass
(PR Newswire) AdvanceBio Systems LLC, a Cincinnati-based technology company, has been awarded a contract by The Pennsylvania State University to supply a Bench Scale Hydrolyzer System for its Shared Fermentation Facility located in University Park, Pennsylvania. The equipment will be used
July 24, 2010 Read Full Article
Gene Discovery Potential Key to Cost-Competitive Cellulosic Ethanol
(Oak Ridge National Lab) Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are improving strains of microorganisms used to convert cellulosic biomass into ethanol, including a recent modification that could improve the efficiency of the conversion process. Biofuels researchers and
May 25, 2010 Read Full Article
Novozymes and Ceres Partner on Biofuel Crops
(Ceres) Companies take step towards commercialization of low-carbon biofuels from switchgrass and other energy crops. Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. and Novozymes, the world’s largest enzyme provider, have entered a research collaboration to co-develop customized plant varieties and enzyme cocktails for
May 21, 2010 Read Full Article
Second Plant Pathway Could Improve Nutrition, Biofuel Production
Purdue University scientists have defined a hidden second option plants have for making an essential amino acid that could be the first step in boosting plants' nutritional value and improving biofuel production potential. The amino acid phenylalanine is required to build
April 06, 2010 Read Full Article
Biomass Feedstock Harvest from Conservation Reserve Program Land in Northwestern Oklahoma
by B. C. Venuto and J. A. Daniel (Crop Science) Development of a biofuel industry based on biomass will require large quantities of cellulosic feedstock. Among the proposals for acquiring this feedstock, without impacting other land uses such as food
March 19, 2010 Read Full Article
Grassoline at the Pump
by George W. Huber and Bruce E. Dale (Scientific American) Scientists are turning agricultural leftovers, wood and fast growing grasses into a huge variety of biofuels--even jet fuel. But before these next generation biofuels go mainstream, they have to compete
July 30, 2009 Read Full Article
Defining Sustainability: Science, Standards, and Scorecards: Challenges for Sustainable Second Generation Biofuels
by Mark Jacobs (Meridian Institute). He represented the Council on Sustainable Biomass Production (CSBP). CSBP is developing the standards to indicate sustainability issues through principles, criteria, and indicators. These address the climate change, biological diversity and productivity, water quality and
March 20, 2009 Read Full Article
Enzymatic Deconstruction of Xylan for Biofuel Production
by Dylan Dodd and Isaac K. O. Cann (Global Change Biology Bioenergy) The combustion of fossil-derived fuels has a significant impact on atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and correspondingly is an important contributor to anthropogenic global climate change. Plants have evolved photosynthetic
February 27, 2009 Read Full Article
International GeneSyst Converts Municipal Waste to Ethanol
GeneSyst upgraded the weak acid hydrolysis process to convert biomass from municipal waste to fuel ethanol by making it a 'continuous (flow) process ' using the patented Gravity Pressure Vessel instead of the former 'pump and pressure' tanks (batch). READ
March 30, 2008 Read Full Article
Graduate students and American Indian tribes work for biofuel solutions
March 14, 2008 In the midst of rising concern about energy sources, many are looking at local, waste-derived biofuels as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels. Most biofuel in the United States is made from plants, such as corn, and carried