by Joshua F. Berger Ethanol production has been widely perceived as a solution to the global energy crisis, with the added benefit of reinvigorating declining agricultural economies. Moves towards dedicating crop production to ethanol however have raised a number of concerns
Cellulosic ethanol
Back TO HOMEThe Who, What and When of Cellulosic Ethanol Commercialization
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biofuels Digest provides a summary of various cellulosic ethanol production technologies; and who is using them where. ---... Companies that have been in the R&D phases for years — if not decades — are emerging
December 15, 2009 Read Full Article
National Renewable Energy Laboratory Breaks Down Walls for Biofuels
by Heather Lammers, NREL (Renewable Energy World) Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and ethanol producers are racing to come up with ways to make ethanol from cellulosic biomass that are cheaper and easier to produce than current
December 11, 2009 Read Full Article
Department of Energy Increases Funding to $81 M for Phase II of BlueFire Ethanol's Planned Fulton, MS Biorefinery
BlueFire Ethanol Fuels, Inc., a company focused on changing the world's transportation fuel paradigm through the production of ethanol from non-food cellulosic wastes, announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) increased funding to $81.1 million dollars for Phase II construction
December 07, 2009 Read Full Article
EPA Indicates E15 Blending OK is Likely, But Delays Ruling to Mid-2010
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the EPA announced that it will delay its determination on E15 ethanol blending until the middle of next year, citing that only 2 of 19 DOE tests are complete at this stage. EPA
December 04, 2009 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuel Capacity Expected to Increase from 6.88 Mgy in 2009 to 640.18 Mgy in 2012
Biofuels Digest released a downloadable, consolidated table of cellulosic ethanol and advanced biofuels production, including current production as of December 2009, and planned introductions of new capacity through 2012. The Digest found in its review of operating pilot and demonstration
December 03, 2009 Read Full Article
Fiberight to Produce MSW-Based Cellulosic Ethanol
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The former Xethanol LLC ethanol production facility in Blairstown, Iowa, has been purchased by Fiberight LLC and will soon be producing cellulosic ethanol at a demonstration scale. The company recently acquired the shuttered plant
November 30, 2009 Read Full Article
Tennessee Legislators Approve Changes to Switchgrass Project
(Tennessean) A panel of state lawmakers approved plans to amend a $70 million research effort to produce ethanol in East Tennessee, blaming a lack of communication for a hearing two weeks ago in which some members suggested pulling the plug
November 22, 2009 Read Full Article
Current Cost per Gallon Exceeds POET’s Expectations for Project LIBERTY
POET announced that cost reductions achieved over the past year of operating their cellulosic ethanol pilot plant have exceeded expectations in their drive to commercialize the process. Reductions in energy usage, enzyme costs, raw material requirements and capital expenses have
November 22, 2009 Read Full Article
Inbicon Sells Out of Cellulosic Ethanol Before Demo Plant's Opening
by Emma Ritch (CleanTech Group) Denmark’s Inbicon today opened its first demonstration facility producing cellulosic ethanol, but potential customers will have to wait. Inbicon has already sold its first year of production to Statoil, which plans to blend the ethanol into
November 22, 2009 Read Full Article
Frontier Renewable Resources Awards $2-Million Grant to Boost Sustainable Forestry, Help Keep Cellulosic Ethanol Low-Cost, Low Carbon
Frontier Renewable Resources, the Michigan-based company building the state's first cellulosic ethanol plant in the Upper Peninsula, has provided a $2-million grant designed to strengthen the sustainable wood fiber supply, develop greater efficiencies in the harvest and transportation equipment and
November 22, 2009 Read Full Article
BP Publishes Video on Cellulosic Ethanol Conversion and Projects
BP has added to its web site page on dedicated energy crops a video describing cellulosic ethanol and BP's cellulosic refinery projects. View the video. See also BP's video on sustainable biofuels development with a focus on biobutanol. View the video.
November 13, 2009 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuels Association Concerned about Flaws in DOE Loan Program
Dear Secretary Chu: The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), the national trade association representing the U.S. ethanol industry, is writing to express our concern about the current operation and direction of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) loan guarantee program. As an
October 29, 2009 Read Full Article
Verenium and VPP Sign Agreement to Test C5 Cellulosic Technology on Pulping Feedstocks for the Production of Ethanol
Verenium Corporation, a pioneer in the development of next-generation cellulosic ethanol and high-performance specialty enzymes, announced that it has entered into an agreement with Value Prior to Pulping (VPP), an organization created by the Agenda 2020 Technology Alliance, a special
October 24, 2009 Read Full Article
Scaling Up Is Hard to Do
by Peter Fairley (Technology Review) ... Producing advanced biofuels on the scale of tens of billions of gallons per year will mean financing several hundred commercial-scale biorefineries at a net cost of roughly $250 billion. For investors in cellulosic ethanol
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
10%
(Detroit Public Television) When most folks see a number like 10% they're receiving a discount on a sale item or reading a nutritional chart at the grocery store. But the number that we're talking about on this week's Autoline is
October 23, 2009 Read Full Article
BlueFire Shifts Cellulosic Ethanol Project to Mississippi; Taxes, Timing Issues in Move from California
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, cellulosic ethanol pioneer BlueFire Ethanol Fuels announced strategic relocation of its second planned biorefinery to Fulton, Mississippi. After having been awarded a $40 million dollar grant from the DOE for a second planned
October 22, 2009 Read Full Article
Coskata Unveils Semi-Commercial Feedstock Flexible Ethanol Facility in Madison, PA
Coskata Inc., a leading developer of next generation biofuels, today announced the successful start-up of their semi-commercial flex ethanol facility located in Madison, PA. The accomplishment represents the successful scale-up of the company’s technology, and will serve as a showcase for
October 22, 2009 Read Full Article
Industry Built From Scratch
by Matthew L. Wald (New York Times) ... The facility, built by a company called Coskata, is not quite proof that a new era is at hand for American transportation fuels. But with the company claiming it will be able to
October 22, 2009 Read Full Article
Will These 4 Biofuels Be Bonanzas or Busts?
(Discover) ...(A)recent series of articles from Nature News feels like a public service, as the articles investigate the scientific and economic state of affairs for four different kinds of biofuels. The first article focused on the weedy plant jatropha, which was
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
Project LIBERTY Field Day Demos Cob Harvesting Equipment
Area farmers will see new and pre-commercial equipment in action harvesting corn cobs for cellulosic ethanol next month at Project LIBERTY Field Day in Emmetsburg, Iowa. Farmers, agricultural equipment manufacturers, POET representatives and state and federal officials will be at POET
October 12, 2009 Read Full Article
New Yeasts Could Help Fast-Track Biofuel Production
(Science Daily) A new yeast that makes ethanol from both five-carbon and six-carbon sugars without needing oxygen has been developed by an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist. This could be an important breakthrough in industrial ethanol production, because it's difficult to
October 08, 2009 Read Full Article
POET Releases Video Summarizing State of Cellulosic Ethanol Development
Focusing on its work with corn cobs as a cellulosic ethanol feedstock, POET's latest video provides a basic look at what it is taking to move from fermentation of starch to conversion of cellulose to ethanol. Great visuals for people
October 07, 2009 Read Full Article
DOE Awards Poet US $6.85M for Cellulose Supply Sourcing
(Renewable Energy World) Poet's ambitious goal of securing 700 tons of cellulosic biomass per day got a big boost this week from a US $6.85 million funding increase to an existing grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This
October 01, 2009 Read Full Article
DOE Secretary Chu Examines Modular Ethanol Production System
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu examined three Minnesota renewable energy projects in August, including a mobile self-contained ethanol plant developed by Welcome, Minn.-based Easy Energy Systems Inc. The technology, trademarked as the Modular Ethanol
September 18, 2009 Read Full Article
Farmers Raise Biomass Logistics and Legislative Issues
By Todd Neeley (The Progressive Farmer) Cattleman Bill Couser hit on the crux of the matter when it comes to the future of advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol, during a U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee field hearing on biofuels Tuesday. Couser, from
September 03, 2009 Read Full Article
Improvements in Life Cycle Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Corn-Ethanol
(Journal of Industrial Ecology) Corn-ethanol production is expanding rapidly with the adoption of improved technologies to increase energy efficiency and profitability in crop production, ethanol conversion, and coproduct use. Life cycle assessment can evaluate the impact of these changes on
September 03, 2009 Read Full Article
Ethanol Plant Project Runs Out of Gas
by Colin Bettles (FarmWeekly) WestPetro, the proposed ethanol production plant to be built in East Rockingham, changed ownership last week. The Oswal Group, who built the Burrup fertiliser plant, has decided not to proceed with the WestPetro project. The decision
August 24, 2009 Read Full Article
Trillium FiberFuels Awarded $750,000 Grant to Develop Cellulosic Ethanol Technology
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has just announced the 2009 awardees of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. This award is a Phase II continuation that follows Trillium’s successful completion of Phase I during 2008 and early
August 17, 2009 Read Full Article
Perdue AgriBusiness to Supply Barley for Hopewell Ethanol Plant
(Richmond Times-Dispatch) Osage Bio Energy, the company building an ethanol plant in Hopewell, is partnering with Perdue AgriBusiness to source local barley for the ethanol production. Perdue will work with farmers in the region to supply the Glen Allen-based company
August 12, 2009 Read Full Article
Lignol Energy Corp. and BAE Systems to Refine Biochemicals at Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
Lignol Energy Corporation, a technology company in the cellulosic ethanol and biorefining sector, and BAE Systems PLC announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to explore and develop commercial applications for biochemicals from the Lignol biorefinery process that have
July 28, 2009 Read Full Article
Experts Plug into Biofuel to Reduce Uganda Power Bill
by Mehret Tesfaye (Ethiopian Review) Scientists in Uganda have started an ambitious research programme that should see the country produce biofuels commercially in the near future. The research which is going on at the National Crop Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), is
July 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Biofuel Leader Qteros Achieves Major Breakthrough in Performance of Its Q Microbe Process
Massachusetts-based biofuel company Qteros, whose Q Microbe™ technology turns biomass into cellulosic ethanol, announced at an industry conference in Montreal that it has achieved unprecedented laboratory results in the performance of its proprietary, technology known as “C3” (Complete Cellulosic Conversion).
July 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Experts Plug into Biofuel to Reduce Uganda Power Bill
by Mehret Tesfaye (Ethiopian Review) Scientists in Uganda have started an ambitious research programme that should see the country produce biofuels commercially in the near future. The research which is going on at the National Crop Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), is
July 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Gulf Alternative Energy Announces Process to Increase Sugar Production Efficiency
Gulf Alternative Energy has developed a new cellulose processing technology. Gulf's new machine processes common feedstocks, such as sorghum, switchgrass and agricultural waste into a very fine powder. Lab tests show that this powder processes into sugars for ethanol much
July 17, 2009 Read Full Article
Biofuels are a Long-Term Renewable Solution
by Senator John Thune (R-SD) (Politico) As Congress, the administration and the private sector look for ways to reduce our consumption of imported oil, we should not overlook the most readily available domestic alternative to imported oil: biofuels. The development
July 13, 2009 Read Full Article
Advances in Wheat-Based Biofuel in England
by Nidaa Bakhsh. (Bloomberg) -- Ensus Ltd. is preparing to start production at Britain’s first wheat-based bio-ethanol plant as the country increases requirements for cleaner-burning fuel. “Construction is nearly complete” on the plant at Wilton in Teesside, northeast England, Ensus Chief
June 17, 2009 Read Full Article
Wheat-to-Ethanol Refinery Being Built in North East England
The Ensus Group is building Europe’s largest wheat refinery at Wilton on Teesside in North East England. When completed in 2009, it will use locally grown animal feed wheat to produce over 400 million litres of bioethanol, 350 thousand tones
June 17, 2009 Read Full Article
Shell First to Sell Gasoline Blended with Advanced Biofuel
From today, customers at a Shell service station will become the first in the world to fill their tanks with gasoline containing advanced biofuel made from wheat straw. For one month starting June 10, the regular gasoline purchased at a Shell
June 17, 2009 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Ethanol Used at 24 Hours of Le Mans Race
Shell is demonstrating its commitment to fuels innovation and the development of sustainable, low-carbon fuels with the blending of 10% cellulosic ethanol into its Shell V-Power race fuel at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, in France on 13
June 17, 2009 Read Full Article
Study Planned of Brazilian Sugarcane Bagasse as Cellulosic Ethanol Feedstock
by Lisa Gibson, Biomass Magazine. Brazil could produce 4.6 billion to 8.2 billion liters (1.2 billion to 2.2 billion gallons) of biofuel from sugarcane residue by 2020, in addition to that made from sugar itself, according to a recently released
June 17, 2009 Read Full Article
Novozymes' New Product Family Hydrolyzes Cellulosic Feedstock
"Novozymes’ latest products for second-generation ethanol production are much better than anything previously seen on the market,” says Cynthia Bryant, Global Marketing Manager, Biomass industry at Novozymes. “While this in itself is a giant leap forward for the biofuel industry,
June 17, 2009 Read Full Article
Lignol Announces Production of Cellulosic Ethanol from New Biorefinery Pilot Plant
Lignol Energy Corporation, a cellulosic ethanol and biorefining company, announced it has completed the first end-to-end production of cellulosic ethanol from its fully integrated industrial-scale biorefinery pilot plant in Burnaby, British Columbia. This production of cellulosic ethanol from Canadian woodchips followed the
June 17, 2009 Read Full Article
Gold Star to Cultivate Five Million Acres of Land for Biofuels in Ghana
Gold Star Biofuels a subsidiary of Gold Star Farms Ltd., is cultivating five million acres of land in Ghana to plant jatropha for the production of biofuels for export. According to the firm it has secured commitment from farmers to
June 16, 2009 Read Full Article
Straw-based Ethanol Eyed for Saskatchewan Mill Site
A shuttered pulp mill at Prince Albert, Saskatchewan could be the new site for a facility to make cellulosic ethanol from farmers' cereal straw. Saskatchewan's provincial government on Monday inked a letter of intent with Domtar, owner of the pulp
June 16, 2009 Read Full Article
Fungal Diesel Could Be New Fuel Source
by Sam Bond (edie.net) A fungus that makes biodiesel as part of its natural lifecycle has attracted the attention of American scientists wishing to tap into its potential. The fungus has been discovered living in trees in the Patagonian rainforests
November 29, 2008 Read Full Article
Chesapeake Cellulosic Biofuels Report Released
The Report of the Chesapeake Cellulosic Biofuels Project Next-Generation Biofuels: Taking the Policy Lead for the Nation was released at the Cellulosic Biofuels Summit held on September 4, 2008 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “This publication represents the culmination of a year-long effort
September 18, 2008 Read Full Article
Accelerating Production of Advanced Biofuels with Industrial Biotech Breakthroughs
From the open plenary session of the Biomass 2008 Conference. Download PDF.
April 17, 2008 Read Full Article
Pacific Ethanol Wins DOE Cellulosic Energy Grant
U.S. Department of Energy has included Pacific Ethanol in a matching award totaling $24.32 million to build the first cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant in the Northwest United States. The plant will employ a technology to produce ethanol from wheat straw,
January 30, 2008 Read Full Article
Biologist Finds Cell Wall Construction Pathway
Wood with altered properties and cheaper ethanol through more efficient production are two possibilities as a result of a find by a biologist at Washington University in St. Louis. Erik Nielsen, Ph.D., Washington University adjunct professor of biology in Arts
October 30, 2006 Read Full Article
How to Beat the High Cost of Gasoline. Forever!
by Adam Lashinsky and Nelson D. Schwartz (CNN Money/Fortune Magazine) You probably don't know it, but the answer to America's gasoline addiction could be under the hood of your car. More than five million Tauruses, Explorers, Stratuses, Suburbans, and other vehicles