(GreenAir Online) European airlines KLM and Lufthansa have each signed agreements with US biofuel companies for supplies of locally-produced sustainable fuels. KLM has agreed to purchase through a three-year offtake agreement an undisclosed quantity of used cooking oil based fuel produced by
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Back TO HOMETurning CO2 Emissions into Fuel
by Gary C. Young (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Bio-Thermal Energy Inc.) A new process for the economical conversion of carbon dioxide into fuels such as ethanol has been developed. The proprietary noncatalytic process combines CO2 with a carbonaceous feedstock and water in
September 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Ozinga Installs CarbonCure CO2 Recycling Technology
(Carbon Cure) Chicago family business known for quality and service reinforces its commitment to sustainability -- Known for its iconic red and white striped concrete mixers, the Ozinga name is synonymous with providing the highest quality and best service to
September 22, 2016 Read Full Article
The High-Flown Fantasy of Aviation Biofuels
by Almuth Ernsting (Biofuelwatch/The Biomass Monitor) ... As far as Branson and his airline, Virgin Atlantic, were concerned, the flight was indeed no more than a stunt: The “biofuel test flight” burned 95% ordinary kerosene and just 5% biofuels, made from
September 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Biodiesel a Fuel Option for Army Workboats
by John Simpson (Engineering 360) A three-year study to evaluate the feasibility of using biodiesel fuel in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) floating plant operations has concluded that the use of such fuels does not negatively affect engine performance and can
September 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Review of John DeCicco et al. Article Titled “Carbon Balance Effects of U.S. Biofuel Production and Use”
by Steffen Mueller (University of Illinois at Chicago Energy Resources Center) ... The authors essentially challenge the accuracy of traditional life cycle analysis with their new model. ... The authors argue that “for a biofuel to provide a net reduction in CO2 emissions, the production
September 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels Are Worse than Gasoline? Creative Accounting Leads to Claim
by Robert C. Brown (Des Moines Register) ... The genesis of the latest headlines is frustration among certain biofuels critics that life-cycle analysis no longer supports their criticism of biofuels. The solution, of course, is to throw out life-cycle analysis
August 31, 2016 Read Full Article
Weird Science: How to Turn Carbon Dioxide Into Renewable Biofuel
by David Dittman (Wall Street Daily) ... ClimateWire recently reported that scientists have engineered a bacterium that can turn carbon dioxide (CO2) into fuel in a single, enzyme-catalyzed metabolic step. Summarizing a paper published on August 22, 2016, in the journal Proceedings of
August 30, 2016 Read Full Article
This Startup Turns CO2 into a Sustainable Replacement for Palm Oil
by Adele Peters (FastCoExist.com) ... A new Bay Area-based biotech startup called Kiverdi has a different solution: a synthetic palm oil, made from carbon dioxide. The company uses microbes to transform waste carbon from industry into the new oil inside bioreactors. "You
August 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Scientists Harness CO2 to Consolidate Biofuel Production Process
by Sarah Yang (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Carbon dioxide has emerged as a new secret ingredient in the recipe for making ethanol, and that addition represents a major step forward in streamlining the biofuel production process. The innovation comes from researchers at
July 21, 2016 Read Full Article
UK Policy Uncertainty Stalls £350m Teesside Biofuel Plant
by Chris Tighe (Financial Times) ... But almost as soon as it was finished, the UK cooled on biofuels, fretting about high carbon emissions, high cost and higher food prices as crops were diverted into fuel use. Instead, the shift to increasing
July 20, 2016 Read Full Article
Business Owner, NMSU’s Arrowhead Center Hope to Create Jobs, Ecosystem with Biorefinery
(El Paso Herald Post) ... On June 15, through a LEDA grant from the City of Tucumcari, ERD purchased the former ethanol plant at 1600 Rock Island Road. In partnership with Robert Lopez, a Tucumcari farmer, the company plans to reconfigure
July 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Turn and Face the Strange: The New Algae Makes a Bowiesque Pivot into New Markets
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... But the RE in algae these days has been, more or less, REposition. Possibly REthink. Certainly not much REfinance, or REcommit to the original targets. The algae business models of 2009 burst up in a
July 01, 2016 Read Full Article
The Top 20 Ways to Capture and Make Use of Carbon
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It was back in 2010 that the first large-scale set of projects were funded to to test innovative concepts for the beneficial use of carbon dioxide, part of a Recovery Act investment into carbon capture
June 28, 2016 Read Full Article
Sufficient Supply of High Quality Carbon Credits and Sustainable Fuels to Meet Aviation CO2 Goals, Finds Study
(GreenAir Online) A study commissioned by WWF finds airlines could meet most of their carbon-neutral growth (CNG) requirements during the 2020-2035 period even if they focus on buying carbon credits for which there is both a high confidence in greenhouse
June 20, 2016 Read Full Article
US Economy Growing Steadily but Key Reforms Meeded
(Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) The US economy is making one of the strongest comebacks in the OECD, but there are risks on the horizon, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Survey of the United States. Seven years after the
June 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Re-Think, Re-Use, Retro-Fit: 15 4G Techs Transforming Gen-1 Biobased Plants
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Here, we profile 15 techs that offer incremental to profound shifts in the economics of the Gen-1 ethanol fleet, and have implications for everything from passenger cars to jets. #15 Vertimass and Byogy #14 Croda #13 Hummingbird #12 Alliance BioEnergy #11 GeoSynFuels #10
June 17, 2016 Read Full Article
50-100% Boost in Yields, and No CO2: The Digest’s 8-Slide Guide to White Dog Labs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) US-based White Dog Labs have developed a new process that eliminates the production of CO2, a potent greenhouse gas, during fermentation and instead shifts the carbon to added ethanol production, boosting fermentation yields by around
June 13, 2016 Read Full Article
50% Yield Boost for Ethanol? No CO2? What?! White Dog Labs Comes out of Stealth
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In what might become the most transformative development in fermentation yields since Noah debuted winemaking technology in the Book of Genesis, US-based White Dog Labs have unveiled a new process that eliminates the emission of CO2, a
June 13, 2016 Read Full Article
CO2 Injected Deep Underground Turns to Rock – and Stays There
by Michael Le Page (New Scientist) A small pilot project in Iceland has shown that carbon dioxide can be safely stored in basalt rocks. The finding could help tackle climate change, especially in countries such as India that have lots of basalt
June 10, 2016 Read Full Article
The Carbon XPRIZE: Exponential Approaches to Energy and Climate
by Marcius Extavour and Paul Bunje (XPRIZE/Biofuels Digest) ... Under the right conditions, biofuels and biomass-based energy systems can be sustainable, modular, scalable, carbon neutral, or even carbon negative. This has been known for some time, as have the risks of
June 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Scientists Turning Human Waste into Biofuel in South Korea
by Brooks Hays (UPI) Researchers in South Korea have turned a bathroom into a laboratory for sustainable energy. They're turning human waste into biofuel. The experimental bathroom features a waterless toilet system that breaks down human waste into a dehydrated and
June 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Commercial Aircraft Propulsion and Energy Systems Research: Reducing Global Carbon Emissions (2016)
by Committee on Propulsion and Energy Systems to Reduce Commercial Aviation Carbon Emissions; Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board; Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies Press) The primary human activities that release carbon
June 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Liquid Fuel from the Sun: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to Joule Unlimited
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 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 Helioculture platform directly and
May 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Businessman Wants Second Life for Ethanol's Leftovers
by Russell Hubbard (Omaha World-Herald) ... (Scott) Hornafius, you see, wants to build a $1 billion, 1,000-mile underground pipeline across Iowa and Nebraska to Wyoming. The line would carry ethanol-plant production leftovers in the form of carbon dioxide — the bubbly stuff
May 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Government Negotiators Receive Encouragement from Aviation Industry Leaders
(Air Transport Action Group) A High Level Meeting being convened by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on 11 May received executive-level support from the aviation industry today, as leaders representing all parts of the sector encouraged governments to progress
May 10, 2016 Read Full Article
PHYCO2, MSU Announce Breakthrough in Algae Technology
(PHYCO2/Biomass Magazine) 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. The technology partnership set out to capture man-made carbon dioxide (a greenhouse
April 29, 2016 Read Full Article
EPA Publishes 21st Annual U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory
(Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its 21st annual Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks (GHG Inventory), today, which presents a national-level overview of annual greenhouse gas emissions since 1990. The inventory shows a
April 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Environmental Groups File Lawsuit over Pollution from U.S. Aircraft
by Valerie Volcovici (PlanetArk) Three environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday to press for faster action in setting limits on greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. aircraft. Earthjustice, the Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of
April 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Major Regulatory Milestones in First Quarter Set Joule Up for Commercial Success
(Joule/BusinessWire) EPA Qualifies Joule Ethanol Under Clean Air Act -- Joule, the pioneer of drop-in liquid fuels from recycled CO2, today announced major accomplishments in the first quarter of 2016 that are accelerating the commercialization of environmentally sustainable ultra-low carbon
April 08, 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
Ted Cruz on Energy and Climate: Free Market Directions
by Robert Bradley Jr. (Master Resource) ... 1) Do you support ending all energy subsidies, including cleaning up the tax code to treat all types of energy the same? A: Yes, I support a true all-of-the-above approach to energy, ending all
April 04, 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
Optimizing Biofuel Production from Algae Using CO2 Emissions
(American Chemical Society) ... Now, a team reports in ACS’ journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research an optimized way of producing biofuel from algae that also removes CO2 emissions from the environment. ... Eusiel Rubio-Castro and colleagues developed a mathematical model to determine the optimal
March 14, 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
New University of Texas Arlington Technology Removes CO2 from Atmosphere to Make Fuel
by Vittorio Hernandez (International Business Times) A one-step conversion process that turns carbon dioxide and water into useable liquid hydrocarbon fuels makes change of current fuel distribution system in vehicles unnecessary. The inexpensive and simple new sustainable fuels technology has the
March 02, 2016 Read Full Article
IKEA Joins Advanced Bioeconomy via Newlight Deal
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Sweden, IKEA and Newlight Technologies have entered into a supply, collaboration, and technology license agreement that will supply IKEA with Newlight’s AirCarbon and enable IKEA to produce AirCarbon thermoplastic under a technology license. Under the
March 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Optimizing Biofuel Production from Algae Using Carbon Dioxide Emissions
(American Chemical Society) The combustion of fossil fuels drives the world’s energy production, but it also emits carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases. In recent years, researchers have worked to cultivate alternative, renewable energy sources, including using algae-based systems. Now,
February 26, 2016 Read Full Article
UK CAER Algal Research Hitting the Ground in China
(University of Kentucky) Algae research at the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) is going global. The Algae and Biofuels Laboratory at CAER is partnering with Lianhenghui Investment Company to construct a five-acre algae production facility in
February 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Options, Values, and Benefits to Adding CO2 Recovery to Existing and Planned Ethanol Plants
by Sam Rushing (Biofuels Digest/Advanced Cryogenics, Ltd.) The long term sustainability of first generation ethanol facilities, through advanced biofuels plants, is realized by making money from all the by-products; and of course, CO2 is one of the leading components of
February 15, 2016 Read Full Article
New ICAO Aircraft CO2 Standard One Step Closer To Final Adoption
(International Civil Aviation Organization) An eagerly awaited aircraft CO2 emissions standard made further and important headway today at the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The new environmental measure was unanimously recommended by the 170 international experts on ICAO’s Committee on
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
ExxonMobil’s Energy Outlook Projects Energy Demand Increase and Decline in Carbon Intensity
(ExxonMobil/BusinessWire) Global energy demand expected to increase 25 percent between 2014-2040, driven by population and economic growth; Carbon intensity of the global economy to fall by half due to significant energy efficiency gains and a gradual transition to less carbon-intensive energy
February 01, 2016 Read Full Article
NETL Carbon Capture Technologies to Be Used in Commercial Biomass-to Biofuel Conversion Process with Power Generation
(National Energy Technology Laboratory) The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has granted a license for two patented sorbent technologies that capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from streams of mixed gases and enable cleaner, more-efficient energy production from renewable fuels. The license was
January 28, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels for Transport in Germany
(Task 39 Newsletter) ... This article briefly introduces the regulative framework in the EU and in Germany before addressing current developments and perspectives of conventional and advanced biofuels. ... The main instruments for decarbonizing the transport sector in the EU
January 27, 2016 Read Full Article
Strong 2015 Places Joule as a Global Leader in Scalable Ultra-Low Carbon Fuel Technologies
(Joule/BusinessWire) Major milestones include acquisition of Red Rock Biofuels, expanded partner relationships, continued strong technology development backed by strong financing partners -- Joule, the pioneer of drop-in liquid fuels from recycled CO2, announced today that it has gained significant traction in
January 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Joule Unlimited: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 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 Helioculture platform directly and
January 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels Company Industrializes Photosynthesis
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) For eight years, Joule has been working under the radar to develop and commercialize its CO2-to-fuel technology. -- When it comes to ethanol production volumes per acre of land, Joule's Helioculture technology leaves all
January 18, 2016 Read Full Article
The 30 Hottest Biobased Molecules for 2016
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Florida, the Digest has released the 30 Hottest Biobased Molecules for 2016, as voted by the Digest’s global readership. The Readers were surveyed over December and January, and rated more than 100 individual molecules
January 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Audi Beefs up Collaboration with French Biotech to Extend Biofuels Scope
(Biofuels International) Car giant Audi is entering a renewed collaboration agreement with French renewable energy firm Global Bioenergies to promote the development of biofuels. The two companies recently announced the delivery by Global Bioenergies to Audi of a first batch of
January 14, 2016 Read Full Article
United States Files Complaint Against Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche for Alleged Clean Air Act Violations
(U.S. Department of Justice) The Department of Justice, on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), today filed a civil complaint in federal court in Detroit, Michigan, against Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, Volkswagen Group of America Inc., Volkswagen Group of
January 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Letter: Building on Ethanol Success Is a Good Way to Reach Renewable Energy Goals
by Robert Moffitt (American Lung Association in Minnesota/Post Bulletin) A Dec. 14 letter to the editor described Rochester's "community responsibility to become energy sustainable." A key component to achieving this goal is increasing the use of clean-burning transportation fuels in the
January 04, 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
Experimental Algae to Grow at the Refinery
(PKN ORLEN) PKN ORLEN is starting another R&D project to explore alternative sources of next-generation biocomponents. The Company plans to open a research station at its Production Plant in Płock, where carbon dioxide and process wastewater will be used to grow
December 22, 2015 Read Full Article
Study: Bioethanol Lowers CO2 Emissions From German Traffic, Creates Added Value
(Biofuels International) Bioethanol and petrol blends lowered CO2 emissions from road traffic in Germany by around 1.2 million tonnes in the first three quarters of 2015, a new study says. According to the findings of a study in German on the
December 18, 2015 Read Full Article
HeidelbergCement, Joule Exploring Carbon-Neutral Fuels from Cement CO2
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The quest for affordable, sustainable, point-sourced CO2 brings Joule to Germany and the cement business. Here’s the how and why. Most of the time, power plants get the attention when it comes to CO2 emissions. In
December 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Panning for Green Gold: Developing the Algal Bioeconomy--VIDEO
(Enalgae) EnAlgae has been about finding sustainable pathways for algal biomass. Initially the focus was all about energy, specifically as a biofuel. But our journey over the past four years shows that there's likely to be a different future ahead
December 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Picatinny Arsenal Engineers Cook up New Recipe for Biofuel
by Audra Calloway (Picatinny Arsenal; U.S. Army) While people who go to the beach and lakes may think of algae as a slimy nuisance, Picatinny engineers have partnered with private industry to harness its photosynthesis ability to develop a
December 03, 2015 Read Full Article
GHG Emissions Reductions Due to the RFS2
by Susan Boland and Stefan Unnasch (Life Cycle Associates) The RFS2 has resulted in aggregate GHG emissions reductions from the use of biofuels, which exceed the original projections from the final Rule. The RFS2 has resulted in significant GHG reductions, with
November 20, 2015 Read Full Article
Skyfill: Where the Sky Is a Free Sewer, Are Bioeconomy Thermodynamics Extremely Flawed from the Get Go?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... As the reader notes, much of the original underlying biomass is not utilized when we make a hydrocarbon fuel, or any fuel. Take the case of corn, for example, and conversion into ethanol. We start
November 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Joule and Red Rock Biofuels Announce Intent to Merge, Creating an Industry-Leading Carbon-Neutral Fuel Production Platform
(Joule/Red Rock Biofuels/BusinessWire) Joule, the pioneer of liquid fuels from recycled CO2, and Red Rock Biofuels, a leading developer of renewable jet and diesel fuel bio-refineries, today announced their intent to merge. Red Rock adds a proven technology pathway to
November 12, 2015 Read Full Article
Bolt On, Tune Up, Drop In: The Sweet 16 Bolt-on Bioeconomy Technologies
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Benefuel, Liquid Light, xF Technologies, Enogen, POET-DSM, Kiverdi, GeoSynFuels, Iogen, Edeniq, NexSteppe, BioProcess Algae, Syngenta/QCCP, Vertimass, Byogy, GranBio, Renewable Energy Group READ MORE
November 10, 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
Biofuel Offers Solution to Reduce Carbon Dioxide, Sulphur Dioxide Emissions
(Borneo Post/Bernama) In the light of the current haze Malaysians are facing, a local company, Biofuel Sdn Bhd, has come out with a solution to reduce carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide emissions. Its director, P Muguntha, said the company’s ‘Biofuel’ palm
October 21, 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
Joule Unlimited: The Digest’s 2015 Visual Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For a number of years, readers all over the world have been following the fortunes of Joule Unlimited, in and out of stealth, and its goal of making hydrocarbons directly from CO2, sunlight and water
October 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Open-Pond Algae at Scale: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide to Sapphire Energy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sapphire is a venture capital backed company founded in 2007 for the purpose of growing and processing micro-algae into products that serve very large and diverse markets where the unique attributes of algae provide valuable
October 19, 2015 Read Full Article
Carbon Pricing Beats Vehicle Fuel Economy Standards
(Environmental Leader) Currently planned fuel economy standards (extended to the year 2050) would cost 10 percent of the economy’s global gross domestic product (GDP) in 2050, compared with only 6 percent under cap-and-trade carbon pricing, according to a study published
October 16, 2015 Read Full Article
8 Ways around the Big, Bad Oxygen Problem in the Advanced Bioeconomy Parts 1 and 2
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the terrestrial world, oxygen is colorless, odorless, and try to get through an hour without some. In the Bioeconomy Cinematic Universe, oxygen is harder than steel, heavier than a black hole, and higher than
October 14, 2015 Read Full Article
De Gruyter Publishes Textbook: Biorefineries - An Introduction
(De Gruyter) The use of biomass as a resource for fuels and chemicals is a very important topic in chemical research and chemical industry. -- The field of biorefineries combines cutting-edge research with innovative industrial goals. Biorefineries compiles the basic science
October 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Joule Achieves U.S. EPA Registration for CO2-Recycled Ethanol
(Joule/BusinessWire) Joule, the pioneer of liquid fuels from recycled CO2, today announced that its fuel grade Sunflow®-E ethanol has been registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for commercial use in E10 and E15 gasoline blends. “We are approaching commercialization
October 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Making Money from CO2
by Jeremy Plester (The Guardian) Imagine if waste carbon dioxide in the air could be turned into useful products such as fuels, building materials or even baking powder. At a stroke it would help get rid of a greenhouse gas, slow
September 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Sustainable Marine Fuel Initiative Consortium to Launch 2-Year Testing, Certification, Scaling Effort for Drop-In Marine Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the Netherlands, the Sustainable Marine Fuel initiative will be launched on October 7th by Boskalis, Wärtsilä, and GoodFuels Marine and supported by Carbon War Room, Zero and both the Ports of Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
September 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Volkswagen NOxGate Probe Widens
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A 6-year Volkswagen scheme to defraud emissions regulators, uncovered by the US Environmental Protection Agency and disclosed publicly in recent days, has caught the eye of other countries and stakeholders around the world. In France, Finance
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
Zero Emission Vehicles: Not Really
by Don Siefkes, Debbie Baron and Eileen Broderick (E100 Ethanol Group, Mendo Alcohol Fuel Group) ... California Governor Jerry Brown and other Governors, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), and much of the major media are continuing their unnerving habit
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
Algenol to Distribute Ethanol through Protec Fuel
(Algenol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Offering ethanol made from algae for the first time commercially, Algenol Biotech LLC and Protec Fuel Management LLC have entered into an agreement to market and distribute ethanol from Algenol’s Fort Myers, Florida., commercial demonstration module. The two
September 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Become an Informed Consumer and Investor in a Truly Sustainable Renewable Transportation Future
by Joanne Ivancic* (Alberta Council of Technologies/Advanced Biofuels USA) Myths and misunderstandings about biofuels abound. You've heard them--food vs. fuel, land use change, energy return on energy invested, decreased mileage, harmful to engines, and more. Nevertheless, although fossil feedstock is finite,
September 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Tailpipe to Tank
by Robert F. Service (Science Magazine) Stuart Licht has designed the ultimate recycling machine. The solar reactor that he and colleagues built in his lab at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., takes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere—a byproduct of
September 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Conjuring Chemical Cornucopias out of Thin Air
by Robert F. Service (Science Magazine) Liquid fuels aren't the only things made from oil. Chemical companies start with oil to make thousands of different products, including plastics and pharmaceuticals. Most of these other commodities are worth more than fuels. So
September 14, 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
Could Diesel Made from Air Help Tackle Climate Change?
by Padraig Belton (BBC) ... German company Sunfire produced its first batches of so-called e-diesel in April. Federal Minister of Education and Research, Johanna Wanka, put a few litres in her car, to celebrate. And the Canadian company Carbon Engineering has just
September 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Calysta and Its Happy Meal
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It’s not just fish meal, it’s happy meal — for investors, we hear. As Calysta pivots towards methane-to-protein and supersizes its business plan, we visit with CEO Alan Shaw to find out who’s lovin’ it.
September 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Dimethyl Ether as a New Diesel Alternative Fuel: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide to Oberon Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Oberon Fuels is launching DME (dimethyl ether) in North America as a clean-burning, alternative to diesel. Using various, domestic feedstocks such as food and green waste and natural gas, Oberon has developed a modular, small-scale
September 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Top 10 Low Carbon Fuels Made from Greenhouse Gases All Around You
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) No fossil fuel, no biomass, low carbon, no kidding. -- ... The top 10 new technologies. Note: Some amazing technologies such as Industrial Microbes, Trelys, Kiverdi and Mango Materials fell outside the concept for this rankings —
September 02, 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
August 24, 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
Methane’s Sputnik Moment? The 7 Hottest Meth Techs to Watch, as US Methane Regulation Steps up
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Are these 7 companies the big winners from the EPA’s proposed rules for oil & gas well methane emissions? -- In Washington, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a set of new regulations for the oil &
August 20, 2015 Read Full Article
Natural Gas-Fueled Buses and Trucks: Will the Climate Really Benefit?
by Jonathan Camuzeaux (Environmental Defense Fund) At a time when companies and governments are looking more closely at alternative fuel sources to reduce their environmental impact, many players in the transportation sector are considering shifting their bus or commercial truck fleets
August 20, 2015 Read Full Article
Meet the Companies Trying to Break our Plastic Addiction
by Phil McKenna (Green Biz) The fate of the world’s oceans may rest inside a stainless steel tank not quite the size of a small beer keg. Inside, genetically modified bacteria turn corn syrup into a churning mass of polymers that
August 17, 2015 Read Full Article
The Three Microb-eteers: Methanogens, Methanotrophs, Acetogens and Knallgas Bacteria
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Which microbes achieve a better, faster, cheaper transformation of the world around us? ... Down there in the mud, too small to be seen with the naked eye, are some of your new best friends.
July 31, 2015 Read Full Article
CONSTRUCTION CORNER: Is Cleaner Cement Production Possible?
by Korky Koroluk (Daily Commercial News) ... The cement industry alone accounts for about five per cent of global CO2 emissions, a fact that the cement/concrete industry has long known. The construction industry it serves knows it too. As population growth continues,
July 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Algae Biomass Organization Hails Carbon Utilization Language in Senate Energy Legislation
(Algae Biomass Organization) Latest bill to encourage using carbon dioxide as a feedstock for valuable products -- The Algae Biomass Organization, the trade association for the algae industry, hailed language included in the energy reform package released last Wednesday by the Senate
July 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Efficient Electrochemical CO2 Conversion Powered by Renewable Energy
by Douglas R. Kauffman, Jay Thakkar, Rajan Siva, Christopher Matranga, Paul R. Ohodnicki, Chenjie Zeng, and Rongchao Jin (ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces) The catalytic conversion of CO2 into industrially relevant chemicals is one strategy for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Along
July 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Liquid Light, Coca-Cola Sign Technology Development Agreement
(Liquid Light/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Liquid Light announced it has signed a technology development agreement with The Coca-Cola Co. The objective of the agreement is to accelerate the development of Liquid Light’s technology which can make mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) from carbon dioxide. Liquid
July 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Ginkgo Bioworks: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who are they? “Nature’s biodiversity holds answers to challenges in health, energy, food, materials, and more,” they say. “Organism Engineers at Ginkgo learn from Nature to develop new organisms that replace technology with biology.” ... “if
July 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Hybrid Electric-Biodiesel Buses: Cleaner, Fuel-Saving Alternative for Public Transportation
by Milsa Vijayadharan* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Hybrid Electric-Biodiesel Buses used in California, Washington and Michigan Model Lower GHG Emissions Options for Cities Everywhere Public transportation plays an important role in green and sustainable practices. Public transportation use means fewer cars on the road and a cleaner environment.
July 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Solar Fuels: Making Hydrocarbon Fuels Directly from CO2 and Sunlight
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Drop-in Hydrocarbon fuels made directly by plants? Here. we look at the science and risks of turning an “ability” into an “industrial reality”. It’s common knowledge that terrestrial plants (and many aquatic species) use carbon dioxide,
July 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Opportunities Can Enhance Ethanol Projects
by Sam A. Rushing (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Advanced Cryogenics Ltd.) For decades, carbon dioxide has been recovered from concentrated sources like fermentation and sold to a handful of merchant markets, primarily beverage carbonation, food and meat processing. There are several industrial applications
June 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Joule Wins Key Patent for Direct Conversion of CO2 to Hydrocarbon Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, Joule, the pioneer of liquid fuels from recycled CO2, announced the issuance of an additional patent on the direct, continuous production of hydrocarbon fuels – extending its ability to target the highest-value molecules
June 17, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA Finding on Aircraft Emissions Can't Be Counted on to Motivate Biofuels Development and Deployment
by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) In the world of renewable jet fuel, hopes that the Environmental Protection Agency's finding that greenhouse gases from aircraft pose a risk to human health might lead to incentives for development and use of aviation
June 12, 2015 Read Full Article
U.S. May Take First Step to Curb Airline Emissions This Week: Sources
by Valerie Volcovici (Planet Ark/Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans as soon as Friday to determine whether carbon dioxide from aircraft endangers public health, a first step to regulating emissions from the aviation sector, sources familiar with the rulemaking
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Ethanol Evil No More?
by Kelly Taylor (Chronicle Herald) ... Still, ethanol does have some advantages, including lower net greenhouse gas emissions due to its recycling of carbon-dioxide emitted by today’s plants (or factories), as opposed to oil, which is releasing the CO2 of plants
May 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Air Liquide Commissions New Carbon Dioxide Plant in California
(Air Liquide) Air Liquide Industrial U.S. LP (“Air Liquide”) has commissioned a new state-of-the-art carbon dioxide liquefaction plant in Tulare County, California. The new 450 ton-per-day facility is one of three carbon dioxide liquefaction facilities owned and operated by Air
May 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Major Advance in Artificial Photosynthesis Poses Win/Win for the Environment
by Lynn Yarris (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Berkeley Lab Researchers Perform Solar-powered Green Chemistry with Captured CO2 -- A potentially game-changing breakthrough in artificial photosynthesis has been achieved with the development of a system that can capture carbon dioxide emissions before
April 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Industry Provides Input to SAB Biogenic Carbon Emissions Panel
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) In late March, the U.S. EPA’s Science Advisory Board Biogenic Carbon Emissions Panel held a public face-to-face meeting to review the agency’s Framework for Assessing Biogenic CO2 Emissions from Stationary Sources. A public teleconference
April 06, 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
4 Minutes with… Sam A. Rushing, President of Advanced Cryogenics
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The CO2 industry is continuing to add and improve upon raw sources of the commodity from all areas of biofuels, from traditional corn based, through advanced biofuels. CO2 is ever more important and in the limelight
March 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Brown Panel: To Cut CO2 Emissions, Make It Profitable
by Alex Kuffner (Providence Journal) To get power plants and other large polluters to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases that are driving climate change, make it financially attractive to them. That was the key takeaway from a conference held last
January 19, 2015 Read Full Article
Carbon Dioxide, an Important By-Product of Fermentation: Food Industry Applications and Usage
by Sam A. Rushing (Advanced Cryogenics, Ltd., Biofuels Digest) ... Much of the ethanol industry is concentrated in the nation’s regions which are also the regions which are the largest for much of the meat processing at large. Such regions
January 19, 2015 Read Full Article
Algae Biomass Organization Applauds Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) for Supporting Carbon Utilization Technology
(Algae Biomass Organization) Senators urge Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency to support carbon utilization throughout their programs. The Algae Biomass Organization, the trade association for the algae industry, applauded U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Joe Manchin (D-WV)
January 15, 2015 Read Full Article
CPI Work to Transform Food Waste into Graphene and Renewable Hydrogen
(Centre for Process Innovation) The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) is leading a European collaborative project that aims to transform food waste into a sustainable source of significant economic added value, namely graphene and renewable hydrogen. The project titled ‘PlasCarb’ will
January 15, 2015 Read Full Article
The 41 Weirdest Things Ever Used to Make Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bunnies, liposuction fat, Prince Charles’ leftover wine, day-old whale, the human poo bus, fire ants dipped in hexane, old beer, raging fireballs, vibrating blobs, dope, and even the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Take your pick and,
December 31, 2014 Read Full Article
University of Minnesota Report Contains Inaccurate and Misleading Information on Ethanol
(Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) The recent report released by the University of Minnesota, “Life Cycle Air Quality Impacts Of Conventional And Alternative Light-Duty Transportation In the United States,” contains several inaccuracies and misleading information. In particular, its conclusion that corn-based ethanol contains more
December 19, 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
All I Need is the Air That I Breathed: Microbial Dairies Using CO2, Sunlight and Water
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Take CO2, add water and an energy source: voila, Fuels & Chemicals from Microbial Dairies. We revisit 3 top practitioners of the art and one outlier, and their progress. ... There are a number of technologies based on
December 05, 2014 Read Full Article
New Audi E-Fuels Project: E-Diesel from Air, Water and Green Electricity
(Audi) New Audi activity in the development of CO2-neutral fuels; Pilot plant for e-diesel production opened in Dresden; Audi partnership with Climeworks and sunfire Audi is active in the development of CO2-neutral, synthetic fuels. The latest project is a pilot plant in Dresden
November 26, 2014 Read Full Article
Carbon Fee Bill Would Benefit Algae Industry
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) Legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate includes a provision that would encourage carbon utilization technology. The Algae Biomass Organization has spoken out to applaud the bill, which calls for greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations that
November 21, 2014 Read Full Article
Elemental, My Dear: Audi's E-Fuels Project Creates Diesel from Air, Water, and Electricity
by Andrew Hard (Digital Trends) ... Now Audi has announced the development of “e-diesel,” a CO2-neutral fuel made from sustainable raw materials like air, water, and electricity. Like e-gas, e-diesel is created by combining hydrogen and CO2. Using a method called air capturing
November 21, 2014 Read Full Article
IAB Report – Scania Delivers First Metrolink Bus in Chennai; Inaugurates Dealership
(IndianAutosBlog)Volkswagen-owned Scania Commercial Vehicles India has delivered its first Metrolink bus in Chennai, to Parveen Travels... ... The Metrolink bus variant which was delivered to Parveen can seat 53 passengers and has a speed limiter at 90 km/h. All the Metrolink buses
October 20, 2014 Read Full Article
Natural Gas Usage Will Have Little Effect on CO2 Emissions, UCI-Led Study Finds
(University of California-Irvine) Abundant supplies of natural gas will do little to reduce harmful U.S. emissions causing climate change, according to researchers at UC Irvine, Stanford University, and the nonprofit organization Near Zero. They found that inexpensive gas boosts electricity
September 25, 2014 Read Full Article
Ripe for Ethanol Innovations: Midlands Research Is Boosting Value of Corn Distillation Process
by Russell Hubbard (Omaha World-Herald) It starts out as freeze-dried fungus or bacteria from Denmark and ends up being one of the key ingredients in what some are calling Nebraska’s and Iowa’s shot at the big time when it comes
August 08, 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
Simple Air-and-Water Fuel Soon to Take Off
by Karin Kloosterman (Israel21c.org) An Israeli professor is poised to ramp up production of an exciting alternative to polluting jet fuels and natural gas. An Israeli research team from Ben-Gurion University has developed something that seems like fuel for the futuristic
July 10, 2014 Read Full Article
Algenol's Algae-Based Biofuel: The Next Generation in Renewable Energy
by Jenna Iacurci (Nature World News) Algenol, an up-and-coming company that specializes in algae-based biofuels, has developed and perfected its revolutionary technology, likely securing its spot as the next generation's leader in renewable energy. In collaborating with University of Toronto scientists,
July 09, 2014 Read Full Article
Pond Biofuels: Algae Eats Cement Plant Pollution
by David Dodge and Duncan Kinney (Beacon News) Algae is a pretty important organism. It’s used in food, fertilizer and sewage treatment. Oh, and algae can also eat raw industrial smokestack emissions for breakfast to create pond biofuels. Steve Martin was so
July 09, 2014 Read Full Article
Algae Production Industry News
(National Algae Association) The National Algae Association is pleased to announce that one of its algae incubator program companies, Natural Algae Production, LLC of Louisiana, has broken ground on a new 10 acre algae farm. NAA believes hundreds of commercial
July 09, 2014 Read Full Article
Joule’s Quest for Fuels from CO2, Sunlight and Water
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... From Massachusetts, word arrived from Joule this week that the EPA has favorably reviewed the company’s Microbial Commercial Activity Notice for Joule’s first commercial ethanol-producing catalyst. This clears the catalyst for commercial use at the
July 03, 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
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
Asheville Entrepreneur Aims to Harness Cyanobacteria's Photosynthetic Prowess
by Mary-Russell Roberson (News Observer) Bruce Dannenberg is a big fan of cyanobacteria – the ancient lineage of organisms you may remember from high school as blue-green algae. Turns out cyanobacteria aren’t algae after all; hence the name change. But
May 14, 2014 Read Full Article
Fuel from the Sea: Scale Model WWII Craft Takes Flight with Seawater
by Daniel Parry (U.S. Naval Research Laboratory/Renewable Energy World) Navy researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Materials Science and Technology Division, demonstrate proof-of-concept of novel NRL technologies developed for the recovery of carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2)
May 14, 2014 Read Full Article
Scientists Make Ethanol Without Corn or Other Crops
by Will Dunham (Reuters Africa) ... The scientists said their process turns carbon monoxide gas into liquid ethanol with the help of an electrode made of a form of copper. They said the new technique may be more environmentally friendly and efficient
April 29, 2014 Read Full Article
Changing Water into Wine: Er, Will Jet Fuel Do?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Hydrocarbon fuel from seawater and nothing else? Is it possible? Not only possible, but demonstrated as a process, and tested in a model plane. How does it rate on the Hooey scale? The Digest investigates. In
April 09, 2014 Read Full Article
Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Proposed Changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard Through 2022
by Brent Erickson, Matt Carr, and Paul Winters (Industrial Biotechnology) The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a significant change to the US Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2014 and beyond, which will have an impact on greenhouse gas (GHG)
March 26, 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
Can You Make a Wind Turbine Without Fossil Fuels?
by Robert Wilson (The Energy Collective) Various scenarios have been put forward showing that 100% renewable energy is achievable. Some of them even claim that we can move completely away from fossil fuels in only couple of decades. A world entirely without
February 28, 2014 Read Full Article
What Role for Short-Lived Climate Pollutants in Mitigation Policy?
by J. K. Shoemaker, D. P. Schrag, M. J. Molina, V. Ramanathan (Science Magazine) Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) include methane (CH4), black carbon (BC), tropospheric ozone, and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). They are important contributors to anthropogenic climate change, responsible for as much
December 13, 2013 Read Full Article
USPTO Issues Patent to Biofeedstock Company Proterro for Its Biosynthetic Process To Manufacture Fermentable Sugar
(BusinessWire/Proterro) The United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 8,597,914 to Proterro, Inc., protecting Proterro’s unique, biosynthetic sugar-making process. The only biofeedstock company that makes sugar instead of extracting it from crops or deconstructing cellulosic materials, Proterro
December 09, 2013 Read Full Article
UCLA Develops Metabolic Pathway to Convert Sugars into Biofuels
(University of California) University of California, Los Angeles chemical engineering researchers have created a new synthetic metabolic pathway for breaking down glucose that could lead to a 50 percent increase in the production of biofuels. The new pathway is intended to
November 22, 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
Carbon-Negative Biobutanol for $2 per Gallon? ITRI Says Its ButyFix Technology Has the Right Stuff
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Seeking low-carbon fuels, even negative carbon? Or, looking for a low-cost, cellulosic renewable fuel? Or, in search of a capital-light, bolt-on technology to drive better economics for first-yen ethanol plants? Well, what about all three,