by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest)  In Iowa, new economic reports show that producing biomass fuel pellets from crop residues like corn stalks can provide a billion-dollar development opportunity for agricultural states. Iowa-based Regional Strategic, Ltd. examined …

by A.J. (Sandy) Marshall (Bioindustrial Innovation Canada/Canada Biomass)  … Today, climate change concerns are demanding an ever-increasing management of greenhouse gases. As a result, society is establishing a pricing on carbon through cap and trade and …

(Trestle Energy/CISION PR Newswire)  New economic impact analyses highlight the untapped value of crop residue byproducts of ethanol production for agricultural states  —  Two new studies show that generating energy from ethanol industry byproducts can …

(Newswise/U.S. Department of Energy)  Researchers from Spain, Poland and Ireland have developed a new computational method to rapidly screen the effects of point mutations in bacteria to make biofuel production more efficient  —   Converting fibrous …

by Tracey Bryant (University of Delaware)  … A UD research team has invented a more efficient process for extracting the sugars from wood chips, corn cobs and other organic waste from forests and farms.
…
Basudeb Saha, associate …

(Phys.Org/U.S. Department of Energy) …However, weather conditions could greatly affect crop yields. In this study, researchers examined the effect of weather on biofuel production by comparing switchgrass and corn stover harvested after a year of …

(Biofuels International)  With the price for crude oil at less than $50 a barrel, Iowa State University’s National Science Foundation Engineering Research Centre for Biorenewable Chemicals (CBiRC) is proposing a new model for creating, applying …

by Jeremy Martin (Union of Concerned Scientists)  As the New York Times recently reported, the EPA Administrator Pruitt has been conducting much of his work to undermine the EPA’s mission in secret.  The recent proposed rule …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … 1. Ottawa, Ontario  The biggest Canadian story of the year stems from the November 2016 announce by Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna announced that Canada will adopt …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The DOE established and funded a project to develop a novel Multistage Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) of biomass and integrate with Virent’s Catalytic BioForming Process to efficiently produce cost effective “drop‐in” …

by Susanne Retka Schill and Ann Bailey (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Ethanol Producer Magazine provides an update on 10 cellulosic ethanol projects around the world striving for continuous, large-scale production.  —  Some things have changed in the …

by Nathan Skolski (University of British Columbia Okanagan) New research from a professor of engineering at UBC’s Okanagan Campus might hold the key to biofuels that are cheaper, safer and much faster to produce.
“Methane is a …

(Biotechnology Innovation Organization)  For those in the biofuels industry, the 2017 BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology is a must. This year’s World Congress will feature a 12-session Advanced Biofuels and Biorefinery Platforms track, covering …

by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering in Mumbai is partnering with the Institute of Chemical Technology Mumbai to build second-generation ethanol plants across India. ICT will provide its multi-feedstock technology and LTHE will …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Green Biologics is focused on the production of renewable n-butanol and other C4 chemicals from various renewable feedstocks, including sugar (cane, molasses, beets), starch (corn) and cellulosic biomass (corn residues, …

by Travis Poland (Lambton Shield)  Farmers can earn more money without doing more work  —  A new technology will allow local farmers to get more cash out of their cash crops without any extra work.
Comet …

by Judy Newman (Wisconsin State Journal)  If Madison-based Virent‘s biofuels are going to fill the tanks of cars and airplanes, it will be up to Stacey Orlandi to drive the company there.
Orlandi, 45, took over …

(Business Wire/Biotechnology Innovation Organization)  Broin to accept award and deliver remarks at 2017 BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology  —  The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) today announced that POET Founder, Chairman and CEO Jeff Broin …

by Silke Schmidt (University of Wisconsin-Madison News)   Technologies for converting non-edible biomass into chemicals and fuels traditionally made from petroleum exist aplenty. But when it comes to attracting commercial interest, these technologies compete financially with …

On March 6–9, 2017, BETO hosted its biennial Project Peer Review in Denver, Colorado. During the event, approximately 192 projects in BETO’s research and development (R&D) portfolio were presented to the public and a panel …

by Aruna Sharma (khabar India/Tribune)  Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL) has roped in Engineers India Ltd (EIL), Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) for setting up India’s first …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  On May 7, Praj Industries Ltd. unveiled a demonstration-scale biorefinery capable of producing 1 MMly of cellulosic ethanol. The facility, located near Pune, India, is expected demonstrate the production …

(Business Standard/Press Trust of India)  Praj Industries, the global process solutions company, today said it has commenced its first integrated second generation technology (2G) smart bio-refinery to produce ethanol from agri-waste in Gujarat.
The 2G demo …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Although the bigger players — China, the US, Brazil and the EU take most of the headlines in the advanced bioeconomy, Canada is definitely “boxing above its weight class” these days, …

by Jonathan Ellis (Argus Leader) Ethanol producer Poet is suing an international engineering company that was hired to create a system to help convert biomass into ethanol, underscoring the challenges of creating inexpensive cellulosic ethanol.
Poet Design …

(Phys.Org)  … Taking up this double-edged sword is Cynthia Bartel, a doctoral candidate at Iowa State University. She’s finding a way to lessen the harm and increase the benefits of removing maize stover.
“While water and wind …

(Farm Forum)  … Through Senior Capstone Design projects, the senior engineering students partner with innovators in the ag industry using the latest technology. The experience provides an opportunity to work on projects that will impact agriculture …

by Andrew Flinn (Brownfield Ag News)  Matt Merritt, Director of Public Relations for POET DSM says the company’s Project Liberty cellulosic ethanol facility at Emmetsburg Iowa – which started production a year ago – is …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Clariant’s sunliquid technology for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into sugars, followed by fermentation to cellulosic ethanol, is flexible to be used to convert different feedstocks on a regional basis, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Earlier this month, we reported that Comet Biorefining had successfully closed an investment round to fund its proposed cellulosic sugar production facility using stover and wheat straw as feedstock. PM Equity Parnership, …

(Ethanol Producer Magazine)  After announcing plans to purchase an aspirant cellulosic ethanol plant in Florida, Alliance BioEnergy Plus Inc. has released a bold cost-of-production estimate after researching the economics of its patented cellulose-to-sugar (CTS) conversion …

(Bioenergy Insight)  US-based science and engineering centre Argonne National Laboratory has developed technology that synergistically uses two waste biomass streams to generate two bioproducts and enhance the process of anaerobic digestion (AD).
According to the organisation, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  According to this presentation deck from NREL’s Melvin Tucker, “to produce high concentration sugar and reactive lignin streams at high yields and low costs from biomass to meet BETO’s 2017 ($5/GGE) and …

(POET)  POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels will build an on-site enzyme manufacturing (OSM) facility in Emmetsburg, Iowa, pending state and local approvals.  The facility will be integrated into the Project Liberty technology package, replicable in future facilities. …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  To demonstrate an advanced biofuels technology that integrates a catalytic biomass pyrolysis step and a hydroprocessing step to produce infrastructure compatible biofuels, here’s the basic recipe, according to a research …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  To “Demonstrate an advanced biofuels technology that integrates a catalytic biomass pyrolysis step and a hydroprocessing step to produce infrastructure compatible biofuels,” that’s the ratuional behind a DOE project with …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  A group of researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have completed a survey of the economic activities and rural jobs that a corn stover bioeconomy can offer, which is currently featured on …

(Clariant)  A plus for the environment: Improves particle count emissions and guarantees significant reductions in CO2 emissions using sunliquid® cellulosic ethanol; Field test confirms: Excellent combustion characteristics without additional consumption  —  Clariant, a leading global specialty …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  The Regional Feedstock Partnership (the Partnership)—a multi-institutional collaboration of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, representatives from land-grant universities, and industry—was first established to address issues …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Green Biologics is focused on the production of renewable n-butanol and other C4 chemicals from various renewable feedstocks, including sugar (cane, molasses, beets), starch (corn) and cellulosic biomass (corn residues, sugar …

by Bernard Cooker (Chemical Processing Solutions/Biofuels Digest)  This is a review of the biomass-fed chemical process projects to renewable chemicals which were published in Chemical Engineering Progress (CEP) and Chemical and Engineering News (C&EN) from 1/1/16 …

by Dominique Patton (Reuters)  China is aiming to produce 4 million tonnes of ethanol by 2020, doubling output from the current level, even as it keeps tight control over the use of food grains to make …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Clariant’s sunliquid technology for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into sugars, followed by fermentation to cellulosic ethanol, is flexible to be used to convert different feedstocks on a regional basis, for …

by Mark Elless (U.S. Department of Energy)  Switchgrass, algae, forest trimmings, corn husks and corn stalks you can’t eat these crops, and you would never put them on your table for Thanksgiving; however, together they …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Lignocellulosic sugars and lignin have become necessary intermediates for advancing research towards economically producing biofuels and bioproducts. Recently, the US Department of Energy issued a Request for Information: Cellulosic Sugar …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Lignocellulosic sugars and lignin have become necessary intermediates for advancing research towards economically producing biofuels and bioproducts. Recently, the US Department of Energy issued a Request for Information: Cellulosic Sugar …

(U.S. Department of Agriculture) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini today announced that $1.5 million will be available in fiscal year 2017 for farmers and foresters who harvest and deliver …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  The results of the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office’s (BETO’s) Cellulosic Sugar and Lignin Production Capabilities Request for Information (RFI) are now available on the RFI responses web page. This …

(Oak Ridge National Laboratory)  Researchers at ORNL uncover the chemical reaction that helps break down biomass for biofuel  —  Lignocellulosic biomass—plant matter such as cornstalks, straw, and woody plants—is a sustainable source for production of …

by Ann Bailey (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Innovation in stover utilization targets feed, sugars and coproduct credits, building markets beyond cellulosic ethanol use.  —  Building a robust biomass supply chain for the future will require multiple …

(DTN/Progressive Farmer/KOOL)  Shell Oil Company has agreed to buy Abengoa Bioenergy’s cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton, Kansas, for what could be a significantly discounted price of $26 million, according to court documents filed Wednesday in …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Just when Toyota Tsusho and Suntory were outed as Anellotech investors, along comes another stealthy investor, who has put $1.5M into the company, according to this latest Reg D report …

by Joanna Schroeder (Energy.AgWired.com)  Detroit Public Television (DPTV) is debuting a new ethanol documentary this Sunday, October 9, 2016 at 9:00 pm ET called, “The Ethanol Effect“. The film, produced by DPTV, takes a look …

by Jamie Kitman (Automobile Magazine)  “It is “a universal assumption that [ethyl] alcohol in some form will be a constituent of the motor fuel of the future.”  —  So wrote Scientific American. The year was 1920, …

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 …

by Christopher Doering (Des Moines Register)  The head of ethanol giant Poet is optimistic presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton back renewable fuels despite recent developments that have left some in the industry uncertain about their positions.
Jeff Broin, …

(KTIC/DTN/Progressive Farmer) With all of the political fights about the role ethanol and other biofuels have in the transportation sector, there is common ground for the ethanol, oil and automobile industries that could bode well for …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Amidst the discussion this week of the future of first-gen and advanced biofuels in the EU —   we were intrigued by this slide deck on advances in biomass production for the …

by Joanna Schroeder (Energy.AgWired.com)  According to a new report from the 2016 Farm Progress Show biofuels can help combat climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). ICF International conducted the research entitled, “Charting …

(Alliance BioEnergy Plus, Inc.) Alliance BioEnergy Plus, Inc. (OTCQB:ALLM) (the “Company”), is very pleased to release the results from months of testing and data collection on dozens of lignocellulose feedstocks utilizing the patented CTS conversion process.  …

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 …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Amidst all the discussion this week of deal-making in cellulosic and sugar-based fuels — the likes of Tesoro-Virent and Lufthansa-Gevo — we were intrigued by this slide deck on a pathway …

by Marie-Joe Costantine (BioFuelNet)  Study stating “ biofuels are worse than gasoline” is fundamentally flawed  —  … In the study, when (John) DeCicco and colleagues calculate the CO2 emissions going into the atmosphere, they consider all parts …

(Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  … Many respected laboratories, agencies, and researchers have used a lifecycle analysis to show that biofuels, particularly advanced biofuels, provide significant carbon benefits compared to gasoline. These benefits have increased in …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  This season, The Digest is hosting the Strategic Intent webinar series, looking at the plans, progress and future milestones of strategic stakeholders in the Advanced Bioeconomy.
In this slide deck, we looked at …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This season, The Digest is hosting the Strategic Intent webinar series, looking at the plans, progress and future milestones of strategic stakeholders in the Advanced Bioeconmy.
In this slide deck, we looked at DuPont, …

by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer)  Abengoa Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Draws Wide Interest — … Mark Fisler, managing director of Los Angeles-based Ocean Park Advisers, the company hired by Abengoa to sell the biomass-based ethanol …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Direct Combustion, Anaerobic Digestion, Cellulosic Biofuels, Biochemicals, and Animal Feed: these are just some of the markets envisioned for a fast-growing grass known as Giant King Grass.  With composition like corn stover or …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  “What color is your parachute?” went the title of a best-selling book from the 80s on job hunting. The concept applies equally to biomass feedstock in the 2010s. There’s one …

(Biofuels International)  lllinois Institute of Technology researchers have received a patent for a method to genetically engineer bacteria and yeast to increase bioethanol production, especially from cellulosic material in biomass like twigs, branches, plant stalks …

by Irshad Ahmed (Lee Enterprises)  … I believe cellulosic ethanol is here to stay for the long haul and it is finally exhibiting real potential to establish a critical-mass commercial base alongside the corn-ethanol industry. Its commercial …

(Associated Press/The Washington Times)  A group of developers is planning to make ethanol from the stalks and leaves of North Dakota wheat straw and corn plants.
New Energy Investors is looking to develop a 13-million gallon, …

(Vimeo/DuPont)  The world is requiring more renewable sources of energy to meet its needs. With decades of expertise in feedstock, bioprocessing and biofuel production, DuPont has answered the call with a fully integrated process that …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Leaf Resources Limited (ASX:LER) is focused on making sustainable products from plant biomass,  offering an advanced technology package for breaking down plant derived biomass to useful, sustainable, renewable and biodegradable products. …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  INL’s program aims to overcome key technical barriers facing the U.S. bioenergy industry by systematically researching, characterizing, modeling, demonstrating, and harnessing the physical and chemical characteristics of the nation’s diverse …

by Katie Elyce Jones (Phys.Org)  To help stakeholders in government and business make smart decisions about the best types of land and local climates for planting bioenergy crops, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s …

(The Street/Globe Newswire)  Alliance BioEnergy Plus, Inc. (OTCQB:ALLM) (the “Company”) , is pleased to announce that as the scientific and engineering team at subsidiary Ek Laboratories continues to optimize the CTS process for dry distiller’s …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Missouri, Ocean Park Advisors has been retained by Abengoa Bioenergy to find a strategic partner or to complete a sale of Abengoa cellulosic ethanol plant, electricity cogeneration plant and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Founded in 1998 in the Pacific Northwest, Pacific Ag is the largest, most experienced agricultural biomass supply company in the US.  Today, Pacific Ag provides biomass supply chain solutions from …

by Nathanael Johnson (Grist)  … Running cars and planes on corncobs would, at its best, produce 90 percent less greenhouse gas than gasoline.
Until now, though, it’s only been an idea. We’ve been able to make cellulosic ethanol …

by Art Cullen (Storm Lake Times) … So how can we produce ethanol sustainably — that is, a scheme under which farmers can make money without releasing nitrate to the river and help power America while …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Bioenergy Feedstock Library is a physical sample repository and database for physical, chemical and conversion performance characteristics of biomass feedstock.
The library provides tools to store, record, track, retrieve, and analyze data to help …

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 …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) “How much value is in the entire value chain, going from stover in the field to all the products?” asked Sandy Marshall, chairman, Bioindustrial Innovation Canada. His question opened his …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  New Holland makes a wide range of farming, construction equipment; with related financing: excavators, loaders (backhoe, wheel, skid steer), crawler dozers, motor graders. Scott Wangsgard of New Holland gave this …

by Keith Norman  (The Jamestown Sun)  Officials with New Energy Investors are planning on submitting an updated grant request to the North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Committee after its previous request was denied in May, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In April, we reported that Comet Biorefining has signed an off-take agreement with bio-succinic acid producer BioAmber for cellulosic dextrose from Comet’s upcoming first commercial plant in Sarnia, Ontario.  The dextrose …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …  The headline from the event is that projects and feedstock providers are more engaged than we have seen previously — a wave of technology development that once took place …

by David Biello (Scientific American) … Burning cellulosic ethanol as a fuel could result in just 10 percent of the CO2 emissions produced by burning gasoline.
One big secret to making it all work is the advanced …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  India’s SunLight Fuels licenses IH2 Technology for hydrocarbon transportation fuels from agricultural waste  —  In India, Sunlight Fuels has signed a Front End Loading license agreement for IH2 Technology with …

(Clariant/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, and Scania, one of the world’s top heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers, are celebrating the results and the opportunities generated by the partnership established last year, which …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Green Biologics is focused on the production of renewable n-butanol and other C4 chemicals from various renewable feedstocks, including sugar (cane, molasses, beets), starch (corn) and cellulosic biomass (corn residues, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …  In all, respondents foresaw an $11.352 billion feedstock bioeconomy, at $57 per ton for advanced feedstocks — based on reaching that 200 million ton scale.
Let’s look at the responses, …

(POET)  Project LIBERTY in Emmetsburg, Iowa, has produced and shipped several tank cars of cellulosic ethanol even as the plant is ramping up to its full 20 million gallon-per-year capacity. Last year’s startup phase yielded …

(NewBIO/Cooperative Extension System)  Technology patented by Renmatix enables the manufacture of industrial sugars from biomass on a scale that is commercially cost-effective.
Table of Contents

Introduction
From Biomass to Sugars
Benefits of Supercritical Water
Customers Rebuild Biorefiners based on Plantrose™ …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Lux Research projects that the emergence of low-carbon fuels and vehicle efficiency will cut emissions by 29% in 2030 compared to a business as usual scenario, with biofuels and natural …

by Isabel Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Brazil, testing on Clariant’s sunliquid technology has confirmed that the cost per liter of cellulosic ethanol can achieve price competitiveness with sugarcane ethanol prices in Brazil. Clariant’s testing evaluated …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Having established a global leadership in 1st Generation Ethanol technology, Praj has initiated a project in expanding its 2nd Generation Cellulosic Ethanol Program to Demo scale. The plant will utilize agri-residues …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Ontario, Comet Biorefining has signed an off-take agreement with bio-succinic acid producer BioAmber for cellulosic dextrose from Comet’s upcoming first commercial plant in Sarnia, Ontario. The dextrose will be …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Renmatix is a technology licensor that enables the production of petrochemicals from plants. The company’s water-based Plantrose process is the lowest cost method for converting a wide range of non-food …

by Keith Norman (Jamestown Sun) Plans for a $150 million cellulosic ethanol plant at the Spiritwood Energy Park Association industrial park are underway, according to Thomas Corle, founding partner of New Energy Investors, a Pennsylvania …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … (W)hen you compare them to homogenized, uniform, high-yield, purpose-grown energy crops. residues may be queer, but they are here. Not only available, but reliable, you can count on the …

by Lisa Young (AgriNews)  Cover crop and row crop biofuels systems can work together. They may have to as the Renewable Fuel Standard spurs increased demand for biofuels while many are calling for more controls …

(Comet Biorefining)  Cellulosic Sugar Producers Cooperative, an Ontario-based farmer’s cooperative, confirms that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Comet Biorefining to collaborate on the development of a sustainable agricultural biomass supply chain …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In grains, the big news has been the USDA prospective plantings report, which has corn up to 93 million acres in 2016, up 5 million over last year, and it …

by William Westhoven (Parsippany, NJ Daily Record) A Lincoln Park educator has been awarded a $450,000 grant to help fund continued research into the development of biofuel alternatives in certain regions of the United States.
Montclair State …

by David Shaffer (Star Tribune)  Poet Inc. is shipping fuel from Iowa facility, which could hit full output by year’s end.  —  Poet Inc., the nation’s first commercial-scale producer of cellulosic ethanol, is shipping the …

(RPA News)  Our top story this month is a blunt reminder of how deeply U.S. policy uncertainty cut down and yanked back the progress of commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol over the past few years. The U.S. EPA’s …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … In June 2014 the 6th adaptation to technical and scientific progress of the CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) directive was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. This …

by Holly Jessen and Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Although there are challenges facing the second generation ethanol industry, progress is being made — U.S. EPA data shows 2.18 million cellulosic ethanol D3 RINs (renewable identification …

(University of Wisconsin-Madison/Phys.Org)  For a world hooked on fossil carbons, the vials of amber syrup in Jim Dumesic’s lab are full of sweet potential.  Dumesic’s group caused a stir in research circles and the media …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Canada, Sustainable Development Technology Canada awarded Comet Biorefining a CA$10.9 million grant for the construction of its first-of-a-kind advanced bio-based chemicals plant. Located in Sarnia, Ontario, the plant will …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … If jatropha faltered, never mind, went the argument, we’ll always have switchgrass. Or giant miscanthus, or pongamia, or poplar, or camelina. The list could get really long. For example, try …

by Brooks Hays (UPI)  Researchers say their breakthrough can be scaled for industrial biomass processing.  —  A team of researchers in Japan have developed a relatively simple pretreatment strategy to boost the efficiency of biorefinery …

(Lux Research/MarketWired)  Of the Six Existing Commercial Cellulosic Ethanol Facilities, Raizen’s Projected Price of $2.17 per Gallon Is Lowest, as Innovations Help Bring Next-Generation Biofuels to Market, Says Lux Research
Six companies have now brought cellulosic …

(Green Car Congress)  A team from the US, China and India, led by researchers from Michigan State University, has developed a new liquid ammonia biomass pretreatment methodology called Extractive Ammonia (EA). EA-pretreated corn stover delivers …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Where is the bioeconomy headed? In the annual State of the Industry briefing at the 2016 Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference, the Digest presented a survey on that topic.
Here are the …

(Comet Biorefining/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Comet Biorefining Inc. has announced the location of its commercial-scale biomass-derived sugar facility in the TransAlta Energy Park in Sarnia, Ontario.  The 60 million pounds per year plant will come online in …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, Comet Biorefining announced at ABLC 2016 the location of its commercial-scale biomass-derived sugar facility in the TransAlta Energy Park in Sarnia, Ontario. The 60 million pounds per year …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Chempolis’ multi-year quest to build cellulosic ethanol in India finds a happy landing.  —  In India, €110 million joint venture cellulosic ethanol project of Chempolis Ltd and Numaligarh Refinery Limited …

by David Roberts (VOX)  The Union of Concerned Scientists has issued a new report that takes a high-level look at three key transportation fuels: gasoline, biofuels, and electricity.
It compares their greenhouse gas emissions, taking into …

(The Observer)  A group of Southwestern Ontario farmers are one step closer to building a sugar mill for corn stalks and other plant matter, to help boost their bottom lines and attract more biochemical plants …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Germany and Portugal, a new drop-in biofuels process has emerged which is cost compettive with $30 oil, according to the inventors. The process breaks even with crude oil, on …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Out of the EU comes a biogasoline blendstock made from waste residues in a novel process that promises to radically slash the cost of bioconversion. The Digest reports.
In Germany and …

by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Although the cellulosic ethanol industry has had some challenges, there is hope for the year ahead.  For some Midwest farmers, cellulosic ethanol’s launch in the past two years has allowed …

by Ajay Shah (Renewable Energy World)  Massive availability of agricultural waste, left unutilized in the field, and its potential to be converted to environmentally friendly biofuel has led to an increasing attention towards the advancement …

(Purdue University) Nancy Ho, founder and president of Green Tech America Inc. and a research professor emerita in Purdue University’s School of Chemical Engineering, will receive the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Barack …

by Mark E. Griffin (Wisconsin Energy Institute/University of Wisconsin)  A six-year Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) study on the viability of different bioenergy feedstocks recently demonstrated that perennial cropping systems such as switchgrass, giant …

(Associated Press/SF Gate)  An Iowa ethanol industry trade group says the state’s refineries produced more than 4 billion gallons of the corn-based fuel additive this year, a new record.
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says Iowa …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … Q. How have the US elections and the regulatory situation in the US impacted development of biofuels for other countries, particularly Latin America? …  Not much impact from the 2014 …

(Green Car Congress)  California Air Resources Board (ARB) staff posted 32 new Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) fuel pathway applications for comments at the LCFS website. Among the multiple applications for different processing pathways of …

(Chempolis, Ltd.)  Chempolis Ltd., a Finland-based biorefining technology corporation, has entered into partnership with Avantha Group’s research wing Avantha Centre for Industrial Research & Development to offer technology to India to extract ethanol from various agricultural residues …

by Loni Kemp (NRDC/Governors’ Biofuels Coalition)   The next ethanol boom is most likely to come from cellulose feedstocks, yet US policy is unprepared to ensure that harvest of annual crop residues is sustainable. That’s the conclusion …

by John Montgomery (The Hutchinson News)  …  Abengoa shut down the plant last month – eliminating about 50 jobs – a little more than a year after a grand opening celebration featuring high-level state and …

by Rob Nikolewski (Kansas Watchdog.org)  … “I think we have to see how this thing plays out. In the short run, of course, it’s a devastating blow,” said Neal Gillespie, Stevens County Economic Developmentdirector. “In the long …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Clariant’s sunliquid technology for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into sugars, followed by fermentation to cellulosic ethanol, is flexible to be used to convert different feedstocks on a regional basis, for …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …  In Minnesota, construction is now underway at the Green Biologics bio-based n-butanol and acetone manufacturing facility in Little Falls, MN. The existing manufacturing site, formerly known as The Central …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  The Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model allows researchers and analysts to fully evaluate the energy and emission impacts of advanced vehicle technologies and new transportation …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Maryland, The US Patent and Trademark Office issued patent number 9,193,979 for ethanol-tolerant microorganisms that convert cellulosic biomass to ethanol. The patent describes using the microorganisms to produce ethanol …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  INL’s program aims to overcome key technical barriers facing the U.S. bioenergy industry by systematically researching, characterizing, modeling, demonstrating, and harnessing the physical and chemical characteristics of the nation’s diverse …

by Todd Neeley (DTN/The Progressive Farmer)  Five years ago when Nevada, Iowa, farmer Brian Sampson first heard about harvesting corn stover for ethanol, he thought it sounded akin to putting a man on Mars.
As production of …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Will fund 25M high unit, Operational in 2016, to confirm viability of confirm viability Bio-TCat process for scale-up
In New York, Anellotech revealed that it had raised $7M of its current …

(The Sun)  Mathieu Flamini has kept a big secret from family, friends and team-mates for SEVEN years.  But today in an exclusive SunSport interview the Arsenal ace reveals that, along with a close pal, he …

by WIlliam Tucker (Fuel Freedom Foundation)  … Cellulosic ethanol, capable of recycling crop wastes into fuel, may be here.  On the day before Halloween, the DuPont Chemical Company opened what it claimed to be the world’s …

by Jessica Eise (Phys.Org)  Making biofuel from corn crop residue could become economically viable for farmers with government support and, therefore, lead to a major shift in crop rotation practices favoring more continuous corn plantings, Purdue …

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 …

(Farm Futures)  Biofuel from stover could favor continuous corn, other production changes  —  …  If technology and government support become economically viable, converting corn stover to biofuels would affect farmers’ planting decisions and crop rotation …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Florida, the Dupont Cellulosic Ethanol project in Nevada, Iowa is the debut subject of The Digest’s online short-subject documentary series, The New Places, which is available for streaming as …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Despite a signature partnership with Praj, Gevo’s short-term future looks strongest at the marina, where blockbuster economics apply.
…
So, a pretty good deal for both. Gevo potentially gets some new customers …

by Monte Shaw (Iowa Renewable Fuels Association/Des Moines Register) Letter to Editor:  I was embarrassed for the University of Northern Iowa to read the recent letter to the editor by professor Kamyar Enshayan regarding ethanol [‘Renewable fuel’ …