by Neil A. Belson (LeafPro Bioproducts/Biofuels Digest) ... Despite its potential benefits and some very real achievements, the biobased economy has overall progressed more slowly than many had hoped. There are several reasons for this slow progress. Technological challenges involved in
Department of Energy (DOE)
Back TO HOMEFor Cars of the Future, the Fuels They Need, Today, from Algae
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Of all the many wonders at the Algae Biomass Summit this week, perhaps there was nothing more interesting in terms of the Department of Energy’s laudable attention to the sector than a poster from NREL on
October 28, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels Are a Climate Mistake
(Science 2.0) Ever since the 1973 oil embargo, U.S. energy policy has sought to replace petroleum-based transportation fuels with alternatives. One prominent option is using biofuels, such as ethanol in place of gasoline and biodiesel instead of ordinary diesel. Transportation generates
October 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Argonne LCA Finds Renewable Diesel from Algae Fractionation Has 63-68% lower GHG than Petroleum Diesel
(Green Car Congress) A new analysis from Argonne National Laboratory, funded by the US Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), shows the potential of an algae fractionation process to produce renewable diesel fuel with 63%–68% lower greenhouse gas (GHG)
October 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Airports Council International – North America Supports Alliance BioEnergy’s CTS Process for Aviation Biofuel Production
(Yahoo! Finance/Globe Newswire/Alliance BioEnergy Plus, Inc.) Alliance BioEnergy Plus, Inc. (ALLM) (the “Company”) is pleased to announce that the Airports Council International – North America (“ACI-NA”) has given its written support of the CTS process for the production of aviation
October 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Unraveling the Science Behind Biomass Breakdown
(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 bio-based fuels and chemicals. However,
October 21, 2016 Read Full Article
#Ethanol Breaking Through Blend Wall
by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) The average amount of ethanol in the nation’s gasoline supply hit a new record last week of 10.4 percent, just breaking through the 10% blend wall for the second time in a month, according to the
October 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Ames Laboratory to Receive $3 Million to Develop Instrument to Study Plant Cell Walls
(Ames Laboratory) A team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory will be developing new instrumentation aimed at determining the chemical and structural makeup of plant cell walls to better understand how to convert plant material into
October 20, 2016 Read Full Article
What To Do With Algae
by Terry Mazanec (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) ... So the process removes and processes about 25 tonnes of earth to obtain each gram of Pt, valued at about $35. It is a very lucrative business. Biomass is much like the platinum mine. It
October 20, 2016 Read Full Article
A.I.M. Interview: Dr. Tom Dempster Taking ATP3 Workshops on the Road
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) Dr. Tom Dempster works as a research professor – focusing on strain selection and development, biomass production, algal biofuels and high-value products, and air and wastewater bioremediation – at the Arizona Center for Algae
October 19, 2016 Read Full Article
DOE Awards Microvi Grant for Innovative Biogas Conversion Technology
(Microvi) Microvi has been awarded a grant from the US Department of Energy for a new groundbreaking biocatalytic technology that converts methane and carbon dioxide in biogas into valuable liquid chemicals, the company announced today. The new technology, based on Microvi’s
October 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Nano-Spike Catalysts Convert Carbon Dioxide Directly into Ethanol
(Phys.Org) In a new twist to waste-to-fuel technology, scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed an electrochemical process that uses tiny spikes of carbon and copper to turn carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into ethanol. Their
October 14, 2016 Read Full Article
A Giant Crop-Scanner Is Turning Heads in Arizona
by Dennis O'Brien (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service) With its 30-ton frame and 50-foot-high catwalk, the newest scanner for measuring crop plants in Maricopa, Arizona, can be seen for miles. It looms over a tract the length of
October 13, 2016 Read Full Article
$1.87M Grant Lets NCBiotech Lead SE Sorghum Initiative
(North Carolina Biotechnology Center) The North Carolina Biotechnology Center, aided by a $1.87 million federal grant, has embarked on a three-year project to study the production of sorghum as biomass for fuel and high-value chemicals in the Mid-Atlantic region. The project,
October 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Turning Brewery Wastewater into Battery Power
(University of Colorado Boulder) CU Boulder engineers have developed an innovative bio-manufacturing process that uses a biological organism cultivated in brewery wastewater to create the carbon-based materials needed to make energy storage cells. This unique pairing of breweries and batteries could
October 12, 2016 Read Full Article
NREL Lowers Biofuel Costs Through Catalyst Regeneration and Vapor-Phase Upgrading
(U.S. Department of Energy) This past June, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in partnership with Particulate Solids Research, Inc. and Springs Fabrication, installed a recirculating regenerating riser reactor (R-Cubed) in their pilot-scale Thermochemical Process Development Unit. Funded
October 07, 2016 Read Full Article
What a Donald Trump EPA Will Look Like with Climate Change Skeptic Myron Ebell at the Helm
by Paul Raeburn (Newsweek) ... (Myron) Ebell, the director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and a prominent climate-change skeptic, was chosen at the end of September to head the Environmental Protection Agency’s transition team
October 04, 2016 Read Full Article
BDC Fall, 2016 Symposium Presentations Posted
(Bioenergy Deployment Consortium) A successful BDC Fall Symposium was held in Washington DC on September 27-28, 2016. A combination of Government Agency Directors and Sr. Advisors were joined by outstanding leaders in the bio-industry to discuss the advancement of the
October 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Letter: Column on Ethanol Gets It Wrong
by Paul Fox (Fayetteville Observer) Jonah Goldberg's Sept. 5 column "Let's talk about ethanol" struck me as a little odd. Goldberg has somehow twisted the idea that ethanol and biofuels release more greenhouse gases than oil, despite research by the
October 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Expanding Algae Education
(Algae Biomass Organization) The Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has shown a commitment to algae and its future by funding a project to expand education in the algae industry. More specifically, BETO is funding the Algae Technology Education
September 30, 2016 Read Full Article
ARPA-E Funding More Innovation in Algae Based Fuels and Chemicals
(Algae Biomass Organization) Innovations for producing algae based fuels and chemicals will get another boost now that the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is moving forward with a significant new funding opportunity. ARPA-E’s Teaming List Announcement, entitled “SCALABLE MACROALGAE CULTIVATION TECHNOLOGIES
September 30, 2016 Read Full Article
BioenergizeME 2017 Infographic Challenge Kicks Off DEADLINE: February 3, 2017
(Department of Energy) Mark your calendars: the 2017 BioenergizeME Infographic Challenge kicks off tomorrow (September 30, 2016)! Give your 9th–12th grade students an opportunity to learn about topics in biofuel and bioenergy and to share their knowledge through infographics. Registration opens
September 29, 2016 Read Full Article
UT-ORNL Team Hopes to Ease Path from Vegetation to Biofuel
(University of Tennessee) A UT-ORNL team led by Governor’s Chair Jeremy Smith is using supercomputing to figure out ways to ease the path of turning vegetation into biofuel. A huge barrier in converting plant polymers to biofuel lies in removing other biomass polymers that
September 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Chevron’s Forgotten Biofuels Wonder-Tech Gets a Second Life at Iowa State
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) You may recall that The Bloomberg investigative team of Ben Elgin & Peter Waldman in 2013 published an expose on Chevron claiming that the company had developed — then buried — a Catchlight Energy project
September 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Greenwood Resources Licenses ORNL Invention to Boost Biofuel Yield
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory/NewsWise) GreenWood Resources has licensed an Oak Ridge National Laboratory technology based on the discovery of a gene in poplar (Populus trichocarpa) that makes it easier to convert poplar trees into biofuels. GreenWood, a global timberland investment and
September 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Biorenewable Deployment Consortium Holds Candid Discussion of Current Bioeconomy Happenings from a Forest Resources Perspective
[caption id="attachment_77283" align="alignleft" width="282"] Chris Tindal, U.S. Navy's Director for Operational Energy, explains the launch, operations and use of renewable fuel by the Great Green Fleet.[/caption] by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) An intimate group that shares some background or interest
September 28, 2016 Read Full Article
Sandia: Turning Ubiquitous Lignin into High-Value Chemicals
(Sandia National Laboratories/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Abundant, chock full of energy and bound so tightly that the only way to release its energy is through combustion—lignin has frustrated scientists for years. With the help of an unusual soil bacteria, researchers at
September 26, 2016 Read Full Article
New DOE Study: Gasoline Becomes Stale before Ethanol Phase Separation Occurs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Colorado, a study conducted by DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), found that the petroleum components of ethanol-blended gasoline become degraded and unfit for use in an engine long before the ethanol portion takes
September 26, 2016 Read Full Article
New Government Lab Research Confirms Ethanol Blend Fuels Are Better for Large and Small Engines
by Marc J. Rauch (The Auto Channel) National Renewable Energy Laboratory reaffirms the value of ethanol for internal combustion engines and validates Mercury Marine's 2011 findings -- One of the top myths used by the oil industry against ethanol is
September 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Making Biofuel a Cost-Effective, Renewable Source of Energy
by Jennifer Seguin (AltEnergyMag.com/COMSOL) ... Such fuels are renewable, clean-burning, and carbon-neutral, producing no more carbon dioxide than is sequestered by its original plant source. However, biofuel availability is still fairly limited for its most common use—in vehicles. ... Research at the National Renewable
September 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Jet Fuel May Be Grown on Iconic Aussie Gum Trees
(Australian National University) Scientists are a step closer to using Australia's iconic gum trees to develop low-carbon renewable jet and missile fuel. Dr Carsten Kulheim from The Australian National University (ANU), a lead researcher in an international study published in Trends
September 22, 2016 Read Full Article
New DOE Study: Gas Becomes “Stale” Long Before Water Uptake Becomes a Concern
(Renewable Fuels Association) As millions of Americans say goodbye to summer and prepare to store their boats, motorcycles, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and other equipment for the winter, a new study by the Department of Energy (DOE) is providing fresh
September 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Water-Energy Dependence around Pacific Rim Mapped in New Sandia Study
(Sandia National Laboratories) A wide-ranging analysis of water vulnerability across the Pacific — including the U.S., China, Russia and Japan — has identified hundreds of locations where energy production depends upon scarce water supplies. The Sandia National Laboratories study, “Mapping Water
September 20, 2016 Read Full Article
KiOR: The Inside True Story of a Company Gone Wrong. Part 4, the Year of Living Disingenuously
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... But so far, the company and its celebrity investors and directors such as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and famed venture capitalist Vinod Khosla had escaped close scrutiny. ... The methods for keeping the truth bottled
September 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Low Carbon Fuel Project Achieves Breakthrough as LanzaTech Produces Jet Fuel from Waste Gases for Virgin Atlantic
(Virgin Atlantic) For the first time ever, 1,500 US gallons of jet fuel has been produced from ‘Lanzanol’, LanzaTech’s low carbon ethanol; Producing the world’s first jet fuel derived from waste industrial gases from steel mills via fermentation process; The alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) fuel
September 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels Want Level Playing Field
(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 the long-term health of the
September 14, 2016 Read Full Article
New Data Reaffirms Carbon Benefits of Biodiesel
(National Biodiesel Board) Economic modeling by Purdue University continues to reduce predicted emissions of ‘indirect land use change’ -- Biomass-based fuels present a tremendous opportunity to transition toward a more sustainable mix of renewable energy. This was a key theme
September 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Algal Biology Toolbox Workshop Summary Report
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has released the Algal Biology Toolbox Workshop Summary Report, with highlights from the BETO-hosted workshop that took place in May in San Diego, California. Attendees of this spring’s
September 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Natural Gas: A Bridge Fuel — But for How Long?
by Tom Ewing (Renewable Energy World) On Aug. 17, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) daily update announced that CO2 emissions from natural gas would soon surpass coal. That’s troubling. Natural gas is viewed as a “bridge fuel,” a transitional resource
September 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Reconciling Food Security and Bioenergy: Priorities for Action
by Keith L. Kline, Siwa Msangi, Virginia H. Dale, Jeremy Woods, Glaucia M. Souza, Patricia Osseweijer, Joy S. Clancy, Jorge A. Hilbert, Francis X. Johnson, Patrick C. McDonnell, Harriet K. Mugera (Global Change Biology Bioenergy) Understanding the complex interactions among food security, bioenergy sustainability, and resource management requires a focus
September 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Debating the Value of Ethanol as a Viable Fuel (3 Letters)
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Denver Post) Re: “EPA dodges responsibility on ethanol,” Sept. 3 editorial. The ethanol industry agrees with The Denver Post that the Environmental Protection Agency should conduct updated scientific assessments on the impacts of biofuels. In
September 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Seeking Low Costs, Painless Logistics: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to Advances to Know in Biomass Feedstocks
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 bioeconomy. In the end, it’s
September 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels at End of Obama Administration
by Michael McAdams (Advanced Biofuels Association/Biomass Magazine) For advanced biofuels under the Obama administration, what started out with a boom in 2008 ended with a whimper in 2016. ... As the nascent industry began to develop, companies hoping to deliver the
September 11, 2016 Read Full Article
First Things First
by Tim Portz (Biomass Magazine) ... Biomass availability in the U.S. is unlikely to emerge as a bottleneck for industry growth. Our country’s farms and forests, municipal waste and food waste streams are producing vast streams of material, and we
September 11, 2016 Read Full Article
EIA Projects Ethanol Consumption
(DTN) EIA Sees Ethanol Content in US Gasoline at 10% in 2016-17 -- The Energy Information Administration expects ethanol consumption in the United States to average 930,000 barrels per day this year and in 2017, 20,000 bpd higher than in
September 08, 2016 Read Full Article
COLUMN-Vehicle Efficiency Spurs Premium Gasoline Sales, Octane Demand: Kemp
by John Kemp (Reuters) Pressure to improve vehicle fuel efficiency is driving an increase in the sales of premium gasoline and boosting demand for high-octane blending components in the United States. Premium grade accounted for more than 1 million barrels per
September 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels versus Gasoline: The Emissions Gap Is Widening
(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 recent years, as biofuels have
September 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Energy Department Studies Show Major Ethanol Benefits
(WNAX) The U.S. Energy Department has released the results of a compilation of several studies that show mid level ethanol blends, E 25 and E 40 could offer significant benefits for the United States. Renewable Fuels Associations Senior Vice President
August 31, 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
Switching to Switchgrass? Study Models Soil Impact of Biofuel Crops
by Kari Lydersen (Midwest Energy News) ... The Argonne modeling shows that when grassland, cropland and pasture in the Midwest are converted to corn for biofuels, the level of carbon sequestration in the soil stays roughly the same, with variation by
August 30, 2016 Read Full Article
The Case Against Ethanol Opponents: They Are Simply Incorrect +VIDEO
by Marc J. Rauch (The Auto Channel) ... I can't say for sure, since I haven't done a count and compared it to a calendar, but it seems to me that the American oil industry has been ramping up its attacks
August 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Do Biofuels Harm the Planet More than Gasoline?
Rowena Lindsay (Christian Science Monitor) A new study suggests that biofuels can mitigate only 37 percent of the CO2 released by burning the biofuel. -- That's a flawed premise, argues Daniel Schrag, a geology professor at Harvard who advises the
August 30, 2016 Read Full Article
RTI International Awarded Project to Support Development of Advanced Biofuels
(RTI International) The U.S. Department of Energy awarded RTI International a project to support the development of biomass-to-hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways that can produce variable amounts of fuels or products. As part of the more than $2 million, 3-year project, RTI
August 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Who Needs Biofuels? Cost-Competitive Renewable Fuels are in Demand
by Jonathan Male (U.S. Department of Energy) A large part of the solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector could be uniquely filled by biofuels and bioproducts. The Energy Department’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), in partnership with
August 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Changing the Way We Fly: Biofuels Made from Waste Gases Reaching New Heights with Airline Industry
by Zia Haq (U.S. Department of Energy) Booking a flight soon? You may be leaving on a jet plane powered with renewable fuel. With more than 87,000 flights and approximately 1.56 million barrels of jet fuel consumed each day in
August 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Researchers Garner Grant to Study Innovative Biofuels Production Technology
by Robert Mills (Iowa State University) A team of researchers from Iowa State University’s Bioeconomy Institute is investigating a new technology for converting biomass into biofuels and chemicals. With a $371,000, one-year grant from the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Advanced
August 30, 2016 Read Full Article
MichBio Responds to Flawed University of Michigan Research Study on Biofuels and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
(MichBio/BusinessWire) MichBio, the biosciences industry association in Michigan, issued the following statement today regarding the release of a University of Michigan research study that claims the rising use of biofuels in the U.S. has led to a net increase in
August 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Got octane?
by Brian Jennings (American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) It’s the Holy Grail for many in the ethanol industry to increase demand for our fuel based on its octane value proposition. The American Coalition for Ethanol has been working on octane
August 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Department of Energy’s Small Business Vouchers Program Awards Vouches to Five Bioenergy Companies
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the Department of Energy’s Small Business Vouchers program awarded $8 million worth of research vouchers to 43 small businesses, of which five were related to bioenergy: Avatar Sustainable Technologies, Syracuse, New York Avatar Sustainable Technologies
August 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Open the Toolbox to Give Fuel Economy Rules a Chance
by Doug Durante (The Hill/Clean Fuels Development Coalition) ... The US Department of Energy just last week released a report that confirms the role of high octane and how it would meet automakers' needs for high efficiency, high compression engines. Among
August 23, 2016 Read Full Article
A Breakthrough in Algae Harvesting
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) One of the more perplexing problems of the advanced bioeconomy is getting algae out of the water or the water out of the algae. It simply isn’t a problem in traditional, land-based agriculture and most of
August 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Charting A Path for Sustainable Jet Fuels
by Zia Haq (U.S. Department of Energy) Renewable biofuel alternatives can help replace conventional petroleum-based jet fuel. -- New White House reportoutlines the federal government’s plans to lower the cost of alternative jet fuels. -- Bioenergy Technologies Office supports R&D of
August 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Faces a Terminal Challenge
by Ann Bailey (Ethanol Producer Magazine) NREL finds more infrastructure is needed for more ethanol and high-octane fuels. -- Changes to existing terminals will need to be made if higher octane fuels are added to the U.S. fuel supply, says Kristi Moriarty,
August 17, 2016 Read Full Article
DOE Joint Genome Institute Aims to Boost Use of More Yeasts
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In California, so far industry has only harnessed a fraction of the diversity available for biotechnological applications, including biofuel production. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team led by DOE Joint
August 17, 2016 Read Full Article
EPA Should Take Note of New DOE High Octane Fuels Research
by Tracy King (Renewable Fuels Association) For the past several years, the Department of Energy (DOE) has been quietly researching the benefits of ethanol-based High Octane Fuels (HOF), such as E25, E30 and E40. Now, some of DOE’s findings are
August 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Court Backs Obama’s Climate Change Accounting
by Timothy Cana (The Hill) A federal appeals court is upholding the Obama administration’s accounting of the costs of greenhouse gas emissions as applied to a Department of Energy (DOE) regulation. In a unanimous decision late Monday, the Chicago-based 7th Circuit
August 15, 2016 Read Full Article
The Renewable Fuel Standard: Working as Intended?
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) ... With a potential omnibus spending package on the table this fall, the oil industry and some environmental groups have raised again the proposition of RFS reform. Two major claims made by RFS-reformers are that biofuels,
August 12, 2016 Read Full Article
What’s DOE Doing about Feedstock Costs? The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to DOE’s Feedstock Programs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Is it just cost that bedevils industrial biotechnology in bringing fuels technologies to scale. Not just, says BETO program director Jonathan Male, who adds that a DOE “Tiger Team” indentified many other factors: What about these? Use
August 12, 2016 Read Full Article
In Pitting Biofuels against the Environment, Only Clear Winner Is Oil
by Jessie Stolark (The Hill/Environmental and Energy Study Institute) ... The total amount of U.S. land under production by American farmers is down-- not just over the last 50 or 100 years, but also over the last decade according to the U.S. Department of
August 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Growth Energy Urges US Authorities to Support Mid-Level Ethanol Blends
by Ilari Kauppila (Biofuels International) US lawmakers should recognise the potential of mid-level ethanol blends to contribute to the fight against greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from traffic, a US ethanol trade association says. Growth Energy is urging authorities to support high-octane mid-level
August 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Feedstocks for the Bioeconomy: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Behind the Scenes look at the Billion Ton Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Last month, the DOE released the first volume of its monumental two-volume update of the Billion Ton report, looking not only at the economics of biomass but also the environmental trade-offs associated with various approaches
August 09, 2016 Read Full Article
MEGA-BIO and the Three Amigos: DOE Hands Out $11.3M — Who for, and Whyfor?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the US Department of Energy announced up to $11.3 million for three projects that support the development of biomass-to-hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways that, as the DOE remarked, “can produce variable amounts of fuels
August 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Bentley Research Fellow Planning Algae Commercialization
by Joanna Howarth (Algae Industry Magazine) Thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Michael Walsh, a research fellow in Bentley University’s Center for Integration of Science and Industry, who holds a doctorate in biological and environmental engineering,
August 07, 2016 Read Full Article
U.S. Commerce Department Invests More Than $4 Million In Maine, Deploys Interagency Team To Help Strengthen State's Forest Economy
(U.S. Economic Development Administration) U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Matt Erskine today announced the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) will invest more than $4 million to help diversify and grow the Maine economy, which includes
August 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Oil and Natural Gas Production Jobs in May Were 26% Lower than in October 2014
(U.S. Energy Information Administration) Despite increases in crude oil prices since the start of the year, employment in oil and natural gas extraction and support activities continued declining from levels reached in the fall of 2014, just before the onset
August 05, 2016 Read Full Article
KiOR: The Inside True Story of a Company Gone Wrong. Part 3, “You’ve Cooked the Books”
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The company was beginning to hurtle towards an IPO. But the fuel yields were low; the fuel was not usable by their initial chosen downstream partner; the catalyst they were using to get even down
August 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Fast-Growth Cyanobacteria Gets Thumbs up from Scientists for Biofuels Production
(Biofuels International) Scientists from the US-based Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have discovered why the cyanobacteria called Synechococcus 7002 can produce high concentrations of biofuels. ... "These organisms are the major pathway for capturing solar energy and carbon dioxide on our planet,"
August 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Where’s the Gene Going? The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to the Joint Genome Institute
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Where’s the gene going? The Joint Genome Institute is asking the same question as it considers it future directions. JGI exists to advance energy and environmental science by providing access to state-of-the-art genomics capabilities in
August 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Energy Department Announces $11.3 Million for MEGA-BIO: Bioproducts To Enable Biofuels
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today up to $11.3 million for three projects that support the development of biomass-to-hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways that can produce variable amounts of fuels and/or products based on external
August 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Energy Department Announces $7 Million to Accelerate Fuel and Engine Co-Optimization Technologies
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S Department of Energy (DOE) announced today up to $7 million in project funding to accelerate the introduction of affordable, scalable, and sustainable high-performance fuels for use in high-efficiency, low-emission engines as part of the
August 01, 2016 Read Full Article
This Won’t Hurt a Bit, Tell Us All about Cellulosic Sugars, Lignin: DOE’s New RFI
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, U.S. Department of Energy is seeking input from industry, academia, national laboratories and other biofuels and bioproducts stakeholders to identify existing capabilities to produce lignocellulosic sugars and lignin for use by the research
July 27, 2016 Read Full Article
Insights About Green Jobs from Bioenergy 2016
by Janine Finnell (Advanced Biofuels USA/Leaders in Energy) I attended the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) “Bioenergy 2016: Mobilizing the Bioeconomy through Innovation” conference held in Washington DC from July 12-14, 2016. There were 17 breakout sessions on topics including bioenergy
July 26, 2016 Read Full Article
DOE to Fund Projects Combining Biofuel and Engine Research
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. Department of Energy has announced its intent to issue a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) entitled “Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines.” According to the DOE, the FOA will support the Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines
July 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Washington State’s Proposed Clean Air Rule Ignores Biofuels’ Climate Benefits
(Renewable Fuels Association) Washington state’s proposed Clean Air Rule (CAR) fails to recognize the climate benefits associated with biofuels and in fact penalizes their use, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) told the Washington Department of Ecology in comments submitted today
July 25, 2016 Read Full Article
CoOptima: Redesigning Engines, Fuels, Marketplace Strategies All at Once
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The initiative aims to accelerate the introduction of affordable, scalable, and sustainable biofuels and high-efficiency, low-emission vehicle engines. The simultaneous fuels and vehicles research and development (R&D) is designed to deliver maximum energy savings, emissions
July 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Crop Modeling Predicts Soil Carbon Increases
by Joanna Schroeder (Energy.AgWired.com) Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Argonne National Laboratory are using computational modeling to predict which counties in Illinois could see increases in soil organic carbon from crops such as switchgrass for biofuels. Increasing carbon
July 22, 2016 Read Full Article
2016 National Algal Biofuels Technology Review
(U.S. Department of Energy) Algae-based biofuels and bioproducts offer great promise in contributing to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office’s vision of a thriving and sustainable bioeconomy fueled by innovative technologies. The state of technology for producing
July 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Three Algae Companies Awarded $1 Million Each by the Energy Department
by Paul Mullen (Algae Biomass Organization) The Energy Department announced that they will be awarding 23 small businesses with $1 million each over the next two years to help the small businesses advance their concepts. Three algae companies were among
July 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Key Considerations for E85 and Other Ethanol Blend Infrastructure
(U.S. Department of Energy) What are the key considerations when installing ethanol equipment at a fueling station? For those new to ethanol fueling, installing the necessary infrastructure may be unchartered territory. From fuel specifications to dispensing regulations, the recently updated Handbook
July 21, 2016 Read Full Article
DOE Issues Report on Reducing Commercial Aviation GHG Emissions
by Katie Fletcher (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. DOE’s National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine recently released a report dedicated to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from commercial aviation, with the focus on large single- and twin-aisle planes that transport more
July 21, 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
Energy Department Grants $2.5M for Biorefinery Waste Use, Renewable Bioproduct Study
by Kathleen Phillips (AgriLife Today) The U.S. Department of Energy has granted $2.5 million for a Texas A&M AgriLife Research study to find ways to use biorefinery waste to make new, marketable products. “In the biorefinery field, we have a saying: You
July 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Biomass Feed Handling: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Idaho National Lab’s Case for innovation
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 agricultural residues. By finding ways
July 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Scientists in US State of Florida Develop Military Grade Aviation Biofuel
(Renewable Energy Magazine) A team of scientists at West Palm Beach, Florida-based Alliance BioEnergy Plus Inc.’s subsidiary Ek Laboratories have developed a pathway to produce JP-8, an advanced military grade aviation biofuel. ... The team is reportedly continuing to refine its cellulose
July 21, 2016 Read Full Article
The Front End: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to BETO’s Feedstock R&D Programs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What’s the Department of Energy working on with respect to feedstocks? The Bioenergy Technologies Office’s Alison Goss-Eng answered the question in this update, given at ABLC Feedstocks. In this deck, she looks at milestones ahead, programs, goals
July 20, 2016 Read Full Article
DOE Requests Information on Cellulosic Sugar and Lignin Production Capabilities--DE-FOA-0001615
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) seeks input from industry, academia, national laboratories, and other biofuels and bioproducts stakeholders to identify existing capabilities to produce lignocellulosic sugars
July 20, 2016 Read Full Article
Modeling Predicts which Counties Could Store More Carbon in Soil by Growing Bioenergy Crops
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 (DOE's) Argonne National Laboratory are
July 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Algae Production, Efficient and Consistent: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Global Algae Innovations
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Global Algae Innovations designs innovative technology to make algae production more efficient and consistent. This week, the DOE made a major award to a group led by GAI, including the University of California-San Diego, TSD Management Associates,
July 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Energy Department Announces $15 Million to Advance Algae-based Biofuels and Bioproducts
(U.S. Department of Energy) The Energy Department today announced up to $15 million for three projects aimed at reducing the production costs of algae-based biofuels and bioproducts through improvements in algal biomass yields. These projects will develop highly productive algal
July 19, 2016 Read Full Article
LePage’s Executive Order on Ethanol Is Fueled by Myths, and It’s a Win for Foreign Oil
By Rick Santorum (Americans for Energy Security and Innovation/Bangor Daily News) ... Energy security goes hand in hand with national security, and every barrel of oil we import from the Middle East and Venezuela puts more money in the pockets of
July 19, 2016 Read Full Article
CTS Process Continues To Expand Product Pathways With Advancement To Military Grade Jet Fuel JP-8, An Advanced Cellulosic Aviation Biofuel
(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 grain (DDG) and various other
July 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Hyundai And U.S. Department Of Energy Extend Fuel Cell Vehicle Loan Partnership In Concert With New D.C.-Based Hydrogen Fueling Station
(Fuel Cells Works) Latest, Phase II of current program prepares for rollout of fuel cell vehicles nationwide in near future -- Hyundai and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are extending their fuel cell vehicle confirmation program, originally from 2013
July 17, 2016 Read Full Article
US Department of Energy Gives up to $15m for Algae-Based Biofuels’ Projects
(Biofuels International) ... The three projects selected, located in California and Florida, will include multi-disciplinary partners to coordinate improvements from algal strain advancements through pre-processing technologies (harvesting, dewatering, and downstream processing) to biofuel intermediate in order to reduce the production costs
July 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Energy Department Awards $18 Million to Develop Valuable Bioproducts and Biofuels from Algae
(U.S. Department of Energy) The Energy Department today announced six projects that will receive up to $18 million in funding to reduce the modeled price of algae-based biofuels to less than $5 per gasoline gallon equivalent (gge) by 2019. This
July 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Manta Biofuel Awarded $1 Million from DOE
(Algae Industry Magazine) Manta Biofuel, of Bethesda, Maryland has won a $1 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy to further develop its algal technology. A member of Bethesda Green’s business incubator, Manta Biofuel LLC is a biotechnology firm that has developed
July 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Deliverance: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to the 2016 DOE Billion Ton Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week, the US Department of Energy released its 2016 Billion-Ton Report: Advancing Domestic Resources for a Thriving Bioeconomy, and said that 1.2 billion tons of biomass would be available at $40 or less per ton
July 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Grandson of Billion Ton: DOE Releases Radically Improved 2016 Billion Ton Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the US Department of Energy released its 2016 Billion-Ton Report: Advancing Domestic Resources for a Thriving Bioeconomy, and said that 1.2 billion tons of biomass would be available at $60 or less per ton by
July 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Transform the marketplace: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At the heart of the United States focus on bioenergy R&D is the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado — supporting feedstock development, bioconversion and understanding markets for new products. NREL’s Justin Sluiter gave this
July 15, 2016 Read Full Article
DOE Issues Update to Its Loan Guarantee Programs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Loan Program Office of the U.S. Department of Energy recently introduced a number of important updates to the Loan Guarantee Solicitation for Applications for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Projects as well as to
July 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Technologies Office Announces Notice of Intent for the Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines Initiative
(U.S. Department of Energy) The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Bioenergy Technology Office (BETO) and Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) entitled “Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines.” The
July 15, 2016 Read Full Article
New Understanding of One of Nature’s Best Biocatalysts for Biofuels Production
(U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science) Producing fuels from plants and other renewable sources requires breaking down the chemical cellulose; a major candidate to drive, or catalyze, this stubborn chemical is a ubiquitous microorganism called Clostridium thermocellum that works well in hot
July 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Release of the 2016 National Algal Biofuels Technology Review Charts Path Forward for Algae
by Alison Goss Eng (U.S. Department of Energy) Since the publication of the Energy Department’s pivotal 2010 National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap, there have been major advancements in the field of algal biofuels research and development. Today, we are announcing
July 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Thoughts at Bioenergy 2016: What Are We Doing Here?
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) The substance of the on-going US Department of Energy renewable energy-related conferences this week comes down to "How do we get customers to buy what we are making?" It's the question at the root
July 13, 2016 Read Full Article
Meet the US Farmers Turning Their Tobacco into Airplane Fuel
by Jodi Helmer (The Guardian) As the demand for tobacco declines in the US, farmers in Virginia are experimenting with turning the crop into viable biofuel -- ... One two-acre plot stands apart from the rest, its flavour and nicotine content
July 06, 2016 Read Full Article
US Signs Bio-Energy Research Pact with QUT
(Queensland University of Technology) A research partnership between QUT and a US National Laboratory aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop new ways of creating bio-energy from plant material. The biotechnology research partnership will bring together leading US and Australian
July 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Heat-Loving Microbe Engineered to Produce Bioalcohols for Fuel
(U.S. Department of Energy) Study reports first significant alcohol production by an archaeon. -- The U.S. bioethanol industry depends largely on turning a certain sugar into the simple two-carbon alcohol, the biofuel ethanol. Interest has increased around microorganisms that produce
July 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Better Understanding Could Lead to More Cost-Effective Production of Cellulosic Biofuels
(Phys.Org) Plant cell walls, which constitute the bulk of plant biomass, are diverse, complex, and dynamic in their structural composition and integrity. Cell walls are innately resistant to deconstruction by biological or chemical catalysts. This property is often referred to
July 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Closing the Loop: Ionic Liquids from Biomass Waste Could Pretreat Plants Destined for Biofuels
(U.S. Department of Energy) Recycling waste from biofuel production could lower cost for future biorefineries. -- Ionic liquids (ILs) have been shown to be an excellent pretreatment solvent for biomass; the ILs prepare the plant matter to be broken down into
July 01, 2016 Read Full Article
DOE Announces $16 Million for 54 Projects to Help Commercialize Promising Energy Technologies
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced nearly $16 million in funding to help businesses move promising energy technologies from DOE’s National Laboratories to the marketplace. This first Department-wide round of funding through the Technology
June 30, 2016 Read Full Article
2016 Billion-Ton Report Preview
(U.S. Department of Energy) Alison Goss Eng, of the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office, Tim Theiss, Laboratory Relationship Manager of the Bioenergy Technologies Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Tim Rials, Director of the Tennessee Forest Products
June 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Study Shows Trees with Altered Lignin Are Better for Biofuels
(Brookhaven National Laboratory) Fundamental enzyme study leads to increased access to bioenergy feedstocks and improves ethanol yield by modifying plant cell wall structures. Lignin is a natural component of plant cell walls, the scaffolding that surrounds each cell and plays a
June 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Letter: Don’t Believe Scare Tactics against Vehicular Use of Ethanol
by Robert Miller (TC Palm) ... The oil industry doesn't want ethanol to go away, but it doesn't want to give up any more market. It needs the low-cost oxygenate as refineries have been retooled to run more profitably by producing a
June 27, 2016 Read Full Article
They ♥ DME, Yeah Yeah Yeah: NREL, Enerkem Advance BIO-DME to Commercialization
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Poor DME. it burns like natural gas, handles like LPG, powers like diesel, and it’s as well-known as a good place for sewing machine repair in Burundi. San Diego-based Oberon Fuels has been the one consistent
June 27, 2016 Read Full Article
Water Gunks up Biofuels Production from Bio-Oils
(Phys.Org) A jar of bio-oil, an alternate “crude oil” for transportation fuels currently made from petroleum, is created by first rapidly heating plant matter in a process called pyrolysis. Scientists then use catalysts to remove oxygen and convert the pyrolysis oil
June 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Missing a Turn on the Road to a Billion Tons
by Corinne Young and Michele Jalbert (re:chem/Biofuels Digest) A Billion Ton Bioeconomy. For those of us who have worked in this space for the last decade, the US government’s aspiration to grow the sector to such size and scope is music
June 20, 2016 Read Full Article
The Library of Bioenergy Feedstocks: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Idaho National Lab’s Feedstock Repository and Tools
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 researchers and industry overcome challenges
June 20, 2016 Read Full Article
Hot Prospects for Chemicals from Biomass
by Terry Mazanec and KSL (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) A major theme of 21st Century industrial development will be replacement of fossil resources by renewable resources in the production of fuels and chemicals. Due to their massive scale and cost,
June 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Reconciling Food Security and Bioenergy: Priorities for Action
by Keith L. Kline, Siwa Msangi, Virginia H. Dale, Jeremy Woods, Glaucia M. Souza, Patricia Osseweijer, Joy S. Clancy, Jorge A. Hilbert, Francis X. Johnson, Patrick C. McDonnell, Harriet K. Mugera (Global Change Biology: Bioenergy) ... Understanding the nexus of food security, bioenergy sustainability, and resource management facilitates achievement of the 2030
June 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Expanding the Bioeconomy: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to Using the Billion Ton Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This analysis was presented by Jonny Rogers at ABLC Feedstocks 2016, and is the result of is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Energy, Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), National Laboratories, and various Agency
June 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Alliance BioEnergy Receives Independent Verification of Sugars Through CTS Processing of DDG, From Large Ethanol Producer
(Alliance BioEnergy Plus, Inc./Globe Newswire) Alliance BioEnergy Plus, Inc. (OTCQB:ALLM) (the "Company"), is pleased to announce that with the senior science officers of a large U.S. ethanol producer present, the CTS process produced fermentable sugars from Distillers Grain (DDG) as
June 14, 2016 Read Full Article
DOE Requests Information on Revolutionary Biomass Supply Systems Supporting a Billion-Ton Bioeconomy Vision
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) Feedstock Supply and Logistics Program is responsible for developing technologies to support Advanced Feedstock Supply Systems (AFSS) that
June 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Designing Tomorrow’s Fuels for Tomorrow’s Engines: DOE’s Co-Optima
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) Between June 6 and 10, the Department of Energy (DOE) held its Annual Merit Review (AMR) in Washington D.C. At the meeting, over 350 national lab activities were evaluated within the Vehicle and Fuel Cell
June 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Has Shifting to Renewable Energy Become 'Irreversible'?
by Jonathan H Harsch (Agri-Pulse) ... At the heart of the battle is whether it makes sense to transition from fossil fuels to renewables like biofuels, wind, and solar energy. At issue is the choice between steering new investment into renewables as
June 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Sorghum Checkoff Announces $500,000 Investment
(Sorghum Checkoff/Biomass Magazine) The Sorghum Checkoff recently announced a $500,000 investment in sorghum research, made at the inaugural Transportation Energy Resources from Renewable Agriculture (TERRA) program field day at the University of Arizona's Maricopa Agricultural Center in Maricopa, Arizona. This investment follows the
June 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Blasts EPA 'Hogwash'
by John Siciliano (Washington Examiner) The ethanol industry will lay into the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday for proposing a 2017 renewable fuel standard that it says is based on oil industry "hogwash." The industry also will threaten continued litigation if
June 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Could Fertilizer Use Negate the Climate Benefit of Cellulosic Biofuels?
(Michigan State University/AgProfessional.com) ... The study, conducted by the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and Michigan State University, found that using nitrogen fertilizer on switchgrass crops sharply increases the amount of nitrous oxide emitted. Switchgrass has been heralded as a significant
June 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee Notice For Solicitation Of Nominations
(Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee/Federal Register) Deadline for Technical Advisory Committee member nominations is June 30, 2016. The Biomass Research and Development Act of 2000 (Biomass Act) [Pub. L. 106-224] requires cooperation and coordination in biomass research and development
June 08, 2016 Read Full Article
How to Heal Broken Bonds, Catalyst Style
(Phys.Org) While popular catalysts called zeolites could help turn paper manufacturing waste and other biomass into fuel, the catalyst crumbles after just two days in hot water. And that's a problem because hot water is nearly ubiquitous in biofuel production.
June 08, 2016 Read Full Article
DOE: 2016 BioenergizeME Infographic Challenge Winners Crowned
(U.S. Department of Energy/Biomass Magazine) The winner of the 2016 BioenergizeME Infographic Challenge was announced during a special awards ceremony on May 11 by Jonathan Male, Director of the Bioenergy Technologies Office. The winning infographic entitled “Cellulosic Ethanol: Fueling the Future,” was
June 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Sorghum Checkoff Announces $500,000 Investment
by Jennifer Blackburn (United Sorghum Checkoff Program/MyPlainView.com) The Sorghum Checkoff announced Thursday a $500,000 investment in sorghum research, made at the inaugural Transportation Energy Resources from Renewable Agriculture (TERRA) program field day at the University of Arizona's Maricopa Agricultural Center in
June 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Of Sausage-Making, DC and Bioenergy Budgets
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The signals coming out of Washington DC are so confusing, you might be wondering if there’s going to be a budget for the US Department of Energy for the fiscal year starting this October. ... Meanwhile, the DOE’s
June 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels Are Proven Winners - But Still Get No Respect
by Jonathan H Harsch (AgriPulse) The 2017 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) proposed by EPA disappointed both biofuels and fossil fuels advocates. That's because EPA set next year's mandate for corn ethanol at 14.8 billion gallons - 200 million gallons below the level
June 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol And Octane For Beginners
(Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) Ethanol is often talked about as a high-octane fuel. But not everyone has a clear understanding of octane and how it affects the performance of their cars. So let's start right at the beginning : what is
June 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Argonne Launches First Tech Incubator
(Argonne National Laboratory) Developing transformative energy technologies and cleaner manufacturing processes and new materials requires more than a great idea and some committed people. It takes an innovation ecosystem. To meet this challenge, the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy
June 01, 2016 Read Full Article
The SynBio Foundry: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Ames National Lab, Argonne National Lab, Idaho National Lab, Los Alamos National Lab, the National Renewable Energy Lab, Oak Ridge National Lab, Pacific Northwest National Lab, and Sandia National Lab seek
May 27, 2016 Read Full Article
CAAFI Celebrates 10th Anniversary!
(Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative) We are proud to announce the 10th Anniversary of the initiation of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) as of May 24, 2016, and more importantly, to reflect on the success we’ve achieved to date,
May 27, 2016 Read Full Article
Whatever Happened to Advanced Biofuels?
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 biofuel refinery's location right next
May 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Why Does Biology Take so Long to Make Commercial Products? A Job for BOB
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... (W)hy is so biology so challenging? -- “It’s partly how we have done it. We sort through the research, then we design, and then we spend a lot of time in the lab pipetting
May 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Solving the Biomass Puzzle
(Ames Laboratory) Biomass holds great promise as a petroleum replacement, but unlocking its true potential remains a puzzle. A group of researchers at Iowa State University and the U.S Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory hope to develop the pieces of
May 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Scientists Agree, Biodiesel A Key to Global Carbon Reduction
(National Biodiesel Board/PR NewsWire) World's experts advance the science of quantifying transportation emissions -- Scientific experts agree that America's Advanced Biofuel, biodiesel, holds significant promise in the effort to reduce carbon emissions. Last year, biodiesel use in the U.S. cut