(GreenAir Online) A recent high-level conference hosted by the Dutch government focused on the potential of synthetic aviation fuels, also called power-to-liquid (PtL) or e-fuels, to significantly lower the aviation sector’s carbon footprint (see article). The Minister of Infrastructure and Water
electrofuels (e-fuels)
Back TO HOMEA.P. Moller - Maersk Will Operate the World’s First Carbon Neutral Liner Vessel by 2023 – Seven Years ahead of Schedule
(Maersk) Fast-tracked by advances in technology and increasing customer demand for sustainable supply chains, A.P. Moller - Maersk accelerates the efforts to decarbonise marine operations with the launch of the world’s first carbon neutral liner vessel in 2023 - seven
February 18, 2021 Read Full Article
VTT, Neste et al in Search for E-Fuels Breakthrough
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Finland, a partnership led by VTT and Neste aimed at using sustainable electricity and sequestered carbon dioxide to make fuels received €3.3M (about $4 million USD) in funding from Business Finland. Altogether, EUR 6
February 16, 2021 Read Full Article
Neste’s Veturi Partner Programme to Commercialize E-Fuels
(Neste) The e-fuel research project related to Neste’s Veturi programme was launched in January 2021. Headed by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the project brings together fifteen partners to engage in R&D cooperation with the goal of large-scale production and
February 11, 2021 Read Full Article
World First in the Netherlands by KLM, Shell and Dutch Ministry for Infrastructure and Water Management: First Passenger Flight Performed with Sustainable Synthetic Kerosene
(KLM) For the first time worldwide, a passenger flight partly flown on sustainably produced synthetic kerosene, was carried out in The Netherlands. This was announced today during the international conference on Synthetic Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) in The Hague. Shell,
February 09, 2021 Read Full Article
Toyo and Velocys Execute a Collaboration Agreement Producing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Other renewable fuels in Japan
(Velocys) Velocys plc (VLS.L), the sustainable fuels technology company, is pleased to announce the signing of a collaboration agreement with Toyo Engineering Corporation (Toyo) to start the development of their commercial projects to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and other renewable
February 09, 2021 Read Full Article
Future Fuels Change the Balance of Power
by Chris Edwards (Engineering and Technology) Renewables may actually keep carbon fuels going for decades to come, but a new group of energy-rich countries will emerge. -- ... The question is what these new vehicles will use instead. For
February 04, 2021 Read Full Article
EU’s Sustainable Transport Strategy Backed by EWABA
(Biofuels International) EWABA has welcomed the EU Commission’s adoption of the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. This document puts forward the Commission’s ambitious vision to decarbonise the transport sector as new legislative laws come into force in the coming year
December 24, 2020 Read Full Article
The Green Hydrogen Catapult Aims for $2/kg H2 and Needs $110 Billion, If You’ve Any to Spare
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From Europe comes news that major hydrogen project developers including ACWA Power, CWP Renewables, Envision, Iberdrola, Ørsted, Snam, and Yara have joined hands to scale-up green hydrogen production 50-fold in 6 years in a bid to
December 10, 2020 Read Full Article
Biofuels Contribute Most to Climate Impact Reduction Now: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to IEA Bioenergy’s Latest Report on Renewable Transport Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) You may have seen that IEA Bioenergy released its new report on the role of renewable transport fuels in decarbonizing road transport. The analysis considered developments up to 2050, based on national policies, projections of the
December 07, 2020 Read Full Article
Porsche and Siemens Energy, with Partners, Advance Climate-Neutral eFuels Development
(Porsche) Porsche, Siemens Energy and a lineup of international companies are developing and implementing a pilot project in Chile that is expected to yield the world’s first integrated, commercial, industrial-scale plant for making synthetic climate-neutral fuels (eFuels). In the pilot phase,
December 03, 2020 Read Full Article
Is the Future Diesel-Free? 7 Hard Questions about Diesel, Biofuels and ICEs
by Samuel Morgan (Neste) The whole transport industry agrees on the need to decarbonize traffic fast. However, there’s confusion on what that means for diesel, renewable diesel and the internal combustion engine. Are their days numbered? Questions answered: How long will diesel
December 02, 2020 Read Full Article
EU Aviation Sector Calls for Policy Support and Investment to Help Achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2050
(GreenAir Online) Over 20 European aviation and travel associations have called for a joint commitment between industry and policymakers to achieve net zero CO2 emissions from all flights within and departing from the EU by 2050. As signatories to an ‘Aviation Round
November 20, 2020 Read Full Article
Top 5: Solar Costs Are Dropping. How Does It Impact Fuels?
by Tammy Klein (Future Fuel Strategies) ... Items I selected this month include: • Solar Costs Declining Quickly: More quickly than even the IEA has projected. That will have consequences in transport that includes cheaper EV charging, green hydrogen and electrofuels.
October 29, 2020 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels, Avoiding a Second Missed Opportunity
by Kyriakos Maniatis, Lars Waldheim, Ingvar Landälv, Eric van den Heuvel and Stamatis Kalligeros (Subgroup on Advanced Biofuels (SGAB)/EurActiv) The recast of the Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) marks the first time that a European Directive needs to be significantly amended just
October 29, 2020 Read Full Article
Porsche Researches Synthetic Fuels
(Porsche) Although synthetic fuels are considered a realistic alternative to make car traffic more climate-friendly, availability is poor. Porsche wants to change this. “With electricity alone, you can't move forward fast enough,” says Michael Steiner, who is in charge of
October 14, 2020 Read Full Article
ANL Releases 2020 Updates to GREET Models
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Argonne National Laboratory’s Systems Assessment Center on Oct. 9 announced the 2020 release of the suite of Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies (GREET) models. GREET is a life-cycle analysis tool that can
October 13, 2020 Read Full Article
We Won’t Get There without Sustainable Biofuels
by David Chiaramonti and Giacomo Talluri (EurActiv/Polytechnic of Turin/ART Fuels) ... A review of more than 40 sectorial forecast scenarios, conducted by the Research Consortium for R&D (RE-CORD), found consensus on two main facts: sustainable biofuels will still play a fundamental
July 17, 2020 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuel from Carbon Dioxide with the Aid of Solar Energy
(Linköping University/EurekAlert!) Researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, are attempting to convert carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, to fuel using energy from sunlight. Recent results have shown that it is possible to use their technique to selectively produce methane, carbon monoxide or
June 10, 2020 Read Full Article
Biofuels Production and Consumption in Germany: Status, Advances and Challenges
by Franziska Müller-Langer, Nicolaus Dahmen and Gabriel Costa de Paiva (Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum/Karlsruhe Institute of Technology/IEA Bioenergy) ... This feature article summarizes the current status of transport sector biofuels in Germany including major policy drivers, decarbonization strategies and initiatives as well
May 29, 2020 Read Full Article
Making Commodity Chemicals Requires Fossil Fuels. New Devices Could Do It with Renewables
by Robert F. Service (Science Magazine) As windmills and solar panels multiply, the supply of renewable electricity sometimes exceeds demand. Chemists would like to put the excess to work making commodity chemicals, such as the raw materials for fertilizer and plastics,
May 11, 2020 Read Full Article
Methanol as a “Future-Proof” Fuel
by Tammy Klein (Future Fuels Strategies) ... Recently, I wrote a primer for the Methanol Institute entitled, Methanol: A Future-Proof Fuel. Polygeneration, the ability to scale efficiently and cost-effectively, its versatility in so many products and applications including transportation fuels, its
April 03, 2020 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Retrofits for Europe’s Industry – Handbook Published
(Netzwerk Biotreibstoffe) The BIOFIT consortium has now published a handbook on “Technical options for retrofitting industries with bioenergy”. The handbook includes arguments for retrofitting, describes the retrofitting process and its impact on public perception, summarizes the European biomass potential and logistics
April 01, 2020 Read Full Article
Sustainable Synthetic Carbon Based Fuels for Transport
(The Royal Society) The need to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from all human activities has never been clearer. One area requiring urgent action is the transition from the use of fossil fuels for transport. Whilst the decarbonisation of electricity
January 30, 2020 Read Full Article
The New Carbon Economy: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Waste Carbon Utilization and Management
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Electrification and batteries can’t remove the need for carbon,and a more sustainable economy is not a low-carbon economy as much as it will be a renewable carbon based economy, according to Ian Rowe, Technology Manager at
January 27, 2020 Read Full Article
SUN-to-LIQUID - Renewable Transportation Fuels from Solar Energy
(SUN-to-LIQUID) The SUN-to-LIQUID project develops an alternative fuel technology that promises unlimited renewable transportation fuel supply from water, CO2 and concentrated sunlight. The project, which is funded by the EU and Switzerland, can have important implications for the transportation sectors, especially for
January 15, 2020 Read Full Article
Decoupled Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting System for Centralized Hydrogen Production
by Avigail Landman, Rawan Halabi, Paula Dias, Hen Dotan, Alex Mehlmann, Gennady E. Shter, Manar Halabi, Omayer Naseraldeen, Adélio Mendes, Gideon S. Grader and Avner Rothschild (Joule) H 2 collection from distributed cells presents a critical challenge for PEC water
January 09, 2020 Read Full Article
Sustainable Fuels for Logistics: Deutsche Post DHL Group Sees Mass Market Potential for Synthetic Fuels in Five to Ten Years
(Deutsche Post DHL Group) Over the next 10 to 20 years, sustainable fuels will play a critical role in efforts to reduce the impact of transport on the climate. This white paper offers an overview of the current discussion surrounding
December 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Biofuels Production and Consumption in Denmark: Status, Advances and Challenges
by Sune Tjalfe Thomsen and Henning Jørgensen (IEA Bioenergy Task 39 Newsletter) 1. Status of transportation biofuel industry in Denmark -- In Denmark, a considerable part of the total energy demand is derived from renewable sources. In 2017, 26% of
December 06, 2019 Read Full Article
The Long Haul to Getting Aviation Biofuel off the Ground
by Angeli Mehta (Ethical Corporation) With the IPCC warning against growing crops for fuel, Angeli Mehta reports on how LanzaTech, SkyNRG and Velocys are trying to get the next generation of aviation biofuels to scale The first flight using a blend of
November 05, 2019 Read Full Article
New Study Compares Potential of Different Decarbonisation Options in Road Transport
(VTT) Sustainable fuels could play an important role in reducing transport emissions even as electric vehicles become cheaper says a new study from VTT and the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. While electric vehicles are becoming cheaper, sustainable fuels could
October 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Synthetic Fuels Could Shrink Carbon Footprint
by Vicky Just (University of Bath/Phys.org) Synthetic fuels, made using carbon captured from the air, farm waste or biomass, could help the transport sector reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and meet "net-zero" greenhouse gas emission goals. A policy briefing by the
October 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Alternative Fuel Technologies Can Bridge the Gap
(Energy Transition Outlook 2019/DNV-GL) ... It is important to find technically feasible and cost-effective solutions for the deep-sea segment, accounting for more than 80% of world fleet CO2 emissions. Currently, the only technically applicable alternatives for this are liquefied natural gas
September 12, 2019 Read Full Article
How Floating Solar Farms Could Make Fuel and Help Solve the Climate Crisis
by Denise Chow (NBC News) "Solar methanol islands” could curb our reliance on fossil fuels that belch harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. -- Huge solar farms floating in the ocean could be used to convert carbon dioxide in seawater into methanol,
August 16, 2019 Read Full Article
Solar Energy Becomes Biofuel without Solar Cells
(Uppsala University/Science Codex) Soon we will be able to replace fossil fuels with a carbon-neutral product created from solar energy, carbon dioxide and water. Researchers at Uppsala University have successfully produced microorganisms that can efficiently produce the alcohol butanol using carbon
August 01, 2019 Read Full Article
SoCalGas Partners Develop RNG and Hydrogen Conversion Technology
by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) ... Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), in collaboration with a number of partners, held a public exhibition of projects to help California achieve greenhouse-gas (GHG) emission reductions. The California utility held the event at the San
July 02, 2019 Read Full Article
European Research Project Claims Breakthrough in Production of Renewable Jet Fuels from Sunlight
(GreenAir Online) A project funded by the EU and Switzerland claims to have made a breakthrough in producing renewable jet kerosene from sunlight, water and CO2. The SUN-to-LIQUID project follows on from an earlier project, SOLAR-JET, that developed the technology to
June 28, 2019 Read Full Article
Experts Secure £200,000 from the Department for Transport for Research into Greener Travel
(Loughborough University) Loughborough University has been awarded £200,000 for two projects which aim to make the transport sector more environmentally friendly. Dr Jin Xuan, a Senior Lecturer in Low Carbon Processes, Dr Tanja Radu, a Lecturer in Water Engineering, and Dr Jonathan Wagner, a
May 09, 2019 Read Full Article
Record Solar Hydrogen Production with Concentrated Sunlight
(EPFL) EPFL researchers have created a smart device capable of producing large amounts of clean hydrogen. By concentrating sunlight, their device uses a smaller amount of the rare, costly materials that are required to produce hydrogen, yet it still maintains a
May 08, 2019 Read Full Article
Solar Fuel Turns to Plants for Inspiration
(European Commission) An 'artificial leaf' being developed by EU-funded researchers to produce fuel from sunlight, carbon dioxide and water, could tackle soaring global energy demands, the growing impact of climate change, and dwindling supplies of fossil fuels. -- Developing new sources of
April 30, 2019 Read Full Article
LR and UMAS Release New ‘Zero-Emission Vessels Transition Pathways’ Study.
(Lloyd's Register) A study that examines three key energy pathways to help identify the actions required for the shipping industry to transition to a zero-carbon future by 2050. -- Today, Lloyd’s Register (LR) and University Maritime Advisory Services (UMAS) have released ‘Zero-Emission
January 31, 2019 Read Full Article
Setting European Aviation on a Pathway to Decarbonisation by 2050
(GreenAir Online) A new study, one of the first, examines whether a credible pathway to zero or near zero emissions exists for European aviation. The report, published by Transport & Environment (T&E), looks at flights within and departing Europe thus matching
December 03, 2018 Read Full Article
Harvesting Solar Fuels through a Bacterium’s Unusual Appetite for Gold
by Theresa Duque (University of California Berkeley) A bacterium named Moorella thermoacetica won’t work for free. But UC Berkeley researchers have figured out it has an appetite for gold. And in exchange for this special treat, the bacterium has revealed a more
October 10, 2018 Read Full Article
On the Origin of the Elusive First Intermediate of CO2 Electroreduction
by Irina V. Chernyshova, Ponisseril Somasundaran and Sathish Ponnurangam (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) The understanding of a catalytic reaction starts with understanding its first elementary step. Surprisingly, despite the large number of studies, it is unclear whether one
September 20, 2018 Read Full Article
New Approach Derives Hydrogen from Algae
by Elizabeth Montalbano (Design News) Researchers at the University of Turku in Finland have discovered a novel way to develop biofuel from green algae. -- ...One of the most promising alternatives has been molecular hydrogen, which provides carbon-free power in one of the
August 08, 2018 Read Full Article
Carbon Capture, Solar Fuels, Fossil Bubble
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Spain, BIOCON-CO2, a new €7 million EU Horizon 2020-funded research project, has recently kicked-off with intentions of supporting EU leadership in carbon dioxide (CO2) re-use technologies. BIOCON-CO2 aims to re-use excess CO2 produced from the iron, steel,
August 01, 2018 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK -- Michael Tamor
A recent Biofuels Digest article noted that Michael Tamor, a Henry Ford Technical Fellow at Ford, at a recent DOE Bioeconomy event in Washington observed that at least double our current electrical power capacity will be required to be able
June 08, 2018 Read Full Article
Solar Fuels Come Nearer: Direct-from-Air CO2 Capture Cost Drops below $100/Ton Threshold
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A technology for direct air capture of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, with a cost that “fully burdened with interest on capital, ranges from 94 to 232 $/t-CO2 depending on financial assumptions, energy prices, and the
June 08, 2018 Read Full Article
Ethanol's Next Breakthrough? Turning Greenhouse Gas into Fuel.
by Kevin Hardy (Des Moines Register) ... Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory unintentionally uncovered a process that uses tiny bits of carbon and copper to convert the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into ethanol fuel. While the research remains in its preliminary phase, it could
February 05, 2018 Read Full Article
E-fuels Technologies in European Transport’s Future
(Netzwerk Biotreibstoffe) According to a report by Cerulogy for T&E, e-fuels only have meaningful climate benefits if strict sustainability criteria are observed throughout the production process. Renewable e-fuels can have low greenhouse gas intensities, lower environmental risk than biofuel production, could
December 14, 2017 Read Full Article
Heat Death: Joule Unlimited Collapses as Oil Prices Flag, Time Passes, Pressure Mounts
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) One of the more striking outcomes from the DOE Bioeconomy 2017 conference in Washington DC was confirmation of the demise of Joule Unlimited. “We had a lot of prospects last year,” former CEO Brian Baynes
July 19, 2017 Read Full Article
Biofuels beyond Corn: The Pathway from CO2, Water and Electricity to Liquid Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... There’s been the cellulosic wave, then waste — and alongside there has been steady progress in what are known as the electrofuels. These are fuels made directly from CO2, water and either sunlight or electricity.
July 05, 2017 Read Full Article
From Sun to Pump: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Direct Photosynthetic Production of Biodiesel
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Arizona State’s Wim Vermaas gave this illuminating overview of Direct Photosynthetic Production of Biodiesel by Decoupled Cyanobacteria at the 2017 DOE Project Peer Review sessions. READ MORE
June 21, 2017 Read Full Article
Fuels from Thin Air: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Soletair Technology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Soletair process, developed by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Lappeenranta University of Technology, is using carbon dioxide and solar power to produce renewable fuels and chemicals and has reached an end-to-end small
June 13, 2017 Read Full Article
CO2 Capture for Use: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Antecy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Capturing and concentrate (ambient) CO2 at low prices for direct use and production of fuels and chemicals, using solar or wind energy. That’s Antecy. With the help of an organic, non-amine sorbent, ANTECY turns the negative
November 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Joule Unlimited: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Joule is advancing a production platform for Liquid Fuel from the Sun, expected to eclipse the scale, productivity and cost efficiency of any known alternative to fossil fuel today. Its transformative Helioculture platform directly and
October 24, 2016 Read Full Article
WikiLeaks Emails Show How Clinton’s Campaign Chief Once Opened Doors for Energy Firm
by Kevin G. Hall (McClatchyDC) Hillary Clinton’s campaign chief once opened doors at home and abroad for an alternative energy firm whose investors include a Vladimir Putin-supported Russian company. These ties were highlighted last week when Donald Trump’s campaign alleged that
October 20, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels International 2016: Industry Experts Outline 2030 EU Biofuels Vision
by Liz Gyekye (Biofuels International) Industry experts have outlined their 2030 biofuels vision at the 9th Biofuels International Conference. By 2020, the EU aims to have 10% of the transport fuel of every EU country come from renewable sources such as
September 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Inexpensive Semiconducting Organic Polymers Can Harvest Sunlight to Split Carbon Dioxide into Alcohol Fuels
by Louisa Kellie (Phys.Org) Chemists at The University of Texas at Arlington have been the first to demonstrate that an organic semiconductor polymer called polyaniline is a promising photocathode material for the conversion of carbon dioxide into alcohol fuels without
September 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Burning “Liquid Sunlight” Instead of Fossil Fuels Is Getting Closer to Reality
by David Roberts (Vox) ... However, some uses of energy are not easy to electrify in the short term, maybe even in the long term. They rely on energy-dense liquid fuels. So if we're ever going to get to net zero emissions,
June 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Liquid Fuel from the Sun: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to Joule Unlimited
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Joule is advancing a production platform for Liquid Fuel from the Sun, expected to eclipse the scale, productivity and cost efficiency of any known alternative to fossil fuel today. Its transformative Helioculture platform directly and
May 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Is It the perfect Energy Solution? Where Solar, Carbon Capture and Bio Collide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) One of these days your personal transportation system might look like this. A solar or wind energy facility generates renewable electricity, which is converted into a solar fuel using electrofuel technology that converts CO2 and
March 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Joule Unlimited: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Joule is advancing a production platform for Liquid Fuel from the Sun, expected to eclipse the scale, productivity and cost efficiency of any known alternative to fossil fuel today. Its transformative Helioculture platform directly and
January 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels Company Industrializes Photosynthesis
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) For eight years, Joule has been working under the radar to develop and commercialize its CO2-to-fuel technology. -- When it comes to ethanol production volumes per acre of land, Joule's Helioculture technology leaves all
January 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Electrofuels Update: Patent Granted for CO2-to-Gasoline Process
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Maryland, the US Patent and Trademark Office issued patent number 9,217,161for a process to ferment biomass or gases directly to hydrocarbons like hexane and octane. The process belongs to the electrofuels family — technologies
December 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Joule Unlimited: The Digest’s 2015 Visual Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For a number of years, readers all over the world have been following the fortunes of Joule Unlimited, in and out of stealth, and its goal of making hydrocarbons directly from CO2, sunlight and water
October 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Tailpipe to Tank
by Robert F. Service (Science Magazine) Stuart Licht has designed the ultimate recycling machine. The solar reactor that he and colleagues built in his lab at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., takes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere—a byproduct of
September 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Conjuring Chemical Cornucopias out of Thin Air
by Robert F. Service (Science Magazine) Liquid fuels aren't the only things made from oil. Chemical companies start with oil to make thousands of different products, including plastics and pharmaceuticals. Most of these other commodities are worth more than fuels. So
September 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Solar Fuels: Making Hydrocarbon Fuels Directly from CO2 and Sunlight
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Drop-in Hydrocarbon fuels made directly by plants? Here. we look at the science and risks of turning an “ability” into an “industrial reality”. It’s common knowledge that terrestrial plants (and many aquatic species) use carbon dioxide,
July 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Joule Wins Key Patent for Direct Conversion of CO2 to Hydrocarbon Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, Joule, the pioneer of liquid fuels from recycled CO2, announced the issuance of an additional patent on the direct, continuous production of hydrocarbon fuels – extending its ability to target the highest-value molecules
June 17, 2015 Read Full Article
8 Hot Targets in Advanced Bioeconomy R&D
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Fuels, chemicals, pathways, and microbes that could shake it all up ... (H)ere are 8 Hot Targets that we can point to that could be game-changers in the world of making fuels, chemicals and biomaterials from
May 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Ethanol Evil No More?
by Kelly Taylor (Chronicle Herald) ... Still, ethanol does have some advantages, including lower net greenhouse gas emissions due to its recycling of carbon-dioxide emitted by today’s plants (or factories), as opposed to oil, which is releasing the CO2 of plants
May 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Joule Raises $40M, as “Fuel from Thin Air” Preps for Commercial Scale in 2017.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, the remarkable journey of Joule Unlimited towards commercial-scale continued to add exciting chapters with the news that the company has closed on $40 million in private equity and venture debt financing, supporting
May 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Oman Has Good Prospects for Microalgal Biofuel Production
by Santhosh Muthalath (Oman Observer) The production of liquid fuels from biological material or ‘biomass’ is gaining popularity across the world. Factors such as climate change, rising fuel prices, political instability and depletion of petroleum resources are some of the
December 15, 2014 Read Full Article
All I Need is the Air That I Breathed: Microbial Dairies Using CO2, Sunlight and Water
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Take CO2, add water and an energy source: voila, Fuels & Chemicals from Microbial Dairies. We revisit 3 top practitioners of the art and one outlier, and their progress. ... There are a number of technologies based on
December 05, 2014 Read Full Article
New Audi E-Fuels Project: E-Diesel from Air, Water and Green Electricity
(Audi) New Audi activity in the development of CO2-neutral fuels; Pilot plant for e-diesel production opened in Dresden; Audi partnership with Climeworks and sunfire Audi is active in the development of CO2-neutral, synthetic fuels. The latest project is a pilot plant in Dresden
November 26, 2014 Read Full Article
Biofuel Survivor Joule Lands New CEO, Plans Larger CO2-to-Fuel Plants
by Martin LaMonica (Xconomy) The list of advanced biofuel companies that failed to live up to their ambitions is long and discouraging. Joule Unlimited, though, appears to be making progress despite the headwinds of skeptical investors and, more recently, falling oil
November 21, 2014 Read Full Article
Solar Fuels: How Close, How Real?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Could a liquid fuel technology emerge that connects solar PV to the efficiency of electric engines — but, this time with long driving range and near-instant refueling instead of laborious recharging? And, could the liquid fuel
July 17, 2014 Read Full Article
Seeking Delta: Biofuels, Algae, Natgas, CO2 and the Finding of True Value
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... “What you really are in the business of,” Aemetis CEO Eric McAfee reflects, “is capturing the arbitrage between the commodity price of your most expensive feedstock — and the price of your finished molecule plus
September 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Fueled vs Electric Cars: The Great Race Begins
Thomas Blakeslee (Renewable Energy World) ...Though solar electric is the clear winner based on land use, biofuels are still in the race (particularly if commercial scale) designer algae becomes a reality. Biofuels have a gigantic advantage in remote areas because
September 04, 2013 Read Full Article
Water + Sunshine = Fuel as Lab in California Chases Dream: Cars
by Alan Ohnsman (Bloomberg) ...Mimicking the way plants turn sunlight and carbon dioxide in the air into energy and oxygen, the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis at the California Institute of Technology is in a race to trump nature and slow global
August 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels’ 10 Scariest Challenges: Part 2 of 2
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Upstream, downstream, processing, policy, finance – opportunities and challenges abound in the bioeconomy – but which challenges are the most intractable and daunting of them all? In today’s part 2, #5 through #1. 5. The blend
August 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Quantum Dots: a New Nanohighway to Renewable Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Using just CO2, sunlight and water – and some math right off Einsteins’ blackboard — researchers come up with a potential game-changing technology for making renewable fuels. The National Science Foundation’s division of Emerging Frontiers in
August 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Can Electrofuels and Electrosugars Save the Day?
Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Is the ultimate industrial fuel system going to be based on electricity, waste CO2 and brackish water – to return society to the days of energy abundance? It will take a mighty production microorganism, but R&D
May 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Go Wet, Young Friend
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...One of the perplexities of our time: why solar systems are so photon-efficient and so troubled in energy storage; conversely, how biomass systems are so photon-inefficient yet have magnificently dense energy storage options via fats
April 05, 2013 Read Full Article
University of Georgia Discovery May Allow Scientists to Make Fuel from CO2 in the Atmosphere
by James Hataway (University of Georgia) Excess carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere created by the widespread burning of fossil fuels is the major driving force of global climate change, and researchers the world over are looking for new ways
March 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Game-Changers: Could Electrofuel Euphoria Exceed Natural Gas Glee?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The first patent issued out of ARPA-E’s electrofuels program suggests that this technology class is heading for the short-list of “next big thing” in energy conversations. ...Or, that participants were aware of the fast-spreading meme that
December 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Burning Man, Burning Microbe: Biofuels beyond Biomass
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Are they biofuels? We think so – even if they are post-biomass. They do what organisms have done for eons to make biomass in the first place: convert lifeless CO2, sunlight and water and nutrients
October 15, 2012 Read Full Article
Which Biofuels Hold the Most Promise for the Future - Interview with Jim Lane
by James Stafford (Oilprice.com) Following record droughts across the United States the benefits of the ethanol subsidy were once again hotly debated and biofuels in general found themselves generating quite a few unflattering headlines. But as always the mainstream media
October 14, 2012 Read Full Article
Joule Commissions First SunSprings Plant to Demonstrate Commercial Readiness for Solar Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, Joule announced the commissioning of its first SunSprings demonstration plant in Hobbs, New Mexico, where the company will prove its scalable platform for solar fuel production – the first of its kind –
September 12, 2012 Read Full Article
Dating Your Feedstock and Never Marrying: The 6 Hottest Ways to Alleviate Food vs Fuel
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) With the US drought, food vs fuel has returned as an issue. What alternatives are scientists, entrepreneurs developing to take us beyond the old debate? ...1. Feedstock diversification. In biofuels, it is more talked about –
August 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Natural Gas and Electrofuels: One-Stop Shopping for Energy Independence
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Fewer people know that natural gas is a platform for producing ethanol – either through fermentation or catalytic conversion (typically via methanol) – and drop-in fuels using the methanol-to-gasoline method pioneered years ago by ExxonMobil
August 08, 2012 Read Full Article
How Joule May Turn Biofuels Upside Down
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...But some of the most interesting work being done today at Joule Unlimited is of the “Don’t Bee” type: progressively knocking out characteristics and pathways that create limitations on biofuels production: “Don’t BEE a naughty
July 20, 2012 Read Full Article
Innovative Pilot and Demonstration Scale Production of Advanced Biofuels
(US Department of Energy) The intent of this FOA is to identify, evaluate, and select innovative pilot- or demonstration-scale integrated biorefineries that can produce hydrocarbon fuels that meet military specifications for JP-5 (jet fuel primarily for the Navy), JP-8 (jet
July 20, 2012 Read Full Article
Biological Switch Paves Way for Improved Biofuel Production
(PhysOrg) Scientists from Queen Mary, University of London have discovered a mechanism that controls the way that organisms breathe or photosynthesise, potentially paving the way for improved biofuel production. READ MORE and MORE (EarthSky.org) Abstract
July 18, 2012 Read Full Article
From Soil Microbe to Super-Efficient Biofuel Factory?
by Dan Krotz (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Berkeley Lab-led team explores a way to create biofuels, minus the photosynthesis Is there a new path to biofuels hiding in a handful of dirt? Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) biologist Steve Singer leads
May 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Electricity From Liquid Fuel? UCLA Researchers Say Yes
(AOL Energy) Researchers at UCLA say they have come up with a method for converting electrical energy into a liquid fuel, in a development that could lead to regular petrol cars being powered by electricity. The process, which uses carbon dioxide (CO2) as
April 23, 2012 Read Full Article
Tom Murphy Interview: Resource Depletion is a Bigger Threat than Climate Change
by James Stafford (OilPrice.com) Rising geopolitical tensions and high oil prices are continuing to help renewable energy find favour amongst investors and politicians. Yet how much faith should we place in renewables to make up the shortfall in fossil fuels?
March 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Synthetic Fuel Firm Targets International Adoption
by Bob Brooks (Automotive Industries) Possibly the most innovative new synthetic fuel, developed by privately financed Joule Unlimited, has proven the cost effectiveness of its system during 18 months at a pilot plant in Arizona. It is now under way
March 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Hemingway’s Cats and Tobacco Road
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) New ideas on growing hydrocarbons directly in the field tap ancient ideas of agriculture, and ancient capabilities trapped deep in the genome ...A good part of the work of modern genetics is to uncover the existing
February 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy Requests Industry Comment on Future Funding Solicitations Totaling More than $100 Million
(Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati) The Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) recently released three Requests for Information (RFIs) related to more than $100 million in anticipated future funding opportunities. The RFIs encourage input from private industry regarding
February 23, 2012 Read Full Article
US Loses $10.4 Million After Failures in Clean-Energy Research
by Brian Wingfield (Bloomberg) The United States lost $10.4 million on six clean-energy projects, including biofuel research at Iowa State University, that were suspended for missing performance milestones, according to the Energy Department. ...Iowa State spent about 56 percent of $4.4 million
February 16, 2012 Read Full Article
Request for Information (RFI) on Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0000671 for Chemo/electro-autotrophic Synthesis of Liquid Fuels at Scale
(US Department of Energy) The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration to inform the possible development of future chemo/electro-autotrophic fuel production programs. Information obtained may be used by ARPA-E on a non-attribution
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Whiskey from Soda: Jraises $70M, Heads for Commercialization
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...So, along comes Joule. It’s a known fact that some microorganisms could be modified or evolved to ferment gaseous carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide. Combine that with some hydrogen taken from water, and voila, you
January 18, 2012 Read Full Article
The 7 Paths of the New Agriculture
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...But the New Agriculture has arisen in recent years, with new solutions to the old dilemma: how do you produce, and afford, and haul, and utilize enough feedstock to make an integrated biorefinery work? How
January 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Joule Picks New Mexico Site for Solar Fuel Project; Now Competitive with $20/Barrel Diesel?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, Joule reported that they have signed a lease for 1,200 acres in Lea County, New Mexico, with the potential to scale the project up to 5,000 acres for production of renewable diesel and
May 06, 2011 Read Full Article
Joule on Pace to Produce Solar Fuels at Productivities Far Exceeding Those of All Known Biofuel Processes
(Joule) Peer-reviewed article addresses the advances made by Joule to achieve direct, continuous conversion of solar energy to renewable diesel at 15,000 gallons/acre/year Joule Unlimited, Inc., pioneer of Liquid Fuel from the Sun™, today supported the high-productivity potential of its production process
February 22, 2011 Read Full Article
University of Cincinnati Research Wins 2010 Earth Award For Biofuel-Producing Foam
(HealthNews)An artificial photosynthetic foam developed at the University of Cincinnati has won the 2010 Earth Award. David Wendell, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and civil and environmental engineering, received the award for the foam, designed with Carlo Montemagno, PhD,
October 08, 2010 Read Full Article
Joule Unlimited: ‘Fuel from Thin Air’ Comes Closer, Clearer
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, the secretive Joule Unlimited (then known as Joule Biotechnologies) emerged late last year from “stealth mode” with the startling announcement that their technology could produce up to 15,000 gallons per acre of drop-in hydrocarbon
August 23, 2010 Read Full Article
Growing Biomass Innovation: Progress Towards Transformative Energy Technology Innovation
by Dr. Eric Toone (Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, U.S. Department of Energy) Dr. Toone described the role and mission of ARPA-E, the process related to ARPA-E's first Financial Opportunity Announcement (FOA1), project selection and awards at the Biomass 2010 Conference March
July 06, 2010 Read Full Article
NC State Wins ARPA-E Grant To Study Extremophile Production Of Biofuels
(North Carolina State University) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) has awarded a grant for more than $2.7 million to North Carolina State University to support research into the creation of biofuels using microbial organisms, called extremophiles,
May 12, 2010 Read Full Article
Vice President Biden Announces Recovery Act Funding for 37 Transformational Energy Research Projects
(US Department of Energy) At a Recovery Act Cabinet Meeting today, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced that the U.S. Department of Energy is awarding $106 million in funding for 37 ambitious research projects that
May 03, 2010 Read Full Article
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