by Margaret Broeren (Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) ...Much more than a buzzword, “sustainable” means that trade-offs—social, environmental and economic factors—have been measured, modeled and validated against actual “boots on the ground data” measured at agricultural research stations and on Midwestern
energy grasses
Back TO HOMENavy Plan Benefits Biomass
by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register) Fuel for carriers, jets adds demand for biofuel source other than corn A Missouri cooperative called (what else?) ShowMe Energy is building an $80 million, 3 million gallon facility that will open in 2014 and
March 28, 2012 Read Full Article
Cenusa Bioenergy Receives $25 Million Grant from USDA
by Kelly Madsen (IowaStateDaily.com) The Iowa State University-led Cenusa Bioenergy project works to develop a biofuel with both a Midwestern and environmental focus. Through a five-year, $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture,
March 26, 2012 Read Full Article
Growing Ambitions
by Pamela Glinski (Highlands Today) Vercipia is no more. The name has been changed to BP Biofuels, Highlands Ethanol LLC, explained Mike Milicevic, the agricultural operations manager for the company. Vercipia was a joint-venture company formed when Verenium and BP decided
March 08, 2012 Read Full Article
'Mini-Cellulose' Molecule Unlocks Biofuel Chemistry
(Science Daily) A team of chemical engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has discovered a small molecule that behaves the same as cellulose when it is converted to biofuel. Studying this 'mini-cellulose' molecule reveals for the first time the
February 20, 2012 Read Full Article
Scientists Discover Genes to Better Grass to Energy Production
(Biofuels International) Scientists from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Sustainable Bioenergy Centre (BSBEC) have uncovered a series of genes which could help grasses being breed with better characteristics for bioenergy production. The genes help to better develop the
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Iowa State University-Led Group Awarded $25 Million Grant for Land Use, Biofuel Production Study
(Iowa State University) Now, an Iowa State University-based study over the next five years will examine whether a single, coordinated production system can address all of these concerns while making profits for producers. A multi-state, interdisciplinary team led by Ken Moore,
January 19, 2012 Read Full Article
Gen2 Biofuel Feedstocks: The Coming Surge in Energy Crops and Cellulosic Sugars
by Pavel Molchanov (Raymond James) As energy investors know well, it is much better to own the oil than to refine it. In other words, the bulk of the value is in the upstream of the value chain. Next-generation (Gen2) biofuels
January 12, 2012 Read Full Article
VIASPACE Executive Highlights Giant King Grass Advancement & Commercial Opportunities in Africa to Generate Electricity, Manufacture Energy Pellets and Produce Bio-Fuels
(Reuters/VIASPACE) VIASPACE Executive Highlights Giant King Grass Advancement & Commercial Opportunities in Africa to Generate Electricity, Manufacture Energy Pellets and Produce Bio-Fuels: Presents at the Biomass West & Central Africa Congress in Ghana VIASPACE, Inc., a clean energy company growing Giant King™
December 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Genome-scale Network of Rice Genes to Speed the Development of Biofuel Crops
(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Joint BioEnergy Institute Researchers Create RiceNet for Predicting Genetic Functions in Rice The first genome-scale model for predicting the functions of genes and gene networks in a grass species has been developed by an international team of
November 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Researchers Discover New Process for Biofuel
(R&D) Researchers have long been interested in waste products as sources of biofuel. In Maine, those waste items could include treetops and limbs deemed by the forest products industry as unusable and often left behind in the woods. A University of
October 28, 2011 Read Full Article
BP Commits $Billions to Biofuel Development and Production
by Bob Brooks (Automotive Industries) A BP executive was quoted recently that biofuels are obtained from “renewable wells” which is an oil man’s way of saying we are drilling for energy as usual but for different raw material. Key to
October 26, 2011 Read Full Article
Biorefinery Feedstock and Fuel for Bioenergy
by Dr. Carl Kukkonen (Viaspace) At the September 2011 Biorefining Conference,Dr. Kukkonen spoke about the properties of Giant King Grass. -- Giant King Grass is the lowest cost cellulosic feedstock for a biorefinery -- Co-location of biorefinery with Giant King Grass plantation greatly simplifies
October 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Mutant Maize Genes May Help Harness Switch Grass for Biofuels
by Alex Morales (Bloomberg) Mutant maize genes can be inserted into switch grasses to increase their viability as a biofuel crop, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Transferring the so-called CG1 corn gene into switch
October 11, 2011 Read Full Article
BP Biofuels Goes for Full Vertical Integration, in US Cellulosic Ethanol Expansion
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Susan Ellerbusch: Now, at BP there are dozens of BP people who are experts in growing crops design, farm logistics. We are building an agriculture team after having acquired the biotech parts. ...Yes, every move
October 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Comprehensive Miscanthus Commercialization Model Needed
by David R. Robbins and Stephen S. Tam (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Earth Sense Energy USA Inc.) Miscanthus x Giganteus (MxG) has great potential to become the energy crop of choice in the United States. It has been explored in Europe
September 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Testing the Water for Bioenergy Crops
by Liz Ahlberg (University of Illinois) Many energy researchers and environmental advocates are excited about the prospect of gaining more efficient large-scale biofuel production by using large grasses like miscanthus or switchgrass rather than corn. They have investigated yields,
August 30, 2011 Read Full Article
POET Partners with Ecological Restoration Firm on Energy Grass
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Poet LLC is venturing into the realm of energy grasses with a newly launched collaborative effort to establish native grasses on degraded lands in areas surrounding its 100 MMgy ethanol plant at Chancellor, S.D.
August 22, 2011 Read Full Article
A Quick Way to Grade Grasses for Ethanol Yields
by Don Comis (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers have developed an inexpensive way to grade the ethanol potential of perennial grasses at the biorefinery's loading dock. That future has been made possible by
August 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Biofuel Could Revive Farmlands Conservation Program
by Tiffany Stecker (ClimateWire/Scientific American) A study looks into giving farmers permission to harvest cellulosic feedstocks on land set aside for wetlands and wildlife conservation Growing cellulosic feedstocks on federally subsidized conservation land could balance the biofuels emissions equation to be completely carbon-neutral,
August 11, 2011 Read Full Article
3 Things You Need to Know about Biofuels
by Maggie Koerth-Baker (BoingBoing) ...In a nutshell, that’s why liquid fuel is so valuable. So far, it’s the clear winner when we need energy for transportation—especially air transportation and heavy, long-distance shipping—because it allows you to stuff a lot of
August 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Giant King Grass Pellets Tested By Korea Forest Research Institute
(PRNewsWire/Viaspace) - VIASPACE Inc., a clean energy company growing Giant King™ Grass as a low-carbon, renewable biomass crop and its subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy Inc., provided results of testing of Giant King Grass energy pellets by the Korea Forest Research Institute
July 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Switch from Corn to Grass Would Raise Ethanol Output, Cut Emissions
(EurekAlert!/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Growing perennial grasses on the least productive farmland now used for corn ethanol production in the U.S. would result in higher overall corn yields, more ethanol output per acre and better groundwater quality, researchers report
July 13, 2011 Read Full Article
Chain, Chain, Chain – Chain of Fuels: Birth of a Global Supply Chain for Biomass
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Mendel CEO Neal Gutterson talks about miscanthus, and the role of the power sector as the driver of a global supply chain for biomass. ...The company’s IP lies in its understanding of a large class of
June 27, 2011 Read Full Article
Valley Plants Plan to Make Corn-Free Ethanol
by Tim Sheehan (The Fresno Bee) Two plants aim for biofuels made without corn. With corn prices up and demand rising, work is under way in the Valley to develop two biorefineries to make ethanol without using the golden grain. In Visalia,
June 20, 2011 Read Full Article
USDA Announces Projects to Provide Increased Renewable Energy Production, Reduce Reliance on Foreign Oil
(US Department of Agriculture) Projects Further Obama Administration's Effort to Produce Clean Home-Grown Energy, Create Sustainable Rural Jobs Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today the establishment of four additional Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) project areas to promote the cultivation of
June 17, 2011 Read Full Article
UMass Amherst Biologist Will Improve Ethanol Yields from Energy Crops with Energy Department Grant
(University of Massachusetts Amherst) Detecting the genetic mechanism for how certain strains of the energy crop model systemBrachypodium can produce more ethanol than others is the aim of a new five-year, $750,000 Early Career Research grant from the U.S. Department
June 13, 2011 Read Full Article
OpEd: A Diverse Biofuels Economy
by Tom Vilsack (USDA/The Daily Mail) ...Last year, the United States produced more than 13 billion gallons of ethanol with the bulk of it coming from the Midwest. But Congress set a national goal of using 36 billion gallons of
May 04, 2011 Read Full Article
$1.6 Million in Biofuels Center Grants to Accelerate Commercialization of Renewable Fuels
(Biofuels Center of North Carolina) The Biofuels Center of North Carolina has awarded $1.6 million for 15 projects statewide to accelerate the commercialization of renewable liquid fuels. Awards are made through the 2011 Statewide Biofuels Development Grants Program. Biofuels Center president
May 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuel Research Could Lead to New Source of Ingredients
(ManufacturingChemist.com) Researchers at Glyndwr University looking at the commercial potential of high-sugar perennial rye-grass as feedstock for the production of bio-ethanol and other chemicals will also consider the fibre’s potential for pharmaceutical applications. High-sugar perennial rye-grass has the potential to
April 29, 2011 Read Full Article
SC State University Professor Looks to Make Biofuel Cheaper
by Adam Pinsker (MidlandsConnect.com) A South Carolina State University professor is leading a team of engineers and economists on a three-year study into how to make biofuel cheaper. Professor Jae-Dong Hong says one of the biggest reasons biofuels aren't taking over
April 28, 2011 Read Full Article
USDA Grants Support Sustainable Bioenergy Production
(U.S. Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced research grants awarded to spur production of bioenergy and biobased products that will lead to the development of sustainable regional systems and help create jobs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
April 13, 2011 Read Full Article
Farmers Urged to Grow Grass for Use as Biofuel
by John Colson (The Citizen Telegram) A new kind of economic development is being pursued in the West. Area ranchers and farmers are being urged to grow grass that can be converted to a liquid “biofuel,” rather than relying solely on
March 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Crops Could Lower Surface Temperatures, Stanford Researchers Say
(Stanford University News) Concerns about the impact of corn ethanol on global warming have raised interest in more eco-friendly perennial grasses. A new study finds that large-scale cultivation of perennials could actually reduce regional surface temperatures. Converting large swaths of farmland
March 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Steel in the Ground
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) But this week in the little burgh of Boardman, Oregon (population 3,300), which happens to sit adjacent to the second-largest inland port in the western United States (the port of Morrow, on the Columbia
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Genetically Modified Prairie Grass Yields Cheaper, More Abundant Ethanol
By Elizabeth Lopatto (Bloomberg) Switchgrass, the prairie plant that once fueled the buffalo herds of the American Great Plains, may one day fill automobile tanks in a bioengineered form that’s cheaper and yields more ethanol than the original variety. Researchers showed that
February 23, 2011 Read Full Article
VIASPACE Reports Independent Test Results for Giant King Grass as Feedstock for Renewable Bio Ethanol and Other Cellulosic Biofuels
(Viaspace/PRNewsWire) High Per-Acre Productivity of Giant King Grass Promises 40% Reduction in Biofuel Feedstock Costs VIASPACE Inc., and its subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy Inc., reported results of recent independent testing of Giant King Grass as a feedstock for producing second-generation cellulosic biofuels
February 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Vinod Khosla on Biofuel Feedstocks
by Vinod Khosla (GreenTechMedia) Imagination is in shortest supply when it comes to agronomic econometrics that extrapolate the past instead of inventing a new future. Part II: Feedstock. Feedstock cost, environmental impact and even its politics are critical variables. With each
February 06, 2011 Read Full Article
Field Day Promotes Giant Miscanthus
by Cheree Franco (Mississippi State Ag Communications) On a January morning in Soperton, Ga., southeastern farmers mingled with investors and biomass experts to discuss Freedom Giant Miscathus--a towering grass that may be America’s most promising clean energy solution. Freedom was developed
February 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Penn State Demonstrates Biofuel Crops for PA
by Kelsey McNeeley and Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA/Lancaster Farming) In 2002, Penn State University began using 20 percent (B20) biodiesel fuel on campus in the division of farm operations. Because of their expertise in biodiesel, Penn State’s farm operations (Farm Ops)
January 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Chromatin’s Yield Machine: Is Instant Gene-Stacking a Game-Changer for Energy Crops?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Illinois, Chromatin announced the successful first demonstration that genes can be assembled, stacked, and expressed in sugarcane using the company’s mini-chromosome technology. Now, what exactly is a gene stack and why should I care? Most
January 19, 2011 Read Full Article
Study Estimates Land Available for Biofuel Crops
(EurekAlert/University of Illinois-Champaign-Urbana) Using detailed land analysis, Illinois researchers have found that biofuel crops cultivated on available land could produce up to half of the world's current fuel consumption – without affecting food crops or pastureland. Published in the journal Environmental Science
January 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuel Grasslands for the Birds
by Tim Wall (Discovery News) Picture the vibrant wildflowers and swaying grasses of prairies covering the Midwestern United States once again, teeming with wildlife and requiring very little management from people, yet providing a renewable energy sources. Managing native grasslands for
January 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Farmers Encouraged to Plant Switchgrass
(AP/The Ledger Independent) A new program to explore the viability of biofuels is seeking to establish 700 acres of switchgrass fields and is offering financial assistance to Kentucky farmers. The project follows another that began in 2007 by the Kentucky Forage and
December 30, 2010 Read Full Article
2011 Miscanthus Acres to Mushroom
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Miscanthus will see a giant leap in acreage in 2011, thanks to Soperton, Ga.-based Repreve Renewables LLC. The company currently has 500 acres planted in five locations in the Southeast, which Craig Patterson,
December 30, 2010 Read Full Article
Biomass May Hold Partial Solution to Global Energy Needs
by Cary Blake (Western Farm Press) A growing U.S. agricultural biomass industry can help meet the catapulting energy and fuel demands of a global population that the United Nations predicts could reach 9 billion by 2050. “We need to envision and implement
December 23, 2010 Read Full Article
New Miscanthus Hybrid Discovery in Japan Could Open Doors for Biofuel Industry
(Science Blog) In the minds of many, Miscanthus x giganteus is the forerunner in the race of viable feedstock options for lignocellulosic bioenergy production. But researchers believe “putting all their eggs in one basket” could be a big mistake. Scientists at
December 22, 2010 Read Full Article
BIOLYFE Newsletter Announces Preliminary Research Results of EU Second Generation Ethanol Production Project
(BIOLYFE) The BIOLYFE project aims at improving critical steps of the second generation bioethanol production process and at demonstrating the whole supply chain, from feedstock sourcing via fuel production to product utilisation. The main result will be the construction of an
December 21, 2010 Read Full Article
Switchgrass Pilot Program Concluding
by Misty Maynard (Maysville Ledger-Independent) A multi-year pilot project researching the possibility of using switchgrass as a biofuel is drawing to an end, but a new program is seeking to establish 700 more acres of switchgrass and is offering financial assistance
December 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Biofuels to Power the Future
(China Daily) China's bioethanol production will reach 10 million tons a year by 2020, resulting in a 10 percent drop in oil imports, according to COFCO group, China's largest grain trader. ...COFCO, Novozymes and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) are
December 17, 2010 Read Full Article
Grass Could Turn Toxic Waste into Energy
by Carl Holm (ABC Science) A team of Australian and Chinese scientists claims to have pioneered a method to decontaminate polluted land and provide an ecologically renewable energy resource in the process. They say the secret lies in a relative of the
November 08, 2010 Read Full Article
BP Sees Biofuel Growth from U.S. Grass, Brazil Sugar
by Laura MacInnis (Reuters) BP is focusing its biofuel efforts on Brazilian sugar cane and U.S. energy grasses, holding off on investments in the rest of the world for the moment, a senior executive of the global energy group said on
November 08, 2010 Read Full Article
The Pros & Cons of Miscanthus
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel) ...The potential of miscanthus and switchgrass has been studied extensively by researchers Greg McIsaac, Mark B. David and Corey A. Mitchell... The study focused on two important environmental concerns surrounding biomass: water quantity and nitrogen “leeching”. When
September 14, 2010 Read Full Article
Piper Jaffray Monthly Bio-Industrials Update: Energy Crop &
(Piper Jaffray) ...Energy crops are designed to use marginal land, or in the case of Brazil, extend the growing season. Sugarcane-ethanol facilities in Brazil typically run for 6-8 months due to the relatively long growing season of cane. Energy crops
September 10, 2010 Read Full Article
DOE Announces Awards for up to $16.5 Million for Biomass Research and Development
(US Department of Energy) U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced September 8, 2010, the investment of up to $16.5 million for two major research and development (R&D) initiatives that will support the expansion of renewable transportation fuels production. The first initiative
September 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Biofuel Battles
by Michael Stein (Maui Magazine) Advocates say biofuels could save big agriculture in the Islands, and reduce Hawaii’s unsustainable dependence on imported oil. Are we willing to pay the price? ...But over the past decade, Maui has lost Pioneer Mill sugar
September 07, 2010 Read Full Article
Energy Grasses Take Center Stage at Ceres Field Day
(PRNewsWire) Energy industry executives joined investors and policymakers near Houston, Texas earlier today to take a firsthand look at energy grasses and research developments that are expected to push bioenergy to the forefront of renewable power and transportation fuels. The bioenergy field