by Siddharth Vodnala (Washington State University News) Researchers from Washington State University, along with those from Oregon State University and the University of Montana, have recently devised refined methods to estimate the amount of forest residue — the leftovers from trees
Feedstocks
Back TO HOMESweden-Based Biofuels Producer SEKAB Joins LSB
by Liz Gyekye (Biofuels International) Biofuels group Leaders of Sustainable Biofuels (LSB) has welcomed Swedish company SEKAB as its new member. SEKAB is a producer of bio-based chemicals and biofuels and also commercialising in-house technologies to convert forestry and agriculture residues to
September 25, 2017 Read Full Article
New Study Relaunches Controversy about Biofuels and Food Prices
by Sarantis Michalopoulos (Euractiv) A new study commissioned by environmental NGOs found that the production of first generation biofuels has driven up food prices in Europe, running counter to the European Commission’s own data which found the impact of ethanol
September 18, 2017 Read Full Article
Nigeria: Experts Fault Proposed Field Trial of Genetically Modified Cassava
by Cornelius Essen (The Guardian/All Africa) Experts have condemned an alleged move by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, (IITA) and Zurich, Switzerland-based ETHZ Laboratories to carry out confined field trial of genetically modified cassava in Nigeria. They alleged that the application,
September 07, 2017 Read Full Article
What Price Biomass? The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Feedstock Supply Forecasting
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How much biomass is there? What types, prices, when will they be available, and produced by whom, and how? These are questions that the US Department of Energy undertook to answer, to address a program-wide need
August 10, 2017 Read Full Article
Hitting a New High – Hemp Industry and Innovations Continue to Grow Like Weeds
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Florida, former Dell executive Bruce Dietzen created a car made from hemp that runs on biofueland is touted as carbon neutral. Industrial hemp grows as Vermont registers more than 80 new hemp growers so far this year alone. It’s
July 31, 2017 Read Full Article
In Search of Next-Gen Bioproducts and Fuels, DOE Invests $40M in 4 Bioenergy Research Centers
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry today (July 17, 2017) announced $40 million in Department of Energy awards for the establishment of four DOE Bioenergy Research Centers (BRCs), which will provide the scientific breakthroughs
July 19, 2017 Read Full Article
What’s My Feedstock Worth? A Primer for Measuring Bio-Value
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Whether you are owner or seller, you need to know the underlying value of a feedstock in the advanced bioeconomy — and that is not the same thing as its current market price. In fact, what
June 06, 2017 Read Full Article
Presentations from BETO’s 2017 Project Peer Review Now Online
On March 6–9, 2017, BETO hosted its biennial Project Peer Review in Denver, Colorado. During the event, approximately 192 projects in BETO’s research and development (R&D) portfolio were presented to the public and a panel of external subject matter experts.
May 26, 2017 Read Full Article
Advancing the Bioeconomy: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to the USDA and Feedstock R&D
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Former Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack put it best: “The bioeconomy is a catalyst for economic development in rural America, creating new jobs and providing new markets for farmers and ranchers. Investing in the businesses and technologies
May 25, 2017 Read Full Article
Supplying the Bioeconomy: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to DOE Feedstocks R&D Programs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) More than 1 billion tons of biomass could be domestically converted into biofuels and products, say DOE. Biomass could displace 25% of U.S. petroleum use annually by 2030, keeping $260 billion in the United States, adding 1.1 million direct jobs, and
May 24, 2017 Read Full Article
Horizontal Bioreactors: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Culture Biosystems
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Challenges that have plagued algae ventures? The availability of feedstock to make products, the loss of investor appetite at early stage and pre-commercial, and inefficient cultivation systems. By contrast, Culture Biosystem’s design is described as having “low
May 19, 2017 Read Full Article
The Digest's Complete March Madness Webinars Available Online
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Digest's Complete March Madness webinars - 700+ slides available for your on-demand review. -- The Digest's March Madness series - 20 webinars covering the hottest topics as selected by Digest readers - featuring dozens
May 05, 2017 Read Full Article
CAAFI Publishes New Newsletter Full of Resource Links
(Commercial Alternative Aviation Fuels Initiative) ... This issue marks the release of our new newsletter format in which we will answer relevant questions related to sustainable alternative jet fuel (SAJF) and periodically feature case studies on successes and challenges in
May 05, 2017 Read Full Article
Advancements in Agriculture, Good for People and the Planet
by Tom Vilsack (The Hill/U.S. Dairy Export Council) This Earth Day, hundreds of thousands of people marched to “defend the vital role science plays in our health, safety, economies, and governments.” The March for Science echoed in communities around the
April 28, 2017 Read Full Article
Corn with a Cover of Grass: Finding Best Combination for Biofuel Corn, Soil Protection
(Phys.Org) ... Taking up this double-edged sword is Cynthia Bartel, a doctoral candidate at Iowa State University. She's finding a way to lessen the harm and increase the benefits of removing maize stover. "While water and wind erosion are substantial problems for
April 28, 2017 Read Full Article
Skybound: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Sustainable Aviation Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week, we hosted a webinar what is universally agreed to be the single largest new application of advanced industrial biotechnology — this is the Big Kahuna, or sustainable aviation fuel. Sustainability is critical to airlines, and
April 28, 2017 Read Full Article
Grant Application Request for Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Sustainable Bioenergy and Bioproducts Challenge Area DEADLINE: June 28, 2017
(US Department of Agriculture) The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Sustainable Bioenergy and Bioproducts (SBEBP) Challenge Area is designed to achieve the long term goal of advancing bioeconomy by facilitiating development of regional systems for the sustainable production of bioenergy,
April 26, 2017 Read Full Article
Understanding Land Use Change – Are New Tools Needed?
by Jessie Stolark (Energy and Environmental Study Institute) Are we using the right tools to understand land use change, particularly at the local level, and how can understanding of land use change be improved? The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has been around
April 10, 2017 Read Full Article
Italian Farmers Produce Low Cost Biomethane with Positive Environmental Impacts
(Ecofys) Sequential cropping can be a promising model to produce additional biomass without negative impacts on land use change or food production. In a research study for the Italian Biogas Consortium (CIB), Ecofys found that agricultural crop yields can increase
April 06, 2017 Read Full Article
Textbook: Biofuels and Bioenergy
edited by John Love and John A. Bryant (Wiley-Blackwell) With increased public and scientific attention driven by factors such as oil price spikes, the need for increased energy security, and concerns over greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, the production
April 03, 2017 Read Full Article
Viable Biomass for Hawaii
by Gretchen Miller (Biofuels Digest) ... Meghan Pawlowksi, a graduate student at the University of Hawaii Manoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture, crawled around her field site on the last sugarcane plantation in Hawaii, Maui’s Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company, or HC&S,
March 13, 2017 Read Full Article
Insights about Feedstock from the Advance Bioeconomy Leadership Conference
by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Biofuels Digest's Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference started with an afternoon ABLC Feedstock Summit at the US Department of Agriculture. Three points jumped out. The value of the farmers/growers perspective of biofuels; rethinking the value
March 10, 2017 Read Full Article
Heard on the Floor: Disruptive Technology, Feedstocks under the Microscope at ABLC 2017’s Opening Day
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... While there were big questions, there were big answers, beginning with a panel on The Sustainable Agriculture Imperative. John Pieper from Dupont Industrial Biosciences shared their latest work with cellulosic ethanol in the corn
March 02, 2017 Read Full Article
Advances in Biofeedstocks and Biofuels, Volume One: Biofeedstocks and Their Processing
(Scrivener Publishing) The most comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of all the possible aspects for biofeedstock processing and the production of energy from biofeedstocks. Audience Chemical engineers, petroleum engineers, process engineers, students in chemical engineering, biotechnology, petroleum engineering, agricultural biotechnology, applied microbiology, environmental
February 18, 2017 Read Full Article
Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III Advanced Drop-In Biofuels Production Project (ADBPP) Biofuels 2 Solicitation Number: FOA-RQKM-2017-0006
(U.S. Air Force) This Title III project is to further increase domestic advanced biofuels production capacity by establishing additional Integrated Biofuel Production Enterprise (IBPE) capabilities that represent a complete value chain including Feedstock production, Chemical conversion and processing, and Fuels
January 24, 2017 Read Full Article
DOE and USDA Issue Notice of Intent for Biomass Research and Development Initiative
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), is announcing its
January 24, 2017 Read Full Article
Alternative Feedstock & Process Technology Overview
by Will Smith (Springhouse Consulting/Biodiesel Magazine) While the majority of U.S. biodiesel is still produced from soybean and canola oil, the role of alternative feedstock has increased steadily over the past decade. The lower production costs they afford have had
January 23, 2017 Read Full Article
2016 Billion-Ton Report Volume 2 Analyzes Environmental Effects
(U.S. Department of Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The 2016 Billion-Ton Report (BT16), Volume 2: Environmental Sustainability Effects of Select Scenarios from Volume 1, jointly released by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is a pioneering
January 23, 2017 Read Full Article
Neste Launches Neste MY Renewable Diesel Made 100% from Waste and Residues
(CleanTech Finland) Neste has launched a renewable diesel made entirely from waste and residues. The name of the new 100% renewable fuel is Neste MY Renewable Diesel, and the product enables up to 90% lower greenhouse gas emissions throughout the
January 17, 2017 Read Full Article
USDA: Incentives Available for Drop-In Biofuel Delivered to Navy
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The USDA Commodity Credit Corp. has announced funding is available to pay a biofuel production incentive (BPI) under the Farm-to-Fleet program to companies producing drop-in biofuels from certain feedstocks. A notice published in the Federal Register explains
January 03, 2017 Read Full Article
Regional Feedstock Partnership Report Highlights Work to Enable the Billion-Ton Vision
(U.S. Department of Energy) The Regional Feedstock Partnership (the Partnership)—a multi-institutional collaboration of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, representatives from land-grant universities, and industry—was first established to address issues associated with the development of
December 27, 2016 Read Full Article
World Petroleum Council Guide to Biofuels
(World Petroleum Council) ‘Biofuels’ will be the 6th in the series of the WPC’s educational guides and will focus on the use of biofuels and their role in our current and future global energy supply. It is essential for the petroleum
December 20, 2016 Read Full Article
Farm Based Algae
(Algae Industry Magazine) The University of Queensland operates an Algae Energy Farm to cultivate and harvest microalgae for a range of uses, including as a feed supplement for beef cattle. Lead researcher Professor Peer Schenk said the farm shows that
December 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Pest Be-Gone: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Crop Enhancement
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Founded by Dr. David Soane, a renowned serial entrepreneur and inventor in the field of materials science and surface chemistry, Crop Enhancement is developing formulations that employ advanced and environmentally friendly chemistry to eliminate or minimize
December 07, 2016 Read Full Article
There Is a Cornucopia of Feedstock Options for Making Biofuels
by Mark Elless (U.S. Department of Energy) Switchgrass, algae, forest trimmings, corn husks and corn stalks you can't eat these crops, and you would never put them on your table for Thanksgiving; however, together they make up a bountiful harvest
November 28, 2016 Read Full Article
How an Effective Risk Management Strategy Can Contribute to Unlocking the Full Potential of a Billion-Ton Bioeconomy
by Mahmood Ebadian (Biofuels Digest/Biomass Supply Chain Consulting Ltd.) The procurement of low-cost feedstock has been the focus of the pioneering bio-conversion technology developers in commercializing their first industrial-scale projects. Low-cost feedstock is critical in such projects as most of the
November 25, 2016 Read Full Article
What Does it Take? The Experts Report from Ottawa on Scaling up the Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This past week, a remarkable group of people gathered in Ottawa, perhaps described best as the “friends of Jeff” because the ostensible excuse for a get-together was Jeff Passmore’s Scaling Up Conference and because, to
November 21, 2016 Read Full Article
USDA Resumes Incentives to Grow the Bioeconomy and Improve Forest Health
(U.S. Department of Agriculture) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini today announced that $1.5 million will be available in fiscal year 2017 for farmers and foresters who harvest and deliver biomass for renewable energy. The
November 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Primordial Genetics, Bayer Form New R&D Collab for Crop Performance
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At ABLC Next in San Francisco, Primordial Genetics and Bayer CropScience LP announced the establishment of a research collaboration to evaluate Primordial Genetics’ proprietary Function Generator technology. Bayer will provide multi-year funding for this project
November 07, 2016 Read Full Article
Strategic Intent: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Suntory, Syngenta and ChemChina
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This season, The Digest is hosting the Strategic Intent webinar series, looking at the plans, progress and future milestones of strategic stakeholders in the Advanced Bioeconomy. In this slide deck, we looked at Suntory, Syngenta and ChemChina and
October 13, 2016 Read Full Article
Strategic Intent: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Unilever, UPM
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This season, The Digest is hosting the Strategic Intent webinar series, looking at the plans, progress and future milestones of strategic stakeholders in the Advanced Bioeconomy. In this slide deck, we looked at Unilever and UPM and their direct investments, partnerships
September 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Farmers Earn First RSB Smallholder Group Certification in Brazil
(Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) For the first time, a smallholder group with 20 family farmers and a cooperative earned the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) certification in Brazil. The project in the Montes Claros region, Minas Gerais state of Brazil
September 22, 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
The High-Flown Fantasy of Aviation Biofuels
by Almuth Ernsting (Biofuelwatch/The Biomass Monitor) ... As far as Branson and his airline, Virgin Atlantic, were concerned, the flight was indeed no more than a stunt: The “biofuel test flight” burned 95% ordinary kerosene and just 5% biofuels, made from
September 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Take Off For Aviation Biofuels: Why, How, and Why?
by Jim Lane (The Biomass Monitor/Biofuels Digest) ... By the 21st Century, we’ll have many more technological options for limiting and adapting to climate change, but in there here and now, when it comes to aviation, representing 5 percent of the
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
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
The Companies of the Biobased Economy: The Multi-Slide Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Biotechnology Innovation Organization has released its new report “Advancing the Biobased Economy: Renewable Chemical Biorefinery Commercialization, Progress, and Market Opportunities, 2016 and Beyond,” documenting substantial, ongoing growth in the renewable chemical industry and outlining federal
September 09, 2016 Read Full Article
A Successful Supply Chain Strategy: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Equinox
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In developing a bioconversion project, the steps are numerous, interconnected and complex. Conducting a feasibility study, feedstock supply & market analysis, developing a business plan, funding initial development, choosing process technology, selecting a design/builder, selecting a site,
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
Penn State to Help Develop Guidelines for Growing Industrial Hemp
by Sara LaJeunesse (Penn State News) On July 20, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a law allowing the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and institutions of higher education to grow hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) for research purposes. Penn State's College of Agricultural
August 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Negotiating and De-Risking Biomass Supply Chains: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Ecostrat
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Ecostrat advises companies in the bioenergy, biofuel, and biochemical fields on supply chain risk. They have developed and managed supply chains for more than 5,000,000 tons of fiber over 20 years. Noted in the company’s toolkit is
August 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Call for Proposals: BioFuelNet Canada DEADLINE: September 1, 2016
(BioFuelNet Canada) BioFuelNet Canada (BFN) was first funded by the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) program for the period of April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2017. The present call for proposals is to identify potential research to be
August 15, 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
UF/IFAS Study: Sweet Potato Crop Shows Promise as Feed and Fuel
(Newswise/University of Florida) As some Florida growers try to find new crops and the demand for biofuel stock increases globally, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers have found that sweet potato vines, usually thrown out during
August 09, 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
New Department for Transport Data Shows No Palm Oil Used in the UK
(Renewable Energy Association) Also shows growth in UK feedstocks, as well as increase in greenhouse gas savings; Data shows no need for the Government to introduce excessive curbs on the use of crop-based biofuels -- For the first time
August 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Working the Calculator: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Choosing a Feedstock
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) “What color is your parachute?” went the title of a best-selling book from the 80s on job hunting. The concept applies equally to biomass feedstock in the 2010s. There’s one out there for you that
August 08, 2016 Read Full Article
The Princes of Pongamia: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to TerViva
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) TerViva was founded to “solve the imbalanced equation of a shrinking arable land base and a rising demand for food, fuel and fertilizer. The technology is based on proprietary advancements in agronomy and the genetics of
August 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Sustainable Alternative Aviation Fuels – The Way Forward
(CORE-Jetfuel) The Core-JetFuel Final International Conference titled Sustainable Alternative Aviation Fuels – The Way Forward took place on the occasion of the EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) on 16-17 June 2016 in Brussels, and followed up on a series of
August 03, 2016 Read Full Article
#Biodiesel Growth Discussed During #AgMedia Summit
by Joanna Schroeder (Energy.AgWired.com) Did you know that in the past 10 years, the biodiesel industry has grown from a few million gallons of biodiesel production per year to over 2 billion gallons of biodiesel production last year? And did
August 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Decision Support: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to AgSolver Land Management Systems
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) AgSolver agronomic decision service products help increase profits by improving land management decisions, simplifying mandatory compliance and reporting activities, and maximizing returns for agricultural land investments. AgSolver’s technology uses readily available precision agriculture data including yield
July 25, 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
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
Feedstock for the Advanced Bioeconomy: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Cellana
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Cellana uses the most productive plants on earth - marine microalgae - to photosynthetically produce its ReNew line of Omega-3 EPA and DHA oils, animal feed/food, and biofuel feedstocks. Cellana's patented ALDUO system enables economic,
July 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Cover Crop Work Continues as Part of Biomass Research for Cellulosic Ethanol
(POET) POET is expanding its cover crop research as part of soil sustainability work in Emmetsburg, Iowa for cellulosic ethanol development. The work is part of an ongoing commitment to helping farmers make sound management decisions around harvesting crop
June 22, 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
Cloud Biology: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Benson Hill Biosystems
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Last month. Benson Hill Biosystems launched CropOS, a cognitive engine using cloud biology to empower a new era of plant genomics innovation. CropOS uses powerful data analytics and biological knowledge to identify the most promising plant genetics
June 17, 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
The Advanced Bioeconomy 2016: State of the Industry
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For the advanced bioeconomy, the question remains and will remain for some time, where are the gallons? Specifically, projects that use biobased feedstocks that can be converted into renewable fuels, chemicals, advanced foods, and biobased materials. Projects
June 08, 2016 Read Full Article
It Depends: Heard on the Floor at ABLC Feedstocks
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The headline from the event is that projects and feedstock providers are more engaged than we have seen previously — a wave of technology development that once took place with a “we’ll work out
June 08, 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
RES-T-BIOPLANT: Towards Advanced Biofuels – Options for Integrating 1st and 2nd Generation Biofuel Production
(IEA Implementing Agreement for Renewable Energy Technology Deployment) The integration of advanced (2nd generation / 2G) biofuel plants with conventional (1st generation / 1G) biofuel plants can lead to significant synergies and cost savings, especially for bioethanol plants. For biodiesel,
May 20, 2016 Read Full Article
Business Strategies for Transitioning the Bioeconomy to a Landscape with Long-Term Profitability
by Mahmood Ebadian (Biomass and Bioenergy Research Group/Biomass Supply Chain Consulting Ltd./Biofuels Digest) ...With specialization occurring in feedstock engineering, these new business entities will be well-positioned to produce multiple products including both intermediate and final bio-products. In other words, they
May 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Harmonisation and Pragmatism Required for an Effective Future EU Sustainable Bioenergy Policy!
(European Biomass Association) AEBIOM answer to the European Commission Public Consultation - A sustainable bioenergy policy for the period after 2020 -- The European Biomass Association (AEBIOM) welcomes the initiative of the European Commission to define a sustainable EU bioenergy policy for the
May 11, 2016 Read Full Article
The Future of Bioenergy Is in This Book-less Library
by Cory Hatch (Renewable Energy World) The Bioenergy Feedstock Library contains no books. What it does contain is information about biomass — organic material such as corn stover, switchgrass, wood chips and wheat straw. Nearly 50,000 biomass database entries and
May 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Farmers Do More than Feed the World
by Katie Heger (Farm & Ranch Guide) ... It is just so cliché and doesn’t nearly cover all that agriculture is about. On our family farm, we do so much more than feed the world. Now, let me explain. Yes, my farm
May 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Call for Public Comments – RSB Standard for End-of-Life Products, By-Products and Residues
(Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) RSB invites the public to contribute to the revision of the RSB Standard for end-of-life products, by-products and residues which defines how operators may use these feedstocks for biofuel or biomaterial production. This RSB Standard covers specific terminology relevant for
May 04, 2016 Read Full Article
What Price Feedstock?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In all, respondents foresaw an $11.352 billion feedstock bioeconomy, at $57 per ton for advanced feedstocks — based on reaching that 200 million ton scale. Let’s look at the responses, in terms of feedstocks and
May 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Diversification of Feedstocks the Answer to De-Fossilisation: Panel
by Caroline Knight (Platts) Increasing the depth and width of feedstocks in the biofuels blend was needed if Europe was serious about lowering reliance on fossil fuels, members of a panel discussing the matter said Wednesday at Platts annual biofuels
April 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Boom-boom: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Renewable Diesel’s Growth and Horizons
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week, we held a well-attended webinar on the boom on in Renewable diesel. Here below is a slide deck presented on the day, from Will Thurmond, President of Emerging Markets Online — highlights from the upcoming Drop
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Could Renewable Diesel’s Boom Be Cut Short by Feedstock Access and Availability?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Renewable diesel demand is booming, booming, booming. We’ve tipped it repeatedly in The Digest, not least with our March Madness webinar last week on “Renewable Diesel’s Boom”. Any doubts may well have been swept aside
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Interagency Effort Provides Links to Biofuel Data on One Web Page
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Biofuel number crunchers in the know are finding their jobs easier because of a website hosted by the USDA Economic Research Service where the Interagency Council on Agricultural & Rural Statistics pulls together links
April 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Make Haste with Waste
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... (W)hen you compare them to homogenized, uniform, high-yield, purpose-grown energy crops. residues may be queer, but they are here. Not only available, but reliable, you can count on the fact that they will not
April 08, 2016 Read Full Article
NexSteppe Inc. CEO Selected to Receive the 2016 BIO Rosalind Franklin Award
(Biotechnology Innovation Organization/Businesswire) The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) announced today that President and CEO of NexSteppe, Anna Rath, has been selected by a committee of her peers to be the recipient of the 2016 BIO Rosalind Franklin Award. The Rosalind Franklin Award
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Son of Billion Ton: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to the USDA Billion Ton Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The 2005 report, Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply (generally referred to as the Billion-Ton Study) was an estimate of potential biomass available within the contiguous United
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Sustainable, Affordable Biomass: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to the Biomass Research and Development Initiative
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Institute of Bioenergy, Climate, and Environment (IBCE) and the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Golden Field Office, Bioenergy Technologies Office jointly operate the
March 08, 2016 Read Full Article
UT and Genera Energy Harvest Hybrid Poplar Stand in Next Step Toward a Biobased Economy UT and Genera Energy Harvest Hybrid Poplar Stand in Next Step Toward a Biobased Economy
by Patricia McDaniels (University of Tennessee) A small stand of poplar trees harvested from a University of Tennessee AgResearch Center is set to help scientists progress further down the path toward low-cost, high-quality biomass and a bioeconomy. Located on UT’s East
March 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Benefits and Ordeals of a Biofuel Project in Nigeria
by Oladunjoye A. Waleola (Avandith Renewable Energy Limited Nigeria; special to Advanced Biofuels USA) Avandith Renewable Energy Limited Nigeria is a company deeply involved in Jatropha curcas cultivation as well as biofuel production. We have been on the ground and
February 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Analyzing Biofuels From Rice 2016 - Research and Markets
(Research and Markets/BusinessWire) Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/fnbdpf/analyzing) has announced the addition of the "Analyzing Biofuels from Rice" report to their offering. This report on Analyzing Biofuels from Rice is a comprehensive digest on biofuels and endeavors to deliver a better understanding
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to NREL’s The Feasibility of Producing and Using Biomass-Based Diesel and Jet Fuel in the United States
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A primer worth knowing is “The Feasibility of Producing and Using Biomass-Based Diesel and Jet Fuel in the United States”, prepared by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory . It evaluates the technical and economic feasibility
January 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Biomass Supply Chain Trade-Offs: Basis for Successful Bioenergy Businesses
by Rajdeep Golech (Biomass Magazine) Feedstock sourcing is a critical aspect in the development of cellulosic biofuel businesses. -- Emphasis toward greenhouse gas reduction and massive availability of agriculture and forest residue has led to an increased interest in converting
January 26, 2016 Read Full Article
EWG Blasts Ethanol for Making Iowa’s Waterways Toxic
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the Environmental Working Group has released a new blog alleging corn produced for ethanol is responsible for increased amounts of toxic water pollution due to runoff of fertilizers and manures into waterways. It
January 22, 2016 Read Full Article
The Bioeconomy’s River Pilot: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to the USDA
by Valerie Reed (US Department of Agriculture/Biofuels Digest) A great government agency is a little like a river pilot — doesn’t run the ship, but steps in as a vital partner for complex, critical tasks where specialized know-how and resources
December 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Energy Crop Miscanthus in Trials to Restore Flood Plain Soils
(Bioenegy Insight) The Aberystwyth University in Wales, UK and the supply chain specialist Terravesta are running new trials to examine how the energy crop miscanthus survives in water-logged land and its effect on the soil after flooding. The trials come some
December 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Three New Technologies to Make Energy Cleaner, More Efficient
by Frances White (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Three technologies — a computational tool to improve power grid planning, a process to create biofuel from kelp and a hybrid device that makes hydrogen and stores energy — are being developed by
December 03, 2015 Read Full Article
What Makes Scale-Up of Industrial Biotechnology so Difficult?
by Mark Warner (Warner Advisors LLC) Two questions have dominated the responses received after my Lessons Learned series on commercializing industrial biotechnology (here) and the deep-dive into the industrial biotechnology commercialization process (here), the questions are what makes scale-up of industrial
December 03, 2015 Read Full Article
11 Top Low-Carbon Fuel Players, WCSBD Publish COP 21 Guide to Slashing Transport-Based Greenhouse Gas Emissions
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Switzerland, 11 leading low carbon fuel companies present a comprehensive guide that identifies a variety of available and accessible low carbon fuel solutions. ... Today, only 3% of transportation fuels are low carbon. According to the International
November 24, 2015 Read Full Article
Whole Crop Utilization: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide to Idaho National Laboratory’s BioEnergy Program
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
November 24, 2015 Read Full Article
New Dual-Purpose Bioenergy, Forage Crop Set for Release by AgriLife Research Next Year
by Kay Ledbetter (AgriLife Today) Dr. Russ Jessup, an AgriLife Research perennial grass breeder in College Station, said he is introducing a new biofuel-biomass feedstock that is a hybrid “similar to seedless watermelons, seedless grapes and other sterile triploid crops.” Jessup
November 04, 2015 Read Full Article
8 Wonder Crops & Residues: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide to The Roundtable of Sustainable Biomaterials’s Emerging Feedstock Primer
(Roundtable of Sustainable Biomaterials/Biofuels Digest) Camelina sativa; Carinata; Pongamia; Macauba palm tree; Gliricidia sepium; Starchy wastewater; Industrial waste gases; Seed tobacco READ MORE
October 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Building Sustainable Cellulosic Biofuel Portfolios
by Rajdeep Golecha (Biomass Magazine) The amount of risk in supply variation a biorefinery is willing to accept will depend on its fundamental business strategy, and the amount of premium they are willing to pay to reduce risks associated with
October 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Hassan's Bio-Fuel Model May Be a Game-Changer
by Dipankar Chakraborty (Bangalore Mirror) This may reduce country's dependence on imported fossil fuel to meet energy needs, say experts With more than one lakh trained farmers and local stakeholders from across 2,039 of the total of 2,584 villages, Karnataka's Hassan district
October 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Risk Assessment Models Prove Unreliable at Predicting Which Biofuel Crops Are Likely to Become Invasive Weeds
(PR Web) Several of the plants grown as biofuel crops have proved to be invaders in some environments – spreading rapidly and overwhelming surrounding natural ecosystems. Scientists at Virginia Tech used two of the best-respected and most widely used weed
October 23, 2015 Read Full Article
The Birth of New Bioeconomy Supply Chain & Feedstock: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide to Agrisoma and Resonance Carinata
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)The production of Agrisoma’s Resonance Carinata is being expanded to multiple locations globally to provide a supply of sustainable, non-food oils for meeting the demand for sustainable biofuels. Resonance Carinata is certified sustainable by the Roundtable
October 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Tyton BioEnergy Systems and Sunchem Announce Research and Commercial Partnership
(Tyton BioEnergy Systems) Tyton BioEnergy Systems and Sunchem announced today a research and commercial partnership combining Tyton’s research, development and commercial capabilities with Sunchem’s Solaris tobacco variety to establish a globally significant alliance to advance tobacco-based green chemicals and biofuels.
October 22, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels Production Plan already in Action
by Boyd Webb (IOL News) Once home to millions of displaced black South Africans, former homelands are expected to become the heart of the country's biofuels production. Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Lulama Xingwana said on Tuesday the presidential commercial
October 19, 2015 Read Full Article
Seeking Take-Off and Off-Take: Why Do Some Renewable Technologies Soar and Others Stall?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The high-octane idea that inexplicably struggles, the mid-grade idea that rocks. Here, we look at the critical success factors that provide tail-winds for some technologies and head-winds for others. ... To explain a conundrum, we need a
October 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels, Oil Palm and Agribusiness in Southeast Asia – Planning for Sustainability?
(Stockholm Environment Institute) This brief draws together SEI research done between 2011 and 2014 on agribusiness developments – especially of oil palm – in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The brief presents overarching insights from that work, along with recommendations
September 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Break out the Bubbly: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide to Champagne-Ardennes in the Advanced Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Addressing the Western Europe market, creating a European unit with optimal operating range, or seeking to operate a facliity and watching the opex? We can send you in the right direction with three magic words:
September 22, 2015 Read Full Article
Bringing in the Biomass for Cellulosic Ethanol
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A multitude of questions surround the challenge of bringing in the mountains of biomass needed to feed a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant: Are crop residues a reliable resource? Will farming communities support the
September 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Grease Collection in the US: Feedstock for Biodiesel
by Ian Winner* (Optimus Technologies/special guest author for Advanced Biofuels USA) Grease Collection Overview -- When we talk about grease, what do we mean? Grease can refer to yellow grease, choice white grease, edible or inedible tallow, lard, trap grease
September 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Southeast Partnership for Integrated Biomass Supply Systems Posts Annual Meeting Presentations and Posters
(Southeast Partnership for Integrated Biomass Supply Systems) The meeting presentations are now available for download on the IBSS website: IBSS 2015 Annual Meeting Presentations IBSS 2015 Annual Meeting Posters READ MORE
August 31, 2015 Read Full Article
8 Ways to Win with $30 Oil: “Energy at the Extremes”
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What works, what struggles, what changes when oil prices head into the tank? Who will feed China’s manufacturing monster? -- At Clariant’s “Defining the Future VII” conference in San Francisco, the delegates were leaning forward, straining
August 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Changing the Biomass Dialogue (The Earth Partners): The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide
(Biofuels Digest/Bloomberg) The Earth Partners, LLC restores and develops degraded lands. The company also engages in the production of biomass, which restores the land’s soil health and water resources; restoration of mined land; development of forest plantations on properties that
August 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Yep, There’s a Biomass Crop Planning App for That, Says Genera Energy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Tennessee, Genera Energy has launched its first mobile agriculture app, Biomass, developed to serve as a tool for planning, selecting and calculating biofuel crop needs, for use with Android and Apple smart devices. The
August 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Why Is Biomass Expanding Faster than Fuels?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) With 3 acquisitions, the biomass consolidation czars consolidate as markets expand. Funding will enable company to expand biomass supply chain services across U.S. In Oregon, Pacific Ag has received a $7M investment from Advantage Capital Agribusiness
August 07, 2015 Read Full Article
A Report from EnergyPath 2015: NetZero
by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic area is fortunate to benefit from funds derived from a settlement approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission during the Commonwealth’s electric deregulation proceedings. As part of its educational mission, Sustainable
August 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Southeastern Biomass Interactive Mapping Service
(Southeastern Partnership for Integrated Biomass Supply Systems) The Southeastern Biomass Interactive Mapping Service (IMS) is a tool for exploring the biomass resources and the competitors who use these resources in the southeast US. It allows users to spatially examine feedstock, competitors
August 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Chemical Firms Seek Better Grasp of Biomanufacturing
by Andy Extance (Chemistry World) Hope and expectation surround the chemical industry’s increasing adoption of biotechnological manufacturing – but today, their lengthy development times and complex processes mean frustration is a major by-product. ‘The process of developing industrial biomanufacturing [IB] processes
July 29, 2015 Read Full Article
New Corn Traits Yield Homegrown Enzymes for Ethanol
by Tim Tierneyn (Syngenta) Plymouth Energy collaborates with corn growers to increase plant efficiency and make ethanol more sustainable. ... Sourcing alpha amylase enzyme directly from area corn growers and working with them to enhance grain quality is not only helping Plymouth
July 21, 2015 Read Full Article
The 35 Hottest Companies in Feedstock Development & Supply in the Advanced Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Solazyme took the #1 spot in the 2015 “35 Hottest Companies in Feedstock Development & Supply” rankings, announced today by The Digest, the world’s most widely-read bioeconomy daily, at the Advanced Bioeconomy Feedsrtocks Conference (ABFC
June 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Sustainable, Available, Reliable Affordable Bioeconomy Feedstocks: The Hottest Slides from ABFC 2015
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the advanced bioeconomy, the question for some time has been “how do you fund it?” or “how do you make it?”. But now, feedstock is becoming the key variable, it’s a case of “where
June 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Innovations Presented at Department of Energy BETO Project Peer Review
by Osaretin Omorodion* (Advanced Biofuels USA) During late March 2015, the US Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) offered what amounted to a seminar for the public consisting of a series of presentations from industry professionals and researchers
May 19, 2015 Read Full Article
ACORE Brings Together Biofuel Industry to Publish Comments Addressing RFS Rules which Impede Advanced Biofuels Development
(American Council on Renewable Energy) ACORE Brings Together Biofuel Industry to Publish Comments Addressing RFS Rules -- Industry leaders and ACORE members take up issues with co-location requirements under the RFS which impede advanced biofuels development. Today, the American Council On Renewable
May 18, 2015 Read Full Article
Bioenergy & Sustainability: Bridging the Gaps
(SCOPE) Bioenergy & Sustainability is a collective effort with contributions from 137 researchers of 82 institutions in 24 countries. The volume is the outcome of an assessment that included a meeting held at UNESCO, Paris, in December 2013. Fifty experts
May 15, 2015 Read Full Article
New Web-based Tools for Biomass Mapping and Biomass Crop Production Decisions
(Southern Bioenergy Network News/SAFER Alliance/University of Tennessee) Southeastern Biomass Interactive Mapping Service (IMS)--The Interactive Mapping Service (IMS) allows you to explore the woody resource market in the southeast (currently North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama), both supply and demand. You
May 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Pennsylvania State University (PSU): An Example to Follow
by Danilo Gusmão de Quadros* (Advanced Biofuels USA) I had heard about Pennsylvania State University's bioenergy and biofuels educational initiatives from Advanced Biofuels USA's Joanne Ivancic, just after starting to work on a project to identify college level biofuels education
May 13, 2015 Read Full Article
BETO’s 2015 Project Peer Review Presentations Now Online
(US Department of Energy) Visit the 2015 Project Peer Review Web page to download individual project and plenary presentations from BETO’s 2015 Project Peer Review. The peer review process provided BETO with feedback about the management of each of its technology
April 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Downsize Bioenergy Risk while Approaching Scale: Partnering with ZeaChem’s Technology Institute
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For most investors, building a demonstration-scale facility in order to get, and validate, data for the last pre-commercial stages, is a necessary evil somewhere between diaper-changing and a colonoscopy on the “revolting, yet inevitable” meter. Those who
April 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Telling the Biofuels Story to Students: Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center Teacher Resources
(Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) Understanding role of biofuels in meeting our energy needs and mitigating global climate change is a complex task. Telling stories is an effective way to help students make sense of science ideas and important societal
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Answers for Your Questions about Biofuels, Renewable Chemicals, Bioproducts and Sustainable Agriculture.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Amazing questions get asked at ABLC — and except for attendees, you generally don’t hear them, or the answers. Let’s change that. With great sessions at conferences, delegates are usually keen to get a hold of
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
US Poised for Biobased Chemicals Breakout, Says National Research Council
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Though challenges remain, particularly in affordable feedstock, the US National Research Council says “Despite impressive recent and projected growth, the manufacturing of chemicals using biological synthesis and engineering could expand even faster.” ... In Washington, the National
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS: Advanced Bioeconomy Feedstock Conference June 9-10, 2015 New Orleans, LA DEADLINE: open
ABFC is the gathering point for the top supply chain leaders in the Advanced Bioeconomy — bringing together the entire spectrum of CEOs and senior executives in business development, R&D, strategic partners, finance, policy and equipment suppliers — looking at
March 20, 2015 Read Full Article
St. Louis Startup Turning Weeds into Biofuel
by Jim Bafaro (St. Louis Business Journal) Some call it the "stinkweed." Yet despite that inglorious moniker, there's an awful lot to like about pennycress, say officials with one St. Louis startup company. That's because pennycress seeds — five to
March 10, 2015 Read Full Article
BETO’s 2015 Project Peer Review March 23-27 Alexandria, VA
The Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is hosting the 2015 Project Peer Review on March 23–27, 2015, at the Hilton Mark Center, in Alexandria, Virginia. Approximately 185 projects in BETO’s research, development, and demonstration portfolio will be presented to the public
March 04, 2015 Read Full Article
USDA Publishes Final BCAP Rule
by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine) The USDA has released the final rule for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program, and though the general scope of BCAP is not changing with the recently published rule, there are some key changes being made
March 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Department of Agriculture and Energy Department Announce Up to $8.7 Million through the Interagency Biomass Research and Development Initiative
(US Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the Energy Department announced that up to $8.7 million in funding will be made available through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) to reduce the nation’s dependence
March 03, 2015 Read Full Article
2015 Sun Grant Conference: Academia Jumps One Step Forward and Shows What Will Be the Future of Lignocellulosic Biomass Production and Utilization in the Southeastern USA
Author, Dan Quadros, in Auburn, Alabama.by Danilo Gusmão de Quadros* (Advanced Biofuels USA) After two days (February 2-3, 2015) in “Sweet Home Alabama” at Auburn University, we got overwhelmed with the most recent discoveries of cutting-edge research that were presented
February 25, 2015 Read Full Article
New Farmer Co-Operative to Help Build Ontario Bioeconomy
(Farmers.com/Cellulosic Sugar Producers Co-operative) A group of Ontario farmers have a plan to convert crop residue into cellulosic sugar to help fuel the province’s bioeconomy. Based in Sarnia, the Cellulosic Sugar Producers Co-operative (CSPC) will work to develop a market
January 14, 2015 Read Full Article
VC Surprise: Spruce Capital, Xeraya Capital Announce First Close of New $150M Biogreentech Venture Fund
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As a newly-closed venture fund opens for business with a distinctly Malaysian flavor, we look at the state of venture capital and the new role of integrated sovereign investment. From California and Malaysia comes the news
January 09, 2015 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
Hottest Slides from ABLCNext 2014 – the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sapphire Energy’s new multi-market product approach Joule’s breakthrough photosynthetic efficiency Cellana – multi-products for algae, just like petroleum READ MORE
November 12, 2014 Read Full Article
Boosting Biomass for Bioenergy
by Katie Fletcher (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Many dedicated energy crops hold promise as feedstocks for next-generation ethanol. Extensive R&D is still needed, however, to overcome the challenges in making these plants viable for commercial applications. ... This year, $12.6 million was awarded to
October 01, 2014 Read Full Article
Neste Oil Announces Off-take Agreement with U.S. Algae Producer
(Neste Oil/Biomass Magazine) Neste Oil and Renewable Algal Energy, a U.S.-based algae biomass producer, have signed a contingent commercial algae oil off-take agreement. Algae oil is one of the alternatives being researched by Neste Oil for use as a feedstock
August 28, 2014 Read Full Article
Answers for Your Questions about the Bioeconomy, Biofuels, Renewable Chemicals and Bioproducts
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... With great sessions at conferences, delegates are usually keen to get a hold of the powerpoint decks. But how do you get a hold of the great Q&A that follows the presentations — or the
August 14, 2014 Read Full Article
New Energy-Rich Sorghum Offers Ethanol without the Corn
by Marc Gunther (The Guardian) California startup NexSteppe presents a new brand of sorghum, bred for optimal energy production, designed as a greener alternative to corn for ethanol fuels and biomass boilers As scientists around the world research biomass feedstocks —
August 13, 2014 Read Full Article
Nexant Launches Biorenewable Insights
(Chemical Online/Businesswire) Nexant announced today that it has launched Biorenewable Insights—its new subscription program that provides in-depth evaluations and reliable data on the technology, cost competitiveness and industrial developments of biorenewable chemicals and fuels. “Nexant is the first major consultancy in this space