by Beverly James (University of Florida) Imagine jet fuel made from a crop that’s renewable, brings in income and can feed cattle. Researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences have found a way to turn mustard
food and fuel
Back TO HOMEShedding Light on U.S. Biofuels: The 'Food versus Fuel' Debate
by Stephanie Mercier (Ag Web) The U.S. biofuels sector marks its birth back in 1979, when Congress established a blender’s credit for ethanol as the earliest piece of federal biofuel policy as part of the Energy Tax Act of 1978 as
August 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Celebrating a Decade of Success: The RFS Turns 10!
(Renewable Fuels Association) This Saturday marks 10 years since the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) containing the original Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The first RFS set America on a path
August 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Promising Projects: A Report from BIO's World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology 2015
[caption id="attachment_63689" align="alignleft" width="300"] A plenary session at the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology (July 19, 2015, Montreal).[/caption] by Stefaniya Becking* (Advanced Biofuels USA) If one is looking for an international gathering of leaders in industrial biotechnology to expand their professional
July 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Plant Sensory Systems Forms Subsidiary Company, Just Beets LLC
(Plant Sensory Systems) Just Beets LLC to Sell Plant Sensory Systems’ Proprietary Beet Seeds -- Plant Sensory Systems, LLC (PSS) announced the formation of a subsidiary company, Just Beets LLC, to produce, sell and distribute PSS’ proprietary beet seeds. Beets are
July 30, 2015 Read Full Article
How One Farm Is Growing Food and Biofuels While Helping to Save the Environment
by Padma Nagappan (TakePart) ... Now researchers at the United States Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory think they have a solution that allows farmers to profit from growing both food and advanced biofuels while benefitting the environment. They planted willow on
July 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Understanding Global Agriculture in 15 Minutes
by By Tom Schenk (Agriculture 2.0) Over the past ten years, scores of articles have been written about the merits of investing in farmland as well as the challenges of producing enough food to feed a population that is growing at
July 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Ethiopia: The Biofuel Myth
by Jose Graziano DA Silva (UN Food and Agriculture Organization/AllAfrica.com) Over the past several years, biofuels have become a bone of contention. For some, a renewable energy source produced from organic matter amounts to a magic wand in the fight
July 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Energy Department Awards $18 Million to Develop Valuable Bioproducts and Biofuels from Algae
(US Department of Energy) The Energy Department today announced six projects that will receive up to $18 million in funding to reduce the modeled price of algae-based biofuels to less than $5 per gasoline gallon equivalent (gge) by 2019. This
July 10, 2015 Read Full Article
This Pond Scum May Fuel Your Airplane
by Tom Redmond and Yuko Takeo (Bloomberg Business) The future of Japan’s biofuel industry may be pond scum. Or more specifically, green algae that’s swirling around in tanks on a tropical Okinawan island. That’s what Mitsuru Izumo and his company
July 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Scientists Study Ways to Integrate Biofuels and Food Crops on Farms
by Payal Marathe (Argonne National Laboratory) We ask a lot of the land: feed the world with crops, power the world with bioenergy, retain nutrients so they don’t pollute our water and air. To help landscapes answer these high demands,
July 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Food in the Age of Biofuels
by Jose Graziano da Silva (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization/Project Syndicate) ... But this is a false dichotomy. The choice cannot be between food and fuel. We can make good use of both. Given the right conditions, biofuels can be an effective means
July 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Grazing Land Has Scope for Biofuel Surge
(SciDev.net) At least 500 million hectares are available for growing biofuel crops; This is after considering rising food demand and growing urbanisation; Only up to 200 million hectares would be needed to slash fossil fuel use Converting grazing land into fields to grow
July 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Making the Biofuels Process Safer for Microbes
by Scott Gordon (University of Wisconsin-Madison) A team of investigators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Michigan State University have created a process for making the work environment less toxic—literally—for the organisms that do the heavy lifting in the increasingly
July 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Big Oil’s Mouthpiece Distorts the Facts
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/The Hill) Sofie E. Miller may have left the Charles Koch Institute in 2012, but she clearly continues to do the bidding of her former employer and the rest of the oil industry (“RFS hurts
June 29, 2015 Read Full Article
European Biomass Conference and Exhibition 2015: Biomass: Challenges and Promises
by Maija Sihvonen* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The 23rd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EUBCE) held in Vienna 1-4 June was a massive event with nearly 1300 participants from 76 countries and some 800 presentations. The event consisted of multiple parallel
June 29, 2015 Read Full Article
European Renewable Ethanol Industry Releases Annual State of the Industry Report
(ePURE) On the occasion of its annual general assembly, the European renewable ethanol association (ePURE) has today released its annual 2015 State of the Industry Report. The annual report offers a comprehensive look at the European ethanol industry, its market and policy
June 19, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Will Steiner, General Manager, Hawaii Oil Seed Producers
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) HOSPRO is dedicated to battle the 95+% import of petroleum for energy and electricity generation by promoting the development of tree based oil seed crops. We are focusing on oil palm a proven producer in
June 16, 2015 Read Full Article
DDGS Challenges, Old and New
by Kurt A. Rosentrater (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Distillers Grains Technology Counci) ... At the recent Distillers Grains Technology Council’s 19th Distillers Grains Symposium in Kansas City, the latest and greatest issues to impact distillers grains production and use, and thus the fuel
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
COUNTERPOINT: Ethanol a Valuable Part of Energy Mix
by Barry Blitsteihn (Chronicle Herald) A corn field is harvested near Coy, Ark. in 2012. Three years later, “corn prices are in the basement, yet ethanol production is off the charts, so how can you blame ethanol for food shortages?,”
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Researchers Study Benefits of Double-Cropping Camelina, Soybeans
(The American Society of Agronomy/Biodiesel Magazine) In the U.S., federal mandates to produce more renewable fuels, especially biofuels, have led to a growing debate: Should fuel or food grow on arable land? Recent research shows farmers can successfully, and sustainably,
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Enrique Arrieta-Noguera, CEO, Ambientronika
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... (W)e are working in the project “4T-FF”, 4 trees species for fuel & food, where we will produce 100% biodiesel plus food in the form of forage, milk and meat. ... We will develop our proof of
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Australian Research Develops New Fish-Free Omega-3 from Microalgae: New Food, Anti-Pollutant and Biofuel Side Benefits
by Andrea Hogan (Australian Food News) Tasmanian researchers at the CSIRO’s National Algae Culture Collection facility in Hobart believe they are getting close to developing a Omega 3 supplement that does not come from fish. Dr Susan Blackburn of the National Algae
June 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuel Research and Commercial Development in Denmark
(Task 39 Newsletter) General introduction - A fossil free energy supply by 2050 -- In 2012, the Danish parliament decided on a new climate act, which calls for an energy supply totally free of fossil fuels by 2050. This goal
June 02, 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
Bioenergy Misconceptions and Misinformation
(Safer Alliance) What wild accusation have your heard regarding ethanol, biodiesel, biogas or other bioenergy resource? If you are engaged in research, promotion and advocacy and/or invested in the world of biofuels, you have likely heard some story of how
May 15, 2015 Read Full Article
End the Food vs Fuel Debate
by Bliss Baker (Global Renewable Fuels Association) The recent drop in oil prices and global food price index should finally put an end to the food vs. food debate, writes Bliss Baker of GRFA. The price of oil and energy inputs
May 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Food and Fuel: A Model for Bioenergy Feedstock/Vegetable Double-Cropping Systems
by Stephanie Henry (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences) ... Researchers realize that biomass feedstocks will need to come from many different sources, including crop residues, forest residues, and municipal waste, for example, said
May 12, 2015 Read Full Article
Wasting the Savanna
By Tim Searchinger and Lyndon Estes (The Washington Post/Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs) In recent years, as governments have begun to protect tropical forests because of the carbon they store, other vast tropical ecosystems have
May 11, 2015 Read Full Article
VietNam Considers Raising Export Tariff on Cassava, Ethanol to Support E5 Production
(VietNamNet Bridge) The Ministry of Finance (MOF) is planning to raise the tariff on cassava and ethanol exports in an effort to retain materials for domestic biofuel production. Cassava and ethanol bear an export tariff of zero percent. ... Cassava, the major
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Neighbors Come out in Opposition of Proposed Ethanol Plant near Caldwell
by Torrie Cope (Idaho Press-Tribune) Residents who live in the area of Lower Pleasant Ridge Road fear that a proposed ethanol plant could lower their property values, spoil their views and bring unwanted traffic, noise and odor to the neighborhood.
May 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Earth Day: 3 Big Reads for a Sustainable BioFuture
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Three reports have arrived this week that help – especially in the corner of sustainability relating to biobased energy, fuels and products. One led out of Brazil, tapping the efforts of 137 researchers at 82
April 21, 2015 Read Full Article
EU Reshapes Its Biofuels Policy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Jettisons indirect land use change for now, citing poor data visibility; caps food-crop biofuels to 7%; limits proposed Directives to 2020. In Brussels, the European Parliament’s Environmental Committee has voted this week to endorse the
April 17, 2015 Read Full Article
R5 Bln Plant to Convert Canola into Diesel Halted by Laws
by Lutho Mtongana (BizNews.com) PhytoEnergy International Holding AG said it will only proceed with a plan to build a 5 billion rand ($418 million) plant to convert canola into diesel in South Africa if the government passes laws needed by the
April 16, 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
Residue or Residon’t: Untapped Fuel Yields from the US Corn Production System
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Why not use the materials we don’t need, to produce the fuels we do need? ... (R)educe, re-use, recycle. Use what’s already there. And there’s nothing more powerful in the Imperial Department of Re-Use than sustainable agricultural
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
RFA: Economic Models Are One Thing, Reality Is Another
(Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Science Magazine has published yet another study from environmental activist and attorney Timothy Searchinger that re-packages his already disproven theory of food vs. fuel. His assertions about the impact of biofuels on food markets run
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Rubber Security
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Though we usually think of diversifying away from petroleum via the fuels for our cars — what about the petroleum in the tires? Rubber security, as it turns out, offers some of the same chills
March 31, 2015 Read Full Article
The New Voices Debuts: The Advanced Bioeconomy Comes to Streamed Video
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the advanced bioeconomy takes to the airwaves as The New Voices debuts today as a digital streaming experience — the first three episodes of the program are online today as the regular cast and
March 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Advancing from Lab to Industrial Algae Production
(Algae Industry Magazine) Computer Science and Engineering Professor at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Vineet Bafna was on the roster of experts who spoke at Green Revolution 2.0. The symposium, March 12-13 in the Qualcomm Institute, was organized
March 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Food vs. Food and Fuel
By Hilary Landfried (Project Gaia) ... We rarely think of it here in the West, hooked up to electric and gas grids as we are, but nearly half of the world’s population still cooks on biomass fuels such as wood, charcoal, and
March 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Matrix Breaks through on Genetic Methods for Modifying Spirulina: New Platform for Proteins, Pigments
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Milestone reached on protein, phycocyanin in spirulina — opens up new opportunities for algae, cyanobacteria. In Washington, we have big news this week that Matrix Genetics announced a technology breakthrough that allows for rapid and
March 05, 2015 Read Full Article
The Great Algae Robbery
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) An arbitration ruling details how Roquette seemingly attempted one of the most brazen intellectual property heists in the history of biotechnology, and almost got away with it. Today, the story of a JV gone wrong,
February 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Byogy Renewables and GEN 2 Energy Advance Value Chain to Produce Biofuels Competitive With Today's Oil Price
(Byogy/PR Newswire) Byogy Renewables, a biofuels producer based in San Jose, California, has executed a strategic partnership agreement with Gen 2 Energy, an alternative energy company from Ames, Iowa, to develop a more cost-effective biofuel production process. New yeast strains developed by
February 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels: Good News and False Solutions
by Elmar Baumann (Association of German Biofuels Producers (VDB)/Euractiv) While the discussion hots up, there is good news for all those in favour of biodiesel and bioethanol as more scientific work on iLUC has been published. ILUC means that some of
February 20, 2015 Read Full Article
$500/BOE Profit from Algae? Yes We Can!
by Stafford “Doc” Williamson (Biofuels Digest) ... The US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has a plan. Specifically it has a 5 year plan known as the Multi-Year Program Plan (and with the typical zeal of most
February 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Report Based on False Assumption of Either-Or Land Use Approach
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) In the World Resources Institute (WRI) working paper, “Avoiding Bioenergy Competition for Food Crops and Land,” the authors work off the assumption that land-use decisions are used making an “either-or” approach, i.e., land can either
February 08, 2015 Read Full Article
World Resources Institute Wrong About Biofuels Impact on Land Use and the Environment
(Renewable Fuels Association) Today (January 30, 2015), the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) criticized a new report by World Resources Institute (WRI) for its false data on the environmental and land use impacts of biofuels. The report titled, ‘Avoiding Bioenergy
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
25x’25 Responds to Questionable Assessment of Bioenergy Production
(25x'25) A report released today by the World Resources Institute would seem to demonstrate the old adage: "The more things change, the more they stay the same." The "change" in this instance is a massive amount of research showing the
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
UN’s Pro Biofuels Stance an ‘Important Milestone’ for Agriculture
by Olivia Midgley (Farmers Guardian) Sustainable biofuel production can offer additional incomes for farmers as well as helping to achieve energy security, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) chief has said. Speaking at the Global Forum for Food and
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Imposing Carbon Price Would Spur Bioenergy, Slash Emissions -- MIT Study
by Amanda Peterka (E&E Publishing / Greenwire) Bioenergy production would boom and spur steep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions if a global price is slapped on carbon, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers say in a report released today. Examining bioenergy production
January 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Report Offers a Framework to Help Policymakers, Researchers, and Other Stakeholders Analyze the Effects of Potential Changes to the U.S. Food System
(WebWire) To aid U.S. policymakers and other stakeholders who make decisions about the nation’s food system, a new report from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council offers a framework for assessing the health, environmental, social, and economic effects
January 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Making Indirect Land Use Change Go Away
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As the specter of falling oil prices spooks the sector, here’s good news from the Land of ILUC — a shocker study pointing a way towards mitigating or eliminating that infamous scourge of carbon-scoring for
January 15, 2015 Read Full Article
UN Flags Vulnerability of Ag Prices to Oil Market Weakness
(AgriMoney.com) The United Nations highlighted the vulnerability of agricultural commodity values to the weakness in crude oil markets as it revealed a drop in food prices to a four-year low, led by declines in sugar – one of the main
January 09, 2015 Read Full Article
The Year That Wasn’t
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... Ethanol production and blending broke records. Exports picked up. E15 and E85 sales increased. And the first cellulosic ethanol gallons were produced. So here, in satiric tribute to the year that wasn’t,
January 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Backers Say Factory Will Buy $26 Million from Farm Sector
by Sean Ellis (Capital Press) The head of a proposed ethanol and food-processing facility near Greenleaf, Idaho, says the plant would purchase $26 million worth of farm commodities from Idaho farmers each year. He also says it would be the
December 30, 2014 Read Full Article
From Flushing to Fuel: How Bioenergy Spectrum Solutions Will Change Waste Disposal
(EIN PressWire) ... BioEnergy Spectrum Solutions, or BESS, has a plan based on technology developed by Mississippi State University that can take the sludge from waste water facilities and use it to make fuel that can be used to power the
December 18, 2014 Read Full Article
Biofuels Economic Outlook
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) Back again by popular demand this year at the American Seed Trade Association CSS 2014 and Seed Expo was AgResource Company president Dan Basse giving his economic outlook for the year ahead. Basse told attendees that the
December 18, 2014 Read Full Article
Algae Industry Tackling Global Malnutrition
(Algae Biomass Organization) We produce enough food to feed the world. Malnutrition and acute hunger seen across the globe are not problems of availability, but of access and inequality. The algae industry has been hard at work to address the barriers
December 17, 2014 Read Full Article
Ethanol Facility Proposed in Southwestern Idaho
by Sean Ellis (Capital Press) A proposed ethanol facility in Southwestern Idaho would convert barley and tubers into fuel. It's not the first ethanol facility proposed in the Treasure Valley and two others have failed to get off the ground. An
December 03, 2014 Read Full Article
High Turkey Prices: Don't Blame Ethanol
by Alan Neuhauser (U.S. News and World Report/MSN.com) No clucking way. Turkey prices are still higher than average, the American Farm Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics found last week – but don’t blame the Environmental Protection Agency's renewable fuel standard. The
November 26, 2014 Read Full Article
Model Evaluates Where Bioenergy Crops Grow Best
(University of Illinois) Farmers interested in bioenergy crops now have a resource to help them determine which kind of bioenergy crop would grow best in their regions and what kind of harvest to expect. Researchers at the University of Illinois have
November 25, 2014 Read Full Article
Can Algae Be the Next Biofuel?
by William Tucker (Fuel Freedom Foundation) The lure of the oceans has always had a special appeal for advocates of biofuel. The vast reaches of the deep speak of a promise that unlimited amounts of space will be able to bring
November 20, 2014 Read Full Article
Feed Food Fairness Campaign – Not Big on Transparency
(Renewable Fuels Association) Today (November 18, 2014), the Feed Food Fairness Campaign, backed by members of the livestock and fast food industries, ran a one-sided advertisement in the popular Beltway publication “Politico” inaccurately blaming the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for
November 20, 2014 Read Full Article
UN Report Outlines Growing Biofuels Role in Developing Economies
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Biofuels now account for 1 percent of global energy use, a new report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development finds. “The State of the Biofuels Market: Regulatory, Trade and Development Perspectives” provides a
November 14, 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
Verticality: A Key Factor in the Food x Fuel Issue
by Al Costa (Global Biobusiness) ...To this end, it becomes increasingly clear that "verticality" is a key issue. This means crops which occupy little space horizontally and as much space vertically. After all, a crop is free to be
November 11, 2014 Read Full Article
Chicago Based NZ Company LanzaTech Has Helped Develop a Process that Turns CO2 Emissions into Omega-3 Rich Fatty Acids.
(The New Zealand Herald) A leading carbon recycling company has developed a way to turn CO2 emissions into essential omega-3 fatty acids - offering a sustainable alternative to feeding the world's demand for fish oil. Now based in Chicago, New Zealand-founded
November 10, 2014 Read Full Article
Ethanol Advocate Wants to Keep His Issue on the Front Burner
by David Fondler (Pioneer Press/TwinCities.com) To Randall Doyal, ethanol seems like a no-brainer: a renewable, domestically produced automotive fuel that reduces the need for imported oil; that burns clean, reducing harmful greenhouse gases and pollution; that boosts farmers and rural economies
November 03, 2014 Read Full Article
Fueling a Nation, Feeding the World
(Renewable Fuels Association) RFA's "Fueling a Nation, Feeding the World" handbook highlights ethanol's contribution to the global food and feed supply and contains information that disproves the fabricated food-vs.-fuel argument. The booklet outlines the co-products of ethanol production, e.g. distillers
October 31, 2014 Read Full Article
Stu Ellis: What Do We Do with All of This Corn?
by Stu Ellis (Herald-Review.com) ... Last fall, the market was telling farmers to raise more soybeans in 2014, but don’t cut back too much on corn acres, and total planted acreage in the U.S. subsequently increased by 6 million. In
October 30, 2014 Read Full Article
Biofuels Help Boost Sustainable Transport and Support Rural Development in Africa: GRFA
(Renewable Fuels Association) Today, as the first African Sustainable Transport Forum gets under way in Nairobi, Kenya, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) called on forum attendees to adopt biofuels friendly policies and regulations that would kick-start the increased use
October 29, 2014 Read Full Article
Cereal Grains Food Science Professor Receives Grant to Bring Corn Co-product to Market
(South Dakota State University/Lab Manager) South Dakota State University food science professor Padmanaban Krishnan received a four-year grant geared toward getting corn co-products to the food market. With a $576,000 project budget for the Minnesota Corn Growers Association grant, Krishnan will
October 28, 2014 Read Full Article
National Algae Association Encourages US Algae Producers to Label Algae-based Products “Made in the USA”.
(National Algae Association) The National Algae Association is pleased to see commercial algae production taking place in the US, and is encouraging all US-based algae producers to label their algae products made in America “Made in the USA.” Those that qualify should
October 20, 2014 Read Full Article
Balancing Birds and Biofuels: Grasslands Support More Species than Cornfields
by Kelly April Tyrrell (University of Wisconsin-Madison) In Wisconsin, bioenergy is for the birds. Really. In a study published today in the journal PLOS ONE, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) scientists examined whether corn and
October 17, 2014 Read Full Article
Is the Next “Green Revolution” Right Around the Corner?
by Caitlin Kennedy (Biotech NOW) National Geographic’s October issue contains an in-depth article, “The Next Green Revolution” on how plant biotechnology will be one part of a multifaceted solution to feeding a rapidly growing population in the face of climate change. Climate change and population
October 17, 2014 Read Full Article
DuPont, Ethanol Europe Renewables Ink Pact for Cellulosic Ethanol in Macedonia
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Macedonian government joins as signatory for MOU. 100 million liter cellulosic refinery could start construction in 2016. ... (N)ews arrives from Skopje, Macedonia that the Republic of Macedonia today joined a MOU to facilitate the development of
October 17, 2014 Read Full Article
Airlines Fly the Skies on a Sugar High
by Amy Yee (The New York Times) The red-and-white Boeing 737 looked like any other plane on the tarmac at Orlando International Airport. But on a clear day last July, the plane became the first commercial flight powered by a
October 14, 2014 Read Full Article
New Report Sheds Light on the Old "Food Vs. Fuel" Bioenergy Debate
by Jennifer Runyon (RenewableEnergyWorld.com) There was never any conflict between using corn for food or for ethanol since corn growers send most of their product to animal feedlots. That product isn’t even meant for human consumption anyway. It was an abundant year
October 14, 2014 Read Full Article
Press Release: “Should Corn Land Be Used for Bioenergy/Biomaterial Crops?” Advanced Biofuels USA Publishes Thought-Provoking New Approach to Food, Feed, Fuel and Fiber Crop Land Use
October 6, 2014—Columbus, OH -- Robert Kozak of Atlantic Biomass Conversions contributes his thoughtful approach to answering these questions* posed by Biofuels Digests’s Jim Lane: “As the first wave of cellulosic biorefineries launch — is there really enough affordable feedstock
October 06, 2014 Read Full Article
That Dread US Ethanol Policy that Reduced Foreign Oil, Saved Consumers $800 P.A., and Produced More Food
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, USDA released its August World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report. The 2014 corn crop is estimated at 14.032 billion bushels. That is 172 million bushels higher than the previous record established
August 15, 2014 Read Full Article
Greenhouse Gas Report to Assist Producers Facing Climate Challenges
(US Department of Agriculture) For the First Time, USDA Climate Hubs Get New Tools to Gauge Progress in Building Drought-Resistant Healthy Soil The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today (July 31, 2014) released a report that, for the first time, provides
August 12, 2014 Read Full Article
DDG Manufacturers Seek Better Understanding of FSMA Compliance
by Katie Fletcher (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A popular breakout session at the 2014 American Coalition for Ethanol conference discussed the potential impacts the Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act may have on plant operations. Paula Emberland of Christian
August 08, 2014 Read Full Article
The Clean Plate Club: The Search for Value from Food Waste Finds a Center of Gravity in Hawaii
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) All that food waste, all that potential value. What’s being done about all that material heading from the garbage pail to the landfill? Turns out, the State of Hawaii and BioTork are doing a lot.
August 08, 2014 Read Full Article
All-in-One Energy System Offers Greener Power for Off-Grid Homes, Farms
(Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) An innovative 'trigeneration' system fuelled entirely by raw plant oils could have great potential for isolated homes and businesses operating outside grid systems both in the UK and abroad. Developed by a consortium led by
August 01, 2014 Read Full Article
Montanans Turn Barley into High-Value Feed, Ethanol
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Researchers in Montana are looking at an enzymatic treatment for barley that produces a high-value protein concentrate, describing ethanol as the process coproduct. Feed barley has been an important crop in Montana that has
July 25, 2014 Read Full Article
World's Cocoa Crop Could Get a Big Boost from a Simple, Non-Toxic Spray
by Seth Palmer (Phys.Org) Cocoa farmers this year will lose an estimated 30 to 40 percent of their crop to pests and disease, and with chocolate prices having risen globally by roughly two-thirds in the past decade, concern is growing
July 03, 2014 Read Full Article
Quad County Corn Processor Produces Iowa’s First Cellulosic Biofuels at Scale
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Iowa, the first ever gallons of commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol produced in Iowa flowed from Quad County Corn Processor’s distillation unit this week, according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. This marks the commissioning of
July 02, 2014 Read Full Article
Ethanol Producer Green Plains Has Plans to Feed Its Own Cattle
by Lynn Doan (Bloomberg) Green Plains Inc. (GPRE), which just became the first major ethanol producer to buy its own cattle-feed yard, has plans to milk it for more -- by buying the cattle too. The fourth-largest ethanol maker in the U.S.
June 12, 2014 Read Full Article
Grants Further Environmental Policy Research
by Stacy Shackford (Cornell Chronicle) ... A $499,998 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture – one of two awarded to Cornell as part of a $12 million program – will allow researchers to delve
May 15, 2014 Read Full Article
Addax Bioenergy Certified by Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials
(Sierra Express Media) Addax Bioenergy (SL) Limited has been fully and formally certified under the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB). This is said to quite an achievement and everyone involved has to be commended. RSB is recognized as being the
May 14, 2014 Read Full Article
FORUM: A Brief Lesson On Ethanol And Food Prices
by Kelvin Alversion (Rapid City Journal) We are blessed as Americans to have the safest, most affordable and abundant food supply in the world. Consumers have thousands of choices when it comes to food any time of the year. It’s the
May 13, 2014 Read Full Article
Don’t Ignore Contribution of Distillers Grains
by Mike Bryan (Ethanol Producer Magazine) It's something that has been said over and over and, yet, it's worth repeating because so many people don't seem to get it. Distillers grains is an important part of the ethanol production and
May 13, 2014 Read Full Article
ETHANOL: Feeding and Fueling the World| 2014 UPDATE
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association has published an updated infographic to illustrate how corn is used for fuel and feed. READ MORE
May 08, 2014 Read Full Article
How Farmers Are Feeding & Fueling The Country in 60 Seconds
(Fuels America) Farmers feed America -- and they help fuel it, too! That's a huge job, and one that never slows down. Luckily for us, they're getting better at it every year. Want to know how they do it? All
April 24, 2014 Read Full Article
The Real Cost of Food
by Tom Buis (Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) First-generation ethanol reduces our dependence on foreign oil, revitalizes our rural communities, improves our environment and employs nearly 400,000 workers while driving down fuel costs. The next generation will make an even greater
March 18, 2014 Read Full Article
Algae in Iowa
(Algae Industry Magazine) This American Land travels to Shenandoah, Iowa, to take a look at BioProcess Algae’s novel technology for recycling CO2 from corn ethanol production into algae production. WATCH VIDEO and Duke Power VIDEO
March 17, 2014 Read Full Article
Algae Biomass Organization Hails New Publication that Identifies Most Promising Locations for Commercial Algae Production Projects
(Algae Biomass Organization) Analysis can reduce time, cost associated with site development The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the algae industry, today (March 10, 2014) lauded a new publication from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in partnership with
March 11, 2014 Read Full Article
Advanced Ethanol Here at Last
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) During the National Ethanol Conference, representatives of four leading companies talked about how advanced ethanol is here at last. Moderated by Advanced Ethanol Council Executive Director Brooke Coleman, the panelists included Chris Standlee with Abengoa; Kenneth Hill
February 28, 2014 Read Full Article
Iberdrola-Backed AlgaEnergy May Build Mexico Biomass Plant
by Stefan Nicola (Bloomberg) AlgaEnergy SA, part-owned by Spain’s Iberdrola SA (IBE) and Repsol SA (REP), is in talks with potential partners to set up a plant in Mexico to supply the American markets with biomass made from algae. Chief Executive
February 28, 2014 Read Full Article
High-Mileage Beans: Slick New Uses for High-Oleic Beans
By Emily Unglesbee (DTN/The Progressive Farmer) ... Biosynthetic Technologies, a synthetic oil manufacturer that uses bio-based ingredients, has produced synthetic motor oil made from Monsanto's Vistive Gold high-oleic soybeans. The company just finished a successful test of the soybean-based motor
February 24, 2014 Read Full Article
World Leaders Promote Sustainable Production to Meet Global Food Challenges
(25 x '25) The annual Global Forum for Food and Agriculture is currently underway in Berlin and those attending are grappling with a formidable challenge: finding ways to insure food security around the world as population surges by nearly 30
January 17, 2014 Read Full Article
EU Sees Rising Food Output by 2023 on Export and Biofuel Demand
by Rudy Ruitenberg (Bloomberg) European Union production of foodstuffs from cheese to poultry to wheat is predicted to climb by 2023 on demand for exports and the manufacturing of biofuels from grains, the 28-nation bloc said. READ MORE
January 15, 2014 Read Full Article
Scientific Results Presented at 2013 ASA Annual Meeting Indicated: The Environmental Benefits of Biofuels Are Much More than We Had Thought
by Danilo Gusmão de Quadros* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The substitution of fossil fuels by advanced biofuels per se has a huge impact on the environment through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, consequently mitigating global warming effects by the transportation
December 31, 2013 Read Full Article
Solon Wants House to Probe Biofuel Compliance
by Butch Fernandez (Business Mirror) ... A lawmaker has filed a resolution asking the House Committee on Energy to probe the performance and impact assessment of the Biofuels Act of 2006 and the development of alternative sources of biofuels, following reports that
December 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Special Asia Biofuels Report: The Top 10 Stories of the Year, and More
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Asia looks at petroleum reserves and exploration and concludes: our future is in biomass. As we wrote in 2012: “There’s only one complete region for biofuels where abundant feedstock, lack of oil & gas production, rising energy
December 26, 2013 Read Full Article
False Alarms vs Hard Data: the Renewable Fuel Standard, the Results, and the Critics
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) All those worries about the impact of biofuels on food prices, deforestation, Gulf hypoxia? ... RFS2 fuels have been described as “fantasy fuels”, “government fuels”, derided as “farmer fuels”. Biofuels in general have been, for
December 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Chickens to Benefit from Biofuels Bonanza
(Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) Chickens could be the unexpected beneficiaries of the growing biofuels industry, feeding on proteins retrieved from the fermenters used to brew bioethanol, thanks to research supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). It
November 01, 2013 Read Full Article
Congressional Algae Caucus Launched!
(Algae Biomass Organization) Algae Biomass Organization Applauds Reps. Scott Peters and Matt Salmon as New Chairs of the Congressional Algae Caucus. Bi-partisan group focused on increasing awareness of the potential of algae industry to create jobs and economic development through
October 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry on the Offensive after August Recess
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... (Paul) Bertels (vice president of production and utilization for the National Corn Growers Association) said the harvest should bring in about 12.9 billion bushels of corn, the third largest crop ever and just 100
September 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Alternative Biofuel Crops to Fuel the Future of the Poor
(EurekAlert/World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)) The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have launched the IFAD-ICRAF Programme for the Development of Alternative Biofuel Crops, an initiative focused on providing clean energy for rural communities, enhancing
July 24, 2013 Read Full Article
Soaring Soymeal Price Boosts Appeal of DDGs
(AgriMoney.com) The soaring price of soymeal, which hit a nine-month high this week, has only enhanced the need for dairy and livestock producers to investigate distillers' grains as an alternative, Rice Dairy said. Soymeal futures for July hit $499.00 a short
July 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Busting Big Oil Myths on the RFS and Ethanol, Part II: Food Prices
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/The Energy Collective) ...Big Oil’s PR machine regurgitates these myths via conference calls with reporters, meetings with editorial boards, sham studies, paid advertising, social media and many other channels. Their goal, of course, is to
June 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining Special Issue -- Biomass Futures: Estimating the Sustainable Biomass Role for Meeting the 2020 Targets and Beyond
(Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining) The Renewable Energy Directive (RED) has set a general binding target for the European Union to derive 20% of its final energy and 10% of its transport fuels from renewable sources by 2020. It is expected
May 23, 2013 Read Full Article
G8 under Pressure to Rethink Biofuel Mandates
(EurActiv) Leaders of the EU and their partners in the G8 nations are under mounting pressure to reconsider their support for biofuel targets amid concern that plant oil production competes with food output in poor countries. Britain, which chairs the G8 this
May 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Two Thumbs Up for Solazyme: AkzoNobel Deal, New Technology for Structured Oils
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The sector’s perennial hottest company strikes again — with “potentially disruptive” new technology to change the positioning and performance of triglyceride oils. In California, Solazyme and AkzoNobel announced an agreement targeting the development of advanced tailored
May 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Michigan State University Bioenergy Research Looks for Food and Fuel Solutions
by Russ White (MLive) ... Michigan State University leads research of bioenergies and biofuels through AgBioResearch and the Kellogg Biological Station and partnerships with coalitions such as the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and the Global Center for Food Systems Innovation. ... The
May 06, 2013 Read Full Article
New Plant Protein Discoveries Could Ease Global Food and Fuel Demands
by Kim McDonald (University of California at San Diego) New discoveries of the way plants transport important substances across their biological membranes to resist toxic metals and pests, increase salt and drought tolerance, control water loss and store sugar can have
May 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuel Groups Encourage Lawmakers to Maintain the RFS
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Several biofuel trade organizations have weighed in on white paper published by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the impact the renewable fuel standard (RFS) has had on the U.S. agricultural sector. The report examines a
May 03, 2013 Read Full Article
Biodiesel's Position in the Unfair War on Ethanol
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) If RFS detractors get their way, biodiesel may become a casualty of the war against ethanol. It's up to all of us to make sure this doesn't happen In editorials and opinions circling the issue of
May 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels and the Problem of Tropical Islands, part I of II
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Though there are exceptions among the archipelagoes with access to offshore oil assets — Indonesia comes to mind— but these are, in the main, exceptions to what might be described as the general problem of
April 29, 2013 Read Full Article
Energy Committee Seeks Stakeholder Comments on the Impacts of the RFS on Agriculture
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) The House Committee on Energy and Commerce is continuing its assessment of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The Committee has issued its second white paper focusing on "Agricultural Sector Impacts." The Committee is seeking stakeholder
April 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Biodiesel’s Big Comeback and Bigger Prospects
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Darling of the mid-2000s, still beloved by its many fans — biodiesel is increasingly a key to delivering advanced biofuels volumes now — and even more so between now and 2022. Presentations by NBB CEO Joe
April 26, 2013 Read Full Article
REG Makes Case that Biodiesel Helps Food Supply
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) Apparently tired of false claims that biodiesel takes from the food supply, biodiesel maker Renewable Energy Group has put out a whitepaper that actually shows how the green fuel is helping the food supply. Biodiesel Magazine has
April 24, 2013 Read Full Article
Who’s Fooling Whom? The Real Drivers in Africa’s Food Crisis
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Belgium, PANGEA (Partners for Euro-African Green Energy) launched an update to its report “Who’s Fooling Whom? The Real Drivers Behind the 2010/11 Food Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa”. The report demonstrates an important conclusion: the degree
April 24, 2013 Read Full Article
Researchers Turn Corn Stover into Amylose Starch
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A team of Virginia Tech researchers have adapted existing technologies to make a new product, transforming cellulose into amylose. One target market for the amylose would be functional foods, said lead researcher Y.H. Percival Zhang,
April 23, 2013 Read Full Article
REG Releases White Paper Promoting Food Security Side of Biodiesel
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Iowa, the Renewable Energy Group has released a white paper called “Food THEN Fuel: American Biodiesel’s Role in Strengthening Food Security” that seeks to demonstrate how biodiesel supports the nation’s food supply chain in a
April 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Technology Must Use Existing Cropland — Study
by Amanda Peterka (Governors Biofuel Coalition) Cellulosic biofuels can become profitable for farmers and help displace oil, but they must use already-available agricultural land, according to a study released by a nonprofit yesterday. Commissioned by the Council for Agricultural Science and
April 05, 2013 Read Full Article
WBA: Enough Land for More Food, Feed, Biofuels
by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine) There is enough land available to produce more food, more feed and more biofuels, which are not the cause of global malnutrition problems, according to the World Bioenergy Association. WBA makes this declaration in a recently
March 29, 2013 Read Full Article
Council for Agricultural Science and Technology Paper Says 2050 Food, Fuel Needs Can Be Met
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The world will be capable of meeting its needs for food, fuel and fiber in 40 years, according to a paper from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, “Food, Fuel, and Plant
March 25, 2013 Read Full Article
A.I.M. Interview: Dr. Isaac Berzin
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) It was in 2001 when Dr. Isaac Berzin, a PhD Chemical Engineer at MIT’s Center for Space Research, started to question the work of the Department of Energy’s Aquatic Species Program, the first major
March 15, 2013 Read Full Article
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Partners Explore Next-Generation Biofuels
by Olga Rosca (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) Next-generation biofuels produced from waste and agricultural residues can help save energy and improve the sustainability of companies operating in the agribusiness sector. The EBRD region offers huge opportunities due to the
March 14, 2013 Read Full Article
MOU Signed to Develop Jatropha Plantations in West Africa
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Jatropha developer JOil Pte. Ltd. has signed a memorandum of understanding with West Africa alternative energy grower and jatropha processor Agritech Faso SA. JOil and Agritech will explore the development of more than 600,000 acres
March 13, 2013 Read Full Article
Myths and Facts about Bioenergy in Africa
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the Netherlands, PANGEA (Partners for Euro African Green Energy) is launching today a booklet outlining Myths and Facts about Bioenergy in Africa. The brochure is intended to demystify the manipulated data and misinformation that
March 12, 2013 Read Full Article
Canada, Renewables and the Courtroom Wallah
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Take some process heat and steam and CO2 from an ethanol plant — add a greenhouse, then stir and bake — what do you get? A whole bunch of healthy food, and fuel, and
March 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuel Standard Is Working as Intended
by Ed Ulch (The Gazette) ... World Grain stated in its February issue that “Grain-based food companies had record stock performance in 2012.” Big oil companies are touting high food prices to stir the public and create resistance to renewable fuels
March 01, 2013 Read Full Article
Estimates Reduce Amount of Additional Land Available for Biofuel Production
(American Chemical Society) Amid efforts to expand production of biofuels, scientists are reporting new estimates that downgrade the amount of additional land available for growing fuel crops by almost 80 percent. Their report appears in the ACS journal Environmental
February 28, 2013 Read Full Article
EU Biofuels Policy Still Driving the Second Scramble for Africa
(ActionAid) At a seminar on biofuels in Dublin yesterday, David Barissa, a leading expert on food security and land rights from ActionAid Kenya spoke of the litany of broken promises, rights violations and destruction which have faced poor communities in
February 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Soybeans Could Be Next Chapter of Biofuels Boom
by Tom Doran (AgNews) ...Under the current Renewable Fuels Standards, continued growth in corn-based ethanol use is uncertain do to several factors, including the 10 percent blend wall, slow implementation of higher blend, declining total gasoline demand and ethanol imports
February 12, 2013 Read Full Article
Never a Waste; No Longer a Residue—Soy Oil for Biodiesel until Something Better Comes Along
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) “Why,” I asked an expert audience at the National Biodiesel Conference in Las Vegas this week, “if you have to take the oil out of soybeans to make your main product, soy meal for
February 07, 2013 Read Full Article
Analysis: Advanced Biofuel Companies Now In More Than Half Of U.S. States; Clean Fuel Standards Fueling Growth In Top States
(PR NewsWire/Yahoo! News) Top 5 States For Advanced Biofuel Companies: Calif., Ill., Colo., Texas and Iowa; New Web Site at www.FuelingGrowth.org Documents Impact of Growing Industry California is home to nearly 30 advanced biofuel companies, but dozens of other states from coast to
February 06, 2013 Read Full Article
RFA Condems UN Biofuels & Food Security Study
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Earlier this month, the U.N. Committee on World Food Security (CFS) has released a draft study on biofuels and food security with a public comment period until January 30, 2013. Yesterday, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) submitted comments about the
February 02, 2013 Read Full Article
2012 Food Price Increases Were Second-Lowest in 20 Years
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) Food prices rose just 1.8% in 2012, the second-lowest annual rate in the last 20 years, according to recently released consumer price index (CPI) data. The new data demonstrates the absurdity of the alarmist
February 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Are You Ready To Eat Algae? Solazyme Knows You Are
by Kevin Quon (Seeking Alpha) As a producer of renewable oils, Solazyme (SZYM) is often connotated (seemingly to its own detriment) with the production of biofuels. Yet the company has developed a novel biotechnology platform that has revolutionized the way
January 29, 2013 Read Full Article
Distillers' Grain Gaining Importance as Byproduct of Ethanol
by Art Hovey (Lincoln Journal Star) ... Managers of Nebraska’s two dozen ethanol plants are finding livestock and poultry customers in other states and more buyers as far away as Canada, Mexico and China for the dried portions of corn
January 29, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuel Causing World Hunger
by Rudy Ruitenberb (BusinessDay/iAfrica.com) Biofuel output from agricultural commodities has contributed to surging world food prices in the past decade, says Nestle chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe. ...Mr Brabeck-Letmathe described making biofuels from food crops as "nonsense". The agriculture ministers gathered in Berlin said in
January 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels: Between a Rock and a Green Place
by Kylie Schultz (The International) With the possibility of an oil crisis on the horizon, a scramble for renewable and sustainable energy sources is underway. In recent years, plant-based fuels known as biofuels have emerged as possible replacements for the non-renewable
January 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Petrobras Helps Launch Fish Oil Mechanical Extraction Equipment
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Following an October partnership between Petrobras Biofuel and the Brazilian Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture to intensify research into producing biodiesel from waste fish oil, Petrobras Biofuel recently participated in the release of “Machine Biopeixe,” equipment to
January 03, 2013 Read Full Article
Setting the Example
by Robert Vierhout (ePURE/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... Hopefully, European regulators will take note of what has happened. If they are intellectually honest, they should acknowledge that if the U.S. biofuel policy has no real negative impact on the food/feed
January 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Doubles Corn's Food Production
by Orrie Swayze (AgWeek) Both sides of the food versus fuel debate assume ethanol wastes food and the debate simply circles around how much food is wasted. Compared to what? Before determining informed judgments, both sides should compare corn’s food