by Wayne Lee and Martin Wahl (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) ... Due to the success of that series, and number of requests we received from those involved in providing funding for bioeconomy projects and from those seeking funding, I am proud to
funding
Back TO HOMEThermal Gasification of Biomass: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to TGoB in the United States
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) IEA Bioenergy Task 33 is a working group of international experts with the aim to promote the commercialization of efficient, economical and environmentally preferable thermal biomass gasification processes. Kevin Whitty gave this illuminating overview of the progress
September 26, 2018 Read Full Article
UK Government Announces Major Funding for Green Aerospace R&D and Backing for Sustainable Aviation Fuels
(GreenAir Online) Following recent grants awarded to two projects developing potential commercial-scale sustainable aviation fuel production, the UK government has pledged £343 million ($448m) public and industry investment for R&D into cleaner and quieter civil aircraft. The government says a principle
August 17, 2018 Read Full Article
Ingenza Embarks on Collaborative Project to Recycle CO2
(Ingenza) Ingenza is pleased to announce a collaboration with the University of Dundee and Drochaid Research Services on a highly innovative project that aims to reduce the waste carbon dioxide generated by industrial biotech manufacturing applications. Funded by Zero Waste Scotland,
August 15, 2018 Read Full Article
European Research Project Will Start Hydrogen Production in Iceland
(NGV Journal) Icelandic geothermal power utility ON Power has announced it will start the experimental production of hydrogen at its Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant, near Reykjavik. The project is a European research project in collaboration with Icelandic companies Orkan, owned by
August 10, 2018 Read Full Article
EPA OIG Audits EPA’s Implementation of Its Recommendations for Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Program
(Bergeson & Campbell) On July 20, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report on its audit of EPA’s implementation of the OIG recommendations for the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards (PGCCA) Program. The PGCCA Program
July 31, 2018 Read Full Article
Finns Prefer Biofuels and Carbon Captures as Measures, Want to Directly Impact CO2 Emissions of Flying
by Theodore Koumelis (Travel Daily News) 76% of the respondents were ready to pay more for a flight ticket, or alternatively, pay an additional charge, if the money is used for reducing environmental impacts. -- According to a study, almost all Finns (94
July 22, 2018 Read Full Article
White House ‘Concerned’ that House Bill Doesn’t Cut EPA Funding Enough
by Niv Elis (The Hill) The White House is expressing concerns that a funding bill set for a vote Thursday in the House does not make deep enough cuts for agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The House is debating
July 19, 2018 Read Full Article
Heard on the Floor at BIO: Queensland to Invest $100 Million in Bioeconomy Project Support
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Philadelphia, the Australian state of Queensland announced $100 million in support of high-value resource recovery industry projects as the state cemented its place ”at the vanguard of the bioeconomy” BioFutures program. The announcement at a Queensland
July 17, 2018 Read Full Article
MaREI Secure €4.4 Million to Support Ireland’s Indigenous Biomass and Bioenergy Industry
(Science Foundation Ireland) ... The Spoke research teams will collaborate in developing technologies capable of converting a wide variety of residues and by-products to homogenous energy carriers and optimising performance of internal combustion engines using advanced fuels including biofuel blends. The Spoke
July 12, 2018 Read Full Article
Growth Energy: American Drivers Pass 5 Billion Miles on E15
(Growth Energy) Growth Energy announced today that American drivers have logged 5 billion miles on E15. The latest milestone was reached in the midst of Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) restrictions on the sale E15 fuel across most of the country. During
July 11, 2018 Read Full Article
Creative Debt and Equity: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Structures for Bioeconomy Project Finance
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bottom line, if you’re in the business of financing a renewable fuels project with a loan guarantee in the mix, you’re probably talking with some combination of New Energy Risk, Stern Brothers, Faegre Baker Daniels partner John
July 09, 2018 Read Full Article
Letter from Byzantium: Answers to Your Questions about Byzantine Biofuels Budgets and Policy Moves
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Yes, Virginia, there is cant, pettifoggery, self-dealing, obfuscation, and downright dirty pool when it comes to the deployment of biofuels, chemicals and advanced biomaterials — but there are also some mysteries which can unraveled and
July 03, 2018 Read Full Article
EU Biofuels Effort Kicks off in Örnsköldsvik
(SEKAB/MyNewsDesk) Representatives from eleven European companies and universities gathered yesterday in the Swedish town of Örnsköldsvik, to kick-start the EU-funded project Rewofuel. The long-term aim is to lay the groundwork for many new biorefineries across Europe, using wood residues from the
June 28, 2018 Read Full Article
Want To Save the World with Your Brilliant Clean Energy Idea?
by Jennifer Runyon (Renewable Energy World) Multinational power company, Enel, said last month that it was expanding its partnership with InnoCentive, a 17-year old crowdsourcing company that partners with businesses and governments around the world to develop solutions to their business, scientific,
June 20, 2018 Read Full Article
Department of Energy Announces $40 Million for Bio-Based Research
(U.S. Department of Energy) 31 Projects Will Help Advance Fundamental Science for Bioenergy -- Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $40 million in funding for 31 projects to advance research in the development of microbes as practical platforms for the
June 20, 2018 Read Full Article
Preparing for Take-Off? Aviation Biofuel Research Wins £5m Boost
by Madeleine Cuff (Business Green) Waste-to-jet fuel project backed by Department for Transport, Shell, and British Airways -- A project to turn landfill waste into sustainable jet fuel has received a major boost today, securing almost £5m of funding from the government and
June 18, 2018 Read Full Article
ABO Secures Unprecedented $136 Million For Algae and Related Projects — Deadlines Approaching
(Algae Biomass Organization) ABO’s ongoing work in Washington, DC, to educate Congress and federal agencies on the importance of robust algae research, development and demonstration has resulted in the release of an unprecedented series of funding opportunities for algae. Deadlines for
May 30, 2018 Read Full Article
Blue Ridge Biofuels Brings Its Closed-Loop Cooking Oil Initiative Closer to Home
by Gina Smith (Mountain Express) In late 2013, Blue Ridge Biofuels took a bold leap toward developing a closed-loop biodiesel system for Western North Carolina when it produced its first batch of non-GMO, expeller-pressed canola cooking oil through a community partnership
May 21, 2018 Read Full Article
US Appropriations Committee Approves $243M Cut for Renewable Programs, $58M Increase to Fossil Fuels Research
(Renewable Energy World) The U.S. House Appropriations Committee yesterday approved an energy and water funding bill that, as compared to fiscal year 2018, cuts energy efficiency and renewable energy (EERE) programs by $243 million, and increases research and development funding for
May 18, 2018 Read Full Article
ICYMI: $227M Available from US in Push for Vehicle, Feedstock and Bioconversion Advances
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We usually say, ICYMIs for those In Case You Missed Its that show up in someone’s inbox. This week, we might re-purpose that useful acronym to: In Case Your Money Isn’t Sufficient — because there are three funding opportunities
May 15, 2018 Read Full Article
Global Bioenergies and an Industrial Consortium Including Sekab, Neste Engineering Solutions, Repsol and SkyNRG Receive Major EU Funding to Demonstrate the Production of Isobutene-Derived Gasoline and Jetfuel from Wood
(Global Bioenergies) European grant amounting to €13.9 million, of which €5.7 million for Global Bioenergies Industry consortium led by Global Bioenergies and bringing together Sekab, Graanul Invest, Neste Engineering Solutions, Repsol, Peab Asfalt, SkyNRG, Ajinomoto Eurolysine, IPSB, TechnipFMC and Linz University Aim at
May 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Port of Seattle Announces Partnership for Sustainable Aviation Fuels at Sea-Tac Airport
(Port of Seattle) Innovative partnership with 13 airlines aims to replace 10 percent of traditional jet fuel with local, sustainable supply in 10 years -- The Port of Seattle announced today that 13 airlines, including Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Horizon Airlines,
May 09, 2018 Read Full Article
Dane County Executive Parisi Kicks Off Construction of First of its Kind Project in the Nation
(Dane County Wisconsin) Creates Economic Incentive for Development of Lakes Clean Up Efforts -- Today (April 19, 2018), Dane County Executive Joe Parisi kicked off construction for an innovative project that will turn garbage and cow manure into renewable fuel for thousands of
April 23, 2018 Read Full Article
BBI JU Announces a further € 115 Million of Funding to Boost the Development of EU's Bio-Based Industries Sector DEADLINE: September 6, 2018
(BBI-Europe) The BBI JU is the largest and most ambitious initiative ever launched in the EU to develop competitive and sustainable bio-based industries. The ambition that drove its creation was to bring about the systemic change needed to develop a European
April 20, 2018 Read Full Article
Iowa Blender Pump Program Runs Short of Funding as Demand Stays Strong
(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) RFIP Spurs Over $138 Million in Private Economic Investment -- Due to rising retailer interest in offering higher blends of biofuels, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program (RFIP) yesterday awarded all of its remaining FY18 funds during its
April 02, 2018 Read Full Article
DOE Official: Clean Energy Funding Should Be Cut for ‘Exceeding Goals’
by Lacey Johnson (Greentech Media) The Under Secretary of Energy defends a Trump administration proposal to cut $1.3 billion in funding from the DOE’s renewable energy office. -- The Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is so
March 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Heard On The Floor at ABLC Day 2 – Listen to the Wind of Change
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... Starting with the Federal Perspective and Programs Forum first thing in the morning, we heard from Harry Baumes from USDA who announced 5 more projects projecting to achieve financial closing in 2018 and an application cycle
March 05, 2018 Read Full Article
Connecticut Seeks Proposals for AD, Wind, Fuel Cell Projects
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to solicit offers for certain Connecticut Class I renewable energy sources, including anaerobic digestion, offshore wind and fuel cells. Eligible anaerobic digestion
February 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Withdrawal of the Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) for and the Cancellation of the Farm-to-Fleet Feedstock Program Biofuel Production Incentive (BPI)
(U.S. Department of Agriculture Commodity Credit Corporation and Farm Service Agency) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) has withdrawn support for the Farm-to-Fleet BPI Program, and is cancelling funding for the BPI payments to companies that
February 07, 2018 Read Full Article
Professor Snape and Partners Create Magic with First Hydrothermal Carbonization Plant in UK
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... In the United Kingdom, The University of Nottingham, the Energy Research Accelerator, and CPL Industries are working together to develop a new £4m (about $5.5 million) facility to use the hot new technology Hydrothermal Carbonization to
January 22, 2018 Read Full Article
USDA Reports Says Indonesia Faces Ethanol Dilemma
by Tim Albrecht (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Indonesia instituted a national ethanol policy in 2006, but has been having troubles meeting their goals. The country’s plans to develop bioethanol are facing many setbacks, including costly inputs, capacity limitations and trade restrictions limiting
January 04, 2018 Read Full Article
FCIC to Fund Projects to Improve Biomass Handing
(Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium/Ethanol Producer Magazine) To accelerate innovation and adoption of new practices and technologies to determine the root cause of biomass handling failures and designing solutions, the Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium is overseeing a directed funding opportunity (DFO) call. Interested industrial
January 03, 2018 Read Full Article
Cruz Proposal Could Harm Corn Ethanol, Analysis Finds
by Todd Neeley (DTN/KTIC) Capping the price of biofuel credits at 10 cents would essentially eliminate the Renewable Fuel Standard mandate for biodiesel and possibly hurt corn-based ethanol, according to an analysis by farmdoc at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In meetings
December 26, 2017 Read Full Article
The Bio-Based Industries Consortium (BIC) Has Released a New Overview of Financial Instruments Available to Support European Bioeconomy Development.
(Bio-Based Industries Consortium) ‘Access to EU financial instruments suitable for the implementation of large bio-based industry investments’ outlines a range of funding opportunities and explores the synergies between different instruments for co-financing bio-based projects. Since BIC’s 2014 report ‘Combining BBI (H2020) and
December 14, 2017 Read Full Article
Government of Alberta Establishes New Advanced Biofuel Leadership
(Advanced Biofuels Canada/EIN Presswire) Advanced Biofuels Canada applauds government for new funding to support biofuels in Alberta and expand the province’s lower carbon economy. -- The government of Alberta announced today new initiatives to strengthen the biofuels sector in Alberta. The province has
December 06, 2017 Read Full Article
California Awards over $35M to Fund Biogas Projects
(NGV Journal) The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has awarded $35.2 million in grant funding to 18 dairy digester projects across the state. These projects, part of the Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP), will reduce greenhouse gas
November 14, 2017 Read Full Article
No Crop Left Behind: Inside the USDA’s Bioeconomy Feedstock Strategy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... You’d be forgiven if you mistook Ahb Subi Banr-Sbar for a well-placed official in the Iranian government — but, in fact, it’s a 9-project network to facilitate the development of regionally-based industries producing advanced biofuels, industrial
November 13, 2017 Read Full Article
Clariant to Build Flagship Cellulosic Ethanol Plant in Romania: 8-Figure Sales Potential Envisioned
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Germany, Clariant’s board has approved investment in a new full-scale commercial plant for the production of cellulosic ethanol from agricultural residues using its sunliquid technology. The new plant, with an annual production capacity of 50.000
November 01, 2017 Read Full Article
The World Must Spend $2.7 Trillion on Charging Stations for Tesla to Fly
By Kana Nishizawa (Bloomberg) Infrastructure spend is ‘so large,’ it will force innovation; China to account for third of global EV infra spend by 2040 -- A $2.7 trillion chasm stands between electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to make them popular. That’s how
October 14, 2017 Read Full Article
Financing Bioeconomy Ventures (Part 1 of 11)
by Wayne Lee and Gerald Kutney (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) This article is the introduction to a series of articles[1], reviewing the typical steps that investors consider before providing financial support to biofuels or biochemical projects. There is often disconnect between
September 26, 2017 Read Full Article
What Is the Future of Bio-diesel in India?
by Bharat Jhunjhunwala (The Free Press Journal) Recently, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated India’s first refinery plant in Pune that will produce fuel oil from rice and wheat straw, cotton stalk, cane trash and corn cobs. The
September 18, 2017 Read Full Article
UK Government Recommits to Funding Support for Development of Advanced Aviation Biofuels
(Green Air Online) The UK government has recommitted to providing up to £22 million ($28m) towards funding for projects to develop advanced low carbon, waste-based advanced fuels for planes and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). The fund, which must be matched
September 11, 2017 Read Full Article
DOE: Up to $8.8M for Algae Tech Innovations
(Algae Industry Magazine) he U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the selection of four additional projects from the Productivity Enhanced Algae and ToolKits funding opportunity to receive up to $8.8 million. “These projects will deliver high-impact tools and techniques for increasing the
September 11, 2017 Read Full Article
Argonne Opens Call for Second Cohort of Chain Reaction Innovations
(U.S. Department of Energy/Newswise) Those who are selected for the Chain Reaction Innovations program will gain, among other things, access to Argonne National Laboratory’s world-class R&D infrastructure and technical expertise. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory announced the
September 07, 2017 Read Full Article
The Status of Biofuels in China
by Susan van Dyk (IEA Bioenergy Task 39/University of British Columbia) ... Recent heavy pollution in urban areas of China have led to the adoption of stricter fuel specifications to lower sulfur emissions from gasoline and diesel use. Biofuels Biofuels form part of
August 30, 2017 Read Full Article
New Wastewater Treatment System Runs on Algae
by Julia Mericle (The Hawk Eye) If Columbus Junction City Council approves the project, they could be first to install new technology in Iowa. -- Columbus Junction could count itself among pioneering cities in the struggle to treat wastewater if
August 29, 2017 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
In decrying the proposed budget cuts to US Department of Transportation biofuels research in a Pacific Standard article, Mike White explains, "This would slow, but not stop our transition to wind and solar power—because their cost is at last low
August 23, 2017 Read Full Article
How Trump's Cuts to Biofuels Research Would Hurt the Planet and Our Economy
by Michael White (Pacific Standard) Biofuels can reduce emissions, benefit American corporations, and create jobs. But slashing the budget of the Bioenergy Technologies Office effectively eliminates those possibilities. -- ... However, as Congress and the Trump administration take deliberate steps
August 23, 2017 Read Full Article
Local Biodiesel Fuels Elon Buses; ABSS’ May Be Next
by Jessica Williams (The Times News) ‘The biodiesel that they’re using now is hyperlocal. That’s a very important word. Aramark, Biscuitville, Lowes Foods — you can see it in their marketing. They want to bring everything back to the local
August 11, 2017 Read Full Article
Make Energy Great Again, via BIOmass: The DOE’s MEGA-BIO Project Expands
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Long ago, the DOE shifted from a “biofuels and nothing else” focus to integrated biorefineries that can compete “across the whole barrel” with petroleum — recognizing that while chemicals make up a small fraction of
August 11, 2017 Read Full Article
New Grant Will Shift Focus of UW-Madison Alternative Fuel Research Center away from Ethanol
by Nico Savidge (University of Wisconsin-Madison) A UW-Madison research center that has used the university’s largest-ever federal grant to develop ethanol technology over the past decade will shift its focus to other alternative fuels after winning another major award from
July 24, 2017 Read Full Article
Indonesia Supports Fuel Ethanol, but Can’t Fund It
(Ethanol Producer Magazine) Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources says it would like to implement fuel ethanol production incentives, but is unable to fund them. MEMR recently released a new formula that could start the production of fuel ethanol, but
July 24, 2017 Read Full Article
Arzeda Pumps It Up with Big Series A Funding
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, Arzeda raised $12 million in a Series A round of funding, moving it forward on scaling up of their advanced protein design technology that is used for production of a range of chemicals and
July 24, 2017 Read Full Article
New York Green Bank Could Go Nationwide
by Bill Morris (Habitat Magazine) Bills before Congress would devote $10 billion to clean-energy projects. -- The New York Green Bank, which has been financing solar, wind and other sustainable-energy projects statewide since 2014, has proven so successful that some people want
July 21, 2017 Read Full Article
Australian Government Announces Support for Biorefinery Project
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The Australian government has announced support for a $60 million proposed biorefinery that is expected to produce electricity, raw sugar and ethanol from sugarcane. Blue agave may also be used as a feedstock. Minister for State
July 20, 2017 Read Full Article
Will Proposed Cuts Undermine Trump’s Vision of ‘Energy Dominance’?
by Steven Mufson and Chris Mooney (Washington Post) ... The proposal would mean a 30 percent reduction in staff. “Achieves cost savings by aligning workforce to smaller EERE program,” the slide said blandly. The next day, about 100 federal employees filed into the
July 20, 2017 Read Full Article
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Moves A Step Closer To Funding Aviation Biofuels
(SkyNRG/PR Web) Carbon reduction leaders Carbon War Room (CWR) and SkyNRG join with the Port of Seattle to announce recommendations for long-term funding mechanisms that could supply all airlines at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) with sustainable aviation biofuels. The results are
July 19, 2017 Read Full Article
House Bill Would Fund DOE at Higher Levels than Trump Budget, but Still Axe ARPA-E
by Robert Walton (Utility Dive) A U.S. House appropriations subcommittee on Wednesday advanced a spending bill for the Department of Energy that would impose deep cuts on renewable energy and efficiency programs and eliminate the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The $37.5
June 29, 2017 Read Full Article
House Agriculture Appropriations Bill Axes BCAP, Slashes Loan Guarantees and REAP
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the draft House Appropriations Committee’s FY2018 Agriculture Appropriations bill was released, and cut the Rural Energy for America Program from $50 million to $9 million, cut the Section 9003 Loan Guarantee program by $65
June 29, 2017 Read Full Article
And No Extra Hydrogen: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to One-Step, High-Yield, Drop-In Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Vertimass’ John Hannon gave this illuminating overview of one-step, high-yield production of drop-in fuels without added hydrogen, at the 2017 DOE Project Peer Review sessions. READ MORE
June 22, 2017 Read Full Article
Wazzup with Algae? The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to the DOE’s Algae Systems Program
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What’s the Department of Energy working on with respect to algae? The Bioenergy Technologies Office’s Alison Goss-Eng answered the question in this update, given at DOE Project Peer Review 2017. In this deck, she looks at milestones ahead,
June 20, 2017 Read Full Article
Pioneering Iowa Sustainable Agriculture Research Center Hangs On, Barely
by Amy Mayer (High Plains Public Radio) A leading research center focused on local farmers and environmental conservation is hanging on by a thread, even as the movement to diversify agriculture, which it helped launch, continues to thrive. The Iowa Legislature
June 05, 2017 Read Full Article
A Decade of Bioenergy Research
by Patrick C. Miller (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Department of Energy’s three bioenergy research centers have no intention of resting on their accomplishments. -- In the 10 years since the U.S. DOE established three bioenergy research centers with the goal
June 02, 2017 Read Full Article
USDA Bioenergy Programs Gutted in 2018 Trump Budget: The Digest’s 7-Minute Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Rural Business Service to shut down; BCAP, REAP, loan guarantees gone; food stamps, crop insurance slashed. Want to understand what USDA is targeting, cutting, growing or eliminating — but don’t have the time to wade through
May 25, 2017 Read Full Article
Trump’s Proposed Budget Includes Cuts to EPA, DOE and USDA
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) President Donald Trump has released his proposed budget for fiscal year (FY) 2018, which includes $3.6 trillion in cuts. According to the White House, the reductions are the most proposed by any president. The proposal
May 24, 2017 Read Full Article
Renewables Nuked; Nukes Renewed: Bioenergy Slashed 69% as US DOE Budget Gets Detail; The Digest’s 7-Minute Guide to the DOE Budget
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the US Department of Energy submitted a request for a $1.433B cut, or 69.3 percent to the Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy annual budget, and targeted a $168.4M cut in the budget for
May 24, 2017 Read Full Article
Dartmouth Energy Plan Could Bring Changes to Power Plant in Center of Hanover
by Rob Wolfe (Valley News) ... The current plant, which features a 175-foot brick smokestack, is located to the east of the Hood Museum of Art and burns roughly 3.5 million gallons of fuel oil each year to heat more
April 28, 2017 Read Full Article
Researchers Outline 23 Barriers to Advanced Biofuels’ Success
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Virginia, researchers from Virginia Tech University have determined that 52% of advanced biofuels facilities were already closed in 2015 and have determined a list of 23 barriers that could potentially explain why these projects
April 12, 2017 Read Full Article
Sustainable Polyurethanes and the Bio Economy
by Lorenz Bauer (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) ... The use of biomass to produce value added chemicals for polymer synthesis is a major focus of the effort to replace fossil carbon. The theory is that these products can lead the way
April 11, 2017 Read Full Article
ARPA-E 2017: Optimism Turns to Tension as Sector Prepares to Protect Energy R&D Funding
by Krysti Shallenberger (Utility Dive) ... At stake is funding for the Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy, more commonly known as ARPA-E. Created in 2007 as a technology incubator under the purview of the Department of Energy, ARPA-E’s mission is to drive innovation
March 06, 2017 Read Full Article
White House’s Proposed Cuts to NOAA Will Undermine Science and Weather Forecasting Vital for Businesses, Military and States
(Union of Concerned Scientists) According to news reports, the Trump administration is seeking a 17 percent budget cut for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, one of the country’s premier scientific institutions, whose research is vital for our economy and
March 06, 2017 Read Full Article
Council Approves Funding for Biofuel Plan at Wastewater Treatment Facility -- $1.3 Milllion OKed for Engineering
by Elisa Raffa (Sioux Land Matters) Sioux city is moving ahead with plans to sell a methane product similar to what big ox produces, but city leaders contend that's where the similarities end. Methane is a biofuel byproduct produced at the
January 13, 2017 Read Full Article
Crazy. Sexy. Risk.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) On any list of 10 Colossal Failures of the Finance sector in this century, we’d put the failure of bankers and commercial-scale investors to get behind the advanced bioeconomy in a more timely fashion. “It
December 27, 2016 Read Full Article
Maryland’s TEDCO Funds 19 Technology Start ups Including Algae Crude Producer
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Maryland, the state’s Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) announced today that 19 companies have received over $1.9 million in funding from the organization’s Seed Investment Fund in the last six months. The funding will be
December 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Can We Avoid Another Cataclysmic Meltdown Of The Global Financial System?
by Tim Sklar (Sklar and Associates/Biofuels Digest) Take-aways from Rana Foroohar’s Article Titled “Saving Capitalism” (Time Magazine, May 23, 2016) and her book titled ”Makers and Takers, The Rise of Finance and the Fall of American Business”. ... Although we still believe
December 15, 2016 Read Full Article
A Critical Look at Cellulosic Ethanol and Other Advanced Biofuels
by Alexander A. Koukoulas0 (ANL Consultants LLC/Biofuels Digest) ... The pursuit of 2nd Gen fuels has been motivated by several factors including: their inherently low-cost, at least from a theoretical standpoint; their potential for drastically reducing carbon emissions relative to 1st Gen
December 13, 2016 Read Full Article
Iowa E15 Retailers’ ‘Pink at the Pump’ Campaign Raises $12,000
(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Drivers filling-up their cars with cleaner-burning E15 during the month of October raised $12,000 for breast cancer awareness as part of the “Pink at the Pump” Campaign. Nearly 30 E15 retailers in Iowa participated in
December 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Blue Marble Biomaterials to Offer Equity Shares to the Public via Reg A+
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Montana, Blue Marble Biomaterials will become the first biomaterials company to utilize Regulation A+, a type of equity crowdfunding regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and will offer equity shares to the public. Regulation
November 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Costa Ricans Seeking to Produce Biodiesel from Whey
(Revista Summa (Google Translation)) In order to generate an alternative and friendly fuel with the environment, a group of graduates biotechnologists Technology of Costa Rica (TEC) is, for four years, conducting research with whey and its transformation potential in biodiesel. This entrepreneurial
November 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Scaling up Industrial Biotech: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Financing the Advanced Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Building a low carbon, bio-based economy through sustainable innovation means scaling up technologies. And that means financing for scale. The opportunity is massive. As the OECD wrote in its Bioeconomy 2030 report, “The Bioeconomy will hit its stride in
November 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Nigeria Releases Guidelines for N78b Green Bonds Projects
by Chinedum Uwaegbulam (The Guardian) ... Plans to fund projects that have environmental benefits have begun with the Federal Government’s release of guidelines for the Green Bonds that target N78 billion in climate finance. Under the guidelines, some sectors that provide national projects
November 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Global Bioenergies Completes Construction of German Demo-Scale Plant
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Germany, Global Bioenergies has completed construction of its 100 tons/year demonstration-scale plant, a project which commenced in mid-2015. It is located in the facility owned by the Fraunhofer CBP, on the Leuna refinery platform. It was
November 17, 2016 Read Full Article
HORIZON 2020 – ZELCOR - Zero Waste Ligno-Cellulosic Biorefineries by Integrated Lignin Valorisation”
(nova-Institute) Its concept is to combine chemical and enzymatic catalysis with insects-based biological conversion via termites, within a biorefinery integrated approach. The project is conceived to avoid waste production by recycling waste bio-based products and improve the sustainability of existing
November 07, 2016 Read Full Article
State of the Industry, November 2016: A Digest ABLC Next Special Preview
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The advanced bioeconomy is making a far more broad assault on everyday norms and materials than back in the days when biofuels were, just about alone, the break-out application. Shift to nutrition The momentum began to shift
November 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Changing Off-Take to Achieve Take-Off: Sea-Tac, SkyNRG, Carbon War Room Partner to Shake up Renewable Jet Fuel Supply Chain
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington state, the Port of Seattle, SkyNRG and Carbon War Room have signed a partnership to investigate long-term financing mechanisms that could supply all airlines at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with sustainable aviation fuels. Sea-Tac
November 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Awards of £5m for New UK-Brazil Joint Projects in Advanced Biofuels and Biorefinery Research
(Biofuels International) A joint investment between UK’s BBSRC and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) in Brazil has been made to support collaborations between UK and Brazilian scientists in advanced biofuels research. The funding – £3.5 million (€3.9m) from BBSRC with
October 21, 2016 Read Full Article
First Local Seed Selection to Take Place at Project Solaris
by Anine Kilian (Engineering News) South African seed selection for research and development company Sunchem’s solaris crop – a nicotine-free tobacco variety that yields significant amounts of sustainable oil for biojet fuel feedstock – has started taking place locally for
October 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Climate's Growing Role in Presidential Race
by Anthony Adragna (Politico's Morning Energy) ... YOU BUILD ME UP: The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate released a report today that found $90 trillion in infrastructure investments will be needed over the next 15 years, and issued
October 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Strategic Intent: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Neste, Nissan
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 Nissan and
October 05, 2016 Read Full Article
FCC and Seat Partner in Project to Drive Biogas Production for Vehicular Use
(Bioenergy Insight) ... The project seeks to develop an innovative process for enhancing bioenergy production from municipal, agricultural, and industrial waste, and a progress report was presented at Biometa 2016, held in Barcelona in May. Methamorphosis, which was granted funding
October 04, 2016 Read Full Article
USDA Results: Powering America with a More Sustainable Energy Future
(U.S. Department of Agriculture) ... The Obama Administration has pursued a carefully balanced approach, deploying technologies that improve the very best of our existing energy sources, while rigorously implementing policies that invest in the second and third generations of tomorrow’s fuels. ... In
October 03, 2016 Read Full Article
ARPA-E Funding More Innovation in Algae Based Fuels and Chemicals
(Algae Biomass Organization) Innovations for producing algae based fuels and chemicals will get another boost now that the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is moving forward with a significant new funding opportunity. ARPA-E’s Teaming List Announcement, entitled “SCALABLE MACROALGAE CULTIVATION TECHNOLOGIES
September 30, 2016 Read Full Article
To Raise Capital, Show How You Convert Investor Dollars into Enterprise Value (Not How You Convert Feedstocks into Products)
by Steve Weiss (Grey Heron/Biofuels Digest) ... I’ll share how to reframe your thinking and your pitch to speak directly to one of an investor’s key concerns – how you’ll create value. That’s especially important in the Bioeconomy given its
September 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Baseline Report of Clean Cooking Fuels in the East African Community
(Project Gaia) Ethanol fuel production represents a significant opportunity for economic and social development in the East African Community (EAC) region. Ethanol can be produced locally using a variety of feedstocks that can be selected based on unique local conditions. Farmers can grow
September 05, 2016 Read Full Article
National Biodiesel Foundation Teams with Amazon for Donations via School Supply Purchases
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) ... The National Biodiesel Foundation, the foundation arm of the National Biodiesel Board, has linked with Amazon so that 0.5% of eligible items purchases will go towards the NBF to fund its activities to undertake outreach,
August 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Bloomberg Gets Duped by Anti-RFS Crowd
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) Here we go again. We didn’t think it could get much worse than the Associated Press hit piece on ethanol in late 2013. But an ethanol hatchet job by Bloomberg published this week actually
August 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Hillary Clinton's Climate and Energy Policies, Explained
by David Roberts (Vox) ... I'm going to break this down as a series of numbered lists — not one, not two, but five lists of three: The three key facts the campaign took as starting points The three overarching goals of
August 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Firm Eyes Expansion
by Tennessa Wild (The Western Producer) Processor developing second generation biofuel with opportunity for wider use -- Growing demand worldwide for renewable diesel fuel has Saskatchewan’s only biodiesel producer looking to expand. Milligan Biofuels Inc. produces biodiesel as well as half
July 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Business Owner, NMSU’s Arrowhead Center Hope to Create Jobs, Ecosystem with Biorefinery
(El Paso Herald Post) ... On June 15, through a LEDA grant from the City of Tucumcari, ERD purchased the former ethanol plant at 1600 Rock Island Road. In partnership with Robert Lopez, a Tucumcari farmer, the company plans to reconfigure
July 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Sorghum Checkoff Announces $500,000 Investment
(Sorghum Checkoff/Biomass Magazine) The Sorghum Checkoff recently announced a $500,000 investment in sorghum research, made at the inaugural Transportation Energy Resources from Renewable Agriculture (TERRA) program field day at the University of Arizona's Maricopa Agricultural Center in Maricopa, Arizona. This investment follows the
June 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Impact Bioenergy’s Microdigester Testing Waste at Seattle Brewery
by Katie Fletcher (Biomass Magazine) Seattle-based Impact Bioenergy, a small startup focused on distributed energy with its portable, prefabricated anaerobic digestion (AD) technology, deployed its first microdigester at the Fremont Brewery Co. in Seattle this April. The company manufactures and sells
June 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Ontario Slates $100 Million toward Renewable Natural Gas
by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine) Ontario’s government plans to spend up to $100 million over the next four years to foster growth of renewable natural gas (RNG) in the province. On May 26, the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change
June 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Examining the Latest Developments in Converting Organic Waste into Renewable Energy
by Megan Greenwalt (Waste 360) With municipalities increasingly collecting organic waste, finding ways to convert that waste into clean energy is a hot topic in the solid waste industry. A multitude of techniques are in use or being developed, including aerobic and anaerobic
June 02, 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
USDA Resumes Incentives to Grow and Harvest Biomass for Energy and Biobased Products
(U.S. Department of Agriculture) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini today announced that incentives resume this month for farmers and foresters who grow and harvest biomass for renewable energy and biobased products. The funds
May 28, 2016 Read Full Article
California Biofuel Industry Calls on State to Allocate Funding
(BIODICO/Ethanol Producer Magazine) California’s biofuel industry is calling on state legislators to allocate $210 million in the Governor’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to incentivize in-state production of low carbon biofuels. For the first time, biodiesel, ethanol and biomethane trade associations
May 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Cruz Aims to Declaw Energy Security Hawks with Appropriations Amendment
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The Def Con 2 alert from the biofuels educational and advocacy group (Advanced Biofuels USA) noted a House Subcommittee draft for defense appropriations, which had this language in Section 8132: None of the funds made available
May 13, 2016 Read Full Article
Green Energy & Biofuels Gets Acumen $800,000 Investment for Clean Cooking Solutions
(Development Diaries) Acumen, the nonprofit social venture fund, announces its new investment in Green Energy & BioFuels (GEB), a Nigerian company creating cleaner, more cost-effective cooking solutions for West Africa’s low-income households. In Nigeria, more than 40 percent of urban
April 29, 2016 Read Full Article
California Wants Back $1.7M From Biofuel Project
by Elizabeth Warmerdam (Courthouse News Service) California sued a bioenergy company, claiming it improperly spent as much as $1.7 million in public money targeted for equipment purchases for a project to refine sugar beets into ethanol fuel. ... The commission helps fund
April 13, 2016 Read Full Article
Harnessing Biotechnology to Accelerate Advanced Biofuels Production
by Jonathan Male (US Department of Energy) ... From expanding the potential of diverse microbial systems to enhancing the biocatalytic capabilities of enzymes, the application of biotechnology is accelerating the development of the advanced biofuel industry. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy
April 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol: For the Rubber or the Road? New Russian Tech Advances for One-Step Alcohol-to-Butadiene
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Russia, ETB Catalytic Technologies has received $0.6 million from ZAVKOM and Skolkovo Fund as a series A investment to build a pilot plant for the production of 1,3-butadiene from ethanol, The investors received 22%
April 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Farm Bill Energy Programs Enable New Feedstock Production To Help Fuel the Biobased Economy
by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Innovation Organization/Biofuels Digest) ... Congress changed mandatory funding for two key bioenergy programs – despite their tangible successes – through its Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) Omnibus spending bill. USDA’s Section 9003 Loan Guarantee Program and the Biomass
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
A 21st-Century Investment in Productive, Sustainable Agriculture
by Margaret M. Zeigler (The Hill/Global Harvest Initiative) ... Held each year since 1973, National AG Day helps consumers, the administration and Congress understand how farmers grow safe and affordable food, and underscores the essential role of agriculture in maintaining both a
March 22, 2016 Read Full Article
RSB Certification of Jatropha Oil from Manabi/Ecuador as Sustainable Fuel for Combustion Engines on Galapagos Islands
(Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) In the small country of Ecuador, all environmental risks of the production and consumption of fossil fuels can be observed by damages through oil exploration in the amazon rainforest and tank ship accidents close by Galapagos
March 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Momentum Builds behind Researcher's New Biomass Process
(University of Wisconsin-Madison/Phys.Org) For a world hooked on fossil carbons, the vials of amber syrup in Jim Dumesic's lab are full of sweet potential. Dumesic's group caused a stir in research circles and the media in 2014 by publishing a
March 11, 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
Popular Government Energy Program Seeks a Big New Twist
by Katie Fehrenbacher (Fortune) ... The ARPA-E Summit is meant to highlight lab research, startups, and corporate R&D projects that the Department of Energy has supported with small grants through its ARPA-E program. That program, which kicked off in 2010,
March 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Fuels Missouri Corn Checkoff Success
by Benjamin Herrold (Missouri Farmer Today) Gary Marshall has seen how the Missouri corn checkoff has shaped the industry and impacted farmers. Marshall, the CEO of the Missouri Corn Growers Association and the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council, says the key focus
February 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Apply to Sustainable Development Technology Canada
(Sustainable Development Technology Canada) Continuing to support and invest in Canada’s cleantech sector—and the companies that strive to improve the environmental and economic impacts of technology through innovation and entrepreneurship —Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) is once again offering funding for
February 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Powerful Crap: The Quest to Turn Smelly Sewage into Sweet Biodiesel
by David MacNeal (Ars Technica) The facility smell? “That’s money,” Todd French says. “That’s what it smells like.” -- “By the time it gets here, David, it’s no longer my poop,” says microbiologist Todd French with conviction. “I don’t want
February 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Queensland Government Eyes Biofuels Fund to Help Economy
(Biofuels International) The Australia-based Queensland Government is to investigate the establishment of a biofutures industry development fund, which would look to financially assist first mover investment in the biofuels industry. According to local news website Daily Mercury, Premier Annastacia Palaszcuk made
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Leonardo DiCaprio Takes on 'Corporate Greed' and Climate Change at Davos
by Proma Khosla (Mashable) ... "Together we are fighting to preserve our fragile climate from irreversible damage, and devastation of unthinkable proportions," (Leonardo) DiCaprio said in a speech at the Davos Crystal Award Ceremony. "We simply cannot afford to allow the corporate
January 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Reports from IMF and French Economists Call for Climate Taxes on International Aviation Fuel or Air Travel
(GreenAir Online) Two reports, one an International Monetary Fund (IMF) internal discussion note and the other by the Paris School of Economics (PSE), suggest taxing international aviation fuel or air travel could provide an equitable solution to raising global finance
January 15, 2016 Read Full Article
The Government Has Spent a Lot on Electric Cars, but Was It Worth It?
by Charles Lane (Washington Post) In August 2010, I proposed this wager to a fellow journalist: President Obama’s declared goal was to get 1 million plug-in hybrid and all-electric cars on the road in the United States by 2015. I
January 11, 2016 Read Full Article
What $6 Trillion Could Do for Renewable Energy or "The Cost of War"
by Mike Bryan (Ethanol Producer Magazine) What if the nearly $6 trillion spent on wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had been spent to generate economic activity for the ethanol industry, asks Mike Bryan. -- ... Estimates are that by the
December 30, 2015 Read Full Article
In Santa’s Stocking: 3 Big Wins for Renewable Fuels, Feedstocks
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) $1 biodiesel tax credit extended through 2016, and much more. In Washington, lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate passed legislation for retroactive reinstatement of the $1 per gallon biodiesel mixture excise tax credit from January
December 21, 2015 Read Full Article
After Weeks of Negotiations, Congress Finalizes 5-year Transportation Bill
by Ashley Halsey III (The Washington Post) ... The long-sought bill protects funding for transit from those who argued it should be cut loose from the highway bill, increases money for pedestrian and bicycle programs that also have come under attack, and
December 02, 2015 Read Full Article
General Relativity, and the Remaking of Sweetwater Energy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Minnesota Awards $26 Million to Fund Sweetwater’s Biochemical Facility --- In Minnesota, Sweetwater Energy has received commitment for $26 million in long-term loans from the state of Minnesota to construct a biochemical production facility near
November 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Biotechnology Company Seeks $26 Million in Public Funding
by Bill Hanna (Mesabi Daily News) Mountain Iron intended home for Sweetwater Energy project -- The Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Board on Friday will consider authorizing $26 million in public money for a startup biotechnology company in Rochester, N.Y.,
October 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Views from Napa Valley: A Peak at California’s Low Carbon Fuels Program
by Michele Rubino (Biofuels Digest) ... AB 32 is now implemented covering the entire economy in California. Markets for carbon allowances and offsets are established and in full swing. The law is unmistakably driving change and investment in the private sector,
October 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Seeking Better Biofuels
by Melody M. Bomgardner (Chemical & Engineering News) Researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute transform biomass into energy-rich fuel molecules -- .. JBEI researchers are zeroing in on concepts that others have decided are too difficult or would take too
October 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Hawaiian Electric Pilot Algae Fuel Supply Deal Falls through - Report
by Plamena Tisheva (See News) A pilot contract for the supply of algae-derived biofuel to Hawaiian Electric Co by Ohio-based Phycal Inc has been terminated after the algae project was never finished, a spokesman for the utility told Pacific Business News
October 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Introducing the $20M NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE
by Paul Bunje (NRG COSIA) More than a decade ago, a group of researchers published a landmark study showing the correlation between human development and energy consumption. The conclusion? Industrialized countries and those that have been growing quickly in recent
September 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Sustainable Marine Fuel Initiative Consortium to Launch 2-Year Testing, Certification, Scaling Effort for Drop-In Marine Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the Netherlands, the Sustainable Marine Fuel initiative will be launched on October 7th by Boskalis, Wärtsilä, and GoodFuels Marine and supported by Carbon War Room, Zero and both the Ports of Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
September 28, 2015 Read Full Article
California’s Legislature Drops Petroleum Reduction to Pass SB 350; Approves Escalating State Procurement of Very Low Carbon Fuels; and Leaves Nearly $1B of Cap and Trade Revenue on the Table
by Graham Noyes (Biofuels Digest/Low Carbon Fuels Coalition) The first year of California’s legislative session ended dramatically with a mix of successes and setbacks for the low carbon fuel industry. California leads the nation on policies to combat climate change
September 22, 2015 Read Full Article
Oberon Fuels, Ford and FVV Partner to Build, Fuel, and Test the World’s First Production Passenger Car Powered by DME
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Oberon Fuels, Ford Motor Company, and FVV have partnered on a 3-year, €3.5M project to research, analyze and test the potential of dimethyl ether and OME fuel in passenger cars and heavy-duty truck
September 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Regenis Application Wins Dairy Digester Grant in CA
(Merlo Farming Group) California Department of Food and Agriculture announced the AgPower Visalia, LLC project in Tulare Co. has been awarded a three million dollar dairy digester research and development grant yesterday. The project, developed by Camco Clean Energy, will be
September 15, 2015 Read Full Article
How Much Is the US Really Investing in Biofuels Research?
by Robert E. Kozak* (Advanced Biofuels USA) I, like many of you reading this, am working on a concept paper for the US Department of Energy/Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s recent Bioenergy Technologies Incubator 2 Funding Opportunity (DE‐FOA‐0001320). This
September 10, 2015 Read Full Article
The New Tobacco Road: A Path beyond Smoking for America’s Traditional Cash Crop
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Tobacco’s been re-thought, re-engineered and re-invented as a platform for sustainable, low-carbon fuels, and green chemicals – who’s doing what, where and how? ... If tobacco’s reputation has fallen into disrepute on soil sustainability and smoking
September 10, 2015 Read Full Article
NSF Awards Maximum Support to Iowa State-Based Center for Biorenewable Chemicals
(Iowa State University) The National Science Foundation (NSF) has added three years and $8.48 million to the grant supporting the NSF Engineering Research Center for Biorenewable Chemicals based at Iowa State University. That brings NSF’s total funding of the center (known
September 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Scorching Summer Drives California Innovation and Biofuels
by Graham Noyes (Low Carbon Fuels Coalition/Biofuels Digest) California’s politicians and people are responding to the state’s increasingly dire symptoms of climate change with innovation, resolve, and biofuel policies. California’s determination to recapture its milder and less fire-prone environment is best
September 01, 2015 Read Full Article
IFAD Funding for Karnataka's Bio-Fuel Development Programme
by Jaideep Shenoy (Times of India) Karnataka's much touted bio-fuel development programme is set for a $50 million funding from International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD). Being given in the form of a soft loan with 1% interest and carrying a
August 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Fuel from Garbage
by Venkatesha Babu (Business Today) ... A catalyst being developed by Shell Technology Centre Bangalore (STCB), one of the three tech hubs of Shell besides the ones in Houston and Amsterdam, holds out the promise of converting agricultural and municipal waste
August 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Fly Green Fund Launched to Help Kick-Start Sustainable Jet Fuel Market in Nordic Region
(GreenAir Online) In efforts to kick-start a local sustainable jet fuel market, aviation and biofuel interests in the Nordic countries have launched the Fly Green Fund, which will enable organisations and individuals when taking flights to financially contribute towards the
August 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Pacific Biodiesel Looks to Help Big Island Achieve 100% Renewable Energy
by Duane Shimogawa (Pacific Business News) Maui’s Pacific Biodiesel Technologies is looking to help move the Big Island to 100 percent renewable energy through the use of its renewable fuel, the company’s vice president confirmed to PBN. Earlier this month, Pacific Biodiesel
August 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Bank of America Pledges $125 Billion for Biofuels and Environmental Business
(Biofuels International) ... BoA has provided more than $39 billion in financing for low-carbon activities since 2007, including $12 billion in 2014 alone, of which 40% was given to renewable energies – advanced biofuels, solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, or mixed portfolios
July 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Engineering the Future of Biofuel: UC Santa Cruz iGEM 2015
(University of California Santa Cruz) We are the UC Santa Cruz iGEM team! We are a team of 24 bioengineers, biochemists, and MCD biologists and overall a group of passionate undergraduates involved in an exciting international synthetic biology competition. The iGEM program
July 27, 2015 Read Full Article
DEINOVE Reaches the Third Milestone of the DEINOL Program and Receives € 1.2 m from Bpifrance
(DEINOVE) DEINOVE (Alternext Paris: ALDEI), a biotech company developing innovative processes for the production of biofuels and bio-based chemicals using Deinococcus bacteria as host strains, announces that it has reached the third and penultimate milestone of its DEINOL project supported
July 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Advanced Bioeconomy Ventures Raise $1.328 Billion in Past 12 Months, up 5.2%
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 45 deals, 37 companies; deal size jumps 7 percent and Q2 2015 is 15% up over 2014 and 138 percent up over Q1. Here’s the complete skinny on who got what. ... Notable transactions in the period include