by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Near Reno, Nevada, Fulcrum BioEnergy broke ground today for its 10 million gallon per year first commercial plant that makes jet fuel from municipal solid waste.
For thousands of years we …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office establishes partnerships with key public and private stakeholders to develop technologies for producing cost-competitive advanced biofuels from non-food biomass resources, including cellulosic biomass, …

(European Investment Bank)  New financing initiative targets investments by private cooperatives and companies in the agriculture and bioeconomy sector; The EIB financing will amount to EUR 400m and is expected to back close to EUR 1bn of …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Sierra Energy has created what is billed as “the world’s most efficient gasifier,” FastOx, developed in conjunction with UC Davis, US Army and California Energy Commission. Gasification is the missing link …

(The Telegraph/Associated Press)  A company has received final approval to start building a renewable-biofuels plant in south-central Oregon.
The Herald and News reports the facility in Lakeview is expected to convert forestry waste into renewable fuels for …

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest)  With 195 countries on the planet today, an impressive 53 countries are Commonwealth countries, including countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific. They include large, rich countries …

(Bioindustrial Innovation Canada/Canadian Biomass Magazine)  Benefuel is a renewable energy company that utilizes their patented ENSEL catalyst technology to produce a low carbon intensity biodiesel from a variety of food and agriculture waste streams, with high …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The production of Agrisoma’s Resonance Carinata is being expanded to multiple locations globally to provide a supply of sustainable, non-food oils for meeting the demand for sustainable biofuels. Resonance Carinata is …

 (Islington Council/NGV Journal) Islington Council has revealed plans for a new “green fleet” of vehicles that will use the cleanest possible technology and fuels, as it launches a borough-wide spring clean campaign this month. Fully electric …

by Meng Meng, Josephine Mason (Reuters) China’s top independent oil refiner is buying ethanol and two others are seeking government approval to blend the biofuel into their gasoline ahead of the country’s 2020 deadline to add it …

by Charles Lane (Washington Post)  …  Domestic crude production was not inherently “limited,” as O’Connell told Congress in 2011, it just needed a better mouse trap. Fracking was it. Entrepreneurs broke the oil-import addiction, even though the …

(Latin American Herald Tribune)  A $1.6 billion investment by 2025 will allow ethanol made from sugarcane represent 25 percent of fuels used in Bolivia, President Evo Morales said on Thursday.
The president was speaking at an event …

(The Siasat Daily)  The government is prepared to pay a higher offtake price to producers of biofuel than it does for fossil fuels in a bid to boost the use of clean energy, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra …

by Michael E. Kraft  (Tribune News Service/Bradenton Herald)  … Ideally, Congress would reboot the renewable fuel mandate in a new way for today’s economy, and design it as one component of a comprehensive response to climate change.
For …

by Travis J. Tritten (Washington Examiner)  … (Former Navy Secretary Ray) Mabus’ vision is, however, quietly moving forward under the Trump administration. The Pentagon has authorized $140 million to help build two biofuel refineries in …

by Bridget Asiimwe (The Observer)  Uganda Investment Authority has entered a multi-billion deal with a Malaysian firm with an aim of transforming the country into a green economy by 2040 through a series of four integrated green …

(Nigerian Natinal Petroleum Company)  Sign MoU on Fuel-Ethanol Project to Create 2 Million Jobs  —  The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Kogi State Government have executed a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of …

by Terry J. Mazanec (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest)  …  Most modern refineries comprise more than 20 individual unit operations, each of which is a complex process on its own. And different refineries are optimized for different …

(Énergir/NGV Journal)  The City of Saint-Hyacinthe confirmed that its biomethanation plant has entered full service, along with the injection of the renewable natural gas (RNG) produced there into Énergir’s (Gaz Metro) network. This step marks the …

by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine)  Even though the petroleum and biodiesel industries rarely see eye to eye on U.S. energy policy, the two factions find common ground in a new threat to all liquid fuels—electric vehicles. …

(Enerkem/PR Newswire)  Enerkem Inc. (www.enerkem.com), a world leading waste-to-biofuels and renewable chemicals producer, announced today it has signed an agreement with Sinobioway Group worth over C$125M in the form of equity investment in Enerkem Inc., future licenses, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Sometimes, what an engine needs to roar to life is a spark. Or a SPARC, as in this case.
As in the Southeastern Partnership for Advanced Renewables from Carinata (SPARC), a consortium consisting of …

by Bill de Blasio (New York City Mayor/Washington Post)  … America’s largest city, 8.5 million strong, is taking decisive action on two separate fronts. We are demanding compensation from those who profit from climate change. And …

by Katie Nichols (Alabama Extension Daily)  Alabama growers are sowing the seeds of a new biofuel oil crop this winter. Brassica carinata, informally known as carinata, is similar to canola (Brassica napus L.)—a crop many producers introduced to rotations several …

(Bioenergy Insight)  The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has awarded an investment grant to explore the possibility of producing biogas from industrial waste water.
A €12.4 million investment subsidy has been awarded to Finnish energy company Gasum, which …

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest)  … Finland cities are taking action on their carbon neutral goals and taking them oh so seriously. The Public Works Department at the City of Espoo, the second largest city …

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 …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The Ontario Centres of Excellence have announced 20 semi-finalists for Ontario’s Solutions 2030 Challenge, which calls on innovators to propose solutions to help the province’s industry reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  With apologies to every other region around the world. we continue to see Asia as the epicenter of the biobased revolution over the next 20 years. The reasons are three and …

(NGV Journal)  Waste-to-product company Renewi plc has started accepting the first waste at its new Organics Biofuels Processing Facility in Surrey – the first closed-loop and fully-integrated organics waste management system in Canada. The facility is …

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest)  In Qatar, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment launched a project to produce biogas from wastes with Qatar University’s College of Engineering with the goal of using that biogas as …

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest)  2017 was a roller coaster year. There was a paradigm shift in biofuels, technology advancements, innovations abounded, politics chaotic. Some companies shut down and disappeared like the Hobo vanishing in …

(Office of the Governor of New York State)  New York’s Common Fund, the Third Largest in the Nation, Manages Over $200 Billion in Retirement Assets for More than One Million New Yorkers; Will Partner with Comptroller Tom …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. ARS conducts research to develop and transfer solutions to agricultural problems of high national priority and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … (T)he Australian Renewable Energy Agency has made its single largest direct investment in second-generation biofuels via $11.9M in funding support for Ethtec to complete the development and demonstration of its advanced biofuel production …

(Australian Renewable Energy Agency/Ethanol Produce Magazine)  The Australian Renewable Energy Agency recently announced $11.9 million in funding for Australian biofuel company Ethanol Technologies Ltd. to complete the development and demonstration of its groundbreaking advanced biofuel technology.
As part of a …

(Reuters)  Brazil’s Copersucar, one of the world’s largest ethanol merchants, and BP’s Brazil unit said on Thursday they will form a 50-50 logistics joint venture in the country.
The venture will operate Copersucar’s recently built ethanol storage …

(AntaraNews.com)  The government has initiated a program to rejuvenate palm oil plantations in North Sumatra spread across 9,109.29 hectares in 12 districts.
Serdang Bedagai, Langkat, South Labuhan Batu, Labuhan Batu, Asahan, Batubara, Simalungun, North Labuhan Batu, North …

by Gerard Ostheimer and Douglas L. Faulkner (Biofuels Digest)  … In the U.S., fighting between Big Ag and Big Oil over first-generation biofuels is slowing the deployment of advanced biofuels projects. This further undercuts the industry in …

(CISION/Western Economic Diversification Canada)  Enerkem Alberta Biofuels, a subsidiary of Montreal-based Enerkem Inc., is receiving $3.5 million from the Government of Canada through the Western Innovation (WINN) Initiative to build the final phase of a facility that converts non-recyclable, non-compostable municipal solid waste …

by Dan Mika (Nevada Journal)  The DowDuPont cellulosic ethanol plant sits mostly empty today after the chemical giant suspended operations and laid off most of its 90 employees earlier this month. A skeleton crew is maintaining it …

by Cecilia Connell (ABC News)  An Australian-first biofuel demonstration facility in the New South Wales Hunter Valley has been touted as a game-changer in the food versus fuel debate, that has overshadowed the production of ethanol …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Catalytic reaction rates, microcrystalline cellulose, cyanobacteria working in teams, vertical farming, vegan products & markets. The 5 top disruptive techs we’ve seen in recent weeks are attacking these fronts.
Here’s what we …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  This year at ABLC Next, NREL’s Rich Bolin, gave us an overview of partnership perspective, opportunities and past performance.  Signature companies are engaged, in the space — advanced manufacturing, fuels, power, …

(Platts)  Nigeria plans to build a 65 billion liters/year biofuel plant to boost supply of clean fuels in the country, state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. said Wednesday.
NNPC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Southwest Ondo state government …

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 …

by Joseph Bebon (NGT News)  The City of Lincoln, Neb., has announced it is upgrading its technology to allow the biogas produced by wastewater treatment to be processed into vehicle fuel. According to a press release, the …

by Jesse Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  To create additional value in the biobased economy, companies and investors are turning toward the production of renewable chemicals and products. They argue that in prioritizing higher-value chemicals …

by Yuthana Praiwan (Bangkok Post)  The late King laid the groundwork for Thailand’s path toward energy independence.  —  … Although biofuel took longer to develop because it required more deliberate scientific research and experimentation compared with other agriculture …

Gerard Ostheimer and Doug Faulkner co-authored a Biofuels Digest article with some ideas that show the benefits bioenergy could bring to Africa: “Africans should strive for sustainable fuels from native feedstocks in a modern infrastructure …

by Gerard Ostheimer and Doug Faulkner (Biofuels Digest)  …  (I)n Sub-Saharan Africa a thriving indigenous bioenergy industry can play a positive and productive role in modernizing economies and improving the quality of human life.
One challenge …

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 …

(PR Web)  The ABBA Integrated Biorefinery project, to be built at the AVAPCO Thomaston Georgia site, will co-produce bio jet fuel and Bioplus® nanocellulose. It has received a Phase 1, $3.7 million award from the Department …

(Naija247news)  The Italian government through one of its oil giants ENI has promised to support the Federal Government’s bio-fuel agenda.
Senior Technical Adviser to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources on Refineries and Downstream Infrastructure, Engr. …

(Oil Change International)  A new report by Oil Change International reveals that U.S. taxpayers continue to foot the bill for more than $20 billion in fossil fuel subsidies each year. The analysis outlines tax incentives, credits, …

(The News)  Mr Micheal Kottner, an expert in biogas, says sustainable biogas production is possible if the Federal Government can have the political will to put the legal framework in place.
Kottner, who is the Chief …

by Daniel de Liege  (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Alliance Bio-Products’ chairman provides a detailed account of hurdles cleared and decisions made in the development of the company’s cellulose-to-sugar process.  —  Securing funding for new technologies can …

by Josephine Mason, Chen Aizhu, Dominique Patton and Hallie Gu (Reuters) Beijing sets first timeline for ethanol use in cars;  Push comes amid bid to whittle down massive corn stockpile;  China has no nationwide ethanol mandate like U.S., Brazil;  Shares …

by Tinashe Makichi (The Sunday Mail)  The Zimbabwe Energy Council will engage the Energy and Power Development Ministry over relaxation of legislation compelling investors to enter joint ventures with Government if they want ethanol production …

by Anju D. Krivov  (Biofuels Digest/Lee Enterprises Consulting/GSR Solutions LLC)  … In the late 1990s, the low oil prices of less than $20 a barrel brought down the Algal Species Program’s initiative started in the 1970s …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In June 2011, the Secretaries of Agriculture, Energy, and Navy signed MOU to commit $510M (up to $170M from each agency) to produce hydrocarbon jet and diesel biofuels in the …

(The Chronicle Herald)  A South Shore biofuel startup that has been backed by millions in provincial and federal government money looks like it’s on hold.
This week, calls to Cellufuel, a small five-year-old business based in …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Louisiana, reports surfaced in Alexandria’s TownTalk online paper that Sundrop Fuels has struck an agreement to sell the 1200-acre site where it once planned to build its $450 million, 50 million …

by Bin Zhao (Energy Policy)  Existing transportation infrastructure favors liquid fuels. The human nature of satisfying their needs with least effort favors liquid fuels. Continuing supply of oil will reinforce existing transportation infrastructure. Understanding alternative fuel market helps …

by Rochelle Williams (Jamaica Information Service)  Jamaica could save hundreds of millions in energy costs per year, while reducing the country’s reliance on imported fossil fuels and creating a boost for the agricultural sector through the …

by Susanne Retka Schill and Ann Bailey (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Ethanol Producer Magazine provides an update on 10 cellulosic ethanol projects around the world striving for continuous, large-scale production.  —  Some things have changed in the …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Nevada, Ryze Renewables has two new renewable diesel projects totaling $250M now in planning for the Nevada and Las Vegas areas.
…
This project is bigger: equipment costs have grown from …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  ChemCatBio is a research and development consortium dedicated to identifying and overcoming catalysis challenges for biomass conversion processes. Led by U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories, the consortium works “with …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  To explain the Navy’s marine and aviation biofuels program, Chris Tindal gave the following presentation at ABLC 2017 — focusing on efforts to internationalize the supply. As we described it …

by Sara Taginawa (Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  On Tuesday, July 25, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing examining the future of biofuels and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). According to …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) commenting on US Department of Energy funding for bioenergy research centers, “However, one caveat. The funding here is for just one year of these BRCs. The Trump budget slashes energy research …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry today (July 17, 2017) announced $40 million in Department of Energy awards for the establishment of four DOE Bioenergy Research Centers (BRCs), which …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Turkey, at the World Petroleum Congress, India’s flagship national oil company Indian Oil Corporation and carbon recycler LanzaTech unveiled a Statement of Intent to construct the world’s first refinery …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Terpenes may be the most unloved class of energy molecule of all time, if you compare R&D spending to potential. Even ARPA-E, the home of high-risk, high-reward government research into energy, …

(S2G BioChem/Marketwired)  Funding Support Provided by Bioindustrial Innovation Canada; Production of Xylitol to Begin in 2018  —  S2G BioChem (S2G), a developer of natural biotechnology conversion processes, announced today that it has started work on the …

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

Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest), explaining how international efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of aviation that focus on cheap offsets accomplish exactly the opposite:  “We do need change. Right now, we’re leasing public land at …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) “Bulk of aviation emissions reductions will be achieved through carbon offsets,” not fuels, writes ICCT

Slow scale-up foreseen for biofuels
Challenges in feedstock costs
Carbon pricing too little, too late
The fatal distortion lies in …

(Globe Newswire/Amyris)  — Amyris, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMRS), the industrial bioscience company, and the Government of Queensland, Australia today announced the next step their plans to develop a leading industrial biotechnology hub in Southeast Asia. Plans call …

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, …

by Sarah Vogler (Courier-Mail)  Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has launched a new plan to bolster the biomedical sciences industry in Queensland in a bid to create more than 3000 jobs and pour almost $2 billion into …

(GreenAir Online)  …  The sustainable alternative aviation fuels resolution approved at the AGM calls on governments to implement policies to accelerate the deployment of such fuels, including the creation of the appropriate regulatory framework to …

(Biofuels International)  The government of Queensland, Australia has announced it will inject $8.64 million (€5.8 million) into a proposed $50 million (€33.7 million) biorefinery, in a bid to help accelerate the project’s development and construction.
It …

(Business Standard/Press Trust of India)  L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering has signed an agreement with Institute of Chemical Technology to build ethanol plants based on indigenous technology.
“Today, India is producing about 3 per cent bioethanol blending with …

(U.S. Grains Council)  Developing markets for U.S. ethanol involves a complex combination of trade policy and marketing work. Two U.S. Grains Council (USGC) activities this past week aimed to not only provide insights on ethanol …

by Matt Reese  (Ohio’s Country Journal)  … This summer, Ohio’s corn farmers and their checkoff are chipping away at the ethanol blend wall in the state by highlighting opportunities to buy higher ethanol blends at fueling …

by Anmar Frangoul (CNBC)  A new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says that the integration of measures to fight climate change into economic policy will aid economic growth, both in …

by John Fialka (E&E News/Climatewire)  … As a major U.S. exporter that has dealings with over 150 countries, Boeing had worked with airlines in the development of more fuel-efficient aircraft and better flying practices. Now it helped …

by John Fialka (E&E News/Climatewire)  In May 2016, investigators from the Government Accountability Office assembled a panel of 19 experts in Washington to explore what had happened to a program to develop a commercial market …

(Innova) Memphis-based Venture Capital Firm Innova Announces Close of Ag Innovation Fund IV to Support AgTech Startup Activity —  Innova Memphis, an early-stage venture capital firm, has announced the close of its latest fund, Innova Ag …

by Viola Zhou (South China Morning Post)  Lydia Lam Pui-ying will further her study at Kyoto University in Japan  —
Hong Kong and Japanese scientists have discovered a new way to make biofuel from rice straw, …

(Commercial Alternative Aviation Fuels Initiative) The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently released the aviation biofuels report, “Potential Avenues for Significant Biofuels Penetration in the U.S. Aviation Market.” The report finds that it is possible …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Although the bigger players — China, the US, Brazil and the EU take most of the headlines in the advanced bioeconomy, Canada is definitely “boxing above its weight class” these days, …

(Climate Change News)  Ministers from countries on the front line of climate change have urged rich nations to stop pouring money into the coal, oil and gas industries.  The world’s 49 most climate vulnerable countries …

(Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Prospects for a cellulosic ethanol plant to be built as part of the Maabjerg Energy Center in Denmark have achieved a breakthrough, according Jorgen Udby, chairman. London-based investment firm Pioneer Point Partners …

by Chris Mooney (The Washington Post)  A new large-scale technology has launched in Decatur, Illinois that, by combining together corn-based fuels with the burial of carbon dioxide deep underground, could potentially result in the active removal …

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 …

(EP Petroecuador (Google Translation))  In the presence of the Minister of Hydrocarbons, Ing. José Icaza, the Petroecuador Public Company and the companies Consorcio Artesanal Cado, Producargo SA, Codana SA and Soderal SA, signed a USD …

(Netzwerk Biotreibstoffe) This IEA Bioenergy Task 39 report looks at the potential of biofuels in China. Although climate change and energy security are of concern to China, it is not clear which of these drivers has …

by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest)  In Australia, the federal government’s economic advisor—The Productivity Commission—has called on New South Wales, Queensland and commonwealth governments to drop biofuel blending, saying the polices unnecessarily increase fuel prices for …

(Lambton Shield)   $25-m Sombra operation would take shape on part of plant bought last year  —  A 25-million litre capacity plant that would occupy a small slice of a 24-acre site purchased from Methes Energies last …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  There are six oddly-named streams in the bioeconomy, and it reminds one of the nomenclature of subatomic quarks. There is upstream, midstream, downstream, main-stream, waste-stream, and slip-stream. But of all …

(Business Standard)  The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved closure/winding up of CREDA HPCL Biofuel (CHBL) and IndianOil – Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA) Biofuels …

(Bangkok Post)  New yeast species is key to cutting cost  —  … After 18 months of research and experiments, the Thailand Institute of Science and Technological Research (TISTR) has found that they can use a species …

(Government of Canada/CNW)  Investments support Canadian-based technologies and create opportunities for businesses to grow and contribute to clean economic growth. —  Technology and the innovation it helps promote are key to the future of Canada’s …

by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine)  San Diego-based biodiesel producer New Leaf Biofuel has received a notice of proposed award from the California Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, which will help …

by Karen Law (Tribune)  Snohomish County’s gamble on turning canola into biodiesel has turned belly-up, but at least the Spokane Indian Tribe may reap a jackpot this week when the County Council votes on surplussing …

by Darren Fishell (Bangor Daily News)  The company EMEP LLC wants to buy the shuttered East Millinocket paper mill to build a biorefinery that it said would be a centerpiece of a larger $240 million …

(GreenAir Online)  Although sustainable alternative fuels are key to meeting the aviation sector’s long-term emissions goals, supportive government policies are required to bring these fuels to global deployment. This was a central theme of last …

by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  The Farm Bill’s Energy Title provides loans and grants to farmers, ranchers and small businesses to encourage investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and the production of …

by Festus Okoromadu (Leadership)  The managing director of Biodiesel Nigeria Limited, Engr. Hussaini Solomon, has said his company has concluded arrangement to establish a mini-biodiesel refinery in Lokoja, Kogi state worth N5.2 billion.
In an exclusive chat …

(RightsAndResources.org)  Experts at Dakar event point to a significant cause of investment losses, work stoppages and violence across Africa: the failure of governments and companies to respect the land rights of indigenous and local communities
Sixty-three …

by Alister Doyle (Reuters)   Investors and insurers with more than $2.8 trillion in assets under management on Wednesday called on the Group of 20 economies to phase out fossil fuel subsidies by 2020 despite U.S. …

by Tim Meko and Laris Karklis (The Washington Post)  There are more than 900,000 active oil and gas wells in the United States, and more than 130,000 have been drilled since 2010, according to Drillinginfo, a …

(International Institute for Sustainable Development/PressReleasePoint)  A complete removal of subsidies for the production of fossil fuels today would result in a steady decline in greenhouse gas emissions between now and 2050 as more oil, gas …

by Ifeanyi Lawrence-Agbai (Today)  The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Tuesday disclosed that the federal government would invest about $50 billion to the development of a domestic biofuel industry which would serve as an alternative energy …

(Big News Network)  Following a vote in the Dail Eireann, Ireland is set to become the world’s first country to fully divest money from fossil fuels. The historic legislation was passed by members in a 90 …

by  Liz Gyekye (Biofuels International)   Renewable fuels will play a critical role in decarbonising the transport sector, and will complement the role of electric vehicles — Transport Minister John Hayes has said. The UK’s Department for …

by Kerry Reals (Runway Girl Network)  … But despite widespread concerns, Kevin Weiss, the chief executive of Byogy Renewables – the developer of an alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) fuel process for the aviation industry – tells RGN he …

(National Algae Association)  2016 Algae Year in Review – Nothing has Changed  —  2016 (U.S. Department of Energy) Funding Opportunities: …
• Global Algae Innovations (San Diego, California)— …
• Algenol Biotech LLC (Ft. Myers, Florida)– …
• MicroBio …

(My Sunshine Coast)  A whopping 100 companies have indicated interest in biorefining in Queensland, as the 18 January deadline looms for the Palaszczuk Government’s Biofutures Acceleration Program.
Minister for State Development Dr Anthony Lynham said the …

by Dina Bacovsky, Andrea Sonnleitner (Task39 Newsletter)  …  Domestic FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) production in 2014 was 292,009 tonnes based on rapeseed (72%), used cooking oil (19%), animal fat (8%) and fatty acids (1%). The feedstock …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … the most innovative public-private policies are likely for some time to proceed out of regions, provinces and states.
In some ways, in the United States the forces arrayed against the Renewable …

(Lux Research)  From 2010 to 2015, the bio-based materials and chemicals (BBMC) industry attracted nearly $9.2 billion in funding from corporates, debts, individuals, private equity, public investment, and venture capital (VC). Notably, VCs have been …

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 …

by Julien Hall, Samar Niazi, and Gao Xiaojuan (Platts Commodity Pulse VIDEO)  China’s corn stockpiles, built up over the past couple of years, have reached problematic levels. In this video, S&P Global Platts Agriculture editors Julien …

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 …

by James Konstantin Galvez (The Manila Times)  Despite rising fuel prices, the state-run Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has dismissed calls by independent oil players to allow increased imports of ethanol products to effectively lower gas …

(Australian Renewable Energy Agency) Australia’s first advanced green fuels laboratory has opened its doors in regional Queensland, thanks to support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), allowing researchers to test biocrude on our shores …

by Ron Kotrba (Biomass Magazine)  The Canadian city of Surrey, British Columbia, prepares to open a new biogas plant fed by its residents’ kitchen scraps and yard waste, the fuel from which will power its …

(Offgrid Nigeria)  A draft national policy on biofuel production and distribution likely to be signed into law very soon by Nigeria, has proposed very mouth-watering incentives for investors willing to go into biofuel business in …

by Aswin Mannepalli (Philadelphia Inquirer)  The King of Prussia company takes biowaste and converts it into useful materials such as bioplastics. So far, it counts Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates as a backer. He led a $14 …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  For some time in The Digest, we have examined the problem of matching capital to projects. As Ecostrat’s Jordan Solomon observed at ABLC Next a few weeks back, “the vast …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  This past week, a remarkable group of people gathered in Ottawa, perhaps described best as the “friends of Jeff” because the ostensible excuse for a get-together was Jeff Passmore’s Scaling …

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 …

(AgriMarketing/Reuters)  Sarnia, Ontario, home to dozens of Canada’s refineries and chemical plants, is lobbying hard to lure a biotech plant to the city as the local petrochemical-powered economy braces for the impact of a provincial …

by Joanna Schroeder (Energy.AgWired.com)  Missouri soybean farmers will finally be receiving a portion of payments for their biodiesel under the Missouri Qualified Biodiesel Producer Incentive Fund. Governor Nixon has released $3 million to reduce the …

by John Miner  (London Free Press)  …  Established in 2005, the $520-million Ontario Ethanol Growth Fund was used by companies to build seven plants that now produce more than 1.1 billion litres of ethanol a year. …

(Premium Times)  Augustine Oqua, the Special Assistant to Gov. Ben Ayade on Religious Matters, says the proposed Cross River Ethanol Processing Plant will be completed in December.  …  The aide said the ethanol project would …

by Timothy P. Carney (Washington Examiner)  Katie McGinty, the Democrats’ nominee for Senate in Pennsylvania, cashed out of state government and into the subsidized renewable-energy companies whose agenda she had pushed when in office. That …

(CNW/Newswire)  The Government of Canada is supporting clean energy research, development and technology demonstration at all stages of the innovation spectrum, from high-risk, early stage research that can deliver transformative energy solutions, to later stage …

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 …

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 …

by Neil A. Belson (LeafPro Bioproducts/Biofuels Digest)  … Despite its potential benefits and some very real achievements, the biobased economy has overall progressed more slowly than many had hoped.  There are several reasons for this slow progress. …

by Laís Forti Thomaz* (Advanced Biofuels USA) On October 17-18, 2016, Datagro held its 16th International Conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Once again, this event reunited many great specialists of the sector. Innovations and public policies …

by Ann Bailey (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Innovation in stover utilization targets feed, sugars and coproduct credits, building markets beyond cellulosic ethanol use.  —  Building a robust biomass supply chain for the future will require multiple …

(Bangkok Post)  Benefits to the nation bestowed by His Majesty’s Sufficiency Economy Philosophy  —  … Throughout his 70 years on the throne, King Bhumibol Adulyadej initiated more than 4,500 royal development projects, all of which were …