by Marc J. Rauch (The Auto Channel) ... The reason I'm contacting you today, in 2020, is because yesterday I received a message from a reader who disagrees with my advocacy of ethanol based upon your article. In my reply to
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Back TO HOMEMerchant Refiners Face A Return Of 'RINsanity' In 2021
by Tristan R. Brown (Seeking Alpha) -Expectations of U.S. gasoline demand in 2021 are continuing to decline as the country has failed to suppress the spread of COVID-19. -Gasoline demand in 2021 is now expected to be as low as
May 18, 2020 Read Full Article
What Happened to Nelson's Algae-to-Biofuel Company that Was Going to Change the World?
by Nikki Macdonald (Stuff) ... It was one of many pieces of breathless hype to come out of the Nelson company - the fuel was actually 95 per cent ordinary diesel and 5 per cent bio-diesel. But the stunt received
April 27, 2020 Read Full Article
PODCAST: Ethanol: The Future of the Fuel Industry, with RFA's Bob Dinneen and NCGA's Mark Palmer
(National Corn Growers Association) This may be a tumultuous time for corn farmers and ethanol producers. But then again, the ethanol industry's entire history has been a roller coaster ride. In this episode, NCGA CEO Jon Doggett revisits the battles that got us
April 17, 2020 Read Full Article
Joint Evolution: Technology Providers Have Adapted Their Pretreatment Offerings as the Biodiesel Industry Evolved to Rely More on Waste Feedstocks, and as Renewable Diesel Emerges.
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) ... Markus Dielacher, CEO of BDI-BioEnergy International, says many companies offering pretreatment systems came from the vegetable oil side. “They started with clean feedstock and it worked,” he says. “We came from the other side,
April 15, 2020 Read Full Article
What Is Flex Fuel? A Look at the Past, Present, and Future of E85
by Frank Markus (Motor Trend) A brief history of the ethanol-gasoline blend as a motor fuel. Did you know Henry Ford's iconic Model T, built from 1908 to 1927, featured carburetor jets that could be adjusted to let the engine
April 03, 2020 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Production: What Next for Zim?
by Nyasha Kavhiza (The Herald) A technical analysis of the current situation will point to the lack of feedstock as the main problem stalling biodiesel production in Zimbabwe. ... Instead of discarding the project all together, the Government and all stakeholders involved
March 25, 2020 Read Full Article
Why a Good Ethanol Education Program Is Needed Now, More Than Ever
by Marc J. Rauch (The Auto Channel) U.S. DOE and EPA are Screwing America (And No One Cares - Do You?) +VIDEO -- ... So, I did a Google search of his name (Daniel R. Simmons) along with the word "ethanol."
March 13, 2020 Read Full Article
Celebrating the Women of the Ethanol Workforce
by Jessica Bennett (Renewable Fuels Association) RFA works hard every day to represent all of our members and the hard-working men and women that make these companies, and our industry, successful. More than ever before, representing our industry also means representing women
March 09, 2020 Read Full Article
Gov. Jay Inslee’s Low-Carbon Fuel Standard Faces Tough Road ahead in Washington State
by Hal Bernton (Seattle Times) Gov. Jay Inslee’s campaign to clamp down on greenhouse gas emissions from the state’s transportation fuels, a high-profile goal throughout his two terms in office, faces a difficult road as the Washington state Legislature heads into
March 04, 2020 Read Full Article
MIND THE GAP: Letter from Europe
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) If you have not followed the Alternative and Renewable Fuels Forum, bookmark this, and today I’ll give you some of the flavor of this group with 110 members — project owners and developers, policy experts, technologists,
March 04, 2020 Read Full Article
GUEST ARTICLE: Lessons that Novel Proteins Should Learn from Biofuels
by Mark Warner (Warner Advisors LLC/Food Navigator) Can 60% of current meat consumption be replaced by novel vegan meat replacements and cultured meat in the next 20 years? That is what AT Kearney has recently projected, but the analysis does
March 03, 2020 Read Full Article
A Decade of Progress in California? Not for Its Recycling Rate
by Jim Stewart (Bioenergy Producers Association/Renewable Energy Project Development and Finance/Biofuels Digest) The volume of post-recycled municipal solid waste (MSW) being placed in California’s landfills has been steadily climbing for the past decade, during which time the state’s legislature, with its
March 03, 2020 Read Full Article
Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech, Honored with the William C. Holmberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We are very honored at The Digest each year to select the William C. Holmberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Bioeconomy, and to make the award presentation at ABLC. Especially this year when our honoree
March 03, 2020 Read Full Article
New Ethanol Bill Touted as Good for Farmers and the Environment
by Andrew Deziel (Lonsdale News Review) A bipartisan group of legislators have introduced a bill that would make Minnesota the first state in the nation to embrace E15, or gasoline with 15% ethanol, as the standard. The bill was introduced Monday in the House
March 02, 2020 Read Full Article
Climate Change and Ethanol: Get the Facts Right
by Andrea Kent (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Greenfield Global/Renewable Industries Canada) Myths and misinformation about ethanol and its effect on health and the environment need to be corrected to expand higher blends. -- ... (Canadian) Federal blending mandates—in place since 2007—require our
February 19, 2020 Read Full Article
Limited Biofuels M&A Activity in 2019, Stage Set for Potentially Busy 2020
by Bruce Comer (Ocean Park/Biofuels Digest) Biofuels Merger and Acquisition (M&A) activity in North America was subdued in 2019. Only four operating biodiesel, ethanol and advanced biofuels plants were sold during the year. These four acquired plants were relatively small with
February 19, 2020 Read Full Article
Greater Chicago I-55 Truck Plaza Promotes Biodiesel
(Chicago Area Clean Cities/FuelFix.com) The Greater Chicago I-55 Truck Plaza, one of the first, family-owned and operated, independent truck plazas in the U.S., recounts its biodiesel tale. -- The Greater Chicago I-55 Truck Plaza was one of the first, family-owned and operated, independent truck plazas
February 18, 2020 Read Full Article
Carbon Capture Initiatives and 45Q
by Cácia Pimentel* (Advanced Biofuels USA) On February 15th the Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) Carbon Management Research Initiative and the Women in Energy program hosted a panel of experts to discuss carbon capture policies and technologies, especially Carbon Capture, Utilization
February 18, 2020 Read Full Article
25th Annual National Ethanol Conference Welcomes President George W. Bush
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association was honored to welcome George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, to the 25th Annual National Ethanol Conference today in Houston. By championing an all-of-the-above approach to domestic energy production while in
February 12, 2020 Read Full Article
Broin Named The American Biofuels Visionary by Growth Energy
(Ethanol Producer Magazine/Growth Energy) During the organization’s 11th Annual Executive Leadership Conference, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor honored POET Founder and CEO Jeff Broin as The American Biofuels Visionary. Tom Buis, who previously served as CEO of Growth Energy, joined Skor
February 11, 2020 Read Full Article
How Ditching the Iowa Caucus Could Remake the Biofuels Debate
by Miranda Green (New Republic) If politicians no longer coveted that early "Iowa bump," would they still feel compelled to support ethanol subsidies? In the wake of Iowa’s caucus vote-counting disaster, political staffers and pollsters alike are reconsidering the state’s
February 10, 2020 Read Full Article
Nordics Bet on Advanced Biofuels to Suit Carbon Neutrality Ambitions
by Gerardo Fortuna (EURACTIV.com) Scandinavian governments have raised the bar in their commitment to becoming carbon neutral and several companies have responded by developing new technologies to harness forest resources, widely recognised as the Nordic green gold, in a bid to
February 07, 2020 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Plant Reopens Thanks to Biodiesel Blenders Tax Credit
by Marjorie Kulba (Farm Journal's Ag Pro) An Iowa biodiesel plant is reopening after it shut down late last year. The Western Dubuque Biodiesel plant in Farley, Iowa started up production at the plant last week after shutting down for most of December
January 29, 2020 Read Full Article
Interfacing with R&D and Industry: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to BETO’s Advanced Development & Optimization
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We are always trying to optimize – optimize processes, efficiencies, cost, value, and more, but did you know that the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office has a program just for this sort of thing?
January 29, 2020 Read Full Article
Phillips 66 and REG Scrap Renewable Diesel Project
by Andreas Exarheas (Rigzone) Phillips 66 and Renewable Energy Group Inc. (REG) have announced that they are discontinuing their joint effort to construct a large-scale renewable diesel plant in Ferndale, Washington. The project was said to have been canceled due to permitting
January 22, 2020 Read Full Article
RFA CEO Offers Outlook for Ethanol’s Future at Iowa Summit
by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) As the keynote speaker at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit Thursday, Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper said “2019 sucked” but the industry is focusing forward now into the “Roaring ’20s.” Cooper offered four predictions for the new
January 17, 2020 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Economics: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to REG’s Biodiesel
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From GHG emissions and carbon savings to growing public policy support, REG is working hard on improving biodiesel’s LCFS value. Check out this Slide-Guide from REG’s Director of Government Affairs, Lindsay Fitzgerald’s presentation at ABLC
January 15, 2020 Read Full Article
How the Biofuels Industry Can Go from Underdog to Golden Child--When the Innovators Stop Innovating: A Resolution for 2020
by Alison Matthews (Renewable Industries Canada/AOM Consulting/Biofuels Digest) ... A decade ago, ...Ethanol facilities were not even running at maximum capacity and governments were already doubling down on their success by creating funds to support “next generation” ethanol production. And why
January 15, 2020 Read Full Article
Gold Rush: Daryl Maas Followed His Dreams to California
by Ron Kotrba (Biomass Magazine) Daryl Maas followed his dreams to California, where he is filling an important niche helping mitigate climate change and dairy farmers mine the lucrative rewards of cow manure. -- Daryl Maas was raised among the
January 14, 2020 Read Full Article
ADM Closer to Possible Ethanol Exit
(Bloomberg/Crain's Chicago Business) The company is in advanced talks for a deal that could involve a sale or a joint venture for its ethanol dry mills. -- Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., the agribusiness giant that helped draw the blueprint for the U.S. biofuel
January 10, 2020 Read Full Article
OPINION: Fostering Innovation with Biofuels -- Biofuels Curriculum
by Emily Skor (Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...At Growth Energy, we share that commitment to community and are excited to invest our philanthropic time and money into the next generation through biofuels education and advocacy training in the classroom. Through our
January 09, 2020 Read Full Article
2020 Biodiesel Plant Map Reflections
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Biodiesel Magazine highlights industry changes as discovered during the 2020 U.S. & Canada Biodiesel Plant Map data collection efforts. ... Naturally, one recurring theme that kept rearing its ugly head was the toll that the
January 09, 2020 Read Full Article
Coming Full Circle
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Celebrating 25 years, the Hawaii-based company that has built biodiesel plants across the U.S. and Japan has gone back to its roots, focusing on sustainability and local energy independence for the archipelago. ... Once a process technology-focused
January 09, 2020 Read Full Article
Florida Is Fueled with Biodiesel
(National Biodiesel Board/Biodiesel Magazine) Florida Power & Light Co. embraces environmental stewardship as a core value and has used biodiesel fuel regularly for nearly 20 years—one vital component of its corporate responsibility strategy. The utility is a subsidiary of NextEra
January 06, 2020 Read Full Article
FuelCell Energy Highlights Advances in Renewable Biogas Applications Using SureSource Fuel Cell and Proprietary Gas Treatment Systems
(Power Mag/FuelCell Energy) Improving reliability and efficiency of renewable biogas applications since first commercial shipment in 2003; Unique chemistry of carbonate fuel cell avoids de-rating power plant when using on-site biogas; Proprietary advanced systems developed by FuelCell Energy for cleanup
January 03, 2020 Read Full Article
Welcoming an Age of Sustainable Flight
(Neste) Lufthansa’s Katja Kleffmann tells Satu Dahl how the airline is succeeding in its bid to make aviation greener. Globally, we are witnessing a surge in sustainability innovation—from new forms of propulsion to smarter, more energy-efficient buildings. And one of those initiatives
January 02, 2020 Read Full Article
Who Is Driving Our Ethanol Policy? And Why Does It Matter?
by Jeffrey T. Manuel and Thomas D. Rogers (The Hill/Changing America) To prepare America for a green future, you have to understand the power politics of the present. -- ... But the real drivers of biofuel policy in both
December 28, 2019 Read Full Article
Hemp, Inc. CEO, Bruce Perlowin, Featured in Havasu News Coverage about Kins Communities
(Hemp, Inc./Globe Newswire) Hemp, Inc. (OTC PINK: HEMP), a global leader in the industrial hemp industry with bi-coastal processing centers, including the largest multipurpose industrial hemp processing facility in the western hemisphere, announced today news coverage in Havasu News, a leading source for
December 28, 2019 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels – Where Are the Gallons?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From what is an advanced biofuel to why, we take a look at the gallons, the ethanol blend wall, the residue capacity, and over 30 advanced biofuels projects from around the world to watch. In today’s Digest,
December 27, 2019 Read Full Article
Autothermal Pyrolysis: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Rethinking Thermochemical Processing
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Iowa State University is working on fast pyrolysis, and Robert Brown, Director of the university’s Bioeconomy Institute looks at how their work is making us rethink thermochemical processing. By looking at autothermal pyrolysis, and more, Brown
December 27, 2019 Read Full Article
Renewable Natural Gas Dominates Cellulosic Biofuels: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Iogen’s Cellulosic Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Iogen is one of the top 5 registered producers of cellulosic biofuel in the U.S. and say that renewable natural gas dominates the commercial cellulosic biofuel business and that the market is more than just the
December 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Pounds That Pay
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Corn oil may be the smallest fraction of production by weight, but it’s also the most valuable. -- At $500 a ton, corn oil is the most valuable product an ethanol plant makes,
December 20, 2019 Read Full Article
Is Big Oil Feeling the Heat?
by Matt Carr (New Energy American/The Hill) ... In 2016 Big Oil received the gift of the century in a Donald Trump presidency. Despite promises in Iowa to grow the renewable fuels industry and to promote clean air, he immediately set out to do exactly
December 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Lessons Learning on the Road to Commercialization: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Ensyn’s Demo to Commercial Path
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We all know going from demo to commercial isn’t easy. Ensyn, a company that produces biocrude from forest and agricultural residues using its proprietary thermal technology and focuses on low carbon fuels and chemicals, knows all
December 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Confessions of a Biorefiner: Green Plains’ Journey into the Land of High-Value Proteins, and the Who, What and Why of That
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week news came out of a partnership between Novozymes and Green Plains to use biological technology to extract more value from corn protein, at what used to be known as corn ethanol plants, but with
December 19, 2019 Read Full Article
The Kodak Moment: The World’s Airlines Consider Their Low-Carbon Options in an Era of Flight-Shaming
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Now, the airlines were just about the first customers to clamor for advanced biofuels. In 2006, Richard Altman of the recently-formed Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative showed up at one of the earliest advanced biofuels
December 14, 2019 Read Full Article
Thermochemical Technology to Turn Trash to Treasure: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Enerkem’s Waste to Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Taking non-reyclable waste to sustainable chemicals and biofuels is Enerkem’s world. Current products from ‘trash’ include syngas, methanol and ethanol with alternative pathways currently under development. Andrea Redford, Chief Business Development Officer from Enerkem gave this
December 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Biofuels Production and Consumption in Denmark: Status, Advances and Challenges
by Sune Tjalfe Thomsen and Henning Jørgensen (IEA Bioenergy Task 39 Newsletter) 1. Status of transportation biofuel industry in Denmark -- In Denmark, a considerable part of the total energy demand is derived from renewable sources. In 2017, 26% of
December 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Wanted – Stronger Microbial Strains: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to NREL’s Biological Sugar Upgrades
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Microbial strains convert lignocellulosic sugars to fuel precursors, but Jeff Linger from National Renewable Energy Laboratory gave this illuminating presentation at the DOE’s BETO 2019 Project Peer Review that details how they are looking to
December 03, 2019 Read Full Article
LanzaTech Moves Forward on Sustainable Aviation Scale Up in the USA and Japan
(LanzaTech) Carbon recycling pioneer, LanzaTech, continues to make strides in scaling up its alcohol to jet (ATJ) platform. Commercialization of the ATJ process has been years in the making, starting with the partnership between LanzaTech and the U.S Energy Department’s Pacific
November 26, 2019 Read Full Article
3 Chicagoland Fleets Using B20 Rank among 2019’s Top Green Fleets
(Illinois Soybean Association/Biodiesel Magazine) Three Chicago-area fleets rank among the nation’s 25 Top Green Fleets of 2019. Fleets receiving this national recognition are Village of Arlington Heights, Village of Oak Park and the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. The green fleet
November 25, 2019 Read Full Article
Stop the Anti-Ethanol Ridiculousness--An Open Letter Reply to an Unmistakable Editorial Failure
by Marc J. Rauch (The Auto Channel) This past Saturday, a media outlet called THE ATLANTIC published an anti-ethanol editorial titled "STOP THE ETHANOL MADNESS." ... The following is my rebuttal to him and THE ATLANTIC: Dear Editors - The anti-ethanol editorial written by
November 25, 2019 Read Full Article
Biofuel Producers Make Significant Gains in Efficiency, Productivity and Conservation, Argonne Survey Shows
(U.S. Department of Energy Newswise) Survey results conclude that there have been significant improvements in energy efficiency and water conservation. -- The nation’s biofuel producers have made significant gains in both energy efficiency and water conservation in recent years, according to
November 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Chinese Demand Heats up Brazil’s Ethanol Industry
by Sarita Reed and Vincius Fontana (Future Fuel Strategies/China Dialogue) There are 332 million cars on the road in China, more than anywhere in the world. Most run on pure petrol, but from next year Chinese fuel companies will add 10% ethanol,
November 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Salem Plant Turning More Cooking Oil into Biodiesel than Ever
by Pete Danko (Portland Business Journal) SeQuential, the Oregon company that collects used cooking oil and turns it into biodiesel, has boosted production capacity at its Salem plant by 30 percent. It credited a state program with helping drive increased demand. Output
November 06, 2019 Read Full Article
The Long Haul to Getting Aviation Biofuel off the Ground
by Angeli Mehta (Ethical Corporation) With the IPCC warning against growing crops for fuel, Angeli Mehta reports on how LanzaTech, SkyNRG and Velocys are trying to get the next generation of aviation biofuels to scale The first flight using a blend of
November 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Moving beyond the RFS
Douglas A. Durante (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/Governor's Biofuels Coalition) The global biofuels community is without a doubt watching the developments in the US with the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and might be understandably confused. How is a program that was passed
October 23, 2019 Read Full Article
50 Million Bucks Says Landfill Is a Viable Energy Source: Suncor Doubles Down on Enerkem
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Canada, news arrived late last week Enerkem closed a $50 million equity investment from Suncor. What does it mean? Today’s let’s explore that. As Canada’s leading integrated energy company, Suncor first participated in the ownership of Enerkem
October 21, 2019 Read Full Article
AirAsia Keen on Introducing Biofuel-Powered Flights
by Rahimi Yunus (Malaysian Reserve) CEO says R&D into aviation biofuels requires studies on how the alternative fuel burns compared to kerosene-based jet fuels -- Low-cost carrier AirAsia Group Bhd could be introducing biofuel-powered flights in the future with research and development
October 04, 2019 Read Full Article
“The Mindset Is There, We Need the Technologies and to Integrate Them: The Time Is Now”: Looking at Enerkem’s Evolution and the Rise of the Circular Economy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Enerkem has been famed as a plaform for producing ethanol from municipal solid waste. Yet, there’s methanol as a platform. There’s also the possibility of moving from syngas to ethylene. There’s methanol to olefins, which
October 03, 2019 Read Full Article
Cruel Summer
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) A series of unfortunate events this summer—all caused by U.S. government action or inaction—has led to a precarious situation in the biodiesel sector, but there may be a silver lining. -- ... The volume of
October 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Cape Cod Biofuels Founder Receives Environmental Merit Award
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Andrew Davison, founder and owner of Cape Cod Biofuels, was presented an environmental merit award by the U.S. EPA Sept. 10 for his unique biodiesel business model that, as described by the agency, improves the air
September 18, 2019 Read Full Article
Brazilian Student Is Awarded in Contest of Scientific Research
(Federal University of Goiás (UFG)) Isabela Almeida Rodrigues, undergraduate student of International Relations, was awarded by the Brazilian Association of International Relations (ABRI) Isabela Almeida Rodrigues, undergraduate student at Universidade Federal de Goiás (Federal University of Goias), won the 3rd Contest of
August 30, 2019 Read Full Article
Addressing Two Objections to My Midwest Ethanol Plan
by Robert Rapier (Forbes) ... My proposed solution is for the Midwestern states to band together to provide sufficient state incentives to develop a major Midwest corridor where E85 -- a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline -- is
August 19, 2019 Read Full Article
The Golden Cow – Is India the Place to Be for Biofuels?
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... Is India the cash cow for biofuels? Or even the golden cow? If Aemetis’ recent 200% year over year increase in biodiesel sales is any indication…well, let’s just say we see the value. The market It
August 19, 2019 Read Full Article
The Safrinha Subpoena, or, Do They that Soy the Wind Ripen the Whirlwind?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Today we’re going to relate a detective story which begins with an unexplained and foul stink, and branches off into climate, trade, the eradication of poverty, crop rotation, the politics of the Amazon, the flow
August 13, 2019 Read Full Article
How Slime Will Save the World
by Ruth Kassinger (Boston Globe) ... We’ve turned algae into killers. But we can change their future and ours. We can harness them to help save the environment we’ve been ravaging. AFTER THE OPEC oil embargo of the mid-1970s caused gas shortages and
August 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Euglena Sets Sights as an Olympic Hopeful for Algae-Based Aviation Jet Fuel
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Midorimushi – other than being a cool sounding Ninja name, it’s scientific name is Euglena. No, it’s not the latest superhero in a manga comic. It’s a kind of algae. In a magical sort of hybrid
August 05, 2019 Read Full Article
SAF Update: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to FAA
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Federal Aviation Administration is a governmental body of the United States with powers to regulate all aspects of civil aviation in that nation as well as over its surrounding international waters and have been working
August 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Blazing Pathways through the Clean-Tech and Governmental Wilderness
by Douglas L. Faulkner (The Cleantech Conservative/Leatherstocking LLC/ Biofuels Digest) ... (W)e first addressed bio-based plastic research needs; second, we reviewed government regulations preventing the growth of advanced biofuels, a controversial action; then we launched an effort for 2019 for an intensive look
August 01, 2019 Read Full Article
The Secret History of Why Soda Companies Switched From Sugar to High-Fructose Corn Syrup
by Tom Philpott (Mother Jones) In a mesmerizing recent article, Mother Jones’ Tim Murphy recounts the surprising backstory of one of corporate marketing’s greatest flops: Coca-Cola’s quickly aborted 1985 effort to tweak its formula and convince consumers to accept “New Coke.” ... Coca-Cola had already started
July 30, 2019 Read Full Article
Here Comes the Sun – Sunliquid Tech: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Clariant
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Clariant, a Switzerland based specialty chemicals company, has four business areas: Care Chemicals, Natural Resources, Catalysis and Plastics & Coatings. While the first half of the year has been challenging, Clariant was able to increase sales
July 29, 2019 Read Full Article
Genera Repositions Itself, Gets $118M Investment – Movin’ on up to Get a Piece of the Pie
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... A $118 million pie in new investment money for this Tennessee-based biomass company. The financing was anchored by an equity investment from WindSail Capital Group, which partnered with investors Coppermine Capital and Stairway Capital
July 26, 2019 Read Full Article
POET Outlines Lessons from 4-Year Long Startup of Project Liberty Cellulosic Ethanol Project
(Green Car Congress) Commercially viable cellulosic ethanol plants has proven devilishly difficult to bring to fruition. The primary outlier from the list of efforts that have shut down over the past few years is POET/DSM’s Project Liberty (earlier post). In an
July 22, 2019 Read Full Article
His Family Farm Was Failing. Now He Runs the World's Largest Biofuel Producer
by Parija Kavilanz (CNN Business) At 22, Jeff Broin was just six months out of college and getting started in the banking industry when his family turned to him for help. His father was scrambling to figure out a way to
July 09, 2019 Read Full Article
Successful Biogas to Renewable Energy Production Is All about the Feedstock
by John Hanselman (Vanguard Renewables/Biofuels Digest) Renewable natural gas production is a good news story, but how to get there successfully is more complicated than most of us in the business anticipated. At Vanguard Renewables, we entered the renewable energy landscape with
July 09, 2019 Read Full Article
The Impending IMO Regulation and its Unknown Impact to Shipping
by Cliff Gladstein (GNA/Act News) One year ago, ACT News published an article calling attention to the possible worldwide ramifications of the January 1, 2020 change in marine fuel specifications. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations affiliated body that sets standards
July 03, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. Oil Companies Find Energy Independence Isn’t So Profitable
by Clifford Krauss (New York Times) ... In the last four years, roughly 175 oil and gas companies in the United States and Canada with debts totaling about $100 billion have filed for bankruptcy protection. Many borrowed heavily when oil and
July 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Europe, US Aim to Boost Ethanol Share in Gasoline, but Obstacles Remain
by Solomon Lanitis, Chrysa Glystra and Wesley Swift (S&P Global Platts) Ambitious emissions targets are driving governments across the globe to mandate greater use of biofuels in gasoline, and higher-ethanol blends of gasoline look set to make further inroads in the EU
June 26, 2019 Read Full Article
How Mobil Pushed Its Oil Agenda through 'Charitable Giving'
by Sharon Kelly (The Guardian) The Mobil Foundation funded universities and civic groups in the 90s, documents reveal, but largesse was not disinterested -- ... The Mobil Foundation also sought to use its tax-exempt grants to shape American laws and regulations
June 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuel Standard: Information on Likely Program Effects on Gasoline Prices and Greenhouse Gas Emission
(U.S. Government Accountability Office) We reviewed the effects of the Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires biofuels to be blended into U.S. transportation fuels in increasing volumes. The standard was associated with modest gas price increases in areas outside of the Midwest. Most
June 06, 2019 Read Full Article
IEA Bioenergy Annual Report 2018
(IEA Bioenergy) This document contains the report of the IEA Bioenergy Executive Committee for 2018. This year, we have presented a special feature ‘ Measuring, governing and gaining support for sustainable bioenergy supply chains – lessons and messages from a three-year Inter-Task project’, the preparation of which
June 03, 2019 Read Full Article
Biofuels Production and Consumption in Brazil: Status, Advances and Challenges
Glaucia Mendes Souza, Rubens Maciel Filho, Luís Cassinelli, Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz and Renato D. Godinho (IEA Bioenergy Task 39) ... Brazil has an energy matrix with substantial renewable content, with renewables (including hydropower) accounting for 42.9% of the total domestic energy supply
June 03, 2019 Read Full Article
The Permian Basin Is Booming With Oil. But at What Cost to West Texans?
by Christian Wallace (Texas Monthly) ... I was riding shotgun with Josh Snow, an old friend who’s worked his way up the ranks at his father’s independent oil company. The two of us were driving the thirty-mile stretch from our hometown
May 31, 2019 Read Full Article
With New Regulation Complete, What’s Next for EU Biofuels?
by Dave Keating (Euractiv) “ILUC has been solved,” declared Bernd Kuepker, a renewables policy officer at the European Commission’s energy department, at an event held in Brussels this week. He was, of course, not saying that the phenomenon of Indirect Land Use Change has been
May 31, 2019 Read Full Article
European Ethanol Scores Higher Greenhouse Gas Savings – Again
(ePURE) EU ethanol production and use resulted in more than 71% average savings over fossil fuels in 2018, according to the latest certified producer data; it’s the seventh straight year ethanol’s decarbonisation performance has improved -- European renewable ethanol delivered an average
May 31, 2019 Read Full Article
Strategy for Growth: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Pacific Ethanol
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Digest’s new “Stocks Worth Tracking” Multi-Slide Guide Series highlights hot companies that are making strides in the bioeconomy. Today’s “Stock Worth Tracking” is Pacific Ethanol. Pacific Ethanol was originally founded in 2003 as the first
May 31, 2019 Read Full Article
Total Prepares to Begin Operations at La Mède Biorefinery
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) French multinational oil giant Total S.A. is just days away from a much-anticipated startup at its La Mède biorefinery in the south of France. A representative of Total told Biodiesel Magazine that the renewable diesel processing facility is
May 29, 2019 Read Full Article
Ethanol Represents Fastest Growing U.S. Ag Export
(Feed & Grain/U.S. Grains Council) In 2018, U.S. ethanol exports totaled more than 6.5 billion liters -- A recent analysis by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) shows non-beverage ethanol has been the fastest growing U.S. agricultural export over the past decade by
May 29, 2019 Read Full Article
ACE Elevates Low Carbon White Paper to Senate AG Committee
(American Coalition for Ethanol) ACE CEO Brian Jennings sends Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) data on the positive impact agriculture and low carbon fuels like corn ethanol can have as a hearing takes up the policy
May 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Methanol Institute Releases New Report on Renewable Methanol
(Methanol Institute) Compared to conventional fuels, renewable methanol cuts carbon dioxide emissions by up to 95%, reduces nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 80%, and completely eliminates sulfur oxide and particulate matter emissions. The report, prepared for MI by ATA Insights, features
May 23, 2019 Read Full Article
Running on Refuse
by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Enerkem is producing methanol and ethanol at its Edmonton, Alberta, plant, diverting up to 24 percent of the city’s landfill waste. The company has partners for another project in the Netherlands. -- A Canadian company is
May 15, 2019 Read Full Article
Nebraska Corn Farmers Position Their Operations for the Next Generation
(Omaha World-Herald) When Taylor Nelson of Jackson, Nebraska, graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2012, the farm economy was on fire. Rents and land values were increasing at an unprecedented rate, and farmers were snapping up every opportunity they could. The
May 15, 2019 Read Full Article
New Study: Renewable Fuel Standard Saves Consumers 22 Cents on Every Gallon of Gas
by Kelsey Quargnenti (Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has lowered gas prices by an average of 22 cents per gallon in recent years and saved the typical American household $250 annually, according to a study published today by economist
May 15, 2019 Read Full Article
Feedstock Flexibility
by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Beyond Enerkem, a few companies around the world are looking to feedstocks outside of corn to produce cellulosic ethanol. -- A few well-known ethanol producers are developing cellulosic pathways that use feedstocks other than elements of
May 14, 2019 Read Full Article
Maine Company Turns Local Restaurant Waste into Biofuel
by Clay Gordon (News Center Maine) Maine Standard Biofuels collects grease and refines it into bioheat, biodiesel and other bioproducts -- ... Used cooking oil is being repurposed, and in its refined state is powering engines, cars, trucks, even ferries, and heating
May 10, 2019 Read Full Article
The Low Carbon Coast
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Washington state (House--see correction below) has passed a low carbon fuel standard that would have it join itself to the standards already enacted in California, Oregon and British Columbia and under development now for the
May 09, 2019 Read Full Article
Thomas Midgley, Jr. May Have Been the Most Environmentally Disastrous Person of All Time
by Tom Phillips (Popular Science) ... In the 1910s and 1920s, he was working on the problem of car engines "knocking"—a persistent problem where engines would stutter and jerk, especially when put under strain. Midgley and his boss Charles Kettering suspected
May 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Anellotech’s Bio-TCat Technology Viability Confirmed during Pilot Plant Campaign – Moving forward with Commercialization
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) We hear the theme song to Disney’s Carousel of Progress… “It’s a great big beautiful tomorrow…” but it’s also a great big beautiful today because the viability of Anellotech’s Bio-TCat technology has been proven by
May 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Biofuels Production and Consumption in Brazil: Status, Advances and Challenges
by Glaucia Mendes Souza, Rubens Maciel Filho, Luís Cassinelli, Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, and Renato D. Godinho (IEA Bioenergy Task 39 Newsletter) 1. Status of the Brazilian Biofuels Industry Brazil has an energy matrix with substantial renewable content, with renewables (including hydropower) accounting for 42.9% of
May 03, 2019 Read Full Article
Yes, Tin Lizzie Was an Alcoholic
by Marc J. Rauch (The Auto Channel) Correcting Bad Revisionist History About Ford's Model T Automobile -- The most venerated automobile of all time is Henry Ford's Model T. Nicknamed "Tin Lizzie," "Leapin' Lena," and sometimes "Flivver," the Model T went into production
May 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Brazilian Ethanol Retail Infrastructure Provides Model for United States
by BryAnn Becker Knecht (Vital) ... A 1979 law established dedicated ethanol pumps as a way to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil. Now, more than four decades later, those ethanol pumps are still in place and are bringing benefits
April 30, 2019 Read Full Article
The Fundamental Things Apply: The Rise of Checkerspot and Supermaterials
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Recently from California comes the news that advanced materials wunderkind Checkerspot has closed its Series A financing for $13 million. ... ...(A)dvanced materials are perhaps the first breakout anyone will really notice. Because materials are stuff and stuff
April 30, 2019 Read Full Article
Biofuel Market Is Nearing a Tipping Point
by Kerry Reals (Aviation Week & Space Technology) After years of talking about the potential of biofuels and conducting sporadic demonstration flights powered partially by alternatives to kerosene, experts in the field of sustainable aviation detect that the industry could be
April 29, 2019 Read Full Article
A Different Animal: Ethanol Producers Are Increasingly Turning to a Burgeoning Aquaculture Industry for Another Coproduct Revenue Stream.
by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) While ethanol’s coproducts are well-known to the livestock industry, innovative technologies and processes are opening new markets for dried distillers grains with solubles. The aquaculture industry is one of those new markets, and a partnership
April 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Growth Energy, NAAE Release Curriculum to Promote Biofuels Education in the Classroom
(Growth Energy) Growth Energy, in partnership with the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE), announced the release of their new curriculum aimed at educating high school students to the world of biofuels. The curriculum is the first industry-supported biofuels curriculum that provides students a guided
April 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Where Will All the Feedstock Come From?
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) As a new wave of large-scale biomass-based diesel projects develops, experts suggest market forces are ready to deliver the necessary fats, oils and greases. -- ...Many of these new biomass-based diesel projects intend to produce renewable diesel
April 17, 2019 Read Full Article
This Sustainable Biofuel Company Is Also a Beauty Company
by Eillie Anzilotti (Fast Company) ... Bob and Kelly King founded Pacific Biodiesel in Hawaii in 1995 in response to a concerning issue: the volume of used cooking oil that was being dumped into a landfill in Maui. Bob, who at the time owned the
April 16, 2019 Read Full Article
Sioux Falls-Based Ethanol Producer Poet Awarded Millions by Arbitration Panel
by Jonathan Ellis (Argus Leader) Sioux Falls-based Poet has asked a federal judge to confirm a multi-million dollar arbitration award it received from a company that it claims botched an ethanol production system at a plant in Iowa. A panel of three
April 12, 2019 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Gets Welcome News: USDA Study Shows It’s More Environmentally Friendly than Gasoline
(The Messenger) ... The United States Department of Agriculture has just released the findings of a USDA study about the environmental impact of the corn-ethanol industry. The conclusions are superb news — ethanol has significant greenhouse gas benefits when compared to
April 09, 2019 Read Full Article
TerViva Raises $20 Million in Series D to Drive Product Development and Market Expansion
(TerViva/MarketWatch/PR NewsWire) Led by Ag Family Offices and Climate-Smart Investors, Funding Round Brings Ag-Tech Firm to $40 Million Raised for High-Yielding, Sustainable Plant Protein Product Development -- TerViva, an agriculture technology firm commercializing resilient pongamia trees that produce as much as ten
March 27, 2019 Read Full Article
Minn. Celebrates 17 Years Since Biodiesel Mandate Was Enacted
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) March 15, 2002, was a landmark day for biodiesel. Seventeen years ago, Minnesota enacted the nation’s first biodiesel mandate, which went into effect in 2005. The trailblazing blend requirement started at 2 percent and was bumped
March 20, 2019 Read Full Article
SoCalGas’ George Minter Named RNG Champion
by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) says George Minter, the company’s regional vice president of external affairs and environmental policy, was recently named “Renewable Natural Gas Champion” by Los Angeles-based nonprofit Climate Resolve. According to SoCalGas, Climate Resolve lauded
March 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Throw Deep: Heard on the Floor at the Washington Sustainable Aviation Fuels Summit
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Port of Seattle Commissioner Fred Felleman noted: “Secretary Mabus advised us to set a goal. If it’s good enough for the Navy, it’s good enough for SeaTac airport, and we’ve established a partnership with 13
March 12, 2019 Read Full Article
101 for Low Carbon Fuel Standard
by Paul Greene (BioCycle Magazine/Montrose Environmental) California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which grew out of the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act, is stimulating markets for biogas, including renewable natural gas -- Biogas project developers and financiers are finding strong offtake opportunities selling
March 11, 2019 Read Full Article
OPINION: Terminal Availability of E15 Grows as RVP Relief Nears
by Robert White (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) When E15 (gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol) debuted in 2012, it was created at retail sites by using blender pumps to dilute E85 (fuel containing up to 85 percent denatured ethanol) with E10.
March 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Luke Perry’s Ties to Farming and Biodiesel
by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) Luke Perry is being eulogized for many reasons upon his sudden passing this week at the age of 52, but not so much about his rural background and his support of biodiesel. Back in 2006, Luke Perry showed up
March 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Commercialization: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Cellulosic Ethanol
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Douglas B. Rivers, PhD,from Sunflwr Consulting and a member of Lee Enterprises Consulting offers this illuminating overview and more READ MORE
February 28, 2019 Read Full Article
10-Slide Guide to the US Ethanol Industry
by Douglas B. Rivers (Biofuels Digest/Lee Enterprises, Inc.) Past, Present and Future Douglas B. Rivers, PhD, from Sunflwr Consulting and a member of Lee Enterprises Consulting, offers this illuminating overview of the U.S. ethanol industry’s history, current technologies, new developments
February 26, 2019 Read Full Article
‘The Right Effect’: Yeast Can Be Genetically Modified through Multiple Techniques
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Yeast can be genetically modified through multiple techniques, all offering advancements for the ethanol industry. -- Genetically modified (GM) yeasts have found their place in the ethanol industry with more than half of producers routinely using
February 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Evolution of Ethanol
by Kristin Danley-Greiner (The Messenger) ... Monte Shaw, director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, said that an estimated 10,000 families are directly invested in locally owned ethanol plants. There are hundreds of thousands of producers who are directly linked,
February 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Changing of the Guard: Legendary Association Heads, Technologists Head off to New Adventures
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) With the news that Matt Carr is leaving his post as the Executive Director of the Algae Biomass Organization, it’s beginning to feel like a real changing of the guard is taking place on the watchtowers
February 21, 2019 Read Full Article
Agricultural Biomass: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Ag Waste and Purpose Grown Crops
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Glenn Farris, of Farris Advisory Services and a member of Lee Enterprises Consulting offers this illuminating prediction of the future of ag waste and purpose grown crops, challenges to growing and using these feedstocks, and more. Lee
February 11, 2019 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"The GHG emissions of petroleum are higher than the baseline estimates originally projected by EPA" That's one finding in a new study by Life Cycle Associates. It's also one reason biofuels entering the marketplace thanks to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) exceed
February 06, 2019 Read Full Article
New Study: RFS2 Has Reduced GHG Emissions by 600 Million Metric Tons, Beating EPA Expectations
(Renewable Fuels Association) A new study released today finds that the expanded Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) has been a tremendous success in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with nearly 600 million metric tons of GHG reduction since 2007. Actual GHG reductions under the
February 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Ready for Take Off? Aviation Biofuels Past, Present, and Future
by David Hitchcock (Atlantic Council) ... However, the importance of powering the aviation sector (both military and commercial) through sustainable fuels cannot be overstated. David Hitchcock’s paper, “Ready for Takeoff? Aviation Biofuels Past, Present, and Future,” provides a keen look at
January 26, 2019 Read Full Article
World Energy and Valero Lead Rebound in Biofuels M&A: 2018 Review
by Bruce Comer (Ocean Park/Biofuels Digest) Convergence reigns as the North American biofuels industry witnesses a resurgence in mergers and acquisitions, including exceptionally large deals -- Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in biofuels picked up considerably in 2018 after a slowdown in
January 22, 2019 Read Full Article
Don’t Mess with My Toot Toot: The Zydeco of Xyleco
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... This week on 60 Minutes, another unlikely character burst onto the national scene, courtesy of one of the lightest technologies profiles ever investigated on 60 Minutes by the otherwise redoubtable Lesley Stahl, who offered up the story
January 10, 2019 Read Full Article
A Rightful Role in the RFS: The Electric Vehicle Market Is Predicted to Soar, and, Pending Overdue Action by the U.S. EPA, Biomass Power Producers Are Positioned to Help Meet Goals Set Forth in the Renewable Fuel Standard.
by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine) ... The vast complexities of the RFS extend far beyond these components, but a much lesser-known provision is beginning to attract attention—the role of renewable electricity in the program, and it’s abilities to fuel electric
January 08, 2019 Read Full Article
The Unlikely, Eccentric Inventor Turning Inedible Plant Life into Fuel
by Lesley Stahl (60 Minutes/CBS News) Marshall Medoff unveils to 60 Minutes his innovative method of turning plant life into fuel and other useful products -- ... What (Craig)Masterman helped implement was Medoff's novel idea of using these large blue machines called
January 07, 2019 Read Full Article
Biodiesel’s Past, Present and Future
by Marc Kellens (Biodiesel Magazine) Marc Kellens, the global technical director for Desmet Ballestra, takes us through the history and future of biodiesel production, identifying key milestones and cultural shifts, including the introduction and proliferation of renewable diesel. -- ... The food-vs.-fuel
January 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Hedging Ethanol Production
by Robert Boslego (Boslego Risk Services/Lee Enterprises Consulting, Inc./Biofuels Digest) ... Because ethanol is produced from plants, both the agricultural and oil commodity markets are involved, creating a more complex risk exposure. The end result is that the ethanol producer’s gross margin
December 27, 2018 Read Full Article
The BioIncredibles 2: iMicrobes Is Using Methane to Produce Chemicals, and Mikey the Microbe Likes It
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The achievement of a major proof of concept is the news, in the case of Industrial Microbes — the ability to show that they can convert methane into multiple products (albeit at low efficiency, in
December 20, 2018 Read Full Article
On Eleventh Anniversary, RFS2 ‘Has Unquestionably Lived Up to Its Promise’
(Renewable Fuels Association) Eleven years ago today, President George W. Bush signed into law what has become the single most successful clean fuels policy in the United States–the expanded Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2). The RFS2, included in the Energy Independence and
December 19, 2018 Read Full Article
Ten Years of Ethanol Market Growth
(Driving Ethanol) Driving Ethanol podcast series focuses on decade of accomplishments -- Growth Energy was created in November 2008 and so is celebrating ten years of advocating for ethanol. This edition of the Driving Ethanol podcast is the final installment of
December 17, 2018 Read Full Article
Bosselman Enterprises Celebrates Two New BossFuel Grand Openings
by Robert Pore (The Grand Island Independent) Business was brisk at the Bosselman’s Pump & Pantry at the intersection of Highway 281 and Capital Avenue on Friday morning. Hundreds of motorists waited in line for a super deal in homegrown Nebraska
December 17, 2018 Read Full Article
Fast Pyrolysis Technology: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to Biomass Technology Group
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biomass Technology Group develops fast pyrolysis technology and FPBO applications as well as the commercialization of such technology and production of fast pyrolysis bio-oil. Bert van de Beld from BTG gave this illuminating overview of their fast pyrolysis technology
December 17, 2018 Read Full Article
Energy Writer of the Year, 2018 – Nathaniel Rich
(American Energy Society/Energy Today) The American Energy Society selects Nathaniel Rich as the Energy Writer of the Year, 2018, for his article “Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change” (New York Times Magazine, August 1, 2018). The 31,000-word piece
December 04, 2018 Read Full Article
Urban Air Institute Issues ‘Beyond a Reasonable Doubt’ Research Series on Ethanol
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Urban Air Initiative has announced the release of its “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” research series, which digs into the history, science and the public policy behind how we fuel our vehicles and aims to
November 24, 2018 Read Full Article
The 2018 Algae Biomass Summit: Tracing the Evolution of the Algae Industry and Its New Trajectories Forward
by Jenna Bloxom* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The kickoff of the 2018 Algae Biomass Summit in The Woodlands, TX, was awash with the same professional ambition, intellectual zeal, and indomitable sense of hope which likewise distinguished the opening ceremony of this
November 17, 2018 Read Full Article
#Gasolinegate: EPA's Role in Fair Gasoline Emissions Testing Draws Fire
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, researchers for a report published by the Urban Air Initiative contend that “technical data that shows the nation has been exposed to decades of flawed test fuels and flawed driving tests, which in turn
November 13, 2018 Read Full Article
Biodiesel - The World's Most Eco-Friendly Fuel Already in Georgia!
(Georgia Today) As a result of successful Austrian-Georgian cooperation, the first biodiesel enterprise has opened in Georgia. Martin Mitelbak, PHD Doctor of Chemistry; Murman Pataraia, the founder of Biodiesel Georgia; Rusudan Ramazashvili, General Director of Frego; and Kakha Karchkhadze, renowned researcher
November 09, 2018 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Lee Lynd issued a call to action in a recent Nature Biotechnology commentary: Three key measures should be part of any effort to revitalize cellulosic biofuels. First, pursue commercial deployment in achievable, successively enabling steps, proceeding from where the industry is
November 07, 2018 Read Full Article
The Bumpy Road of Common Ethanol Fuel Mixture
(Vietnam.net) Common ethanol fuel mixture (E5 RON 92 gasoline) has been receiving many incentives from the State. However, high prices of materials for ethanol production and relevant materials plus the high tariff levied on imported ethanol have significantly eroded E5 gasoline’s
November 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Federal Investments in Algae Cultivation Technologies Paying Big Dividends
by Matt Carr (Algae Biomass Organization/Biofuels Digest) Algae-derived products and technologies are on the cusp of changing nearly everything. Algae will transform how we eat; will make the materials in your shoes more sustainable; provide fuel for vehicles and planes; recycle greenhouse gases and deliver many more products
November 06, 2018 Read Full Article
The Complex Dynamics of Coprocessing
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) While oil refiners adding a small percentage of renewable feedstock to their operations sounds simple, the political, economic, technical, societal and market consequences are anything but. In 2007, at the height of the biodiesel boom, ConocoPhillips and
November 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Consultative Expansion
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Biodiesel Magazine spotlights a producer whose recent acquisition fulfills increased feedstock demand, a consulting firm that assists in market entry and production efficiencies, and the expansion of one of today's fastest-growing biodiesel refiners. -- BioJoe Renwick, founder
November 06, 2018 Read Full Article
The Grand Challenge of Cellulosic Biofuels
by Lee R. Lynd (Energy Today/Nature Biotechnology/Dartmouth College) Why cellulosic biofuels have fallen short of expectations and what we can do about it. -- A robust second-generation biofuels industry based on inedible cellulosic biomass available as wood, grass, and various wastes was
November 05, 2018 Read Full Article
Saudi Arabia Shows Need to End Addiction to Middle Eastern Oil
by Jim Talent (The Hill/Americans for Energy Security and Innovation) Following the mysterious death of columnist Jamal Khashoggi, Washington was hit with a stark reminder that America remains glaringly vulnerable to economic threats from the oil oligarchs of the world. Saudi