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
history
Back TO HOMEPOET 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
October 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Edwardsville Lab Continues to Impact Ethanol Sector
by DeLoss Jahnke (Farm Week Now) NCERC has contributed dozens of technologies being used by manufacturers across the country, and interest in continued collaboration keeps growing. In just 15 years, the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) has become a nationally recognized research facility
October 20, 2018 Read Full Article
New and Improved Routes to Low Carbon Fuels, Chemicals and Materials: Re-Thinking the Global Bioeconomy
by Tammy Klein, Douglas Faulkner and Gerard J. Ostheimer (Biofuels Digest) ... After the Paris Agreement in 2015 the urgent challenge of mitigating climate change forced numerous people across the advocacy-to-action spectrum to look for practical options to de-carbonizing the entire economy.
October 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Help Wanted: Job Interview for High Octane & Low Carbon
by Doug Durante and Doug Sombke (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/South Dakota Farmers Union/Biofuels Digest) ... However, we may have a unique and perhaps unprecedented opportunity for a do-over with the proposed fuel economy rule. While we take no position on exactly what
October 11, 2018 Read Full Article
Thermal Gasification of Biomass: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to TGoB in the United States
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) IEA Bioenergy Task 33 is a working group of international experts with the aim to promote the commercialization of efficient, economical and environmentally preferable thermal biomass gasification processes. Kevin Whitty gave this illuminating overview of the progress
September 26, 2018 Read Full Article
Enerkem Produces a New Clean, Renewable Alternative Solution to Diesel Fuel for the Transportation Sector
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Canada, we hear that Enerkem has tested and validated the production of fuel-grade bio-DME made from unrecoverable carbon-rich municipal solid waste. More than 1,000 hours of operations at its Innovation Centre in Westbury, Quebec have
September 26, 2018 Read Full Article
Vivergo Fuels Bioethanol Plant Proposes Ceasing Production
(Vivergo Fuels) Today, we regret to announce that given the continued difficult trading environment and delays in the implementation of E10 in the UK over time, Vivergo Fuels Ltd proposes to cease production. Mark Chesworth, Managing Director, Vivergo Fuels Ltd, commented: “I am
September 07, 2018 Read Full Article
Red Trail President Speaks up for Ethanol Production
by Mikkel Pates (Forum News Service/Bismark Tribune) Now more than ever, farmers who believe in the future of ethanol need to speak up for it, says Gerald Bachmeier, president of the North Dakota Ethanol Producers Association. Bachmeier, who also serves as
September 03, 2018 Read Full Article
Biodiesel in India: The Jatropha Fiasco
by Samar Lahiry (Down to Earth) Several factors have led to slow progress in the country’s biodiesel development programme, nbotably, the Jatropha plant -- ... In India, there is a vast potential for the production of biodiesel from Jatropha curcas (called Jangli arandi in Hindi
August 30, 2018 Read Full Article
National Biodiesel Education Program Tweets Video on University of Idaho Biodiesel Firsts
(University of Idaho National Biodiesel Education Program) The goals of the Biodiesel Fuel Education Program as originally established in Sec. 9004 of the Farm Security Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8104) were to stimulate biodiesel consumption and to stimulate the
August 17, 2018 Read Full Article
Peak Oil: Is History Repeating Itself, Again?
(Energy Today/OilPrice.com) In 2002, oil prices were hovering around $20 per barrel and then rose almost continuously until mid-2008 when the price of a barrel of oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange hit an intraday high of $147.27, its highest
August 13, 2018 Read Full Article
Oil’s Relentless Price Climb Brings Advanced Biofuels Back in Vogue
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For several years now we have seen a significant number of players pivoting from biofuels towards smaller but higher-value markets in chemicals, nutrition, nutraceuticals, pharma, materials, flavorings, fragrances, cosmetics and more. We’ve reported on the proliferation of
August 09, 2018 Read Full Article
California Schemin'
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) The Trump administration's proposed freeze of vehicle fuel efficiency standards sought by the Obama administration and plan to end California's power to enforce its own rules has placed the spotlight squarely on the state, where
August 03, 2018 Read Full Article
RFA Welcomes Inclusion of High Octane Fuels in 2021-2026 CAFE/GHG Proposal
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today welcomed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) request for public comments on how high octane fuels could facilitate engine efficiency improvements and reduced emissions under 2021-2026 fuel economy and tailpipe GHG standards
August 02, 2018 Read Full Article
Trump Administration to Freeze Fuel Efficiency Requirements
by Brady Dennis, Michael Laris and Juliet Eilperin (The Washington Post) The Trump administration on Thursday announced plans to freeze fuel efficiency requirements for the nation’s cars and trucks through 2026 — a massive regulatory rollback likely to spur a legal battle with California
August 02, 2018 Read Full Article
Bioenergy (Biofuels/Biomass) RFS Roundup: To Grow Cellulosic Fuel Volumes, Address Low Hanging Fruit in RFS Changes
by Jessie Stolark (Energy and Environmental Study Institute) On Wednesday July 25, the House Energy & Commerce Committee held a hearing to educate members on the complexities of the compliance markets for biofuels, as Environment and Economy Subcommittee Rep. Shimkus (R-IL),
August 01, 2018 Read Full Article
Daily on Energy: Democrats ‘Pleased’ to Hear from Trump’s New EPA Pick: EPA’S Wheeler Promises ‘50-State Solution’ for New Auto Rules
by John Siciliano (Washington Examiner) Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler confirmed to senators Wednesday that the Trump administration this week will release a proposal to weaken Obama-era fuel efficiency standards. Wheeler, in his first testimony before Congress since replacing Scott
August 01, 2018 Read Full Article
Fueled for the Future Red Rock Biofuels Facility Breaks Ground in Lakeview
by Kurt Liedtke (Herald and News) On Wednesday, members of Red Rock Biofuels, political dignitaries, corporate representatives and a large community contingent gathered on the outskirts of Lakeview for a groundbreaking ceremony for the $320 million renewable fuels facility. Taking
July 30, 2018 Read Full Article
This Start-Up Turns Pollution from Factories into Fuel That Powers Cars — and One Day Planes
by Catherine Clifford (CNBC) A bacteria found in the gut of a rabbit can now help cars run in a more eco-friendly way. The bacteria, identified by biotech start-up LanzaTech, helps turn factory carbon emissions, a.k.a. pollution, into ethanol .... ... "While there are many sustainable
July 30, 2018 Read Full Article
Inside the Draft Auto Rule Rollback
by Alex Guillén (Politico's Morning Energy) The Trump administration is expected to formally roll back vehicle fuel economy and emissions requirements later this week, and a draft version of the EPA-NHTSA rule posted Friday evening by The New York Times offers
July 30, 2018 Read Full Article
EPA Hasn’t Told the Whole Story of the Benefits of Biofuels
by Byron Dorgan (Arent Fox LLP/National Biodiesel Board/The Hill) ... A recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report released to Congress on the environmental and resource conservation impacts of biofuel production deliberately misses the mark because of what it excludes. The EPA authors note that
July 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Help Or Hinder? Federal Agencies At Odds Over Biofuels
by Madelyn Beck (Harvest Public Media/KUNC) ... That’s because for the last few years, the EPA and the Department of Energy have been at odds, with taxpayer money creating a new biofuel industry that may not have the room to grow
July 22, 2018 Read Full Article
Heard on the Floor at the BIO World Congress: Dinneen Steps Down at RFA, Cooper Succeeds; EPA Hearings in DC; Organic Solar Cells; Lygos rockin’; Biomaterials Advance; Iffy News for Algae Tech.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... News spread like wildfire at the 2018 BIO World Congress in Philadelphia that Renewable Fuels Association CEO Bob Dinneen will transition into the role of RFA’s Senior Strategic Advisor, and Executive Vice President Geoff Cooper
July 19, 2018 Read Full Article
RFA Announces Leadership Succession Plan
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) made an announcement today that marks the beginning of a new era for the ethanol industry’s leading trade association. Executive Vice President Geoff Cooper will assume the position of president and CEO in
July 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Top 10 Transformations – Pivotal Pivots for Survival in the Bioeconomy
Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... Some of these started with biofuels then went into chemicals, nutrition or protein and some are going back to their beginnings. What they all have in common, however, is they are transforming…as markets change, as
July 16, 2018 Read Full Article
Industrial Glucose: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Fluid Quip Process Technologies Clean Sugar Technology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For over 20 years, Fluid-Quip has been engineering and manufacturing separation equipment for corn wet milling and pulp and paper applications. Fluid-Quip Process Technologies has more recently leveraged wet milling knowledge to develop enhancements for dry-grind
July 10, 2018 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuel Standard: Program Unlikely to Meet Production or Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets
(U.S. Government Accountability Office) The Renewable Fuel Standard aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and expand the nation’s renewable fuels sector through 2022. It requires that transportation fuels (such as gasoline and diesel) sold in the U.S. contain annually increasing amounts
July 08, 2018 Read Full Article
Biofuels and the Environment: Second Triennial Report to Congress
(Environmental Protection Agency) This report is the second of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) triennial reports to Congress required under the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA). EISA Section 204 calls for EPA to report to Congress on the environmental
July 02, 2018 Read Full Article
Closing the Applications Gap: Checkerspot Closes $5M Seed Financing in Pursuit of High-Performance Biomaterials
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... (C)onsider this venture about Making the Right Stuff — that is, how you translate an entire generation of innovation in digital biology, biobased chemical engineering and advanced fabrication into actual stuff. Or, how you
June 26, 2018 Read Full Article
EU Ethanol Delivers over 70% GHG Savings on Average: ePure
by Chrysa Glystra (Platts) European ethanol delivered an average of more than 70% greenhouse gas savings compared with fossil fuels in 2017, according to new data from European ethanol producers, the European renewable ethanol association, ePure, said Wednesday. This has been certified by
June 20, 2018 Read Full Article
Brazilian Presidential Hopefuls Favor Free Market for Sugar, Ethanol
by Nicolle Castro (Platts) Brazilian presidential pre-candidates spoke in favor of free fuel markets Monday at a sugarcane industry association UNICA forum in Sao Paulo. Brazil will hold presidential elections in October. The road fuel market is currently the hot topic in Brazil, the
June 19, 2018 Read Full Article
A Sound and Rational View of Biofuels in North America
by Lawrence Sullivan (Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining) ... After much efforts to fund the development of biofuels by both governments and the venture capitalists, there were some awakenings and realizations. One, the capital-intensive nature of power and petroleum means adoption of new technologies
June 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Biofuel Partly Powers Cathay Pacific Flight from Airbus
by Grant Bradley (New Zealand Herald) When a brand new Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-1000 flies from France to Hong Kong on Wednesday it will be partly powered by biofuel. The 334-seat plane will have a 10 per cent blend of biofuel next
June 18, 2018 Read Full Article
New Algae Biofuel Production Method Could Someday Compete with Petroleum
by Philip T. Pienkos (R&D Magazine) ... This time, the leading force was not the DOE (U.S. Department of Energy), but the investment community acting in the belief that the power of modern biotechnology could be brought to bear against the
June 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Gas Mileage With a Punch! 355-Horse 2019 L84 5.3 Chevy V-8 Can Burn E85
by John Gilbert (Super Chevy) The big draw to E85 for gearheads was its 105 octane rating that’s no longer posted on the pump. It’s been a while since there’s been any mention of E85 connected with the new vehicles, but
June 07, 2018 Read Full Article
NREL Finds Easier Ways to Deconstruct Biomass
(National Renewable Energy Laboratory/Ethanol Producer Magazine) If there's an easier, more efficient method, science will find a way. That's certainly the case in producing cellulosic biofuels, which, at least for now, requires a two-step process to free the sugars trapped in
June 07, 2018 Read Full Article
Grasping at Straws: Pathetic State of Biofuels in India
by Ramya Natarajan (Economic Times/Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy) For the past several winters, Delhi has drawn global attention for its life-threatening smog levels. This is attributed, in part, to the open burning of biomass residues like paddy
May 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Here Is the SHOCKING BUT TRUE Story of Big Oil’s Hypocrisy About Ethanol
by Marc J. Rauch (Auto Channel/Daily Caller) The website “FillUpOnFacts.com” is sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute (API). It exists to bash ethanol and its hypocrisy begins with the website’s name. The website is filled-up with lies. This website lists 13 categories,
May 24, 2018 Read Full Article
The Interaction of the Clean Air Act, California's CAA Waiver, Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards, Renewable Fuel Standards and California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard
by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The Trump Administration is taking a new look at Obama Administration era Co2 regulations. On the transportation side, these include reviewing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards; threatening to take away California’s authority to set
May 21, 2018 Read Full Article
From the Dump to the Pump: Fulcrum BioEnergy Breaks Ground on Landmark Trash-to-Jet Fuel Project
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 have had a love/hate relationship
May 17, 2018 Read Full Article
The Scientist Still Fighting for the Clean Fuel the World Forgot
by James Temple (MIT Technology Review) In the closing weeks of 2008, the US Department of Energy invited politicians and press to a dedication ceremony for the Joint BioEnergy Institute in Emeryville, California. The state-of-the-art lab, backed by $125 million in
May 16, 2018 Read Full Article
Why Not Now? The Digest’s 2018 Multi Slide Guide to Biofuels’ Barriers and Drivers
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) “The fuels market is about the largest in the world,” says Terry Mazanec. “Each succeeding generation of inspired inventors and entrepreneurs, with visions of immense profits dancing in their heads, have taken on the challenge of
May 16, 2018 Read Full Article
Verdezyne, Ave Atque Vale
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From Southern California the report has arrived that Verdezyne is winding down as a company, and today is the last day of operations. The low oil price environment has claimed another victim among the renewable chemical
May 16, 2018 Read Full Article
Demand Destruction Part 2? Allowing Exports to Count Toward RFS Compliance
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) ... Simply put, allowing exported ethanol to count toward compliance with an oil company’s RFS obligation would lead to further demand destruction for U.S. ethanol producers and corn growers who are already suffering the consequences
May 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Biofuels Production and Consumption in the US: Status, Advances and Challenges
by Mahmood Ebadian and James D. McMillan (IEA Bioenergy Task 39 Newsletter) ... The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) was enacted in 2007 to enhance domestic production of fuels and spur economic development while reducing reliance on imports and improving the
May 11, 2018 Read Full Article
Historic Flight: Commercial Jet Flies on 100 Percent Biofuel
by Glenn Farley (K5 News) In the Boeing test, a 777 freighter, ran on residual animal fats and plant oils. -- In a historic first, Boeing has flown the first commercial jet on 100 percent biofuel. The flight was Seattle to Memphis
May 11, 2018 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Coalition of Missouri Formed to Build on Farmers' Work
(The Missouri Soybean Association/Biodiesel Magazine) In the early 1990s, Missouri soybean farmers funded research into making renewable fuel from soybean oil. Initially called soy diesel, and now, biodiesel, the fuel has significantly lower emissions than petroleum-based diesel, is safer to store
May 10, 2018 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to the Biorefinery of the Future
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What will biorefineries look like, accomplish and cost in the future? Daniel Lane of Saille Consulting and Lee Enterprises Consulting looked at that topic in this illuminating overview of the promise and prospects for the technological
May 10, 2018 Read Full Article
Repeating History with Octane Biofuel Standards Is a Huge Mistake
by Mike Carr (New Energy America/The Hill) Recently, Chet Thompson of American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) testified before Congress and proposed a “fuel neutral” octane standard as a “potential replacement” for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Octane is a fuel characteristic that allows engines
May 09, 2018 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Prairie Catalytic, LanzaTech, Synvina, Fulcrum BioEnergy, POET-DSM, Cargilla/Calysta, Enerkem, and REG Geismar
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ABLC 2018 wrapped up with the ABLC Wolfpack including James Iademarco from Strategic Avalanche, David Dodds with Dodds & Associates, Ron Cascone from NEXANT, independent consultant Paul Bryan, and Joel Stone from ConVergince. While they didn’t howl at the moon,
April 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Raimondo Backs Biodiesel Increase in Visit to Newport Company
by Sean Flynn (Newport Daily News) Newport Biodiesel LLC saw a big jump in demand for its product at the beginning of the year when a Massachusetts regulation took effect that requires a minimum 10 percent biodiesel component of all
April 11, 2018 Read Full Article
EU Needs to Rethink, Set Goals to Reduce Palm Oil in Biodiesel
by Sudheer Mopperthy (Asian Age) The EU adopted this new fuel with rigour and pledged that by 2020, 10 per cent of all transport fuels in EU nations would be biodiesel. ... The EU’s palm oil ban will effectively push three million
April 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Your Turn: South Dakota Ethanol Policy Genius
by Orrie Swayze (Argus Leader) Sen. Kent Frerichs looked to further capitalize on the genius of our incredibly successful ethanol policy taxing imported petroleum one cent/gallon at the pipeline to fund incentives to build a strong South Dakota ethanol industry. His Senate
April 02, 2018 Read Full Article
What’s Next in Cellulosic Biofuels and Biogas?: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Iogen
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Iogen says it has “one of the world’s largest and most experienced teams in developing, designing, de-bugging, scaling-up and deploying cellulosic biofuel technology. We’re using innovative thinking and disciplined engineering to transform cellulosic biofuels into real, reliable
April 02, 2018 Read Full Article
As We Approach 10th Anniversary of $147 Oil, Could It Happen Again?
by Landon Hall (Fuel Freedom Foundation) The price of oil reached a record high of $147 on July 11, 2008. Could such a sharp, unexpected spike occur again? ... Market forces alone aren’t likely to cause oil prices to rise to $147 anytime
March 30, 2018 Read Full Article
Where’s Ethanol Going to Go?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... According to POET CEO Jeff Broin, there’s a deal on the table — changing almost by the hour, but a deal none the less. A deal on the table to provide year-round E15 approval for the biofuels industry
March 23, 2018 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2018 Visual Guide to the Economics, Politics of Renewable Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Have you ever wondered why corn farmers march for the RFS, but Wall Streeters don't? Or why merchent oil refiners want the US Renewable Fuel Standard repealed but major oilcos generally support RFS reform? Why are biodiesel
March 16, 2018 Read Full Article
The Pentagon Is Quietly Moving forward on Biofuel Deals. Republicans Want to Stop It
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 recent months, a move that
March 13, 2018 Read Full Article
RIN Price Cap a Demand Cap: Oil Industry Study Makes Ethanol Industry's Case on Motive, Impact
by Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer) A study commissioned by the country's largest oil refiner explains how a waiver credit would freeze ethanol demand. Ethanol industry groups are pointing to several statements in the oil industry's own report to make the
March 12, 2018 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Ethanol Falling Far Short Of The Hype
by Robert Rapier (Forbes) ... This year begins the ninth year of cellulosic ethanol mandates in the U.S. Today I want to give a brief review of cellulosic ethanol, review the original targets, and examine the current status of the industry. ... The 2007
February 27, 2018 Read Full Article
Former Ineos Bio Site Purchased for Conversion into Eco-District
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A consortium of investors and project developers led by Texas-based Frankens Energy recently purchased the former Ineos Bio Indian River Biorefinery in Vero Beach, Florida, and has announced plans to convert the site to an
February 21, 2018 Read Full Article
Biotechnology Scale-up Hacks
by Mark Warner (Warner Advisors LLC/Biofuels Digest) Not enough time or money to scale-up following the traditional rules of advanced biotechnology (10:1 scale-up factor, 1,000 hours of integrated pilot/demo operation, etc)? Welcome to the reality of the biotechnology start-up world. The
February 16, 2018 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
In his article suggesting scrapping Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards in favor of a Clean Air Act life cycle analysis-based methodology for CO2 transportation emission reduction, Bob Kozak advised, "(I)f anyone asks what will be the economic incentive for a
February 16, 2018 Read Full Article
Let’s Regulate CO2 Emissions, and Forget the 55.4 MPG 2025 Corporate Annual Fuel Economy Standard: The Inexpensive Way to Quickly Reduce Green House Gases
by Robert Kozak* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The 2025 Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard of 54.5 miles/gallon has become a significant issue since the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States. Besides the Administration’s near religious fervor against
February 15, 2018 Read Full Article
De-Coding the West’s Addiction to Fossil Fuels: Fostering a Sustainable Transportation Fuel Market in the US & EU
by Michael Eggleston* (Advanced Biofuels USA) “If we do not break the lock-in effect of our dominant fuel sources, we may in fact facilitate mother nature in breaking the lock-out of her dominant species,” wrote Stephen L. Bi in The
February 15, 2018 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Stands Its Ground, Won’t Back Down: New B20 Vehicles, Emissions Cuts, Highlight NBC 2018
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The makers of the world’s favorite advanced biofuel — a/k/a the biodiesel industry — descended upon Texas to mingle, make and renew ties at the 2018 National Biodiesel Conference. And, to champion new ideas and find
February 07, 2018 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels: Now? Later? Never?
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 blends of crude oil, different
February 02, 2018 Read Full Article
State of the Advanced Bioeconomy 2018 – An 8-Part Series
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week in the Digest, we begin a Special 8-part Series: The State of the Advanced Bioeconomy: Challenges and Priorities for 2018. As we head into the final month before ABLC 2018, these in-depth examinations from a group
January 31, 2018 Read Full Article
Barriers to Biogas Dissemination in India: A Review
by ShivikaMittal, Erik O.Ahlgren and P.R.Shukla (Energy Policy) -Barriers hindering biogas dissemination in urban and rural biogas systems are identified. -Decomposition and logical problem analysis tools are used for assessment. -Key areas of improvements in existing policies are identified. Biogas has emerged
January 30, 2018 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Agents of Change
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Biodiesel Magazine spotlights four companies—a respected producer, a service-oriented wholesaler, a 200-year old chemical firm, and a fuel conditioning company—that enable biodiesel's role as an effective change agent. PQ Corp. ... John Votta, global business director for PQ’s silica
January 24, 2018 Read Full Article
A Straighter, Shorter Pathway: Confidence Builds in Overcoming the Hurdles Slowing Corn Kernel Fiber-to-Ethanol Approvals.
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Seven years after the U.S. EPA published the final rule for administering the Renewable Fuel Standard, the path to getting corn kernel fiber-to-ethanol approvals appears to be getting much shorter. Edeniq CEO Brian Thome reports
January 23, 2018 Read Full Article
The Circuitry in Our Cells
by Alec A.K. Nielsen (Asimov/Biofuels Digest) ... As you sit quietly, trillions of cells in your body are performing a frenetic dance of biochemical computation that makes your existence possible. Consider this: You were once a single cell – a fertilized egg. This
January 23, 2018 Read Full Article
Cash out of Trash: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Fiberight
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Fiberight is a privately held company founded in 2007 with current operations in Virginia, Maryland and Iowa. The company focuses on transforming post-recycled municipal solid wastes and other organic feedstocks into next generation renewable biofuels, with
January 12, 2018 Read Full Article
High-Tech Waste-to-Energy Facility Set to Open in May
by Alex Acquisto (Bangor Daily News) The company behind a state-of-the-art solid waste disposal facility in Hampden designed to convert trash into biofuel has secured enough funding to begin operations in May. Craig Stuart-Paul, CEO of Maryland-based Fiberight LLC, announced this week that his company
January 08, 2018 Read Full Article
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