by Lisa Depies (Geneseo Republic) Judith Canales, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business Service Administrator, visited Geneseo on Sept. 15 to highlight one of the agency’s first funded flexible fuel pump projects in Illinois. A new blender flexible fuel
Illinois
Back TO HOMEEPA Mandate Waivers Create New Uncertainties in Biodiesel Markets
by Seth Meyer and Wyatt Thompson (FarmDocDaily/University of Illinois) ...Biofuel mandates are directly relevant for biofuel producers, and indirectly important to feedstock markets. Biofuel refiners sell outputs that serve fuel blenders in two ways. The biofuel can be mixed
September 27, 2011 Read Full Article
More than Just an Incentive
by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine) Illinois, B11 and Vehicle Warranties ...Specifically, the state employs a sales tax exemption for biodiesel blends of B11 or higher sold by retail stations in the state, which is good through Dec. 31, 2013. Created
September 26, 2011 Read Full Article
Elevance's $100M IPO: The 10-Minute Version
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Like to quickly understand the surge in renewable chemicals and one of the hottest companies in the hottest sector of the bioconomy? Here’s our 10-minute version of the IPO from Elevance Renewable Sciences. Complete with the
September 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Biorefinery Yeast Research Shows Promise
by (Western Farm Press/US Department of Agriculture) Cornstalks, wheat straw, and other rough, fibrous, harvest-time leftovers may soon be less expensive to convert into cellulosic ethanol, thanks to USDA scientists' studies of a promising new biorefinery yeast. Cornstalks, wheat straw, and other
September 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Conversion Pathways for Bioenergy: Upgrading of Intermediates: Hybrid Routes to Fuels and Chemicals
Laurel Harmon (LanzaTech Inc.) LanzaTech, Inc., was founded in January 2005 by CSO Dr. Sean Simpson in New Zealand. Funds were mainly from New Zealand government US$ 10M, Khosla Ventures US$ 12M in 2007 and Qiming Ventures US$
September 20, 2011 Read Full Article
USDA Scientists Use Commercial Enzyme to Improve Grain Ethanol Production
by Ann Perry (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service) A commercial enzyme could reduce overall costs linked with producing ethanol from grain, and also reduce associated emissions of greenhouse gases, according to a study by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
September 13, 2011 Read Full Article
GROWMARK Supplies Domestic Fuel for Farm Progress Show
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) When the cars, trucks, tractors, combines and other equipment at the 2011 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois needed fueling up, GROWMARK FS was there on-site to serve up home-grown fuel. Mark Dehner, GROWMARK marketing manager for refined
September 08, 2011 Read Full Article
NASCAR Embraces Ethanol Fuel Blend; Wallace, Childress on Hand to Discuss Partnership
by Chris Lusvardi (Herald Review) NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace is hoping ethanol can be the key to success in the race cars he drives. Wallace seems to have fully embraced NASCAR's move to use a 15 percent ethanol blend in its
September 07, 2011 Read Full Article
From Paperboard to Green Jobs, Mill Gets Makeover
by (Chron.com) An Illinois investment company that bought an old container manufacturer west of Missoula hopes to turn the 3,200-acre site along the Clark Fork River into a magnet for green jobs. ...The site has officially been renamed "M 2 Green," and
September 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Department of Energy Announces up to $12 Million in Investments to Support Development and Production of Drop-In Biofuels
(US Department of Energy) In support of the Obama Administration's comprehensive efforts to strengthen U.S. energy security, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced up to $12 million to fund three small-scale projects in Illinois, Wisconsin, and North Carolina that
September 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Discovery Turns Seaweed Into Biofuel in Half the Time
(University of Illinois/Science Daily) University of Illinois scientists have engineered a new strain of yeast that converts seaweed into biofuel in half the time it took just months ago. ..."The key is the strain's ability to ferment cellobiose and galactose simultaneously,
August 31, 2011 Read Full Article
Testing the Water for Bioenergy Crops
by Liz Ahlberg (University of Illinois) Many energy researchers and environmental advocates are excited about the prospect of gaining more efficient large-scale biofuel production by using large grasses like miscanthus or switchgrass rather than corn. They have investigated yields,
August 30, 2011 Read Full Article
Work Begins on Carbon-Capture at ADM Decatur Site
(St. Louis Today/AP) The U.S. Department of Energy says construction has started on a $207.5 million project to capture carbon dioxide produced by an ethanol plant in Illinois and store it underground. The Energy Department said construction started Tuesday on the
August 26, 2011 Read Full Article
Elusieve Process Removes Fiber From Corn
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) A new way to remove fiber from corn has been discovered by a professor from Mississippi State University (MSU). He calls his process Elusieve and has filed for a patent. The process was invented by Dr. Radhakrishnan Srinivasan
August 24, 2011 Read Full Article
Water Intensity of Corn-Based Ethanol Needs to Include DDGS Credit
by Gouri Shankar Mishra and Sonia Yeh (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Study recalculates water consumption with expanded system boundaries and coproduct credit Recent studies have estimated the “consumptive water use,” “water embodied,” and “water footprint” of corn-based ethanol in the U.S, with
August 22, 2011 Read Full Article
University of Illinois Students Receive BP Grant to Study Biomass Engineering Properties
(Biofuels Journal) Five undergraduate students from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign received a $5,000 grant from British Petroleum to research the engineering properties of biomass. The students wrote the grant to develop a virtual database that will tell end users the properties
August 22, 2011 Read Full Article
A Quick Way to Grade Grasses for Ethanol Yields
by Don Comis (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers have developed an inexpensive way to grade the ethanol potential of perennial grasses at the biorefinery's loading dock. That future has been made possible by
August 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Vilsack: USDA Will Continue to Push for Blender Pump Expansion
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The USDA’s Aug. 17 announcement of 900 Rural Energy for America Program grants included just 21 awards for blender pumps. USDA officials promise, however, that more funding is on the way. The announcement highlighted
August 22, 2011 Read Full Article
POTUS Puts Focus on Agriculture and Biofuels
by Cindy (Corn Commentary) President Obama’s Midwest bus tour this week really put a spotlight on agriculture and biofuels. The POTUS visited three of the nation’s top four ethanol producing states,accounting for more than 42 percent of the country’s ethanol
August 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Increase in Demand from India, China to Drive up Food Prices: Obama
(The Economic Times of India) US President Barack Obama today highlighted the need to develop biofuels out of things that do not involve fuel chain, arguing that increase in demand from India and China would drive up the food prices. "As
August 18, 2011 Read Full Article
It’s Out There
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...Inbicon conducted an extensive crop study and biomass research project to show just how much biomass is available in the Midwest. “Our findings confirm that North America’s great abundance of corn stover and wheat
August 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Scouting for Biofuels Crops in Indian Creek Watershed
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory is looking for the best biofuels crops to grow in the northeast Illinois Indian Creek Watershed. During a recent field tour of the watershed sponsored by theConservation Technology Information Center, Argonne
August 15, 2011 Read Full Article
USDA, DOE Award 10 R&D Grants for Advanced Bioenergy Feedstocks
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA and DOE have awarded 10 grants totaling $12.2 million to spur research into improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of growing biofuel and bioenergy crops. The USDA and DOE
August 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Illinois Biomass Working Group Formed
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) The state of Illinois has formed the Illinois Biomass Working Group (IBWG) to study near-term uses for biomass in Illinois. The team is comprised of academics, government, industry and the private sector. Ted Funk, an Extension specialist
August 03, 2011 Read Full Article
Study: Regulatory Hurdles Hinder Biofuels Market
by Phil Ciciora (University of Illinois) Regulatory hurdles abound for the successful commercialization of emerging liquid biofuels, which hold the promise of enhancing U.S. energy security, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and serving as a driver for rural economic development, according
July 22, 2011 Read Full Article
CSHL to Help Assemble ‘Knowledgebase’ on Plants, Microbes, to Aid US Biofuel, Environment Efforts
(Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) In Kbase, cloud computing brings disparate data streams into focus In the decade that has passed since the completion of the first draft sequence of the human genome, biologists have grown increasingly aware of a problem ironically
July 20, 2011 Read Full Article
Chicago Park District Launches New Biodiesel Production Program
by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine) Through a public/private partnership with Darling International, in participation from this year’s Taste of Chicago and area restaurants for the supply of feedstock, the Chicago Park District officially launched a biodiesel production program that will
July 13, 2011 Read Full Article
Switch from Corn to Grass Would Raise Ethanol Output, Cut Emissions
(EurekAlert!/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Growing perennial grasses on the least productive farmland now used for corn ethanol production in the U.S. would result in higher overall corn yields, more ethanol output per acre and better groundwater quality, researchers report
July 13, 2011 Read Full Article
At the Capitol: Alternative Energy Can Be Found Right Here in Illinois
by Rep. Jim Sacia (Journal-Standard) ...Ethanol is another source of alternative energy that has established a foothold in America, and we can be very proud of our own Adkins Energy ethanol plant in Lena. One of the strongest lobbying groups in
July 12, 2011 Read Full Article
ADM's Decatur Facility to Produce More Lysine, Threonine
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A plan to produce more lysine and threonine, both amino acids, at Archer Daniels Midland Co.’s plant in Decatur, Ill., won’t mean changes on the ethanol side. “This expansion will not impact ethanol production
June 29, 2011 Read Full Article
American Ethanol Raises the Green Flag in Kansas
(AmericanEthanolRacing.com) When the green flag waves at the Kansas Speedway for this weekend’s (June 4-5, 2011) NASCAR events, more than 1,100 American Ethanol supporters, including a host of farmers, will be in the stands to cheer on Clint Bowyer, driving
June 09, 2011 Read Full Article
GROWMARK Terminal Provides Homegrown Fuels
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) GROWMARK is providing more homegrown fuels for members and area businesses around central Illinois. The regional agricultural supply company bought the Menard Terminal from Magellan Midstream Partners in 2008 and today it handles gasoline, diesel, ethanol and
May 03, 2011 Read Full Article
U.S. Foodservice Moves into Biofuel
by Coral Beach (The Packer) U.S. Foodservice officials plan to fuel trucks at their Columbia division in Lexington, S.C., with biodiesel made from used vegetable oil that the company originally sold to customers in the region. U.S. Foodservice, headquartered in Rosemont,
April 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Scientists Aim to Improve Photosynthesis to Increase Food and Fuel Production
(University of Glasgow) Scientists from the University of Glasgow are working with international colleagues on a £5.4m collaboration to improve the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process whereby biological systems convert sunlight into food and the source of all the
April 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Companies to Produce Edible Ethanol Co-Product
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) ...Prairie Gold (PGI) of Bloomington, and GTL Resources USA of Itasca, Illinois have agreed to collaborate on the construction of a zein protein production plant. Zein is a high valued co-product that can be produced from
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Chromatin Announces Dual-Purpose Hybrid Sorghum for Sugar and Bioenergy Production
(Chromatin) Chromatin Inc. announced its dual-purpose SweetFuel™ sorghum hybrids, which combine high yields of both fermentable sugar and biomass per acre. Chromatin's SweetFuel™ hybrids are ideal for capturing the value of sugars produced in sorghum juice as well as the
March 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Illinois Corn Farmers Back Coupons for Ethanol Blend in Rental Vehicles
(WQAD/AP) Illinois corn farmers and the American Lung Association are teaming up to encourage drivers to use an ethanol blend to fuel up their rental cars. Enterprise Rent-A-Car customers renting "flex fuel vehicles" will get $10 coupons for the purchase of E85...
March 09, 2011 Read Full Article
A Billion Tons of Biomass a Viable Goal, but at High Price, New Research Shows
by Phil Ciciora (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) A team of researchers led by Madhu Khanna, a professor of agricultural and consumer economics at Illinois, shows that very high biomass prices would be needed in order to meet the ambitious
February 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Seaweed Study Boosts Prospects for Marine Biofuels
(EnvironmentalExpert.com) Seaweed biofuel farms have come a step closer to reality with an improvement in the way seaweed sugars can be converted to ethanol. Dried seaweed can be fermented to produce ethanol but breaking down galactose, the dominant sugar in
February 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Agave Seen as Excellent Biofuel Source
(UPI.com) Agave, cultivated for alcoholic beverages and for fiber, could be used as a sustainable biofuel feedstock, U.S. researchers say. Scientists at the University of Illinois have found the yields of two Agave species greatly exceeded the yields of other biofuel
February 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Study Estimates Land Available for Biofuel Crops
(EurekAlert/University of Illinois-Champaign-Urbana) Using detailed land analysis, Illinois researchers have found that biofuel crops cultivated on available land could produce up to half of the world's current fuel consumption – without affecting food crops or pastureland. Published in the journal Environmental Science
January 11, 2011 Read Full Article
New Miscanthus Hybrid Discovery in Japan Could Open Doors for Biofuel Industry
(Science Blog) In the minds of many, Miscanthus x giganteus is the forerunner in the race of viable feedstock options for lignocellulosic bioenergy production. But researchers believe “putting all their eggs in one basket” could be a big mistake. Scientists at
December 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Grasses Have Potential as Alternate Ethanol Crop, Illinois Study Finds
(EurekAlert!) Money may not grow on trees, but energy could grow in grass. Researchers at the University of Illinois have completed the first extensive geographic yield and economic analysis of potential bioenergy grass crops in the Midwestern United States. Demand for biofuels
November 03, 2010 Read Full Article
Study: Miscanthus Guzzles More Water Than Corn but Soaks Up More Nitrates Too
by Lisa Song (Solve Climate News) Research emerging from the University of Illinois paints an ambiguous picture of the grass's biofuel potential. Miscanthus, a potential bioufuel crop, uses more water than corn or soybeans but is better for water quality, reported scientists
October 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Weed Could Be the Future of Biofuel
by Shanna Shipman (Gatehouse News Service, HollandSentinel.com) ...(S)ientists and farmers are looking closer at one plant, formerly considered a mere botanical pest, and are discovering a world of beneficial possibilities. In short, this plant has the potential to yield unprecedented amounts
May 04, 2010 Read Full Article
Researchers Evaluate New Potential Pests in Biomass Crops
Perennial grasses could become popular biomass crops in the future. Many perceive these grasses require little to no management for insects or other pests. However, researchers are finding rather than being pest-free, the identity of insect pests and their effects
February 11, 2010 Read Full Article
We Are Green: “Always Clean 110″ Project Is an Example of a Growing Trend in Biofuels: “Symbiosis” Project Produce Biodiesel, Using Recovered Methanol, Cooking Oil
by (Biofuels Digest) ...Here is an under funded grad student (with a mechanical engineering degree from Northern Illinois University) who, while working part time, put together a system that will produce bio-diesel fuel from basic waste by-products found on campus,
December 04, 2009 Read Full Article
School Club's Biodiesel Project Going Global
by Joel Hood (Chicago Tribune) Some time ago, Brian Sievers picked up a crazy notion that one simple idea might just change the world. So for the last two school years, the popular science teacher at Thornridge High School in
December 03, 2009 Read Full Article
Facility That Will Process Pennycress into Fuel Gets Boost by Federal Funds
by Steve Tarter (Journal Star) A biodiesel plant in Peoria County moved a step closer to reality Monday as U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock announced $500,000 in funding to help develop a new source for the biofuel. That source is pennycress,