(NGV Journal)   Wisconsin-based Ponderosa Dairy has partnered with … DTE Energy and Rev LNG LLC to break ground on a state of the art natural gas processing facility at the Pagel Farm in Kewaunee. The …

by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  …  Biogas – Turning Hog Waste into Resources  —  Biogas technologies turn organic wastes, including manure, into energy and compost. When manure is turned into biogas, the smells, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  What’s up with biogas?  The U.S. market has lagged in the development of biogas facilities because of the low cost of electricity, natural gas and vehicle fuels derived from petroleum.
The passing of …

by Lisa Steyn (Buisness Live)  Government incentives spur the JSE-listed firm to transform cow manure into natural gas at dairy farm in California  —  JSE-listed Montauk Energy has struck a deal with a dairy farm in California …

by Catherine Clabby (NC Health News/Carolina Public Press)  Good news about hog waste can be scarce in this swine-rich state. But success at converting swine waste into usable renewable energy seems to be gaining steam.
For the first …

by Todd Campbell (ACT News/California Natural Gas Vehicle Partnership)  Is natural gas renewable? What is renewable natural gas? Is renewable natural gas a fossil fuel?
To those of us in the industry, these questions may sound like …

(Appalachian State University/Biomass Magazine)  Thanks to a $98,599 grant from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS), a team of professors in Appalachian State University’s Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, along with …

(Land O’Lakes/Cision/PR Newswire)   Land O’Lakes, Inc. and California Bioenergy, LLC (CalBio) have launched a first-of-its-kind collaboration to support the financing, installation and management of on-farm methane digesters to generate renewable compressed natural gas (“R-CNG”) fuel in California – …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  Cattle waste and wastewater. Sludgy grease ensconced in restaurant and cafeteria grease traps.  Food waste—uneaten leftovers or culinary mistakes. Contrary to the lyrics in The Sound of Music, these aren’t a few of our …

(EU Scoop)   Bulgaria is expected to implement a minimum of 6% biodiesel blend requirement for all transportation fuels from 1st September 2018.
At least 1% of the blend will come from new generation biofuels. The mandate …

by Rebecca Gasper and Tim Searchinger (World Resources Institute)  The production of renewable natural gas (RNG, also known as biomethane or upgraded biogas) is an emerging strategy to turn organic waste into a low carbon fuel for use in …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … For those newer to the field, one of the problems of using biomass to make a fuel is that a carbohydrate contains around 53% oxygen by weight and needs about …

by Alyssa Danigelis (Energy Manager Today)  A new map and project database show at least 76 operational renewable natural gas production facilities in the United States and Canada now. That represents an 85% growth from the …

(Dane County Wisconsin)  Creates Economic Incentive for Development of Lakes Clean Up Efforts  —  Today (April 19, 2018), Dane County Executive Joe Parisi kicked off construction for an innovative project that will turn garbage and cow manure …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The pace of invention and change is just too strong, we’ve realized, to highlight annual or even quarterly or monthly rankings and summaries of significant product and service advances. For now, …

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 …

(University of Waterloo/Biomass Magazine)  Farm manure could be a viable source of renewable energy to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.
Researchers at the University of Waterloo are developing technology to produce renewable natural …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Ag-Grid Energy has a vision to convert agricultural and organic waste into renewable energy, compost and support local area practices that lead us towards a sustainable environment. The company intends to …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Does 1+1=3? That’s the premise of this ABLC 2018 presentation from LEC’s John Forcier which looks at the challenges and opportunities in anaerobic digesters.
There’s a significant energy gain (3 to 10 times …

(European Commission/NGV Journal)  The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules an Italian support scheme for the production and distribution of advanced biofuels, including advanced biomethane, for the use in the transport sector. The …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … The biggest news along that front represents early-stage technology, but we read here that engineers at Ohio State announced that they’ve devised a process that under certain circumstances can convert coal, shale gas and …

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine)  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to solicit offers for certain Connecticut Class I renewable energy sources, including anaerobic digestion, offshore wind …

by Scott Warfield (CERES Project Services/Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest)  … The big game changer for financing, profitability and financial returns of anaerobic digester (AD) projects regardless of feedstock is carbon offset credits and specifically California’s low carbon …

(Bioenergy Insight)  In a paper by Texas A&M scientists, biochar shows potential for increasing efficiency of the anaerobic digestion of animal manure.
Biochar is a charcoal material composed of agricultural by-products, including manure, crop residues and grasses. The substance …

by Anton Usov (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development/Biomass Magazine)  The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development provided a senior loan of €25 million to PJSC “Myronivsky Hliboproduct” (MHP), a London Stock Exchange listed Ukrainian producer …

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine)  In mid-December, the California Public Utilities Commission established a new program that aims to reduce methane emissions from manure generated at dairies. The CPUC said the pilot program will incentivize at …

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … Faced with two problems – 1) what to do with human waste in space and 2) how to get needed supplies to astronauts in space (especially longer space missions like …

(RNG Coalition)  Renewable Natural Gas (‘RNG’) is an ultra-clean and ultra low-carbon natural gas alternative. As organic waste breaks down it emits methane gas, called biogas, that can be processed to meet natural gas pipeline quality …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Aemetis owns and operates 110 million gallons per year of ethanol and biodiesel facilities in the US and India, and is upgrading the plants using patented technology to produce lower carbon, …

(EU Science Hub)  Bioenergy is the most common renewable energy source in Europe – and it’s expected to continue to make up a significant part of the energy mix in the future.
However, its climate performance can …

(NGV Journal)  The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has awarded $35.2 million in grant funding to 18 dairy digester projects across the state. These projects, part of the Dairy Digester Research and Development Program …

by Michael Eggleston* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Since 2012, Energiegenossenschaft (energy cooperative) Starkenburg e.G. (ES) has been serving the Starkenburg region as independent non-partisan citizens’ cooperative supporting Germany’s grassroots movement by promoting renewable energy projects to …

by Liz Gyekye (Bioenergy Insight)  … The new report is entitled Biorefining Potential for Scotland and has been produced by Zero Waste Scotland. It aims to provide detailed insight into circular economy opportunities for waste and by-products generated …

(Fortum Corporation) The electricity used at this year’s Helsinki International Horse Show will be
produced entirely with horse manure at Fortum’s Järvenpää power plant. The electricity consumption of the event taking place at the Helsinki Ice Hall will be …

(Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  The United States produces more than 70 million tons of organic waste each year. While source reduction and feeding the hungry are necessary priorities for reducing needless food waste, organic wastes …

by Jong-MinJung, et al.  (Biosource Technology)  Biodiesel synthesis using chicken manure biochar.  Establish a green platform for producing biodiesel using chicken manure biochar. Enhanced yield of biodiesel using chicken manure biochar due to strong catalytic capability. 95.6% of …

(Netzwerk Biotreibstoffe/IEA Bioenergy Task 37 Newsletter)   This brief highlights the technologies available – both established and newly emerging – for biomethane production and biogas-driven vehicle fleets. It evaluates costs, performance and sustainability and outlines the …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Hydrothermal liquefaction has a huge fan base in the biorefinery R&D sector. There’s lots to like.  It’s robust tech and can be applied to attractive, low-cost wet feedstocks (ag resid, …

(University of Dayton)  Once known only as the slimy scourge of backyard ponds and lakes, algae is emerging as a superhero in the race for cleaner and renewable energy resources. But this hero is not …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Not long ago, we updated on Steeper Energy, which has been executing on a $3m grant from Sustainable Development Technology Canada towards development of a $30M 100 barrel per day demonstration project …

by Jim Lane  (Biofuels Digest)  … The world of feedstocks is watching biochar very carefully these days, and for good reason. Although it might feel quite a long ways upstream from the world of making and …

by Nicole Thompson (Toronto Star/The Canadian Press)  … Waterloo will soon host a pilot program that will turn dog waste into energy, using a process called anaerobic digestion, which happens when organic waste breaks down in …

by Ann Bailey (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  DDGS’ environmental benefits include methane reduction in cows, better phosphorus utilization reducing loss to the environment, improved sustainability.   —  The benefits in feeding distillers grains are well known—it’s …

(Edie.net)  SEAT originally partnered with Spanish firm Aqualia to launch the SMART Green Gas project, aimed at creating 100% renewable biofuels to be used in compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles.
The partnership sees wastewater turned into …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  … U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced the publication of a report, titled Biofuels and Bioproducts from Wet and Gaseous Waste Streams: Challenges and Opportunities. The report is …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  Today (January 10, 2017) the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced the publication of a report, titled Biofuels and Bioproducts from Wet and Gaseous Waste Streams: Challenges and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Oberon Fuels is facilitating the growth of the DME transportation industry by converting biogas and other hydrocarbon rich waste streams to higher valued commodities such as DME. Using its proprietary …

by Bernard Cooker (Chemical Processing Solutions/Biofuels Digest)  This is a review of the biomass-fed chemical process projects to renewable chemicals which were published in Chemical Engineering Progress (CEP) and Chemical and Engineering News (C&EN) from 1/1/16 …

(Transport & Environment)  Sustainable wood waste, agricultural residues, manure and other organic residues generated in Europe will only cover around 80% of the EU’s projected bioenergy use in 2030, a new analysis by green groups …

by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA)  “I want to make this land productive again,” was a common refrain at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s 13th Annual Small Farm Conference November 11-12.  Whether returning to …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  One of the newer arrivals in Florida’s small bio-based industry is Culture Biosystems, which produces attractive economics for its advanced algae  cultivation platform which enables large-scale production of algae to …

(Microvi)  Microvi has been awarded a grant from the US Department of Energy for a new groundbreaking biocatalytic technology that converts methane and carbon dioxide in biogas into valuable liquid chemicals, the company announced today.
The …

by John D. Forcier (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest)  Farm-based anaerobic digestion systems have adapted in various regions of the world. The “European Model” relies on cash crops and manures with very high incentives and feed-in-tariffs. …

(European Biogas Association) A report on different scenarios and their cost-efficiency in reducing national transport emissions by 40% by 2030.  —  The most cost-efficient scenario to reduce transport emissions would be to invest in domestic drop-in …

(Bioenergy Insight)  German bioenergy developer Weltec Biopower will shortly start building an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant for Colombia‘s largest egg producer.
The 800kW biogas plant is to go live in early 2017. In terms of the …

(ClimateDenierRoundup/Daily Kos)   … Speaking of bullcrap, the American Petroleum Institute is also launching a new ad blitzas part of their astroturf Vote4Energy campaign, this one opposed to the Renewable Fuel Standard that requires biofuels, like …

(American Biogas Council/Biomass Magazine)  Last week, Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Pat Robert, R-Kan., introduced new bipartisan legislation, the Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Act (S 3248). This latest bill is a companion to identical House legislation …

by Katie Fletcher (Biomass Magazine)  The U.S. DOE’s National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine recently released a report dedicated to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from commercial aviation, with the focus on large single- and …

(El Paso Herald Post)  … On June 15, through a LEDA grant from the City of Tucumcari, ERD purchased the former ethanol plant at 1600 Rock Island Road. In partnership with Robert Lopez, a Tucumcari farmer, …

by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine)  A bill (H.R. 5489) recently introduced to the House Ways and Means Committee on Space, Science and Technology would add more biogas applications to the list of technologies that qualify for …

(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On June 16, Representative Tom Reed (R-NY) and Ron Kind (D-WI) along with 12 Republican and Democratic co-sponsors introduced the Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Act (H.R. 5489), which would expand the eligibility …

by Anna Simet (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Not only does Tulare County, California-based Calgren Renewable Fuels LLC manufacture renewable transportation fuel and utilize renewable energy to power its operations, but starting next month, the plant will also …

Participate to understand the potential viability of small-scale manure digesters and available resources through the REAP program and how to leverage with other federal programs.

Participate to understand current research, available technologies, future possibilities, and the …

(Bioenergy Insight)  Canadian ethanol producer Calgren Renewable Fuels has invested in key co-products to sell in addition to its 58 million gpy ethanol output.
The Calgren plant, located in Pixley, California, was the state’s first when …

by  Rosalie Marion Bliss (US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service)  …  Now, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have advanced a process to produce crude liquid fuel called “bio-oil” from agricultural waste. The bio-oil is …

(Vermont Public Service Board/Biomass Magazine) The Vermont Public Service Board recently authorized the construction and operation of a renewable natural gas (RNG) facility on a farm in Salisbury, Vermont. The project will use primarily manure, corn …

(University of Vermont)  A new era of clean BioEnergy solutions is beginning to emerge now. Clean sustainable Bioenergy such as Bio-Electricity and Biogas production from Dairy manure and Food Waste streams is becoming a well-known …

by Clare Lukehurst and Angela Bywater (IEA Bioenergy)  This report explores the viability of small scale anaerobic digestion for livestock farming where there is a need to deal with animal manure and slurry in a manner that …

by Dan Quadros* (Advanced Biofuels USA)  This article is the result of a technical trip to Germany and the UK to participate in strategic meetings and visit labs; to attend seminars, an expo, a short …

by Matt McGrath (BBC)  The legendary abilities of goats and sheep to digest a wide range of inedible materials could help scientists produce cheaper biofuels.
Researchers say fungi from the stomachs of these animals produce flexible …

Melanie Sevcenko  (The Guardian)  Renewable natural gas is a growing industry for fuel, electricity and heat, but advocates says it’s a largely untapped market in the US  —  No matter how you spin it, the …

by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, the Environmental Working Group has released a new blog alleging corn produced for ethanol is responsible for increased amounts of toxic water pollution due to runoff of fertilizers …

by Michael Futch (Fayetteville Observer)  Michigan-based NOVI Energy is moving forward with plans to build two anaerobic digester power plants in Sampson County after county commissioners approved incentives for the facilities.

The proposed plants would bring …

by Rosalie Bliss (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service)   … U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have advanced a process to produce a crude liquid called “bio-oil” from agricultural waste. The team is headed …

(Penn Energy/Renewable Energy World)  ABUTEC’s combustion technology is once again paving the way for waste-to-energy projects through its partnership with Roeslein Alternative Energy.
With almost two million pigs housed throughout nine facilities, Smithfield Foods Missouri produces …

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine)  The U.S. EPA has opened a competition for technologies to recycle nutrients from livestock manure on Challenge.gov. The competition is being held in partnership with the USDA. The American Biogas …

by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest)  In Spain, PlanetEnergy has launched its energy island project, producing 100% of household energy requirements from organic waste, wastewater, and manure waste with solar, wind, batteries and biodiesel backup. The …

by Mark Harris (The Guardian)  In Las Cruces, New Mexico, a pilot project is using heat-loving algae to clean wastewater and generate energy  … “Galdieria sulphuraria is one of the most interesting microorganisms on the planet,” …

by Keith Loria (Biomass Magazine)  California’s Calgren Renewable Fuels uses renewable energy generated onsite to power its renewable fuel production process.
When the Calgren Ethanol Biodigester officially opened in Tulare County, California, early this year, it represented …

(Merlo Farming Group)  California Department of Food and Agriculture announced the AgPower Visalia, LLC project in Tulare Co. has been awarded a three million dollar dairy digester research and development grant yesterday.
The project, developed by …

(Smithfield Foods/Globe NewsWire)  Smithfield Foods’ Hog Production Division, Murphy-Brown, LLC, and Tyton BioEnergy Systems announced today a research partnership to develop new applications for Tyton’s dedicated, non-smoking tobacco crop and the resulting soil amendment, filtration, …

by John Fritze (Baltimore Sun)  … Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, is winning praise from corn farmers in Iowa for his support of a federal mandate to blend …

(American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev/Biomass Magazine)  Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel and University of Florida researchers have been awarded a United States-Israel Bi-national Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD) grant to …

by Ron Kotrba (Biomass Magazine)  The Golden State has borderline personality disorder regarding promotion and discouragement of dairy biogas projects.  —  California is by far the No. 1 dairy state in the U.S. with roughly …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … “ALTACA Enerji” is the leading technology company of Turkey focused on energy from waste. We currently own and operate the largest integrated biogas and bio-fertilizer plant in the region. We …

(CNH Industrial/PR Newswire)  The Company gathered experts from the scientific community, representatives from institutional European associations, public officials and professionals from the powertrain, commerical vehicles and agricultural machinery sectors for a workshop panel entitled “The …

by Timothy B. Wheeler  (Baltimore Sun)  A New Hampshire-based company has teamed with poultry giant Perdue to propose a $200 million plant on the Eastern Shore to extract energy from chicken manure, offering its plan …

(Bangor University)  In a paper just released in the leading bioenergy journal Global Change Biology Bioenergy, researchers from Bangor University and the Thünen Institute in Germany conclude that crop-biogas and liquid biofuels are at best …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Here we highlight an interesting solution to the problem of organic waste.
In North Carolina, Maverick Synfuels announced the availability of the Maverick Oasis BG Gas-to-Liquid methanol plant product line. These plants …

(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) USDA and DOE announced a raft of grant and loan opportunities and funded projects, many of them funded through the 2014 Farm Bill. On February 20, the U.S. Department of Energy’s …

(Regenis)  Sustainable energy production entered a new era in California today as a consortium of American companies joined together with state energy officials to launch the Calgren Ethanol Biodigester, which utilizes waste from dairy farms …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bunnies, liposuction fat, Prince Charles’ leftover wine, day-old whale, the human poo bus, fire ants dipped in hexane, old beer, raging fireballs, vibrating blobs, dope, and even the New Orleans …

(Allied Market Research/PR Web)  According to a new report by Allied Market Research titled, “Global Second Generation Biofuels – Size, Industry Analysis, Trends, Opportunities, Growth and Forecast, 2013 – 2020”, the global second generation biofuels …

(NGV Journal)  Inhabitants of the Itaipu Technological Park (PTI) now have a more sustainable and environmentally friendly transport. Recently, the bus fleet that offers internal transport services introduced a vehicle driven by the fuel obtained …

(Elsevier)  Bioenergy: Biomass to Biofuels examines all current and emerging feedstocks and the advanced processes and technologies enabling the development of their end products, ranging from solid (wood energy, grass energy, and other biomass) to …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA is making $5.6 million in grants to 220 producers across the nation to support the production of advanced biofuels, and is awarding more …

by Katie Fletcher  (Biomass Magazine)  Lately, cellulosic ethanol plant startups have basked in the bioenergy limelight. While less celebrated, anaerobic digesters are adding value to operations and seem to be trending in blueprints.
When ethanol plants …

(Green  Car Congress)  The California Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP) announced (PON-14-602) the availability of up to $3 million in grant funds for biofuels projects that are in the …

(Union of Concerned Scientists)  Sustainable practices can turn crop residues and manure into bioenergy without competing with food supplies
U.S. agriculture could provide up to 155 million tons of crop residues and 60 million tons of …

by Tony Kryzanowski (Ag Annex)  … “Chicken manure is high in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. It contains the main nutrients that algae need,” says, Bob Mroz, president and chief executive officer of a Maryland-based biotech company …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  Can scientists grow algae in polluted water on dairy farms and then safely feed it to livestock? That’s what Shelton Murinda, an associate professor of animal and veterinary sciences, Marcia Ewers of …

by John Herrick (VTDigger.org)  Waste from dairy farms and beer breweries could provide the necessary ingredients to grow algae-based biofuels, leaders of a project designed to research this technology said on Tuesday.
Matt Cota, executive director …

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine)  The Denmark-based Port of Frederikshavn, Canadian biofuel company Steeper Energy, and Denmark-based Aalborg University have announced a partnership to develop a biofuel plant in Denmark that will produce sulphur-free, drop-in …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  In the heart of Wisconsin, a project is underway to produce energy from a resource that is in little danger of running low: cow manure, or “brown gold.” Thanks to a …

(Institute for European Environmental Policy)  This report focuses on the potential sustainability of an advanced biofuel industry relying on mainly wastes and residues as the feedstock base. Presented as a series of ‘factsheets’ we consider …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  If all goes as planned, a 50 MMgy ethanol plant in Oakley, Kan., will someday produce advanced biofuel from sorghum. To qualify as advanced biofuel, the company will power …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  A research project conducted by several Iowa State University (ISU) researchers is studying the feasibility of growing algae in poultry houses. Poultry manure generates ammonia, a health and safety concern for both animals …

by Roger Moore (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Leifmark LLC)  …If you’re Denmark, and practically surrounded by the North Sea, global warming and the anticipated rise in the ocean level tend to focus the national mind. To thrive …

The race to create a better, less controversial biofuel has spawned plenty of research into a variety of potential new sources – including switchgrass, cornstalks and algae.
One goal behind the next generation of ethanol fuel …

by Bryan Sims (Biorefining Magazine)  Could algae and biowaste be the next black gold? Yuanhui Zhang believes it very well could be. Since 1996, the professor in agricultural and biological engineering at the University of …

(AllAfrica.com)  The University of Benin through its National Centre for Energy and Environment (NCEE) has developed an equipment for the production of biodiesel.
The Director of NCEE, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, made the disclosure in an interview on …

J.B. Smith (Waco Tribune-Herald)   To critics who object to making ethanol fuel out of grain, Larry Lehr, of Waco, has an ecology-minded answer: Run it through a cow first.
Lehr, who teaches environmental science at Baylor …

Diesel Brewing announced the company has launched its initiative to manufacture cellulosic bio-butanol from Oregon’s ample supplies of biomass and dairy farm manure. Bio-butanol is a 100% “green” liquid fuel that can be blended into …