(Grist) President Obama explained his thinking about climate change during a sit-down interview with New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman; it will air Monday night during the final episode of Showtime’s climate series “Years of Living Dangerously.” Friedman also shared lots of
methane/biomethane
Back TO HOME18 Free Studies on 21 Next-Wave Biofuels Feedstocks
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Thought you knew everything there was to know about some of biofuels’ favorite feedstocks? Here are 18 free reports that may dampen or re-ignite your enthusiasm. ...To bring you up to speed on the latest about
June 09, 2014 Read Full Article
Ag Census Demonstrates Real Growth in Renewables from Farms and Ranches
(25 x '25) The mission of the 25x’25 Alliance has been consistent since its inception 10 years ago: promote to policy makers and regulators the role of farms, ranches and forestlands in developing clean, sustainable sources of energy to help
May 09, 2014 Read Full Article
Global Warming Alert: Methane Levels Continue to Climb
by Bill Chameides (Duke University) ... Recently, NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory released its Annual Greenhouse Gas Index, “a measure of the warming influence of long-lived trace gases and how that influence is changing each year.” The data presented on methane is striking and
May 08, 2014 Read Full Article
CIRES, NOAA Study Finds More Methane, Ozone Precursors and Benzene than Estimated by Regulators
(CIRES) During two days of intensive airborne measurements, oil and gas operations in Colorado’s Front Range leaked nearly three times as much methane, a greenhouse gas, as predicted based on inventory estimates, and seven times as much benzene, a regulated
May 08, 2014 Read Full Article
Study Raises New Concerns about Emissions from Shale Gas Wells
by Jennifer A. Dlouhy (FuelFix) Researchers found higher-than-expected emissions of a potent greenhouse gas emanating from Pennsylvania wells, according to a study published Monday that adds to concerns about the environmental footprint of natural gas. The study, conducted by Purdue and Cornell universities
April 15, 2014 Read Full Article
Natural Gas Vehicles Worse for Climate than Diesel Ones?
by Wendy Koch (USA Today) Trucks and buses that run on natural gas may actually be worse for the climate, over the long run, than diesel-fueled vehicles, study says. Natural gas is widely hailed as cleaner than other fossil fuels, but
March 08, 2014 Read Full Article
The Hunt for Hydrogen and Hydro-Riches
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... “You will never have enough affordable hydrogen.” Perhaps that is the attractor in the news from little-known Solarvest Bioenergy, when they announced third party confirmation of their bio-hydrogen expression system following the successful completion of a six
March 07, 2014 Read Full Article
Big Plans to Power the Future with Microscopic Algae
by Christian Ludwig (The National) ... In order to offer a viable alternative to oil or natural gas, the microalgae have to be produced sustainably, and fuels derived from them have to be compatible with today’s distribution grid, while also being able
March 04, 2014 Read Full Article
Colorado Adopts Tougher Air Rules for Oil, Gas Industry
by Bruce Finley (The Denver Post) Colorado adopted tougher air pollution rules for the oil and gas industry — the first in the nation to cover methane, a gas linked to climate change. State air quality control commissioners voted 8-1 on
March 03, 2014 Read Full Article
Levels of Global-Warming Gas Methane Exceed Government Estimates, New Study Contends
by Lenny Bernstein (The Washington Post) The amount of the heat-trapping gas methane in the atmosphere is considerably greater than government estimates, a problem significantly fueled by leaks from the U.S. natural gas system, according to a study released Thursday. The leak rate probably
February 14, 2014 Read Full Article
Renewable Energy the Focus of Unique UH, Maui Company Partnership
(University of Hawaii) Researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa are working with Maui based company Pacific Biodiesel to develop a way to make water from restaurant grease traps reusable. The collaboration is an example of a new type
February 13, 2014 Read Full Article
Envisioning the Bioconversion of Methane to Liquid Fuels
by Robert J. Conrado and Ramon Gonzalez (Science Magazine) Efforts to use natural gas in transportation, either directly or by conversion to a liquid fuel, have been spurred by recent increases in available supply and a growing price spread between
February 10, 2014 Read Full Article
What Role for Short-Lived Climate Pollutants in Mitigation Policy?
by J. K. Shoemaker, D. P. Schrag, M. J. Molina, V. Ramanathan (Science Magazine) Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) include methane (CH4), black carbon (BC), tropospheric ozone, and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). They are important contributors to anthropogenic climate change, responsible for as much
December 13, 2013 Read Full Article
First Producer Signs up to Biomethane Certification Scheme
(GreenGasTrading) Future Biogas, an established and experienced builder and operator of anaerobic digestion plants in the UK, is to become the first registered producer to join the Biomethane Certification Scheme (BMCS) run by Green Gas Trading Limited (GGT). Explaining the company’s
December 12, 2013 Read Full Article
Groups Call for Federal Regulations to Curb Methane Leaks
by Lenny Bernstein (The Washington Post) Ninety health, environmental and sportsmen’s groups asked the federal government Thursday to clamp down on the release of methane gas by the petrochemical industry, asserting that the United States cannot reach its goal for
December 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Company Hopes to Tap into Sugar Cane, Sorghum for Fuel-Grade Ethanol
by James Palen (The Daily Transcript/San Diego Source) ... Brawley-based California Ethanol + Power is bringing the matter closer to home. The company has yet to build its first facility, but by possibly the first quarter of 2014, it looks to break ground on
November 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Study: US Spewing 50% More Methane than EPA Says
by Seth Borenstein (Associated Press/US News and World Report) The United States is spewing 50 percent more methane — a potent heat-trapping gas — than the federal government estimates, a new comprehensive scientific study says. Much of it is coming
November 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Colorado Governor Proposes Strict Limits on Greenhouse Gas Leaks From Drilling
by Michael Wines (The New York Times) Gov. John W. Hickenlooper of Colorado proposed on Monday tough new limits on leaks of methane and other gases from well sites and storage tanks. Supporters called the limits, which would exceed existing
November 25, 2013 Read Full Article
More Bad News For Fracking: IPCC Warns Methane Traps More Heat than We Thought
by Joseph Romm (Think Progress/The Energy Collective) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that methane (CH4) is far more potent a greenhouse gas than we had previously realized. This matters to the fracking debate because methane leaks throughout the
October 11, 2013 Read Full Article
Clean Energy Becomes the First Ever Commercial Distributor of Transportational Fuel Made from Waste
(Clean Energy) Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (Nasdaq: CLNE), North America’s largest provider of natural gas for transportation, announced today (October 3, 2013) that it will be the first company to commercially distribute a renewable natural gas vehicle fuel, called Redeem,
October 04, 2013 Read Full Article
ARPA-E Awards $34M in R&D for Advanced Liquid Fuels from Methane
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the US Department of Energy announced that 15 breakthrough energy projects will receive approximately $34 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) via the REMOTE program (Reducing Emissions using Methanotrophic Organisms for
September 20, 2013 Read Full Article
Methane Emissions from Onshore Natural Gas Drilling Found Lower than Estimates
by Steven Mufson (The Washington Post) A new study by the University of Texas at Austin shows that methane emissions from onshore natural gas drilling are much lower than previous estimates, in part because of the effectiveness of techniques required
September 17, 2013 Read Full Article
Methane Leaking in Utah Suggests Higher National Rate
by Andrew Freedman (Climate Central) A new study of the air above a natural gas field in Utah suggests that far more methane gas may be escaping into the atmosphere from drilling operations than previously estimated. The study, to be published
August 13, 2013 Read Full Article
Lowering Ethanol's Carbon Footprint with Energy Beets
by Keith Loria (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Mendota Bioenergy’s plan to turn energy beets to ethanol moves to demonstration scale in California’s San Joaquin Valley. The future of advanced biofuels is in beets. At least that’s the thinking of those behind Mendota Bioenergy
July 02, 2013 Read Full Article
DDGS Intake Reduces Methane Output of Dairy Cows
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Every once in a while, I read something that really catches my attention. A study that found that distillers grains can help reduce methane output and increase milk production in dairy cows definitely falls
May 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Improving While Oil Gets Worse
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) The House and Energy Commerce Committee has released its third white paper on the Renewable Fuel Standard, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Environmental Impacts.” Executive Vice President of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Brian Jennings, responded with written
May 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Investing in Sustainable Palm Oil Production Ex-ante Impact Assessment of Investments in a Palm Oil Mill in Palembang, Indonesia
by Yuca Waarts, Kor Zwart (LEI Wageningen UR) Recycling palm oil mill effluent, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and improving smallholder livelihoods are three important topics in debates on sustainable palm oil production. In Indonesia, Zebra Special Products BV has invested in various
May 13, 2013 Read Full Article
EPA Methane Report Further Divides Fracking Camps
(National Public Radio/Associated Press) The Environmental Protection Agency has dramatically lowered its estimate of how much of a potent heat-trapping gas leaks during natural gas production, in a shift with major implications for a debate that has divided environmentalists: Does
May 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Tap, Enhance, Process Stream to Create Value-added Products
by Dil Vashi (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Solutions 4 CO2) Stillage, CO2 become valuable inputs in synergistic design Many ethanol producers look for additional revenue streams beyond the core ethanol and distillers grains to extract corn oil and capture CO2. Opportunities exist
April 24, 2013 Read Full Article
The Hydrogen Problem
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A numbers of readers responding to “Biofuels from a raging fireball” (Friday’s Top Story, on research work with the raging fireball, Pyrococchus furiosus, to make biofuels and renewable chemicals from hydrogen gas and CO2) raised
April 02, 2013 Read Full Article
ARPA-E Launches $20M Project REMOTE – Bioconversion of Natural Gas to Liquid Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ARPA-E aims to drive liquid fuel production from abundant, affordable methane — and sees biobased technology as the path forward. In Washington, ARPA-E released its long-awaited funding opportunity announcement for Project REMOTE – Reducing Emissions using
March 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Report: Flaws in EPA Drilling Pollution Data
by Dina Cappiello (Associated Press/San Francisco Chronicle) Limited data and unreliable estimates on air pollution from oil and natural gas production is hindering the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to police the drilling boom, the agency's internal watchdog said in a
March 07, 2013 Read Full Article
Natural Gas Leaks Come under Scrutiny, Raise Questions on Climate Impact
by Juliet Eilperin (The Washington Post) ... Measuring how much methane gas is leaking from pipes under the District could help answer a key policy question. As natural gas production expands in the United States, do its benefits for the climate far outweigh
March 04, 2013 Read Full Article
B&Q Introduces Bio-LNG Fleet
(EnergyGlobal.com) Gasrec and B&Q are working together to create a greener fleet with 50 dual fuel lorries powered by Bio-LNG. The eco-friendly fuel used to power the lorries comprises 60% biomethane, the natural green source of renewable energy produced from organic
March 01, 2013 Read Full Article
Methane Leaks Erode Green Credentials of Natural Gas
by Jeff Tollefson (Nature) Losses of up to 9% show need for broader data on US gas industry’s environmental Scientists are once again reporting alarmingly high methane emissions from an oil and gas field, underscoring questions about the environmental benefits of the
January 07, 2013 Read Full Article
Can Flex-Fuel Cars Put US on the Road to Low Oil Prices?
by Suzanne Goldenberg (The Guardian) Barack Obama is in the market for creative ways of combating climate change, and Eyal Aronoff thinks he has one – involving the US's beloved motor car Eyal Aronoff identifies himself on his business card as
December 20, 2012 Read Full Article
U.S. States Threaten Lawsuit against EPA over Regulations
by Andrew Hay (Reuters) A coalition of seven eastern states led by New York plans to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to issue new guidelines to curb methane emissions, a greenhouse gas that may be linked to
December 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Camels' Stomachs Could Provide Key to Cheap, Renewable Biofuel
by Alya Al Tunaiji (The National) ...At the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, I am currently focusing my master's thesis research on the biogas-producing potential of the microbes that live in camels' stomachs. Large ruminants - plant-eating mammals such as cows, goats and
November 27, 2012 Read Full Article
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING: Data-Heavy Project Aims to Move Methane Emissions Research beyond 'He Said, She Said'
by Gayathri Vaidyanathan and Saqib Rahim (E&E Publishing/Energy Wire) A team of academics, natural gas companies and environmentalists is hoping to pull a crucial environmental issue from the jaws of polarization and controversy -- and start moving it into the realm
October 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Brazilian Biofuels That Cause Land-Use Change May Have Much Larger Non-GHG Air Quality Emissions Than Fossil Fuels
by C.-C. Tsao , J. E. Campbell, M. Mena-Carrasco, S. N. Spak, G. R. Carmichael, and Y. Chen (Environmental Science and Technology) Although biofuels present an opportunity for renewable energy production, significant land-use change resulting from biofuels may contribute to negative
September 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Renewable Biogas: Next RFS Darling or Marginal Fuel?
by Mackinnon Lawrence (Biofuels Digest/Pike Research) ...The Toilet Bike, though, brings to light questions around the broader potential for biogas as a renewable transportation fuel, an application that has been gaining increased attention in recent years. Still, biogas fuel’s broader market
September 12, 2012 Read Full Article
Biogas Boom in Germany Leads to Modern-Day Land Grab
by Nils Klawitter (Der Spiegel) Creating energy from corn once seemed like a revolutionary idea in Germany. But subsidies for the biogas industry have led to entire regions of the country being covered by the crop, and investors are eagerly
September 10, 2012 Read Full Article
U.S. Will Lead New Effort to Cut Global Warming from Methane, Soot
by Brian Vastag (The Washington Post) With global efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions stalled, the United States and five other countries are starting a new program to cut other pollutants — including methane, soot and hydrofluorocarbons — that contribute
February 20, 2012 Read Full Article
Bombshell Study: High Methane Emissions Measured Over Gas Field “May Offset Climate Benefits of Natural Gas”
by Joe Romm (ThinkProgress.org) Air sampling by NOAA over Colorado Finds 4% Methane Leakage, More Than Double Industry Claims How much methane leaks during the entire lifecycle of unconventional gas has emerged as a key question in the fracking debate. Natural gas is mostly
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Natural Gas vs. Energy Innovation
by Kate Bechen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The production of ethanol is a complex, energy intensive process. Critics often cite the energy usage of ethanol plants and the wastes produced by the production of ethanol, especially corn-based ethanol, as lessening the
January 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Good Digestion: It’s Been a Bumpy Road to Full-Scale Adoption of Anaerobic Digestion Technologies at Ethanol Plants
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Despite the promise of methane from anaerobic digestion technology, low natural gas rates and other factors have kept ethanol producers from jumping in with both feet. ...On top of the digester, Western Plains Energy utilizes
December 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Kansas City Firm to Re-Open Mead Ethanol Plant
by Art Hovey (Lincoln Journal Star) Spectrum Business Ventures of Kansas City aims to bring a closed ethanol plant near Mead out of mothball status in the next few months. The former E3 Biofuels plant attracted widespread attention in 2006 as
December 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Members of the European Parliament Call for Cuts in Non-CO2 Greenhouse Emissions
(European Parliament) Great efforts have been made to reduce CO2 emissions in Europe and internationally, but a number of other substances are also causing Arctic ice-melt and on Wednesday MEPs called for action against so-called non-CO2 emissions including the
September 19, 2011 Read Full Article
$15.6M Grant to Help Pay to Convert Manure to Methane in Oakley
by Mike Corn (The Hays Daily News) Leftover money from the federal Recovery Act will help pay for a project converting cattle manure to methane to help fuel the Western Plains Energy ethanol plant near Oakley. The Kansas Department of Commerce
September 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Greenhouse Packs A Power Punch
by Joan Melcher (BioCycle) Closed loop system utilizes gasification, algae ponds and anaerobic digestion to convert wood waste to a variety of products, including biofuel, biogas and a soil amendment. Michael Smith is supervising the first commercial-scaleGreen Power House at the
July 19, 2011 Read Full Article
Search Produces Energy from Biodiesel Waste
(Correio do Brasil) School of Engineering of São Carlos (EESC) of USP, a research proposes the production of energyfrom the gas released in the treatment of glycerol originating from the biodiesel. The residue is rich in impurities, which increases the
July 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Study: Gas from ‘Fracking’ Worse than Coal on Climate
by Ben Geman (The Hill) Cornell University professors will soon publish research that concludes natural gas produced with a drilling method called “hydraulic fracturing” contributes to global warming as much as coal, or even more. The conclusion is explosive because
April 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuel Truck Quietly Proves Nothing Need Go to Waste
by Isaac Davison (NZHerald.co.NZ) ...The truck, launched in Rodney yesterday by Auckland Mayor Len Brown, is the result of the first successful New Zealand project to turn landfill gas into a transport fuel. Its creators say the truck's
January 19, 2011 Read Full Article
Researchers Engineer New Methane-Production Pathway in Microorganism
(University of Arkansas) A University of Arkansas researcher and his colleagues have created the first methane-producing microorganism that can metabolize complex carbon structures, which could lead to microbial recycling of waste products and their transformation into natural gas. Daniel J. Lessner, assistant
December 13, 2010 Read Full Article
EUR 6.1 mln Project to Farm Algae for Biofuels
(FIS) Scientists are proposing the creation of methane gas from algae grown in great offshore farms to power adapted vehicles. A new GBP 5 million (EUR 6.1 million) UK and Irish joint project called BioMara disclosed the plan and seeks to
September 30, 2010 Read Full Article
MemfoACT Carbon Membrane Helps to Convert Low-Grade Biogas into Biofuel
(AZo Materials) MemfoACT, a spin-off from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), has secured NOK 25 million to turn its award-winning membrane technology into a commercial product. Based on research conducted at NTNU's Department of Chemical Engineering, the company's
September 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Kettering University to Debut Biofuel Pickup Truck Tied to Swedish Biogas Plant in Flint
by Beata Mostafavi (Flint Journal) The white Chevy Silverado in Kettering University’s parking lot could be a symbol of a future Flint — one where cars, trucks and buses run on biofuel produced in the city. It looks like any other pickup,
August 23, 2010 Read Full Article
Sewage-Powered Volkswagen Beetle Relies on Six ‘Movements’ per Mile
(Environmental Transport Association) A car unveiled this week by Wessex Water that runs on methane gas generated from fermented human waste may have a performance comparable with a petrol-powered vehicle, but range may prove a problem; the converted Volkswagen Beetle
August 18, 2010 Read Full Article
UK Airport to Plant Its Own Willow Farm to Produce Biofuel for Terminal Building Biomass Boiler and Complement Biomethane Bus
(GreenAirOnline) The UK’s East Midlands Airport is to establish a 26-hectare willow farm on its land to produce biofuel to power a biomass boiler, which will be situated in the terminal building. The farm is to be located north of
April 12, 2010 Read Full Article
Scum of Earth Will save Us before ETS Does
by Mark Coulton (The Australian) ... Carbon neutrality may be achievable without resorting to a hefty new tax if the government employed a skerrick of the initiative and ingenuity shown by the team at Townsville's James Cook University. ... This
January 02, 2010 Read Full Article
Hauling Garbage with Fuel Created from Garbage
At Frederick County's Solid Waste Options presentation, Dave Specca, Assistant Director of the Rutgers EcoComplex described how landfill gases fuel compressed natural gas garbage trucks at the EcoComplex. Watch video of similar process in California. READ MORE