by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) If you missed Oak Ridge National Lab’s Keith Kline’s introductory remarks at ABLC Digital, now’s your chance to check out his slide guide covering how to build public confidence and trust in the role of
National Laboratory
Back TO HOMEThe Biden Administration to Ensure a Sustainable Future for Aviation: SkyNRG Americas and LanzaTech Secure DOE Funding to Produce SAF in the US
(LanzaTech) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office announced more than $64 million in funding for 22 projects focused on developing technologies and processes that produce low-cost, low-carbon biofuels. SkyNRG Americas in partnership with LanzaTech was awarded $1 million in funding for Project
September 23, 2021 Read Full Article
Potential to Produce 5B Gallons of Sustainable Aviation Fuel from CO2
(LanzaTech) LanzaTech and Argonne National Lab Awarded funding for Aviation Project in Georgia. -- The White House set a goal of replacing all jet fuel with sustainable alternatives by 2050, saying it could cut emissions from flying by 20 percent by
September 23, 2021 Read Full Article
Novel Biofilm Enhanced Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Methane Production
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There are literally tons of food waste per year but biofilm can help increase hydrolysis and methanogenesis reaction rates and help solve anaerobic digestion challenges. Take a look at Argonne National Lab’s latest on how they
September 23, 2021 Read Full Article
Argonne Teams up with GEVO to Apply Lab’s GREET Model to Company’s Net-Zero Project
(Department of Energy/Argonne National Laboratory/EurekAlert!) Argonne’s Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies Model (GREET), using data provided by Gevo, is expected to yield results about its carbon footprint within a few months. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne
September 21, 2021 Read Full Article
Biomass from Forest Restoration: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to PNNL Project
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Wildfires around the globe have been increasing but what about controlled fires? The U.S. Department of Energy and Pacific Northwest National Lab is looking at prioritizing how and where to target forest restoration (timber harvest
September 20, 2021 Read Full Article
Fighting Viruses with Algae
by Rebekah Orton (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory/Phys.Org) ... Biologist Scott Edmundson, who has studied photosynthetic algal cultivation for bioproduct generation for more than 15 years, suggests that if algae-derived antivirals show promise in clinical trials, their extraction could help make biofuels
September 16, 2021 Read Full Article
Getting 35B SAF gallons by 2050: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to NREL’s SAF Approach
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Digest reported a few days ago on the Biden administration’s goal of reaching 3 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050 but how do we get there?
September 15, 2021 Read Full Article
Making Methane from CO2: Carbon Capture Grows More Affordable
by Brendan Bane (Pacific Norwest National Laboratory) Methane made from CO2 and renewable hydrogen offers a new path toward cheaper carbon capture -- In their ongoing effort to make carbon capture more affordable, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National
September 13, 2021 Read Full Article
DOE Announces Nearly $65 Million for Biofuels Research to Reduce Airplane and Ship Emissions
(U.S. Department of Energy) Projects align with administration's new goal of decarbonizing the aviation sector by 2050 - - As part of a White House roundtable to launch the Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) Grand Challenge to decarbonize the aviation sector by 2050, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $64.7 million in funding for projects
September 10, 2021 Read Full Article
Fact Sheet: Biden Administration Advances the Future of Sustainable Fuels in American Aviation
(White House) New Actions Aim to Produce Three Billion Gallons of Sustainable Fuel, Reduce Aviation Emissions by 20% by 2030, and Grow Good-Paying, Union Jobs -- Today (September 9, 2021), President Biden is taking steps to coordinate leadership and innovation across
September 10, 2021 Read Full Article
United, Honeywell Invest in New Clean Tech Venture from Alder Fuels, Powering Biggest Sustainable Fuel Agreement in Aviation History
(United Airlines/PR Newswire) United agrees to purchase 1.5 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) over 20 years - which is one and a half times the size of the rest of the world's airlines' publicly announced SAF commitments combined Honeywell first
September 09, 2021 Read Full Article
Biofuels Offer a Cost-Effective Way to Lower Shipping Emissions
(Argonne National Laboratory/Tech Xplore) Marine shipping traffic has grown steadily over the past decade—and so have the associated greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon emissions from ships grew almost 10% between 2012 and 2018, and the industry is a large consumer of
September 06, 2021 Read Full Article
Breakthrough Methods Help Integrate Renewable Hydrogen with Waste Carbon Dioxide to Produce Clean Fuels, Chemicals, and More
(National Renewable Energy Laboratory) ... NREL is validating utility-scale hydrogen-production processes that could provide tomorrow’s clean fuels and chemical feedstocks to produce low-carbon, high-value products. New IP To Simplify Renewable Hydrogen Reactions Renewable hydrogen could fit into future low-carbon energy systems like
September 06, 2021 Read Full Article
Hurry up, Scale up: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to the U.S. DOE Agile BioFoundry
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Enabling biorefineries to achieve 50% reductions in time to bioprocess scale-up, as compared to the current average of 10 years, is what the U.S. Department of Energy aims to do by establishing a distributed Agile
September 03, 2021 Read Full Article
Advancing Algae for Better Biofuels: CSU Share in $3.5 Million Project
(Colorado State University) Colorado State University scientists are partners in a three-year grant of up to $3.5 million from the Department of Energy, aimed at improving how algae-based biofuels and bioproducts are made. The Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office has announced its support
September 02, 2021 Read Full Article
UMD Researcher Awarded $6 Million from the U.S. Department of Energy to Create Value-Added Biofuels and Bioplastics from Food Waste
by Samantha Watters (University of Maryland) Stephanie Lansing will serve as principal investigator, establishing a consortium of scientists and industry partners with the goal of creating renewable resources -- Stephanie Lansing, professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology at
September 01, 2021 Read Full Article
Increasing Sugar Availability for Oil Synthesis: Findings Could Lead to Higher Potential for Biofuel Crops
(Brookhaven National Laboratory) A team from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has bred a plant that produces more oil by manipulating the availability of sugar for oil synthesis. The team, led by BNL’s John Shanklin, achieved these results in using
September 01, 2021 Read Full Article
ABPDU Celebrates a Decade of Bio-Innovation
(U.S. Department of Energy) Ten years ago, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced the opening of a brand new, 15,000-square-foot facility full of stainless steel state-of-the-art bioprocessing equipment – what we now know as the Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit, or
August 26, 2021 Read Full Article
How ABPDU Is Training the Next Generation of Bioprocess Engineers --- September 16, 2021 --- ONLINE APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 14, 2022
Join the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office on September 16, 2021, at 3 p.m. ET, for a webinar on how Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is partnering with the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) to train the
August 25, 2021 Read Full Article
Anchors Aweigh: Examining Biofuels for Maritime Shipping
by Tim Theiss (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) A multi-laboratory team of scientists led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is studying the feasibility of using energy-dense biofuels such as biocrude and bio-oil to meet new emissions regulations for cargo ships. Cargo vessels
August 25, 2021 Read Full Article
Let's Prioritize American Renewable Fuels over Foreign Oil and Minerals
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/The Hill) ... But what’s not easy to see is why the White House recently chose to respond to higher pump prices by pushing OPEC+ countries to increase oil production. It was a baffling move that raised
August 23, 2021 Read Full Article
A Cue from Kitty Hawk: What the Wright Brothers Teach Us about Decarbonizing Flight
by Adam Bratis (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) ... I recount that moment at Kitty Hawk because I believe we stand at another pivot in the rich history of aviation. To avoid the worst effects of climate change, we must rapidly
August 20, 2021 Read Full Article
New Proposed Federal Greenhouse Gas, Vehicle Efficiency Standards: A Missed Opportunity to Address Climate Change Now DEADLINE for Public Comment: September 27, 2021
(Solutions from the Land) Earlier this month, the EPA published in the Federal Register a rule proposing its Revised 2023 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards. Seeking public comment through Sept. 27 (a public hearing is set for next Wednesday, Aug. 25),
August 20, 2021 Read Full Article
Faster and Cheaper Ethanol-to-Jet-fuel on the Horizon
(Pacific Northwest National Laboratory/Phys.Org) A patented process for converting alcohol sourced from renewable or industrial waste gasses into jet or diesel fuel is being scaled up at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory with the help of partners
August 19, 2021 Read Full Article
Plants into Planes: ORNL Team Thinks Ethanol Is Future of Commercial Jet Travel
by Ben Cathey (WVLT) ... “You know, we’ve been doing that for a long time. East Tennessee’s famous for its production of alcohol,” Dr. Jerry Tuskan laughed as he told us about an old version of fuel, made new again.
August 11, 2021 Read Full Article
Carbon Dioxide Removal with Roger Aines
(Climate Now) How do we reach global net-zero emissions by 2050, when there is almost no chance of completely ending our dependence on fossil fuels by that time? The solution will require Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) – a host of natural
August 10, 2021 Read Full Article
RFA Founder Calls for Correction of EPA Transportation Office’s “Shocking Miscarriage of Environmental Justice”
(Dakota Ag Energy) Speaking to the 14th Annual Bioenergy Conference hosted by Brazilian government and industry stakeholders, the founder of the U.S. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) charged U.S. EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) bureaucrats with a “shocking
August 10, 2021 Read Full Article
Unlock the Power to Predict: NREL Model Benefits Biomass-to-Fuel Reactor Design
by Zia Abdullah (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers can accurately predict reaction rates and optimal conditions for making biofuels. Their secret? Complex math to sketch the intricate chemistry and physics that drive catalytic fast pyrolysis. Catalytic
August 09, 2021 Read Full Article
Scientists Show a Single Catalyst Can Perform the First Step of Turning CO2 into Fuel in Two Very Different Ways
by Glennda Chui (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) Their work aims to bridge two approaches to driving the reaction – one powered by heat, the other by electricity – with the goal of discovering more efficient and sustainable ways to convert
August 09, 2021 Read Full Article
Biogenic Carbon Fuels, Co-Processing Strategies: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Coprocessing Bio-oils in Refineries
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Leveraging existing refining infrastructure leverages billions US$ in CAPEX and 5 million bpd of crude refining. NREL, PNNL, and LANL is tackling how to accelerate adoption of co-processing biomass-derived feedstocks with petroleum streams in operating
August 09, 2021 Read Full Article
RFA to Biden: Renewable Fuels Provide a Clean, Low-Carbon Fuel Option Available Today
(Renewable Fuels Association) President Biden today announced a plan to greatly expand the production of clean cars and trucks, including a goal for electric vehicles to comprise 50% of new vehicle sales by 2030. The following is a statement from Renewable Fuels Association
August 05, 2021 Read Full Article
Better Bioblendstocks for Cleaner Diesel Vehicles
by Trevor Smith (U.S. Department of Energy) ... But new fuel blendstocks from biomass and waste resources, combined with advanced engine designs, are bringing us ever closer to a vision of clean transportation. Achieving this vision is critical for meeting
August 04, 2021 Read Full Article
CE+P to Partner with the U.S. Joint BioEnergy Institute on Advanced Biofuels Research
(California Energy + Power/Business Wire) California Ethanol + Power (CE+P) announced today (August 3, 3021) that it is partnering with the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), a Bioenergy Research Center of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop scalable next-generation renewable
August 04, 2021 Read Full Article
Waste to Energy: Biofuel from Kelp Harvesting and Fish
by Kelsey Adkisson (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory/Newswise) Possibility of cheaper, greener fuel for remote, coastal Alaska communities -- Kelp is plentiful in remote, coastal Alaska. Fuel is not. And it’s expensive. Many isolated communities rely on diesel generators for energy because they
August 03, 2021 Read Full Article
A Higher-Yield Fuel Catalyst
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory/Phys.Org) Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have developed a new catalyst for converting ethanol into C3+ olefins—the chemical building blocks for renewable jet fuel and diesel—that pushes the amount produced to a record-high 88%, a more than 10%
August 03, 2021 Read Full Article
Biomass Availability with Matthew Langholtz
(Climate Now/Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Bioenergy is a renewable energy for its carbon neutrality – plants absorb CO2 during photosynthesis and emit the same amount when combusted for energy. But to significantly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, substantial amounts
August 02, 2021 Read Full Article
Fungus That Tastes Just Right: PNNL Researchers Study Plant Material in Soils that Offers Clues for Making Sustainable Bioproducts
by Allan Brettman (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Discerning leaf-cutter ants know what food they like to eat. They turn up their scent-detecting antennae at some plant material in soils in favor of others that fungus has degraded just the way they
August 02, 2021 Read Full Article
Better Biocatalysts for Biogas: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Biogas Biocatalysis
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biological gas-to-liquid conversion offers a means to valorize biogas, improve bioprocess sustainability, and reduce risk of waste and biomass processing. How big is the biogas market? What are the newest biocatalysts and gas fermentation tech
July 30, 2021 Read Full Article
Converting Renewable Electricity into Stable Molecules Could Provide Long-Term Energy Storage
by Beth Mundy (Tech Xplore/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) For renewable energy and energy storage technologies, variation is the name of the game. The intensity of the natural resources that provide renewable energy varies from day to day, as well as season to
July 29, 2021 Read Full Article
Data that Makes a Difference: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Biofuels Information Center
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Data – we all need it. And the Biofuels Information Center provides essential bioenergy data, information, and tools to educate stakeholders on all aspects of biofuels. Where do they get the data from? How does
July 29, 2021 Read Full Article
What to Do with Food Waste? Well, That Depends. NREL Researchers Examine Disposal Methods as More Landfills Prepare to Shut Down
(National Renewable Energy Laboratory) The expected decline in the number of landfills across the United States coupled with bans on disposing large amounts of organic waste in landfills that have been enacted in multiple states has prompted researchers at the U.S.
July 28, 2021 Read Full Article
RFA Pledge to President: Ethanol to Achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2050 or Sooner
(Renewable Fuels Association) In a letter sent today to President Joe Biden, Renewable Fuels Association members from across the country memorialized their commitment to ensuring ethanol achieves a net-zero carbon footprint, on average, by 2050 or sooner. Ethanol is already cutting greenhouse gas
July 28, 2021 Read Full Article
Crapo, Whitehouse, Reed, Panetta Introduce Legislation to Encourage Innovation in the Clean Energy Sector
(Office of Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)) According to a report by the International Energy Agency, approximately 40 percent of cumulative CO2 emissions reductions needed to meet sustainability targets rely on technologies not yet commercially deployed on a mass-market scale. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho),
July 27, 2021 Read Full Article
Recycling Plastic Has Been an Uphill Challenge. Could Chemical Recycling Change That?
(PBS NewsHour) Plastic pollution is a global threat on our lands and seas. Since World War II, we have created over 9 billion cubic tons of it, yet its recycling remains extremely limited. As part of our "Breakthroughs" series, Miles
July 26, 2021 Read Full Article
One-of-a-Kind Course Aims to Build the Bioeconomy Workforce
by Emily Scott (Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit) ... He (Jason Ryder, an adjunct professor in UC Berkeley’s College of Chemistry) knows we have the tools to solve these problems: biotechnology and bioprocessing — using the power of
July 21, 2021 Read Full Article
LLNL and Collaborators Improve Electrochemical Reactor Performance through 3D Printing
(Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and their collaborators are leveraging the power of 3D printing to improve the performance of electrochemical reactors used to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) to useful energy sources, chemicals and material feedstocks. Working under
July 21, 2021 Read Full Article
Analysis Shows Enzyme-Based Plastics Recycling Is More Energy Efficient, Better for Environment
(National Renewable Energy Laboratory) BOTTLE Consortium Effort Develops Model That Finds Sizeable Energy and Carbon-Saving Benefits for Recycling PET, a Common Plastic Used in Bottles, Clothing, Carpet -- Researchers in the BOTTLE Consortium, including from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s)
July 16, 2021 Read Full Article
We Can Love Electric Cars, but Let’s Not Spurn Biofuels
by Dan Morgan (The Globalist) Right now, electric cars have the momentum and the “inevitability” narrative on their side. Is the idea of pursuing two paths forward a waste of money? ... The Biden administration’s ambitious infrastructure proposal sets aside $174
July 16, 2021 Read Full Article
Using Cycloalkanes for Jet Fuel: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Ethanol-Derived Jet Blending Components
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) LanzaTech, Purdue and PNNL are working together to develop a commercially viable process to convert an ethanol-derived olefin intermediate into a jet-range hydrocarbon with 60 wt.% yield to cycloalkanes and demonstrate its commercial utility as
July 14, 2021 Read Full Article
Life Cycle Analysis: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Advanced Algal Systems
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Evaluating sustainable scale up of algae production systems, algal biofuels, and algal bioproducts is no easy task, but scientists at Argonne National Lab are looking into this by looking at the life cycle analysis of
July 13, 2021 Read Full Article
From Biomass to Bug Zapper: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Bio-Insecticides
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Creating a sustainable, inexpensive bioinsecticide that leverages the inherent chemical functionality from thermochemical biomass conversion that can improve biofuel economics is one of National Renewable Energy Lab’s goals. Take a look at bioinsecticide production using
July 12, 2021 Read Full Article
Will Biorefineries Meet Air Quality Regulations?: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Biofuels Air Emissions
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Can biofuels production meet federal air quality regulations? At what cost? What are the emissions across the biofuels supply chain? What are the economic and human health impacts? Are there mitigation opportunities and approaches that work?
July 08, 2021 Read Full Article
DOE Announces Technical Assistance for Local Governments on Waste-to-Energy
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are pleased to announce the Phase 1 selections for the Waste-to-Energy Technical Assistance for Local Governments Program. This technical assistance program was created to mobilize national
July 07, 2021 Read Full Article
Playing the Long Game: ExxonMobil Gambles on Algae Biofuel
by Carly Nairn (Mongabay) - Algae biofuel initially looked promising, but a few key problems have thwarted major research efforts, including development of a strain of algae able to produce plentiful cheap fuel, and scaling up to meet global energy
July 07, 2021 Read Full Article
Weather-Resistant Crops: the Bioenergy Fuel of the Future
(Bio Market Insights) ... Finding a way to increase crop yields without encroaching on either food crops or natural habitats is a novel challenge, but it is one that may soon have a solution. Researchers from Queensland University of Technology’s Centre
July 07, 2021 Read Full Article
Modeling for Biorefineries: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Red Rock Biofuels De-Risking Feedstock
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)Optimizing and de-risking the deployment of biomass gasification processes by implementing physics-based simulations of feed handling and transportation unit operations was NREL’s goal as they did modeling and simulations to support Red Rock Biofuels during design
July 07, 2021 Read Full Article
How Viable Is Bio-Oil for Marine Transport?: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Biofuels for Marine Engines
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Determining the technical feasibility of using biofuels, especially bio-oils, for marine engine use, understanding the efficacy of biofuels in marine transport, looking at the impact on fuel handling systems and impact of bio-oils blended with
July 06, 2021 Read Full Article
LCA Model for Biofuels: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to GREET
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies Model – aka GREET – can be used to address impacts and conduct life cycle analyses of biofuels and bioproducts. Check out Argonne National Laboratory’s
July 02, 2021 Read Full Article
DOE Helps Commercialize Promising Energy Technologies
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Department of Energy on June 24 announced it will award $30 million to 68 projects that aim to accelerate the commercialization of promising energy technologies, including those related to biofuels, bioenergy and bioproducts. The
July 02, 2021 Read Full Article
Los Alamos National Laboratory and Oberon Fuels Receive Department of Energy Funding to Produce Renewable Hydrogen from Renewable DME (rDME)
(Oberon Fuels) Project will develop novel pathway to reducing carbon content of global hydrogen supply; Converting renewable DME into hydrogen will solve vexing issues related to hydrogen production, transport and storage and open up new feedstocks for cost-effective renewable hydrogen
June 30, 2021 Read Full Article
DOE Researchers Examine Biofuels for Maritime Shipping
(U.S. Department of Energy/Biomass Magazine) A multi-laboratory team of scientists led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory is studying the feasibility of using energy-dense biofuels such as biocrude and bio-oil to meet new emissions regulations for cargo ships. Cargo vessels ferrying commodities around
June 30, 2021 Read Full Article
Biomass, Lipid Yield Improvements: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Leveraging Algae for Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Did you know that adding plant substrate to some algae strains (not all!) can result in improved biomass and/or lipid production? That’s what Amanda Barry from Sandia National Labs reported in this slide guide on
June 28, 2021 Read Full Article
DOE Announces Over $65 Million in Public and Private Funding to Commercialize Promising Energy Technologies
(U.S. Department of Energy) 2021 Technology Commercialization Fund Awards Connect Private-Sector Partners to DOE National Labs, Bolstering U.S. Competitiveness While Combating the Climate Crisis -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced over $30 million in federal funding, matched by
June 25, 2021 Read Full Article
Hydrothermal Processing: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Algal Based Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Dan Anderson from Pacific Northwest National Lab shared this illuminating slide guide at BETO’s Peer Review this year with the latest on PNNL’s work on building algae hydrothermal liquification (HTL) pathway to fuels, with the
June 22, 2021 Read Full Article
Is It Starch or Cellulose? NREL Offers Answers that Could Unlock Incentives for Making Cellulosic Ethanol
by Zia Abdullah (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) Cellulosic ethanol—produced from fibrous cellulose, which gives plants strength and rigidity—offers a range of attractive benefits. When used as a vehicle fuel, it can support deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, with a carbon footprint
June 21, 2021 Read Full Article
Greenhouse Gas Data Deep Dive Reaches New Level of ‘Reasonable and True’
by Lauren Quinn (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) ... For corn ethanol, most greenhouse gas emissions can be mapped to the fuel’s production, transportation, and combustion, but a large portion of the greenhouse gas calculation can be traced right back to the
June 18, 2021 Read Full Article
Using CO2 & Renewable Electricity to Improve Biorefineries: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to CO2 Utilization
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) NREL is working on decarbonization of fuels and chemicals production by looking at the integration of CO2 utilization into two existing conceptual biorefinery designs, the brutal reality of CO2 reduction, market trends, decreasing the cost
June 18, 2021 Read Full Article
Avoiding the Coming Apocalypse: NREL’s Vision for Strategic Piloting and Enabling the Deployment of Bioenergy Technologies
by David J. Robichaud, Robert M. Baldwin, and Thomas D. Foust (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) ... Developing technologies are moving well beyond the traditional gasification/pyrolysis and biochemical pathways to include electrons to molecules, catalytic upgrading, electrolytic carbon capture and utilization,
June 17, 2021 Read Full Article
At Scale Feedstock Blending Optimization: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Waste-To-Energy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What if we could build a biorefinery in every state and divert all 76 million dry T/y of organic wastes into transportation biofuels…forever? That’s what Pacific Northwest National Lab hopes will happen someday as they
June 14, 2021 Read Full Article
Single Gene Boosts Climate Resilience, Yield and Carbon Capture in Crops
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have discovered a single gene that simultaneously boosts plant growth and tolerance for stresses such as drought and salt, all while tackling the root cause of climate change by enabling plants
June 11, 2021 Read Full Article
Waste-To-Energy Biofuels: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Biofuels Production Potential
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Check out this NREL slide guide covering their latest work on waste-to-energy resources, municipal solid waste (MSW) streams available for bioenergy conversions, and the latest data and analyses on WTE projects. From food waste management
June 10, 2021 Read Full Article
Visit the Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU) in 3D Tour
The Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU) is a bioprocess scale-up facility at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that enables early-stage advanced biofuels and bioproducts to successfully scale from the lab to commercial relevance. A new 3D virtual walkthrough of
June 09, 2021 Read Full Article
Novel Composite Catalyst Holds Promise for Cost-Effective Ethanol-to-Jet-Fuel Conversion
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory) ... The well-established, cost-competitive ethanol market provides an opportunity to shift the composition of jet fuel and other fuel products away from petroleum. The Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Bioenergy Technologies
June 07, 2021 Read Full Article
On-Site Hydrogen Production Technology Accelerates to Market
by Susan Bauer (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) California hydrogen fueling stations could soon benefit from lower cost approach -- A new technology that generates hydrogen from conventional natural gas, or renewable natural gas made from biomass, could be the next big
June 07, 2021 Read Full Article
WANTED: Unpublished and Underused Bioenergy Technology Data
(U.S. Department of Energy) Do you know of existing bioenergy technology data that aren’t Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, or Reusable (FAIR)? Could these data help accelerate the bioeconomy? The Accelerating Bioenergy Technology Advancement Through FAIR Data Delivery project is working to identify, acquire, and develop data and
June 01, 2021 Read Full Article
Jeanne McCaherty's Testimony to MN House Conference Committee on the Future Fuels Act
(Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) ... Jeanne McCaherty, CEO of Guardian Energy and board member of MN Bio-Fuels, testified in support of the Future Fuels Act to the Minnesota House Conference Committee. Here's her testimony in full: ... Specifically, we have discussed strategies that can harness
May 27, 2021 Read Full Article
Miscanthus Energy Crop Improvements: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Next-Gen Miscanthus
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Perennial grass miscanthus as an energy crop has advanced into high biomass yielding varieties and NC State University is working with Novozymes, Iogen and Oak Ridge National Lab on evaluating new miscanthus varieties and improving
May 24, 2021 Read Full Article
What Has Productivity 4X as Dense as Corn?: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Advanced Algal Systems
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Why algae? With biofuel yield 8-13 times larger than corn, well, why not! We took key slides from the 100+ slide deck from this year’s U.S. DOE BETO presentation on the latest goings ons with
May 20, 2021 Read Full Article
Velocys Provides Update on US, UK Biorefinery Rrojects
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) Velocys provided an update on its proposed commercial-scale U.K. and U.S. biorefinery projects in its 2020 financial report, released on May 17. The company also discussed an agreement that could allow its technology to be deployed
May 19, 2021 Read Full Article
Directed Funding Opportunity for Biomass Compositional Analysis DEADLINE: June 18, 2021
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is offering directed funding assistance for industry and universities interested in leveraging NREL's unique biomass compositional analysis capabilities. Eligibility All U.S. companies and universities are eligible to apply
May 19, 2021 Read Full Article
Getting the Most from Sustainable Aviation Fuel
by Lloyd Ritter (Green Capitol LLC/Biofuels Digest) The aviation industry is currently responsible for less than 3% of total global carbon emissions, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). But with air travel expected to increase by more than 60 percent
May 19, 2021 Read Full Article
Environmental Concerns Propel Research Into Marine Biofuels
(CaymanMamaNews/Globe Newswire/National Renewable Energy Laboratory) A global effort to reduce sulfur and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships has researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and other Department of Energy facilities investigating the potential use of marine biofuels. “Biofuels
May 17, 2021 Read Full Article
U.S. Department of Energy Invests $35 Million to Dramatically Reduce Carbon Footprint of Biofuel Production
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today (May 14, 2021) announced $35 million in funding that will help slash carbon emissions and scale up the volume and efficiency of renewable biofuel. The 15 awarded research projects are
May 17, 2021 Read Full Article
Next-Gen Logistics and Blending: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Biomass Feedstock Logistics Systems
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This U.S. Department of Energy BETO project’s biomass blend concept will allow biorefineries to utilize a much larger proportion of the land within their procurement radius, thereby enabling larger scale, more economically feasible facilities to
May 17, 2021 Read Full Article
Department of Energy Selects Four Projects to Move Co-Optimized Biofuels and Combustion Engines Closer to Market
(U.S. Department of Energy) Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the selection of four projects totaling $1 million to conduct cutting-edge applied research and development concerning the interaction between promising biofuels and combustion engines. The projects will leverage a
May 10, 2021 Read Full Article
The Co-Optima FY20 Year in Review Spotlights Recent Engine and Fuel Innovations.
(U.S. Department of Energy) A report released this week highlights the most significant breakthroughs of the last year in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative, with details on findings that could translate into significant greenhouse gas
May 10, 2021 Read Full Article
American Coalition for Ethanol Commends Scientists For Evidence Ethanol Must Be Part Of The Climate Solution
(American Coalition for Ethanol/GrainNet) American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) welcomed more scientifically credible evidence provided by Department of Energy Argonne National Lab scientists that explicitly states, “Corn ethanol plays an important role in enhancing energy security and the rural economy while contributing to
May 10, 2021 Read Full Article
Research & Communications for Building Trust in Sustainably-Sourced Biomass
by Keith L. Kline (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Many challenges remain to build public confidence in the role of biomass in sustainable, climate-smart, circular economies. How can we best – •Effectively communicate research to broad audiences? •Build trust in science and understanding
May 07, 2021 Read Full Article
ORNL Scientists Mark EE Week with Climate Talks to Local Students
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Esther Parish is one of eight scientists from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory talking to students in nine schools across East Tennessee as part of National Environmental Education Week, or EE Week. On April 13, she
May 07, 2021 Read Full Article
RFA: New Analysis from DOE Researchers Confirms Ethanol’s Low-Carbon Benefits
(Renewable Fuels Association) The carbon footprint of corn ethanol shrunk by 23% between 2005 and 2019 as farmers and ethanol producers adopted new technologies and improved efficiency, according to a new analysis published in the academic journal Biofuels Bioproducts and Biorefining by scientists
May 06, 2021 Read Full Article
The BDO Zone Investment Coalition Announces $1 Billion of Deployable Capital for Biobased Projects Located in BDO Zones
(BDO Zone Investment Coalition) The BDO Zone Investment Coalition today announces the mobilization of $1BB of capital for deployment into biobased infrastructure and manufacturing plants located in Bioeconomy Development Opportunity (BDO) Zones. The BDO Zone Investment Coalition is a group of leading, independent biobased investors,
April 22, 2021 Read Full Article
Bio-advantaged Fuel Blendstocks: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Co-optimization of Fuels & Engines
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Co-optima focuses on improved efficiency, performance and reduced pollution from ground transportation. Anthe George from Sandia National Labs shared this illuminating slide guide on the latest data and research from the U.S. Department of Energy
April 16, 2021 Read Full Article
How Green Are Electric Vehicles? In Short: Very Green. But Plug-in Cars Still Have Environmental Effects.
by Hiroko Tabuchi and Brad Plumer (New York Times) Here’s a guide to the main issues and how they might be addressed. -- ... But a lot depends on how much coal is being burned to charge up those plug-in
April 05, 2021 Read Full Article
Next-Generation Tech for Biofuels: Refining Smart Transfer Chutes Solves a Pervasive Problem in the Biofuel Refinery Industry—Potentially Making Biofuels More Affordable
by Laura Mullane (Los Alamos National Laboratory) Helping to strengthen the economic viability of biorefineries in the production of alternative fuels derived from biomass is critical to decreasing the use of fossil fuels and mitigating carbon dioxide emissions. To that end,
March 24, 2021 Read Full Article
Researchers Are Turning Kitchen Waste into Biofuels
by Steven Ashby (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) ... As part of advancing sustainable energy solutions, scientists at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are converting food waste into clean, renewable fuel that could power our planes, trains and
March 24, 2021 Read Full Article
New Clean Energy Process Converts Methane to Hydrogen with Zero Carbon Dioxide Emissions
by Lynne Roeder (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Novel bimetallic catalyst also yields valuable solid carbon co-products for manufacturing industries -- ... Researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and West Virginia University (WVU), in collaboration with industry partners Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas)
March 22, 2021 Read Full Article
Aemetis Discusses Plans for Renewable Diesel, Cellulosic Ethanol
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... McAfee (Eric McAfee, CEO of Aemetis Inc.) provided an update of the many improvement projects underway at the Keyes plant that will reduce the carbon intensity (CI) of the fuel it produces, including the
March 16, 2021 Read Full Article
Climate Change: Jet Fuel from Waste 'Dramatically Lowers' Emissions
by Matt McGrath (BBC) A new approach to making jet fuel from food waste has the potential to massively reduce carbon emissions from flying, scientists say. -- Currently, most of the food scraps that are used for energy around the
March 16, 2021 Read Full Article
The Green Secrets of Goat Poop – Smarter Materials, Better Medicines, and Sustainable Biofuels
(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/SciTechDaily) Microbes found in the goat gut microbiome could help humans convert plant material into valuable, eco-friendly commodities. Converting the tough fibers and complex sugars in plants into biofuels and other products could be humanity’s ticket to smarter materials,
March 16, 2021 Read Full Article
Characteristics of the Soil in Biofuel Crop Fields Affect Its Potential to Store Carbon
(NewsWise) Microbiome and soil chemistry at long-term bioenergy research sites challenge the idea that switchgrass increases carbon accrual in surface soils on marginal lands. -- In this study, researchers characterized the influence of crop and site on fungal and bacterial
March 16, 2021 Read Full Article
5 Key Tech Takeaways: Highlights from Tech Presented at ABLC 2020
by Iacovos Vasalos (Center for Research and Technology-Hellas/Biofuels Digest) This report summarizes highlights from the ABLC 2020 Biofuels Digest Virtual Conference, which took place in July 7-10, 2020. (And if you haven’t already registered for this year’s ABLC Digital on May 3-7,
March 10, 2021 Read Full Article
PNNL Energy Sciences Center Will Help Realize Clean Energy Future
by Casey Knopik (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) New facility will foster research collaborations to accelerate scientific discovery and technological innovation -- A new research facility on the Richland campus of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is set to open fall 2021. The Energy Sciences
March 08, 2021 Read Full Article
News Release: Groundbreaking Research into White-Rot Fungi Proves Its Value in Carbon Sequestration from Lignin
(National Renewable Energy Laboratory) A foundational study conducted by scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows for the first time that white-rot fungi are able to use carbon captured from lignin as a carbon source. The research confirms a hypothesis
March 01, 2021 Read Full Article
Researchers Are Turning Kitchen Waste into Biofuels
by Steven Ashby (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory/Phys.Org) When we eat, our bodies convert food into energy that fuels our lives. But what happens to the energy stored in the 80 billion pounds of food thrown away annually in America? As part
February 24, 2021 Read Full Article
Lighting the Path to Net Zero: NREL's Strategy Drives Deep Transportation Decarbonization
(National Renewable Energy Laboratory) From Passenger Cars to Commercial Trucks, Aircraft, Marine, Rail, and Mobility Systems, NREL’s Whole-System Approach Ensures a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Climate Future -- The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the
February 23, 2021 Read Full Article
NREL Reports Sustainability Benchmarks for Plastics Recycling and Redesign
(National Renewable Energy Laboratory) Researchers developing renewable plastics and exploring new processes for plastics upcycling and recycling technologies will now be able to easily baseline their efforts to current manufacturing practices to understand if their efforts will save energy and reduce
February 11, 2021 Read Full Article
Biofuel Opportunities for Marine Sector: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to ORNL
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Mike Kass shared this illuminating slide guide at ABLC 2020 as part of the marine and heavy duty biofuel opportunities panel. Dive into marine cargo vessel fuels, the advantages of using
February 11, 2021 Read Full Article
British Airways Fuels Its Future with Second Sustainable Aviation Fuel Partnership
(LanzaTech/LanzaJet) British Airways is investing in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technology provider and SAF producer LanzaJet as the company builds its first commercial scale plant in Georgia, USA •British Airways will purchase SAF from LanzaJet’s US plant to power a number of
February 09, 2021 Read Full Article
NREL Develops New Method to Better Understand Ethanol Production
(Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office funded researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and collaborated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to address a significant challenge
February 05, 2021 Read Full Article
Biochemical, Deacetylation and Mechanical Refining Process: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to NREL’s Biomass Deconstruction
What does an ideal biomass deconstruction process need? Find out in this illuminating slide guide from Xiaowen Chen, Senior Chemical Engineer in the Catalytic Carbon Transformation and Scale-up Center at National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Also take a peek into NREL’s
February 05, 2021 Read Full Article
Fields of Breeders' Dreams: A Team Effort toward Targeted Crop Improvements -- Community Effort Yields Reference Switchgrass Genome, Environmental Adaptations Data
(Department of Energy/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/EurekAlert) ... Identifying and breeding varieties that have high productivity across a range of environments is becoming increasingly important for food, fuel and other applications, and breeders aren't interested in waiting decades to develop new
January 29, 2021 Read Full Article
NREL Reports Sustainability Benchmarks for Plastics Recycling and Redesign
(National Renewable Energy Laboratory) Researchers developing renewable plastics and exploring new processes for plastics upcycling and recycling technologies will now be able to easily baseline their efforts to current manufacturing practices to understand if their efforts will save energy and reduce
January 22, 2021 Read Full Article
USDA’s Support for Rural Growth: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Rural Business-Cooperative Service
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Mark Brodziski, Deputy Administrator at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, shared this illuminating slide guide at ABLC 2020 about how the USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service offers programs to support rural business growth across markets in
January 21, 2021 Read Full Article
Getting to Neutral Carbon: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Carbon Drawdown
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s A.J. Simon shared this illuminating slide guide at ABLC 2020 to look at the role that bioeconomy pathways play in drawing down CO2 from the atmosphere. From pathway selection, corn starch,
January 19, 2021 Read Full Article
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning in Bioeconomy: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Idaho National Laboratory
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Barriers abound in the bioeconomy, but this slide guide from Idaho National Lab shows how artificial intelligence and machine learning will lower the barriers to growing a bioeconomy. From biomass supply and logistics to preprocessing
January 15, 2021 Read Full Article
Properties vs. Chemistry: Co-Optima Research Determines Predictor of Fuel Performance, Develops Roadmap for Biofuels Design
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory) As Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s fuel properties technical lead for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Co-Optimization of Fuel and Engines, or Co-Optima, initiative, Jim Szybist has been on a quest for the past few years to
December 03, 2020 Read Full Article
ORNL Joins Effort to Make Plastic More Recyclable
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory) From soda bottles to car bumpers to piping, electronics, and packaging, plastics have become a ubiquitous part of our lives. Advancements in materials have made plastics low cost, flexible, hygienic, lightweight, durable and readily available. While some
November 27, 2020 Read Full Article
Feedstock Conversion Interface Consortium: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Feedstock Variability
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We all know variability is inherent to biomass, but what can you do about it? Lots! This ABLC2020 slide guide dives into feedstock variability and the work FCIC is coordinating across an impressive 6 national
November 27, 2020 Read Full Article
Modern Alchemy: University of North Dakota Aims to Turn Corn Stalks, Stems and Leaves into Jet Fuel
(University of North Dakota/News Wise) One of the significant challenges for renewable alternative fuels could be solved if a consortium of research laboratories led by the University of North Dakota can turn corn waste into jet fuel. Wayne Seames, Chester Fritz Distinguished
November 25, 2020 Read Full Article
Okeechobee: From Blooms to Biocrude
by Mary Ann Showalter (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) PNNL’s hydrothermal liquefaction shows promise for turning harmful algal blooms into biocrude -- ... Algal blooms can also raise treatment costs for drinking water suppliers, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The U.S.
November 25, 2020 Read Full Article
Taking Off into Cleaner Skies with LANL Research
by Sheila Van Cuyk (U.S. Department of Energy) ... One such project at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is targeting sustainable aviation fuels that can reduce harmful emissions, including greenhouse gases. Not all Transportation Fuels are Created Equal Relative to gasoline and diesel,
November 18, 2020 Read Full Article
WEBINAR: Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium: Developing First-Principles Tools and Knowledge for the Emerging Biorefinery Industry --- December 9, 2020
The Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium (FCIC) is excited to announce a series of webinars to showcase the consortium’s tools and knowledge garnered through research. The FCIC is a collaborative, interdisciplinary effort among nine U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories. The goal
November 17, 2020 Read Full Article
Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines Call for White Papers - Directed Funding Opportunity for Collaboration with National Laboratories
(U.S. Department of Energy) The Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative focuses on developing new high-performance fuels that, when combined with advanced combustion approaches, can boost engine efficiency and cut emissions. Co-Optima seeks proposals to leverage National Laboratory resources
November 13, 2020 Read Full Article
NREL Recycles Biorefinery Waste Streams to Create High-Value Chemical Products
by Zia Abdullah (U.S. Department of Energy) Thermochemical conversion of lignocellulosic biomass is a promising route to produce renewable biofuels and oxygenated biochemicals while enabling the reuse, recovery, and recycling of materials containing carbon. Aqueous Waste Streams: A Drag on Biorefinery Profitability To
November 12, 2020 Read Full Article
Scientists Develop Catalyst to Convert Ethanol into High-Value Chemicals and Fuels
by Christina Nunez (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory/Phys.Org) Though we usually think of ethanol as fuel for the gas tank, it can also be transformed into valuable chemicals that could help replace a variety of petroleum-based products beyond just gasoline. However, evolving
November 12, 2020 Read Full Article
Microbe 'Rewiring' Technique Promises a Boom in Biomanufacturing
(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/Phys.Org) Researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have achieved unprecedented success in modifying a microbe to efficiently produce a compound of interest using a computational model and CRISPR-based gene editing. Their approach could dramatically speed up the
November 11, 2020 Read Full Article
Lowering Tech Barriers to Grow Bioeconomy: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There are major barriers in growing a bioeconomy, but Idaho National Laboratory is tackling some of those by applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve the supply of sustainable biomass feedstock for conversion to
November 06, 2020 Read Full Article
CABBI Researchers Collaborate on Oilcane Pilot Project
by Jenna Kurtzweil (Brookhaven National Laboratory/Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation) From southeastern Florida to northern Mississippi to the Midwestern Corn Belt, CABBI scientists have struck sustainable oil with sugarcane. But the crop’s potential value to the renewable energy
November 03, 2020 Read Full Article
Characterization and Engineering of a Two-Enzyme System for Plastics Depolymerization
by Brandon C. Knott, Erika Erickson, Mark D. Allen, Japheth E. Gado, Rosie Graham, Fiona L. Kearns, Isabel Pardo, Ece Topuzlu, Jared J. Anderson, Harry P. Austin, Graham Dominick, Christopher W. Johnson, Nicholas A. Rorrer, Caralyn J. Szostkiewicz, Valérie Copié, Christina M. Payne, H. Lee Woodcock, Bryon S. Donohoe, Gregg T. Beckham, and
October 26, 2020 Read Full Article
California E15 Testing to Start
by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com ) ... To that end, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), state corn organizations, ethanol groups and the auto industry, are working with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to conduct vehicle testing using 15 percent ethanol (E15) at
October 22, 2020 Read Full Article
Waste Not, Want Not: INL Studies Potential of Municipal Solid Waste for Biofuels
by J. Richard Hess (Idaho National Laboratory) ...Even though MSW (municipal solid waste) has great potential, not much was known about the cost and quality of feedstocks that could be derived from MSW or MSW blends for fuel production. In
October 19, 2020 Read Full Article
U.S. Department of Energy Announces $27 Million in Plastics Recycling Research and Development
(U.S. Department of Energy) Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced over $27 million in funding for 12 projects that will support the development of advanced plastics recycling technologies and new plastics that are recyclable-by-design. As part of DOE’s Plastics
October 15, 2020 Read Full Article
Machine Learning Takes on Synthetic Biology: Algorithms Can Bioengineer Cells for You
by Julie Chao (Berkeley National Laboratory) If you’ve eaten vegan burgers that taste like meat or used synthetic collagen in your beauty routine – both products that are “grown” in the lab – then you’ve benefited from synthetic biology. It’s a field
October 15, 2020 Read Full Article
ANL Releases 2020 Updates to GREET Models
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Argonne National Laboratory’s Systems Assessment Center on Oct. 9 announced the 2020 release of the suite of Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies (GREET) models. GREET is a life-cycle analysis tool that can
October 13, 2020 Read Full Article
DOE Launches Two Consortia to Advance Hydrogen Technology
by Michael Bates (NGT News) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has officially launched the Million Mile Fuel Cell Truck (M2FCT) and the H2NEW consortia to advance fuel cell truck and hydrogen production R&D. The announcement builds upon DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
October 13, 2020 Read Full Article
MSU Researchers to Lead $11 Million Study to Deepen Understanding of Camelina
by Reagan Colyer (Montana State University News Service) A research team led by faculty in Montana State University’s College of Agriculture received $5.1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy designed to explore camelina, an oilseed with the potential to be an alternative
October 01, 2020 Read Full Article
Biomass Feedstocks and Process Variability: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The U.S. Department of Energy leads the Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium, which is a collaborative effort among 9 labs to develop first-principles based knowledge and tools to understand and mitigate the effects of biomass feedstock and process
September 22, 2020 Read Full Article
Not Your Average Refinery
(Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Small stockpiles of biomass such as sewage, food waste, and wood chips are often overlooked in visions of future sustainable fuel and chemical production. The dismissal arises because transporting these materials to a large-scale, centralized bio-refinery would
September 21, 2020 Read Full Article
Engineered Pseudomonas putida Simultaneously Catabolizes Five Major Components of Corn Stover Lignocellulose: Glucose, Xylose, Arabinose, p-coumaric Acid, and Acetic Acid
by Joshua R.Elmore, Gara N.Dexter, DaviniaSalvachúa, MarykateO'Brien, Dawn M.Klingeman,KentGorday, Joshua K.Michener, Darren J.Peterson, Gregg T.Beckham, Adam M.Guss (Metabolic Engineering) Engineered P. putida to catabolize xylose and arabinose. Identified bottlenecks in xylose catabolism in P. putida and improved growth rate. Max sugar consumption rate in
September 17, 2020 Read Full Article
Prometheus Fuels Licenses Energy-Saving ORNL Ethanol-to-Jet-Fuel Process
(EurekAlert!/Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Prometheus Fuels has licensed an ethanol-to-jet-fuel conversion process developed by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The ORNL technology will enable cost-competitive production of jet fuel and co-production of butadiene for use in
September 16, 2020 Read Full Article
NREL's Catalysis Research Team Boosts Efficiency for the Production of High-Octane Gasoline and Jet Fuel from Biomass
by Zia Abdullah (U.S. Department of Energy) Techno-economic analysis leads to a market-responsive biorefinery concept -- ... THE CHALLENGE: REDUCE BIOMASS TO BIOFUEL CONVERSION COSTS -- ... The production of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass is hindered by high conversion costs, creating
September 10, 2020 Read Full Article
Competitive Edge: Velocys
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... Velocys is delivering the next generation of sustainable fuels to decarbonize aviation. We were founded from spinouts of Oxford University in the UK and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the USA, developing a
September 04, 2020 Read Full Article
ClearFlame Engine Technologies Awarded $1.1 Million Department of Energy Phase II Grant
(ClearFlame) Funding will support R&D for clean engine technology on heavy-duty engines -- ClearFlame Engine Technologies, a start-up company dedicated to the development of clean engine technology, has been awarded a two-year, $1.1 million Phase II grant from the Department
August 24, 2020 Read Full Article
Non-Top500 Argonne System Helps Find Method to Convert CO2 into Ethanol
(Inside HPC/Northern Illinois University) By supercomputing standards, Argonne National Lab’s Bebop (stood up in 2017, 1.75 teraflops, bumped off the Top500 list after the June 2019 ranking) seems something of a second-tier player. But non-Top500 systems like Bebop can still take a star
August 21, 2020 Read Full Article
Dual-Purpose Hemp Cultivars Have Best Biofuel Potential
by Katie Pratt (University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment) Dual-purpose industrial hemp cultivars show the best potential for coproduction of biofuel and bioproducts, according to University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment study. In the study led
August 14, 2020 Read Full Article
Turning Carbon Dioxide into Liquid Fuel
by Joseph E. Harmon (Argonne National Laboratory) New electrocatalyst efficiently converts carbon dioxide into ethanol. ... A research team, led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory in collaboration with Northern Illinois University, has discovered a new
August 11, 2020 Read Full Article
Biomass Alliance for Logistics Efficiency and Specifications: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to BALES Bioenergy Feedstock Analysis
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bale analysis, probes, core samples – measuring and analysis of bioenergy feedstocks is key. In this illuminating slide guide from ABLC Digital, the Idaho National Laboratory, Antares Group, ASDI, and B Hames Consulting share how bale
August 05, 2020 Read Full Article
Biofuels Project Led by John Sedbrook Awarded $13 Million from DOE
by Rachel Hatch (News Illinois State University) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a $13 million grant to a nationwide project led by Illinois State University. Professor of Genetics John Sedbrook will head up the project aimed to genetically
August 04, 2020 Read Full Article
Black Gold: Iowa’s Soils Can Be a Fort Knox for Carbon Storage
by Zhichao Wang and Jim Ramm (EcoEngineers) Iowa’s fertile farmland could be a soil-based Fort Knox that — instead of gold — stores a wealth of carbon within its underground vaults. How farmers can tap into the potential riches of carbon capture