by Chris Barncard  (University of Wisconsin-Madison)  Some chemicals used to speed up the breakdown of plants for production of biofuels like ethanol are poison to the yeasts that turn the plant sugars into fuel.
Researchers from the …

by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In New Mexico, the state’s Museum of Natural History and Science has launched an online exhibition called Bio-AI that allows users to grow an algae crop—or fail and lose the crop—using an …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  From Portugal comes the news that SilicoLife was awarded with a SME instrument phase 1 grant for the commercial evaluation of its BUTANOVA technology, a new biological process to produce n-butanol.
BUTANOVA …

by Andy Stiny (Santa Fe New Mexican)  … And those lawn clippings? They could be used to convert algae into a mass-produced, economical biofuel to be used in cars, trucks and airplanes.

Molecular biologist Amanda Barry …

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, …

(Los Alamos National Laboratory/Phys.Org)  Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory and partner institutions provided today the first published report of algae using raw plants as a carbon energy source. The research shows that a freshwater production …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … Lignin has developed into a sustainable and very satisfactory alternative to fossil fuels.
But applications have been needed. Firstly, applications that work, then applications that pay, then applications at scale. Let’s …

by Tom Rickey (Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory/Phys.Org)  Last month a rocket thundered off a NASA launch pad in Virginia, destined for the International Space Station. Nestled among the 7,400 lbs. of supplies was a handful of …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  What is the Feedstock Conversion Interface Consortium and why does it exist?
The Why is simple. #1 issue plaguing High and Low Temperature IBR projects is consistent operability of preprocessing and primary …

(Algae Industry Magazine/Vice News Tonight/HBO)  The Department of Energy is trying to turn the Salton Sea, a lake in the California desert, into a farm for renewable fuels — and clean its infamously polluted water in …

(Greenbelt Resources)  Biofuels & Energy distributes request for proposal through regional economic development agencies  —   Greenbelt Resources Corporation (OTC: GRCO) (Greenbelt), the developer of a sustainable ECOsystem model that transforms waste into revenue generating bioproducts, today announced that Biofuels …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The meanest, nastiest, ornierest, heat-seeking organism ever found that munches biomass and other microbes that got a booster via the DOE’s $40M grants for advanced microbes R&D. And aromatics without the …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)-funded Algae Technology Educational Consortium (ATEC) is proud to announce its first graduates from the algal certificate program at Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe, …

by Brent Erickson (The Hill/Biotechnology Innovation Organization)  Since 2002, the farm bill has contained an energy title, with cost-effective programs that support private investment in renewable energy, biobased manufacturing and energy efficiency. The programs are extremely …

(Sandia National Laboriatories/EurekAlert!)  What does jet fuel have in common with pantyhose and plastic soda bottles? They’re all products currently derived from petroleum. Sandia National Laboratories scientists have demonstrated a new technology based on bioengineered bacteria …

by Tim Albrecht (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The ethanol industry has polished its coproduction of distillers grains. Now, a handful of companies have found different uses for DDGS, or ethanol itself, that can provide new value-added coproducts …

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine)  A coalition led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the California Air Resources board has announced plans to sue the U.S. EPA over its failure to enforce existing landfill methane …

(Globe Newswire/Greenbelt Resources)    Greenbelt Resources Corporation (OTC:GRCO) (Greenbelt), the developer of a sustainable ECOsystem model that transforms waste into revenue generating bioproducts, today announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Biofuels and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Sustainable Bioeconomy for Arid Regions (SBAR) is a multi-level research project that will cultivate two desert-dwelling crops, guayule and guar, for a sustainable bioeconomy. Combined, guayule (perennial) and guar (annual) feedstocks …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  On March 8, Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., introduced companion bills that aim to dismantle the Renewable Fuel Standard and sunset blending obligations for conventional, advanced, …

by Betsy Lillian (NGT News)  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $4 million to support three new cost-shared research projects focused on medium- and heavy-duty, on-road natural gas engines, as well as $3 million to support …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The US Department of Energy has a key project called Co-Optima, which aims to determine key fuel properties that enable improved engine efficiency, provide key science to enable high efficiency combustion …

by Meghan Gordon (Platts) The American Petroleum Institute has come out against a campaign by small refineries to avoid their obligations under the US biofuel mandate, according to a letter released Tuesday. 
More than two dozen refineries …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The Sustainable Bioeconomy for Arid Regions (SBAR) is a multi-level research project that will cultivate two desert-dwelling crops, guayule and guar, for a sustainable bioeconomy. Scale up to profitable production, however, requires …

by Cassie McClure and Suzanne Michaels (KRWG)  Over the past decade, New Mexico State University (NMSU) College of Engineering Professor Nagamany Nirmalakhandan (known as Dr. Khandan) has investigated how algae – yes, that simple green stuff …

by Mark R. Edwards (Algae Industry Magazine)  t the recent Algae Biomass Summit in Salt Lake City Algae Foundation President Ira Levine shared this year’s advancements in algal-based education for K-14 and beyond. The past year …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … You’d be forgiven if you mistook Ahb Subi Banr-Sbar for a well-placed official in the Iranian government — but, in fact, it’s a 9-project network to facilitate the development of regionally-based …

by Jules Bernstein (Phys.Org/Sandia National Laboratories)  A Sandia National Laboratories-led team has demonstrated faster, more efficient ways to turn discarded plant matter into chemicals worth billions. The team’s findings could help transform the economics of making …

(University of Arizona News)  The goals of the Sustainable Bioeconomy for Arid Regions Center will be to address the nation’s needs for biofuels and bioproducts, strengthen Arizona’s bioeconomy, and provide training for the next generation of …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Imagine, for example, a Boeing 777 flying non-stop between any two cities in the world. Or F-18A/F Superhornets adding significant weapon loads, or up to 30% to flight range. It’s like …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  Colorado State University scientists and Arizona State University’s Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation are partners in a three-year grant of up to $3.5 million from the Department of Energy, aimed …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Somewhere in the files of the Department of Energy it is called the Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium. Inside the halls of National Labs, they call it ChemCatBio.
…
They’re on a mission to bring …

by Kathy Cisar (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the selection of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to lead a new project, for up to $3.5 million, with the …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the selection of one additional project, for up to $3.5 million, as part of the Bioenergy Technologies Office’s (BETO’s) Advanced Algal Systems Program funding …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The US Department of Energy is supporting a project to develop a biological approach to depolymerize lignin for upgrading of aromatic compounds to co-products. Lignin valorization is key for meeting …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  While we’ve been busy fleeing Hurricane Irma, it’s been a busy week for the techies running the Digest’s Very Large Gossip Array —  the airwaves have been crackling as some …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Back in 2014, Sapphire Energy and the US Department of Energy embarked on a project to advance Sapphire’s (then) biomass production technologies across three priority areas to meet a target …

by Jules Bernstein  (Sandia National Laboratory)  … A Bay Area company has patented a group of three single-celled, algae-like organisms that, when grown together, can produce high quantities of sugar just right for making biofuels. Sandia …

(Sandia National Laboratory)  Sandia National Laboratories is testing whether one of California’s largest and most polluted lakes can transform into one of its most productive and profitable. Southern California’s 350-square-mile Salton Sea has well-documented problems …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  One of the more striking outcomes from the DOE Bioeconomy 2017 conference in Washington DC was confirmation of the demise of Joule Unlimited. “We had a lot of prospects last …

by Tina Casey (Triple Pundit) … DOE is pushing ahead with another round of $8 million in funding aimed squarely at developing next-generation biofuel from algae, leading to “a bioeconomy that can help create jobs, spur …

by Dale McCall (Rocky Mountain Farmers Union/Brian Allmer Radio Network)  America’s farming communities are facing an economic crisis. Not since the 1980s have farm incomes declined so far so fast. The Wall Street Journal called it the …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Los Alamos National Lab’s Dick Sayre gave this illuminating overview of the PACE project for Producing Algae for Co-Products and Energy at the 2017 DOE Project Peer Review sessions.  READ MORE

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Think beyond nanotechnology. It’s Nanno Technology, as Qualitas’ nannochloropsis strain gets deployed in New Mexico at the old Green Crude Farm (now Green Stream Farms), as well as in Texas.
In …

(Los Alamos National Laboratory)  Neutron crystallography maps LPMOs that break down fibrous cellulose  —  Using neutron crystallography, a Los Alamos research team has mapped the three-dimensional structure of a protein that breaks down polysaccharides, such …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  The Algae Technology Education Consortium (ATEC), a collaboration among the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Algae Foundation, universities, community colleges, and industry production companies across the United States, has successfully implemented the first …

(U.S. Department of Energy/Sandia National Laboratories/EurekAlert!)  A recent discovery by Sandia National Laboratories researchers may unlock the potential of biofuel waste — and ultimately make biofuels competitive with petroleum.
Fuel made from plants is much more …

by Sarah Yang (Berkeley Lab)  Joint BioEnergy Institute study targets LigM for its role in breaking down aromatic pollutants  —  A protein used by common soil bacteria is providing new clues in the effort to …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  For algal biofuels to compete with petroleum, farming algae has to become less expensive. Toward that goal, Sandia National Laboratories is testing strains of algae for resistance to a host of predators …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announces the launch of its Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium (ChemCatBio), a research and development consortium dedicated to identifying and overcoming …

By Matt McGrath (BBC)  Up to 16% of hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells spill liquids every year, according to new research from US scientists. They found that there had been 6,600 releases from these fracked …

(Associated Press/SFGate)  Scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory‘s Marine Sciences Laboratory are turning algae inside out to find the best biofuel possible. Dr. Michael Huesemann, a lead researcher, said algae is a promising clean energy …

by Kenny Walter (R&D Magazine)  …  Scientists have studied these enzymes in pure cultures of microorganisms, despite the fact that microorganisms break down cellulose as communities in the environment.

To examine this further, a multi-institutional team …

by Frances White (Renewable Energy World/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)  A dozen glass cylinders containing a potential payload of bright green algae are exposed to hundreds of multi-colored lights, which provide all of sunlight’s natural hues. …

by Mike D. Smith (Chron.com)  Natural Chem Group plans to redevelop a closed plant it acquired through a Spanish company’s bankruptcy and convert the facility into a biodiesel blending terminal.
…
Natural Chem officials said in a …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Joule is advancing a production platform for Liquid Fuel from the Sun, expected to eclipse the scale, productivity and cost efficiency of any known alternative to fossil fuel today. Its …

by Terry Mazanec (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest)  … So the process removes and processes about 25 tonnes of earth to obtain each gram of Pt, valued at about $35. It is a very lucrative business.
Biomass is much …

by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine)  Dr. Tom Dempster works as a research professor – focusing on strain selection and development, biomass production, algal biofuels and high-value products, and air and wastewater bioremediation – at …

by Suzi Thaye (Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper) David Stapp’s invention is “fuel-agnostic”  —  … It’s a nice spot for CEO Stapp to concentrate on his pet project, the Peregrine Turbine, a jet engine that can run solely on …

(U.S. Department of Agriculture)  … The Obama Administration has pursued a carefully balanced approach, deploying technologies that improve the very best of our existing energy sources, while rigorously implementing policies that invest in the second and …

(Sandia National Laboratories/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Abundant, chock full of energy and bound so tightly that the only way to release its energy is through combustion—lignin has frustrated scientists for years. With the help of an …

(Sandia National Laboratories)  A wide-ranging analysis of water vulnerability across the Pacific — including the U.S., China, Russia and Japan — has identified hundreds of locations where energy production depends upon scarce water supplies.
The Sandia …

by Sarah Yang (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)  Carbon dioxide has emerged as a new secret ingredient in the recipe for making ethanol, and that addition represents a major step forward in streamlining the biofuel production process.
The …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  The Energy Department today announced up to $15 million for three projects aimed at reducing the production costs of algae-based biofuels and bioproducts through improvements in algal biomass yields. These projects …

(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, …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  Recycling waste from biofuel production could lower cost for future biorefineries. — Ionic liquids (ILs) have been shown to be an excellent pretreatment solvent for biomass; the ILs prepare the plant matter …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Here, we profile 15 techs that offer incremental to profound shifts in the economics of the Gen-1 ethanol fleet, and have implications for everything from passenger cars to jets.
#15 Vertimass  and Byogy
#14 …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $8.8 million to boost the production of advanced biofuels and sustain jobs at renewable energy facilities …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Ames National Lab, Argonne National Lab, Idaho National Lab, Los Alamos National Lab, the National Renewable Energy Lab, Oak Ridge National Lab, Pacific Northwest National Lab, …

(Associated Press/FuelFix) Oil drilling companies and royalty owners from the Texas Panhandle to New Mexico’s stretch of the Permian Basin are embarking on a grass-roots campaign to limit foreign oil imports, salvaging what they say is …

by  Alan Neuhauser (US News and World Report)  America’s fracking boom promised big paychecks, but thousands of workers were exploited, the Labor Department says. —  … Despite booming industry profits and record oil and gas output …

(Joule/BusinessWire)  EPA Qualifies Joule Ethanol Under Clean Air Act  —  Joule, the pioneer of drop-in liquid fuels from recycled CO2, today announced major accomplishments in the first quarter of 2016 that are accelerating the commercialization …

by Mario Parker (Bloomberg Business) … Back in 2007, when crude oil was headed toward a record $147.27 a barrel, ethanol was being touted as a cheap alternative from abundant domestic resources. The U.S. is the …

by Megan Elliott (Flying Magazine)  First transcontinental flight using aviation biofuel in a certified light aircraft. — High-school science teacher Ross McCurdy is planning the first transcontinental flight using aviation biofuel in a certified light aircraft. …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Missouri, Abengoa Bioenergy US Holding, LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on behalf of itself and 5 of its …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Sandia’s Bioenergy and Defense Technologies department, which is part of Sandia’s Biological and Materials Sciences Center, supports mission areas in biodefense, emerging infectious disease, and biofuels. The department conducts fundamental research in …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Take it to the Extreme, with these microscopic wonders that are changing the way we pursue sustainable fuels, renewable chemicals and biobased materials.  —  These days, researchers are turning up life …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  he Algae Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about algae, its biology, ecology, cultivation and commercial potential, has been awarded a three-year grant from the Department of Energy to …

(Joule/BusinessWire) Major milestones include acquisition of Red Rock Biofuels, expanded partner relationships, continued strong technology development backed by strong financing partners  —  Joule, the pioneer of drop-in liquid fuels from recycled CO2, announced today that it …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  For eight years, Joule has been working under the radar to develop and commercialize its CO2-to-fuel technology. —  When it comes to ethanol production volumes per acre of land, …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  In any industry, a few incredible people make an enormous impact. The algae industry is fortunate to honor Algae Ambassadors that are great scientists and industry leaders. They are also superb educators …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  Dr. Richard Sayre, a scientist in the Bioenergy and Biome Sciences group at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the New Mexico Consortium, writes in the Santa Fe New Mexican about a new …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  xF Technologies Inc. is an Albuquerque, NM based company that has developed a thermochemical process to convert biomass into an advanced oxygenate that is compatible with gasoline, diesel and heating …

by Rob Nikolewski (Kansas Watchdog.org)  … “I think we have to see how this thing plays out. In the short run, of course, it’s a devastating blow,” said Neal Gillespie, Stevens County Economic Developmentdirector. “In the long …

by James Urton (University of Washington)  … University of Washington scientists have sequenced the complete genetic makeup of one of these algae. As they recently reported in the journal PLOS Genetics, it is only the second time …

(Technical University of Munich/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  …   Using neutrons, researchers have now investigated the reaction mechanism of an important class of enzymes: the glycosidases. The measurements were made at the neutron sources in Los Alamos …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  How is funding from BETO a part of the emerging bioeconomy in some states? Find out with our new state fact sheets. For select states, these fact sheets give information about …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Sapphire is a venture capital backed company founded in 2007 for the purpose of growing and processing micro-algae into products that serve very large and diverse markets where the unique …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In the terrestrial world, oxygen is colorless, odorless, and try to get through an hour without some.  In the Bioeconomy Cinematic Universe, oxygen is harder than steel, heavier than a …

by Devin Henry (The Hill)  A group of senators is pushing the White House to issue a strong mandate for ethanol fuel.  Fourteen senators — a mix of Republicans and Democrats, many from ethanol-producing Midwestern states …

(Joule/BusinessWire)  Joule, the pioneer of liquid fuels from recycled CO2, today announced that its fuel grade Sunflow®-E ethanol has been registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for commercial use in E10 and E15 …

(EurekAlert!/US Department of Energy)  New technique removes barrier to development of biofuel cells with efficient performance  —  With fossil-fuel sources dwindling, better biofuel cell design is a strong candidate in the energy field. In research …

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 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 …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  What is the Earth Room Problem and how is osmotic shock helping us to solve it?
You may have wondered to yourself — at some point between 2009’s Summer of Algae …

(Los Alamos National Laboratory)  The key is a tunable switch made from a small non-coding RNA molecule that could have value for medical and even biofuel production purposes. — Tunable riboregulator switches for post-translational control of …

(Office of Senator Tom Udall (D-NM))  In a letter this week to Office of Management and Budget (OPM) Director Shaun Donovan, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Reps. Ben Ray Luján and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … 31 Algae players, what do they make now, and how are they making out? … Here’s our company by company guide to 31 of the players on the scene — project …

(U.S. Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest up to $100 million in a Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership to support the infrastructure needed to make …

by Kelly Taylor  (Chronicle Herald) …  Still, ethanol does have some advantages, including lower net greenhouse gas emissions due to its recycling of carbon-dioxide emitted by today’s plants (or factories), as opposed to oil, which is …

by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine)  The vision of developing a community college degree program to train a high technology algae workforce was launched at New Mexico’s Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) in 2009. Charles …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Massachusetts, news arrives from Joule that the company’s CO2-recycled  ethanol meets US and European fuel specifications. No one is dying of surprise that they would do so, but  getting …

by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) In January of this year, after six months of plummeting oil prices, Sapphire Energy CEO James E. Levine announced that the company – with eight years and $300+ million …

(Deming Headlight)  Like other high school seniors, Sophia Sánchez-Maes of Mayfield High is weighing her options as she considers where she will go next. … Sánchez-Maes was a photonics research intern at the University of New …

By Emily Conover (Science Magazine) Sixteen-year-old Sophia Sánchez-Maes is all about algae. The slimy green stuff is an attractive candidate for biofuel production, but Sánchez-Maes wondered why the biofuel startups near her hometown of Las Cruces, …

by Joby Warrick   (The Washington Post)   The methane that leaks from 40,000 gas wells near this desert trading post may be colorless and odorless, but it’s not invisible. It can be seen from …

by Tim Reid (Reuters)  … In Houston, Texas, the first oil industry layoffs have been announced, with realtors there predicting a sharp decline, up to 12 percent, in home sales next year.
Alaska’s 2015 fiscal year …

by Joshua Lucero  (Portales News-Tribune)  More than two years after the Abengoa plant went off-line, Houston, Texas, based Natural Chem Group is looking to acquire the plant and resume operations.
Roosevelt County Community Development Corp. Director …

by Martin LaMonica  (Xconomy)  The list of advanced biofuel companies that failed to live up to their ambitions is long and discouraging. Joule Unlimited, though, appears to be making progress despite the headwinds of skeptical investors …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  10 hot companies, 10 hot slides explaining where they are, what they’re up to, and where they are going, and when and how and why.
Here are new slides from the Advanced …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  A bolt-on technology for ethanol plants, costing less than $2 per installed gallon, producing a cellulosic biofuel additive that oxygenates diesel fuel at competitive prices?  It’s early stage, but what’s …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The state of R&D so far. 4 NAABB advances  have brought the cost of algae biocrude oil down to $7.50 per gallon.  3 roadblocks remain between today’s cost and $3.00.  In our …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  10 leaders, 10 enterprises, 10 paths to scale — what’s really key to making algae a commercial crop for feed, fuel and pharma, soon?
This week at the Algae Biomass Summit, …

(US Department of Agriculture)  $105 Million loan guarantee provided through the Biorefinery Assistance Program
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA has closed on a loan guarantee to Fulcrum Sierra Biofuels, LLC to build a biorefinery …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Could a liquid fuel technology emerge that connects solar PV to the efficiency of electric engines — but, this time with long driving range and near-instant refueling instead of laborious …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The Digest has heard from China that Sapphire Energy’s and Sinopec’s algae-derived renewable crude oil project has been selected for the U.S.-China EcoPartnerships program, and that the announcement is being …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … From Massachusetts, word arrived from Joule this week that the EPA has favorably reviewed the company’s Microbial Commercial Activity Notice for Joule’s first commercial ethanol-producing catalyst. This clears the catalyst …

by Olatomiwa Bifarin* (Advanced Biofuels USA) With the impact of climate change becoming evident by the day, many of the United States iconic landmarks are at risk as never before. On the 20th of May, …

by Stephen Mayfield (International Society for Applied Phycology Newsletter)   I am often asked, “When will algae-based transportation fuels be commercially available?” My answer tends to be that they are available now, and have been since roughly …

By Alta LeCompte(Las Cruces Bulletin) On a tour Thursday, Jan. 23, of Sapphire Energy’s research and development facility in the West Mesa Industrial Park, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich addressed the unique nature of the advanced biodiesel industry …

(Algae Biomass Organization)  Analysis can reduce time, cost associated with site development
The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the algae industry, today (March 10, 2014) lauded a new publication from the Pacific Northwest …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Algae has been touted as the ultimate platform for fuels, chemicals, nutraceuticals, proteins — even cancer therapies.
There’s been a rate of progress that would impress any devotee of Moore’s Law …

(Virtual-Strategy.com)   Changing the way the world looks at the source of hydrocarbons for biofuels and sustainable green chemicals, Endophytics LLC announces a new technology platform in Bozeman, Montana that is receiving attention from many throughout …

by Milsa Vijayadharan* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Most of the oil that we drill out of the ground was formed by algae and other sea-borne flora that piled up at the bottom of the ocean over …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The story of Pareto Biotechnologies, RuBisCo, the pesky failures of evolution, and help for those who have fallen and can’t get up, via a right-sized approach.   Not too high a …

(Sapphire Energy/PR NewsWire)  Agreement to Co-Process Algae Crude Oil with Conventional Crude Oil and Complete Fuel Certifications
 Sapphire Energy, Inc., one of the world leaders in algae-based Green Crude oil production, and Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX), an …

by Steve Byrns (AgriLife Today)  Pecos is usually egg-frying hot, bone dry and much of the groundwater is brackish, but Texas A&M AgriLife Research personnel know the area is prime real estate for conducting algae research, …

by Ned Stowe (Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  For many supporters of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), a key goal was to stimulate the development and use of low-carbon, next generation biofuels – to help …

(Algae Biomass Organization)  Algae Biomass Organization Applauds Reps. Scott Peters and Matt Salmon as New Chairs of the Congressional Algae Caucus.  Bi-partisan group focused on increasing awareness of the potential of algae industry to create …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the availability of $181 million to develop commercial-scale biorefineries or retrofit existing facilities with appropriate technology to develop advanced biofuels. The U.S. Department of Agriculture …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … It seems a long time ago now that, out of Dr. Steve Mayfield’s lab at Scripps and later at the University of California at San Diego, a series of discoveries …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  … Speaking to a packed conference hall, executives from Algenol, Sapphire Energy, Cellana, BioProcess Algae, Heliae, Algix and Aurora Algae all emphasized scaling up production as the industry’s next major priority as it …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … In Florida, Algenol CEO Paul Woods announced at the Algae Biomass Summit that the company has switched reactor system and has reached a peak production of 10,400 gallons per acre …

(UPI.com)  Algae-derived biofuels can reduce the life cycle of carbon dioxide emissions by at least 50 percent compared to petroleum fuels, a U.S. university study found.
The peer-review study — the first to analyze real-world data …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  Algae-derived biofuel can reduce life cycle CO2 emissions by 50 to 70 percent compared to petroleum fuels, and is approaching a similar Energy Return on Investment (EROI) as conventional petroleum, according to a …

(EurekAlert)   “Biofuel” has become a global buzzword, with cars and trucks powered by fuel made from corn, corncobs and stalks, switchgrass and even waste oil from cooking french fries, envisioned as a way to stretch …

by Herman Wang (Platts/The Barrel) It’s hard to get excited over a producer making a scant 2 barrels/day of crude.
But in the case of Sapphire Energy, those barrels represent the beginnings of a potential revolution that …

(Associated Press)  Research into the potential of algae-based fuel is getting a $5 million boost from the U.S. Department of Energy.
…
NMSU is working on the project along with Los Alamos, Argonne and Pacific Northwest national …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  During remarks at the Energy Department’s Biomass 2013 annual conference, Secretary Moniz today highlighted the important role biofuels play in the Administration’s Climate Action Plan to increase our energy security and reduce greenhouse …

(Algae Biomass Organization)  The algae industry is moving faster than many people suspect. To help demonstrate how far along so many of ABO’s members are we  recently created the Algae Industry Project Book, an illustrated guide …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In today’s Digest – visit our 5-Minute Guide to Loan Guarantees — INEOS Bio, Myriant, Sapphire Energy, Abengoa, Chemtex, Enerkem, Fiberight, Fulcrum, ZeaChem – Plus POET-DSM, Diamond Green Diesel, Coskata and Range Fuels
Projects open …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Sapphire raises new round of equity, pays off USDA Loan Guarantee: “Sapphire Energy is very grateful to the USDA for supporting algae crude oil,” says CEO C.J. Warner.
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Reached by telephone, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … The Summer of Algae has passed, but dozens of companies have remained hot in pursuit of a solution for fuels, feed, nutraceuticals, fragrances, flavorings and tailored renewable oils.
Their technologies? Closed …

by David Schwartz  (Algae Industry Magazine)  José Olivares is a busy man. Not only the founder and kingpin of the NAABB 3-year DOE-backed consortium to ring out the potential of algal biofuel production, he also …

(Sapphire Energy/PR NewsWire)  Companies Partner to Commercialize Hydrothermal Treatment Technology Used to Upgrade Algae into Crude Oil
Sapphire Energy, Inc., one of the world leaders in algae-based Green Crude oil production, and the technology company The …

by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Ricardo Inc. is both strong on ethanol blends and efficient engines.
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Earlier in June, an advanced combustion engine research project was announced where Ricardo will partner with the University of …

by Chenda Ngak (CBSNews.com)  Professor Juergen Polle is packing up his laboratory on a sweltering morning in New York City, but the beakers and test tubes aren’t going on summer break. The professor of biology at …

by Dahai Gao, Shishir P. S. Chundawat, Anurag Sethi, Venkatesh Balana, S. Gnanakaran, and Bruce E. Dale (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)  Substrate binding is typically one of the rate-limiting steps preceding enzyme catalytic …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …Promiscuous, because a zillion organisms know how to use photosynthesis, under a zillion set of circumstances, to turn simple and abundant molecular compounds — like carbon dioxide and water — …

(Los Alamos National Laboratory/Biodiesel Magazine)  …Los Alamos scientists and collaborators from The University of Guelph in Canada published an article in the scientific journal Nature Chemistry this week that could offer a big step on the path …