by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At ABLC Next last week, there was lots of buzz and tons of discussion about all sorts of things, but what were the key takeaways? Let's start with Sustainable Aviation Fuels, CRISPR, new food, the
New Mexico
Back TO HOMEThe Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Breakthroughs at the Bioenergy Research Centers
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Over 10 years (2007–2017), three Bioenergy Research Centers produced multiple breakthroughs in the form of deepened understanding of sustainable biomass production practices, targeted re-engineering of biomass feedstocks, development of new methods for deconstructing feedstocks, and
October 18, 2019 Read Full Article
Michael Bloomberg Says Cities Can Help Us Meet Paris Climate Goal
by Josh Siegel & Abby Smith (Washington Examiner's Daily on Energy) New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and eight other U.S. mayors released a policy “playbook” Thursday for how cities can cut emissions from the transportation and building sectors. The mayors say if the largest 100
October 10, 2019 Read Full Article
Students Recognized with 2019 Young Algae Researcher Awards
(Algae Biomass Organization) Four student scientists were recognized with the Algae Biomass Organization’s Young Algae Researcher Awards for their contributions to fields of algae biology and engineering at the 2019 Algae Biomass Summit, held in Orlando, Florida, September 16-19. The awards are
October 03, 2019 Read Full Article
$73 Million, 35 Projects, Who Won, for What and Why: The DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office 2019 Project Selections
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the U.S. Department of Energy has selected 35 projects totaling $73 million for bioenergy research and development support. Funded through the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, these projects will help reduce
October 02, 2019 Read Full Article
New Mexico Commits to Climate Action in the Face of Trump Administration’s Attack on Clean Car Standards
(Sierra Club) Today, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that New Mexico will join 14 other states in adopting clean car standards requiring new cars sold in the state to emit fewer greenhouse gases. They also mandate an increasing percentage of cars
September 25, 2019 Read Full Article
All About Algae: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to DOE’s Advanced Algal Systems
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Algae has a lot of recent federal support, and this presentation takes us there. The Advanced Algal Systems is working on a host of strategies to focus on enhacing productivity, feedstock, quality and robust yields
August 21, 2019 Read Full Article
Vampire Algae Killer's Genetic Diversity Poses Threat to Biofuels
(Science Daily/U.S. Department of Energy Los Alamos Laboratory) New DNA analysis has revealed surprising genetic diversity in a bacterium that poses a persistent threat to the algae biofuels industry. With the evocative name Vampirovibrio chlorellavorus, the predatory pest sucks out the
August 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Major Automakers Strike Climate Deal with California, Rebuffing Trump on Proposed Mileage Freeze
by Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis (Washington Post) The agreement could have vehicles hit 50 miles per gallon on average by 2026 -- Four automakers from three continents have struck a deal with California to produce fleets that are more fuel-efficient in
July 25, 2019 Read Full Article
Vampire Algae Killer's Genetic Diversity Poses Threat to Biofuels
(Los Alamos National Laboratory/Phys.Org) New DNA analysis has revealed surprising genetic diversity in a bacterium that poses a persistent threat to the algae biofuels industry. With the evocative name Vampirovibrio chlorellavorus, the predatory pest sucks out the contents of the algae cells
July 23, 2019 Read Full Article
Algae Technology Educational Consortium Prepares Students for Careers in Algae Cultivation and Technologies
by Jonathan Male (U.S. Department of Energy) Algae is a fast-growing industry that needs a skilled workforce of scientists, researchers, and engineers to advance algae technology and the commercialization of algal products to support the bioeconomy. With funding from the Bioenergy
July 22, 2019 Read Full Article
UPS Makes Largest Purchase of Renewable Natural Gas Ever in The U.S.
(UPS) Seven-Year 170 Million Gallon Equivalents Purchase from Clean Energy Fuels Corp. Will Reduce GHG Emissions by More than 1 Million Metric Tons -- UPS (NYSE: UPS) today announced an agreement with Clean Energy Fuels Corp.(NASDAQ: CLNE) to purchase 170 million gallon equivalents of
May 23, 2019 Read Full Article
Algae and Synthetic Ecology: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to New Mexico Consortium
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) New Mexico Consortium is non-profit corporation formed by 3 NM universities to facilitate research collaborations for universities, industry & Los Alamos Laboratory. They are looking to algae as a solution where cell factories could produce energy
May 21, 2019 Read Full Article
State Leadership Fuels Carbon Reduction, Clean Energy Booms
(Solutions from the Land) ... The swelling momentum of state leadership pushing forward climate issues and solutions, as well as growing engagement with the challenges of climate change on Capitol Hill, shows there is a surging opportunity for stakeholders from the
May 15, 2019 Read Full Article
Growth Energy: New Mexico Becomes 31st State to Add E15 Choice at the Pump
(Growth Energy) Today, Growth Energy announced that New Mexico is the newest state to offer consumers greater choice at the fuel pump with the availability of E15 – a fuel blended with 15 percent renewable ethanol. The latest in this market expansion
May 03, 2019 Read Full Article
(A)lgae + (B)iomass = (C)onstructive: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Sandia National Labs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sandia National Laboratories shares a famous acronym with Saturday Night Live but the work they have done is key to the future of the bioeconomy, having delivered essential science and technology to resolve the nation’s most
April 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Sustainable Super JET Fuels: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to High Performance Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Researchersfrom several labs and universities like Georgia Tech, Sandia National Labs, University of Dayton, and others are working together on Engine Optimized Sustainable Drop-in JET High Performance Fuels (HPF). Anthe George manages the Biomass Science and Conversion Technologies
April 17, 2019 Read Full Article
Lighting the Way to Bioproducts: Smart Microbial Biosensors for Conversion Pathway Design
by Babetta (Babs) Marrone (Los Alamos National Laboratory) For several years, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) scientists have been taking advantage of the molecular tools that naturally reside within microbial cells. Although microbes use these tools to carry out their metabolism and
February 28, 2019 Read Full Article
Fuel & Engine Co-Optimization: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to NREL
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) is working to address key questions like what fuels engines really want, what fuels work best and what will work in the real world. John Farrell from NREL gave this illuminating
February 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Renmatix, Gevo Ink Deal to Develop Cellulosic Hydrocarbons for Jet Fuel, Gasoline Markets
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We have word bubbling up simultaneously from Pennsylvania and Colorado that Gevo and Renmatix inked a joint development agreement to evaluate the commercial feasibility of creating renewable jet fuel by integrating Renmatix’s Plantrose Process with Gevo’s
December 07, 2018 Read Full Article
Department of Energy Announces $98 Million for 40 Transformative Energy Technology Projects; Fuel Cell Projects Funded for $12.5M
(FuelCellsWorks) The U.S. Department of Energy announced $98 million in funding for 40 new projects as part of OPEN 2018, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA‑E) latest open funding opportunity. These funds will support some of America’s top energy innovators’ R&D
November 22, 2018 Read Full Article
Report on the Thermochemical Sciences Symposium at Auburn University
by Leyla Battista-Channell* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Auburn, Alabama: Home to the Auburn tigers, the “loveliest village on the plains,” and this year’s host to the Thermochemical Sciences Symposium. Previously held at other universities, why Auburn University this year? The Biosystems
November 12, 2018 Read Full Article
Company Hopes to Convert Ethanol Plant to Methane
(Quay County Sun) If all goes according to plan, a long-closed ethanol plant in Tucumcari may be converted into a methane plant and become fully operational by mid-2020. Tucumcari Bio-Energy Co. is hunting for investors and may begin converting the plant to
October 08, 2018 Read Full Article
Election 2018: Clean Energy’s Future Could Rise or Fall with 36 Governors' Races
by Marianne Lavelle and Dan Gearino (Inside Climate News) Governors have the power to set the agenda on renewable energy or throw up roadblocks to its progress. It's become an issue in several races this year. -- Some of the most consequential elections
September 28, 2018 Read Full Article
Incentives Watch: Oregon’s Bovine Manure Tax Credit Isn’t the Only “Crappy” Credit That Exists
by Lauren Colandreo (Bloomberg) ... Last fall, Oregon enacted the Bovine Manure Tax Credit, which offers bovine manure producers and collectors a tax credit for each wet ton of manure collected to be used as a biofuel or to produce a biofuel.
September 19, 2018 Read Full Article
These Researchers Want to Use Pollution to Make Fuel
by Bruce Lieberman (Yale Climate Connections) They think nutrients in farm runoff could feed algae for biofuel. -- When fertilizer and pesticides run off farmland, they can contaminate waterways with nutrient pollution. Davis: “A classic example is the Mississippi Basin.” That’s Ryan Davis of
August 30, 2018 Read Full Article
Researchers Discover How to Protect Yeast from Damage in Biofuel Production
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 University of Wisconsin–Madison and several
August 13, 2018 Read Full Article
New Mexico Natural History Museum Launches Online Game to Grow Algae for Biodiesel
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 online game “Growing Green Goop”
August 07, 2018 Read Full Article
The Top 10 Advances in Renewable Butanol: What’s Speeding up, Where Are the Slow-Downs?
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 technology consists on a novel
August 03, 2018 Read Full Article
LANL Researching Algae to Convert to Affordable Fuel
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 and a team at Los
July 31, 2018 Read Full Article
The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of July 27th
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, we’re going to be tracking
July 28, 2018 Read Full Article
Feeding Plants to This Algae Could Fuel Your Car
(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 strain of microalgae, Auxenochlorella protothecoides,
July 19, 2018 Read Full Article
Taming the Tasmanian Devil of Polymers: Lignin, the Orneriest, Roughest, Toughest, Most Un-cooperative and Abundant Natural Polymer Ever
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 see how that work has
July 13, 2018 Read Full Article
A Matter of Gravity—Understanding How Plants Grow in Space
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 seeds designed to open new
July 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Seeking a Friend for the End of Unreliability: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to the Feedstock Conversion Interface Consortium
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 deconstruction. In response, researchers have joined
July 06, 2018 Read Full Article
DOE’s Scum Ranchers
(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 the process. The Salton Sea
June 29, 2018 Read Full Article
Greenbelt Resources Announces Colorado Location Search for Bioethanol Project
(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 and Energy, LLC(B&E), a New
June 28, 2018 Read Full Article
The Yosemite Sam of the Microbial World, Hot Rodded Lichen, BYO Nitrogen, The Microbial Marx Brother, Sexy Hexy and More: The DOE Delves into New Orgamsism for Fuels & Chems
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 mess, a sky-vacumming organism and
June 28, 2018 Read Full Article
A First-of-a-Kind Algal-based College Certificate Program Sends Off Its First Graduates
(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, New Mexico. These first ATEC graduates
June 27, 2018 Read Full Article
Farm Bill Energy Programs Have Earned Bipartisan Support
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 successful in helping businesses create
May 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Riding Bacterium to the Bank: Sandia Researchers Tailor E. coli to Convert Plants into Renewable Chemicals
(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 that could make it economically
May 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Partners in Production--Chemical Companies Are Developing Technologies that Would Create New Market Opportunities for the Ethanol Industry
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 for the industry. Ethanol is flexible
April 20, 2018 Read Full Article
States to Sue EPA over Failure to Enforce Landfill Gas Rules
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 regulations. The coalition announced its plans
April 11, 2018 Read Full Article
Greenbelt Resources and Biofuels & Energy Announce “SLV Biopro”
(Greenbelt Resources) Greenbelt Resources Corporation (OTC: GRCO), an innovator of sustainable energy production systems, in collaboration with Biofuels & Energy, LLC (B&E), announced today the San Luis Valley Bioproducts Project, known as SLV Biopro. The project will feature Greenbelt’s waste-to-energy interconnected system (ECOsystem) designed
March 30, 2018 Read Full Article
Greenbelt Resources Signs Letter of Intent With Biofuels and Energy, LLC
(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 Energy, LLC (B&E), a New
March 15, 2018 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Sustainable Bioeconomy for Arid Regions (SBAR)
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 can provide biomass year round
March 15, 2018 Read Full Article
Bill Aims to Dismantle RFS, Limit Biofuel Blending
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, cellulosic, and biomass-based diesel fuels. The
March 09, 2018 Read Full Article
DOE Doles out Millions for Natural Gas Engine Research
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 two new cost-shared research projects
March 08, 2018 Read Full Article
High Performance Fuels: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to DOE’s Co-Optima Project and HP fuels
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 modes, and capitalize on unique
February 21, 2018 Read Full Article
API Urges EPA Not to Exempt Small Refiners from US Biofuel Mandate
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 with throughput of less than
February 15, 2018 Read Full Article
Dry Idea: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to the Bioeconomy in Arid Regions
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 feedstock improvements, expansion of cultivation,
January 22, 2018 Read Full Article
Las Cruces Utilities Collaboration Leads to Algae Breakthroughs
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 that grows in stagnant water
January 08, 2018 Read Full Article
Algae Foundation Gears up Coursework
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 has been an eventful year
December 04, 2017 Read Full Article
No Crop Left Behind: Inside the USDA’s Bioeconomy Feedstock Strategy
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 industries producing advanced biofuels, industrial
November 13, 2017 Read Full Article
Study Speeds Transformation of Biofuel Waste into Useful Chemicals
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 fuels and other products from
November 10, 2017 Read Full Article
UA to Head New Center Focusing on Biofuels and Bioproducts
(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 scientists and engineers. The University of
October 18, 2017 Read Full Article
Sierra Hotel: Los Alamos, Gevo to Develop Ultra Long-Range Missile, Aviation Fuels
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 getting a new generation of
October 12, 2017 Read Full Article
ASU, CSU, NREL Share in $3.5 Million Algae Project
(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 at improving how algae-based biofuels
October 11, 2017 Read Full Article
8 Fast Flyers Chosen for Top Cat: The Big Attack on Biomass Catalysis Begins
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 forward commercial bioenergy applications two
October 05, 2017 Read Full Article
NREL Selected to Spearhead $3.5 Million DOE Project to Advance Algal Biofuels and Bioproducts
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 goal of reducing the production
October 04, 2017 Read Full Article
Energy Department Announces $3.5 Million for the Advancements in Algal Biomass Yield, Phase 2 (ABY2) Additional Selection
(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 opportunity announcement (FOA). For Algal
September 26, 2017 Read Full Article
Depolymerizing That Dang Lignin: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Biochemical Lignin Deconstruction
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 the DOE’s hydrocarbon fuel cost
September 15, 2017 Read Full Article
Psst! The Latest Bioeconomy Flashes from Bayer, Gingko, BioAmber, Joule, TerraVia, Corbion, Phytelligence, DNA Script
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 familiar faces re-surface. Let’s review. Bayer,
September 15, 2017 Read Full Article
Crossing the 3K Threshold: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to Sapphire Energy’s Algae Biofuels Productivity
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 of 2,500 gallons of oil
August 24, 2017 Read Full Article
Biofuels from Bacteria: Sandia Labs Helps HelioBioSys Understand New Clean Energy Source
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 is helping HelioBioSys Inc. learn whether farming
August 22, 2017 Read Full Article
The Good, the Bad and the Algae
(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 related to elevated levels of
August 09, 2017 Read Full Article
Heat Death: Joule Unlimited Collapses as Oil Prices Flag, Time Passes, Pressure Mounts
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 year,” former CEO Brian Baynes
July 19, 2017 Read Full Article
$8 Million for Algae Biofuel from U.S. Department of Energy
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 innovation, improve quality of life,
July 19, 2017 Read Full Article
Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Op-Ed: Renewable Fuel Standard Good For Farmers, Consumers, Environment
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 “next American farm bust” and
July 07, 2017 Read Full Article
Algae’s PACE: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Algae for Co-Products and Energy
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
June 21, 2017 Read Full Article
Algae at Scale: Qualitas Health Triples Algae Farm Acreage for Omega-3 Now, Protein Soon
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 Texas, Qualitas Health unveiled a
May 30, 2017 Read Full Article
Insight into Enzyme’s 3D Structure Could Cut Biofuel Costs
(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 as the fibrous cellulose of
May 19, 2017 Read Full Article
ATEC Passes First Semester
(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 semester of the ATEC curriculum
May 10, 2017 Read Full Article
Trash into Treasure: Sandia Could Help Biofuel Pay for Itself with Goods Made from Waste
(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 expensive than petroleum, but one
May 09, 2017 Read Full Article
Could This Enzyme Help Turn Biofuel Waste into Something Useful?
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 convert aryl compounds, a common
April 07, 2017 Read Full Article
Sandia Purposefully Crashing Algae Ponds
(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 and diseases, and learning to
March 10, 2017 Read Full Article
BETO Announces Launch of Consortium of National Laboratories To Overcome Catalysis Challenges
(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 catalysis challenges for biomass conversion
February 28, 2017 Read Full Article
Thousands of Spills at US Oil and Gas Fracking Sites
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 wells over a ten-year period
February 22, 2017 Read Full Article
Sequim Lab Looks to Find the Best Biofuel in Algae
(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 but expensive to harness effectively. "The
February 13, 2017 Read Full Article
New Enzyme Has Potential to Turn Plant Biomass into Biofuel
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 of researchers led by scientists
February 08, 2017 Read Full Article
Biofuel Matchmaker: Finding The Perfect Algae for Renewable Energy
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. The tiny LEDs brighten and
January 17, 2017 Read Full Article
Natural Chem Group Acquires Closed New Mexico Ethanol Plant
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 statement that the facility could
November 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Joule Unlimited: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide
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 transformative Helioculture platform directly and
October 24, 2016 Read Full Article
What To Do With Algae
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 like the platinum mine. It
October 20, 2016 Read Full Article
A.I.M. Interview: Dr. Tom Dempster Taking ATP3 Workshops on the Road
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 the Arizona Center for Algae
October 19, 2016 Read Full Article
A Man and His Turbine Engine
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 biofuels, but will work also
October 05, 2016 Read Full Article
USDA Results: Powering America with a More Sustainable Energy Future
(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 third generations of tomorrow’s fuels. ... In
October 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Sandia: Turning Ubiquitous Lignin into High-Value Chemicals
(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 unusual soil bacteria, researchers at
September 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Water-Energy Dependence around Pacific Rim Mapped in New Sandia Study
(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 National Laboratories study, “Mapping Water
September 20, 2016 Read Full Article
Scientists Harness CO2 to Consolidate Biofuel Production Process
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 innovation comes from researchers at
July 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Energy Department Announces $15 Million to Advance Algae-based Biofuels and Bioproducts
(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 will develop highly productive algal
July 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Business Owner, NMSU’s Arrowhead Center Hope to Create Jobs, Ecosystem with Biorefinery
(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, the company plans to reconfigure
July 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Closing the Loop: Ionic Liquids from Biomass Waste Could Pretreat Plants Destined for Biofuels
(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 to be broken down into
July 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Re-Think, Re-Use, Retro-Fit: 15 4G Techs Transforming Gen-1 Biobased Plants
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 Croda #13 Hummingbird #12 Alliance BioEnergy #11 GeoSynFuels #10
June 17, 2016 Read Full Article
USDA Announces More Than $8 Million in Payments to Support the Production of Advanced Biofuel
(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 in 39 states. USDA continues
May 27, 2016 Read Full Article
The SynBio Foundry: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide
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, and Sandia National Lab seek
May 27, 2016 Read Full Article
US Oil Drillers Seek Limits on Crude Imports
(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 a major sector of the
April 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Oil and Gas Companies Stiff 29,000 Workers Out of $40 Million
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 – which together rejuvenated the
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Major Regulatory Milestones in First Quarter Set Joule Up for Commercial Success
(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 of environmentally sustainable ultra-low carbon
April 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Bust Adds to U.S. Fuel Glut and Losses Across Corn Belt
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 world’s biggest corn grower and
March 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Science Teacher Plans First Coast-to-Coast Biofuel Flight
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. McCurdy will launch from North
March 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Abengoa Bioenergy Files for Chapter 11 for Parent and 5 Subsidiaries
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 US bioenergy subsidiaries. The companies
February 25, 2016 Read Full Article
High Tech Mecca: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to Biotech at Sandia National Labs
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 cell biology, immunology, and microbiology,
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
The Extreme 16: Strutting Microbial Terminators Pumping up the Pursuit of Sustainable Molecules
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 forms trapped under hundreds of
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Algae Foundation Collaborates with SFCC on DOE Grant
(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 develop a college degree in
January 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Strong 2015 Places Joule as a Global Leader in Scalable Ultra-Low Carbon Fuel Technologies
(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 has gained significant traction in
January 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels Company Industrializes Photosynthesis
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, Joule's Helioculture technology leaves all
January 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Algae Industry Magazine's 2015 International Readers’ Poll — Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
(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 for our next generation of
January 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Can PACE Project Drive Algal Biofuels to Marketability?
(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 research project led by Los
December 22, 2015 Read Full Article
Solvents, Plasticizers, Coalescers, Emollients: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide to xF Technologies
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 oil. xF Technologies plans to
December 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Abengoa Contagion Spreads to U.S. Biofuel Plants, Causing Layoffs and Shutdowns
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 run, I think there’s a
December 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Sequencing Algae’s Genome May Aid Biofuel Production
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 that researchers have sequenced the
November 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Neutrons Help Decipher Enzyme Function for Cellulosic Conversion
(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 and Oak Ridge (USA), as
November 03, 2015 Read Full Article
New BETO Fact Sheets Profile the Emerging Bioeconomy by State
(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 efforts to develop the advanced
October 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Open-Pond Algae at Scale: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide to Sapphire Energy
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 attributes of algae provide valuable
October 19, 2015 Read Full Article
8 Ways around the Big, Bad Oxygen Problem in the Advanced Bioeconomy Parts 1 and 2
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 black hole, and higher than
October 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Senators Push White House on Ethanol Mandate
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 — met with White House
October 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Joule Achieves U.S. EPA Registration for CO2-Recycled Ethanol
(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 gasoline blends. “We are approaching commercialization
October 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Los Alamos Explores Hybrid Ultrasmall Gold Nanocluster for Enzymatic Fuel Cells
(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 published in the Journal of
September 29, 2015 Read Full Article
The Key to Water Security Could Be Lurking in a New Mexico Sewage Farm
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,” says Peter Lammers, a professor
September 24, 2015 Read Full Article
The Key to Water Security Could Be Lurking in a New Mexico Sewage Farm
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,” says Peter Lammers, a
August 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Algae Fuels, the Earth Room Problem, and Osmotic Shock Around the Clock
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 and now, in 2015’s Summer of Where
August 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Medical and Biofuel Advances Possible with New Gene Regulation Tool
(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 gene expression Recent work by Los
August 24, 2015 Read Full Article
NM Lawmakers Call on Administration to Curb Natural Gas Waste Causing Methane Hot Spot Over San Juan Basin
(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 Michelle Lujan Grisham called for
July 28, 2015 Read Full Article
What’s up with Algae Now?
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 developers and technology suppliers. ... AlgaEnergy AlgaEnergy is
July 10, 2015 Read Full Article
USDA to Invest Up to $100 Million to Boost Infrastructure for Renewable Fuel Use, Seeking to Double Number of Higher Blend Renewable Fuel Pumps
(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 more renewable fuel options available
May 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Ethanol Evil No More?
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 releasing the CO2 of plants
May 29, 2015 Read Full Article
A.I.M. Interview: SFCC’s Luke Spangenburg
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 Bensinger assembled the program, with
May 18, 2015 Read Full Article
Joule, Audi Confirm Revolutionary Sunflow Fuel Meets US, EU Specs
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 Joule fuels registered for commercial
May 11, 2015 Read Full Article
A.I.M. Interview: Sapphire Energy’s Bryn Davis
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 of investment into drop-in algal
April 24, 2015 Read Full Article
Editorial: Bright Future ahead for Local High School Student
(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 Mexico's Center for High Technology
April 24, 2015 Read Full Article
White House Science Fair Celebrates Student Research
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, New Mexico, weren’t having more
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Delaware-Size Gas Plume over West Illustrates the Cost of Leaking Methane
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 space. Satellites that sweep over energy-rich
December 30, 2014 Read Full Article
Early Slowdown Signs Emerge for U.S. Oil States after Crude Slide
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 budget revenue forecast will have
December 15, 2014 Read Full Article
Abengoa Plant May Reopen
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 Stan Livengood said the company
December 09, 2014 Read Full Article
Biofuel Survivor Joule Lands New CEO, Plans Larger CO2-to-Fuel Plants
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 and, more recently, falling oil
November 21, 2014 Read Full Article
10 Must-See Hot Slides from ABLC Next 2014 – the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference
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 Biofuels Leadership Conference – ABLC
November 17, 2014 Read Full Article
A Sustainable, Affordable Diesel Oxygenate
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 not to like? The
November 04, 2014 Read Full Article
Where Are We with Algae Biofuels? Parts 1 and 2
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 two-part series, we look first
October 14, 2014 Read Full Article
State of the Algae Industry: 10 Top-Level Commercial Leaders Look at the Path to Scale
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, a pair of key sessions
October 02, 2014 Read Full Article
USDA Announces Loan Guarantee to Help Innovative Company Turn Waste Into Renewable Jet Fuel
(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 to produce jet fuel from municipal
September 08, 2014 Read Full Article
Solar Fuels: How Close, How Real?
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 recharging? And, could the liquid fuel
July 17, 2014 Read Full Article
Sinopec, Sapphire Energy Project Unveiled in China; Wins US-China EcoPartnerships Nod
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 made overnight US time in
July 10, 2014 Read Full Article
Joule’s Quest for Fuels from CO2, Sunlight and Water
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 for commercial use at the
July 03, 2014 Read Full Article
Aftermath of Climate Change: National Landmarks at Risk
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, 2014, The Environmental and Energy
May 23, 2014 Read Full Article
Dr. Stephen Mayfield: When Will Algae-based Transportation Fuels Be Economically Viable?
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 1900. In fact, algae-based fuels
April 17, 2014 Read Full Article
Sapphire Develops NM Bio-Fuels Potential
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 and the challenge it poses
April 03, 2014 Read Full Article
Algae Biomass Organization Hails New Publication that Identifies Most Promising Locations for Commercial Algae Production Projects
(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 National Laboratory in partnership with
March 11, 2014 Read Full Article
The 10 Hottest Trends in Algae
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 — and a series of
March 04, 2014 Read Full Article
Endophytics, LLC Announces an Advanced Biofuel and Green Chemicals Technology Platform Utilizing Fungi
(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 the industry. Endophytics, LLC recently announced