by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Agriculture contributes >9% of US total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Nitrous oxide, CO2, and methane from soil management is the biggest GHG contributor. There is a need to reduce the carbon intensity of biomass feedstocks. A
nitrogen
Back TO HOMEHow to Earn Passive Income with Sustainability Programs
by Darryl Matthews (AgWeb) There are a number of practices that can create passive income on your operation, but the level of effort and investment to implement them varies. -- ... Creating these payments requires effort and sometimes capital investments (no different
October 17, 2024 Read Full Article
Fertiglobe Becomes ADNOC’s Platform for Low-Carbon Ammonia Growth Globally
(ADNOC) ADNOC completes acquisition of majority stake in Fertiglobe, increasing its shareholding to 86.2%; Completion marks another milestone in ADNOC’s chemicals growth strategy, the expansion of its low-carbon fuels business, and its plans to become a top five global chemicals player;
October 17, 2024 Read Full Article
New Brand Name for Slurry and Digestate Treatment from WELTEC BIOPOWER: “Kumac” Becomes ”WELTEC BLUE WATER”
(WELTEC BIOPOWER) “WELTEC BLUE WATER” now replaces Kumac. With this new name, WELTEC BIOPOWER is responding to international market requirements for its tried and tested slurry and digestate treatment systems. In recent years, 17 plants have already been put into operation
October 14, 2024 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to SAF from Wet Wastes via Hydrothermal Liquefaction
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Wet wastes could provide up to 6 billion gallons of SAF and saves on expensive alternative disposal processes that can reach as high as $4 per gallon of fuel. In this project, researchers propose a method
September 23, 2024 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to Better SAF via Adsorptive De-Nitrogenation
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Hydrothermal liquefaction provides a straightforward approach to producing SAF, yet there’s nitrogen in the upgraded biocrude, and it has to come out. Meanwhile, bad news, nitrogen in hydrotreated biocrude consists of a large variety of nitrogenated
August 08, 2024 Read Full Article
Carbon Intensity Score Calculator
by Mark Dorenkamp (Brownfield Ag News) A new tool has been developed to help farmers and ag stakeholders better understand the carbon intensity score of corn as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel. Iowa State University Extension economist Alejandro Plastina says the
August 01, 2024 Read Full Article
ABS Releases 'Industry-First' Ammonia Bunkering Guidance
by Gary Howard (Seatrade Marine News) ABS has published a new advisory covering technical and operational challenges in ammonia bunkering from the perspective of both the source and receiving vessel. -- Ammonia is among the maritime industry's future fuel contenders due to
July 25, 2024 Read Full Article
Study Finds Health Risks in Switching Ships from Diesel to Ammonia Fuel
by Adam Zewe (MIT News) Ammonia could be a nearly carbon-free maritime fuel, but without new emissions regulations, its impact on air quality could significantly impact human health. -- One potential solution is switching the global fleet from fossil fuels to sustainable
July 18, 2024 Read Full Article
CF Industries and POET to Demonstrate the Use of Low-Carbon Fertilizer in Corn Production to Reduce Carbon Intensity of Ethanol
(CF Industries/Business Wire) CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CF), a leading global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products and the world’s largest producer of ammonia, and POET LLC, the world’s largest producer of biofuel and a global leader in sustainable bioproducts,
July 16, 2024 Read Full Article
Gasum Starts an Expansion Project at Riihimäki Biogas Plant
(Gasum) To enhance production efficiency, Gasum’s Riihimäki biogas plant in Finland is undergoing a significant conversion focused on the treatment of the digestate. The project demonstrates Gasum’s commitment to increasing the production of biogas to bring more renewable energy to the
February 12, 2024 Read Full Article
Tecnimont (MAIRE) Awarded a Front-End-Engineering Design for an Integrated Green Hydrogen and Ammonia Plant in Portugal
(Tecnimont (MAIRE)) Tecnimont will carry out FEED and will submit an EPC proposal for a large-scale plant that will produce green hydrogen and green ammonia from dedicated renewable energy; The scope of work includes electrolyzers’ integration, air separation unit for nitrogen production,
February 09, 2024 Read Full Article
How Green Ammonia Is Helping to Drive the Hydrogen Transition
(Nium/RE:TV) Hydrogen is the most abundant element on Earth and has been identified as an important clean fuel for the energy transition, emitting only water when burned instead of carbon dioxide. However, producing hydrogen can be carbon intensive, and storing and
October 27, 2023 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2023 Multi-Slide Guide to Adsorptive De-Nitrogenation as a Pathway to SAF
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Bioprocessing Separations Consortium is a National Laboratory-led effort, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office, that is dedicated to identifying and overcoming separations challenges associated with the conversion of biomass into fuels
October 25, 2023 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2023 Multi-Slide Guide to CO2 Reduction and Upgrading for e-Fuels Consortium
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Commercial shipping and transportation expected to be difficult to electrify/decarbonize. Projected supply of traditional biomass feedstocks may be insufficient to fully meet global demand. CO2 as a feedstock could help meet SAF Grand Challenge. The CO2RUE
September 22, 2023 Read Full Article
KRISO Achieved ABS’ Approval for It’s Offshore Ammonia Production Platform
(KRISO) The Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering (President Key Yong Hong, KRISO) developed Korea’s first offshore platform for ammonia production and has achieved the Approval in Principle (AIP) from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). □ The offshore platform for ammonia
September 22, 2023 Read Full Article
GSR Solutions Dairy Farm Partnership Unveiled Revolutionary Manure Processing Technology
(GSR Solutions/PR Log) GSR Solutions LLC (dba NutriHarvest), a biotechnology solutions provider, in collaboration with Green Mountain Dairy Farm, is excited to announce the first commercial launch of a technology that converts liquid manure waste stream into value-added fertilizers. The new
August 03, 2023 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2023 Multi-Slide Guide to Ammonia’s Role as a Pathway to Low-Carbon Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In this outlook, the pathways to low-carbon ammonia, it’s applications in fuels and chemicals, including as a hydrogen carrier, and the production outlook ahead. Nexant’s Edurard Lindner presented these slides at ABLC 2023. READ MORE
May 31, 2023 Read Full Article
Pluton Biosciences Raises $16.5M Series A led by Illumina Ventures and RA Capital to Discover and Deploy Microbes that Will Fight Climate Change
(Pluton Biosciences/PR Newswire) ..."Pluton's technology will benefit farmers' bottom lines as well as our environment," said RA Capital's Michael Gillespie, MD, who has also joined Pluton's Board of Directors. "Microbial Cover Crops™ will enrich the soil with nitrogen to increase
May 26, 2023 Read Full Article
Sequestering Soil Organic Carbon: A Nitrogen Dilemma
by Jan Willem van Groenigen, Chris van Kessel, Bruce A. Hungate, Oene Oenema, David S. Powlson, and Kees Jan van Groenigen (Environ. Sci. Technol.) To slow down rising levels of atmospheric CO2, the “4 per 1000” (4p1000) initiative was launched at the
May 04, 2023 Read Full Article
Growing In Iowa: The Future of Food and Farming -- Pivot Bio Improves Grower Access to a Dependable Nitrogen Source
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From his time at the University of Iowa to the first startup he founded with support from the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, Karsten Temme, Ph.D., credits much of his accomplishments as Pivot Bio CEO and co-founder to the invaluable
April 11, 2023 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2023 Multi-Slide Guide to Linde
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Linde is a leading global industrial gases and engineering company with 2021 sales of $31 billion (€26 billion). The company serves a variety of end markets including chemicals & energy, food & beverage, electronics, healthcare,
January 11, 2023 Read Full Article
H2Carrier and Anori Plan Greenland’s First PtX Project
(Bioenergy International) H2Carrier's P2XFloater concept is based on making a life extension of an existing Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC) and expanding upon its design by extending its hull to maximize production capacity. Green hydrogen is produced by pumping onboard
January 09, 2023 Read Full Article
Exclusive: India Plans $2 Billion Incentive for Green Hydrogen Industry
by Sarita Chaganti Singh (Reuters) India is planning a $2 billion incentive programme for the green hydrogen industry, three sources told Reuters, in a bid to cut emissions and become a major export player in the field. The 180-billion-rupee ($2.2 billion) incentive
December 30, 2022 Read Full Article
Cover Crop Bill Could Turn Over a New Leaf in Sustainable Agriculture
by Elina Lingappa and Savannah Bertrand (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) In July 2022, Representative Sean Casten (D-Ill.) introduced the Conservation Opportunity and Voluntary Environment Resilience Program (COVER) Act (H.R.8527) to increase the adoption of cover crops. Cover crops are not harvested for sale or consumption, but
December 07, 2022 Read Full Article
NASA-Backed Program to Trial Ammonia as Alternative Jet Engine Fuel
by Linnea Ahlgren (Simple Flying) A five-year research program will use chemical kinetics simulation software from Ansys to see how the gas would behave powering an aircraft. -- While biofuels, Power-to-Liquids, and hydrogen have long been touted as the alternative
August 03, 2022 Read Full Article
Can Farms Produce to the Max and Still Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions?
by Kristen Mally Dean (Argonne National Laboratory) Decarbonizing agriculture is critical for the U.S. to reach net zero emissions by 2050. A new data-driven approach looks at practices that are good for the earth and profitable for farmers. -- The
June 27, 2022 Read Full Article
Regional Sustainable Aviation Fuel/Renewable Diesel: The Digest’s 2022 Multi-Slide Guide to NextChem
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) NextChem and Saola are working together to provide a sustainable aviation fuel/renewable diesel plant sized to regional feedstock supplies. Check out this illuminating slide guide on how their renewable diesel tech is tuned to
June 27, 2022 Read Full Article
Large-Scale Cultivation of Microalgae Can Clean Emissions from Industry, Can Also Be Used in Nordic Climate
by Ulrika Bergström (Swedish Research Council/Phys.Org) Microalgae can recover greenhouse gases and nutrients from industrial waste. This technology can be used to reduce climate footprint and eutrophication. Lina Mattsson's dissertation in ecology shows that microalgae can also be used in the
June 23, 2022 Read Full Article
A Third Way for Green Ammonia?: The Digest’s 2022 Multi-Slide Guide to NexantECA
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who knew ammonia is used so much in the chemicals industry, supplying virtually all nitrogen, and that ammonia is so essential to maintaining world food output via fertilizers. But the chemical industry can’t become carbon
June 15, 2022 Read Full Article
Could Ammonia Be the Solution to Aviation's Clean Propulsion Needs?
by Linnea Ahlgren (Simple Flying) One Australian company hopes to retrofit existing jet engines to burn ammonia instead of Jet-A fuel. -- While the world may be focused on pure hydrogen as the most significant promise for clean-burning aviation fuel, Australian
May 10, 2022 Read Full Article
Can ‘Green Corridors’ Tackle Shipping’s Giant Carbon Footprint?
by Isabelle Gerretsen (China Dialogue) At last year’s COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, 22 countries, including the UK, US, Germany and Japan, signed up to the Clydebank Declaration, announcing their intention to establish various zero-emissions shipping routes known as “green corridors”. By
May 03, 2022 Read Full Article
Blending a Renewable Fuel: Clean and Sustainable Fuels Could Be Derived by Combining Ammonia with Complementary Combustion-Modifying Additives
(Kaust Discovery) A low-carbon sustainable fuel mixture, derived primarily from renewably generated ammonia, could power next-generation internal combustion engines (ICEs). Blending ammonia with a small amount of dimethyl ether (DME) gives a liquid fuel with low-temperature combustion properties very similar to
May 02, 2022 Read Full Article
Disrupting Nitrogen Fertilizer Production: The Digest’s 2022 Multi-Slide Guide to Cyamonia Bio
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Cyamonia Bio’s tech for the production of organic ammonia based on atmospheric nitrogen fixation just might be disrupting a multi-billion dollar industry of nitrogen fertilizer production and instead contributing to more sustainable food production. How
February 01, 2022 Read Full Article
The Value of Wastewater for Biofuels: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Aquatech
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Different feedstock and process generates different wastewater quality and volume, so how can wastewater still have value for the biofuels industry? If you missed this exclusive Digest Connect with Aquatech, check out their slides on
December 15, 2021 Read Full Article
ESG Clean Energy Signs Letter of Intent with Ethatec GmbH to Use Carbon-Free Power Generation for Ethanol Production
(ESG Clean Energy) ESG Clean Energy, LLC, developers of net zero, distributed power generation and clean energy manufacturing solutions, announced today it has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Ethatec GmbH for the use of ESG’s patented CO2-free power generation
December 14, 2021 Read Full Article
Monash University Exclusively Licence Green Ammonia Technology to New Start-up, Jupiter Ionics
(Monash University) Inspired by a vision for a future economy powered by carbon neutral ammonia, new start-up Jupiter Ionics Pty Ltd is the latest company to emerge from a growing stream of enterprises aligned with Monash University’s Technology Precinct. For over a century,
December 01, 2021 Read Full Article
The Biden Administration to Ensure a Sustainable Future for Aviation: SkyNRG Americas and LanzaTech Secure DOE Funding to Produce SAF in the US
(LanzaTech) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office announced more than $64 million in funding for 22 projects focused on developing technologies and processes that produce low-cost, low-carbon biofuels. SkyNRG Americas in partnership with LanzaTech was awarded $1 million in funding for Project
September 23, 2021 Read Full Article
Notes from the Bar None Ranch: The New Sheriff in Nitrogenville, Pivot Bio, Raises Another $430M
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) News arrives from Berkeley and Pivot Bio that the company has raised $430 million in its Series D venture round, led by DCVC and Temasek, bringing the total equity raised to more than $600 million.
July 21, 2021 Read Full Article
The Digest’s Green Hydrogen Horizons
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It’s Gas Week here in Digestville, all this week we’re highlighting new technologies, commercial breakthroughs and new strategies relating to the production of, applications for, or the avoidannce of: Green Hydrogen, Nitrogen and Syngas. Later
July 20, 2021 Read Full Article
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from Liquefaction
by John Holladay and Zia Haq (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and U.S. DOE, Bioenergy Technologies Office) In November 2020, PNNL facilitated an international workshop on HTL for SAF production. Present an overview of findings • Quick overview of HTL • Details from the
June 08, 2021 Read Full Article
Are Microbes the Next Carbon Crop for Farmers?
by Mindy Ward (Farm Progress) Pluton Biosciences partners with Bayer for a carbon sequestration project. -- Barry Goldman has one goal — to find the next Bt-like row crop breakthrough but for carbon sequestration. “There are a trillion species of microbes, and the
April 28, 2021 Read Full Article
Incentives Could Turn Costs of Biofuel Mandates into Environmental Benefits
(EurekAlert!/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment) CABBI studies on the Renewable Fuels Standard indicate a need for more targeted policies that value the environmental benefits of perennial bioenergy crops over cheaper options - and provide
April 28, 2021 Read Full Article
Results of the International Energy Agency Bioenergy Round Robin on the Analysis of Heteroatoms in Biomass Liquefaction Oils
by Philip Bulsink, Ferran de Miguel Mercader, Linda Sandström, Bert van de Beld, Fernando Preto, Alan Zacher, Anja Oasmaa, Nicolaus Dahmen, Axel Funke, and Benjamin Bronson (Energy Fuels) A round robin study evaluating the analysis of biomass liquefaction oils (BLOs) from
April 06, 2021 Read Full Article
Yara’s Green Ammonia Behemoth: The 500,000 Tonner that Will De-fossilize Agriculture
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Yara announces plans to fully electrify its ammonia plant in Porsgrunn, Norway with the potential to cut 800,000 tons of CO2 per annum, equivalent to the emissions from 300,000 passenger cars. ... Yara’s the world’s
December 17, 2020 Read Full Article
Yara Announces World-Scale Green Ammonia Project
by Mary Page Bailey (Chemical Engineering) Yara International ASA (Oslo, Norway) has announced plans for 500,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) of green ammonia production in Norway, powering emission-free shipping fuels and decarbonized food solutions. “Ammonia is the most promising hydrogen carrier and
December 09, 2020 Read Full Article
TerraSync Algae Micro Cover Crop: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Accelergy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Mark P. Allen, Vice President of Integrated Carbon Solutions at Accelergy, shared this illuminating slide guide on how Accelergy’s TerraSync is cost competitive, has soil health benefits, gobbles up CO2 better than any other
October 30, 2020 Read Full Article
Climate Benefits of Agricultural Biogas Greater than Previously Thought
(Bioenergy Insight) A report by Aarhus University for the Danish Energy Agency has concluded that the climate effect of biogas in the agricultural sector is greater than previously assumed. Previous analyses have shown that the production of biogas can provide
October 27, 2020 Read Full Article
Carbon Farming, Algae Biofertilizer: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Accelergy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Just look at those melons and what a difference algae can make! And that’s just part of the story that shows us that, yes, CO2 emissions CAN be used to grow algae and that algae CAN be
October 02, 2020 Read Full Article
Making Enzymes Fit for Industrial Applications
(Ruhr University Bochum) Bacterial enzymes are often powerful but also very sensitive catalysts. They therefore need a special environment in order to access their performance. Researchers at RUB have developed new techniques with which bacterial enzymes can be efficiently coupled
August 31, 2020 Read Full Article
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the City of Calgary with Steeper Energy Canada Ltd.
(Steeper Energy Canada) The City of Calgary “The City” and Steeper Energy Canada Ltd. (“Steeper Energy”) are pleased to announce a new cooperation agreement, by way of an MoU, regarding the future transformation of The City’s sewage sludge and other
July 06, 2020 Read Full Article
EPA Approves RFS Fuel Pathway for Biomass Gasification Project
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. EPA in May approved a fuel pathway under the Renewable Fuel Standard for a biomass gasification plant under development in McFarland, California, that will produce renewable natural gas (RNG) for sale into the transportation
May 30, 2020 Read Full Article
3 Things that Need to Happen for Sustainable Aviation Fuel to Take Off
by Lloyd Ritter (Green Capitol LLC/Biofuels Digest) A timely new report came out recently on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), “Ready for Takeoff: Aviation Biofuels Past, Present, and Future,” written by the Atlantic Council (herein AC). The key takeaways are three-fold. First, aviation
May 26, 2020 Read Full Article
A Roadmap to the Ammonia Economy
by Tammy Klein (Future Fuel Strategies) Researchers at Monash University in Australia have proposed a roadmap to renewable ammonia being produced in the future at a scale that is significant in terms of global fossil fuel use in a paper recently published
May 14, 2020 Read Full Article
Making Commodity Chemicals Requires Fossil Fuels. New Devices Could Do It with Renewables
by Robert F. Service (Science Magazine) As windmills and solar panels multiply, the supply of renewable electricity sometimes exceeds demand. Chemists would like to put the excess to work making commodity chemicals, such as the raw materials for fertilizer and plastics,
May 11, 2020 Read Full Article
VTT to Assess Bio- and Waste-Based Oils Suitable for Power Plants and Ships
(VTT) In a three-year Business Finland BioFlex project, VTT and partners are exploring how suitable fuel oils made from biomass and waste plastics are for power plants and ship diesel engines. The aim is to determine the most ecologically and
April 09, 2020 Read Full Article
Wärtsilä Advances Future Fuel Capabilities with First Ammonia Tests
(Wärtsilä) The technology group Wärtsilä has initiated combustion trials using ammonia. The research will help the company to prepare for the use of ammonia as a fuel that can contribute to reducing both the shipping’s and energy sectors’ greenhouse gas
March 27, 2020 Read Full Article
Alcohol, Biomethane and Ammonia Are the Best-Positioned Fuels to Reach Zero Net Emissions
(Maersk) A study by A.P. Moller - Maersk and Lloyds Register confirms that the best opportunities for decarbonizing shipping lie in finding new sustainable energy sources. Based on market projections, the best positioned fuels for research and development into net zero
October 25, 2019 Read Full Article
Biobased Battery, Starch-Based Gift Cards, Future Fashion, Plant-Based Flame Retardants, and More: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of September 5th
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week is a merry mix of biobased innovations around the world. From the creation of artificial reefs made from PLA in Israel and Spain’s starch-based gift cards to the U.S. where biobased battery materials are
September 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Heavenly Trash – Dream in the Sky or Bringing It Down to Earth? Cielo and the Future of Waste to Renewable Diesel
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... Find out how Cielo (Waste Solutions) turns trash to treasure, why they love anything with cellulosic fiber, how they plan on becoming a multi-billion, yes, Billion, dollar company in five years, their plans
September 02, 2019 Read Full Article
These Nano-Bugs Eat CO2 and Make Eco-Friendly Fuel
by Trent Knoss (University of Colorado Boulder) CU Boulder researchers have developed nanobio-hybrid organisms capable of using airborne carbon dioxide and nitrogen to produce a variety of plastics and fuels, a promising first step toward low-cost carbon sequestration and eco-friendly manufacturing
July 03, 2019 Read Full Article
FastOx Gasification: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Sierra Energy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sierra Energyhas a proprietary process of engineering organisms (yeast) using renewably-sourced carbon from plants (sugarcane) to make sustainable, custom molecules. They use their technology to create products that support biopharmaceutical drug discovery and production, from cosmetic
April 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Clover Improves Soil Quality, Feeds Biofuels Crop
by Christie Delfanian (South Dakota State University/Phys.Org) A four-leaf clover might bring good luck, but a stand of Kura clover can produce healthier soil—in the long run, according to a South Dakota State University study. Planting Kura clover, a pasture legume, with prairie
March 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Biogas Business: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Biogas Conversion
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Terry Mazanec, a member of Lee Enterprises Consulting offers this illuminating overview of biogas, what it’s good for, scale, bio-methane, what to do with it, key players, and more. Lee Enterprises Consultingis the world’s largest bioeconomy consulting
February 20, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Pushing Water Quality Trading to Address Nutrients
(Agri-Pulse) The Environmental Protection Agency is encouraging states to develop water quality trading programs to tackle nutrient pollution, which has become an increasingly visible issue in farm country. In a memorandum to EPA regional administrators, Assistant Administrator for Water David Ross said the agency
February 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Environmental Benefits of Energy Crops: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to University of Illinois Research
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign has been researching the economic incentives and policy implications of energy crops such as miscanthus and switchgrass. Madhu Khanna, from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, gave this illuminating overview of the environmental benefits of energy crops
December 21, 2018 Read Full Article
Grants Fund Research on Biofuel Production, Reduced Fertilizer Use
(University of Arkansas News) A University of Arkansas biologist working on research that could decrease the need for agricultural fertilizers and boost the production of biofuels recently received grants totaling more than $1 million from the National Science Foundation and the
December 20, 2018 Read Full Article
WEBINAR: Biomass Production and Water Quality in the Mississippi River Basin --- December 6, 2018
Join the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office on Dec. 6, 2018, at 1 p.m. CST for a webinar on “Biomass Production and Water Quality in the Mississippi River Basin.” In this webinar, Argonne National Laboratory and Oak Ridge
December 05, 2018 Read Full Article
Lego’s Biobased Bricks; Vertoro’s Green Crude Oil; Nitogen-Fixing Microbes for Corn; Diapers from Food Waste; 3D Imaging; Apeel’s $70M: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of August 15th
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
August 16, 2018 Read Full Article
Some Delmarva Farmers Are Freezing Dead Chickens
by Katie Peikes (Delaware Public Media) Long considered the most beneficial way to dispose of dead chickens, composting has become a management tool of the past for some Delmarva poultry farmers. Some local growers have shifted to a more environmental practice –
June 22, 2018 Read Full Article
The Nitrogen Engine: Ricardo Spins out Company to Commercialize Game-Changing Engine Tech
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the UK, Ricardo has unveiled its CryoPower engine technology and points towards a potential saving of approximately 30 percent in CO2 emissions and 20 percent in operating fuel costs for heavy-duty trucks and in stationary distributed power generation systems. That
February 22, 2018 Read Full Article
WesTech, USU, CVWRF Collaborate on Algal Research Project
(WesTech Engineering/Biomass Magazine) The Utah Science Technology and Research initiative, a technology-based economic development program funded by the state of Utah, has awarded a $175,320 grant for development of a commercial algal application in the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from
January 31, 2018 Read Full Article
Markus Ribbe and Yilin Hu: Brewing Biofuel from Bacteria
by Wendy Wolfson (University of California Irvine Applied Innovation) In a high-ceiling room in professor Markus Ribbe’s lab, a giant still emits pungent vapors from fermenting bacteria. Ribbe, chancellor’s professor of molecular biology and biochemistry at the UCI School of
August 31, 2017 Read Full Article
Renewable Energy to Fuels Through Utilization of Energy-Dense Liquids: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to ARPA-E’s 17 REFUEL Winning Projects
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It’s about converting renewable power to fuels for storage and back to power again for electric motoring. The Renewable Energy to Fuels Through Utilization of Energy-Dense Liquids (REFUEL) program seeks to develop scalable technologies
December 19, 2016 Read Full Article
ROOTS, REFUEL, MARINER & Algae: DOE Invests $100M for 4 Big Shots at Liquid Transportation Fuels & Feedstocks
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It may be a sign of the times, a sense of worry that R&D for renewable transport fuels may lose all their popularity under the incoming Trump Administration. Whatever the cause, the biggest set of projects
December 19, 2016 Read Full Article
ARPA-E Announces $70 Million in Funding for New Programs to Power Transportation and Store Carbon in Soil
(U.S. Department of Energy) Selection of 26 projects across two programs will make transportation cleaner and mitigate carbon dioxide emissions -- The Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) today announced up to $70 million in funding for its two
December 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Ominous Dead Zone Grows in Gulf of Mexico
by David Sikes (Corpus Christie Caller-Times) ... Government and independent scientists believe the main cause is a chain reaction stemming from nutrient runoff from the watershed of the Mississippi River and its tributaries, which drains 31 states and two provinces in
September 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Weird Science: How to Turn Carbon Dioxide Into Renewable Biofuel
by David Dittman (Wall Street Daily) ... ClimateWire recently reported that scientists have engineered a bacterium that can turn carbon dioxide (CO2) into fuel in a single, enzyme-catalyzed metabolic step. Summarizing a paper published on August 22, 2016, in the journal Proceedings of
August 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Making It Work for the Grower: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to DuPont’s Cellulosic Feedstock
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) DuPont has developed a three-part strategy to deliver these new technologies to the growing biofuels market to help biofuels become more competitive with petroleum. The strategy includes: (1) improving existing ethanol production through differentiated agriculture seed
July 19, 2016 Read Full Article
RIT Partners with Synergy Biogas on Algae Project
(Algae Industry Magazine) Rochester Institute of Technology and Synergy Biogas are exploring the environmental benefits of microalgae to clean agricultural wastewater and make biofuels. Jeff Lodge, associate professor in RIT’s Thomas Gosnell School of Life Sciences, is running the three-month
June 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Best for Biofuels
by Dave Evensen (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Research finds where bioenergy crops would grow best while minimizing detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems -- ... Researchers at the University of Illinois used detailed models to examine impacts on water quantity and quality
February 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Fuel of the Future
by Karen B. Roberts (University of Delaware) UD scientist's research shows promise in creating sustainable algae-based biofuels -- At the University of Delaware, associate scientist Jennifer Stewart is working to create sustainable algae-based biofuels that could reduce carbon dioxide and other harmful
February 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Picatinny Arsenal Engineers Cook up New Recipe for Biofuel
by Audra Calloway (Picatinny Arsenal; U.S. Army) While people who go to the beach and lakes may think of algae as a slimy nuisance, Picatinny engineers have partnered with private industry to harness its photosynthesis ability to develop a
December 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Multifunctional Landscapes: Site Characterization and Field-Scale Design to Incorporate Biomass Production into an Agricultural System
by Herbert Ssegane, M. Cristina Negri, John Quinn, Meltem Urgun-Demirtas (Biomass and Bioenergy) Design of a multifunctional landscape by integrating cellulosic biofuel production into an existing agricultural system. The design does not adversely offset current grain production for bioenergy crops. Maps of
October 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Grant to Help Increase Biofuels Yield while Limiting Fertilizer Use
(Michigan State University) Michigan State University has earned a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to better understand how biofuel crops acquire nitrogen, insights that could help maximize yields while minimizing fertilizer use. Sarah Evans, an integrative biologist
September 10, 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
Improving Algal Biocrude from Hydrothermal Liquefaction
(Algae Industry Magazine) Biocrude oil obtained from hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of algae can be an energy-efficient replacement for the fossil crude oil normally used in the production of fuels. HTL is a high-pressure, high-temperature process that allows scientists to
July 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Indiana University Biologists Partner Bacterium with Nitrogen Gas to Produce More, Cleaner Bioethanol
(Indiana University Bloomington) Provisional patent filed for process using most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere Indiana University biologists believe they have found a faster, cheaper and cleaner way to increase bioethanol production by using nitrogen gas, the most abundant gas in
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Algae Underfunded in Energy Hunt
By Kazuaki Nagata ( The Japan times)...While the technology itself is not new, Japanese scientists say they believe oil from aquatic algae could become an important raw material as biomass technology improves and the world looks for oil sources other than
July 18, 2014 Read Full Article
New EPA Fuel, Emission Standards A Benefit for Ethanol
(Farm Futures) National Corn Growers Association says more stringent emissions standards create a place for ethanol's higher octane levels to shine ...The tier 3 standards increase the level of stringency with which vehicle emissions are regulated with the goal of decreasing
April 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Effective Fertilizer Use Could Cut Emissions from Biofuel Production
(EnvironmentalResearchWeb.org) Scientists in Brazil have found that nitrous-oxide emissions from sugarcane fields vary depending on the nitrogen source employed as a fertilizer. Ammonium nitrate results in higher nitrous-oxide emissions than urea, they discovered. With around half of Brazilian sugarcane production
April 09, 2013 Read Full Article
BioNitrogen Signs Second Supply Agreement with United Suppliers – Is Urea on the Move?
by Jim Lane (BioBased Digest) In Florida, BioNitrogen Corp. announced that it has signed a supply agreement with United Suppliers, Inc. for the offtake of urea fertilizer for its planned plants in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. United Suppliers is owned by
April 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Lower Nitrogen Losses with Perennial Biofuel Crops
(EurekAlert!/University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences) Perennial biofuel crops such as miscanthus, whose high yields have led them to be considered an eventual alternative to corn in producing ethanol, are now shown to have another
January 11, 2013 Read Full Article
Iowa State University Researchers Growing Algae in Poultry Houses
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) A research project conducted by several Iowa State University (ISU) researchers is studying the feasibility of growing algae in poultry houses. Poultry manure generates ammonia, a health and safety concern for both animals and workers. Ammonia can burn
December 20, 2012 Read Full Article
SLAC Research Cracks Puzzle of Enzyme Critical to Food Supply
(SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) If we could make plant food from nitrogen the way nature does, we’d have a much greener method for manufacturing fertilizer – a process that requires such high temperatures and pressures that it consumes about 1.5
December 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Soil Nitrites Influence Atmospheric Chemistry
by Markku Kulmala, Tuukka Petäjä (Science Magazine) Public discussion of climate change typically revolves around greenhouse gases, aerosol particles, and the role of human actions (1–3), but it is just beginning to reflect an awareness of the important role played
September 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Crop Performance Matters When Evaluating Greenhouse Gas Emissions
(Science Daily) Measuring the emission of greenhouse gases from croplands should take into account the crops themselves. That's the conclusion of a study in the Sept.-Oct. issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality, which examined the impact of farm practices such