by Jeff Brady (National Public Radio) The United States oil business is booming and the country could soon be the largest crude oil producer in the world. Despite this record-breaking production, climate change activists campaigning to move away from fossil fuels
oil prices
Back TO HOMEOpinion: Putin Has Finally Gone Too Far
by David Ignatius (The Washington Post) ... So how can the United States and its closest allies alter (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s behavior, if they’re truly serious about holding Russia to account? The answer, say several former senior CIA officials,
March 16, 2018 Read Full Article
Rennovia’s Demise, the Triple Rule, and the Pursuit of Sustainable Nylon in a World of Low Oil Prices
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Rennovia has ceased operations, after the company failed to raise sufficient financing from investors and/or strategic partners to advance its pilot-scale technology to first commercial production. The bulk of the IP assets have been
March 09, 2018 Read Full Article
Growth Energy Calls on US Government to Support Biofuels Sector
(Biofuels International) Growth Energy calls on US government to support biofuels sector -- Biofuels are crucial to improving the US energy outlook, according to an expert from ethanol trade association Growth Energy. Chris Bliley, Growth Energy’s vice-president of regulatory affairs, says that the
February 22, 2018 Read Full Article
Growth Energy Calls on US Government to Support Biofuels Sector
(Biofuels International) Biofuels are crucial to improving the US energy outlook, according to an expert from ethanol trade association Growth Energy. Chris Bliley, Growth Energy’s vice-president of regulatory affairs, says that the forecasts in the recently released US Energy Information Administration’s (EIA)
February 16, 2018 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
In his article suggesting scrapping Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards in favor of a Clean Air Act life cycle analysis-based methodology for CO2 transportation emission reduction, Bob Kozak advised, "(I)f anyone asks what will be the economic incentive for a
February 16, 2018 Read Full Article
Let’s Regulate CO2 Emissions, and Forget the 55.4 MPG 2025 Corporate Annual Fuel Economy Standard: The Inexpensive Way to Quickly Reduce Green House Gases
by Robert Kozak* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The 2025 Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard of 54.5 miles/gallon has become a significant issue since the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States. Besides the Administration’s near religious fervor against
February 15, 2018 Read Full Article
Oman Perfect to Collect Algae for Biofuel Synthesis: Experts
by Maqsood Maniyar (Times of Oman) Oman has a great potential to provide algae for synthesis of biofuel, observers in the field of biology have stated. The Sultanate, with its wadis and seas, is an excellent source of algae that can be
February 15, 2018 Read Full Article
Grassley: RFS Has Minimal Impact on Success of Refineries
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has released a memo produced by his energy policy staff that finds that Renewable Fuel Standard blending requirements and the cost of renewable identification numbers (RINs) have little to do with
February 06, 2018 Read Full Article
10 Years After: Advanced Biofuels’ Status, Opportunities and Challenges
by Lorenz Bauer (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) In 2007 the US government established a national strategy for the development of advanced biofuels made using non-edible biomass. After 10 years we are still short of achieving the targets of this plan
February 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Bankrupt Refiner Made Missteps
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Washington Times) The oil industry’s campaign to undermine the growth of domestically produced renewable fuels such as ethanol has certainly been ramped up lately. Today they’re callously capitalizing on the financial woes of one of the
February 05, 2018 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to the 10-Year OECD-FAO Outlook for Ag, Biofuels
The latest joint OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook spawned this fascinating 10 year outlook of global biofuel markets and agricultural feedstocks. This model based projection, validated through global expert consensus, includes major food commodities and biofuels driven by the outlooks on population, GDP, fossil
February 05, 2018 Read Full Article
What’s the Real Story behind Philadelphia Energy Solutions’ Bankruptcy, Crude Oil, and the Renewable Fuel Standard?
by Joelle Simonpietri (Biofuels Digest) On Jan 21st 2018, Carlyle-backed Philadelphia Energy Solutions(PES), the largest refinery complex on the U.S. east coast at 335,000 barrels per day, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, blaming Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) compliance costs. In the week since the filing, the Washington Examiner reports
February 02, 2018 Read Full Article
Ohio Science Could Spawn a New Sustainable Oil Boom
(Agragen) Agragen, LLC, a Cincinnati-based plant sciences company, predicts that the recent surge in oil prices will soon permit biofuels derived camelina oil to be on parity with petroleum derived fuels in costs. Sam Huttenbauer Jr., CEO of Agragen notes that “this
January 25, 2018 Read Full Article
C-Stores Meeting New Fuel Demands
by David Bennett (Convenience Store Decisions) Whether it’s teaming with Tesla to install charging stations or integrating alternative fuel solutions, retailers are part of a changing transportation marketplace. -- ... Some analysts insist the internal combustion engine has been around more than
January 19, 2018 Read Full Article
Ethanol To The Rescue of Higher Gas Prices
by Dave VanderGriend (Urban Air Initiative/ICM/Biofuels Digest) ... A lot of people might forget that it was only three years ago when the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline cost $3.34 and at times nudged the $4 mark. Dropping
January 17, 2018 Read Full Article
The Long, Long, Long Journey to Green: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Bioeconomy Investing
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What are the true drivers of Innovation and what are the returns for investors — what’s up and what works? There is just not a more authentic authority on the subject than long-time venture capitalist Roger
January 15, 2018 Read Full Article
The Next Big Thing In Ethanol Yet To Reap Profits, Solve Technical Problems
by Amy Mayer (Harvest Public Media/NetNebraska) Advanced biofuels have been touted as the next step beyond the corn-based ethanol that’s the bulk of the country’s renewable fuel for cars and trucks. But cellulosic ethanol is harder to make and companies have
January 03, 2018 Read Full Article
Rick Santorum: Refiners Attack President Trump at Their Peril
by Rick Santorum (Washington Examiner/Americans for Energy Security and Innovation) ... But some petroleum companies seem to be taking their influence for granted, and that could prove their undoing with a White House that is known for drawing a clear line
January 03, 2018 Read Full Article
Editorial: Keep Biofuel Benefits Flowing
(Wisconsin State Journal) ... A study conducted for the U.S. Agriculture Department found corn ethanol’s life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions, by 2022, will be 43 percent lower than gasoline baseline emissions if ethanol plants continue as usual. If ethanol production makes improvements with available
December 27, 2017 Read Full Article
Bioeconomy Curves and Slides, Snakes and Ladders
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Over the years we’ve all seen a lot of curveballs in the advanced bioeconomy. You see companies like Valero, which lobby the United States Congress with unbridled intensity to get rid of the Renewable Fuel Standard,
December 27, 2017 Read Full Article
Top 17 for 2017
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) 2017 was a roller coaster year. There was a paradigm shift in biofuels, technology advancements, innovations abounded, politics chaotic. Some companies shut down and disappeared like the Hobo vanishing in the snow atop the Polar
December 26, 2017 Read Full Article
The 12: The Advanced Bioeconomy’s 12 Biggest Talking, Fretting, Praying and Action Points Right Now
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... What are the top trends? Here are the 11 we see dominating the debate on the stage and on the floor. Jet fuel deployment – how much, how soon, by whom? California, look up, not down!
December 13, 2017 Read Full Article
The Washington Swamp Is Filled with Ethanol
by Peter Z. Grossman (Washington Examiner) ... People forget how we wound up with an ethanol mandate worth over $20 billion per year (and that doesn’t include various subsidies). EISA was passed because Americans besieged members of Congress, demanding a solution to soaring
December 08, 2017 Read Full Article
OPEC's Next Move Is Being Closely Watched by Sugar Traders
by Agnieszka De Sousa (Bloomberg) Any oil price move could have knock-on effect in sugar market; That’s because biofuel made from cane competes with gasoline -- As energy minsters meet in Vienna this week to discuss oil-supply cuts, the sugar world will also be keeping
November 30, 2017 Read Full Article
OPEC Will Extend The Cut
by Zainab Calcuttawala (OilPrice.com) There will be an OPEC deal extension—no matter the public tussling between opposing forces in the industry cartel—if the world's largest oil producers are really determined to end the supply glut. A failure to agree on the market
November 27, 2017 Read Full Article
One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure: Enabling Europe’s Bioeconomy
by Michael Eggleston* (Advanced Biofuels USA) From October 10th -11th the European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology and the Bioeconomy (EFIB) celebrated 10 years in Brussels, Belgium, as it plays a crucial role in providing a central meeting place for policy
November 01, 2017 Read Full Article
If You Build It, They Will Come: Biofuels Industry Sees Renewable Chemicals as New Strategy
by Jesse Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) To create additional value in the biobased economy, companies and investors are turning toward the production of renewable chemicals and products. They argue that in prioritizing higher-value chemicals and products, advanced biofuels will
October 30, 2017 Read Full Article
Will the Lemonade Stand Era End in Renewable Fuels, Sooner, Later, Ever?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... No, Virginia, there isn’t any green premium in renewable fuels, chemicals or materials. Actually, there isn’t any premium available for any product, anywhere, at any time, green or not, if it is distributed as a commodity and into commodity markets. It is
October 26, 2017 Read Full Article
Brazil's Biofuel Push Is Threatened by Too Much Cheap Oil
by Vanessa Dezem and Fabiana Batista (Bloomberg Technology) Brazil leading international effort to expand industry; Biofuel investments worldwide are down 25% this year ... Brazil is positioning itself as a global biofuels ambassador, fighting climate change by spurring demand for ethanol. It will be
October 24, 2017 Read Full Article
Marketing Sustainability: How Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) Are Planning to Take Flight
By Michael Eggleston* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Flying in Formation: Since the first test flight almost 10 years ago, there have been over 40,000 commercial flights supported by four international airports supplying SAFs. Michael Gill, Executive Director of the cross-industry Air
October 19, 2017 Read Full Article
New Statistical Analysis: No Relationship Between RIN Credits and Retail Gasoline Prices
by Emily Druckman (Renewable Fuels Association) Despite continued claims by opponents of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), prices of the Renewable Identification Number (RINs) credits used for RFS compliance have not caused changes in retail gasoline prices, according to a new analysis by Informa
October 16, 2017 Read Full Article
Crossing the Valley of NLACM with Alcohol-to-Hydrocarbon Technology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There’s one crossing worse than the Valley of Death and that is the Valley of NLACM. Although it sounds more like a goose trying to say “You’ll like him” — it’s the Natural Law of Alternative Commodity
September 26, 2017 Read Full Article
The Next Oil Price Spike May Cripple The Industry
by Andreas de Vries & Salman Ghouri (OilPrice.com) Two diametrically opposed views dominate the current debate about where the oil price is heading. On the one hand, there is the view that the price of oil will be “lower for
August 24, 2017 Read Full Article
Alternative Jet Fuel Slow to Launch
by Gerald Butt (Petroleum Economist) The global aviation industry is committed to long-term carbon emission cuts, but low oil prices are slowing the development of alternative types of jet fuel -- ... Then comes the big promise. By 2050, the
August 22, 2017 Read Full Article
Major Study Says “Cut Cellulosic Ethanol out”, RFA Says “No Way Jose”
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Iowa, a new tractable multi-market model study finds that the RFS has substantially benefited the U.S. economy by lowering gasoline, crude oil prices, and crude oil imports, while increasing prices and benefits for corn
August 21, 2017 Read Full Article
Molasses Would Be the Preferred Raw Material for Ethanol Production in Guyana
by Audreyanna Thomas (Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc./Stabroek News) The Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo) would like to provide some information which it is hoped would add to the current debate on ethanol production as a viable business activity for the corporation. ... It
August 14, 2017 Read Full Article
Queensland Mandate Key to Biofuels Boost
(My Sunshine Coast) The Australia biodiesel industry is still trying to negotiate deals with oil companies to ramp up production, despite the introduction of a second State mandate, Chief Executive Officer of the Biofuels Association of Australia, Mark Sutton said. There
August 03, 2017 Read Full Article
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Moves A Step Closer To Funding Aviation Biofuels
(SkyNRG/PR Web) Carbon reduction leaders Carbon War Room (CWR) and SkyNRG join with the Port of Seattle to announce recommendations for long-term funding mechanisms that could supply all airlines at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) with sustainable aviation biofuels. The results are
July 19, 2017 Read Full Article
Research Progressing on How to Spur Wide Use of Aviation Biofuels
(Penn State News) Slowed as much by extremely low oil prices as supply-chain and technological challenges, the effort to integrate biofuels into the nation's aviation fuel supply is nonetheless progressing, according to a researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. Sustainable
June 30, 2017 Read Full Article
9 Years Upon The Anvil: The Baptism of Renewable Chemicals and the Purification of Its Strategy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... By now, Tom Boussie of Rennovia has been 20 years in the forge of the chemicals business, and 9 of those years being pounded on the anvil of renewable chemicals development. “People want to live
June 30, 2017 Read Full Article
Emphasis on Oil Has Made Ethanol Unprofitable
by Gerald Kosmicki (Grand Island Independent) ... Why not just say farmers need a higher price for their corn, rather than the posturing concern for the environment? We had $7 corn during the Obama years, but a cry from the GOP
June 26, 2017 Read Full Article
Don’t Spill That Ethanol! Those Cellulosic Fuels Are Worth $4.33 a Gallon.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The value of cellulosic fuels has reached $4.33 per gallon in the California market. That’s real-world, today, including the energy and the low-carbon attributes, and not based on speculation. The value has risen 59 cents,
June 14, 2017 Read Full Article
Biofuels Work for Oregon
by Jim Talent (Capital Ag Press/Americans for Energy Security and Innovation) Unfortunately, even as fracking reached new heights, America’s total domestic crude oil production declined in 2016. According to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, that lost domestic
June 07, 2017 Read Full Article
GRFA: Ethanol Production Does Not Drive Food Prices
(Global Renewable Fuels Alliance/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance recently released a new chart showing opposite trends in the UN Food and Agriculture Organization Food Price Index and world fuel ethanol production since 2008, demonstrating clearly that ethanol
June 01, 2017 Read Full Article
Hope Glimmers in the Garbage for Advanced Biofuels
by John Fialka (E&E News/Climatewire) In May 2016, investigators from the Government Accountability Office assembled a panel of 19 experts in Washington to explore what had happened to a program to develop a commercial market for advanced biofuels. It had been
May 23, 2017 Read Full Article
Mexican Biodiesel Producer Growing Thanks to Higher Fossil Prices but Margins Thin
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Mexico, Smart Recycling has boosted its UCO biodiesel production 150% since January to more than 400 gallons per day thanks to the national oil company Pemex boosting fuel prices 20% around the same time,
May 23, 2017 Read Full Article
Ethanol and Biodiesel: Dropping Below the Production Cost of Fossil Fuels?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... As you can see from the hard data, the production cost for ethanol today is $1.22 per gallon, which translates to $51.24 per barrel. Now, on an energy basis — given that ethanol has 67%
May 19, 2017 Read Full Article
$20 Oil? $200 Oil? Does It Matter? Part 1 of the 3-Part Digest series: Carbon 2017
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For the world of renewable fuels — the only significant carbon legislation on the books, it really doesn’t matter what the oil price is. The RFS creates a separate market for renewable fuels and they compete
May 10, 2017 Read Full Article
IEA Bioenergy Task 39, (Liquid Biofuels) Updated Report, “State of Technology Review -Algae Bioenergy”
(IEA Bioenergy Task 39) As described in the report and covered in the associated webinar, some of the reports key conclusions were: • Algae exhibit high photosynthetic efficiency and high yields (~55 tonnes ha-1yr-1), at least twice that of terrestrial plants. Thus, algae
May 09, 2017 Read Full Article
The Digest's Complete March Madness Webinars Available Online
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Digest's Complete March Madness webinars - 700+ slides available for your on-demand review. -- The Digest's March Madness series - 20 webinars covering the hottest topics as selected by Digest readers - featuring dozens
May 05, 2017 Read Full Article
Old Town Mill Eyed for Full-Scale Plant to Turn Wood Pulp into Ingredient for Diesel, Jet Fuel
by Tux Turkel (Portland Press Herald) 'The biggest obstacle now is financing,' says Stephen Fitzpatrick, president of Biofine Technology LLC, which is partnering with UMaine on a pilot plant at the site. -- The former Old Town Fuel and Fiber
May 04, 2017 Read Full Article
Skybound: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Sustainable Aviation Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week, we hosted a webinar what is universally agreed to be the single largest new application of advanced industrial biotechnology — this is the Big Kahuna, or sustainable aviation fuel. Sustainability is critical to airlines, and
April 28, 2017 Read Full Article
Crude Volatility: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to the Oil and Gas Price Outlook
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In our March Madness series, we’ve been covering emerging markets and technological pathways and market access – what about market pricing? Specifically, the price of the incumbent that’s oil and gas. That was the subject
April 26, 2017 Read Full Article
With Air Traffic on the Upswing, Global – and Indian – Interest Picks up in Aviation Biofuels
by Sapna Gopal (The Wire) Bio-jet fuel is generally two- to seven-times more expensive than conventional fossil-derived jet fuels but can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60-70%. -- People in this industry are looking for ways to reduce the sector’s carbon
April 25, 2017 Read Full Article
Production of Biofuels in Mozambique Is No Longer Viable Following Drop in Oil Prices
(Macau Hub) The production of biofuel from Jatropha mollissima “is something to forget,” said Almirante Dima, the deputy national director of Hydrocarbons and Energy at the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy of Mozambique. Dima explained his assertion based on the
April 25, 2017 Read Full Article
Intersecting Trends of Oil and Ethanol
by Patrick C. Miller (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Is the growth in shale oil production a potential boost for ethanol? The theory goes that because the light crude produced from fracked shale produces lower-octane gasoline, greater oil production from shale will translate
April 24, 2017 Read Full Article
Researchers Outline 23 Barriers to Advanced Biofuels’ Success
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Virginia, researchers from Virginia Tech University have determined that 52% of advanced biofuels facilities were already closed in 2015 and have determined a list of 23 barriers that could potentially explain why these projects
April 12, 2017 Read Full Article
Managing Margin, Risk, Financial Transparency in the Ethanol Industry
by Steve Rosvold (KRM Business Solutions/Ethanol Producer Magazine) When it comes to margin and risk management, ethanol producers have difficult and unique choices. In most commodity processing industries, the output price is highly correlated to input price. ... The ethanol industry is different. The
April 05, 2017 Read Full Article
Big Oil Could Be Ready for a Big Comeback
by Paul R. La Monica (CNN Money) Oil prices are down so far this year -- and so are energy stocks. But some experts think that won't last for long. President Trump is clearly a fan of the traditional oil and gas
March 31, 2017 Read Full Article
State of Technology Review – Algae Bioenergy
(Netzwerk Biotreibstoffe) This IEA Bioenergy report provides an international update on the status and prospects for using microalgae and macroalgae as feedstocks for producing biofuels and bioenergy products. The report’s scope covers algae-based options for producing liquid and gaseous biofuels,
March 29, 2017 Read Full Article
Oil Instability Giving New Life to Biofuels?
by Douglas L. Faulkner (Biofuels Digest) Robert McNally, the author of the new, critically-acclaimed book, “Crude Volatility: The History and the Future of Boom-Bust Oil Prices”, believes that global oil markets are entering an epic, structural shift to a protracted new
March 07, 2017 Read Full Article
Could Biofuel Save Maine’s Timber Industry?
by Darren Fishell (Bangor Daily News) The company EMEP LLC wants to buy the shuttered East Millinocket paper mill to build a biorefinery that it said would be a centerpiece of a larger $240 million plan for biomass energy parks
March 06, 2017 Read Full Article
Letter to Editor: Protect Illinois Farmers from Crude Manipulation
by Jim Talent (Americans for Energy Security and Innovation/Belleville News-Democrat) When Illinois farmers sell wheat, rye or oats on the open market, they can rightly expect that supply and demand will set the price, with no interference from foreign cartels
February 08, 2017 Read Full Article
The Oil War Is Only Just Getting Started
by Tsvetana Paraskova (OilPrice.com) ... Although this view that low-cost producers would try to seize more market share comes from an oil major with significant interests in Russia and Iraq, for example, BP may not be wrong in predicting that the
February 03, 2017 Read Full Article
Zimbabwe: Zim Fuel Prices Up
by Phillimon Mhlanga (All Africa) Zimbabwe's major fuel retailers have raised fuel prices by at least US$0,04 a litre due to a serious shortage of anhydrous ethanol in the country and a surge in international petroleum price, the Financial Gazette's Companies
January 19, 2017 Read Full Article
Birth of Mideast Renewables?
by Anthony Adragna (Politico's Morning Energy) Squeezed budgets from low oil prices since mid-2014, combined with rising energy demand, will boost demand for renewable energy and efficiency technologies across the Middle East, according to a white paper published Monday following
December 13, 2016 Read Full Article
Not So Prolific: U.S. Shale Faces A Reality Check
by Nick Cunningham (OilPrice.com) ... Speaking at the National Oil-equipment Manufacturers and Delegates Society (NOMADS) in Houston a few months ago, IHS Markit’s associate direct for Plays and Basins, Reed Olmstead, poked holes in the notion that the industry has dramatically
December 13, 2016 Read Full Article
GAO RFS Reports Paint Incomplete Picture of Advanced Biofuels
by Ron Kotrba (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. Government Accountability Office issued two reports Nov. 28 suggesting that the renewable fuel standard (RFS) program is unlikely to meet its targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and expanding the U.S. renewable fuels sector.
December 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuel Standard: Low Expected Production Volumes Make It Unlikely That Advanced Biofuels Can Meet Increasing Targets
(U.S. Government Accountability Office) The Renewable Fuel Standard program calls for greater use of advanced biofuels—fuel made from waste fats and oils or crop residues, for example—in the transportation fuel supply through 2022. Yet, there is not nearly enough of this
November 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Oil Demand Won't Peak before 2040, Despite Paris Deal: IEA
by Amanda Cooper (Reuters) The International Energy Agency expects global oil consumption to peak no sooner than 2040, leaving its long-term forecasts for supply and demand unchanged despite the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement entering into force. ... But while demand for oil
November 18, 2016 Read Full Article
The Facts Show We Don't Have to Choose between 'Food versus Fuel'
by Jim Talent (The Hill/Americans for Energy Security and Innovation) According to the Wall Street Journal, the “U.S. is on track this year to post the longest stretch of falling food prices in more than 50 years.” The Bureau of
November 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Trump Can Make the U.S. Energy-Independent—If He Goes Green
by Geoffrey Smith (Fortune) The U.S. can realize President-elect Donald Trump’s dream of independence from foreign oil “foes” and “cartels”–but he likely won’t live to see it unless he embraces the kinds of policies he’s campaigned against, according to a
November 17, 2016 Read Full Article
New Report Knocks the Stuffing Out of ‘Food vs. Fuel’ Turkeys
(Renewable Fuels Association) Millions of Americans preparing for Thanksgiving next week are undoubtedly noticing that dinner will cost less than it did a year ago. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, overall grocery prices are roughly 2% lower than
November 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Not Energy Independent, Yet
by Rick Uldricks and Hudson Councilman Casey Weinstein (Twinsburg Patch) In truth, when it comes to energy security, there is good news to be found, but not at the bottom of a well. -- Fossil fuel boosters love to say that energy
November 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Letter to Editor: Ethanol’s Got Right Stuff
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Boston Herald) ... But relying upon fracking for our energy future is dangerous on two fronts. For one, reasonable oil supplies are finite and expensive. And lower oil prices have already made some of
November 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Derisking: A Strategy for Growing the Biobased Economy
by Neil A. Belson (LeafPro Bioproducts/Biofuels Digest) ... Despite its potential benefits and some very real achievements, the biobased economy has overall progressed more slowly than many had hoped. There are several reasons for this slow progress. Technological challenges involved in
October 28, 2016 Read Full Article
Opinion: Why ICAO’s Emissions Deal Will Not Make A Difference
by Jens Flottau (Aviation Week) When the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) announced in early October that its general assembly had reached agreement on the Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (Corsia), the international aviation community was full
October 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Hillary Clinton Said America Is Energy Independent. It Is Not
by Tom DiChristopher (CNBC) Hillary Clinton said during the second presidential debate on Sunday that the United States has achieved energy independence, but the country still imports millions of barrels a day of oil and petroleum products — much of it
October 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Biobased Industry Growing, but Needs More Federal Help, Report Says
by Philip Brasher (Agri-Pulse) Production of biofuels and biobased products such as plant-derived plastics already support 4.2 million jobs, but the industry's future growth rate depends in part on oil prices and the availability of new government incentives, according to a
October 04, 2016 Read Full Article
White Biotechnology Market to Reach $487.08 Billion By 2024: Grand View Research, Inc.
(Grand View Research/PR Newswire) The global white biotechnology market is expected to reach USD 487.08 billion by 2024, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Rising awareness and emphasis for the adoption of greener and environment-friendly technologies in various
October 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Do We Still Need a Renewable Fuel Standard?
by Anne Steckel (National Biodiesel Board/The Hill) Headlines tell us the world is awash with oil. Gas costs less than bottled water in many places, and petroleum markets are in a prolonged slump that’s wreaking havoc on the industry’s bottom
September 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Global Biofuels Market Will Grow Steadily At A CAGR Of 5.87% During The Period 2016-2020: ResearchMoz
(Globe Newswire/ResearchMoz) Across the world, there has been an unprecedented interest in biofuels over the past decade. The main reason for this is the volatility in crude oil prices, which is affecting the economic condition of many countries that do
September 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Petrobras Mulls Lowering Brazil Fuel Prices in 2016
by Shoaib-ur-Rehman Siddiqui (Business Recorder) State-controlled Brazilian oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA is considering lowering wholesale gasoline and diesel prices by year-end, which would be the first time since September 2015, O Globo newspaper said on Wednesday. ... The lowering of
September 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Vietnam Fuel Giant Asks for Tax Support to Keep Unpopular Biofuel in Business
(VN Express International) The government continues to miss its targets for the cleaner, cassava-based fuel. State-owned fuel giant PetroVietnam has asked the government for tax support to save its new biofuel business from going bankrupt due to poor consumption. PetroVietnam said in
September 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Answers to Your Questions about Renewables and the Advanced Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane and Ron Cascone (Biofuels Digest/NEXANT) Recently, we held a popular webinar on Renewables and the Advanced Bioeconomy with NEXANT principal Ron Cascone, for which you can see the slides here. During the webinar, we received a number of excellent questions,
September 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Russia Ethanol Production Set to Grow
by Eugene Gerden (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Impending tax abolishment to provide the impetus for the development of Russian ethanol industry. -- Plans to lift a hefty excise tax on fuel ethanol by the Russian government are being called revolutionary. Recent statements
September 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Gates Backs Renmatix; Total Inks 1 Million Ton/Year Cellulosic Sugar License
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Pennsylvania, Bill Gates is leading the latest investment round into the pioneering cellulosic sugars producer Renmatix as energy giant Total joins in with second investment and a 1 million ton per year license. Gates is
September 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Oil Bankruptcies Leave Lenders With ‘Catastrophic’ Recovery Rate
by Rebecca Penty (Bloomberg) Rate of 21% in 2015 compares to average of 59% previously; Bankruptcies so far this year are double last year’s total -- U.S. oil bankruptcies haven’t been this “catastrophic” for lenders in a long time, in what
September 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Oil Glut Forecasted into 2017 as Demand in Asia Is ‘Wobbly’
by Steven Mufson (The Washington Post) The much-anticipated rebalancing of oil markets appears to be a bit further away after the International Energy Agency revised its forecast, trimming its expectations for the growth in oil demand and citing near-record production
September 14, 2016 Read Full Article
White Dog Labs Looks to Build Delaware's Next Chemical Giant
by Scott Goss (The News Journal) ... Now the rather smelly, colorless liquid is poised to become the cornerstone of a Delaware startup that is seeking to revolutionize the biochemical industry and even possibly -- maybe someday -- upend the global fuel market. "That might
September 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Strategic Intent: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to DSM in the Advanced Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This season, The Digest is hosting the Strategic Intent webinar series, looking at the plans, progress and future milestones of strategic stakeholders in the Advanced Bioeconomy. In this slide deck, we looked at DSM and its direct investments, partnerships
September 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuels Deserve a Place at the Pump
by Jim Talent (The American Spectator) The case for alternative energy done right. -- ... No other policy has so effectively undermined the international oil cartel that seeks to profit from our dependence on oil. Today, ethanol and other biofuels meet about
August 23, 2016 Read Full Article
The RINferno, as It Burns up America’s Venture into Advanced Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... There’s a separate category of RINs for advanced biofuels. These are fuels that have at least a 50% reduction in fossil fuels compared to 2005 baseline gasoline. Overall, to qualify under the RFS, you need
August 19, 2016 Read Full Article
World Bank Sees Biofuels Losing out Due to Cheaper Oil
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the World Bank’s most recent Commodities Markets Outlook says lower energy prices have also eased pressures to produce biofuels as an alternative energy source. Biofuels production has been an important driver of demand
August 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Fuelling the Debate – Letters to the ROB Editor
by Andrea Kent (Globe and Mail/Renewable Industries Canada) Re Zero emissions bio-fuel myth ignores environmental costs of production(July 31): Gwyn Morgan says biofuels aren’t greener than fossil fuels and affect food supplies and prices. Really? Mr. Morgan ignores the multitude of
August 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Investors Have $100 Billion to Spend on Oil Assets No One Else Wants
by David Carey, Laura J Keller, Meenal Vamburkar (Bloomberg) Buyout firms target soured loans with eye on taking ownership; Drillers unload assets to stay afloat as cash crunch deepens -- ... Deals are picking up for a few key reasons. Oil prices are no longer
August 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Organic Acids: Key Facilitators of the Bio-economy
by Lorenz Bauer (Lee-Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) Recent declines in oil prices and the failure of start-up biofuel processes to meet production cost targets have increased the interest in producing value added chemicals from biomass as coproducts. The vision is that these
August 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Globalization of Ethanol Impacts US Industry
by Ryan Strickland (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Eco-Energy) It’s a big world out there and ethanol is primed to explore it—finding new markets through competitive pricing, high octane and low-carbon advantages that no other fuel on the planet today can match. The
August 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Oil and Natural Gas Production Jobs in May Were 26% Lower than in October 2014
(U.S. Energy Information Administration) Despite increases in crude oil prices since the start of the year, employment in oil and natural gas extraction and support activities continued declining from levels reached in the fall of 2014, just before the onset
August 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Aviation Fuel Market - Biofuels, America, Air BP, Shell, Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Gazprom Lead Growth to 2020
(ReportsnReports.com/PR Newswire) The global aviation fuel market 2016-2020 research report says impact of falling crude oil prices on aviation turbine fuel is leading to the growth of this market with the last one and half years seeing a direct impact
August 04, 2016 Read Full Article
World Bank: Biofuels Production Key Factor behind Food Commodity Demand over Past Decade
(Biofuels International) ... The World Bank report also stated: “Given the energy intensive nature of agriculture, lower energy prices will help reduce the cost of producing food commodities. “They will also ease policy pressures to encourage production of biofuels, which have been
August 04, 2016 Read Full Article
World Bank: Next Victim of Cheap Oil Is Renewable Fuel
by John Siciliano (Washington Times) The World Bank said Tuesday (July 26, 2016) that low oil prices have hurt demand for renewable fuel. Even while the bank's latest commodity outlook is raising its oil price projections from $41 to $43 per
August 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Sustainable and Low-Cost: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Competing with Sub-$50 oil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As Irshad Ahmed observed recently in The Digest, “until such time that we internalize the true life-cycle costs of extracting and using fossil fuels, and distinguishing fossil-BTUs from bio-BUTs, we will continue to struggle to find
August 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Oil Majors Lost One Engine; Now the Second One Is Sputtering
by Javier Blas (Bloomberg) BP says second-quarter refining margins drop to 6-year low; Downstream business was key last year in cushioning cheap oil -- If Big Oil was a two-engine airplane, you could say it’s been flying on a single engine since
July 27, 2016 Read Full Article
The Unintended Consequences of First Generation Biofuels
by Morteza Soleymannezhad (Forbes) Biofuel analysts usually tend to focus more on the gasoline-corn price relationship and less on the oil-corn price relationship. In this article I illuminate one of the unintended implications of the first generation biofuels that is
July 22, 2016 Read Full Article
“Tough Couple of Years, but Survivors Scaling”: DOE’s Bioenergy 2016 Looks Optimistically at Biofuels Future
by Ed Dodge (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, a commercialization panel said that “the biofuels industry has been through a tough couple of years, but the survivors are scaling up and bringing product to market. The panel featured some leading players
July 18, 2016 Read Full Article
What’s Changing in Biofuels? The Top 10 Trends for 2016
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A Digest reader writes: I’m looking to summarize the changes over the last 2-3 years in the biofuels market. Are you aware of any articles or summaries on this topic? It’s a good question without a ready
July 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Renewable Biofuels Are Vital to an All-of-the-Above Energy Strategy
by William Feehery (The Hill/DuPont Industrial Biosciences) ... One of the most vital and immediate tools at our disposal in the campaign for energy independence is renewable fuel. It is the only technology that can address the de-carbonization of the
July 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Cheating Fuel Retailers Come under Scrutiny
by Yuthana Priawan (Bangkok Post) More adulterated fuel sold as oil gets cheaper. -- A substantial rise in fuel consumption as the oil price collapsed has coincided with a rise in the sale of adulterated fuel, says the Department of
July 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Power Plants Are No Longer America’s Biggest Climate Problem. Transportation Is.
by Brad Plumer (Vox) A new energy era is upon us: For the first time since 1979, America’s cars, trucks, and airplanes emit more carbon dioxide than its power plants do. ... The story here is that the United States has made
June 15, 2016 Read Full Article
New CEO of Petrobras Has Good News for Brazil’s Ethanol Makers
by Fabiana Batista (Bloomberg) Parente signals end of government-subsidized gasoline prices; Higher gasoline costs likely to spark demand for biofuel -- ... Pedro Parente, who was sworn in as the head of Brazil’s state-owned oil producer this month, has made clear that the
June 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Can Saudi Arabia Pivot Away from Oil? A Powerful Prince Brings His Pitch to America.
by Brian Murphy (The Washington Post) ... When Saudi Arabia’s deputy crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman, begins meetings this week in Washington and New York, he will be pitching an audacious idea: How the kingdom wants to reinvent its economy
June 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Oil Prices Are Rising. But All Those Jobs Aren't Coming Back.
by Lydia DePillis (Houston Chronicle) Rigs can run with fewer people now, so they won't need to be re-hired. -- ... A "full recovery" would do wonders for the economy of Houston and Texas as a whole. As my colleague Collin Eaton has
June 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Arkansas State University Biodiesel Lab Helps Power, Feed University Farm
by David Bennett (Delta Farm Press) Surrounded by educational posters and a large dry board full of mathematical equations, Kevin Humphrey sits explaining how the biodiesel lab in adjacent rooms came to be. “I’ve been here since 1993,” says the associate
June 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Fossil Fuels’ Unpopularity Leaves a Mark
by Amy Harder and Erin Ailworth (The Wall Street Journal) Many major fossil-fuel projects across the U.S., from pipelines to export terminals, have been shelved or significantly delayed because of a confluence of new regulations, grass-roots opposition and a drop
June 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Guest View: For the Farmers, the Biofuel Bubble Has Already Burst
by Isaac Orr (Quad City Times/The Heartland Institute) ... Many of the agriculture-related policy discussions taking place in the nation’s capital focus on how corn farmers will be hurt by the biofuel mandate because RFS requires traditional forms of biofuel,
May 19, 2016 Read Full Article
In North Dakota's Oil Patch, a Humbling Comedown
by Ernest Scheyder (Reuters) The fracking party is over, and a quiet desperation has descended on the state's once-booming communities and the thousands of people who were drawn to them. -- ... But the price drop quickened, due in part
May 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Blending Pressures Already Shrinking Refiner Margins
by Laura Blewitt (Bloomberg) Federally mandated ethanol blending is adding extra pressure to the faltering profits of U.S. refiners. The worst crude oil downturn in a generation, which at first helped refiners’ profits, has now passed through to the fuel prices. Now,
May 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Can the U.S. Military Afford to Run on Biofuels?
by Rich Smith (The Motley Fool) ... The beef tallow being used today, however, costs just $2.05 per gallon, making it cheaper than the $2.76 per gallon that the Defense Logistics Agency pays for F-76. A 90-10 diesel-tallow blend, therefore, should
May 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Oil Market Manipulation Is Alive and Well
by Jim Talent (Americans for Energy Security and Innovation/The Hill) Opponents of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) claim that the free hand of an unrestricted marketplace will guide biofuels into our fuel supply, driving economic competition and giving consumers better
May 13, 2016 Read Full Article
Oil Firms Have 10 Years to Change Strategy or Face 'Short, Brutish End'
by Terry Macalister (The Guardian) Business models employed by multinationals such as Shell and BP are no longer fit for purpose, warns energy expert -- ... Paul Stephens, a fellow at Chatham House thinktank, said in a research paper the oil “majors”
May 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Can We Save the Algae Biofuel Industry?
by Christian Ridley (The Epoch Times) Algal biofuels are in trouble. This alternative fuel source could help reduce overall carbon emissions without taking land from food production, like many crop-based biofuels do. But several major companies including Shell and ExxonMobil are seemingly
May 10, 2016 Read Full Article
The Unloved Business That's Saved Big Oil From Low Energy Prices
by Javier Blas (Bloomberg) Petrochemical earnings accounted for 75% of Exxon's net income; Oil executives see future for chemicals beyond crude rout -- Big Oil is suddenly Big Chemical. For years, the business of turning gas and crude into the chemicals used to
May 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Oil Majors Worth More Adopting 2˚C Pathway, Independent Stress Test Finds
(Carbon Tracker) The upstream assets of the world’s seven largest privately owned listed oil and gas companies could collectively be worth $100 billion more if they aligned their investment plans with the 2˚C target, a new study released today by
May 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Roiling the markets: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Oil Price Volatility and Prospects
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) With oil prices continued to roil markets, this deck on the oil price environment for 2016, presented by Raymond James senior vice-president Pavel Molchanov at the 2016 ABLC meeting, is both instructive and timely. READ
May 04, 2016 Read Full Article
$30 Oil Is Changing the World and Washington
by Timothy Cama, Julian Hattem and Devin Henry (The Hill) ... The oil industry and its supporters in Congress still have a long wish list. The federal ethanol blending mandate continues to anger oil refiners, and producers would like to
April 27, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry - Challenging Near-Term Conditions
(Seeking Alpha) Ethanol producers are battling with narrowing margins and excess supply. The industry faces uncertain regulatory support and relatively mild near-term gasoline demand growth amid increasing supply. This suggests a challenging near-term outlook for the industry. ... Despite falling gasoline consumption, ethanol production
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
$85 Crude Oil By Christmas – An Interview With Mike Rothman
by Nick Cunningham (OilPrice.com) Global supply still exceeds demand, but there are solid signs that the overhang is finally starting to ease. Storage levels are high, but are expected to come down. Where does that leave us? With so many energy
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Exports Give U.S. Ethanol Producers an Outlet for Surplus
(Omah.com/Bloomberg) At the Plymouth Energy plant in the heart of the U.S. Corn Belt — where homegrown fuel from grain was supposed to ease American dependence on foreign oil — every drop of ethanol goes to motorists in Brazil. Like many
April 11, 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
Grease Is the Word
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In short, renewable fuels has reached a crisis of growth in the United States — years of expansion have halted, and everyone is entitled to ask why. ... Let’s look at the hard data. Demand signals As
April 07, 2016 Read Full Article
REG’s Rolling Thunder: What Did Not Kill Them (Falling Oil Prices), Made Them Stronger
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... It’s been a couple of years since we visited REG and the difference is palpable. The company has become a little ADM, rather than a big Amyris or TerraVia. You see the trading desks at
April 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Gevo’s Alcohol to Jet Fuel Clears Key ASTM Hurdle
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) First commercial test flight with Alaska Airlines comes closer In Colorado, ASTM International Committee D02 on Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels, and Lubricants and Subcommittee D02.J on Aviation Fuel passed a concurrent ballot this week approving the
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
In U.S., 73% Now Prioritize Alternative Energy Over Oil, Gas
by Zac Auter (Gallup) Seventy-three percent of Americans say they prefer emphasizing alternative energy, rather than gas and oil production, as the solution to the nation's energy problems. This marks the highest percentage of Americans prioritizing alternative energy since Gallup
March 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Oil Investors See $7.4 Billion Vanish as Dividends Targeted
by Alex Nussbaum and Michael Roschnotti (Bloomberg Business) Bludgeoned by falling energy prices, at least a dozen oil and natural gas companies have opted to cut dividends this year to preserve cash, cannibalizing payouts considered sacrosanct by many investors. The cost to shareholders:
March 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels Rep Defends RFS
(Environmental Compliance News) ... Americans should not misunderstand the current state of domestic production, foreign production, international economics, and low prices, according to Brooke Coleman, executive director of the Advanced Biofuels Business Council. “Oil dependence is still a problem, and recent
March 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Mandate and the Price You Pay for Gas
(Agricultural & Applied Economics Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... Just last year the USA Today and Chicago Tribune called for an end to the mandate that was created, in part, to reduce the country’s reliance on foreign oil. Professor Bruce Babcock of Iowa
February 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Is the Climate Changing for Fossil Fuel Investments?
(Morgan Stanley) As the world embraces a low-carbon economy, should investors change how they view fossil fuel investments? -- ... Most investors interested in establishing a fossil-fuel aware portfolio can follow a four step roadmap to evaluate and apply this framework:
February 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Powerful Crap: The Quest to Turn Smelly Sewage into Sweet Biodiesel
by David MacNeal (Ars Technica) The facility smell? “That’s money,” Todd French says. “That’s what it smells like.” -- “By the time it gets here, David, it’s no longer my poop,” says microbiologist Todd French with conviction. “I don’t want
February 23, 2016 Read Full Article
GRFA Calls on National Governments to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies
(Global Renewable Fuels Alliance/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Bliss Baker, the president of the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance, recently called upon national leaders to take advantage of the low price and abundant stockpiles of crude oil to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies. Baker
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Octane Benefits Highlighted at National Ethanol Conference
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... Held Feb. 15 to 17 in New Orleans, the NEC painted a strong future for the ethanol industry in the speakers addressing the conference theme, “Fueling a High Octane Future.” Following the state
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Oil Consumers Puppets on a String
by Mike Bryan (Ethanol Producer Magazine) With the technology we have today, it’s a disgrace that we still largely depend on oil as our main source of energy, writes Mike Bryan. ... The oil industry is so desperate to hold on
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Price of Oil Crushes Liquid Transportation Fuels--Renewable and Not -- Now What?
Editorial by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) "Europe should promote the development of home-grown alternatives to imported oil and gas,” according to former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who was Danish Prime Minister from November 2001 to April 2009 in
February 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Bailout the US Shale Oil/Gas Industry or Fund Clean Sustainable Renewable Transportation? A New Way of Looking at the Options. Press Release
For Immediate Release February 12, 2016—Frederick, MD Advanced Biofuels USA correspondent Robert E. Kozak analyses the potential for a reinvigorated US shale oil/gas industry with and without government subsidies; and compares it to the potential for near-term growth of renewable sustainable clean,
February 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Oil Rout to Spark U.S. Ethanol Consolidation, Green Plains Says
by Mario Parker (Bloomberg/Chicago Tribune) The cheapest crude oil prices in 12 years could spark a wave of ethanol industry mergers in 2016, Green Plains Inc., a producer of the biofuel, said Thursday. So far this year, returns from converting a
February 15, 2016 Read Full Article
After the Fall: Rebuilding US Liquid Fuel Production - Invest in Our Land or the Shale Oil Fields? (Part 2 of 2)
Efforts to promote a sustainable use of natural resources are not a waste of money, but rather an investment capable of providing other economic benefits in the medium term. If we look at the larger picture, we can see that
February 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Economists: Ethanol Retains Low-Cost Octane Enhancer Status
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Ethanol continues to maintain its status as the low-cost octane enhancer, in spite of low oil prices reducing the cost of competing petroleum-based aromatics. The biggest threat, say University of Illinois economists Scott
February 08, 2016 Read Full Article
The Problem with Biofuels
by Richard Martin and Michael Reilly (MIT Technology Review) The U.S. Navy is touting its “Great Green Fleet,” but why haven’t biofuels made a bigger splash despite a decade of hype and investment? ... The mandates outlined in the legislation created an
January 28, 2016 Read Full Article
Olden Days, Golden Days, and Golden Gripes
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... So, how fast did petroleum expand production, in comparison to low-carbon renewable fuels? ... One thing is clear, renewable fuels are moving fast, by comparison. From 1866 through 1899 (a year when negative attention on the