by Rachel George (Papillion Times)  … Jason Thomas, currently a doctoral student of plant biological sciences at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, will join a research group at the Plant Reproduction and Development laboratory at …

(Illinois State University)  Illinois State Associate Professor of Genetics John Sedbrook is collaborating on a $1 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop genetic resources that can be used to …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In March, United Airlines made history by becoming the first U.S. airline to begin use of commercial-scale volumes of sustainable aviation biofuel for regularly scheduled flights with the departure of United Flight …

by Kelly Moffitt (St. Louis Public Radio)  … Toni Kutchan, Vice President for Research at Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, said that sorghum, Camelina sativa and pennycress are non-agricultural crops that researchers are harvesting for oil …

(Environmental Protection Agency)  In this Notice, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting comment on its analysis of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions attributable to the production and transport of Thlaspi arvense (“pennycress”) oil feedstock …

by Jim Bafaro (St. Louis Business Journal)  Some call it the “stinkweed.”   Yet despite that inglorious moniker, there’s an awful lot to like about pennycress, say officials with one St. Louis startup company. That’s because …

(University of Illinois  College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences/EurekAlert!)  If the hottest new plant grown as a biofuel crop is approved based solely on its greenhouse gas emission profile, its potential as the next …

(US Department of Agriculture)  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today (July 17, 2014) announced the selection of 10 projects that are being awarded funding aimed at accelerating …

by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine)  A sit-down with Dave Elsenbast, vice president of supply chain management for Renewable Energy Group Inc.  For more than 25 years, Dave Elsenbast has been a leader in agricultural business …

(Business Wire/AlphaJet)  …Having successfully demonstrated its cost-effective catalytic process for making jet fuel, diesel and high-octane gasoline from renewable plant oils or animal fats, AliphaJet is beginning its commercial scale-up program.
…The company has launched a …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Most of the stories we write at the Digest on the subject of biofuels feedstocks fall into the well-established realms of normal. But every once in  a while, a feedstock …

(City of Galesburg)  Pennycress Energy and the EBI Network are promoting Pennycress as a renewable, alternative energy fuel crop for the Galesburg/West Central Illinois Region. The project, generating interest among growers, will identify possible investors …

(BusinessWire/AliphaJet)  At a dinner hosted by President Jimmy Carter with Jack Oswald, CEO of AliphaJet Inc. (www.AliphaJet.com), and Tracey Haslam, Americas vice president, Honeywell Process Solutions (NYSE:HON) (www.honeywellprocess.com), the former President endorsed the collaboration of …

(PR NewsWire/SarTec) SarTec Corporation announced today it has received a $500,000 Department of Energy grant (Award # DE-EE0003127) as part of a larger project to develop and enhance the use of inedible energy crops for the production of advanced …

(Michigan State University)  Michigan State University researchers are finding new locations to grow crops used for biofuel.
The land they’ve identified might surprise some because it’s right next to where the fuel is being used.
Dennis Pennington, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …“How do get growers to grow if there’s no market? How do you get a market if there are no growers?” Arvent CEO Sudhir Seth summed up the problem.
…The problem …

by John Davis (DomesticFuel)   The USDA is looking into turning a common weed into biodiesel.
Researchers with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have found that field pennycress, better known in some circles as stinkweed, puts out a …

(BusinessWire) Technology Solutions Company to Develop Flexible Analysis Models for Simulating Plant Processing Performance and Economics
)–Alion Science and Technology has been awarded a contract from the Biotechnology Research and Development Center (BRDC) to develop models …

by Shanna Shipman (Gatehouse News Service, HollandSentinel.com)  …(S)ientists and farmers are looking closer at one plant, formerly considered a mere botanical pest, and are discovering a world of beneficial possibilities.
In short, this plant has the …

by Steve Tarter (Journal Star)  A biodiesel plant in Peoria County moved a step closer to reality Monday as U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock announced $500,000 in funding to help develop a new source for the …