by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … Florida is a hot state, in more ways than one, and we cover the Top 5 hottest Florida spots that hopefully remain intact or recover quickly after Irma’s impact, especially …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  A report filed with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network predicts Australian biofuel production will reach 290 million liters (79.61 million gallons) this year, including 250 …

by Nico Savidge (University of Wisconsin-Madison)  A UW-Madison research center that has used the university’s largest-ever federal grant to develop ethanol technology over the past decade will shift its focus to other alternative fuels after …

(U.S. Department of Energy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Rice is a staple food for over half of the world’s population and a model for studies of candidate bioenergy grasses such as sorghum, switchgrass, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  NexSteppe is dedicated to pioneering the next generation of scalable, reliable, cost-effective feedstock solutions for the biofuels, biopower and biobased products industries. Using advanced breeding techniques and cutting-edge analytical technologies, …

(AgForce Queensland)  The Queensland Renewable Fuels Association Inc (QRFA), have signed a partnership agreement today with AgForce, Queensland’s peak organisation for broadacre primary producers.
Both peak industry associations have come together to build a partnership platform …

by Heather Zhang (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Carbon credit prices recover and multiple new pathways are certified as the state’s program gets back on track.  —  California’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions from the transport sector …

(NexSteppe Inc.)  NexSteppe Inc., a company dedicated to pioneering the next generation of sustainable feedstock solutions for biobased industries, announced today the world wide launch of a new product line: Metano Alto.  Metano Alto Industrial …

by John Duff (Ethanol Producer Magazine/National Sorghum Producers)  A drastically changed farm economy means the next bill will likely be very different than past ones. …   —  It is hard to believe the current …

by Dyani Lewis (The Guardian)  Oilier plants, new processing technologies and multipurpose crops could put the biofuel industry back in the race for greener transport fuels.  —  Biofuels have long been touted as a carbon-neutral …

(NexSteppe)  NexSteppe, a company dedicated to pioneering the next generation of sustainable feedstock solutions for biobased industries, announced a new partnership today with Embrapa, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation.  The partnership will focus on commercializing …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  From California arrives the very interesting news that Amyris has entered into an agreement with Blue California whereby its affiliates will provide access to its fermentation manufacturing in China and …

by Abdul-Sattar Nizami (King Abdulaziz University, Center of Excellence in Environmental Studies (CEES)) (RenewableEnergyFocus.com)  The conservation of biomass is essential for ensuring a continuous and quality supply of feedstock for biofuel facilities around the year. …

(Biofuels Association of Australia)  There are early signs that the Biofuels mandate in Queensland is driving interest in biofuels.
The industry had been held back by a lack of consumer understanding around the benefits of E10.
With …

by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest)  In Australia, the federal government’s economic advisor—The Productivity Commission—has called on New South Wales, Queensland and commonwealth governments to drop biofuel blending, saying the polices unnecessarily increase fuel prices for …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Aemetis owns and operates 110 million gallons per year of ethanol and biodiesel facilities in the US and India, and is upgrading the plants using patented technology to produce lower …

(NexSteppe)  NexSteppe Inc., a company dedicated to pioneering the next generation of sustainable feedstock solutions for biobased industries, announced today that the European Union has fully approved two NexSteppe Sorghum hybrids for commercial sale in …

by Sharita L Forrest (Phys.Org) A semiautonomous robot may soon be roaming agricultural fields gathering and transmitting real-time data about the growth and development of crops, information that crop breeders—and eventually farmers—can use to identify the genetic …

by Helena Tavares Kennedy  (Biofuels Digest)  … While there were big questions, there were big answers, beginning with a panel on The Sustainable Agriculture Imperative. John Pieper from Dupont Industrial Biosciences shared their latest work with …

(Donald Danforth Plant Science Center)   The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, one of the world’s largest independent plant science institutes, today announced a three-year $6.1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to …

(Beef Central)  Lotfeeders remain deeply concerned about the long-term impact that the Queensland Government’s ethanol mandate from this month will have on Australia’s grainfed cattle sector.  READ MORE and MORE / MORE (Queensland Country Life)
 
Excerpt from …

(NexSteppe)  NexSteppe, a company dedicated to pioneering the next generation of sustainable feedstock solutions for biobased industries, today announced it was named in the prestigious 2017 Global Cleantech 100, produced by CTG (Cleantech Group), whose …

(University of Illinois/EurekAlert!)  Today many biofuel refineries operate for only seven months each year, turning freshly harvested crops into ethanol and biodiesel. When supplies run out, biorefineries shut down for the other five months. However, …

(My Sunshine Coast/Queensland Renewable Fuels Association)   Renewable Developments Australia Pty Ltd (“RDA”) is fast approaching the delivery of the first of its planned five large scale bio-ethanol farms and production facilities to supply ethanol for the Australian …

(NexSteppe)  NexSteppe, a company dedicated to pioneering the next generation of sustainable feedstock solutions for biobased industries, announced today that the South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has approved four NexSteppe sorghum hybrids …

(Iowa Corn)  … As the world strives to meet goals set by global climate initiatives, U.S. ethanol provides an affordable solution. Government mandates, which dictate a certain amount of ethanol to be blended with gasoline, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …  Proof positive on the “best is yet to come” — check out the Danforth Plant Science Center. It’s tucked away in the major agri-complex that built up around Monsanto …

(Univeristy of Botswana)  The University of Botswana took its research programme to loftier heights when it launched an experimental vehicle that uses biodiesel fuel on November 14, 2016. The vehicle uses blended fuel (B10) which …

(NexSteppe)    NexSteppe, a company dedicated to pioneering the next generation of sustainable feedstock solutions for the biobased industries, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Longping Hi-Tech Arable Land Remediation Technology …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Lignocellulosic sugars and lignin have become necessary intermediates for advancing research towards economically producing biofuels and bioproducts. Recently, the US Department of Energy issued a Request for Information: Cellulosic Sugar …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Lignocellulosic sugars and lignin have become necessary intermediates for advancing research towards economically producing biofuels and bioproducts. Recently, the US Department of Energy issued a Request for Information: Cellulosic Sugar …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  The results of the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office’s (BETO’s) Cellulosic Sugar and Lignin Production Capabilities Request for Information (RFI) are now available on the RFI responses web page. This …

(U.S. Grains Council)  Mexican authorities considering how ethanol fits into their country’s energy mix heard from U.S. researchers about air quality, lung health and other quality of life benefits and from Colombian and Paraguayan regulators …

(Iteris)  Predictive Agriculture Analytics and APIs from Iteris Now Cover Sorghum and Sunflower Crops —  Iteris, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITI), the global leader in applied informatics for transportation and agriculture, today announced the addition of growth …

by Ilari Kauppila (Biofuels International)  US exports of feed grains in all forms in 2015/2016 increased by more than 300,000 tonnes from the previous marketing year, US Department of Agriculture data shows.
Totalling at 100.5 million tonnes, …

by Dennis O’Brien (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service)  With its 30-ton frame and 50-foot-high catwalk, the newest scanner for measuring crop plants in Maricopa, Arizona, can be seen for miles. It looms over …

by Josh Pedrick (Platts)  The higher ethanol production seen so far in 2016 has come from greater sorghum use and boosted yields from corn, said a professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The Department …

(North Carolina Biotechnology Center)  The North Carolina Biotechnology Center, aided by a $1.87 million federal grant, has embarked on a three-year project to study the production of sorghum as biomass for fuel and high-value chemicals …

by Dennis O’Brien (USDA Agricultural Research Service/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  An Agricultural Research Service plant geneticist has developed new genetic resources that allow the breeding of sorghum varieties with higher grain yields and greater resistance to diseases and pests.
The …

(U.S. Grains Council)  A recent U.S. Grains Council Chart of Note shows the standout performance of U.S. exports of U.S. feed grains in all forms to Mexico over the past six years.
For marketing year 2015-‘16, …

by Susan van Dyk and Stephen Schuck (IEA Bioenergy Task 39 and Bioenergy Australia)  …  While Australia has large energy resources, it is a net importer of crude oil and refined petroleum products. In
2013, net product imports were …

(KTIC/DTN/Progressive Farmer) With all of the political fights about the role ethanol and other biofuels have in the transportation sector, there is common ground for the ethanol, oil and automobile industries that could bode well for …

(Ecogeneration)  It’s a hard road for the Australian biofuels industry, which turns out bioethanol (or E10 as it’s known at the pump) and biodiesel. Until motorists instinctively reach for the bio-blend pumps the sector has …

by Susan van Dyk and Stephen Schuck (IEA Bioenergy Task 39/Bioenergy Australia)  Australia’s primary energy consumption is heavily dependent on fossil fuels, with renewables contributing
about 7% (including hydroelectricity, wind, solar and biomass) (Figure 1) (US EIA).
While Australia has …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  A recent report filed with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network provides updated data on Australia’s biofuel industry, noting ethanol production is expected to reach 250 …

(Newswise/University of Florida)  As some Florida growers try to find new crops and the demand for biofuel stock increases globally, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers have found that sweet potato …

by Joanna Schroeder (Energy.AgWired.com)  A contingency of ethanol producers from Mexico recently visited the U.S. to look at the option of sorghum as an ethanol feedstock as the country’s industry continues to grow following the …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) NexSteppe is dedicated to pioneering the next generation of scalable, reliable, cost-effective feedstock solutions for the biofuels, biopower and biobased products industries. Using advanced breeding techniques and cutting-edge analytical technologies, NexSteppe …

by Kathleen Phillips (AgriLife Today) The U.S. Department of Energy has granted $2.5 million for a Texas A&M AgriLife Research study to find ways to use biorefinery waste to make new, marketable products.
“In the biorefinery field, …

(Genetics Society of America/Biomass Magazine)  The bioenergy crop sorghum holds great promise as a raw material for making environmentally friendly fuels and chemicals that offer alternatives to petroleum-based products. Sorghum can potentially yield more energy …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) READ MORE

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) #10: Refocusing away from algae …; #9: Export potential on the rise …; #8: New cellulosic ethanol project in planning …; #7: First Australian biorefinery for renewable diesel, jet fuel …;  #6: New …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Bioenergy Feedstock Library is a physical sample repository and database for physical, chemical and conversion performance characteristics of biomass feedstock.
The library provides tools to store, record, track, retrieve, and analyze data to help …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In what might become the most transformative development in fermentation yields since Noah debuted winemaking technology in the Book of Genesis, US-based White Dog Labs have unveiled a new process that …

(Sorghum Checkoff/Biomass Magazine)   The Sorghum Checkoff recently announced a $500,000 investment in sorghum research, made at the inaugural Transportation Energy Resources from Renewable Agriculture (TERRA) program field day at the University of Arizona’s Maricopa Agricultural Center in …

by  Jennifer Blackburn (United Sorghum Checkoff Program/MyPlainView.com) The Sorghum Checkoff announced Thursday a $500,000 investment in sorghum research, made at the inaugural Transportation Energy Resources from Renewable Agriculture (TERRA) program field day at the University of …

(University of Adelaide/Newswise)  A weedy plant found on the roadside in northern Australia has stems ripe for biofuel production.  —  Scientists from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls at the University of …

(Jamaica Observer)  ‘We are yet to see that,’ says economist as he outlines vision for sugar sector  —  Jamaica is still not producing ethanol for the E10 mix of petrol which the Government introduced into …

(California Ethanol & Power)  Today California Ethanol & Power, LLC (CE&P) announced the updated carbon intensity (CI) for its anticipated sugarcane and sweet sorghum ethanol. On May 9, 2016, California’s Air Resources Board (CARB) under …

by Josh Pedrick  (Platts)  Most “legacy” ethanol producers who sell their product in California are unhappy with updated “carbon intensity” scores, saying the application process was inconsistent and left scores too high to meet the …

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 …

by Ilan Solomons (Mining Weekly)  Local green technology company G-Tech has recorded early success in its attempt to grow biofuel and other bioenergy feedstock to produce bioethanol and biodiesel as part of a mine dump …

(African News Agency/Engineering News)  American and Chinese companies are set to invest R940-million in Limpopo to pursue renewable energy and ethanol profits, government and investors have announced. The United States’ Bio-Processing Innovation and the Beijing …

by Claire Benjamin (University of Illinois) … The University of Illinois and the University of Florida have been awarded a third round of funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to realize …

(Refining and Petrochemicals Energy Business Review)  Renewable Developments Australia (RDA) has secured $3m from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) to support the development of a renewable biofuel production facility.
The funding will be used by …

by John Andersen (Townsville Bulletin)  …  The Pentland Bio-Energy Project has been sidelined by the State Government’s draconian new Vegetation Management Reinstatement Legislation Bill. Land clearing around the State has been stopped pending a vote on …

by Christina Couch (MIT Technology Review)  Next month, a team of researchers will load one small aerial drone and two ground drones with sensors and release them on a field planted with hundreds of varieties …

by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, the DOE’s ARPA-E TERRA projects seek to accelerate the development of sustainable energy crops for the production of renewable transportation fuels from biomass. To accomplish this, the projects …

(Biotechnology Innovation Organization/Businesswire)  The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) announced today that President and CEO of NexSteppe, Anna Rath, has been selected by a committee of her peers to be the recipient of the 2016 BIO Rosalind Franklin …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The Prospective Plantings report provides the first official, survey based estimates of U.S. farmers’ 2016 planting intentions.
U.S. corn growers expect to plant 93.6 million acres to corn this year, according …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In grains, the big news has been the USDA prospective plantings report, which has corn up to 93 million acres in 2016, up 5 million over last year, and it …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … In South Africa,, Chromatin and Zaad Holdings have entered into an alliance to produce and distribute planting seed for grain and forage sorghum throughout the African continent.
In Africa, sorghum is …

Sorghum will dramatically increase the viability of bioenergy because it is a highly productive crop with a limited need for irrigation or fertilization. The region targeted for future production, however, has unique challenges that must …

(RPA News)  Our top story this month is a blunt reminder of how deeply U.S. policy uncertainty cut down and yanked back the progress of commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol over the past few years. The U.S. EPA’s …

by Suzanne Goldenberg (The Guardian)  Arpa-E project deploys drones and robots to breed fast-growing, drought-resistant and greener biofuel from sorghum which could replace corn ethanol — A US government agency is trying to build a better …

by Lauren Quinn (University of Illinois)  Today most U.S. biodiesel is produced from soybean. But despite its value as a protein source, soybean only provides the equivalent of about one barrel of oil per acre. …

by Holly Jessen and Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Although there are challenges facing the second generation ethanol industry, progress is being made — U.S. EPA data shows 2.18 million cellulosic ethanol D3 RINs (renewable identification …

by Christina Maza (Christian Science Monitor) … Now, researchers across the US are pouring resources into discovering whether it’s possible to produce sustainable biofuel through selective plant breeding and genetic modification. That technique, which has generated …

(South Florida Caribbean News)  As renewable energy demands increase globally, biofuel developer Benchmark Renewable Energy LLC has officially announced plans to develop a large scale bio-ethanol operation in Jamaica.
The company has confirmed that the project …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … If jatropha faltered, never mind, went the argument, we’ll always have switchgrass. Or giant miscanthus, or pongamia, or poplar, or camelina. The list could get really long. For example, try …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Where is the bioeconomy headed? In the annual State of the Industry briefing at the 2016 Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference, the Digest presented a survey on that topic.
Here are the …

by Susanna Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Eighty-nine ethanol producers west of the Mississippi River prepare for the revised LCFS.  … After a couple of years in limbo due to challenges to the Low Carbon Fuel …

by Chris Cogburn (American Agriculturist/Farm Progress)   Drop in demand from China finds domestic markets stepping up, putting balance sheet back to the future  —  For years, the sorghum balance sheet never changed. On an annual …

by James Hataway  (University of Georgia)  A team of researchers led by faculty at the University of Georgia have received a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to find new ways of combating …

by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  … “Most investors are from South Dakota by far,” he reported, but the project did attract investors from Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois. “Generally, from areas where they …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Byogy has developed a catalytic platform that converts any source of ethanol, butanol, mixed alcohols, or related olefins, into full replacement, and cost competitive biofuels including gasoline, diesel and jet …

by Bill Rooney (Biofuels Digest/Texas A&M)  Sorghum has been identified by the US Department of Energy as an energy crop of interest. Owing to its high biomass yield, drought tolerance, established production systems, carbon life cycle, genetic resources and potential for further …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Q. We’ve heard a lot about carbon capture, but what about carbon capture and conversion (to a more soluble, transportable and storable form), for example conversion to bicarbonate?
A. To date, …

(Donald Danforth Plant Science Center/EurekAlert!)  The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center announced that it will be part of a major collaborative research project to improve sorghum’s productivity under resource-limited conditions. The research should lead to …

(University of Illinois/Biomass Magazine)  The University of Illinois has been awarded a 3-year, $5 million grant from the DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy as part of its OPEN 2015 funding initiative (ARPA-E OPEN). Under Principal Investigator …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …  In Minnesota, construction is now underway at the Green Biologics bio-based n-butanol and acetone manufacturing facility in Little Falls, MN. The existing manufacturing site, formerly known as The Central …

(ABC News)  Australia’s biggest sugar milling company, Wilmar, says new legislation boosts the chances of bioethanol becoming a major contributor to the state’s economy.
The legislation passed through Queensland Parliament last night and sets a mandated …

(Agrimoney.com)  The United Nations highlighted a cooling in the competition by biofuels plants for crops as it revealed a return by food prices into decline, as cereals and meat values fell to five-year lows.
The UN’s …

by John Andersen (Townsville Bulletin)  Work on a $564 million biofuel project which is set to create about 650 jobs is expected to start at Pentland in June next year.  The project, underpinned by the …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  For two decades, ICM has adapted with the changing times, bringing technology solutions to the ethanol industry.  —  In 1995, ICM Inc. got its start with the purchase of …

by Lauren Klamm (Source)  Colorado State University is one of 10 institutions in a $13.8 million research grant to improve sorghum as a sustainable source for biofuel production. … Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, …

(Aemetis/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Aemetis Inc., an advanced renewable fuels and biochemicals company, announced the harvesting of 12- to 15- foot tall biomass sorghum grown in Central California that was produced using proprietary Nexsteppe seed genetics. …

by Gillian Klucas (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)  … The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will lead a $13.5 million, multi-institutional research effort to improve sorghum as a sustainable source for biofuel production.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, this …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  NexSteppe is dedicated to pioneering the next generation of scalable, reliable, cost-effective feedstock solutions for the biofuels, biopower and biobased products industries. Using advanced breeding techniques and cutting-edge analytical technologies, …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Commercial-scale production and harvest of several annual and perennial biomass feedstocks is under way, paving the way for biofuels, biopower and biobased products. — … There are, however, a handful …

by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)   A multitude of questions surround the challenge of bringing in the mountains of biomass needed to feed a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant: Are crop residues a reliable resource? …

by PJ Griekspoor  (Agri-View)  St. Joseph, Mo., pilot plant completes tests of making cellulosic ethanol that also yields value-added co-products — The prospects for profitable cellulosic ethanol just got a little brighter with the completion of two …

by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine)  AGCO is well-equipped to aid the first U.S. cellulosic ethanol plants in devising efficient and effective feedstock supply chain models.  Name the crop, and AGCO has baled it. Extensive work …

by Charlie Peel (Townsville Bulletin)  Up to 30 mini biofuel plants could be rolled out across North Queensland as part of an ambitious plan to make the region Australia’s renewable fuel capital.
The centrepiece of the project …

by Wendell Roelf (Reuters Africa)   South Africa’s biofuels funding incentive is being revamped over concerns that it is unaffordable after a halving of global crude oil prices over the past year, officials said on Tuesday.
A …

TERRA projects seek to accelerate the development of sustainable energy crops for the production of renewable transportation fuels from biomass. To accomplish this, the projects uniquely integrate agriculture, information technology, and engineering communities to design …

(USDA Agricultural Research Service/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  USDA scientist is providing much needed guidance to sorghum farmers in the Texas High Plains who are trying to save water by using less-than-optimal amounts of it.
Farmers in the area …

by Joanna Schroeder (Biofuels Journal)  Greenbelt Resources Corp. has developed a feedstock testing program so potential cellulosic ethanol producers can see if their enterprise will succeed at commercial scale by processing a certain feedstock.
Darren Eng, …

(Danforth Plant Science Center)  Understanding key phenotype-to-genotype associations will enhance efforts
to bring products to market  —  The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center announced today it was awarded an $8 million grant from the U.S. Department …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Six projects land major multi-year awards for Project TERRA, Tramsportation Energy Resources from Renewable Agriculture
In Washington, ARPA-E announced awards totaling $30 million for projects seeking to accelerate the development of …

by Scott Miller (Clemson University)  A new public-private partnership led by Clemson University and a worldwide biomass and bioenergy producer will research the use of crops that can both open new markets for South Carolina …

(ABC Rural)  The head of Queensland’s only sorghum biorefinery says a mandate on ethanol in fuel is essential for the future of his business.
It comes as the agriculture sector is shaping up for another round …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  After a period of incredible profitability, leaders in the ethanol industry are better positioned for thinner margins.
In an industry ruled by volatility, it’s important for producers to position themselves …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  44 deals, 37 companies; deal count jumps 16% but deal size drops 17% Here’s the complete skinny on who got what.  In Florida, The Digest reports that 12 advanced bioeconomy …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Next-gen feedstock developer records 1000% year-on-year growth for its Palo Alto Biomass Sorghum hybrids in Brazil.  Sustainable, available, reliable and affordable? Yes, as the Digest discovers.  In California, NexSteppe announced …

(The Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group/The Oil Price Information Network)  (The Oil Price Information Network (OPIS) spoke with BRAG’s Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Senior Policy Advisor with B&C, regarding the application of the Toxic …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Though challenges remain, particularly in affordable feedstock, the US National Research Council says “Despite impressive recent and projected growth, the manufacturing of chemicals using biological synthesis and engineering could expand …

by Megan Durisin, Jeff Wilson, Lydia Mulvany (Bloomberg)  … A kernel-yielding stalk that’s native to Africa, sorghum has three things going for it right now: it’s cheap to plant; it holds up better in drought-like conditions than …

(Genera Energy)  Genera Energy Inc., a leading biomass supply company specializing in biomass feedstocks for advanced biobased industries, set new standards for efficiency with its recently completed harvests of miscanthus, switchgrass, and biomass sorghum. With …

by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine)  The USDA has released the final rule for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program, and though the general scope of BCAP is not changing with the recently published rule, there are …

by A. Perez Rimando (Manila Standard Today) A P17 billion ethanol gas plant will soon be built by a consortium in the island barangays of Limaong and Tumitus here, first district  Rep. Lilia Macrohon-Nuno said.
Nuno said …

by Chris Woolston (Bioenergy Connection)  With its crown of pink blossoms, the humble seashore mallow may look unassuming, even delicate. But when it comes to brutal environments, this seaside shrub is no pushover.  Seashore Mallow …

by Dennis O’brien And Sharon Durham (Phys.Org)  … It is drought tolerant, can thrive in poor soils, requires little or no fertilizer, and will grow in a wide range of temperatures and altitudes. Sorghum grain is …

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine)  The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy has published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the availability of the Engineered High Energy Crop (EHEC) Programs …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Oil prices continue to show incredible volatility. $106 in June, $50 today. Which biofuels ventures have the pro-formas to make money in a tough market? The Digest investigates.
…
Avello Bioenergy
Cost: $57.50 per …

by Mateusz Perkowski (Capital Press)  Ceres Inc. has developed a biotech variety of sorghum for ethanol production but USDA is thinking of regulating it as a noxious weed.
Genetically modified sorghum used for ethanol production doesn’t fall …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The U.S. EPA is accepting public comments on its preliminary analysis of the lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the growth and transport of biomass sorghum for use …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bunnies, liposuction fat, Prince Charles’ leftover wine, day-old whale, the human poo bus, fire ants dipped in hexane, old beer, raging fireballs, vibrating blobs, dope, and even the New Orleans …

by Susanne Retka Schill  (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  USDA long-term projections call for slightly lower corn acres to be planted over the next decade while corn yields steadily climb. The USDA will release the complete long-term …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA is making $5.6 million in grants to 220 producers across the nation to support the production of advanced biofuels, and is awarding more …

(California Energy Commission)  Grants for alternative and renewable fuel projects totaling nearly $8 million also approved
The California Energy Commission approved $13.5 million for energy efficiency measures to 14 schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, …

(National Corn Growers Association)  In a letter sent to President Obama this week, the National Corn Growers Association and several agricultural allies asked him to intervene with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding its proposed …

by N Madhav  (Business Standard)  The initiative would work to deliver a model for production using crops like energy sorghum, bamboo, pearl millet and switch grass
In a significant step towards generating biofuels from non-food plant sources, …

(Midlands Biofuels/Biodiesel Magazine)  ATP-SC LLC and Midlands Biofuels jointly announced an innovative collaboration to grow biocrops, produce, sell and utilize solid and liquid biofuels, and to expand the state’s bioeconomy, starting in Allendale, S.C., and …

(University of Illinois/Biomass Magazine)  Two University of Illinois crop sciences researchers interested in improving plant feedstocks for bioenergy production were selected to receive funding by the USDA and the U.S. Department of Energy as part …

by  Katie Fletcher (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Many dedicated energy crops hold promise as feedstocks for next-generation ethanol. Extensive R&D is still needed, however, to overcome the challenges in making these plants viable for commercial applications.
…
This year, …

(Genera Energy)  Infographic highlights a variety of biomass feedstocks, provides insight into choosing the right solution for any biomass project
Genera Energy, a recognized innovator in sustainable biomass feedstock supply advancements and supply chain improvements, released …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  … Now, grant money has been awarded to three California ethanol plants to develop a sorghum feedstock program. Calgren Renewable Fuels, Aemetis Inc. and Pacific Ethanol Inc. each received a $3 million matching grant …

by Jim Lane  (Biofuels Digest)  … With great sessions at conferences, delegates are usually keen to get a hold of the powerpoint decks. But how do you get a hold of the great Q&A that follows …

by Marc Gunther (The Guardian)  California startup NexSteppe presents a new brand of sorghum, bred for optimal energy production, designed as a greener alternative to corn for ethanol fuels and biomass boilers
As scientists around the …

(Ceres)   Ceres, Inc. (Nasdaq: CERE), an agricultural biotechnology and seed company, today announced that the company will enhance its product development programs in Brazil and expand its development activities in biotech traits for sorghum and sugarcane over the …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …  In California, the California Energy Commission recommended awards of $46.6 million to 11 biofuels and biomethane projects.
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The winning projects and award amounts are:
Crimson Renewable Energy LP
Bakersfield Biodiesel Production Plant …

(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 …

(GreenvilleOnline) Officials at Clemson have released 21 new crop varieties that will help meet the needs of farmers growing food, fiber and fuels needed by South Carolina’s economy.
These varieties include four Roundup Ready varieties of soybeans …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  As several major cellulosic biofuels ventures head for scale in 2014, we look at the companies, the major barriers (as they see them) for further capacity-building, sources for future investment, …

(Ceres)  Ceres, Inc. (Nasdaq: CERE), an agricultural biotechnology and seed company, will evaluate a number of its biotech traits in sugarcane in South America. Plantings were recently completed and preliminary performance observations will be available …

by  Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  … A week before the FEW, Enerkem Inc. celebrated the inauguration of its 10 MMgy facility in Edmonton, Alberta. Commissioning is nearly completed, reported Tim Cesarek, senior vice president of …

by Rafaela Relvas  (BioNews Texas) Researchers at Texas A&M University conducted a study that brought new insights regarding bioenergy sorghum, finding that, more than an energy supply, it may offer a “sink” for greenhouse gases.
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The team …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest’s)  … 1. Feedstock diversification.
If you thought it was all cane, cane, cane, think again. There’s a lot of movement on sorghum, and castor beans — and even some on corn.
Sorghum. …

(University of Florida)  University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers working to produce ethanol from plant material are taking a hard look at eucalyptus as a possible source for the clean fuel.
Joe Sagues, director …