(Western Farmer-Stockman) A life cycle analysis of the carbon footprint of camelina-based biojet fuel concludes that the renewable fuel reduces CO2 emissions by 75% compared with conventional petroleum-based jet fuel. A pee-reviewed paper published in Environmental Progress & Sustainable Energy, shows that
Sustainability
Back TO HOMEThe Global Renewable Fuels Alliance Calls on Cancun to Recognize Biofuels as a Way to Lower GHG's
(Global Renewable Fuels Alliance) The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) is calling on the UN’s Climate Change Conference in Cancun to do what could not be done in Copenhagen and recognize biofuels as a viable alternative to fossil fuels that offer
December 16, 2010 Read Full Article
Long Shots: Why Throwing Money at Today's Clean-Energy Technologies Could Keep Us from Discovering Tomorrow's.
by Vinod Khosla (Foreign Policy) ...A mid-2009 report by the reinsurance giant Swiss Re found that climate change could shave off anywhere from 1 to 12 percent of GDP in many countries thanks to shifting climate zones, floods, droughts, and
December 13, 2010 Read Full Article
Deforestation 'Not So Important for Climate Change'
by Fred Pearce (New Scientist) Climate negotiations were dealt a bombshell at the weekend when ecologists reported that carbon emissions from the destruction of tropical forests are probably only half previous estimates. If we are emitting less carbon dioxide from deforestation that's
December 13, 2010 Read Full Article
Review Highlights Knowledge Gaps Surrounding Biofuels and Land Use Change
(PR NewsWire/Hart Energy) The development of biofuels has increased exponentially over the past decade, and will continue to do so as many countries seek to move away from dependence on fossil fuels. However, increasing use of biofuels raises serious questions about
December 12, 2010 Read Full Article
Biofuels Shine amid Conflict and Confusion at COP 16
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) The Cancun climate summit in Mexico kicked off last week at the same time as a “Cablegate” revelation that motorists buying fossil fuels at the pump are unwittingly funding terrorism in their own countries. The
December 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Biofuels and Forests: A Trade-Off?
by Marion Davis (Stockholm Environment Insitute) ...SEI researchers are part of a large, collaborative project led by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and funded by the European Commission to gauge the impact of bioenergy development on forests in
December 09, 2010 Read Full Article
EBOOM CAPITAL: New EPA Regulation May Discourage U.S. Biomass Projects
by Terry McDonald (EnergyBoom) ...The EPA agrees with the (U.S. Energy Information Agency) that biomass is a renewable fuel with no impact on the environment: “Although the burning of biomass also produces carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas, it is considered
December 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Ethiopia Sets its Sights on Biodiesel
by Denis Gathanju (Renewable Energy World) Could this poverty-stricken country become the world's largest biodiesel producer? Policy-makers in Ethiopia, challenged by fluctuating oil prices and poverty, are seeking solutions that will improve the living conditions of its people and boost its
December 08, 2010 Read Full Article
Palm Oil May Gain More Users from EU Biofuel Rules-Neste Oil
by Niki Koswanage (Reuters) Palm oil has production audit in place unlike other vegoils; Green palm oil production capacity growing. European Union rules requiring vegetable-oil based biofuels to come from eco-friendly sources may boost palm oil use in the sector as
December 08, 2010 Read Full Article
Brazil 2010 Amazon Deforestation Data Shows Lowest Rate Ever Recorded
(PR NewsWire) Deforested area reaches lowest levels for second consecutive year Deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon declined 14 percent from August 2009 to July 2010, reaching the lowest rates ever recorded for the second consecutive year, President Luiz Inacio Lula
December 03, 2010 Read Full Article
Camelina-Derived Jet Fuel and Diesel: Sustainable Advanced Biofuels
by David R. Shonnard, Larry Williams, Tom N. Kalnes (Environmental Progress and Sustainable Energy) Recently, an isoparaffin-rich jet fuel derived from camelina, a low-input nonfood oilseed crop, was flight-tested by a commercial airline. To date, all test results indicate that
December 02, 2010 Read Full Article
Corn Crops for Biofuels Production Have Unintended Consequences on Water Quality and Quantity in Northwest Mississippi
(US Geological Survey) Growing corn for biofuels production is having unintended effects on water quality and quantity in northwestern Mississippi. More water is required to produce corn than to produce cotton in the Mississippi Delta requiring increased withdrawals of groundwater from the
December 02, 2010 Read Full Article
Fat-to-Biodisel Plant Approved
by John Upton (The Bay Citizen) A proposal to convert a rendering facility in southeastern San Francisco into a biodiesel manufacturing plant was approved Tuesday by the Port of San Francisco. ...Under the plan, animal and food waste that is currently turned
December 02, 2010 Read Full Article
Africa Mulls Biofuels as Land Grab Fears Grow
(International Business Times) Farmers in this iron-roof village in Sierra Leone say they didn't know what they were getting into when they leased their land for a biofuel crop they now fear threatens their food harvests. Addax Bioenergy, part of privately-owned Swiss
December 01, 2010 Read Full Article
Aim to Meet Biofuel Crop Demand with Better Yields
(Farmers Guardian) More than 100 delegates attended the HGCA Biofuel Conference at Aldwark Manor, York, supported by Farmers Guardian. A further 100 joined the proceedings online as Farmers Guardian streamed video live from the event. Angela Calvert reports. Increased demand for wheat
November 29, 2010 Read Full Article
Malaysia Has Little Room for Palm Oil Expansion, Minister Says
by Alex Morales (Bloomberg Businessweek) Malaysia’s limited room for expanding palm oil cultivation means that industry growth will have to come from improving productivity, its plantation minister said. About 4.6 million hectares (11.4 million acres) of the southeast Asian nation’s 32 million
November 29, 2010 Read Full Article
Both Forests and Biofuels Likely to Feature at Monday’s Cancun Climate Change Summit
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) ...Preserving and increasing the planet’s forest cover is likely to be high on the agenda. Both Indian and China have ambitious reforestation programs under way. For India as well as other Asian first generation biofuels producing nations,
November 29, 2010 Read Full Article
VIEWPOINT: HECO Continues to Push Palm Oil Importation Issue
by Rob Parsons and Lance Holter (Sierra Club-Maui/The Maui News) In early 2007, Hawaiian Electric Co. and subsidiary Maui Electric Co. announced plans by BlueEarth Biofuels to construct a mega-sized palm oil refinery on Maui, which would have been the largest in
November 26, 2010 Read Full Article
California Regulator's Move Helps Corn-Based Ethanol Demand: RFA
(Platts) A decision this week by California regulators to lower corn-based ethanol's so-called indirect land use penalty is good for that product's demand, but timing of the change is not, the Renewable Fuels Association said Friday. California is in the midst
November 22, 2010 Read Full Article
EU-Wide Study Confirms Hydrogen Is a Key to Zero-Emission Road Transport
(MarketWatch/Linde) ...Linde is currently researching various production options aimed at gradually increasing the share of "green" sources in the hydrogen landscape. One of these uses liquid biomass (glycerine), a by-product of biodiesel production, as the feedstock. READ MORE From the report: The
November 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Bogus Logic in E15 Suits
by Mike Bryan (Ethanol Producer Magazine) In a thinly veiled attempt to further line their pockets, the meat and poultry industry, and the grocery and convenience store associations, are once again trying to stop the advance of ethanol use in
November 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Letters: Stoking the Ethanol Debate
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Houston Chronicle) Letter to Editor ...The Chronicle says natural gas from shale deserves federal subsidies for production, but says ethanol doesn't because it requires too much water to produce. The water needs of fracking and
November 21, 2010 Read Full Article
You Can Have Your Opinion, but Not Your Own Facts
by Matt Hartwig (Renewable Fuels Association) That the Houston Chronicle would be anti-ethanol is not surprising to anyone. It is Houston, Texas, after all. But that the editorial board would play fast and loose with the “facts” they use to support
November 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Biofuel Plan Will Cause Rise in Carbon Emissions
by Oliver Wright (The Independent) Britain is signed up to a European guarantee to source 10 per cent of its transport fuel from renewable sources, such as biofuels, within the next 10 years. But ministers have said that the policy is
November 11, 2010 Read Full Article
EU Biofuels Goals May Increase Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Lobby Groups Say
by Alex Morales (Bloomberg) Biofuels targets in the European Union could raise emissions of greenhouse gases because forests and wetlands will be destroyed to grow the crops necessary, nine environmental groups said in a study. ...The EU aims to get 10 percent
November 08, 2010 Read Full Article
Obama's Electric-Car Cult
by Charles Lane (The Washington Post) ...The pitch is lyrical, almost religious. It asks consumers to make an economic and technological leap of faith - just as both GM and the firm's biggest backer, the Obama administration, have invested, financially,
October 31, 2010 Read Full Article
New Reports Reinforce Need to Expand Biofuel Production
by Bob Dinneen (The Hill/Renewable Fuels Association) Given the latest news from two government reports, we need to start changing the “drill baby drill” chant to “distill baby distill.” One study, from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently
October 29, 2010 Read Full Article
Malaysian Palm Oil Products Not Affected by EU RED
(The Star) The European Union Renewable Energy Directive (EU RED) and its sustainability criteria will not affect Malaysia’s palm oil exports to the EU market for consumer products like food, cosmetics and detergents, according to ambassador and head of the EU
October 28, 2010 Read Full Article
What Food v. Fuel Debate?
by Stephanie Dreyer (Renewable Energy World/Growth Energy) ...You have one nutritionist with Tyson Foods speaking about the great value of DDGs (Dried Distillers Grains) as a feed for livestock. And then another expert takes it a step further, saying that
October 27, 2010 Read Full Article
Guest Column: Give Farmers Credit Due for Conservation
Dean Taylor (Des Moines Register/Iowa Corn Growers Association) ...Iowa farmers have made measurable progress in conservation and water quality. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, farmers' use of nitrogen and phosphorus per bushel has been drastically reduced over the
October 27, 2010 Read Full Article
Life Cycle Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions for an Ethanol Production Process Based on Blue-Green Algae
by Dexin Luo, Zushou Hu, Dong Gu Choi, Valerie M. Thomas, Matthew J. Realff, and Ronald R. Chance (Environmental Science and Technology) Ethanol can be produced via an intracellular photosynthetic process in cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), excreted through the cell walls, collected
October 26, 2010 Read Full Article
BIO Joins 50+ Ag Groups in Abandoning Leonardo “Sustainability” Talks
(BIO) Mainstream Agriculture Was Given a “Decidedly Minor Voice” Representatives from national and regional agriculture, food and feed organizations withdrew en masse this week from the Leonardo Academy’s sustainable agriculture standard setting initiative citing “fatal, systemic limitations and chronic biases”
October 25, 2010 Read Full Article
Assumptions in the European Union Biofuels Policy: Frictions with Experiences in Germany, Brazil and Mozambique
by David Fig, Jennifer Franco, Lucia Goldfarb. Les Levidow, Mireille Hönicke, Maria Luisa Mendonça (Transnational Insitute) The biofuel project is an agro-industrial development and politically contested policy process where governments increasingly become global actors. European Union (EU) biofuels policy rests upon
October 25, 2010 Read Full Article
Biofuels Done Right: Land Efficient Animal Feeds Enable Large Environmental and Energy Benefits
by Bruce E. Dale, Bryan D. Bals, Seungdo Kim and Pragnya Eranki (Biomass Conversion Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science, and Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University) There is an intense ongoing debate regarding the
October 21, 2010 Read Full Article
Dept. of Energy Researchers: ILUC Impact "Minimal to Zero"
(Renewable Fuels Association) The unproven notion that expanded U.S. ethanol production means new acres around the world must be brought into cultivation is taking another blow. In a soon-to-be published paper, researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National
October 21, 2010 Read Full Article
Boeing to Test China Biofuel
(Chicago Breaking Business/Dow Jones Newswire) Boeing Co., in cooperation with Air China Ltd. and others, plans to test a commercial-jet biofuel in China produced from a locally grown plant by the middle of 2011-part of an effort to commercialize cleaner fuels
October 21, 2010 Read Full Article
Argentine Researchers Find Major Flaws in US EPA’s Indirect Land Use Change Methodology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Argentina, researchers from INTA, analyzing the assumptions of the US EPA’s indirect land use change models, concluded that “• Significant errors have been verified in the determination of the original use of lands in
October 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Global Consultations on Cassava as Bio-Fuel Open
(Ghana News Agency) Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, Minister of Food and Agriculture, on Monday noted that the commercial cultivation of cassava as an alternative source of bio-energy, would not compromise Ghana’s agricultural lands or threaten its food security. ...Mr Ahwoi, who was
October 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Brazilian Scientists Turning Nation into an Agro-Power
By Juan Forero (The Washington Post) ...Once seen as a wasteland, the Cerrado is now the motor of an agro-industry so potent that Brazil threatens to surpass the United States as breadbasket to the world. The answer to how that
October 19, 2010 Read Full Article
Quangos Working on Renewable Energy No Longer a 'Priority'
by Damian Carrington and James Randerson (The Guardian) Renewables Advisory Board and Office for Renewable Energy Deployment among bodies axed Two renewable energy quangos have been axed, with a leaked letter describing the function delivered by one of them as no longer
October 19, 2010 Read Full Article
The Massive Potential of U.S. Biofuels
by Al Fin (OilPrice.com) ...Up until now, most people analysing US biofuels potential have failed to look at a realistic and integrated system of fuels and food. In real life -- unlike a typical computer model with excessively simplified and
October 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Brazil Set to Assist Tanzania Survey Biofuel Farming Areas
by Beatrice Philamon (IPP Media) Tanzanian and Brazilian experts are expected to carry out a countrywide survey to identify and propose strategic areas that would be allocated for biofuel farming. “Our intention is to have special areas or land that will be
October 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Algae Power Reaches for the Sky
by Catriona Davies (CNN) Air travel could be powered from vast seas of algae growing close to airports within four years, according to researchers and airlines hoping to find a green future for aviation.Industry giants including British Airways and Airbus are
October 14, 2010 Read Full Article
Export Exchange Conference Zeros in on Supply
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) U.S. farmers will continue to produce an abundance of food and feed for both the domestic and international markets. This was an often repeated message at the Export Exchange, a conference focused on connecting
October 14, 2010 Read Full Article
Let’s Not Rekindle “Food vs Fuel”
by Bob Meyer (Brownfield Ag News) ...The American Coalition for Ethanol, Growth Energy, Renewable Fuels Association and National Corn Growers issued a joint statement noting “Global coarse grain supplies are nearly unchanged, the USDA reports with lower U.S. supplies offset
October 14, 2010 Read Full Article
Fifteen-Year Plan for Jatropha Plantation in Arid Districts
(Times of India) Beginning later this month, the jatropha crop will be planted across 30,000 acres in the arid districts of Bankura, Birbhum, West Midnapore and Purulia over the next 15 years. Around 10 lakh saplings will be transplanted this
October 13, 2010 Read Full Article
Public Hearings Scheduled for Utah Governor's Ten-Year Energy Initiative
Governor Gary R. Herbert announced today an important next step in the creation of his 10-Year Strategic Energy Plan, with four public hearings scheduled across the State. "We are moving forward with our plan to responsibly develop Utah's abundant energy resources,
October 04, 2010 Read Full Article
Friends of the Earth Calls for Moratorium on Synthetic Bio-Based Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, Friends of the Earth released a report “Synthetic Solutions to the Climate Crisis: The Dangers of Synthetic Biology for Biofuels Production,” concluding that synthetic biology projects including the creation of algae with synthetic
October 04, 2010 Read Full Article
Purdue Receives Nearly $1.6 Million for Biofuels Crop Research
(AgriMarketing/Purdue) Purdue University is receiving $1.59 million in federal funding for a project to conduct a sustainability assessment of energy crops for biofuels. The funding is part of a $16.5 million renewable fuel initiative by the U.S. Department of Energy to
September 30, 2010 Read Full Article
Colorado State University Study: Turning Algae Into Fuel Is Ecofriendly
(CBS4Denver.com/AP) A Colorado State University study says turning algae into a biofuel is more environmentally friendly than the process for petroleum diesel or soy biodiesel. The study based its conclusion on the complete process for each fuel and included factors such
September 28, 2010 Read Full Article
USDA: US Ethanol Production More Efficient than Ever
John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) ...In an interview with USDA radio, Harry Baumes, Director of USDA’s Office of Energy Policy and New Uses says a new study shows that we’re getting more energy out of corn than what it takes to raise the
September 28, 2010 Read Full Article
Farmers Urge States to Implement Sustainable Biofuel Criteria
by Dafydd ab Iago (EuroPolitics) The European organisation of farmers’ associations Copa-Cogeca warned, on 24 September, that schemes to verify the sustainability criteria for biofuels and bioliquids may not be implemented by member states on time. READ MORE (subscription needed)
September 28, 2010 Read Full Article
Biofuels: a New Methodology to Estimate GHG Emissions Due to Global Land Use Change
by Roland Hiederer, Fabien Ramos, et al. (European Commission Joint Research Centre) This study implements a new methodology developed by the JRC IES and IE for estimating changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from soil and above- and below-ground biomass resulting
September 28, 2010 Read Full Article
Journal of Peasant Studies Publishes Perspectives on New Agrarian Relations Related to Biofuels
(Journal of Peasant Studies) In this collection we ask a number of questions emerging out of the new agrarian political economy created by the ‘biofuel complex’. Together the papers offer perspectives from political economy, political sociology and political ecology, and
September 28, 2010 Read Full Article
Swedish Biofuels Do Have Major Benefits for the Climate
(Alpha Galileo) For the first time, researchers have taken an overall look at Swedish biofuels and analysed what impact they have on the environment, both in relation to one another and to the fossil fuel alternatives petrol and diesel. The results
September 24, 2010 Read Full Article
Oxford Resource Partners, LP and Mendel Biotechnology, Inc. Announce a Miscanthus Biomass Pilot Project in Ohio
(Oxford Resource Partners) Opportunity to Convert Reclaimed Mine Lands for Renewable Energy Oxford Resource Partners, LP and Mendel Biotechnology, Inc. announced their collaborative agreement to develop a pilot project to produce Mendel's proprietary Miscanthus varieties on land previously reclaimed from mining operations by
September 24, 2010 Read Full Article
USDA Report Shows Improving Corn-Ethanol Energy Efficiency
(US Department of Agriculture) Harry Baumes, Acting Director of USDA’s Office of Energy Policy and New Uses, says a report that surveyed corn growers in 2005 and ethanol plants in 2008 indicates the net energy gain from converting corn to ethanol
September 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Airbus and British Airways Join Cranfield U. on Algae for Aviation Fuel
(Algae Industry Magazine) The Sustainable Use of Renewable Fuels (SURF) consortium, which brings together Airbus, British Airways, Rolls-Royce, Finnair, Gatwick Airport, IATA and Cranfield University was announced at this week’s Aviation and Environment Summit in Geneva. The consortium will take a
September 21, 2010 Read Full Article
ISAAA Chief Said Biotech Crops Only Way out of Global Poverty, Food Crises
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Canada, Dr. Clive James, executive director of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), said that “In the next 50 years, the global population will consume two times as much food
September 21, 2010 Read Full Article
Big Oil and Biofuels Clash over UK’s 2020 Biofuels Target
by Joelle Dent (Biofuels Digest Asia) There’s blast furnace heat but little light so far in the debate on the UK biofuels target for 2020. Some advisors have urged that the current target of 10 percent be halved or entirely
September 21, 2010 Read Full Article
RFA Disputes EPA’s Inclusion of Biogenic Carbon Emissions
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering equating biogenic carbon emissions with fossil fuel emissions under the Tailoring Rule, which requires the accounting and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2). Biogenic
September 17, 2010 Read Full Article
Glycos Biotechnologies Creates First Ever Metabolic Process for Synthesis of Biofuels and Biochemicals from Fatty Acids
(Glycos Biotechnologies) Breakthrough Further Expands Industrial Biochemical Company’s Diversified Feedstock Platform Strategy Glycos Biotechnologies, Inc. (GlycosBio), an emerging biochemical company pioneering metabolic engineering and microbiology innovations for the production of sustainable biochemicals, today announced it has created the first ever microbial
September 17, 2010 Read Full Article
Sustainable Biochar to Mitigate Global Climate Change
by By Dominic Woolf, James E. Amonette, et al. (Nature Communications) Production of biochar (the carbon (C)-rich solid formed by pyrolysis of biomass) and its storage in soils have been suggested as a means of abating climate change by sequestering carbon,
September 14, 2010 Read Full Article
Carbon Dioxide Recycling in the Biofuels Industry,” a Special Digest report
by Sam A. Rushing (Biofuels Digest) ...Since CO2 has been shown to be the globe’s worst offender as a greenhouse gas, the very use of this gas in a technology which would foster the production of viable basic chemicals, plastics,
September 14, 2010 Read Full Article
Public Consultation on Version 1.1 of the RSB Principles & Criteria and Guidance for P&Cs
(Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels) In November 2009, the RSB Steering Board approved Version One of the RSB Principles & Criteria (P&Cs) and the Certification System for pilot testing after public regional outreaches and extensive consultation of the RSB Chambers. While
September 10, 2010 Read Full Article
China May Absorb South Africa’s Grain Surplus - Agriculture Ministry
by Hopewell Radebe (Business Day/Reuters) The government yesterday brought hope to grain farmers who are struggling to find alternative markets to dispose of surplus maize following a bumper crop that drove prices down. ... Last month, Grain SA chairman Neels Ferreira called for the
September 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Cheers to Biomass in Boston; CARB States Petroleum Has No Indirect Effects
by Anna Austin and Lisa Gibson (Biomass Magazine) ...Director of the Northeast Regional New Fuels Alliance Andrew Schuyler, who followed Cleaves, explained some policies the organization has been working on, primarily the development of a Low Carbon Fuel Standard similar
September 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Negative Carbon Gasoline's Cool Planet Biofuels Funded
(The Alarm Clock) Camarillo, CA-based Cool Planet Biofuels has raised $3M as part of a $8M Series B funding round, according to a filing by the firm today. Source of the new funding was not announced, however, the firm is
September 07, 2010 Read Full Article
Deja Vu All Over Again: As in ‘08, Corn, Ethanol Surging, and China on the Move
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In late 2010, we see again the predatory entry of speculators into the grain markets, and a growing disconnect between ethanol and gasoline prices. As for China? The country has passed the US in terms of
September 07, 2010 Read Full Article
They’re Baaack: Speculators Return to Grain Markets En Masse
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) You may not have noticed, but hedge and index fund investors have quietly returned to the agricultural commodities market in droves over the past few weeks. With the stock market continuing to flounder, these
September 03, 2010 Read Full Article
USDA and DOE Partnership Seeks to Develop Better Plants for Bioenergy
(US Department of Energy) Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced research awards under a joint DOE-USDA program aimed at improving and accelerating genetic breeding programs to create plants better suited for bioenergy production. The $8.9 million
September 03, 2010 Read Full Article
Opinion: Making Sure We Get It Right on Biofuels
By Patricia Monahan (Capitol Weekly) This year we’ve had no shortage of examples of why we need to move away from fossil fuels, from the oil disaster in the Gulf and continued dependence on Middle Eastern oil to the record-hot temperatures
September 02, 2010 Read Full Article
The Missionary Position: The Export of Carbon Guilt to the Developing World
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...We see the battle over rural development flashing at other points around the globe, but nowhere so starkly do we have a choice between the War on Poverty and the War on Carbon as we see
August 31, 2010 Read Full Article
Africa: Up for Grabs
(Friends of the Earth International) The African continent is increasingly being seen as a source of agricultural land and natural resources for the rest of the world. National governments and private companies are obtaining access to land across the continent
August 30, 2010 Read Full Article
The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels Moves Forward on Greenhouse Gas Accounting and Reduction Requirements
(Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels) Adopts ambitious target of 50% improvement for biofuel blends over fossil fuels The RSB is pleased to announce the approval of the RSB greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting methodology and establishment of a GHG reduction threshold for our bio-fuel
August 30, 2010 Read Full Article
Energy Grasses Take Center Stage at Ceres Field Day
(PRNewsWire) Energy industry executives joined investors and policymakers near Houston, Texas earlier today to take a firsthand look at energy grasses and research developments that are expected to push bioenergy to the forefront of renewable power and transportation fuels. The bioenergy field
August 26, 2010 Read Full Article
EU Beet Growers’ Recommendations to Policy Makers on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
(International Federation of Agricultural Producers) ...The achievements and commitments of EU beet growers in adapting to and mitigating climate change, in particular through the provision of sustainably produced feedstock for renewable energy production, show the important role of farmers in
August 25, 2010 Read Full Article
Water: Is There Enough for Biofuels at Scale?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In a note at CO2science.org, a trio of authors contend: “There simply is not enough freshwater on the face of the earth to make the production of biofuels a viable and significant alternative to the
August 25, 2010 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Industries Selected for Proposed Grant by the California Energy Commission
(PRNewsWire) Biodiesel Industries announced today the company's selection by the California Energy Commission for a project grant to support the state's Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. This Biofuel Production Plants grant provides funding and financial assistance for the
August 25, 2010 Read Full Article
Thinking Green? It's Not Just Black and White.
by Katherine Salant (The Washington Post) ...To build a 2,200-square-foot house, an acre of forest will be clear-cut somewhere on the globe and a huge hole in the earth, roughly equal in size to the volume of the house, will be
August 24, 2010 Read Full Article
Local View: Consider Complete Costs of Waging War for Imported Oil
by Chuck Woodside (Journal Star) In a recent speech about energy, President Barack Obama said: "If we refuse to take into account the full costs of our fossil fuel addiction -- if we don't factor in the environmental costs and the
August 24, 2010 Read Full Article
Wide Use of Corn-Based Ethanol Fuel Not Choice for China: Experts
(People's Daily Online) Agricultural experts said Saturday it was too early for China to adopt corn-based ethanol fuel to feed automobiles, given the expensive production costs and the country's large population. Li Xinhua, a professor at Shenyang Agricultural University, said at
August 24, 2010 Read Full Article
Finland Moves to Build the World's First 'Green' Highway
(Jamaica Observer) Finland wants to build the world's first "green highway", with service stations offering charging points for electric cars and pumps filled with local biofuels, the project manager said Thursday. "The aim is to create the model for an ecological highway
August 24, 2010 Read Full Article
African Case Study: Palm Oil and Economic Development in Nigeria and Ghana; Recommendations for the World Bank's 2010 Palm Oil Strategy
by Thompson Ayodele (Initiative for Public Policy Analysis) Forward by Dr. Matthew O. Eshalomi: Growth and prosperity of an economy are central to the longterm reduction in poverty for both economic and environmental sustainability. Palm oil and palm oil manufacturing represents
August 24, 2010 Read Full Article
Brazilian Biofuels Run into EU Obstacles
by Yans Felippe Geckler (IPS News) Brazil has begun a counterattack on the European Union's measures for certifying crop-based fuels, which could lead to import barriers for this energy source coming from the South American giant. ...The EU's certification requirements for
August 24, 2010 Read Full Article
A European Perspective on Algal Biofuel Scaleup
(Algae Industry Magazine) An article by Rene H. Wijffels and Maria J. Barbosa, of Wageningen University in the Netherlands, published in the current edition of Science Journal, details the challenges and opportunities of algal biofuel development from a European perspective.
August 24, 2010 Read Full Article
Researchers: Diverse Feedstocks Key to Sustainable, Successful Biofuels Industry
(Ag Professional) ...Concerns about net energy and greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to its effect on food and feed pricing are driving researchers at the Energy Biosciences Institute at the University of Illinois and at the University of California Berkeley
August 20, 2010 Read Full Article
10 Top Solar Biofuels Projects
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Aside from the general observation that nearly all energy systems ultimately are based on today’s or yesterday’s solar energy (only geothermal and nuclear power are distinct exceptions), a new generation of technologies is bringing solar
August 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Another Brick in the (Blend) Wall: Key Thresholds and Barriers for Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...But even were the US EPA to approve E15 ethanol blending, there are some other significant walls and thresholds to keep in mind. Here are the Digest’s Top 10. 1. The $60 oil parity wall. At the
August 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Sustainable Biochar to Mitigate Global Climate Change
by Dominic Woolf, James E. Amonette, F. Alayne Street-Perrott, Johannes Lehmann & Stephen Joseph (Nature Communications) Production of biochar (the carbon (C)-rich solid formed by pyrolysis of biomass) and its storage in soils have been suggested as a means of abating
August 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Readout from Sino-U.S. Advanced Biofuels Forum
By Chanda Beckman & Kirsten Rasmussen (USDA Foreign Agriculture Information Service) On May 27, 2010, China’s National Energy Administration (NEA), the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture hosted the fist Sino-U.S. Advanced Biofuels Forum in Beijing.
August 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Journal of Industrial Ecology Gathers Corn Ethanol Debate Articles
edited by Reid Lifset (Journal of Industrial Ecology) Includes Corn Ethanol Articles Related to Debate over Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Corn-Ethanol The Journal of Industrial Ecology is pleased to make the following articles on the greenhouse gas emissions from corn-ethanol freely available
August 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Air Resources Board Is Clinging to Old Science
by Joe Irvin (Capitol Weekly) This week, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) convened a group of experts to discuss issues related to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) that was approved last year. The Expert Working Group has been
August 19, 2010 Read Full Article
Corn Growers Stress Ethanol Efficiency Gains
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel) ...Dr. Steffen Mueller, Principal Research Economist for the Energy Resources Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, did two presentations at the CUTC, both related to the increasing efficiency of ethanol production that continues to
August 19, 2010 Read Full Article
Camelina Meal Now Available for Use in Laying Hens
(PRNewsWire) The North American Camelina Trade Association (NACTA) today announced the achievement of yet another milestone in its efforts to build camelina production and marketing opportunities for growers. The industry received a letter of no objection from the Center for
August 19, 2010 Read Full Article
The Land Rush Doesn't Have to End in a Poor Deal for Africans
by Katie Allen (The Guardian) It is not too late for equitable partnerships to flourish between foreign investors and local communities ...Sadly for anyone who happens to live on that farmland there are countless examples of governments handing it over at
August 17, 2010 Read Full Article
Nine Challenges of Alternative Energy
by David Fridley (Post Carbon Institute) excerpt: Unlike conventional fossil fuels, where nature provided energy over millions of years to convert biomass into energy-dense solids, liquids, and gases--requiring only extraction and transportation technolgy for us to mobilize them--alternative energy depends
August 16, 2010 Read Full Article
Opportunities and Barriers for International Bioenergy Trade
by Martin Junginger, Jinke van Dam, Simonetta Zarrilli, Fatin Ali Mohamed, Didier Marchal, and Andre Faaij (IEA Bioenergy) Task 40 under the IEA Bioenergy Agreement entitled: ‘Sustainable International Bioenergy trade; securing supply and demand’, started in 2004 and currently has fourteen country members
August 13, 2010 Read Full Article
APOV: A Strong Case for Ethanol
by John M. Sawyer and Michael C. Sawyer (The Daily News) ...Corn ethanol is not responsible for destruction of forest land. Total U.S. crop acres are actually declining, total U.S. land devoted to crops will be 346 million acres in
August 13, 2010 Read Full Article
Wide Range of Plants Offer Cellulosic Biofuel Potential, Ecological Diversity
(EurekAlert) When it comes to selecting the right plant source for future cellulosic biofuel production, the solution won't be one-size-fits-all, and it certainly doesn't have to involve food and feed crops. In a "Perspective" article in the Aug. 13 edition of the
August 13, 2010 Read Full Article
Chinese Experts Urge Government to Halt Corn-Based Ethanol Production on Price, Food Security Concerns
(People's Daily) China's industrial experts are advising the government to halt projects making ethanol bio-fuel with corn, as the projects are pushing up corn prices and sparking food security concerns. Zhao Youshan, director of the Commercial Petroleum Flow Committee (CPFC) under
August 12, 2010 Read Full Article
Hawaii Sugar Grower Working to Power Navy
By Audrey McAvoy (AP) The federal government has turned to a 130-year-old Hawaii sugar grower for help in powering the Navy and weaning the nation off a heavy reliance on fossil fuels. It will spend at least $10 million over the next
August 10, 2010 Read Full Article
Farmers & Ranchers Don’t Deserve Blame For World Hunger
by Richard Keller (Cattle Network) As renewable fuels continues to be something that people of the world support in general, there also continues to be those complaints that crop production and land use for fuels is inappropriate when so much
August 10, 2010 Read Full Article
Centre May Permit Ethanol Production
by Faizan Ahmad (Times of India) The Centre is contemplating giving permission to Bihar to for production of ethanol in sugar factories even without producing sugar. ... (Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar) said he was not in favour of production
August 10, 2010 Read Full Article
Study Asks, Can Bio-Fuel Crops Be Grown in Lubbock?
by James Clark (KCBD) A new study done in Lubbock and other parts of Texas will look at growing crops for use as bio-fuels. The Texas Ag Extension in Lubbock and five other cities will do the study that looks
August 10, 2010 Read Full Article
Specific Climate Impact of Passenger and Freight Transport (Cars Warm Climate More than Planes)
by Jens Borken-Kleefeld, Terje Berntsen and Jan Fuglestvedt (Environmental Science and Technology) ...An unambiguous ranking of the specific climate impact can be established for freight transportation, with shipping and rail having lowest and light trucks and air transport having highest
August 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Biofuels’ Impact Hard to Gauge, Report Warns
by Steve Rennie (The Star) The biofuels industry leaves behind a hazy ecological footprint because each facility measures its environmental performance differently, says a new report. This makes it difficult for the government to gauge how ethanol and biodiesel affect the environment. ... The
August 05, 2010 Read Full Article
Hydrocarbon Fuels: Opportunities for Biofuels in the European Union
by Philippe Schild (Programme Officer, Directorate General Research, European Commission) In his presentation, Schild summarizes the mandated standards for biofuels in the EU, and ongoing programs to help meet these initiatives. Renewable fuel production research forms a substantial portion of
August 04, 2010 Read Full Article
Study Claims Conventional Ag Limits Greenhouse Gas
by David Mercer (Associated Press) Advances in conventional agriculture have dramatically slowed the flow of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, in part by allowing farmers to grow more food to meet world demand without plowing up vast tracts of land, a
August 03, 2010 Read Full Article
Novozymes Joins Sustainability Consortium
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel) A new global organization called The Sustainability Consortium, has been formed to improve the sustainability of consumer products and Novozymes has become a member. The group membership consists of both government and non-government organizations, businesses, environmental organizations,
August 03, 2010 Read Full Article
Algae Biofuel Grown in Bioreactors Has 3.7x the Carbon Footprint of Petro-Diesel: Study
by Matthew McDermott (Treehugger) ...According to Anna Stephenson from the University of Cambridge, when algae is grown in clear-tubed bioreactors the energy required to move the algae around so that it gets enough sunlight means that per megajoule equivalent of
August 03, 2010 Read Full Article
World Bank: Impact of Biofuels on Commodity Prices “Not As Large” as Originally Thought
(Renewable Fuels Association) A newly released report from the Development Prospects Group at the World Bank, conludes that “…the effect of biofuels on food prices has not been as large as originally thought, but that the use of commodities by
August 02, 2010 Read Full Article
World Bank Says Foreign Investors Are Crowding Out African Producers
by Katie Allen (The Guardian) Leaked report says wealthy investors are threatening local resources as they buy up farmland to gain on commodity prices A leaked World Bank report into investors from rich nations buying up African farmland has intensified campaigners'
July 30, 2010 Read Full Article
Some Biofuels Are Better than Others: Thinking Strategically about Biofuels
(New Zealand Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment) The purpose of this report is to take a fresh look at biofuels – to think strategically about how they might lessen our dependence on fossil fuels and thus reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
July 30, 2010 Read Full Article
One Potato, Two Potato: the Counting of Biomass Emissions
by Jim Lane (Biomass Digest) Following the all-but-certain defeat of a renewal of the ethanol tax credit, left-wing environmental activists, confederated into the National Anti-Biomass Incineration and Forest Protection Campaign, are making a move to destabilize support for biomass-based power generation. At
July 30, 2010 Read Full Article
Researchers Work to Fill Biofuel Gap
by Ashley Bray (Minnesota Daily) The University (of Minnesota)’s Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering is working to develop sustainable, domestic biomass solutions. ...The University’s Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering — a division of the College of Food, Agricultural and
July 30, 2010 Read Full Article
CARB Proposes LCFS Soil Sustainability Provisions
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel) The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is far from over on discrediting biofuels as part of their mandated policy known as the Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS). For the past year, the ethanol industry has been
July 30, 2010 Read Full Article
Report Finds Bioenergy Production Can Expand across Africa without Displacing Food
(EurekAlert) Policies needed to address potential conflicts, but report views bioenergy as crucial to 'unlocking Africa's latent potential'. Crops can be produced for bioenergy on a significant scale in west, eastern and southern Africa without doing damage to food production or
July 27, 2010 Read Full Article
Securing Foreign Oil: A Case for Including Military Operations in the Climate Change Impact of Fuels
by Brooke Coleman (Biofuels Digest/New Fuels Alliance) Securing Foreign Oil is the title of Adam Liska’s and Richard Perrin’s recent article in Environment Magazine detailing why military emissions should be included in the carbon intensity (CI) values of petroleum fuels. The
July 23, 2010 Read Full Article
EPA Releases Data on Canola Biodiesel Pathway
By Luke Geiver (Biodiesel Magazine) The U.S. EPA has released a Notice of Data Availability (NODA) for its recent modeling of the canola oil biodiesel pathway. As of March 26, when the EPA officially announced the final rule for the
July 23, 2010 Read Full Article
The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels Releases Two Reports
The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) is an international initiative coordinated by the Energy Center at EPFL in Lausanne that brings together farmers, companies, non-governmental organizations, experts, governments, and inter-governmental agencies concerned with ensuring the sustainability of biofuels production and
July 23, 2010 Read Full Article
Compelling Case of Pongamia Biodiesel
by Sreenivas Ghatty (Commodity Online) ...Pongamia, a plant producing non-edible oilseeds, has the potential to become one of the cheapest feedstocks that can be produced in most of the tropical and sub tropical regions of the world. It can tolerate
July 23, 2010 Read Full Article
Securing Foreign Oil: A Case for Including Military Operations in the Climate Change Impact of Fuels
by Adam J. Liska and Richard K. Perrin (Environment Magazine) Military operations are major industrial activities that use massive amounts of fuel and materials that significantly contribute to climate change. In this article, we assert that military activity to protect
July 21, 2010 Read Full Article
Critics Slam EU-Brazil African Biofuel Plan
by Andrew Willis (Bloomberg Businessweek) EU and Brazilian leaders are set to announce a new "triangular co-operation" initiative, under which they will aim to work together in some of the world's poorest countries, but NGOs say the duo's scheme is self-centred
July 19, 2010 Read Full Article
Tanzania Has Big Biofuel Potential: FAO Study
(China Economic Net) A huge potential for producing biofuels is expected in Tanzania without hampering the cultivation of food crops, according to a new study. Conducted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently, the study observed that the country's
July 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Food, Fuel and Farms
(Business Standard) Editorial ...Though, at present, international food prices are ruling lower than their peaks in 2008, FAO expects them to begin picking up again due to a surge in consumer demand as well as demand from biofuel producers. ...
July 15, 2010 Read Full Article
The Other Oil Spill: The Campaign Against Palm Oil
(The Economist) Palm oil is a popular, cheap commodity, which green activists are doing their best to turn into a commercial liability. Companies are finding them impossible to ignore. ...The charges against palm oil are serious: environmental groups regard it as
July 08, 2010 Read Full Article
RFA Response to San Francisco Chronicle “Dead Zone” Article
(Renewable Fuel Association) ...Let’s start with what the scientists say. Those scientists who served on federal agency panels convened in recent years to examine hypoxia issues concluded that the hypoxia zone has many causes and it is difficult—if not impossible—to positively
July 07, 2010 Read Full Article
Dead Zone in Gulf Linked to Ethanol Production
by Carolyn Lochhead (San Francisco Chronicle) While the BP oil spill has been labeled the worst environmental catastrophe in recent U.S. history, a biofuel is contributing to a Gulf of Mexico "dead zone" the size of New Jersey that scientists say could
July 07, 2010 Read Full Article
25 Million Acres of Corn with Nowhere to Go, by 2030? A Digest Special Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...(D)oomsayers who have been predicting an inevitable conflict between food and fuel appear to have been completely off the mark. Rather than a shortage of food, the increased pace of biotechnology innovation associated with bioenergy is
July 07, 2010 Read Full Article
Considerations for Factoring Biomass into Clean Energy
(Washington Post) Editorial ...Many lawmakers want the government to require utilities to derive a certain percentage of their electricity from clean sources. And one of the sources that would probably qualify is so-called renewable biomass -- everything from forest debris
July 06, 2010 Read Full Article
Green Driving? Putting Second Generation Biofuels to the Test
(Alpha Galileo) An interdisciplinary team headed by Empa researcher Rainer Zah has been studying the sustainability of second generation biofuels and has calculated how much fuel might be saved in Switzerland through the use of these new products. The investigation,
July 02, 2010 Read Full Article
USDA Report Punches Another Hole in Land Use Change Theory
(Renewable Fuels Association) The amount of land dedicated to crops in the United States has dropped for the second straight year in 2010, according to a report released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The report, which shows total cropland
July 01, 2010 Read Full Article
Are You Driving Your Last Gasoline Powered Car?
(ETCGreen.com) Vehicle owners now understand the ever dwindling supply and higher expense and risks of extracting petroleum will continue to increase the price at the pumps. For over 100 years we have enjoyed this cheap energy source, but the party is
June 30, 2010 Read Full Article
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation by Agricultural Intensification
by Jennifer A. Burney, Steven J. Davis, and David B. Lobell (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) As efforts to mitigate climate change increase, there is a need to identify cost-effective ways to avoid emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Agriculture is
June 26, 2010 Read Full Article
As Ethanol Booms, Critics Warn of Environmental Effect
by Erica Gies (New York Times) ...One group, Growth Energy, has blanketed the Metro subway station closest to the U.S. Capitol with ads that send a pointed message: “No beaches have been closed due to ethanol spills,” they read, calling
June 26, 2010 Read Full Article
Zero Carbon Britain 2030 Study Published
(Center for Alternative Technology) zerocarbonbritain2030 is a fully integrated solution to climate change. It examines how we can meet our electricity and heating requirements through efficient service provision, while still decreasing carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other emissions. The
June 24, 2010 Read Full Article
USDA Releases Corn-Ethanol Industry Report Showing Improving Energy Efficiency
(USDA) USDA's Chief Economist Joseph Glauber today announced the publication of a report by the Office of Energy Policy and New Uses that surveyed corn growers for the year 2005 and ethanol plants in 2008, which indicates the net energy gain
June 24, 2010 Read Full Article
Biomass Better than Coal? War over Carbon Accounting Erupts
by Jim Lane (Biomass Digest) In Washington, the Environment Working Group has released a study that claims the impacts of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACESA)—which has already passed the House of Representatives—would require the equivalent of cutting
June 24, 2010 Read Full Article
China Corn Purchases Could Exceed 1 Million Tonnes
(Farm Chemicals International) The US Grains Council (USGC) says China could increase its corn purchases from the US to more than 1 million tonnes during the next 18 months, according to Bloomberg. Thomas Dorr, USGC president, stated that he "wouldn’t be
June 21, 2010 Read Full Article
High-Yield Agriculture Slows Pace of Global Warming, Say Stanford Researchers
by Louis Bergeron (Stanford University) Advances in high-yield agriculture over the latter part of the 20th century have prevented massive amounts of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere – the equivalent of 590 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide – according
June 21, 2010 Read Full Article
Hawaii Public Utilities Commission Approves Biofuels Testing at Hawaiian Electric’s Kahe Power Plant
(HECO) The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has approved Hawaiian Electric Company’s plan to test biofuel blends in a 90-megawatt steam turbine generating unit at Kahe Power Plant that presently runs on low sulfur fuel oil (LSFO). “This test is part of
June 18, 2010 Read Full Article
AIM Interview: National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Al Darzins
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) ... I’ve heard a lot of people say that developing algal biofuels is just an engineering issue, that is, all we have to do is engineer more efficient growth ponds and cost effective harvesting and
June 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Guidelines To Implement EU's Renewable Energy Drive Adopted
(BERNAMA.com) The European Commission on Thursday (June 10, 2010) adopted guidelines to implement the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive which forms part of its 2008 climate and energy package. "The adopted package gives clear guidance to the Malaysian palm oil producers what
June 17, 2010 Read Full Article
Soon, Green Fuel for Indian Cars?
(Times of India) In a major eco-friendly step towards renewable energy generation in India, seaweed sourced ethanol (ethyl alcohol), a biofuel additive in transport fuel, has been used to run a car for the first time. Central Salt and Marine
June 17, 2010 Read Full Article
Smart Bioenergy: Guiding Sustainable Bio-Based Energy and Fuels Development
(Union of Concerned Scientists) The Billion Gallon Challenge: Advanced Biofuels from diverse sources such as grasses and agricultural waste hold the promise of sustainably reducing U.S. oil dependence and global warming emissions. Unfortunately the advanced biofuels industry not been able to
June 17, 2010 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Counters Environmental Stall Tactics
(Renewable Fuels Association) The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Growth Energy, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today countered the tired claims of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) that American ethanol is not a
June 17, 2010 Read Full Article
POET Cellulosic Ethanol Cuts Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 111 Percent over Gasoline
by POET (RenewableEnergyWorld.com) Biogas production highlighted in lifecycle analysis for Project LIBERTY. Ethanol produced by Project LIBERTY, POET's first planned commercial cellulosic ethanol plant, will reduce carbon emissions by 111 percent over gasoline, an independent lifecycle analysis shows. This means POET’s
June 17, 2010 Read Full Article
European Commission Encourages Certification of Biofuels
(Climate-L) To prepare for implementation of the 2009 EU Renewable Energy Directive, the European Commission has released three documents on biofuels: a communication on voluntary schemes and default values in the EU biofuels and bioliquids sustainability scheme; a communication on the