(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 will include the development of
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Back TO HOMEBest for Biofuels
by Dave Evensen (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Research finds where bioenergy crops would grow best while minimizing detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems -- ... Researchers at the University of Illinois used detailed models to examine impacts on water quantity and quality
February 24, 2016 Read Full Article
IEA and GBEP Launch Bioenergy and Water Paper
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Italy, IEA Bioenergy and the Global Bioenergy Partnership have published the “Examples of Positive Bioenergy and Water Relationships,” which includes examples that illustrate an encouraging variety both in terms of bioenergy systems and geographical
February 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Short on Sustainable Hydrogen? Here Comes New Water-Splitting Tech to Save the Day
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) You may not know it, but you are short on hydrogen. Right now. We live in a hydrogen-starved world, and it’s expensive to make. And most of what we make is unsustainable, produced from fossil sources.
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Indiana University Scientists Create 'Nano-Reactor' for the Production of Hydrogen Biofuel
(Indiana University Bloomington) Combining bacterial genes and virus shell creates a highly efficient, renewable material used in generating power from water -- Scientists at Indiana University have created a highly efficient biomaterial that catalyzes the formation of hydrogen -- one
January 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Any Alcohol into Jet Fuel: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to Byogy
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 fuel. Byogy’s jet fuel is
January 04, 2016 Read Full Article
What About Willow? Willows Could Be Next Big Thing for Conservation, Biofuel Feedstock
by Claire Vath (DTN/The Progressive Farmer) ... "We had something like 200 trespass cows from a nearby land lease," Willow says. So, they constructed a fence. And while it kept animals out, the damage had already been wrought. "Those cows destroyed
December 22, 2015 Read Full Article
University of Illinois Awarded Grant to Support Sorghum Research
(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 Andrew Leakey, Associate Professor of
December 18, 2015 Read Full Article
Greenbelt Resources Announces: POM Wonderful Extends Feedstock Testing Contract
(Greenbelt Resources/Business Wire) POM Wonderful®, the largest grower and producer of fresh pomegranates and pomegranate juice in the United States, has extended its feedstock testing contract with Greenbelt Resources Corporation(OTC: GRCO), an award winning provider of sustainable energy production systems.
December 04, 2015 Read Full Article
A Time to Take Stock: Advanced Biofuels as a Solution
by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) A time for taking stock and giving thanks; for appreciating the value of creating a truly sustainable renewable energy future. A recent press release, Vapor Capture System Fabricated by Greenbelt Resources Exceeds Performance Expectations, caught my
November 25, 2015 Read Full Article
Three Sustainability Tools Are Enhancing Environmental Benefits of Biofuels
by Kristen Johnson and Alicia Moulton (U.S. Department of Energy) At the Energy Department’s Bioenergy Technologies Office, we’re actively working to develop the advanced biofuels industry in a way that leads to positive impacts and that demonstrates responsible stewardship of
October 28, 2015 Read Full Article
China Looks to Algenol’s Carbon Mitigation Technology to Reduce Rising Global CO2 Levels and Help Combat Climate Change
(Algenol) U.S.-based Algenol will partner with South China’s Fujian Zhongyuan New Energy Company, Ltd. (ZYNE) to develop projects throughout Southern China, utilizing carbon emissions to create renewable fuels. The goal is to provide solutions for China’s three biggest challenges: access
September 23, 2015 Read Full Article
OriginClear to Acquire Progressive Water Treatment
(Algae Industry Magazine) OriginClear Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100 percent of Dallas-based Progressive Water Treatment Inc., (PWT) a profitable and fast-growing designer, builder and service provider for a wide range of industrial water treatment applications. ... This
August 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Do Biofuels Massively Worsen Water Stress?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Does bioenergy place such massive pressure on water resources that it zeroes out the climate change benefits? Tweets around a recent article from PNAS say “yes, that’s so!” But is it really so? The dire headline tweeted by Carbon
August 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Bioenergy 2015 Posts Presentations
(Department of Energy) ... We know many of you are interested in some of the presentations from our great lineup of speakers. We have posted select presentations from the conference to our Bioenergy 2015 presentations website. They include: Breakout Session 1-C: Bringing Biorefineries
July 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Key Excerpts Related to Fossil Fuels from Pope Francis' Encyclical on the Environment
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) The following are key excerpts from Pope Francis' Encyclical, “Laudato Si,” or “Praised Be,” in which he calls for renewable fuel use, energy efficiency, transition from harmful, smoky cooking fuels that foster deforestation, and other
June 19, 2015 Read Full Article
Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium Awards Contract to Construct Innovative Agriculture and Energy Pilot Project at Masdar City
(Masdar Institute) Research puts UAE at forefront of global movement to create sustainable, alternative fuels that do not compete with food production Based on ground-breaking research at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC) today
January 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Argonne Model Analyzes Water Footprint of Biofuels
by Greg Cunningham (Argonne National Laboratory) A new version of an online tool created by the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory will help biofuels developers gain a detailed understanding of water consumption of various types of feedstocks, aiding
January 16, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes With…Seth Snyder, Water Initiative Leader, Argonne National Laboratory
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... After a decade as the bioenergy technology leader, I just created a new role building a new initiative in water. Water is a critical barrier to sustainable energy in general, and bioenergy in specific. I
October 31, 2014 Read Full Article
Changing Water into Wine: Er, Will Jet Fuel Do?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Hydrocarbon fuel from seawater and nothing else? Is it possible? Not only possible, but demonstrated as a process, and tested in a model plane. How does it rate on the Hooey scale? The Digest investigates. In
April 09, 2014 Read Full Article
Ethanol Is Asset to State, Nation
by Bill Jones (Fresno Bee/Pacific Ethanol) The Bee published a commentary on Feb. 14 by Tom Tanton titled "Making Ethanol is Wasting California's Water." The premise of the opinion piece was that the nation's Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that sets
February 20, 2014 Read Full Article
Research: Fracking Uses and Loses More Water than Previously Believed
by Matthew McFeeley (The Energy Collective) Fracking’s water footprint is higher than previously thought, according to a new report that combined data from many sources to provide one of the most comprehensive looks at how water is used by the oil and
November 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Canola Could Be New Biofuel Crop for Central Great Plains
(Ag Professional/USDA Agricultural Research Service) Farmers in the semiarid central Great Plains have traditionally used a two-year, no-till, dryland, winter wheat/fallow cropping system, which stretches scarce soil water supplies and minimizes crop failure from water stress. Now they are interested
October 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Tulare County Farmers Hear about Raising Sorghum for Biofuel
by David Castellon (Visalia Times Delta) When the subject of biofuel comes up, chances are you’ll think of corn converted to ethanol. But on Wednesday, representatives from a Chicago-based seed manufacturer tried to change that way of thinking by inviting Valley farmers
October 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuels Association Disputes Study on Climate Change Impacts on Corn Production
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Renewable Fuels Association has spoken out to criticize a study published by Rice University and the University of California-Davis that claims climate change will increase irrigation costs for corn while reducing yields. In
June 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Going Green: Nation Equipped to Grow Serious Amounts of Pond Scum for Fuel
by Tom Rickey (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) A new analysis shows that the nation's land and water resources could likely support the growth of enough algae to produce up to 25 billion gallons of algae-based fuel a year in the
May 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office Comments on Air Force Strategic Studies Quarterly Article: Energy Insecurity, The False Promise of Liquid Biofuels
(US Department of Energy/Department of Defense) General Comments Although the author has done an extensive literature reading in the biofuels area, the paper does not have any analysis of critical issues of energy systems including petroleum systems and biofuel systems. Instead,
March 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Water Demand for Energy to Double by 2035
by Marianne Lavelle and Thomas K. Grose (National Geographic) The amount of fresh water consumed for world energy production is on track to double within the next 25 years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects. And even though fracking—high-pressure hydraulic fracturing of
March 12, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Plants Turning toward Grain Sorghum
by Art Hovey (Lincoln Star Journal) ...On a much brighter note, the managers of ethanol plants in Trenton and Ravenna are pushing hard to make a crop also known as milo the main ingredient in their renewable fuels recipes. ...Drought hardiness
March 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Sustainability Trends to Watch for in 2013
by Pat Lorentz (Shelton Group) It’s a new year! So after you’ve headed to the gym, put down your smokes, taken up a new hobby and willed yourself to stick to your resolutions for a few days, take a look
January 04, 2013 Read Full Article
Driving Algae Sustainability
by Mary Rosenthal (Biomass Magazine) Just a few weeks ago, the National Research Council released its report on the sustainability of biofuels derived from algae, affirming the potential of our industry to meet global fuel challenges in a sustainable manner. The
January 03, 2013 Read Full Article
Cars Fueled by Air?
by Bailey (Planet Forward) It’s not magic, it’s chemistry! That’s what the chief executive of Air-Fuel Synthesis says about their fuel that’s made, literally, out of thin air! The company says they’ve developed technology that creates environmentally-friendly fuel for cars from
December 23, 2012 Read Full Article
EPA Releases Update on Ongoing Hydraulic Fracturing Study
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today provided an update on its ongoing national study currently underway to better understand any potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Results of the study, which Congress requested EPA to complete,
December 21, 2012 Read Full Article
California-Grown Sorghum Used in Ethanol Production
(Chromatin/BusinessWire) Chromatin’s Sorghum Seed Recognized for Water Use Efficiency and Versatility Chromatin, Inc., a privately held provider of innovative crop breeding technology, sorghum seed products and feedstocks, announced it has generated the first crop of sorghum that has been grown and
December 05, 2012 Read Full Article
Large-Scale Production of Biofuels Made from Algae Poses Sustainability Concerns
(Science Daily) Scaling up the production of biofuels made from algae to meet at least 5 percent -- approximately 39 billion liters -- of U.S. transportation fuel needs would place unsustainable demands on energy, water, and nutrients, says a new
October 25, 2012 Read Full Article
Finding the Right Biofuels for the Southeast: A Range of Alternatives
(US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service) ...Of the five regions, the Southeast has the greatest natural capacity in the continental United States, with sufficient sunshine, soils, water, and other natural resources to produce more than 10 billion gallons of
September 19, 2012 Read Full Article
Water-Wise Biofuel Crop Study to Alter Plants Metabolic, Photosynthesis Process
(Phys.Org) Putting the water-use-efficient and turbo-charged photosynthesis from plants such as agave into woody biomass plants such as poplar can hedge against predicted long-term increases in temperatures and reduced precipitation. It can also provide dedicated energy crops suitable for establishment
September 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Highlights Renewable Fuels Industry’s Top 10 Efficiency and Technology Innovations of the Past Decade
(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) As a part of its 10th Anniversary celebration of progress and prosperity, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) today released a list of the ethanol and biodiesel industry’s Top 10 efficiency and technology innovations of the
September 05, 2012 Read Full Article
Africa's Water-Bioenergy Nexus Ensuring Sustainable Water Management in Africa's Biofuel Sector
(Pangea) Partners for Euro-African Green Energy (PANGEA) published a new report, Africa’s Water-Bioenergy Nexus. Ensuring Sustainable Water Management in Africa’s Biofuel Sector. The report describes ways to ensure a low water footprint in the African bioenergy development by using methods
August 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Dropping Water Use: Ethanol Producers Balance Cost and Conservation When Reducing Consumption
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The results of a Google search of the words ethanol and water use are varied and interesting. Some of the information is up-to-date and lays out the industry’s dramatic reduction in water use in
July 25, 2012 Read Full Article
The Digest’s Special Report on Drought
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Dire US media headlines abound: “Drought!” What’s real, what’s hype, and what are the impacts? More importantly, what alternatives does science give us now, and in the future, with more drought-tolerant energy and food crops? ...A
July 06, 2012 Read Full Article
CORE BioFuel Inc. Selects Technip to Engineer the World's First Wood to Gasoline Biorefinery
(CORE BioFuel, Inc.) CORE BioFuel Inc. announced today (May 2, 2012) that it has selected Technip, a world leader in engineering, construction and project management in the energy industry, to complete the construction engineering of their first wood to gasoline
May 04, 2012 Read Full Article
Que SARA, Será (Whatever Is Sustainable, Will Be): Sorghum, Water and Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There’s water, water everywhere, hardly a drop to use. The latest on Sustainable, Affordable, Reliable, Available biomass feedstocks that keep down the stress on our water tables. ...The basic dilemma in perennial biomass crops is well
April 13, 2012 Read Full Article
EPA Annnounces Release of Draft Report: Biofuels and the Environment: The First Triennial Report to Congress
(US Environmental Protection Agency) The Biofuels and the Environment: The First Triennial Report to Congress (External Review Draft) (EPA/600/R-10/183A) report, prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within EPA’s Office of Research and Development, is the first report published on
February 08, 2012 Read Full Article
Washington State Horticultural Association Opposes Bill to Provide Additional Water for Organic Crops and Biofuel Crops
(PR NewsWire/Organic Tree Fruit Growers Alliance) At a recent legislative hearing in Olympia, the Washington StateHorticultural Association and its lobbyist Jim Halstrom (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvVO8tJc7zI) publicly opposed legislation (House Bill 2192) that would provide a relatively small amount of new water to allow apple and tree
January 19, 2012 Read Full Article
Troubled Ethanol Plant Looks to Sell Water for Fracking
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Idled ethanol plant Bionol Clearfield LLC is working to get approval to sell some of the water it would be using for ethanol production to sell to the natural gas extraction industry for
December 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Enzyme Study Shows DDGS Dewatering Applications
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A one-month plant trial showed a commercial enzyme could help extract water from distillers grains, saving natural gas, electricity and water used in the ethanol process. More work needs to be done, said David
December 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Abengoa's $500 Million Vision Could Take Shape in York County
by Art Hovey (Lincoln Journal Star) Movers and shakers in York County, one of the most prolific places for corn production in Nebraska and the United States, have spun off plenty of other profitable corn undertakings in recent years, including
October 28, 2011 Read Full Article
USDA Scientists Use Commercial Enzyme to Improve Grain Ethanol Production
by Ann Perry (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service) A commercial enzyme could reduce overall costs linked with producing ethanol from grain, and also reduce associated emissions of greenhouse gases, according to a study by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
September 13, 2011 Read Full Article
State OKs POET Plan to Recycle Storm Water at South Dakota Plant
(POET) POET Biorefining -- Mitchell to cut even more water use Mitchell is layering another level of water recycling on top of its current system with a new process to use storm water from nearby retention ponds. The plant received approval last
September 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Testing the Water for Bioenergy Crops
by Liz Ahlberg (University of Illinois) Many energy researchers and environmental advocates are excited about the prospect of gaining more efficient large-scale biofuel production by using large grasses like miscanthus or switchgrass rather than corn. They have investigated yields,
August 30, 2011 Read Full Article
Water Intensity of Corn-Based Ethanol Needs to Include DDGS Credit
by Gouri Shankar Mishra and Sonia Yeh (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Study recalculates water consumption with expanded system boundaries and coproduct credit Recent studies have estimated the “consumptive water use,” “water embodied,” and “water footprint” of corn-based ethanol in the U.S, with
August 22, 2011 Read Full Article
From Farm to Biorefinery: Ethanol Production Efficiency Improves
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) ...In this week’s installment of the RFA’s series on efficiency, RFA Vice President Geoff Cooper takes on the critics who contend that both farming and ethanol production is simply too energy-intensive. Critics of farmers, and by
August 22, 2011 Read Full Article
U.Va. Researchers Find High Energy Output From Algae-Based Fuel, But 'No Silver Bullet'
by Zak Richards (University of Virginia) Algae-based fuel is one of many options among the array of possible future energy sources. New University of Virginia research shows that while algae-based transportation fuels produce high energy output with minimal land use,
August 11, 2011 Read Full Article
More Ethanol, Fewer Inputs, Increasing Benefits: More Corn on Fewer Acres, Less Water
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) Over the past 30 years, and in particular in the past decade, ethanol production has quietly become increasingly efficient. From improvements in corn production to greater efficiencies at ethanol biorefineries, America’s leading renewable fuel
August 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Pongamia Shines in New Asian Development Bank Study of Biofuel Production and Use
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) In the Philippines, a new study by that Asian Development Bank finds that “Pongamia provides better economic returns [than other Indian feedstocks]. Even under a 15% social discount rate Pongamia provides a positive NPV,
August 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Poet Has Green Plan for Water
by Anna Jauhola (The Daily Republic) In a continuing effort to operate as green as possible, Poet Biorefining is the first ethanol plant in the state to apply to use storm water in the facility rather than discharging it. Through an
July 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Switch from Corn to Grass Would Raise Ethanol Output, Cut Emissions
(EurekAlert!/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Growing perennial grasses on the least productive farmland now used for corn ethanol production in the U.S. would result in higher overall corn yields, more ethanol output per acre and better groundwater quality, researchers report
July 13, 2011 Read Full Article
At the Capitol: Alternative Energy Can Be Found Right Here in Illinois
by Rep. Jim Sacia (Journal-Standard) ...Ethanol is another source of alternative energy that has established a foothold in America, and we can be very proud of our own Adkins Energy ethanol plant in Lena. One of the strongest lobbying groups in
July 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Nature Outlook Biofuels--Special Supplement
(Nature: International Weekly Journal of Science) Biofuels have big boots to fill. After more than 150 years of using petroleum and its products we have become dependent on it. First generation biofuels are showing us both the potential and the
July 02, 2011 Read Full Article
In Search of A Biofuel El Dorado: The Quest for Brazil’s Energy Independence Future
by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) In 1568, a Spanish Conquistador by the name of Pedro Maraver de Silva led his men on a mission to capture Incas who had escaped with their gold. Journeying north of Peru, they encountered
June 20, 2011 Read Full Article
New Essay on Bioenergy, Fertilizer, Wastewater Remediation
by Steven Medina (Biofuels Digest) “He intensively grows corn for ethanol in clay soil that once grew corn for bootleg liquor and a variety of other crops to varying degrees of success, allowing my mother’s family to survive but never
April 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Study: Algae Could Replace 17% of U.S. Oil Imports
(Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Choosing optimal growing locations limits algal biofuel’s water use High oil prices and environmental and economic security concerns have triggered interest in using algae-derived oils as an alternative to fossil fuels. But growing algae — or any
April 15, 2011 Read Full Article
The Goldilocks Challenge: Getting It ‘Just Right’ at Aurora Algae
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Oak Investment venture partner (and now Aurora chairman) Brian Hinman noted that “Aurora Biofuels has made a significant genetic engineering achievement in doubling the productivity of its proprietary algae, and this round of funding will
December 12, 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
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
Nagoya 2010: Weighing up the Risks and Benefits of Biofuels Development
(United Nations Environment Programme) Water, land use change and invasive species are key factors that must be addressed alongside greenhouse gas cuts Water could determine the degree to which bioenergy can contribute to combating climate change by reducing the world's reliance on
October 26, 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
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
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
GAO: Energy-Water Nexus: Many Uncertainties Remain about National and Regional Effects of Increased Biofuel Production on Water Resources
The extent to which increased biofuels production will affect the nation’s water resources depends on the type of feedstock selected and how and where it is grown. ... (N)ext generation feedstocks have not yet been grown on a commercial scale
December 04, 2009 Read Full Article
Another Biofuels Drawback: The Demand for Irrigation
by Robert F. Service (Science Magazine) At first blush, it's easy to make the case for biofuels. By converting crops into ethanol or biodiesel, farmers can reduce demand for imported oil, lower national dependence on authoritarian governments in the Middle