by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Changes in EU policy and the financing of advanced biofuels have led to a revival of project formation in Europe. The latest news from Finland is that St1 is proceeding towards a build on its 10
woody biomass
Back TO HOMEIogen Focusing on Biofuels in Brazil After Selling Enzyme Unit
by Andrew Herndon (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Iogen Corp., a closely held biotechnology company, is focusing on producing ethanol from sugar cane waste in Brazil after selling its industrial enzyme business to Novozymes A/S (NZYMB), according to Chief Executive Officer Brian Foody. “We’re
February 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Plant Plans
(ABC News) Tasmania could become home to Australia's first commercial plant converting trees into the biofuel, ethanol. Timber communities in Dorset and the Huon Valley are in formal talks with the developers of technology that allows ethanol to be produced from
January 29, 2013 Read Full Article
Knocking $40 Per Ton out of Biomass Costs, the Green Way
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In Maryland, The Wildlife Society released a Technical Review, “Effects of Bioenergy Production on Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat,” to provide answers to questions on bioenergy development and wildlife so that site managers might better predict
January 24, 2013 Read Full Article
Center Awards Funds for Biofuel Advancements
by Mark Schulman (BlueRidgeNow.com) The Biofuels Center of North Carolina awarded $766,256 to 14 entities led by AdvantageWest Economic Development Group to advance biofuels in the region and create jobs, support sustainability, agribusiness, diverse education and research and development capabilities. “This
January 17, 2013 Read Full Article
UPM Scoop Investment for Potential France-Based Biodiesel Facility
(Bioenergy News) Finland-based bio and forestry business UPM has picked up multi-million investment to aid the construction of a biorefinery in France. The European Commission has awarded a grant of €170 million ($222 million) as UPM earmark a wood waste-to-biodiesel
January 16, 2013 Read Full Article
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack Visits Renmatix for Commissioning of Plant-to-Sugar BioFlex Conversion Unit
(Renmatix/Sacramento Bee) Building on success in hardwood, Philadelphia-based Renmatix adds on-site capability to convert multiple local and international feedstocks to cellulosic sugar Renmatix, the leading manufacturer of cellulosic sugars for biobased chemical and fuel markets, welcomed Secretary Tom Vilsack, leader of
January 11, 2013 Read Full Article
12 Bellwether Biofuels Projects for 2013
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A long war of opinion has been waged for years between advanced biofuels’ detractors and supporters. Mirage or reality? Completion of 6 key projects 2012 decided much of the debate. When these 12 projects open
January 01, 2013 Read Full Article
Forest Products Society Journal Publishes Special Biofuels Issue
(Forest Products Society) Biofuels made from high-yield, short rotation woody crops or from forest residuals and thinnings that are currently left unused have substantial potential to reduce CO2 emissions as well as to contribute to energy independence. A series of
December 31, 2012 Read Full Article
West Virginia University Researchers Explore Use of Wood Biomass
(The State Journal) Researchers from West Virginia University are exploring the economic and environmental impacts of wood biomass utilization in rural central Appalachia. The Morgantown school says the team was recently awarded a nearly $350,000 grant from the U.S. Department of
December 26, 2012 Read Full Article
Willows as Energy a Growth Industry
(Associated Press/Times Union) Energy from willows is moving out of the experimental stage and into commercial production in New York. Farms are growing willow shrubs and selling them to a utility, a nursery sells them commercially and plans are being made for refineries. "The
December 26, 2012 Read Full Article
Reborn Qteros Rises Again with New Plan to Develop Technology to Make Ethanol
by Jim Kinney (The Republican/MassLive) Qteros and the “Q microbe” discovered byUMass researchers and valued for its ability to digest plant waste into ethanol fuel is making a comeback. ...But the money dried up early in 2012. In September, creditors auctioned Qteros'
December 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Clemson, ArborGen Combine for Biofuel Research
(Associated Press/The State) Clemson University researchers are joining with a commercial forestry company to try to figure out what variety of poplars are best to make biofuels. ArborGen planted four species of poplars last year at Clemson's Pee Dee Research and
December 21, 2012 Read Full Article
The Old Switcheroo — the “Now” of Cellulosic Biofuels vs “Five Years Away” in Oil & Gas
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As renewable fuel developers put steel in the ground, oil & gas points to a fossil-based transformation in transportation fuels just “five years away”. Today, it is the oil & gas industry talking in terms of
December 20, 2012 Read Full Article
EU Goes Big-Game Hunting: Brussels Grants €199M to Dutch Biorefinery Project
by Jim Lane (Biobased Digest) Counting the EU out in biobased development? Not so quick, pilgrim — BioMCN, Siemens, Linde and Visser & Smit Hanab land a whale, grant-wise. In the Netherlands, a consortium consisting of BioMCN, Siemens, Linde, and Visser
December 19, 2012 Read Full Article
Advanced Ethanol Council Releases Snapshot of Cellulosic Ethanol Production around the World
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Advanced Ethanol Council this morning released a report giving a snapshot of cellulosic ethanol producers in the U.S. and around the world. A look at facilities owned by companies such as Abengoa Bioenergy, Enerkem, INEOS Bio
December 19, 2012 Read Full Article
Special Forest Products Journal Biofuels Issue
(WebWire) Biofuels made from high yield, short rotation woody crops or from forest residuals and thinnings that are currently left unused have substantial potential to reduce CO2 emissions as well as to contribute to energy independence. A series of articles
December 18, 2012 Read Full Article
NREL and Johnson Matthey Announce Five-Year Collaboration on Biofuels
(National Renewable Energy Laboratory) Goal is to develop new catalysts to lower costs for producing biofuels The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will partner with Johnson Matthey, a global specialty chemicals company, in a five-year, $7 million
December 17, 2012 Read Full Article
EESI Discusses Biomass, Bioenergy, and Sustainability With State Environmental Legislators
by Ned Stowe (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) EESI Policy Associate Ned Stowe recently gave a presentation on biomass, bioenergy, and sustainability to the 11th Annual Great Lakes Environmental Legislators Forum of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators in Chicago,
December 14, 2012 Read Full Article
15 Burning Questions (and Answers) for Biofuels in 2013
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Policy, finance, technology, feedstocks, markets, prices, opposition. Here’s what’s on your mind, as the critical 2013 deployment year for biofuels looms. So here are 15 burning questions as suggested by various Digesterati — divided for convenience
December 14, 2012 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Biofuel to Surge in 2013 as First Plants Open
by Andrew Herndon (Bloomberg) Cellulosic biofuel companies will boost production almost 20-fold in 2013 as the first high-volume refineries go into operation, signaling a shift from an experimental fuel into a commercially viable industry. Production of the fuel made from crop waste,
December 12, 2012 Read Full Article
UnNintendoed Consequences: Biofuels and the Feedstock Challenge
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It’s been years of struggle to get cellulosic feedstock supply chains downfield. Now, companies like Woodland Biofuels, Sweetwater Energy, Ceres, Delta BioRenewables and Commonwealth Agro-Energy are moving the chains. ...This week in Canada, the MaRS Cleantech Fund
December 12, 2012 Read Full Article
British Airways’ Jet Biofuel Plant Will Open in 2015
by Leon Kaye (TriplePundit) ...British Airways (BA) announced that it has found a site for a bio-refinery that will generate up to 50,000 tons of jet fuel annually. In a partnership with the American aviation biofuel company Solena Fuels, BA will
December 09, 2012 Read Full Article
25x'25 REsource: Standard Definition of Biomass Needed
(25 x '25) ... In any strategy aimed at meeting America's soaring energy demand, biomass must be considered a principal among the several renewable, sustainable solutions that make up the fastest growing domestic energy sector since 2006. ...While there also has been
December 09, 2012 Read Full Article
FuturaGene and EMBRAPA Sign an Umbrella Cooperation Framework Agreement
(FuturaGene) FuturaGene, a world leader in the enhancement of yield and sustainability of woody crops for plantation forestry, biopower and biofuel markets, is pleased to announce the signing of a Cooperation Framework Agreement with EMBRAPA, (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária)
November 30, 2012 Read Full Article
In Race to Develop Aviation Biofuels, Midwest Wants to Win
by Kari Lydersen (Midwest Energy News) ...Commercial-scale development of aviation biofuels is still in the early stages, and as experts explained at the Airports Going Green conference in Chicago earlier in November, viable aviation biofuel industries would look significantly different in different regions
November 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Could Bring New Life to Shuttered Mill
by Tom Robertson (Minnesota Public Radio) There may be hope for the shuttered Ainsworth lumber mill in Grand Rapids, which closed three years ago, a victim of the housing market crash and the Great Recession. The J.M. Longyear company of Marquette, Mich., has
November 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Direvo Introduces BluCon™ for the Conversion of Non-Food Biomass to Biofuel and Chemical Building Blocks
(Direvo) Direvo Industrial Biotechnology GmbH is commercializing its BluCon™– platform for complete, one-step conversion of non-food feedstocks to carbohydrates used in the production of fuels and chemicals. In the recent years Direvo has undertaken a huge research program identifying a
November 29, 2012 Read Full Article
US Company in Refinery Search
by Peter Hemphill (Grain & Hay WeeklyTimes) An American biofuels company is looking to build a refinery in Australia to produce ethanol from wheat straw and other residues. ...Investors in the biorefineries include Australia's Macquarie Bank and Japanese commodity trader Itochu Corporation. ZeaChem
November 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Ensyn: Biofuels’ Big, Fast Cracker, in Pictures
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Ensyn – moving rapidly towards scale as a transport fuel technology after decades in smaller, high-value markets. What does Ensyn’s signature RTP technology, that’s making such a splash, look like? ...Ensyn has become a signature part
November 19, 2012 Read Full Article
$500 Million and No One to Dance with? Canada and Advanced Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Canada’s $500 million NextGen Biofuels Fund, five years after formation, gets close to making its first investments just as Canada’s leaders consider pulling the plug It was the most amazing sovereign commitment to biofuels of its
November 18, 2012 Read Full Article
Fuel From Waste, Poised at a Milestone
by Matthew L. Wald (New York Times) For years, scientists and engineers have been juggling various combinations of acids, steam, bacteria, catalysts and the digestive juices of microorganisms to convert agricultural waste and even household garbage into motor fuel. So far,
November 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Everyday Low (Fuel) Prices: Drop-In Advanced Biofuels for under $100 per Barrel
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Brent Crude trades this past week at a transorbital $109 per barrel (West Texas Intermediate at a suborbital, if high, $85). It puts the conventional wisdom that biofuels are too infrastructure incompatible and too costly
November 12, 2012 Read Full Article
Gusher! KiOR Starts Production of US Cellulosic Biofuels at Scale
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 500 ton per day wood biomass to biocrude plant commences oil production – the long wait for cellulosic biofuels at scale is over. ...But the news from Columbus, Mississippi, that cellulosic biocrude production has started up,
November 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Berkeley Fermentation Process Converts Sugar Directly to Diesel
by Robert Sanders (Biodiesel Magazine/UC Berkeley) A long-abandoned fermentation process once used to turn starch into explosives can be used to produce renewable diesel fuel to replace the fossil fuels now used in transportation, University of California, Berkeley, scientists have
November 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Vnesheconombank, Bright Capital, and Renmatix Consider Implementation of an Investment Project in Biochemical and Biofuels Industries
(MSN Money/PR NewsWire) During the first Moscow International Forum for Innovative Development Open Innovations, the State Corporation 'Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs' (Vnesheconombank), venture capital firm Bright Capital Management, and Renmatix, the leading manufacturer of biobased sugar intermediates,
October 31, 2012 Read Full Article
Neste Oil Opens First European Biofuel-from-Waste Pilot Plant
(Energy Efficiency News) Finnish firm Neste Oil officially opened its first European pilot plant for producing microbial oil from waste material in Porvoo, Finland on Friday. ...Neste Oil, meanwhile, has invested €8 million in its pilot plant as part of its ongoing microbial
October 31, 2012 Read Full Article
Verifying Forest Sustainability
by Charles A. Levesque and Eric W. Kingsley (Innovative Natural Resource Solutions LLC/Biomass Magazine) Increased talk about the use of woody biomass for energy in the U.S. has many people wondering how best to assure that the fuel and feedstock used
October 30, 2012 Read Full Article
ZeaChem Completes Construction of Cellulosic Ethanol Biorefinery
(ZeaChem) ZeaChem Inc., developer of highly-efficient biorefineries, today announced that it has completed construction of its 250,000 gallons per year (GPY) cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in Boardman, Oregon. The project was completed on budget and is expected to begin production of
October 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Reflections on Developments in the Biorefinery Industry: 4th Nordic Wood Biorefinery Conference
by Stefaniya Becking* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The 4th Nordic Wood Biorefinery conference held in Helsinki, Finland (October 23-25, 2012) brought together over 300 people from around 30 countries. The organizers successfully achieved the goal of having a stimulating event with
October 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Google Tests Biofuel Car
(Environmental Leader) Google has been using Cool Planet Energy Systems’ biofuel blend to run a fleet vehicle at the search giant’s Mountain View, Calif. campus, according to the energy-tech startup. ...During the Google trial, a campus vehicle called GRide ran on
October 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Wood Completely Broken Down into Its Component Parts
(Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes) Crude oil is getting scarce. This is why researchers are seeking to substitute petroleum-based products – like plastics – with sustainable raw materials. Waste wood, divided into lignin and cellulose, could serve as a raw
October 26, 2012 Read Full Article
The Pine Beetle Problem: Making Renewable Energy Lemonade from Biomass Lemons
by Bruce Dorminey (Renewable Energy World) ...Armed with a $200,000 U.S.D.A. two-year research grant, Fernando Resende will start work on a fast pyrolysis mobile reactor next year that could revolutionize how foresters and the timber industry currently deals with millions of
October 24, 2012 Read Full Article
New Biorenewables Technology Moves Closer to Marketplace Licensing Agreement between Startup Hyrax and WARF to Accelerate Commercial Development
(Hyrax Energy) A licensing agreement for a novel renewable chemical and biofuel production method between Hyrax Energy and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation promises to accelerate commercial development of the technology and lead to high-quality U.S. jobs. Developed in the laboratory
October 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Sundrop Fuels Plant Said to Be on Track in Rapides Parish
by Billy Gunn (TheTownTalk.com) ...Not quite one year ago, Louisiana Economic Development chief Stephen Moret and local economic development officials announced that Sundrop Fuels would locate its biofuels plant at a site off Interstate 49 north of Alexandria. The company plans
October 24, 2012 Read Full Article
RTI International to Build Energy Technology Development Facility to Support Biofuels Projects
(RTI) RTI International began construction last week on a new 3,000-square-foot energy technology development facility on RTI’s main campus in Research Triangle Park, N.C. The facility will house a biomass pyrolysis reactor to further extend RTI’s biofuels research efforts. Using RTI’s technology, the
October 23, 2012 Read Full Article
Pentagon, World's Biggest Fossil Fuel User, Shops for Biofuels
by Andrew Herndon (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Gevo Inc. (GEVO), Syntroleum Corp. and Solazyme Inc. (SZYM) may be among a “small set” of biofuel producers vying for supply contracts from the U.S. Defense Department, the world’s largest consumer of fossil fuels, analysts said. The agency
October 23, 2012 Read Full Article
$10M Grant Will Fund Research into Biofuel-Based Economic Development
(Pennsylvania State University) The Northeast could help lead the way to a renewable-energy-based economy by utilizing marginal and abandoned land to grow energy crops such as perennial grasses and fast-growing woody plants. That's the goal of a new research and education
October 16, 2012 Read Full Article
Primus Green Energy Serves as Industry Collaborator in $10 Million USDA-Funded Research and Education Project
(Primus Green Energy) New Northeast Consortium Tasked With Developing Perennial Biomass Feedstock Production Systems As part of its continued effort to drive the commercialization of alternative fuels, Primus Green Energy Inc. an alternative fuel company based in Hillsborough, N.J., has signed
October 16, 2012 Read Full Article
BDC Members Tour American Process Inc.'s Cellulosic Ethanol Facility in Alpena, MI, Which Started Up in June 2012
(Bioenergy Deployment Consortium/MarketWire) BDC held its 2012 Fall Symposium in Alpena, MI on September 18 & 19, capping the event with a tour of the new cellulosic ethanol plant owned by American Process Inc. (API), a BDC member. API's facility is
October 16, 2012 Read Full Article
Clean Energy Innovation Depends on a Good Pitch
by Kari Lydersen (Midwestern Energy News) Purdue University associate professor Richard Meilan is striving to develop a poplar tree that grows more quickly and can be more easily converted to biofuel than the average member of the genus Populus. It also must be
October 16, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuels Plant Ready to Roll
by Paul Morden (Sarnia Observer) Woodland Biofuels’ $12-million Sarnia demonstration plant is up and could be producing ethanol from wood waste by the end of the year, says president Greg Nuttall. The newly-built facility is located at the Western University Research
October 16, 2012 Read Full Article
Gretna Pushing Biofuels Project
by John Crane (GoDanRiver.com) The CEO of a company that wants to build commercial refinery that would convert feedstock hopes to locate at Gretna Industrial Park. The town of Gretna and Ken Moss, CEO of Piedmont BioProducts, will jointly apply for
October 15, 2012 Read Full Article
Alberta Innovates Funds Biorefining Conversions Network 2.0
(MarketWire) Hydrocarbon-like fuels and chemicals to come from agricultural and forest biomass With funding from Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions, the Biorefining Conversions Network aims to become a hub for bioeconomy investments and a world class centre of excellence for biorefining and
October 12, 2012 Read Full Article
Ensyn Heads for Brazil; Locks up $20M Investment, Alliance with Pulp Giant Fibria
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Canada, Ensyn Corporation and Fibria Celulose announced the creation of a strategic alliance between the two companies. This alliance includes the establishment of an equally-owned joint venture for the production of cellulosic liquid fuels and chemicals
October 12, 2012 Read Full Article
Incitor and the Birth of a New Low-Cost Fuel Molecule
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A new drop-in, low-cost, high-octane fuel molecule? How does that work, and why, and when? How does it change the energy independence equation? Today, the Digest visits Incitor to find out about Alestron. ...Back in 2008,
October 04, 2012 Read Full Article
“Semi-Dwarf" Trees May Enable a Green Revolution for Some Forest Crops
(Oregon State University) The same “green revolution” concepts that have revolutionized crop agriculture and helped to feed billions of people around the world may now offer similar potential in forestry, scientists say, with benefits for wood, biomass production, drought stress
October 02, 2012 Read Full Article
First Biorefinery Producing Wood-Based Biodiesel
(Netzwerk Biotreibstoffe) Finland-based UPM’s facility is located in Lappeenranta, south-eastern Finland, and will produce biodiesel from crude tall oil at the company’s Kaukas mill site. This integration will offer synergies, such as a wastewater treatment plant and utilities like energy,
September 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Researchers Win Grant to Assess Impact of Bioenergy Projects
by Luke Geiver (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A team of researchers will spend the next five years assessing the social, economic and ecological impacts of bioenergy projects happening in Michigan, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. Led by Michigan Tech University Professor Kathy
September 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Volvo Successfully Field Tests Biofuel Made from Pulp Industry Waste
(Waste Management World) Successful field tests of vehicles powered by a biofuel derived from the black liquor wastes produced at a pulp mill have been conducted by Volvo Trucks. The company said that ten of its specially adapted trucks have been
September 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Warnings Ignored in Range Fuels Debacle
by Dan Chapman (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) ... In a blistering critique obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, (Hosein) Shapouri (a senior economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington) labeled the proposed Range Fuels plant “a high risk venture” that
September 05, 2012 Read Full Article
Michigan Tech Leads International Study of Social, Environmental Impacts of Biofuel Production
by Jennifer Donovan (Michigan Tech News) Is it possible to develop and produce biofuels in a sustainable way, without harming people or the environment? What policies need to be put in place to help that happen? Nearly three dozen researchers from four
August 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuel Research: Possibilities Still Growing at University of Georgia
(Ledger-Enquirer) ...Researchers at the University of Georgia may be close to finding it. A report by Susan Mittleman on Georgia Public Broadcasting and transcribed on the Public Broadcasting Atlanta website (pba.org) describes a promising new process for making ethanol and
August 28, 2012 Read Full Article
Meanwhile, the Next Generation Advanced Biofuels Industry Is Scaling Up
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) Cleaner, more sustainable, more climate-friendly, more affordable advanced biofuels are closer to reality than many outside the industry seem to think. At least three new, advanced biofuel biorefineries are being commissioned this year, and at
August 25, 2012 Read Full Article
Flying on Woody Biomass and Camelina: Consortium Seeks Biofuel Answers
by Bruce Dorminey (Renewable Energy World) Aviation remains as much a part of Washington State as its eastern dry-land agriculture or the rain-soaked forests on its mountainous western fringes. But only the alternative energy industry proposes to combine the three in
August 22, 2012 Read Full Article
Dating Your Feedstock and Never Marrying: The 6 Hottest Ways to Alleviate Food vs Fuel
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) With the US drought, food vs fuel has returned as an issue. What alternatives are scientists, entrepreneurs developing to take us beyond the old debate? ...1. Feedstock diversification. In biofuels, it is more talked about –
August 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuel Company Interested in Tupper Lake
by Jessica Collier (Adirondack Daily Enterprise) A Seattle-based company is interested in opening a biofuel facility in the Tupper Lake area. John Tubbs, head of the Franklin County Industrial Development Agency, said he's been in regular contact with the company. He
August 21, 2012 Read Full Article
International Cooperation to Develop Global Bioenergy Capacity: Biomass without Borders: Lessons from International Ventures
By Liliana Diaz (Navigant Consulting) Opening with the report on repeated failure of a biomass based Idaho power company's ability to meet delivery deadlines because of the non-reliable source of fuel, Diaz effectively made her point. The production of biopower
August 15, 2012 Read Full Article
International Cooperation to Develop Global Bioenergy Capacity: How Global Partnerships Are Clearing the Way to Achieve America's RFS2 Goals
by Thomas Corle (Leifmark LLC, Inbicon Technology Marketing Partner) Opening his presentation with imposing nature images of pristine beauty, Corle's presentation lays Denmark's aspirations on the table - to move from 2006's 15/85 (CO2 emission) to 85/15 (CO2 neutral) in
August 15, 2012 Read Full Article
Grant to Study Willow as Promising Bioenergy Crop
by Cornell University (R&D Mag) The commercialization of shrub willow as a bioenergy crop could be years closer, thanks to a $1.37 million grant that will allow Cornell researchers to take advantage of the newly mapped shrub willow genome to
August 08, 2012 Read Full Article
KiOR Renewable Gasoline Will Fuel Cars This Year
by Luke Geiver (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. EPA has granted KiOR Inc. the necessary permit to sell renewable cellulosic gasoline in the U.S. According to Fred Cannon, the EPA’s acceptance of KiOR’s advanced biofuel blendstock “is a landmark” for the
July 25, 2012 Read Full Article
Ineos Completes Construction of US Biorefinery JV Project
(Platts) Construction of Ineos' $130 million biorefinery joint venture project in the US has been completed, with production expected to begin in the second half of 2012, said Peter Williams, CEO of Ineos Bio, the Switzerland-based company's bioenergy business. The project,
July 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Researcher Aims to Create Biofuel from Pulp Waste
(CBC News) Lakehead University professor receives grant from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council ...Lakehead University professor Pedram Fatehi said he wants to generate environmentally friendly biofuels out of liquid waste produced by pulp mills — waste that's usually burnt off
July 19, 2012 Read Full Article
ERDA Hopes to Turn Red Cedar Liability into National Asset
by James Neal (Enid News and Eagle) Enid Regional Development Alliance is hoping to turn one of Oklahoma’s liabilities into a national asset, and boost the local economy in the process, with an ambitious plan to turn eastern red cedar
July 18, 2012 Read Full Article
EdeniQ Receives $3.9M Grant for Biofuel Research
(The Business Journal) EdeniQ, a biofuels technology company based in Visalia, received a $3.9 million grant from the California Energy Commission to help in its efforts of researching the commercial potential of cellulosic ethanol. The grant follows $20 million in
July 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Wood Telephone Poles Turned to Ethanol
by Bill Esler (Woodworking Network) Enerkem Inc. a waste-to-biofuels and chemicals company, says it has begun production of cellulosic ethanol from used wood telephone poles at its demonstration facility in Westbury, Québec. Enerkem CEO Vincent Chornet called it "a significant
July 17, 2012 Read Full Article
New UMaine Technology Center to Turn Wood Chips and Grass into Fuel and Plastics
by Nick McCrea (Bangor Daily News) A research and technology hub that one day could help wean the United States off foreign oil opened Monday in a former paper products shipping bay on the grounds of Old Town Fuel and
July 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Blue Sugars Claims First Cellulosic RIN, Extends Petrobras Deal
By Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Blue Sugars Corp., formerly KL Energy Corp., can lay claim to a first in the world of cellulosic ethanol technology developers. “It was surprising to us when EPA confirmed [we got] the first RIN [renewable
July 05, 2012 Read Full Article
Growing Better Biofuel Crops
by Heather Youngs and Chris Somerville (The Scientist) Research is underway to reduce the use of food crops for biofuels by shifting to dedicated energy crops and agricultural residues. ...Conversion of biomass is currently the most cost-effective route to produce renewable
July 05, 2012 Read Full Article
OMV and BDI Make Diesel from Wood
(OMV) On July 2, 2012 Doris Bures, Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology, and Gerhard Roiss, OMV CEO, opened the BioCRACK pilot plant at the OMV Refinery in Schwechat. The plant is the first of its kind in the world
July 04, 2012 Read Full Article
Ohio State Partner in $5.7M Grant to Develop New Biofuel
by Mauricio Espinoza (Ohio State University/North Texas d-News) Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) will play a key role in the engineering of a novel plant-based fuel, funded by a $5.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of
July 04, 2012 Read Full Article
Study on Fungi Evolution Answers Questions About Ancient Coal Formation and May Help Advance Future Biofuels Production
(National Science Foundation) Study reveals the potentially large influences of fungi, one of the most biologically diverse classes of organisms, on our energy supplies A new study--which includes the first large-scale comparison of fungi that cause rot decay--suggests that the evolution
July 03, 2012 Read Full Article
New Kids on the Block: 12 hot bio-based technologies worth watching (Parts 1 and 2)
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Yet, even in an era where venture capital has been harder to come by (Why? See these 42 article links under the rubric, “The VC Model is Broken” ) — some great technologies have been getting out
June 25, 2012 Read Full Article
$4.3 Million to Be Invested in Shrub Willow Growth for Renewable Fuel
(Observer-Dispatch) The U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest $4.3 million to ReEnergy and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry to encourage growth of shrub willow as a renewable energy fuel, according to a news release. The funds — made available
June 15, 2012 Read Full Article
EdeniQ, NREL, Aemetis, Kent Bioenergy among Winners of California Clean Energy Grants
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, the California Energy Commission approved funding of $23,110,015 for projects that will advance the development of green fuels, and the installation of fueling stations. The awards are provided through the Energy Commission’s Alternative
June 14, 2012 Read Full Article
Dial 9011 for Crop Assistance
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Section 9011 of the Farm Bill – the Biomass Crop Assistance Program – USDA deploys $9.6M in new investments in bioenergy crops as questions revolve around the program’s future and effectiveness. Is BCAP important? Will
June 14, 2012 Read Full Article
Gasification May Convert Mesquite and Juniper Wood to a Usable Bioenergy
by Kay Ledbetter (Texas AgriLife/Southwest Farm Press) Biomass gasification is being considered as a possible technology for converting 60 million acres of Texas brush into biofuel, according to Dr. Jim Ansley, Texas AgriLife Research rangeland ecologist in Vernon. A study
June 08, 2012 Read Full Article
DSM Enzymes for Cellulosic Ethanol Qualified by DONG Energy
(DSM) Royal DSM, the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company, has been qualified as supplier of enzymes for DONG Energy - Inbicon’s wheat straw to cellulosic ethanol process. The enzymes have been successfully used in the demonstration scale biorefinery
June 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Aviation Biofuels: Which Airlines Are Doing What, with Whom?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...(M)ore than 30 airlines now trialing, deploying biofuels – but who’s doing what, exactly? In Brazil, Azul Airlines announced that Amyris’s innovative renewable jet fuel sourced from Brazilian sugarcane has passed all required testing and will be used during
June 05, 2012 Read Full Article
Clean Technology: US Policy Aids Second Generation Biofuel Push
by Guy Chazan (Financial Times) In the world of biofuels, all eyes are on the tiny northern Italian town of Crescentino, site of the world’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant, which will start production this year. The venture might be small,
June 05, 2012 Read Full Article
Mallee Harvester Reaches Milestones
(Stock Journal) The prototype mallee harvester developed by Biosystems Engineering and Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) has exceeded expectations in the final stages of its development. During trials near Casino in New South Wales, trees were harvested at a
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
When, Where and How Wood Is Used Impact Carbon Emissions from Deforestation
(Environmental Research Web) A new study from the University of California, Davis, provides a deeper understanding of the complex global impacts of deforestation on greenhouse gas emissions. The study, published May 13 in the advance online edition of the journal Nature
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Waste Lines: The Hottest Trends with Bio’s Coolest Feedstock
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Regardless of its naming deficiencies, waste has been hot and getting hotter as a bioenergy feedstock because it solves three of the most pressing problems blocking capacity expansion. 1. The feedstocks are available at fixed, affordable
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuel Production Facilities Spotlight Next Generation
by Matt Daily (Reuters/Huffington Post) After a decade of promise, advanced biofuels makers are entering a crucial make-or-break period with the first of a new generation of production facilities about to come on line. The new facilities are designed to take
May 25, 2012 Read Full Article
US Military Looking at Wood-Based Biofuels
(Western Farm Press) The U.S. military is very interested in alternative fuels — in particular, the wood-based biofuels being researched and produced at the University of Maine. Three methods, or pathways, to producing biofuel for use in military jets are
May 25, 2012 Read Full Article
Iran to Start Making Bio-Ethanol from Cellulose Material
(Payvand Iran News) Iran will start producing industrial bio-ethanol from cellulosic material soon. Bio-ethanol can be used as petrol supplementary and it will increase the octane number of petrol as it is added to the fuel. It will lead to the decrease of greenhouse fuel production. Bio-ethanol
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Renewable Diesel Surges: Emerald Biofuels Announces Major Project in Louisiana
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Emerald Biofuels announced that it will build an 85 million gallonrenewable-diesel refineries at a Dow Chemical site in Plaquemine, Louisiana. The company will use Honeywell’s UOP/Eni EcoFining process technology for the production of Honeywell Green Diesel
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Enel Signs Agreement with Enea and Roma Capitale to Build Biomass Bi-Generation Plant
(Biofuels International) A memorandum of understanding has been signed by Italian power company Enel to build a 1-5MW concentrated solar power and biomass bi-generation plant, which will produce electricity for the city of Rome. ...The biomass components will be separated to
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Massachusetts Sets Strict Regulations for Biomass: Will This Influence Further Restrictions?
by Meg Cichon (Renewable Energy World) The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources released a new set of strict standards for biomass in early May that have the potential to cut subsidies for developing plants. According to these new requirements, all
May 09, 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
Innovation Turning Wood Waste into Bio-Fuel for Transportation
by Denise Deveau (Financial Post) {ISSUE} Soaring energy prices are thinning profit margins in the transport sector and increasing operational costs in many manufacturing industries {SHIFT} Turning wood waste into bio-fuel helps industry find a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable energy
May 01, 2012 Read Full Article
North Dakota Research Center Demos Methanol from Wood for Off-Grid Power
(The Energy & Environmental Research Center/Biorefining Magazine) The Energy & Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks has successfully developed and demonstrated a mobile, trailer-mounted biomass gasification technology that converts wood waste into methanol and
April 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Pie in the Sky
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Companies like KiOR, ZeaChem, Virent take aim at a tasty aviation biofuels market with new recipes and game-changing economics ...If you can produce in-spec, sustainable, low-carbon, renewable jet fuel at $3.32 per gallon or less, it
March 28, 2012 Read Full Article
Ionic Solvents Make Timber-to-Biofuels More Energy-Efficient
by Simon Levey (Industry Intelligence, Inc.) Key part of biomass processing could be made 80% more energy-efficient, reducing cost of biofuels by 10%, by treating timber with ionic solvents, find Imperial College London scientists A little bit of lubrication could make
March 27, 2012 Read Full Article
State DNR Biomass Report Says Slash Extraction Won’t Hurt Forests
by Paul Gottlieb (Peninsula Daily News) A state Department of Natural Resources study has concluded that 3 million tons of bone-dry wood slash and other wood waste — double the existing amount that’s extracted — can be removed from Washington
March 22, 2012 Read Full Article
Cobalt and the Naval Air Warfare Center Team Up to Produce a Renewable Jet Fuel From Bio N-Butanol
(Cobalt Technologies/Sacramento Bee) Contract Issued to Albemarle to Process First Run of N-Butanol Into Jet Fuel Today, the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD), China Lake announced a contract award to Albemarle Corporation, a leading specialty chemicals company, to complete its first biojet fuel production run
March 22, 2012 Read Full Article
Gasoline’s Comeback in the Bio-Based Era: 5 Cleantech Companies Vie for Green Gasoline Breakthroughs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...But in the past two years, five technologies have emerged that are focused on renewable gasoline (along with some others that have the capability of producing gasoline-like fuels but are focused primarily on diesel or
March 20, 2012 Read Full Article
An All-of-the-Above Approach to Energy in America
by Sarah Bittleman (USDA/25 x '25) America needs and is developing a reliable, sustainable, fuel supply. If we are able to produce more of it here at home – rather than relying on foreign oil – we’ll generate good, middle-class jobs
March 20, 2012 Read Full Article
Metso to Supply a Bio Oil Production Plant to Fortum Power Plant in Joensuu, Finland
(Metso) A demonstration plant enables bio oil production from forest residue Metso and Fortum Power and Heat have signed a contract regarding a delivery of a bio-oil production plant and a related automation system to the Fortum power plant in Joensuu,
March 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Cobalt Pre-Treatment Test Clears Way for Commercial Scale
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Cobalt Technologies announced that it has successfully demonstrated its dilute acid hydrolysis pretreatment process, the first step of Cobalt’s process for converting sugars into n-butanol for use as a renewable chemical or fuel. Cobalt’s dilute
March 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Virdia Ups the Ante in the Race for the New Sugars
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In California, Virdia, formerly HCL CleanTech, a leading developer of cellulosic sugars, today announced major company milestones, including a new brand and CEO, its latest funding round, and a $75 million deal with the Mississippi
March 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Business Beat: Louisiana Forestry Industry Looks to Waste Material to Fuel Growth
by Jeff Matthews (The Town Talk) ...The forum, held at LSU AgCenter facilities adjacent to the Louisiana State University at Alexandria campus, drew about 125 people, a few more than last year. “People are really interested in the fact that their
February 27, 2012 Read Full Article
Shuttered Range Fuels Plant Prepares for New Life
by S. Heather Duncan (Macon Telegraph) Wearing green hard hats with the LanzaTech logo pasted over the words “Range Fuels,” officials of the company that now owns a Soperton ethanol plant visited the site this week and met with suppliers
February 21, 2012 Read Full Article
'Mini-Cellulose' Molecule Unlocks Biofuel Chemistry
(Science Daily) A team of chemical engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has discovered a small molecule that behaves the same as cellulose when it is converted to biofuel. Studying this 'mini-cellulose' molecule reveals for the first time the
February 20, 2012 Read Full Article
Minnesota Loses Cellulosic Ethanol Venture
by David Shaffer (Star Tribune) A biofuels company opts for plants elsewhere after being helped by nearly $1 million in grant funding from Minnesota. A biofuels company that benefited from nearly $1 million in grants from Minnesota taxpayers says it's
February 20, 2012 Read Full Article
Finland-Based UPM Plans Crude Tall Oil Renewable Diesel Plant
by Erin Voegele (Biorefining Magazine) Finland-based UPM recently announced plans to develop a biorefinery in Lappeenranta, Finland, to convert crude tall oil into renewable drop-in diesel biofuel. Construction on the 100,000 metric ton (30 million gallon) per year plant is
February 16, 2012 Read Full Article
Startup Takes Wood Pellets in, Turns out 'Biogasoline'
by Martin LaMonica (CNET) For a new crop of biofuel companies, ethanol is out and "biogasoline" is in. One of them is Primus Green Energy, which plans to open a demonstration plant by the end of the year that will convert wood
February 15, 2012 Read Full Article
Controversial Wood-to-Ethanol Plant May Finally Get under Way in Upper Peninsula
by Katherine Yung (Detroit Free Press) After a lengthy delay, construction of what could be the nation's first large-scale wood-to-ethanol plant in the country is to start this year in Michigan's eastern Upper Peninsula. If successful, the $232-million biorefinery in Kinross
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
LanzaTech Seeks Success Where Another Failed
by S. Heather Duncan (Macon Telegraph) Although the company that purchased a defunct ethanol refinery in Soperton has some of the same financial backers as previous owners who lost the plant to foreclosure, leaders of LanzaTech Freedom Pines say their
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
CelluForce Celebrates the Inauguration of the World’s First NanoCrystalline Cellulose Demonstration Plan
(CelluForce) CelluForce officially inaugurated today the world’s first NanoCrystalline Cellulose (NCC) demonstration plant at the Domtar pulp and paper mill site in Windsor, Quebec. Jean Moreau, President and CEO of CelluForce, was accompanied by the Canadian Minister of Natural Resources, the
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Logging Waste to Be Used More for Biofuel Production
(NewEurope Online) More Lithuanian logging waste could make way for usage in biofuels production. The ‘national forestry sector development programme’ submitted recently to the government of Lithuanian by the ministry of environment proposed for maximising the use of logging waste
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
John Lindt: Biofuel Maker to Double Employees
by John Lindt (Visalia Times-Delta) Edeniq is expanding in the Visalia Industrial Park expecting to turn on its new pilot cellulosic ethanol plant in March, with plans to double employment this year, said Scott Janssen, the company's Chief Financial Officer. Some
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Hundreds of Jobs Planned by New Owner of Range Fuels
by S. Heather Duncan (Macon.com) The new owner of a shuttered ethanol plant in Soperton plans to eventually add hundreds of jobs there to produce ethanol and other chemicals, a company official said this week. That would boost Treutlen County employment
February 02, 2012 Read Full Article
CORE BioFuel Prepares to Land Funding for First Biogasoline Plant
by Bryan Sims (Biorefining Magazine) Toronto-based CORE BioFuel Inc. has signed an exclusive agreement with Osprey Capital Partners Inc., Canada’s leading mid-market investment banking firm, to secure equity investment capital for financing the completion of construction engineering for its first
February 02, 2012 Read Full Article
World’s First Wood-Based Biofuel Refinery to Be Built in Finland
(YLE.FI) Forest industry giant UPM is building a biorefinery in the eastern city of Lappeenranta which is to produce biofuel from crude tall oil. The plant’s output is expected to reach some 100,000 tons of biodiesel annually, slated for use
February 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Sermatec Zanini and GeoSynFuels, LLC Form Strategic Alliance
(Sermatec Zanini and GeoSynFuels, LLC) Sermatec Zanini and GeoSynFuels, LLC (GSF) have announced the formation of a strategic alliance for the development and commercialization of GSF’s proprietary cellulosic ethanol technology. The strategic alliance allows Sermatec Zanini to earn an equity position
February 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Update on a Mobile Indirect Biomass Liquefaction System
by John P. Hurley (Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine/U.S. Department of Energy, Energy & Environmental Research Center) Minnesota’s forestry operations produce 300,000 tons per year of wood waste that is not used in any existing or proposed facility. Through the process
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Words from the Wise: A Study by a Group of Forest Scientists Confirms Forest-Derived Bioenergy Results in No Net Carbon Release
by Anna Austin (Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine) A recently released study authored by nine scientists from multiple organizations and universities, including the U.S. Forest Service, may be poised to clear up some confusion. With no motive other than to
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Woodfuels: A Joint Publication of FAO and IEA Bioenergy
(Netzwerk Biotreibstoffe) As a potential substitute for fossil fuels, wood energy can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. FAO’s programme on wood energy promotes sustainable wood energy systems as a contribution to sustainable forest management, livelihoods and food security. To this
January 31, 2012 Read Full Article
What is Cellulosic Ethanol? The Future Fuel
(EcoGreen4US) ... Cellulosic ethanol is produced from plant fibre which is widely available almost anywhere in the world. Today, producing cellulosic ethanol is not in a laboratory anymore. A number ofmanufacturing plants around the world have been producing cellulosic ethanol asalternative to diesel and gasoline orpetrol. Some of the plant fibres which have been studied could be
January 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Cal-Bay International Negotiating Assemblage of 400 Acre Land Parcels for Renewable Clean Energy Forest Division
(Cal-Bay International/MarketWire) Cal-Bay International, Inc., announced the company is negotiating a land acquisition deal for its renewable forest division for the production of Clean Energy & Power. The company has entered negotiations for the purchase of multiple non food producing land parcels
January 20, 2012 Read Full Article
CALL FOR PAPERS: 2012 TAPPI International Bioenergy & Bioproducts Conference October 17-19 Savannah, GA DEADLINE extended to: March 30, 2012
TAPPI’s International Bioenergy and Bioproducts Conference will focus on technical advancements and commercialization of bioconversion technologies that leverage the forest products manufacturing infrastructure. The conference will include technical presentations, expert panels, case studies, and reports from projects that address: Feedstock and harvesting
January 16, 2012 Read Full Article
Next-Generation Biofuels Driving the Growth of Global Biofuel Market
(Pangea/World of Bioenergy) Social and environmental benefits of next-generation biofuels, mainly cellulosic ethanol, Algae fuels, Drop in fuels, and biobutanol, are fuelling its rapid growth momentum, says RNCOS. According to our recent report, “Global Biofuel Market Analysis”, the global biofuel
January 12, 2012 Read Full Article
Sundrop Fuels Plans $450M Investment to Make Gas from Wood
by Rich Christianson (Woodworking Network) Sundrop Fuels Inc. has selected Rapides Parish, LA, as the site of its first gasification plant to produce gasoline from forest waste. The company is purchasing about 1,200 acres of land near Alexandria to develop the
January 12, 2012 Read Full Article
ZeaChem, and the Renewable Fuel Standard
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ZeaChem launches its 250,000 gallon per year core process. How could this possibly matter, in the context of a 500 million gallon cellulosic biofuels target for 2012, that was waived down to 10 million? As
January 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Florida Agriculture Seeking to Enter Ethanol Business
by Aaron Deslatte (Orlando Sentinel) ...Since 2006, Republican lawmakers and governors have created and disbanded an energy commission; funded and de-funded solar initiatives; and created tax incentives for renewable energy producers that expired before the industry could take root. They
January 09, 2012 Read Full Article
The 7 Paths of the New Agriculture
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...But the New Agriculture has arisen in recent years, with new solutions to the old dilemma: how do you produce, and afford, and haul, and utilize enough feedstock to make an integrated biorefinery work? How
January 06, 2012 Read Full Article
BASF Participates in US American Technology Company Renmatix
(Renmatix) BASF is participating with $30 million through BASF Biorenewable Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG in the American technology firm Renmatix Inc. The BASF subsidiary led a $50 million financing round, joined by new and existing investors. The technology company Renmatix
January 06, 2012 Read Full Article
New Biofuel Production Technologies: Overview of These Expanding Sectors and the Challenges Facing Them
(IFP Energies Nouvelles) The numerous research programmes looking at new-generation biofuels that were initiated over the last ten years are now starting to bear fruit. Although no plants are producing and marketing biofuels yet, the large-scale, industrial feasibility of second-generation biofuel production at
December 30, 2011 Read Full Article
Robinson Remains Believer as Biofuel Projects Move Ahead
by Gene Zaleski (The Times and Democrat) ...Orangeburg County (South Carolina) Development Commission Executive Director Gregg Robinson said while there are challenges in alternative fuel production, they can be overcome. He remains bullish on alternative fuels' future in Orangeburg County. "It
December 29, 2011 Read Full Article
2nd Lawsuit Challenges Ethanol Project in UP
(WLNS/AP) Critics of a refinery planned for the Upper Peninsula have filed a second lawsuit against the project. Larry Klein and the Sierra Club claim the U.S. Energy Department failed to follow federal environmental law when it approved the refinery near
December 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Chemicals and Biofuel from Wood Biomass
(PhysOrg.com) A method developed at Aalto University in Finland makes it possible to use microbes to produce butanol suitable for biofuel and other industrial chemicals from wood biomass. Butanol is particularly suited as a transport fuel because it is not
December 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Are Biofuels the Best Use of Our Limited Land Resources?
by Tyler Hamilton (OilPrice.com) ...This isn’t just about corn; it’s also about how we choose to use agricultural residues, municipal organic waste, wood waste, algae biomass, and non-food crops. Does it make sense to just burn this material for energy, or
December 23, 2011 Read Full Article
The Death of Range Fuels Shouldn't Doom All Biofuels
by Kevin Bullis (MIT Technology Review) This month, Range Fuels, one of the first companies in a wave of startups that promised cheap biofuels made from sources such as wood chips rather than corn, shut its doors for good and
December 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Drop-in Biofuels Take Flight in Commerce City, Colorado
by John Schueler (US Department of Energy) The Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy works in partnership with industry to develop, build, operate and validate integrated biorefineries across the country at various scales (pilot, demonstration, and commercial). One
December 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Mascoma Awarded $80 Million from the DOE for Construction of Commercial-Scale Hardwood Cellulosic Ethanol Facility in Kinross, Michigan
(MarketWatch/Mascoma) Fully-funded commercial-scale facility Mascoma Corporation, a renewable fuels company, announced today that it has signed a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to assist in the design, construction and operation of a commercial-scale hardwood cellulosic ethanol facility
December 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Licella, Air NZ, Virgin, Norske Skog Ink Pacts to Develop Aviation Fuels from Bio-Oil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Australia, Licella had a big day, announcing the opening of its demonstration plant, a JV with Norsk Sko called Licella Fibre Fuels to commercialize the technology, and MOUs with Virgin Australia and Air New
December 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Alberta Harvests First Crop of Waste-Raised Willows
by Dave Cooper (Edmonton Journal) After flourishing on waste water from the town’s sewage treatment plant for more than two years, Whitecourt’s biomass crop of willows and poplars was ripe for harvest. And last week, researchers brought in three different machines
December 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Georgia’s Bioenergy One Stop Shop
(SAFER Alliance) Georgia grows wood like the Midwest grows corn,” says Jill Stuckey, director of the Georgia Center of Innovation for Energy. In fact, with nearly 25 million acres of forests in Georgia, the state ranks second in the nation, behind only
December 10, 2011 Read Full Article
New Department of Natural Resources Advisory Council Weighted toward Timber Interests
(Michigan Radio) ...A new advisory council is heavily weighted with voices from the timber industry, and there will be more emphasis on developing forest products to boost the state’s economy. Governor Rick Snyder says there’s a lot of potential to use