Molecular sponge absorbs toxins, produces biofuel

The Western Producer
Posted May. 29th, 2012 by William DeKay


Lee Wilson thinks he has found a cost effective way to help produce biofuel using wheat straw.


In a lab at the University of Saskatchewan, the chemist and his team of graduate students have developed various types of what Wilson terms “molecular sponges.” 


Some sponges are designed to take specific impurities out of water, such as pesticides. Others can remove toxins from water used in the oilsands.


Still another sponge separates ethanol and water to make cellulosic ethanol.


“It’s a game changer for parts of the agro economy,” he said.


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UK pellet equipment manufacturer offering mini mills

Biomass Power & Thermal
By Luke Geiver
May 24, 2012

PelHeat has developed a mini pellet mill for small-scale heating needs.

PelHeat's new mini pellet mills can produce 250 to 2,000 kilograms of pellets per hour, cost roughly £4,895 ($7,670), and are designed for hospitals, schools, and other small-scale operations. In addition to the small pellet mills, the company also offers small-scale pellet mill automation units.

The equipment is intended for clients who understand the precise science of pellet production in combination with quality equipment, according to Chris Scott, founder of PelHeat. The automated system helps all users cut labor costs and make the process more efficient, he said.

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Midwest pennycress harvest enhances biodiesel diversity

Biodiesel Magazine
By the National Biodiesel Board
May 29, 2012
It's called pennycress because it's shaped like pennies. As Illinois farmer Brad Glenn finishes harvesting it from his farm this week, pennies are exactly what he hopes he will earn from turning this old plant into a new cash crop.

Glenn is an early adopter in the movement to bring pennycress into the corn and soybean rotation as a promising biodiesel feedstock. It has been on the fast track to becoming a sustainable biodiesel resource since 2008, and this year, he's one of a group of entrepreneurs that believes it has hit the right combination. It could mean another viable, sustainable source of oil for our nation's energy supply while adding income to farm operations.

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Ag minute: EPA issues notice of data availability on grain sorghum

McPhersonSentinel.com
GateHouse News Service
Posted May 30, 2012 @ 11:08 AM

McPherson, Kan. — On May 25, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice of data availability (NODA) concerning renewable fuels produced from grain sorghum under the RFS program.

EPA’s analysis shows grain sorghum, when used to make ethanol at facilities that use natural gas, has a greenhouse gas emissions reduction (GHG) of 32 percent. According to EPA, when grain sorghum is used to make ethanol at facilities that use biogas digesters in combination with combined heat and power technology, it achieves a lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 53 percent, qualifying it as an advanced biofuel under the Renewables Fuels Standard.

This is significant in allowing the domestic production of advanced biofuels from grain sorghum as envisioned in the 2007 Energy Bill. National Sorghum Producers has worked closely with EPA for 25 months to establish a biofuels pathway for grain sorghum-based ethanol in the RFS.

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Is the ethanol boom coming to an end?

AGprofessional.com
University of Illinois
May 30, 2012

U.S. ethanol production has increased rapidly since 2006, reaching about 13.95 billion gallons in 2011 (Table 1). The increase was driven by a combination of high crude oil prices, federal Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) for domestic renewable fuel consumption, a generous tax credit for ethanol blenders, and large net exports in 2010 and 2011. The expansion in domestic ethanol production has been one of the main drivers of the corn market since 2006, as corn is the primary feedstock for ethanol production in the U.S. The USDA estimates that corn processed for ethanol production totaled 5.021 billion bushels in the 2010-11 marketing year and projects use at 5 billion bushels for the current marketing year. Accounting for co-product production, net corn consumption for ethanol production in 2011-12 will be near 3.35 billion bushels, or about 26 percent of total expected consumption.

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House subcommittee hearing focuses on BCAP

Biomass Power & Thermal
By Luke Geiver
May 21, 2012

Before the U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee concluded a series of hearings on programs potentially affected by a new Farm Bill, the Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry listened to testimony on the Biomass Crop Assistance Program and other biomass-related programs set to expire.

Ryan Stroschein, director of the Agriculture Energy Coalition based out of Washington D.C., told the committee about the need to continue BCAP as part of the Energy Title because it’s the only program of its kind. “Without this program, the agricultural community is reluctant to embrace these crops and forest residues due to the risk involved,” he said. Stroschein told the committee that if national investments and policy commitments to biomass programs continue, economic and job growth will too.

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Hearing hashes out national clean energy standard

Biomass Power & Thermal
By Anna Simet

May 22, 2012

The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources held a hearing May 17 to gather testimonial regarding S. 2146, the Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012, as introduced by U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M, earlier this spring.

Among testifiers was Howard Gruenspecht, acting administrator for the U.S. Energy Information Administration. He discussed an EIA analysis performed at the request of Sen. Bingaman to examine the potential impact of the proposed legislation on the development of future electricity markets, and projected carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation. Though they could vary significantly by region, he said, impacts on electricity prices over the next decade are minimal, the EIA found. Projected national average electricity prices start to rise, however, after 2020.

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Biofuel steam locomotive tomorrow’s cleaner mass transit?

TG Daily
Posted on May 27, 2012 - 10:31 by Nino Marchetti, EarthTechling

Can an old, restored steam locomotive be the harbinger for a new era in cleaner train travel? 



That's what a Minnesota based collaboration between the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment (IonE) and the nonprofit Sustainable Rail International (SRI) are betting on, unveiling plans via their new Coalition for Sustainable Rail (CSR) for a biofuel powered, carbon-neutral locomotive.

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Forward sales spare Brazil's mills from sugar's dive

Business Recorder (Pakistan)
May 27, 2012 RECORDER REPORT

Brazil's sugar mills have already sold as much as three-quarters of their projected output for this season, far more than a year ago, limiting the risk that tumbling prices for the sweetener will drive them to use more of their cane to make ethanol instead.

New York raw sugar futures plunged below 20 cents a pound this week for the first time in 21 months, raising ideas that mills in Brazil, the world's top sugar producer, might earn more tending to the undersupplied domestic fuel market by making more ethanol. For the moment, the economic incentive is absent: as long as sugar prices remain above about 18.50 cents, selling cane is more profitable than selling ethanol, analysts estimate.

But even a further decline in prices may not prompt the kind of switching that could tighten the global sugar market. There are two reasons: the local currency has been weakening versus the dollar; and mills had already booked large forward sales before sugar prices slumped 25 percent over the past two months.

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Angus steers enjoyed eating algae biofuel byproduct

The Vindicator
Posted: Monday, May 28, 2012 8:48 am
by Dr. Tryon Wickersham, Texas AgriLife Research

COLLEGE STATION – Algae typically isn’t associated with cattle feed, but a Texas AgriLife Research scientist and graduate student have found some interesting results that may change this during their three-phased study.

Two of the three phases are currently complete and the third phase is slated for completion this June, according to researchers.

Their research is part of an overall bioenergy research program led by AgriLife Research and is supported by the Department of Energy as a component of the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuel and Bio-Products.

Dr. Tryon Wickersham, Texas AgriLife Research animal nutrition scientist, and graduate student, Merritt Drewery, conducted a study where co-products of the production of biofuel from algae were fed with both medium and low-quality forages.

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High-speed method to aid search for solar energy storage catalysts

R&D Magazine
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Eons ago, nature solved the problem of converting solar energy to fuels by inventing the process of photosynthesis.

Plants convert sunlight to chemical energy in the form of biomass, while releasing oxygen as an environmentally benign byproduct. Devising a similar process by which solar energy could be captured and stored for use in vehicles or at night is a major focus of modern solar energy research.

"It is widely recognized that solar energy is the most abundant source of energy on the planet," explains University of Wisconsin-Madison chemistry professor Shannon Stahl. "Although solar panels can convert sunlight to electricity, the sun isn't always shining."

Thus, finding an efficient way to store solar energy is a major goal for science and society. Efforts today are focused on electrolysis reactions that use sunlight to convert water, carbon dioxide, or other abundant feedstocks into chemicals that can be stored for use any time.

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Ethanol business needs E15 to survive -- experts Jeff Caldwell

Agriculture.com
05/29/2012 @ 10:57am

Last year was a big one for the ethanol business. U.S. producers refined just shy of 14 billion gallons of the biofuel and exports grew sharply, capping off a 2-year trend moving from a net importer to a next exporter.

But, despite the boom, there's a figurative wall between today's ethanol business and future growth: The 'blend wall relegating ethanol to either a 10% or 85% blend with gasoline. And, without further expansion of ethanol blending, it could mean an unwinding of the last 2 years' "boom time," experts say.

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AVIATION AND CLEAN TECHNOLOGY LEADERS LAUNCH MIDWEST AVIATION SUSTAINABLE BIOFUELS INITIATIVE

The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch
press release

May 23, 2012, 1:15 p.m. EDT

REGIONAL INITIATIVE WITH NATIONAL REACH WORKING TO ACHIEVE ENERGY SECURITY

CHICAGO, May 23, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- United Airlines, Boeing, Honeywell's UOP, the Chicago Department of Aviation and the Clean Energy Trust today announced the formation of the Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels Initiative (MASBI), designed to advance aviation biofuel development in a 12-state region holding significant promise for biomass feedstock, technology development, job creation and sustainable commercialization. MASBI will deliver a comprehensive evaluation of the region's biofuel potential and a plan to support regional and national needs in a responsible manner.

MASBI's Advisory Council will include national leaders in advanced biofuels, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of the Navy, other Federal agencies, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions.

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Gevo starts up first new plant, shares jump

Reuters
Fri May 25, 2012 4:57pm EDT

(Reuters) - Gevo Inc started production at a converted ethanol plant in Minnesota, bringing on line the world's first commercial-scale facility to make advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals. Shares rose more than 9 percent.

Gevo said it had flipped the switch on the plant, which will produce isobutanol from corn starch, on Wednesday and it expects to ship the first rail cars of the chemical to its customer Sasol around the end of June.

Sasol plans to the sell the isobutanol into the solvents and specialty chemicals markets, although the organic compound can also be used as an alternative to gasoline.

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Fraudulent Renewable Fuel Credits Continue to Surface

GlobalWarming.org
by Brian McGraw on May 25, 2012

When the government introduced the mandates for ethanol and related biofuels, they needed a way in which companies could verify that they were complying with the Energy Independence & Security Act of 2007. For whatever reason, the decided mechanism would require that companies purchase credits to demonstrate that they had complied with the mandate: a renewable identification number (RIN). Each RIN is theoretically tied to a gallon of ethanol, biodiesel, or similar renewable fuel. However, because the RINs can be sold and traded similar to stock, in practice the pairing of a RIN with a particular gallon of fuel is somewhat superficial.

Unfortunately, this government created market in RINs has created an opportunity for criminally-minded entrepreneurs to scam the companies who are attempting to comply with the law by creating fake RINs and selling them in the marketplace. Note that these oil companies are required by law to purchase these credits, and its often difficult to verify that they are genuine, leading oil companies to often completely bypass small producers and only purchase biofuels and credits from larger, recognizable producers, a somewhat unique barrier to entry for small firms (suspicion of fraud). The latest case in fraudulent RINs surfaced late last month involved the sale of 60 million credits worth roughly $84 million, the third big bust in recent years ($ub required):

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Feedstox biomass harvesting fleet nearly fully assembled

Ethanol Producer Magazine
By Holly Jessen
May 22, 2012

With the purchase of two new pieces of equipment Feedstox is prepared to begin executing contracts to harvest biomass in less than two weeks, says Jeff Roskam, CEO of the Kansas Alliance for Biorefining and Bioenergy. The recently purchased Challenger combine-baler combination equipment has a unique capability. “It harvests the wheat and bales in the same pass and the straw never hits the ground,” he said.

The equipment, which is manufactured by Agco Corp., can be utilized the same way in corn fields or to harvest switchgrass and miscanthus. Because the biomass never hits the ground, cellulosic ethanol producers would see 5 to 6 percent ash content. Ash is material that cannot be converted into useable product, including dirt. “Very few of these models are on the global market today,” said Todd Stucke, director of marketing hay and harvesting for Agco.

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BCAP Could Be Back

Biomass Power & Thermal
By Luke Geiver
May 23, 2012


Legislation allocates mandatory funding to the 2012 Energy Title


The Biomass Crop Assistance Program might not be dead yet. The Senate Agriculture Committee passed a version of the 2012 Farm Bill in late April, which includes an amended Energy Title section that will mandate energy program funding.


The Energy Title, tweaked and brought forth by Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., allocates roughly $800 million over five years to programs that include BCAP and the Rural Energy for America Program. The support for the Energy Title was strong, passing with a vote of 16-5, and the co-sponsors of the bill make the future life of BCAP appear even stronger. Both Republican and Democratic senators from Indiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio and Nebraska co-sponsored.

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Opportunity in the Midwest

Biomass Power & Thermal
By Brian Brashaw
May 22, 2012

Does the age-old energy resource—wood and agricultural biomass—have an exciting future? “Absolutely,” remarked Kenneth Smith, president and CEO of District Energy in St. Paul, Minn., during his keynote presentation at the first Heating the Midwest Conference and Expo, held in Eau Claire, Wis., in April.

Even a partial switch to biomass heating can result in economic growth, energy independence and environmental stewardship for the Midwest, according to biomass economist William Strauss, president of FutureMetrics. “Biomass already plays an important role in heating homes and businesses, with future potential to create new economic opportunities and energy security for the Midwest,” said Strauss, noting that propane, electricity and fuel oil currently fill more than 30 percent of all Midwestern heating needs. “A switch of 20 percent away from propane and fuel oil would create over 60,000 jobs,” he explained during a roundtable discussion.

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Economist estimates ethanol plants' shutdown price for corn

Ethanol Producer Magazine
By Kris Bevill
May 24, 2012

A recent analysis conducted by University of Illinois agriculture economics professor Scott Irwin estimates that, on average, ethanol plants will not be able to pay more than $6.75 per bushel for corn this summer without running in the red and risk having to idle their facilities.

In the analysis, titled “Rationing Old Corn Crop and Ethanol Shutdown Prices,” Irwin bases his analysis on an average 100 MMgy Iowa ethanol plant which produces 2.8 gallons of ethanol and 17 pounds of DDGS for each bushel of corn received. In order to calculate the maximum price the facility can pay for corn before reaching the shutdown point—the point at which revenues no longer cover the production costs—he considers the price received for ethanol and DDGS and subtracts 59 cents per bushel of corn to cover non-corn variable costs. For example, in early December, Iowa ethanol plants were receiving $2.70 per gallon for ethanol and $198.25 per ton for DDGS, totaling $9.25 in revenue per bushel of corn. After subtracting the non-corn variable amount, the maximum price Irwin’s model plant could have paid for corn at that time was $8.66 per bushel. After adjusting for ethanol and distillers grains price changes, the shutdown price for Irwin’s model plant on May 18 was $6.71 per bushel and he estimates that price will stay about the over the summer months.

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Miscanthus Map

The Daily Scan
May 23, 2012

Two independent Miscanthus sinensis chromosome maps show that M. sinesis has undergone a number of chromosome duplications and fusions, says ScienceDaily. In the first study, researchers from Ceres present a high-resolution linkage map of M. sinensis that they developed using genotyping by sequencing. As they report in PLoS One, the Ceres researchers found that the diploid M. sinensis has a tetraploid origin and contains two sub-genomes. The second study, from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne's Stephen Moose and the DOE Joint Genome Institute's Daniel Rokhsar used RNA-seq and a genotyping array to construct an M. sinensis genotype map that also shows a tetraploid origin. "The genus Miscanthus experienced an ancestral tetraploidy and chromosome fusion prior to its diversification, but after its divergence from the closely related sugarcane clade," researchers led by Moose and Rokhsar write in BMC Genomics.

M. sinensis is an ornamental plant, ScienceDaily notes, but it is closely related to the biofuel crop Miscanthus giganteus. Having a chromosome map is a step toward a Miscanthus genome, and such a genome "will help scientists understand the evolution of grasses and the genetic mechanisms that give them their desirable traits," ScienceDaily adds.

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Plan is set to build Brazil's first cellulosic ethanol plant

Ethanol Producer Magazine
By Kris Bevill
May 23, 2012

Brazil-based GraalBio Investimentos S.A. will begin building Brazil’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant this summer in Alagaos, Brazil, a small coastal state in the northeast region of the country. Beta Renewables, a $350 million joint venture between Italian chemical company Mossi & Ghisolfi Group’s Chemtex division and private investment firm TPG, has agreed to license its trademarked Proesa pretreatment process technology to GraalBio for the 22 MMgy plant, which will allow GraalBio to convert locally sourced sugarcane straw and bagasse into ethanol and lignin.

Novozymes will supply enzymes for the enzymatic hydrolysis portion of the conversion process and yeasts licensed from DSM will be used for fermentation, according to GraalBio. The cellulosic plant will be located near an existing sugarcane mill, enabling the two facilities to share resources. Lignin produced as a byproduct at the cellulosic ethanol plant will be used to power the facility. The Brazilian Development Bank, BNDES, will finance the project, which is expected to begin operations in late 2013.

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Woody biomass utilization policies: State rankings for the U.S.

ScienceDirect.com
Received 5 May 2011. Revised 2 March 2012. Accepted 5 March 2012. Available online 2 April 2012.
by Zhimei Guo, , Donald G. Hodges, Timothy M. Young
Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Knoxville, TN 37996-4563, United States

Most state governments have adopted state programs and laws recently that provide fiscal incentives and non-fiscal supports for renewable energy projects in the hope that they will encourage the establishment of new bioenergy industry and economic growth. This research analyzes the disparity in the strength of state government incentives in the use of woody biomass. A woody biomass policy index was created through scoring and weighting different categories of policies based on the potential effects on site location decisions. Results indicate that as of 2008 Iowa, North Carolina, and Washington provided the strongest incentives, whereas Wyoming, Mississippi, and Virginia offered the weakest support to the bioenergy industry using woody biomass. This index is not only helpful for new business investors in making siting decisions, but also for state policy makers considering new woody biomass relevant legislation to spur the bioenergy industry.


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A Carbon Life Cycle Analysis of Wood Pellets

Alliance for Green Heat

A joint research project by The Alliance for Green Heat and VU University Amsterdam shows that heating with wood pellets can emit about one tenth the carbon as heating with oil and one sixth the carbon if heating with natural gas.

Read article and link to the report

Canadian oil producers blending ethanol at 30% over mandated levels

Biofuels Digest
Meghan Sapp
May 23, 2012

In Canada, the oil industry may be blending as much as 30% more ethanol than required by the country’s E5 blending mandate because ethanol futures are running at less than half the retail price of gasoline. The industry is adding in more ethanol not just because it’s cheaper, but also because it doesn’t require the hassle of refining. Ethanol imports from the US rose 140% last year.

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UMass Amherst researchers work to improve camelina yields

Biodiesel Magazine
By Erin Voegele
May 16, 2012

A team of researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst is working to significantly increase the oil yields of camelina with the goal of creating a commercially viable crop for biofuel production. The $2 million, two-phase project is supported by a $1.48 million grant from the U.S. DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), with the remaining funding contributed by UMass Amherst, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Council and partners at Washington State University, University of California, Berkeley and Metabolics Inc.

According to Danny Schnell, a professor in UMass Amherst’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the method the team is using is a coupled strategy that features biological engineering. “The first strategy is to modify photosynthesis in camelina to increase CO2 fixation, [which] would of course generate additional carbon,” he said. “In the second part of the project we are engineering the plant to divert that increased carbon into seed oil production.” To complete the first component of the strategy the team is modifying photosynthesis within the plant, using a mechanism derived from cyanobacteria and algae.

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UCD researchers say that GHG forest emissions must take into account forest history

Biofuels Digest
Meghan Sapp
May 22, 2012

In California, researchers from the University of California at Davis say that the GHG emissions from cutting down forests can vary depending on how the trees were used in the past and where they were grown. Emissions can vary significantly if the forest was used to produce wood for construction or if it was produced for paper production from pulp.

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Gasoline Cargoes to Brazil May Rise on Ethanol Drop in JBC View

Bloomberg
By Rob Sheridan - May 18, 2012 10:28 AM CT

Gasoline shipments to Brazil from the U.S. and Europe may rise as slumping ethanol production encourages consumption of the auto fuel, JBC Energy GmbH said.

Brazilian ethanol production fell more than 40 percent from a year earlier in April, the Vienna-based consultant said in a report today, citing data from the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association, or Unica. Output of hydrous ethanol, sold at pumps in Brazilian filling stations, slid 18 percent, JBC said.

Brazil, the world’s biggest sugar producer, uses its sugar- cane crop to make ethanol as well as the sweetener. Shrinking ethanol supplies in the country will mean lower use of the biofuel for transportation this year, spurring demand for gasoline, JBC said.

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House subcommittee hearing focuses on BCAP

Biomass Power & Thermal
By Luke Geiver
May 21, 2012

Before the U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee concluded a series of hearings on programs potentially affected by a new Farm Bill, the Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry listened to testimony on the Biomass Crop Assistance Program and other biomass-related programs set to expire.

Ryan Stroschein, director of the Agriculture Energy Coalition based out of Washington D.C., told the committee about the need to continue BCAP as part of the Energy Title because it’s the only program of its kind. “Without this program, the agricultural community is reluctant to embrace these crops and forest residues due to the risk involved,” he said. Stroschein told the committee that if national investments and policy commitments to biomass programs continue, economic and job growth will too.

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Now, biodiesel from Mexican Poppy

The Hindu
HYDERABAD, May 17, 2012
City college professors develop a process through which biodiesel can be produced using its seed


A team of chemistry professors from the Government City College, in collaboration with another team from Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University (SRTMU)'s School of Chemical Sciences, have developed a process through which biodiesel can be produced using seeds of the weed Argemone Mexicana known as Mexican Poppy.

Called ‘Brahmadandi' in Telugu, the weed grows profusely in rural areas, the seeds of which contain 40 per cent oil, informed Y.Rajeshwar Rao, the Principal Investigator of the UGC sponsored research project, at a press conference here on Wednesday.

The process of producing bio-fuel involves extraction of oil from the seeds, and transesterification of the oil using crystalline ash-coloured manganese carbonate as catalyst. With the flash point at 130 degrees Celsius, the oil can be transported, and used variedly in transport, agricultural pump-sets and power generation too, with or without blend, Dr. Rao said. A paper about the process has been published in Polish Journal of Chemical Technology. When tested on Mahindra Jeep in a blend of 25:75 with diesel, the fuel gave a mileage of 12 km per litre, he said. The present cost of the fuel is calculated at Rs.35 per litre.

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Fact Sheet: G-8 Action on Energy and Climate Change

Newsroom America
By Newsroom America Feeds at 19 May 18:59

At the Camp David Summit, G-8 Leaders recognized that the development of and universal access to environmentally safe, sustainable, secure, and affordable sources of energy is essential to global economic growth and to their overall efforts to address climate change. As such, they identified several actions for the G-8 to take together:

Pursue a Comprehensive Energy Strategy – Safely

Recognize the value of simultaneously pursuing a wide variety of energy sources in order to meet energy demands, acknowledging each nation’s different needs and different approaches. In pursuing an appropriate mix from all of the above, we recognize that different energy sources have different inherent risks and must be developed in a safe, efficient, and environmentally sustainable manner. Support the G-20 Global Marine Environment Protection initiative to develop a Best Practices Sharing Mechanism (GMEP Mechanism), available to all interested countries and stakeholders, for the exchange of best practices for offshore oil and gas exploration and development in an effort to help prevent future accidents. Welcome and agree to review the International Energy Agency’s work on potential best practices for natural gas development as an input into our effort to share information on strategies for its environmentally safe and sustainable production. Recognize the important work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), particularly full implementation of its Action Plan on Nuclear Safety, and strengthened cooperation between governments, the nuclear energy industry, and the IAEA. Encourage all Parties to make full use of the upcoming extraordinary meeting of the Convention on Nuclear Safety to enhance and strengthen the effectiveness of the international legal framework by the most efficient and practicable means available. Notes the importance of the upcoming December 2012 Fukushima Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety.

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Feedstox™ Purchases State-of-the-Art Harvesting Equipment

PR Web

Balers, combines to dramatically reduce biomass harvesting costs.

Wichita, KS (PRWEB) May 20, 2012

Feedstox™ (a KABB company*) has purchased seven new pieces of agricultural equipment as part of the nation's most advanced harvesting fleet.

The equipment consists of two Challenger combine-baler combination units and five Challenger LB34BXD high-density pull-behind balers manufactured by AGCO Corporation.

The machinery will be used to harvest biomass materials such as corn, wheat, corn stalks, wheat straw, switchgrass and miscanthus. KABB plans to lease the equipment to farmers, contractors and other parties involved in the harvesting of biomass materials.

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Iowa State team gets grant for biomass pretreatment research

Ethanol Producer Magazine
By Kris Bevill
May 17, 2012

The Iowa Energy Center recently awarded three grants to research projects focused on improving thermochemical conversion of biomass to biofuels and renewable chemicals. The selected projects will receive one-year research and demonstration grants with negotiated renewal terms of up to three years. Projects will be conducted by research teams at Iowa State University’s Bioeconomy Institute.

The Iowa Energy Center, which is based in Ames, Iowa, and administered by Iowa State University, awards grants annually to projects that are designed to improve energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in the state. “Part of the Iowa Energy Center’s mission is to develop alternate energy systems that are based on renewable resources,” said Chitra Rajan, interim director of the center and associate vice president for research at Iowa State. “And so we’re excited about these grants because they support studies of technologies that produce and use biorenewable fuels and products.”

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Princeton makes biobutanol from bamboo

Biofuels Digest
Isabel Lane
May 21, 2012

In New Jersey, a student is creating a biobutanol out of bamboo at Princeton University. While the process is far from being commercially viable, Amanda Rees was able to treat bamboo sawdust acid with enzymes to produce a small amount of fuel. Rees has hopes for the project, as bamboo’s resilience and status as inedible would make it an ideal feedstock for a biofuel.

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Climate Change is Leading to Rapid Boiler Innovation According to Boiler Guide

The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch
press release

May 18, 2012, 12:04 p.m. EDT

LEICESTER, UNITED KINGDOM, May 18, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Changes to the world's climate and the ongoing activity surrounding climate change has had a significant impact upon boiler innovation according to Boiler Guide, the UK's leading online resource for homeowners and heating engineers regarding all boiler replacement issues.

There is now a multitude of new boiler technologies available to home owners as a way of reducing the carbon emissions of a home. These measures can also save home owners money as well as being better for the environment, and with 2012 set to bring a big government push for sustainability and carbon neutrality, manufacturers in the heating industry have had to be more innovative than ever before.

One of the best carbon neutral ways to heat a property is through the use of a biomass boiler. Biomass consists of organic matter such as plant or wood, which is often reduced to pellet form. The carbon produced through the burning of biomass is offset by the carbon taken in by the organic matter during its growth, making it entirely carbon neutral as well as a sustainable source of energy providing that more trees are planted as replacements.

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How to Profit from the World's Sweet Tooth

msnbc
By Maxxwell A.R. Chatsko
updated 5/20/2012 4:43:35 AM ET 2012-05-20T08:43:35

The future is sweet for sugar, which is good news if you are an opportunistic investor. Its use has increased mightily in recent years in two major ways: as an alternative feedstock for chemicals and fuels and as an ingredient in foods and beverages. Analysts and experts have touted an inevitable sugar economy in Brazil as the primary explanation for their bullish views. If the United States ever makes the transition to a true bioeconomy after all, sugar will have a role as powerful as petroleum.

While I am optimistic about sugar’s role as a chemical feedstock, I believe its tremendous growth opportunity as a consumable product is often overlooked. A handful of companies such as Archer DanielsMidland, Cosan Limited, and Bunge Limited realize both trends and are heavily invested in sugar’s future in an economy of any kind. Before investing in something as complicated as sugar we must discuss several trends.

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Can plan based biofuels overcome sustainability concerns and enter US market?

Biofuels Digest
Jim Lane
May 18, 2012

In Washington, the Obama Administration will tussle shortly over the future of palm oil-based biofuels in the US. At issue: whether both direct and indirect land use change that is the result of palm’s expansion in Indonesia, should be enough to ban the otherwise climate-friendly feedstock from the US.

Palm producers are on notice to demonstrate a 20 percent reduction in fossil fuel emissions to qualify under the US renewable fuel standard—and sites like Care2.com are howling that the EPA is using 2003-era data to make its determination, contending that the recent performance of the palm industry in Indonesia is even worse.

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Video series explains biomass sustainability guidelines

Biomass Power & Thermal
By Luke Geiver
May 18, 2012

A recently released online video series on biomass harvest and retention issues provides perspective on how woody biomass can be used for energy while maintaining forest habitat, soils and water.

The use of forest biomass will be essential, one of the videos explains, for meeting renewable energy targets in the U.S. Provided by The Forest Guild and others, the video series offers commentary on forest management, conservation, policy and the growing demand of biomass for energy production.

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Turning food waste into energy

North Missourian
Published Online May 16, 2012 - 04:12 PM

America is not only a land of big waistlines, but also of big waste when it comes to food.
In the future, those table scraps could help power homes and businesses.

University of Missouri researchers want to get more from those leftovers through by a ""recipe"" for harvesting methane.

"Food waste, animal manures or anything highly degradable should not really be going into a landfill," said David Brune, a professor of bioprocessing and bioenergy engineering with the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and MU Extension. "By digesting it, we’re recovering energy and are also using the nutrients in a more controlled and efficient way to prevent water pollution or groundwater pollution."

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Predicted EU biomass growth reports IHS study

Bioenergy Insight
17 May 2012

A new study by IHS Emerging Energy Research predicts that the European Union (EU) biomass market will grow by 30 GW between 2012 and 2035.

The Europe Biopower Markets and Strategies: 2012 – 2035 research says that growth will represent 6% of the additional renewable energy capacity within the EU and, although wind and solar will continue to dominate the European market, biomass will become more of an attractive option for utilities.

The report also says the EU will still have to rely on imported feedstock due to the scarcity of native wood resources, while also retaining and expanding government support and financial incentives for subsidies.

The predicted growth will be led through the building of new dedicated biomass plants in the short term, while long term growth will come from the conversion of coal plants to biomass.

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Iowa dedicates $1 million more for renewable fuels infrastructure

Biodiesel Magazine
By Kris Bevill
May 14, 2012

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Board is accepting applications through May 18 for cost-share funding to assist with the installation of ethanol and biodiesel equipment at retail stations and wholesale distribution centers. Approximately $1 million is available for this round of funding, which is the final round in a program that was awarded $3 million from the state legislature for fiscal year 2012. Retail stations are eligible to receive up to $50,000 per project if they commit to selling renewable fuels for at least five years. Up to $30,000 per project is available to retailers who make a three-year sales commitment. Distributors are eligible to receive up to $100,000, but they must commit to handling renewable fuels for five years and are also required to provide 50 percent matching funds in order to receive the grant.

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DOE, ethanol groups: Big Oil's E15 testing seriously flawed

Ethanol Producer Magazine
By Kris Bevill
May 16, 2012

Ethanol industry groups and U.S. DOE officials responded immediately to a research report released May 16 by auto and petroleum groups attempting to highlight potential engine issues related to E15 use, calling the report inaccurate and “meaningless.”

The testing was conducted on behalf of the Coordinating Research Council, a non-profit organization funded by automobile and oil companies. Tests took place over the course of two years and included 28 engines representing eight various light-duty vehicle types from model year 2001 through 2009. The test results claim to prove that E15 could damage valves and valve seals in some 2001-2009 vehicle models, leading to loss of engine power and engine damage, as well as decreased fuel efficiency and increased vehicle emissions.

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Brazil’s $2 Billion Cane Revival Plan Fails: Commodities

Bloomberg
By Stephan Nielsen - May 10, 2012 9:46 AM CT
Brazil’s 4 billion-real ($2.1 billion) drive to revive sugar-cane production has faltered as government bureaucracy and a curb on foreign loans choked credit needed to finance planting.

Cane refiners, who also grow the crop, couldn’t complete paperwork in time to qualify for loans from the state development bank known as BNDES before the main planting season ended last month, said Maurilio Biagi Filho, president of the ethanol producer Grupo Maubisa. In March, the government imposed a tax on overseas borrowing to stifle capital inflows that are boosting the currency.

The shortage of credit dried up funds for replacing older sugar-cane stalks, which must be renewed every five years to maintain yields. At least eight of the nation’s 420 processing mills are idle because of a lack of cane, threatening Brazil’s lead over the U.S. as the biggest ethanol exporter. Brazil is the world’s largest sugar producer.

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The USDA’s Regional Biofuels Rodmap: The Stakeholder responses

Biofuels Digest
Meghan Sapp
May 16, 2012

In Washington, the USDA has released its report on stakeholder responses looking at its Regional Biofuel Roadmap. During October and November 2010, the National Food and Agriculture Council conducted a series of workshops in 42 States and Puerto Rico and collected 57 reports of stakeholder answers to a common set of 16 questions.

This report summarizes the results of the workshops, provides USDA responses to some but not all of the comments, and offers a perspective from a variety of USDA programs as a way for moving bioenergy forward.

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Researchers develop pathway to produce power from proteins

Biofuels Digest
Meghan Sapp
May 16, 2012

In the UK, researchers at the University of Leeds have developed an electrode capable of controlling the biochemical reactions needed for biofuel cells to produce large amounts of electricity and are now applying the same technique to a catalytic membrane. The hope is that the membrane may be capable of converting proteins into electricity by using the energy provided by light and hydrogen fuel.

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Energy station of the future: Propel launches first Clean Mobility Center

Biofuels Digest
Jim Lane
May 16, 2012

Free tire air for improved fuel economy; bicycle tuning; renewable fuels; on-demand carbon offsets; at-pump recycling; community transit info; Propel’s got it all going in the Golden State.

In California, Propel Fuels is launching the company’s first Clean Mobility Center, in Fullerton.

The Center offers a distinctly different customer experience, featuring high performance renewable fuels (E85 Flex Fuel, biodiesel blends) alongside conventional fuels. With a focus larger than just oil, Propel’s new stations enable customers to carbon offset fuel purchases, improve fuel economy, find transit routes and ride share opportunities, tune bicycles, and recycle on the go.

The new station model provides a highly visible platform to introduce the benefits of renewable fuels to a mainstream driver base alongside conventional options in some of the most underserved renewable fuel markets. For the first time, drivers can offset carbon emissions from their fuel purchase right from the pump by directly funding clean air projects through Propel’s partnership with the Carbonfund.org Foundation.

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'Hydrogen is tomorrow's biofuel' say scientists

PhysOrg.com
May 15, 2012

Researchers from the University of Birmingham are creating clean hydrogen from food waste paving the way for a bioenergy alternative for the future.

Currently, Brazil is the world’s most intensive user of bioethanol as an alternative to gasoline for powering transport. There are questions about whether the mass production of bioethanol using sugarcane is sustainable in the long-term. Bioethanol generates carbon dioxide and agricultural waste. However, creating clean hydrogen from waste not only uses that waste but provides a fuel that is emission free and can also be generated sustainably.

Presenting this research at a collaborative bioenergy workshop in São Paulo today, Professor Lynne Macaskie, Professor of Applied Microbiology at the University of Birmingham, said “Fuel cells need clean energy to run them. If you provide bacteria with a supply of sugary waste from, for example, chocolate production, the bacteria can produce hydrogen. At the moment manufacturers pay to dispose of waste but with our technique they could convert it to clean electricity instead.”

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Ethanol In Gasoline Potentially Harmful To Millions Of Engines, Says Report

NASDAQ
Posted 5/16/2012 1:00 PM by Pierre Bertrand from International Business Times in Investing, Commodities

(IBTimes) - A new blend of ethanol in gasoline could cause billions of dollars' worth of in damages to millions of engines across the country, said a report released by the Coordinating Research Council on Wednesday.

Earlier in 2011, the EPA approved E15, a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline, for use in motor vehicles from 2001 to present models. Last month, the EPA approved the first applications for registering ethanol for use in making E15.

The move is designed to cut back on carbon emissions from burning gasoline and help cut the cost to consumers at the pump, but certain engines are not optimally designed to handle E15, and will hurt consumers by damaging their engines, said the CRC, a non-profit organization comprising automobile and oil companies that conducts tests for consumers.

According to the CRC's report, which tested engines built between 2001 to 2009, cars that were released earlier in the past decade are not as fit to burn E15 as later models.

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CARD report: Ethanol reduced gas prices by more than $1 in 2011

Ethanol Producer Magazine
By Holly Jessen
May 15, 2012

A Center for Agricultural and Rural Development report shows that increasing ethanol production and higher crude oil prices in 2011 had a substantial impact on wholesale gasoline prices. As a result, ethanol reduced the price of wholesale gasoline by an average of 89 cents in 2010 and $1.09 in 2011. “This impact is greatest in the regions of the country where ethanol penetration is greatest,” said one of the study’s authors, Dermot Hayes, professor of economics and of finance at Iowa State University. The price decreasing impact ranged from 73 cents per gallon in the Gulf Coast to $1.69 per gallon in the Midwest.

The new analysis is an update to a 2009 peer-reviewed paper published in Energy Policy by Hayes and Xiaodong Du, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison. The professors found that from January 2000 to December 2011, the growth in ethanol production reduced gas prices by 29 cents per gallon on average and 45 cents per gallon in the Midwest. “Growth in U.S. ethanol production has added significantly to the volume of fuel available in the US,” Hayes said. “It is as if the U.S. oil refining industry had found a way to extract 10 percent more gasoline from a barrel of oil.”

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Foxtail Millet Offers Clues for Assembling the Switchgrass Genome

Science Daily

ScienceDaily (May 14, 2012) — Arranging DNA fragments into a genome sequence that scientists can interpret is a challenge often compared to assembling a puzzle, except there is no box to provide an idea of what the picture is even supposed to be. Sometimes there's guidance in the form of other publicly-available DNA sequences from related organisms that can be used to guide the assembly process, but its usefulness depends on how closely related any two sequences are to one another. For example, a reference genome might be so distantly related from the one being assembled, it would be akin to comparing a Model-T to a contemporary hybrid car.

For researchers interested in switchgrass, a perennial grass that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is investigating as a prospective biofuels feedstock, assembling the plant genome poses an even more complicated puzzle than usual because it has multiple copies of its chromosomes. The DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI), in an international partnership that includes the DOE BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) and the DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), two of the three DOE Bioenergy Research Centers, has sequenced plant genomes of related candidate bioenergy crops such as sorghum and the model grass Brachypodium. Both plants have been used as references for switchgrass, however sorghum last shared a common ancestor with switchgrass more than 20 million years ago while Brachypodium last shared a common ancestor with switchgrass more than 50 million years ago. The genome of a much closer switchgrass relative -- foxtail millet (Setaria italica) -- is described in the May 13, 2012 edition of Nature Biotechnology. All three genomes, along with those of other plants sequenced by the DOE JGI are publicly accessible on www.phytozome.net.

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Researchers uncover proteins that regulate seed oil production

Biofuels Digest
Meghan Sapp
May 15, 2012

In California, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Iowa State University discovered a family of plant proteins that play a role in the production of seed oils, substances important for animal and human nutrition, biorenewable chemicals and biofuels. Scoring a rare scientific hat trick, the researchers identified three related proteins in thale cress plants (Arabidopsis thaliana) that regulate the metabolism of fatty acids, chemical components of all cell membranes and vegetable oils. They dubbed these fatty-acid binding proteins FAP1, FAP2 and FAP3.

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Microbe that can handle ionic liquids

R&D Magazine
Tuesday, May 15, 2012

In the search for technology by which economically competitive biofuels can be produced from cellulosic biomass, the combination of sugar-fermenting microbes and ionic liquid solvents looks to be a winner save for one major problem: The ionic liquids used to make cellulosic biomass more digestible for microbes can also be toxic to them. A solution to this conundrum, however, may be in the offing.

Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), a multi-institutional partnership led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), have identified a tropical rainforest microbe that can endure relatively high concentrations of an ionic liquid used to dissolve cellulosic biomass. The researchers have also determined how the microbe is able to do this, a discovery that holds broad implications beyond the production of advanced biofuels.

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New Pyroformer developed by Aston University

recyclingportal.eu



Birmingham -- As fuel prices continue to increase, researchers from the European Bioenergy Research Institute (EBRI) at Aston University in Birmingham, have developed an innovative bioenergy solution that uses waste products to generate cost-effective heat and power and that could reduce the world’s reliance on fossil fuels. The market opportunities of the new Pyroformer also offer business benefits to the West Midlands region. It is anticipated that 35 jobs will be directly safeguarded or created and over 1,000 indirect jobs created in the West Midlands by 2022 as a result.

The Pyroformer - developed by Professor Andreas Hornung of EBRI - overcomes many of the problems other renewable energy solutions have generated. Tests have shown that unlike other bioenergy plants, the Pyroformer has no negative environmental or food security impacts. It can use multiple waste sources and therefore does not require the destruction of rainforests or the use of agricultural land for the growth of specialist bioenergy crops. In fact biochar - one of its by-products - can even be used as a fertiliser to increase crop yields.

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University of Masschusetts, Amherst Researchers Plan to Double Biofuel Yield From Camelina

Biofuels Journal
Date Posted: May 8, 2012

One of the most promising avenues for reducing our national dependence on imported oil, lowering greenhouse gases and boosting domestic fuel production is biofuel from non-food plant seed oils.
Recently, University of Massachusetts, Amherst researchers started a $2 million project to develop Camelina, a non-food oil seed crop related to canola, to dramatically increase seed oil generation for processing into sustainable liquid transportation fuels.

Plant oils can directly convert to biofuels with existing technologies, are compatible with current farm practices and are carbon neutral.

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NCERC Researchers Produce First Cellulosic Ethanol From Corn Kernel

Digital Journal
PRWEB.COM Newswire
Edwardsville, IL (PRWEB) May 11, 2012

Researchers at The NCERC today announced that they have successfully produced ethanol from the cellulosic portion of the corn kernel.

“This research is demonstrated proof of the viability of ‘generation 2.0 ethanol,’” NCERC Director John Caupert said. “By utilizing existing technologies readily available in the commercial marketplace, the NCERC was able to produce a biofuel that builds upon the strengths of conventional corn ethanol and the promise of cellulosic ethanol, thus making bolt-on cellulosic ethanol a reality.”

Caupert added that the potential for cellulosic ethanol has significant immediate and long-term impacts on the biofuels industry generally and the ethanol industry specifically.

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Reps. Markey, Slaughter Press FDA on Antibiotic Use in Ethanol Production

FoodSafetyNews.com
by Helena Bottemiller
May 14, 2012

Congressional query follows IATP report on distillers grains fed to animals


With growing concern over antibiotic resistance, public health advocates have long pushed for more responsible use of these drugs -- both in human medicine and animal agriculture -- but there is one piece of the antibiotics puzzle that has not received as much attention: ethanol production.

Last week, Reps. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Louise Slaughter (D-NY) wrote to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asking some tough questions about the potential link between ethanol byproducts in animal feed and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

"Antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria are a grave public health threat that is growing worldwide," wrote Markey and Slaughter. "As the threat of antibiotic resistance expands, we must ensure that the unnecessary use of antibiotics in agricultural animals is minimized and FDA has the ability to limit their use if it serves to protect public health."

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Are the good times over for Iowa corn?

DesMoinesRegister.com

11:26 PM, May. 12, 2012

A price drop would have effects throughout the state's economy.

Iowa’s farmers and state economy watchers face the reality that a “historically rare period” of prosperity for Iowa agriculture may be ending.


The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week forecast a return to more normal corn surpluses of almost 2 billion bushels. The more ample supplies could drive down corn prices to as low as $4.20 per bushel by year’s end, compared with an average price of $6.20 in 2011, the USDA predicted.

If the forecast holds, the impact will ripple across Iowa’s economy. During the ag boom, farmers with cash to spend have bid up land prices and bought new tractors and combines. Deere & Co., seed companies and other manufacturers have added thousands of workers to meet demand.

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National Corn Growers Launch Ethanol Video Contest

Hoosier Ag Today
Posted on 08 May 2012 by Andy Eubank

The National Corn Growers Association is taking a page out of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Fuel the Future video competition to launch their own video contest called Ethanol Rocks. NCGA is looking for video entries that promote the advantages ethanol brings to American consumers during a year when those consumers will begin to see a 15 percent blend of the fuel at the pump.


Chad Willis, chairman of NCGA’s Ethanol Committee told HAT the contest should be a good way to engage the nation’s youth in the discussion about ethanol’s benefits.

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Model forecasts long-term impacts of forest land-use decisions

Phys.org
May 9, 2012

The drive to develop crops for use as biofuel, continues to raise questions about additional uses of forest land. A cutting edge computer model developed at North Carolina State University offers detailed insight to predict the environmental impact – along with understanding forest ecosystem response to global climate change.

"We think the model will help policy makers and forest managers make informed decisions to maintain forest productivity while minimizing the environmental impact of managed forest plantations," says Dr. Shiying Tian, a Postdoctoral Researcher at NC State, and lead author of a paper on the model, just released in the Journal Of Environmental Quality. "It also will help us understand how these forest systems will respond if we see changes in temperature or precipitation related to climate change," says Dr. Mohamed Youssef, Assistant Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at NC State, and co-author.

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Sugar Output in Brazil Main Region Drops 35 Percent

Bloomberg
By Carlos Caminada - May 10, 2012 12:00 PM CT
Sugar output in Brazil’s Center South, the world’s largest producing region, dropped 35 percent in the second half of April as mills delay the start of crushing after prices plummeted.

Output declined to 389,400 metric tons between April 16 and April 30, from 603,500 tons a year earlier, industry association Unica said in an e-mailed statement today. The current crop year started April 1.

Sugar has slumped 26 percent in the past nine months amid rising supplies from Brazil and India. Delaying processing of the current crop allows cane plants to increase the concentration of sucrose, the substance that’s converted into sweetener and ethanol, while mills wait for prices to rebound.

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Speaker: Market should dictate crops used to produce biofuels

JournalStaronline.com
By KEVIN ABOUREZK / Lincoln Journal Star JournalStar.com
Posted: Wednesday, May 9, 2012 8:00 am

A renowned bioenergy pioneer said Tuesday that production of corn-based ethanol doesn't result in as much net energy as production of other biofuels.

Jay Keasling, CEO of the Joint BioEnergy Institute in Emeryville, Calif., spoke as part of the Heuermann Lecture series at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

"You get just barely more energy out of the ethanol than you put into making it," said Keasling, who grew up on his family's corn and soybean farm outside of the small Nebraska town of Harvard. "That's a problem right now, a problem we need to fix."

Nearly half of the energy used to produce corn goes to making nitrogen-based fertilizer. Energy also is used to haul the corn to biorefineries, turn it into ethanol and then distill the ethanol. And, Keasling said, using corn as a biofuel competes with using it as food.

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Stakeholders respond to USDA’s biofuels roadmap

Drover's CattleNetwork
John Maday, Managing Editor, Drovers CattleNetwork
Updated: May 10, 2012

By 2022, the U.S. renewable fuel standard (RFS) calls for annual production of 21 billion gallons of advanced biofuels, and the USDA is trying to figure out how to get there.

In June 2010, the agency released a strategic report titled “A USDA Regional Roadmap to Meeting the Biofuels Goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) by 2022.” Since then, USDA has collected almost 1,000 comments and conducted 57 stakeholder workshops to help determine whether agriculture and forestry can provide enough feedstock to achieve the RFS goals, provide an estimate of the relative contributions and type of feedstocks different regions could provide; and give an estimate of the financial investment required for advanced biofuel refineries.

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Vilsack urges oil companies to increase adoption of E15

Biorefining Magazine
By USDA
May 03, 2012

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack today called on petroleum companies to help increase the percentage of ethanol in America's gas tanks in order to reduce dependence on foreign oil, boost job creation and promote development of renewable energy from farm-produced feedstocks. Recent U.S. EPA action approved the use of E15, a fuel blend that is 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline, up from the current 10 percent blend level.

"The availability of E15 will increase America's energy security and spur additional job creation," Vilsack said. "The Obama Administration has an 'all-of-the-above' [strategy] to promoting domestic energy security, and increasing the percentage of ethanol to be blended with gasoline will help boost economic growth while lessening the nation's dependence on foreign oil."

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Michigan school teacher launches 100K gallon waste oil biodiesel venture

Biofuels Digest
Meghan Sapp
May 9, 2012

In Michigan, a school teacher will soon begin producing 100,000 gallons of biodiesel annually from waste cooking oil that will be traded with restaurants in exchange for locally grown canola oil he will process at a facility that he has been planning for the past eight years. He is also experimenting with ethanol production from food waste for later addition to the biodiesel facility.

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Ethanol Blend Wall Still There

domesticfuel.com
Posted by Cindy Zimmerman – May 8th, 2012

The ethanol blend wall is still a reality for the industry, according to the chief economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“For the time being, I think we are at a blend wall and it’s a pretty hard wall,” said USDA’s Joe Glauber during a recent gathering of farm broadcasters in Washington DC. Glauber says the general feeling now is that the blend wall is about 13.5 billion gallons. “What gets produced in excess of that has to go out through the export market,” he said. “Last year we had a spectacular year, exporting more than a billion gallons, but most people think that won’t happen this year.” He expects Brazil in particular will not import as much ethanol this year.

While the industry is moving steadily toward the 15 billion gallon corn ethanol cap under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2), Glauber says right now the market is steady at about 10 percent of ethanol blended fuel and getting E15 in the marketplace is moving slowly toward reality. “But you still have the underlying economics of whether or not a gas station is going to change over equipment to be able to sell E15,” he said. “The likely thing would be so-called blender pumps, which are expensive propositions.”

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Algal Biomass Organization Announces 2012-2013 Board of Directors

The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch
press release

May 8, 2012, 3:46 p.m. EDT

Diverse Group Represents Value Chain and Includes Representatives From Academia, Algae Production, End-Users and Professional Services

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, May 08, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- The Algal Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the U.S. algae industry, today announced the election of eight members to its Board of Directors for the 2012-2014 term. John Pierce, of DLA Piper LLP, will serve as the new Chair of the Board of Directors. The new and re-elected board members join seven others that are already serving terms on the board.

ABO's Board guides the organization in its mission to educate the general public, policymakers and industry about the benefits of algae to address energy security, food production and sustainability, and to advocate for policies that can accelerate the development of commercial markets for products made from algae.

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US DOE develops plan to attract, support women in clean energy

Biodiesel Magazine
By Erin Voegele
May 03, 2012

The U.S. DOE announced a three-part plan aimed at attracting more women to clean energy careers, and supporting their advancement into leadership positions at the Third Clean Energy Ministerial in London. The plan will help implement the Clean Energy Education and Empowerment initiative (C3E), which is a Ministerial program that supports women in energy. According to the DOE, the new plan, pursued in partnership with the MIT Energy Initiative, is designed to translate the goals of C3E into concrete, meaningful action in the U.S.

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NZ technology transforms wood

Otago Daily Times
By Allison Rudd on Wed, 9 May 2012

Claims that the main ingredients for paint, plastics, industrial alcohol, fuel and even artificial sweetener can be produced from willow trees in a single process would seem to be the stuff of science fiction. But reporter Allison Rudd discovered a Taupo-based company which has perfected the technology with the help of a New Zealand research and development team.

In 2008, Vertichem Technology general manager Kevin Snowdon was excited.

The unique triple-processing wood digester technology developed by Auckland company Genesis Research and Development had been proven and Vertichem was set to build a pre-commercial trial processing plant in New Zealand. Then came the global credit crisis, and the company's plans were put on hold.

Now, Vertichem "was coming out of a valley of death", Mr Snowdon said, and a trial plant is on the agenda again, with construction expected next year.

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Biofuels contributed $277B to global enconomy: new report

Biofuels Digest
Jim Lane
May 8, 2012

In Canada, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance and Cardno Entrix reported that the biofuels industry contributed $277.3 billion to the global economy in 2010. The figures headlined a new report, “Contribution of Biofuels to the Global Economy”, released yesterday by the groups.

According to the report, global biofuel production produced 110 billion litres in 2010 and supported nearly 1.4 million jobs in all sectors of the global economy. The amount of ethanol produced globally has doubled since 2005 and increased three-fold in the last decade. By 2020 the global biofuel industry is forecasted to grow to produce over 196 billion litres and support over 2.2 million jobs in all sectors of the global economy.

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Report

ThermoEnergy launches renewable sugars system using wastewater feedstock

Biofuels Digest
Meghan Sapp
May 8, 2012

In Massachusetts, ThermoEnergy has brought to market a system that turns soluable sugars found in wastewater into feedstock for ethanol production.

The CASTion Sugar Recovery System cane help eliminate the expense of treatment and disposal of biological oxygen demand (BOD) by making concentrated sugars suitable for resale in a wide variety of applications, including feedstocks for ethanol production while, the remaining water is purified to levels suitable for normal discharge.

ThermoEnergy’s Controlled Atmospheric Separation Technology (CAST) concentrates sugar-bearing wastewater to create up to a 65-brix sugar product for use in a variety of agricultural and renewable fuel market applications.

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Refiners worry lack of E15 stations will cause RFS non-compliance

Ethanol Producer Magazine
By Kris Bevill
May 04, 2012

As the ethanol industry prepares for the first gallons of E15 to enter the market for 2001 and newer vehicles, the American Petroleum Institute continues to stress the potential for compatibility issues with retail station infrastructure as it relates to the storage and sale of E15. During a May 3 conference call with reporters, Bob Greco, API downstream director, noted that API’s analysis of compatibility research conducted by government agencies concluded that about half of the existing equipment at the nation’s approximately 157,000 retail stations is not currently compatible with the fuel. Few stations may be willing to invest in the infrastructure modifications necessary to sell E15, inhibiting the fuel’s entry into the marketplace, he said.

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Research finds dairy cow diets could safely include more DGs

Ethanol Producer Magazine
By Kris Bevill
April 25, 2012

South Dakota State University research shows distillers grains (DGs) can comprise up to 20 percent of the diets (on a dry basis) for lactating dairy cows without negatively affecting milk production. Most dairy farmers currently use only about 10 percent of the ethanol coproduct in rations.

“Farmers tend to think that if they include distillers grains up to 20 percent they will see milk fat depression, but in our research, we could see that it is not the inclusion of distillers grains—it is the low level of forage in diets that causes the depression,” said SDSU doctoral student Sanjeewa Ranathunga.

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Biodiesel Byproduct Glycerin Could Be Economical Ingredient in Livestock Feed

Biofuels Journal
Date Posted: May 2, 2012

Biodiesel is made from a wide variety of agricultural oils that are byproducts and co-products of producing protein meal for livestock feed.

Now glycerin, the main byproduct of producing biodiesel, could be making its way into the livestock industry as an ingredient in cattle feed.

During biodiesel production glycerol is separated from oil through a chemical reaction.

The oils without the glycerol become the biodiesel and the glycerol that is removed is a potential ingredient in livestock feed.

According to a recent article in the High Plains Journal studies by Texas AgriLife Research and West Texas A&M University personnel have evaluated the energy value of the glycerin in replacing corn or hay in cattle diets.

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Unresolved clash over indirect land use change leaves EU biofuels policy adrift

Biofuels Digest
Jim Lane
May 7, 2012

In the EU, a clash between the Climate Commission and the Energy Department, over indirect land use change, has left policymakers were unable to agree on an emissions accounting scheme revision needed to finally establish which feedstocks will be considered acceptable in meeting the EU’s biofuel targets.

The EU industry, which has reached $16M in annual sales, depends currently on a mix primarily of palm, soybean and rapeseed, for biodiesel production, and all feedstocks would be in jeopardy under proposed indirect land use change provisions. The EU is facing difficulties in meeting targets without access to its major feedstocks, while at the same time emissions caps aimed at oil refiners are pushing refiners towards greater use of biofuels.

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The Final Treatment: Washing or polishing followed by distillation offers the purest biodiesel around

Biodiesel Magazine
By Raj Mosali
May 01, 2012

Biodiesel is traditionally produced via esterification of fatty acids and transesterification of triglycerides with an alcohol such as methanol and sodium methylate. The transesterification of triglycerides is comprised of three sequential, reversible reactions wherein triglycerides react to form diglycerides, monoglycerides and glycerol.

All biodiesel processes, whether traditional or nontraditional, involve a settling process as the penultimate step. During the settling process, the biodiesel and glycerin mixture is settled using a decanter or a centrifuge to separate the biodiesel from the glycerin. The separated biodiesel is then taken through the final steps, which, in some cases, involve two stages: washing/polishing and distillation. Washing/polishing is mandatory and biodiesel distillation is optional. This article discusses both the washing/polishing and distillation stages.

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Fuel use boost to sorghum.

BCDemocratOnline.com
By Candace Krebs

Ag Journal
Posted May 05, 2012 @ 04:58 AM

OAKLEY, Kan. — This spring, Western Plains Energy LLC launched a unique incentive program to encourage area farmers to plant more grain sorghum.


“We went out into the 12 counties around us and had meetings and offered to reimburse growers up to 100 bags of seed just to get the crop planted, without any delivery obligation on them,” said Steve McNinch, the company’s CEO. “Sorghum acreage has been declining for years. We’re trying to demonstrate to growers that there is a market and get them more used to growing it.”

Typically, sorghum offers a slight price advantage to corn, but it also helps satisfy rising demand for renewable fuels from non-corn sources, a category established in the second generation version of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS.) The industry is already meeting or exceeding the mandated usage level set for corn-derived ethanol.

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Wood chips - tons of them - to power lab's new heating system

Chicago Tribune Business
Bob Fowler
Knoxville News Sentinel
6:20 a.m. CDT, May 4, 2012

OAK RIDGE — Smoldering wood chips in oxygen-starved chambers will be used to generate steam heat for most of the buildings at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The new energy-efficient process also provides a market for low-grade wood that loggers would otherwise leave on the forest floor, officials said.

The cutting-edge biomass gasification plant replaces four worn-out boilers that were 64 years old and were first powered by coal and later, natural gas.

The new $60 million system will create enough steam heat to power the equivalent of 18,000 homes, said Bob Baugh, director of the lab's utilities division.

At the lab, it'll heat about 100 buildings and serve other uses such as sterilizing autoclaves.

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Electricity generation from non-hydro renewable sources varies by state

Financial (finchannel.com)
05/05/2012 02:20

The FINANCAIL -- Wind accounted for most non-hydro renewable generation in 2011, but sources of renewable generation vary from state to state.

However, the states with the most non-hydro renewable generation in 2011 also tend to have significant generation from wind. In 2011, renewable generation (including hydro) made up 13% of total generation.

In 2011, wind accounted for more than half of the non-hydro renewable generation in nine of the top ten states for non-hydro renewable generation. This pattern is in stark contrast to 2001, when wood-based fuels and other biomass accounted for the majority of non-hydro renewable generation in nearly all states. While solar is an important component of distributed generation, state-level solar estimates for utility-scale generation (presented here) are not yet available for all 50 states.

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Electrofuels project makes headway at Lawrence Berkeley Lab

Biofuels Digest
Jim Lane
May 7, 2012

In California, a combination of water, renewable electricity, CO2 and an engineered strain of a bacterium called Ralstonia eutropha are the ingredients for diesel fuel, in a technology path being pursued by a team from Lawrence Berkeley Lab, the University of California and Logos Technologies.

Highlighted in the in-house Berkeley Lab online publication this past week, the $3.4M electrofuels program reroutes metabolic pathways in the bacteria, bypassing photosynthesis, to create medium-chain methyl ketones, with cetane numbers similar to those of typical diesel fuel. The team is using electricity to split water into oxygen and hydrogen, and the bacteria use energy from hydrogen to split carbon from CO2, and produce hydrocarbons that float to the waters surface.

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Biofuels could supply 30% of transportation fuels with no food impact: new report

Biofuels Digest
Thomas Saidak
May 4, 2012

In the United Kingdom, an article in F1000 Biology Reports argues that recent advances in knowledge mean that plant-derived biofuels could meet about 30% of the global demand for liquid transportation fuels, without having an impact on food production. In their article, Somerville and Youngs argue that advances in the technology used to produce and extract plant biomass to be burned directly or converted to liquid fuels may allow the expansion of productivity to a scale large enough to meet the demand for an estimated 30% of all liquid transportation fuels.

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University researchers develop plastics from biomass

Plastics Today
By Heather Caliendo
Published: May 3rd, 2012

A team of chemical engineers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Delaware claims it has discovered a new way to make plastic bottles from biomass rather than petroleum.
Researchers that made the discovery are part of the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation (CCEI), which is comprised of more than 20 faculty members working together to create new technologies for the production of biofuels and chemicals from plant biomass. The center is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Paul Dauenhauer, chemical professor at UMass Amherst, told PlasticsToday one of the major goals of the center is to effectively utilize sugars for the production of renewable polymers including PET.
The new discovery demonstrates an efficient, renewable way to produce the chemical p-xylene, or paraxylene, according to the news release.

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New ethanol production figures down: Brazil sugar cane association

platts
Rio de Janiero (Platts)--3May2012/540 pm EDT/2140 GMT


Ethanol production in Brazil's center-south region for the 2012/2013 harvest as of April 15 reached 180.55 million liters, down by 29.61% from the same period in the 2011/2012 harvest, sugar cane industry association UNICA said Thursday.

UNICA said 161.87 million liters of hydrous ethanol and 18.68 million liters of anhydrous ethanol were produced as of April 15. The 2012/2013 harvest began in April, a spokeswoman for the trade group said.

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TMO Renewables Expands Production of 2G Ethanol with Cassava Stalk

The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch
May 3, 2012, 8:02 a.m. EDT


TMO advances cassava stalk processing to demonstration scale with Chinese partners
SURREY, England, May 03, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- TMO Renewables ("TMO Group"), a leading technology provider for cellulosic biofuels production, today announced the company has advanced to demonstration scale on cassava stalk feedstock with major Chinese fuel and food producers. TMO is now processing an initial shipment of cassava stalk delivered from China, an inexpensive, abundant feedstock underutilized in 2G bioethanol. Improved efficiencies at TMO's 12,000 sq. ft. demonstration facility are projected to produce ethanol for less than two dollars per gallon, marking a crucial step toward commercialization.
TMO's proprietary technology platform can break down a wide range of waste biomass into cellulosic ethanol, while reducing costs through savings in maintenance, production time and capital expenditures, including reduced enzyme loadings. Utilizing cassava stalk, TMO's conversion process will yield 70 to 80 gallons of 2G ethanol per ton of feedstock.

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Ceres Sweet Sorghum Hybrids Processed by Amyris

The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch
May 3, 2012, 8:30 a.m. EDT

Pilot project validates U.S.-produced sweet sorghum as a potential feedstock for advanced biofuels and bio-products.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., May 03, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- --Conversion efficiency of sweet sorghum sugars were similar to sugarcane.

Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. /quotes/zigman/8673708/quotes/nls/cere CERE -4.80% today announced its improved sweet sorghum hybrids were successfully processed into renewable diesel by Amyris, Inc. /quotes/zigman/117914/quotes/nls/amrs AMRS -6.36% under a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant. Amyris is expected to present a summary of the results this afternoon at the 34th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The pilot-scale project evaluated both sugars and biomass from Ceres' sweet sorghum hybrids grown in Alabama, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana and Tennessee. To process the sugars that accumulate in the plants, known as free or soluble sugars, the sorghum juice was first extracted from the stems and concentrated into sugar syrup by Ceres. The syrup was then processed by Amyris at its California pilot facility using its proprietary yeast fermentation system that converts plant sugars into its trademarked product, Biofene, a renewable hydrocarbon commonly known as farnesene, which can be readily processed into renewable fuels and chemicals.

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Bioenergy research focusing on oil-rich pennycress

pjstar.com (Peoria Journal Star)
By STEVE TARTER (starter@pjstar.com) of the Journal Star
Posted Apr 30, 2012 @ 09:15 PM

Public can get a look at alternative energy crop at WIU Field Day.

MACOMB — Win Phippen doesn't spend as much time researching milkweed as he used to. The director of the Alternative Crops Research program at Western Illinois University is focused on another crop these days.

"Bioenergy - that's where the (research) money is," he said.
While he still fields inquiries about the virtues of milkweed for the cosmetics industry and as a fiber for pillows, Phippen said that it's pennycress that's been his focus for the last several years.
Pennycress is a weed that's building a following in central Illinois because of its rich oil content, twice what is contained in a soybean plant.

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Has the Gevo hour come?

Biofuels Digest
Jim Lane
May 3, 2012

In Colorado, Gevo reported first quarter revenues of $14.9 million compared to $15.3 million in the same period in 2011 reflecting an increase in grant and research and development program revenue and a decrease in ethanol sales. The net loss for the first quarter of 2012 was $19.3 million compared to $9.3 million for the first quarter of 2011. The company is now expected to raise additional capital this month to support the conversion of Redfield.

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EPA palm oil analysis draws support, criticism as comments close

Biodiesel Magazine
By Erin Voegele
April 26, 2012

The public comment period for the U.S. EPA’s palm oil pathway assessment under the renewable fuel standard (RFS2) closes April 27. As the deadline approaches, groups representing both sides of the issue are speaking out in an effort to sway the EPA’s final decision on the matter.

In January, the EPA published its Notice of Data Availability for renewable fuels produced with palm oil feedstock. In the NODA the agency noted its analysis determined that biodiesel and renewable diesel made from palm oil feedstock does not meet the 20 percent greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions required by RFS2 to qualify as renewable fuel. Data published by the EPA found palm oil biodiesel to have a GHG reduction rating of 17 percent. Alternatively, palm oil derived renewable diesel only had an 11 percent GHG reduction.

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Expansion proposed for USDA BioPreferred program

Biofuels Digest
Jim Lane
May 2, 2012

In Washington, US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced new proposed guidelines for the USDA BioPreferred program that could expand the ability of USDA to designate biobased products for Federal purchase.

USDA is proposing to allow for the designation of intermediate ingredients such as fibers, resins, and chemicals so that the products made from them could more easily be designated for preferred Federal procurement. The new regulation also allows for the designation of complex assemblies that contain one or more components made from biobased ingredients. These provisions are necessary because such finished products cannot be tested for biobased content using the procedures spelled out in the existing guidelines.

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White House Unveils Bioeconomy Blueprint; Announces Research and Development Investments

Biofuels Journal
Date Posted: April 26, 2012

The White House released April 26 a national Bioeconomy Blueprint, a comprehensive approach to harnessing innovations in biological research to address national challenges in health, food, energy, and the environment.

In coordination with the Blueprint’s release, Federal officials also announced a number of new commitments to help the Nation achieve the Blueprint’s goals.

The Bioeconomy Blueprint will guide Federal agencies—in coordination with one another and in partnership with private-sector entities—to enhance economic growth and job creation, improve the health of all Americans, and move toward a clean-energy future through scientific discovery and technological innovation.

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Jatropha trials planned to help boost rural Panamanian economy

Biodiesel Magazine
By Erin Voegele
May 01, 2012

Panama Green Fuels, an entity working to establish biodiesel infrastructure within Panama, recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the director of the country’s National School of Agriculture (IDIAP) to use the school’s land to trial commercial cultivation of jatropha. Belgium-based Quinvita N.V. will oversee the trials.

In a quid pro quo arrangement, Panama Green Fuels has agreed to transfer agronomy practices and seed technology to the school, and to work with them to ensure knowledge is current and students have access to high-quality information and data. According to Panama Green Fuels CEO Adrian Harvey, his organization is a social enterprise formed specifically to assist low-income rural communities in Panama to grow biodiesel feedstocks.

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160 Million Euro French Algae Project Targets Biofuels from Wastes

Waste Management World
30 April 2012

French agricultural research organisation, the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) has launched a 160 million Euro collaborative platform aimed at developing efficient biofuels and high added value substances by utilising micro-algae feeding on nutrients contained in waste and industrial emissions of carbon dioxide.

Led by INRA in collaboration with 45 partners (public research, SMEs, multinationals, local authorities, competitiveness clusters), the 'GreenStars' project aims at becoming, within five to ten years, one of the top Institutes of Excellence worldwide in the field of micro-algae bio-refinery.

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2 Iowa ethanol facilities weigh switch to butanol

DesMoinesRegister.com
11:57 PM, May. 1, 2012
Written by DAN PILLER

Fuel offers advantages, but changeover would be costly

A joint venture of DuPont and BP announced Tuesday that two Iowa ethanol plants are considering converting their operations to production of biobutanol, a fuel with higher energy content than ethanol.

Lincolnway Energy of Nevada and Corn LP of Goldfield are reserving the option to switch production. They would join Highwater Ethanol of Minnesota as “early adapters” to butanol, with a target of production for the automobile consumer market by 2014.

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Lugar Recognized for Support of Renewable Energy

Hoosier Ag Today
Posted on 30 April 2012 by Andy Eubank

The National 25x’25 Alliance Monday recognized Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar for his committed leadership in pursuing polices that accelerate the development of renewable energy resources on the nation’s farms, ranches and forestlands.

Last week, Sen. Lugar joined with Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) in drafting an amendment to the proposed 2012 Farm Bill adopted by the Senate Agriculture Committee that would continue mandatory funding for a number of critical farm energy programs.

By forging language in the Energy Title of the new farm bill that would assure funding is available for a initiatives such as the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and the Bioenergy Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), Lugar is encouraging the development of advanced biofuels and promoting other renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in rural America that will create new jobs and breath life back into the nation’s still struggling economy.

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United States Leads World in Exports of Ethanol

The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch
May 1, 2012, 7:57 a.m. EDT

Hart Energy study insists U.S. production mandates are out of sync with market reality

HOUSTON, May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Hart Energy's newly released study, U.S. & Brazil Ethanol Outlook to 2022, finds the United States has vaulted over Brazil to lead the world in the export of ethanol, a title it is positioned to retain in 2012 and beyond.

The study also dismisses the notion that goals of two programs in the U.S. can be achieved. Biofuels volumes required by the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) do not match with the realities of commercialization and availability, Hart Energy maintains, and changes in these policies will be necessary in the next few years.

"Much of the focus has been on the 'blend wall,' biodiesel, and cellulosic biofuels targets of the RFS program in the public forum," said Tammy Klein, assistant vice president of Hart Energy. "But what's so striking to us is that Brazilian ethanol is needed to meet targets under those programs -- and our forecast shows it will not be available at critical points in the study period."

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