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Green Car Congress
Green Car Congress (www.greencarcongress.com) has great Biofuel news, photos, videos and more
Monday, Jan 5
GreenShift Receives $375K State Grant for Algae Bioreactor Development
GreenShift plans to co-locate bioreactors at corn ethanol production plants and other fermentation processes where concentrated supplies of carbon dioxide are naturally emitted and are relatively easy to capture and control. GreenShift plans to leverage its existing corn oil extr...
Wednesday, Dec 17
New US EIA Energy Outlook Projects Flat Oil Consumption to 2030, Slower Growth in Energy Use and CO2 Emissions, and Reduced Import Dependence; 2% PHEV New Sales Share by 2030
The report sees ethanol use for gasoline blending growing to 12.2 billion gallons and E85 consumption to 17.3 billion gallons in 2030. The ethanol supply from cellulosic feedstocks reaches 12.6 billion gallons (including both domestic and imported production) in 2030. Biodiesel and biom...
JAL Biofuel Demo Flight First to Use Energy Crop Camelina
JAL, Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, and UOP have committed to the use of second-generation biofuel feedstocks that are more efficient and sustainable energy than first-generation counterparts. Second-generation biofuel feedstocks, such as camelina, jatropha and algae, do not comp...
New Zealand Drops Biofuels Mandate
National Business Review. The New Zealand Parliament passed the Energy (Fuels, Levies and References) Biofuel Obligation Repeal Bill by a vote of 62 to 59. The legislation repeals the requirement placed on oil companies to blend biofuels into gasoline and...
Wednesday, Nov 19
EPA Raises Renewable Fuel Requirement to 10.21% for 2009; 11.1B Gallons
Expansion of the volume of renewable fuel (36 billion gallons by 2022). Separation of the renewable fuel volume requirements into four categories: cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel.
Coalition Calls for Phase Out of Ethanol Subsidies
After 30 years of subsidies, ethanol is displacing only 3 percent of the gasoline we use each year, is likely increasing rather than decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, and is threatening our soil, water and wildlife. Yet ethanol gets $3 out of every $4 of tax credits the federal governm...
Thursday, Nov 6
New Process for Direct Conversion of Glycerol to Methanol
Currently, around 90% of methanol is produced from fossil fuel via a synthesis gas reaction. Glycerol is the major byproduct in biodiesel and oleochemical production. For every 9 kg of vegetable oil processed, 1 kg of glycerol is produced. Although glycerol is used in foods and personal ca...
Tuesday, Oct 28
Studies: Corn Ethanol Production Has Smaller Carbon Footprint than Gasoline and Will Continue to Improve; Room for Growth Without Affecting Food and Feed
If ethanol yield per bushel of corn remains at the current level of 2.75 gallons per bushel, total corn ethanol production in 2030 would be 33 billion gallons, compared to estimates of 7.1 billion gallons for calendar year 2007. If ethanol output per bushel of corn increases to 3.0 gallons per...
Saturday, Oct 25
GM and Coskata Highlight Cellulosic Biofuels Opportunity in China; Estimates of 45-49 BGPY Market by 2030
GM said that it will continue to share with China the R&D results in the area of new energy from its research centers and partners around the world, including the R&D and market applications of next-generation, non-food based cellulosic ethanol. Chen said China can produce cell...
Friday, Oct 24
Biofuel Companies Question ARB’s Inclusion of Indirect Effects in Low Carbon Fuel Standard
Signed by 25 biofuel company executives and CEOs, investor Vinod Khosla, and Dr. Frances H. Arnold, the letter notes that the biofuels industry generally supports indirect effects research, including its subset indirect land use change, but warns that enforcing indirect effects prem...
Thursday, Oct 23
UK Carbon Trust Launches Algae Biofuels Challenge; Commercialization Targeted for 2020
This project demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that second generation biofuels are truly sustainable—and will further our understanding of the potential for microalgae to be refined for use in renewable transport fuel development, to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Tuesday, Oct 21
Wisconsin Awards $7.3 Million in Biofuels, Clean Energy Funding
Fuel Makers LLC, Eden, Fond du Lac County, $250,000 Grant. Fuel Makers LLC designs, builds, and manages bio-energy facilities for the production of electricity and liquid fuels. The company will use its grant to establish a research and development facility focused on the conversion of...
Monday, Oct 20
Cobalt Biofuels Raises $25 Million to Commercialize Biobutanol
Cobalt plans to produce biobutanol from a diverse range of non-food feedstocks, and is developing and patenting a high-throughput process to identify the optimal microbe for any selected plant substrate. This technology will allow Cobalt to efficiently match organisms to each regio...
Friday, Oct 17
Integrated SSFR Process Could Make Cellulosic Biobutanol More Competitive with Ethanol
If scaled up further, the process could yield 307 combined kilograms, or 99 gallons, of acetone, biobutanol, and ethanol from 1 ton of wheat straw. According to Dr. Richard Bain at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the current expected yield for cellulosic ethanol from a biochem...
Thursday, Oct 16
UK Throttles Back on Biofuels; More Funding to Study Algae and Pyrolysis
The £6 million will fund Carbon Trust’s “Advanced Bioenergy Directed Research Accelerator”. It will be delivered over two financial years (£3m per annum) and is intended to accelerate the development of two advanced sustainable biofuel technologies: algae as a sustainable feedstoc...
Wednesday, Oct 15
Study Suggests “Flexible Carbon to Liquid” Fuel Process Could Displace 15-20% of Transportation Fuels in the US
A preliminary analysis of a feedstock-flexible biomass waste/residue thermochemical pathway for liquid fuel production by researchers at Purdue University suggests that such a “flexible carbon to liquid” fuel (FCTL) process could replace 15%-20% of transportation fuels consum...
Researchers Assess Lifecycle Water Intensity of a Range of Light-Duty Vehicle Fuels
The lowest water consumptive (<0.15 gal H2O/mile) and withdrawal (<1 gal H2O/mile) rates are for LDVs using conventional petroleum-based gasoline and diesel; non-irrigated biofuels; hydrogen derived from methane or electrolysis via non-thermal renewable electricity; an...
Thursday, Oct 9
BP: Biofuels Could Potentially Account for up to 30% of Global Transportation Fuel by 2030
Delivering that aggressive quantity of more than 600 billion liters (158.5 billion gallons US) of biofuels by 2030 would require progress particularly in the area of cellulosic biofuels, Ellerbusch said in a talk at Platts 3rd Annual Cellulosic Ethanol and Biofuels conference in Chic...
Wednesday, Oct 8
DOE Awards Novozymes $12.3M to Increase Efficiency of Enzymes for Cellulosic Ethanol Production 2x
Development of commercially viable enzymes for the production of cellulosic ethanol is the largest research and development effort in Novozymes’ history with more than 100 employees allocated. Novozymes has already confirmed plans to launch the enzymes required for commercially v...
Tuesday, Oct 7
Biofuels Accounted for 2.6% of UK Road Fuel in First Reporting Quarter
The Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA), the UK’s independent sustainable fuels regulator, released its first interim quarterly report which includes disclosure of company performance on the supply of biofuels under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).
USDA & DOE Release National Biofuels Action Plan; UN FAO Report Calls For Review of Biofuels Policies
The impact of biofuels on greenhouse gas emissions differs according to feedstock, location, agricultural practices and conversion technology. In some cases, the net effect is unfavorable. The largest impact is determined by land-use change—for example through deforestation—as a...
Monday, Sep 29
Norske Skog/Xynergo and CHOREN to Cooperate on Biomass-to-Liquids in Norway
The CHOREN gasification process. Click to enlarge. CHOREN’s Carbo-V Process is a three-stage gasification process involving three sub-processes: low temperature gasification; high temperature gasification; and endothermic entrained bed gasification. (Earlier post.)
Tuesday, Jul 24
European Transportation Biofuel Consumption Up 78% from 2005 to 2006
In 2006, biodiesel represented 71.6% of the energy content of biofuels dedicated to transport, far out ahead of bioethanol (16.3%) and other biofuels (12.1%). Of the “other” biofuels, pure vegetable oil accounted for 629,809 toe (11.7% of total biofuel consumption) and biogas for 13,940 t...
Thursday, Jul 19
Mushroom Genome Could Assist In Biofuel Production and Carbon Management
How Agaricus it does this, particularly how it degrades lignin, is not fully understood. By sequencing the full genome of the mushroom, researchers hope to uncover exactly which genes are key to this process. That information will be useful to scientists and engineers looking to maximi...
Monday, Jul 16
Jane’s Warns Pursuit of Biofuels Brings New Global Security Risks
While there is clearly a growing demand for the conversion to biofuel production it could also expose governments to rising social unrest, as food prices rise and poorer members of society reap few benefits from the new ‘wondercrop’.
Wednesday, Jul 11
Study: Miscanthus More Than Twice as Productive as Switchgrass for Energy Crop
The team, led by Frank Dohleman of the Plant Biology Department, theorized that Miscanthus produces more usable biomass than switchgrass because of these three key attributes: Miscanthus has a greater leaf area; and Miscanthus has a longer growing season.
Friday, Jul 6
India Likely to Have National Biofuels Policy in Place in Several Months
India’s current feedstock for ethanol production is mainly molasses, and the country has sufficient supplies from its sugar industry to meet the 5% target, Muttemvar said. However, to increase the blending proportion to 10%, the country will need to develop cellulosic ethanol capabi...
Thursday, Jun 28
UOP To Develop Technology to Produce Bio JP-8 for Military Jets
UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, will accelerate research and development on renewable energy technology to convert vegetable and algal oils to fuels for military jets. Bio-Renewable Fuels: Green Diesel (UOP) DARPA Biofuels Program
Tuesday, Jun 26
ABF, BP and DuPont to Build $400M Bioethanol Plant and Biobutanol Demonstration Plant
Biobutanol is an advanced biofuel that performs more like unleaded gasoline than traditional biofuels. Test data presented earlier this year indicate that biobutanol fuel blends at a nominal 10 vol% level perform very similarly to unleaded gasoline fuel. Additionally, the energy den...
Wednesday, Jun 20
UW-Madison Engineers Produce Higher-Energy Liquid Transportation Fuel From Sugar
Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a two-stage process for converting biomass-derived sugar into 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF), a liquid transportation fuel with 40% greater energy density than ethanol.
Monday, Jun 18
Successful Initial Test of 30% Biofuel Blend in Commercial Jet Engine
CFM is also running engine tests to develop solutions based on mixtures of jet fuel and second-generation biofuels. It is currently focusing on the evaluation of alternative fuels made using biomass which offer properties closer to those of jet fuel than do first-generation fuels such...
Wednesday, Jun 13
Texas Company Targeting Sorghum for Cellulosic Ethanol
Starch-to-ethanol from grain sorghum. About 15% of the US grain sorghum crop currently goes into ethanol production with one bushel of grain sorghum producing the same amount of ethanol as one bushel of corn, according to the National Sorghum Producers.
Wednesday, Jun 6
AlgoDyne Launches Biofuel Projects in Brazil; Algae-Based Bio-Kerosene for Aviation Leads the List
Alternate Fuels for use in Commercial Aircraft (Boeing) Algae ponds the size of Maryland would be able to supply the world’s aviation fleet with bio-jet fuel according to a Boeing/NASA study. Click to enlarge. AlgoDyne Ethanol Energy Corp. is a series of biofuels initiatives in Brazil, le...
Saturday, May 19
Bosch and Siemens Testing Carbon-Neutral Biofuel Cooking Stove
Protos was designed to work with a wide range of plant oil fuels, including used oils from frying, refined oils, and plant oil esters, as well as kerosene. Trials have been held in the Philippines and in Tanzania, with further projects planned in India, China, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka.
Friday, May 18
Researchers Develop Enhanced Bio-oil for Diesel Fuel Extender or Substitute
A team of University of Georgia (UGA) researchers has developed an enhanced pyrolysis-derived bio-oil from pine wood chips. The new and still-unnamed fuel can be blended with biodiesel and petroleum diesel to power conventional engines.
Tuesday, May 8
UN Report Proposes Framework for Considering Bioenergy Sustainability Issues
The report notes that modern bioenergy represents an extraordinary opportunity for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, offsetting reliance on petroleum and helping meet the needs of the 1.6 billion people worldwide who lack access to electricity in their homes, and the 2.4 billion who...
Wednesday, Apr 25
USDA Research Suggests the Amount of Corn Stover Available for Ethanol Production Must Be Reduced to Preserve Soil Quality
As an example, a 213-bushel-per-acre corn yield leaves farmers an average four tons per acre of cornstalks after harvest. Farmers could then harvest about two tons of cornstalks per acre for conversion to ethanol—but only from land with low erosion risks, using little or no tillage. If th...
Tuesday, Apr 24
Boeing and Virgin Atlantic to Partner on Biofuels, Ground Operations Conservation; Largest 787 Order Yet for Europe
On the aviation biofuels front, North Carolina State University engineers are developing a technology to turn virtually any lipidic compound—e.g., vegetable oils, oils from animal fat and oils from algae—into aviation fuel or other high-value fuels. (Earlier post.)
Researchers Propose Biofuels Rating System
One illustrative example of a Green Biofuels Index based on global warming and a feedstock rating. Click to enlarge. Measure the overall environmental performance of biomass feedstock production. Creating Markets for Green Biofuels
Wednesday, Apr 11
New Joint Venture Targeting Biofuels from Plasma Arc Gasification of Waste
The core of the process is the Skygas gasifier which converts the feedstock at moisture contents of up to 55% to a synthesis gas high in carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Utilizing different catalytic processes, the syngas can be converted into ethanol, methanol, DME and diesel, or it can be u...
Tuesday, Apr 3
Researchers Evaluate Greenhouse Gas Reductions from Different Cropping Systems
Bioenergy crops are able to offset carbon dioxide emissions by converting atmospheric carbon dioxide into organic carbon in biomass and soil, but the production of biofuels requires fossil fuels and impacts greenhouse gas fluxes. The primary sources of greenhouse gas emissions asso...
Wednesday, Mar 28
Petrobras and Eni to Partner on New Biofuel and Heavy Oil Production Technologies
In addition to its first-generation biofuel production, Petrobras has developed a hydrogenation process it calls H-BIO (earlier post) to produce a renewable diesel fuel. Eni is considering the construction of a 250,000-tonne biodiesel plant at its Livorno refinery as well as the dev...
Monday, Mar 26
New Enzyme-Based Fuel Cell Produces Electricity from Hydrogen in Plain Air
Researchers at Oxford University have developed an enzyme-based fuel cell that produces electricity from ordinary air spiked with small amounts of hydrogen. The new type of cell would be an inexpensive alternative to the costly platinum-based fuel cells that are a primary focus today.
Sunday, Mar 25
ACS National Meeting to Hold Biofuels Symposium; Paper to be Presented on Sustainability of Switchgrass as Ethanol Source
“Development of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) as a bioenergy feedstock in the United States”; Samuel B. McLaughlin and Lynn Adams Kszos; Biomass and Bioenergy Volume 28, Issue 6 , June 2005, Pages 515-535 Breaking the Biological Barriers to Cellulosic Ethanol: A Joint Research Agen...
Friday, Mar 16
Neste Oil and Stora Enso to Partner on Biomass-to-Liquids from Wood Residues
The European Union’s target of replacing 5.75% (18 million tons) of the fossil fuels used in transportation with biofuels by 2010 and 10% by 2020 will mean replacing 30 million tons of fossil fuels and will require significant increases in biofuel production.
