The DOE is supporting a project to develop engineered clostridia strains and fermentation process that can directly utilize cellulose and fix CO2 for n-butanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. The engineered strains can be used in fermentation to produce n-butanol from lignocellulosic biomass at a targeted cost of $2.25/gal or less than $3/gge (gallon gasoline equivalent). This […]
In New Mexico, researchers from New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and College of Engineering have joined the Sustainable Bio-economy for Arid Regions project led by the University of Arizona. The SBAR project will research guayule and guar, two plants that grow well in the Southwest, as potential feedstock for […]
In South Africa, producer of dissolving wood pulp, specialties and packaging papers, printing and writing papers and biomaterials, Sappi Limited, is acquiring the specialty paper business of Cham Paper Group Holding AG. The transaction includes the acquisition of CPG’s Carmignano and Condino Mills in Italy, its digital imaging business located in Cham, Switzerland as well […]
In the Philippines, Davao City created a government program to recycle used cooking oil into biodiesel, the first in the country. Every month, the city is collecting more than 10,000 liters of used cooking oil and converting it at a facility set up in 2017 with technical help from Japan. The facility is self-sustainable using […]
In New York, a simple genetic modification can triple the grain number of sorghum, which is used for food, animal feed, and biofuel. Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory figured out a genetic change boosts the plant’s yield: by lowering the level of a key hormone, generating more flowers and more seeds. Their discovery points […]
In Germany, UFOP reports that according to export figures published by the German Federal Statistical Office, demand for biodiesel from Germany continues to be very high. Demand has grown strongly, especially in the EU-28. German biodiesel exports amounted to around 1.61 million tons in 2017. In other words, exports exceeded the previous year’s level by […]
In Washington, D.C., data released by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirms that the U.S. ethanol industry produced a record amount of high-octane, low-carbon renewable fuel in 2017. According to EIA, the industry churned out 15.84 billion gallons of ethanol, up 3% from the 2016 total and a four-fold increase over the 3.91 billion gallons […]
In Washington, D.C., researchers with the BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) genetically modified switchgrass to produce less lignin to improve ethanol conversion and found that the long-term effects of the modified lignin had no negative impacts on the soil. The study looked at the impact on soil over two to five years and concluded that there […]
In Washington, DC, Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen issued a statement after meeting with President Trump, several members of his cabinet, a handful of senators, a number of ethanol and oil industry stakeholders, including RFA members, to discuss the Renewable Fuel Standard. The RFA statement said, “We appreciate that President Trump took […]
ABLC 2018 continued on March 2nd with as much drama and buzz as it did the day prior with a blustery day and heavy winds causing some flight cancellations and power outages in the D.C. area, but much like the biofuels industry, the Mayflower Hotel held up against the changing winds and kept the lights […]
