In Indiana, an article regarding the Midwest’s capability for producing grain sorghum was published in the journal Biofuels, Bioproducts, & Biorefining by researchers from Purdue, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the University of Illinois. The article argued that sorghum is more attractive to midwestern farmers for a number of reasons: the infrastructure and grain elevators […]
In North Carolina, Piedmont Biofuels will be opening its new FaESTER enzymatic biodiesel refinery on June 22. The plant was created as a result of a three-year, $1.2 million U.S. DOE Small Business Innovation and Research grant. Piedmont has been partnered with Novozymes since its inception. More on the story.
In Hawaii, the Hawaiian Electric Light Company has just signed a power purchase agreement with Hu Honua for the company to provide 2.1 megawatts of renewable energy to the island. The agreement, which will remain in place for 20 years, will supply about 10% of the island’s electricity needs. More on the story.
In Kentucky, Southeast Biofuels is promoting sweet sorghum in the Kentucky legislature as the Interim Joint Committee on Agriculture and Small Business meets. The company has had success recently, as it finished the first phase of a project which produced over a million gallons of ethanol from sweet sorghum. The company is currently working on […]
In Rio, ActionAid is taking a stand against biofuels. The organization, which was once in support of the industry, has made it clear that it will be lobbying against any type of sustainable development plans that include biofuels. Says the head of policy, Meredith Alexander, “ActionAid would like to see a recognition at Rio+20 that […]
In Denmark, China’s Shengquan Group has finalized a $100 million investment in a Chinese cellulosic ethanol project as the enzyme producer prepares to supply a Chinese plant with enzyme technology. The technology will use corncob xylose to produce furfural, which will later be developed into resin for the foundry industry. The investment was originally announced […]
In Germany, Evonik will likely cancel plans again for an initial public offering in June, says Reuters. The RAG Foundation, co-owners of Evonik, had initially hoped for a valuation at 15b euros in the IPO; they cited insufficient investor support and continued market volatility as reasons for the choice. The IPO would have been the […]
In Ohio, OSU’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) has received a $5.7 million grant from the DOE’s ARPA-E for a project that will boost the biodiesel capacity of guayule and sweet sorghum. The two feedstocks naturally produce farnesene, an oil which is easily converted to fuel; Chicago-based Chromatin Inc will be leading the […]
In Washington, the EPA is being sued jointly by the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) over cellulosic blending requirements in the RFS. The lawsuit, filed through the D.C. Circuit Court, comes after the EPA denied a petition filed by the two organizations and the American Petroleum Institute […]
In North Carolina, Chemtex will be involved in a project which the state is hoping will boost its ethanol industry and solve its pig-waste issue at the same time. The idea is to get a feedstock as hog farmers grow fuel plants on land used to absorb the nutrient-laden water from their waste-holding lagoons. The […]
