In Germany, Lufthansa has come under fire from environmental groups after it was revealed that their jet fuel is associated with from palm oil plantations lamed for rainforest destruction. Despite this setback, Lufthansa will be featured at the Avalon Air Show, which begins on Tuesday. The company flew nearly 1200 flights on the biofuel mix, […]
In South Dakota, the National Academy of Sciences has published a report on land conversion across the US Western Corn Belt (WCB) that warns about a persistent shift in land use, rather than “short-term variability in crop rotation patterns.” The report indicates that the “benefits of a biofuel industry based on perennial bioenergy crops, rather […]
In Canada, Ottawa’s government is formally shutting down the biofuels subsidy program that will have provided more than CAD $1.5B in subsidies to grain-based ethanol and biodiesel producers across the country. The letter announcing the decision cited the lack of production as the reason for the cuts: Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said that the […]
In Washington, Monsanto’s seed patent will appear before the Supreme Court tomorrow. The case addresses the ownership of seeds under patents, particularly whether the seed from the company’s Roundup Ready soybeans can be legally replanted— the financial implications on farmers and the biotech industry alike could be enormous. Said Cathy Enright, a representative from BIO, […]
In Iowa, Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy announced their Q1 FY2013 results, posting a net loss of $8M, compared to a net profit of $8M in Q1 of FY2012. Cash flow totaled just over $1M. Brian Cahill, SIRE’s General Manager and CEO, stated, “Our first quarter in Fiscal 2013 reflects the continuing margin compression resulting from […]
In Washington, Green Power has been given a six-month lease agreement for their port at Big Pasco Industrial Park after the company faced eviction for failure to pay rent on the leased bays. The CEO, Michael Spitzauer, guaranteed to the commissioners that the company’s waste-to-biofuel system has potential customers. Despite the company owing $20M to […]
In Zambia, India’s VayuGrid and BetterWorld Energy have signed an agreement to form a partnership for development zones in Zambia. ‘Zambia is going through a dramatic transformation as the country looks at economic diversification,’ said Doug Peterson, CEO of VayuGrid. ‘Our partnership with BetterWorld Energy will address the needs of sustainable energy in an ROI based […]
In Canada, Methes Energies has signed a contract to deliver 1.2M gallons of biodiesel to an unnamed U.S. client. The client has agreed to prepay upfront, and railcar delivery of the fuel will occur in the next several weeks. The biodiesel will be eligible to generate RINs. This deal represents the largest contract that the […]
In India, the Chandra Shekhar Azad University launched a two-day training program on “Integrated Development of Tree Borne Oilseed in Wasteland/degraded land.” During the launch, Professor MP Yadav indicated that the Indian government has recommended nearly 23 Lakh Jatropha plantations in the coming years. Additionally, the Planning Commission has already outlined a program with the […]
In Kansas, University of Kansas has tested a hydtrothermal liquefaction integrated wastewater algea-to-biocrude process for cultivating algal biomass. The study influenced liquefaction product distribution to yield a higher proportion of biochar, a valuable co-product. “HTL uses subcritical water as the chemical driving force to convert biomass to a carbon-rich biocrude. Using microalgal feedstocks, biocrude yields […]
