In Washington, while the debate over using crops for fuel continues, scientists are now reporting a new, fast approach to develop biofuel in a way that doesn’t require removing valuable farmland from the food production chain. Their work examining the fuel-producing potential of Streptomyces, a soil bacterium known for making antibiotics, appears in ACS’ The […]
In California, gasoline-like fuels can be made from cellulosic materials such as farm and forestry waste using a new process invented by chemists at the University of California, Davis. The process could open up new markets for plant-based fuels, beyond existing diesel substitutes. The feedstock for the new process is levulinic acid, which can be […]
In the UK, the Wales Centre of Excellence for Anaerobic Digestion (the AD Centre), part of the Sustainable Environment Research Centre based at the University of South Wales has been awarded £889,000 by the Welsh Government’s A4B project to deliver a Knowledge Transfer Centre in Advanced Anaerobic Processes and Biogas Systems. The project builds on the […]
In Iowa, Iowa’s ethanol industry increased in output last year with 41 operating ethanol plants producing 3.8 billion gallons, according to data from an economic impact study recently released by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. The industry in Iowa accounted for nearly $5.6 billion last year, constituting 4% of Iowa’s GDP. According to the data, […]
In New York state, wastewater treatment lagoons have the potential to serve as a local energy source, according to a Clarkson University doctoral student. Stefanie Kring, an environmental science and engineering Ph.D. student, has discovered the potential biofuel content of microbes that live in local wastewater treatment lagoons. Kring regularly visited the Canton, N.Y., aerated […]
In Germany, Mercedes is running a pilot test with Clariant and Haltermann to test sunliquid20, fuel which is blended with 20% cellulosic ethanol. The 12-month trial will be focused around Stuttgart-Untertürkheim where there will be a pump supplying the fuel. Clariant’s demo plant is currently producing ethanol from 4,500 metric tons of agricultural residues per […]
In Germany, Verbio’s methane from straw project has now officially been launched, following the execution of the grant agreement by Andreas Schütte, managing director of the FNR, and Oliver Lüdtke, chief operating officer of Verbio. It is intended that biomethane produced entirely from straw will be fed-in at the VERBIO plant in Schwedt in the […]
“I’m not a bacterium, I’m a one-celled Clooney.” Mike tweets: “Should I visit NREL? My fear? They’ll modify me into the Carrot Top of biofuels. Astaxanthin = carotenoid = high margins = modification = yikes.” Has Mike visited your project lately? Tweet your photos with Mike at #MikeRobeDigest, then see them in the Digest.
In Illinois, researchers at the University of Illinois have determined that an increase in second-generation biofuel feedstock production can have an impact on the lifecycles of mosquitos that carry diseases such as malaria. The changes come from how the crops alter the chemical composition of the water in which the mosquitos lay their eggs. The […]
In Iowa, the RFS requirements originally intended for 2014 represent feasible production numbers in the United States, according to a study by Informa Economics, rendering the EPA’s proposal to reduce RFS blending requirements unnecessary. The study illustrates how expanded consumption of E85 and E15 can push consumption above the blend wall, arguing that ethanol consumption […]
