America’s growers are ready and willing to produce biomass for advanced biofuels and biopower and have the land to do so according to a survey released by Ceres, Inc. The survey of U.S. growers showed that 71 percent of respondents were very interested or interested in growing dedicated energy crops. In addition, 77 percent of the respondents said they had …
USDA Announces Biofuels Initiatives
As part of the Obama Administration’s effort to promote production of fuel from renewable sources, create jobs and mitigate the effects of climate change, Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a series of measures during a speech to the National Press Club in Washington. “Domestic production of renewable energy, including biofuels, is a national imperative and that’s why USDA is working …
Florida Waste to Biofuel Plant Progress
A Florida company has announced today that it is three permits closer to opening the BioEnergy Center, the first commercial waste to energy facility in the US. INEOS Bio’s first commercial project in the United States has secured key permits to build its waste to bioenergy facility in Indian River County, Florida. The BioEnergy Center will be developed entirely within …
New Algae Incubator Program Launches
The National Algae Association is launching a new Algae Production Incubator Program for qualified algaepreneurs. The program begins on October 1, 2010 and is considered the first Algae Production Incubator starting in the U.S. More specifically, it will be a new algae farming cooperative. For people and companies who are interested in developing algae for various markets including jet fuel, …
NREL Releases BioEnergy Mapping App
Want to know where are the biorefineries in the U.S. are located? There’s an app for that. The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) has released a new bioenergy mapping portal, BioEnergy Atlas, that identifies biomass feedstocks, then overlays that information with the ethanol and biodiesel facilities both on and off-line. You can also see map information for transportation infrastructure, power …
Sustainable Oils Leads in Camelina Biojet Fuel
Bozeman, Montana-based Sustainable Oils is working toward an important goal. They are working to produce advanced biofuels using sustainable methods and feedstocks. One of their prime energy crops is camelina, which has a naturally high oil content and relatively low input costs (the crop needs little water or fertilizer and is suited well to grow on marginal land). It is …
Federal Ag & Energy Depts. Team Up for Bioenergy
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy have teamed up to hand out some research awards to designed to improve and accelerate genetics in plants for bioenergy production. This USDA release says the announcement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Energy Secretary Steven Chu will make $8.9 million available: “Cost-effective, sustainable biofuels are crucial to building a clean energy economy,” …
Waste to Cellulosic Ethanol Project in Michigan
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm recently helped launch the new American Process Inc. (API) waste-to-cellulosic ethanol clean energy project in Alpena. API, in partnership with San Antonio’s Valero Energy Corporation, received $4 million from the Michigan bioenergy Centers of Energy Excellence (COEE) program to establish a pilot scale biorefinery at the Decorative Panels International hardwood plant in Alpena. The $4 million …
Senators Introduce Domestic Energy Bill
Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) introduced legislation yesterday that “focuses on developing and deploying safe, reliable domestically grown and produced energy.” According to the senators, the Securing America’s Future with Energy and Sustainable Technologies Act (SAFEST) establishes strong renewable energy and energy efficiency standards, incentives for developing biofuels and biofuel infrastructure, and targets for the availability of …
Ceres Develops First Salt Tolerant Energy Crop
Now this is interesting. I was reading earlier this morning in Cadillac Desert about how agriculture in many areas is suffering from water issues that include too much salt. The salt damages the soil, kills the crops and ultimately the land is taken out of production. Today, there are over one billion acres of cropland that have been abandoned around …