National 4-H participants had the opportunity to participate in a roundtable discussion hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) to discuss the role of #bioenergy in a global, sustainable energy system. The roundtable discussion included three key bioenergy areas: The potential of algal biofuels. Hydrogen production from biomass for use in fuel cells. Utilizing biogas …
Hungarian Delegates Visit Enginuity Worldwide
Missouri-based Enginuity Worldwide hosted a group of energy delegates from Hungary recently where they learned more about the company’s biotechnology efforts. The company has developed technology that turns local agriculture waste into renewable solid biomass fuel. The delegation was comprised of project developers, including Gabor Nagy, Andras Herozeg, Daniel Szollosi-Nagy, and Gabor Kaczmarczyk, who spent time assessing Enginuity’s patented rotary …
DOE Offers Bioenergy Funding Opportunities
The Bioenergy Technologies Office has announced a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled, “Project Definition for Pilot and Demonstration Scale Manufacturing of Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biopower (PD2B3).” The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) says the FOA will be officially issued in May 2016 on the EERE Exchange website. The funding opportunity is for technology development for the …
Penn State Harvests First Shrub Willow Crop
Researchers at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have completed the harvest of its first experimental crop of shrub willow. The intention of the biomass crop is for use to produce renewable energy and bio-based products. The 34 acres of the shrub willow is part of a five-year program called NEWBio one of seven regional projects of which the goal …
HCATT Sponsors Waste-to-Energy Demo
A waste-to-energy demonstration has kicked off on the campus of the Hawaii Air National Guard (HIANG). Sponsored by the High Technology Development Corporation’s (HTDC) Hawaii Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies (HCATT) the $6.8 million project showcases the efficacy of converting 10 tons of waste per day to electricity to generate a net 200 to 300 kW of baseload power using …
Biodico Seeking Summer Interns
Biodico is looking for 10 interns this summer for its facilities in Fresno and Ventura Counties, California. Four interns will be based at the company’s laboratory at Naval Base Ventura County at Port Hueneme, Calif., and six interns will be based at the company’s “Westside” facility in the San Joaquin Valley located at Red Rock Ranch in Five Points, Calif. …
Military Use of Biofuels Topic at BIO World Congress
Biofuel use and support will be a topic at the upcoming BIO World Congress. The Honorable Dennis McGinn, assistant secretary of the Navy, Energy, Installations & Environment, will be speaking about “Overcoming Challenges to Biorefinery Scale Up”. His remarks will take place Monday, April 18, 2016 at 4:30 pm. In 2009, under Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus established aggressive …
Sumitomo Invests in Cosan Biomassa
Sumitomo Corporation has signed a contract to acquire up to 20 percent of Cosan Biomassa, a producer of sugarcane pellets for power generation. With an eye on Asia’s need to reduce fossil fuel use and meet goals as set forth in the Climate Treaty last December, the partnership between Sumitomo and Cosan will focus on increasing exports to Japan and …
Federal Activities Report on Bioeconomy Released
USDA has released a new report, “Federal Activities Report on the Bioeconomy.” According to Dr. Catherine Woteki, the report was developed to create awareness of federal agency activities that are helping to develop and support the bioeconomy. The “bioeconomy” is an emerging part of the U.S. economy, says Woteki, that utilizes renewable biological resources to produce fuels, power and biobased …
USDA Highlights 2015 Energy Achievements
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has released a list of USDA’s top achievements in 2015 in the areas of trade, food security, conservation, energy, research, rural development, and more. “Even with challenges in 2015, including an unprecedented animal disease outbreak and lower commodity prices, America’s rural communities have proven once again that we are a nation of makers, creators and innovators, …