A strain of bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli), engineered by researchers at Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory enables a “one-pot” method for producing advanced biofuels from a slurry of pre-treated plant material. The bacteria is able to tolerate the liquid salt used to break down plant biomass into sugar-based polymers. However, the salt solvent, called ionic liquids, interferes with later stages …
USDA, DOE Invest $10M in Green Energy Research
A joint venture has been forged between the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to help fund green energy research designed to develop more efficient biofuel production and agricultural feedstock improvements. The venture has been allocated $10 million from the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI). “Advancements …
Tequila Cazadores Uses Biomass to Produce Biofuels
Tequila CAZADORES, part of the Bacardi portfolio, is now using a biomass boiler to produce biofuels in the Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. Surrounded by spiky blue-leaved agave plants, they are used to make the liquid and power the distillery. The new boiler is 100 percent biomass fueled and the company says its a model of forward-thinking, eco-conscious ingenuity. The “waste” …
Ceres Receives Biotech Sugarcane Approval in Brazil
Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation has approved Ceres, Inc.’s biotech sugarcane for field testing. The company is now deploying plans to test its biomass and sugar yield and stress tolerance traits in multiple commercial sugarcane cultivars adapted specifically for various Brazilian sugarcane production areas. According to Ceres, field evaluations represent a critical stage in the development of biotech …
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 …
Clariant’s Sugarcane Bagasse Can Achieve Price Parity
Clariant has completed testing on more than 40 containers of sugarcane bagasse asnd tops and leaves from Brazil at its pilot facility in Germany on the feedstock conversion to cellulosic ethanol. The tests using the company’s sunliquid technology proved the cost per liter when including feedstock, conversion and depreciation produce a price competitive biofuel. “The process integrated on-site enzyme production …
2015 Sets Global Renewable Energy Record
According to new data released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), renewable generation capacity increased by 152 GW of 8.3 percent during 2015. This marks the highest global growth ever. Renewable Capacity Statistics 2016 finds that as of the end of 2015, 1,985 GW of renewable generation capacity existed globally. “Renewable energy deployment continues to surge in markets around …
Air Canada Joins Biojet Initiative
Air Canada is joining in Canada’s Biojet Supply Chain Initiative (CBSCI), a three year project with multiple partners to assimilate 400,000 litres of sustainable aviation into the shared fuel system. This is not the first entree of Air Canada in terms of biojet fuel. The airline has flown several biojet flights but the aviation fuel was segregated and loaded separately …
NexSteppe CEO Anna Rath Wins BIO Award
This year’s 2016 BIO Rosalind Franklin Award is being given to Anna Rath, CEO of NexSteppe. The award is given to an outstanding woman in the field of industrial biotechnology. According to the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), who presents the honor, Rath’s work led to a biotech breakthrough. Her research is focused on developing scalable and sustainable bioenergy feedstocks. The …