A visit to a Nebraska enzyme plant last week by a top-ranking Department of Energy helped showcase the development of enzyme technology for advanced biofuels. Department of Energy (DOE) Senior Advisor Peter Gage visited with Novozymes North American President Adam Monroe at the company’s new enzyme plant in Blair, Nebraska to emphasize the need for energy programs touted in the …
All About Algae Website Launched
It’s everything you ever wanted to know about algae but were afraid to ask. The Algal Biomass Organization (ABO) has a new website designed to showcase the potential of algae-based products to provide sustainable and scalable sources of food, energy and fuel. AllAboutAlgae.com was developed in cooperation with the National Biodiesel Board and provides information, videos and photos all about …
App for National Ethanol Conference
The 17th annual National Ethanol Conference is just around the corner, February 22-24 in Orlando, but those who are registered can start networking with fellow attendees now through the NEC mobile app. NEC Connect provides access to the online social networking community designed specifically for the NEC, allowing attendees to design their own profile, link other social networking sites to …
Energy Tax Breaks Wiki
A new wiki was launched recently to provide information about tax breaks for different sectors of the energy industry – from coal, oil and gas to wind, solar and biofuels. The Energy Tax Breaks Wiki is designed to gather the collective knowledge of lawyers, economists and tax professionals to provide a more accurate picture of all energy-related subsidies, according to …
Pioneer Studies Residue Removal for Cellulosic Ethanol
DuPont businesses Pioneer Hi-Bred and DuPont Industrial Biosciences are collaborating with Iowa State University in performing studies on residue to establish best practices in harvesting, storage and transportation, with an eye toward its use in cellulosic ethanol production in the near future. Agronomic benefits of residue removal include preventing stand establishment concerns in the following crop and avoiding nitrogen tie-up …
Aventine Resumes Work on Illinois Ethanol Plant
Aventine Renewable Energy plans to resume work next month on its ethanol plant located in Canton, Illinois. In September 2011, Aventine announced it was delaying work on the plant due to uncertainty surrounding its ability to secure critical third-party technical and engineering support. Since that time, the company has secured the support necessary to move the project forward and now …
Australia Ethanol Firm Gets Sustainable Certification
An Australian ethanol producer has received the first completed commercial certification from the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB). The Manildra Group, through its subsidiary Shoalhaven Starches Pty Ltd, produces bioethanol from starchy wastewater generated by their wheat processing facility in New South Wales, Australia. The RSB certification means that “Manildra offers tangible evidence that sustainable biofuels may be efficiently and …
Breakthrough Could Make Fuel Cells More Efficient
A breakthrough by chemists at the University of California-Berkeley could have a profound impact on the growing market for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. In an article appearing this week in the journal Science, UC Berkeley chemists show how to construct a catalyst composed only of edges and demonstrate that it can catalyze the production of hydrogen from water as readily …
Corn Grower Ethanol Committee Explores Future
The Ethanol Committee of the National Corn Growers Association met in Kansas City this past week week to consider the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. “The market for ethanol has grown exponentially over the past decade, thus utilizing an abundance of corn to meet the already-present need for a renewable, domestic biofuel,” said Chad Willis, a Minnesota corn grower …
RFA Calls E15 Bill Another Stall Tactic
The president of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is calling a bill approved by a House subcommittee Tuesday yet another stall tactic to the use of higher ethanol blends in fuel. RFA’s Bob Dinneen says the legislation sponsored by Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) injects “parochial politics into the scientifically established process of approving new fuels.” “In approving E15, the Department …