World ethanol supplies may hit a surplus next year, Brazil’s ethanol production and exports will be off due to wet weather, and biobutanol may be in the pipeline by 2013. That’s just a few of the highlights from F.O. Licht’s World Ethanol 2009 12th annual conference held this week in Paris, France. F.O. Licht managing director Christoph Berg told attendees …
Verenium and Syngenta Collaborate
Verenium Corporation has entered into a joint research collaboration with Syngenta AG of Switzerland. Under the agreement, Verenium gained additional exclusive rights to an array of proprietary biomolecules expressed microbially, as well as non-exclusive rights to the same biomolecules expressed through non-plant and non-microbial means. Syngenta will retain exclusive rights to the biomolecules expressed in plants, as well as nonexclusive …
World Ethanol Leaders Gather in Paris
F.O. Licht’s World Ethanol 2009 12th annual conference kicks off today in Paris, France where leaders in ethanol development around the world have gathered. The conference features perspectives on global ethanol development from industry leaders in countries such as the United States, Brazil, India, France, Germany, Demark, Belgium and Nigeria. Among the US representatives is Bob Dinneen, President and CEO …
Chevrolet VP Supports Biofuels in Rolling Stone
The latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine features an interview with Brent Dewar, vice president of Chevrolet Global, in an article titled “Detroit Goes Green.” In the article, Dewar is asked if biofuels will have a role to play in the future, and he answers: Absolutely. Biofuels have a large role to play in part because they displace the demand …
Iowa Behind National in Ethanol Use
Iowa is the top ethanol producing states, but it has dropped behind the national average when it comes to using the fuel. According to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA), that 71 percent of the gasoline sold in the state during September was 10 percent ethanol, compared to 80 percent for the average nationwide. “Iowa’s ethanol sales are lagging behind …
Cargill Buys Nebraska Ethanol Assets at Auction
Agribusiness giant Cargill acquired the rights to the land and grain handling assets of the incomplete Altra Nebraska ethanol facility in Carleton, Nebraska during an auction conducted by Maas Companies this week. Cargill will take possession of the assets effective November 4. Construction on the Altra facility began in 2006 and was approximately half complete in November 2007 when work …
Cellulosic Ethanol Firms Testify Before House Panel
Leading industries in the race to commercialize next generation biofuels told a House agriculture subcommittee hearing on Thursday that more funding and stable government policy are needed to do the job. “The current financial crisis has prevented venture capitalists and bankers from investing in many worthwhile investments,” BP Biofuels North America president Susan Ellerbusch testified. “The industry and investors must …
Next Gen Biofuels Hearing Today
The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research will hold a hearing today to review the future of next generation biofuels. Subcommittee chairman Tim Holden (D-PA) will preside over the hearing, which will include testimony from U.S. Department of Agriculture officials, as well as representatives from several companies involved in exploring new technologies and new feedstocks for biofuel …
Bioeconomy Conference to Focus on Biofuels Future
Land grant universities around the Midwest are joining together to hold simultaneous state conferences to discuss biofuels and the future of renewable energy. The 2009 Bio eConference – “Growing the Bioeconomy: Solutions for Sustainability” – will be held on December 1 through a network of co-host sites that will be “sharing content through high-speed communication systems to promote agriculturally-based sustainable …
Midwest States Support Ethanol and Biodiesel
The Midwest Legislative Conference of The Council of State Governments recently issued a series of policy resolutions supporting increased use of both ethanol and biodiesel, and specifically support ethanol blender pumps. The group also adopted resolutions calling for use of sound scientific methods when calculating carbon emissions. The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is pleased with all the resolutions, particularly …