Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have discovered the key to converting sewage to biocrude oil. Using the technology that mimics the geological conditions the Earth uses to create crude oil, called hydrothermal liquefaction, coupled with high pressure and high temperatures, crude oil can be produced in minutes. The resulting product is similar to …
NREL Scientists Discover Bacteria to Biofuels Breakthrough
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have discovered a metabolic pathway that take up CO2 and is then capable of breaking down and fermenting cellulosic biomass to produce biofuels, hydrogen and hydrocarbons. The specific bacteria is Clostridium thermocellum and is among the most efficient bacteria in directly converting cellulosic materials into hydrogen and hydrocarbons …
Researchers Turning Waste Into Wealth
EPFL chemists have discovered that adding formaldehyde to lignin could turn waste, such as he molecules found in wood, into wealth. Biomass may hold a key to meeting future energy needs – it’s sugars can be turned into biofuels and other bioproducts. But until now a barrier to efficient production has been the plant’s lignin. Scientists have now turned the …
Neste Renewable Diesel to Power City of San Diego
Neste’s renewable diesel is now helping to power the city of San Diego, California. The city is using the biofuel in its vehicle fleet that includes service trucks, refuse packers, dump trucks, construction equipment and street sweepers among other vehicles. “Air quality is a significant concern in many cities around the world today. Neste offers a drop-in solution for instantly …
REG to Increase Ralston, IA Biorefinery to 30M Gallons
Renewable Energy Group (REG) has announced it is increasing the annual capacity of its Ralston, IA biodiesel plant to 30 million gallons. Once the company’s largest biodiesel facility at 12 million gallons per year, over time it became REG’s smallest nameplate capacity. When the plant was built in 2001, it was a division of West Central Cooperative, now Landus Corporation. …
Minnesota Student #Biodiesel Contest Adds Video
Students looking for a little help with continuing education costs should look to biodiesel. The Clean Air Choice® Biodiesel Scholarship contest offers high school seniors awards to help with college. Now in the eighth year of the program, students may submit a short video of three minutes or less or a brief essay of 1,000 words or less about biodiesel …
Missouri Governor Authorizes Biodiesel Fund
Missouri soybean farmers will finally be receiving a portion of payments for their biodiesel under the Missouri Qualified Biodiesel Producer Incentive Fund. Governor Nixon has released $3 million to reduce the amount of $9.6 million currently owed to Missouri farmers who invested in biodiesel more than a decade ago through the fund. In response, The Missouri Soybean Association (MSA) along …
NBB Reinforces Need for Biodiesel Tax Incentive
The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is reinforcing the need once again for the biodiesel tax incentive. On behalf of America’s biodiesel producers, the association sent a letter to House and Senate tax committee leaders urging the extension of the incentive prior to its expiration on December 31, 2016. “We strongly urge you to extend the biodiesel tax credit and take …
Researchers Create Better Algae Oil Producers
Researchers have discovered a way to make algae better oil producers without sacrificing growth. The team, led by James Umen, Ph.D., associate member at Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, found a mutation in the green alga Chlamydomonas that substantially removes a constraint that is widely observed in micro-algae where the highest yields of oil can only be obtained from starving …
New IRENA Report Looks at Future of #Biofuels
IRENA has released the second report in it’s Innovation Outlook series called, “Innovation Outlook: Advanced Liquid Biofuels. The report looks at the global outlook future for liquid biofuel technology. According to IRENA, advanced biofuels can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 to 95 percent as compared to fossil fuels. This, said the agency, puts biofuels in the position as the …