A New York-based cellulosic sugar producer has received the 2013 Sustainable Biofuels Feedstock Process Award. Sweetwater Energy received the award at this year’s World Biofuels Markets and Bio-based Chemicals Conference currently being held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The award recognizes the most exciting new feedstock innovation in the development of truly sustainable and renewable fuel and chemical solutions in the …
Ethanol Groups Address RIN Misconceptions
The Advanced Ethanol Council (AEC) is working to stamp out RIN illiteracy, offering an education to the media on just what the compliance credits are and how they work under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). AEC sent a response entitled “RIN Credits for Dummies” to a recent Wall Street Journal editorial which argues higher prices for RIN compliance credits are …
ZeaChem Closer to Commercializing Cellulosic Ethanol
Cellulosic ethanol got a little closer to commercialization with an announcement today from ZeaChem, Inc. ZeaChem officials report they have produced commercial-grade cellulosic chemicals and ethanol at their 250,000 gallons per year (GPY) biorefinery in Boardman, Ore. “ZeaChem is developing the first truly-integrated biorefineries for the production of a broad portfolio of economical and sustainable biofuels and bio-based chemicals,” said …
Lignol Invests in Territory Biofuels Limited
Lignol Energy Corporation has announced that it has subscribed for convertible notes with a principal value of A$1.18 million issued by Territory Biofuels Limited and signed a Technology Collaboration Agreement that includes a package of technical and further assistance to aid in the restart of Territory Biofuels Limited 150 million litres per year biodiesel plant and glycerine refinery located in …
Organizing Enzymes to Create Electricity
Ian Wheeldon, an assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the University of California, Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering, has recently received a $360,000 grant to better organize enzymes on electrodes to create nanoscale devices that more efficiently convert the chemical energy of sugars and complex carbohydrates in to electricity. Wheeldon, who will receive the funding over three years, …
Ethanol Producers Respond to Market Conditions
Corn oil recovery is helping the bottom line of ethanol producers with tight margins, according to a new report from the Energy Information Administration. Beginning in summer 2012, the prices of ethanol and corn reached levels where production costs at relatively simple ethanol plants exceeded revenue. These simple plants, which are not able to recover corn oil, make up a …
Duckweed for Biofuels?
Duckweed may be a viable material for biofuel production according to a new report in ACS’ journal Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research. Duckweed is a fast growing floating plant that turns ponds and lakes green. Christodoulos A. Floudas, a professor at Princeton and Xin Xiao with Langfang Engineering and Technology Centre, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with …
Algal Based Biofuel Retail Pilot Successful
Propel Fuels and Solazyme have announced the results of their pilot retail program and over the 30 days consumers were given a choice to purchase biofuels produced from algae, they chose the algal-based biofuel. In a survey of users, consumers said they prefer its environmental benefits compared to conventional fuels; would purchase more of it if it was widely available …
How to Ensure Biofuel Crops Don’t Become Weeds
A Virginia Tech researcher, along with several others, have offered a way to ensure that plants grown for biofuels do not become an invasive weed. According to Jacob Barney, an assistance professor of plant pathology, physiology and weed science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, careful introduction of new species for production of more energy per acre is …
Fat Worms Play Role in Algal Biofuels
Fat worms confirm are playing a role in improved biofuel and animal feed production. Researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) have successfully engineered a plant with oily leaves, a feat that could improve biofuel production. The research was led by Christoph Benning, MSU professor of biochemistry and molecular biology along with a team from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. The …