I recently wrote about the potential of energy crops for biofuels, but there are many more opportunities including the biofuels value of planting winter crops or double crops. Last week during the AG CONNECT Expo, I spoke with Dr. Tom Richard, associate professor with Pennsylvania State University, who discussed the opportunities for biofuels and agriculture through the planting and harvesting …
How to Create Effective Biofuels Public Policy
One of the biggest challenges for our country lies in the issue of how to create effective public policies that will grow the biofuels industry and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Dr. Antonio Bento, associate professor in the Applied Economics and Management Program at Cornell University, has been researching exactly how to do this and he shared his results …
Joule Biotechnologies Secures Solar Fuel Site
Joule Biotechnologies announced today that they have signed a lease agreement to build its first pilot plant to be located in Leander, Texas. The plant will be the testing ground to further develop and test its transformative system for the production of renewable solar fuels and is expected to be online within the first half of 2010. The site was …
Global Ethanol Plant to Use GreenShift Technology
Global Ethanol recently received the rights to use new corn oil extraction technologies at a 100 million gallon ethanol plant in Lakota, Iowa. The technology, patented by GreenShift Corporation allows first generation corn ethanol plants to tap into the existing reserve of inedible crude corn oil with an estimated industry-wide output of about 20 million barrels per year. This corn …
Kinder Morgan Energy Buys Three Ethanol Terminals
It an effort to turn-around its struggling renewable fuels operations, Kinder Morgan Energy Partners has agreed to purchase three ethanol terminals for nearly $195 million in a joint venture with U.S. Development Group as reported by the Wall Street Journal. Kinder Morgan Energy has more than 28,000 miles of pipelines and 170 terminals and estimates that with this new deal, …
Biomass to Provide Power for Algae Biodiesel Plant
An algae-biodiesel plant in Alabama will be powered by biomass. This press release posted on CNNMoney.com says Nevada-based Energy Quest, Inc. will build a turn key biomass (wood waste) to power/algae energy plant producing 26.8 megawatt (24 net) of power in Piedmont, Alabama: The attached Algae biodiesel plant will produce a clean and efficient fuel that can be used in …
Iowa State Gets $8 Mil for Advanced Biofuels Research
Iowa State University will get $8 million of a $78 million U.S. Department of Energy grant to research and develop advanced biofuels. This press release from the school says two teams will share the funds: Victor Lin – professor of chemistry, director of the Institute for Physical Research and Technology’s Center for Catalysis at Iowa State and chief technologist and …
Loss of Biodiesel Incentive Costs Farmers, Consumers
Biodiesel producers aren’t the only ones who are being hit by the loss of the federal $1-a-gallon tax incentive. This story from Agriculture Online says farmers and consumers are also being hurt: Ohio Soybean Association president Jeff Wuebker estimates that failure to renew the tax credit, which expired at the end of 2009, will cost him about $12.50 an acre …
Could Salicornia Be a New Wonder Feedstock?
On the Eve of the World Future Energy Summit, which began today in Abu Dhabi, the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Honeywell UOP, Boeing and Ethiad Airways announced a project that would study how to combine fish farms and biofuel crops to lower CO2, reduce ocean waste and produce renewable jet fuel. The star feedstock? Salicornia. Salicornia, also known …
DF Cast: Bring a Friend to the Biodiesel Conference
The 2010 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo is just around the corner, going on February 7-10 just outside of Dallas at the Grapevine Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, and you’ll be able to bring a friend for free. CEO of the National Biodiesel Board Joe Jobe says, with federal legislation and rules pending, this is an event anyone in …