A biofuels researcher at UC Davis has been selected for a national career award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The early career development award was given to Tina Jeoh, a UC Davis assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering. The award is worth $407,573 over five years and will support Jeoh’s studies of how microbial enzymes break down plant …
Canadian Farmers Release Biofuels Report
The Grain Farmers of Ontario have proclaimed that the food versus fuel debate should be over with the release of a new report that says farmers can serve both markets. The study on “Effects of Biofuels and Bioproducts on the Environment, Crop and Food Prices and World Hunger” they say “should put an end to the ongoing debate of whether …
Book Review – World On The Edge
I spent Earth Day 30,000 feet up and I must admit that there was a tiny part of me that felt guilty. So to make myself feel better, I read “World On The Edge,” by Lester Brown. The book focuses on how to prevent environmental and economic collapse and operates on the assumption that it’s not “if” global warming will …
Recovering Waste Can Improve Plant Profits
According to POET, the largest producer of ethanol in the U.S., recovering waste heat can improve a plant’s bottom line. The company has been testing a new waste heat recovery system at POET Biorefining – Caro and the results have been good: significant natural gas and water savings. The plant produces 53 million gallons per year of ethanol. The plant’s …
How to Decrease Algae Culture “Crashes”
Arizona State University through a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is studying the factors involved in algal crop failure known as culture “crashes.” Grazing zooplankton are considered predators to algae and can cause loss of productivity. According to scientist Qiang Hu and his research team, except for a few algal strains that can tolerate extreme …
International Energy Agency Supports Biofuels Roadmap
Biofuels can provide up to 27% of world transportation fuel by 2050, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). The report says that “the widespread deployment of biofuels can play an important role in reducing CO2 emissions in the transport sector and enhancing energy security, when produced sustainably.” With the transportation sector growing considerably, and demand …
Rural America Will Provide Energy Solutions
There are advanced biofuels on the horizon and one such fuel will be algae fuels produced from the waste streams of a first generation corn-ethanol plant. In the future, many believe that more co-located biofuel refineries are on the way and the model will be the Green Plains Renewable Energy (GPRE) / BioProcess Algae plants. BioProcess Algae is in the …
Military Will Buy Biofuels But Won’t Drive Market
The U.S. military plans to up its share of biofuels, including biodiesel and ethanol, by nearly a billion gallons over the next few years. But this article from Biofuels Digest says officials warn that won’t be enough to be the sole driver in the market: Mark Iden of the Defense Logistics Agency confirmed that the US government proposed to purchase …
Twin Cities Clean City Coalition Top Gas Use Reducer
The U.S. Department of Energy has released a national ranking of Clean Cities programs that have had the most impact in the reduction of gasoline use. At the top of the list is the Saint-Paul-based Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition. The group has been instrumental in a reduction of 135,175,133 cumulative gallons of gas displaced between 2005-2009. The release was …
BIO Releases Policy White Paper
The Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference is underway in Washington, D.C. and more than 400 senior level executives are in attendance to learn more about the trends in the advanced biofuels industry. During the Conference, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) released a new policy white paper that determined the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) provides both stable market support and a pricing …