The state of Arizona is providing $2 million to support research and development of alternative fuels, especially the development of algae into biofuels. KPHO-TV in Phoenix reports Gov. Jan Brewer made the announcement during this week’s Algal Biomass Organization’s national conference in Phoenix: “Our state has the potential to be a national and global leader in algae research and biotechnology, …
OriginOil Launches Service to Help Algae Oil Industry
California-based OriginOil, Inc. has launched a new service that lends the company’s expertise to other potential algae oil producers. The company announced its professional “expert services” at the recent National Algae Association meeting in Houston, Texas: “For the past three years, hundreds of large companies, entrepreneurs, development agencies and investors have asked for our help in launching their algae programs,” …
NREL Releases BioEnergy Mapping App
Want to know where are the biorefineries in the U.S. are located? There’s an app for that. The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) has released a new bioenergy mapping portal, BioEnergy Atlas, that identifies biomass feedstocks, then overlays that information with the ethanol and biodiesel facilities both on and off-line. You can also see map information for transportation infrastructure, power …
Mizzou to Host Forum on Biofuels, Food
Trying to figure out how to produce enough food and fuel to run America … sustainably … and how these issues are portrayed in the media will be the subject of “Food, Fuel & Society,” a free, interactive forum on Tuesday, October 12 from 8 am – 6 pm, hosted by the University of Missouri’s Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. …
Sustainable Oils Leads in Camelina Biojet Fuel
Bozeman, Montana-based Sustainable Oils is working toward an important goal. They are working to produce advanced biofuels using sustainable methods and feedstocks. One of their prime energy crops is camelina, which has a naturally high oil content and relatively low input costs (the crop needs little water or fertilizer and is suited well to grow on marginal land). It is …
Clean Energy Policy Under Fire by Big Oil & Friends
The Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF) has released a new analysis that concludes that Big Oil and other special interests have spent millions of dollars in lobbying and campaign contributions to defeat clean energy legislation. The study, “Dirty Money” found that the top 35 spending companies and trade associations, including oil, mining and electric utility, invested more than …
POET to Keynote at Wisconsin Bioenergy Summit
Next month, Wisconsin will host a summit to focus on the state’s future in bioenergy. The Wisconsin Bioenergy Summit, hosted by the Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative (WBI), will be held on October 14, 2010. This year’s event will focus on fueling Wisconsin’s future and will feature presentations from multidisciplinary university experts, state policymakers and innovators from the private sector. One of …
Alltech Buys Algae Fermenter for Biofuels
Kentucky-based Alltech Inc. has bought a $14 million state-of-the-art algae fermentation facility in Winchester, Kentucky from Martek Bioscience Corporation. This press release from the natural animal nutrition company says the facility will be used, in part, to make biofuels, including ethanol: “For Alltech, algae fermentation presents our latest technological platform from which we expect incredible opportunities in the areas of …
Hart Releases Global Biofuels Outlook Report
Despite the growing number of people who are calling for a global halt or scale back of biofuels development, global biofuel demand is still expected to grow. Biofuel use is projected to grow by 133 percent by 2020, primarily driven by government policies and renewable fuel mandates. However, despite the growing demand, the market is expected to be short by …
GRFA Calls UN FAO to Reveal ‘True Cost of Crude’
The Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN is preparing to hold a global meeting focusing on grains and rice in response to a recent surge in wheat prices and rising concerns of wheat shortages as a result of drought in the Russian Federation. In anticipation for biofuels to take the blame as a component of rising food prices, the …