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 …
Sea Green Project Accelerates Algae for Aviation
Renewable aviation fuel was a hot topic during the recent Aviation and Environment Summit in Geneva. During the event, the Sustainable Use of Renewable Fuels (SURF) consortium was announced with the intention of accelerating algae for aviation fuel. SURF was developed to support Cranfield University’s Sea Green project that will harvest algae to produce jet fuel at commercial scale. SURF …
Algae Biofuels Focus of Session at Delaware Conference
Just got a quick note from my friend Tamra Fakhoorian with the National Algae Association letting me know that she will be one of the speakers at the 2010 Energy & Sustainability Conference Sept. 23-25 at the Trabant Center in Newark, Delaware. Tamra will be presenting on Thursday afternoon during the Carbon Abatement session of the conference with a talk …
Republican Takeover Could Signal Change for Biofuels
If Republicans take control of Congress in the upcoming November election, we could see a shift back to making renewable energy a priority. In this Biofuels Digest article, Brent Erickson, executive vice president for the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s (BIO) Industrial and Environmental Section, says he has been disappointed in President Obama’s and Democratic leadership in Congress’ lack of interest in …
Friends of the Earth: Africa up for Grabs
Friends of the Earth International (FOE) has released a report about Africa’s move to produce biofuels to help meet the global needs of renewable energy. “Africa, up for grabs: the scale and impact of land grabbing for agrofuels” looked at 11 African countries and found that five million hectares of land, or an area the size of Denmark, is being …