This week I read “Powering The Future,” by Daniel B. Botkin. I was motoring along learning about our current energy mix (fossil fuels, fossil fuels, fossil fuels) and then moved on to the section about alternative energy and his evaluation of the viability of wind and solar. Then I got to the biofuels section and this is where in most …
China on Fast Track for Celluosic Biofuel Production
Today COFCO, a leading producer and supplier of processed agricultural products, Sinopec, the world’s third largest oil refinery and Novozymes, the leader in biofuel enzyme development and production, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to take the next steps towards commercial production of cellulosic biofuels in China. As an element of the partnership, COFCO and Sinopec will build a cellulosic …
Clean Air Task Force Sues EPA Over RFS2
Earlier this year Big Oil sued the EPA over the biodiesel requirement in the RFS2. Today, the Clean Air Task Force, on behalf of environmental groups including Friends of the Earth, filed suit against the EPA claiming that RFS2 encourages the world to use more oil, which will cause more pollution, because America would be reducing its dependence through the …
Synthetic Cells Hold Biofuels Potential
Researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute yesterday announced the successful construction of the first self-replicating, synthetic bacterial cell, which could potentially have numerous applications – including the production of new biofuels, according to Synthetic Genomics (SGI). Specifically, they are talking about new algae-based biofuels, if the researchers can take the discovery to that next step. They are working on …
ILUC – One Consideration Too Many in Biofuel Regulation
In a recent article, “Indirect Land Use: One Consideration Too Many in Biofuel Regulation,” authors David Zilberman, a professor in UC Berkeley’s Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and assistant researcher Gal Hochman, along with Deepak Rajagopal, argue that indirect land use effects (ILUEs) should not be considered in current California and federal biofuels polices. The authors write, “…we will …
How to Spend BP’s Profits on Alt Energy Programs
The pressure continues to mount as BP attempts to ebb the flow of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. As of today, oil has reached Florida and now four states have been affected: Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi. BP has responded in part by offering $70 million to the four states to help promote tourism – an effort to offset …
AFVI Show in Full Swing
In their booth, Dresser Wayne is displaying a CNG dispenser, E85 fleet dispenser and a diesel exhaust fluid dispenser (see right). “It’s always a good opportunity to participate in a show like this to learn about about emerging opportunities relating to alternative fuels,” noted Dresser Wayne’s Director, Alternative Energy Products, Scott Negley. A “Ride-n-Drive” also took place today offering attendees …
BP Oil Spill Could Be Worst in US History
“I hope people use this opportunity to take a hard look at their own dependence on oil. I hope they look to find ways to kick their oil addiction as soon as possible and to elect leaders that help us do the same as a nation,” said John Abraham Powell, President of Get Oil Out (GOO), a non-profit organization dedicated …
Lufthansa to Fly on Biofuels by 2011
German airline Lufthansa is looking to start flying some of their jets on a mix of biofuel within the next couple of years. This story from Reuters says it’s a move to save money and cut greenhouse gas emissions: Lufthansa rival KLM, part of Franco-Dutch Air France, last year became the first airline to test biofuel in a passenger airplane, …
Biofuels Digest Names Top Twitterati
Biofuels Digest has named the top 20 “biofuels observers who are shaping opinion via Twitter.” Some of the top names in the industry are on this list that Biofuels Digest calls “the leading practitioners of the art – the Twitterati that are shaping the biofuels landscape with their bursts of 140-character or less messages – sometimes as many as 50 …