Students across the country recently had a chance to have a blast with biofuels. The 4-H National Youth Science Day taught kids some of the basics of the green fuels. This story from KSFX-TV in Springfield, Missouri says a University of Missouri chemistry lab played host to one such group of students looking to the future of renewable energy: With …
Novozymes Responds to Science, Indirect Land Use Debate
The Science magazine article that was published last week and co-authored by Tim Searchinger, a lawyer, has added another level of controversy to the indirect land use change (ILUC) debate. The article suggested the land use effects of fuel produced from various forms of biomass were miscalculated, in part, because they cause deforestation around the world as land is cleared …
Energy Reform? Then Don’t Follow California.
Many states look to California to set the stage for environmental and energy reform. They passed the first greenhouse gas emissions legislation. They passed the Low Carbon Fuel Standard. But not so fast. They are bankrupt. They still have some of the worst air pollution in the country. They still have “brownouts” when it rains. Let me give you an …
Future is Today for Five Producing Algae Biofuels
While I know we’ve talked about the promise of algae-based biofuels, especially biodiesel, many of you have pointed in derision to the seemingly always present caveat: in about five years… the amount of time the ideas seem to take until they’re ready for the street. But there are some companies that are not still five years away from making algae …
IEA: Global Biofuel Production to Rise Big by 2012
Biodiesel production worldwide has risen by 10 times over the last eight years and could double again in just two more years, while global ethanol production has more than tripled over the same time period and could jump by another 50 percent by the year 2012. Farmers Weekly Interactive reports a new report from the International Energy Agency says biodiesel …
Algae to be Focus of BIO’s Pacific Rim Summit
Leading researchers and companies looking to turn algae into biofuels will meet in Hawaii next month to talk about progress and challenges with the green-slime-into-green-fuel process. The Biotechnology Industry Organization’s (BIO) 2009 Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy will be held Nov. 8-11, 2009 in Honolulu: Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO’s Industrial and Environmental Section, said, …
Chief of United Says Airlines Open to Alternatives
The head of United Airlines says commercial airlines and military aircraft in the U.S. are ready to make a long-term commitment to alternative fuels. Reuters reports that Glenn Tilton, the chief executive officer of UAL Corp and its United Airlines unit, says because of the tight economic times the industry is facing, the commitment would have to come after the …
Company Retrofitting Ethanol Plants for Biobutanol
A Colorado-based company is working to develop a fleet of biorefineries based on retrofitting existing ethanol plants to produce biobutanol. Last week, Gevo, Inc. announced the start up of the first biobutanol demonstration plant designed from retrofitting an existing demonstration scale ethanol plant in St. Joseph, Missouri. The company is using the plant to demonstrate the viability of its technology …
Air Force, Navy On Track to Use Biofuels
U.S. Air Force and Navy pilots could soon be flying on renewable fuels, specifically, biodiesel made from camelina and algae. Aviation Week reports that the Air Force is working on certification for its planes to use synthetic Fisher-Tropsch (F-T) fuel by 2011 and also is launching a similar certification for hydrotreated renewable jet (HRJ) biofuels: “We have a certification schedule …
Farm Foundation Announces 30-Year Challenge Winners
The ag policy think tank known as Farm Foundation has announced the winners of its competition to look for long-term solutions to the major questions of how to provide food, feed, fiber and fuel to a growing world, and biofuels are the subjects of at least two of the winners. Last December, Farm Foundation announced its 30-Year Challenge report that …