Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Principal Investigator Ivan Baxter is leading a new $16 million multi-institutional project on understanding of water use efficiency in sorghum as a bioenergy crop. “To be economically viable and have environmental benefits, crops used for bioenergy production need to be grown where the supply of water is insufficient or too inconsistent to support production of …
Advanced Biofuels USA Announces Essay Contest
Advanced Biofuels USA has announced a new essay competition on the question “How can Advanced Biofuels become a Transformative Source for US Transportation?” “We think the young people of the world have some great ideas and we think all people, and especially decision makers, should know about them. That’s why we’re sponsoring an essay competition for all people on the …
National Labs Find Sugars Key for Biofuels Feedstocks
Researchers are finding that sugar content is as important as size when it comes to producing biofuels from woody biomass. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), have been studying the size and growth rate of trees, as well as the amount of sugars that can be produced from …
Job Growth in Biofuels Continues
Job growth in the biofuels sector continued last year, according to the 2019 Clean Jobs America analysis of energy jobs data by the national nonpartisan business group E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs). The report found that nearly every U.S. state saw an increase in clean energy jobs in 2018, combining to add about 110,000 net new jobs for a growth rate of …
Purdue Tackles Biorefinery Blockage Issues
A team led by Purdue University scientists is receiving a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office to solve the problem of biomass flow for biorefineries. Lignocellulosic biomass, often made up of materials such as corn stover and soybean hulls, often accumulates and compacts while moving through augers, forcing costly shutdowns for cleaning and repairs. …
Corn Stover Could Generate Electricity
Two new studies show that generating energy from corn stover biomass could create a new market for farmers and increase the value of ethanol by reducing its overall carbon footprint. The studies are based on the premise that the crop residue left behind in the fields after corn to be used for ethanol is harvested. Iowa-based Regional Strategic, Ltd. examined …
Iowa Energy Plan Unveiled
Iowa Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds today unveiled the Iowa Energy Plan, which “assesses current and future energy supply and demand, examines energy policies and programs and identifies emerging challenges and opportunities.” “Iowa is a leader in biofuels and renewable energy,” said Lt. Governor Reynolds. “That leadership was achieved because of thoughtful planning. Creating a statewide energy plan will keep Iowa …
Sweden Releases Climate Roadmap 2050
Sweden has unveiled its Climate Roadmap – the country’s plan to help meet the EU initiative Roadmap 2050 for climate, transportation and energy. One key area to meet these goals, finds the plan, is the bio-based economy. For Sweden, its forest and forestry sector will play a major role in this emerging bio-based economy through more sustainable forest management, its …
#Algae Food & Fuel Can Reduce GHG Emissions
New research has found that using microalgae to produce food and biofuel can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The study was led by Michael J. Walsh, a research fellow in Bentley University’s Center for Integration of Science and Industry, and found that algal food and fuel coproduction can help to improve both land and water-use efficiency while reducing GHG …
Research Develops Cold Tolerant #Bioenergy Grass
University of Illinois agronomist D.K. Lee has developed a bioenergy grass that is tolerant to freezing. Current bioenergy crops such as Miscanthus and switchgrass grown in the Midwest are prone to freezing. When Lee discovered one morning in Mid-April that the only grass not frozen was prairie cordgrass he and his team began to research what molecular changes keep cordgrass, …