How do we make the biofuels and bioproduct industry sustainable? This question is answered in the lastest “quick brief” published by Advanced Biofuels USA. According to the paper, the key is the development of low cost, decentralized biomass to biofuel production systems that can economically increase the travel distance of biomass. It is also important to make biomass available year …
Virent and Virdia Make Jet Fuel From Trees
Under a joint energy project, Virent and Virdia (formerly HCL CleanTech) this week announced the successful conversion of cellulosic pine tree sugars to drop-in hydrocarbon fuels. The development is part of the BIRD Energy project, a joint program started in January 2011 and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Israeli Ministry of National Infrastructure and the BIRD Foundation. …
New Funding For Biomass Research & Development
Yesterday in conjunction with Presidenta Obama’s visit to Ohio State University to discuss the administration’s strategy for American energy, he announced $35 million in new federal funding over the next three years for biomass research and development. The project is funded by the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) and will focus on the development of advanced biofuels, bioenergy and …
Cool Planet BioFuels Has Breakthrough in Production
Cool Planet BioFuels has made a major breakthrough in converting biomass to gasoline. Using giant miscanthus, an advanced bioenergy crop, the company achieved 4,000 gallons/acre biomass to gasoline conversion in pilot testing. Gasoline has about one and a half times the energy of ethanol, so this is about twelve times more yield than current corn ethanol production levels. According to …
Company Developing Drop-In Fuel From Biomass
A New Jersey-based company is developing renewable drop-in gasoline from biomass. Primus Green Energy reports that the first sample of renewable drop-in gasoline has been produced through the company’s proprietary combination of biomass conversion technologies. The technique “transforms herbaceous and woody biomass, in conjunction with natural gas, into high-octane gasoline.” According to Primus, the gasoline produced from the technology is …
USDA Funds Two Renewable Energy Programs
Two key programs that will encourage the use of renewable biomass and production of advanced biofuels is available through the FY 2012 USDA budget, according to the Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. About $25 million will be made available through each program. First, the Repowering Assistance Program provides approximately $25 million in funding to biorefineries that have been in existence on …
ZeaChem Completes Core Facility at Oregon Biorefinery
ZeaChem Inc., a developer of biorefineries for the conversion of renewable biomass into sustainable fuels and chemicals, has completed construction and begun operations of the core facility for its new integrated demonstration biorefinery in Boardman, Oregon. The core facility will produce the intermediate chemicals acetic acid and ethyl acetate, which are high-value products for applications including paints, lacquers and solvents. …
DuPont and NexSteppe Team for New Bio Feedstocks
Two companies have teamed up to develop advanced feedstocks for biofuels, biopower and biobased products. The collaboration between DuPont and the bio-based firm NexSteppe will be working on new feedstocks for renewable energy, including sweet sorghum and high biomass sorghum hybrids. Under the agreement, DuPont has made an equity investment in NexSteppe, and through its Pioneer Hi-Bred business, will provide …
BASF Invests in Cellulosic Sugar Company
Global chemical giant BASF has invested $30 million in a Pennsylvania-based company that has developed a process to produce cellulosic sugars for renewable chemicals and biofuels. BASF, through subsidiary BASF Biorenewable Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG led a $50 million financing round in the technology firm Renmatix Inc. Renmatix has developed the patented Plantrose™ platform whereby industrial sugar can be …
Biodiesel Consulting Group Expands
Biodiesel consulting firm Lee Enterprises of Little Rock, Ark., has announced plans for expansion in 2012 into ethanol, biomass, wind, solar and geothermal, and the addition of consultants and strategic partners. “We are currently the world’s largest biodiesel consulting group, and most of our consultants and strategic partners are already very involved in the other alternative fuels,” said principal owner …