A European research and development (R&D) consortium is seeking to develop an algal biorefinery. The three-year project, estimated to cost 1.4 million euros, of which 65 percent is being provided by ERDF funds, is a partnership of six organizations in the Basque Autonomous Community including Navarre and France -NEIKER-Tecnalia, National Centre of Renewable Energies (CENER), Tecnalia Research & Innovation, Association …
DuPont Launches OPTIMASH Biogas Enzyme
DuPont Industrial Biosciences has launched a new enzyme for the biogas industry to enable biomethane producers to improve biogas yields and process robustness – OPTIMASH AD-100. The company said the product should ultimately increase their revenue and profitability. DuPont says the enzyme has been shown to produce up to a 13 percent increase in biogas yields in anaerobic digesters. The …
U.S. Toyota Makes Cars with ‘Green’ Gas
Toyota will soon be manufacturing cars with “green” gas. The company announced its efforts to nearly eliminate all CO2 emissions from its factories and vehicles and will achieve this, in part, with electricity produced from methane. The “green” gas, also known in some instances as renewable natural gas, is a byproduct of trash decomposition from the nearby Central Kentucky Landfill. …
CNH Industrial, Fiat at First Ever ‘Biomethane Day’
Ag and construction equipment maker CNH Industrial and Italy’s Fiat Chrysler Automobiles were part of the first ever “Biomethane Day.” This CNH news release says the two attended the meeting organized by the Italian Biogas Consortium (CIB), Assogasmetano and NGV Italy in partnership with CNH Industrial and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, near Verona, Italy to highlight the potential of biomethane in …
All They Want for Christmas Is a Biogas Generator
Franklin, Vermont farmers Denna and Mike Benjamin were heading into the holidays with a big wish: natural gas to start their anaerobic digester to convert the methane fro their cows’ manure to electricity. The project was partially funded by a federal grant, and if the digester was not operating by year’s end they would lose a major portion of the …
Chasing Methane Advocates at Iowa Capitol
There is no age requirement to be an advocate for the environment. During the recent Iowa Wind Energy Day, five young advocates from Chasing Methane, ranging in age from 11 to 13, came to the Iowa Capitol to encourage people to support food waste composting. Why? As Joey Titus, a 7th grader at Southeast Junior High in Iowa City, Iowa …
USDA Funds 244 Agribusiness Projects
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the funding for 244 projects across the United States that are focused on helping agricultural producers and rural small businesses. The projects will help to lower energy consumption and costs using renewable technologies. The funding is part of USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). “As part of President Obama’s “all of the above” energy strategy, …
Nevada Opens New Gas-to-Energy Plant
Waste Management has opened another gas-to-energy power plant in northern Nevada at its Lockwood Landfill. The landfill gas will be captured and converted to electricity – enough to power more than 1,800 homes. Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval was on hand at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the first of its kind of project in the state. When organic materials break …
Sweetwater Energy & BioGasol Partner for Bioproducts
Rochester, New York based Sweetwater Energy and BioGasol ApS, a Danish biotechnology company, have entered into a strategic partnership to improve sugar extraction from biomass. Sweetwater is a cellulosic sugar manufacturer and will use BioGasol’s pretreatment technology, Carbofrac, as part of an overall technological solution to increase the amount of sugar extracted from plant-based feedstocks. “We’re very excited about this …
Farm Foundation Hosts Renewable Energy Webinar
The use of anaerobic digesters for livestock operations in the Southwest is the focus of the Renewable Energy Education Field Day webinar planned for later this month. The webinar will be presented on Wednesday October 26 and will examine technical, environmental and financial factors to consider when installing an anaerobic digester on a livestock operation and specifically the use of …