As a biofuels plant, how do you make sound plant management and investment decisions in an environment of political turmoil? This was the theme of one of the panel discussions during the 2014 National Advanced Biofuels Conference that took place in Minnesota this week. The conversation focused on how the uncertainty surrounding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that has not …
State of the Advanced Biofuels Industry
The National Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo opened with a conversation about the current state of important federal biofuels policies, including the status of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Among those on the opening panel was Michael McAdams, founder and president of the Advanced Biofuels Association, who talked first about the state of his industry. “There’s an old expression ‘you’re …
Is there Enough Feedstock for Gen 2 Ethanol?
Last week Biofuels Digest Editor Jim Lane posed the question: Is there really enough affordable feedstock for the second generation ethanol wave? According to Robert Kozak of Atlantic Biomass Conversions an co-founder of Advanced Biofuels USA, “Yes, if we realistically address the financial realities of feedstock producers and feedstock buyers.” He reviewed the current weaknesses in current biomass development philosophy …
Tide Detergent Cleaning up with Cellulosic Ethanol
A new use for cellulosic ethanol has been announced by DuPont and Procter & Gamble. The two global leaders in science and consumer products are planning to a first-of-its-kind use of cellulosic ethanol in North American Tide® laundry detergent. Tide Cold Water will be the first brand in the world to blend cellulosic ethanol in a scalable and commercial way. …
Greenbelt Resources Cellulosic Tech On Stage
Greenbelt Resources Corporation has been selected as one of only 30 showcase companies to present during GloSho’14. The prestigious event is focused on the global clean tech industry and takes place October 6-7, 2014 at Los Angeles Theater in downtown Los Angeles, California. Company CEO Darren Eng will be presenting on Monday, October 6, 2014 between 2:15 to 3:15 PM …
Brazil’s GranBio Begins Producing Cellulosic Ethanol
GranBio has begun producing cellulosic ethanol at its first commercial-scale plant for second-generation (2G) ethanol in Brazil. The Bioflex 1 unit located in São Miguel dos Campos, Alagoas, has an initial production capacity of 82 million liters of ethanol per year. According to GranBio, its 2G ethanol is the cleanest fuel produced on a commercial scale in the world in …
Sunliquid 20 Fuel (E20) Sees Success in Auto Tests
Since January of this year, Clariant, Haltermann and Mercedes-Benz have been testing E20 known as sunliquid 20 fuel that contains 20 percent of cellulosic ethanol coming from wheat straw. The cellulosic ethanol comes from Clariant’s sunliquid demonstration plant in Straubing. According to tests, Sunliquid® 20 improves engine efficiency so that its 4 percent lesser energy content, as compared to E10, …
DuPont Sees Cellulosic Ethanol as Good for Brazil
World Bio Markets Brasil Conference is taking place in Sao Paulo this week and Jan Koninckx, director of DuPont Industrial Biosciences biofuels business, told attendees about the company’s offering and vision for the growth of the cellulosic ethanol market in Brazil. The company is in the final stages of building a cellulosic ethanol refinery in Nevada, Iowa co-located next to …
Researchers Discover Cellulose Making Enzyme Structure
Researchers from Purdue University have discovered the structure of the enzyme that makes cellulose. They believe this finding could lead to easier ways of breaking down plant materials to make biofuels and other products and materials. In addition the researchers say the findings provide a more detailed glimpse of the complicated process by which cellulose is produced. Cellulose is the …
Cellulosic Making Progress Despite Uncertainty
Advanced and cellulosic biofuels producers continue to press the administration for certainty in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to continue making investments for future expansion. “Today we’re at the start, like oil was 160 years ago, or corn ethanol was four years ago, said Steve Hartig with POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels during a teleconference organized by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) …