Valero Invests in Cellulosic Company Qteros

Joanna Schroeder

Valero continues to position itself as a growing player in the ethanol industry through its investment in Qteros (formerly SunEthanol), a Massachusetts based company who owns the Q Microbe(TM) technology which turns biomass into ethanol. The investment was established through its acquisition of certain assets of Verasun Energy. Valero purchased several Verasun Energy plants this past April. Qteros, has developed …

Cellulosic, Company Announcement, Ethanol

Verenium Reports First Quarter Financials

Joanna Schroeder

Verenium Corporation today announced its first quarter earnings for 2009 reporting total revenues for the quarter ending March 31, 2009 at $14.4 million. Earnings are slightly down from first quarter 2008 when the Company reported $15.2 million in total revenues.  According to a company news release, President and Chief Executive Officer, Carlos A. Riva, commented on the company’s financials by saying, “We …

Cellulosic, Company Announcement

“Super-Organism” Leads to Cellulosic Breakthrough

Joanna Schroeder

The golden dream may have become reality today as Mascoma Corporation announced a major technological breakthrough in the process strategy for production of biofuels from cellulosic biomass known as consolidated bioprocessing, or CBP. The major advantage of CBP is that is significantly reduces the cost to produce cellulosic ethanol by combining several steps into one through the use of a …

biofuels, Cellulosic, Company Announcement, Research

Ethanol Industry Pleased With White House Action

Cindy Zimmerman

The ethanol industry is unanimous in its praise for the actions announced today by the Obama administration with regard to the future development of biofuels under the Renewable Fuels Standard and the creation of a Biofuels Interagency Working Group. During a press conference immediately following the announcement, Renewable Fuels Association president Bob Dinneen said, “The president has sent an incredibly …

ACE, Cellulosic, Energy, Ethanol, Government, Growth Energy, RFA

NRDC Launches Good Vs. Bad Biofuels Campaign

Joanna Schroeder

A new campaign funded by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has created controversy in the biofuels industry. The campaign was developed, according to a blog post by Nathanael Greene, “to sharpen the distinction between biofuels done right and biofuels done wrong.” The campaign cites that ethanol plants using coal power is “wrong” as well as biofuels that “pillage” natural …

Cellulosic, Energy, Environment, Ethanol

KL Energy Corporation Expanding Into Brazil

Joanna Schroeder

KL Energy Corporation, based in Rapid City, South Dakota, has announced a partnership agreement with add blue Ltda, based in São Paulo, Brazil, to build a cellulosic ethanol plant in Brazil utilizing KL Energy’s cellulosic ethanol technology for the use of sugarcane bagasse and straw feedstock. The plant will use KL Energy’s enzymatic process which will be integrated into a …

Cellulosic, Company Announcement, Ethanol, International

California Motorists Fill Up With Cellulosic Ethanol

Joanna Schroeder

In what might be one of the first deals of its kind, Pearson Fuels, a company installing “alternative fuels stations” across the state of California, has inked a deal with AE Biofuels, Inc. to supply cellulosic ethanol for its E85 and other ethanol fuel blends. Pearson Fuels, based in San Diego was the first company to build an E85 station …

Biodiesel, Cellulosic, E85, Ethanol, Miscellaneous

Alabama Police Dept. Uses Wood Derived Ethanol

Gulf Coast Energy, Inc. was founded with the intention and mission to “change the world,” through the manufacturing of alternative, environmentally friendly, renewable biofuels. The company states that they developed a unique approach to the manufacture of alternative fuels that takes advantage of the latest state-of-the-art modular process technology for converting biomass to ethanol and other carbon-based fuels such as …

Cellulosic, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, Miscellaneous