Genera Energy and the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) were awarded a $5 million grant in 2009 from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), to research and develop economical systems for bulk-handling and processing of chopped switchgrass and reduce the costs of baling in the field and subsequent bale grinding. Genera has announced that the research supported by …
Argonne National Lab Releases Updated GREET Model
The Argonne National laboratory has announced the release of the updated GREET fuel cycle model. The GREET model was first released in 1996 and since its release, Argonne has continued to update and improve the model. GREET (Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation) is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable …
AFAI Launches “Jetropha” Campaign
Alternative Fuels Americas (AFAI), an advanced biofuels company, is launching Project Jetropha, a campaign to encourage and promote the use of Jatropha based biofuels in aircraft. The project website will be launched in the coming weeks. “The aviation industry has been under pressure to lower its disproportionately high contribution to carbon emissions,” said CEO Craig Frank. “With fuels costs comprising …
USDA’s Doug O’Brien Visits Novozymes’ Facility
During the Advanced Biofuels Conference that took place last week in Omaha, Nebraska, Novozymes hosted USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development, Doug O’Brien. Following his keynote address, O’Brien headed to Blair, Nebraska, the home of Novozyme’s enzyme manufacturing facility. Also on the tour of the Novozymes facility were several members of Novozymes plant management, Jim Realph, Mayor of Blair, Neb., …
K State Offers Tips for Biodiesel Feedstock Canola
As the popularity of canola rises, in part due to its role as a feedstock for biodiesel, extension representatives from Kansas State University offer some tips to encourage growing the golden crop during winter rotations. Mike Stamm, a canola breeder and associate agronomist at Kansas State University, said about 80 percent of the canola oil consumed in the United States …
Biodiesel Feedstock Camelina Genome Sequenced
A Canadian company has announced the release of the genome for camelina, a rising, important feedstock for biodiesel. This Genome Prairie news release says the company’s “Prairie Gold” project was started as a public-private partnership between Genome Prairie, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the National Research Council Canada: Camelina is a technically difficult species to sequence, and the latest in …
Why Sugarcane Ethanol is Essential to RFS
There is a significant amount of attention being paid to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) but one area that hasn’t been talked about much is the role of sugarcane ethanol in the RFS. To learn more, I spoke with Leticia Phillips the representative for North America with UNICA – the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association. She said that under the RFS, …
Greenbelt’s Distillation Module Exceeds Benchmarks
Greenbelt Resources Corporation has announced successful performance testing results from its automated distillation module. The module, available separately or as part of a complete sustainable energy production system, efficiently generated hydrous ethanol, distilled water and fertilizer from beer stock of 4 percent ethanol at a rate of 70,000 gpy (gallons per year) – or 10 gallons per hour. The test …
Feedstock Flexibility Program Final Rule Published
The Farm Service Agency has made the final Feedstock Flexibility Program (FFP) public and was published in the Federal Register on Monday, July 29, 2013. Congress created the FFP in the 2008 Farm Bill, allowing for the purchase of excess sugar to produce bioenergy in order to avoid forfeiture of sugar pledged as collateral by processors when securing short-term commodity …
Crude Oil Rise Fuels Biodiesel Feedstocks Rise
The recent rise in crude oil prices are fueling a rise in some of the feedstocks for biodiesel. Bloomberg reports that palm oil and soybean oil prices rose this week as petroleum prices also climbed: “One of the reasons that is pushing demand for palm oil is biodiesel,” said Sim Han Qiang, an analyst at Phillip Futures Pte. in Singapore. …