South Carolina’s Clemson University is getting $98 million in federal funds for wind energy research that is expected to create hundreds of wind energy jobs and make the area a center for wind research. This press release says the school’s Restoration Institute and its partners have received a $45 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as …
Purdue to Test Biofuels for Aircraft
U.S. Air Force planes could soon be flying on biofuels, and that fuel will be tested at one of the Midwest’s premier universities. This press release from Purdue University says the school’s National Test Facility for Fuels and Propulsion is getting a $1.35 million grant from the U.S. Air Force. The facility at will be located at the Niswonger Aviation …
New North Releases Cellulosic Feasibility Study
New North, Inc. has recently released Phase 2 of a study on the feasibility of cellulosic ethanol plant in Niagara, an area in Northeast Wisconsin. Phase 2 demonstrates the availability of feedstocks to the plant, primarily wood resources, should the plant be able to produce ethanol using a diversity of feedstocks. The news is positive as many local community members …
Wet Ethanol Process May Have Benefits
Soaking corn kernels instead of drying them could increase ethanol yields and create more co-products. Researchers at the University of Illinois have found that a wet ethanol production process results in more gallons of ethanol and more usable co-products. “The conventional ethanol production method has fewer steps, but other than distillers dried grains with soluble, it doesn’t have any other …
Kansas Project Turning Algae into Biodiesel
Researchers in the land of sunflowers are looking for a way to convert sunshine into algae… and then into biodiesel. The Lawrence (KS) Journal-World & News reports University of Kansas scientists are working on one of just a few in the world functioning, pilot-scale bioreactors connected to a municipal wastewater treatment plant, where they’re turning sewer waste into the green …
Termites Could Help Produce Cellulosic Ethanol
The ability of termites to digest wood may hold a key to advancing the production of cellulosic ethanol from woody biomass. Researchers at the University of Florida have been working on genetic sequencing to harness the insects’ ability to churn wood into fuel. That ability involves a mixture of enzymes from symbiotic bacteria and other single-celled organisms living in termites’ …
DF Cast: Study Shows Biodiesel’s Energy Balance
Last week, we told you new research shows how green biodiesel is. I finally got a chance to catch up with National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe to talk a little bit about this important study… and what it will mean as the Environmental Protection Agency considers a new Renewable Fuels Standard, RFS-2. In this edition of the Domestic Fuel …
FDC Enterprises Awarded DOE Feedstock Delivery Grant
FDC Enterprises, based on Columbus, Ohio, announced today that it has won a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant to develop supply systems to handle and deliver feedstocks for cellulosic biofuels production. The $21 million grant is being shared by five winners. The government is attempting to help speed up cellulosic biofuels production, or the production of fuel that uses …
Renewable Energy Grants Available in Colorado
The Colorado Department of Agriculture is now offering several Advancing Colorado’s Renewable Energy (ACRE) grants. Eligible projects include agricultural related renewable energy systems, feasibility studies and research projects. The ACRE program is a set of grants that provide funds to conduct feasibility studies, install renewable energy systems or do research into renewable energy projects. Grant applications submitted must be for …
Biomass Feedstocks Research
USDA’s Agricultural Research Service is studying the use of plant residues for biofuels. At the University of Minnesota-Morris Biomass Gasification Facility, for example, gasification researcher Jim Barbour and ARS soil scientist Jane Johnson (pictured) are evaluating potential biomass feedstocks, including pressed corn stover. The Agricultural Research Service has scientists in 18 states involved in the Renewable Energy Assessment Project (REAP) …