The Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska (DWFI) kicks off the 2019 Water for Food Global Conference today in Lincoln, Nebraska. The conference will convene leading international experts and organizations to discuss “Water for a Hungry World: Innovation in Water and Food Security,” focusing on the next generation of research, smart technology, policy development and …
MSU Awarded $6M Biofuel, Carbon Grant
Montana State University (MSU) has received a $6 million, four-year grant from the National Science Foundation to develop new innovations at the intersection of food, energy and water systems. MSU will be working alongside the University of Wyoming and the University of South Dakota to address the sustainability profiles of biofuels and carbon capture technologies that would be introduced in …
RIT & Synergy Biogas Partner on #Algae Project
A new project will be kicking off with partners Rochester Institute of Technology and Synergy Biogas to explore using microalgae to make biofuels as well as clean agricultural wastewater. The pilot program is headed up by Jeff Lodge, associate professor in RIT’s Thomas Gosnell School of Life Sciences, who will be utilizing a anaerobic digester located on Synergy Farms in …
Biodico Awarded Net Zero Farm CEC Grant
Biodico has received a $1.2 million grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to help fund its Zero Net Energy Farms project, which would enable farms to generate all electrical and heating power needs from on-site renewable resources. The monies were awarded under CEC’s Electric Program Investment Charge Challenge, a program designed to help develop advanced energy communities. Biodico is …
Movie Review – Thirsty Land Debuts at #Water4Food
As a hush came over the theater last night and the lights went down for the opening scene of the documentary Thirsty Land, the sound of rain pounding on the roof served as background noise. A bit ironic. Especially in light of meeting a community in California that has run out of water. Thirsty Land, directed and produced by Conrad …
Pacific Ethanol Improves Production Efficiency
Pacific Ethanol is reporting they have signed a technology license and purchase agreement with Whitefox Technologies. According to the agreement, Pacific Ethanol will be adopting Whitefox’s clean fuel membrane system that will separate water from ethanol during the plant’s distillation process. The ethanol plant expects commercial operations using the new technology in the third quarter of 2016. Neil Koehler, Pacific …
POM Wonderful Extends Partnership w/Greenbelt
POM Wonderful, the largest grower and producer of fresh pomegranates and pomegranate juice in the U.S., has extended its feedstock testing contract with Greenbelt Resources Corporation. Earlier this year, Greenbelt announced its confidential testing program, and the company has now released the news that POM Wonderful was one of its first clients. Using Greenbelt’s technology, the initial tests have successfully …
Michigan State IDs Water Usage by Biomass Crops
Researchers at Michigan State University have identified the amount of water used by some key biomass crops. This article from the school says the study, titled, “Comparative water use by maize, perennial crops, restored prairie and poplar trees in the U.S. Midwest,” recently published by Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), lead authored by Michigan State University professor Steve Hamilton, …
Biofuel Perennial Crops Could Use Less Water
A new research report from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) finds that perennial crops grown on marginal land for biofuel use could use comparable water to that of corn. The report looked at how these crops could affect the balance of water between rainfall inputs, evaporation losses, and movement of soil water to the groundwater. The report cites …
Wave Energy Prize Entrants Move Forward
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) wave energy competition is moving toward the next phase with 92 teams. The Wave Energy Prize is a design-build-test competition encouraging the development of better innovations for wave energy conversion (WEC) devices that will double energy capture. When this is achieved, costs will be reduced making wave energy more competitive with established energy technologies. …