A research team in England has discovered that differences in the ease with which sugars can be extracted from willow can be explained by differences in their wood composition in response to conditions that induce growth stress.
Applied Research Associates Inc. and Blue Sun Energy Inc. are partnering to develop a demonstration-scale facility to scale-up a Biofuels Isoconversion Process (BIC) system using technology developed by ARA and Chevron Lummus Global.
The D.C. Circuit court has issued a narrow, but mixed decision, striking down the 2012 cellulosic biofuel volume requirement under the renewable fuel standard (RFS), but affirming the 2012 volume standard for advanced biofuels.
Novozymes has appointed a new president and CEO and released its financial results for 2012. On Jan. 21, the company announced its board of directors has appointed Peder Holk Nielsen president and CEO, effective April 1.
The Agriculture Energy Coalition has urged Congress to begin work on a new five-year Farm Bill with strong mandatory funding for energy programs. The fiscal cliff bill extended the Farm Bill, but without funding for Energy Title programs.
President Barack Obama has officially kicked off the second term of his presidency. During his inaugural address on Jan. 21, Obama touched on several topics, including the economic recovery and sustainable energy.
In a case of the Goldilocks story retold at the molecular level, scientists at the U.S. DOE's Argonne National Laboratory and Northwestern University have discovered a new path to the development of more stable and efficient catalysts.
Solazyme Bunge Renewable Oils, a joint venture between Solazyme Inc. and wholly owned Bunge Ltd. subsidiary Bunge Global Innovation LLC, has received approval for a R$245.699 million ($120 million) loan from the Brazilian Development Bank.
A two-year research project aims to crack the lignin question by engineering a microbe to break down the byproduct into a lipid, or fat, and then into biodiesel. The research has the potential to make cellulosic biorefineries more profitable.
The Biotechnology Industry Organization hosted a conference call on Jan. 17 that addressed the need for the U.S. EPA to finalize 2013 volumetric mandates under the renewable fuel standard (RFS). The rulemaking is expected to be issued soon.
The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance has called on the policy development, business and technology sector leaders attending the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, to commit to increasing biofuels' share of the future global energy mix.
BP expects renewables to continue to be the fastest growing class of energy over the next several years. According to the BP Energy Outlook 2030, renewables will increase at an average of 7.6 percent a year through 2030.
Chemists at the University of California, Davis, have engineered blue-green algae to grow chemical precursors for fuels and plastics, the first step in replacing fossil fuels as raw materials for the chemical industry.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced $25 million to fund research and development of next-generation renewable energy and high-value biobased products from biomass sources though the Biomass Research and Development Initiative.
The U.S. EPA has published data on the renewable fuel standard (RFS) for Nov. 2012. No D3 renewable identification numbers (RINs) were generated during the month for cellulosic biofuels. However, I,741 D7 RINs were generated for cellulosic diesel.
"As we look ahead to a promising future in our small towns and rural communities, I am pleased to continue working alongside President Obama to grow more opportunity in rural America," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
BBI International announced this week the preliminary agenda for the 6th annual International Biomass Conference & Expo. The 2013 agenda, featuring four comprehensive tracks, is tightly focused on leading edge developments in the biomass industry.
In a four-year University of Illinois study that compared miscanthus, switchgrass, and mixed prairie species to typical corn-corn-soybean rotations, each of the perennial crops were highly efficient at reducing nitrogen losses.
Seven recipients have each been awarded GBP292,000 ($469,000) by the United Kingdom Department of Energy & Climate Change as part of a program focused on funding projects that utilize wetland biomass for energy.
Freez-it Cleen has announced its proprietary dry ice cleaning process is now protected by a U.S. patent. The technology uses dry ice pellets to clean exchange surfaces on a wide variety of equipment found in biofuel production facilities.
A U.S. DOE award of up to $2.5 million will help Novozymes identify new and efficient enzymes to produce advanced biofuels and chemicals from corn stover, including cellulosic ethanol. Novozymes is partnering on this with MBI International.
Southern Research Institute has entered into a cooperative agreement with the U.S. DOE to test a method for producing liquid transportation fuels from coal and biomass that eliminates the typical Fischer-Tropsch product upgrading and refining steps.
In Oct. 2012, the National Research Council of Canada fueled a jet with 100 percent drop-in biobased jet fuel. As part of the test flight, a second aircraft tailed the jet to collect emissions data. The NRC has now released the results of that data.
The Maine-based College of the Atlantic received a $15,000 grant from the U.S. EPA to explore the possibility of turning food waste into a resource for liquid fuel or biogas by fermenting the sugars in the waste.
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