In California, researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have identified a gene in rice plants whose suppression improves both the extraction of xylan and the overall release of the sugars needed to make biofuels. The newly identified gene – dubbed XAX1 – acts to make xylan less extractable from plant […]
In Washington, the Agriculture Energy Coalition joined 235 farming, livestock, rural development, nutrition, conservation and renewable energy organizations in sending a letter to leaders of the House of Representatives requesting passage of a new five-year Farm Bill before the end of the 112th Congress. AgEC co-director Lloyd Ritter said “Expiration of the 2008 Farm Bill […]
Canada’s $500 million NextGen Biofuels Fund, five years after formation, gets close to making its first investments just as Canada’s leaders consider pulling the plug It was the most amazing sovereign commitment to biofuels of its time, the $500 million NextGen Biofuels Fund that Canada established in 2007. As a percentage of GDP, it was […]
By: Robert Rapier, Energy Trends Insider A recent news story proclaimed the benefits of gas-to-liquids technology: A Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK) backed company and Oxford Catalysts Group (OCG:London) are planning U.S. factories to make diesel, gasoline and jet fuel from gas, which fell to a decade-low price this year. Their goal is to make motor fuels […]
In Colorado, Sweetwater Energy tapped Merrick & Company to design Sweetwater’s first commercial-scale, cellulosic sugar-production facility. Merrick will be responsible for the design of the facility, from front end engineering through detailed design. Sweetwater plans to produce low-cost sugars from non-food plant materials and sell them to biofuels, biochemical, and bioplastics production companies. Cellulosic sugar […]
In Finland, UPM advises that the foundation stone at its Lappeenranta Biorefinery will be encased today. Construction began last summer and the biorefinery will start producing renewable diesel made from tall oil in 2014. “The EUR 150 million investment to Lappeenranta is UPM’s spearhead project and the first step on our way to becoming a […]
In Canada, Algae Biosciences has arranged a non-brokered private placement for gross proceeds of up to CAD$1,000,000 to purchase 6,666,667 shares at a price of $.15 per share. Finder’s fees of 10 per cent cash and 10 per cent finder’s warrants may be paid on a portion of the financing. The financing is subject to […]
In California, Sapphire Energy appointed Jeff Webster as Chief Operating Officer He was previously COO at Solazyme. More on the story.
The Biofuels Digest Index™ (BDI), a basket of public biofuels stocks, dropped 0.92 percent to 60.16 as advanced biofuels plummeted. For the day, Amyris (AMRS) dropped 5.22 percent to $2.54, while Ceres (CERE) plunged 8.46 percent to $3.68. Among other equities, KiOR (KIOR) shed 6.96 percent to $6.42 after starting up production at its first […]
$27 per gallon? $15 per gallon? Fooey! Try algae-based fuels at “the same cost as regular diesel.” Month-long pilot program kicks off in the San Francisco Bay Area. In California, Propel Fuels and Solazyme are bringing algae-derived fuel to retail pumps for what we believe to be the first time in history. The two leading […]
