There was a time when those of us who knew Jim Woolsey—and had long marveled at a life carved so deeply into the granite of public service—half-believed the man might simply outlast mortality itself. Yet as we mark his passing this week at the age of eighty-four, we are brought face-to-face with a truth far […]
Fermentation off-gas from existing ethanol plants offers the cheapest, highest-purity biogenic CO2 for e-SAF production, yet it is widely treated as waste. Securing this vital feedstock requires resolving carbon title and strictly assigning each ton to a single claim—such as 45Q, fuel CI, or durable removal—to prevent fatal double-counting. Because 45Q sets an $85-per-ton value […]
By Dr. Rajesh Gattupalli, President, Honeywell Technologies UOP Special to The Digest As demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) grows globally, many projects are held back by limited raw materials and a limited number of production methods that are ready for commercial use today. Expanding the range of approved pathways is becoming even more important […]
By Buddy Klovstad, Grand Natural Inc. Special to The Digest The renewable diesel and SAF boom has an appetite problem. Refiners are racing to lock up low-carbon-intensity feedstock, and used cooking oil (UCO) — with a carbon intensity a fraction of virgin soybean oil — sits near the top of everyone’s list. Billions in capacity […]
Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) sustainable aviation fuel can achieve cost parity with HEFA, but only through a specific stacking architecture, not as a general pathway property. To cross the cost threshold, developers must rigorously stack certified low-carbon intensity (CI) ethanol with 45Z-eligible on-site carbon capture. Crucially, 45Z and 45Q credits are mutually exclusive year-by-year toggles at the […]
Rochester, New York. Winter, 1942. Harry Coover rubbed his thumb against his forefinger again. Still sticky. He frowned. The beaker refused to let go of the bench. The pipette clung stubbornly to the flask. A glass stirring rod seemed determined to remain permanently attached to whatever it had touched only moments before. Every experiment ended […]
Transferable 45Z credits reshape bioeconomy monetization, but they are not cash. Because they require buyers, complex diligence, and recapture indemnities, 45Z trades at a 5 to 11 percent discount. Defaulting to legacy solar or wind tax-equity playbooks leaves eight to fifteen percent of credit value on the table. To maximize value, developers must simultaneously evaluate […]
Nineteen is an odd birthday. You’re not really a kid anymore, but you’re still a teenager. You’re old enough to vote, to sign contracts, to serve in the military, and old enough that people begin expecting you to shoulder genuine responsibilities, yet everyone—including yourself—knows you’re still growing into them. Biofuels Digest turns nineteen today, and […]
A renewable natural gas project’s carbon credit value heavily depends on credible methane measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV). The financial viability of deeply negative carbon intensity scores hinges on contested avoided-methane baselines and the complex reconciliation of ground, source, and satellite measurements. Because regulators are tightening default factors, continuous monitoring and defensible data reconciliation are […]
May 22, 1819, Savannah, Georgia. The sails hang limp. Captain Moses Rogers looks upward. There isn’t enough wind to carry the Savannah out into the Atlantic. For centuries, that would have settled the matter. Ships departed when the weather permitted. Cargo waited. Passengers waited. Merchants waited. Time itself belonged to the wind. Then someone below […]
