BETO. I think it’s Latin for “I forbid petroleum.” So while presidents have the Veto, technologists have the Beto. It’s most widely known in its modern variant, as the acronym for the DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office, the hearth and home of the US government’s efforts to change the energy mix. At ABLC Next 2016, the Bioenergy Technologies Office’s […]
In Washington, according to EIA data as analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association, ethanol production averaged 1.012 million barrels per day —or 42.50 million gallons daily. That is down just 2,000 b/d from the week before. The four-week average for ethanol production stood at 1.011 million b/d for an annualized rate of 15.50 billion gallons. […]
In Massachusetts, researchers affiliated with the Marine Algal Industrialization Consortium, publishing in the journal Environmental Research Letters, have found that the adoption of algae food & fuel coproduction can enable significant emissions reductions. The researchers also identify potential large-scale water savings through the displacement off water intensive crops. The paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of […]
In Washington, the Corn Refiners Association released its 2016 Corn Annual: Strengthening the Fabric of Our Nation, showing an industry economic output of $54.5 billion. The report details contributions from the industry to the economy in terms of sales, jobs, salaries, purchases, taxes and charitable contributions. The vast majority of corn refining facilities are located […]
In Germany, UFOP reports that decentralized oil mills are providing a considerable contribution towards supplying their regions with rapeseed cake. Due to the special method used to make rapeseed cake, this GVO-free protein feed contains more fat than rapeseed meal, with fat being a major energy source in animal feed. Whereas prices for GVO-free soybean […]
In Brazil, a partnership between Braskem, NASA and MadeInSpace has developed a technology “hat is critical to future manned missions including Mars exploration” – and we are doing this with a bioplastic, Braskem “I’m green” polyethylene. In summary, the bioplastic is currently in use in the International Space Station where a zero-gravity 3D printer uses […]
In Colorado, the American Council of Engineering Companies gave its Grand Conceptor Award, presented for the overall best engineering project, was awarded to Merrick & Company of Greenwood Village, for the Hydrothermal Processing Pilot System. Genifuel Corporation obtained the license from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for its technology to transform a mixture of 20 percent […]
In Washington, a report issued by the Renewable Fuels Association found that more than 80 percent of new 2017 model year vehicles are explicitly approved by the manufacturer to use 15 percent ethanol blends. RFA notes that the figure last year was 70 percent. In addition, Hyundai Motor Company has approved the use of E15 […]
In California, Amyris and Kuraray signed a multi-year extension to their collaboration agreement for the use of Amyris’s Biofene branded ß-Farnesene in liquid farnesene rubber and farnesene-based elastomer applications. This collaboration, which originally began in 2011, features increased farnesene supply to Kuraray and joint marketing of products to industry and end-customers. Kuraray’s recent technological successes […]
This week, in Washington and Brussels, four news flashes on global renewable fuel volumes appeared on the radar. Can you safely ignore them and get on with other work, or is there something to get deeply informed about? Let’s look into it. #1. The Point of Obligation RFS Crisis. The issue. Several parties petitioned the US EPA […]
