In Washington, President Barack Obama nominated MIT professor Ernest J. Moniz as US Secretary of Energy, replacing Steven Chu, and nominated Gina McCarthy as EPA Administrator. Moniz is currently serving as the Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems, as well as the director of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) and the […]
Are supporters of the oil industry grasping at straws to keep the U.S. military addicted to oil? By Brent Erickson, executive vice-president, Biotechnology Industry Organization; head, Industrial & Environmental Section Achieving energy security is critical not only for civilians, but also for U.S. military readiness and national security reasons. Our reliance on foreign oil has […]
By Brad Krohn Big Oil’s best kept secret from the American consumer is Brazil’s fuel ethanol mandate, which started during the 1970s as a result of the OPEC oil embargoes. In Brazil, where ethanol is made from sugar cane, all gasoline contains 20 percent to 25 percent ethanol (E20-E25). At retail stations, consumers can choose […]
Algae, drop-in fuels get a kick-start from $3.2 billion ARENA funds In Australia, two key projects focused on algae biofuels and drop-in fuels from wood biomass and residues took major steps forwards with an Australian Government investment of $10.0 million, through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s (ARENA) Advanced Biofuels Investment Readiness Program. The Minister for […]
In California, Rentech announced plans to cease operations at, reduce staffing at, and mothball its research and development Product Demonstration Unit, in Commerce City, CO, and to eliminate all related R&D activities. As a result of these changes, Rentech will eliminate 65 employee and contractor positions in the Company’s alternative energy segment during the first […]
As cellulosic biofuels technologies start to deploy — critics and friends ask, 36 billion gallons by 2022, can it still be done? Yep, there’s a pathway. In Washington, the US Energy Information Administration released a map and commentary on its website this week — indicating the spread of commercial-scale cellulosic biofuels, while cautioning that “EIA’s […]
What’s up with Australia and aviation biofuels? The kangaroos are flying, for sure, and perhaps only feedstock woes could get in the way. In the world of biofuels there is no sector as active as military and aviation biofuels in terms of willing customers. At the Low Carbon Fuel Conference, held over two days in […]
New renewable feedstock OKs. Good news, bad, neutral? The Digest looks in depth at the latest from EPA. In Washington, the US Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule qualifying biofuels produced from camelina oil as biomass-based diesel or advanced biofuel, as well as biofuels from energy cane which qualify as cellulosic biofuel. This final […]
The following is adapted from remarks by Digest editor Jim Lane at the Low Carbon Fuels Conference — Avalon Air Show, Avalon, Australia Distinguished delegates, As journalists, at the Digest our job is to ask the 7 Questions. Who, What, Where, When, How Much, How and Why. In aviation biofuels the task is made easier […]
What is fibre fuel, how does it displace petroleum via supercritical technology, and what does the plant look like? A cryptic note appeared less than two weeks ago in the Bay of Plenty Times, a newspaper servicing the northern tip of New Zealand and its largest commercial port, in Tauranga. “Z Energy and Norske Skog, […]
