In California, research demonstrates that the rapid development of the biofuels sector will result in the industry having an increasingly powerful impact on food prices and food security, according to Rosamond Naylor at a symposium at Stanford University last week. “The main part of this that I think is so significant is the use of […]
In Washington, USDA, EPA and the US DOE published the Biogas Opportunities Roadmap, and concluded that: · Developing a viable biogas industry in the U.S. can boost the economy and provide a reliable, distributed source of renewable energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions · 2,000 biogas sites operate in the U.S. today, and more than 11,000 additional […]
In Indiana, farmers using cover crops as a soil conservation method can remove much more corn stover per acre for biofuels or other uses and at the same time potentially increase their income, Purdue University research shows. Using cover crops – plants such as crimson clover or annual ryegrass that blanket the soil – farmers […]
In New York state, a paper soon to be published by the Journal of Real Estate shows that farmland prices in the Midwest have increased an average of 12.5% per year since 2000 thanks to increased demand for grains, while prices were highest for land located close to ethanol plants. Low interest rates have also […]
In Spain, researchers at the University of Cordoba obtained a new biofuel similar to biodiesel using the 1,3-selective transesterification reaction of sunflower oil with ethanol using as biocatalyst a Rhizopus oryzae lipase (ROL) immobilized on Sepiolite, an inorganic support. The studied lipase was a low cost powdered enzyme preparation, Biolipase-R, from Biocon-Spain, a multipurpose additive […]
In Hawaii, Gov. Neil Abercrombie presented a $1.6 million check on behalf of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s (HDOA) Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC) to the Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center’s (DKI-PBARC) zero-waste biofuel and high-protein feed program on Hawaii Island. DKI-PBARC, and Florida-based BioTork LLC, have invested more than $1 million […]
In California, a powerful new tool that can help advance the genetic engineering of “fuel” crops for clean, green and renewable bioenergy, has been developed by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), a multi-institutional partnership led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). The JBEI researchers have developed an […]
In Illinois, researchers at the University of Illinois are evaluating DDGS following oil removal for use in swine diets. “Dietary fat concentration has been shown to be a factor in the digestibility of nutrients,” said Hans Stein, a professor of animal sciences at U of I. “Because DDGS supplies a significant amount of protein in […]
In Oregon, researchers at Oregon State University are finding that growers could earn about $300 per acre from camelina even during very dry years. So far this year the trial plots near Ontario have only received about 6 inches of rain. Willamette Biomass Processors currently buys camelina from Montana so would be happy to have […]
In Iowa, miscanthus would deliver even better yields than once thought in Iowa, according to research by agronomists at Iowa State University. The research indicates that miscanthus, a towering grass native to Asia, could have a major role to play in the future of Iowa agriculture, both as a source of biomass for energy and […]
