In California, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced that Joint BioEnergy Institute researchers have found a way to help microbes survive the toxicity caused by the very compounds that they secrete in order to produce biofuels. Many of the best candidate compounds for advanced biofuels are toxic to microbes, which presents a “production versus survival” […]
In California, Sustainable Oils is working with the University of California Westside Research and Extension Center near Five Points in hopes of encouraging farmers to plant camelina in western Fresno County. Over the past few years more than 100,000 acres of farmlands have been idled in the Westlands Water District but as many as 60,000 […]
In California, researchers at the DOE’s Joint Genome Institute have mapped a small plant that resembles Christmas trees and known as spikemoss in an effort to understand how this ancient plant developed its lignin—differently than other plants currently used for biofuel production—that may lead to understanding how to manipulate plants so their lignin can be […]
In Washington and in Iowa, two competing studies looking at the economics behind ethanol blending are painting very different pictures. A study by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University funded by the Renewable Fuels Association says ethanol blending has lowered pump prices by 25 cents per gallon on average […]
In California, “How many New York Times readers would know that global biofuels production is 12 times higher than global wind?” on a BTU basis, asks a Digest reader, even allowing for energy consumed in the production of energy crops and fuels. It’s true: looking at figures from international authorities, production from ethanol, renewable diesel, […]
In Washington state, researchers from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory announced that lignin-modified Eucalyptus trees developed by ArborGen releases more than twice the usual amount of sugar, making it a promising option as a biomass feedstock for liquid fuel. Using plant biotechnology the modifications were made at two points in the lignin biosynthetic pathway, […]
In the Ukraine, researchers at the Institute of Potato Growing of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the Kyiv region are studying the viability of fodder potatoes as an ethanol feedstock. Results are expected within the next two or three months at which point a decision will be made as to invest in […]
In Iowa, students at Iowa State University have developed I-BOS (the Interactive Biorefinery Operations Simulator), a virtual biorefinery control room that can help students and workers learn to operate ethanol and biodiesel plants. They’re calling it Nintendo for biofuel nerds that works much like a flight simulator for pilots.
In the Netherlands, the Dutch-based R&D subsidiary of Dyadic International has entered into an research agreement with Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, and EnGen Bio, Inc. Under the agreement, Sanofi Pasteur will fund collaborative research at Dyadic Netherland’s research and development facility in Wageningen, The Netherlands, which will utilize Dyadic’s proprietary and […]
In Washington, the Renewable Fuels Association reports: “Based upon current market conditions and federal renewable fuels policy, 10 percent ethanol blends (E10) are keeping gasoline prices $0.12 per gallon cheaper than they otherwise would be. As AAA reports, the current average price for gasoline is $3.88 per gallon nationwide. Without ethanol, gas prices would average […]
