In the UK, a new report by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics recommends temporarily removing the legal requirements for biofuel use in Europe until safeguards have been put in place to prevent their use causing environmental and social problems both at home and abroad but points out the benefits of next generation biofuels and the […]
In Georgia, the USDA announced funding for projects during the 16th 1890 Biennial Research Symposium in Atlanta. The project will focus on crop protection for sustainable feedstock production systems, enhanced value co-product development, and carbon sequestration and sustainable bioenergy production. Projects were funded in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, […]
In Canada, researchers funded by Genome BC, Natural Resource Canada’s Genomics Research and Development Initiative and the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation are working to identify genes that control how rust fungi infect plants and hosts, and which genes in the host can help fight rusts. These efforts will help end-users in the agriculture […]
In Illinois, Archer Daniels Midland announced today a $1.5 million gift to Purdue University for the construction of the ADM Agricultural Innovation Center. Totaling 27,000 square feet, the ADM Center will provide enhanced classroom and laboratory space, allowing for more advanced research work. Construction of the ADM Agricultural Innovation Center is scheduled to begin in […]
In Seattle, Boeing released research conducted by Yale University’s School of Environmental Studies showing significant potential for sustainable aviation fuel based on jatropha-curcas, an oil-producing, non-edible plant. The study shows that, if cultivated properly, jatropha can deliver strong environmental and socioeconomic benefits in Latin America and greenhouse gas reductions of up to 60 percent when […]
In Kansas, a new study from Kansas State University shows that commercial-scale algae biodiesel production pose a lot of scientific and economic challenges that may keep the technology from taking off. Using carbon mass balance, the study showed that from a purely technical standpoint, producing algae-based biodiesel in a sustainable way works — but not […]
In California, a research team led by Mascoma co-founder Charles Wyman, concluded that sugar release from poplar trees increases dramatically when the tree has a high ratio of syringyl and guaiacyl, two lignin subunits. Further, the researchers found that certain poplar samples that produced unusually high sugar yields with no pretreatment. Reducing pretreatment would represent […]
In California, a new twist on the ILUC debate is the IFUC debate, or Indirect Fuel Use Change. The concept was launched late last year with some research from UC Berkeley and UCLA show that the net change in global fuel consumption due to biofuel policy mandates can have a significant impact on the net […]
In Brazil, the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA), projected a 2011/2012 sugarcane harvest of 568.50 million tons, up 2.11% from last year. UNICA is projecting that only five new mills will launch activities during the 2011/2012 harvest. That number is significantly lower than in recent years, the result of slower growth in the sugar-energy industry […]
Feedbackstat.com is conducting market research to better understand the current market conditions of the biofuel industry. They write: “Your participation in this survey will help the biofuel industry move forward to reach its goals in the future. We would really appreciate your insight into these topics.The online survey will take about 10 minutes to complete. […]
