In California, the Air Resources Board (CARB) is taking into account new studies looking at Indirect Land Use Change that will end up cutting the ILUC penalty on corn ethanol by at least half by the spring. A Purdue study that CARB is basing its revised rulemaking on shows ILUC of 14-18g of CO2/MJ compared […]
In Indiana, researchers have discovered that pelletizing corn stover and other cellulosic biomass before transporting it to ethanol production sites does not in fact save producers money as was assumed. Though using pellets would allow cellulosic ethanol producers to use existing grain handling and storage equipment—compared to capital outlay required for storing and transporting bales—half […]
In Montana, Montana State University researchers Keith Cooksey, Rob Gardner and Brent Peyton found that baking soda, if added at the correct moment in the growing cycle of algae doubled the amount of oil, in half the time in three different types of algae. Rob Gardner stated, “It took a lot of work. I was […]
The National Alliance for Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB), a consortium of leading scientists and engineers from universities, private industry, and national laboratories announced today that they have met a significant benchmark by successfully producing biodiesel using oil extracted from algae that meets specifications set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). ASTM develops […]
In Washington, a USDA report says that to encourage production of cellulosic ethanol requires shifting the focus of government research funding. The USDA oversight committee says the money would be better spent on researching algae and oil crops rather than energy crops and grasses since two decades of cellulosic research has demonstrated few breakthroughs. More […]
In Michigan, the Historic Vehicle Association launched an all-out attack on ethanol as part of its opposition to the approval of E-15, which the EPA approved recently for the 2007-09 model years. In its broadside, the group used data on ethanol tax policies, mileage, and price impact dating back to the early 1990s. The group […]
In California, the Boston Consulting Group released its report, titled What’s Next for Alternative Energy?. The report examined seven of the most significant alternative-energy technologies, asking three key questions; 1) Can it achieve cost competitiveness with conventional energy by 2020 and be economically viable without subsidies? 2) Can it overcome barriers to rapid adoption once […]
In the UK, the Department of Transport has issued a statement saying that the results of its analytical work on Indirect Land Use Change are compelling in showing that the greenhouse gas emissions from ILUC are significant compared to the potential emissions savings from biofuel use. The precise scale is uncertain, but it says this […]
In Iowa, researchers at Iowa State University examined 12 varieties of sorghum grass grown in single and double cropping systems and found that using sorghum from a single-cropping system was more effective for the production of ethanol. The project’s lead says that from a production standpoint, growing sorghum as a sole crop is more efficient […]
In Minnesota, the BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota has announced recommendations for how the forestry industry could best benefit from biofuels using system dynamics modeling. During the one year analysis, The Biobusiness Alliance of Minnesota consulted over 100 experts from around the state. Input was received from loggers, existing and emerging industry players, environmental groups, consumers, […]
