Category: Thought Leadership

The Carbon XPRIZE: Exponential Approaches to Energy and Climate

The Carbon XPRIZE: Exponential Approaches to Energy and Climate

June 5, 2016 |

By Marcius Extavour and Paul Bunje Special to The Digest Climate change and energy transformation may be the 21st century’s greatest challenge. And Biotech, and biofuels in particular, are fields that are poised to bring forth breakthrough solutions. By touching elements of agriculture, photosynthesis, water use, and energy generation, storage, and distribution, biofuels are a […]

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Where did biofuels technologies come from?

Where did biofuels technologies come from?

June 1, 2016 |

By Gerald Kutney. VP, Lee Enterprises Consulting Special to The Digest In the modern world, fuels are often equated with fossil fuels: coal, oil and natural gas.  However, fossil fuels only came into their own during the 20th century. From the time of the caveman until the early Industrial Revolution, biofuels – namely wood and […]

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Competing With Sub $50 Oil: A Strategy for the Biofuels Industry

Competing With Sub $50 Oil: A Strategy for the Biofuels Industry

May 26, 2016 |

By Irshad Ahmed, Consultant with Lee Enterprises Consulting and Member of MITSBAA Entrepreneurs Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Special to The Digest If bioenergy represents a sustainable energy future for the planet, then why must it compete with oil prices to be deemed a feasible energy alternative for the society? The answer is simple: It […]

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Why is the BBD RVO so low and what can NBB do about it?

Why is the BBD RVO so low and what can NBB do about it?

May 25, 2016 |

By Don Scott, Director of Sustainability, National Biodiesel Board Special to The Digest EPA proposes to continue growing the Required Volume Obligations (RVO) for Biomass Based Diesel (BBD) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), but at a paltry 100 million gallons a year to 2.1 billion gallons for 2018. Continued growth is a positive sign, […]

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Letter from Thailand: Report on biomass and biofuels

Letter from Thailand: Report on biomass and biofuels

May 23, 2016 |

By John Diecker, Lee Enterprises Consulting, Inc. Special to The Digest Being a tropical country with a largely agricultural economy, Thailand is blessed with an abundance of biomass. The country ranks among the world leaders in production of palm oil, sugar and cassava which make it a natural location for the manufacture of biofuels. As […]

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European bioethanol offers 15% CO2 reductions in transport – blocking it is a form of climate crime

European bioethanol offers 15% CO2 reductions in transport – blocking it is a form of climate crime

May 22, 2016 |

By James Cogan, industry, technology and policy analyst with Ethanol Europe Renewables Ltd.    Special to The Digest There should be no cap on the amount of sustainable European bioethanol energy counted towards the EU’s 2030 carbon emissions goals. The European Commission in Brussels is right now putting the finishing touches to a Communication on […]

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EPA Is Trying to Get Out of Its Own Way on the RFS

EPA Is Trying to Get Out of Its Own Way on the RFS

May 22, 2016 |

By Brent Erickson, Executive Vice-President, Biotechnology Innovation Organization Special to The Digest In setting the 2014-2016 Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cited “practical and legal constraints” on the oil industry’s ability to meet the volumes established by Congress. The agency’s methodology in that rule – which it has now proposed […]

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Business strategies for transitioning the bioeconomy to a landscape with long-term profitability

Business strategies for transitioning the bioeconomy to a landscape with long-term profitability

May 11, 2016 |

By Mahmood Ebadian, Ph.D. Special to The Digest Regardless of the type of industry, the primary goal of any supply chain is to fulfill the customers’ needs efficiently and effectively over the lifetime of the business. An efficient supply chain is capable of maximizing the use of resources across the supply chain as planned while […]

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Time for full carbon accounting

Time for full carbon accounting

April 21, 2016 |

By Zoltán Szabó, Special to The Digest The sustainability aspects of transport fuels are in the spotlight this year in Brussels as a number of key files make their way through the process, namely the Energy Union package, the new Renewable Energy Directive, a communication on transport decarbonisation, and the bioenergy sustainability policy. Correct carbon accounting, […]

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EU biofuels: A lost opportunity?

EU biofuels: A lost opportunity?

April 20, 2016 |

By Dick Roche, former Irish Minister for Environment and EU Affairs Special to The Digest When the EU Commission produced its 2012 proposal to cap at 5% the contribution crop-based biofuels can make under the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), the logic of the Commission’s position was widely questioned. Critics, including this writer, challenged the extraordinary […]

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