All Knowledge & Insights By Date

On August, 24, 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service released an annual report on the Philippines' biofuel industry and ethanol imports. In January 2007, The Biofuels Act or Republic Act (RA 9367) was signed, creating biofuels legislation in the Philippines that now mandate a ten percent ethanol blend and a two percent biodiesel blend. While the Biofuels Act gives priority to local ethanol, supply issues with local ethanol production have resulted in...

? Food Navigator, "Gelzen Seeks To Disrupt The Gelatin Market With Potentially Game-Changing Animal-Free Alternative" ? Solegear, "Solegear Awarded U.S. Patent For High Performance Bioplastics" ? Ethanol Producer Magazine, "EU Cannot Ignore Ethanol's High GHG Savings"

On August 10, 2016, Red Trail Energy, LLC, a North Dakota ethanol producer, announced that it, along with the Energy & Environmental Research Center, had been awarded $490,000 to examine the integration of carbon capture and storage (CCS). The study will consist of installing and operating a commercial CCS system in a facility producing approximately 63 million gallons of ethanol and 180,000 tons of CO2, and tracking the technical and economic parameters required. The total project is...

? Ship & Bunker, "Competitively Priced, ECA Compliant, Sustainable Biofuel Bunkers Will Be a Reality in The Near Future" ? Plastics Today, "New Catalyst Offers a Route to Cost-Effective Biobased, Biodegradable Plastics" ? LabMate, "York Chemists Lead Breakthrough in Carbon Capture" ? Scicasts, "New Protein Process in E. Coli Could Lead to Production of Better Biofuels" ? Neste, "Neste Renewable Diesel to Power County of Sacramento's Fleet in...

? Plastics Today, "A Scientific Look At The Value Proposition Of Biobased Plastics" ? MIT News, "Microbial Engineering Technique Could Reduce Contamination In Biofermentation Plants" ? IFAS, "UF/IFAS Study: Sweet Potato Crop Shows Promise As Feed And Fuel" ? UPS, "'Rolling Laboratory' Of More Than 7,200 Alternative Fuel Vehicles Helps Deliver On Sustainability Innovations And Drive Market Adoption" ? Tehran Times, "Italy To Invest $450m In...

On August 1, 2016, DOE released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for $7 million to research fuel and engine co-optimization technologies. Funding will be provided through the Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines (Co-Optima) initiative, a collaboration between DOE's Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), bringing together national laboratories and industry to conduct tandem fuel and engine research, development, and deployment assessments. This...

On August 2, 2016, DOE announced up to $11.3 million in funding to support the development of biomass-to-hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways. Three projects will receive the funding under MEGA-BIO: Bioproducts to Enable Biofuels to produce high-value bioproducts as well as economically competitive biofuels. The projects selected to receive this funding are: The Dow Chemical Company, working with LanzaTech and Northwestern University, to develop a process to convert biomass-derived synthetic...

? Apparel, "Accelerating the Impact of Bio-Based Materials to Improve Apparel Industry Sustainability" ? Lancaster Farming, "USDA Advances On-Farm Biofuel Production" ? Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Growing" ? Forbes, "How to Make Biobased Policy Work" ? The Guardian, "Dabbling in Duckweed: Environmental Uses for a Green Menace" ? The Lane Report, "Owensboro Grain Forms Partnership with...

? Environmental Leader, "Toyota Tsusho Backs Bioplastic Tech In Race To Bring 100% Plant-Based PET To Market" ? Renewable Energy Magazine, "Scientists In US State Of Florida Develop Military Grade Aviation Biofuel" ? UMass Amherst, "'Green' Electronic Materials Produced With Synthetic Biology" ? Ford, "Ford, Jose Cuervo Team Up To Make Car Parts From Agave"

On July 21, 2016, the European Court of Auditors released Special Report No 18/2016: The EU system for the certification of sustainable biofuels. This report assessed the existing biofuels sustainability certification framework of the European Commission (EC) and highlighted key issues with the system. Issues with the certification framework could undermine the European Union's (EU) 2020 goals for renewable energy. The report determined that the EC does not properly track working conditions...

? Nature, "Policy: Five Cornerstones Of A Global Bioeconomy" ? AgWired, "A Sustainable Future Is #Biobased" ? edie, "Asia Pulp & Paper Backs Community-Led Indonesian Biofuels Project" ? Aboitiz Power, "AboitizPower To Expand RE Portfolio With Biomass" ? CBC News, "Canfor Eyes Prince George For Major Biofuel Facility" ? Sioux City Journal, "Siouxland Ethanol Approves $8M Expansion To Further Boost Production"

On June 24, 2016, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon signed Senate Bill 657 modifying provisions related to motor vehicles. Under this new law, liability insurance carried by gas stations will expand coverage to include the release of blended fuels from incompatible storage tanks. The inclusion of blended fuels under the required insurance policy will remove one more barrier towards increasing the number of blender pumps within the state. The bill was originally introduced on January 6, 2016, and will...

On July 6, 2016, Hawaii Governor David Ige signed SB 2652 Related to Taxation -- Locally Produced Renewable Energy. This bill establishes a five-year renewable fuels production tax credit. The tax credit will take effect in 2017 and will provide 20 cents per gallon of ethanol (or 76,000 British thermal units (Btu) of renewable fuel) with a cap of $3 million. The tax credit is open to companies producing at least 15 billion Btu of fuel from renewable feedstocks per year. Acceptable fuels include,...

On June 22, 2016, DOE released the detailed agenda for the Biotechnology for Clean Vehicles: Harnessing Synthetic Biology To Enable Next-Generation Biomaterials And Biofuels session at the Sustainable Transportation Summit. The session is hosted by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and will focus on how novel biomaterials and renewable fuels can be used to improve vehicle efficiency and sustainability. The session will also discus the role of synthetic biology in...

? PR Web, "Greenyug Announces U.S. Midwest Biobased Chemical Plant" ? Environmental Leader, "Will Lego's $150 Million Sustainable Plastics Challenge Make Biobased The Norm?" ? Ohio Soybean Council, "Soy-Based Replacement For BPA Receives Prestigious Bio-Based Innovation Award" ? Plastics News, "Anellotech Moving Closer To Production For Bio-Based PET" ? Reuters, "U.S. Navy 'Green Fleet' Fills Up With Italian-Made Biofuel" ? The...

? Global Renewable Fuels Alliance, "GRFA: Commit to Biofuels Policies to Achieve COP21 Targets" ? Forbes, "A New Way To Make Biofuels: Two Feedstocks" ? Plastics Today, "Should Sustainability Include Using Farmlands for Plastics, Textiles and Dyes, or Food?" ? The Seattle Times, "Alaska Air Flights Using Fuel Made from Fermented Corn" ? Sustainable Brands, "Bio-Based and Post Consumer Recycled Plastic Packaging Redefines the Value-Chain" ? EEQO,...

? PR Newswire, "Evergreen Packaging Introduces New Fully Renewable Cup Stock with Bio-Based Polyethylene" ? Gevo, "Gevo Hires Cowen & Company to Explore Strategic Alternatives" ? The University of Sydney, "Multimillion-Dollar Funding for Commercial Waste-to-Biofuel Plants" ? The Financial Express, "Bionic Leaf Brings Next-Gen Biofuels Closer to Reality" ? CH4 Biogas, "RIT and Synergy Biogas Announce Partnership" ? ABC, "Biofuels Sector...

? Waste 360, "Examining The Latest Developments In Converting Organic Waste Into Renewable Energy" ? Scientific American, "Whatever Happened To Advanced Biofuels?" ? Renewable Industries Canada, "Renewable Industries Canada Becomes New Face Of Canada's Biofuels And Bio-based Sectors" ? Ford, "Preserving Mother Earth: Ford First Automaker To Use Captured CO2 To Develop Foam And Plastic For Vehicles" ? Gevo, "Clariant To Scale-Up Catalysts For...

On May 26, 2016, Poland was referred to the European Union (EU) Court of Justice for establishing restrictions for certain imported biofuels and raw materials used for the production of biofuel. The EU's Renewable Energy Directive requires sustainable biofuels and their raw materials be treated equally by Member States regardless of origin. Polish law provides preferential treatment for fuel operators sourcing at least 70 percent of their biofuels from Polish manufacturers, and for biofuel...

On May 24, 2016, Iowan Governor Terry Branstad signed Senate File 2309, an Act providing for tax credits and refunds relating to renewable fuels including their component biofuels and including effective date provisions. The bill extends a state biodiesel production tax credit providing 2 cents per gallon (cpg) on the first 25 million gallons of production per biodiesel plant. The bill also extends a credit for petroleum retailers of 4.5 cpg on blends of 5 percent biodiesel or more through the...

? Joint BioEnergy Institute, "JBEI Scientists Unravel Omics Data Using Systems Biology-Based Workflow to Improve Biofuels Productivity" ? BBC, "Pembroke Dock Seaweed Farm to Study Algae As Biofuel" ? SeeNews Renewables, "CropEnergies To Restart Wilton, UK Plant For Trial Run" ? Ethanol Producer Magazine, "EIA Predicts Increased Ethanol Production, Consumption" ? San Diego Business Journal, "Appetite for Algae" ? The Guardian, "Shell Creates...

On May 11, 2016, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) provided more information about the project that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is funding with $1.3 million as part of the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI). UCR received $1.3 million in funding to create biofuels and chemicals from waste plant materials. Ford Motor Company Chair in Environmental Engineering at the Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) and Chemical and Environmental...

On May 18, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed increase of the renewable fuel volume requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program for all biofuels in 2017 and biomass-based diesel in 2018. While both the renewable fuel volume requirements and the proposed percentage standards are increases from previous years, the volume requirements for cellulosic biofuel, advance biofuel, and renewable fuel still fall short of the volumes proposed for 2017...

In May of 2016, the DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) awarded the University of Illinois and the University of Florida $300,000 to continue researching ultra-productive biofuel crops. The research project is called Plants Engineered To Replace Oil in Sugarcane and Sweet Sorghum (PETROSS), and this is the third round of funding that it will receive from ARPA-E. PETROSS is engineering sugarcane and sorghum to produce 20 percent oil, compared to the 0.05 percent oil that...

? Energy.gov, "Co-Optimized Fuel-Engine Systems to Transform Our Nation's Vehicles" ? USDA Blog, "Bringing Up Better Biofuel" ? Biofuels Digest, "What is the Worst Waste?" ? Labiotech, "How the UK Is Engineering Bacteria to Produce Propane for Greener Fuels" ? Plastics Today, "Mars Goes for Bioplastic Candy Bar Wrappers" ? AkzoNobel, "AkzoNobel and Royal Cosun to Develop Sustainable Cellulose Products from Sugar Beet Processing" ?...

On April 28, 2016, the European Commission (EC) encouraged Portugal to become fully compliant with the Renewable Energy Directive (Directive) through the release of an April infringements fact sheet. The Directive has set the goal of 20 percent of the European Union's (EU) 2020 energy consumption coming from renewable energy, with each Member State consuming at least ten percent renewable energy. Biofuels used in reaching this goal must meet a set of harmonized sustainability requirements,...

On May 6, 2016, DOE announced the $90 million Project Development for Pilot and Demonstration Scale Manufacturing of Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biopower. As previously reported by BRAG, this funding opportunity is intended to support the construction of bioenergy infrastructure that utilizes advanced pretreatment, process, and convergence technologies. "The domestic bio-industry could play an important part in the growing clean energy economy and in reducing American dependence on imported...

On May 9, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced the recipients of up to $10 million in funding through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI). BRDI is a joint program through DOE and USDA that helps develop sustainable sources of biomass and increase the availability of biobased fuels and products. DOE selected two of the grant winners to receive between $1 million...

? Energy.gov, "Integrating The Production Of Biofuels And Bioproducts" ? Wageningen UR, "Biobased Alternative for Sound and Vibration-Reducing Materials in Railway Systems" ? Los Alamos National Laboratory, "Hacking the Bio-Nano Interface for Better Biofuel" ? Syngenta, "Cellerate™ Technology Enhanced by Enogen® Corn Demonstrates Significant Production Increase in Trial" ? Renewable Energy Group, "Renewable Energy Group Holds Ribbon Cutting...

? Tetra Pak, "First Tetra Top Carton Bottle with Bio-Based Plastic Hits the Market with JUST Water" ? Renewable Energy Group, "Renewable Energy Group Statement on Passage of Extension of Iowa Biofuels Tax Incentives" ? Forbes, "Replacing Petro-Chemicals With Bio-Based Alternatives. Can We Do It?" ? Santa Fe New Mexican, "SFCC, Biofuels Company Partner To Develop Renewable, Energy-Efficient Farming" ? The Yucatan Times, "Mexican College Students Create...

? Federal Aviation Administration, "New Alternative Jet Fuel Approved" ? Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, "New 'EA' Biomass Pretreatment Cuts Enzyme Use, Boosts Biofuel Production" ? UCLA Newsroom, "Major Advance in 'Synthetic Biochemistry' Holds Promise for Industrial Products and Biofuels" ? DSM, "DSM Expands Its Bio-Based Portfolio with ForTii Eco" ? Nordic Paper, "Production Test Factory For Fossil Free Fuel Is Built In...

On April 15, 2016, DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced a Notice of Intent (NOI) to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled "Project Definition for Pilot and Demonstration Scale Manufacturing of Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biopower (PD2B3)." The FOA would be managed by the Bioenergy Technologies Office, and will support technology development plans for drop-in hydrocarbon biofuels, bioproducts, or biopower manufacturing. Applicants...

On April 5, 2016, the biofuel trade associations Advanced Biofuels Business Council, Algae Biomass Organization, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), Growth Energy, National Biodiesel Board, and Renewable Fuels Association sent a letter to House and Senate Leaders asking for a multiyear extension of advanced biofuel tax credits. The six organizations are specifically asking that the Second Generation Biofuel Producer Tax Credit, the Special Depreciation Allowance for Second Generation...

On April 8, 2016, Reuters reported that Argentina is planning on increasing the required percentage of ethanol in gasoline from 12 percent to 26 percent. Specific targets have not yet been created for increasing the required ethanol blend, but Argentina has been increasing the required ethanol percentage to reduce energy deficits and boost its economy. Argentina first created an ethanol mandate at five percent in 2010, and has increased the percentage incrementally since then. The increase of 14...

? USDA, "USDA To Help Finance New Farm Waste Biorefinery In Oregon" ? The Chemical Engineer, "Metal-Free, Bio-Based Polyester Developed: First Step to Truly Sustainable Plastics" ? Innventia, "[Swedish Firm] Innventia Is Gathering its Forces For a Future Bioeconomy" ? LaboratoryTalk, "Enzyme Study Tackles Biofuel Efficiency" ? TriplePundit, "A Quest for Biofuels May also Yield Food Security" ? AZOCleantech, "Chemists One Step Closer to...

DOE's Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has announced the extension of the response deadline for a request for information (RFI) about public and private sector capabilities in pilot scale verification of biofuels and bioproducts processes. The RFI, originally posted on February 12, 2016, with a due date of March 4, 2016, requests information on facilities that have the "capability to perform process verifications for biomass conversion pathways to biofuels, bioproducts, or...

? Joi Scientific, "Joi Scientific Closes Series-A Funding To Commercialize Next-Generation Hydrogen Fuel Technology" ? Sicomin, "Sicomin Presents GreenPoxy® A Bio-Based Epoxy Resin Range and SR 1125 Fire Retardant Infusion Epoxy System at JEC World 2016" ? Packaging Europe, "Sugarcane-Based Polythene Solution Certified As Carbon Neutral By Carbon Trust" ? PRweb, "Green Ox Pallet Technology, LLC Earns USDA Certified Biobased Product Certification And...

The Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference 2016 (ABLC 2016) will be held February 17-19, 2016 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. ABLC is the gathering point for top leaders in the Advanced Bioeconomy -- bringing together the entire spectrum of advanced fuels, chemicals, and materials CEOs and senior executives, business development, R&D leaders, strategic partners, financiers, equity analysts, policymakers, and industry suppliers. Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Senior Chemist for Bergeson...

On February 12, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a request for information (RFI) from biofuels and bioproducts stakeholders on existing biofuels and bioproducts plant capabilities. The facilities should have the "capability to perform process verifications for biomass conversion pathways to biofuels, bioproducts, or intermediates that integrate multiple unit operations on a scale of approximately 0.5 or greater tons of dry biomass input per day." The RFI...

On September 25, 2015, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted to amend the Biofuel Development and In-State Production Incentive Act by removing a ten percent ethanol blend requirement that occurs when Pennsylvania ethanol production exceeds 350 million gallons. The Act was originally passed in 2008. Since the incentive was put in place, Pennsylvania has not come close to reaching the 350 million gallon threshold. The bill has been referred to the Senate Environmental Resources and...

On August 10, 2015, Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) signed into law S.B. 2599/A-4121, an act concerning the definition of certain fuels and amending P.L.2010, c.22. The legislation clarifies New Jersey's Motor Fuel Tax Act exemptions to include biofuels made from recycled grease, plants, and animal fats. In addition, biobased liquid fuel and biodiesel fuel are now defined as renewable biomass. The clarification of the biofuel tax exemption is intended to encourage biodiesel businesses to...

On September 1, 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Economic Research Service released the information bulletin "Biofuel Use in International Markets: The Importance of Trade." The report reviews global biofuel production from 2001 to the present, including economic impacts of the Renewable Fuel Standard, biofuel exports in the U.S., and the future prospects of the U.S. biofuel trade. Biofuel production has increased dramatically from 2001 to 2013, with the fastest...

On July 9, 2015, the DOE announced a public workshop to collect information about challenges that occur during coproduction of biobased chemicals, products, and biofuels. The Bioproducts to Enable Biofuels Workshop was organized by the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and will cover the following topics: Identifying and evaluating economic drivers for producing bioproducts.   Identifying and prioritizing targets for bioproducts produced from biofuel waste streams, coproduced with...

On June 30, 2015, 46 U.S. Senators sent a letter to the EPA, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and USDA stating that "[f]ederal policies across all departments and agencies must remove any uncertainties and contradictions through a clear, unambiguous message that forest bioenergy is part of the nation's energy future." Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) headed the letter and pointed to the recognized carbon neutrality of forest biomass as a renewable...

? Uganda Media Centre, "Cabinet pproves The Biofuels Bill, 2014" ? National Marine Manufacturers Association, "Recreational Boating Industry Turning to Biobutanol as Alternative Biofuel" ? University of Manchester, "Mould Unlocks New Route to Biofuels" ? KiwiNet, "KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards 2015 Winners Announced" ? Phys.org, "Straw-Insulated Houses Beat Petroleum-Based Alternatives"

? BizJournals, "Biofuel Company Nature's Methane Has Ambitious Goals For Kentucky" ? Business Wire, "Verdezyne Signs Agreement With Major European Chemicals Distributor Will & Co"

On April 24, 2015, EPA released a Federal Register notice inviting comment on analysis of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced during the production and transport of Brassica carinata (carinata) oil feedstock for use in the production of biofuels. The plant is not used for food in the U.S., and has high concentrations of erucic acid, making it attractive for use in biolubricants and biopolymers, as well as biofuels. EPA anticipates that biofuels produced using carinata oil will qualify as...

On April 21, 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released the initial installment of its Quadrennial Energy Review (QER). This first installment focuses on ways to modernize the U.S. energy infrastructure to increase the country's energy competitiveness and security. In its QER, DOE points out that while U.S. biofuel production has increased significantly over the past decade -- due largely to the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) --"[c]ontinued growth in ethanol use will...

The Bioeconomy Coalition of Minnesota is advocating strongly for two bills in the state that if passed would result in a two-year, $5 million production incentive for producers, and a capital loan equipment program. The bills, HF 536 and SF 517, would benefit companies that develop biochemicals, advanced biofuels, and anaerobic digestion projects. There is concern, however, that the legislation would increase the production of corn rather than encourage the production of crops that do not...

On March 12, 2015, Christopher Grundler, Director of EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality, signed the Notice Of Opportunity to Comment on an Analysis of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Attributable to Production and Transport of Pennycress (Thlaspi Avense) Oil for Use in Biofuel Production. This notice states that biofuels produced from pennycress oil could qualify as biomass-based diesel or advanced biofuel when they are produced using typical fuel production process technologies. The...