All Knowledge & Insights By Date

By Lynn L. Bergeson On March 13, 2019, the European Commission (EC) published a fact sheet on the sustainability for biofuels specified.  EC adopted a delegated act that sets out the criteria for determining high low indirect land-use change (ILUC) risk feedstock for biofuels and the criteria for certifying ILUC-risk biofuels, bioliquids, and biomass fuels.  ILUC-risk fuels consist of fuels produced from food and feed crops that significantly expand globally into land with high carbon...

By Lynn L. Bergeson On February 7, 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced the development of spatial models, from a BETO-funded project, to determine how forest management can produce biofuels, restore at-risk salmonids, and reduce the risk of wildfires. Conducted by scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and the U.S. Forest Service...

The Parliament Magazine, “Biofuels Have an Important Role to Play in the Energy Union” European Coatings Journal, “15 Biobased-Coatings” Herald and News, “Red Rock Gets Go-Ahead for Lakeview”...

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On January 17, 2018, the European Parliament (EP) adopted the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (REDII), which includes draft measures to raise the share of renewable energy to 35 percent by 2030.  Additionally, the lawmakers voted to exclude biofuels produced from palm oil from consideration of European Union (EU) Renewable Energy targets and to cap other crop-based fuels at their current levels.  The exclusion of palm oil-derived biofuels...

Euractiv, “Socialists, EPP and ALDE Propose to Cap Biofuels Shares At 2017 Level, End Palm Oil” Alabama Cooperative Extension System, “Alabama Producers Growing Carinata for Biofuel” Arizona State University, “ASU Developing Biodegradable Plastics Made from Bacteria” Rothamsted Research, “Less Chewing the Cud, More Greening the Fuel”...

Reuters, “Brazil Lower House Passes Bill Aimed At Boosting Biofuels Use” University of Minnesota Duluth, “Renewable Energy Lab Delivers Biofuels For The Future” Washington University in St. Louis, “New Pathways, Better Biofuels” Bio-Based World News, “Bio-Based Rubber To Give “Optimal Bounce” To Official Ball Of The FIFA World Cup 2018”...

Senator Grassley, “Grassley, Senators to Lighthizer:  Engage Brazil on Unfair Ethanol Tariff” National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “Enzyme’s Worth to Biofuels Shown in Latest NREL Research” Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, “Solar-to-Fuel System Recycles CO2 to Make Ethanol and Ethylene” Advanced Biofuels USA, “Energy Beet Feasibility Study Finds Navy Best Potential Near-Term Customer for Alcohol-to-Jetfuel Product” Michigan State...

Advanced Biofuels Canada, “New Comprehensive Data Report Released on 2015 Canadian Biofuel Use, Greenhouse Gas Reductions, and Costs” Platts, “Norway Bans Public Procurement of Palm Oil-Based Biofuels” University of Minnesota, “U of M Wastewater Treatment Pilot Promises to Turn Scum into Profit” Cornell Chronicle, “Cornell Engineers Transform Food Waste into Green Energy”...

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On May 29, 2017, UPM Biofuels announced that its BioVerno renewable diesel and BioVerno sidestream products, including naptha, turpentine, and pitch, received certification from the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB).  BioVerno renewable diesel is manufactured from crude tall oil, a residue of pulp production.  The RSB Certification evaluates the sustainability of biobased products against 12 principles that have been approved by non-governmental...

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On April 24, 2017, Bob Dineen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) sent a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt requesting that the 2018 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Renewable Volume Obligations (RVO) rulemaking remain on schedule and maintain the conventional renewable fuel requirement at the statutory level of 15 billion gallons.  According to the letter, regulatory certainty and sufficient lead time for planning are required to allow...