Archive for February, 2008
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Submitted by DTN Ethanol Blog
Bernanke: Lower Brazil Ethanol Tariff
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Thursday he favored cutting high tariffs on Brazilian ethanol to help take pressure off food prices.
Higher Blends Key to Ethanol Future
Americans Don’t Know Ethanol
Dinneen: Ethanol Industry Sound
Focus on Fuels 2-25-08
Poet Funds Starch-to-Ethanol Research Collaboration
AE Biofuels Breaks Ground on Mont. Cellulosic [...]
WIREC Side Events: Communicating the Truth about BioEnergy
Submitted by BIOconversion Blog
The urgent need to clearly communicate with all stakeholders the benefits and challenges of moving forward with bioenergy technology solutions to climate change, fossil fuel dependence, and environmental distress has been clearly evident in the national media in the last few weeks.
Price BIOstock Services in conjunction with the National Wildlife Federation, BIOenergy [...]
Bio-crude becomes increasing focus of biomass industry; Sustainable Power pioneers commercialization with large-scale Asian expansionBio-crude becomes increasing focus of biomass industry; Sustainable Power pioneers commercialization with large-scale Asian expansionBio-crude becomes increasing focus of biomass industry; Sustainable Power pioneers commercialization with large-scale Asian expansion
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
Sustainable Power Corporation (SSTP.PK) has sold a 2.44 percent stake to Borneo Oil (KLSE: BORNOIL) for $2.0 million, and has signed a collaboration agreement to install a pilot bioreactor in Malaysia, using the Rivera process to produce biocrude. Under the agreement, Borneo Oil will install and commence production with up to [...]
Today in Biofuels: DOE awards $33.8 million in research funds; UK halts biofuels target, pending review; Clinton campaign $$, legislative efforts linked to personal ethanol investments
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
Top Story:The U.S. Department of Energy awarded $33.8 million in research grants to four cellulosic ethanol projects in California and New Jersey. The four-year research grants come from a $1 billion fund the DOE established to finance cellulosic ethanol research. The grants are for projects researching advanced enzymes for converting cellulose [...]
Today in Biofuels: US states buy 40,000 flex-fuel cars to avoid using alternative fuels; 20 new VE85 stations in Texas; fire chiefs say US cities and towns unprepared for ethanol fires
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
Top Story:Using a loophole in federal law, states are buying flex-fuel cars in order to avoid using alternative fuels.
Under the Energy Policy Act, federal law mandated that 75 percent of new state vehicles must be able to run on alternative fuels, but the Act does not require states to purchase or [...]
Today in Biofuels: 2008 Ethanol Outlook released for download; wheat soars 25 percent after Kazakhstan shutoff of exports; palm, corn soar to 52-week highs; BioWillie now available in Texas
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
Top Story:The Renewable Fuels Association has released the Ethanol Industry Outlook 2008 entitled “Changing the Climate.” The Outlook provides historical stats and forecasts including production forecasts, feedstock utilization, water usage, economic contributions and environmental benefits. The Outlook is being released in conjunction with the opening of the RFA’s annual Ethanol Conference [...]
Crude Upside Potential $109-$115, All Things Equal
Submitted by DTN Ethanol Blog
By Gary Wilhelmi
DTN’s Man on the Floor of the CBOT, CME
This past week started with a bang, as a west Texas refinery blew up. That price explosion was supplemented by OPEC reports that they would reduce output next month to support crude in the $85 to $100 price range. Recessionary concerns [...]
How Fidel Castro biofooled the world on biofuels; “global starvation” no longer an issue as Cuba rockets forward with sugarcane ethanol; a Biofuels Digest News analysis
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
“‘Change, change, change!”‘ Fidel Castro wrote, regarding the US Presidential campaign, in a column published this morning in Havana. “I agree, ‘change!’ but in the United States,” he continued. “I enjoyed seeing the embarrassing position of all the U.S. presidential candidates.”
However, change appears to be coming more quickly for Cuba’s biofuels [...]
Today in Biofuels: UK order biofuels impact review in Science magazine aftermath; how Fidel Castro biofooled the world on biofuels; “I don’t think there are enough acres to satisfy the demand in all these commodities”, says trader
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
Top Story:In reaction to articles published last week in Science magazine, the UK government has ordered a revised analysis review on biofuels, but reconfirmed a biofuels target of 2.5% of transportation fuel by April, rising to 5% by 2010. Meanwhile, Greenpeace called on the government to suspend biofuels targets. John Sauven, [...]
Today in Biofuels: Virgin chooses algae for test flight, report says; US, Brazilian ethanol pipelines advance; UK launches $10 million research effort into pyrolysis
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
Top Story:In the UK, it has been reported by Flight International that Boeing and Virgin Atlantic have selected algae-based biodiesel as the feedstock for the B20 flight trial of a Virgin Atlantic 747 between London and Amsterdam later this month. Boeing has denied the reports, although they acknowledged that algae is [...]
Today in Biofuels: 13 US news papers link biofuels to “chronic hunger, malnutrition and starvation; Cuba turns to biofuels as anti-biofuels Castro exits; ex-Cuban leader led global effort to link biofuels to hunger
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
Top Story:Anti-biofuels sentiment continues to gain traction in the wake of two articles published in Science magazine questioning the emissions benefits of ethanol. An editorial by David Ridenour of the National Center for Public Policy Research, linking biofuels to higher retail food prices in the US, and “chronic hunger, malnutrition and [...]
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Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
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We condense the day’s global biofuels news, and deliver it free to you each weekday morning. In a four-minute read, you have the biofuels “news you can use”.
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Today in Biofuels: Newsday calls biofuels supporters “biofools”; Mozambique disel riots reported as “food riots” in western press
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
Top Story:Reaction to last week’s shocking Science magazine articles continued, with a negative editorial in Newsday that called biofuels supporters “Biofools”. The editorial stated that “ethanol and other biofuels actually hurt the environment. When the full emission costs of producing these “greener” fuels are considered, they create more greenhouse gases than [...]
EPA raises 2008 Renewable Fuel Standard to 7.76 percent of gasoline supply
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
In Washington, the Environmental Protection Agency raised the 2008 Renewable Fuels Standard for ethanol to 7.76 percent of the nation’s gas supply — from 4.6 percent in November — to comply with the new Energy Independence and Security Act. US ethanol consumption reached 6.5 billion gallons in 2007.
the Energy Independence and [...]
Newsday calls biofuels supporters “Biofools” in Science magazine article aftermath
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
Reaction to last week’s shocking Science magazine articles continued, with a negative editorial in Newsday that called biofuels supporters “Biofools“. The editorial stated that “ethanol and other biofuels actually hurt the environment. When the full emission costs of producing these “greener” fuels are considered, they create more greenhouse gases than fossil [...]
More on the Science magazine controversy from Biofuels Digest:
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
Argonne National Lab says Science article authors’ models did not factor in changing crop yields
Bad, bad biofuels”, more Science magazine reaction, and downloads to complete underlying data
A group of scientists write to US President George Bush and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging them to revise US biofuels policies
Biofuels emissions authors say [...]
Mozambique diesel riots reported in Western media as “food riots”, fanning anti-biofuels sentiment
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
A recent uprising in Mozambique that was characterized as a “food riot” in the UK Independent and other international media, was in fact a series of fuel riots, according to local sources. The protests occurred when local drivers called on the government to increase fares by 15 percent after a 30 [...]
4.5 Mgy soy biodiesel plant to open in Arkansas
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
In Arkansas, the 4.5 Mgy Arkansas SoyEnergy Group soy-based biodiesel plant will open near DeWitt today. The company will expand productino capacity to 7 Mgy in a second phase of construction. The plant will be the first in Arkansas with its own soy-crushing capability.
Arkansas has been noted, to date, more for [...]
Virginia state supreme court clears way for ethanol plant
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
In Virginia, the prospects for a new ethanol plant in Hopewell improved when the state supreme court rejected a lawsuit aimed at blocking the plant’s construction. The lawsuit, filed by a Hopwell City Council member Curtis Harris, alleged that the city of Hopewell did not have the right to sell the [...]
Tennessee Biofuels Initiative switchgrass program set to commence
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
In Tennesee, switchgrass farmers who applied for incentives under the Tennessee Biofuels Initiative will commence planting this spring for a fall 2008 harvest. The five-year, $70 million cellulosic ethanol program will incentivize both feedstock production and construction of a pilot ethanol plant which will be constructed in Vonore. The $409 million [...]
Biodiesel documentary “Fields of Fuel” to make 50-city US tour
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
The award-winning documentary, “Fields of Fuel” is expected to launch a 50-city U.S. tour at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York in April. The director, Joshua Ticknell, will then lead a biodiesel-fueled caravan that will tie-in with music concerts, and reach 1,000 screens before reaching Washington, DC in time for [...]
Kia Netherlands owners to support Mali biodiesel program with voluntary carbon offset program
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
In Mali, Mali Biocarburant will receive investment support from Kia automobile owners in the Netherlands, under a private, voluntary carbon tax program supported by Kia. New car buyers will pay between 15 and 85 euros on a voluntary basis for carbon offsets, which will support jatropha planting in Mali to provide [...]
Today in Biofuels: Science magazine article respondents bite back; China facing food crisis
Submitted by Biofuels Digest Blog
Top Story:In Washington, biofuels associations and academics continued to respond to Science magazine articles published last week that condemned US biofuel production efforts. The Argonne National Laboratory’s Transportation Technology R&D Center, said that the Science article authors’ models did not factor in changing crop yields, which have been rising sharply in [...]
Syntec Biofuel Claims Yield of 105 Gallons of Alcohol per ton of Biomass
Submitted by DTN Ethanol Center
OMAHA (DTN) — Syntec Biofuel Inc. has achieved a yield of 105 gallons of alcohol including ethanol, methanol, butanol and propanol, per ton of biomass, according to a news release from the company.
This marks a major milestone for Syntec as this yield is equivalent to revenues in excess of $27 million [...]
Today in Biofuels: “Bad, bad biofuels”, more Science magazine reaction, and downloads to complete underlying data; US institutions pledge $10 billion in green tech investment over next 2 years
Submitted by Biofuels Digest
Top Story:Reaction to two articles published in Science magazine continues to pour in from the world’s media, almost universally dismissing the potential for biofuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
But the lead author of one of the studies, Timothy Searchinger of Princeton University, offered some hope in a Science magazine podcast interview.
“The key,” [...]
