Latest Biofuels and biomass News 
Biofuel or biodiesel is an alternative fuel made from renewable sources including vegetable oil (such as soy and canola), corn ethanol, sugar-cane ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, recycling cooking oil, algae, or animal fat. Biomass is plants grown to generate electricity or produce biofuels. Biofuels can significantly reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, but they can be energy intensive to produce.
OriginOil's Hydrogen Harvester generates hydrogen from living algae
OriginOil, Inc. has announced a new invention that generates hydrogen from living algae, providing an additional energy source from bioreactors. In contrast to previously reported developments in the area, the new Hydrogen Harvester™ uses little or no external energy inputs, requires no sulfur deprivation or other "stressing" of the algae, and no genetic modification. The process employs viable, high growth rate, high oil content algae strains. ... [more]
Unitel Technologies focusses on the production of algal fatty acids for making biofuels from microalgae
Currently, most of the proposed methods in the biofuels-from-algae space require the extraction of immobilized oil from algal biomass. However, regardless of the oil extraction technique used, and some are more efficient than others, getting to the oil is usually very expensive in terms of capital and energy costs. In some instances, the amount of energy consumed to extract the oil can actually exceed the energy value of the end product. Unite... [more]
Gasrec helps Waitrose cut CO2 emissions on delivery vans
Waitrose, part of the John Lewis Partnership, is committed to reducing its carbon footprint. Its latest initiative involves the use of sustainable fuel made from landfill gas to run five of its home delivery vehicles in central London. The liquid Biomethane fuel for five Mercedes Sprinters that Waitrose uses to deliver groceries is being supplied by UK company Gasrec - the first commercial producer of Liquid Biomethane in Europe. It is crea... [more]
Planning permission given for Scotland's largest ever anaerobic digestion facility
With the escalation of landfill tax, a growing emphasis on recycling and recovery, new government incentives to encourage renewable energy from waste, and new technologies coming on stream, the opportunities for small and medium sized waste contractors have never been greater, especially in the area of commercial and industrial waste, where the volumes being generated in the UK are four to five times higher than municipal solid waste. And nowhere... [more]
New B30K biofuel for heating and cooking eligible for the proposed Renewable Heat Incentive
The Oil Firing Technical Association (OFTEC) have tested fuels which blended either 30% or 50% of the bio element, fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) with either kerosene or gas-oil. The FAME was derived from used cooking oil. The fuel that blends 30% FAME with 70% kerosene (B30K) has been accepted by the Government as eligible for the proposed Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). If this is introduced households converting to the fuel will receive a s... [more]
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Other Biofuels and biomass news and reviews
Two scientists receive DOE grant for biofuels 'crop residue' research
Plant biologists Markus Pauly and Sarah Hake have been awarded a three-year, $793,000 Department of Energy grant for research on the genetic diversity of corn. They hope to identify and develop strains of corn with higher yields of fermentable sugars, allowing the plant's stems and leaves to be used for fuel production.
PNNL gets $3.1M to research biofuels
The Department of Energy has given a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory team up to $3.1 mil
Cosmic Log: The race to create frankenfuel
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Researchers report on the latest effort to tweak genes so that yeast cells can produce biofuel more cheaply and efficiently. Yeast - Biofuel - Alan Boyle - Ethanol - Fermentation
DOE Announces Awards for up to $16.5 million for Biomass Research and Development
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced today the investment of up to $16.5 million for two major research and development (R&D) initiatives that will support the expansion of renewable transportation fuels production.
More wind turbines needed to meet climate change target
The planning system must allow more wind farms or Britain will fail to meet key climate change targets, Government advisers have warned.
University of Illinois receives $1.2 million grant to accelerate feedstocks research
( University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences ) A $1.2 million US Department of Energy grant will help University of Illinois researchers accelerate genetic breeding programs to create plants better suited for bioenergy production.
U of I receives $1 million USDA grant to study Glossy15 in sorghum
( University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences ) A $1 million USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant will help University of Illinois researchers determine if changes in the Glossy15 gene system of sorghum will lead to enhanced bioenergy production in the future.
UMass professor develops improved biofuel processing method
UMass assistant professor Paul Dauenhauer, chemical engineer, says that the experiments that have been conducted have shed significant light on the process of creating biofuels, alternatives to traditional fuels.
Energy future for Utah
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- The vast resources found in the state of Utah and other intermountain areas, are seen by researchers as America's future energy prospects, according to a study done by Mark Muro, re
Joule hoping alternative fuels process changes the world
Lots of up-and-coming tech companies claim to have “game-changing” technologies. Fewer claim to have world-changing ones. Cambridge-based Joule Unlimited Inc., which aims to use advances in biotech and solar energy to create new types of renewable fuel, falls into the bolder category.
