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
Report Card
The limited potential of first-generation biofuels to make a significant contribution to displace fossil fuels and reduce GHG emissions highlighted by several studies unleashed a sense of urgency for the transition towards second-generation biofuels.
Biofuels-from-algae firm to list soon
Algae Tec will soon list on the Australian stock exchange and has signed two deals to deploy technology that can be used to generate biofuels from algae.
Mascoma acquires SunOpta BioProcess for $51M
Mascoma Corp. is acquiring a division of Canada's SunOpta Inc. for $51 million, hoping to pair the companies' biofuels expertise to more efficiently convert wood chips, crops and organic solid waste into ethanol.
Mascoma Acquires SunOpta BioProcess Inc.
Creates global biofuels leader and industry's first comprehensive capability for low-cost cellulosic...
SunOpta Sells BioProcess Business to Mascoma for $51M
SunOpta (NASDAQ:STKL), a specialty food retailer, gradually rose on Wednesday after it said it was selling SunOpta BioProcess to privately-owned Mascoma for $51 million.
USDA and DOE Partnership Seeks to Develop Better Plants for Bioenergy
WASHINGTON, Sept. 2, 2010 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced research awards under a joint DOE-USDA program aimed at improving and accelerating genetic breeding programs to create plants better suited for bioenergy production.
Enerkem claims world first with giant waste-to-fuel plant
Rachel Fielding, BusinessGreen , Thursday 2 September 2010 at 12:54:00 Canadian firm says new Edmonton plant will process 100,000 tonnes of waste year, creating enough fuel for 400,000 cars Canadian biofuel specialist Enerkem this week announced it has begun construction on what it claims will be the world's first industrial-sized plant capable of converting non-recyclable municipal waste into ...
Xylitol Canada Strategic Partnership Now Includes Mascoma Corporation
Company Provides Corporate Update on Recent Sale of SunOpta BioProcess Inc. to Mascoma Corporation
There’s Oil In Them Trees
In a special session Aug. 27, the Mississippi Legislature passed a $45 million bond issue that will allow the state to loan $75 million to KiOR , a Houston-based startup that converts biomass into a crude-oil substitute.
From predictions to reality: Genomics reveals microbe's metabolic potential
Knowing an organism's metabolism can give scientists essential insights into how the organism uses its resources. These insights can then enable them to tweak the metabolism to enhance the microbe's use of these resources in beneficial ways, such as to reduce contamination in soil or to produce biofuels or other desirable chemicals efficiently.
