Alternative Fuel News

Bioenergy is renewable energy made available from materials derived from biological sources. In its most narrow sense it is a synonym to biofuel, fuel derived from biological sources. In its broader sense it encompasses also biomass, the biological material used as a biofuel, as well as the social, economic, scientific and technical fields associated with using biological sources for energy. There is a slight tendency of the word bioenergy being favoured in Europe compared to biofuel in North America. An another sense is the “bioenergy healing” that means healing with human internal energy via the human energetical field, called also chakra healing. Biomass is organic material which has stored sunlight in the form of chemical energy. Biomass fuels include wood, wood waste, straw, manure, sugar cane, and many other byproducts from a variety of agricultural processes..

Zoe Foods began with lots of inspiration and just as much passion. Our special combination of whole grains, fiber, protein and omega-3s give us the stamina to keep going, keep achieving, and keep dreaming. Zoe’s Granolas and Bars are packed full of all-natural ingredients to give you all day energy and everyday health. Zoe Foods website

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ContactPro is the latest offering from Survey Analytics , a leader in online survey hosting and delivery since 2002. What began as a way to help survey customers manage the distribution of links to hosted surveys evolved into a commercial scale email marketing service. With ContactPro, users can further extend their communications with their customers and subscribers, deepening the relationship and paving the way for greater sales. ContactPro Website

MINDBODY, Inc.’s roots go back to 1998, when we were the first software consultancy developing easy-to-use client and teacher management solutions for yoga, pilates and spinning studios. In 2001, we became an LLC, took the business name “MINDBODY Software”, hired our first employees and released the first hosted data synchronization service designed for small businesses. In 2003, we led the industry again with online scheduling as the first web based, client scheduling tool that synchronized to desktop, studio management software. In 2005, MINDBODY Software’s growth began accelerating rapidly when we migrated our business management capabilities to a highly flexible and infinitely scalable, web based platform. The MINDBODY Software solution proved to be much more powerful and cost effective than desktop software — ours or anyone else’s — and our clients rapidly embraced it. By mid-year, sales of our online solution had eclipsed our desktop software. The online solution proved to be so transformational for our clients and us; we realized that we had to change our name. We became MINDBODY. Today, MINDBODY serves more than 2,900 clients in 42 countries, and is growing m..

With a commitment to integrity, we bring light to truth, excellence to endeavor and strength to community. We are the preeminent provider of relevant, timely and trusted information. We are the leaders for the communities and customers we serve. Swift Website

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Crude oil rose above $126 a barrel in New York to a record as the dollar weakened against the euro, ...

Cosan SA Industria & Comercio, the world's biggest sugarcane processor, led gains on the Bovespa ind ...

Colorado could soon be home to the world's largest wind turbine factory. However, officials with the company building the facility is remaining tight-lipped about exactly where in Colorado it would be built. The Greeley (CO) Tribune reports Denmark-based Vesta Wind Systems won't say whether it intends to build the plant with its current factory in Windsor: The near $250 million tower production facility is expected to be fully operation in mid-2010 with an annual processing capacity of 200,000 tons of steel, or 900 towers, and bring 400 new jobs to the state. Vestas also plans to establish a research and development center in the United States in 2009. Earlier this year, Vestas opened its first American blade manufacturing facility in Windsor's Great Western Industrial Park. That $65 million, 350,000 square-foot facility, will produce more than 500, 40-meter wind turbines a year when the plant is fully operational, according to company officials. This is the second big announcement for Vestas since first announcing its intentions to build the blade facility here last year. Originally, the company planned to employ 450 people at full capacity. But an expansion announced late in 200..

You know the old expression: “no good deed goes unpunished.” Well, drivers in California who are trying to do the right thing and run their vehicles on cleaner fuels are getting hit up for not paying taxes… and more. According to this story from the LA Times , those who are driving their vehicles using vegetable oil or used cooking grease are being fined for not paying road taxes, as well as being hit up for not having $1 million in liability insurance (in case the oils spill) and not having the proper permits to burn fat: The regulations are so burdensome that even Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, trying to set an example for Californians by driving a Hummer that burns cooking oil he buys at Costco, had not complied. Schwarzenegger, who has said that the exhaust from his Hummer smells so much like French fries that his passengers get hunger pangs, was unaware that he was required to send Sacramento an 18-cent road tax for every gallon of kitchen oil he burned, according to spokesman Aaron McLear. After The Times raised the issue, McLear said the governor would pay the taxes he owed. The governor's staff says it is working on making it easier to drive using vegetable ..

The Minnesota Legislature has passed the largest biodiesel mandate in the country, sending the bill to Governor Tim Pawlenty for his signature. SF 3683 is an omnibus agricluture bill authored by Sen. Jim Vickerman, DFL-Tracy (pictured left) that uses language from original legislation introduced by Rep. Al Juhnke, DFL-Willmar, (pictured right). It moves the biodiesel standard up to 5 percent a year from now, 10 percent by 2012, and finally, a whopping 20 percent by 2015. The measure enforces the higher mandate only during the warmer months of the late spring, summer, and early fall months in the northern state: The minimum content levels in clauses (3) and (4) [10 percent and 20 percent mandates, respectively] are effective during the months of April, May, June, July, August, September, and October only. The minimum content for the remainder of the year is five percent. However, if the commissioners of agriculture, commerce, and pollution control determine, after consultation with the biodiesel task force and other technical experts, that an American Society for Testing and Materials specification or equivalent federal standard exists for the specified biodiesel blend level in tho..

Average profits for distilling U.S. ethanol have fallen as corn prices soared past $6 a bushel and r ...

Brazil on Friday warned Europe not to "distort" trade in biofuel, saying Brasilia was ready to defen ...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture remains bullish on the U.S. cash grain market, predicting that pr ...

Flex-fuel vehicles, which run on any combination of gasoline and ethanol, or sugarcane alcohol, saw ...

Filed under: Biodiesel , USA Nova Biosource announced that its Illinois-based refinery has reached the million gallons milestone after 25 days of production. The plant is expected to reach 60 million gallons of ASTM standard biodiesel per year using three processing trains, although the milestone was reached with only one. Other Nova refineries in Wisconsin and Mississippi have a single train that produces 20 million gallons each. The company's global production is estimated between 180 and 220 million gallons of biodiesel per year. Nova claims to use locally generated, low-cost feedstocks, including rendered animal fats and oils and recycled vegetable and animal-based greases which are not suitable for human consumption. [Source: Nova Biosource ]   Read  |  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality earlier this week held a hearing on implementation of the new Renewable Fuel Standard. Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin (D-S.D.), Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Assistant Administrator Robert Meyers, Bob Dinneen with the Renewable Fuels Association, Nathanael Greene with the Natural Resources Defense Council, Randy Kremer of KL Process Design Group, and Dr. Mark Stowers with POET were among those who testified. Stowers noted, A strong corn to ethanol business and infrastructure is crucial to the development of cellulosic ethanol. Without it, cellulosic ethanol will be delayed. The corn to ethanol industry can provide existing grower networks, production knowledge, product, market and logistics knowledge to emerging cellulose producers and a distribution infrastructure. Financial lenders will support cellulosic ethanol provided there is a strong corn to ethanol industry. “The RFS provides an important target for cellulosic ethanol – a real and attainable target. Continued support of the RFS will be important in demonstrating to the ethanol, transportation fuel and financial industries that there will..

The Cleantech Network is holding yet another forum to give experts in the energy industry a chance to learn the latest tools and technologies of the trade. The CleanTech Forum XVIII will be held in Washington D.C. September 15th -17th, 2008. Explore the best cleantech policies and corporate practices from around the world. Hear from prominent lawmakers on cleantech-related issues. Help influence change. A new U.S. administration will soon be sworn in, and a national American emissions cap and trade system looks likely. First generation biofuels are being blamed for rising worldwide food prices, and scientists worry that the challenge of global warming has been underestimated. Cleantech Forum XVIII in Washington, D.C. connects North American investors, technology innovators, policymakers and top tier cleantech influencers with their counterparts from Asia, Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere. More than 20 of the industry's leading companies will be presenting their value propositions at the event.

We are just days away from the Alternative Fuels & Vehicles National Conference + Expo in Vegas. The four-day event boasts 200 speakers and 2,000 registrants, which includes representatives from the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council . Alternative fuels and advanced transportation technologies will be featured in the largest industry event of its kind in the world. The 14th annual conference brings together public and private fleets and other government and industry stakeholders who share the mission of advancing the use of alternative fuels and advanced technologies in the marketplace. This is the premier international conference representing all alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles where internationally renowned experts help you select the right fuel, vehicle and technology strategies for your application. Conference activities include workshops, sessions, networking, Ride-n-Drive events, a free public forum and a trade show that will feature more than 100 exhibitors.

A farm in Alsace, France is installing one of the world's largest building integrated PV solar systems. Suntech Power Holdings Co. and Hanau Energies SAS are developing the 4.5 MegaWatt BIPV. The project will include installation of weatherproof roofs on five agricultural warehouses using Suntech's ‘Just Roof' design. The ‘Just Roof' system was initially released in 1994 and has already been installed on more than 4,000 homes and commercial buildings worldwide. It features interlocking panels mounted on specially designed rails to give a highly aesthetic, weatherproof building skin that can be installed quickly and easily. Officials expect the project to be completed in January of 2009.

The 2008/09 U.S. feed grains outlook is for lower production, strong domestic demand, and lower endi ...

Green Star Products, Inc. (OTC:GSPI) today announced that it has publicly released the entire chronological technical report on its 2007-2008 algae (40,000 liter) demonstration facility. A technical report covering the development and testing of the Green Star Products algae demonstration facility has been released by the company. The 40,000 litre facility, located in Montana, has been through a test cycle which started in 2007. The company's business plan includes commercial production in the 2008-2009 timeframe. The 20-page report can be reviewed at GreenStarUSA.com (http://www.greenstarusa.com).

I make no promises about watching this, but he's pumped up with energy...

According to preliminary data from Brazil’s annual National Energy Balance report produced by EPE ( Empresa de Pesquisa Energética ), sugarcane ethanol and bagasse used for bioenergy became Brazil’s second largest primary source of energy in 2007, bypassing the contribution of hydroelectric power. Bioenergy has become Brazil's fastest growing renewable energy source and is already generating more power than all non-oil fossil fuel sources combined. As a whole, the country now generates 46.4% of its energy from renewables. This compares very favorably with the primary energy mix of OECD countries, where renewables account for a mere 5.2%. Brazil is known for its large hydropower infrastructures, with more than 600 dams built on the country's many rivers. The largest dam, the Itaipu, has an installed capacity of 14GW and provides some 20% of Brazil's electricity needs. However, erratic rainfall patterns over the past few years, combined with the fact that almost all large rivers have been dammed, have limited the prospects for new large hydroelectric power projects. In contrast, growing demand for efficient and competitive biofuels has resulted in an ambitious vision to focus t..

Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) has provided notice to the Chicago Stock Exchange of its intention to delist all of its shares from that exchange. In a statement released yesterday (7th April) the company explained that it will continue to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, its primary listing exchange, under ticker symbol ADM. ADM explained that it is withdrawing from the Chicago Stock Exchange because it does not need a secondary listing on the Chicago Stock Exchange given its ongoing primary listing on the New York Stock Exchange. The withdrawal is expected to be effective in approximately three weeks.

Congressional negotiators Thursday announced a compromise 2007 Farm Bill that has new incentives for biofuels production. “The new Farm Bill will dramatically ramp up the agricultural sector's capacity to produce clean, renewable energy,” said conference committee chairman Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA). “Significantly, it provides more than a billion dollars to expand the supply of fuels made from biomass and crop by-products, other than grain.” According to Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, the ranking Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, the bill invests $320 million for new loan guarantee program for the development and construction of commercial-scale biorefineries; provides $300 million in the Bioenergy Program to provide assistance to biofuel production plants for the purchase of feedstocks; provides $118 million for biomass research and development efforts; reauthorizes and provides $250 million for grants and loan guarantees for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects; and authorizes a new program, the Biomass Crop Assistance Program to help producers transition to new energy crops for biofuel production. To help pay for the Farm Bi..

Higher food prices have led to increasing calls for changes in the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) that was implemented as part the Energy bill just signed into law last December, which calls for 36 billion gallons of annual renewable fuel use by 2022. In this DomesticFuel Cast, we hear from several of the witnesses who testified in support of the RFS at a recent hearing of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality. Included are comments from Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Assistant Administrator Robert Meyers, Bob Dinneen with the Renewable Fuels Association , Nathaneal Greene with the Natural Resources Defense Council , Randy Kremer of KL Process Design Group , and Dr. Mark Stowers with POET . Here is the Domestic Fuel Cast #3: You can also subscribe to the Domestic Fuel Cast using the following url/feed link: http://www.zimmcomm.biz/domesticfuel/domestic-fuel-cast.xml .

The National Biodiesel Board is applauding Congress for coming up with a compromise on the Farm Bill today that contains a provision that renews the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Bioenergy program. In this press release , the NBB calls the legislation key to reducing dependence on foreign oil: “The National Biodiesel Board thanks all the Senators and Congressional leaders who have worked hard to include provisions for biodiesel and the CCC Bioenergy program,” said Joe Jobe, National Biodiesel Board CEO. “These leaders are correct in describing this farm bill as a key element in America’s energy solution. I applaud these leaders in moving the bill and recognizing that agriculture plays an enormous role in America’s energy solution.” The CCC Bioenergy program provides support to biodiesel producers to help offset the costs of the feedstock used to produce biodiesel. Over the past year, feedstock costs have doubled, reaching record highs and making it difficult to economically produce the fuel. The $300 million provided for the CCC Bioenergy program in the Farm Bill will help bring some stability to the industry so that biodiesel can continue to add to the nation’s..

For a mere $10,000 any consumer can now make and pump their own ethanol at home. A company called E-Fuel Corporation has introduced EFuel100 MicroFueler™ “the world’s first home ethanol system.” According to the company, the MicroFueler allows consumers to create ethanol with “sugar, yeast and water, and a standard household 110-220 AC power supply.” They claim that businesses, such as breweries, bars and restaurants can even use discarded alcohol beverages to create ethanol, for as little as $0.10 per gallon. The home-brewed ethanol maker is the brain child of entrepreneur Tom Quinn and ethanol scientist Floyd Butterfield. They unveiled the machine at a press event Thursday in New York. Quinn says the device, which is about the size of a refrigerator, is so simple to use that anyone can do it. “You just open it like a washing machine and dump in your sugar, close the door and push one button,” he says. “A few days later, you've got ethanol.” Quinn claims his invention will create a paradigm shift similar to the personal computer. “Just as the PC brought desktop computing to the home, E-Fuel will bring the filling station to th..

Filed under: Biodiesel , Ethanol Photo by merfam . Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0 . Sure, you might be able to describe the difference between cellulosic ethanol made by Coskata and that made by Mascoma. Or, perhaps your biofuel knowledge is just right to explain how cellulosic ethanol and corn ethanol are different, and what each might mean to the environment. But trust me, the general public has a long way to go to understand what all these new fuel types are. Remember the posts about filling up with the wrong fuel ? Anyway, I'd just like to point out this letter to the editor that appeared in today's Washington Post. In a May 3 editorial called " The Greening of Montgomery ," the WaPo mangled the difference between biodiesel and ethanol, suggesting that while switching Montgomery County's fleet of diesel cars to biofuels would be a good move, because of the problems with ethanol, care should be taken. A reader, Lynne Tucker of Bethesda, wrote in to clarify just which biofuel can go into what type of engine. What we can learn from this is that, as we educate ourselves the latest and greatest green car news, there's a lot we need to do to educate others. [Source: WaP..

U.S. ethanol output increased 39% over 2007 on last week's government report, because of February's ...

Crude oil prices surged to new highs above 123 dollars Thursday in volatile trade after the OPEC car ...

Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) and 34 other members of the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced H.R. 5984, a bipartisan companion to S. 2821, also known as the Clean Energy Tax Stimulus Act of 2008. S. 2821 was introduced by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John Ensign (R-NV) and has 43 cosponsors. S. 2821 was included as an amendment to The Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008 which was approved by a vote of 88-8. House leaders stripped that provision from the bill when it was considered in the House.

The lender that financed construction of Gateway Ethanol LLC's 55 million-gallon ethanol plant near ...

A biofuels analysis guide, 'The Essential Guide for Biofuel Analysis', has been published by the Californian-based company Phenomenex. The guide provides technology information and troubleshooting tips for biofuel production monitoring and QC analysis, says the company. “Phenomenex is unique in biofuel analysis because we offer both HPLC and GC solutions,” explained Ngoc Nguyen, brand manager. “In addition to the broad product suite, we are known for customer service and support, which is very important to this new and growing field.” The 12-page booklet is available free of charge via e-mail request to info@phenomenex.com (mailto:info@phenomenex.com?Subject=Analysis%20Guide%20enquiry%20from%20Biofuel%20Review).

Swedish paper manufacturer, Grycksbo Paper, is to invest 130 million SEK (approx $21.5m) to install a biomass boiler, which will meet the paper mill’s entire need for steam when it comes on-line during the second half of 2009. The new system, which will replace an existing oil-fired boiler, comprises the conversion of the present oil-fuelled boiler into a biomass boiler, a new handling and biofuel storage area, a filter for smoke gas cleaning and renovation of the existing turbine to produce environmentally responsible electricity.

There's an interesting window into the Danish Biofuels debate on the Copenhagen Post . Thanks to Biofuelwatch@yahoo.com According to the Post 'In the search for explanations, biofuels has become the scapegoat. Press coverage has been so intense that it's difficult to make head or tails of the real debate,' Mariann Fischer Boel, the EU's Danish agriculture commissioner, said at a biofuel conference in Brussels yesterday. She may be right, but I have a feeling that heads are landing slightly more often than tails.

Work has started on a biofuels conversion facility in Bryan, Texas, that will test the scaled-up, commercial feasibility of Terrabon's MixAlco™ technology. The MixAlco technology uses non-food feedstocks such as municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, forest product residues and non-edible energy crops to create acetic acid and alcohols that may be converted into fuel. The new semi-works demonstration plant is designed to confirm the engineering for the technology on a larger scale.

Its worth taking a few minutes to look at the blogosphere's view of Jatropha: Here are three. It is very bad, according to By Sujeet Kumar writing in India eNews and may be harmful to kids, animals, plants and soils . Kumar quotes Pankaj Oudhia, a Raipur-based agricultural scientist, who makes the claims on the basis of an unattributed scientific study from 1987. He calls for more research on the plant before we go hell-for-leather into cultivation. Certainly goats on Hati know to keep away from it, but it might be a good replacement for soya oil on the island of Hispaniola. The phyisic nut does make people physically sick, and goats being smart have probably noticed the connection for themselves. Domestic fuel thinks that it could fuel the developing world . It could also give Mexico an in on the business. Tree Hugger suggests that J atropha could be grown on abandoned sisal plantations in the Yucatan Peninsula . I guess the jury's out.

A $10 million equity investment by Marathon Oil in Mascoma was announced yesterday (6th May) as part of the $61 million raised in Mascoma’s third round of funding round. With the completion of this round of financing, Mascoma has raised approximately $100 million in equity investment. The company has also received commitments for over $100 million in state and federal grants, including the recent awarding of a $26 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Filed under: Biodiesel , Green Culture , Green Daily OMG, Chelsea Sexton is so slumming with the biofuel folks! The staunch plug-in car supporter was in Santa Monica last week and participated in a eco-makeover courtesy of Elle Magazine and the publication's biodiesel-powered salon/bus. Ecorazzi's Anna Griffin was at the scene (that's her with the mic) and got the scoop on why one of the most prominent faces of today's EV movement - Sexton was a big part of Who Killed the Electric Car? and today works with Plug In America on electric vehicle issues ( protesting Toyota , for example) - would deign enter the Elle Eco Spa Bus. The bus has got some eco-cred, that's why, and even though the bus doesn't feature a plug, it is raising money to plant trees around the U.S. Elle is just one fashion icon that's interested in green transportation. Last year, for example, supermodel Laura Bailey helped launch ibuyeco, a green-themed insurance program. And Tyra Banks took her supermodel reality show on the biodiesel route last year, as well. [Source: Ecorazzi ]   Read  |  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Mariann Fischer Boel, the European Commissioner responsible for Agriculture and Rural Development, took the media to task this week for using biofuels as a scapegoat for the food price crisis. Speaking at the Policy dialogue on biofuels organised by European Policy Centre, Fischer Boel said; Right now, a storm is blowing. Of course, Europe has seen many storms over the last year or two – whether because of climate change or more familiar factors. But over this period, I have seen no storm as ferocious as the recent media storm about biofuels.

Proclaiming "give us a chance, we'll deliver" and "2009 will be a new beginning," leaders of several renewable energy groups this week asserted electricity from wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and hydro can help the U.S. make substantial progress toward mitigating the buildup of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere.

The newest version of the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy use in Transportation model will provide researchers with even more tools to evaluate and compare the environmental impacts of new transportation fuels and advanced vehicle technologies. The newest update released May 9 will allow scientists to model combustion of ethanol produced from Brazilian sugarcane and used by U.S. automobiles; production and use of bio-butanol as a potential transportation fuel; and production and use of biodiesel and renewable diesel via hydrogenation, coal/biomass co-feeding for Fischer-Tropsch diesel production and various corn ethanol plant types with different process fuels.

A $300 million investment commitment, to fund the construction of four, next generation, bio-refining facilities, has been made by the private equity group First Reserve Corporation to Osage Bio Energy We are extremely excited about this milestone and our partnership with First Reserve. Their commitment confirms the validity of Osage Bio Energy’s unique business model and provides us the financial resources, as well as industry expertise, to make our plans a reality, said Craig Shealy, President CEO of Osage Bio Energy.

Filed under: Biodiesel , Etc. , Green Daily At the end of April, the biodiesel-powered Earthrace boat left Spain on its second attempt to set a record for round-the-world sailing using biofuel. The Atlantic crossing did present a few difficulties, with a toilet backing up, a small pool of biodiesel flooding the sleeping quarters and high waves making for slow going. Still, the boat should now be in Puerto Rico, according to the New Zealand Herald and had traveled 6651 km as of noon Monday. It's speed heading into San Juan was 43 km/hour and the average so far was 37 km/hour. Once the boat takes on more biodiesel in Puerto Rico, the next leg of the journey is 1857 km to Panama and then through the Panama Canal and on to the Pacific. So far, the team's target record is still very achievable. %Gallery-22329% [Source: New Zealand Herald ]   Read  |  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

A lack of investment in agriculture over a long period has contributed to the current global food crisis, according to a United Nations expert. Speaking at a news conference in New York yesterday (6th April) Kathleen Abdalla, of the UN's Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) said that while populations have grown and diets have changed, we've had a lack of investment in agriculture for quite a long time now and a lack of aid for agriculture. Certainly it's not been a high priority for development assistance and basically the productivity growth hasn't kept pace with the increase in demand.

Finnish oil company Neste has launched Neste Green diesel onto the Finnish market. The product is, a mix of Neste's NExBTL and standard diesel is, says the company, the first renewable diesel that suits all diesel engines. Neste Green diesel will first become available in the metropolitan region around Helsinki after which distribution will be extended to other parts of Finland on a phased basis.

Oil prices have risen 25% in the last four months and by an incredible 400% from 2001. Goldman Sachs energy strategist Argun Murti now warns that all parameters point to the occurence of a 'super-spike' past $200 in six to two years' time. He joins OPEC's very own chief, who recently uttered the same frightening words . Murti correctly predicted three years ago - when oil was about $55 a barrel - that it would pass $100, which it reached for the first time in January of this year. Current oil prices - benchmark US light crude passing the $122 mark for the first time on Tuesday - are having destructive effects on all productive economic sectors of the oil importing least developed countries (LDCs). Of the 47 poorest countries in the world, 38 are net importers of oil, and 25 are fully dependent on imports. Back when oil stood at a 'very low' $60, the United Nations already warned for the 'devastating' effects ( previous post ): Recent oil price increases have had devastating effects on many of the world's poor countries, some of which now spend as much as six times as much on fuel as they do on health. Others spend twice the money on fuel as they do on poverty alleviation. And in s..

Good to see big names in energy and the automotive sector investing in cellulosic biofuels in Mascoma's latest round of financing, according to Domestic Fuel .

Trees could be the biofuel of the future, according to this analysts report from Jeffries & Company which examines clean technology and industrial biotech following the BIO's Industrial Biotechnology conference in the US recently. Key quotes for me are Forestry Unlike prior conferences, this conference was marked by a significant presence of companies speaking directly to the potential to use forests, rather than dedicated energy crops, as cellulosic feedstocks. Cellulosic biofuels Several speakers highlighted the difficulty involved in cellulosic ethanol enzyme cocktails (more than 200 different enzymes involved in reducing biomass); We know that route is tricky, and the paper notes: Several new technologies were discussed, included a combination pyrolysis/fermentation process that feeds the orgnanisms syngas (demo plant starts up April 2009) and one that used a catalytic process to convert C5 and C6 sugars into hydrocarbons, including aromatics, rather than ethanol. Download file Cheers Doris .

Is US biofuel policy about soaking tax payers and starving the world? The Richmond Times Despatch thinks so in its InRich Blog. Barton Hinkle's piece makes the link between food aid, the ability of biofuel to lift the rural poor in developing nations out of subsistence farming and on the corruption that accompanies much food aid. Worth reading if only because the US could gain a lot of credit overseas if it were to start promoting biofuel cash crops in the developing world. These could help elevate the poor out of poverty, and build mutual need between the rich north and the poor south.

Codon Devices, Inc. and Agrivida, Inc. announced that during the first phase of the collaboration between the two companies, scientists successfully designed and engineered novel protein switches for use in the production of biofuels. The "on/off" switch can be used to activate an enzyme expressed in an inactive form.

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Filed under: Biodiesel , Green Culture , South/Latin America We are not crazy: The image above is Greenpeace Argentina's way to protest against the country's efforts to produce soy-based biodiesel. The activist group took a Mercedes ML and a Porsche Cayenne and made them look like bulldozers to illustrate the idea that soy biodiesel destroys native forests and pollutes more than might be expected by most people. The two SUVs featured German flags, because not only these two cars belong to German brands, but because most of Argentina's soy product is exported to the Bundesrepublik. [Source: Argentinaautoblog ( Thanks to Carlos for the tip )]   Read  |  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

John McCain and twenty-three other Republican Senators sent a letter last Friday to the EPA asking the agency to reevaluate the current ethanol mandate as food prices continue to soar. The EPA does have the authority to waive the mandate or structure it differently "if the mandate results in adverse unintended effects." McCain in the letter stated, “Every time hardworking American families buy groceries, they feel the financial sting of misguided federal policies mandating that taxpayers support ethanol. It isn’t a surprise that food prices are rising when more than 25 percent of the corn grown today is taken out of the food supply and instead used for subsidized ethanol production. This subsidized program - paid for with taxpayer dollars - has contributed to pain at the cash register, at the dining room table, and a devastating food crisis throughout the world. We need to put an end to flawed government policies that distort the markets, raise food prices artificially, and pit producers against consumers. We must call on the EPA to exercise its authority to not exacerbate this already bad situation.” Obama, two days later, on "Meet the Press" stated that " there's no doubt t..