Bio Fuels

Energy Dept Invests $22 Million in Biofuels Projects

Hawaii Bioenergy and Sapphire Energy have each received $5 million investments from the Energy Department, part of some $22 million in new investments by the agency to help develop cost-competitive algae fuels and streamline the biomassfeedstock supply chain for advanced biofuels. The Energy Department has invested $16.5 million in four projects — Hawaii Bioenergy, Sapphire Energy, New Mexico State University and California …

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Biofuels Support Urged

Top governors proclaim ‘steadfast support’ for Renewable Fuels Standard Iowa Biodiesel Board says plea to Congress is a needed shot in the arm Thirty governors in the Governor’s Biofuels Coalition have issued a letter to all Members of Congress urging them to stay the course on the federal Renewable Fuels Standard. The Iowa Biodiesel Board praised the move as a …

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MILITARY BIOFUEL PROGRAMS POISED TO DRIVE MAJOR ECONOMIC, JOB GROWTH

Plans in Congress to kill military biofuel programs could also derail $10 billion+ in economic activity; creation of more than 14,000 jobs, study finds The military’s plans to expand its use of biofuel in planes, ships and other vehicles would generate at least about $10 billion in economic activity and create more than 14,000 jobs by 2020, according to a …

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UC Berkeley Scientists Converting Carbon In Tobacco Plants Into Biofuels

Scientists at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s FOLIUM Project, funded by ARPA-E, use light to convert the carbon in tobacco leaves into biofuels. This is a most interesting approach to converting carbon into useable energy again through the use of light and tobacco plants. And this energy should not cause you to have cancer in then end. Or …

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Algae System For Biofuels – New Collaboration

OriginOil and Algasol Renewables to Develop an Integrated Algae Growth and Harvesting System Algasol, collaborating with NASA and Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, will bundle its offering with OriginOil’s Algae Appliance(TM) OriginOil, Inc. (OTC/BB: OOIL), developer of breakthrough technology to convert algae into renewable crude oil, and Algasol Renewables, a technology company with a unique patented technology for low-cost cultivation of …

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Scientists Examine Increasing Fuel From Microbes

Biofuel researchers have developed a mechanism that may increase yields for products like diesel, ethanol and even medicines. Growing bacteria, algae and plants on large scales is challenging enough; getting them to do things they don’t normally do, like make fuel, is even harder. Scientists have to select and tweak molecular pathways to make cells produce enough useful products to …

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Algae To Crude Oil Conversion Planned

OriginOil and Department of Energy to Develop Direct Conversion of Algae into Renewable Crude Oil for Existing Oil Refineries Company partners with Idaho National Laboratory to enable algae growers to enter the global crude oil market OriginOil, Inc., the developer of a breakthrough technology to extract oil from algae and an emerging leader in the global algae oil services industry, …

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OriginOil Announces New Research Agreement with U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory

OriginOil will work with DOE’s Office of Biomass Programs to create standards for algal biomass Los Angeles, CA – December 8, 2011 – OriginOil, Inc. www.originoil.com (OTC/BB: OOIL), the developer of a breakthrough technology to extract oil from algae and an emerging leader in the global algae oil services industry, today announced the funding of a new research agreement with …

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E. Coli Bacteria Consumes Switchgrass, Makes Fuels

A milestone has been reached on the road to developing advanced biofuels that can replace gasoline, diesel and jet fuels with a domestically-produced clean, green, renewable alternative. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have engineered the first strains of Escherichia coli bacteria that can digest switchgrass biomass and synthesize its sugars into all three …

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Getting Energy From Sun In New Ways

This is an interesting post about a recent conference where scientists are reporting on their efforts to mimic photosynthesis in order to extract cheap and efficient energy sources to power the world in the future. One of them in particular has to do with creating a synthetic leaf which absorbs sunlight and then converts it into fuel which can be …

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Commercial Algae Harvesting System Announced

Algae Appliance set for commercial release in early 2012 will help producers meet rising demand Los Angeles, CA – November 16, 2011 – OriginOil, Inc. (OTC/BB: OOIL), the developer of a breakthrough technology to extract oil from algae and an emerging leader in the global algae oil services industry, today announced the Algae Appliance(TM), a commercial entry-level algae harvesting system …

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UC DAVIS IS PARTNER IN A MAJOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST BIOFUELS PROJECT

UC Davis will receive $3.1 million of a $40 million biofuels grant announced today (Sept. 28) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Led by researchers at the University of Washington, the five-year project is intended to expand what has been a Midwest-centric biofuels industry into Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana and Northern California. While the U.S. biofuels industry has focused …

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Research in Progress: Part Two: Cellulosic Biofuels

ThayerSchool asked: Each year, Thayer Ph.D. students present their research to the community. Hear from Veronique Archambault-Leger in part two of this series discuss her work in the pre-treatment of biomass for cellulosic biofuels.

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Biofuels Make a Comeback Despite Tough Economy

Washington, D.C. – Global production of biofuels increased 17 percent in 2010 to reach an all-time high of 105 billion liters, up from 90 billion liters in 2009. High oil prices, a global economic rebound, and new laws and mandates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, and the United States, among other countries, are all factors behind the surge in production, …

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New Catalyst For Ethanol Made From Biomass

Researchers potentially find a renewable path to fuel additives, rubber and solvents The right balance of zinc and zirconium oxides in this catalyst (purple block) converts ethanol to isobutene with low amounts of unwanted byproducts such as acetone and ethylene. RICHLAND, Wash. – Researchers in the Pacific Northwest have developed a new catalyst material that could replace chemicals currently derived …

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Rain Forest Advocate Taps the Energy of the Sugar Palm

Marianne Lavelle For National Geographic News Published June 22, 2011 This story is part of a special series that explores energy issues. For more, visit The Great Energy Challenge. One of Indonesia’s most ardent rain forest protection activists is in what may seem an unlikely position: Spearheading a project to produce biofuel from trees. But tropical forest scientist Willie Smits, …

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Algal Biofuel At Competitive Prices Being Evaluated

“VG Energy’s technology has shown great promise as a viable and cost-effective additive for alternative energy sources,” said Haig Keledjian, CEO of VG Energy and Viral Genetics. “We are thrilled to be working with BioProcess Algae to take the next steps and move from the laboratory to a viable production setting.”

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Bacteria Into Butanol Biofuel Factories

University of California, Berkeley, chemists have engineered bacteria to churn out a gasoline-like biofuel at about 10 times the rate of competing microbes, a breakthrough that could soon provide an affordable and “green” transportation fuel. The advance is reported in this week’s issue of the journal Nature Chemical Biology by Michelle C. Y. Chang, assistant professor of chemistry at UC …

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Making Gasoline without Crude Oil

How do we wean ourselves from the petroleum addiction? Today’s energy challenges present us with good news, and bad news. First, the bad news. Each and every day the United States consumes twenty (20) million barrels of crude oil. We produce seven (7) million barrels leaving a delta of thirteen (13) million barrels of oil that we need to purchase …

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