Recent Biofuels

The Department of Energy has announced renewed funding at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s BioEnergy Science Center (BESC). BESC is an 18-member consortium of university, industrial and private foundation partners studying ways to generate biofuels from plant sources not competing with food production. “We’ve been looking at feed stocks for biofuels, such as switch grass or [...]

Two of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) national laboratory partners have recently published several technical memorandums resulting from their joint studies of biomass-to-hydrocarbon fuel conversion technologies. The studies identify barriers to developing technologies and target several research approaches that can reduce conversion costs. The studies—performed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Pacific [...]

Sandia National Laboratories is developing a suite of complementary technologies to help the emerging algae industry detect and quickly recover from algal pond crashes, an obstacle to large-scale algae cultivation for future biofuels. The research, which focuses on monitoring and diagnosing algal pond health, draws upon Sandia’s longstanding expertise in microfluidics technology, its strong bioscience [...]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that Advanced BioEnergy, LLC, based in Bloomington, Minn., has agreed to pay penalties totaling $136,500 to settle claims related to violations at its Huron and Aberdeen, S.D. ethanol production facilities. The violations are related to the facilities’ risk management programs and the failure to properly file Toxic Release [...]

The U.S. Department of Energy today announced it would fund its three Bioenergy Research Centers for an additional five-year period, subject to continued congressional appropriations. The three Centers —including the BioEnergy Research Center (BESC) led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison in partnership [...]

Pacific Ethanol, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEIX), the leading marketer and producer of low-carbon renewable fuels in the Western United States, has closed the first tranche of a financing transaction under which the company: – Issued $6.0 million in Series A subordinated convertible notes – Purchased $2.6 million of Plant debt originally due in June 2013, now [...]

When blessed with a resource in overwhelming abundance it’s generally a good idea to make valuable use of that resource. Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant organic material on Earth. For thousands of years it has been used as animal feed, and for the past two centuries has been a staple of the paper industry. [...]

Company to hold earnings conference call on April 2nd at 8:00 a.m. PT / 11:00 a.m. ET Pacific Ethanol, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEIX), the leading marketer and producer of low-carbon renewable fuels in the Western United States, reported its financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2012. Neil Koehler, the company’s president and [...]

Company outperforms 2012 revenue, gross profit and operating loss guidance Verenium Corporation (Nasdaq: VRNM), a leading industrial biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of high-performance enzymes, today reported operating highlights and financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2012. Company Highlights Since the beginning of 2012, the Company has [...]

Funded Projects Include Biofuels Production and Vehicle Buy-Downs The California Energy Commission today approved $5,580,773 for clean-energy transportation projects ranging from producing biofuels to making trucks run cleaner. “These investments are moving the state forward toward a clean transportation sector,” said Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller. “Today’s awards will help to expand renewable biofuels, [...]