Ethanol & Biofuels Technology

2/24/2010 - Verenium Corp. officials Feb. 11 announced the introduction of Xylathin enzyme, which the company said is designed to improve the economics of fuel ethanol production from cereal grains.

2/17/2010 - Dow Water and Process Solutions was one of many companies exhibiting their technologies and products at the 2010 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo during the second week of February.

2/17/2010 - On Feb. 8, Biofuels Implementation Manager for General Motors (GM) Coleman Jones told attendees of the 2010 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo in Grapevine, Texas, that GM’s new lineup of heavy-duty diesel pickup trucks and vans will have B20 capability for model year 2011.

2/17/2010 - At the National Biodiesel Conference and Expo on Feb. 9, Enterprise Holding announced that it will be converting its entire fleet of shuttle buses to biodiesel. This includes the company’s three brands, Alamo Rent-a-car, Enterprise Rent-a-car and National Car Rental.

2/17/2010 - Bob Lutz, General Motors vice chairman, said the company expects to lose money on future hybrid sales and will pass those costs onto other cars and trucks in the automaker’s lineup to support the development of new vehicles, according to The Wall Street Journal.

2/17/2010 - Allard Research and Development, a developer of small- to medium-scale ethanol fuel production systems, announced earlier this month the world’s first small-scale ethanol fuel production system utilizing cellulose as the primary feedstock.

2/17/2010 - Researchers at the University of Missouri have designed a novel system that extracts oil from algae, brine shrimp and tilapia for use as biofuel, potentially reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a proposed electric power plant, the university announced at the end of last month.

2/17/2010 - The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is pursuing algal biofuels, as part of the greenhouse complex at UNL’s Beadle Center will be revamped into an algal biofuels research facility this year, the university recently announced.

2/10/2010 - ZeaChem Inc. announced Feb. 2 the first fermentation results of acetic acid, an intermediate in the ZeaChem process, that demonstrated successful process scaling to a level that is 10,000 times greater than standard lab scale, a company release reported.

2/10/2010 - Dubai-based Axial Vector officials announced Feb. 1 that they’ve signed a memo of understanding with India-based non-road diesel engine maker Kirloskar Oil Engines for development of a vegetable-oil-tolerant Axial Vector engine.

2/10/2010 - Autoblog Green reported at the end of January that during a presentation on the Volvo electric C30 at the EnerDel facility in Fishers, Ind., the auto company revealed that the C30 will use a small liquid-fuel heater to heat the battery and cabin, instead of using the battery.

2/3/2010 - A collaboration led by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) – a scientific partnership led by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory – has developed a microbe that can produce an advanced biofuel directly from biomass, according to a release from the Berkeley Lab Jan. 27.

2/3/2010 - Scientists have found a way to increase fermentable sugar stores in plants that could lead to plant biomass being easier to convert into eco-friendly sustainable biofuels, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) reported Jan. 27.

2/3/2010 - OriginOil, Inc. (OOIL) unveiled a comprehensive pilot system for algae growth and harvesting at an exclusive event held at its Los Angeles headquarters on Jan. 28, the company announced Feb. 1.

2/3/2010 - The theme to last week’s Washington, D.C. Auto Show was “Change Happens Here.” While the word “change” is a popular buzzword in the nation’s capital, this year’s event truly was different than in previous iterations.

2/3/2010 - Researchers at Purdue University in Indiana announced last week that they’re jointly developing a new diesel engine with Cummins that would reduce the typical nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions penalty of biodiesel.

2/3/2010 - Dubai-based Axial Vector officials announced Feb. 1 that they’ve signed a memo of understanding with India-based non-road diesel engine maker Kirloskar Oil Engines for development of a vegetable-oil-tolerant Axial Vector engine.

1/27/2010 - Boeing, the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Etihad Airways and UOP officials Jan. 18 announced an agreement to establish the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Project, aiming to develop “integrated saltwater agricultural systems to support the development and commercialization of biofuel sources for aviation and co-products.”

1/27/2010 - At the Washington Auto Show on Jan. 26, Ricardo and Growth Energy announced they will collaborate on a project to demonstrate a highly optimized engine fueled on ethanol can provide a cost-effective, low-carbon, high-fuel economy alternative to fossil fuel.

1/27/2010 - Novozymes, partnered with Maryland-based Fiberight, provided the demonstration fuel – made from government office wastepaper and waste cardboard – that powered a flex-fuel Chevrolet HHR driven on the roads of Washington, D.C., on Jan. 26.