In an effort to clean up emissions and reduce fossil fuel use by the industry, the French government is co-financing – to the tune of $32.1 million over the next eight years – the “ProBio3″ project which aims to develop new airline biofuels from waste grasses that can be safely mixed 50/50 with jet fuel.

“Tomorrow, planes will fly using agricultural and forest waste,” said Carole Molina-Jouve, a coordinator of the ProBio3 project and professor at Toulouse’s National Institute of Applied Sciences (Insa).

Hydroprocessed oils such as those produced from agricultural waste are approved for use in aviation applications and the French government wants to develop a a profitable manufacturing system for the fuel. By breaking down the waste product into sugars, mixing it with yeast, transforming it into a fat, and then treating it with hydrogen, the researchers are able to make a biofuel with properties like today’s petroleum in their lab. The key to making this a usable fuel of the future is to replicate this process in the real world on an industrial scale large enough to provide for airline’s needs.

Coming on the heels of the European Union’s mandate to lower biofuel blends derived from crop-based sources for use in transport, developing a fuel made from waste grasses and not food products could be just what the industry needs. Airbus recently began prepping for hydrogen fuel cell-powered flight tests, but seeing as how the company is also a backer of and partner in the ProBio3 project it seems obvious it believes there is also a future for biofuels produced from straw and wood chips.

[via Reuters]

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The EPA’s new rules are enforceable under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) which established the second phase of the Renewable Fuel Standards program. The EISA already specifies a one billion gallon minimum volume requirement for the biomass-based diesel category for 2012 and beyond, so the EPA’s slight requirement increase shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise to the diesel industry.

Biodiesel is a non-petroleum fuel typically made from fats or oils such as soybean oil, but it can also be derived from waste vegetable oils. According to the National Biodiesel Board, it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend, and can be used in existing vehicles with diesel engines with little or no modifications.

The move is good news for states like Iowa that depend on the biodiesel industry to buy up their soybean crops. Currently Iowa is the country’s largest producer of biodisel with 13 dedicated facilities and the capacity to produce 320 million gallons on its own every year. Yet, some are still doubtful that using food crops for fuel production is a good use of America’s agricultural capabilities, and there have been questions about whether or not biodiesel is really a cleaner-burning fuel. And, of course, the petroleum industry is unhappy, having previously claimed that the EPA’s mandate makes it more expensive to produce diesel, a cost that’s ultimately passed on to the consumer.

Still, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack seems optimistic that the move will be good for the economy: ”Over the past three years, we have doubled generation from renewable energy and [this] announcement by the EPA will ensure that we are continuing to utilize biodiesel to help meet our energy needs, create jobs and strengthen the rural economy,” he said.

Photo credit: Frontpage/Shutterstock

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Scientists created this “Frankenstein” grass by inserting a specific corn gene into the switchgrass. The gene keeps the grass from aging, leaving it to languish in its youthful starchiness without entering its adult phases of flowering, seed production and growth. The starch that would otherwise be used by the plant for nourishing flower buds and blossoms stays in the stem instead.

In addition to getting the crops just right, the research team is also monitoring water use needed to grow these crops, recognizing that “water availability could be the single most limiting factor in U.S. biomass production.”

This high-efficiency ingredient will make biofuel production less costly, possibly even giving it the needed boost to compete with petroleum-based fuels. As Revmodo has covered, the Navy is currently working to transition to biofuels and other forms of clean energy. Those efforts have been met with Republican opposition from Congressmen who claim it’s a concern over costs: using ethanol and other biofuels costs significantly more than conventional fuels.

The scientists involved in the project are optimistic that the switchgrass will be established as a reliable bioenergy crop, leading the U.S. to energy independence. Ann Perry from the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service said, “I’m glad that so many scientists are now working together on ways of establishing switchgrass as a bioenergy crop that can help the United States develop its own renewable energy sources.”

This new switchgrass gives hope to the idea that biofuel production could one day be cost-competitive, making arguments like the Republicans’ less convincing, biofuel use more widespread, and the world greener for everyone.

Main photo credit: HJ Schneider/Shutterstock

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Joule Unlimited, which believes that its technology could eventually produce up to 100X more ethanol and biodiesel – using only non-food sources – than today’s alternative-fuel manufacturers are capable of, announced the commissioning of its first SunSprings demonstration plant on four acres of desert in southeastern New Mexico. It has already been testing its Liquid Fuel from the Sun system in a lab in Texas for two years, and this demo plant will be a jumping off point for the future development of scalable fuel production sites across the globe.

The technology utilizes a combination of genetically-engineered photosynthetic microorganisms, controlled sunlight, non-potable water, and waste CO2 to produce the fuel. According to Joule, these microorganisms act as living catalysts which continuously and directly secrete ethanol. This is unlike typical algae-based systems which first produce biomass that requires harvesting before the sugars can be converted into fuel.

“A short four years after we began lab operations, we are pleased to reach this important milestone in the company’s development,” said Noubar Afeyan, Founder and Chairman of Joule. “Based on several breakthrough innovations, Joule has produced a platform to sustainably produce liquid fuels at costs competitive with all existing alternatives. Now we are eager to show the promise of commercial production.”

The company believes it will eventually be able to produce 15,000 gallons of diesel and 25,000 gallons of ethanol per acre annually at a cost of around 1.28 per gallon, and it is aiming for at least 10,000 gallons per acre at the new demonstration facility. Once the new plant is online, commericial production and introduction of Joule Sunflow-E into the ethanol market will begin.

Is the future of fuel to be found in genetically-engineered microorganisms fed only sunlight and water? While it sounds like only a dream, Joule is out to prove that their technology will be providing a cost-effective, environmentally-friendly fuel in the coming years.

[via Technology Review]

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According to the Indiegogo fundraising page, more than 2 billion people still cook indoors over wood-burning fires. These inefficient wood fires contribute to deforestation, climate change and the aforementioned premature deaths.

But how can the PlanetStove help?

The creators of this stove, Dylan Maxwell and Olivier Kolmel, say that the PlanetStove can help both people and the environment in the following ways:

1. Reduce indoor cooking smoke to a minimum.
2. Mitigate airborne soot, which is responsible for 5-10 percent of man-made global warming.
3. Reduce deforestation by increasing stove efficiency; villages reported using roughly 1/3 less wood than with traditional stoves.
4. Sequester carbon (in the form of biochar) within the soil.
5. Improve the soil structure and drought resistance.
6. Improve the financial situation and living conditions of rural populations.

How does the PlanetStove work?

It is a TLUD stove, which stands for “Top-Liti Updraft.” Basically, you light kindling on top of a vertical tube full of densely packed wood. That vertical tube is nested inside a larger vertical tube. The fire on the top heats the wood and resulting hydrogen and carbon monoxide rise toward the top where they meet with oxygenated air drawn through the space between the tubes.

The stove essentially gasifies the wood. The resulting charcoal can then be returned to the earth in the form of biochar — which still contains at least 50 percent of the carbon that was in the original wood.

How can you help?

At the time of this writing, the PlanetStove Indiegogo project has received $4,053 worth of the $25,000 it needs to fund the campaign, with 34 days left remaining.

The lowest level of contribution is $25 and will basically subsidize the cost of a PlanetStove for a family in the developing world. You’ll get a photo of the family that received the stove, as well as a follow up with that family after a year of using the stove. Obviously, other contribution levels are available, so hit up the PlanetStove fundraising page and see if it strikes a chord with your passions.

Main image credit: Novotera

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After beginning construction on the demonstration plant in Columbus, New Mexico back in 2011 at a cost of $135 million, California-based Sapphire Energy has successfully harvested 21 million gallons of algae biomass from its first ponds that were first seeded with algae in March. Named the Green Crude Farm, the facility covers over 300 acres and consists of some of the largest algae ponds ever built.

“Bringing our Green Crude Farm online is not only an important accomplishment for Sapphire Energy, but a critical step toward a viable alternative energy future,” says Cynthia ‘CJ’ Warner, chief executive of Sapphire Energy. “What was once a concept is now becoming a reality and model for growing algae to make a renewable crude oil for energy.”

After converting all the harvested biomass into useable oils, the company hopes to be able to produce 10,000 barrels a day of algae-based biofuel by 2018. And while that may seem like a drop in the bucket compared to the 19 million barrels per day the U.S. uses of refined petroleum and biofuel products, it’s a good start and it’s only from one facility. Sapphire states that so far, the demonstration plant has exceeded initial projections, providing hope that we can someday produce a large percentage of our fuel needs right here at home from algae biomass.

[via Ecoseed]

Image Credit: Sapphire Energy

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Sure to generate giggles from the 12 year old within all of us, this three-wheeled motorcycle from Japan-based toilet company TOTO Ltd. made its debut Thursday at a showroom in Fujisawa, near Tokyo. And while it isn’t actually made to be powered by a pooping rider cruising down the highway, according to Metro UK the highly-efficient 250cc engine is made to run on biofuel generated from livestock waste or waste water from Shika-oi Town in Hokkaido and Kobe city. The toilet seat on top of the bike is for effect only, used to generate interest in the technology.

We have vehicles running on biofuels made from algae, cooking grease, animal fats, seeds and other assorted oils. Why not livestock waste? There is plenty of it to go around and no chance of it ever running out. Sounds like the perfect biofuel to provide for our transportation needs. Leave it to a toilet company to build a prototype motorcycle meant to run on the stuff.

“We hope to raise awareness among customers about our green campaign through development of environmentally-friendly products such as water-saving showerheads and water-saving toilets,” said TOTO spokesman Kenji Fujita. Anything that does that, including the building of the Toilet Bike Neo motorcycle, is good with me.

[via AutoBlog Green]

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Matt Hartwig of the Renewable Fuels Association called the decision “a good first step.”

Currently, the U.S. uses only two advanced biofuels: sugar cane-based ethanol imported from Brazil and domestic biodiesel, a combination of petroleum diesel and renewable sources. Most of what is made in the U.S. is conventional ethanol made from corn — causing some critics to complain that the diversion is raising food prices for consumers. Of course, those critics fail to note that part of the problem is that corn has become the go-to ingredient for everything from soda to cereal. Because sorghum is not typically used in human food, this move should lead to fewer complaints. However,  it is used in feed for poultry, cattle and other livestock, so it is not far-fetched to worry that the move could lead to higher meat and dairy prices.

One Kansas plant run by Western Plains Energy L.L.C. has already started investing in the new sub-industry, putting $30-$40 million into renovations to assure it will be one of the first to turn the crop into advanced ethanol.

“We’re going to try to produce over 50 million gallons (of advanced ethanol) per year,” said Curt Sheldon, the plant’s chief accounting officer. “At today’s prices, we could probably pay for the project in two to three years.”

Main photo credit: Larry Rana/USDA

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The House of Representatives, meanwhile, passed a symbolic measure to erase the incentives. The issue is likely to be decided as part of a major budget battle that is looming at the end of this year.

The renewable energy provisions represent less than $6 billion of the $205 billion package, which passed the committee in a 19-5 vote. Of the funding, $3.3 billion would go to an extension of the federal production tax credit used by the wind industry to keep electricity rates competitive with fossil fuels. The tax credit was originally created in 1992 and has been extended periodically since then. The American Wind Energy Association argues that allowing the credit to expire could mean the loss of 37,000 jobs next year.

The committee’s package also includes extensions of a $1.01 per gallon tax credit for the production of cellulosic biofuel, a credit for biodiesel and renewable diesel and a number of credits encouraging energy efficiency in homes and appliances.

The current wind energy credit is scheduled to expire at the end of this year. The proposed extension, like most of the other renewable energy provisions in the package, would last until the end of 2013. The credit has become a political issue this election year. Mitt Romney has said he would allow it to expire, while President Barack Obama supports keeping it.

Congress has now begun its five-week summer recess. When it starts up again in the fall, the Senate will take up the tax credit package as well as other budget provisions. A major fight over government spending is brewing this year with Bush-era tax cuts set to expire at the end of December and $109 billion in automatic spending cuts planned for Jan. 2, 2013.

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With a goal of creating a closed-loop system, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography will be working on finding a way to take carbon dioxide from SoCal gas plants, feed it into algae ponds, and capture the algae-generated methane to feed back into the gas pipeline for the utility to use.

“What we want to study is how much CO2 could we capture from a power plant and turn it into algal biomass,” said Dominick Mendola, one of the two lead researchers at Scripps.

Algae requires CO2, water and sunlight to grow, so capturing and using the emissions from a natural gas plant make perfect sense. Large-scale algae ponds also require a lot of land, so putting them on existing plots at utility plants would reduce any NIMBY concerns about their development. Many scientists and studies have deemed algae to be the fuel of the future, with uses ranging from the methane gas that SoCal Gas wants or for the generation of biodiesel.

SoCal Gas is the largest natural gas utility in the country, and it is looking for new ways to meet the greenhouse gas emissions rules set up by California’s 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act, which encourages GHG reductions in the electricity and natural gas industry. If it is able to build a 100 percent closed-loop system, the design and implementation could be a model for other utilities to follow in order to cut their own emissions while producing much-needed gas. Scripps has been hired

[via North Country Times]

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