Bio-fuel and Bio-energy Market News

Manitoba Subsidizes BioDiesel

WINNIPEG - Apr 8/10 - SNS -- The Manitoba government will subsidize up to 20 million liters per year of biodiesel production for the next five years under amendments to the Biofuels Act tabled in the legislature by Energy and Mines Minister Dave Chomiak. . . . Continue or visitors click here

Year-Long Biodiesel Test by SRC

SASKATOON - Dec 17/09 - SNS -- A pilot project has been started by the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) to assess biodiesel's quality retention and performance in farming equipment throughout the year. . . . Continue or visitors click here

Peas As Biofuel Stock

FARGO - Nov 3/09 - SNS -- Corn has become the mainstay of ethanol production. However, many firms are investigating new feedstocks, such as switchgrass, forest products and algae, to produce cellulosic biofuels that meet pending federal and state regulations. . . . Continue or visitors click here

German Biofuel Usage to Decline

WASHINGTON - Aug 17/09 - SNS -- Reductions in German mandates for biofuel use should result in a reduction in the overall size of the German market for biodiesel and ethanol, according to the U.S. agricultural attache for the cuntry. . . . Continue or visitors click here

Cellulosic Ethanol Advancing

FARGO - Jul 30/09 - NDSU -- The arrival of ethanol produced from cellulosic feedstock sources has almost been a standing joke within the ethanol industry. Each year it has always been “four to five years down the road” before commercial production would become viable. That has changed because the “four to five years” is now. . . . Continue or visitors click here

Mozambique Threatended by Climate Change Inaction

JOHANNESBURG - May 28/09 - IRIN -- A detailed study of the effects of climate change on Mozambique has confirmed what many experts feared: unless immediate action is taken, the country will be overwhelmed by the impacts of cyclones, floods, droughts and disease outbreaks. . . . Continue or visitors click here

No-Till Keeps Carbon Sequestered

WASHINGTON - May 27/09 - SNS -- Farmers in the United States can switch from growing environmentally grasses to corn for biofuel production and continue to sequester carbon if they do till the soil, report USDA researchers. . . . Continue or visitors click here

EPA Rules Limit Corn Ethanol Prospects

FARGO - May 22/09 - NDSU -- On May 5, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced proposed regulations regarding implementation of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA). Despite the legislation's namesake, there isn't much security for the growth of traditional corn ethanol. . . . Continue or visitors click here

Biofuel Spurs Rural Development

ROME - Apr 8/09 - SNS -- Small scale bioenergy projecs in local communities can play a significant role in rural development in poor countries, according to a new report jointly published by FAO and the UK's Department for International Development (DFID). . . . Continue or visitors click here

E20 Does Not Hut Performance

ST. PAUL - Apr 3/09 - SNS -- Gasoline containing 20% ethanol performs about the same as gas with 10% ethanol, according to research conducted by the Minnesota Center for Automotive Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato. . . . Continue or visitors click here

Manitoba Tackles Emissions

WINNIPEG - Apr 2/09 - SNS -- The Manitoba government intends to pursue new emission targets for vehicles as part of its effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. . . . Continue or visitors click here

Climate Change -- Pay Now, Pay Later

JOHANNESBURG - Ma 30/09 - IRIN -- Countries staring into a gloomy future of low food production, less water, higher storm surges, longer dry periods and other expensive consequences of climate change have been told they can adapt at a cost ranging from several hundred billion dollars to over a trillion dollars. . . . Continue or visitors click here

California Unenthusiastic About Ethanol

FARGO - Mar 26/09 - NDSU -- The California Air Resources Board's adoption of a new 'Scoping Plan' that was passed Dec. 11, 2008 is that state's energy blueprint for the future and has been in development since 2006. On March 5, 2009, California defined which renewable fuels qualify for the plan and the prospects for traditional corn grain ethanol are not bright. . . . Continue or visitors click here

Biodegradeable Projects Win Awards

Soy-based Cork . . . Continue or visitors click here

Cap and Trade Proposed for USA

FARGO - Mar 20/09 - NDSU -- The Obama administration is developing a cap-and-trade program for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. This is an important development for the renewable-energy industry because carbon credits created from the use of biofuels and wind energy will help meet established national goals. It also is of concern for the northern Plains because coal is used extensively for plant heating and electrical generation, so any reduction in emissions will raise user costs. . . . Continue or visitors click here

Montana Researchers Confirm Warming Trend

BOZEMAN -- Feb 27/09 - SNS -- There is an unmistakable warming trend in northwestern North America, according to a new Montana State University study, especially in late winter and early spring. . . . Continue or visitors click here

Shredding Corn Residue Boost Ethanol Yield

CHICAGO - Feb 26/09 - SNS -- A Purdue University researcher has found that shredding corn stover instead of chopping reduces the amount of energy needed to access more of the stored material in the plant by 40% when compared to chopping. . . . Continue or visitors click here

Japanese Want Carbon Footprint Details

FARGO - Feb 19/09 - SNS -- Japanese consumers have recently become interested in the carbon footprint of the foods they are consuming following a decision by some companies in the country to label foods with information about the amount of carbon released into the environment to grow and produce their products. . . . Continue or visitors click here

Wind Power For Farmers

FARGO - Jan 26/09 - SNS -- North Dakota State University's (NDSU) Extension Service is offered an overview of wind turbines for onfarm use in a February 13, 2009 webcast. . . . Continue or visitors click here

Climate Risk Insurance Debated

JOHANNESBURG - Dec 12/08 - IRIN -- Climate risk insurance was the buzz at the two-week climate change conference in Poznan, Poland, which started on 1 December. . . . Continue or visitors click here

Manitoba Rolls Out Geothermal Program

WINNIPEG - Dec 10/08 - SNS -- Manitoba will provide some help to individuals and companies in the province installing geothermal heating and cooling systems in existing or new homes. . . . Continue or visitors click here

Less Tillage For Greener Agriculture

CHICAGO - Dec 3/08 - SNS -- The top meter of the soil contains more carbon than plants or the atmosphere, which can be freed when disturbed, say University of Illinois researchers. This means the choice of plants used to make biofuel has more impact than previously understood on carbon levels in the atmosphere. . . . Continue or visitors click here

U.S. Carbon Emissions Mapped

CHICAGO - Oct 31/08 - SNS -- University of Purdue researchers have developed the most detailed CO2 emissions map available for the United States as a first step toward identifying potential carbon traps. . . . Continue or visitors click here

Biogas Plant Uses Chicken Manure

WASHINGTON - Aug 27/08 - SNS -- German engineers have opened the first biogas plant in the world which runs on 70% chicken manure in Baasdorf, reports the U.S. agricultural attache for the country. . . . Continue or visitors click here

EPA Won't Waive RFS for Texas

LANSING - Aug 7/08 - MFB -- Today's decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deny a Texas governor's request to waive the country's Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) mandate is a smart move because continued ethanol production is one of many strategies that must be followed to help free consumers and farmers of escalating energy costs, according to the Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB). . . . Continue or visitors click here