Biofuels Archives – The Green Optimistic

Norway bans biofuel from palm oil to fight deforestation

Effie P — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 15:50:27 +0000

Palm oil is used in virtually anything, from food to make-up industry, and the rapid expansion of palm plantations comes at the expense of tropical ecosystems, native populations, land degradation and carbon emissions. Tropical forests are annually burned down to be replaced by palm farms in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, which produce more than […]

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UK gears up for huge surge in new biomethane plants through 2020

Matthew Fiala — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 09:12:37 +0000

Thanks to an investment of £400m in the biomethane sector, potentially 48 new UK biomethane plants could all be in operation by January 2020 – increasing the total number of UK plants from 98 today to 146 by end of the decade. Anaerobic digestion, a process that converts organic wastes (food, manure, crop-waste and sewage) […]

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University of Michigan Researchers Get $2 million Grant for Developing Algae-Based Biodiesel

Ally Munda — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 12:07:05 +0000

A team of researchers from the University of Michigan have been granted $2 million by the US Energy department as funding for their research into algae-based biofuel for diesel engines. The team is one of the few in the world working to solve the problem from ‘end-to-end’. The Department of Energy is keen on finding […]

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Norway will make airlines use more environmentally friendly fuel from 2020

Matthew Fiala — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 19:27:48 +0000

Airlines operating in Norway will be required to use environmentally friendly jet fuel mixed with biofuel from 2020, according to an announcement made by the Ministry of Climate and Environment. As part of Norway’s push to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the government said the aviation fuel industry must mix 0.5 percent advanced aviation biofuel into […]

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More Bioethanol (10%) in UK Petrol – Govt Consultation in Progress

Arsenij Percov — Tue, 24 Jul 2018 10:58:00 +0000

The UK Department for Transport has started a consultation regarding the E10 fuel. The goal is to figure out whether and how it should introduce the fuel. Since it contains more bioethanol, it will help the reduction of carbon emissions from petrol cars. Consequently, it will help the UK to meet its climate change targets. […]

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Biofuel Production Will Not Significantly Affect Forestry Market

Guest Contributor — Sat, 14 Jul 2018 05:45:33 +0000

An international team of researchers has been studying how an expanding Swedish biorefinery industry will affect the availability and price of wood. The large-scale implementation of biorefineries to produce biofuel is a key element of the country’s plans to expand their bio-economy. Biorefineries are able to produce biofuels and chemicals from biomass such as wood […]

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Ecotricity’s Biogas from Grass Plan Seems Plausible

Jose Aguilar — Tue, 06 Mar 2018 20:22:42 +0000

When considering biogas as a replacement for fossil-fuel-derived natural gas, or a source of fuel for power or heat, there are the arguments of suitability and efficiency. Some dispute vegetation cover conversion into biofuel deprives the biosphere of its C02 filtering capability, and some others think using biomass from land areas with potential for food […]

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Japan Develops Novel Solvent for Efficient Production of Biofuel

Janina Lazo-Cruz — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 20:12:28 +0000

In the beginning, biofuel or ethanol is made from food products such as corn, classified as first generation biofuel. To avoid competition with food supply and thus avoid food shortage, agricultural wastes called biomass are then used in ethanol production. This second generation biofuel has a limitation though in its conversion efficiency, in terms of […]

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Seaweed-Derived Biofuel Venture Supported by Trump Govt

Janina Lazo-Cruz — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 18:56:58 +0000

In spite of doubts and disbelief in climate change voiced by the United States’ President Donald Trump, the US Department of Energy has granted $22 million to research projects venturing on the development of a relatively new and uncommon biofuel source – the seaweed, also preferably called macroalgae. Using seaweeds as biofuel source allows the […]

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New Process Allows Faster, Cheaper, and Greener Conversion of Organic Wastes into Renewables

Janina Lazo-Cruz — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 16:17:08 +0000

Agricultural products and woods have been used as renewable sources of biofuel and various chemicals, which are essential for producing biodegradable plastics, medicine, and other petroleum-based products. To avoid competition with the food supply, and thus preventing food shortage, conversion technologies are applied only to plant-based wastes, also lignocellulosic biomass, which include wood chips, corn […]

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Chinese Farmers Paid to Convert Livestock Wastes to Fuel and Fertilizer

Janina Lazo-Cruz — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 19:11:15 +0000

China encourages its farmers to develop animal waste processing facilities, which allow conversion of wastes to fertilizer and fuel, by giving them incentives. This is to address the country’s problem on increasing animal waste due to the rapid growth of poultry and hog farming. The objective is to avoid both the release of hazardous pollution […]

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How to Make a DIY Biomass Digester and Save Lots of Money!

Nicholas Say — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 13:54:50 +0000

I threw out a tomato yesterday, and I felt horrible about it! Not that I had much choice, the poor tomato had gone past the point of no return, and the house I am living in doesn’t make compost. While most people associate composting with gardening, it can also create heating gas for your home. […]

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Light Can Now Convert Biomass to Hydrogen Fuel

Ece Polat — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 17:33:24 +0000

A group of scientists from the University of Cambridge found a way to produce fuel through solar power. The system bases its foundation on using sunlight to react biomass to turn into Hydrogen. A team of scientists at the University of Cambridge has developed a way of using solar power to generate a fuel that […]

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8.8 Million Granted to Advanced Biofuel Production

Courtney Lepping — Sat, 28 May 2016 09:36:16 +0000

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is granting $8.8 million for the production of advanced biofuels. This translates into jobs at associated facilities in 39 states becoming sustained. Credit goes to the successful Advanced Biofuel Payment Program that was laid out in the 2008 Farm Bill. Advanced biofuels is another word for second generation […]

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Jet Biofuel Produced with New E-coli Strain

Courtney Lepping — Thu, 12 May 2016 05:56:04 +0000

Ten years ago, who would have thought that in 2016 scientists would be using bacteria to transform switchgrass biomass into D-limonene, a precursor for bio-jet fuel? Regardless of doubts in biofuel uses, the global commercial airline industry is behind such methods. Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently engineered a [C2C1Im]-tolerant E. coli strain to […]

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Bio-Bean Turns Coffee Grounds into Clean Fuel

Mila Luleva — Wed, 04 May 2016 07:05:50 +0000

British startup converts tonnes of waste coffee grounds into carbon neutral fuel. Coffee grounds are known for being a perfect natural fertilizer. But, the great properties of coffee grounds extend way beyond just a simple addition to the back yard. Recently, research and various other industries have focused on finding other green applications, keeping coffee […]

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Biogas Production Turns to Cheese

Samantha Joe — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 17:41:35 +0000

The French are known for their cheese, and now they’re putting it to work. In Albertville, a small city on the border of France and Italy, their electricity is, in part, supplied by cheese. The power is electric, but a new biogas production facility uses byproduct of Beaufort cheese, a regional product, to generate the electricity. […]

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Forestry Waste Could Be the New Source of Biofuel for Aviation

Samantha Joe — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 18:55:11 +0000

Aviation firms and scientists are researching whether waste from the forestry industry could be converted to jet plane fuel. The project will be led by the University of British Columbia (UBC) and NORAM Engineering and Constructors. Companies involved include manufacturers (Boeing, Bombardier), airlines (Air Canada, WestJet) and fuel producers (SkyNRG). The objective of the investigation […]

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New Ethanol Conversion to Deliver More Energy

Samantha Joe — Sat, 05 Dec 2015 09:43:37 +0000

Researchers have found a new method of ethanol conversion that may be applied to the development of renewable fuels. Ethanol, a corn-based product, is traditionally added into engine fuel. You may see signs when filling up your vehicle with gasoline that it contains ethanol. Though it is added to fuel to help decrease emissions, the […]

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Researchers Make Biofuel From Roadside Weed

Mila Luleva — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 17:05:05 +0000

US researchers developed a technology, which converts roadside weed into usable biofuel, eliminating the competition for land or food resources. Biofuels have not always been in the news for all the right green reasons, and that is often attributed to the competition with agricultural land and food resources. This is also why many research teams and […]

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Whisky Powered Cars -The Drink Of The Future?

Michelle Lutz — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 22:00:28 +0000

Researchers at Edinburgh Napier University realized the byproduct of whisky in 2010. The breakthrough in research opened the door for others to continue the research – just like Celtic Renewables, a company based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Professor Martin Tangney and his team paved the way for the global interest in this product. Europe has set […]

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“HomeBiogas” Makes Fertilizer and Cooking Gas

Mila Luleva — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 19:22:57 +0000

This compact biogas unit, developed by a promising Israeli startup, can turn your organic waste into both garden fertilizer and cooking gas. If your household generates large quantities of organic waste, but not enough to make you follow our tutorial on how to build your own biogas plant, this new invention might be the right […]

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Coconut Oil: An Environmental and Economic Source of Renewable Power

Annika Tostengard — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 20:52:03 +0000

Some sources of renewable power have the potential to dramatically change the economy. For instance, the solar industry is on its way to competing with fossil fuels in price, and it will change and shape the power infrastructure in the future. In the Philippines, biodiesel made from coconut oil could bolster their economy and provide […]

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Climeworks: World’s First Carbon Capture Plant Turns CO2 Into Usable Fuel

Michelle Lutz — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 20:48:27 +0000

Climeworks was founded in 2009 by Christoph Gebald and Jan Wurzbacher. These two young minds knew that CO₂ was harmful to the atmosphere and in turn the world needed to find a way to remove it from the air, or as much as they could. ETH Zurich and Swiss Federal Laboratories provided collaboration for the filtration process. […]

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Maryland Researchers Found New Biofuel-Producing Bacteria

Annika Tostengard — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 20:12:54 +0000

A new paper, about to be published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology, describes how researchers have found certain strains of bacteria that can produce mass amounts of biofuel. Manufacturing and agriculture could use their biological waste as a source of cleaner, more sustainable energy. The scientists identified bacteria that can produce ethanol and 1-butanol, […]

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Anaerobic Digesters are Profitable for US Livestock Farms

Mila Luleva — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 14:34:05 +0000

Installing biogas recovery systems in US livestock farms is not only economically profitable, but also helps reducing of greenhouse gas emissions and underground water pollution. Livestock farms have always had that bad reputation when it comes to climate change and emissions. Every step along the way, from feeding and growing the animals, to putting them […]

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‘Super-Algae’ Identified by Scottish Scientists for Biofuel Production

Satya Sivani — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 19:04:29 +0000

The researchers of Scottish Association for Marine Science spotted the ‘Super-algae‘, which, they believe, would be useful for the production of bio-fuels for two-wheelers, automobiles, and aircrafts. A team of scientists from SAMS (Scottish Association for Marine Science), with an aim to identify the ocean-based algae strains that are highly rich in oil content, conducted a series of experiments on […]

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Biofuel from Sugarcane to Reduce Airplane Emissions

Mila Luleva — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 10:55:07 +0000

New biofuel for airplanes, made from sugarcane biomass, holds the potential to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aviation. Getting from one side of the planet to the other has never been easier or faster than it is now. The main reason for this is the more affordable and regular flights that provide convenience and […]

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Bus Powered By Cow Poop Breaks Speed Records

Mila Luleva — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 11:44:07 +0000

British bus, running on cow poop, reached the incredible speed of almost 77 m/h (123.6km/h) during tests, bypassing its oil counterparts. The incredible green vehicle belongs to the company Reading Buses, and has the iconic name “Bus Hound“, which comes from that of the super fast car- Bloodhound). It managed to set a new record during […]

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The Secret Behind Biogenic Methane Discovered at Stanford

Satya Sivani — Sun, 31 May 2015 04:24:07 +0000

Stanford University researchers have taken a quantum leap in discovering how methanogens acquire electrons from solid surfaces, how hydrogen producing enzymes are important in Methanogenesis, how certain enzymes take up electrons and many other interesting facts. Methane, the main component (87%) of natural gas, a fossil fuel, which can be found both underground and under […]

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Indian Researchers Producing Biodiesel from Used Cooking Oil

Satya Sivani — Tue, 26 May 2015 11:41:13 +0000

Researchers from Modern College of Pune, India, produced biodiesel from used cooking oil, which would otherwise be thrown away by the contractor of their college canteen. While many commercial kitchens heat oil till a point at which it is not useful for cooking anymore, consumption of dishes made from excessive heating of oil increases levels […]

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Used Cigarette Butts Offer Energy Storage Solution

Sarah Higman — Sun, 17 May 2015 17:55:08 +0000

Scientists in South Korea have successfully converted used cigarette butts into a high performing material that could be integrated into computers, handheld devices, electric vehicles and wind turbines to store energy. Using a “simple one step process” co-author Professor Jongheop Yi of Seoul National University says that the new materials outperforms currently available carbon, graphene […]

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Audi Makes Eco-friendly Diesel From Water and Carbon Dioxide

Mila Luleva — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 18:53:14 +0000

New highly efficient eco-diesel by Audi, produced from water and carbon dioxide, holds a potential to revolutionize the automobile industry and bring us a step closer to eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. One year after the announcement, the first batch of “green” diesel, or as Audi call it “synthetic e-diesel” was made. Earlier this month, Audi’s pilot […]

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Hardwood Genes Improve Softwood Biofuel Potential

Ovidiu Sandru — Sat, 25 Apr 2015 07:00:54 +0000

Yesterday researchers from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Center and University of Wisconsin-Madison published evidence that the environmental impact associated with processing softwoods into biomass can be greatly reduced by bio-engineering. The addition of two hardwood genes to their counterparts, softwoods, may be able to alter the weak environmental tradeoff of creating softwood-derived paper, pulp and biofuel, according […]

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Biosynthesis to Develop Renewable Propane, a Next-Gen Biofuel: Study

Satya Sivani — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 21:09:47 +0000

Researchers at the University of Manchester (UoM) have taken a quantum leap in the renewable biosynthesis of propane. The researchers at the University’s Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) collaborated with their colleagues at Imperial College London and University of Turku to develop a synthetic pathway that enables the renewable biosynthesis of propane. Last year, a […]

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Carbon Negative Energy System Invented at Berkeley

Mila Luleva — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 18:31:41 +0000

Carbon capture techniques in combination with energy from biomass, shows a strong potential in creating a carbon negative power system by year 2050. Researchers from University of California at Berkeley are currently exploring the possibility to combine energy production from biomass with carbon capture and sequestration techniques (BECCS). Their initial findings indicate that this is […]

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Are Biofuel Crops Actually Increasing Carbon Emissions?

Benji Jerew — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 04:16:18 +0000

On the surface, planting biofuels crops might seem to be a good carbon-neutral endeavor, but research indicates quite the opposite. Could growing biofuel crops to fuel your flex-fuel vehicle actually be worse for the environment? A new UW-Madison (University of Wisconsin at Madison) study seems to indicate quite the opposite. The way we see it, […]

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Agricultural Waste Biofuel Now a Reality, Thanks to Yeast

Sarah Higman — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 14:06:04 +0000

Agricultural plant waste could be turned into sustainable biofuel a new study from the University of East Anglia has found. The study investigated over 70 different strains of yeast and has found five different strains of yeast can turn straw, cereal stalks and even corncobs into bioethanol, an alcohol based biofuel. Bioethanol can be mixed […]

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Algae Biofuel Production Could Soon Be Viable, Rice Scientists Suggest

Sarah Higman — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 13:59:42 +0000

Love the idea of a green car? Soon we could be using truly green biofuel from oil-rich algae. Researchers at Rice University have found a neat way to solve a number of environmental issues in one fell swoop. Nutrient Overload One of the most expensive environmental issues in the US is nutrient pollution in waterways particularly […]

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Engineered Yeasts to Soon Produce Biofuels

Ari Luis — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 04:06:11 +0000

Yeasts are wonderful microbes. Sure they can be annoying too if they cause you to itch in the nether regions. But then, they are responsible for making our lives livelier on occasion through bread and beer, champagne and other lively spirits. So what do you think about yeasts that convert sugars into fats? Well, that’s […]

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Hainan – China’s First Cooking Oil Powered Commercial Flight

Mila Luleva — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 07:43:30 +0000

Hainan Airlines, China’s biggest private airline company, has completed the first for the country commercial flight, powered by biofuel from restaurant left-over cooking oil. Sure, we are all following the Swiss Solar Impulse 2, while the plane is circulating the world powered by solar, but while this is happening, the competition for eco-friendly air flights is […]

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Artificial Photosynthesis Soon Coming to a Plant Near You?

Ari Luis — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 06:17:40 +0000

I’m not sure if there are a lot of fans of artificial plants, or of astroturf, but researchers from Yale are making artificial photosynthesis a reality. As reported in Nature Communications, PhD student Staff Sheehan and his team have come up with an iridium catalyst for water oxidation that can do the trick. The molecular […]

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Biobattery Plant Makes Gas, Oil, and Fertilizer

Mila Luleva — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 21:08:25 +0000

A new biogas power plant prototype, which is also a biobattery, can utilize various types of raw materials to produce electricity, ready to use purified oil and gas, and fertilizer, at the same time. A team of scientists at the German Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Energy and Safety Technology are currently testing their latest invention, which […]

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The Harriet Gas Turbine – World’s Biggest, Greenest, Most Powerful

Mila Luleva — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 20:10:19 +0000

Harriet , world’s most powerful and most majestic gas turbine, capable of powering hundreds of thousands of homes, is now under final testing. If successful, the monstrous energy generator could provide a cleaner alternative if renewables fail- but will it really? It is very safe to say that the Harriet gas turbine is nothing like any other […]

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Solar Biofuel Generator Developed at Harvard

Mila Luleva — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 18:02:07 +0000

Scientists from Harvard have managed to build an advanced biofuel generator. Using biotechnology and genetic engineering, the team created artificial photosynthesis and converted sun rays into liquid fuel. People tend to think that a solar powered car is the one that has panels fitted on its roof. Of course, they will be right, but many would be […]

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How to Make Your Own Biodiesel

Mila Luleva — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 12:10:52 +0000

Regardless of what people say, biodiesel is definitely a much better alternative to any fossil fuel. Not only that it is much more environmentally friendly, but it is also possible to make high quality biodiesel in your own kitchen or garage, saving you money on both petrol and on car repairs. Here is how. The […]

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How to Build a Biogas Plant in your Backyard

Mila Luleva — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 15:33:24 +0000

Anybody who generates a significant amount of bio-waste, and especially those among us with country farms, often have one single dream- and that is to have their own DIY biogas plant. The reason why not so many have succeeded in building it, however, is because it is way too easy to overestimate the dimensions, and consequently fail […]

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EVs and Biofuel Powered Cars Worse for the Environment?

Ari Luis — Wed, 24 Dec 2014 21:55:02 +0000

A research team composed of members from the University of Minnesota and NREL recently evaluated the overall impact of different fuels we use in our automobiles, or light-duty transportation as the study authors call them, on the environment. They compared various conventional and renewable energy sources – from using corn ethanol as biofuel, coal-based electricity […]

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Kenyan Teenager Builds a Human Poop Bio-reactor to Generate Biogas

Mila Luleva — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 13:32:08 +0000

Brilliant high school student designed a system that can generate clean energy using the content of his classmates’ poop. What is more, this same energy is then used in cooking of their lunch. Living in the so-called “developed” world makes us forget sometimes that things like clean tap water, toilet flush, or a lunch meal at […]

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Turning Turd into Fuel is Officially Rocket Science

Ari Luis — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 01:38:58 +0000

They say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The human waste from the International Space Station and ALL space missions have always been a headache for rocket scientists since the inception of the space program. The practice of all space programs was to dump the astronaut’s err, dump, together with all other trash. […]

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Bio-Electric Hybrid Aircraft Needs Support on Kickstarter

Mila Luleva — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 11:06:55 +0000

Let’s all combine forces to help the world’s first ever hybrid eco-friendly aircraft become a reality. A team of UK engineers hope to raise enough money through crowdfunding, in order to develop their near-silent, non-polluting, bio-electric triplane. The Bio-Electric-Hybrid-Aircraft (BEHA) is a creation of a team from the engineering university at Cranfield, UK, and […]

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Biogas Digesters to Save Lives, as well as the Environment

Ari Luis — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:15:19 +0000

A cesspool exploded in the central Chinese city of Zhangjiajie, causing a building to collapse and injuring 15 people, according to state news agency Xinhua. The incident happened last November 23, as a man tried burning waste beside the cesspool that caused the methane from the pit to explode. Three of the injured had to […]

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Chocolate Factory Helps Environment to Have a Break

Ari Luis — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 15:16:10 +0000

A chocolate factory in the United Kingdom has been running a 200 kW generator for at least a year now by feeding it candy. Well, sort of. Nestlé’s factory in Fawdon, UK feeds 200,000 liters of waste and wash water per day plus 1,200 MT per year of residues and other waste into in a […]

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Bio-Bus, UK’s First Poo-Powered Transport Service

Mila Luleva — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 09:54:41 +0000

The first ever bus powered by human poo is about to start transporting passengers on a route to one of the airports in the UK. The revolutionary green vehicle runs on sewage and food waste, emits much less greenhouse gases and brings a whole new type of bathroom relief to the green-loving local community. The miracle […]

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Green Overpass Absorbs Traffic Emissions, Turns Them Into Biomass

Mila Luleva — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 12:12:28 +0000

No city official can now say that there is not enough space for biomass growth in the urban environment. A team of inventors demonstrated an algal farm greening up a highway overpass in Switzerland. Made of transparent pipes, the system is designed to absorb carbon dioxide emissions from the traffic below. During the annual Villes et […]

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Chinese Cooking to Help Keep Jets Airborne

Ari Luis — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 06:51:12 +0000

Have you had Chinese food lately? The oil used to stir fry your vegetables or fry your wanton will someday lift a jumbo jet or a Dreamliner if Boeing had its way. But they couldn’t wait for you to order all that takeout and instead went were literally billions of people eat Chinese food. Where […]

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Hemp-based Aircraft Fueled with Hemp Bio-diesel to Revolutionize the World

Mila Luleva — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 14:10:37 +0000

The first of its kind airplane made and powered with hemp, is due to be built next year. The concept comes from the environmentalist Derek Kesek, who just signed a contract for construction of the machine with a plane manufacturer from Florida. People are discovering more and more properties of hemp, the proud member of the […]

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Use of Advanced Biofuels in Petrol Made Compulsory in Italy

Mila Luleva — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 08:46:57 +0000

Advanced biofuels will have to make up 0.6% of all types of petrol and diesel used to power cars and trucks in Italy as of 2018. With this new regulation, the country becomes the first in Europe to legally oblige fuel suppliers to incorporate this source of renewable energy into their products. Back in 2009, the […]

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RE Agency Foresees Bumper Crop of Bioenergy

Ari Luis — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 23:30:45 +0000

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) just released a report that shows that biomass has a heap of potential. The report titled, Global Bioenergy Supply and Demand Projections for the Year 2030, says that by tapping “sustainably sourced” biomass, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) can be limited such that temperatures of “two degrees Celcius above pre-industrial […]

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Lufthansa Powers a Commercial Flight With New Biofuel

Mila Luleva — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 10:41:47 +0000

For a first time in European aviation history, a commercial airliner completed an entire flight using sugar-based biofuel. LH190 of the German Lufthansa, flew between Frankfurt and Berlin on the revolutionary blend of green fuel. The sugar-based biofuel is a product of the American biotechnological company Amyris in collaboration with Total oil group. It is […]

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Genetically Modified E.Coli Generate Renewable Propane

Mila Luleva — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 08:59:00 +0000

Bio-engineering techniques are rapidly becoming a very powerful tool for scientists to make bacteria produce virtually anything. The latest invention comes from a Finnish research team, who modified E.coli bacteria in a way that they can generate propane. The study appeared yesterday in Nature Communications, and describes how genetically altered bacteria can be turned into […]

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Bacteria Turn Old Newspapers Into Biofuel to Power Cars

Mila Luleva — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 07:34:23 +0000

There is something sacred about the unique relationship between the morning coffee and the printed newspaper, which no website can recreate. Unfortunately, this comes at the price of generating huge amount of waste, and the one who pays is our environment. But, this is old news, because scientists have now found a way to turn […]

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Biodiesel – Hormel Black Label Bacon Bike

Benji Jerew — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 19:10:33 +0000

Biodiesel is what, essentially, but a refined form of some type of heavier vegetable oil, and we’ve heard of biodiesel refined from used French Fry oil and peanut oil. On the other hand, I’ll bet you haven’t heard of biodiesel refined from bacon-drippings, until now, that is. Ahh, bacon, there’s nothing quite like it for […]

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Boeing to Make Jet Fuel from Hybrid Tobacco Plants

Mila Luleva — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 09:07:14 +0000

Growing tobacco is a billion dollar industry, but while producers are happy, millions of people worldwide die from cancer and heart disease due to cigarette smoking every year. Now, Boeing says that cultivating the deadly plant is not a bad thing, especially if it can be turned it into biofuel for jets. In many regions of the […]

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Research to Boost Biofuel Capacity of Switchgrass – Michigan State University

Benji Jerew — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 14:18:44 +0000

As a biofuel feedstock, switchgrass is fairly well-suited to the task of carbon sequestration, but it could be even better, says Michigan State University (MSU) As a biofuel feedstock, harvested switchgrass is fermented to produce ethanol (C2H6O), a type of alcohol. Ethanol can then be blended with gasoline, up to 85% for flex-fuel vehicles, reducing […]

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Big Oil Behind Blocking Use of Ethanol? Say It Isn’t So!

Benji Jerew — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 15:43:39 +0000

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), higher percentages of biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, are to be blended in the national fuel supply, but it seems that Big Oil might play a part in making it difficult. While fuel-efficient vehicles use less fuel overall, one might think this is […]

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Terminator Inspires Scientists to Create Bionic Particles that Boost Biofuel Production

Mila Luleva — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 08:39:13 +0000

I never thought I would say this, but the Terminator and his fictional cyborg friends, have finally done something good, for real. They inspired a team of scientists from University of Michigan and University of Pittsburgh to develop a new type of bionic particles, by mixing organic matter and semiconductors. The winning combination could lead […]

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New Study Finds Biofuels Not as Green as Previously Thought

Benji Jerew — Tue, 13 May 2014 16:29:14 +0000

For decades, the US and other countries have looked to biofuels to reduce emissions and petroleum imports, but is it a sustainable practice? Biofuels, according to some, could be the next best choice when it comes to fuels that our current conventional transportation system can use. Unlike petroleum, a fossil fuel that comes out of […]

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Solar Panels and Biofuel-Producing Agave Plants Could Live Together

Mila Luleva — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 09:25:48 +0000

Boosting the efficiency of renewable energy production does not necessarily need to involve high-tech, super new, breakthrough discoveries. On the contrary, it could actually be quite simple. Scientists from Stanford demonstrate this in a new study, where they describe a model, which shows that growing biofuel pants, such as agave, next to photovoltaic panels, is […]

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US Navy Technology Makes Fuel from Seawater

Mila Luleva — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 19:25:32 +0000

Making fuel out of seawater is now possible, according to a team of scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. They developed a technology, which extracts hydrogen and carbon dioxide from water and converts them into hydrocarbon fuel that could power ships and aircraft. This is a real breakthrough that holds the potential […]

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Google Ventures Funds Cool Planet to Produce Carbon-Negative Biofuels

Mila Luleva — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 12:32:06 +0000

Biofuels have attracted quite a bit of attention over the past decade. The field started off very strong and showed a lot of potential, but as the production grew, many experts started questioning whether it is a good idea to trade food resources for fuel, diminishing the glory that the bio product once had. Now, […]

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Eco-Hybrid Fuel Could Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Ships

Mila Luleva — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 18:33:17 +0000

The pressure for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions on all industries continues to grow as scientists pile up the evidence that climate change is happening and it has devastating impacts. Out of all sectors, however, the one which has to seriously change the way it operates is the transport, and this reflects in numerous regulations […]

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Wood-Based Biofore Concept Car Reduces Petroleum Usage

Benji Jerew — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:04:49 +0000

Modern vehicles contain, on average, over 300 pounds of plastic. Of course, most modern plastics are made from petroleum, which opens up a whole new world of pollution and emissions. Plastic pollution, not only from its manufacture, but also from lack of recycling, means a lot of petroleum goes to waste. In 2012, the EPA […]

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Biofuels from Genetically Engineered Bacteria Struggle to Meet Lofty Expectations

Danny Harper — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 07:01:49 +0000

Still early in its evolution, the renewable energy industry is operating in large part on potential. With few revolutionary game-changers over the past few decades, it is the ideas of what is possible that fuel the sector. Synthetic biology is a prime example of this mindset. Through synthetic biology, scientists believe that by implementing advanced genetic engineering, and radically […]

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Plastic Bags Can Now Be Turned Into Fuel, Scientists Say

Mila Luleva — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 18:08:11 +0000

Plastic bags, or more precisely their future, have been discussed quite extensively. The fact that we use them for not more than a few minutes to bring our new goods from one point to another and then we send the plastic item to the landfills where it degrades for millions of years, is not something […]

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Audi Invests In Sugar-Derived Biofuel to Power Future Vehicles

Mila Luleva — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 08:13:38 +0000

Eating sugar has always been on the “no-no” list of the millions, who desperately try to get rid of the extra kilos. But strangely enough, while more of us realize that the white goodness is not good for our waistline and try to cut down on its use in the daily diet, others have discovered […]

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Boeing Creates $3/gal Sustainable Jet Biofuel

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 08:22:37 +0000

If it weren’t for the high cost, many commercial airlines would already be using renewable fuels, and now, thanks to Boeing, sustainable jet fuel may now be affordable. Under a groundbreaking green diesel initiative, Boeing is exploring the best ways to reduce aviation’s environmental footprint. Boeing has been at the forefront of this research since […]

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EcoVolt Turns Californian Brewery Into Biogas Generation Facility

Mila Luleva — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 14:16:12 +0000

Some time ago, we told you about EcoVolt, the system that contains bacteria that eats organic waste and generates methane. It is owned by the start-up Cambrian Innovation, and it serves as an example to what wastewater-to-energy is all about. But the guys behind Cambrian did not stop there. When EcoVolt was introduced, the owners […]

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2014 Green Car Technology of the Year Award – The Green Optimistic Picks

Benji Jerew — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 12:53:31 +0000

January 22, on the second Policy Day at the 2014 Washington Auto Show, Green Car Journal will announce the winner of the 2014 Green Car Technology of the Year Award. Automakers are constantly on the move, developing vehicle technologies that reduce emissions without sacrificing performance. There are ten nominees for the 2014 Green Car Technology […]

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NY’s Biggest Wastewater Treatment Plant Accepts Food Waste, Produces Biogas For Grid

Mila Luleva — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 19:18:34 +0000

New York City is about to become the proud owner of the biggest wastewater biogas plant, which will supply sustainable energy to the national grid, thanks to the Newtown Creek project. The new technology is a real breakthrough, which has the potential to convert 100% of the food waste and wastewater into gas, which is […]

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Ethanol’s “Hidden Risk” is More Big Oil Nonsense

Benji Jerew — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 20:29:22 +0000

Ethanol is a biofuel which, when added to gasoline in concentrations up to 15%, or up to 85% in the case of flex-fuel vehicles, helps to reduce emissions and reduce gasoline consumption, but did you know it is also poisonous? Say it isn’t so! For the non-chemists, ethanol (C2H6O) is actually one of the oldest […]

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Biofuel From Algae Produced In One Hour at PNNL

Mila Luleva — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 17:14:12 +0000

Although biofuel production has been under the hammer continuously for competing directly with food resources, scientists have not yet given up on the idea. Teams from around the world desperately try to find methods to produce the green alternative to oil by exploring various plants and plant organisms that can be safely and efficiently turned […]

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EPA Proposal Puts Biofuels on Hold

Benji Jerew — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 21:13:32 +0000

The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act was meant to put biofuels, especially ethanol, into a more important role in the United States fuel mix, but a recent EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) proposal seems to have put that on hold. Ethanol, a biofuel made mostly from corn, has been a part of the United States […]

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Bioengineered Bacteria Produce Ready-to-Use Biofuel

Mila Luleva — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 15:15:18 +0000

Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) claim to have found a technology that holds the future of biofuels. They built a bioenergy reactor, which contains a special bioengineered bacteria that can convert biowaste into ready-to-use fuel for vehicles in a space of a few days. The team claims that the invention is a flexible and […]

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EPA Proposes Reduction in U.S. Biofuel Requirements

Danny Harper — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 12:12:01 +0000

When ex-President George W. Bush signed an expansion of The Renewable Fuel Standard program into law, requiring oil companies to add billions of gallons of the biofuel ethanol to their gasoline each year, he predicted that it would make America “stronger, cleaner and more secure.” Fast forward six years and the expansion has proven to […]

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PNNL Fungus Study Could Speed up Biofuels Production

Benji Jerew — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 18:36:25 +0000

In theory, biofuels programs could gives us a ready supply of carbon-neutral fuels for use in everyday applications, but the process is expensive and inefficient. [On the other hand, is it really carbon-neutral?] Researchers have been looking for ways to improve biofuel synthesis, speed up the process, reduce energy inputs, and reduce costs. The feedstocks […]

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Güssing, Austria Uses Biomass to Become 100% Grid-Independent

Adele Hall — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 05:54:14 +0000

The small town of Güssing, Austria has become powered entirely by renewable energy. However, Güssing has had very humble beginnings. Situated in eastern Austria, the region was one of the poorest districts in the country. Relying heavily on agriculture, the town had no transportation infrastructure, unemployment was high, and people were commuting to Vienna for […]

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Significant Altering of Renewable Energy Standards to Endanger Transition From Fossil Fuels, Study

Mila Luleva — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 13:52:52 +0000

According to a study conducted by a team of scientists from University of Illinois, the renewable energy policy in the U.S. referred to as Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS), should only be adjusted in respect to the changing views on biofuels, and its flaws should not be used as an excuse to postpone the transition from […]

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Research Finds Gas Prices Unaffected by Ethanol

Adele Hall — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 12:44:04 +0000

New research from MIT has found the use of ethanol in gasoline does not significantly lower the price of gasoline. Former research had suggested a significant decrease in the price of gasoline due to ethanol, but it was found to be “a correlation being interpreted as a causal relationship.” The research had suggested the use […]

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Fuel Made of Methane From Landfills for Sale In California

Mila Luleva — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 17:29:13 +0000

It is finally here. Fuel made of methane extracted from landfills goes on sale in 40 stations across California. Clean Energy Fuels, the company that started this, has the aim to expand the network nationwide and sell around 15 million gallons in California, only this year. The increasing popularity in vehicles that run on clean […]

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Korean Research University Metabolically Engineers E. coli to Produce Gasoline

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 02:10:34 +0000

On September 29, a Korean research team led by Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) published a paper entitled Microbial Production of Short-chain Alkanes. The paper discussed a groundbreaking new strategy for microbial gasoline production through metabolic engineering […]

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New Type of Photobioreactor Produces Cheaper and Cleaner Algae Biofuel

Mila Luleva — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 16:53:50 +0000

Proterro, one of the leaders in biofuel production, has developed a method to make the precious energy resource without the need of excessive energy or water use, by producing the single sugar sucrose from cyanobacteria. These bacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are grown in a photobioreactor, patented by the makers, which cuts down the […]

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Algae Biofuel 50% Cleaner Than Petroleum, Study Suggests

Adele Hall — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 18:51:20 +0000

There are many alternative fuel options available to us today, one of them being algae-derived biofuel. It has been found to be a viable substitute to petroleum fuel. Algae biofuel surpasses petroleum fuel in environmental quality by reducing CO2 emissions by 50 to 70 percent. It is also on par with petroleum in terms of efficiency, […]

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EU Parliament Might Limit Biofuel Production, But Should They?

Mila Luleva — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 17:04:15 +0000

Biofuel production from food crops has been a subject of heated discussions over the past week at the European Parliament. The previously agreed target of 10% of biofuel to be used in transportation by 2020 is now likely to drop down to 6%, as members of the parliament and environmental groups argue that biofuel production results […]

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Waste Coffee Grounds Can Be Used to Make Biodiesel and Electricity

Mila Luleva — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 07:29:31 +0000

The American Chemical Society (ACS) 246th National Meeting and Exposition, held between 8th and 12th of September in Indianapolis, yet again impresses the audience with numerous exciting talks and innovative research. Among the presenters was a team from University of Cincinnati, who showed their preliminary findings from an experiment they conducted on the use of […]

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NYC Considers Food Recycling to Generate Electricity

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:07:06 +0000

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has already made many drastic changes in the city, from banning smoking in parks and restaurants, trying to curb soda consumption, and encouraging bike riding as a mainstream mode of transportation, and he’s at it again. This time, Bloomberg has dreams of requiring New Yorkers to gather and separated […]

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Big Oil Trying to Stop Gas Retailers From Selling Ethanol Blends (E15)

Benji Jerew — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:27:20 +0000

In order to reduce emissions, all gasoline in the US is blended with 5% to 10% ethanol, but with the increasing fuel-economy of the light vehicle fleet, petroleum companies are feeling the pinch. When consumers buy ethanol-blended gasoline, E5 or E10 [5% and 10%, respectively], only 90% to 95% of that ever trickles back […]

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Navy BioFuels Program is Just 5% Over Carbon Neutral

Benji Jerew — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:17:48 +0000

The US Military is heavily involved in technology to assure US independence, which includes biofuels and other alternatives. The thing is, if any one country has a hold on a key commodity, such as fuel, then all they need to do to maintain control, even of a country more powerful, is to restrict fuel supplies. […]

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Ethanol From Farm Waste Cuts Down Fuel Costs and Emissions In Japan

Mila Luleva — Fri, 31 May 2013 09:02:29 +0000

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. from Japan claims to have produced car fuel from farm waste, which can compete in cost with imported ethanol. Recently, the use of ethanol as an environmentally friendly alternative to polluting fossil fuels, has gained popularity amongst “green” drivers. Unfortunately, the cost of producing this biofuel has presented a limitation. For this reason, the […]

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Algae-Based Biofuels Not Yet Ready to Compete With Fossil Fuels, Says ExxonMobil

Mila Luleva — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:04:30 +0000

Algae-based fuels are still a very expensive idea and the technology behind their production is not yet ready to compete with fossil fuels, according to the latest press release by Synthetic Genomics. ExxonMobil was the company, which hired Synthetic Genomics to develop algae-based fuels back in 2009. However, the experts behind the so-called Exxon-Synthetic Genomics […]

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