Record global supplies and increased competition limit growth for U.S. corn exports in the short-term.
Algenol recently announced the U.S. EPA has approved fuels made from Algenol's process as an advanced biofuel, meeting the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction requirements under the renewable fuels standard (RFS).
USDA lowers its estimation for corn yield in the January supply/demand report by 2.4 bushels per acre, for a national average of 171.0 bushels per acre. Production, however, is still a record at 14.216 billion bushels from 90.6 million planted acres.
Plant geneticists from universities in Massachusetts and California have sorted out the gene regulatory networks that control cell wall thickening by the synthesis of the three polymers, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin.
A technology developed at North Dakota State University creates precise in-the-ground measurement and monitoring of soil and crop conditions, which could provide opportunities for greater yields. The technology also has led to a new start-up company.
The U.S. EPA is accepting public comments on its preliminary analysis of the lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the growth and transport of biomass sorghum for use as biofuel feedstock through Jan. 30.
The Arkansas Science and Technology Authority has approved grant funding for a University of Arkansas at Little Rock biology professor who says nanomaterials could increase the germination rate and biomass yield of bioenergy crops.
Choppy and volatile trades are expected leading up to the January USDA report, writes Jason Sagebiel. Traders expect corn prices to stay on either side of $4.
Syngenta has announced that it has received the safety certificate for its Agrisure Viptera trait (event MIR162) from China's regulatory authorities, formally granting import approval. The approval covers corn grain and processing byproducts.
USDA long-term projections call for slightly lower corn acres to be planted over the next decade while corn yields steadily climb. The USDA will release the complete long-term supply, use and prices projections to 2024 in February.
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded up to $3 million to the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry to develop and demonstrate ways to reduce the cost of delivering woody bioenergy feedstocks to biorefineries.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that more than 200,000 tons of biomass were removed from federal lands through the Biomass Crop Assistance Program.This summer, 19 energy facilities in 10 states participated in BCAP.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that greater protection is now available from the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program for crops that traditionally have been ineligible for federal crop insurance, including energy crops.
Leading biomass supply company, Genera Energy Inc., has received a strategic financing commitment from WindSail Capital Group, a Boston-based investment firm that provides growth financing to companies advancing energy innovation and sustainability.
Iowa is home to two ethanol plants currently producing cellulosic ethanol and one that is nearing construction completion. Another notable project is algae production colocated with a corn-ethanol plant.
Supply and demand numbers for U.S. feed grains were mostly unchanged in the Dec. 10 World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates report, with a small increase in projected corn food, seed and industrial use reducing ending stocks slightly.
Ethanol Producer Magazine digs into the details of ethanol production in Iowa and how the industry got started.
The biofuels mobile education center is a 45-foot long trailer filled with interactive touch screen computers, educational displays, movies and more, to educate visitors about ethanol and other biofuels.
University of Illinois economists Scott Irwin and Darrel Good recently addressed the potential impact of falling gas prices on ethanol and corn demand in a Dec. 4 FarmDocDaily post, theorizing that the risk of adverse impacts has been over-stated.
Farmers interested in bioenergy crops now have a resource to help them determine which kind of bioenergy crop would grow best in their regions and what kind of harvest to expect.
The U.S. Department of Energy has announced up to $7 million for two projects aimed at developing and demonstrating ways to reduce the cost of delivering bioenergy feedstocks to biorefineries.
Novozymes has launched a new enzyme, trademarked Eversa, for the conversion of lower-grade oils, such as waste cooking oil or corn oil, into biodiesel meeting the same trade specifications as biodiesel created through traditional chemical processing.
UNICA, the Brazilian sugarcane industry association, has released an updated sugarcane harvest report, reporting ethanol production for the current harvest season is up 5.11 percent through the first half of November.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials and Elements Software Ltd. are working together to help RSB members track their biofuel feedstocks. Elements is a web based traceability platform that will help with Renewable Energy Directive compliance.
The potential for producing butanol as a biofuel has become a bit more promising, thanks to USDA scientists and their partners. The research suggests that barley straw and corn stover could be cost-effective feedstocks for producing biobutanol.
The recent drop in gasoline prices raises the question whether ethanol's competitiveness in blends is being threatened. University of Illinois economists Scott Irwin and Darrel Good examined the prices relationship in a recent FarmDocDaily post.
As the old saying goes “the cure for low prices is low prices.� Demand and corn at five-year lows developed a low pricing point as of late October, despite a record yield and big carryout.
USDA is still projecting a record corn crop, but just not quite as big, reducing its forecast by 68 million bushels in the Nov. 10 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates. Corn production is now forecast at a record 14.407 billion bushels.
I always like seeing new examples of innovation and improvement at first generation ethanol plants, proving that it's not only the cellulosic ethanol industry that is aiming for advanced technologies.
By manipulating a plant's metabolic pathways, two scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have figured out a way to genetically rewire plants to allow for an exceptionally high level of control over the spatial pattern of gene expression.
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