A team from Chonnam National University in Korea has developed a new pretreatment method for lignocellulosic biomass that is more efficient and effective for the downstream biocatalytic hydrolysis of various lignocellulosic materials. This, they suggest, will accelerate bioethanol commercialization. The new hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-acetic acid (CH3COOH) (HPAC) pretreatment removes lignin... Read more →

Connecticut-based FuelCell Energy (FCE) has applied for a prospective pathway for California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) for the production of hydrogen fuel produced from biogas derived from the mesophilic anaerobic digestion of wastewater sludge at a publicly owned treatment works (POTW). The biogas is cleaned, then internally reformed in... Read more →

UPS will supply its fleet in Memphis, Tenn., and Jackson, Miss., with an estimated 15 million diesel gallon gas equivalents of renewable natural gas (RNG)—biomethane—as part of a multi-year agreement with Memphis Light, Gas and Water and Atmos Energy Marketing, LLC. Atmos will secure landfill gas and provide it to... Read more →

California Air Resources Board (ARB) staff posted 32 new Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) fuel pathway applications for comments at the LCFS website. Among the multiple applications for different processing pathways of corn or sorghum ethanol are four pathways from LytEn for hydrogen produced from biomethane; four pathways for renewable... Read more →

Audi presented a range of its ongoing work on electromobility and efficiency—from fuels and systems to full vehicles—under the “Future Performance Days 2015” banner. On the full vehicle side, Audi put forward the Audi Q7 e-tron 3.0 TDI quattro plug-in hybrid (earlier post); the Audi A7 h-tron quattro fuel cell... Read more →

Ryder System, Inc. and Clean Energy Fuels Corp. announced an agreement for Ryder to switch the fuel at their stations in Orange and Fontana, CA, to Clean Energy’s Redeem renewable natural gas (RNG)—i.e., biomethane. (Earlier post.) The fuel at the two stations will be available in both compressed natural gas... Read more →

The Audi e-gas plant in the city of Werlte in Lower Saxony (earlier post) produces CO2 neutral-fuel (synthetic methane from water, renewable electricity and CO2); it now also contributes toward stabilizing the public power grid. After successfully completing a test sequence, the plant is now qualified for participating in the... Read more →

UPS has entered into an agreement to purchase renewable natural gas (RNG) for its delivery vehicle fleet from Clean Energy Fuels Corp. RNG (biomethane) can be derived from many abundant and renewable sources, including decomposing organic waste in landfills, wastewater treatment and agriculture. The deal signifies UPS’ plan to expand... Read more →

A new study by Energy Environmental Economics (E3) consulting suggests that low-carbon gas fuels are a viable option for meeting California’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals and can simultaneously help achieve pollution emission reduction targets. Low-carbon gas fuels or “decarbonized gas” refers to gaseous fuels with a net-zero, or very... Read more →

The California Energy Commission approved its first $10 million to fund Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) research and development (R&D) projects during its monthly business meeting today. The Commission also approved grants for the operation of a hydrogen fueling station, biofuel production, geothermal exploration and rooftop solar for schools. EPIC... Read more →

The California Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP) announced (PON-14-602) the availability of up to $3 million in grant funds for biofuels projects that are in the early/pre-commercial technology development stage. This solicitation is emphasizing transformative technology solutions to significant biofuels industry problems that increase... Read more →

Oberon Fuels Inc., the first company to announce plans to commercialize biogas-based dimethyl ether (DME) fuel production in North America (earlier post), announced that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved Oberon’s biogas-based DME for inclusion under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Oberon’s biogas-based DME is now eligible for... Read more →

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has selected 11 biofuel projects projects—including gasoline substitutes, diesel substitutes and biomethane projects—for $43,633,421 in awards under a grant solicitation released in January for the development of new, or the modification of, existing California-based biofuel production facilities that can sustainably produce low carbon transportation fuels.... Read more →

In a newly released rule, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has clarified the number of cellulosic biofuel renewable identification numbers (RINs, earlier post) that may be generated for fuel made with feedstocks of varying cellulosic content; qualified additional fuel pathways to meet the lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction requirements... Read more →

The staff of the California Air Resources Board (ARB) staff has posted three new Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) fuel pathway applications to the LCFS public comments website: one for corn ethanol (from Heartland Corn Products in Minnesota) and one ARB staff-developed pathway (with two scenarios) for the production of... Read more →

Velocys plc, a developer of smaller-scale microchannel gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology, has entered a joint venture (JV) with Waste Management, NRG Energy (NRG), and Ventech Engineers International (Ventech) to develop gas-to-liquids (GTL) plants in the United States and other select geographies. The JV will pursue the development of multiple plants utilizing... Read more →

Cellulosic biofuel and biochemical company Iogen Corporation has developed and filed for patents on a new method to increase the renewable energy content of liquid transportation fuels. The production method involves processing biogas to deliver renewable hydrogen and then incorporating the renewable hydrogen into conventional liquid fuels via selected refinery... Read more →

The California Energy Commission announced the availability of up to $24 million in grant funds for the development of new, or the modification of existing, California-based biofuel production facilities that can sustainably produce low-carbon transportation fuels. (PON-13-609) Eligible biofuels are diesel substitutes, gasoline substitutes, and biomethane as defined in the... Read more →

WTW energy demand and GHG emissions for EV and PHEV drivetrains for various electricity sources; gasoline ICE vehicle is solid square, hybrid the hollow square. Click to enlarge. A comprehensive analysis of well-to-wheel (WTW) primary energy demand and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the operation of conventional and alternative passenger... Read more →

Clean Energy Fuels Corp., North America’s largest provider of natural gas for transportation, is commercially offering a biomethane vehicle fuel—Redeem—made from waste streams such as landfills, large dairies and sewage plants directly to fleets around the country and at 35 public Clean Energy stations throughout California. Redeem will be available... Read more →

Volvo VNL D13 with DME. Click to enlarge. At an event in Sacramento, California, Volvo Trucks announced that it will commercialize dimethyl ether (DME)-powered heavy-duty commercial vehicles in North America, with limited production beginning in 2015. Volvo also revealed ongoing customer field testing of DME trucks in the US (with... Read more →

PNNL’s thermochemical conversion device is installed in front of a concentrating solar power dish. Photo: PNNL. Click to enlarge. A new concentrating solar power system developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) can reduce the fuel consumption of a modified natural-gas combined-cycle (NGCC) power plant by about 20%. The system... Read more →

Cartoon of the process. Click to enlarge. Researchers at Columbia University have developed a biological process utilizing autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) for the conversion of methane (CH4) to methanol (CH3OH). A paper on their work is published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology. In fed-batch reactors using mixed... Read more →

Audi A3 Sportback g-tron. Click to enlarge. Audi will introduce the compact A3 Sportback g-tron—which can be powered by the CO2-neutral Audi e-gas, synthetic methane generated from eco-electricity in the Audi e-gas project (earlier post)—at the end of the year. The e-gas fuel will be produced in the power-to-gas plant... Read more →

The California Energy Commission (CEC) approved $17,223,593 for eight projects including alternative fuel production, plug-in truck demonstrations, EV charging station deployment, and infrastructure planning. The awards were made through the Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, created by Assembly Bill 118. This program is slated to invest... Read more →

The California Energy Commission’s Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) has released a Program Opportunity Notice (PON-12-506) for the award of up to $2.45 million to accelerate research, development and demonstration (RD&D) of advanced technologies to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) transportation fuels. Examples of acceptable feedstocks include but are not... Read more →

In a $4.8-million project funded by ARPA-E (earlier post), the University of Washington, the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Johnson-Matthey, and Lanza Tech are working to develop optimized microbes to convert methane found in natural gas into lipids for further processing into an intermediate liquid... Read more →

The UK government will provide more than £11 million (US$17.5 million) in support to a £23 million (US$36.6 million) demonstration program to encourage road haulage operators in the UK to buy and use lower carbon commercial vehicles. The Government funding will help operators establish and run fleets of alternative &... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has posted a new Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) internal pathway for biomethane produced from the high solids anaerobic digestion (HSAD) (dry fermentation) of organic (food and green) wastes—with accommodations for small proportions of food-contaminated, non-recyclable (soiled) paper, and fats, oils, and greases (FOG)... Read more →

Well-to-wheel emissions for gas and diesel trucks over the CCE drive cycle. Source: Cenex report. Click to enlarge. Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) in the UK has released a report on the trial of a heavy-duty truck operating solely on biomethane gas. The report showed the gas vehicle provided similar drive performance... Read more →

The California Energy Commission is seeking proposals to provide funding for the development of new, California-based biofuel production facilities that can sustainably produce low carbon transportation fuels. (Program Opportunity Notice (PON-11-601) About $37 million dollars will be available under this solicitation. The intent of this solicitation is to encourage production... Read more →

Cost of carbon abated for transport applications. Click to enlarge. Bio-SNG (Synthetic Natural Gas) delivered via the gas grid offers CO2 lifecycle savings of up to 90% compared with fossil fuel alternatives, and offer sa more cost-effective solution than electricity for carbon abatement in transport applications, according to a new... Read more →

Displacement of fossil fuels via a combination of biofuels, vehicle efficiency and electromobility under the three scenarios of the study. Zah et al. Click to enlarge. Up to 40-45% of fossil fuel use for transportation in Switzerland could be replaced by 2030 through a combination of second-generation biofuels, increased vehicle... Read more →

A study by researchers at Lund University in Sweden found that Swedish biofuels produce between 65 and 148% less greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline and diesel, even when direct and indirect land use changes are taken into account. In the study, which looked at various types of biogas, ethanol and... Read more →

The UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) is providing £30 million (US$45 million) in new funding to further encourage a shift to low carbon transport. The £30 million was a commitment included in last year’s Pre-Budget Report. As part of the funding, local authorities and bus operators will have the opportunity... Read more →

Cumulative potential CO2 savings that could be achieved for each fuel type by through use in the stated proportion of each vehicle class if market forces permitted. Source: TTR, December 2009) Click to enlarge. A new study for the UK’s LowCVP by Transport & Travel Research Ltd (TTR) evaluating the... Read more →

Novozymes, an international enzymes and microorganisms company, has entered two new research partnerships in Brazil. A partnership with Cetrel, the largest provider of environmental solutions for the manufacturing industry in Latin America, is focused on the production of biogas from sugarcane bagasse using enzymes. The biogas can be used to... Read more →

The California Energy Commission staff will conduct a public workshop on 15 December to discuss three grant solicitations to be funded by the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Program (Program). The solicitations will focus on biomethane production, medium- and heavy-duty advanced vehicle technology, and alternative and renewable fuel infrastructure.... Read more →

An EcoBlue CHP unit. Click to enlarge. Volkswagen and German energy supplier LichtBlick have formed an exclusive world-wide energy partnership. Volkswagen will produce the high-efficiency EcoBlue CHP (combined heat and power) plant, which is to be driven by natural gas engines from Volkswagen. LichtBlick will market the plants as “ZuhauseKraftwerke”... Read more →

Biomethane bus. Click to enlarge. A consortium brought together by low carbon experts at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the UK launched the first bus in the UK to run on biomethane gas. The dual-fuel diesel-biomethane powered bus is expected to reduce pollutant emissions and greenhouse gas emissions... Read more →

Researchers at Penn State University, led by Dr. Bruce Logan, have found that methane can be directly produced using a biocathode containing methanogens in electrochemical systems (abiotic anode) or microbial electrolysis cells (MECs; biotic anode) by a process called electromethanogenesis. The results show that electromethanogenesis can be used to convert... Read more →

Sainsbury’s is beginning daily food deliveries from its depot in Bristol (UK) to the supermarket’s new environmental store in Dartmouth—a 500 km (311 miles) round trip—using a Mercedes-Benz Axor truck fueled with biomethane produced from landfill gas. The truck is retrofitted with UK-based Clean Air Power’s Genesis Dual-Fuel system, which... Read more →

Overview of the Gasrec process. Click to enlarge. Gasrec, the UK’s first commercial producer of liquid biomethane fuel; BOC, a member of the global gases and engineering Linde Group; and SITA UK, one of the UK’s leading recycling and waste management companies, have begun production of liquid biomethane (LBM) fuel... Read more →

The new Renewable Fuel Standard in the energy bill calls for a rapid acceleration in the production of cellulosic biofuels (red), and a capping of corn ethanol at 15 billion gallons per year. Click to enlarge. By a 314 to 100 vote, the US House of Representatives passed the energy... Read more →

Volvo’s seven renewable fuel trucks and a summary chart of the fuel evaluation. More evaluation detail below. Click to enlarge. The Volvo Group showed seven of its diesel trucks modified to run on 100% renewable fuels: biodiesel, biogas, biogas combined with biodiesel, ethanol/methanol, dimethyl ether (DME), synthetic diesel and hydrogen... Read more →

On Saturday, the US House of Representatives passed its version of an Energy Bill (H.R.3221): “The New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act.” The bill, which integrates efforts from eleven House committees, establishes a wide range of long-term incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency and... Read more →

Schmack Biogas AG, with E.ON Ruhrgas and E.ON Bayern, plans to build Europe’s largest biogas plant. The plant will have a total capacity of 10 MWgas, which is equivalent to an electrical output of 4 MWel. The new plant is designed for the fermentation of some 61,500 tonnes of feedstock... Read more →

QuestAir M-3200 QuestAir Technologies has received an order for a M-3200 PSA (pressure swing adsorption) system to recover pipeline grade methane from biogas generated by an anaerobic digester in Lavigny, Switzerland. Verdesis Suisse SA purchased QuestAir’s system as part of a new plant that will recover methane from biogas generated... Read more →

Acrion’s CO2 Wash system. Click to enlarge. FirmGreen Energy (FGE) has begun construction of a landfill gas (LFG) clean-up project near Grove City, Ohio at the Franklin County landfill, operated by the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO). (Earlier post.) When fully operational this summer, FGE’s Bio-Fuels facility will... Read more →

During the next two years, E.ON Ruhrgas will open about 150 filling stations on German motorways for natural gas vehicles (NGVs). There are currently about 750 NGV fueling stations in the country. In 2007, the company will set up an initial 60-70 new filling stations, with another 60 to 70... Read more →