Reuters — The Biden administration on Wednesday increased the amount of biofuels that oil refiners must blend into the United States’ fuel mix over the next three years, but the plan has angered the biofuel industry, which says mandates for corn-based ethanol and biodiesel are not high enough. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized […] Read more
Tag Archives biomass
U.S. to boost biofuel mandates over next three years
Biofuel groups still feel shortchanged
What will King Charles’s reign mean for climate action?
Some projects may be handed to other family members
London | Thomson Reuters Foundation — As Britain’s King Charles III begins his reign after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, environmental campaigners will be watching closely to see if he continues to advocate for climate action and is able to help drive change as monarch. In his first speech to the nation […] Read more
Biomass grain dryer heating up interest in on-farm alternative fuels
The cost of natural gas, propane and carbon taxes continue to climb pinching farm returns
Increasing propane costs and the carbon tax lit a fire under Matt Kittell to invest in a biomass grain dryer. Kittell said three factors spurred him and his father-in-law John Henderson, to research a different way to dry grain on their Mount Brydges farm by replacing their four-year-old propane dryer. Why it matters: The rising […] Read more
Maersk signs first green methanol deal toward dropping fossil fuels
Copenhagen | Reuters — A.P. Moller-Maersk said on Wednesday it had signed a contract securing green methanol as the world’s largest shipping firm gears up to operate its first carbon-neutral ship in 2023. With about 90 per cent of world trade transported by sea, global shipping accounts for nearly three per cent of the world’s […] Read more
With phosphorus, less might be plenty
A long-term trial shows repeated phosphorus applications don't correlate with higher yield
You could be over-indulging your crops — and it might be costing you. New Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) research indicates crops growing in soils consistently treated with applied phosphorus (P) take more than their necessary share. With a steady abundance of the nutrient, soil microbes that work to make P more available to the […] Read more
Germany plans to toughen conditions for insecticide use
Berlin | Reuters — Germany plans to make it more difficult for farmers to use crop insecticides in a bid to preserve biodiversity, an environment ministry document showed. “Insect biomass has fallen by more than 75 per cent in the last 27 years in Germany,” according to the paper seen by Reuters on Wednesday, saying […] Read more
VIDEO: Cellulosic sugar co-op hits acreage milestone
The Cellulosic Sugar Producers Co-operative (CSPC) has reached more than half the acres it needs to supply a new plant with biomass from wheat and corn stover. Brian Cofell, general manager of the CSPC says that is a significant landmark for the co-operative which will be owning the plant with Comet Biorefining. “For us we’re […] Read more
Bioprocessor coming to Sarnia
Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC) has invested in California bio-based products company Origin Materials. Origin Materials will be building its first commercial-scale demonstration facility in Sarnia, Ont. by late next year. It will be using bio-based feedstocks such as crops and biomass to make new polymers, surfactants and carbon blacks, which are used as fillers and […] Read more
Canada invests in Canadian biomass and composites industries
Federal and provincial governments are investing up to $2.9 million to the Composites Innovation Centre Manitoba for two initiatives. The funds will go towards the development of quality standards and measurement techniques for Canadian biomass, and research into overcoming technology barriers to the adoption of natural fibres in the composites industry, a news release says. […] Read more
U.S. EPA finalizes 2016 renewables target at 18.1B gallons
New York | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants energy companies to blend 18.1 billion gallons (68.5 billion litres) of biofuels into the nation’s fuel supply next year, more than in a proposal laid out in May, it said in announcing final rules on renewables use for 2014-16 on Monday. The EPA’s long-awaited […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
