Ethanol Tries To Make The Cellulosic Switch

edeniq logos corn to cellulosic

A government-backed project in California appears to be succeeding at retrofitting an ethanol plant to produce desperately sought cellulosic biofuels. Read more →

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Biofuel Pullback Urged To Relieve Food Pressure

image via Union of Concerned Scientists

The Union of Concerned Scientists says the U.S. needs to reduce its biofuels mandate while fuels from nonfood feedstocks slowly come online. Read more →

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Biofuel Crops Eating Up US Grasslands, Study Says

grassland loss biofuels

More than 1.3 million acres of Midwest grasslands have been lost as demand for biofuel feedstocks prompts conversion to corn and soybean crops, researchers say. Read more →

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Marginal Lands Could Curtail Food vs. Fuel Fight

marginal lands biofuels

Researchers see “huge untapped resource" growing mixed species cellulosic biomass on marginal lands. Read more →

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Corn War: Is Ethanol Increasing The Price Of Big Macs?

corn ethanol food costs

Chain restaurants blame ethanol for raising food prices; ethanol producers say it's not so. But what if we didn't eat so much corn? Read more →

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Do Fuel Crops Pay? Farmers Get A Way To Know

food vs. fuel

An online calculator hopes to help farmers understand the economics of growing energy crops, and could encourage them to use marginal lands instead of high-quality crop land. Read more →

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Even With RFS, Ethanol Can’t Escape Drought Impact

drought ethanol corn

Despite pressure from food producers, the Obama administration has kept the renewable fuel standard in place, but the ethanol industry is still hurting. Read more →

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Biofuel Producers Feel Heat Of Midwest Drought

food vs. fuel corn crop renewable fuel standard

Calls to waive the renewable fuel standard that drives ethanol production are increasing as the U.S. corn crop struggles with historic heat and drought. Read more →

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Corn For Fuel In Mississippi: Bad Idea?

Mississippi River Valley, corn for biofuels

A USGS report says switching from cotton to corn crops for biofuels in the Mississippi Delta is draining an important aquifer and degrading water quality. Read more →

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Study: Growing Regular Crops More Energy Efficient Than Biofuel Crops

MSU_Biobased_Research

A new study at Michigan State University finds that it's 36% more energy efficient to grow grains for food than it is for biofuels, due to the amount of fuel expended by tractors in raising biofuels harvests. Read more →

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