• Cobalt Technologies Launches Biobutanol Plant; Calif. Governor Highlights Green Tech Tax Exemption

• Spot Ethanol: 7-12¢ Losses Across Market
• Ethanol Equities: ANDE Gains, ADM, BG Slip
• USDA Projects Record Corn Crop for 2009

• Low Carbon Fuel Standard Approved, Ethanol Groups Respond
• California Advisory Panel Recommends ‘Household Friendly’ Approach to Cap-and-Trade

• US$80 Million Federal Investment for Advanced Biofuels Research and Fueling Infrastructure
• Soybean Genome Sequenced; Benefits Seen for Agriculture, Biodiesel Production
• Cavitation Technologies Inc. Unveils Technology for Algae Oil
• SG Biofuels and Life Technologies Team to Advance Jatropha as Sustainable Biofuel Feedstock
• Frost & Sullivan Recognizes Genencor for Enzyme Product Line
• Forest Biotechnologist of the Year Recognized

• ICM Inc. Signs Contract with Sunoco to Retrofit Idled Ethanol Plant
• POET, Magellan Assess Feasibility of 1,800-Mile Ethanol Pipeline
• Navy Signs Deal with USDA for Biofuels Development Aid
• Qteros Appoints New CEO
• DDCE and UT/Genera Energy Demonstration Plant Grand Opening
• Minnesota Suspends Biodiesel-Blend Mandate in No. 1 Diesel
• Valero Finalizes Purchase of Two Ethanol Plants
• UOP Negotiating US$25 Million Grant for Pyrolysis Fuel Project
• New Study on Biomass Energy Sector
• ADM Names Steven J. Cassady Vice President of Procurement

• UNICA: Ethanol Blend Reduction Makes Sense, if 90-day Deadline Respected
• SunOpta Awarded Cdn$5.5 Million for Cellulosic Ethanol
• Brazilian Sugarcane Harvest up 5.24%; Ends 2009 at 523 Million Tons
• Khon Kaen University to Develop Sorghum Ethanol
• Biofuel Crops, Solar Panels to Cover 11% of Germany by 2020
• Brazilian Attorney General’s Office Seeks to Keep Cosan on Labor Black List

Low Carbon Fuel Standard Approved, Ethanol Groups Respond

The California Office of Administrative Law approved the Low Carbon Fuel Standard for implementation Jan. 13. In response to the move, Growth Energy issued a statement the same day.

California Advisory Panel Recommends ‘Household Friendly’ Approach to Cap-and-Trade

The California Environment Protection Agency and the California Resources Board’s 16-member Economic and Allocation Advisory Committee released Jan. 11 their final report of recommendations to California officials on a range of economic issues related to the possible design of a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

US$80 Million Federal Investment for Advanced Biofuels Research and Fueling Infrastructure

U.S. Sec. of Energy Steven Chu announced Jan. 13 the investment of nearly US$80 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for advanced biofuels research and fueling infrastructure.

Soybean Genome Sequenced; Benefits Seen for Agriculture, Biodiesel Production

A research team of 18 institutions has sequenced and published the complete draft genome sequence of soybean, the first legume to have a published sequence.

Cavitation Technologies Inc. Unveils Technology for Algae Oil

Cavitation Technologies Inc. announced Jan. 12 that the company has successfully completed development and testing of its algae reactor, and also filed for a patent on the process.

SG Biofuels and Life Technologies Team to Advance Jatropha as Sustainable Biofuel Feedstock

SG Biofuels Inc., a plant science company, Jan. 12 announced a strategic alliance with Life Technologies Corp., a provider of innovative life science solutions, to advance the development of jatropha as a sustainable biofuel feedstock.

Frost & Sullivan Recognizes Genencor for Enzyme Product Line

Genencor Inc., a division of Danisco, was recently recognized with the 2009 Frost & Sullivan New Product Innovation Award for its Accellerase product line of enzymes.

Forest Biotechnologist of the Year Recognized

Professor Wout Boerjan of the Dept. of Plant Systems Biology at the Flanders Interuniversity Institute of Biotechnology at Ghent University in Belgium has been named 2010 Forest Biotechnologist of the Year by the Institute of Forest Biotechnology.

Spot Ethanol: 7-12¢ Losses Across Market

Losses of 7¢ to 12¢ were seen across the ethanol spot market the week ending Jan. 15.

Ethanol Equities: ANDE Gains, ADM, BG Slip

Archer Daniels Midland and Bunge saw losses the week ending Jan. 15, while The Andersons headed up.

USDA Projects Record Corn Crop for 2009

On Jan. 12, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service released its Crop Production 2009 Summary. The USDA’s record projections for the 2009 U.S. corn and soybean crops triggered losses in corn and soybean futures throughout the rest of the week, with downward effects seen across the ethanol markets as well.

UNICA: Ethanol Blend Reduction Makes Sense, if 90-day Deadline Respected

The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) stated Jan. 13 that the Brazilian government’s decision to reduce the anhydrous ethanol content of gasoline from 25% to 20% must be limited to the established 90-day period.

SunOpta Awarded Cdn$5.5 Million for Cellulosic Ethanol

Sustainable Development Technology Canada, an arm’s-length foundation created by the Canadian government, has awarded a project led by SunOpta BioProcess Inc. up to Cdn$5.5 million (US$5.33 million) in funding to assist SunOpta and its partners to design, build and operate an integrated cellulosic ethanol plant and co-located xylitol production facility to be located in the Greater Toronto area.

Brazilian Sugarcane Harvest up 5.24%; Ends 2009 at 523 Million Tons

According to the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA), despite unseasonable rains that brought negative effects through most of 2009, the sugarcane harvest in South-Central Brazil reached 523.24 million tons Dec. 31, a 5.24% increase over the total for the same period a year before.

Khon Kaen University to Develop Sorghum Ethanol

According to a Jan. 14 story in the Bangkok Post, Thailand’s Khon Kaen University plans to develop sweet sorghum as a new material for ethanol if it can get government financial support, Krairit Nilkuha, director-general of the Dept. of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency, told the newspaper.

Biofuel Crops, Solar Panels to Cover 11% of Germany by 2020

Efforts to boost production of renewable energy in Germany means the amount of land used to generate power and heat from corn, solar panels and wind turbines will more than double by 2020, Bloomberg reported Jan. 18.

Brazilian Attorney General’s Office Seeks to Keep Cosan on Labor Black List

Reuters reported Jan. 12 that Brazil’s attorney general’s office said Jan. 12 it will seek to annul an injunction that allowed sugar and ethanol producer Cosan to be removed from a government labor black list.

ICM Inc. Signs Contract with Sunoco to Retrofit Idled Ethanol Plant

ICM Inc. announced Jan. 11 that it has signed a contract with Sunoco Inc. to retrofit an existing, but idled ethanol plant in Fulton, N.Y., 10 miles (16.1 km) south of Lake Ontario and 25 miles (40.2 km) north of Syracuse, N.Y.

POET, Magellan Assess Feasibility of 1,800-Mile Ethanol Pipeline

A proposed ethanol pipeline would be an economic boost for the United States, a new report demonstrates, creating almost 80,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs across the country, POET announced Jan. 13.

U.S. Navy Signs Deal with USDA for Biofuels Development Aid

The U.S. Navy is set to sign a deal with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture that officials say will better enable both agencies to cooperate in developing alternative ways to power tomorrow’s fleet, the Navy Times reported Jan. 14.

Qteros Appoints New CEO

Qteros, a Massachusetts-based developer of cellulosic ethanol technology, has replaced former President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Frey and brought on John McCarthy as the company’s new president and CEO.

DDCE and UT/Genera Energy Demonstration Plant Grand Opening

On Jan. 29, DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC and the University of Tennessee/Genera Energy LLC will hold a grand opening for one of the nation’s first cellulosic ethanol demonstration plants, and the only one dedicated to converting agricultural residue and bioenergy crops to fuel ethanol.

Minnesota Suspends Biodiesel-Blend Mandate in No. 1 Diesel

Minnesota Dept. of Commerce officials announced that the state will waive its current mandate for 5% biodiesel (B5) blending in No. 1 diesel fuel from Jan. 15 through March 31 because of biodiesel-caused filter plugging in cold weather.

Valero Finalizes Purchase of Two Ethanol Plants

Valero Renewable Fuels Co. LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Valero Energy Corp., announced Jan.14 that it has closed on its purchase of two ethanol plants from ASA Ethanol Holdings LLC.

UOP Negotiating US$25 Million Grant for Pyrolysis Fuel Project

UOP officials announced Jan. 12 that they’ve been selected for negotiation of a US$25 million grant from the U.S. Dept. of Energy to build a biomass pyrolysis-oil plant in Hawaii for a “green” transportation fuel scheme.

New Study on Biomass Energy Sector

RISI, an information provider for the global forest products industry has published the 2010 Wood Biomass Policy Review, a new study providing a review and analysis of the policy drivers and underlying objectives influencing development of the biomass energy sector in the United States and Europe.

ADM Names Steven J. Cassady Vice President of Procurement

Archer Daniels Midland Co. announced Jan. 14 that it has named Steven J. Cassady vice president of procurement.

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