Tag Archives: biofuels

biofuels face sharp slowdown to 3.2% annual growth as next-generation fuels emerge

The 53.2 billion gallon a year (BGY) biofuel industry is poised for a sharp slowdown in capacity growth, to a 3.2% annual rate from 2013 to 2017—60.4 billion gallons—off from 19.6% annually from 2005 to 2013, according to a new report from Lux Research.The sharp decline will be due to a significant industry transition to novel fuels and feedstocks, to enable long-term growth in the face of impediments such as the food vs. fuel debate and the imminent blend limits for biodiesel and ethanol. Next-generation biofuel—such as renewable diesel and butanol—that can offer higher blends, in contrast, are not quite mature.

Energy Department announces investment to accelerate next generation biofuels

Following this week’s rollout of President Obama’s plan to cut carbon pollution, the Energy Department announced four research and development projects to bring next generation biofuels on line faster and drive down the cost of producing gasoline, diesel and jet fuels from biomass.

The projects—located in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin—represent a $13 million Energy Department investment.