The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is inviting public comments on the use of grains from ethanol production as livestock feed. "This Government is continuously exploring new and innovative possibilities for producers," said the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board. "We are working closely with industry stakeholders to determine the best way to use fuel ethanol distillers' grains as an effective, safe feed ingredient."

PetroSun's initial commercial algae-to-biofuels farm is scheduled to commence operations on April 1, 2008, the company announced last week. The farm, an 1,100 acre salt water open pond system, is located on the Texas Gulf Coast near Harlingen, Texas.

Purpose-grown energy forests if planted today could meet all of New Zealand’s future transport fuel and heat energy needs, without threatening the country’s important agricultural industry, according to a study completed by Crown Research Institute, Scion.

This conclusion is outlined in the Bioenergy Options for New Zealand report completed by Scion as part of the EnergyScape programme. The report is the result of a collaboration between Crown Research Institutes Scion and NIWA, and CRL Energy, with input from Landcare Research, Crop and Food Research, Waste Solutions and Process Developments.

St Louis based CleanTech Biofuels together with its engineering firm, Merrick & Company, has said it is ready to begin operating the first phase of its Municipal Solid Waste to Ethanol project. Dr. Alan Propp, Senior Technical Specialist of Merrick said, "We are very excited to begin evaluating and demonstrating this technology. It has the potential to revolutionize the way American communities deal with their municipal solid waste, while simultaneously producing clean-burning, renewable fuels."

An analyst briefing, by Frost & Sullivan, on the European market for wastewater treatment systems for energy generation will take place on Thursday 27th March 2008 at 2.00 p.m. GMT.  "Generating green energy from wastewater treatment is creating new and interesting opportunities in the environmental industry", says the company.

China Agro-Technology Ltd. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Beihai city government to set up a biodiesel refinery plant in Beihai, Guangxi Province in the People's Republic of China. According to the company it expects to invest up to $200 million over the next four years to operate a plant which, at full capacity, can produce 2 million metric tons per annum. CAT has a target completion timeline for the factory of six months from the date of commencement.

The EU biofuels target for 2020 can be met with conventional feedstocks and current technology without major agricultural land use changes and environmental consequences, according to a report published today (14th March). The report, 'A European road map for biofuels', was prepared by the Refuel project, an independent group of insititutes and universities, and handed over to the EU at the World Biofuels Markets Conference in Brussels.

Much more work needs to be done to evaluate whether mid-level ethanol blends such as E20 are compatible with conventional vehicles and products, according to the manufacturers group AllSAFE. The group, which represents manufacturers of outdoor power equipment, marine manufacturers, small engine manufacturers as well as motorcycle and automobile manufacturers, is responding to a feasibility study on 20 Percent Ethanol released March 5 by the State of Minnesota and the Renewable Fuels Association.