ethanol

Joule Biotechnologies Figures Out How to Make Fuel From Air

BY Ariel SchwartzTue Nov 10, 2009 at 5:08 PM

It seems impossible, but biofuel startup Joule Biotechnologies claims that it has successfully produced fuel out of thin air--sort of. The company's mysterious engineered microbes require just sunlight and CO2 to squirt out ethanol, ...READ»

RENEWBLE ENERGY | Comment

Renewable Energy vs. True Sustainabiity

BY Shel HorowitzWed Sep 30, 2009 at 10:18 AM

Years ago, there was a bumper sticker, "Trees are America's Renewable Resource." And yes, you can regenerate a harvestable forest in 20 years or so: a nanosecond compared to the millions of years necessary to create fossil ...READ»

FRUIT POWER | Comment

Watermelons: The Sweetest Ethanol Source Around

BY Ariel SchwartzWed May 27, 2009 at 12:49 PM

Ethanol is commonly produced from crops like corn, switchgrass, sugar cane and sweet sorghum. But the next big ethanol crop might the ultimate summer fruit: Watermelon. A 20-pound watermelon can yield 1.4 pounds of sugar, which can ...READ»

ETHANOL | Comment

California's Low-Carbon Fuel Rule: A Boon for Alternative Fuels?

BY Ariel SchwartzFri Apr 24, 2009 at 12:41 PM

California passed the country's first low-carbon fuel standard law yesterday, with a goal of cutting carbon emissions 10% by 2020. The allowable carbon intensity of fuels will lower incrementally beginning in 2011. As a result, ...READ»

BEER | 3 comments

Sierra Nevada Brewing to Make Car Fuel from Beer Dregs

BY Ariel SchwartzTue Feb 3, 2009 at 1:13 PM

Soon enough, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will make more than just tasty beer--it will also manufacture high-grade ethanol fuel from leftover beer yeast. The company announced today that it is partnering with E-Fuel--the inventor of the world's first home ethanol machine--to test portable ethanol refineries at its Chico, California brewery.READ»

ALTERNATIVE FUEL | 2 comments

New Hydrogen Production Method Means Bye-Bye Oil?

BY Kit EatonWed Jan 7, 2009 at 7:26 AM

Hydrogen's promise as an incredibly useful fuel has long been known. It's light, clean, non-polluting, and not overly difficult to produce. But researchers have recently cracked a new more effective method for producing the gas that's ...READ»