That dirty motor oil that comes out of your car or truck engine during oil changes could end up in your fuel tank, according to a report presented here today at the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). It described development of a new process for recycling waste crankcase oil into gasoline-like fuel — the first, they said, that uses microwaves and has “excellent potential” for going into commercial use.

The Northeast Bioenergy & Bioproducts program is looking for people who are excited about the possibilities of biofuels and bioproducts. Through a collaboration of six universities, the program seeks teachers and interns who can explain or learn about those “bio” possibilities, offering three opportunities to future teachers and participants that range from a 12-week internship to varying length master teacher training workshops.

As a dedicated energy crop, some might describe field pennycress as that old, clichéd saying, “too good to be true,” but companies such as Arvens Technology and Alion Science and Technology assert they have proof to show that such a nontraditional crop, planted during harvest time and harvested during the planting season, can provide real benefits.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced on March 14 that USDA is seeking applications to increase the production and use of renewable energy sources. Funding is available from three USDA Rural Development renewable energy programs authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the Farm Bill).

U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Tim Johnson, D-S.D., introduced the Securing America’s Future with Energy and Sustainable Technologies Act March 10. According to information released by Klobuchar’s office, the bill, known as the SAFEST Act, aims to develop and deploy safe, reliable domestically grown and produced energy by establishing strong, renewable energy and energy-efficiency standards, incentives for developing biofuels and biofuel infrastructure, and targets for the availability of advanced vehicle technologies.

Abstract: The Department of Defense (DOD) has a unique opportunity to be a leader in bridging the gap between research and development (R&D) and commercial clean energy technologies. Faced with the inextricable linkage between energy, security, environment, and economics, the DOD is positioned to play an important role in the demonstration of new and emerging clean energy technologies, and also to become early first adopters of the technologies. Military installations are “living laboratories”; they offer a controlled and safe environment to demonstrate emerging technologies and to provide a critical feedback loop between the end-users and technology providers. This work reviewed Federal energy policy, explored the role of R&D in meeting DOD needs with regard to energy issues, defined measures of “Technology Readiness and Commercialization, outlined the role of installations as “living laboratories,” and provided several case studies of energy-related studies done at Army installations.

The funding will support awards for six teams around the country with the most innovative ideas to drive technology commercialization and entrepreneurship in support of a green innovation economy, increased U.S. competitiveness and new jobs. The Department of Energy will invest up to $2 million to support the $12 million multi-agency i6 Green Challenge, which will establish or expand Proof of Concept Centers across the U.S. In order to be eligible for DOE funding, applicants will be required to demonstrate innovation in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency, or green building technology.

“Investments in small business innovation through the i6 Green Challenge will play an important role in strengthening U.S. competitiveness and supporting economic development and job growth around the country. These centers will help companies test their innovations, a critical step in commercializing next generation clean energy technologies,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

“Initiatives like the i6 Green Challenge support the President’s vision for out-innovating the rest of the world by moving great ideas from the lab to the marketplace to spur the development of 21st century jobs and industries,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “We know that in the last 30 years, nearly all net new jobs were created by startups, and they will continue to play a critical role in our nation’s economic prosperity.”

First announced at the White House launch of Startup America in January, i6 Green follows last year’s inaugural i6 Challenge to accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship in the United States.

“The $12 million i6 Green Challenge is an important component of President Obama’s Startup America initiative to promote American innovation and win the future,” said U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra. “The multi-agency competition builds on the success of last year’s initiative by encouraging Proof of Concept Centers and promoting green growth to increase our nation’s competitiveness and accelerate the economic recovery.”

This year’s competition focuses on promoting Proof of Concept Centers, which support all aspects of the entrepreneurship process, from assisting with technology feasibility and business plan development, to providing access to early-stage capital and mentors to offer critical guidance to innovators. Centers allow emerging technologies to mature and demonstrate their market potential, making them more attractive to investors and helping entrepreneurs turn their idea or technology into a business.

“The i6 Green Challenge will help catalyze American ingenuity by leveraging the proven benefits that these centers offer to promote green growth, advance cluster development and strengthen the economic ecosystems of America’s regions,” U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development John Fernandez said.

The Federal Funding Opportunity notice and application information on i6 Green is available at www.eda.gov/i6. The deadline to submit an application is May 26, 2011. Funding is contingent upon Congressional approval of the administration’s 2011 budget.

During the meetings, principal investigators (PIs) will discuss their projects’ status, budgets, goals, accomplishments, challenges, and relevance to the Biomass Program and answer questions from expert review panelists. Webinar participants will be able to view slides and listen to the project presentations in real time. The results of Peer Review evaluations will form the basis for the overall Biomass Program Peer Review meeting on June 27–28, 2011. To learn more about the Biomass Program, visit the Program’s website. Results from the Program’s last two biennial reviews are available on the Plans, Implementations, and Results page.

Registering for the Webinars

The Biomass Program will host live feeds of the proceedings of the Analysis, Sustainability, Feedstocks, and Algae Reviews using GoToWebinar. Follow the links below to register:

• Analysis Peer Review, April 4
• Sustainability Peer Review, April 5
• Feedstocks Peer Review, April 6–8
• Algae Peer Review, April 7–8

Biofuels produced from crop biomass has long been seen as an environmentally sustainable source of renewable energy, but a study now questions whether the potential climate benefit of sugarcane ethanol is diminished when emissions from land use management are considered.

Green-technology proponents need a better way to make their case, according to Arnold Schwarzenegger, who, in a speech today, arguably raised his profile as a leading advocate himself.

The former California governor and movie star gave a keynote talk at the ARPA-E Summit here, alternating between funny one-liners and serious discussion on the importance of clean-energy technologies for the country’s future prosperity.