The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued request for public input to help with the creation of the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP), which aims to expand the availability of US ethanol and biodiesel by incentivising the expansion of sales of renewable fuels. “Feedback from farmers, retailers and biofuels producers is critical to the... [Read More]

The United Arab Emirates’ national airline, Etihad Airways, has become the latest to commit to a minimum target of zero net carbon emissions by 2050. The airline plans to halve its 2019 net emission levels by 2035 through a combination of internal initiatives, collaboration with industry partners, as well as the adoption of a comprehensive programme of relevant carbon... [Read More]

World Energy and World Fuel Services have launched a World Economic Forum (WEF) Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) programme designed to increase SAF availability and supply chain efficiency within the aviation industry. The programme will be available for business jets travelling to the WEF 50th annual meeting, enabling lower carbon emissions on all flights departing... [Read More]

Oilseed processor Crown has introduced a new pretreatment system for renewable diesel, which doubles hydrotreater catalyst life, yields high output of pretreated product and guarantees product quality specifications with any feedstock. Through maximising contaminant removal, the company’s renewable diesel pretreatment system delivers clean feedstock to renewable diesel... [Read More]

The US Grains Council (USGC) has welcomed Elite Octane as its newest member. The company operates a dry mill ethanol plant located near Atlantic in the US state of Iowa. The plant, which has been in operation since July 2018, produces over 140 million gallons of ethanol annually. In December 2019, USGC welcomed another new member, Adams Grain Company. The privately-owned... [Read More]

The US Department of Energy (DOE) plans to provide up to $75 million (€67.4 million) over a five-year period for research to develop sustainable bioenergy crops, which are resistant to environmental stress and changing environmental conditions. “With this research, the US will lead the way in laying the agricultural foundation for the emerging bioeconomy,” said... [Read More]

Researchers led by Rutgers University in the US state of New Jersey have developed a new process that could reduce the cost of producing biofuels such ethanol from plant waste. The process, which features an ammonia-salt based solvent that quickly turns plant fibres into sugars needed to make ethanol, works effectively at near-room temperature, unlike conventional processes. “Our... [Read More]

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has appointed Nick Fosheim, former executive director of South Dakota’s Lincoln and Minnehaha County Economic Development Associations, to serve as director of member and industry relations. According to ACE CEO Brian Jennings, Fosheim’s experience in coordinating business attraction and retention efforts, as well as connecting... [Read More]

According to a statement from Representative Cindy Axne, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has accepted a request to investigate the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) misuse of small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The request was made in a letter sent to the GAO in August 2019 by bipartisan members of the House Biofuels... [Read More]

Germany-based ethanol producer CropEnergies has reported its results for the first three quarters of financial year 2019/20, noting a 6% drop in ethanol production volumes. The company produced 729,000 cubic metres of ethanol during the period, down from 771,000 cubic metres in the previous year. Production of dried food and animal feed products decreased accordingly,... [Read More]

A broad coalition of vehicle manufacturers and alternative fuel producers has called for consistency in defining alternative fuels that will drive the energy transition towards Europe’s Green Deal. In a new declaration, the coalition has called on the European Commission to take a technology-neutral approach in its upcoming review of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure... [Read More]

Alaska Airlines has been commended for including sustainable aviation fuels on an opt-in basis in Washington State’s proposed Clean Fuels Programme in the US. Welcoming the news, the Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) Producer Group, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and the Low Carbon Fuels Coalition (LCFC) said: “Alaska Airlines’ support of Washington’s... [Read More]

The National Farmers Union of Scotland (NFU Scotland) is currently pursuing high-level solutions to the machinery problems many Scottish and UK farmers have been experiencing, linked to the biofuel content in fuel. As fuel is a reserved issue, NFU Scotland is seeking support from both the Scottish and UK Governments to find a solution and mitigate the problem. At the... [Read More]

Finnish company UPM has marked the five-year anniversary of the start of operations of the first biorefinery in the world to produce wood-based advanced biofuels, the Lappeenranta Biorefinery. The facility uses wood-based residual raw material crude tall oil to produce renewable fuels that decrease emissions and mitigate climate change. The biorefinery currently... [Read More]

Biopharma Group has announced the completed acquisition of a majority interest in Easytesters, a provider of HACCP inspection equipment. Commenting on the acquisition, which was finalised in December 2019, Biopharma Group chairman Andrew Cowen said: “Joining forces through this acquisition, offers exciting opportunities for us to enter new markets, expand interests... [Read More]

Cielo Waste Solutions has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Renewable U Halifax to build a renewable diesel refinery in, or within 150km of, Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada. A framework is expected to be provided for the construction and operation of a 4,000-litre-per-hour joint venture refinery in Nova Scotia at an estimated cost of CAD$50 million (€36.5... [Read More]