Since the start of December, Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) in the US state of California, has transitioned away from fossil-based diesel and will now fuel its fleet with renewable diesel. The transition towards the cleaner burning fuel does not require any changes to existing infrastructure, and the new fuel can be dispensed into the same tank that... [Read More]

Italian energy giant Eni has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Societè National de Distribution des Petroles (SNDP) in Tunisia, to collaboration on the cultivation of castor to be used to produce sustainable biofuels. The MoU, which was signed at the Tunisian Ministry of Industry in the presence of the Tunisian Minister of Industry, Selim Feriani,... [Read More]

An increase in ethanol consumption and the implementation in 2020 of the RenovaBio federal programme to cut carbon emissions is expected to benefit Brazil’s sugarcane industry, according to a recent report from Moody’s Investors Service. Brazil’s federal RenovaBio programme aims to cut carbon emissions by 10% in 2028, in line with the Paris Agreement on climate... [Read More]

The US state of Iowa’s biofuels industry has received a boost in the form of the recently signed Executive Order 5, which requires all new contracts for the purchase of state vehicles with diesel engines to have written support from the manufacturer to use biodiesel blends. The order, which was signed by Governor Kim Reynolds at the Iowa Farm Bureau’s Annual Meeting... [Read More]

Energy giant BP has completed the formation of its joint venture with Bunge, BP Bunge Bioenergia. Brazil is currently one of the largest and fastest growing markets for biofuels in the world; through this transaction, BP Bunge Bioenergia is now the second largest operator by effective crushing capacity in the Brazilian bioethanol market. BP’s Mario Lindenhayn will... [Read More]

Evonik is planning to increase capacity for sodium methylate at its Rosario/Santa Fe facility in Argentina from 60,000 metric tons to 90,000 metric tons until 2021. The expansion is driven by increased demand for biodiesel in South America, particularly in Argentina and Brazil. Sodium methylate is used as a catalyst in large-scale biodiesel production. “Confirmed... [Read More]

The Regional Transit Authority (RTA) in New Orleans has been awarded a $7.2 million (€6.5 million) grant to purchase 19 new buses powered by biodiesel. The grant, awarded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), forms part of the organisation’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program, which makes federal resources available to replace, rehabilitate and purchases... [Read More]

Air France is planning flights to San Francisco fuelled by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The airline signed a memorandum of understanding with Shell, signalling their intent to fuel flights using a blend of conventional and sustainable aviation fuel from 1 June 2020. According to a statement by Air France, the collaboration with Shell and World Energy “exemplifies... [Read More]

South African Airways (SAA) has welcomed the scaling up of the local sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supply in South Africa, as the country’s OR Tambo International Airport looks to introduce biodiesel into its ground-handling operations. Together with its wholly-owned subsidiary Mango Airlines, SAA made history in 2016 as the first airline in Africa to operate commercial... [Read More]

The Green Aviation Research and Development Network (GARDN), SkyNRG, Waterfall Group and Vancouver Airport Authority have launched BioPortYVR, a project to increase the supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Canada. The project will support provincial and federal government climate action commitments and is an important step towards the introduction of SAF across... [Read More]

IKEA Transport & Logistics Services, the CMA CGM Group and the GoodShipping Program have successfully completed their biofuels test programme on vessels owned by CMA CGM. This follows positive trials of heavy fuel-oil (HFO) equivalent bio-fuel oil (GoodFuels BFO) during the Alexander von Humboldt’s trip from North Europe to Asia, which took place in September... [Read More]

Aircraft manufacturer Bombardier has received its inaugural shipment of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at its facilities in Montreal, Canada, reinforcing the company’s commitment to sustainable flying. The delivery is the first step in Bombardier’s plan to secure long-term partnerships with fuel suppliers to deploy SAF to all of its facilities, as global supply... [Read More]

US biodiesel association the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has submitted comments asking the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to properly account for small refinery exemptions. In comments submitted to the agency’s Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the 2020 Renewable Fuel Standards, the NBB urged the EPA “to properly account for small refinery... [Read More]

US ethanol trade association Growth Energy has welcomed The Andersons as its newest producer plant member. The addition brings the association’s membership to a total of 103 producer plant members, who represent 8.7 billion gallons of total US ethanol production. Established in Maumee in the US state of Ohion in 1947, The Andersons is a diversified company rooted... [Read More]

Employees at Western Iowa Energy’s biodiesel plant have recently carried out a dormant seeding at the company’s Monarch fuelling station. The seeding included native grasses and other plants that attract pollinators, including milkweed, which is the only plant monarch butterflies can lay their eggs on. According to Iowa Renewable Fuels Association’s habitat... [Read More]

Oil analysis company TestOil has launched a new test to determine the biodiesel content in conventional fuel. The test is a response to requests from industrial customers that need to ensure the fuel they use meets OEM requirements for biodiesel content. “We have received inquiries from customers asking if we had the capability to test for biodiesel content,” explained... [Read More]