Bioethanol News

In a Thursday 1 February interview with Fox News, US Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt said that the country’s biofuel policy was in need of an overhaul. The EPA administrator’s comments were in response to the recent bankruptcy of Philadelphia Energy Solutions, the largest oil refiner on the East Coast. When announcing its bankruptcy, the oil refiner pointed…
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Novozymes has unveiled its new yeast platform for starch-based ethanol, designed to help ethanol producers ‘get more’ from their raw materials. The first product in the new yeast platform is Innova Drive, a new yeast strain designed to reduce fermentation time by up to two hours compared to current yeasts, according to Novozymes. Yeast is a vital component of ethanol production. It is…
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This season’s harvest of sugar is up 30% from last year, according to the Indian Sugar Mills Association. The price of sugar is also likely to rise, after the government rescinded a 2016 order to limit stockholding of the commodity. Reuters is reporting that India’s ethanol supply will follow the increased sugar output. A 5% ethanol mandate is in effect in India, but whether this is…
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The abundance of croton trees in Kenya and the nuts’ potential use in biofuels present promising opportunity for local farmers. An article from the College of Agricultural science, published in Forest Policy and Economics, found that croton trees are readily available to most farmers. However, seed price and tree maturity periods were a concern for some. Although their resources are…
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19 December, the EPA published a proposed rule that would classify the fuels as ‘advanced biofuel’ in the Renewable Fuels Standard. If approved, the EPA would set out a new fuel pathway for the distilling of the oil into fuel. The provisional rule is to be released onto regulations.gov for comment. The document stems from an EPA assessment of lifecycle GHG emissions in grain sorghum…
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Next generation biofuels company Gevo has reaffirmed its focus on the commercial development of renewable jet fuel, renewable isooctane, isobutanol and related products, in its corporate update for 2018. The commitment comes amid a range of cost saving measures at the company which have seen staff reductions and pay cuts. According to the update, issued on the company’s investor relations…
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The legislation will allow the use of ethanol with conventional fuels, but does not mandate production levels. Local outlets are reporting that the government is allowing a 5% blend of bioethanol with octane and gasoline. According to them, the government is responding to interest from producers to set up the plants. Plant owners will have to get government permission before producing ethanol,…
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A new study suggests that by suppressing a gene that stiffens cell walls, biorefineries would have access to 60% more sugar than they would otherwise from the same amount of feedstock. The researchers from the UK, Brazil and the US announced the discovery in New Phytologist. Cell wall stiffening evolved in grass as a method to impede digestion by grazers. By reducing the effect of the gene both…
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BP Biofuels and Copersucar have agreed to a new joint venture to own and operate a major ethanol storage terminal in Brazil. According to a statement from BP, the aim of the new terminal is to ‘better and flexibly’ connect ethanol production with the country’s main fuels markets. Copersucar is a leading sugar and ethanol trader, with the ‘largest sugar and ethanol storage…
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The trade association is trying to increase public awareness of the biofuel’s benefits while Canada’s future environmental policy is up for debate.   Called ‘The Fact’s Don’t Lie’ ad campaign, the group is promoting the expedient aspects of the technology. In a press release, they describe it as “the fastest and easiest way to reduce greenhouse gases…
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Republican senators from the corn-producing Mid-West and Oil-producing South are split over the value of the mandate. Ultimately, it comes to who pays and who is paid. On 1 December, Texas Governor Greg Abbott wrote to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Scott Pruitt asking for a year-long waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard, which sets the ethanol mandate. The Governor cited costs…
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The Vietnamese Government announced the move to E5 in June, with the current 92 RON (research octane number) gasoline coming off the market in the new year. E5 is 5% ethanol blended with 95% gasoline. Businesses have complained that they are not prepared for the change to E5, according to a government statetement, and some consumers fear how the blend will perform in their vehicles. In a release…
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The price of US renewable fuel credits has plummeted, hitting a two month low according to Reuters. Efforts by the White House to mediate talks between the oil and corn industries over the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) are said to be behind the fall in prices. The RFS requires refiners to blend increasing amounts of biofuel into the US fuel supply. Under the RFS programme, fuel refiners lacking…
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The Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) has published draft amendments to Ontario’s Ethanol in Gasoline regulation which would double the mandated volume of ethanol in regular gasoline. If implemented, the changes would increase the mandated volume of ethanol in regular gasoline from 5% to 10% by 2020. On top of that, new standards have been set for the ethanol…
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