Bioethanol News

A Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) analysis of model year (MY) 2015 warranty statements and owner's manuals shows that auto manufacturers explicitly approve the use of E15 (15% ethanol, 85% petrol) in approximately two-thirds of new vehicles. The US EPA approves E15 for all 2001 and newer vehicles, which make up approximately 80% of vehicles on today's roads. Based on recent vehicle sales and…
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Zimbabwe’s energy sector regulator plans to licence new ethanol producers to avoid dependency on single supplier Green Fuel (GF). Under the country’s mandatory blending policy, only GF can license or is accredited to trade the commodity for petrol blending purposes. The current law states that an ethanol producer for mandatory blending has to be in partnership with the State, and…
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Biochemtex and Beta Renewables signed a contract with Energochemica for the construction of a second generation ethanol plant in the Slovak Republic. The plant, which will be built in Strazske, Slovak Republic, will deliver 55,000 metric tonnes per year of cellulosic ethanol while using non-food biomass as its feedstock. The project begins immediately and the start-up of the plant is expected in…
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Ecuador's government is looking to expand local ethanol distribution throughout the country by 2017 to reduce gas emissions and fuel imports. The mix, which contains locally-produced sugarcane ethanol is expected to replace a type of petrol named extra, and will represent 45% of the national fuel market, after diesel and other types of petrol. The government anticipates private investments of…
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US-based renewable fuels producer BlueFire Renewables has finalised and signed a new master engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for its cellulosic ethanol plant in Fulton, Mississippi. The contract is with China International Water and Electric, a subsidiary of renewable energy company China Three Gorges (CTG). 'The master EPC structure will utilise a US-based EPC contractor…
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Chempolis, a Finland-based biorefining technology corporation, has signed a partnership agreement with Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) to jointly build a biorefinery in the state of Assam, northeast India. The new facility will coproduce bioethanol and furfural and acetic acid from locally sourced cellulosic biomass, using Chempolis' Formicobio technology. Bamboo, which is abundantly in the…
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Valero's ethanol plant in Montgomery County, Indiana caught fire on 13 October, just after1.30am. The blaze, it has been reported, started in the dryer area and the plant's west section has suffered major damage. No one was injured and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
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Abengoa has officially opened its second generation cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton in the US state of Kansas. Construction on the biorefinery finished in mid-August and it began producing cellulosic ethanol at the end of September. It has the capacity to produce up to 25 million gallons per year. The plant utilises only second generation biomass feedstocks such as non-edible agricultural…
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The Egyptian government proposes the UAE invest $250 million in a 100,000 tonne per year molasses-based ethanol plant. Egypt has also suggested the purchase of a $240 million ethanol plant that would use 100,000 tonnes per year of rice straw as feedstock. The UAE has expressed interest in investing in the country's petrochemical sector and is currently deciding which project to invest in.
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DuPont and Ethanol Europe have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the government of the Republic of Macedonia to develop a commercial-scale 2G ethanol plant to supply the European market. According to the terms of the MOU, the government of Macedonia will facilitate the project by establishing a viable supply chain using energy crops, increasing local production of cereals and…
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Green Fuel's ethanol plant in Chisumbanje, Zimbabwe, is reportedly discharging harmful waste matter. Zimbabwe's parliament has heard how the waste matter has reportedly caused some people to become partially blind, while others are developing feet sores. Appearing before a parliamentary committee on Youth, Indigenisation and Empowerment, Mutsa Chasi, head of Environmental Management Agency (Ema)…
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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved permits for Archer Daniels Midland's ethanol plant. The permits enable the underground injection and storage of carbon dioxide emissions from an ethanol plant. Issued under the relatively new Underground Injection Control Program Class VI, the permits are expected to facilitate carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) activities. Plans call…
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