Reuters reports that on the 26th of November Malaysia announced that it intends to start phasing in a higher biodiesel mandate starting from next month. The new rule will be officially put into place from February 2019 as the country hopes that this will bolster palm oil prices. The provisionally named B10 biodiesel programme intends to raise the minimum bio-content that... [Read More]

Glycerol waste from the biodiesel production process could be ‘simply’ converted into a clean burning sustainable fuel, according to new research from scientists at the University of Miskolc, Hungary, and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. Specifically, the researchers have investigated using glycerol carbonate, generated... [Read More]

Biorefineries are indispensable for hitting zero CO2 emissions, writes Novozymes’ Thomas Schrøder This article originally appears in the November/December issue of Biofuels International. Sign-up for a free copy here. The world has been discussing climate change for years. In the meantime, global temperatures have continued to rise at an alarming pace. Scientists... [Read More]

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has outlined how the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) small refinery waivers have caused ‘clear destruction’ to ethanol’s demand and price. Supported by new analysis conducted by the RFA, the report looks at how the increasing numbers of small refinery exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)... [Read More]

The world’s largest chemical firm BASF announced that it has started the production of methanol based on renewable raw materials according to the biomass balance approach. Named EU-REDcert-methanol, the product is made from second-generation raw feedstocks and uses waste as well as residual materials. BASF claims that as a result of the methanol production, the final... [Read More]

According to a study published on Phys.org, two researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s (NTNU) Industrial Ecology Programme have found that producing biojet fuels from forestry residues is good for the climate but can apply pressure to certain United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). These SDGs are listed as: zero hunger,... [Read More]

According to Reuters The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set to propose new targets for the final three years of the nation’s renewable fuel programme in January. The new targets will replace the ‘ambitious’ decade-old goals that were set by Congress. The planned reset of the US Renewable Fuel Standard is likely to cause animosity between... [Read More]

A federal judge was asked by a group representing multiple biofuel companies to force the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to freeze its Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) small refinery waivers until lawsuits challenging its actions have been resolved, Reuters reports. The group, named Producers United, is formed of several undisclosed biofuel firms. It argues that... [Read More]

Biodiesel and renewable diesel net supply to California has increased since the launch of the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) in 2011, according to the latest statistics from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). The quarterly net supply of renewable diesel for Q2 2018 was approximately 100.5 million gallons. By comparison, the net supply for the... [Read More]

Energy systems developer Greenbelt Resources Corporation (Greenbelt) announced that it is commencing the first phase of the “California Bioethanol Project”, a three-phased initiative to convert one of its facilities into a bioethanol refinery. According to a press release, the biorefinery will have an estimated production capacity of 1.37 million pounds of... [Read More]

A technology to produce biofuel within ‘mobile production units’ has been developed by scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Microengineering and Microsystems (IMM). 12 research groups from the European Union’s Biogo project were involved in the development. The technology itself uses ingredients from local forests. “Wood waste and tree bark... [Read More]

This week, the European Parliament voted and passed the revised Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) with goals set for post-2020. Included in the policy is an EU-wide increased renewable energy target of 32% by 2030, up from the 20% target in 2009. The directive also contains a binding target of a minimum of 14% for renewables in transport by 2030. However, the revision... [Read More]

After deciding to review its tariffs on Argentine biodiesel, the US may be changing the ‘poor’ fortune of exporters whose shipments from South American countries have been extremely low. According to Reuters the US Department of Commerce announced that there was “just cause” to review the taxes that it applied towards the end of 2017 to Argentine... [Read More]

The European Union’s ‘largest’ biodiesel producer Avril has launched France’s first biodiesel-only fuel, according to Reuters. Biodiesel is usually a blend mixed with fossil fuels but Avril claims that the ‘pure’ product, named Oleo 100, is less polluting and is built from French renewable crops. According to Avril’s chief executive... [Read More]

In a press release, UK-based technology company Renovare announced that it has been awarded support by Innovate UK for aviation fuel testing through the Sustainable Aviation for Clean Growth programme. With an office based in London, the firm has developed a technology it describes as converting waste into biofuel that could ‘replace’ traditional fossil fuels. The... [Read More]

Global biofuel producer Verbio announced in a press release that it has signed a contract to acquire a cellulose ethanol plant from chemical conglomerate DuPont in Nevada, Iowa, US. The purchase includes 100,000 tons of baled corn stalks, located at several sites within a 50km radius around the plant. The plant’s capacity involves the processing of 300,000 tons of... [Read More]