Developing better algae is a vital requirement in the quest to achieve sustainable algal biofuel. Now, researchers claim to have developed a new technology that could ‘revolutionise’ the search for the perfect algal strain – algal droplet bioreactors on a chip. In the new technology, developed by researchers from the Boyce Thompson Institute and Texas... [Read More]

The US Grains Council (USGC) has announced that it is looking to identify new market opportunities for US ethanol to be exported to Africa, which it says represents a significant potential source of demand.     According to the export-orientated trade body, efforts include promoting the development of ethanol supportive policies across the region. Brian... [Read More]

Renewable diesel Neste and US-headquartered Jacobs Engineering Group have agreed that Neste acquires the 40% shareholding of Jacobs in Neste Jacobs Oy. After this transaction, Neste holds all shares in Neste Jacobs. "Neste Jacobs is the leading company specialising in process industry technology, engineering and project management services in the Nordic countries,”... [Read More]

China’s plant to increase the use of bioethanol will not have a significant impact on the grain market, and it would be unrealistic for the country to import large amounts of corn for the industry’s development, a government official told Xinhua Net. "The government plan to increase ethanol fuel production was for consuming corn stocks," said Han Jun, director... [Read More]

Researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) will use a $1.1 million (€930,000) U.S. Department of Energy grant to produce disease-resistant switchgrass in order to produce biofuels from it. It will use the grant to fight disease in switchgrass by identifying regions of the genome that cause disease resistance. According to the MSU, locating these disease-fighting... [Read More]

The price of oil has fallen back to around $58.59 a barrel after hitting a two-year high on 26 September, 2017, according to the BBC. Rising demand and geopolitical worries had fuelled the increase, along with indications that production cuts by Opec (Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) members are starting to bite. Brent rose about 4% to just short... [Read More]

French renewable fuels company Global Bioenergies has announced that its demo plant, located at the Leuna refinery site, has successfully operated its entire technical process: fermentation, purification, and filling station. The first bottle containing renewable isobutene has been filled. The construction of the Leuna demo plant was completed at the end of 2016, and the... [Read More]

The European Biodiesel Board (EBB) is preparing to launch an anti-subsidy case against Argentinean biodiesel imports, following the recent decision by the European Union to substantially lower anti-dumping duties for the country. According to a statement, the move comes in response to EBB’s growing concerns about the impact the reduction in anti-dumping duties is... [Read More]

Scania will provide ‘clean’ buses to 20 major cities in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Australia, and has called for more investment in cleaner fuels.   The ‘soot-free’ buses are designed to address the issue of black carbon – fine particulate matter (PM2.5) outdoor air pollution which has been linked to a series of adverse health effects... [Read More]

A number of research projects focused on bioenergy and biofuels have been selected for the US Community Science Programme (CSP) of the US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute. The 30 successful CSP proposals were selected from 76 full submissions based on 94 letters of intent. Among the projects aiming to investigate genomic and analytical capabilities are several... [Read More]

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled a notice of data availability (NODA) concerning potential reductions in renewable volume obligations (RVOs) for 2018 and 2019 under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). On July 21, 2017, EPA proposed reductions in the statutory volume targets for advanced biofuel and total renewable fuel using the cellulosic waiver... [Read More]

Brazilian sugar and ethanol producer Abengoa Bioenergia Brasil has filed for bankruptcy protection, according to Bloomberg. This follows on from the country’s economic crisis and slump in commodity prices, according to the news agency. The company, a unit of Spain’s Abengoa SA, requested judicial protection in a court in Santa Cruz das Palmeiras municipality,... [Read More]

Gillian Harrison, CEO at Whitefox Technologies, will be speaking at this year’s Biofuels International Conference. Harrison started her career as a finance lawyer at global law firm Clifford Chance in London, where she focused on corporate finance, infrastructure projects, and cross border mergers and acquisitions. During her ten years working as a lawyer, she spent... [Read More]

Scientists from Michigan State University (MSU) are looking for new algae-based technologies to capture power plant emissions and convert them into a range of products including biofuels and other chemicals. “We’ve been running bioenergy experiments with algae on campus for over a decade,” said Wei Lao, associate professor of biosystems and agriculture... [Read More]

Scientists in the US have discovered that plant leaves retaining sugars ‘get fat’, something which could increase their biofuel and biochemical potential. The team from the US Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have worked to turn this fat accumulation into higher oil production in the leaves. With leaves more abundant and accessible... [Read More]

Fourth graders in Seoul, South Korea, have been learning how to make biodiesel at a bio-energy farm run by the Gangdong-gu office in Eastern Seoul, according to the Korea Times. The workshop on renewable energy saw students from Seoul Hansan Elementary School taking turns to stir canola oil mixed with a catalyst and methyl alcohol in a beaker to make biodiesel. Another... [Read More]