Aemetis has announced that its India-based subsidiary Universal Biofuels has signed a three-year biofuels supply agreement with BP Singapore (BPS), the regional trading arm of BP, which has an expanding biofuels portfolio.   "The agreement sets forth the logistics, pricing and other terms of the supply to BPS of low carbon biodiesel," said Eric McAfee, chairman and... [Read More]

Second-generation biofuels made from managed trees and perennial grasses may provide a sustainable fuel resource, according to newly published research. A team from the universities of Oklahoma and Pittsburgh investigated the full life cycle of second generation biofuel produced from short-rotation oak, in order to check if it really offered greenhouse gas emission reductions... [Read More]

The US National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has testified before Congress on the harm caused by biodiesel imports from Indonesia. At a public hearing at the US Department of Commerce, held in response to executive order 13786 calling for an omnibus report on high trade deficits, NBB described the damage done by the increasing volumes of unfairly traded biodiesel imports. NBB... [Read More]

Denmark-based utility energy firm Dong Energy has made a commitment to renewables and agreed to divest its entire oil and gas business to Ineos in a deal worth up to $1.3bn (€1.16bn). The transaction includes production, development and exploration sites off Denmark, Norway and west of Shetland. Ineos said the move would make it the biggest private group operating... [Read More]

A team of biologists and biochemists have successfully sequenced the genome of a green alga called Chromochloris zofingiensis. The single celled organism is one of the most prolific producers of a type of lipids called triacylglycerols, which are used in biofuel production. In a statement, the genome is labelled a ‘goldmine of data’. The new insights into the... [Read More]

Two Iowa-based trade bodies have welcomed Kim Reynolds as Iowa Governor. The trade body that represents the biodiesel industry in Iowa, Iowa Biodiesel Board and Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) welcomed the new governor. ISA president Rolland Schnell of Newton and Grant Kimberley, ISA director of market development and executive director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board, issued... [Read More]

On 30 November 2016, the European Commission published its long awaited revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED) also known as RED II. In its proposals, the EC made plans to minimise Europe’s Indirect Land-Use Change (ILC) impacts. The EC wants to reduce the maximum contribution of crop-based biofuels such as ethanol from a maximum of 7% of road and rail energy in... [Read More]

Sweden’s largest airport operator Swedavia has received its first volume of aviation biofuels for 2017 at Gothenburg Airport. With this delivery, Swedavia takes a next step in reducing its entire business travel footprint from flying through its partnership with Fly Green Fund. The aviation biofuel is produced by AltAir Fuels and supplied by SkyNRG together with... [Read More]

A subsidiary of the world’s second largest palm oil plantation company has cultivated a new palm planting material allowing an increase of oil yields to the highest levels in the industry. Smart Tbk, a subsidiary of Golden-Agri Resources, has registered two clones of high-yielding oil palm plant material in Indonesia’s Catalogue of Seeds, receiving approval... [Read More]

Clariant and Huntsman Corp. has announced that its boards of directors unanimously approved a definitive agreement to combine in a merger of equals through an all-stock transaction. The merged company will be named Huntsman Clariant. On a pro forma 2016 basis, the combination of both companies will create a leading global specialty chemical company with sales of approximately... [Read More]

Advanced Biofuels Canada (ABFC) has announced a significant expansion of its membership. “Our new members bring a wealth of next generation biofuels technologies and knowledge to our association. Deploying both commercially proven and demonstrated technologies in Canada will change the paradigm of what advanced biofuels can accomplish in a low carbon future,”... [Read More]

A designer and a biofuels scientist from the Netherlands have teamed up to build a motorcycle powered by algae. Peter Mooij researches biofuel production with microalgae. The scientist, who completed his PHD in biotechnology at Delft University of Technology in 2016, has developed a method to grow algae for oil production in salt water. Inspired by this, Mooij’s... [Read More]

Japanese company Euglena is looking to boost its efforts to commercialise microalgae jetfuel by 2020. According to Nikkei Asian Review, the company is arranging equity tie ups with five companies in a bid to obtain the finances to accelerate its efforts. Tokyo Euglena will allocate new shares to the companies as early as June, in turn securing 1.1 billion yen (€8.8... [Read More]

Researchers have made a breakthrough in understanding the workings of the ‘third’ method of microbial production, known as ‘flavin-based electron bifurcation’ (FBEB). Their findings could be hugely significant for the world of microbial energy and biofuels. The discovery of FBEB led to a drastic shift in the way scientists think about how organisms... [Read More]

Can it be that we need to stop using diesel?” asks Seppo Mikkonen, a research and development fellow at Neste, on the company’s blog. Judging from his post on the matter, the answer is a clear no. Diesel has become a hugely controversial issue, as scientists and the media become increasingly aware of the dangers of the nitrogen dioxide fumes emitted by the... [Read More]

Pacific Biodiesel Technologies is expected to begin the first harvest of its Maui sunflower biofuel crop this month, once the flowers have fully matured, according to Lahaina News. The company has recently taken delivery of a combine harvester, purchased from a family farm in northern California, which will be used to mechanically harvest the sunflowers and other oil and... [Read More]