News

On 9 August, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted 31 of the 38 waiver requestions for small refinery exemptions (SREs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard, which could eliminate 1.43 billion gallons of biofuel demand in the US. The EPA under the Trump administration has been criticised by the biofuels industry as exemptions have increased nearly four-fold, with a total of 54…
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The US Grains Council (USGC) has appointed Stephen Wittig to the position of director in Mexico, effective 5 August 2019. In Mexico, Wittig will be responsible for identifying and addressing trade, technical and policy-related issues that impact the US grains and co-products market in Mexico. Witting will replace Ryan LeGrand, who was promoted earlier this year to president and CEO of the…
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Two associations representing corn growers and the soybean industry in the US have addressed an opinion piece to President Donald Trump, urging him to support the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In an op-ed written by National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) president Lynn Chrisp and American Soybean Association (ASA) president Davie Stephens, the US President is urged to uphold his commitment…
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The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has approved Golden Grain Energy for cellulosic ethanol production from corn kernel fibre, according to biotechnology company Edeniq, which has supplied the technology for production. Golden Grain operates a corn ethanol plant in Mason City, Iowa, which has a capacity of 120 million gallons per year of ethanol. The facility was certified under CARB’s…
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Low carbon fuel company Gevo has successfully completed the first phase of a trial pilot of fleet vehicles using its low carbon, renewable drop-in isobutanol blended gasoline. The trial, which took place in the City of Seattle in in the US, saw a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its fleet of vehicles equal to 18 metric tons. The use of the low carbon fuel had no adverse effects…
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The state of California in the US has approved the storage of biodiesel blends of up to 20% (B20) in underground storage tanks, removing the final barrier to ensuring the state has access to sufficient volumes of the biofuel. The campaign began over 10 years ago, with the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), several member companies and the California Advanced Biofuels Alliance providing necessary…
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Minnesota-based Advanced BioEnergy has announced the sale of its Aberdeen and Huron ethanol plants to Glacial Lakes Energy for $47.5 million (€42.4 million), the Associated Press has reported. The transfer of the plant is due to take place in the third quarter of 2019, following shareholder approval. Advanced BioEnergy would be liquidated and the proceeds distributed to shareholders after…
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Next generation fuels producer LanzaTech has partnered with Novo Holdings to advance its sustainable fuels and chemicals platform. Novo Holdings will make a $72 million (€64.3 million) investment in the company in a Series E financing. The transaction, which will also see Novo’s senior director Anders Bendsen Spohr join LanzaTech’s board of directors, highlights Novo’s focus on…
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The Brazilian Government has approved a 1% increase in the minimum amount of biodiesel to be blended into diesel sold in the South American country to 11%, as reported by Reuters. The country’s National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) also announced the approval of the sale and use of B15 fuel, a blend of 15% biodiesel. The 1% increase in blend requirement is effective 1…
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Finnish airline Finnair has flown the first biofuel flight supported by its ‘Push for Change’ carbon reducing initiative. On 5 August, a Finnair flight departing from San Francisco Airport to Helsinki in Finland was fuelled with a 12% biofuel blend. Another flight will depart on 7 August, with the total carbon dioxide emission from the two flights reduced by around 32 tons. “The…
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US ethanol association Growth Energy has announced the election of Nathan Vander Griend to the organisation’s board of directors. Vander Griend is president and CEO of ERI Solutions, which provides environmental, health and safety non-destructive testing (NDT), sustainability and risk control solutions to a range of industries, including biofuels. He also oversees Paragon NDT, a…
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The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has awarded four grants totalling over $500,000 (€446,888) to expand biofuel access and production. Under its Agricultural Growth, Research and Innovation (AGRI) programme, the MDA awarded grants to four recipients through two competitive review processes. A bioenergy/biochemical pilot project grant worth $150,000 (€134,060) was awarded to…
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An ethanol plant in northwest Iowa, US has suspended production ‘until further notice’, according to a statement from the plant’s owner Plymouth Energy. The company’s ethanol plant is one of at least 10 in the US to temporarily suspend operations, with a further three closing for good, Radio Iowa reported. “A lot of the experts say we’ve got about a 10% overage of production and…
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Renewable fuels producer Gevo has achieved International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) under the ISCC Plus scheme for food, feed, industrial applications, energy and biofuels outside Europe. The ISCC certification demonstrates the company’s sustainable cultivation of corn, which is then converted into renewable isobutanol, or biobutanol. ISCC Plus enables Gevo to validate…
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