Californian biofuel company Aemetis has acquired exclusive rights to LanzaTech’s patented technology for the conversion of agricultural, forest, dairy, and construction and demolition waste (CDW) to ethanol. The LanzaTech gas-to-ethanol technology enables Aemetis to convert these local Californian biomass wastes to advanced ethanol. The 12-year agreement makes... [Read More]

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has ruled in favour of Argentina in its row concerning the anti-dumping duties imposed by the EU since 2013 on the biodiesel imported from the country. According to a panel report published on Tuesday, WTO upheld Argentina's claim that the reason stated by the EU authorities during their anti-dumping investigation for disregarding Argentine... [Read More]

The government of Brazil has enacted legislature to increase the country’s blend mandate for biodiesel is diesel fuel from 7 to 8%. With the move, the South American country hopes to boost both commercial agriculture and biodiesel production within its borders. Brazil has required a blend of renewable fuel in its diesel supply since 2008, and in 2014 the mandate... [Read More]

Southern Oil Refining, an Australian oil recycling company, has secured a contract to build a AUS$16 million (€10.7m) biofuel pilot plant in Australia. The facility, titled Northern Oil Advanced Biofuels Pilot Plant, will be built in Gladstone, Queensland, and will produce biodiesel from sugarcane bagasse. The pilot plant is expected to be operational later in 2016... [Read More]

Biodex-SA, a Tunisia-based biofuels company, has been awarded the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) certification for the production of biodiesel. Biodex-SA is the first company to collect waste oils and transform them into biodiesel in Africa, as well as the first in Tunisia to earn RSB certification. The company’s biodiesel plant converts used cooking... [Read More]

Ethanol remains as one of the important elements keeping the economy of the US State of Iowa afloat, despite it taking a slight hit in 2015, a new study has found. According to a research published by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA), the decline is due to the reductions ethanol faced in the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The study, authored by John... [Read More]

The Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA) commends Canada’s Liberal government's first federal budget for its focus on climate change. Tabled on Tuesday by Finance Minister Bill Morneau, the 2016 budget commits to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, pricing carbon emissions, and addressing climate change. The budget provides CAN$50 million (€34.1m) over... [Read More]

United Airlines will use Honeywell Green Jet Fuel to power 12,500 flights from Los Angeles to San Francisco as part of its efforts to reduce carbon emissions and support energy diversification. The fuel for the flights was produced by AltAir Paramount using Honeywell UOP's proprietary renewable jet fuel process technology, which converts non-edible animal fats and oils... [Read More]

Australia's New South Wales state has introduced a bill into its parliament to extend an ethanol mandate across the region so that retailers sell E10 (petrol blended with up to 10% ethanol) for the first time. Under the Biofuels Amendment Bill 2016, retailers must also provide sales reports on the volumes of ethanol sold. Speaking about the Bill, NSW Minister for Innovation... [Read More]

Godavari Biorefineries, an Indian ethanol producer, has commissioned its expanded facility for dehydrated ethanol manufacturing at Sameerwadi in Karnataka. With the expansion, the company now has the capacity to produce 50 million litres per year of fuel grade ethanol, up from 15 million litres. The expansion of the fully automated plant using molecular sieve dehydration... [Read More]

A team led by University of Illinois researchers has published a study detailing the economic benefits of this sugarcane oil relative to soyabean oil in biofuel production. The team altered sugarcane metabolism to convert sugars into 12% lipids, or oils, which could be used to produce biodiesel, wish an ultimate goal to produce 20% oil. Oil cane has additional advantages... [Read More]

Solazyme, a Californian algae-based bio-product producer, has abandoned its biofuels business and will be focusing its algae oil production on food and personal care industries. Renamed TerraVia, the company lists the current extremely low oil prices, changing sentiment around the benefits of biofuels, and uncertain US government policies as reasons behind the business... [Read More]

US biofuels producer Renewable Energy Group (REG) has completed its acquisition of Sanimax Energy’s 20 million gallon nameplate capacity biodiesel refinery. REG paid Sanimax $11 million (€9.7m) in cash and issued 500,000 shares of REG common stock in exchange for the biorefinery, located in DeForest, Wisconsin, and related assets. REG may also pay Sanimax up... [Read More]

The Indonesian government’s mandatory ruling on the mix of biofuel into fossil diesel has hit a snag amid lingering pressure from low commodity prices. The Indonesian Oil Palm Estate Fund (BPDP) director, Dadan Kusdiana, told The Jakarta Post that the realisation of subsidised diesel fuel getting mixed with 20% biodiesel reached approximately 404,000 kilolitres... [Read More]

Deinove, a biotech company developing innovative processes for producing biofuels and bio-based chemicals by using Deinococcus bacteria, and Arbiom, a biotechnology company dedicated to the development of a biorefinery process from non-food biomass, entered into a collaboration contract. Both companies aim to provide a complete value proposition integrating different links... [Read More]

The EU’s biofuel targets may have ended up increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to the use of “dirty” biodiesel, an EU analysis has found. According the to a research by the Ecofys consultancy for the European Commission, palm oil biodiesel emits more than three times and soyabean oil-based diesel two times as much GHG as fossil diesel when their... [Read More]