Retrofitting at a biodiesel plant in Beatrice, Nebraska, US, is currently underway and on schedule, with production expected to begin later this year. The plant, originally built in 2007, was purchased by Duonix Beatrice – a joint venture between Flint Hills Resources and Benefuel Inc. – in 2011. The company's goal is reportedly to have production up and running... [Read More]

Renewable energy company Methes Energies International has received a second payment of C$200,000 (€150,000) from Drain Bros for the sale of a Denami 600 biodiesel processor and a PP-MEC pre-treatment system to be installed in Ontario, Canada as previously announced. This second of five progress payments was triggered by the fact that all the equipment from Methes'... [Read More]

Agrisoma Biosciences, the agriculture technology company that commercialised Resonance Carinata – a non-food sustainable crop for renewable energy – has announced that a group led by its management team has made an equity investment in the company that gives it a 22% stake in the company. The group includes key members of Agrisoma's senior management, board... [Read More]

Croda International, manufacturer of speciality chemical ingredients that enhance everyday consumer and industrial products, is creating the first North American plant that will lead to 100% sustainable non-ionic surfactants, active emulsifying agents that help keep oil and water together, which are used in a range of products from face creams to toothpaste to paint to... [Read More]

Sweetwater Energy, a New York, US-based renewable biochemicals producer, has closed on a $10 million (€9 million) bridge loan. The loan closed as Sweetwater readies to open its Series B investor round later this quarter to begin construction of its first commercial facility. 'We're very pleased to have closed this loan, which secures our operations as we begin building... [Read More]

Kum & Go has announced that it will begin offering E15 as a fuel option. The first station, located in Iowa, US will open on 30 April. Over the next two years, Kum & Go plans to make E15 available at more than 65 stores across Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas, Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. The EPA approved E15 for use in vehicles manufactured since 2001,... [Read More]

Verbio Vereinigte BioEnergie AG has successfully commissioned a site for the production of biomethane at Schwedt, Germany. The new plant uses a new internally generated technology to manufacture biomethane from 100% straw. The development of this technology is supported by the European Union's NER 300 subsidy project, providing funding of up to €22.3 million over... [Read More]

On 28 April the European Parliament voted to approve the cap on first generation biofuels made from food-based crops. Current legislation requires EU member states to ensure that renewable energy accounts for at least 10% of energy consumption in transport by 2020. In order to cut greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) caused by the growing use of farm land for biofuel crops,... [Read More]

Audi's new pilot plan in Dresden, Germany has begun producing synthetic fuel, Audi e diesel. After a commissioning phase of four months, the research facility started producing its first batches of high quality diesel fuel a few days ago. To demonstrate its suitability for everyday use, Federal Minister of Education and Research Prof. Dr. Johanna Wanka put the first five... [Read More]

Pearson Fuels and G&M Oil Company plan to open 13 E85 fuel stations in southern California, US within the next year. The company made the announcement at the ribbon cutting of their latest ethanol flex fuel location in Calimesa, California, which was opened on 15 April. There are approximately 1 million vehicles on the road in California that are capable of using blends... [Read More]

ZeaChem, a biorefining project developer and operator, has launched its Technology Institute & Processing Services in Boardman, Oregon. The company has been operating its 250,000 gallon per year demonstration biorefinery in Boardman, Oregon since 2012. The company is now developing a commercial facility and, having realised the challenges involved in scaling up technology,... [Read More]

Aventine Renewable Energy, a producer, marketer and supplier of ethanol, has announced its first BNSF unit-train shipment of ethanol produced at its two ethanol facilities in Aurora, Nebraska. On 19 April Aventine's first unit train pulled out of Aurora heading to Birmingham, Alabama. The ethanol will be blended in petrol to enhance octane, and will also help reduce America's... [Read More]

Taiwan's largest integrated steel maker, China Steel Corporation (CSC), has announced formal Board approval of a 1.4 billion TWD (€42.8 million) capital investment in a LanzaTech commercial ethanol facility. This follows the successful demonstration of the revolutionary carbon recycling platform at the White Biotech (WBT) Demonstration Plant in Kaohsiung using steel... [Read More]

Total has announced an investment of €200 million to transform the La Mède refinery and create France's first biorefinery, which will be one of the biggest in Europe, to meet growing demand for biofuels. In order to sustainably restore the competitiveness of its La Mède site, Total will transform some existing units for activities with strong future... [Read More]

NexSteppe, a producer of sustainable feedstock solutions for the bio-based industries, sold more than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of its Palo Alto biomass sorghums in Brazil this past growing season, compared to just over 1,000 hectares in the previous year. Just as many of the leaders of the bio-based economy have begun proving their conversion technologies at commercial... [Read More]

A recent impact study by University of Nebraska-Lincoln economists reveals Nebraska's ethanol production capacity growth between 1995 and 2014 is tenfold. The results of the 'Economic Impacts of the Ethanol Industry in Nebraska' study were released during a press conference on 14 April. The authors - Dr. Kathleen Brooks, UNL agricultural economics professor; Dr. Dennis... [Read More]