News

Major waste-based biofuel producer Argent Energy has announced the appointment of Erik Rietkerk as the company's new CEO. Rietkerk takes over leadership of the company from Jim Walker, the former managing director. Rietkerk has joined Argent from Amsterdam Commodities, a listed trading company in the Netherlands. According to a statement, he’ll bring experience in growing and integrating…
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Verbio Vereinigte BioEnergie has published its 2017/2018 financial reports. Company CEO Claus Sauter states that the financial year was characterised by market upheavals and changes to political conditions, both of which have had large implications on the sales markets of Verbio’s biodiesel and biomethane segments. Nevertheless, the company has achieved broadly positive results. Towards the…
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According to a study published on Phys.org, two researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s (NTNU) Industrial Ecology Programme have found that producing biojet fuels from forestry residues is good for the climate but can apply pressure to certain United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). These SDGs are listed as: zero hunger, clean water and…
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AP News reports that south-eastern South Dakota, Napa Junction is to be the location of a new ethanol plant. Officials are also considering the construction of a private natural gas pipeline in the area. The idea to bring a new ethanol plant to Napa Junction has appealed to several companies. AP News reports that since the opening of a grain shuttling facility as well as the construction of a new…
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The European Parliament’s decision to back a ban on the use of palm oil in biofuels has been labelled as “a crop apartheid” by Malaysia’s plantation minister, who has also described the move as a protectionist trade barrier, Reuters reports. On 17 January, the European Parliament announced its position on the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED II). A crucial part of…
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A joint project between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and NASA is aiming to determine whether aircraft pollutant emissions are reduced by using biofuels. In addition, the pioneering new study aims to determine the effects alternative aviation fuels have on the formation of contrails. With additional participation from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the Institute for Atmospheric…
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Toyota has debuted a prototype of what it calls the world’s first hybrid flexible-fuel vehicle, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The flexible fuelled vehicle can be powered by both gasoline and ‘alternative fuels such as ethanol’. Key to the new vehicle, according to Toyota, is a new hybrid system that combines a combustion engine and an electrical powertrain. The new Hybrid FFV (flexible…
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Eighteen senators have signed a letter calling for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt to allow 15% ethanol blends to be sold all year. The politicians asked for a timeline of the rulemaking process to clarify how the agency will permit E15 wholesale. They also asked to allow E15 to be sold while that process happens. Currently, the agency regulates the Reid vapour…
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A group of representatives from the US ethanol industry is suing the EPA for its use of waivers from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The plaintiffs are Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) and National Farmers Union (NFU), with support of Farmers Union Enterprises. The coalition filed their motion in the US Court…
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Finnish renewable diesel producer Neste is exploring ways to introduce liquefied waste plastics as a raw material for fuels and plastics, according to a statement. The company has ambitious goals for the project, aiming to proceed to industrial scale trial during 2019. Longer term, Neste’s target is to process annually more than one million tonnes of waste plastic by 2030. "Neste has been…
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A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed in China between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). The MoU signing hopes to develop Nigeria’s oilfield services and enhance research development in the oil & gas industry. After the deal had been signed at the CNOOC Headquarters yesterday in Beijing, group…
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Growth Energy and Prime the Pump have announced that regional convenience store chain Cumberland Farms is to become the newest E15 retail partner to join the Prime the Pump program. Located in Massachusetts, Cumberland Farms will start to offer E15 at just over 120 of its Northeast US stores. The 15% ethanol blended fuel will be available to buy all year-round.     A fuel made with…
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The EPA announced that it has finalised the required renewable fuel volumes under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2019, as well as biomass-based diesel for 2020. “Issuing the annual renewable volume obligations rule on time is extremely important to all stakeholders impacted by the Renewable Fuel Standard program,” said EPA acting administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Unlike the…
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Newly published research explains for the first time how plants switch from photoprojection to photosynthesis when transitioning from darkness to daylight. The authors of the study, from the University of Sheffield, claim that the new insight could have a host of benefits, including for the biofuels industry. During photosynthesis, plant chloroplasts convert light into chemical energy that they…
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