News

CropEnergies, a major European bioethanol producer, has released financial results for the first quarter of the 2018/2019 financial year. According to a statement, the German biofuel producer started the financial year with a below average quarter compared to previous years. Revenues decreased by 17% to €192 million (the previous year’s figure was €231 million). Earnings before…
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UPM has joined Together for Sustainability, a chemical industry initiative designed to promote and improve sustainability practises within supply chains. TfS has set up a standard approach to evaluate and improve the sustainability performance of suppliers. These evaluations cover areas such as environmental impact, health and safety, labour and human rights, and governance and management. "We…
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US drivers have logged 5 billion miles on E15 ethanol, trade association for the US ethanol industry, Growth Energy, has announced. Growth Energy has been working with Prime the Pump, a non-profit dedicated to helping build the infrastructure and distribution of higher biofuel blends. According to Growth Energy, this collaboration has doubled the number of E15 stations four years in a row to…
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The US National Biodiesel Board (NBB) and its members have asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to raise volumes in the Renewable Fuel Standard. Testifying at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Public Hearing for Proposed Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) for 2019 and Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2020, NBB and its members are asking for the 2020 biomass-based diesel…
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Scientists use technique to automatically predict the amount of biofuel produced by microbes. Scientists from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory say they have developed a way to use machine learning to dramatically accelerate the design of microbes that produce biofuel. Their computer algorithm starts with data about the proteins and metabolites in a…
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Preem and RenFuel, in collaboration with Rottneros, are constructing what they say is the world's first lignin plant for biofuels. The plant is to produce 25-30,000 tonnes of lignin each year and is expected to be completed by 2021. The pair is acting through their co-owned company, called Lignolproduktion, to reach the plant’s goal of a production capacity of 300-500,000 tonnes of…
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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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Total’s La Mede biodiesel refinery is facing controversy, with France’s largest farmer’s union calling for a nationwide blockade of oil refineries in response to the facility’s intention to use imported palm oil. Last week the French government allowed limited use of palm oil feedstock at the oil and gas giant’s biodiesel facility in Southern France, according to…
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Polls sponsored by the US National Biodiesel Board show that voters in three Midwestern states think it is important that President Donald Trump keeps his campaign promise to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard. While campaigning to be president, Trump told the January 2016 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit: “The RFS… is an important tool in the mission to achieve energy independence for…
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In Porto Marghera, Italy, Eni has started collecting used cooking oil (UCO) from the homes of its employees to be used as feedstock for advanced biofuels. According to the Italian oil and gas giant, it is the first company in the world to take a traditional refinery and successfully transform it into a biorefinery using proprietary technology. The move to start collecting UCO forms part of a…
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Shell Aviation and SkyNRG have announced a long term strategic collaboration aimed at promoting and developing the use of sustainable fuel in aviation supply chains. In the agreement, Shell Aviation and SkyNRG will work to develop ‘long-term opportunities for low-carbon solutions.’ These efforts will, according to a statement announcing the new collaboration, be supported by funding…
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LanzaTech and Shougang Group have announced the successful start-up of what they claim to be the world’s first commercial facility converting industrial emissions to sustainable ethanol. Carbon recycling company Lanzatech and Chinese iron and still producer Shougang created the facility in a joint venture. The facility is located at the Jingtang Steel Mill in Caofeidian, Hebei Province.…
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A series of engineered proteins could improve biomanufacturing processes for the production of biofuels and other products including pharmaceuticals and commodity chemicals, according to researchers. Kevin Solomon, an assistant professor in Purdue University’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, and colleagues have developed a series of engineered proteins derived from…
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BASF Enzymes and Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits (LBDS) have formally entered into a marketing and sales collaboration agreement with the aim to ‘maximise value to customers in the ethanol market in the United States.’ In the collaboration, BASF’s enzyme portfolio will be used for applications in liquefaction and fermentation to improve fermentation performance. LBDS…
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