News

Fulcrum BioEnergy began site construction for phase 2 of its first waste-to-fuels project, the Sierra BioFuels Plant (Sierra), on 16 May. Sierra will be ‘the US' first’ commercial-scale plant converting a municipal solid waste feedstock that would otherwise be landfilled, into a low-carbon, renewable transportation fuel product. "Launching the final construction phase of Sierra is…
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Pioneering research has confirmed that a diverse mix of algal species in biofuel systems will significantly improve production. Scientists from the University of Michigan (UM) grew various combinations of freshwater algal species in 80 artificial ponds to test the effects of biodiversity on biofuel production. According to a press release, it was the ‘first’ large scale, controlled…
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Major US biodiesel producer Renewable Energy Group has published its financial results for the second quarter 2018. The figures cover the quarter ended 30 June, and they reveal a dramatic year on year improvement for the company. Net income per diluted share was $33 million over the period, compared to a net loss of $34.8 million in the second quarter of 2017. Adjusted net income was $23.5…
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A Johnson Matthey (JM) press release announced that British Petroleum (BP) and JM have co-signed an agreement with biofuels producer Fulcrum BioEnergy to license their Fischer Tropsch (FT) technology and assist Fulcrum to convert municipal solids into biojet fuel. The FT technology, described by JM as ‘cost-advantaged’ and ‘simple-to-operate’, can economically convert…
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After deciding to review its tariffs on Argentine biodiesel, the US may be changing the ‘poor’ fortune of exporters whose shipments from South American countries have been extremely low. According to Reuters the US Department of Commerce announced that there was “just cause” to review the taxes that it applied towards the end of 2017 to Argentine biodiesel. At the time,…
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The Sun Daily reports that Malaysia is set to emulate Indonesia’s plan to introduce a higher biodiesel mandate. The country intends to implement a B20 biodiesel blending mandate by 2020 that would see it become one of the world’s top biodiesel producing countries.    Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said that Indonesia has now surpassed Malaysia to…
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The governments are calling for cooperative research into subjects including cellulosic biofuel, management of waste resources, crop productivity and transgenetic crops. According to the Iranian Ministry of Science Research and Technology, the goal of the programme is to strengthen ties between national scientific communities and to promote the findings of the research in both countries. The…
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Foam Lake, Saskatchewan based Milligan Biofuels has entered receivership, according to local media. The biofuels producer was known for taking oilseeds destined for local farm pits and converting them into bioproducts, including biodiesel. Feedstocks included green, frost damaged and lower quality canola, according to 620ckrm. Last week, an Alberta court granted an application from public lender…
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The US biofuels industry has slammed the decision to relieve the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery of roughly half of its $350 million (€283 million) in outstanding Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) compliance obligations. On 12 March, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Carlyle Group backed Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) came to the agreement that the troubled refiner would…
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ePure (the European renewable ethanol association) is calling for the EU to adopt a policy that encourages domestic production of sustainable biofuels. The move follows two decisions by the EU Parliament, one to promote protein crops for animal feed (to ease demand for feed from South America) and one to meet the emission reductions agreed to under the Paris agreement. The association says that…
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Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC) has approved a project to produce designs for a modular biodiesel plant. BIC is a not-for-profit business accelerator based in Ontario, Canada and hopes the new plant will lower construction costs and improve quality.  Its Centre for Commercialization of Sustainable Chemistry Innovation (COMM SCI) will work with the renewable energy company Benefuel on…
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More than $38 million in industrial revenue bonds has been approved to help fund Cargill’s new biodiesel plant in Wichita, Kansas, according to the Wichita Eagle. Currently, Cargill has a soybean processing plant, grain elevator and rail bulk loadout operation at the Wichita site. The site already produces vegetable oil, but will now make the transition to biodiesel production. According to…
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Scientists at the University of Kent, UK, have developed a new technique for manipulating small cell structures for use in a range of applications, including the production of biofuels and vaccines. Key to the breakthrough are tiny bacterial cellular structures known as organelles, which the researchers redesigned and engineered so they can be more easily manipulated and deployed to turn bacteria…
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For the last few months the European biodiesel industry has insisted that the European Commission enforce the implementation of provisional countervailing import duties on 'unfair' biodiesel imports from Argentina. The legal deadline in which to do so is 31  October  2018. The provisional duties that are currently in place, as well as the eventual definitive duties, are deemed by…
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