The International Air Transport Association (IATA) declared that five airlines have recently successfully completed stages of the IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) programme. IEnvA is a voluntary, two-stage evaluation process designed to drive airline environmental performance improvements by independent assessment. Both Finnair and South African Airways have completed... [Read More]

On 3 January 2015, France's energy ministry issued an order to allow the concentration of biodiesel to increase from 7 to 8%. Ministerial order DEVR1431074A will ensure this rise is rolled out at public fuelling stations across France. Industry groups including FuelsEurope and the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) are urging the country to keep the... [Read More]

According to local reports, Luxembourg-based Heridge SARL is purchasing Great Lakes Biodiesel plant in Welland, Ontario, Canada. Bidding closed on the $50 million (€33 million) biodiesel plant, which has a capacity to produce 170 million litres per year of biodiesel, on 12 January. 'The big message that came out is that they are not buying this operation in order... [Read More]

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved fuels made from Algenol’s process as an advanced biofuel, meeting the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction requirements under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). Fuels produced from the industrial biotechnology company are now eligible for a Renewable Identification Number (RIN) under the D-5 classification. The... [Read More]

Gevo, the world's only commercial producer of renewable isobutanol, has released an update on the progress of the Side-by-Side operational mode (SBS) of its plant in Luverne, Minnesota. The isobutanol producer announced that the facility produced over 50,000 gallons of isobutanol in December 2014. Last June, Gevo started the co-production of isobutanol and ethanol at the... [Read More]

Low carbon renewable fuels producer Pacific Ethanol has made an agreement with Dresser-Rand to install a 3.5MW cogeneration system with gradual oxidiser at its Stockton, California plant for approximately $12 million (€10.2 million). The cogeneration system will displace purchased electricity by using Ener-Core's gradual oxidiser technology to convert waste gas from... [Read More]

Renewable fuel producer UPM has started commercial production at its renewable diesel biorefinery in Lappeenranta, Finland. The UPM Lappeenranta Biorefinery is based on a hydrotreatment process developed by the company, and produces approximately 120 million litres per year of renewable UPM BioVerno diesel. UPM's BioVerno diesel, which is produced out of crude tall oil,... [Read More]

A number of fire crews responded to a fire on 8 January at the Sunoco ethanol plant in Volney, Oswega County, New York. At least eight crews were called to the scene, where a fire had started in an empty warehouse section of the plant. No injuries were reported. ... [Read More]

The industry’s leading conference in the bulk liquid storage sector, StocExpo, has just revealed its conference programme for 17-19th March 2015. The event, now in its 11th year, will feature speakers from BP and terminals including Oiltanking, VTTI, CLH and Gate. New to this year, the event will also host a special finance and investment section, featuring speakers... [Read More]

The bidding period has closed for Great Lakes Biodiesel's (GLB) $50 million (€42.4 million) biodiesel plant in Welland, Ontario, Canada, but certainty over the future of the Dain City refinery has not been made clear. Great Lakes Biodiesel (GLB) opened in 2012, but it never reached its full output potential of 170 million litres a year of biodiesel. In October 2014,... [Read More]

Predictions suggest that by 2017, up to 180 companies are expected to produce 1.7 billion gallons of advanced biofuel, doubling current capacity, according to a new market report released by the national nonpartisan business group Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2). North America's advanced biofuel industry reached over 800 million gallons in production capacity in 2014,... [Read More]

A joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell and Cosan, called Raizen, plans to spend nearly $1 billion (€846 million) on constructing ethanol production facilities to increase its biofuel output by 50%, according to the Financial Times. Over the next ten years, Cosan intends to build eight ethanol plants, for an estimated cost of $930 million. The plants will produce... [Read More]

The joint project focuses on the development of an integrated, sustainable biorefinery for local lignocellulosic feedstocks. Russian and Indian scientists will join forces to develop technologies for producing fuels and chemicals from biomass within a 3-year period for a biorefinery project. Representatives of the Institute of Catalysis, Siberian Branch of the Russian... [Read More]

Renewable Energy Group's wholly-owned subsidiary, REG European Holdings, has completed the acquisition of IC Green Energy's (ICG) majority equity ownership position in German biodiesel producer Petrotec. The US advanced biofuels producer and developer of renewable chemicals' subsidiary purchased ICG's 69% equity ownership in Petrotec for $20.9 million (€18 million),... [Read More]

From now, biofuel obligations in Germany will be based on a greenhouse gas (GHG) saving rather than a volume basis. EU-approved Voluntary Sustainability Schemes, such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), will play a key role in the new system. The German government presented important details about the new requirements in December. A biofuel blender in... [Read More]

The US branch of Green Biologics, a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK biotechnology and renewable chemicals company, has closed its acquisition of the assets of Central MN Ethanol Cooperative (CMEC) in Minnesota. Green Biologics intends to repurpose the operation, which includes a 21 million gallon per year ethanol plant, to produce renewable n-butanol and acetone, utilising... [Read More]