News

Montreal-based waste to biofuels company Enerkem has announced the closing of new financing to the tune of CAD$76.3 million (€5 million). The funding has been sourced from existing investors, as well as a new investor, Canadian energy company Suncor Energy, the company announced. Suncor will also offer technical resources to support Enerkem’s planned growth. This growth includes the…
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Irish university NUI Galway has announced the official opening of a new research laboratory to generate biofuels from waste products. A team of 25 PhD and post-doctoral researchers will work in the new laboratory under Professor Piet Lens in the Department of Microbiology. The researchers are undertaking a major research project to transform waste and wastewater treatment into production…
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The Ministers of Agriculture in Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic have signed a joint declaration agreeing on the importance of biofuels in the Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) post-2020. “We agree to take all necessary steps to establish the contribution of the biofuels of EU agricultural origin (produced from food and feed crops) to the targets set by RED II at the maximum level…
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Washington State Ferries (WSF)announced that it will be launching a Sustainability Action Plan that outlines objectives for more renewable ferries and terminals, which includes a commitment to using a 10% biodiesel mix. According to the release, the plan includes initiatives to protect orca whales, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and reduce waste. “Because we operate…
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Swedish biofuels producer Sekab E-Technology has announced that a new biorefinery in Finland, Nordfuel, will open in 2021 using Sekab’s Celluapp technology. The €150 million facility will produce bioethanol and biofuel from soft wood residues. The company’s Celluapp technology platform enables the extraction of cellulose sugars and lignin from forest or agricultural…
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Whitefox Technologies has successfully installed and commenced operations of the fifth Whitefox ICE™ system at Ace Ethanol’s Wisconsin plant. The company’s membrane system is part of a project that will integrate with D3MAX’s technology to convert corn kernel fibre to ethanol, enabling reduced energy consumption. “After seeing the benefits of the Whitefox ICE™…
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Danish biotechnology company Novozymes has released its interim report for the first three months of 2019, noting a decline in sales due to weakness in US bioethanol. According to the company, all businesses developed roughly as expected with the exception of the US bioethanol industry. Organic sales growth was down 4% in the first three months of this year, with bioenergy down 8% and agriculture…
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The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) announced that its member company KAAPA Ethanol is celebrating its 15th anniversary since first commencing operations. According to the RFA, KAAPA Ethanol operates two refineries in Nebraska: the Minden plant which produces 80 million gallons of ethanol a year from 27 million bushels of corn; and the Ravenna plant which produces more than 125 million gallons…
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A report released earlier this month by the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) outlines key employment statistics in the US energy sector for 2018. The ‘2019 U.S. Energy and Employment’ report details current employment figures and future trends in sectors including ethanol, biodiesel, and cellulosic fuels. Based on an…
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US biofuels producer Gevo announced its financial results from the fourth quarter of 2018, which includes its outlook for 2019. Revenues in the three months ending December 31, 2018 were $6.6 million (€5.8 million) compared with $6.7 million in 2017’s final quarter. Gevo attributes the $0.1 million loss to lower production values combined with the elimination of a lease for feedstock…
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A senior Indonesian minister warned that the country could consider leaving the Paris Agreement if the EU continues its plans to phase out palm oil as a sustainable source of renewable fuel, Reuters reports. Earlier this month, Biofuels International reported that the EU had doubled down on its assault against palm oil, which was included in its outlawing of high indirect land-use change (ILUC)…
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US biofuels producer NEXT Renewable Fuels announced that it will lease a 94-acre site from the Port of Columbia County for its Advanced Green Diesel production facility. The site is located next to 25 acres already owned by NEXT, providing a total of 119 acres on which the company will develop its green diesel facility. According to NEXT, the biorefinery will have a capacity of 37,500 barrels per…
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The British Columbia Bioenergy Network (BCBN) and the government of British Columbia (BC) are seeking a contractor to undertake an analysis of the biorefinery market. Under the CleanBC Plan, the provincial government has committed to increasing production of renewable fuels to 650 million litres annually, as well as increasing the Low Carbon Fuel Standard to 20% by 2030. According to BCBN,…
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