News

An explosion at a Saipol oilseed factory in France has left two people dead, according to Reuters. Saipol is the oilseed branch of Avril, the largest biodiesel producer in Europe as well as France’s largest table oil producer. The explosion took place on 17 February at 10:00am, at the Saipol factory in Dieppe. Alongside the fatalities, one person was slightly injured and seven others were…
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The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) based out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) is moving from the development of crop-based ethanol to creating fuels and chemicals that are fungible with their petroleum-based equivalents. The change was announced at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Austin, Texas by the centre’s…
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A consortium of companies, including Canadian advanced biofuel producer Enerkem, have signed a project development agreement for an advanced waste-to-chemistry facility in Rotterdam. According to a statement, the new facility will be the first of its kind in Europe. It will provide a sustainable alternative solution for non-recyclable waste, allowing plastics and other mixed wastes to be…
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A new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) says the EU could double the renewable share in its energy mix, cost effectively, from 17% in 2015 to 34% in 2030. In order to reach long term decarbonisation goals, the report argues that all renewable transport options – both biofuels and electric vehicles, are necessary. The report also argues that biomass will remain a…
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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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US researchers have developed a ‘super strain’ of yeast that can efficiently ferment ethanol from pretreated pine – one of the most common tree species in the US. The scientists from the University of Georgia (UGA) claim that their research could help biofuels replace gasoline as a transportation fuel. Joy Doran-Peterson professor of microbiology at UGA, and doctoral student G.…
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Novozymes has unveiled its new yeast platform for starch-based ethanol, designed to help ethanol producers ‘get more’ from their raw materials. The first product in the new yeast platform is Innova Drive, a new yeast strain designed to reduce fermentation time by up to two hours compared to current yeasts, according to Novozymes. Yeast is a vital component of ethanol production. It is…
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Leaders of Sustainable Biofuels (LSB), a coalition of 12 advanced biofuels producers and technology developers, is calling on EU institutions to set its new advanced biofuels mandate to begin in 2021. According to the coalition, chaired by UPM’s Public Affairs director Marko Janhunen, this move would ensure investor confidence in the sector. Annex IX part A of the Renewable Energy Directive…
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The model takes a holistic approach to emissions from second generation biorefineries, from production of feedstock, to refining and consumption. The goal is to give engineers a better idea of how to minimise greenhouse gases and make their refineries more economically viable. By incorporating multiple sources of data, Edgard Gnansounou, a professor at École Polytechnique…
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The first biofuel powered flight from the US to Australia has been completed. Qantas announced last year that biofuels would be used on its QF96 route from Los Angeles to Melbourne. On 29 January, the first flight to be fuelled by biofuels departed from LAX. According to a statement, the 15 hour, trans-Pacific flight operated with approximately 24,000kg of blended biofuel, saving 18,000kg in…
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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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A partnership between Samsung Electronics and Rural Development Solutions is set to deliver 10,000 bioethanol stoves to households in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. Situated on the outskirts of Kakuma town, in north-west Kenya’s Turkana County, the Kakuma refugee camp had a population of 185,154 registered refugees and asylum seekers at the start of 2018, states UNHCR (United Nations…
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The EU Commission has initiated an anti-subsidy investigation into whether Argentinian biodiesel exporters are benefitting from unfair subsidies. The move has been launched following a complaint in December from the European Biodiesel Board (EBB). In 2013, the EU set anti-dumping duties on Argentinian and Indonesian biodiesel of between 22 and 25.7%, claiming both countries were benefitting from…
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In a Thursday 1 February interview with Fox News, US Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt said that the country’s biofuel policy was in need of an overhaul. The EPA administrator’s comments were in response to the recent bankruptcy of Philadelphia Energy Solutions, the largest oil refiner on the East Coast. When announcing its bankruptcy, the oil refiner pointed…
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