News

US advanced biofuels producer Renewable Energy Group (REG) marked the completion of upgrades at its Ermden, Germany biorefinery with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with government and community members. "This investment is another milestone in REG's European strategy to be a leader in delivering high quality biofuels," said Jean Scemama, VP at REG Energy Europe.   Scemama added: "Within this…
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A team of chemists have discovered a new way to produce carbon-based liquid fuels from CO2. The new additive, identified by a team of scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), selectively converts CO2 ­fuels containing multiple carbon atoms, a step towards producing renewable liquid fuels which are not derived from coal or oil. "The results were quite shocking," says…
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A consortium led by Macquarie has completed the acquisition of the UK’s Green Investment Bank. Macquarie Group (Macquarie), Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund 5 (MEIF5) and Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) have paid the UK government £2.3 billion to purchase the institution, which was set up in 2012 to fund renewable and low-carbon projects. According to a statement from…
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A new computational method to rapidly screen the effects of point mutations in bacteria has the potential to make biofuel production more efficient. The conversion of fibrous plant waste such as corn stalks and wood shavings into fermentable simple sugars is a basic requirement of biofuel production, but the process is far from simple. Bacteria must break down tough leaves, stems and other…
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Renewable diesel Neste and US-headquartered Jacobs Engineering Group have agreed that Neste acquires the 40% shareholding of Jacobs in Neste Jacobs Oy. After this transaction, Neste holds all shares in Neste Jacobs. "Neste Jacobs is the leading company specialising in process industry technology, engineering and project management services in the Nordic countries,” said Jyrki…
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The US Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded a five-year grant worth up to $15 million to the University of Arizona (UA) to lead a new centre focusing on the mass production of biofuels and bioproducts in the Southwestern US. According to a statement from UA, the goals of the new Sustainable Bioeconomy for Arid Regions Centre will be to address…
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Policymakers in the European Parliament’s Transport Committee (TRAN) have rejected the opinion put forward by Dutch Green MEP Bas Eickhout on the revised Renewable Energy Directive, dubbed RED II. Due to a lack of agreement on the outcome of the Environment Committee’s (ENVI) proposal on the phase-out of crop-based biofuels, TRAN had opted to vote on the “Original text based on…
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China’s Hainan Airlines has completed the country’s ‘first’ cross-ocean biofuels powered flight. Flight 497 took off from the Beijing on 21 November. It landed at Chicago’s O’Hare airport at 12:05pm local time. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner completed the more than 11,000km journey with biological aviation fuel produced from waste cooking oil, according…
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Researchers have gained insights that could be used to improve enzyme performance in breaking down biomass and converting waste plant matter into renewable fuels and products. The scientists from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), have studied how glycosylation – the natural attachment of sugars to proteins – affects a key cellulose…
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US researchers have maintained that miscanthus, long speculated to be the top biofuel producer, yields more than twice as much as switchgrass in the US using an open-source bioenergy crop database gaining traction in plant science, climate change, and ecology research. "To understand yield trends and variation across the country for our major food crops, extensive databases are available —…
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UK-based Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) has secured funding of £896,000 (€1m) for state of the art equipment to be installed within the industrial biotechnology and biorefinery facilities at Wilton, UK.  The targeted investment of £538K from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is matched with £358K of UK Catapult funding to stimulate regional economic…
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Hong-Kong headquartered Cathay Pacific will start to use biofuels on select long-haul flights in an effort to cut its carbon emissions, according to a media report in the South China Morning Post. Cathay flights to Hong Kong from the US, where the new fuel is produced, will use a combination of conventional jet fuel and biofuels starting in 2019, the South China Morning Post reported. The…
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Creditors of Abengoa Bioenergy US Holding, a unit of Spanish renewable energy company Abengoa, have reached an agreement over the distribution of asset sale proceeds, removing a key hurdle for the company to exit bankruptcy, according to Reuters Abengoa Bioenergy was one of dozens of US Abengoa subsidiaries that filed for US bankruptcy protection last year while the Seville-based parent worked…
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Bellona, a non-profit environmental organisation, has published a new report on the potential and challenges of using seaweed biofuels in aviation. According to the organisation, the report provides comprehensive recommendations for researchers, public authorities and consumers. By mapping existing knowledge and practice, sustainability and development of the technology, Bellona comes to the…
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