News

The government of Canada is investing CAN$43 million (€27m) in the clean technology sector to help create jobs and stimulate growth in the environmental sector. Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains announced an investment of up to $20 million to support clean energy projects at the pre-commercialisation stage. This investment, part of a…
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China has opened the world’s first production line that converts coal into ethanol, the main chemical ingredient in alcohol, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has announced. The facility in Xingping, Shaanxi province, which went into service in January, was developed by the academy’s Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics and the State-owned Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Group. The project…
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Carl Icahn’s oil refining company CVR Energy made a massive bet in 2016 that prices for US government biofuels credits would fall, shortly before he became an advisor to President Donald Trump on regulations driving the market, according to Reuters. The US’ biofuels credit system is meant to encourage the mixing of renewable fuels such as ethanol into gasoline or diesel. Credits are…
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A major new report on biofuels in Australia paints a bleak picture for the industry, describing a six-year slump. Compiled and published by APAC, an independent consultancy to the Australian biofuels industry, the latest annual client report is entitled Australian Biofuels 2017. APAC have been preparing client reports on the biofuels industry since 2006. Key findings of the report include the…
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Clariant and Huntsman Corp. has announced that its boards of directors unanimously approved a definitive agreement to combine in a merger of equals through an all-stock transaction. The merged company will be named Huntsman Clariant. On a pro forma 2016 basis, the combination of both companies will create a leading global specialty chemical company with sales of approximately $13.2 billion…
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The price of soybean oil could increase sharply in 2018 as a result of US anti-dumping action against vegetable oils for biodiesel produced by Argentina and Indonesia, according to forecasts by data analyst specialists Informa Agribusiness Intelligence. US action to impose countervailing duties against these countries on imports of soybean oil could push up the cost of popular processed foods…
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A decade ago, the production of renewable diesel began at the Neste Porvoo refinery in Finland. Since then, Neste’s renewable biofuels have reduced greenhouse gas emissions from traffic by more than 33 million tons. That figure is close to the total annual CHG emissions from road transport in both Sweden and Finland combined. Neste’s MY Renewable Diesel has been used in a number of…
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France is set to end the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040. The move is part of the country’s renewed commitment to the Paris climate deal under the leadership of new President Emmanuel Macron. Nicolas Hulot, France’s ecology minister, has hailed the move as a revolution, according to the Guardian. Addressing concerns over how France’s automotive industry would deal with…
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Vivergo Fuels has responded to the UK government’s recently announced intention to ban petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 as part of its Clean Air Plan. The UK based biofuels producer stresses that E10 fuel, containing 10% bioethanol, is a solution to air quality and climate change that is available now. The statement calls on the government to take advantage of the opportunities offered by…
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US biorefining company Aemetis reported a net loss of $6 million (€5 million) for the three months ending 30 June, 2017, compared to a net loss of $5 million for the same period the previous year. Revenues were $40.8 million for the second quarter of 2017, compared to $33.1 million for the second quarter of 2016. The increase in revenue was primarily attributable to increased ethanol…
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The first half of 2017 saw China Agri-Industries, a subsidiary of China grains trader COFCO, return to profit. According to Reuters, this change in fortunes was aided by a big jump in the profitability in the company’s ethanol and oil seeds segments. China Agri-Industries processes grains including soybeans, corn, rice and wheat. Reuters reports that the company’s revenues rose 9% to…
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A new All-Party Parliamentary Group has been launched for British bioethanol. The committee of MPs and Peers with an interest in promoting the benefits of the bioethanol industry and its products, will hold events and meetings to discuss policy, share news and report on relevant issues as well as holding the government to account on its domestic and international environmental…
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A four year, $6 million research project is aiming to determine how the US’ Upper Missouri Basin would be affected if biofuels were produced and carbon capture technologies implemented in the region. Experts from the Wyoming, South Dakota and Montana State Universities will generate economic models to see if changes in commodity and capturing carbon are sustainable, and feasible, in the…
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It will be easier for cities to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions coming from residential energy use rather than transportation, new research claims. This reduction will happen thanks to more efficient building practices and not greater housing density, the study, published in the Journal of Planning Education and Research, states. The aim of the study was to determine how extensively local…
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