News

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced up to AUD$500,000 (€311,719) in funding will be awarded to Boral Timber to investigate the feasibility of building a biorefinery capable of producing biodiesel from sawmill residues. If the facility at Boral Timber’s Hardwood Sawmill at Herons Creek near Port Macquarie, New South Wales, goes ahead, it will be the first of its…
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Scientists at the University of Kent, UK, have developed a new technique for manipulating small cell structures for use in a range of applications, including the production of biofuels and vaccines. Key to the breakthrough are tiny bacterial cellular structures known as organelles, which the researchers redesigned and engineered so they can be more easily manipulated and deployed to turn bacteria…
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The US Department of Energy has announced a $1.1 million (€940,000) grant for research into sorghum disease resistance led by the University of Illinois, reflecting the growing interest in the crop as a feedstock for renewable fuel and energy. Earlier this year, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved a variety of pathways for renewable fuel derived from sorghum as part of the…
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India’s frontrunner for biofueled aerial operations, SpiceJet, conducted the nation’s first biofueled demonstration flight from Dehradun to Delhi. Another milestone in Asia’s growing efforts to find renewable alternatives for jet fuel, the flight followed China’s first cross-ocean biofueled flight last November. According to a press release, SpiceJet intends to undertake…
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On 30 August 2018, bioethanol trade association Growth Energy announced in a press release that it, alongside the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), has decided to file a lawsuit in federal district court against the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) for improperly denying access to agency records, particularly those surrounding Renewable Fuel Standard…
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According to new data, European renewable ethanol association (ePURE) members produced 5.84 billion litres of ethanol and 5.71 million tonnes of beneficial co-products in 2017. This record high greenhouse gas reduction, compared to petrol is being attributed to major production of animal feed.    There has been an average of more than 70% greenhouse gas savings compared to petrol in…
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Formed in 2007, Vivergo aimed to deliver a substantial and significant portion of the UK’s forecast Biofuel demand. Originally a joint venture between AB Sugar and Du Pont, the company set out to become a biorefinery for the future. However, on the 6th of September it announced its proposal to cease production. In a statement made by Mark Chesworth, Vivergo’s Managing Director, he…
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A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed in China between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). The MoU signing hopes to develop Nigeria’s oilfield services and enhance research development in the oil & gas industry. After the deal had been signed at the CNOOC Headquarters yesterday in Beijing, group…
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Findings from a ground breaking study could prove crucial in boosting the ‘economic viability’ of algae biofuel, showing for the first time that raw plants can be used as a carbon energy source for cultivation of a strain of microalgae. In a study recently published in the journal Algal Research, it’s revealed that a freshwater production strain of microalgae, Auxenochlorella…
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The Indonesian government is planning to make the use of biodiesel blended fuels compulsory for all vehicles and heavy machinery from 1 September, according to Reuters. According to the wire service, Indonesia’s Renewable Energy Director General Rida Mulyana announced the government’s ambitious aim on 1 August. Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo said in a cabinet meeting on 31…
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The US Department of Agriculture has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on the environmental assessment report for Velocys’ planned Bayou Fuels biorefinery in Natchez, Mississippi. Velocys is describing the FONSI as a significant step towards the permitting of the Bayou Fuels facility. It was issued as part of the company’s ongoing development of the 100-acre…
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US biofuel producer Hero BX is aiming to drastically boost the capacity of a shutdown biodiesel facility it recently purchased in South Roxana, Illinois.   As reported by Biodiesel Magazine, the acquisition of the 12MGY facility was made in an auction held by Maas Companies, which closed on 24 July 2018. Financial terms for the acquisition of the former Midwest Biodiesel Products facility…
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Biotechnology company Novozymes has published its results for the first half of 2018. The Denmark headquartered company produces enzymes for biofuel production among its range of products. The company reports an overall organic sales growth of 4% in the first half of the year, and net profit growth of +5%. “Overall, I’m satisfied with our performance in the first half year”,…
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