News

Nine EU Member States have asked the European Commission (EC) for permission to pollute above national limits set in EU law, according to the European Environmental Bureau (EBB). Austria, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Ireland and Luxembourg have all asked for the limits that should have been met in 2015 to be raised so that they no longer appear to have breached them. The…
Read More »

The UK government has proclaimed that high environmental standards will be maintained post Brexit. The Brexit paper entitled ‘Future customs arrangements: A future partnership paper’ details the UK government’s aspirations for the UK’s future customs arrangements. As the UK leaves the European Union and therefore the EU Customs Union, the government is seeking a new…
Read More »

A quirk in US federal gasoline volatility regulations means E15 sales to non-flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) are usually halted from 1 June to 15 September. However, Hurricane Harvey means E15 sales have returned earlier than usual. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) reports that in response to gasoline supply shortfalls and price hikes resulting from the devastation caused by Hurricane…
Read More »

Scientists in the US have discovered that plant leaves retaining sugars ‘get fat’, something which could increase their biofuel and biochemical potential. The team from the US Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have worked to turn this fat accumulation into higher oil production in the leaves. With leaves more abundant and accessible than seeds, this could…
Read More »

China has lowered its forecasts for its corn output, according to news agency Xinhua Net. The news agency reported that China’s output will now be 210 million tonnes in the 2017/18 crop year, down 2.37 million tonnes from predictions made last month. According to Xinhua, a committee from the Ministry of Agriculture ( MOA) also raised forecasts on industrial consumption of corn by 1.05…
Read More »

A partnership between government-backed green finance initiatives in the UK and China have made a number of recommendations in a report that will help grow green finance across the globe. The ‘Turning Green Momentum into Actions’ report is the latest contribution from the UK-China Green Finance Taskforce. The Taskforce, setup by the Green Finance Initiative (GFI) of the City of London…
Read More »

A scientist from the University of Manchester has argued that developing a modern bioenergy and biofuels system “has huge potential for providing sustainable, low-carbon energy facilitating a range of key sustainable development goals.” Dr Mirijam Roeder is a scientist from the University of Manchester’s School of Mechanical, Aerospace & Civil Engineering and Tyndall Centre…
Read More »

US President Donald Trump is set to meet representatives of the oil refining industry and their legislative backers to discuss the US biofuels programme, Reuters reports, citing two sources briefed on the matter. According to Reuters, the White House meeting could set the stage for negotiations over possible legislation to overhaul the US Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the 2005 law that obliges…
Read More »

Renewable fuels will play a critical role in decarbonising the transport sector, and will complement the role of electric vehicles, Transport Minister John Hayes has said The UK’s Department for Transport will spend £20 million on supporting twenty innovative low-carbon projects. Speaking at a road transport conference in London, Transport Minister John Hayes said that renewable fuels…
Read More »

US consumers saw a record of almost 2.9 billion gallons of biodiesel and renewable diesel in 2016, outpacing the previous record by almost 40%, according to figures released by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Also for the first time ever, the monthly market topped 300 million gallons, with December’s numbers coming in at 362 million gallons. “We are proud to be…
Read More »

Finnish renewable diesel producer Neste has posted a 6% rise in full-year operating profit to €983 million, compared to €925 million in 2015, helped by strong demand for its renewable products. In its 2016 full-year financial statement, the company stated that its renewable products business recorded a full-year comparable operating profit of €469m, compared to €402m in…
Read More »

Growth Energy has released economic analysis that it says “identifies numerous problems” associated with changing the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) point of obligation. The US ethanol trade body strongly supports EPA’s proposed denial to move the point of obligation. “Changing the point of obligation would have a disastrous impact on the industry, retailers, and…
Read More »

Spanish ethanol producer Abengoa has agreed to sell its bioethanol operations in Spain and France to private equity company Trilantic Europe for €140m. The bioethanol plants are located in the Spanish locations of Cartagena, La Coruña and Salamanca, and the France-based Lacq. The deal value includes debt to be assumed by the buyer, as well as the minority interests. The transaction is…
Read More »

Growth Energy, a trade association for US ethanol producers and supporters, welcomed Bushmills Ethanol as its newest member. Bushmills Ethanol is located in Atwater, Minnesota and produces 49 million gallons of ethanol per year. In response to the announcement, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor, said: “Growth Energy’s membership is comprised of men and women who are passionate about…
Read More »