News

Researchers have developed a new method to directly convert methane to methanol using molecular oxygen. Liquid methanol is believed to have considerable potential as an alternative fuel, and is used as a feedstock in a variety of other chemicals. However, converting methane, the primary component of natural gas, to methanol is currently a complicated, indirect process which requires high…
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Scania will provide ‘clean’ buses to 20 major cities in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Australia, and has called for more investment in cleaner fuels.   The ‘soot-free’ buses are designed to address the issue of black carbon – fine particulate matter (PM2.5) outdoor air pollution which has been linked to a series of adverse health effects and even death. Recent…
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Scientists have gained new insight into the functioning of hydrolytic enzymes, in a study that could pave the way to more competitive biofuels. The current technical complexity and costs of obtaining biofuels from biomass restrict their cheap, efficient and sustainable production. At a time when oil prices are at record lows, this is hindering their ability to compete on the fuels market. One of…
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Researchers from the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) have received a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to begin a three-year project to perform a multitude of techno-market analyses of US biorefinery supply chains from feedstock to alternative jet fuels. The amount of worldwide air travel is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades. Recent…
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Biofuel created from waste coffee grounds is helping to power some of London’s buses, the BBC reports. Technology firm bio-bean creates a biofuel by blending oil extracted from coffee waste with diesel. According to the company, it has now produced enough coffee oil to power one bus for a year. Transport for London, the local government body responsible for the transport system in the…
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Closure of the UK’s largest ethanol plant in the face of government inaction on policies signals the severity of an increasingly competitive ethanol marketplace. The price of ethanol commodities futures has fallen significantly this year, from $1.603 to $1.356 as of 6 December, a fall of almost 0.25. Vivergo said in a statement that these low prices and the UK government’s failure to…
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The ‘climate protection rate’ in Germany is set to rise this year from 3.5 to 4% and biofuels is set to benefit from this, according to Germany’s biofuels trade association Verband der Deutschen Biofuelindustrie (VDB). According to this rise, oil companies will have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their fuels by 4% from this year, for example, by adding biodiesel or…
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Flint Hills Resources (FHR) is making a multimillion dollar investment into its Nebraska ethanol plant to upgrade its co-product processing technology. FHR will invest more than $50 million (€46.9m) in its Fairmont facility to install a new technology that will produce a high-protein animal and fish feed ingredient from a portion of the plant’s distiller’s grains, a co-product of…
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Jeremey Roswell, a UK-based pilot and environmentalist, has made history by flying a light aircraft more than 500 miles from Sydney to Melbourne, Australia, using fuel made from plastic waste. Conventional fuel was blended with 10% of fuel made from end-of-life plastic waste. UK-headquartered firm Plastic Energy manufactures the fuel. The main aim of the ‘On Wings of Waste’ (OWOW),…
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US advanced biofuels company has announced that it has entered into a Letter of Intent (LOI) with HCS Holding (HCS) to supply isooctane under a five-year offtake agreement.  HCS is a manufacturer of specialty products and solutions in the hydrocarbons sector, operating under the brands Haltermann Carless, ETS Racing Fuels and EOS.  HCS is owned by HIG Capital.  Haltermann Carless,…
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In 2016, the US was again the world’s largest net exporter of ethanol, according to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) trade data. Net exports are calculated as the difference between exports and imports, and the 2016 calendar year concluded with US net exports at 838 million gallons, the second highest level ever, exceeded only in 2011. US ethanol shipments exceeded 1 billion gallons, and…
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The European Biodiesel Board (EBB) has announced its support of the US’ National Biodiesel Board’s (NBB) anti-dumping and countervailing duty complaints against dumped and subsidised biodiesel imports from Argentina and Indonesia. NBB reported that the US biodiesel market had suffered severe damage as a result of illegal trade activities which escalated by 464% between 2014 and 2016,…
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US ethanol trade body Growth Energy has slammed a poll commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute (API), which claimed that consumers were concerned about the costs of supporting the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). API Downstream group director Frank Macchiarola released the poll on Friday (7 April). “Sixty-eight percent of registered voters are concerned about the government…
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The Swedish Bioenergy Association, Svebio, is organising the 2nd edition of the advanced biofuels conference. It will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, from 17-19 May. The conference is intended for those who are interested in creating a sustainable transport sector. Speakers and delegates will be policy makers and politicians, leading scientists, researchers, engineers, as well as executives and…
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