News

The Advanced Biofuels Association (ABFA) has asked the US Court of Appeals in Washington DC to decide whether the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) broke the law by granting Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) waivers to an increasing number of small refineries. The petition specifically called for a review of the EPA’s “decision to modify the criteria or lower the threshold by which…
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April 20, Ireland’s Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment published a policy statement confirming its intention to increase the biofuel obligation to 10% from 1 January 2019 and to 11% in 2020. Ireland’s Biofuels Obligation Scheme requires suppliers of road transport fuel to ensure a certain proportion of the fuel that they place on the market is…
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Toyota has debuted a prototype of what it calls the world’s first hybrid flexible-fuel vehicle, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The flexible fuelled vehicle can be powered by both gasoline and ‘alternative fuels such as ethanol’. Key to the new vehicle, according to Toyota, is a new hybrid system that combines a combustion engine and an electrical powertrain. The new Hybrid FFV (flexible…
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Enerkem has produced a new high-performance biofuel that it claims could improve the octane rating of fuels sold on the market as well as reduce their carbon footprint. The innovation has been achieved in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the US. The Canadian waste-to-biofuels and chemicals producer announced its latest innovation at the 255th American Chemical…
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The EU has removed anti-dumping duties on biodiesel imports from Indonesia, according to Reuters. It’s the latest development in what has been a long running controversy. Back in 2013, the European Union set import duties on biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia, claiming that both nations were ‘dumping’ the renewable fuel. The measures met legal challenges from both the…
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The US National Biodiesel Board has expressed its disappointment at the news Congress hasn’t renewed the biodiesel tax credit. On 22 March, Congress passed a $1.3 trillion spending package to fund the federal government until September and prevent another shutdown. NBB campaigned for a renewed biodiesel tax credit to be included in the package, but it hasn’t happened. The spending…
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The three smallest of Andeavor’s ten oil refineries are now exempt from US biofuels legislation. The ‘hardship’ waiver is meant to protect smaller refiners from being disproportionately impacted by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Last year, Andeavor posted $1.5 billion in net profits. The exemption allows Andeavor to disregard legislation requiring it to blend ethanol into…
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Scientists have created a genetically modified yeast that could quicken the path towards synthetic yeasts for a number of industrial applications, including the creation of bioethanol. The Tufts University researchers have created a yeast that can more efficiently consume xylose, in turn enabling the yeast to grow faster and to higher cell densities, according to their study, published in the…
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The US trade association is calling out the EPA following court approval of the agency’s settlement with the bankrupt refiner Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) and its granting of a ‘small refiner’ waiver for refining giant Andeavor. Damage to the environment and to agricultural communities are among Growth Energy’s complaints about these exemptions from the Renewable…
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Researchers at the National University of Singapore have identified a species of bacteria that converts cellulose into biobutanol, a replacement for petrol. The scientists first discovered and cultivated the bacterium in 2015 by isolating it from mushroom crop residue. The team claims that producing biofuels with the microorganism could replace traditional processes for producing biofuels due to…
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A new, £5 million project is set to develop the bioeconomy across Yorkshire, the Humber region and the Tees Valley in the north of England. Dubbed the THYME (Teesside, Hull and York - Mobilising Bioeconomy Knowledge Exchange) project, the three year initiative is being led by the University of York. It’s aiming to ‘build on’ expertise and innovation in the…
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The UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has published its Energy Trends data for 2017. The report includes in depth statistics on the country’s biofuels industry. According to the report, overall biofuel consumption in transport was down 0.5% on the previous year, falling from 1,467 million litres to 1,460 million litres. However, year on year, biofuel…
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German renewable fuel producer Natural Energy West is to reduce its biodiesel output by 50%. According to Reuters, the company is making the cuts in response to surging biodiesel imports from Indonesia and Argentina to the EU. Reuters reports that the company will cut output ‘immediately and for an indefinite period’. Natural Energy West produces around 240,000 tonnes of biodiesel a…
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