News

Contanda has officially withdrawn a permit application to handle and store crude oil at its Grays Harbor terminal in Washington, US. The storage and logistics service provider states that it now intends to pursue permits to expand the facility to handle and store a portfolio of cleaner fuels, including biodiesel, renewable diesel and ultra-low sulphur diesel. In 2013, Contanda sought permits to…
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In a Thursday 1 February interview with Fox News, US Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt said that the country’s biofuel policy was in need of an overhaul. The EPA administrator’s comments were in response to the recent bankruptcy of Philadelphia Energy Solutions, the largest oil refiner on the East Coast. When announcing its bankruptcy, the oil refiner pointed…
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Finnish forest industry company and biofuel producer UPM has started an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a possible biorefinery in Mussalo, Kotka, in the southeast of Finland. The proposed site is in the area of a dismantled power plant formerly run by the Pohjolan Voima energy company. According to UPM, the study for the possible Kotka Biorefinery is in the very early stages, with the…
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Novozymes has unveiled its new yeast platform for starch-based ethanol, designed to help ethanol producers ‘get more’ from their raw materials. The first product in the new yeast platform is Innova Drive, a new yeast strain designed to reduce fermentation time by up to two hours compared to current yeasts, according to Novozymes. Yeast is a vital component of ethanol production. It is…
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Leaders of Sustainable Biofuels (LSB), a coalition of 12 advanced biofuels producers and technology developers, is calling on EU institutions to set its new advanced biofuels mandate to begin in 2021. According to the coalition, chaired by UPM’s Public Affairs director Marko Janhunen, this move would ensure investor confidence in the sector. Annex IX part A of the Renewable Energy Directive…
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Alkol Biotech and Bio Refinery Development have signed a letter of intent (LOI) for the sourcing of up to 500 thousand tonnes of non-woody lignocellulosic biomass for what would be Europe’s ‘largest’ biorefinery. UK based Alkol Biotech adapts plant varieties to grow in colder and drier climates, have better resistance to pests and diseases, and higher productivities. Its first…
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A new study suggests that by suppressing a gene that stiffens cell walls, biorefineries would have access to 60% more sugar than they would otherwise from the same amount of feedstock. The researchers from the UK, Brazil and the US announced the discovery in New Phytologist. Cell wall stiffening evolved in grass as a method to impede digestion by grazers. By reducing the effect of the gene both…
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E-Fuel has launched its solution for people who want energy independence and to be green about it. The Silicon Valley company introduced its 100% ethanol generator, the Personal Energy System (PES), 8 January. It is intended to give customers full independence from the public power grid. With the smallest version starting at US$96,000, the generators can be purchased with cash or bitcoin. Citing…
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The governments are calling for cooperative research into subjects including cellulosic biofuel, management of waste resources, crop productivity and transgenetic crops. According to the Iranian Ministry of Science Research and Technology, the goal of the programme is to strengthen ties between national scientific communities and to promote the findings of the research in both countries. The…
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Platts analysis of data released by the Korea Customs Service shows that imports have increased year-on-year by 39% to 261,584 megatons (mt). The data was released 11 January and shows a significant decline in Brazilian ethanol, making up only 9% of supply in 2017 from 49% in 2016. America remained the primary exporter of denatured ethanol to the country, with 78% of imports originating from the…
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UPM Biofuels has received a RSB sustainability certificate for the cultivation of the Brassica carinata crop, a new feedstock for biofuel production. It is the first time an RSB (Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) certificate has been issued in Uruguay. "RSB certification acknowledges our strong commitment to sustainability in all operations, now also in biofuel feedstock production with…
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The company has submitted a fuel pathway petition to the EPA to certify that it has met lifetime emissions targets for its Oklahoma City gas-to-liquids plant. The company expects that the gas-to-liquid plant, which is run by a joint venture called ENVIA energy, will qualify for the most valuable renewable identification number (RIN): D7 cellulosic biofuel or biomass-based diesel. These numbers…
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ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification), has announced details of its upcoming Global Sustainability Conference 2018, set to take place on 20 February in Brussels, Belgium. According to ISCC, the overarching topic of the conference will be the future of bioenergy, a highly topical theme at a time of political and legislative uncertainties such as the RED II negotiations. ISCC…
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