News

According to trade body Renewable Energy Association (REA), the UK government should consider enforcing E10 to boost the biofuels industry. The UK’s biofuel industry employs more than 10,000, largely in the North-East of England. ‘Warning of closures’ More than £1bn (€800 million) has been invested in existing production facilities, yet the industry is warning of…
Read More »

Scientists in Russia have used high-resolution mass spectrometry to determine the composition of a biofuel obtained from the microalgae Spirulina platensis. Two biofuel fractions obtained using a special algal mass treatment method were studied, allowing the researchers to prove algae biofuel has little in common with oil in terms of composition. Published in the Journal of Mass Spectrometry,…
Read More »

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 Biofuels International Conference, a world leading biofuels event, will be held in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 4 and 5 October 2017, covering the whole biofuels supply chain. The show will focus on all the new developments and the latest challenges. Topics covered in the seminars include global policy uncertainty, reintroducing E10, REDII, and the future of the bioethanol market. For the first…
Read More »

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has held a public hearing on the proposal for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and has heard the views of industry experts. US trade body National Biodiesel Board (NBB) had several witnesses testify before the EPA staff and advocate for higher volumes of advanced biofuels and biomass-based diesel. “The current numbers short-change the progress…
Read More »

North Dakota’s Tesoro Refinery is looking to develop a vegetable oil-to-fuel facility, according to the Associated Press. The Dickinson, North Dakota based oil refinery is planning to implement an 8,000 barrel-per-day diesel hydrotreater to process soy or distillers corn oil into renewable diesel, a recent article in the <a…
Read More »

Modern diesel cars emit less pollution in general than cars that run on gasoline, according to a new international study published in the journal Scientific Reports. According to Patrick Hayes, a scientist at University of Montreal who worked on the research, the results of the study suggest that environmental regulators should increasingly shift their focus to gasoline powered cars and other…
Read More »

ExxonMobil and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have announced a two-year renewal of an agreement to research the fundamental chemistry of converting biomass into transportation fuels. The research forms part of a bigger drive to identify scalable, commercially viable solutions to meet growing global energy demand with renewable resources. The collaboration between ExxonMobil and University…
Read More »

Finnish firm Suomen Bioetanoli is looking for substantial new funding for two new biofuels plants, following the withdrawal of a major investor on the project. According to yle.fi, a €200 million deal with Chinese investor fell through because the Chinese financier was unable to together the funding for the project. The result is a large funding hole in the planned project to construct…
Read More »

The co-owners of a Waterloo, Indiana based biofuel producer have been formally sentenced after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy and fraud, according to Inside Indiana Business. Fred Witmer and Gary Jury were the owners of Triton Energy and Gen2 Renewable Diesel. Witmer has been sentenced to 57 months in prison, Jury to 30 months. The two have been charged with generating more than $60…
Read More »

US advanced biofuels producer Renewable Energy Group (REG) marked the completion of upgrades at its Ermden, Germany biorefinery with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with government and community members. "This investment is another milestone in REG's European strategy to be a leader in delivering high quality biofuels," said Jean Scemama, VP at REG Energy Europe.   Scemama added: "Within this…
Read More »

Aviation biofuels can be priced competitively to help decarbonise air travel, a new study has found. The study was conducted by US-based NGO Carbon War Room (CWR), Netherlands-based sustainable jet fuels SkyNRG and the Port of Seattle. The study unveils recommendations for long-term mechanisms that could supply all airlines at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) with sustainable…
Read More »

Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor has released a statement in response to the US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works’ (EPW) decision to not consider the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act (S. 517) before Congress adjourns for the August recess. The statement from the US bioethanol trade body stated:  “We are disappointed the EPW committee decided not to consider the…
Read More »