News

US ethanol trade body Growth Energy’s CEO, Emily Skor, has released a statement in relation to the Senate Agriculture Committee’s confirmation hearing for President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Agriculture, former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. Skor said: “The role played by the Secretary of Agriculture is of critical importance to the biofuels industry and rural…
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The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) said it has filed an antidumping and countervailing duty petition with the US government to investigate imports from Argentina and Indonesia, saying the countries have violated trade laws by flooding the US market with dumped, subsidised biodiesel. The petition was filed with the US Department of Commerce and the US International Trade…
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Woodcote Media is delighted to welcome Daryl Worthington to the team as assistant editor of Fluid Handling, Bioenergy Insight, Biofuels International and Tank Cleaning Magazine. Daryl will be working across Woodcote Media’s portfolio of publications, with a specific focus on Fluid Handling magazine. Worthington has a wealth of experience in journalism. He joins Woodcote Media from history…
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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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The Biodiesel Association of India (BDAI) claims that high taxes are making biodiesel substantially more expensive than regular diesel in the country. The association has also called on India’s central government to continue with excise duty exemptions for the sector. “The industry is just not moving ahead because of skewed rates of taxation, which continue to be a major…
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A farmers’ cooperative in Iowa, USA, has staged a demonstration in the state to convince more farmers to switch to biodiesel. The United Farmers Cooperative, based in the town of Afton, compared two trucks head to head to highlight the benefits of biodiesel. One of the trucks was fuelled with a 5% blend of biodiesel (B5), the other with a 20% blend (B20). The results fell convincingly in…
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Investigators believe they have found the source of the mystery biodiesel spill in the Columbia River. Last week US officials confirmed that biodiesel had leaked into the Columbia River somewhere close to Wenatchee, Washington. Exactly where the spill originated remained a mystery, however. A coordinated investigation by state and federal authorities has now identified Coleman Oil, a fuelling…
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A team of researchers at the UK-based University of Cambridge has developed a way of using solar power to generate a fuel that is both sustainable and relatively cheap to produce. The team used natural light to generate hydrogen from biomass. In a statement, the researchers said:  “One of the challenges facing modern society is what it does with its waste products. As natural…
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US trade body Growth Energy has praised a new ASTM standard and said it is a “major victory for the ethanol industry”. Last week, ASTM International published an important new high-octane fuel standard, ASTM D8076 – 17, Standard Specification for 100 Research Octane Number Test Fuel for Automotive Spark-Ignition Engines. This new specification intends to describe and align…
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US bioethanol producer Poet has filed a lawsuit in US District Court of Sioux Falls alleging that the Sioux Falls-based company Nelson Engineering has misappropriated Poet’s trade secrets. The lawsuit is captioned “POET, LLC and POET Research, Inc. v. Nelson Engineering and Jerry Baker,” Case No. CIV 17-4029. The trade secret in question is known at Poet as “Delayed…
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Investment in ethanol production from waste biomass could have great economic environmental benefits, according to a new study from researchers from the Brazilian Bioethanol Science and Technology Laboratory. In this study, the researchers found that ethanol produced using waste biomass, such as dead or dying trees, is more cost-effective and could achieve higher benefits in the long term than…
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Kansas-based bioethanol producer Conestoga Energy Holdings has acquired the assets of VicNRG, a Texas-based marketing, distribution and terminal operating company for biodiesel. In a statement, Conestoga said that the purchase will enable Conestoga and VicNRG to better serve the needs of their customers in the energy and agriculture sectors.  “Our acquisition of VicNRG complements our…
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Using biofuels to help power jet engines reduces particle emissions in their exhaust by as much as 50 to 70%, according to a new study led by NASA. The findings are the result of a cooperative international research program led by NASA and involving agencies from Germany and Canada, and are detailed in a study published in the journal Nature. During flight tests in 2013 and 2014 near NASA's…
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