News

Nidera, an agriculture supply company, has earned the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) certification for the production and trading of biofuels from used cooking oil (UCO). Nidera, based in the Netherlands, operates worldwide as a commodity service and solutions provider for the global agricultural markets and has an active presence in more than 18 countries. The certification scope…
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The Danish biotech company Novozymes has announced the launch of a new enzyme for ethanol producers who want to reduce their use of chemicals without sacrificing yield. Liquozyme LpH is an alpha-amylase effective at low pH that thins the mash by breaking down starch into shorter dextrin chains. A more fluid mash ensures more efficient operational performance for ethanol producers running their…
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Locomotive producer Reloc – Electroputere VFU Craiova, part of the railway group Grampet, has developed the first locomotive in Romania which runs exclusively on pure biodiesel or vegetable oil. The engine is equivalent to a traditional diesel-powered engine in power and performance, but with much lower polluting emissions, the company says. The locomotive is still being tested, and so far…
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Global biofuels capacity will grow to 61 billion gallons per year (BGY) in 2018, up from 55.1 BGY in 2014, according to Lux Research. Ethanol and biodiesel will continue to dominate with 96% of the capacity in 2018, but novel fuels and novel feedstocks will be major drivers of capacity growth. Novel fuels and novel feedstocks will grow at a rapid 27% and 16% compound annual growth rate…
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US-based Algenol has signed a memorandum of understanding MOU South China’s Fujian Zhongyuan New Energy Company (ZYNE) to develop projects throughout Southern China, utilising carbon emissions to create renewable fuels. The goal of the two companies’ cooperation is to provide solutions for accessing clean air, cleaning water, and providing sustainable fuels, the three major challenge…
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The state House of Representatives in Pennsylvania, US, has voted to remove the ethanol-blending mandate for petrol sold in the state. In 2008, Pennsylvania set a requirement for sold petrol to be blended with a minimum of 10% ethanol whenever in-state ethanol production exceeded 350 million gallons. However, Republican State Representative Seth Grove says the in-state production has not once…
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Hippo Valley Estates, a sugar producer based in Chiredzi, Zimbabwe, has announced it has reached an ethanol production capacity of 41 million litres per month and is now applying for a licence to supply the local market. Zimbabwe requires a monthly supply of 50 million litres of petro, of which 7,5 million litres is ethanol under the country’s E15 blending mandate. Hippo Valley is looking…
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Dutch grain trader Nidera has suffered a loss in biofuels and ceased working in the business due to the actions of a ‘rogue trader’. The company declined to provide a figure of the suffered losses, but said Nidera will still post a profit for the fiscal year ending this month. CEO Ton van der Laan says the company nonetheless suffered significant loss and the trader’s actions…
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Wood-based BioVerno diesel by Finland’s UPM has been found to significantly reduce harmful tailpipe emissions, the company reports. A number of engine and vehicle tests have been carried out across key research institutes, such as VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, University of Vaasa in Finland, and at FEV, internationally recognised vehicle engineering company based in Germany. UPM…
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The Biofat project, a microalgae-to-biofuel FP7 demonstration project, has confirmed algae’s potential as a sustainable biofuel source with low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The project has concentrated on improving and demonstrating sustainability in the process, considering both environmental (e.g. use of marine strains to limit freshwater use) and economic (e.g. low energy consumption)…
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In the US, California's Air Resources Board (ARB) has listed biodiesel as the lowest-carbon fuel in the state’s revised Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS). The new standard affirms biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% and often by as much as 81% when compared with petroleum, giving biodiesel the best carbon score among all liquid fuels. As part of the…
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Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers and external collaborators have synthesised and characterised a new DNA-templated gold nanocluster (AuNC) that could resolve a critical methodological barrier for efficient biofuel cell design. Ligands, molecules that bind to a central metal atom, are necessary to form stable nanoclusters. For this study, the researchers chose single-stranded DNA as the…
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Chemical engineers from Iran have found a way to produce biodiesel from castor oil without the need for extra petrochemical methanol using a biorefinery set-up. Producing biodiesel from vegetable oils is not completely renewable, as the standard transesterification process requires the use of methanol, which is usually produced from petrochemical sources. The researchers, Hamed Bateni and…
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