News

The Energy Institute (EI), based in the UK, has been working to improve the test methods for predicting winter performance of diesel fuels, particularly those containing significant amounts of biodiesel. EI claims one important winter performance parameter is the ‘cold soak’ filter blocking tendency of the fuel. ‘The existing EI test method is IP PM-EA/08,…
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Petrixo Oil & Gas is on the cusp of spending $800 million (€600 million) on the creation of a biofuel refinery in Fujairah, UAE. Preparation studies and engineering designs have all been completed, along with the selection of appropriate technologies for the resource, which will be located in the Emirates. According to designs, the facility is capable of producing one million tonnes per…
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Greenergy's Plymouth fuel terminal and biodiesel manufacturing facility at Immingham, UK, have both been awarded RoSPA Gold awards for occupational health and safety. The awards recognise Greenergy's commitment to ensuring the highest standards of health and safety performance and management. Andrew Owens, Greenergy Chief Executive said: 'Over the last 18 months operational responsibility for…
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Proposals to boost the mandatory amount of palm oil in biodiesel is thought to be hampering the government's efforts to increase the consumption of non-subsidised fuel in Indonesia. Recent figures presented by the Downstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency (BPH Migas) show that the consumption of non-subsidised fuel reached a total of 26 million kilolitres in 2013, below the 29 million kl recorded…
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Boeing and Embraer are opening a joint research centre to advance a sustainable aviation biofuel industry in Brazil. Under a memorandum of understanding, the two aircraft manufacturers will carry out biofuel research together, as well as fund and coordinate research with Brazilian universities and other institutions. The research will focus on technologies that address gaps in a supply chain for…
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Aventine Renewable Energy, a producer and end-to-end supplier of ethanol, will send its first railcar shipment of ethanol produced at its Aurora West facility in Aurora, Nebraska. The Aurora West facility is unique as it only uses sugar-based feedstock. 'By producing sustainable green energy, we're also helping to ensure the US' domestic energy security,' says Mark Beemer, Aventine's president…
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Finland-based UPM is building a biorefinery in Lappeenranta, Finland that will produce renewable diesel, known as BioVerno.  The facility will be the world’s first commercial scale wood-based biorefinery when operations begin this summer. It will produce approximately 100,000 tonnes of renewable UPM BioVerno diesel each year, covering a quarter of Finland’s 2020 renewable energy…
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The US Energy Information Administration has published the July issue of its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), which increases its 2014 and 2015 ethanol production forecasts for the second month running. The EIA expects ethanol production to average 932,000 barrels per day this year, up from the June forecast of 920,000 barrels per day. In the week beginning the 9 June, the highest weekly level…
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Poet-DSM has announced that the grand opening ceremony for its commercial-scale second generation ethanol plant, Project Liberty, will take place on 3 September. When it comes online, the Emmetsburg, Iowa-based plant will process 770 tonnes of corn cobs, leaves and husk to produce 20 million gallons a year of cellulosic ethanol. This annual production capacity will later be increased to 25…
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Finnish pulp and paper manufacturer Stora Enso is investing €32 million in a new demonstration plant, to be built in Louisiana, US, following its recent acquisition of biotechnology association Virdia. The plant will be used to validate, on an industrial scale, Virdia's technology. This newly acquired extraction and separation process enables cellulosic biomass, such as wood and rural waste,…
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International aviation group Lufthansa and sustainable energy specialists JatroSolutions have signed an MoU to make the production of jatropha commercially viable. Lufthansa will help the start-up company set up a raw materials supply chain to ensure the provision of biosynthetic fuel derived from the jatropha plant. Joachim Buse, VP, Aviation Biofuel at Lufthansa, says: 'In order to secure the…
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A new 50 MW power plant in Oahu, Hawaii, will run on a biofuel blend, which will include liquid fuels and natural gas. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) will soon become available on the island as part of Oahu's plan to lower its reliance on oil and coal. Helsinki-based Wärtsilä Corporation will supply the plant to Hawaiian Electric Company. The project currently awaits approval by the Hawaii…
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The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released the November issue of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, which expects ethanol production to average 934,000 barrels per day in 2015. June's ethanol production matched the monthly average production record of 959,000 barrels per day set in December 2011. At present, the EIA anticipates 2014 production to average 927,000 barrels per day…
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Amyris, a global renewable products company, has received approval for its renewable jet fuel by Brazil's fuels regulator, ANP. This enables it to approach commercialisation in Brazil of the Amyris renewable jet fuel in blends of up to 10%. 'Building on the revised ASTM International standard for aviation turbine fuel approved in June 2014, Brazil's ANP has now removed the last regulatory hurdle…
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