News

A partnership between Clariant, Haltermann and car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz is to road test biofuels in Germany. Haltermann takes cellulosic ethanol produced from wheat straw by Clariant and mixes it with conventional fuel components to form a new fuel which, over the next 12 months, will be available to test fleet vehicles at a specially-equipped petrol station on the Mercedes-Benz site in…
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Owensboro Grain, a fifth-generation family-owned soyabean processor located in Kentucky, US has announced the successful start-up of its Kosher certified glycerin refinery. The facility is located adjacent to the company’s biodiesel and vegetable oil refinery complex and will refine virgin soya-based crude glycerin produced at the biodiesel plant In a statement, the company adds the new…
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Austrian haulier Nothegger Transport (NT) has ordered 220 trucks capable of running on 100% biodiesel from Scania. There is currently a tax incentive to use biodiesel  in Austria, as well as lower prices at petrol stations, so NT expects this move will cut its operating costs by potentially €4,000 ($5,470) per truck (based on each one driving an average 150,000km a year). All 220 trucks…
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Terminal storage investment platform Epic Midstream and fuel company US Oil have signed a 10-year partnership so the latter can begin the supply and marketing of biodiesel at four of Epic's terminals. Location of the four termainals are split evenly between the states of Alabama and Georgia. Epic will make tank and rack improvements at each of the…
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A fire at a north Mississippi, US, biofuels plant is reported to have been burning since yesterday, after a total of three explosions rocked the facility. Mississippi Emergency Management Agency officials are quoted as saying that authorities are trying to figure if they should extinguish the fire or let it burn out. No injuries have been reported, though a voluntary evacuation order for about 50…
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Renewable Energy Group has acquired renewable chemical technology developer LS9 for a purchase price of up to $61.5 million (€45 million), consisting of up front and earnout payments, in stock and cash. Most of the LS9 team, including the entire research and development group, will join the newly named REG Life Sciences, which will operate out of LS9’s headquarters in…
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A lack of any transport-focused mandate from the European Commission (EC) as it delivered its vision on a long-term energy and climate policy has sparked a reaction from stakeholders in the renewable fuels industry. The EC report, titled A policy framework for climate and energy policy between 2020 to 2030, suggests moves to a mandatory 40% greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction, 27% binding renewable…
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France-based renewable hydrocarbon provider Global Bioenergies (GB) is to collaborate with German car manufacturer Audi on the development of isobutene-derived isooctane, a high performance biofuel for petrol engines. One of GB’s in-house programmes concerns the production of bio-isobutene, a molecule which can transform into isooctane, a 100% drop-in fuel that can be used in any blending…
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US biodiesel producer Blue Sun Energy has implemented a new enzymatic processing technology into its 30 million gallon per year St. Joe refinery in Missouri. This new process uses the Callera Trans L enzyme, provided by Blue Sun’s project partner Novozymes, and is being heralded by Blue Sun as ‘the most advanced biodiesel production facility in the world’. 'The process developed…
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Novozymes, a producer of industrial enzymes, says 2013 financial results saw organic sales grow by 7% (DKK 5%, LCY 8%), EBIT by 6% and net profit by 9%. The EBIT margin increased by 0.3% to 24.7% compared with 2012. The company is confident 2014 will show a continuation of these upward trends, an outlook which includes the expected financial impact from its BioAg Alliance with US-based chemical…
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Etihad Airways, the state-owned carrier of Abu Dhabi, is joining with French energy firm Total and US aircraft maker Boeing to develop biofuels in the emirate, company officials have announced. Though Abu Dhabi has huge oil reserves and access to cheap jet fuel, it says it wants to develop sustainable energy sources to diversify its economy. Biofuels could also help Etihad meet targets in the…
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Pacific Coast Canola, a subsidiary of US-based crop processor Legumex Walker, has signed a six-month contract to deliver canola oil to biofuels company Imperium Renewables. The so-called ‘super degummed’ feedstock will be delivered by truck to Imperium’s refinery in Hoquiam. ‘The biofuel industry is an important complementary market for our canola oil, and crush margins…
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Construction of a new bioethanol facility has begun this January in the Ukraine via research and development company Zarya. The project is reported to cost UAH470 million (€41.4 million) and will produce bioethanol with an ethanol concentration of 99%. The facility will provide carbon dioxide and DDGS as by-products. ‘Researchers have studied both bioethanol  production methods…
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The European Court of Justice has come to a conclusion on the complaint made by BP North America against the Council of the European Union (EU). Five years ago the European Biodiesel Board (EBB) lodged a complaint against dumped and subsidised biodiesel imports from the US. In March 2009, the European Commission imposed extensive anti-dumping and countervailing measures of imports of US…
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