News

Mar 26, 2013
An assistant professor at the Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences has launched a research project into improving butanol production from agricultural and woody biomass. Maobing Tu believes his study will be a significant stride towards butanol production becoming economically viable across the board, while also providing new insights into the design and manufacture of…
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Mar 25, 2013
A coalition of farmers in California, US have won support to construct a new ethanol demonstration plant using sugar beets as feedstock. A dozen farmers, with support from university experts and a grant of $5 million (€3.8 million) from the California Energy Commission, will build the demo facility in Fresno County with an aim of then building the US’ first commercial-scale biorefinery…
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Mar 22, 2013
Algae-based green crude oil producer Sapphire Energy has entered into a commercial agreement with Tesoro Refining and Marketing, a subsidiary of Tesoro. Tesoro will purchase crude oil from Sapphire’s green crude farm in New Mexico, which recently reached continuous cultivation and crude oil production. “In less than one year, we have started up commercial demonstration to grow algae,…
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Mar 22, 2013
Microbial developers for the biofuels and green chemicals industries Biotork and the Agricultural Research Service‘s Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Centre (ARS-PBARC) will extend a collaboration to convert agricultural by-products into biofuels and other products. The pair first began work together in 2011 and began focusing on developing strains of heterotrophic oil-producing…
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Mar 22, 2013
Biofuels throughput at the Port of Rotterdam rose by 24% in 2012 when compared to the year before. The final total last year hit 5.9 million and the port attributes that rise mainly to biodiesel as its import and export volumes both increased by 1.5 million tonnes. To contrast that figure, the throughput of ethanol dropped by 17% to 1.4 million tonnes and ETBE fell 8% to 600,000 tonnes. In a…
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Mar 22, 2013
US-based ethanol producer Valero Energy has restarted its facility in Ohio and aims to resume operations at another in Indiana ‘in the coming weeks’. After the US drought of 2012, that placed extreme pressure on corn levels and prices for both the biofuels and food industries, Valero idled three plants last June but now it is coming back positively. ‘Margins have improved where…
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Mar 22, 2013
A commercial-scale lignin separation plant has been installed by Domtar at its mill in North Carolina, US. The company claims this is the first facility of its type in the country in over 25 years. The production of lignin began in February, with a targeted rate of 75 tonnes a day, for industrial applications such as a bio-based alternative to the use of petroleum and other fossil…
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Mar 15, 2013
It has been reported that the Biofuels Association of Zambia (BAZ) described a move by China-based Kaid Biomass (KB) to pull out of the country as ‘unfortunate’. KB, under the banner of Kaid Biomass Zambia, was due to undertake a $6 billion (€4.5 billion) investment programme in Nakonda and Isoka, but has called time on the project after four years. ‘This news is…
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Mar 15, 2013
US-based renewable energy company Global Clean Energy (GCE) has acquired Sustainable Oils, a biofuels producer in Montana, from biotechnology company Targeted Growth. The deal saw GCE exchange a $1.3 million (€996,000) promissory note and 40 million common shares to take ownership of the business that works primarily with camelina seeds. ‘This transaction is in line with our plan to be…
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Mar 14, 2013
Dutch airline KLM is set to offer weekly transatlantic flights powered by biofuels in the near future. The fuel, based on used cooking oil, will be provided by biofuels supplier SkyNRG and has the full support of KLM’s various partners. It is claimed the fuel will be used on flights between Amsterdam and New York. ‘This is the result of a joint effort and expanded cooperation between…
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Mar 14, 2013
The throughput of biofuels product has increased by 24% at the Port of Rotterdam last year. The level rose to 5.9 million tonnes compared to 2011 and is mainly attributed to an increase in biodiesel handling. Both its import and export volumes increased by a total of 1.5 million tonnes. In contrast, the throughput of ethanol dropped by 17% to 1.4 million tonnes and that of ETBE dropped by 8% to…
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Mar 13, 2013
ZeaChem, a  developer of biorefineries, has announced the production of commercial-grade cellulosic chemicals and ethanol at its 250,000 gallons per year facility in Oregon. Among the first operational cellulosic biorefineries in the world, Zeachem’s demonstration facility showcases the scalability of biorefining processes and serves as a stepping-stone toward large-scale commercial…
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Mar 13, 2013
UK petrochemical technology company Davy Process Technology and Swedish ethanol player Sekab E-Technology will work together to develop technology for the production of lignocellulosic sugars for onward production of ethanol and other green chemicals.   The collaboration will look into furthering CelluTech, Sekab’s lignocellulosic-based biorefinery technology, created in partnership…
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Mar 12, 2013
Ethanol manufactured from non-food, or cellulosic, feedstock is on course to be cost competitive with corn-based ethanol by 2016, according to an industry survey conducted by research company Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). The 2012 results showed:  the cost of cellulosic ethanol production was $0.94 per litre That is around 40% higher than the $0.67 per litre cost of producing ethanol…
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Mar 12, 2013
Research commissioned by Olleco, a UK-based converter of used cooking oil into biodiesel, has shown that the increased use of ethanol in petrol to meet EU sustainability targets is resulting in drivers  paying extra at the pump. The report, compiled by Chatham House, follows an increase in ethanol supply on behalf of fuel suppliers to meet the Renewable Fuel Transport Obligation (RTFO). The…
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