News

The ASTM International's Aviation Turbine Fuel Standard (ASTM D1655) has been revised to safely adapt to the growing use of biodiesel used throughout the world. For decades, D1655 has been used to ensure quality control and safe distribution of jet fuel takes places within the industry. Biodiesel blends – which have a small percentage of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) – increasingly…
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Barrack Obama has announced a $3.99 trillion (€3.5 trillion) budget to tackle climate change issues, with a specific focus on preventing global warming. In its 2016 budget, the US government also wants to give $1.29 billion to advance its Global Climate Change Initiative, which includes $500 million for US contributions to the UN's Green Climate Fund, which is the first installment of the $3…
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As a result of the continuing fall in crude oil and bioethanol prices, along with the weakening of the euro versus sterling, Associated British Foods (ABF) has decided to impair its investment in Vivergo Fuels, its wheat-fed bioethanol joint venture with BP and DuPont in the UK. The interim results for the 24 weeks ending 28 February will include a non-cash exceptional charge of £98 million.
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Brocklesby, specialists in the recycling of used cooking oil, edible fats and food that has a high fat content, will recycle used cooking oil from J D Wetherspoon's chain of 934 pubs. J D Wetherspoon's sustainable supply chain agreement with its logistics partner involves numerous initiatives to reduce carbon footprint and environmental impacts. One of these measures is that when ambient, fresh…
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Associated British Foods (ABF) has decided to impair its £98 million (€132 million) investment in Vivergo Fuels, citing 'the continuing fall in crude oil and bioethanol prices, and the further weakening of the euro against the sterling'. ABF is a shareholder in Vivergo and its wheat-to-ethanol production plant in the UK, along with BP and DuPont. ABF said in a statement that 'the…
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On 17 December 2014, the European Parliament voted in support of a motion for resolution to reject the European Commission’s proposal to implement Article 7a of the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) but the vote did not gain the support of the required qualified majority needed to block the proposal. 337 MEPs voted to reject the Commission’s proposal, 325 MEPs supported it, 48 MEPs…
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The US biodiesel market shrunk in 2014 following policy uncertainty in Washington that destabilised the industry and caused many biodiesel plants to shut down or reduce production. According to EPA data, total US biodiesel consumption fell to 1.75 billion gallons for 2014, down slightly from nearly 1.8 billion gallons in 2013. The downturn came as the Obama Administration failed to finalise…
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On 14 January, Boeing and Embraer opened a joint sustainable aviation biofuel research center in a joint effort to further develop the aviation biofuel industry in Brazil. At the Boeing-Embraer Joint Research Center in the São José dos Campos Technology Park, the companies will coordinate and co-fund research with Brazilian universities and other institutions. The research will…
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A fire broke out on the 19 January at the Illinois River Energy plant in Rochelle, Ogle County, Illinois. Emergency services responded to the fire and remained on the scene for a little over an hour. The fire started in a grain room of the ethanol plant after corn had been burnt following an electrical fault. No injuries were reported. There was minor damage to some of the facility's equipment.
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Scientists are now successfully applying technologies utilised by farmers and ethanol facilities to maximise the quality and accuracy of carbon modelling for biofuels. A newly-released white paper, entitled 'Re-thinking the Carbon Reduction Value of Carbon Ethanol Fuel, written by Ron Alverson, president of the American Coalition for Ethanol board of directors, explains that this has resulted in…
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The Zimbabwean government has given Zimbabwe Bio-Energy, a joint venture between a group of private investors and the Development Trust of Zimbabwe, the go-ahead to develop its $500 million (€432 million) ethanol plant project in Nuanetsi Ranch in Mwenezi. The project, which will be the largest in the country, is expected to have more than 5000 employees and promote sugar growing by farmers.
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On 20 January, several fire crews responded to a fire at Big Rivers Resources' ethanol plant in Boyceville, Wisconsin, US. Reports from the Boyceville Fire Department say that the fire was started by a bearing on a motor that caught fire in a duct. The plant was shut down and evacuated. No one was injured. The fire was contained inside the building. To date, no damage estimate has been made.
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Edeniq, a biorefining and cellulosic technology company, has raised more than $16 million (€13.8 million) in equity. The funding will support the roll-out of Edeniq's Pathway Platform, which increases ethanol yield at existing plants by 3-6% through the conversion of starch and cellulosic corn kernel fibre into ethanol. The equity investment was led by I2BF Global Ventures, an existing…
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