News

Bioethanol producer Ensus has announced the restarting of its £300 million bioethanol plant in Teeside, UK by the end of August after a 15-month enforced shutdown. The move follows the closure of a loophole in the tariff system by the European Union’s Customs Code Committee which allowed imports of subsidised US product to distort the market. Coupled with the ending of the US taxpayer…
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Second generation ethanol producer Fulcrum BioEnergy has been awarded a $105 million (€85 million) loan guarantee from the US Department of Agriculture. The finalisation of the loan guarantee, which was awarded to the company's Sierra BioFuels Plant to be built in Storey County in Nevada, US, means Fulcrum will secure bank financing. This, combined with Fulcrum's private equity capital, will…
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Biodiesel producer and marketer, REG, has signed an agreement with independent energy logistics company Maxum Petroleum that will see it supply biodiesel at its Rancho Dominguez terminal near Long Beach, California. Under the supply agreement, Maxum will begin offering REG-9000 biodiesel in mid-August, when it will be available to petroleum jobbers or large fleets. 'This new terminal will help…
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Commodity management firm Gavilon has become the exclusive ethanol marketer for Advanced BioEnergy's three facilities located in Fairmont, Nebraska; and Aberdeen and Huron, South Dakota. The announcement was made after subsidiaries of the Gavilon Group entered into multi-service commercial agreements with subsidiaries of Advanced BioEnergy. Under the terms of the agreement, Gavilon will also be…
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Algae cultivation technology provider Solix BioSystems has finalised a £20 million (€25 million) round of funding and can now begin building its inaugural commercial plant. The new large-scale plant, the location for which has not yet been decided, will grow algae biomass that can then be used for the production of biofuels and animal feed. Solix already operates a demonstration-scale…
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Biodiesel producer Methes Energies Canada's newly retrofitted biodiesel plant will be officially opened on 10 August – International Biodiesel Day. The Sombra, Ontario-based plant is able to produce 13 million gallons a year of biodiesel from mostly cooking oil and animal fat, although it is able to handle a variety of different feedstocks. Methes Energies began retrofitting the plant after…
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In June this year, 112 million gallons of biodiesel were produced throughout the US, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports, with a year-to-date production of 557 million gallons through the first six months of the year. Biodiesel is classified under the EPA's biomass-based diesel category in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The 117.5 million gallons of biomass-based diesel that was…
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Algae company Algae.Tec officially opened its algae-to-biofuels facility Shoalhaven One on 2 August, in New South Wales, Australia. The facility showcases the company's algae growth and harvesting system, which can then be used to produce jet fuel or diesel. Algae.Tec has recently recruited biofuels and aviation fuels specialist engineer Colin McGregor as GM of project operations. Algae.Tec…
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Hong Kong-based ASB Biodiesel, which is building a 100,000 tonne per year plant to produce biodiesel through processing city waste materials, claims it will aim to roll out the business to the mainland if the model proves successful. The new factory, based at the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate, is aiming to be completed by the end of 2012 and start commercial production in the second quarter of…
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A new biobutanol plant is being devised through a joint venture between chemical company Rhodia and next generation bio-based chemicals developer Cobalt Technologies. The demonstration facility will be based in Brazil and is set to utilise Cobalt’s technology to convert bagasse and other local non-food feedstock in biobutnaol in Latin America. ‘This agreement puts us on a clear path…
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A recent survey of German motorists by ethanol association BDBE shows that most are still hesitate when it comes to using gasoline-ethanol blend E10. Seven out of 10 motorists interviewed still fear E10 will damage their engines and only 33% have ever filled their cars with it compared with using the older Super E5 fuel option. ‘If at least 90% of German gasoline engines are suitable for…
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A new report conducted energy research publisher SBI claims algae biofuels technologies should grow by double digits in the short-term. The report states algae biofuels will post a compound annual growth rate of 43.1% and lead the market to $1.6 billion (€1.29 billion). Investment by strategic partnerships and internal company revenue growth, which are slowly replacing government grants, is…
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Plantation company PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) is to construct a bioethanol plant in Mojokerto, Indonesia. The company claims the plant will be the first ever bioethanol plant to be operated by a state-owned company and aims to produce up to 30 million litres of fuel a year. PTPN finance director Dolly Bulungan says the project will abosrb around $48 million (€39 million) split between a…
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The European Commission has given a boost to the Scottish rapeseed industry by accepting Scottish Quality Crops (SQC) into its sustainability certification scheme for biofuels. This means SQC’s quality assurance schemes, which covers both oilseed and cereal crops throughout the country, have met sustainability criteria set by the EU renewable energy and fuel quality directives. ‘For…
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