News

The US affiliate of Germany-based chemical company BASF has entered into an agreement to acquire the outstanding shares of common stock of biotechnology company Verenium for $4 (€3) per share. Based on all outstanding shares and including all net financial liabilities, the enterprise value is valued at approximately $62 million. California-based Verenium generated $57 million in sales last…
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An agreement has been made by aircraft manufacturer Airbus and RT-Biotechprom, a division of technology and construction company Rostec, to make aircraft biofuel from renewable sources in Russia. It has been reported the partnership hopes to yield some results by the second half of 2014 and positive test flights will be part of any decision made to take the project to…
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It has been revealed oil company TWA is set to build a new biodiesel facility in the Philippines moving forwards. The company has said the facility will have a capacity of 30 million litres and potentially be based in the Visayas region as it aims to be able to cope with a higher demand for biodiesel blends in the future. ‘The Philippine Coconut Authority has said there are enough local raw…
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Clariant, a chemical producing company, has received International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) for its Sunliquid-brand demonstration plant in Germany. The certificate confirms that the cellulosic ethanol from agricultural residues produced at the facility, which celebrated its first birthday this July, is compliant with the sustainability criteria set out in the European…
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A new US study by Air Improvement Resource, consultancy (S&T) Squared and the University of Illinois Chicago concludes in much lower ILUC values for biodiesel and biofuels. Economic modelling applied to bioenergy has been heavily questioned recently. With successive reports proposing improvements in assumptions, the indirect land use change (ILUC) estimates on biofuels have decreased…
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The Hawaiian Electric Companies has begun a search for suppliers of cleaner fuels, including ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD), biodiesel or biodiesel blends. The companies are seeking up to 150,000 barrels per year to supply Maui Electric and Hawaii Electric Light generation facilities beginning 1 January 2015 and lasting for three years. ‘This request for proposals offers biodiesel…
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Researchers with the US Department of Energy’s (DoE) Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), have reported the first demonstration of a one-pot, wash-free process for the ionic liquid pretreatment and saccharification of switchgrass. Using an imidazolium-based ionic liquid pretreatment, a team from Sandia National Laboratories was able to release high concentrations of two sugars essential to…
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A new study by energy consultancy Ecofys shows ethanol is not causing food price increases. The study, Biofuels and Food Security: Risks and Opportunities, highlights that the impact of EU biofuels demand up until 2010 only increased world grain prices by about 1-2%. The Ecofys study examines the casualty between biofuels production, global crop commodity prices and implications for food…
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Flagship VentureLabs has announced Midori Renewables is to deploy a new catalyst technology which melts non-food biomass into low-cost sugar. The technology, branded Breaking the Biomass Barrier, is a solid material, not an enzyme, micro-organism or aqueous acid, that can be separated from the reaction and reused for the production of renewable products and animal feed. ‘We evaluated…
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With the vote on whether to cap first generation biofuel in transport fuel at 5.5% is due around the start of Biofuels International conference the timing couldn't be better. This is your last chance to register and hear from top biofuel producers, regulators and experts for only €300 a day (when two delegates attend) Topics covered will include whether a 5.5% cap is the best way…
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Algae International Group (AIG) and Syngar Technologies signed a joint venture using the Syngar technology to stimulate the growth of algae cell mass. AIG will use Syngar’s PlusWave technology to increase the amount of oil harvest for extraction by upwards of 24% as it affects any fermentation process by applying an ultrasound frequency, generated over a range of time, and power levels…
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Aemetis, an advanced fuels and renewable chemicals company, has been granted US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval to produce ethanol using grain sorghum and biogas. The move means the plant’s existing combined heat and power system can generate higher-value D5 advanced biofuels renewable identification numbers (RINs). The EPA approval also includes D5 RIN generation for…
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A multi-university study into biomass-to-energy has claimed to have found a new lignin gene which could aid conversion. A research project involving universities in Scotland, the US and Belgium used the model plant Arabidopsis thanliana and identified an enzyme called caffeoyl shikimate esterase (CSE), which fulfils a central role in lignin biosynthesis. The research says by removing the CSE gene…
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