News

Amyris, a renewable chemicals and fuels company, has entered into agreement for the sale of convertible notes in a private placement for up to $60 million (€44.9 million) in cash proceeds. Under the terms of the agreement Temasek, one of Amyris's largest stockholders, agreed to purchase $35 million of the notes in an initial tranche and, at Amyris's election, up to $25 million in a…
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UK-based business Insight Commodities (IC), which was offering investment into an untraceable biofuels project in Africa, has been wound up. After an investigation by the Insolvency Service, which discovered IC had taken over £1 million (€1.1 million) from around 100 investors for a so-called project in Mozambique, the company stopped trading in July. Registrar Jones stated during the…
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An agreement between the US and Colombia hopes to increase the amount of sugarcane residue and palm oil harvesting intended for fuel ethanol and future blending. The US Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory will work with Ecopetrol to look at ways of improving bagasse conversion processes and analyse the economic potential of commercial biofuels production. The 18 month…
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A record for biodiesel production has been claimed this August by the US state of Iowa. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) believes a combination of ‘a strong federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and reinstatement of the federal biodiesel blenders’ tax credit’ has led to state facilities producing 56.7 million gallons of biodiesel during the second quarter of 2013. The…
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Advanced biofuels development in the US has been awarded millions of dollars in investment by its Department of Energy (DoE). A total of $16.5 million (£12.4 million) is to be split between projects located in Hawaii, California and New Mexico, all centred around the development of sustainable and affordable algae-based biofuels, plus $6 million is going to biomass feedstock supply chain…
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The European Parliament's Environment Committee has voted to approve draft legislation to cap the proportion of first generation biofuel in transport fuel at 5.5%, but it will be to the full Parliament in Strasbourg in September. The vote will take place on 10 September, the day before the start of Biofuels International conference on 11-12 September in Antwerp. This will provide the perfect…
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Alaska Airlines is to buy biojet fuel for its aircraft from Hawai'i BioEnergy, a consortium of three of Hawaii's largest landowners and three venture capital firms, after the two companies signed an agreement. The material used to produce the renewable aviation fuel is likely to be woody biomass and will comply with the Roundtable for Sustainable Biofuels' criteria. Alaska Airlines is Hawai'i…
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John Swire and Sons (Green Investments) has acquired Scottish biodiesel producer Argent Energy. The deal was closed for an unknown sum and will see Argent remain in private ownership and will continue to operate independently. Argent Energy owns a commercial-scale biodiesel production plant, which began operating in Motherwell, Scotland in 2005. Barnaby Swire of John Swire and Sons says: 'We…
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Biodiesel producer and marketer Renewable Energy Group (REG) is to supply biodiesel at IMTT's storage terminal located at the New York Harbor in Bayonne, New Jersey. As one of the world's largest trading hubs, the new location will allow REG to sell large volumes of biodiesel via barge or truck. 'The Northeast has an active biodiesel market and this terminal position allows us to provide more…
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Buckeye Terminal's biodiesel facility in Hartford, Illinois has temporarily ceased supplying fuel, according to reports. The delivery system has been shut down to replace a meter and will not resume operations until the part is tested and proved. Biodiesel supplier Gulf Hydrocarbon Partners says it is no longer bringing biodiesel into the facility and has also stopped delivering fuel out of the…
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Green crude producer Sapphire Energy (SE) has paid off the entire loan guarantee it was awarded by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in December 2009. SE was awarded a $54.5 million (€41 million) loan guarantee through the Biorefinery Assistance Programme, administered by the USDA Rural Development-Cooperative Service, to build a fully integrated, algae-to-crude oil commercial…
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Ineos Bio, owned by global chemicals companies Ineos, has begun production of commercial-scale bioethanol at its first facility. The Indian River BioEnergy Centre, Florida is now producing commercial quantities of bioethanol from vegetative and wood waste, while also exporting renewable power to the local community. It is also permitted to use municipal solid waste (MSW), quantities of which will…
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US-based Renewable Energy Group (REG) has completed the purchase of a 30 million gallon per year capacity biodiesel plant in Iowa, formerly owned by Soy Energy. Soy Energy unit holders approved the sale in a vote on 29 July. Pursuant to the purchase agreement, REG acquired the biorefinery for $11 million (€8.3 million) in cash and the issuance of a $5.6 million promissory note. Due to a…
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