News

In Canada, renewable energy company Suncor Energy's St. Clair ethanol plant reached a production milestone in May 2011, when it produced 1 billion litres of the biofuel. Operations at the St. Clair first started in June 2006 and it had an annual production capacity of 200 million litres. The facility then underwent an expansion project, which was completed in February 2011 and saw the plant's…
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In Mozambique, a total of 31 biofuel projects have been announced since 2007, according to figures from the nation's Centre of Agricultural Promotion (Cepagri). These projects are reported to span across 324,000 hectares. It was not disclosed how much has been invested in these 31 developments.In recent years the government has begun supporting biofuels in order to promote a domestic biofuel…
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In the US, farmer-owned cooperative Ag Processing (AGP) is to acquire a defunct biodiesel plant located in Algona, Iowa. According to the company's CEO Marty Reagan, the plant is scheduled to resume operations by 1 September 2011 and will create 31 jobs. He said AGP agreed to buy the facility because it will support its soyabean processing and biodiesel operations. Terms of deal were not…
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In the US, biodiesel producer Mission NewEnergy has supplied its first batch of biofuel under its most recent contract – a $100 million (€70.6 million) deal to manufacture and deliver its product to a key distributor of refined oil products. The new contract was signed in May 2011 and, subject to a preliminary three-month probation period, will see Mission manufacturer and deliver…
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A new company has been created in the US that will aid producers and buyers of biodiesel in buying and selling the fuel. Biodiesel consultancy firm Lee Enterprises Consulting will manage Diesels and the company's owner Wayne Lee says the new company is a 'revolutionary step in the biodiesel industry'. He says: 'Diesels, LLC was formed by four individuals with lots of experience in the biodiesel…
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Originally viewed as the solution to all of Zimbabwe's fuel issues, one of the nation's key biodiesel plants faces a period of drawn-out closure after the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has pulled out of the project. Despite having already invited bids for its 50% shareholding in fuel manufacturing company Transload, investment and economic analysts predict the project will find no investment…
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Neste Oil's NExBTL renewable diesel is to be tested under race conditions for the first time this summer in Germany. Between 23 and 26 June two teams will compete in the ADAC 24-Hour Race at the Nürburgring circuit and run their cars on 100% renewable diesel regenerative. The fuel contains NExBTL renewable diesel and up to 7% conventional FAME biodiesel, both produced from rapeseed…
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The multi-billion dollar joint venture between energy and petrochemical company Shell and Cosan was launched on 2 June 2011. Based in Brazil, Raízen will manufacture and sell more than 2 billion litres of sugarcane-derived ethanol annually. Raízen’s 24 mills can process up to 62 million tonnes of sugarcane into biofuel a year.   ‘We are building a leading position…
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A university has produced jet fuel from a mixture of both coal and biomass feedstocks which will be tailored to be used in US military jet fuel applications. The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota says its refining technologies helped to produce the coal-biomass feedstock which will be used as another source of fuel that is an alternative to…
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Elevance Renewable Sciences, a renewable specialty chemicals maker, has acquired the Delta BioFuels facility in Adams County, Mississippi, in the US. The company plans to invest $225 million (€154 million) into the facility, converting it into a biorefinery and creating 165 full-time jobs over the next five years. During the expansion process, 300 construction jobs will also be created. The…
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ZeaChem, a biorefineries developer, has formed a joint venture with Procter & Gamble (P&G), a consumer goods manufacturer. The companies plan to further develop ZeaChem’s products, with the aim of commercialising its ‘drop-in’ bio-based chemicals and other products. ZeaChem uses feedstocks such as poplar trees and agricultural residues to produce bio-refining…
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Airlines are calling on the Australian and New Zealand governments to provide financial assistance to help grow the aviation biofuel industry. Qantas, Air New Zealand, Boeing and Virgin Australia, all members of the Sustainable Fuel Users Group, helped to create a biofuels roadmap which shows how the region can work towards building a more environmentally-friendly sector. Qantas head of risk and…
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The Brazilian government says it will implement new regulations on its ethanol market next month, which will require producers and distributors to implement supply contracts lasting at least one year, in order to avoid shortages and prevent price spikes. The new regulations are expected to help the government to plan the supply and demand for sugarcane-based fuel and therefore stop ethanol…
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