News

The rubbish collectors of the city of Anchorage, Alaska, have begun running their rubbish trucks on biodiesel sourced from waste cooking oil which is picked up during their rounds. Alaska Waste’s plant, which cost $3 million (€2.4 million) to construct, was unveiled on 17 June this year and has already begun producing the biofuel for use in its trucks. Alaska Waste now collects the used…
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Formed towards the end of 2005 and opened in 2006 biodiesel production facility Memphis Biofuels, based in Memphis, Tennessee, US, has been shut down. The facility was opened with the intention of initially producing 36 million gallons of biodiesel each year before ramping up production to 100 million gallons a year. However the company soon defaulted on an $8.3 million (6.8 million) loan…
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A project proposed by Kenya Jatropha Energy has received resistance from environmental groups as the implementation of more jatropha plantations for use as fuel threatens the existence of rare birds. The jatropha plantation requires the destruction of the Dakatcha woodland forest in Malindi town, Kenya, an area used by native birds for breeding. 50,000 hectares of Trust Land will be set aside…
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With a vision to become a key player within the biofuels industry Brazil-based oil firm Petrobras is to invest $240 million (€195.7 million) in the Sao Martinho Group. The investment is part of a $2.4 billion expansion plan by Petrobras. Investing the funds through a joint venture called PBio Petrobras will acquire a 49% stake in two of Sao Martinho’s ethanol-producing facilities; the Boa…
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Following the EU’s introduction of US anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on US biodiesel in March last year, Australia could be next to follow suit after a local biodiesel producer issued a complaint about US biodiesel dumping in Australia. Australian firm Biodiesel Producers said that US biodiesel was being dumped onto the Australian market and the Australian Customs and Border Protection…
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In a bid to boost local biofuels producers Germany wants to increase the level of ethanol that can be blended with conventional petrol. The move would benefit domestic producers such as bioethanol manufacturer CropEnergies AG. Clemens Neuman, head of the ministry’s section dedicated to sustainable agriculture and forestry, explained that the ethanol blend, which currently stands at 5%, would…
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The world’s largest sugarcane processor Cosan SA Industria & Comercio has experienced a fiscal Q4 net sales increase of 87%. The Brazilian company saw sales from the fuel distribution unit, which accounted for 55% of total sales, increased 72% to 2.4 billion reais (€1,078,378,157). Petrol sales doubled to 1.21 billion reais. Net sales increased to 4.4 billion reais in the fiscal Q4…
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In Port Kuantan, Malaysia, Australia-based Mission NewEnergy has commissioned its second 75mgy Axens second generation biodiesel transesterification refinery. During the performance tests, the plant achieved its nameplate capacity and met all guaranteed performance parameters, and Mission is in discussions with its turnkey contractor, KNM Process Systems, to finalise the handover of the…
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Spanish private equity firm GED Capital has invested €7 million in Spain-headquartered biodiesel producer Bio-Oils. The investment will enable the company to expand its production capacity to 500,000 tonnes of biodiesel a year. Bio-Oils is already one of the largest biodiesel producers in Europe, producing 250,000 tonnes a year. The plant is connected by pipeline to the port of Huelva and to…
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Submit your presentation abstract now for the upcoming Biofuels International expo Asia & conference in Kuala Lumpur on 10-11 November. After last year’s successful event in Singapore the event, organised by Biofuels International magazine, is moving to Malaysia this year with the theme: improving profitability in biofuels production. The potential for biodiesel production across Asia is…
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Colorado-headquartered ZeaChem has broken ground on its 250,000 gallon a year biorefinery in Boardman, Oregon, US. The plant will initially use ZeaChem's core technology to produce ethyl acetate, a salable chemical intermediate and precursor to cellulosic ethanol. ZeaChem's fermentation technology has been built and tested at Hazen Research facility in Golden, Colorado, and numerous…
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In New Mexico the Center of Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management (CEHMM) opened what it claims to be the world's first vertically integrated algal biorefinery. The refinery uses saltwater micro-algae grown in ponds that are high in oil, which is then extracted and used for biodiesel production. The remaining algae material can also be used as a livestock feed. Experts hope a…
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The deal is finally done and dusted. In the US the state Public Utilities Commission has given Hawaiian Electric (HECO) approval to buy renewable biodiesel from a subsidiary of Iowa-based producer Renewable Energy Group. The fuel, 3 to 7 million gallons in total, processed from used cooking oil and waste animal fat will be used at Hawaiian Electric's new 110MW combustion turbine generator…
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