News

LL Biofuels Namibia is set to produce its own biodiesel after signing an agreement that will see the cultivation of jatropha on 300,000 hectares of land located in the north-eastern Caprivi Region, Namibia. The 20-year deal between LL Biofuels and the Caprivi Regional Council and Namibia Development Corporation (NDC) allows the company to undertake various crop experiments on Katima Farm aimed…
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Bulgaria's only oil-producing facility is now going greener. The Russian-owned refinery Lukoil Neftochim Burgas has begun production of a 2% bio-competent biodiesel. According to a proposed law, which came into force on 1 May, all of Bulgaria’s diesel must be blended with 2% biofuels. The law was scheduled to be enforced back in 2007, however since then a very small number of biofuels…
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Located in Sao Paulo, Brazil, oil company Petrobras’ Paulinia refinery will commence its production of ethanol on 7 May. The refinery temporarily closed for maintenance and expansion, which saw the plant’s 18,000 barrels per day (bpd) capacity increase to 390,000 bpd. Brazil’s ethanol supply dried up this year following issues with the sugar cane harvest, which resulted in the nation…
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In Brazil, energy firm Petrobras is set to construct and operate a biodiesel production facility in the state of Para, due to be online by July 2013. The plant, expected to cost around BRL330 million (€140 million), will have the capacity to produce 120 million litres of biodiesel from palm oil, all of which will be consumed by the north of the country. BRL240 million of the total cost will…
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Brazilian oil company Petrobras will collaborate with Galp Energia that will see the construction of a biodiesel plant in Portugal. Producing 250,000 tonnes of biodiesel each year, the refinery will process a 300,000-tonne-a-year supply of palm oil from the Brazilian state of Para. The partnership will focus mainly on selling its biofuel to the Iberian market but other markets across Europe…
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Valero Services, a subsidiary of Valero Energy Corporation, and ethanol technology producer Algenol Biofuels are to embark on a joint development agreement. The two companies are keen to manufacture biofuels and chemicals through the marriage of Valero’s expertise in the sector and Algenol’s Direct to Ethanol technology. If all goes well the signed agreement could lead to a joint venture…
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It has been a busy month so far for Brazilian oil giant Petrobras with four separate projects taking place in both Brazil and Portugal. The company is to purchase a 45.7% share in ethanol producer Acucar Guarani, previously controlled by France-based sugar, starch and ethanol producer Tereos. Petrobras Biocombustivel will acquire the stake for $920 million (€706.3 million), valuing the…
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US vehicle manufacturer General Motors has increased annual production of flex-fuel vehicles to more than 850,000, an increase of 55% from 2006 volumes. GM offers 17 models in its 2010 lineup with flex-fuel capability, allowing them to run on E85 ethanol, petrol, or any combination of the two. More than 5 million of the 7.5 million flex-fuel vehicles on the road in North America are GM cars…
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Based in the Netherlands, ethanol producer and yeast developer Royal Nedalco is to form a partnership with biofuel enzymes company Novozymes in order to develop a new fermentation process that is capable of fermenting C5 and C6 sugars for the commercialisation of cellulosic biofuel. The two companies will work together on the development of a more efficient fermentation process that will…
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In the US a joint ethanol distribution terminal project between Louisiana-based fuel storage provider Red River Terminals and Tennessee ethanol producer Eco-Energy has entered operations. The project will serve the bulk ethanol needs of the Shreveport area as ethanol blending increases over the next several months. The facility is located close to the area’s petrol terminals to provide…
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Following the resignation of the Czech Minister of the Environment Jan Dusík in March, Vladimír Vlk, energy advisor for the new Minister of the Environment Rut Bízková, will now make the keynote presentation at the upcoming Bioenergy International expo & conference next week in Prague on 5-6 May. Dusik resigned because he felt that the prime minister had put him under undue pressure to…
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In Finland refining and marketing company Neste Oil has begun testing its Neste Green 100 diesel as transport fuel. Neste Green 100 diesel is made from 100% renewable raw materials which have between 40 and 80% lower carbon dioxide emissions than conventional diesel. Its tailpipe emissions are also lower. Neste Oil’s executive vice president Sakari Toivola said: ‘This is the first time…
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Biology-based renewable energy company Coskata develops technology for the production of biofuels and biochemicals from biomass and waste materials and has now closed a round of equity financing with French oil major Total. The oil and gas firm has invested in the round of equity financing and will have a seat on Coskata’s Board of Directors. The investment will go towards helping Coskata…
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