News

Dong Energy’s bioethanol producing subsidiary Inbicon has signed a deal with Statoil that will see it deliver the first 5 million litres of its second-generation bioethanol from its plant near Asnaes Power Station in Kalundborg, Denmark. The plant, which is presently under construction, aims to demonstrate that second-generation bioethanol can be produced on an industrial scale using…
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The UK government has announced that five new biogas projects will receive funding through its £10 million (€11.5 million) Anaerobic Digestion Demonstration Programme. There will be five projects that look set to benefit from the funds including plants in Dorset, East Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Manchester and in Shropshire. The funding comes as a result of the Department for Environment, Food…
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The Colombian government has issued a decree that beginning in 2012 all new vehicles must bear E-85 flex-fuel technology. The decision will see biofuel production in the South American country continue to rise as it is already expecting record levels of production from both ethanol and biodiesel with five new facilities coming online within the year. Colombia, the second-largest producer of…
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California-based Solazyme has raised $57 million (€40 million) in its run up to commercialise algae-based biodiesel. Solazyme has now raised a total of more than $76 million with new investors including VantagePoint Partners. The producer grows algae in open ponds or inside photobioreactors. Solazyme grows algae in the dark and feeds them biomass and industrial by-products, including…
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Energy company Eon has announced that plans to build a biomass-fired power generation facility in Bristol, UK, are on schedule and will begin construction next year pending permission. The proposed renewable energy plant will have an output of 150MW and will provide enough carbon-neutral electricity to supply more than 200,000 homes. Eon estimates that by burning wood, the plant will be able to…
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In southeast Asia the Lao Ministry of Energy and Mines has announced that the government will promote the production of biofuel in the wake of year-long fluctuations in imported fossil fuel prices. Electricity Department Acting Director General Hatsady Sisoulath said the department was now drafting a national strategy on biofuel development, as an important reference for promoting biofuel…
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The US’ 2,000th E85 fuelling station opened in the community of Davie, Florida, at the U-Gas retail station on 28 May. The expansion of the ethanol industry is allowing small communities all across the U.S. to benefit from the new jobs and economic opportunities the production of renewable fuels offers. ‘Increasing the production and use of ethanol in places like Florida is helping provide…
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In the US, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is requesting more transparency over the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Renewable Fuel Standard Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The RFA says many of the models, data sets, and other pertinent pieces of information used by EPA for its lifecycle analysis are not publicly available, preventing third parties like the RFA from replicating and…
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Scientists in Wales, UK, are looking into a research project aiming to turn grass into a green transport fuel. The £1 million (€1.16 million) ‘grassohol’ research project aims to develop commercially and economically viable processes to make ethanol from perennial ryegrass, the most commonly sown grass in the UK, which is normally used for grazing or silage. The project, led by the…
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Biomass plant specialist Helius Energy has announced that it has seen profits for the last six months to 31 March 2009, and has projected expansion plans to add a third multi-million-pound plant to its portfolio. The UK-based company has reported an £18,000 (€20,824) profit up from a loss of £1.6 million at the same point last year. The company believes it is now in a strong position to…
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Industrial enzymes maker Novozymes has reported that Brazil could produce up to 8 billion litres of biofuel from sugarcane residues (bagasse) by 2020, representing additional export revenue for Brazil of up to US$4 billion (€4.6 billion). Novozymes, which sells enzymes that turn crops such as corn, soya and sugarcanes into bio-ethanol products, expect Brazil to be able to start large-scale…
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US-based Baystate Biofuels' terminal in North Andover, Massachusetts, is to come online next year and begin delivering a green energy, petroleum alternative to the region. The terminal will be the first full-scale commercial facility dedicated to biodiesel distribution in the state with construction having started up at the end of May. Baystate Biofuels aims to distribute biodiesel to…
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A fire at the Minnesota Soybean Processors plant in Brewster, Minnesota caused the nearby town to be evacuated on 24 May. Nobles County Sheriff Kent Wilkening announced that a couple of explosions were reported around 10 pm and ignited the fire. The biodiesel producing plant processes uses soyabean as its feedstock.
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