Other News

Plans have been approved for the addition of a biofuel storage tank to the Pilot Travel Centre site in California, US. Barstow Planning Commission passed the proposal to construct the 20,000 gallon, aboveground tank at the large service station. The tank will store 100% biofuel, to be used in a blend with petroleum-based diesel, with state laws allowing a maximum of 20% biofuel in the blend.
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US-based ethanol producer Marathon Petroleum has signed an agreement to purchase a facility in Ohio from Felda Iffco, a Malaysian company. The plant currently produces several products including biodiesel and glycerin. The capacity of the plant is 4,100 barrels per day. The transaction is expected to close this April but the details are not being disclosed. ‘This acquisition will broaden…
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The European Renewable Ethanol Association (ePure) has warned the European Commission (EC) about surging ethanol imports from Peru since entering a free trade agreement in August 2013. ePure claim in a statement it is ‘apparent an inadvertent change in the pattern of trade is occurring as a direct consequence of this trade agreement’ ‘Peru is taking advantage of the elimination…
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UK-based Ennovor Group, a global sustainable biofuels company, has signed a rolling tolling contract with what it calls ‘one of Spain’s largest biodiesel refiners’. The company states it is planning similar agreements with a number of other biodiesel refineries across Europe. David Frohnsdorff, CEO of Ennovor, says the signed partnership with the un-named Spanish refiner…
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US-headquartered advanced fuels company Aemetis has upgraded its biodiesel and refined glycerin production facility in Kakinada, India. The 50 million gallon per year capacity facility can now produce high-quality distilled biodiesel. Built in 2008, it uses non-food byproducts from the edible oil industry as feedstock to supply the biofuel, pharmaceutical and industrial markets. ‘The new…
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The Energy Institute (EI), based in the UK, has been working to improve the test methods for predicting winter performance of diesel fuels, particularly those containing significant amounts of biodiesel. EI claims one important winter performance parameter is the ‘cold soak’ filter blocking tendency of the fuel. ‘The existing EI test method is IP PM-EA/08,…
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The Greenwood Tree Farm Fund (GTFF) has claimed to be the first short-rotation forest plantation in the world to earn certification under the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB). The RSB certification covers GTFF's cultivation, management and harvesting of coppiced poplar trees, used as biomass feedstock for the cellulosic ethanol industry or pelletised for direct combustion in biomass…
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Versalis, the chemical subsidiary of Eni, and Elevance Renewable Sciences, a producer of specialty chemicals from natural oils, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a strategic partnership to jointly develop and scale a new metathesis technology to produce biochemicals from vegetable oils. Under the new partnership, the two companies will jointly develop and scale new…
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Terminal storage investment platform Epic Midstream and fuel company US Oil have signed a 10-year partnership so the latter can begin the supply and marketing of biodiesel at four of Epic's terminals. Location of the four termainals are split evenly between the states of Alabama and Georgia. Epic will make tank and rack improvements at each of the…
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A new report by Navigant Research has revealed a sharp rise in the consumption of biofuels across the global road transportation sector. The research body forecasts worldwide consumption in the sector will grow from more than the 32.4 billion gallons per year recorded in 2013 to more than 51.1 billion by 2022. ‘An increase in ethanol production capacity in the US and Brazil, and biodiesel…
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Austrian haulier Nothegger Transport (NT) has ordered 220 trucks capable of running on 100% biodiesel from Scania. There is currently a tax incentive to use biodiesel  in Austria, as well as lower prices at petrol stations, so NT expects this move will cut its operating costs by potentially €4,000 ($5,470) per truck (based on each one driving an average 150,000km a year). All 220 trucks…
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Australia-based Sterling Plantations has recently sold a biodiesel plant to Malaysian company Gentings Plantations (GP). The plant, reported to be worth around RM33 million (€7.3 million), is located in Sabah and represents the second facility of its kind to be purchased by GP. GP has a subsidiary named  ACGT, which is a business that focuses on developing genomics-based solutions to…
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Owensboro Grain, a fifth-generation family-owned soyabean processor located in Kentucky, US has announced the successful start-up of its Kosher certified glycerin refinery. The facility is located adjacent to the company’s biodiesel and vegetable oil refinery complex and will refine virgin soya-based crude glycerin produced at the biodiesel plant In a statement, the company adds the new…
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