Other News

A new push for a bioethanol and sugar industry in Ireland recently had its first public fundraising event. Beet Ireland, a group comprising of farmers and suppliers, launched its first public fundraiser for €6 million ($8.1 million) at the National Ploughing Championships in County Laois at the end of September. The overall project is seen as the next step on the road to developing a new…
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The South African Department of Energy has stated a time from which fuel producers will have to start blending petrol and diesel with biofuels. The date has been set exactly two years from 1 October and producers will be required to blend between 2 and 10% of bioethanol into petrol, and a minimum of 5% biodiesel in diesel. A move of this kind is hoped, as with many other countries, to reduce…
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Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), in cooperation with Chemieanlangenbau Chemnitz, has produced renewable fuel at its Bioliq (biomass to liquid karlsruhe) pilot plant. With the synthesis stage of the plant now operational, all stages of the Bioliq process (flash pyrolysis, high-pressure entrained-flow gasification and synthesis) are online and the pilot facility is a step closer to producer…
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Waste from dairy farms and beer breweries could provide the necessary ingredients to grow algae-based biofuels say the leaders of a project based in Vermont, US. The US Department of Agriculture awarded the association, which includes the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), a $51,000 (€37,000) grant to research biofuels technology using algae during a news conference at…
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Hong Kong-based ASB Biodiesel is to start generating biodiesel at its processing plant in November. Located at the Tseung Kwan O industrial estate and expected to start in November, ASB is excepting to produce around 100,000 tonnes of biodiesel a year. The plant, to reach that figure of B100 blends, is expecting to use 200,750 tonnes of grease trap waste as feedstock. The bulk of initial…
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Butamax Advanced Biofuels, a biobutanol technology company, and Highwater Ethanol, a first generation ethanol producer, have begun to retrofit Highwater's ethanol plant in Minnesota, US for the production of biobutanol. The pair have entered into definitive agreements for license of Butamax's patented corn oil separation technology, and installation of system has already commenced with commercial…
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The Renewable Energy Association (REA) is calling on MEPs to support the UK and European biofuels industry by voting against a cap on the use of agricultural biofuels, due on 11 September. The European Commission’s proposals to address indirect land use change (ILUC) would, REA believes, put at severe risk not just climate change and renewable energy targets, but also hundreds of millions…
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The US Grains Council (USGC) has made its first high-value import into Algeria this September since successfully removing the value added and custom taxes on all feed imports to the country last year. It was Sarl Nutrimag, an Algerian commercial importer, which has made the first ever purchase of US distiller's dried grains (DDGS) and corn gluten feed (CGF).  According to Cary Sifferath,…
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The US Department of Energy has distributed millions of dollars towards funding towards biofuel research. New Mexico State University was handed $5 million, while Cal Poly is to receive $1.5 million (€1.1 million) to continue research and development into algae-based biofuels. The additional money for Cal Poly is in addition to the $1.3 million grant Algae Technology Group, a university…
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The US affiliate of Germany-based chemical company BASF has entered into an agreement to acquire the outstanding shares of common stock of biotechnology company Verenium for $4 (€3) per share. Based on all outstanding shares and including all net financial liabilities, the enterprise value is valued at approximately $62 million. California-based Verenium generated $57 million in sales last…
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Biodiesel made via jatropha has been cleared for field trials on trains in India. The Research Design Standard Organisation, a division of Indian Railways, has passed the fuel developed by the Central Salt Marine and Chemical Research Institute to be potentially used on some railways still using diesel powered locomotives where electric lines have yet to be introduced ‘The RDSO has cleared…
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Denmark's Port of Frederikshavn has entered into a partnership with technology company Steeper Energy and Aalborg University in Denmark to develop a biomass-based plant to produce sustainable marine fuel. The new plant will initially produce between 50 and 100,000 tonnes of sulphur-free renewable fuel a year for the several thousand vessels passing through the port annually. It will use wood…
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The vote at the European Parliament concerning proposed changes to the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) was taken on 11 September. The use of crop-based biofuels for land transportation has been capped at 6% of the total 10% aimed for by 2020 and MEPs also agreed to pass a 2.5% share from second generation biofuels. The final figure of 6% is…
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