Other News

Finnish company UPM and US-based technology producer Renmatix have entered into a non-exclusive joint development agreement in the area of biochemicals. Under terms of the agreement both companies will further develop Renmatix’s water-based Plantrose process to convert woody biomass into low-cost sugar intermediates for subsequent downstream processing. The long-term goal of this…
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FuturaGene, which works in the enhancement of yield and sustainability in woody crops for biopower and biofuel markets, will work with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Centre (DDPSC) to test its technology on staple crops grown by farmers in Asia, Africa and Brazil. Yield enhancement technology will be tested on model plants and, if successful, transferred to specific food crops.…
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Alternative Fuels Americas (AFA) has completed research trials targeting jatropha trees as a feedstock source for sustainable biodiesel. It is now moving to establish above ground oil fields in central America as a staged entry into a market forecasted to exceed $500 billion (€386 billion) by 2019. AFA already operates a 25 acre pilot plantation with 40,000 mature jatropha trees in Costa…
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Global energy brand Exxon Mobil (EM) has revealed it will restructure its attack on biofuels from algae after struggling to reach commercial viability. EM has reportedly invested over $100 million (€77 million) on the project, in conjunction with US-based Synthetic Genomics (SG), since 2009 and had hoped to hit its target goal within 10 years. This new stance was mutually agreed by both…
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US-based Fulcrum Energy (FE), which works in the waste to biofuels sector, will use a new grant from the US Department of Defense (DoD) to develop renewable drop-in biofuels for aircraft. The DoD awarded FE $4.7 million (€3.6 million) toward the research, which it will also potentially double from its own capital to help complete the development of its first municipal solid waste…
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Renewable fuel producer Pacific Ethanol has begun commercial production of corn oil at its ethanol plant in Idaho, US. The unrefined end product is believed to be used for biodiesel and animal feed. ‘Corn oil is a high value co-product with multiple markets including biodiesel,’ says Pacific Ethanol CEO Neil Koehler. ‘Corn oil sales at our Idaho plant diversifies our…
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Specialty chemicals company Clariant will expand the raw materials used at its demonstration plant in Germany after new findings show that corn stover and sugarcane bagasse can also be used. The company's demo plant is converting agricultural residues into bioethanol using its Sunliquid technology. Following the opening of the facility in July 2012, Clariant now has new findings which show that…
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It has been reported Green Plains Renewable Energy (GPRE) is to purchase a Nebraska ethanol plant, loading and storage facility. The plant has been idle for 12 months but GPRE will purchase it for $15 million (€11.4 million) and hopes to restart it before August. The Omaha-based ethanol producer has signed a purchase agreement to buy the membership interests of Choice Ethanol Holdings, which…
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LCTI Low Carbon Technologies International, which focuses on clean-tech, environmental and energy efficiency sectors has signed a joint venture with US-based Sunthenoil. The two want to develop a 1,000 acre algae-to-oil project located on a LCTI site using a technology sub-licensed through Sunthenoil from SunEco Energy of California. The project aims to produce around 33 million gallons of…
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AltAir Fuels is to turn part of an existing petroleum refinery into a 30 million gallon biofuel production facility near Los Angeles, California and has finalised a purchase agreement with United Airlines for the fuel. Under the partnership, United has agreed to buy 15 million gallons of biojet from AltAir over a three-year period, with the option to purchase more. AltAir says it expects to begin…
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South African sugar producer Tongaat Hulett (TH) has revealed biofuel and renewable energy production is becoming more of a concern for its future. TH aims to complete a bid for an 80MW power plant this year as environmental impact assessments and construction contracting advance. This follows a decree at ministerial level to provide the country with 800MW of cogeneration power issued last…
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Bioinnovation company Novozymes has designed two new enzyme technologies to increase ethanol and corn oil yields for improved profits. Two new fermentation solutions will join with the company’s Avantec brand, which is an advanced yield-enhancing liquefaction solution. Results from industry-scale trials, which deployed all three technologies, could mean additional profits for ethanol…
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A crop waste-to-ethanol project in Brazil has received a multi-million dollar loan from the Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econmico and Social development bank. The $149.6 million (€113.7 million) will be used by a division of GranBio Investment to construct a facility capable of producing 82 million litres of fuel a year from sugarcane residuals. It believes the technology available can get…
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