Japan-based airline ANA Holdings has announced a number of new commitments to reduce its environmental impact, including the reduction of single-use plastics and the implementation of sustainable aviation fuel on its flights. The airline will reduce its reliance on single-use plastics inside its cabins and lounges, effective 1 February 2020, replacing the plastic straws,... [Read More]

A new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has identified a number of clean energy options that the global shipping industry must look to adopt if it is to reduce its carbon emissions. The shipping sector is currently responsible for 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 9% of transport-related emissions, and this figure will continue... [Read More]

Biological solutions provider Novozymes has announced the appointment of Ester Baiget to position of president and CEO, effective 1 February 2020. Baiget will succeed Peder Holk Nielsen who will be leaving the company in early 2020. She is currently business president for Dow’s Industrial Solutions business unit and a member of the executive leadership team. Since... [Read More]

Dredging services provider Boskalis and biofuels producer GoodFuels have progressed with their ‘Boskalis on Bio’ programme for the testing of sustainable bio-fuel oil. Following successful tests using drop-in blends of light biofuel and marine gas oil, Boskalis’ Willem van Oranje will become the world’s first dredging vessel to operate on 100% bio-fuel oil.... [Read More]

Scientists at the University of Manchester in the UK have made a breakthrough in the production of biofuels, using synthetic biology to make the next generation of bio-based jet fuels from seawater. The researchers, who are led by Professor Nigel Scrutton, director of the Manchester Institute (MIB) and supported by US-based international maritime research agency Office... [Read More]

ExxonMobil has recently signed agreements with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) locations in Madras and Bombay to expand its portfolio of research collaboration with India’s universities, with research to focus on biofuels, gas conversion and emissions reduction in the industrial sector. The five-year agreements between ExxonMobil and the Indian university... [Read More]

Velocys has announced a project to produce negative emission fuels after signing a carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) agreement with Oxy Low Carbon Ventures (OLCV). The alternative fuels firm announced the partnership to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from its planned Bayou Fuels biomass-to-fuels project in Natchez, Mississippi, and securely store it underground.... [Read More]

Finnish renewable diesel and aviation fuel provider Neste has announced the opening of a new office in Düsseldorf, Germany, to serve as a hub for its Renewable Polymers and Chemicals business unit. This unit provides the plastics and chemicals industries with solutions derived from biomass and chemically recycled plastic waste, helping companies to reduce their dependence... [Read More]

Copenhagen, Denmark-based shipping company Norden has joined the Getting to Zero Coalition, which was recently launched at the United Nations (UN) Climate Action Summit. The coalition seeks to create awareness of the need to transition to zero emission vessels, as part of the global shipping sector’s move towards decarbonisation. The coalition was founded by non-profit... [Read More]

Dutch company BTG-BTL has teamed up with TechnipFMC to design and build a production facility in Sweden to convert wood residues such as sawdust into bio-oil. The plant is expected to be the first in the world where this biofuel will be produced and then further processed in a refinery for motor vehicles. The facility will have a capacity to convert approximately... [Read More]

Extraction of biofuels and bio-products from algae is on the rise. Recent years have seen a substantial increase in demand for food, energy and valuable chemicals, which has led to the rise of R&D on renewable, novel and sustainable resources.1 The ability of algae to grow in a range of aquatic environments, from freshwater to saturated saline, and their efficient... [Read More]

Scientists at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have devised a method to insert genes into a range of microorganisms that would previously reject foreign DNA, with the objective of creating custom microbes for better biofuel production. A team at the DOE Centre for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI) at ORNL are using the power of microbes... [Read More]

Low carbon fuel producer Gevo has signed a joint development agreement (JDA) with Leaf Resources to explore the potential conversion of cellulosic derived sugars and glycerol into hydrocarbon molecules for fuels or chemicals. The agreement will be structured around three phases of collaborative work; in the first, the companies will develop the feasibility of a potential... [Read More]

The Roundtable of Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) has appointed UPM Biofuels’ Maiju Helin as chair of its board of directors. Helin has been involved with the RBS for a number of years, and now steps up to drive the vision of the organisation, which encourages the development of a new world bioeconomy through sustainability solutions, certification, innovation and... [Read More]

Toronto-based biofuels firm Woodland Biofuels has received a total of $4.7 million (€4.2 million) in investments from Natural Resources Canada. Kate Young, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Science and Sport and Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility made the announcement on 28 August, on behalf of the Honorable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister... [Read More]

Avfuel, a global supplier of aviation fuel, will supply operators fuelling at Jackson Hole Aviation in Wyoming, US during its demonstration days with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to prove its viability. From 3-4 September, Avfuel will supply 7,500 gallons of SAF. It is hoped that by providing the fuel to Jackson Hole Aviation, a fixed base operator set within Grand... [Read More]