Other News

In Peru, biodiesel producer Heaven Petroleum Operators SAC is to invest $186 million (€130 million) in jatropha cultivation. Heaven Petroleum's subsidiary Bio Agro Heaven del Sur SAC will develop the project, which will take place on 50,000 hectares of land in Ica region. The jatropha grown under the project will then be used in the production of biodiesel at the company's biodiesel plant in…
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Based in Omaha, Nebraska, US, ethanol producer Green Plains Renewable Energy's net income was $7.7 million (€5.5 million), as the company reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2011, ended 31 March. This compares to $15.6 million for the same period in 2010. Revenues were $812.2 million for the first quarter 2011, compared to $426.5 million during the same period in…
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ZeaChem, a biorefineries developer, has formed a joint venture with Procter & Gamble (P&G), a consumer goods manufacturer. The companies plan to further develop ZeaChem’s products, with the aim of commercialising its ‘drop-in’ bio-based chemicals and other products. ZeaChem uses feedstocks such as poplar trees and agricultural residues to produce bio-refining…
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Owned by Noble Group of Hong Kong, agricultural commodity trader Noble Argentina is looking to build a biodiesel plant in Santa Fe province, Argentina. Costing $50 million (€35 million), the project will feature a biodiesel and power cogeneration plant, a soyabean crushing facility, a storage plant for grain and a port. Planned for Noble Argentina's site in the Timbues region, the plant will…
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Bonsucro's certification scheme, used to certify the sustainable production of sugarcane, has been formally recognised by the EU. Ethanol certified by Bonsucro conforms to the requirements of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and the EU Fuels Quality Directive (FQD). 'Bonsucro EU certification will not only show compliance with the Union's sustainability rules, but also guarantees…
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In Pollock, Louisiana, US, a formerly defunct biodiesel plant has reopened. The plant, which is owned by biodiesel producer Vanguard Synfuels, was officially opened on 8 August, although it began producing biodiesel a couple of weeks prior to this. The opening has created jobs for 25 people. The plant originally opened as a biofuel facility in 2003 when it started producing biodiesel from…
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At Amsterdam Airport, Schiphol and KLM have started fuelling some of their ground transport vehicles on 100% biodiesel (B100). The move comes after both companies invested heavily in the introduction of biofuel-powered vehicles at the airport, as electrically powered vehicles are currently limited to certain vehicle types. SkyNRG of the Netherlands is supplying the biodiesel to Schiphol and KLM,…
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Technical Trade, a company based in Romania, is developing a biofuel plant in the village of Remetea. The company will break ground on the €6.5 million ethanol plant early next year, with startup scheduled in 2013. It has not yet been disclosed how much ethanol the plant will produce, but it will be able to handle around 7,000 hectares of local crops such as potatoes, grain and white beet.
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Biodiesel producer Todays Alternative Energy (TAE), which currently converts leftover cooking oil and grease into biodiesel, says it is to change its strategy to encompass other methods of biodiesel production. The company wants to tap further into the biodiesel market, which is expected to grow to $185 billion (€134 billion) by 2021 from $82 billion this year. TAE says a number of reasons,…
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Cascade Grain plant in Washington could come back into operation over the next couple of months after being shut down in 2009 because of bankruptcy. JH Kelly Ethanol, a JV between The Industrial Company and JH Kelly Holdings, acquired the plant back in December 2009 and at the time JH Kelly’s president Mason Evans said: ‘We were very disappointed when Cascade Grain succumbed to the…
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Codexis has created its own line of cellulose enzymes, called CodeXyme, which will be used to convert biomass into sugar. The company is currently working with partners, such as Shell, Merck and Pfizer, and plans to release commercial samples to the chemical market by the second half of 2012. Alan Shaw, CEO of Codexis, says: ‘CodeXyme Cellulase enzymes will be transformational and enabling.…
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In Hawaii, power company Hawaiian Electric Industries' (HEI) subsidiary Hawaiian Electric is to generate electricity from biofuel sourced from locally grown materials. Aina Koa Pono will provide the biofuels, which will be supplied to the Ka'u region-based 80MW Keahole Power Plant. The new contract will help Hawaii reach its clean energy target of 70% renewable electricity by 2030. 30% of the…
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OriginOil, a developer of breakthrough technology to transform algae, has agreed to participate in a pilot-scale algae project to be funded by the Mexican government. The project will demonstrate industrial algae production, paving the way for substantial investment by the Mexican government in large-scale jet fuels production. 'We are excited to support Mexico's 'Manhattan Project' to produce 1%…
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A US air force test pilot successfully flew an A-10 Thunderbolt II jet aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base on March 25, testing a blend of biomass-derived and conventional JP-8 jet fuel. It was the first time such a flight had been carried out using this specific jet fuel blend. The biomass fuel was created from camelina oil, a flowering plant, and the fuel is called hydro-treated renewable jet…
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