Other News

Airlines are calling on the Australian and New Zealand governments to provide financial assistance to help grow the aviation biofuel industry. Qantas, Air New Zealand, Boeing and Virgin Australia, all members of the Sustainable Fuel Users Group, helped to create a biofuels roadmap which shows how the region can work towards building a more environmentally-friendly sector. Qantas head of risk and…
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All new Isuzu Commercial Truck of America vehicles manufactured in 2011 and onwards, including its N-Series truck models and the new Isuzu Reach commercial van, are compatible with a fuel blend of up to 20% biodiesel (B20). 'Our customers at Isuzu Commercial Truck of America have been asking for approval to use B20 in our products in the US for many years,' Brian Tabel, retail marketing manager…
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The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels' (RSB) standard and certification system has been recognised by the EU as a way to demonstrate and document compliance with the EU biofuels mandate. In order to qualify under the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), biofuels consumed within the EU must demonstrate environmental benefits compared to its fossil-based alternatives. In order to count toward the…
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A $100 million (€70 million) ethanol plant located in Hoke County, North Carolina, US, will be put up for auction on 24 August after Clean Burn Fuels filed for bankruptcy. The auction start price has not been disclosed. Clean Burn Fuels originally filed for permission to build the plant in 2005. By 2007 it had been awarded $35 million from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), in addition…
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German airline Lufthansa has acquired jatropha oil from Jatenergy for use as bio-jet fuel in its trial of renewable jet fuel, which will be piloted in regular flights between Hamburg and Frankfurt. The crude jatropha oil was supplied from Jatenergy's operations in Central Java, Indonesia, where it has partnered with PT Waterland International. Lufthansa purchased 200 tonnes of the jatropha oil…
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Trading and services company Mitsui has signed an agreement with Simon Storage to store bioethanol at Simon’s Immingham West Terminal on the east coast of England. The bioethanol will be received and delivered by sea and road; and the product will also be offered to companies currently storing products in the terminal. Tank modifications were made for the new storage in order to prevent…
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Although biodiesel production registered moderate growth in 2010, figures disclosed this week have now shown a decline for the first in registered history. While 2010 EU biodiesel production registered a 5.5% increase compared to the previous year, reaching a level of 9.57 million tonnes, the forecasts for 2011 show a reduction in European production compared to the same time last year. In…
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Boeing has signed an agreement to collaborate with Hawai'i BioEnergy to produce renewable fuels, identify biofuel sources and build new technology. The companies plan to examine crops including sorghum and eucalyptus for possible biofuel feedstocks – which can be grown locally in Hawaii in order to be produced into jet biofuel. Boeing vice president of environment and aviation policy, Billy…
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Aurora Algae has released a new method of developing algae strains that can be designed to meet fuel needs without using ‘foreign genes’ and instead using the algae’s natural genetic makeup. Aurora says that in the past algae development has been limited to using existing strains of eukaryotic microalgae, because there was not enough technology available for genome…
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UK-based storage operator Oikos has revealed it is to upgrade its fuel terminal on Canvey Island, facing opposition from campaigners. The terminal has yet to hold its forward strategy meeting, so is unable to reveal any further details. Campaigners against the project, The People Against Methane Group, believe there are not enough emergency services facilities on the island to deal with any…
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The Canadian government has implemented a 2% biodiesel mandate in the nation. Biodiesel's performance is similar to that of conventional diesel in automobile engines, while emitting 85-99% less GHGs, depending on the feedstock. 'This is a milestone day for home grown renewable biodiesel in Canada. Biodiesel is a better way to drive and an innovative way to fuel our economy,' states Gordon…
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The newly introduced E10 fuel – a blend of conventional petrol and 10% ethanol – in Germany has created uncertainty among motorists, despite being compatible in an estimated 93% of vehicles. However, 'the launch of E10 in Germany is a positive move and is extremely welcomed,' explains Rob Vierhout, secretary general at ePURE, the European Renewable Ethanol Association which represents…
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In Dunaföldvár, Hungary, a US-Irish collaboration is due to finish the construction of its ethanol production facility by 1 March 2012. Costing $200 million (€139 million) to build, the plant is being developed by Pannonia Ethanol, a joint venture between Minnesota, US-based Fagen and Irish company Europe Ethanol. Upon completion, the plant will manufacture 240 million litres of…
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In East Java, Indonesia-based PT Perkebunan Nusantara X (PTPN X) and New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (Nedo) of Japan, are planning to build an ethanol production plant in Mojokerto. Costing an estimated $25.5 million (€18 million) to build, the plant is expected to be up and running by early 2012, before commercial operations begin at the end of 2012. The plant…
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