Other News

In northern Peru work is ongoing with Maple Energy's ethanol project and the ethanol company expects commercial operations to begin in the second half of 2011. Costing an estimated $254 million (€180.6 million), the greenfield project, which includes main water delivery and drip irrigation systems, comprises an ethanol production plant and a 7,800-hectare sugarcane plantation in the first…
Read More »

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded three new research grants to Michigan State University to research the production of bioenergy and bio-based products. It is hoped the grants will help develop sustainable regional systems and create jobs in the sector. Already at the university there is a cellulosic ethanol pre-treatment research lab and an AFEX technology pilot plant. The…
Read More »

Two supermarkets in California, US, have selected Extreme Biodiesel, a wholly owned subsidiary of BookMerge Technology, to produce biodiesel for them, at a small charge. Under the preliminary agreement, Extreme Biodiesel will pick up waste vegetable oil from the supermarkets and transport it to its Extreme Corona plant in Corona, California. Extreme will then turn the waste oil into biodiesel…
Read More »

In Accra, Ghana, a 'Next-Generation Urban Sanitation Facility' is being developed at Columbia University, US, after receiving a $1.5 million (€1.06 million) grant from Bill Gates and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Upon completion the facility, which has not yet broken ground, will produce biodiesel and methane from faecal sludge. Kartik Chandran, a professor at the university, will…
Read More »

In Peru, the nation's largest sugar producer is to start manufacturing ethanol. By the end of 2011, Gloria S.A. is to produce ethanol at two of its sugar mills; Casa Grande and Complejo Agroindustrial Cartavo.
Read More »

In the US, ethanol company Aventine Renewable Energy Holdings is looking to commence operations at its defunct ethanol plant in Aurora East, Nebraska. The plant has been idle since April 2011 but could be up and running again soon, as the company has completed improvements to the fermentation process. 'Our operational focus is to implement identified changes to bring the Mount Vernon plant closer…
Read More »

In the US, Ineos New Planet BioEnergy has finalised $75 million (€52 million) in private financing, utilising funds awarded by the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) loan guarantee programme for its new BioEnergy Center. The financing will be used to complete the project, including equipment, engineering and construction. The BioEnergy Center is located near Vero Beach, Florida. Upon…
Read More »

Around 1.5 million litres of biofuel is produced in Fiji each year, but this must increase if the nation is to make an impact on the 300 million litres a year of fuel currently consumed in the transport sector. The Fijian government is now said to be encouraging investors to capitalise on this market, highlighting the enormity of the industry's potential. While a mandatory biofuel blending…
Read More »

Biofuels company Gevo has been given a $5 million (€3.7 million) grant by the United States Department of Agriculture to develop bio-jet fuel from woody biomass and forest product residues. The grant is part of the $40 million that has been given to the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance, a consortium led by Washington State University. With the funding, Gevo plans to use woody biomass…
Read More »

China Aviation Oil (CAO), the largest purchaser of oil in the Asia Pacific region, will acquire a total of 1.38 million barrels of aviation fuel throughout November and December. CAO is looking to purchase four 240,000-300,000 barrel cargoes between 21-30 November, 1-10 December, 11-20 December and 21-30 December. The company bought 1.2 million barrels of jet fuel in its October/November…
Read More »

Environmentally conscious London-based car-hire group greentomatocars has added biofuel-powered vehicles to its existing 200-strong fleet. The company, which launched five and a half years ago, utilises mainly Toyota Prius'. However, customer feedback highlighted the need for different vehicles to provide a more luxurious experience and transport larger groups of people. With this in mind,…
Read More »

Xergi has signed a deal with the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA)to build a new biogas plant in the US which will feature gas-fired CHP engines that will output 8MW of electrical power. Hometown BioEnergy, the name of the plant, will be built in Le Sueur, Minnesota and will produce biogas from waste such as agriculture and food, including sweet corn, potato waste and chicken…
Read More »

In a recent study the German Research Centre for Biomass (DBFZ) has found significant greenhouse gas (GHG) savings in biodiesel derived from rapeseed. After arriving at a 38% default value for biodiesel produced from rapeseed, the study went on to conclude that the balance of fertiliser and diesel fuel used was the main contributor affecting the overall result of GHG emission levels. The findings…
Read More »

Dedicated to the production of renewable products, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) will invest in sustainable palm production in Brazil. Throughout five years, the ADM investment will encompass approximately 12,000 hectares of palm production in the state of Parà and will include the construction of a palm processing plant. Construction of the processing plant, near São Domingos do…
Read More »