Other News

In the US, Tidewater Biodiesel is one step closer towards building its biodiesel plant in the state of Virginia. The company has been granted planning approval from the local commission. Construction can now get underway once the final approval is given by Chesapeake's city council. Upon completion, scheduled for 2012, the facility will produce 10 million gallons a year of biodiesel from waste…
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In Fort Dodge, Iowa, US, producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services Cargill has acquired a corn wet mill ethanol plant from Tate & Lyle. The facility's current annual production capacity stands at 115 million gallons of ethanol from 150,000 bushels of corn a day. Speaking about the purchase, Alan Willits, Cargill Corn Milling North America's…
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Biodiesel producer Sirona Fuels began selling biodiesel produced from locally-grown feedstocks on 22 April 2011. The move will see its customers purchase the fuel for $0.25 (€0.17) less per gallon than the cost of fossil diesel. In addition, when local businesses give their used cooking oil to the Sircona facility, 20% of what the biodiesel sells for will be donated to The Sircona Cares…
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In Dai Tan Commune in Dai Loc District, Vietnam's largest ethanol plant opened on 2 April 2011. Dong Xanh owns and operates the plant, which produces 125 million litres of ethanol annually from locally grown cassava. The plant cost in excess of VND600 billion (€20 million) to construct. In addition to providing work for around 20,000 cassava farmers, the new development will also create…
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In the US, Decatur, Illinois-based biofuels producer Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) is to buy a soyabean crushing and biodiesel production plant, located in Deerfield, Missouri. ADM is acquiring the facility from Prairie Pride, in addition to collaborating with the biodiesel and soya mill producer for the biodiesel side of the business. 'The acquisition of Prairie Pride's soyabean facility and…
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South Africa's AGZAM Project Developers has made one of the largest investments into a sector outside of the mining industry, in Zambia. The company is planning to build a $251 million (€175.65 million) sugar and ethanol facility after it signed a deal with the nation at the end of March 2011. Work on the biofuel plant is slated to begin in May this year before operations start in 2013. 'The…
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Energy supplier Sprague Energy of White Plains, New York, in the US, and privately owned Biodico have launched a pilot programme – Bio Genset – that will encourage the use of biodiesel and biodiesel blends in diesel-powered generators and power units, with a goal to reduce emissions from diesel fuel generators, decrease the dependence on foreign oil and promote local jobs. The New…
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M&G, a Novozymes partner, conducted the groundbreaking ceremony for an ethanol plant on 12 April 2011. Located in Crescentino, Italy, the production facility will produce 13 million gallons a year of cellulosic ethanol from wheat straw, energy crops and other forms of biomass. It is due to start production in 2012. 'Laying the foundation for the world's first commercial-scale ethanol plant…
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In Mount Vernon, Indiana, US, ethanol producer Aventine Renewable Energy's ethanol plant was officially opened on 6 April 2011. The news comes after construction came to an end when Aventine became bankrupt. However it recovered in March 2010 and construction on the Mount Vernon facility commenced. Building work on the project finished in November 2010 and operations began on 1 December 2010.…
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'Renewable energy systems', as defined in the Rural Energy for America Programme (REAP), will now also include flexible fuel pumps, which the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will fund the installation of. The new rule, which was announced by US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on 8 April 2011, is expected to encourage more installations of these 'blender pumps', which in turn will provide…
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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is to award bioenergy and biobased products with research grants in order to further the development of sustainable projects. After the selection process, the chosen projects will implement sustainable regional systems for the production of biofuels. The projects to receive the grant aree based in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia,…
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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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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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