Other News

In 2011 Brazilian state-owned utility company Companhia Paranaense de Energia (Copel) is planning to build a pilot-scale biodiesel plant in the state of Parana. The project, known as Parana Biodiesel, will start out by producing 5,000 litres a day of biodiesel. Copel has already made arrangements with the City Hall Jorge d’Oeste that will see it install a facility and recycle the residue…
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In southern Queensland, Australia, the Dalby Bio-Refinery, Australia’s first grain-to-ethanol production facility, has been forced into temporary closure following severe flooding in the area. According to Kevin Endres, chief executive of Dalby Bio-Refinery, it is not safe for employees to travel to and from the site. ‘The heavy rains and flooding has resulted in disruption to grain…
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China’s Ministry of Commerce has launched an anti-dumping probe into distillers dried grains (DDGS) from the US. China is the world’s largest importer of DDGS, a by-product of ethanol production, for use in animal feed. Between January and November this year the nation is reported to have imported over 2.9 million tonnes of DDGS – an increase of 542% compared with the same period in 2009.…
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Following a $27 million (€20.2 million) boost from the US Ex-Im Bank Mexican biofuels company Recursos Renovables Alternativos (RRA) plans to begin construction of its first plant to produce biodiesel from algae oil in February. The financing is used for equipment at the first plant, which will most likely be built in Campeche state, but also could be located near Merida in Yucatan state. The…
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The 24 December 2010 saw pure biodiesel derived from waste animal fats or vegetable oils exempt from consumption taxes, following action by China’s Ministry of Finance and State Administration of Taxation. The tax exemption has been introduced retroactively, effective from 1 January 2009. Consumption taxes paid on biodiesel from this date onwards will be refunded. It has been estimated…
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Abengoa Bioenergy Netherlands is involved in a deal to pipe waste carbon dioxide from its bioethanol plant in Rotterdam to greenhouses in the Zuidplaspolder within an area of around 550 hectares. The European Commission (EC) authorised the move, under EU state aid rules, for a €5 million investment aid for the pipeline infrastructure. The waste CO2 will be used to enhance crop growth,…
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On the 4 January 2011 marketer and producer of low-carbon renewable fuels Pacific Ethanol resumed production at the 60 million gallon-a-year ethanol plant in Stockton, California. The first corn grind occurred on 9 December last year and the facility is now operating at close to full capacity. ‘We achieved our goal of successfully restarting the Stockton ethanol facility in December 2010,…
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US president Barack Obama signed new tax legislation on 17 December extending incentives for ethanol and biodiesel. The president signed the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 in the afternoon, following a late night approval from the US House on 16 December. The Senate approved the legislation on 15 December. For ethanol, the legislation includes:…
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Virent Energy Systems, a US, Wisconsin-based advanced biofuel technology provider, and biofuels and bioproducts firm HCL CleanTech have been awarded a $900,000 (€680,847) grant that will part-fund a project looking to demonstrate cellulosic sugars as feedstocks for drop-in biofuels and bioproducts. The grant was awarded by BIRD Energy, a programme for US – Israel joint renewable energy…
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Caldic Chemie, a producer and storage and handling terminal for methanol and bioethanol, has completed the second phase of its tank park expansion in the Port of Rotterdam. The entire tank park now has a total capacity of 172,500m3. The nine new tanks will all be used for the storage and handling of methanol and bioethanol. All the tanks which were built in the first phase of the expansion have…
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A former fish farm in south Hillsborough County, Florida, US, could soon be home to a new biofuels plant, following a proposal from Mad Dog Mulching (MDM). Carlos Macho, owner of MDM, and his partner Jason Davis are looking to build an ethanol production facility on the 120-acre site. Though still in the very early stages, the county’s Environmental Protection Commission issued a permit on 21…
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On 20 December 2010 Denmark-based bioinnovation company Novozymes A/S signed a definitive agreement to acquire EMD/Merck Crop BioScience Inc. from Merck KGaA for $275 million (€209.4 million). The agreement is subject to customary regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close between February and May 2011. The total sum is to be paid to Merck KGaA, subject to customary…
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21 December 2010 saw the US District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia fully deny the petition by the National Petrochemical Refiners Association and the American Petroleum Institute challenging the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2). According to petitioners, the RFS2 final regulation violated the statutory requirements setting separate biomass based diesel volume requirements for…
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