Other News

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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The emergence of specialty pipelines that deliver renewable and alternative energy substances from the point of production to points of blending, storage or end use will be a catalyst for growth in the development of current and future alternative fuel projects, according to Specialty Pipelines for Renewable and Alternative Energy Substances by market research publisher SBI Energy. The report…
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Novasep Process, the bioprocess division of Novasep, a supplier of manufacturing solutions to the life sciences industry, and Danisco, a Denmark-headquartered company dedicated to food and feed ingredients, enzymes and biobased solutions, are to scale-up a new extraction process for the production of natural betaine. The plant will use vanasse, a byproduct of bioethanol derived from sugar beet.…
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Energy company Jatoil has executed a share subscription agreement with Sheng Run Holdings. An Australian company owned by Chinese electric power and road infrastructure developer Li Xipeng, Sheng Run Holdings Group has been issued 17,144,888 fully paid ordinary shares in Jatoil at $0.04 (€0.03) per share, to raise $685,796. This placement represents 13.04% of the issued capital of the…
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Finland could see its transport fuel sector made up of 20% biofuels by 2020 after the Finnish parliament approved the contents of a biofuel bill on 10 December. Today Finland’s distribution requirement stands at 4%. Should the bill be passed into law, motor fuels will comprise 6% biofuels in 2011, before gradually increasing and reaching 20% in 10 years’ time. The new law would be in…
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Solar Acquisition Corp. has successfully established its wholly owned biofuels subsidiary B151. B151 will be responsible for the production of B100 at a cost lower than that of rival biofuel manufacturers, before selling it on to downstream blenders and refiners. It will be blended with conventional fossil fuel-based diesel. ‘Biofuels derived from biomass and advanced biofuels are becoming…
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Key German biodiesel producer EOP Biodiesel has declared bankruptcy following ongoing issues with its banks. Production at the company’s Pritzwalk-based biodiesel plant ceased in October after a gear unit at its oil mill was damaged. However it is thought that production could commence once again early next year after repairs have taken place.
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UK-based BP Biofuels has outlined four criteria for successful sugar-based biofuels. Speaking at the International Sugar Organisation meeting in London on 26 November, Phil New, head of BP Biofuels, explains that, for one, it needs to be low in cost. In order to compete with oil priced at between $40 and $50 (€30.4 and €38) a barrel, the biofuel must be $1 a gallon. It must also be low in…
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The US Senate has approved the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010. The legislation retroactively extends the biodiesel tax incentive through 2011. ‘The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is pleased by the Senate’s vote to retroactively extend the biodiesel tax incentive,’ said Manning Feraci, NBB VP of federal affairs. ‘This will help ensure that…
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As the UK reaches a critical crossroads for renewable energy, and specifically the generation of biogas through anaerobic digestion (AD), The Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA)’s National Conference 2010 could not come at a more important time. Bringing together government departments and agencies, interest groups and industry, the conference will consider AD's place in the…
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