Other News

The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) has allocated RM1 million (€231,260) to Petronas, Shell, BHP, ExxonMobil and Chevron to set up infrastructure for B5 biodiesel blending facilities, ahead of the introduction of the mandate next year. The incentive comes as the government aims to fully implement a B5 mandate by mid 2011, a requirement which was supposed to have been put in place by January…
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In the US a group of 23 environmental, consumer, food, auto and other industry organisations want to block ethanol producers’ endeavours to have the government mandate the sale of petrol containing 12% ethanol (E12). The group approached the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on 28 September to deny the request. In a letter to EPA Assistant Administrator Gina McCarthy, the…
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Delegates registering for the upcoming Bioenergy International Asia expo & conference can now receive a 10% discount to the event if they register before 15th October. The two day event, being held on 10-11th November in Kuala Lumpur, organised by market leading publication Biofuels International magazine, is now in its second year and is supported by the Malaysian Biodiesel…
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While Brazil’s ethanol industry continues to boom South American neighbour Peru’s industry is facing further set-backs. The nation has decided to delay the planned roll-out of an obligatory biofuel blending mandate in the Peruvian capital, Lima, and in the province of Callao in order to avoid the need for imports. Projected national demand including the capital is 10,000m3 per month and…
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Hydrocarbon Hotel, a joint venture between North Sea Group BV, a storage and distribution firm based in the Netherlands, and UK-based Blue Ocean Associates, is building a sea terminal in the Port of Amsterdam. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on 23 September 2010. The terminal will consist of 11 tanks and so far the foundations of the first three tanks have been laid. When…
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CORE BioFuels is planning to build its first facility in Houston, British Columbia, Canada. The $100 million (€73.3 million) plant, which takes biomass as a feedstock to produce 92 octane petrol, will employ 40 to 50 people and begin operations by the end of 2012. CORE BioFuel’s patent-pending MKS Gasoline Synthesis Process (MKS Process) is a ground breaking development that addresses the…
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Kenya’s Mumias Sugar Company plans to start production of ethanol from sugarcane by the end of 2011. The plant is expected to produce about 22 million litres of ethanol a year to be sold primarily to the East African Community and COMESA member states. The project includes electricity co-generation, and the company is currently working on a carbon trading initiative. Funding for the $64.5…
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In a deal that will help the African nation of Sudan diversify its energy portfolio, Kenana Sugar Company has signed two deals with Brazil-based Dedini. Reported to be worth between $300 and $500 million (€220 and €367 million), the deal will see Dedini supply machinery and equipment to the company’s ethanol-from-sugarcane plant in Sudan. Dedini’s equipment will help to double the…
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Sweden has 310 million litres of installed ethanol capacity using a range of feedstocks including cereals, raw alcohol and pulp. Now a new research project is examining a new feedstock: corn waste. Swedish ethanol producer Sekab and Swedish technology specialist Taurus Energy will begin a two-month trial on ethanol production from corn waste in October in partnership with two Swedish…
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The Japanese government has implemented a set of guidelines that could see the nation cut its CO2 emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to levels in 1990. Japan is the fifth largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world and is looking to boost the amount of electricity generated from non-fossil fuels in a bid to cut these emissions by 25% by 2020. Currently just 34% of the country’s…
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In late 2008 Canada-based Lignol, a technology firm in the cellulosic ethanol, biochemicals and biorefining sector, signed a $30 million (€21.91 million) agreement with the US Department of Energy (DoE) relating to the construction of a commercial demonstration cellulosic ethanol plant. Now the agreement has been modified whereby approximately $4 million (previously €1.56 million) has been…
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Aurora Algae, a producer of algae-based products, located in California, US, is expanding its operations. The expansion will see Aurora Algae open a new regional headquarters in Perth, Australia. Matthew Caspari, the managing director and co-founder of Aurora Algae, will lead the new office and oversee the construction and operation of what will be the company’s first commercial-scale…
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Biodiesel producer Renewable Energy Group (REG) is to acquire biodiesel assets from Ares Corporation. Burlingame, California-based Ares is an engineering, risk management, software/IT and project management firm, which will invest an additional $8 million (€5.99 million) into REG in an all common stock transaction. Ares previously owned the 15 million gallon-a-year facility in Clovis, New…
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