Other News

Brazilian oil giant Petrobras is to purchase a 45.7% share in ethanol producer Acucar Guarani, previously controlled by France-based sugar, starch and ethanol producer Tereos. Petrobras Biocombustivel will acquire the stake for $920 million (€706.3 million), valuing the Guarani company at $2.01 billion. Petrobras will make the payment in three stages in the hope that this will increase the…
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The European Biodiesel Board (EBB) and the European Bioethanol Fuel Associations (eBIO) have withdrawn from the Roundtable of Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) following claims that the RSB works with ‘obscure consultants’ and ‘ambiguous organisations.’ In response to EBB's letter of resignation, RSB's executive secretary Alwin Kopse urges EBB to ‘identify such organisations for the…
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Sustainable fuel manufactured from soyabeans leaves the atmosphere worse-off than conventional fossil fuels by releasing a higher amount of carbon dioxide (CO2), a report finds. According to the European report commissioned in Brussels for the European Commission, released under Freedom of Information rules, some biofuels can result in four times as much CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere…
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In Dundarrach, North Carolina, US, the $100 million (€75 million) Hoke Country ethanol plant is due to start producing its first batch of ethanol on Saturday 1 May. Ethanol producer Clean Burn Fuels’ plant, which was originally expected to begin production in January this year, faced various construction delays. Rescheduled for April, production had to be set back again due to the bad…
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US-based derivatives marketplace CME Group has launched trading and clearing services for four new European biofuel swap futures contracts. Trading will be available on the New York trading floor and clearing services through CME ClearPort, a set of flexible clearing services open to over-the-counter (OTC) market participants to substantially mitigate counterparty risk and provide neutral…
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Following the resignation of the Czech Minister of the Environment Jan Dusík in March, Vladimír Vlk, energy advisor for the new Minister of the Environment Rut Bízková, will now make the keynote presentation at the upcoming Bioenergy International expo & conference next week in Prague on 5-6 May. Dusik resigned because he felt that the prime minister had put him under undue pressure to…
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Tanquid, OPEC, Vopak, Mestilla, Petrom, Amerifina Bio-Fuels, Noil Energy Group, Enamo, MÜNZER Bioindustrie, OK a.m.b.a, LSPO Oy, BTP Biodiesel, Slovnaft, GREENEA, Noil Energy Group, Coalandoil, italgest, Shimadzu Europa, Camlin Fine Chem, Transpetrol – just some of the names registered for the third Bioenergy International expo & conference, organised by leading global publication Biofuels…
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In Finland refining and marketing company Neste Oil has begun testing its Neste Green 100 diesel as transport fuel. Neste Green 100 diesel is made from 100% renewable raw materials which have between 40 and 80% lower carbon dioxide emissions than conventional diesel. Its tailpipe emissions are also lower. Neste Oil’s executive vice president Sakari Toivola said: ‘This is the first time…
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Hawaii-based ClearFuels Technology has signed a letter of agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) to build a biorefinery in Colorado. ClearFuels will receive an initial $7.7 million (€5.6 million) toward the construction of the Colorado refinery as part of an overall $22.6 million DoE grant. The ClearFuels-Rentech biorefinery in Colorado is scheduled to be completed by the end of…
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Biology-based renewable energy company Coskata develops technology for the production of biofuels and biochemicals from biomass and waste materials and has now closed a round of equity financing with French oil major Total. The oil and gas firm has invested in the round of equity financing and will have a seat on Coskata’s Board of Directors. The investment will go towards helping Coskata…
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Petrojam Ethanol Limited (PEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Petrojam Limited, has ceased its production of ethanol, idling its 40 million gallon-a-year plant based in Jamaica. The facility was shut down due to the lack of raw material being delivered from Brazilian trading company Coimex. ‘The government must accept full responsibility for this state of affairs’, said energy spokesman…
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Ferry service company Miller Boat Line is switching to green fuel this season to ferry travellers to Put-in-Bay in Ohio, US. The William Market passenger vessel is to run on a 10 to 20% blend of G2 Diesel to Put-in-Bay, which is located on South Bass Island in Lake Erie. Although using biodiesel will cost Miller Boat Line more than conventional diesel, this will not affect travel prices. G2…
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100% fuel grade ethanol will power the racecars in the Toyota Grand Prix, held on Long Beach on 18 April 2010, according to the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA). UNICA has partnered with IndyCar to raise awareness about the use of ethanol. UNICA’s chief representative Joel Velasco for the US said: ‘Sugarcane ethanol is a clean and affordable renewable fuel that could help…
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