Other News

A biodiesel plant in Washington, US, was the scene of a ferocious explosion that forced the evacuation of several businesses nearby. All plant workers are safe and have been accounted for. Experts are now assessing the damage, determining what caused the blast. The Imperium Renewables Biodiesel refinery stores thousands of gallons of dangerous materials. The explosion apparently occurred when…
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Korea will raise its biodiesel blend levels in 2010. The proportion of plant and animal oil mixed with diesel will be raised to 2% from the current 1.5%. The government will also waive the oil tax of 529 won (€0.31) per litre for diesel fuel next year due to the rise in biomass content. Korea was the first Asian country to mix biodiesel with common diesel in July 2006. In 2007, the biomass…
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New York-based renewable fuels producer Innovation Fuels has acquired the former Shell Oil terminal at the Port of Milwaukee in the US. Innovation Fuels says it will use the 310,000 barrel capacity terminal to bring biodiesel and other renewable fuels in and out of the Midwest to the east coast and overseas. The terminal was built in the 1950s as Shell Oil's Milwaukee headquarters. It…
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Mission Biofuel India is seeking government approval to construct a biodiesel refinery in the eastern coast state of Orissa, by the Bay of Bengal, India. The first phase of the project is expected to cost Rs 350 crore (€55.8 million). The company is focusing on seeds from the jatropha plant as feedstock. The company is looking at wastelands around the ports at Paradip and Dhamra. Jatropha…
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Denmark-based renewable energy company BioGasol has received €10.4 million to help finance its 5 million litre (1.3 mgy) BornBioFuel cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant project in Bornholm, Denmark. The sum was awarded by the Danish Energy Agency’s Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program. BioGasol received €3.6 million from the agency in December 2007 for the €35…
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Honda Motor Company has developed what it calls the world's first motorcycle powered by an eco-friendly fuel mixed with bioethanol and petrol due for sale in Brazil later this month. Honda's Brazilian subsidiary plans to sell about 200,000 units of the CG150 Titan Mix, which will come in three models with prices ranging from 6,340 reais to 7,290 reais (€2139-2460). The models will…
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A recent survey conducted by the Cooperative Campaign Analysis Project shows that 67% of US respondents are interested in learning more about renewable biofuels. This public interest mainly came when oil prices started going up back in late 2007 and many as 66% people agreed that the use of biofuels will condense the US dependency on foreign oil. Another 53% believed biofuels will have a…
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The Californian Air Resources Board is expected today to approve the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, in its boldest attempt to slash greenhouse gas emissions. The standard aims to discouraging oil use by boosting alternatives such as ethanol, biodiesel and natural gas. Starting in 2011, the standard would steadily lower the allowable 'carbon intensity' of fuels, the amount of greenhouse…
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Omaha, US-based Green Plains Renewable Energy has won a €1.6 million state grant for a pilot project to produce algae from by-products of its Shenandoah, Iowa, ethanol plant. Pending the success of the pilot project, Green Plains intends to develop a commercial plant producing algae for biofuels. The high-protein algae could be added to the dried distillers grains produced by ethanol plants…
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German biodiesel producer Petrotec has announced that it has undertaken an internal restructuring programme that is likely to lead to the release of more than 20 employees within the coming days. It says the restructuring programme is deemed necessary to ensure the company’s survival. Spokesman of the Board of German biodiesel producer Petrotec, Roger Böing, has stepped down from his…
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The partnership between BP and DuPont to accelerate its next generation clean renewable fuels has successfully tested biobutanol over 1.3 million miles in an ordinary car. In an exclusive interview for the June issue of Biofuels International magazine BP's Philip New says typical blends of around 16% were used without the need for modifications. Like ethanol, biobutanol can be produced…
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The northern region of Vietnam has begun construction on the region’s first bioethanol plant in the province of Phu Tho. The US$80 million project producing 100,000 m3 of ethanol per year is scheduled to come online in December 2010, converting locally available cassava and sugarcane to fuel. The project investor, Bio-Petroleum and Petrochemical Joint Stock Company (PVB), will sign direct…
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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has decided to extend the comment period on a draft rule that aims to cut greenhouse gases emitted by biofuels. The proposed changes to the 2007 US Renewable Fuel Standard attempt to make production of corn-based ethanol more efficient and increase output of advanced biofuels. The comment period on the rule (RFS2) has been extended by 60 days, from…
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In the US, the Department of Energy (DoE) has seen sense in scouring the ponds for renewable fuel potential. The Department has announced $85 million (€60 million) in funding for the development of algae-based biofuels and advanced, infrastructure-compatible biofuels. The funding comes as part of the funds released from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The goal of the monies…
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