Other News

The US Environmental Protection Agency has issued a draft rule calling for further use of advanced biofuels and to measure carbon dioxide emissions from alternative motor fuels. The regulatory body’s move looks to reduce the impact biofuels have on the climate and food prices. The move confirms the schedule of the 2007 Renewable Fuels Standard which called for the blending of 136 billion…
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The Brazilian government will deliberate over plans to increase the local biodiesel blending level from 3% to 4% in July this year. As a world leader in the production of soyabean oil, the implications of these new plans will result in sharply reducing its export. If the new mandate is implemented the export of soyabean oil from Brazil may be ruled out during the second half of 2009. Brazil…
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Innovation Fuels plans to begin biodiesel operations later this month at a New Haven port terminal in Connecticut, US. The biodiesel producer has announced that intermodal connections in the area will enable the company to position itself as a biodiesel distributor for the region. The company will receive biodiesel by barge from its production plant in Newark, New Jersey, and ship it by rail…
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US ethanol powerhouse Poet is creating a new division to handle cob collection and supply chain management. Poet Biomass will also look after logistics for waste wood and engineered fuels as alternative power sources and seek out additional feedstocks for future cellulosic ethanol production. Scott Weishaar, Poet’s VP of commercial development, says: ‘Poet’s cellulosic ethanol goals…
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The NASA Glenn Research Center and Israel-based marine microalgae developer Seambiotic's US subsidiary are developing a collaborative R&D programme for optimisation of open-pond microalgae growth processes for biofuels production. The goal of the agreement is to make use of NASA’s expertise in large scale computational modelling and combine it with Seambiotic’s biological process…
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Uganda may be producing bioethanol from non-food crops within a year, say scientists. A research programme led by the National Crop Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) is using a wide range of cellulosic feedstocks such as elephant grass, cassava and wood. The production of ethanol from cellulose is more difficult than from food crops, since it requires the complex carbohydrates in cellulose…
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Plankton Power and Regional Technology Development (RTDC) are to form a consortium with various research organisations and the Massachusetts National Guard to establish the Cape Cod Algae Biorefinery in the US state of Massachusetts. The new facility will focus on pilot- and commercial-scale development of algae biodiesel. Pending legal and regulatory reviews, the plant will be built on five…
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Petrobras, Brazil’s largest oil company, is in talks about the possible purchase of a controlling stake in Brenco, a Brazilian ethanol producer backed by venture capitalist Vinod Khosla and America Online (AOL) founder Steve Case. Brenco was reported to be considering the offer alongside two others, including one proposing a merger with ETH Bioenergia, an ethanol producer controlled by…
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The US' Valero Energy, which first looked into the ethanol market, is now forming a biodiesel joint venture. The company is planning to build a 135 mgy renewable diesel plant with food processing by-products recycling company Darling International. The proposed plant would be situated next to Valero’s existing St Charles refinery near Norco, Louisiana. The companies intend to seek a…
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In the UK, Scotland comes a step closer to greener heat and power following the signing of a multi-million-pound deal. A contract established between Tullis Russell Papermakers and RWE NPower means a 50-megawatt biomass power plant will supply energy for Tullis Russell’s mill in Markinch, Fife, Scotland. The plant will replace an existing coal-fired power plant, owned by RWE NPower…
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A debate in the UK parliament’s House of Commons has called for an amendment to current UK biofuels legislation to encourage the use of used cooking oil as a feedstock. Biodiesel manufactured from used cooking oil is one of the most sustainable renewable fuels available, using a waste product to produce energy and reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 90%. However, under the current…
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One biodiesel feedstock-rich nation is taking the unusual step and reducing its mandate targets. Malaysian Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok says the country is likely to reduce its local biodiesel blend to B3 from the current B5 mandate, due to the slow usage and costly government subsidy. Under the current mandate, the government has set a January 2010…
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Feedstock supplier GEM BioFuels has started commercial production of crude jatropha oil (CJO). The company plans to make its first shipment of CJO, bound for Europe and Australia, early next month and expect the value of the initial shipment to be relatively low. Paul Benetti, CEO of GEM BioFuels said: ‘The commencement of commercial jatropha oil production is a landmark for the company and…
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The first large scale biodiesel pumps in Nanaimo, Canada will be set up next year for people to use in modified vehicles. The Nanaimo Recycling Exchange (NRE) will offer the service in participation with Cowichan Energy Alternative (CEA). Spokesman for CEA, Mark Turcotte, said: ‘The NRE will recycle the used vegetable oil that is collected from Nanaimo's homes and businesses into…
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