Other News

The results of VeraSun’s US bankruptcy court hearing could determine a new floor price for ethanol plants on the bankruptcy auction block. If the judge approves a suite of bids on VeraSun Energy 17 facilities, buyers interested in other distressed ethanol assets might hope to pay the same low prices offered by VeraSun's suitors. VeraSun accepted bids on 17 March totalling $993 million…
Read More »

Biofuels International expo & conference 2009 brings you presentations from Shell Global Solutions, Bentley Motors, Ineos Bio, Inbicon, Argent Energy, Mabanaft, European Biodiesel Board, European Bioethanol Fuel Association, the Port of Amsterdam, and many more. You won’t find this quality anywhere else for better value! With over 500 visitors attending the meeting in 2008, 2009 promises to…
Read More »

An ethanol tank explosion at Bartow Ethanol Florida has led to the plant being closed until further investigation. The explosion was in a 50,000-gallon tank that contained about 1,000 gallons of ethanol, says David Wyant, a spokesman for the Bartow Police Department. The fire following the explosion forced the evacuation of employees at Bartow Ethanol and at three other nearby companies -…
Read More »

With less than a month to go before the 2nd Biofuels International expo & conference in Amsterdam there are over 200 companies registered to attend the two day conference and exhibition. Companies registered include Shell Global Solutions, Total, Neste Oil, EcoPetrol, Standic, Mercuria Energy Trading, Oiltanking, Royal Vopak, Swedish Energy Agency, TNO, Solvay solexis, Yokogawa Europe, UK…
Read More »

US President Barack Obama has proposed rules requiring higher fuel economy (and lower carbon dioxide emissions) standards for cars. Under the rules, new passenger vehicles and light trucks must average 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. The move is another step towards proposed biofuel mandates to clean up cars and the environment. The move looks to mirror the national rules previously proposed in…
Read More »

The city of Berkeley, California, has decided to review its choice of biodiesel feedstock amid concerns of production increasing greenhouse gases. Berkeley has determined virgin-crop biodiesel is not beneficial to green house gas emissions. 'We are looking to replace virgin biodiesel (B20) with yellow grease B20 or any other product that is at least 5% lower carbon content than petroleum…
Read More »

The Bandung Institute of Technology in Indonesia has received backing from BMW Indonesia regarding its current research concerning alternative energy. The research is focusing on the potential of making biodiesel from raw, green materials such as vegetable oil rich that is in iodine. The results of which are expected before the end of 2009.
Read More »

The European Commission has approved the proposed creation of a biobutanol production technology joint venture between BP Biofuels and US chemical manufacturer DuPont, resulting in a dual takeover of US company Biobutanol LLC. The companies are on track to develop a biobutanol production plant in the UK. It will begin as a 420 million litre a year ethanol plant with operations expected mid-2010…
Read More »

Two New Zealand-based research companies have joined forces in an effort to improve the economics of algal biofuel production. Many industries, including dairy, meat and paper, produce nutrient-rich wastewater that must be cleaned before it can legally be discharged into the watercourse. As part of this cleaning process, ‘settling ponds’ are used to remove organic sludge from the…
Read More »

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has complained to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about possible errors in the data modelling used in the proposed enhanced Renewable Fuels Standard, widely known as RFS2. The RFA has long had concerns about the EPA's proposal to force all producers of biofuels to take into account the effects of indirect land use changes (ILUC), such as…
Read More »

Forget corn and soyabeans, a new source of biofuels may leave producers salivating. Sub-standard watermelon is being eyed as a potential feedstock owing to its high sugar content and the fact it can be readily distilled into alcohol to power cars and farm machinery. The news that retailers reject 360,000 tons of sub-standard fruit annually in the US alone provides the future of biofuels with a…
Read More »

BP expects biofuels to become a larger part of the US motor fuel market, displacing 25% of petrol within the next two decades. 'Diesel use is growing in the US, following the trend set by Europe, and biodiesel is expected to provide around 8% of the fuel for diesel-powered engines by 2030,' Katrina Landis, CEO of BP's Alternative Energy, says. ‘However, during the same period,…
Read More »

The waste produced from pigs could be the fuel of the future. German biogas plant manufacturer WELtec BioPower has begun building another 500-kW biogas plant in the UK designed to run in part on pig manure. The plant in Staffordshire, England, will be commissioned in January 2010. The investor and farmer will first operate the plant with pig manure and 2,000 tonnes of maize silage a year.…
Read More »

China Integrated Energy plans to sell 8 million shares of the company's stock in a public follow-on offering in order to fund the expansion of its biodiesel production capacity, wholesale distribution and retail gas station businesses, and working capital and general corporate purposes. The oil and gas company said it plans to grant the underwriters of the offering an option to buy up to…
Read More »