Other News

One of the world’s first cellulosic ethanol demonstration facilities has opened in Vonore, Tennessee, in a ribbon-cutting affair, followed by a tour of the 74,000-square-foot plant. Several hundred visitors gathered to witness the opening of this demo refinery – a partnership between Genera Energy and DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol (DDCE) that has the capacity to convert switchgrass and…
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In Canada, discarded food from the kitchen table is to be the latest waste product used to generate biofuel. A $57 million (€41 million) refinery is going to be built in Quebec City and construction will begin this summer. The federal government is awarding $17.7 million to the construction of this plant, while the province is adding a further $16.5 million. The majority of the cost will be…
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In 2008, Georgia Power announced that one of its plants would convert from burning coal to burning woody biomass in an attempt to generate green electricity. The conversion of Plant Mitchell would make it the largest biomass plant in the country and was given the go-ahead last March by the Georgia Public Service Commission. Plant Mitchell was due to be operational in June 2012, after…
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Leading the way in the development and commercialisation of cellulosic ethanol, Verenium Corporation and energy giant BP have extended their original 18-month partnership. Scheduled to terminate on 1 February, the collaboration will now expire one month later, on 1 March 2010. In a joint venture with BP that is expected to be extended yet again during these approaching weeks, Verenium is…
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With a string of investments under its belt since 2005, including SiC Processing, Ostara, Hydrodec and Solar Century, growth capital investor Frog Capital’s most recent investee comes in the form of the German company, agri.capital. Now one of Europe’s largest biogas producers, Munster-based agri.capital employs 130 people over 46 electricity production sites. The firm has a fitted…
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The Netherlands-based energy major Shell and Brazilian ethanol manufacturer and trader Cosan have formed a joint venture (JV) to produce 2 billion litres a year of ethanol. The $12 billion (€8.6 billion) JV will also generate power, and the supply, distribution and retail of transportation fuels. ‘We see joining with Cosan as a way to grow the role of low-carbon, sustainable biofuels in the…
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The Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts a reversal in fortunes for the US ethanol industry this year. From 2008-2009 a decline in ethanol-blended petrol consumption struck a blow to the industry, but now the economy is set to bounce back, and the rising requirements of the federal Renewable Fuel Standards will further assist this. ‘Ethanol production continues to grow to meet the…
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A first-of-its-kind refinery is to be constructed in Hugoton, Kansas, US, using crop waste as its feedstock. It is thought that 2,500 tons of corn stover, wheat straw and switchgrass will be consumed daily, using around 10-12% of the biomass within a 50-mile radius. The company will spend around $13 million (€9.2 million) a year on biomass. This profit-making plant will generate 75MW of…
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All delegates at the upcoming Biofuels International expo & conference in Prague on 5-6 May will benefit from a tour of a nearby biodiesel facility on 4th May. Preol is a leading producer in the Czech Republic, which has just completed constructing a state-of-the-art biodiesel plant in the industrial region of Lovosice. The plant, designed by Desmet Ballestra, has the capacity to produce…
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Based on statistics published by The Forestry Commission, Yorkshire and the Humber is the top region in the country for the installation of biomass heat boilers. With 290 out of the 1,960 in England today, this figure is up 45 since last year. Responsible for protecting, growing and promoting the sustainable management of woodlands and forests, The Forestry Commission claims that these…
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Sweden has long tapped into the bioethanol stream and now a new partnership is looking at liquid biogas as a transportation fuel. Vehicle manufacturer Volvo’s subsidiary Terracastus Technologies and waste management firm Nordvastra Skanes Renhallningsbolag plan to jointly construct a liquid biogas plant in southern Sweden. In December, the two companies signed a letter of intent to begin a…
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In Wisconsin, US, a state-funded $250 million (€178 million) project aims to convert a coal-fired power plant to one that primarily burns biomass. The project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison faces hurdles, however, in getting off the ground greenly. Upfront construction costs will be higher than other alternatives that were considered. No infrastructure exists to process the eclectic…
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In Sweden, thanks to a team effort between Kungsbacka Municipality, Halland County, and Renova, the country’s first energy efficient garbage truck has been delivered. It is the first of eight garbage trucks around Sweden to run on biomethane and biodiesel. CEO of Renova, Sweden’s major recycling company Christian Baarlid said: ‘It is largely thanks to the municipality’s “green…
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