Other News

Supported by the Department of Energy (DOE), National Science Foundation, USDA and United Soybean Board, research into soyabean oil production for use in biodiesel has advanced one stage further. Soyabean is one of the biofuel industry’s most important sources of oil, but with the plant’s production lacking, researchers are looking to increase the oil content produced by the soyabean. By…
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The fish farms in the area of Abu Dhabi could soon be used to produce jet fuel. The project, developed by The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Honeywell UOP, Boeing and Ethiad Airways, will be based around the oily plant Salicornia (also referred to as pickleweed or sea asparagus). While the fish are harvested for food, Salicornia will be harvested for oil. The Silicornia will…
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In a bid to increase the amount of biofuel produced in Germany, the land used for growing feedstocks, solar parks and wind turbines will be doubled in ten years’ time. Today, 1.77 million of Germany’s 35.7 million hectares are being used for renewable energy. If Germany is to generate half of its electricity from renewable sources by the end of the decade, almost 4 million hectares will be…
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In order to transport ethanol from the Midwest to the East Coast of the US, Magellan Midstream Partners and Poet are joining together in a venture to build a 1,800-mile pipeline. The pipeline, which will take four years to build and cost $4 billion (€2.8 billion), will begin at ethanol production facilities in the Midwest and carry the ethanol all the way to New Jersey, depending on a loan…
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The Indian government has given its consent to the National Policy on Biofuels, a move which will open doors to greater funding in the green fuel sector. There will be a commissioning of National Biofuel Fund and a Biofuel Coordination Committee headed by the Prime Minister. India wants to cut its dependence on hydrocarbon and coal, 70% of which is derived from imports. Its future could lie…
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On 29 January DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol (DDCE) and University of Tennessee/Genera Energy will open their first cellulosic ethanol demo plant, dedicated to converting both agricultural residue and bioenergy crops to fuel ethanol. The facility, located in Vonore, Tennessee, has initiated start-up and commissioning and will begin producing ethanol in mid-January. The facility has the…
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Upson County in Georgia, US, will be home to a new biorefinery demonstration plant as a result of the partnership between Diamond Alternative Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Valero Energy, and consulting firm American Process (API). The opening of the new facility, expected around the first quarter of 2010, represents the creation of 25-30 jobs in Thomaston and Atlanta. The demonstration…
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In the US, fuel terminal operator Blendstar has opened an ethanol blending terminal in Collins, Mississippi. The new terminal, which is Blendstar's eighth operating facility located in six states, will blend ethanol from Green Plain Renewable Energy, which holds a majority stake in Blendstar. The Mississippi terminal is wholly-owned and controlled by Blendstar. ‘This new terminal not…
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While people are trying to cut down on tobacco, one research unit has increased the amount of oil produced from tobacco leaves, a potential feedstock for biodiesel. Tobacco seeds produce around 40% oil per dry weight but a crop of the plant yields only around 600kg of seeds per acre. The leaves have an oil content of around 1.7-4% oil per dry weight. In Pennsylvania, US, researchers from the…
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In the US bankruptcy forced Mid-America Agri Products to auction its 44 million gallon a year ethanol plant in south-central Nebraska, with a finalised sale on 30 December. Nebraska Corn Processing bought the plant for more than $30 million (€20.8 million) in a bankruptcy auction. Mid-America Agri Products filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last Q3, several months after closing the…
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Struggling Swiss biodiesel producer Biopetrol has received a helping hand from fellow national commodities trader Glencore. The trader has taken a majority stake in Biopetrol Industries, which underwent financial restructuring earlier this year. ‘The changes in market conditions in the biofuels industry have made it necessary to achieve further economies of scale and extend the value…
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Houston, Texas-based Renewable Biofuels has idled its 180 million gallon a year biodiesel fuel plant in Port Neches, just a year after it opened. The company says the decision became unavoidable after Congress failed to renew a tax credit of $1 (€0.69) per gallon for the alternative fuel on 31 December. The credit gave a dollar to refiners for every gallon of biodiesel they blended into…
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In November last year the Norwegian Government proposed to remove a tax exemption on biodiesel, and now other renewable fuel is gaining greater presence thanks to energy giant Statoil. Statoil is the first company in Norway to offer 5% bioethanol to general consumers at its petrol stations. From January 2010 onwards 40% of Statoil’s stations will be selling the new biofuel Bensin 95. The new…
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