Other News

Petroleum company Indian Oil is pondering pond matter as a biofuel. The company has signed a memorandum of understanding with PetroAlgae to license the latter’s proprietary technology for producing and harvesting algae. The Florida-based green fuel company has developed bioreactors and harvesting methods for converting algae grown in open-pond freshwater farms into biodiesel. The first…
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Norway’s Borregaard has received €4 million in research grants from the EU, which will be used for demonstration plants within development projects connected to Borregaard's biorefinery concept. The EU's seventh framework programme for R&D is offering altogether €57 million through the Joint Biorefinery Call during the period 2010-2014. More than 50 projects applied at the…
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Spain’s agricultural potential could prove more energetic than before. The nation has the resources for agro-industrial biogas production of 8 billion m3 a year, a survey carried out by the Probiogas Project finds. The biogas could be produced using the 83.5 million tonnes of agricultural by-products generated in Spain. Spain produces 49 million tonnes a year of livestock by-products,…
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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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The American Midwest is known for big things. Now a project to create the largest biomass-fuelled plant in the region has been granted approval. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has unanimously approved the regional utility giant Xcel Energy’s plans to spend $58.1 million (€39 million) to upgrade its Bay Front Power Plant in Ashland, installing biomass gasification technology so…
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California’s status as the new green state has drawn the interests of two biodiesel producers. Canada-based Sunx Energy will open a 21,500 square foot biodiesel plant, and San Diego-based Dynasty Energy will open a 20,164 square foot biodiesel plant, in the state. ‘It's always good to have green industries coming to town because it encourages other green industries to come,’ Adelanto…
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Following a series of intensive tests this year, one airline company is to become the first to power an aeroplane carrying passengers. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will transport a limited number of passengers on a Boeing 747 on 23 November powered by a mixture of camelina-based oil and kerosene jet oil. Camelina biofuel has been proven to reduce emissions by as much as 80%. The jet will require no…
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The Government of Canada will invest up to C$77.75 million (€49.5 million) over seven years to help support ethanol production in Saskatchewan. The sum will be injected into Terra Grain Fuels' ethanol facility in the province under the federal government's ecoENERGY for biofuels programme. Terra Grain Fuels ethanol plant in Belle Plaine, Saskatchewan, currently has the capacity to…
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The Philippines is enhancing its biofuel infrastructure following approval by the Department of Energy (DoE) for seven biofuel projects with combined investments of over P7 billion (€99 million). The projects are a mixture of ethanol and biodiesel plants. The largest is a P3.4 billion ethanol facility to be undertaken by Cavite Biofuels Producers producing 34.4 million litres a year. Chemrez…
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One of the world’s poorest countries, Ethiopia, is developing biofuel crops on over 500,000 hectares of arid land. ‘Castor oil plants, jatropha and palm oil plants are being developed to reduce land-locked Ethiopia's dependency on imported oil,’ Ephrem Hassen, coordinator of biofuels development in the Ministry of Mines and Energy, comments. Ethiopia's programme will not use…
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Azerbaijan is tapping into new alternative energy sources. The country’s chairman of the parliamentary commission on energy, ecology and natural resources Valekh Alaskarov says Azerbaijan has the ability to use various types of alternative energy sources with a focus on biogas. ‘It will enable providing remote regions of the country with alternative energy expeditiously and justifiably…
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Tank Storage/Biofuels Asia expo & conference at the Suntec Centre, Singapore, is now just days away! As an added incentive visitors to the combined exhibition on 19-20th November will now receive access to the complementary networking cocktail reception on 19th November at 17.00 This gives you an opportunity to network with both the speakers and the conference delegates. Companies already…
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Energy leading US state California is perhaps not every ethanol producer’s choice. BlueFire Ethanol planned to build its second cellulosic ethanol facility in the state, but development and licensing concerns, coupled with the challenging business climate in California caused company officials to petition the Department of Energy for a site change to Mississippi. The producer has received…
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