Other News

Africa’s massive land mass and rich feedstocks have attracted the attention of Brazilian industrial giant Odebrecht. The company is planning to inject $220million (€149 million) into sugar and ethanol production in Angola amounting to the production of 30 million litres of ethanol a year. The Brazilian company has set up a joint venture, Biocom, with the Angolan state-owned oil firm…
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A major U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) report released on 16 October says biofuels, like all new technologies, present opportunities and challenges but countries must approach them in a sophisticated manner if they are to benefit the economy, the environment and society as a whole. Biofuels are mostly produced from food crops including wheat, maize, sugarcane and vegetable oils, and advocates…
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Iowa-based Bio-NRG plans to build a $35 million (€23.4 million) integrated oilseed crushing and biorefinery facility on 15 acres on the east edge of LaHarpe, Illinois. The company expects to break ground sometime in 2010. Construction should take 12 to 14 months, with the plant expected to go online in 2011. It will be a 24/7, year-round operation that will employ between 25 and 50 people.…
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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has referenced primary standards contributor ASTM International in a recent greenhouse gas rule it approved. The final Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Rule was enacted in response to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 (H.R. 2764; Public Law 110-161). Under the rule, manufacturers of vehicles and engines and other entities that emit…
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NRG Energy has begun a pilot-scale biomass growing project at its Big Cajun II electrical generation site in Louisiana, US, that could result in commercial-scale biomass use by the company. A 20-acre plot was seeded with switchgrass and high-biomass sorghum at the recommendation of Ceres a developer and marketer of high-yield energy grasses. The choices were made after careful consideration of…
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Biodiesel producer China Clean Energy has completed construction of its Jiangyin plant. The commissioning process is now underway and a test-production run is expected in November 2009. The new plant has been designed to produce up to 100,000 tons of biodiesel per year or a combination of up to 40,000 tons of biodiesel and 30,000 tons of specialty chemicals. ‘Once fully operational, we…
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Florida, US-based clean energy company Clenergen is making India greener. Clenergen’s Chennai, India-based subsidiary has closed terms to acquire a 1.5 MW biomass power plant in Namakkal, Tamil Nadu. One of India’s national demonstration projects, the plant is expected to be operational before the end of the year. The plant was stopped in 2007 because of operational cash flow constraints…
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Renewable Energy Group Seneca has purchased Nova Biofuels Seneca’s biodiesel plant in Illinois, US. The plant has a capacity of 60 million gallons a year. REG also bought Nova Biosource Technologies. Earlier this year, REG purchased three large biodiesel plants: Western Iowa Energy, (30 mgy); Central Iowa Energy (30 mgy); and Blackhawk Biofuels 45 (mgy).
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Dan Bulzan from the NASA Glenn Research Centre will be giving the industry an update on renewable aviation fuels at the upcoming Biofuels International Canada expo & conference on 28-29th October in Montreal, organised by leading publication Biofuels International magazine. The ability to fly conveniently and efficiently between nations has been a catalyst for the global economy and has…
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While chemical businesses may be waning in Teesside, north east England, UK, a green light is shining bright. Ensus has built a £300 million (€326 million) wheat-based bioethanol plant, whose by-products will be used to produce animal feed and carbon dioxide for the soft drinks industry. The plant could be ready by the end of Q4 One million tonnes of wheat will be brought in from…
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US-based Gevo has launched a 1 mgy biobutanol plant in St. Joseph, Missouri. The plant, originally a conventional ethanol plant, underwent conversion to a biobutanol facility. With the launch, Gevo has advanced on two fronts: first, towards demonstration of the viability of its fuel both as a petrol replacement and as an intermediate, convertible into renewable green petrol, green diesel and…
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Canadian biofuel production is expected to rise 76% in two years, as government subsidies for production plants and renewable-fuel requirements take effect. Total biofuel production will reach 2.5 billion litres (660 million gallons) annually by 2011, including 2 billion litres of ethanol and 500 million litres of biodiesel, according to Gordon Quaiattini, president of the Canadian Renewable…
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Murphy Oil has announced that it will buy a corn-based ethanol plant in North Dakota for $92 million (€ 63 million), marking the company's first foray into biofuel manufacturing. The Arkansas-based oil company said the deal will be financed primarily through non-recourse debt offered through the sellers. The company plans to invest $15 million in working capital into the 110 million…
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