Other News

Floridian biofuel start-up Ag-Oil plans to build a $20 million (€14.2 million) pilot-scale biodiesel production facility with the potential to produce 15 million gallons a year on Delray Beach. The biorefinery will use a patented technology to convert jatropha seeds, algae and related by-products into biodiesel fuel. The company, the recipient of a $2.5 million state renewable energy grant,…
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BP Biofuels, a subsidiary of UK energy giant BP, and US agri-tech company DuPont have formed Butamax Advanced Biofuels to accelerate biobutanol commercialisation. BP and DuPont have conducted four years of extensive technology development and fuel testing. The technology demonstration facility located at the BP Saltend site in Hull, UK, is planned to be operational in 2010. The first…
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The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) has announced a number of clean energy projects, including biogas, and funding in the developed world. REEEP provided €667,500 in seed funding for eight new finance projects to accelerate the clean energy market in these countries. Microfinance facilities are a way to open up access to energy services for the rural poor. REEEP…
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Researchers at the US’ Argonne National Laboratory are studying a systems approach to sustainable biomass feedstock production. If implemented the approach could mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and the impact of biomass for biofuels production on food crops, help restore contaminated water resources and reduce the cost of transporting biomass. In the study, agricultural, energy and…
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Energy company Cello Energy has received a court order to pay $10.4 million (€7.4 million) over allegations the firm fraudulently claimed it could produce cheap fuel from hay, waste wood and other material. A jury ruled that Cello Energy, owned by a former head of the Alabama Ethics Commission, was liable for breach of contract with New York-based paper company Parsons & Whittemore,…
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Bache Commodities Group has launched the Bache Commodity Green Index (BCGI) to offer investors a tool to invest in commodities with a focus on biofuels. The BCGI comprises two components: the Bache Biofuel Composite and Bache Clear Air Composite. The Bache Biofuel Composite includes agricultural commodities such as corn and sugar used for ethanol production, along with oilseeds used for…
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The UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Renewable Transport Fuels Group will host a meeting on 6 July at the House of Commons in London starting at 16:30 p.m. The role of the All-Party Group is to provide a forum for parliamentarians and other interested parties to generate informed discussion on the role of all renewable transport fuels, including biofuels, hydrogen, and electric vehicles in…
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Choren Industries’ new generation biomass biofuel plant is expected to begin initial commercial production in 2010. The plant is being built in Freiberg, Germany, with a capacity to produce around 15,000 tonnes of biomass-to-liquid (BTL) fuels largely using wood products and wood-based waste. Germany is among the first European countries building test plants to produce commercial volumes of…
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The largest biodiesel refinery in the US was put up for sale after the owner shut down the $70 million (€50 million) facility due to declining demand. GreenHunter Energy has plans to sell the Houston, Texas-based 105 Mgy plant by the end of the year in order to meet its $50 million financing obligations with a key lender. The plant, which only opened in June 2008, has been sitting idle since…
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Energy giant BP and cellulosic ethanol developer Verenium have been selected by the US Department of Energy (DoE) to enter the due diligence phase of its Title XVII Loan Guarantee Programme. The project is entitled to a loan guarantee from the DoE, which would support debt funding for first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant, covering up to 80% of eligible costs. 'We believe this…
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US, Ohio-based Dayton Power and Light (DP&L) has issued a request for proposals to use biofuels at its generating stations. The company is stepping towards incorporating renewable energy resources into its services. DP&L has indicated its plans to purchase a maximum of 15,000 tonnes of biomass fuels by the end of 2009 and a maximum of 100,000 tonnes in the following five years, in…
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Cavendish Farms, a North American potato product producer, has finalised the construction of an anaerobic digestion facility that will generate biogas from potato waste. The project is a first for the potato industry. The new plant in Price Edward Island, Canada, will accompany the existing wastewater treatment facility, and will handle production rates of 120,000 tonnes per year. The plant…
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US-based biofuels developer BioEnergy International has formed Myriant Technologies (Myriant) to incorporate all of its biobased chemicals business and intellectual property. BioEnergy is building a 110 million gallon a year ethanol plant in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, with operations expected in January. ‘The new alignment will facilitate a clearer understanding and market valuation of each…
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