Other News

State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has entered a partnership with the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for a pilot project to produce cellulosic ethanol from agricultural and wood wastes. IOC will invest $4 million (€2.92 million) for the pilot, while NREL has also signed an agreement with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy regarding the production and distribution of…
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Krajowa Spolka Cukrowa (KSC), Poland's biggest sugar producer, announced plans to turn two of its closed sugar factories into plants producing biofuels and bioenergy by end of 2011. The estimated costs of the project are 110 million zlotys (€24.7 million) for the sugar plant in Wozuczyn and 162 million zlotys for the Lapy plant. The state-owned company is watching the example of its…
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Iowa-based biodiesel producer Renewable Energy Group has announced it has entered into agreements to consolidate with three commercial-scale biodiesel plants. Involved in the transaction are the trio of Western Iowa Energy, Central Iowa Energy, and Blackhawk Biofuels. The facilities owned by these companies represent an additional 105 million gallons per year of wholly-owned production capacity…
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The Japanese trading company Marubeni has signed an alliance with China’s biggest oilseed crushing company Sinograin Oil & Fats. The move will aim to boost soyabean sales to China, the world’s largest importer, by 25% in three years. Marubeni has shipped more than 2.6 million tonnes of soyabeans to China since it began the exports in December, becoming the largest Japanese supplier.…
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Global oilseed production is projected at a record 422.1 million tonnes in 2009, which is up 25.9 million from the previous year due to increasing demand for biofuel production. Demand in China, India, and the EU is considered to be the cause of a projected increase of 3.8% in 2009/10. In the US, the oilseed production for 2009/10 is projected to reach 94.5 million tonnes, up 6% from its…
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The Canadian government is proceeding with regulations requiring a minimum 5% ethanol blend (E5) in the country’s petrol by September 2010. The regulations have been given the go-ahead after Environment Minister Jim Prentice won cabinet approval to proceed with the laws requiring. The department has invited the industry to outline how the government intends to proceed. The government claims…
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An Oregon-based business hopes to become the first company to turn dairy and wood waste into a renewable biofuel called butanol. Diesel Brewing of Salem plans to burn either dairy or wood waste to create liquid butanol through a process called gasification. Butanol is a form of alcohol that could completely replace petrol rather than be blended with it, like ethanol. CEO Jeff Raines and his…
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New York-based Innovation Fuels has begun selling biodiesel to customers through a Port of Milwaukee terminal located on Lake Michigan. The 312,000-barrel capacity terminal is the first in the country dedicated to the sale and distribution of renewable fuels. The port allows the receiving of international shipping via the St. Lawrence Seaway and river barge cargo via the Mississippi River.…
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Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is expected to focus on renewable fuels during his state visit to Beijing, hoping to team up with China to develop biofuels. Lula stressed his priorities for the visit was to focus on renewable fuels, especially ethanol and bio-diesel. The two developing countries already have strong trade ties. Brazil has been promoting its ethanol technology to…
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Baystate Biofuels, a Massachusetts-based company, is preparing to open the first full-scale commercial biodiesel terminal in the state. The construction of the terminal in North Andover will begin by the end of May and is expected to begin selling environmentally friendly biodiesel by the September. The company plans to distribute biodiesel to oil companies seeking to comply with…
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Omaha, US-based Green Plains Renewable Energy has won a €1.6 million state grant for a pilot project to produce algae from by-products of its Shenandoah, Iowa, ethanol plant. Pending the success of the pilot project, Green Plains intends to develop a commercial plant producing algae for biofuels. The high-protein algae could be added to the dried distillers grains produced by ethanol plants…
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Mississippi, US-based Encore Energy Systems has announced that five new biofuel facilities have been targeted for acquisition. Of the five production facilities, four of them are located in Mississippi with the other facility in Texas. Fuel distribution and feedstock allocations have been located for these projects and will be further announced when shipping commences. In anticipation of…
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Federal and provincial funds have been injected in ethanol facilities and research projects in Canada. British Columbia has pledged more than $32.6 million (€24.5 million) to commercialise approximately $200 million in provincial renewable energy technology projects. The Innovative Clean Energy Fund has awarded more than $22.6 million to 19 projects and another $10 million in provincial…
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