Other News

Virgin Australia announced the completion of a trial to deliver biofuel through Brisbane Airport’s fuel supply system. This marks the first time in the country’s history that sustainable aviation fuel has been delivered through a general fuel supply system and marks Brisbane Airport as one of the few airports across the world where this achievement has occurred. According to Virgin…
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Researchers claim to have found a way to protect yeast from damage inflicted by pretreatment chemicals in the biofuel production process. Pretreatment chemicals are used in biofuel facilities to accelerate the breakdown of plant material, however, these chemical are sometimes poisonous to the yeasts that turn the plant sugars into fuel. In a study published in the journal Genetics, a team from…
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In a bid to reduce its crude oil imports over the next four years, India is set to invest heavily in biofuels. Various media outlets are reporting that on 10 August, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the plans to build the country’s biofuel capacity through 100 billion rupees of investment. India is one of the world’s biggest oil importers and consumers. According…
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Finnish renewable diesel producer Neste is exploring ways to introduce liquefied waste plastics as a raw material for fuels and plastics, according to a statement. The company has ambitious goals for the project, aiming to proceed to industrial scale trial during 2019. Longer term, Neste’s target is to process annually more than one million tonnes of waste plastic by 2030. "Neste has been…
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Cars and trucks used record amounts of biofuels in California in 2016, according to new figures. A total of 1.5 billion gallons were used, avoiding 14 million metric tons of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere. The reductions are a result of California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which aims to reduce the carbon intensity of fuels in the state. The statistics have been released…
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Velocys intends to raise £6 million (€6.7 million) through a placing, according to an announcement from the company. The renewable fuels specialist will place 60,000,000 new Ordinary Shares at a placing price of 10 pence per share. This represents a 0.52p discount to the closing mid-market price per Ordinary Share as at 20 July 2018. According to Velocys’ statement, net proceeds…
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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved a variety of pathways for renewable fuel derived from sorghum as part of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) programme. This includes the use of sorghum to produce biodiesel. Acting EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler signed the final pathway on 24 July. “Today’s approval sets the stage for more homegrown fuels under the Renewable…
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$4 million AUD (€2.5 million) in funding is set to be provided to Australia’s Southern Oil Refining for a pilot plant which will turn biosolids from sewage to crude oil. According to a statement, the demonstration plant will be the first step towards developing biosolid waste to renewable fuels plants at sewage treatment facilities in Australia. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency…
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Advanced Biofuels Canada (ABFC) has announced a significant expansion to its membership. ABFC is the industry association for biofuels in Canada. According to a statement, the new members include fuel distributors, global technology developers and strategic compliance services providers. These include Canada Clean Fuels, Canfor Pulp, EcoEngineers and Honeywell UOP. “Our organisation’s…
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Findings from a ground breaking study could prove crucial in boosting the ‘economic viability’ of algae biofuel, showing for the first time that raw plants can be used as a carbon energy source for cultivation of a strain of microalgae. In a study recently published in the journal Algal Research, it’s revealed that a freshwater production strain of microalgae, Auxenochlorella…
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The US Department of Agriculture has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on the environmental assessment report for Velocys’ planned Bayou Fuels biorefinery in Natchez, Mississippi. Velocys is describing the FONSI as a significant step towards the permitting of the Bayou Fuels facility. It was issued as part of the company’s ongoing development of the 100-acre…
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A public school district in San Diego, California, has switched its fleet of 53 school buses to run on Finnish company Neste’s renewable diesel. The Vista Unified School District (VUSD) is the fourth largest in San Diego County, comprising 32 schools with programmes ranging from kindergarten through to adult educational facilities. The district serves more than 23,000 primary to high school…
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The European Parliament, Commission and Council have reached a preliminary agreement on the new Renewable Energy Directive (REDII). The deal sets out a path for Europe’s renewable energy sector post 2020. Key components of the agreement include a 14% target for renewables in transport by 2030, a freeze on the use of high ILUC (Indirect Land Use Change) biofuels such as palm oil to current…
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