Other News

The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has announced up to $6 million (€5.35m) in available funding for research to support the next generation of sustainable biofuels and biomaterials. Funding is made through USDA’s Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI), a joint initiative with the Department of…
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Alliance BioEnergy Plus has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, AMG Energy Group, has entered into a sublicensing agreement with California-based Earth's Renewable Energy. The sublicense agreement permits Earth's Renewable Energy to use the company's patented cellulose to sugar (CTS) technology at a soon-to-be-built plant in Bakersfield, California. Alliance BioEnergy Plus is a…
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A new sustainable biofuels initiative has been launched with the intention of handing freight companies “control of their carbon footprint”. The GoodShipping programme from Dutch company GoodFuels is designed to ‘accelerate’ the amount of low-carbon fuels in the marine-fuel mix. Put simply, it allows the cargo owner to purchase low-carbon, compatible and sustainable…
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The world needs to implement the Paris Agreement to meet the global challenge of climate change, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has urged. Guterres was highlighting the seriousness of the impact of climate change on the planet and its inhabitants.  “The effects of climate change are dangerous and they are accelerating,” Secretary-General Guterres…
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Finnish consumers have already reduced emissions by an amount equal to 560 flights around the world, using Neste MY Renewable Diesel. This is despite the fuel only being released at the start of the year. Neste MY Renewable Diesel is produced 100% from waste and residues, and was launched into the Finnish market at the start of 2017. Using the fuel, Finnish consumers have reduced greenhouse gas…
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Andrew Murfin, general manager at Shell’s Advanced Biofuels division, has become the latest in a long line of people to declare that he will be taking part in this year’s Biofuels International Conference. Murfin joined Alternative Energies in 2009 and was appointed GM Advanced Biofuels at the beginning of 2013. In his current role, he has global accountability for the delivery of an…
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Breaking apart polysaccharides such as starches and cellulose in a cost-effective way is one of the biggest challenges facing biofuels scientists. Now, a team of scientists from the Los Alamos National Laboratory has mapped the three-dimensional structure of a protein that breaks down the enzyme, something which could lead to a drastic reduction in the costs of biofuel production. The research…
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US Water, a subsidiary of Allete, a well-known provider of integrated solutions for water treatment, will give two technical presentations during the upcoming Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW), at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During the FEW programme, US Water’s Monty McCoy, director of technology, Process Technologies, will present on the implications of recent…
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The US’ withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, announced by President Donald Trump yesterday, “is a saddening turn for the international battle against climate change” according to advanced biofuels producer Neste. Nevertheless, the Finnish company points out that the US withdrawal doesn’t have to signal the end of the agreement. The company notes that of the 197…
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Americans want to know when they’re power is coming from renewable sources, according to a new study from Washington State University (WSU). Interestingly, this concern over energy use isn’t connected to political beliefs, the sociologists behind the research finding both Democrats and Republicans were interested in using non-fossil fuel energy sources. The study, by professor of…
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A designer and a biofuels scientist from the Netherlands have teamed up to build a motorcycle powered by algae. Peter Mooij researches biofuel production with microalgae. The scientist, who completed his PHD in biotechnology at Delft University of Technology in 2016, has developed a method to grow algae for oil production in salt water. Inspired by this, Mooij’s friend Ritsert Mans decided…
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On 30 November 2016, the European Commission published its long awaited revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED) also known as RED II. In its proposals, the EC made plans to minimise Europe’s Indirect Land-Use Change (ILC) impacts. The EC wants to reduce the maximum contribution of crop-based biofuels such as ethanol from a maximum of 7% of road and rail energy in 2021 to 3.8% in 2030. The…
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Denmark-based utility energy firm Dong Energy has made a commitment to renewables and agreed to divest its entire oil and gas business to Ineos in a deal worth up to $1.3bn (€1.16bn). The transaction includes production, development and exploration sites off Denmark, Norway and west of Shetland. Ineos said the move would make it the biggest private group operating in the North Sea. The…
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