The California Energy Commission (CEC) has awarded $43.6 million (€32.4 million) to 11 biofuel projects that include petrol substitutes, diesel substitutes and biomethane plans. These awards have been provided as a result of a grant solicitation released in January aimed at developing new or modifying existing California-based biofuel production facilities that can... [Read More]

The US' NASCAR race has now seen 6 million miles of competitive racing completed using an ethanol blend. For more than three years, NASCAR has run its races on a fuel blended with 15% American Ethanol, Sunoco Green E15 and on 27 July at the Brickyard in Indianapolis, the race reached the 6 million mile mark. 'For nearly six million miles, NASCAR has highlighted the incredible... [Read More]

Ethiopia is expanding its Jatropha plantation to produce 500 million litres of biodiesel from the plant, which can yield 600 litres of biodiesel from a single tonne of seeds. 'The country has designed a five-year Jatropha development project aimed at transplanting 700 million Jatropha seedlings and produce 500 million litres biodiesel,' says Bizuneh Tolcha, spokesperson... [Read More]

Colorado State University (CSU) has been awarded nearly $1.5 million (€1.1 million) from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a new oilseed feedstock crop for biofuels. John McKay, a bio-agricultural sciences associate professor, is the direct recipient of the award, and it will be his team that will focus on the plant species Camelina sativa, an oilseed feedstock... [Read More]

M&G Chemicals' subsidiary M&G International has entered into a joint venture with Anhui Guozhen to build the world's largest cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in Fuyang City, Anhui, China. The company, Anhui M&G Guozhen Green Refinery, will use Proesa technology licensed by Beta Renewables to convert between 970,000-1,300,000 metric tonnes per year of agricultural... [Read More]

China Aviation Oil, Asia's number one jet fuel buyer, is requesting up to 1.5 million barrels of jet fuel for August to September, a tender document reveals. This is approximately 27% lower than what the company required in its previous tender and is now looking for four jet fuel cargoes of 240,000 to 300,000 barrels each for loading periods. The cargoes are to be loaded... [Read More]

The travel industry intends to answer industry demands to lower taxes on jet fuel. 'We look forward to some fundamental changes that will give the travel and tourism market a big boost. There is a pressing need to review taxes on air travel, which is probably the most heavily-taxed product in the country, where the tax component of airfare often exceeds the underlying... [Read More]

A quick peek at what you can expect to find in this issue's Biofuels International The July/August issue of Biofuels International is hot off the press and we would like to fill you in on some of the content you can expect to find. This issue's theme is first generation production and we have a number of articles covering this prevalent issue. In this issue's featured... [Read More]

Aemetis has received EPA approval to issue D4 RINs on the importation into the US of biodiesel produced from waste fats and oils (WFO). The EPA also approved the issuance of D6 RINs when biodiesel is produced using other feedstocks. Aemetis built and operates a 50 MMgy biodiesel production facility on the East Coast of India, which has recently achieved International Sustainability... [Read More]

Algae technology company Heliae has paired up with Japan-based waste management Sincere, to develop a commercial algae production facility in Saga City, Japan. Construction of the Saga City facility by the joint venture, known as Alvita, is expected to start in 2015. The Japanese facility will be designed based on Heliae's first algae production facility located in Gilbert,... [Read More]

Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, has sent a letter to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) outlining transportation concerns within the ethanol industry. The move follows a recent order made by the STB, requesting that rail providers clear backlogs of grain orders transported by rail cars, but excluded the poor rail service that is used to deliver ethanol. In the letter,... [Read More]

The World Bank looks to invest $775 million (€570 million) in the renewable energy segment in India, after the government's newly-announced fiscal and policy reforms. The World Bank is planning to join the government in their focus to invest in the clean energy market. To date, the World Bank has approved two investment projects, a $100 million Himachal Pradesh development... [Read More]

Dong Energy and Novozymes have been awarded €39 million from the European Union (EU) to build a plant in Denmark. The plant will use straw to produce clean fuel. 'European Union funding is a crucial step, but we also need to be sure we can sell the 80 million litres of second-generation bioethanol that we plan to make,' Jorgen Udby, chairman of the board at Maabjerg... [Read More]

Targray, a US biodiesel supplier, has obtained its International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) accreditation under the SCS Global Services Responsible Biofuel Programme. In obtaining ISCC certification, Targray has provided evidence of compliance with environmental, social and traceability criteria, and qualifies biomass or biofuel companies for legal... [Read More]