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Sugar analysis system developer Carbo Analytics (CA) has received one of 79 available grants from the US Department of Energy which will go towards the development of a biofuels sugar analysis system.  The grant came in at $150,000 (€115,000) and CA, in partnership with microwave digestion system provider CEM, will now start to prepare biomass samples. The end goal is to provide biofuel…
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US ethanol producing company Ace Ethanol has completed the purchase of a dormant ethanol plant in Wisconsin. The price is a reported $16.5 million (€12.6 million) and Ace is aiming to reopen the facility in the autumn. Ace co-founder Robert Sather was quoted as saying to build a plant of this size, capable of producing 50 million gallons a year, from new would cost Ace about $75…
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Forty-eight companies have joined forces with the European Commission this July to set up a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for bio-based industries. The PPP brings together €3.8 billion ($4.9 million) with an aim to advance the bioeconomy in Europe. The European pulp and paper industry is one strategic partner in this PPP, with 13 of the 48 member companies from the sector as well as the…
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Biodiesel of Las Vegas has become the first producer in Nevada, US to earn a BQ-9000 certification from the country’s National Biodiesel Board. The certification is a voluntary programme hosted by the National Biodiesel Accreditation Programme for producers of BQ-9000 biodiesel. It combines the ASTM D6751 quality standard with a quality systems programme that focuses on things like…
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The European Parliament Environment Committee has approved draft legislation which will limit the contribution of first generation biofuels toward EU green transport targets. The Committee’s vote on proposals to deal with possible greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from indirect land use change (ILUC) took place on 11 July. The potential 5.5% cap on transport from all land-based…
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Algae-based energy is the order of the day for Thailand-based petroleum company PTT and it is working in Australia to achieve that end. PTT is already in early partnership with Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, with the end-goal of developing algae-oil extraction. The venture is currently focusing on fatty acid methyl ether from selected marine algae. ‘Oil extracted from…
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The multi-million pound Vivergo bioethanol plant has officially opened in Hull, UK this July. The facility, a joint venture between Dupont and AB Sugar costing £350 million (€407.1 million), makes Vivergo the biggest bioethanol plant in the UK, as well as the biggest single-source supplier of animal feed. It is believed the plant will pump out 420 million litres of bioethanol a year…
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A pilot plant in Spain is to use municipal wastewater and sunlight for biofuels production via algae. The project, branded as All-Gas and backed by seven European-based partners, is set to cost €12.2 million ($15.7 million) but at least €9 million has been received from the European Union (EU). It will aim to produce 3,000kg of algae a year with an oil content of 20%, enough biodiesel…
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Local news reports in the Philippines state Brazilian joint venture business Raizen Energia (RE) is set to build a new bioethanol facility with local developers. RE, owned by Royal Dutch Shell and Cosan SA Industria and Commercio, currently produces over 2 billion litres of ethanol from sugarcane in its native country. A source revealed that RE ‘are still at then exploratory stage, looking…
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A third round of grant funding aimed to help petrol stations buy ethanol blender pumps has begun in South Dakota, US. The state has put up $500,000 (€389,500) and station owners can apply for up to $25,000 to install a pump for the first time, or up to $10,000 for any additional pumps. Blender pumps allow customers to choose their ethanol blends at the pump at 10, 20, 30 or 85%. South Dakota…
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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ruled that a giant reed variety, with a high ethanol potential, qualifies as a cellulosic renewable fuel. Arundo donax has been reported as yielding three times as much ethanol per acre as corn and this decision makes it a potential replacement of corn for renewable transportation fuel in the Midwest. Many scientists and environmentalists believe…
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Southeast Asia airline Garuda Indonesia is planning to use biofuels in all its aircraft by 2015. It has been estimated 10 million litres of biofuel it would be needed to at least part power each of its 96 planes. Garuda plans to add another 48 planes to its fleet however, so the project will hinge on logistical aspects. ‘It is estimated that amount of fuel would be currently sufficient…
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