Latest News

The US biodiesel market shrunk in 2014 following policy uncertainty in Washington that destabilised the industry and caused many biodiesel plants to shut down or reduce production. According to EPA data, total US biodiesel consumption fell to 1.75 billion gallons for 2014, down slightly from nearly 1.8 billion gallons in 2013. The downturn came as the Obama Administration failed to finalise…
Read More

On 17 December 2014, the European Parliament voted in support of a motion for resolution to reject the European Commission’s proposal to implement Article 7a of the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) but the vote did not gain the support of the required qualified majority needed to block the proposal. 337 MEPs voted to reject the Commission’s proposal, 325 MEPs supported it, 48 MEPs…
Read More

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) declared that five airlines have recently successfully completed stages of the IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) programme. IEnvA is a voluntary, two-stage evaluation process designed to drive airline environmental performance improvements by independent assessment. Both Finnair and South African Airways have completed the IEnvA Stage 2…
Read More

On 3 January 2015, France's energy ministry issued an order to allow the concentration of biodiesel to increase from 7 to 8%. Ministerial order DEVR1431074A will ensure this rise is rolled out at public fuelling stations across France. Industry groups including FuelsEurope and the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) are urging the country to keep the blend limit consistent with…
Read More

According to local reports, Luxembourg-based Heridge SARL is purchasing Great Lakes Biodiesel plant in Welland, Ontario, Canada. Bidding closed on the $50 million (€33 million) biodiesel plant, which has a capacity to produce 170 million litres per year of biodiesel, on 12 January. 'The big message that came out is that they are not buying this operation in order to take it apart and sell…
Read More

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved fuels made from Algenol’s process as an advanced biofuel, meeting the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction requirements under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). Fuels produced from the industrial biotechnology company are now eligible for a Renewable Identification Number (RIN) under the D-5 classification. The EPA’s approval of…
Read More

Renewable fuel producer UPM has started commercial production at its renewable diesel biorefinery in Lappeenranta, Finland. The UPM Lappeenranta Biorefinery is based on a hydrotreatment process developed by the company, and produces approximately 120 million litres per year of renewable UPM BioVerno diesel. UPM's BioVerno diesel, which is produced out of crude tall oil, a residue of pulp…
Read More

Gevo, the world's only commercial producer of renewable isobutanol, has released an update on the progress of the Side-by-Side operational mode (SBS) of its plant in Luverne, Minnesota. The isobutanol producer announced that the facility produced over 50,000 gallons of isobutanol in December 2014. Last June, Gevo started the co-production of isobutanol and ethanol at the plant, with one fermenter…
Read More

Low carbon renewable fuels producer Pacific Ethanol has made an agreement with Dresser-Rand to install a 3.5MW cogeneration system with gradual oxidiser at its Stockton, California plant for approximately $12 million (€10.2 million). The cogeneration system will displace purchased electricity by using Ener-Core's gradual oxidiser technology to convert waste gas from ethanol production and…
Read More

A number of fire crews responded to a fire on 8 January at the Sunoco ethanol plant in Volney, Oswega County, New York. At least eight crews were called to the scene, where a fire had started in an empty warehouse section of the plant. No injuries were reported. 
Read More

The industry’s leading conference in the bulk liquid storage sector, StocExpo, has just revealed its conference programme for 17-19th March 2015. The event, now in its 11th year, will feature speakers from BP and terminals including Oiltanking, VTTI, CLH and Gate. New to this year, the event will also host a special finance and investment section, featuring speakers from EQT, UBS Bank, DNB…
Read More

The bidding period has closed for Great Lakes Biodiesel's (GLB) $50 million (€42.4 million) biodiesel plant in Welland, Ontario, Canada, but certainty over the future of the Dain City refinery has not been made clear. Great Lakes Biodiesel (GLB) opened in 2012, but it never reached its full output potential of 170 million litres a year of biodiesel. In October 2014, the plant went into…
Read More