Biodiesel production in the US state of Iowa has set a new record of 242 million gallons in 2015, according to Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA). Biodiesel production was up from 227 million gallons in 2014 and topped the previous record of 230 million gallons set in 2013. Once national numbers are announced, Iowa is expected to again lead the nation in biodiesel... [Read More]

The UK Government is preparing to consult on legislative changes to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) this year. In correspondence published this week, Patrick McLoughlin, the UK's Transport Secretary, set out plans to decarbonise the UK's transport sector in a letter to Energy and Climate Change Committee chair Angus Brendan. This includes plans for a proposed... [Read More]

Kakira Sugar Works, a Uganda-based sugar giant, said it will start commercial output at its $37m (€34m) ethanol plant by the end of July. The sugar firm hopes to produce 20m litres of ethanol using 74,000 tonnes of molasses — the by-product of sugar production — annually. Speaking to local news agency The Independent, Kenneth Barungi, the assistant general... [Read More]

A shareholder group of the Swiss agribusiness Syngenta are opposing the company’s planned sale to ChemChina and have called for a change in the company’s leadership. According to Reuters, the managing director Folke Rauscher of the shareholders who represent about 10% of Syngenta’s capital is calling for a “comprehensive renewal” of the group’s... [Read More]

US ethanol producer Poet said it plans to add 25m gallons of annual ethanol production capacity at three of its plants in the course of 2016. Poet Biorefining – Hanlontown in Iowa; Poet Biorefining – Hudson in South Dakota; and Poet Biorefining – Caro in Michigan, each filed separate expansion permits within their respective states and will soon be producing... [Read More]

The implementation of the Indonesian B20 biodiesel programme may be delayed due to low crude oil prices. The Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) suspects the B20 programme will not be fully implemented this year as was announced earlier in January. According to executive director of GAPKI, Dr. Mohamad Fadhil Hasan, due to crude oil process going under $30 (€27.55)... [Read More]

Biotech specialist Novozymes has cut its long-term growth expectations as the prolonged oil price slump is delaying the development of the advanced biofuel industry and hurting sales to other sectors, the firm said. Novozymes, which makes enzymes that speed up or improve chemical processes in a variety of industries, now expects organic sales growth of 6-7 % a year from... [Read More]

Chemical producer DuPont Industrial Biosciences and agricultural specialist Archer Daniels Midland Co. have developed a method of producing furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME) from fructose. The firms said the new breakthrough process had potential to open up a "vast landscape of bio-based materials offerings". The technology has applications in packaging, textiles,... [Read More]

US-based biofuel plant company Ensyn will start producing renewable fuel from its biofuel plant in Georgia from January 2017. Ensyn told local press that its Dooly County facility in Georgia will use 440 tonnes of wood tops and tree limbs to produce electricity and other fuels. It plans to produce 20m gallons of fuel ever year. Terrell Hudson, the Dooly County Commission... [Read More]

The Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC), a non-consortium supported by Etihad Airways, Boeing and Honeywell UOP, claims that it will soon launch the world's first bioenergy research facility using desert land, irrigated by seawater, to produce both food and aviation fuels in Abu Dhabi. The facility will be launched in March and is located on a two-hectare... [Read More]

Brazilian biodiesel producer BSBIOS will invest BRL80 million (€18.3m) to double production at its Marialva unit. The company expects the expansion to be concluded in 2017, boosting the site's biodiesel production capacity from the current 208 million litres per year to 416 million. BSBIOS has signed a memorandum of understanding with Parana's state government. The... [Read More]

US-based petroleum specialist Tesoro Corp. has announced a plan to foster the development of biocrude made from renewable biomass, which can be co-processed in its existing refineries, along with traditional crude oil. Converting renewable biomass into biocrude is expected to enable existing refining assets to produce less carbon-intensive fuels at a significantly lower... [Read More]

French renewable energy firm Global Bioenergies has completed a €6.5m private placement with French and international investors. The proceeds of the placement will be used to further the development of its isobutene process and to launch commercial roll-out. The company placed 274,931 new shares at a par value of €0.05 per share, at a unit price of €23.70,... [Read More]

Spanish renewable energy business Abengoa is planning to restructure its firm, shrink itself by about a third to avoid bankruptcy and potentially sell off its bioenergy arm, according to media reports. According to media agency Bloomberg, the firm is making the plans to convince creditors it can survive as a smaller company. Quoting a person familiar with the matter, Bloomberg... [Read More]