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Jul 30, 2009
A poisonous extract of Cassava root is expected to produce 1% of the ethanol used in Venezuela. Cassava root, or yuca, is the third largest source of carbohydrates for human food in the world. It is processed into casabes, or flat breads. However, this leaves behind a residue called yare, which, owing to its high cyanide content, is highly toxic to humans and animals. Now a team of Venezuelan…
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Jul 30, 2009
Crimson Renewable Energy, operator of California’s largest biodiesel plant which opened on 29 July, is doing what few producers in the nation are. The 30 million gallon a year producer will move away from the nation’s predominant choice of feedstock, soyabean, and process 50 million pounds of the crude glycerine by-product, turning it into high quality refined glycerine to tap into…
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Jul 30, 2009
Hot on the heels of its launch of Butamax earlier this month BP is further strengthening its biofuels efforts with the inception of a joint venture company with Verenium, Vercipia Biofuels. While Butamax will focus R&D resources on biobutanol, Vercipia Biofuels will continue to develop one of the US’ first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol facilities, located in Highlands County,…
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Jul 31, 2009
California-based algae expert SunEco Energy has tested biodiesel from algal oil produced at its demonstration plant in Chino, California in the trucks of transportation logistics company J. B. Hunt. The biodiesel was tested in a B20 and a B50 blend and produced an 82% reduction in particulate emissions with no loss of power. The company is now constructing the world’s first commercial-scale…
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Aug 3, 2009
US-based biomass specialist Covanta Holding has signed a deal to buy seven North American bioelectricity plants from Veolia Environmental Services for US$450 million (€315 million). The seven plants, which collectively process about 3 million tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) a year, will join Covanta’s existing portfolio of 38 plants processing 17 million tonnes of MSW…
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Aug 3, 2009
Filipino developer Basic Energy has commissioned two Thai consultants to conduct feasibility studies into a proposed cassava ethanol plant. Basic Energy signed contracts on 30 July with the Alternative Energy Institute of Thailand and Ethanol Thai to examine the company’s proposal to build a 100 million litre a year bioethanol plant in the Filipino province of Batangas. Basic Energy…
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Aug 4, 2009
Two members of the US House of Representatives have introduced a bill to remove government subsidies on corn-derived bioethanol. The Affordable Food and Fuel for America Act, sponsored by Joseph Crowley, a New York Democrat, and Mary Joseph Mack, a Californian Republican, would phase out subsidies on the production of ethanol from corn and transfer them to second-generation biofuels. The bill…
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Aug 4, 2009
A scheme employing Aboriginals in Pilbara, Western Australia, to recycle used cooking oil into saleable biodiesel has received a grant from the Western Australian Government. The Ashburton Aboriginal Corporation started the scheme to alleviate the poverty of many of the Aboriginals as well as providing a cheaper source of fuel to natives who need to drive the vast distances of Western…
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Aug 4, 2009
A dramatic illustration of the potential of biodiesel came with its use to power a Boeing U-787 hydroplane in a demonstration on 2 August. The U-787 was tested repeatedly at the annual Chevrolet Cup, each with a greater proportion of biofuel, culminating in the 100% blend being used in a run on Sunday. Hydroplane driver Chip Hanauer reported no drop in performance as the percentage of biofuel…
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Aug 4, 2009
Biofuel Africa, a Ghanaian corporation wholly owned by the Norway-based Solar Harvest, claims to have increased the acreage of land available for food production in Northern Ghana by 880%. In 2008, 55 acres of the company’s land was planted with food crops grown by 25 local farmers. Tests showed that repeated growing of food crops had depleted this soil of much of its nutritional…
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Aug 4, 2009
The US state of Oregon has relaxed its E10 mandate to allow petrol stations to sell unblended fuel to the owners of non-road vehicles such as fishermen, snowmobilers and loggers. The E10 mandate was introduced in 2007, but it was relaxed shortly afterwards when the owners of specialist vehicles and power tools reported engine problems with the compulsory blend. Initially, the range of outlets…
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Aug 5, 2009
Dan Bulzan from the NASA Glenn Research Centre is the latest speaker to confirm his attendance at the upcoming Biofuels International Canada expo & conference, organised by leading publication Biofuels International magazine. Bulzan will be talking about 'Green Aeronautics': the work NASA is doing to make aircraft more environmentally friendly through R&D on the modifications…
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Aug 5, 2009
US-based second-generation biofuel company PetroAlgae is investigating the use of microcrops other than algae as feedstocks. PetroAlgae claims its technology, which uses the miniature flowering plant lemna, is ready for commercialisation. PetroAlgae currently operates two labs and one customer demonstration facility, all in the US state of Florida. The customer demonstration facility includes…
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Aug 5, 2009
In the credit squeeze and with plants idling around them, biodiesel producers are keen to ensure what they bring into the plant and what they produce out of it will survive the winter. Having a flexible source of raw materials is one way to weather the volatile ride the industry is taking. Biodiesel producer Innovation Fuels has been processing waste vegetable oil to produce biodiesel, but is…
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Aug 5, 2009
Plankton Power and Regional Technology Development (RTDC) are to form a consortium with various research organisations and the Massachusetts National Guard to establish the Cape Cod Algae Biorefinery in the US state of Massachusetts. The new facility will focus on pilot- and commercial-scale development of algae biodiesel. Pending legal and regulatory reviews, the plant will be built on five…
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Aug 5, 2009
Illinois-based Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) is set to become the US’ biggest producer of bioethanol despite an 83% drop in profits in the fiscal fourth quarter. The company is due to open new 275 Mgy bioethanol plants: one in the fourth (calendar) quarter of 2009 and one in Q3 2010. It anticipates that demand for ethanol will be driven by an expected increase in the permitted percentage of…
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