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Jun 29, 2016
US-based scientists have altered the lignin in aspen trees in a way that increases access to biofuel building blocks without inhibiting plant growth. The scientists based at the Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborators have been able to do this by engineering a novel enzyme involved in lignin synthesis. Lignin is a natural component of plant cell walls, the…
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Jun 29, 2016
US agricultural specialist Monsanto Company and German biotechnology specialist Nomad Bioscience have announced a licensing agreement whereby Monsanto has obtained rights to apply Nomad’s proprietary technology to its genome-editing projects aimed at enhancement of agricultural crops. Nomad’s biomaterial pipeline consists of several selected product candidates, including plant-made…
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Jun 30, 2016
Borregaard, a Norway-based biorefinery specialist, and Rayonier Advanced Materials (Ryam) have concluded a market, technical and engineering analysis regarding a new lignin operation at Ryam’s Fernandina Beach site in Florida to serve the growing demand for natural lignin-based products. The final review of the investment by the companies’ boards of directors is anticipated during the…
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Jun 30, 2016
The global enzymes market is expected to reach $17.5bn by 2024 helped by strong demand for bioethanol in emerging economies, according to a new study by Grand View Research. Growing demand for enzymes in food and beverage products as they improve quality and eliminate deficiencies in the products is expected to propel industry growth in the near future. Increasing demand for bioethanol and…
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Jul 1, 2016
The UK government has set its fifth carbon budget in order to tackle climate change. The fifth carbon budget will cut carbon emissions by 57% by 2032, based on 1990 levels. This emissions reduction should leave the UK on track to meet its Climate Change Act target of an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050. The UK's Climate Change Act of 2008 sets the 2050 target. It requires the government to set…
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Jun 10, 2016
Scientists have identified new steps in the way plants produce cellulose, which may help avoid having to choose between growing crops for food or fuel. Cellulose is the component of plant cell walls that provide strength and forms insoluble fibre in the human diet. According to a report on the phys.org website, the findings could lead to improved production of cellulose and guide plant breeding…
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Jun 10, 2016
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has annulled the European Union’s (EU) countrywide 9.5% anti-dumping duty on all ethanol imported from the United States. The duty had been in place since February 2013. US-based Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy announced that they welcomed the decision, which was made on 9 June. The ECJ ruled that the five-year anti-dumping duty of…
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Jun 10, 2016
Biofuels heavyweights attended a public meeting to discuss the US’ Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposals to revise the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in Kansas, US. EPA’s recent proposal calls on refiners to blend 14.8 billion gallons of conventional biofuels in 2017, slightly below the 15-billion-gallon level envisioned by the US Congress when it expanded the RFS in…
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Jun 13, 2016
More than two thirds of the palm oil used in Germany is sustainably certified, according to German biofuels industry group VDB (Verband der Deutschen Biokraftstoffindustrie. Around 1.5 million tonnes of palm oil has been used in Germany in 2013, according to the trade body. A total of 68% of this palm oil is sustainably certified. OVID Association, a trade body for the oilseed processing industry…
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Jun 13, 2016
US-based biotechnology company White Dog Labs has unveiled a new process that eliminates the emission of CO2, a potent greenhouse gas, during fermentation and instead shifts the carbon to added ethanol production, boosting fermentation yields by around 50%. The by-products are distillers grains, corn oil (if extracted from the grains) and water. According to the company, the process…
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Jun 14, 2016
Japanese car giant Nissan Motor Co. is researching and developing what it calls a solid oxide fuel-cell (SOFC)-powered system that runs on bio-ethanol electric power. The new system – a world first for automotive use – features an e-Bio Fuel-Cell with an SOFC power generator. The e-Bio Fuel Cell generates electricity through the SOFC (power generator) using bio-ethanol stored in the…
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Jun 14, 2016
Struggling Spanish renewable energy company Abengoa has received $350 million (€312m) worth of bids for its four ethanol plants in the US Midwest. Abengoa is seeking to get rid of its four plants – located in Mt. Vernon, Indiana; Madison, Illinois; and Ravenna and York, Nebraska – as part of its global restructuring due to the company’s multibillion-dollar debt. According…
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Jun 15, 2016
A team of three Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) students have come up with a prototype called FAME One to convert waste cooking oil into biodiesel. The invention, which outwardly resembles a washing machine, is not only eco-friendly but also affordable, which open doors for its use in rural setups to convert oil seeds into diesel. “We read somewhere that India generates the…
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Jun 15, 2016
Greentech Biofuels, an Irish firm specialising in green energy solutions, has teamed up with Saint Etienne Metropole and Ondaine Agro in order to bring biofuel-powered floodlights to one of the stadiums hosting Euro 2016. The three organisations will join forces to produce large amounts of biodiesel, which will be used to keep the floodlights at Stade Geoffroy Guichard lit throughout the…
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Jun 16, 2016
Scientists from ten institutions worldwide are challenging the notion that growing bioenergy crops hinders food production, which they see as harmful to new projects Traditionally in the “food v. fuel” debate, bioenergy crops have been blamed for food shortages as the land used for growing them could have been instead harnessed for food production. But a new report, titled Reconciling…
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