Volume 7, Issue 2
Published: March 1, 2013
Moving on from 'harmful' biofuels
A new report calls for Europe to completely move away from first generation biofuels as the continent chases 2020 targets A new report published near the end of January has put European green transportation...
Keeping a level head
The newly proposed biofuels levels in the US has sparked fierce defence by the industry in the face of stiff opposition The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed its 2013 percentage...
California named top biofuel state
California, which has long been considered a hub of innovation in the biofuels industry, has this week been named as the US’ ‘top biofuel state’. Environmental Entrepreneurs, a national...
Second generation biofuel from a fifth generation bioreactor
The second generation production process is more complex than the first, largely because the carbon required is not present in a form that is easily available to microorganisms, such as starch or sugar....
Reap what you sow
Now Europe is being forced into taking cellulosic ethanol seriously, James Barrett looks at what producers can learn from ‘across the pond’ At the start of February seven giants came...
Can the ethanol king rule the second generation?
All commodities are vulnerable to price volatility and biofuels, just like their hydrocarbon counterparts, are no exception. Poor harvests, recession, competition for feedstock and political whimsy can...
Brazil focus behind Iogen sale
In January 2013 Iogen Corporation announced that Danish enzyme manufacturer Novozymes was to acquire one of its two divisions, Iogen Bio-Products (IBP). IBP makes and sells a wide variety of enzyme products...
Ongoing battle plagues Argentinean producers
South America is home to two of the world’s biofuel powerhouses: Brazil, the ethanol king and Argentina, the biodiesel champion. Argentina is the second largest biodiesel producer with production...
Getting back to business
The president of the Colombian National Federation of Biofuels Jorge Bendeck reveals how the country is increasing its future production Despite suffering from floods at the end of 2010 and start...
Diesel from sugarcane?
Already being trialled in Brazil, it seems there is no end to the end-uses for sugarcane In countries such as Cuba, Spain and Thailand, sugarcane is cultivated solely for producing sugar and ethanol....
One small step for oil
Nesté Oil is one company that should be delighted by the EC’s recent proposals favouring advanced biofuels. To find out more about the impact this will have Keeley Downey went to visit the...
The second line of defense against a pollution release
Biofuel manufacturers are open to a number of potential environmental liabilities. Left uninsured these liabilities could badly affect the company’s financial performance Biofuels manufacturers...
Grease Theft Auto
Grease theft, supply and demand fundamentals and a major new facility are the main stories in 2013 for biodiesel’s fat and grease recyclers In the early morning hours of December 28 in Riverside,...
Miniature reactor platforms for rapid development of catalytic biofuel processes
Research into biofuels not based around human foodstuffs, but rather start as wild grass or a by-product, requires special experimental tools which are a key part of the race towards renewable source fuels...
Alternative catalytic solutions take centre stage
The conversion of biomass feedstocks into second generation biofuels presents many challenges both to process developers and producers. While technological progress has been recently achieved, we still...
Introducing the first commercial genetically enhanced yeasts
Recent technology developments will allow process improvements to be introduced into the biofuels industry driving yield and plant profitability higher than the currently expected yield baseline results...
Tips to remove bottlenecks
With high feedstock prices in the US, high bagasse prices for steam in Brazil and low ethanol prices across the board, the ethanol industry is struggling to stay profitable. The market is not seeing major...
Keeping up with the times
Changing market circumstances lead to new challenges for existing biodiesel plants that were originally designed to process vegetable and waste oils Biodiesel standards are becoming more stringent...
Jatropha: flying forward?
Renewable fuels company JatroFuels gives an insight into the current state of jatrophabased transport fuel Recognising the challenges of sustainability, biodiversity and delicate ecosystems, it...
Successful community oilseed project - key considerations
In today’s unpredictable and volatile marketplace, a flexible facility can avoid foreclosure and bankruptcy There is growing opportunity to successfully develop community-scale oilseed processing...
Pretreatment of wheat straw using superheated steam
Non-food feedstocks such as wood, straw and grass have obvious advantages. However they mainly contain lignocellulose, a complex of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, which makes traditional fermentation...
Pumping and mixing the mash
Feedstocks for biofuels, whether food-based or otherwise (grass/ straw and waste sludge-like materials), must be pumped and mixed during processing. Particulate material, sometimes fibrous in nature, populates...
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