Articles in Japan
(EurActiv)
Leaders of the EU and their partners in the G8 nations are under mounting pressure to reconsider their support for biofuel targets amid concern that plant oil production competes with food output in poor countries.
Britain, …
(Algae Industry Magazine) The Japan News reports that in Miyagino Ward, Sendai, a project has started at a sewage treatment facility to extract a biofuel ingredient from wastewater using algae. This first of its kind …
by Kim McDonald (University of California at San Diego) New discoveries of the way plants transport important substances across their biological membranes to resist toxic metals and pests, increase salt and drought tolerance, control water loss …
by Takeo Kumagai (Platts) Japan’s largest refiner JX Nippon Oil & Energy is set to start selling ETBE-blended gasoline from its branded service stations in the northeast of the country, taking the number of outlets at …
by David Glass (DGlassAssociates.com) In two blog entries in 2010, I described the possible regulatory regimes that might affect the use of genetically modified microorganisms or plants in the production of biofuels or bio-based chemicals, …
by Nina Chestney (Reuters) * U.S. cellulosic biofuel goals not reached
* Beta sees industry stepping up output by 2015
* New players could emerge from eastern Europe
Biofuels made from wood waste and sugarcane have languished well …
by Tassia Sipahutar (The Jakarta Post) State-owned sugar and tobacco plantation firm PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) X is expanding into biofuel production and electricity this year in an effort to offset increasing sugar manufacturing costs.
The firm …
by Joann Muller (Forbes) When the grueling 2013 Rolex 24 endurance race kicks off at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 26, the field will include three Mazda6 race cars powered by an unusual type of renewable fuel.
The ultra-clean, synthetic …
by Constantine Arcoumanis, Choongsik Bae, Roy Crookes, Eiji Kinoshita (Fuel/Science Direct) This paper reviews the properties and application of di-methyl ether (DME) as a candidate fuel for compression-ignition engines. DME is produced by the conversion of …
by Emily Bruns (Ashton Gasette) In an effort to evolve with the constant changes and challenges within a $50 billion industry, Rochelle’s Illinois River Energy ethanol plant began producing and industrial corn oil on Nov. …
(Bangkok Post) The National Innovation Agency (NIA) joined hands with Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) to support the first pilot plant for ethanol production from cassava pulp in Thailand.
…A feasibility study …
(Daily Yomiuri) Idemitsu Kosan Co. said Monday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Cambodian government to promote biofuel production in the Southeast Asian country.
The move is part of plans by the Japanese …
by Peter Hemphill (Grain & Hay WeeklyTimes) An American biofuels company is looking to build a refinery in Australia to produce ethanol from wheat straw and other residues.
…Investors in the biorefineries include Australia’s Macquarie Bank and …
(Daily Yomiuri Online) IHI Corp. on Wednesday unveiled to reporters its facility to test the cultivation of algae for biofuel in Yokohama. The company hopes to mass-produce the biofuel for use in jet fuel, with …
(The Star) A Japanese technology, which is still in its pilot stage, may be used on sago to produce ethanol.
Kansai Chemical Engineering Company Limited of Bio-Energy Corporation presdent Dr Hideo Noda said in Japan, several …
(ZeaChem) ZeaChem Inc., developer of highly-efficient biorefineries, today announced that it has completed construction of its 250,000 gallons per year (GPY) cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in Boardman, Oregon. The project was completed on budget and is …
by Masato Kouzu, Jyu-suke Hidaka (Fuel) Vegetable oil is one of the biomass resources generated from carbon dioxide and water with the aid of photosynthesis, and is converted into an alternative to fossil diesel fuel …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …While the economic growth in China has been drawing virtually all the headlines in recent years, the “Tiger” economies of Southeast and South Asia have been fast-growing for a long …
(OriginOil) Algae has the unique potential in Japan to both provide renewable fuels and help eliminate radioactive materials
OriginOil, Inc., the developer of a breakthrough energy production process for the oil and algae industries, announced today that …
by Angela Greiling Keane (Bloomberg) Honda Motor Co. (7267), which last year complained that a proposed fuel-economy rule was unfair to non- U.S. automakers, got a boost when the final version added extra credits for …
(Handy Shipping Guide) Nippon Buy Boeing Again Quoting Environmental and Economic Advantages
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has announced that it has delivered a 747-8 Freighter to Narita-based air cargo transporters, Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA), marking the Japanese debut for …
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Researchers in Southeast Asia have identified an approach to producing ethanol using an abundant waste feedstock that could potentially add a significant source of biofuel production from oil palm …
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Conditions are ripe for biofuels demand and production to boom in Asia over the next few years, as steady growth in countries such as China, India and Japan will …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …(M)ore than 30 airlines now trialing, deploying biofuels – but who’s doing what, exactly?
In Brazil, Azul Airlines announced that Amyris’s innovative renewable jet fuel sourced from Brazilian sugarcane has passed all required testing …
(Boeing) Boeing and All Nippon Airways (ANA) made aviation history today as a 787 Dreamliner flew for the first time powered in part by sustainable biofuels.
“The 787 is the most environmentally progressive jetliner flying today, …
by Andrew DeWitt (The Asia-Pacific Journal) …The Republicans think they see their chance to throw a wrench in the works. They recently decided to open congressional hearings to try, through focusing on Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, to …
by Saroj Shrestha (JCN Network) Sojitz Corp. and Hitachi Zosen Corp. have launched a model project for production of bioethanol from potato starch residue in the Keshan State Farm in Harbin City, in China’s Heilongjiang Province. …
(UPI) Growing crops for fuel as opposed to refining fossil fuels and substituting bioethanol for gasoline is a sustainable energy strategy, Japanese researchers say.
In a study published in the International Journal of Foresight and Innovation …
(Platts) Japanese Toyo Engineering Co is to build a 10,000 mt/year industrial-grade ethanol plant in Johor Baru, Malaysia by Q2 2013, the company said in a statement Wednesday.
The plant, to be run by a joint …
by Jonathan Williams (Biofuels Digest) Who’s in front in the development of algal-based fuels and biomaterials? India, China, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Israel, the EU, or the US. The NAABB’s globe-trotting chief parses it out.
In New …
(Japan Times) Not many people imagine that resource-poor Japan might one day become an oil exporter. But someone who does is Makoto Watanabe, a leading expert in research on producing oil from microscopic algae.
Research into …
(Algae Industry Magazine) rom the Denki Shimbun Electric Daily News comes a story about three Japanese companies: IHI Corporation, Gene and Gene Technology (G>), and the Neo-Morgan Laboratory Incorporated (NML) that have just announced establishing …
(BBC) Sony has unveiled a paper-powered battery prototype in Japan.
The technology generates electricity by turning shredded paper into sugar which in turn is used as fuel.
…The process works by using the enzyme cellulase to decompose …
(Red Orbit) The carbon footprint of humans will be reduced by four awards for plant and microbial research issued under a new joint U.S./Japanese program
Four joint United States and Japanese research teams have been awarded …
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) …In September, Ed Hubbard, legislative counsel for the Renewable Fuels Association, addressed the topic of ethanol exports during a presentation at an ethanol logistics conference held in New Orleans. …
(PressZoom/Iowa State University) An Iowa State University research team is collaborating with scientists at the Samuel Roberts Nobel Foundation and also with scientists in Japan to develop an international partnership to help make strides …
Travel to Japan or Indonesia
Travel Dates:
Japan Fellowship
February 13, 2012 – March 2, 2012
Indonesia Fellowship
February 20, 2012 – March 9, 2012
Fellows are selected based on outstanding performance and the ability to play leadership roles in their …
(The Mainichi Daily News) Could Japan become a major oil-producing nation? That’s the dream of researchers at IHI NeoG Algae LLC, which is working on extracting oil not from new holes in the ground, but …
(Biofuels Journal) Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) held an event Oct. 4 at its Toyota Biotechnology and Afforestation Laboratory in Aichi prefecture to showcase technologies developed there as part of its biotechnology and afforestation businesses.
Technology on display included …
by Kiyohiko Igarashi, Takayuki Uchihashi, Anu Koivula, Masahisa Wada, Satoshi Kimura, Tetsuaki Okamoto, Merja Penttilä, Toshio Ando, and Masahiro Samejima (Science Magazine) A deeper mechanistic understanding of the saccharification of cellulosic biomass could enhance the efficiency of biofuels development. We report here …
(The Mainichi Daily News) An experiment to extract hydrocarbons, a main component of petroleum, from algae is set to get under way in the autumn in this quake- and tsunami-hit city.
The Sendai Municipal Government, the …
(TheBioenergySite.com) Hitachi Zosen has teamed up with the city of Kyoto and Kumamoto University to begin converting municipal waste into ethanol on a trial basis.
…The biofuel produced will be used to fuel cars and as …
(Science Daily/Ruhr-Universitaet-Bochum) Under normal conditions, cyanobacteria, also termed blue-green algae, build up energy reserves that allow them to survive under stress such as long periods of darkness. They do this by means of a molecular …
(The Denki Shimbun) Three Japanese companies of IHI Corporation, a biotechnology venture Gene and Gene Technology (G>) based in Osaka Prefecture, and the Neo-Morgan Laboratory Incorporated (NML) based in Kawasaki City announced July 7 that …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …In Brazil, Dow Chemical has teamed with Mitsui in a JV that will produce ethanol and bioplastics from sugarcane, which the companies are saying will be the world’s largest biopolymers investment. …
(PR NewsWire) Qteros, Inc., the developer of a unique and highly efficient Consolidated Bioprocessing (CBP) platform for the lowest-cost production of cellulosic ethanol, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, today announced two significant intellectual property (IP) advances …
(National Biodiesel Board) Biodiesel Industry Bolstered by Growing OEM Support, Momentum Under RFS-2
At its semi-annual board meeting in Washington D.C. last week, members of the National Biodiesel Board applauded the latest Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) …
by Alexandros Gasparatos, Per Stromberg and Kazuhiko Takeuchi (Science Direct) First generation biofuels provide a number of ecosystem services (e.g., fuel, climate regulation) but they also compromise other ecosystem services (e.g., food, freshwater services) which …
(JapanCorp.net) Project to Make Efficient Use of Soft Cellulose
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has successfully established technology to produce ethanol for automobile fuel, satisfying the standards of the Japanese Automotive Standards Organization (JASO), from lignocellulose …
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) Japan-based auto maker Isuzu has debuted a utility van that will be more compatible with higher blends of biodiesel.
This company press release says the new Reach will not only be green, …
by Kerry Reals (FlightGlobal) One or two pioneering airlines may begin using jet fuel derived from algae and use it to create a competitive advantage in the nearer term, but the commercial airline …
(agra-net.com) Cardiles Oil plans to produce more than 12 mln litres of biofuel annually from olive cake at a project in Canete de las Torres, Cordoba. READ MORE and MORE and MORE (Biofuels Digest)
(Japan for Sustainability) A pilot plant for manufacturing bioethanol fuel from the residue from tangerine juice production was completed on October 25, 2010, at the Matsuyama Factory of Ehime Beverage Inc., a manufacturer of citrus …
(Syngenta)
First corn output trait for ethanol industry
Enables ethanol industry to improve efficiency and profitability
Significant environmental benefits
Syngenta announced February 11, 2011, it has received full deregulation for its corn amylase trait from the U.S. Department of …
(The Mainichi Daily News) A machinery maker here has launched a facility to extract bio-ethanol from udon noodles.
Machinery manufacturer Chiyoda Seisakujo is set to run tests at its bio-ethanol extraction plant in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, …
(Japan Today) Malaysia’s Sime Darby Plantation is collaborating with Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co to construct and operate a bioethanol demonstration plant in Malaysia’s Selangor State. The plant will convert oil empty palm fruit branches, …
(Green Car Congress) The Nikkei reports that Tokyo Institute of Technology, Takenaka Corp. and other partners are planning to build an offshore pilot plant to grow algae for use in biofuel production. …The wide-ranging project aims …
(Science Blog) In the minds of many, Miscanthus x giganteus is the forerunner in the race of viable feedstock options for lignocellulosic bioenergy production. But researchers believe “putting all their eggs in one basket” could be …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Honolulu, much of the leadership of the advanced biofuels and renewables chemicals industries have gathered this week at BIO’s Pacific Rim Summit. …(W)hat are the key trends? Here are …
(Japan Today) Toyota Motor Corp said Monday the company has developed a technology to analyze the DNA of plants to shorten the time needed to improve varieties of sugar cane with an eye to boosting bioethanol …
(The Japan Times) Japan’s first train to run on biodiesel fuel, in this case refined edible oil, has taken to the tracks in Hyogo Prefecture.
Hojo Railway Co., a third-sector entity financed by the city of …
by Melody M. Aguiba (Manila Bulletin Publishing) The biggest in the Philippines
tochu Corp. of Japan is investing $120 million in an ethanol plant in San Mariano, Isabela, which is expected to become the Philippines’ biggest …
Akinori Ito of the Blest corporation in Japan had a simple idea. The premise was take plastic which is made from oil and turn it back in to oil. The following short explains the process …
(The Japan Times) Scientists from Tohoku University and Tohoku Electric Power Co. have developed a technology to efficiently generate ethanol from seaweed such as sea tangle and sea grape, group members said Saturday.
The technology uses natural …
by Mike Ramsey (Wall Street Journal) Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda said Friday that his company will look for more partners in alternative-fuel technology, after buying a minority stake in Tesla Motors Inc. last …
(The Financial/EIN News) Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), Hino Motors Ltd. (Hino) and Showa Shell Sekiyu K. K. (SSSKK) announced on June 30 they plan to begin trials on July 1 of a diesel-electric hybrid transit bus fueled …
by Shigeru Sato (Bloomberg Business Week) Toyota Motor Corp.’s research and development unit, Hitachi Ltd. and more than 40 other Japanese companies and institutions have joined a national study into algae’s potential for producing biofuel …
by Shigeru Sato and Yuji Okada (Bloomberg Business Week) As Japan’s rice fields turn fallow and its farming communities decline, a new army of workers is preparing to make the countryside fertile again. This time the …
by Serkan Toto (Crunch Gear) Major Japanese oil wholesaler Nippon Oil and Hitachi subsidiary Hitachi Plant Technologies are developing a technology that’s supposed to make it possible to mass-produce eco-friendly jet fuel from Euglena, single-celled …
(Drayson Racing) Drayson Racing concluded its inaugural season by accomplishing one of its founding objectives: win the Michelin ® Green X Challenge ®. The award for the most efficient and competitive performance in an Automobile …
