Advanced BioFuels USA

Soaring Petrol Prices Make French Drivers Rush to Ethanol

by Sybille de La Hamaide (Reuters) Ethanol sales will hit record highs in France this year and next, supported by strong demand for high-ethanol fuel E85 as car owners seek cheaper alternatives to gasoline, producers said on Thursday.

Fuel prices have soared so much in France that ministers floated the possibility of petrol vouchers for low-income households on Monday, as President Emmanuel Macron’s government seeks to limit the damage from rising costs.

Consumption of the bioethanol, made mostly from sugar beet and grains, is expected to rise to close to 12 million hectolitres this year, above the record of 2019, after dropping about 10% in 2020 as the pandemic kept drivers at home, SNPAA Secretary General Sylvain Demoures said in a telephone interview.

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Although one needs around 25% more bioethanol for the same distance, the price advantage remains significant, which made French consumers rush to flex-fuel cars — that can run on petrol, ethanol or a mix of the two — and to flex-fuel kits that allow standard cars to run on high-ethanol fuel. Kits cost an average of 1,000 euros ($1,164), installation included.

FlexFuel Energy Development, which says it is France’s leader in the flex-fuel kit market, said the number of kits installed had risen 37% since June.

E85 fuel is only available in about one gas station out of four in France, but the network is growing fast with a rise of 32% in 2020, SNPAA said. TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) and retailer Intermarche control half of the market. READ MORE

France to give citizens €100 payment to cope with rising energy prices: Those earning less than €2,000 per month will be eligible for the extra cash. (Politico)

What Is E85 Gas and Should You Use It? (Advanced Auto Parts

Orbex Set to Launch World’s Most Environmentally Friendly Space Rocket

(Orbex/SpaceRef) The carbon footprint of launching the new Orbex Prime space rocket will be up to 96 per cent lower than comparable space launch programmes, a new scientific study has revealed. Prime is poised to become one of the most environmentally friendly orbital launch vehicles ever built, benefiting from the use of renewable, ultra-low-carbon biofuel. It is also designed to be reusable and will not leave any debris on Earth, in the Earth´s oceans, or in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Orbex is also committing to offsetting all emissions from the rocket and its launch operations, ensuring every launch is carbon neutral. Orbex plans to launch Prime from Space Hub Sutherland[i], the carbon-neutral Spaceport in the North of Scotland.

The new study by the University of Exeter calculated that a single Orbex Prime launch would produce up to 86 per cent less emissions than a similar-sized vertical launch vehicle powered by fossil fuels. This gulf in emissions is primarily due to the similar-sized vehicle emitting high levels of black carbon, the particulate matter formed by the incomplete combustion of fuels containing carbon – and a major contributor to climate change when emitted from rocket engines into the stratosphere.

The study also compared the carbon footprint of launching Prime with that of a rocket that is horizontally launched from a carrier aircraft. In this comparison, the direct launch emissions required by Prime was as much as 96 per cent lower than the horizontally launched vehicle.

“Orbex will be the first commercial orbital space launch company to use a renewable, carbon-friendly fuel,” said Chris Larmour, CEO of Orbex. “We believe it is time to move away from the use of heavily polluting fossil fuels now that more efficient, sustainable alternatives are readily available, and we hope to see much tighter regulations coming into force. As the world prepares to attend the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, we have already moved decisively to a fully sustainable solution that avoids the massive carbon emissions profiles of old-fashioned fossil fuelled launch solutions.”

According to the study by the University of Exeter, a single launch of the Orbex Prime rocket would result in total emissions of 13.8 tonnes of CO2e. This includes the direct emissions from the launch, the indirect emissions created from the production of the propellent fuels required (biopropane and liquid oxygen), and the radiative forcing (RF) effects of non-CO2 emissions at high altitude[ii]. This carbon footprint is comparable to the average emissions created by one single person in the UK each year[iii].

Orbital space launches using fossil fuels create enormous amounts of black carbon in the upper atmosphere. Annually the amount created by around 120 space launches is equivalent to the black carbon emissions from the entire global aviation industry. Orbex´s solution almost entirely eliminates black carbon emissions.

A key factor in the environmental credentials of Prime is its innovative choice of fuel. The BioLPG used by Orbex for Prime is sourced from Calor, the UK’s leading BioLPG supplier, that produces the propane as a by-product from the waste and residual material from renewable diesel production. As a result, the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) factor[iv] for BioLPG is 90 per cent lower than a fossil-based fuel such as RP-1, the highly-refined form of Kerosene typically used as rocket fuel.

“The UK space industry has a key role to play in combating climate change, for example by launching satellites that can monitor environmental changes on Earth – but such benefits must be weighed against the environmental impact of space launches, which by their nature can be highly carbon intensive,” said Dr Xiaoyu Yan of the Environment and Sustainability Institute at the University of Exeter. “Our study shows that the launch operation planned by Orbex can result in a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to the other launch scenarios considered in our analysis.”

About Orbex

Orbex is a UK-based spaceflight company with headquarters, production and testing facilities in Scotland, and design and testing facilities in Denmark. Orbex staff members have professional backgrounds with NASA, ESA, Ariane and several commercial spaceflight organisations. The company is now funded by two of the UK’s largest and most active venture capital funds, BGF and Octopus Ventures, who join two of Europe’s largest venture capital funds, Heartcore Capital and the High-Tech Gründerfonds, as well as strategic investor Elecnor, parent company of Deimos Space, the UK Space Agency (UKSA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission Horizon 2020 programme. READ MORE

QUOTE OF THE WEEK — Stephan Meeder

“We are convinced that we need all technologies to decarbonise – or rather to defossilise – the transport sector. Renewable ethanol is available today and can contribute directly and with the existing infrastructure to reduce fossil carbon dioxide emissions in the vehicle fleet,” said Dr Stephan Meeder, CEO of CropEnergies AG. READ MORE

First (Bio)CNG Tractor with Fuel Maker Refueling System Launched

(SNAM/NGV Journal) On the occasion of EIMA International 2021, the most important Italian exhibition dedicated to agricultural mechanization taking place in

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Sustainable Lignin Valorisation — November 4, 2021 — ONLINE

Lignin is the second most abundant biopolymer of land-based biomass, with a huge potential as source of many aromatic chemicals

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Delivering Resiliency and Building Decarbonization with Renewable Propane — November 3, 2021 — ONLINE

Throughout the country, there are thousands of suburban and rural communities that face daunting challenges when it comes to securing

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Richfield Drivers Win with E15

(Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels) and KS95 FM teamed up yesterday to educate drivers on the benefits

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

LCFS & Carbon Markets Workshop — December 1-3, 2021 — San Francisco, CA and ONLINE

Returning to San Francisco this year, the LCFS & Carbon Markets Workshop will be live and in-person once again and

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Destination Net Zero: Nature and Bioeconomy Days — November 23-24, 2021 — ONLINE

We are at the beginning of the most decisive decade in our lifetimes. What we do in the next 10

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Destination Net Zero: Energy and Transportation Days — October 26-27, 2021 — ONLINE

We are at the beginning of the most decisive decade in our lifetimes. What we do in the next 10

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Plug Power Breaks Ground on USD-290m Green Hydrogen Project in New York

(Renewables Now) Plug Power Inc (NASDAQ:PLUG) is initiating building works on a USD-290-million (EUR 249m) project in New York that

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Study Compares Electric Vehicle Charge Costs vs. Gas — And Results Were Surprising

by Jamie L. LaReau (Detroit Free Press) … Costs to drive an EV compared with a gasoline car are detailed in a report Anderson

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

What Is E85 Gas and Should You Use It?

by Andy Jensen (Advanced Auto Parts) … E85 is widely available, an affordable alternative for many popular vehicles. Here’s why

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

President Targets Raising Biodiesel Production to Save Forex

(Antara News) Domestic biodiesel production will reduce diesel imports in order to save up to Rp56 trillion (almost US$4 billion)

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Taliban Metal: House Republicans Are Having a Forum on Afghanistan’s Critical Minerals

by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) House Republicans are having a forum on Afghanistan’s critical minerals, casting the U.S. withdrawal

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

NCERC Scores $1.9M Grant Partly to Expand Biotechnology Laboratory Incubator

by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Illinois, the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC), located in University Park of Southern Illinois University

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Feenstra Introduces Legislation to Study Electric Vehicle Costs, Biojet Fuel

(Office of Congressman Randy Feenstra (R-IA-04)) “These proposals aim to help consumers and taxpayers save money while also bolstering demand

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Soaring Petrol Prices Make French Drivers Rush to Ethanol

by Sybille de La Hamaide (Reuters) Ethanol sales will hit record highs in France this year and next, supported by strong

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Enviva and GreenGasUSA Announce a 10-Year Renewable Natural Gas Offtake Agreement to Decarbonize Enviva’s Scope 1 Emissions

(Enviva) Enviva Partners, LP (NYSE: EVA) (“Enviva”) and GreenGasUSA, an integrated renewable natural gas (RNG) solutions provider, announced today a 10-year

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Xebec Receives EU Research Grant to Design and Build 1 MW Electrolyser System for Production of Sustainable Liquid Fuels

(Xebec Adsorption/Globe Newswire) Grant to design and build a worldwide first low temperature electrochemical CO2 conversion system — Xebec Adsorption Inc.

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Orbex Set to Launch World’s Most Environmentally Friendly Space Rocket

(Orbex/SpaceRef) The carbon footprint of launching the new Orbex Prime space rocket will be up to 96 per cent lower than

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Whitecap Resources Inc. Partners with Federated Co-operatives Limited to Reduce CO2 Emissions in Saskatchewan

(Whitecap Resources Inc./CISION) Whitecap Resources Inc. (“Whitecap” or the “Company”) (TSX: WCP) is pleased to announce that it has signed a memorandum

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Biodegradable Underwear, Fish Guts to Fashion, Lab-Grown Antelope, Coldplay’s Sustainable Tour: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the Week of October 21st

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) It’s almost the weekend so let’s celebrate this week’s crazy and amazing innovations. From

October 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Climate Change Fuels Drive toward Cleaner Tractors

by Marc Heller (E&E News) Making tractors burn with less pollution has long posed a trade-off: cleaner air, but less power

October 21, 2021 Read Full Article

Three Bio-Based Innovations Edge Closer to Market With Private–Public Funding

(National Renewable Energy Laboratory) A more sustainable farming sector, lower industrial emissions, more efficient biochemical production—National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

October 21, 2021 Read Full Article

Sustainable Aviation Fuel Introduced for the First Time at Gatwick Airport through a Collaboration between Neste, Q8Aviation, easyJet and Gatwick Airport Ltd

(Neste) With the first one departing today, a total of 42 easyJet flights operating from Gatwick Airport are to be powered

October 21, 2021 Read Full Article

Exxon Debates Abandoning Some of Its Biggest Oil and Gas Projects

by Christopher M. Matthews and Emily Glazer (Wall Street Journal) … Exxon Mobil Corp.’s XOM -1.82% remade board of directors is debating whether to continue

October 21, 2021 Read Full Article

‘No Commercial Case for Green Hydrogen’ Yet: Siemens Energy CEO

by Anmar Frangoul (CNBC) Described by the International Energy Agency as a “versatile energy carrier”, hydrogen has a diverse range

October 21, 2021 Read Full Article

Global Clean Energy Holdings Inc. Signs Agreement with Pacific Gas & Electric to Develop Cost- & Carbon-Cutting Energy Projects

(Butane-Propane News/Global Clean Energy Holdings) Global Clean Energy Holdings Inc. announced that it has signed a master services agreement with Pacific Gas

October 21, 2021 Read Full Article

The Repsol Refinery in A Coruña Manufactures Biofuel with Used Cooking Oil

(Repsol (Google translation)) Repsol increases its renewable diesel production capacity from waste with the processing in the Coruñés complex of

October 21, 2021 Read Full Article

Global Bioenergies Makes Breakthrough on the Road toward Biojet Fuel

(Global Bioenergies/Globe Newswire) Global Bioenergies has made major advances in its process for converting plant-based feedstocks into isobutene. The resulting improved

October 21, 2021 Read Full Article

Roxtec Selects Sustainable Marine Fuels

(Roxtec) As successful provider of cable and pipe safety seals, Roxtec has grown to cover industries and markets worldwide. This has

October 21, 2021 Read Full Article

De-risking and Commercializing Sustainable Aviation Fuel: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to BETO’s SAF Strategy

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) With the recent announcement of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge, the U.S. Department of

October 21, 2021 Read Full Article

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: Advanced Clean Transportation Expo — May 9-12, 2022 — Long Beach, CA DEADLINE: November 17, 2021

Incredible momentum is taking place across the advanced transportation and clean energy sector with all signs pointing to accelerated growth.

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

Advanced Clean Transportation Expo — May 9-12, 2022 — Long Beach, CA

Incredible momentum is taking place across the advanced transportation and clean energy sector with all signs pointing to accelerated growth.

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

Researchers Develop Chemoenzymatic Technique to Extract Precursor for Biofuel from Agricultural Waste

by Park Sae-jin (Aju Business Daily) For the first time in the world, researchers from a state-run institute have found

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

North Dakota Regulators Approve First Carbon Storage Project in ‘Landmark Day’

by Amy R. Sisk (Bismarck Tribune) North Dakota regulators granted several approvals Tuesday for what’s expected to become the first

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

Op-ed on Ethanol Badly Missed the Mark

by Cassidy Walter (Iowa Renewable Fuels Association/Iowa City Press-Citizen) … Apparently (Jane) Yoder-Short doesn’t know that the growth of ethanol

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

A Biodiesel Boom (and Conundrum)

by Dan Charles and Marie Godoy (NPR) There’s a biodiesel boom happening! It’s fueled by incentives and policies intended to

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

Biofuel Investment Should Occur in California Despite Some Opposition, Regulator Says

by Laura Sanicola (Reuters) California’s biofuel projects are important for the state to achieve its decarbonization goals despite “tremendous pushback” in

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

Biobased gasoline – The REWOFUEL project — October 27, 2021 — ONLINE

Welcome to a live webinar on how it is possible to produce one hundred percent renewable gasoline, on October 27

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

One Hundred Percent Renewable Gasoline – It Is Actually Quite Possible!

(SEKAB) A hundred percent renewable gasoline has been developed by the Product Design Team at Repsol Technology Lab. The study

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

Judgment of the Contentious-Administrative Court The “Unfavorable” Environmental Report for Setting up a Biodiesel Plant in the Port Is Not Open to Challenge

(ceutaactualidad.com (Google translation)) It substantiates that the Environmental Impact Statement, which was unfavorable, is instrumental in nature and is not

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

Chevron Lummus Global Introduces ISOTERRA Renewable Fuel Technology

(Chevron Lummus Global) Chevron Lummus Global LLC (CLG) today announced the expansion of its technology portfolio with the addition of

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

Southwest Airlines Announces 10-Year Environmental Sustainability Plan

(Southwest Airlines) Airline plans to reduce carbon emissions intensity by at least 20 percent by 2030 and maintain carbon neutral

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

QUOTE OF THE WEEK — Stephan Meeder

“We are convinced that we need all technologies to decarbonise – or rather to defossilise – the transport sector. Renewable

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

CropEnergies, Mabanaft and Stuttgart Airport Test Climate Fuel Super Eco 20

(CropEnergies) In a joint project, CropEnergies AG, Mannheim, together with Stuttgart Airport and the mineral oil company Mabanaft Deutschland GmbH

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

Bio-Based Plasticizers Stretch Production Capability

by Alper Yarasik (Cargill Bioindustrial/Biofuels Digest) There’s no question that consumers and manufacturers around the world are demanding materials made without

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

U.S. First 100% Renewable Hydrogen Fleet Featuring New Flyer Buses

(New Flyer/NGV Journal) The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD) unveiled its first-in-America renewable transportation project. MTD’s “Riding on Sunshine” project will

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

BBC-Produced Series to Show Gasum and Finnish K Group Biogas Story

(Gasum/NGV Journal) Humanising Energy series, produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions, introduces the people and communities behind the transition towards renewable

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Online Course — November 8-10, 2021 — ONLINE

Master the technology pathways, its business drivers, economics and deployment strategies Course Sessions CCUS technologies and markets Industrial clusters, hydrogen

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

Mastering Clean Hydrogen — November 25-December 1, 2021 or January 20-27, 2022 — ONLINE

A comprehensive, participative course, providing the knowledge and tools to segment and analyse opportunity & risk within emerging hydrogen economies

October 20, 2021 Read Full Article

Happy Bioenergy Day, October 20! Remember: Biofuels are Bioenergy and Celebrate Accordingly

What do you think of when you hear the word “bioenergy”? Does it include energy used for transportation? It certainly

October 19, 2021 Read Full Article

Companies Start Engineering for Canadian Facility to Produce Fuel from Air

by Ariana Fine (NGT News) Huron Clean Energy, The Upper Nicola Band, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures and Carbon Engineering (CE) have begun preliminary engineering and design

October 19, 2021 Read Full Article

Canada’s Largest Ethanol Producer Takes Steps to Expand Production at Biorefinery

(Biofuels International) Greenfield Global, the largest producer of ethanol in Canada, has taken steps to expand production at its Varennes

October 19, 2021 Read Full Article

Crucial Step Identified in the Conversion of Biomass to Methane

(Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg) Researchers find the enzymatic link in the formation of methane from fatty acids by cooperating microorganisms — Microbial production

October 19, 2021 Read Full Article

RFA Comments Seek to Foster Export Competitiveness

(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association late Friday submitted comments to the International Trade Administration responding to questions posed about the U.S.

October 19, 2021 Read Full Article

SoCalGas’ Biomethanation Reactor System to be Used in Maine Dairy Digester

(SoCalGas) The reactor is part of a $5 million project funded by the Department of Energy — SoCalGas’ biomethanation reactor system

October 19, 2021 Read Full Article

Neste and Hesburger to Launch a Significant Circularity Collaboration – Used Cooking Oil Collected from More than 300 Restaurants to Produce Renewable Diesel

(Neste) Neste and Hesburger, a Finnish restaurant chain, will engage in a significant circular economy collaboration. Used cooking oil from more

October 19, 2021 Read Full Article

Better Fuels & Better Vehicles: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This just released slide guide looks at the Co-optimization of Fuels & Engines initiative’s accomplishments,

October 19, 2021 Read Full Article

Biocontrols as the Pivot Point in the Push for Sustainable Ag Practices

by Patrice Sellès (Biotalys/Biofuels Digest) … Delivering the “sustainability trifecta” – i.e., a lower emissions footprint, equal or better efficacy rates

October 19, 2021 Read Full Article

Twelve Produces First Batch of E-Jet® Fuel from Carbon Dioxide Through Partnership with the U.S. Air Force

(Twelve) Demonstrated for the first time, this electrochemical process enables a path to fossil-free commercial aviation fuel from CO2 from

October 19, 2021 Read Full Article

Mackay Biorefinery Pilot Plant Ready for Take-off

(Queensland Government) World-leading technology has landed in Mackay, bringing Queensland one step closer to a $1 billion sustainable, export-oriented industrial biotechnology