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by Mahmood Ebadian, James D. McMillan, Jack (John) N. Saddler and Susan van Dyk (University of British Columbia, Canada/National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA/IEA Bioenergy) Global production and use of transport biofuels Global biofuels production has continued to increase over the last decade, from over 37 million tonnes oil equivalent (Mtoe) in
Business News/Analysis
May 29, 2020
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by Franziska Müller-Langer, Nicolaus Dahmen and Gabriel Costa de Paiva (Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum/Karlsruhe Institute of Technology/IEA Bioenergy) … This feature article summarizes the current status of transport sector biofuels in Germany including major policy drivers, decarbonization strategies and initiatives as well as recent advances in technology development. 2. Current status of
May 29, 2020
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(GreenAir Online) The European Commission has received a largely enthusiastic response to its new roadmap initiative, ReFuelEU Aviation, aimed at boosting the supply and demand for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) in the EU. The Commission acknowledges that without EU-level intervention, the demand for SAF – currently just 0.05% of total jet fuel
May 29, 2020
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(GreenAir Online) Airbus and Rolls-Royce have announced an ending to their joint hybrid-electric E-Fan X demonstrator programme, a pioneering project directed towards the electrification of commercial passenger aircraft. A BAe 146 RJ100 test aircraft with one of its four jet engines replaced by a 2.5MW motor was due to embark on
May 29, 2020
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by Sarah Leugers (Gold Standard/GreenAir Online) On March 13, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) announced that credits from Gold Standard and five other standards will be eligible for CORSIA, the aviation sector’s carbon market scheme, for the pilot phase 2021-2023. While Gold Standard believes the requirement for a carbon-intensive sector like aviation to take accountability
May 29, 2020
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(GreenAir Online) Fuel standards organisation ASTM International has approved the seventh technology pathway for the production and use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Annex A7 to ASTM’s SAF specification D7566 establishes approval for a type of synthesised paraffinic kerosene derived from hydroprocessed hydrocarbons, esters and fatty acids. The standard provides
May 29, 2020
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(Bioenergy Insight) Clean Energy Fuels has announced new fuel agreements for its RedeemTM renewable natural gas (RNG) along with station expansions to accommodate “continued demand”. The California, US-based firm said that despite the challenging environment posed by COVID-19, it has continued to expand the use of its ultra-low carbon fuel
May 29, 2020
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(Energy.AgWired.com/Ethanol Report) As America gets moving again, ethanol is ready to fuel summer adventures. Ethanol production is slowly climbing back up after hitting historic lows due to coronavirus restrictions keeping people from traveling. Now that people are getting back on the road and in the water, Renewable Fuels Association Vice President of
May 29, 2020
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(Biofuels International) The Dekker Group has revealed plans to expand its operations in the port of Rotterdam. The company had extended its long-term lease contracts for its subsidiary Maastank at Welplaatkade in the Botlek area by 25 years. Managing director Jan Duel said: “By entering into this new long-term lease
May 29, 2020
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by Don Scott (Biodiesel Sustainability Now/National Biodiesel Board/Medium.com) … Biodiesel was developed in the U.S. as a beneficial use for the excess fats and oils created as co-products or byproducts of protein production. Biodiesel uses excess fats and oils from farms to restaurants and generates a low carbon alternative to
May 28, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. EPA has announced the release of the third edition of AgSTAR’s Anaerobic Digester Project Development Handbook, which includes a compilation of the latest knowledge in the industry on best practices for anaerobic digestion and biogas systems. According to the USDA, the handbook aims to
May 28, 2020
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by Tammy Klein (Future Fuel Strategies) Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute have developed a web tool called the Carculator that can be used to compare the environmental performance of passenger cars in detail. The program determines the environmental balance of vehicles with different size classes and powertrains and presents the results in
May 28, 2020
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by Ian Kirkwood (Newcastle Herald) Muswellbrook’s proposed ethanol pilot plant is a step closer to fruition after Muswellbrook Shire Council voted last night to continue negotiating with biofuel company Ethtec over a proposed $10.4 million grant to the project. The vote on the project, which was highlighted in Monday’s Newcastle Herald, was
May 28, 2020
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(Ørsted) Copenhagen Airports, A.P. Moller – Maersk, DSV Panalpina, DFDS, SAS and Ørsted have formed the first partnership of its kind to develop an industrial-scale production facility to produce sustainable fuels for road, maritime and air transport in the Copenhagen area. The partnership brings together the demand and supply side
May 28, 2020
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(U.S. Gain/NGV Journal) U.S. Gain is now the largest renewable natural gas supplier in Oregon, through supply agreements with Salem Area Mass Transit District, Gresham Sanitary Service, Heiberg Garbage & Recycling and Pride Disposal. This news comes shortly after U.S. Gain announced their biomethane supply agreement with the Port of Seattle
May 28, 2020
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(SGH2/NGV Journal) The global energy company SGH2 is bringing the world’s largest green hydrogen production facility to Lancaster, California. The plant will feature SGH2’s pioneering technology, which uses recycled mixed paper waste to produce “greener than green” hydrogen that reduces carbon emissions by two to three times more than green hydrogen
May 27, 2020
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by Johan Sheridan (News10) The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection awarded $5.8 million to the State University of New York at Cobleskill for its gasifier project, which turns combustible waste into a sustainable, clean-burning fuel. The grant supports creating a mobile unit to complement wildfire reduction efforts by converting woody
May 27, 2020
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(Agri-Pulse) E15, gasoline blended with 15% ethanol, saw modest growth over the last year as President Donald Trump’s order to lift the ban on year-round sales approaches its one-year anniversary at the end of this week. READ MORE
May 27, 2020
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(Egypt Today) … A feasibility study was carried out to launch an ethanol production project worth $110 million. Shareholders have began taking measures to found the company, and MoUs were signed to get molasses from sugar companies as it will be a production input. A logistics project is planned to
May 27, 2020
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(Dislub Equador Group Joins Forces with Biofriendly to Produce DuraMais, Brazil’s First Eco-Labeled Retail Fuel/Yahoo! Finance) Biofriendly Corporation and Dislub Equador Group announced the launch of DuraMais® brand gasoline and biodiesel, which utilizes Biofriendly’s Green Plus® energy transition fuel technology. These efforts align with the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 from
May 27, 2020
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(Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking) Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking: a €3.7 billion partnership between the EU and the Bio-based Industries Consortium — The Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) has signed grant agreements with the projects selected for funding under the 2019 Call for proposals. The 22 new projects will receive financial support
May 27, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Australian Renewable Energy Agency, or ARENA, has invested $1.48 billion in 513 projects since 2012, and of those approximately $50 million are across 28 hydrogen projects. A pathway to a renewable hydrogen industry has many benefits but there are still several key issues like barriers to
May 27, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As the month of May comes to a close and many states are re-opening, The Digest published this “Agricultural & Energy Dashboard” visual guide showing what’s going on with ethanol retail prices, liquid energy commodity prices, biodiesel and ethanol operating margins, retail fuel prices, grease and
May 27, 2020
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by Tristan R. Brown (Seeking Alpha) Summary: -The share prices of U.S. ethanol producers have mostly retraced the major declines that they experienced in March and April as the COVID-19 pandemic set in. -Ethanol production margins moved to their highest levels of 2020 in response to rebounding ethanol demand and the
May 26, 2020
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(Northeast Now News) Sonowal lauds NRL authority for regularly making monthly payment to its workers to the tune of Rs. 1.20 cr during lockdown period — The Bio Refinery Plant, which is being executed by the NRL, with a project cost of Rs. 1,750 crore, will use 5 lakh MT bamboo per
May 26, 2020
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(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association on Friday urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to deny new petitions submitted by refiners for past-year waivers from their renewable volume obligations. In a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper argued that granting such waivers would be
May 26, 2020
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(U.K. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and The Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP) Clean Growth Fund launched as a venture capital vehicle to accelerate early-stage green businesses. — Government to contribute half of initial £40 million fund pot together with one of the UK’s largest charity investors, CCLA
May 26, 2020
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(Iowa State University) Tracking COVID-19’s economic impacts, especially in the state of Iowa, is now possible thanks to resources on a new web hub. The webpage “COVID-19 Pandemic: Research and Resources” developed by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development and the Department of Economics at Iowa State University, examines the pandemic’s impacts
May 26, 2020
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(CISION/PR Web/Clean Cooking Alliance) A diverse portfolio of 33 companies, operating mainly in Africa, will be supported by the Clean Cooking Alliance’s new Venture Catalyst (VC) program. The program focuses on building an investment-ready pipeline through venture-level interventions, to deliver universal access to clean cooking in developing countries. The Venture
May 26, 2020
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by Lloyd Ritter (Green Capitol LLC/Biofuels Digest) A timely new report came out recently on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), “Ready for Takeoff: Aviation Biofuels Past, Present, and Future,” written by the Atlantic Council (herein AC). The key takeaways are three-fold. First, aviation emissions are one of the most recognizable sources of
May 26, 2020
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by Sarantis Michalopoulos (EURACTIV.com) The European Commission has launched a stakeholder consultation to expand the list of the so-called advanced or second-generation biofuels of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II), EURACTIV.com has learned. RED II has been adopted but needs to be transposed into national legislation of the EU27 by July
May 25, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In today’s Digest, Vanacker answers how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting Neste’s operations at the moment, his outlook for renewable fuels, whether fighting climate change is still on Neste’s agenda, an exclusive Digest interview with Jason Blake from Neste’s Aviation Feedstock Business Unit, and
May 25, 2020
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by Steven Mufson (Washington Post) Since severing investments in fossil fuels, Rockefeller Brothers Fund has outpaced its financial benchmarks. — Five years ago, members of the Rockefeller family walked away from the fossil fuels that made them rich, alarmed that burning oil and gas was causing climate change. Now it
May 25, 2020
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(ePURE/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Experts agree that achieving the EU Green Deal will require a massive increase in bioenergy, so it is important that we rely on renewable energy sources that are sustainable, preserving Europe’s biodiversity and protecting its food security. Fortunately, the EU has already gone through a long process of
May 22, 2020
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by Dan K. Eberhart (CNN Business Perspectives) … President Trump indicated that some sort of financial bailout for the US oil industry — and the millions of jobs it supports — could be in the works. … “We will never let the great U.S. Oil & Gas Industry down. I
May 22, 2020
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by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) Oil and gas companies that have struggled for years under low crude prices are reaping hundreds of millions of dollars in tax refunds under a provision of the $2 trillion stimulus package passed by Congress in March. READ MORE
May 22, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA on May 21 released updated small refinery exemption (SRE) data, reporting that two additional SRE petitions have been filed with the agency; one for compliance year 2019 and one for compliance year 2020. A total of 27 SRE petitions for compliance year
May 22, 2020
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(International Energy Agency) … Successful transitions to clean energy will require decarbonising the rest of the economy as well, including transport fuels and the heating of buildings. The Covid-19 crisis has radically changed the global context for biofuels, which are a key element in the shift to more sustainable transport.
May 22, 2020
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(Neste) Neste has updated its traceability dashboard which provides detailed data on the company’s palm oil and palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD, a processing residue of refining food-quality palm oil) supply chains. The site provides a map service from which users can find the locations of Neste’s suppliers and review data on suppliers’
May 22, 2020
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(The Guardian) … Oil palm can fetch Nigeria as much revenue as the crude oil can so said the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele. But self-inflicted challenges that de-ranked the country from the largest producer in the pre-independence era to the fifth producer are getting compounded
May 21, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From Canada comes news that NOVA Chemicals and Enerkem entered into a joint development agreement to explore turning non-recyclable and non-compostable municipal waste into ethylene, a basic building block of plastics. NOVA Chemicals has committed to enabling 100 percent of plastics packaging is recyclable or recoverable
May 21, 2020
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(Primoris Services Corporation/Seeking Alpha) Primoris Services Corporation (PRIM) (“Primoris” or “Company”) today announced two new industrial awards with a combined value over $62 million. The contracts were secured by Primoris Industrial Constructors, part of the Power, Industrial, and Engineering segment. The first award is for the construction of the outside the
May 21, 2020
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by Jordan Solomon (Ecostrat Inc./Biofuels Digest) The US has over a billion tons of biomass which can be used as a key lever to drive economic recovery. USDA estimates that 3.4 million jobs and nearly $660 billion of economic benefits would be created by using biomass to manufacture alternative fuels,
May 21, 2020
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by Michael Bates (NGT News) As part of a project prioritized in Longmont’s 2018 greenhouse gas inventory, the Colorado city has become the first city along the Front Range to implement a renewable vehicle fuel project. Through the project, biogas produced at the city’s wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is transformed into renewable natural
May 21, 2020
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by Nora Goldstein (BioCycle) BioCycle interviewed Bob Powell, founder and CEO of Brightmark, about his company’s growth trajectory in the anaerobic digestion and RNG space. — In August 2016, Bob Powell founded Brightmark Energy “to think about environmental problems that were not being addressed well,” he recalls. “I knew wind and
May 20, 2020
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(Lufthansa Group) Lufthansa Group, ETH Zurich and its spin-offs Climeworks and Synhelion plan to cooperate in the field of Sustainable Aviation Fuels; The partnership initiated by SWISS and Edelweiss is intended to encompass collaboration in the areas of technology and economic efficiency; Jet fuels based on renewable energies are a decisive
May 20, 2020
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by Ty Jayan (The Hindu Business Line) Govt recently approved an additional ethanol capacity of 600 crore litres — Sugar industry, which has been trying to augment ethanol production to meet the requirement for fuel blending in the country, has made a case for working out a tripartite mechanism between sugar
May 20, 2020
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by Ryan McCrimmon (Politico’s Morning Agriculture) Growth Energy, which represents ethanol producers and supporters, is hosting its first “virtual fly-in” this week to press Midwestern lawmakers on their coronavirus relief efforts, along with trade barriers and other biofuel issues, starting today. The ethanol industry has been crushed by the drop
May 20, 2020
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by Maitane Sardon (Market Screener) Italian energy giant Eni SpA said Friday that it is reviewing its supply chain with the aim to eliminate the use of palm oil and its derivative PFAD by 2023. The move comes as the EU works toward its goal of reducing to zero the use
May 20, 2020
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(Neste) Neste brings Neste MY Renewable Diesel™ to a significant number of new stations during April and May 2020 in Finland. With the expansion, Neste MY Renewable Diesel will be available at around 120 stations in growth centers as well as smaller towns. “Our customers have asked for more stations offering
May 20, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Alot has changed since February, but what exactly in terms of the energy sector and financial impacts from COVID-19? Dive into this detailed assessment by The Brattle Group on COVID-19’s path and macroeconomic projections and outlook for the future, oil and natural gas demand and
May 20, 2020
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by Steve Hartig (ReCon Associates/Biofuels Digest) … Looking ahead, the main drive for ethanol demand will be light vehicle miles driven however the EIA estimates annual improvements in fuel economy of between .5-1% over the next ten year. In the last few years, depending on the period analyzed, light vehicle mileage
May 20, 2020
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(Omaha World-Herald/Nebraska Corn Board) When you stop at the gas station to top off your tank, how much thought do you put in to choosing the fuel that’s right for your car? For your wallet? For the environment? For the air quality in your community? The truth is, transportation is the
May 20, 2020
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by David Laister (Business Live) Department for Transport gets response from home of UK’s largest bioethanol plant — … Biofuels are being explored as Net Zero commitments loom large, with the Humber home to the UK’s largest bioethanol plant, mothballed due to delays in target implementation. Now the Department for
May 19, 2020
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by Tina Casey (Triple Pundit) … (T)there are reasons to be optimistic about the future of biofuels, as the field continues to evolve remarkably from where it was a decade ago. … Rather than letting the rest of the plant go to waste, the focus has turned to developing enzymes that can
May 19, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Brussels, the European Investment Bank, with the support of the European Commission, has granted a EUR 75 million (nearly $82 million USD) loan to ArcelorMittal for Steelanol, the EUR 165 million ($180 million USD) industrial-scale demonstration plant based on LanzaTech’s process, capturing waste gases
May 19, 2020
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by Matthew Mercure (NGT News) U.S. Gain, a company that specializes in the development, procurement and distribution of renewable natural gas (RNG) for the transportation and energy markets, says it has become the largest RNG supplier in Oregon through supply agreements with Salem Area Mass Transit District, Gresham Sanitary, Heiberg Garbage
May 19, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Department of Energy on April 24 announced plans to award funding to a carbon capture and storage (CCUS) project under development at an Illinois ethanol plant. The agency is also soliciting applications for a new round of CCUS project funding. The DOE announced
May 18, 2020
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(Biofuels International) Velocys, the sustainable fuels technology company, has announced it has secured a further £1m funding for the Altalto waste-to-fuels project from British Airways and Shell. The proposed Altalto Immingham plant is to convert hundreds of thousands of tonnes per year of residual waste into sustainable fuels – mainly
May 18, 2020
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by Roxby Hartley (EcoEngineers/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is receiving a lot of traction thanks to two exciting developments in 2018 and 2019: 1) California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard recognized CCS as a viable pathway to reduce emissions from transportation fuels. 2) The United States Congress passed legislation expanding
May 18, 2020
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by Goulburn Murray, Erin Somerville (ABC) The biofuels sector says the pandemic is an ideal time to review Australia’s commitment to biofuels; Bioenergy Australia says a boost in domestic biofuel consumption could help create regional jobs; Australia’s major biodiesel producer says it will continue to focus on export market post-pandemic
May 18, 2020
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(Ag NewsWire) The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on the U.S. ethanol industry, slashing production by half and leading to the idling of scores of plants across rural America. But there are positive signs that demand is starting to increase again. Meanwhile, Congress is considering a new aid
May 18, 2020
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(U.S. Department of Agriculture) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Bette Brand today announced that USDA has published a final rule to expand the production of renewable chemicals and biobased manufactured products. The rule, for the first time, allows applicants for Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product
May 18, 2020
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(Gas Vehicle Network/NGV Journal) UK’s industry trade body Gas Vehicle Network (GVN) has unveiled new statistics showing that in 2019 almost 80% of the total dispensed volume of natural gas for transport fuel was biomethane*, which represents a 22% increase compared to 2018. “Clean, low carbon, natural gas powered vehicles
May 18, 2020
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(Biofuels Digest) DigestConnect is a weekly online get-together for the bioeconomy, featuring trendsetters and online commentary by real leaders on the real issues. DigestConnect #9 is here. Today we are joined by Joanne Ivancic with Advanced Biofuels USA, Graham Noyes of the Low Carbon Fuels Coalition, and Jeremy Martin with
May 18, 2020
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by Tristan R. Brown (Seeking Alpha) -Expectations of U.S. gasoline demand in 2021 are continuing to decline as the country has failed to suppress the spread of COVID-19. -Gasoline demand in 2021 is now expected to be as low as it was in 2013. Mandated biofuel demand will be substantially
May 18, 2020
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Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. ethanol industry is showing some signs of recovery as government officials ease stay-at-home orders that depressed fuel demand, while a vote Friday in Congress could bring the industry one step closer to federal aid, industry officials said. Fuel demand collapsed by about a third with
May 18, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA has delivered its proposed rule to set 2021 renewable volume requirements (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard and the 2022 RVO for biomass-based diesel to the White House Office of Management and Budget. OMB review marks a final stage before a proposed
May 18, 2020
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(National Renewable Energy Laboratory) In the same manner that pocket calculators made math faster and easier, a new machine-learning tool developed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has significantly speeded up calculating the thermodynamics of chemical reactions. Developed as part of the Department of Energy’s Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima)
May 18, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Switzerland, the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials offered updates on their “Fueling the Sustainable Bioeconomy” project powered by Boeing’s Global Engagement Portfolio, including the latest activities in three countries identified to be of key importance given their rapidly growing commercial aviation sectors and potential to produce
May 18, 2020
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by Svend Ravn (Haldor Topsoe) Air Products (NYSE:APD), a global leader in industrial gases and megaproject development, and Haldor Topsoe, the world leader in high-performance catalysts and proprietary technology for the chemical and refining industries, today announced the signing of a global Alliance Agreement. The two companies will collaborate, using their
May 18, 2020
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(Airlines for America) Number of Approved Pathways Grows to Seven — Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, applauds the addition of a seventh annex to ASTM International’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) specification, D7566, which will further enable the use of SAF by the U.S. airlines. “Even as
May 18, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As biology ravages the global economy, we have a once-in-a-lifetime, trillion-dollar opportunity to help shape how biology will also rebuild it, reports Synbiobeta. We can redefine the economy, supply chains, and manufacturing at local, state, national, and global levels, and bring back the millions of jobs
May 18, 2020
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Millions in Australian Government Funding for Renewable Methane, Hydrogen, Solar Hydropower Projects
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) From the land down under arrives news of millions pouring in for renewable energy – $1.1 million (about $700K USD) funding pouring into renewable methane, $3 million (nearly $2 million USD) for building a world-first solar hydropower plant, and $1.7 million (a little over $1
May 18, 2020
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(Praj/Sekab E-Technology AB) Sekab E-technology AB and Praj Industries, India have signed a collaboration agreement in order to upgrade and commercialize technology solutions geared towards the production of sustainable biofuels and chemical products. Praj industries will through this collaboration help to scale up, integrate and optimize the unique CelluAPP® technology
May 18, 2020
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by Jim McMahon (Biomass Magazine) After 35 years of open-air composting, Zurich’s recently-opened anaerobic digestion facility can process 25,000 tons of organic municipal solid waste annually, producing biogas for power generation and high-grade organic fertilizer. — Since 1978, the city of Zurich, Switzerland has collected green waste through its recycling
May 15, 2020
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(South Jersey Gas/NGV Journal) South Jersey Gas announced the opening of its new CNG fueling station in Cape May County. The station, located at 650 Shunpike Road Burleigh, New Jersey, is open to the public and exclusively offers renewable natural gas. The new station and biomethane supply is part of an
May 15, 2020
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(Argus Media) The ethanol lobby in Brazil’s lower house of congress is proposing a bill to suspend imports of gasoline, diesel and ethanol for 90 days, after President Jair Bolsonaro rejected calls to raise the gasoline tax. The bill would effectively reduce gasoline supply in order to boost hydrous ethanol demand, according to
May 15, 2020
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(SCS Global Services) SCS Global Services (SCS), a leading global third-party verifier of environmental claims, is now approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as a verification body for the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). The goal of the LCSF is to reduce the carbon intensity of California’s transportation fuel pool. The
May 15, 2020
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by Sigurd Koldste (Bio2Oil) Back in late November, our CEO Ib Johannsen participated in an expert workshop on hydrothermal liquefaction in Brussels, Belgium. The workshop was hosted by five European research projects (HyFlexFuel, WASTE2ROAD, 4refinery, NextGenRoadFuels and Heat to Fuel) in collaboration with the Norwegian National Centre Bio4Fuels. The overall goal for the workshop was to uncover
May 14, 2020
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(DVGW (German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water)/NGV Journal) The ‘Industriekreis CNG-Mobilität’, a group of companies and associations composed of representatives of the automotive and energy industries as well as infrastructure operators and providers of renewable fuels like biomethane, reported very positive figures with respect to climate protection. According
May 14, 2020
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by Tammy Klein (Future Fuel Strategies) Researchers at Monash University in Australia have proposed a roadmap to renewable ammonia being produced in the future at a scale that is significant in terms of global fossil fuel use in a paper recently published in Joule. The authors note that while there is global
May 14, 2020
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by Gayatri Suroyo, Tabita Diela, Bernadette Christina Munthe and Fransiska Nangoy (Reuters) The Indonesian government is considering alternate plans to increase subsidies for the country’s ambitious biodiesel programme after crude oil prices tumbled, a finance ministry official said on Wednesday. A historic crash in oil prices this year has widened the
May 14, 2020
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(Solutions from the Land) … Compared to the relief that is being considered for the oil industry, it is still a meager response. Changes made late last month by the Federal Reserve to a $600 billion loan program created to help small- and medium-sized businesses will lift the program’s lending restrictions and make
May 13, 2020
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by Eloise Gibson (Stuff) Z Energy is “hibernating” its biodiesel plant but may re-open in a year. –Z Energy has put its Auckland biofuel plant to sleep after a bidding war broke out for the fatty animal waste it runs on. Fourteen people’s jobs will be lost, while Z looks
May 13, 2020
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(Reuters (Google Translation)) The soybean industry, which accounts for most of the raw material used in biodiesel production in Brazil, is pleading that, given the drop in consumption due to measures against the coronavirus, the mixture of renewable fuel in fossil increase from 12% to 14% for the product sold
May 13, 2020
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(Business Wire) The City of Newton, Ill., Jasper County, and St. Joseph Renewable Fuels, LLC announced plans to build a $400 million renewable diesel plant in Southern Illinois that envisions utilizing innovative technologies and a new healthcare protocol to test and certify a COVID-19 free workforce. The 40-acre site in
May 13, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the past 50 years, population has doubled, food and water tripled, fossil fuels quadrupled. So how do we transition to a net positive world? That’s where RSB comes in with their community, resources and sustainability standard and certification system as part of a global movement to
May 13, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A new technology that produces a doubling of overall biomass in algae and 40 percent in camelina has appeared on the horizon, and I’d like to draw your attention to this work in The Plant Journal and this one in Nature Research. If you’ve been a fan of
May 13, 2020
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by Loren Moss (Finance Colombia) Colombia’s government today announced that it would impose tariffs on ethyl alcohol (ethanol) imports from the United States for the next two years in the amount of 6.646 cents US per kilogram, an amount it says is equal to controversial US government subsidies of domestic ethanol
May 12, 2020
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(Farm Journal/AgWeb) Bankruptcies are rising and are expecting to increase due to problems associated with COVID-19. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, Chapter 12 family farm bankruptcies for the 12 month period ending in March totaled 627 filings. That’s a 23% increase from the previous 12 months. It also marks five
May 12, 2020
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by Art Cullen (The Guardian/Storm Lake Times) … “A lot of voters wanted to believe Trump – that out there in Washington it’s all BS, and that a savvy businessman could straighten it out,” (Drake) Custer said. It’s hard for many to admit that it didn’t work out. A tragic comedy
May 12, 2020
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by Steve Davies (Agri-Pulse) Lawyers for EPA and POET Biorefining squared off in court Monday over whether the agency’s guidance for measuring production of cellulosic ethanol is tantamount to a rule containing requirements that are impossible to meet. One of the major issues is whether there exists any type of “representative reference material”
May 12, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) If you missed the DigestConnect webinar last week, check out the slide guides from Bill Hagy’s presentation on what federal programs and resources are available for biofuels, biopower, biochemicals and biobased products throughout all stage levels from research and development to commercial. These include Small
May 12, 2020
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(The European Bioeconomy Alliance (EUBA)/Biofuels Digest) The ambitious European Commission strategy to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the EU and achieve climate neutrality by 2050 has recently been set in motion as the European Green Deal. The European Bioeconomy Alliance (EUBA), representing twelve organisations in various sectors active in the
May 12, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There’s a new way to invest in decarbonizing transportation. This week, the Seattle-based angel investor community known as E8 launched Decarbon8-US, that could break down several barriers holding back the scale-up of cleantech, especially barriers faced by bioeconomy startups just emerging into revenues and facing the valley
May 12, 2020
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(Bioenergy Insight) Construction of a new car and passenger ferry in Finland that will partly run on liquefied biogas is on schedule, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Rauma Marine Constructions said work on the new ferry for Wasaline is progressing “uninterrupted”. The Aurora Botnia will operate between Vaasa in Finland and
May 12, 2020
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by Matthew Mercure (NGT News)… Alon Bakersfield Refinery is an existing oil refinery located in Bakersfield, Calif. Historically, the refinery has produced diesel from crude oil. GCEH will immediately commence retooling the refinery to produce renewable diesel from organic feedstocks such as vegetable oils. The facility, when repurposed as a renewable
May 12, 2020
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(Gasum/NGV Journal) Gasum is expanding the natural gas refueling infrastructure in Southwest Finland with the opening of a new filling station serving heavy-duty vehicles in summer 2020. Located on highway 10 in the Avanti business and industrial area of Lieto, it will provide LNG and bio-LNG for the needs of long-haul
May 11, 2020
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by Larry Lee (Brownfield Ag News) Two commodity analysts say the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on ethanol demand might permanently close some ethanol plants. Dale Durchholz is the principal at Grain Cycles commodity consulting. He says, “There’s going to be some smaller, inefficient plants that if they’re shut down now,
May 11, 2020
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(Ethanol Producer Magazine) Ethanol Producer Magazine, in conjunction with the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo, proudly invites nominations for the 2020 Ethanol Producer Awards. In addition to the FEW’s longstanding industry accolades — The Award of Excellence and The High-Octane Award — we expanded our showcase of industry honors
May 11, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative recently issued its 2020 National Trade Estimate, an annual report detailing foreign trade barriers faced by U.S. exporters of goods and services and USTR’s efforts to reduce those barriers. Fuel ethanol is among products addressed in the report.
May 11, 2020
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(Solutions from the Land) Solutions from the Land (SfL), a national, farmer-led not-for-profit that works to place farmers at the forefront of resolving global challenges, announced today that it is broadly expanding its mission to combat the interconnected threats the world now faces, ranging from food and nutrition security, sustainable livelihoods,
May 11, 2020
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(GasNaturally/NGV Journal) … Therefore, GasNaturally, partnership of seven associations that together represent the whole European gas value chain (including NGVA Europe), urges the EU institutions and Member States to make natural, renewable and decarbonized gases as well as secure and affordable energy supply as a central pillar of the sustainable recovery plans.
May 11, 2020
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(KIWA Radio/National Biodiesel Board) The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is pleased that the Department of Commerce will keep countervailing duty orders on imports of Argentinian biodiesel. The Commerce Department made the determination after its “changed circumstances review” of the anti-dumping duty. The department determined that there are no “changed circumstances” that
May 11, 2020
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by Bernadette Christina (Reuters) Indonesia is likely to delay plans to raise bio-content in palm oil-based biodiesel to 40%, and keep going with an already ambitious 30% content, a senior official said, amid speculation that low crude prices could force a government re-think. The biodiesel programme is a key part of the
May 11, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Regardless of the Covid-19 pandemic, Neste’s just released Q1 financials show a solid start to the year and good results despite margin pressure. But how? Adaptation. Flexibility. Innovation. Efficiency. Neste’s renewable products segment led the way with a record-high production volume. Sure, there was high volatility
May 11, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) It’s been only two years since the Environmental Protection Agency approved sorghum oil as an eligible feedstock under the Renewable Fuel Standard, but a lot has happened since then. The EPA’s announcement marked a significant step toward leveling the playing field for ethanol plants extracting oil
May 11, 2020
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(Bloomberg/Yahoo! Finance) … Gasoline demand is rebounding, suggesting that the car — at least for now — is making a comeback. As lockdowns ease and parts of the world reopen for business, driving has emerged as the socially distant transportation mode of choice and is offering some near-term relief to an
May 11, 2020
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by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The Trump administration has offered to place a $10 million cap on Philadelphia Energy Solutions’ biofuel blending obligations, effectively slashing the bankrupt refiner’s regulatory liability by more than 70%, according to a proposed settlement between the two parties dated earlier this week. … It marks the
May 11, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Three dozen Midwestern electric cooperatives and rural electric associations send a letter to 20 federal lawmakers on May 7 asking Congress to provide much-needed economic relief for rural America, which continues to suffer from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. … “Our member-owners have
May 11, 2020
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by Graham Warwick (Aviation Week) Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are a technically viable option today; it is their economic viability that remains in question. Synthetic fuels are 3-5 times more expensive than jet fuel made from fossil fuels—and that was before oil prices collapsed because of COVID-19. There will soon be
May 8, 2020
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by Sybille de La Hamaide (Reuters) … Ethanol consumption slumped globally due to COVID-19 crisis; EU makers fear cheap imports when demand resumes; Called the European Commission for action, possibly tariffs; U.S., Brazilian ethanol exports surged in past months — An influx of cheap U.S. and Brazilian ethanol threatens Europe’s producers as
May 8, 2020
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by Laura Sanicola (Reuters) CVR Energy Inc is looking to convert certain units in its refineries to renewable diesel production to reduce its exposure to the cost of renewable fuel credits (RINs), the company said on Thursday. The project, which would involve using excess hydrogen capacity and converting some desulfurization units for
May 8, 2020
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by Todd Campbell (California Natural Gas Vehicle Partnership/Advanced Clean Tech News) … (L)et’s look at what a hypothetical $100 million government investment could achieve when using one of California’s most popular funding programs. Which option would you chose if both cost the same? How to stretch our dollars the farthest. Did
May 8, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Gevo’s business strategy is to secure off take agreements for jet fuel and isooctane striking a price that gives attractive returns for project financing for large scale build out of capacity. But how? How will they build out IBA, jet and isooctane with project financing?
May 8, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We formed HelioBioSys to reduce the carbon footprint of fuels and other biomaterials. We initially targeted ethanol production via a genetically modified cyanobacterium but realized this process was not commercially viable. We then developed and patented a community of non-genetically modified cyanobacteria to produce fermentable sugars
May 8, 2020
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by Matthew Mercure (NGT News) Clean Energy Fuels Corp. has entered into new fuel agreements for its Redeem renewable natural gas (RNG) and has planned multiple CNG and LNG station expansions to accommodate the continued demand for natural gas fuel. “Despite this unprecedented challenging time that the country is experiencing with
May 7, 2020
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by Jennifer Aurandt-Pilgrim (Marquis Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … A proven approach to innovative solutions for our industry is the “Now, Near and Next” approach. It’s an understanding that innovation is not as simple as investing in a technology or choosing a vendor for a known need; rather, to truly innovate,
May 7, 2020
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by Richa Mishra, TV Jayan (The Hindu Business Line) Commitment to EBP scheme gives sugar industry confidence to set up distilleries — To ensure that the country does not miss any opportunity to generate its own fuel and bring down import dependence, the government proposes to use surplus foodgrains for ethanol
May 7, 2020
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by Jim Talent (The Gazette) … Oil companies have requested special access to a $600 billion lending facility at the Federal Reserve, and the administration seems keen to deliver. The president just announced that the Secretary of Energy and Secretary of the Treasury would make funds available, and the Department
May 7, 2020
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by Alex Snodgrass (Independent Commodity Intelligence Services) US ethanol producer Green Plains said it still expects China to stick to the first phase of the US-China trade agreement that requires ethanol purchases. Green Plains remains optimistic about China and their role in corn and ethanol purchases, it said in an investor
May 7, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Aviation’s current reliance on fossil fuels, its expected continued growth rate following the COVID-19 pandemic, the service lifespan of aircraft, and the lack of nonliquid fuel alternatives make it a challenging sector to decarbonize, especially compared with ground transportation, according to the Atlantic Council’s latest
May 7, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) Valero Energy Corp. released first quarter 2020 financial results on April 29. While the company’s operations are being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the executive team confirmed that demand for transportation fuels is beginning to rebound. … Gorder (Joe Gorder, chairman and CEO
May 6, 2020
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by Josh Boyce (Blackburn News) The Cellulosic Sugar Producers Co-operative (CSPC) has announced that it’s ceasing operations to mitigate ongoing expenses and costs. The Ontario farmer-owned co-operative said it’s purchased back all investments made by farmers, including the membership shares. The co-operative was formed to supply a London-based company’s proposed new refinery
May 6, 2020
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(Greasezilla) The new modular Greasezilla system expands its FOG separation system to serve large food processors, wastewater treatment centers and waste haulers requiring FOG separation systems to be placed at any large-scale collection point — Downey Ridge Environmental Company, developer of Greasezilla™, announces that its industry leading FOG (fats, oils & grease)
May 5, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Digest reported yesterday how White Dog Labs is giving a glimmer of hope to the ethanol industry by being able to convert ethanol production into alternative protein production thanks to their microbiome-derived biotech – and in just 9 months. Their offtake agreement with Cargill is
May 5, 2020
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by Michael Bakas (Distributed Energy Systems/Ameresco/Biofuels Digest) In the final weeks of 2019, the American Gas Foundation updated its nearly decade-old report assessing the market and technical potential for renewable natural gas (RNG) supply and emissions reductions. One of the biggest takeaways was this: RNG could reduce emissions from natural gas in the
May 5, 2020
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(Scania/NGV Journal) When Kuopio Municipality in Finland tendered refuse collection, Urbaser’s Finnish subsidiary was in pole position for the contract. Urbaser had the advantage of offering its services using six Scania’s biogas trucks, which was decisive. In additional to the superior environmental performance, Urbaser highlights the natural gas Scania P 340’s
May 5, 2020
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by Isis Almeida (Bloomberg) Ethanol to benefit as people avoid mass transit: Green Plains; For now, biofuel plants have idled as drivers stay home — There’s light at the end of the tunnel for the battered American ethanol market, according to producer Green Plains Inc. For now, coronavirus stay-at-home measures are
May 5, 2020
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(Biofuels International) Drax has launched a Biomass Carbon Calculator to help the industry accurately measure emissions in the biomass supply chain. The new tool will allow the sector to identify where emissions reductions can be made and help to make a greater contribution to tackling climate change, according to Drax.
May 5, 2020
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by Jamieson Murphy (North Queensland Register) … Nuffield scholar and a fourth generation farmer Steven Hobbs said if the federal government got the bioenergy strategy right, the industry could be “quite phenomenal”. He began experimenting with alternative fuel sources nearly 20 years ago, after becoming inspired by one his grandfather’s farming
May 5, 2020
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by Jake Rinehart (KEYC News) U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced Monday the U.S. Department of Agriculture intends to make up to $100 million available in competitive grants for activities that are designed to expand the availability and sale of renewable fuels. “America’s energy independence is critical to our
May 5, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) During last week’s DigestConnect webinar, Kate Lewis from USDA’s BioPreferred Program shared this slide guide on how there is a refresh going on with biobased products driven largely by Millennials, the growth in intermediates even now, benefits of the USDA certified biobased product label and
May 4, 2020
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by Brian Wang (Next BIG Future) NASA NIAC fund work to use bioorganisms to perform atmospheric in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). Utilizing 100% ISRU for propellant production, they aim to reduce the Entry Descent Landing (EDL) mass of a crewed mission to Mars by approximately 7 tons. This technology will enable long-term human
May 4, 2020
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(Algae Biomass Organization) The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) has released the first European standard for algae and algae products, an important milestone for establishing common baselines for an industry that is beginning to impact more markets than ever. Known as EN 17399:2020 ‘Algae and algae products – Terms and definitions’, the
May 4, 2020
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(MarketsandResearch.biz/MarketWatch) MarketsandResearch.biz has released a recent industry research report titled Global Biodiesel Market 2020 by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2025 which spotlights on the study of past, present and future look of the industry. The report provides an assessment of the present market size, landscape, development, status and growth opportunities from
May 4, 2020
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by Chris Bliley (Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … When it comes to transportation emissions, newsrooms around the world generally preserve their biggest headlines for the urgent, high-stakes battle against climate change. Biofuels are a major part of that conversation, and the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that
May 4, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … White Dog Labs is starting to address the problem by bringing new markets to ethanol plants and corn farmers – starting with an ethanol plant in Minnesota and repurposing it for mass-production of alternative protein, especially crucial in a time when ethanol is hurting
May 4, 2020
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by Emily Holden (The Guardian) Revealed: Oil and mining firms – some with ties to Trump officials – taking advantage of funding, review shows — US fossil fuel companies have taken at least $50m in taxpayer money they probably won’t have to pay back, according to a review of coronavirus aid
May 4, 2020
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by Allison Good, Taylor Kuykendall and Dan Testa (S&P Global) … The coronavirus pandemic may accelerate a shift from fossil fuel spending to investments in renewable energy, but the pace of that transition depends heavily on how governments direct economic recovery spending, and whether the consumer behavior changes induced by the
May 4, 2020
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(Biofuels International) Malaysian palm oil producers have been urged to use technology to improve yield as the industry wrestles with concerns about sustainability, the chairman of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) revealed. Malaysia, the world’s second biggest palm oil producer, has set a cap of 6.5 million hectares on
May 1, 2020
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(Biofuels International) The UK government has announced that 2,351 million litres of liquid biofuels were used in transport last year, which was an increase of 24% on the year before. In 2018, 1,899 million litres were consumed. The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTCO) put up the percentage of biofuel production
May 1, 2020
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by Mike Gatto (CalMatters) … However, experts tell us that it may take decades for electrics to replace the millions of light-duty cars and trucks on our roads — and even longer to realize universal access to affordable, zero-emission vehicles and charging stations for all Californians. Clean air shouldn’t have to
May 1, 2020
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EIA Proposes to Collect Data on Biogas, RNG Production Public Comment DEADLINE: June 29, 2020
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. Energy Information Administration could soon begin publishing data related to the production of biogas and renewable natural gas (RNG). The agency has proposed to modify an existing information collection focused on natural gas to include these renewable fuels. The EIA published a notice