by Rob Gill (BTN Europe) Icelandair has signs a memorandum of understanding with local manufacturer IdunnH2 to take delivery of enough sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to reduce carbon emissions by up to 10 per cent. The agreement will see the airline take delivery of 45,000 tons of SAF from 2028
Iceland
(Furetank) The dual-fuel tanker Fure Valö has performed the first voyage on a new Equinor fuel blend containing used cooking oil. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions while, judging from the first test indications, maintaining the same high performance as conventional marine gasoil. Fure Valö has made a roundtrip from Mongstad in
(Carbon Recycling International) The world’s first commercial scale CO2-to-methanol plant has started production in Anyang, Henan Province, China. The cutting-edge facility is the first of its type in the world to produce methanol — a valuable fuel and chemical feedstock — at this scale from captured waste carbon dioxide and
(Marine Link) Samskip has extended its commitment to sustainable biofuels in shortsea shipping operations, calculating that it will make 45,000 tonnes in additional CO2 emissions savings before the year is out as a result. The European multimodal group has signed a new agreement with supplier GoodFuels, committing the Samskip containerships
Steven Slome, Joshua C. Velson and Tom Fox (NextantECA) Like many chemicals and fuels, propane is at a crossroads. As is happening for other fuels and chemicals currently, the propane industry is exploring options for increasing the sustainability of their product. There are several technically feasible options for producing on-purpose bio-propane at
by Mickey Meece (Axios) There’s fresh info on something we explored in April — growing support for tech that sucks CO2 from the atmosphere alongside fears the love fest will delay emissions cuts, Ben writes. Driving the news: Two key people working on removal with Stripe — a big corporate player — have penned an MIT Technology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From renewable methanol to green hydrogen for both mobility and stationary applications, Element 1 is proving hydrogen can be made at a scalable size with attractive economics. Find out why methanol is a precursor to hydrogen, why it’s a superior hydrogen carrier, why this matters
(Iowa State University) An Iowa State University research team that helped develop a demonstration-scale pyrolyzer capable of sequestering thousands of tons of carbon dioxide a year has received a prestigious milestone award from XPRIZE Carbon Removal, it was announced on Friday. The milestone prize provides $1 million to the carbon
by Mark Peplow (Nature) Companies are scrambling to turn the greenhouse gas into useful products — but will that slow climate change? — Tongyezhen is a town with coal in its bones. … But later this year, a chemical plant here is set to become the world’s largest facility for
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) From algal-based wastewater treatment plants and purification ponds with biofuels/co-products in California to aviation fuels and algae strain improvements, MicroBio is leading R&D and innovation of microalgae cultivation for bio products. Get all the details from MicroBio’s CEO John Benemann in this illuminating slide
by Ulrik Frøhlke (Haldor Topsoe) • Green Fuel and Haldor Topsoe have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which will see the companies partnering to identify efficient and scalable technologies for the production of green ammonia in Iceland. The agreement also enables the two companies to explore other business opportunities
(Carbon Recycling International) … Chinese petrochemicals corporation Jiangsu Sailboat Petrochemicals Co. ltd has signed an agreement with Icelandic technology company Carbon Recycling International – CRI hf., to design a chemical plant based on CRI’s Emissions to Liquids (ETL) technology. The plant will recycle approximately 150,000 metric tons of CO2 and 20,000
(AutoEvolution) A gorgeous Azure Purple Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid prototype just drove across Iceland using only energy from waste straw and the power of electricity. The luxury sedan covered 455 miles (733 km) in total on a combination of second-generation biofuel and geothermally sourced electricity (from the Icelandic power grid).
by Lucas Joppa , Amy Luers , Elizabeth Willmott , S. Julio Friedmann , Steven P. Hamburg & Rafael Broze (Nature) Strengthen markets, measures and definitions for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to fight climate change. In January this year, Microsoft made a major announcement: it had paid for
by Fred Pearce (China Dialogue) Hydrogen may have lost the race to fuel electric cars but it looks a likely contender to replace fossil fuels in trucks, ships, planes and heavy industry — … Japan, once a passionate advocate of nuclear energy, now has serious hydrogen ambitions. The country has the
by Michael Birnbaum (Washington Post) The Orca, an installation built by Climeworks, will capture 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year — and serve as a blueprint for similar technology. — A major new facility to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere started operating in Iceland on Wednesday,
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … Swiss Re and Climeworks, a leading specialist in carbon dioxide air capture technology, are partnering to combat climate change. The partners signed the world’s first long-term purchase agreement for direct air capture and storage of carbon dioxide, worth USD $10 million over ten years. For
by Rachel Cormack (Robb Report) … In an effort to create carbon-neutral cars, the mad scientists at the boutique Swedish marque have just started experimenting with a new type of biofuel that comes from semi-active volcanoes. … The marque is also looking at new renewable fuels to power its extreme combustion
by Simon Nicholson (Taylor & Francis Group/Norwegian University of Science and Technology) Carbon removal options could cleanse the air of some portion of a dangerous byproduct of fossil fuel extraction and combustion. In this way, carbon removal technologies and practices might be thought to represent a kind of “de-extraction” of
by Gaulthier Blangez* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Let’s go back to the basics. The “Bio” term comes from ancient Greek and is translated as “Life.” Widely used in our day to day vocabulary, this term has found its place in our language by becoming a prefix. Biochemistry studies chemical reactions happening
(nova-Institute) Carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) is one of the most obvious solutions to further reduce CO2 emissions, but it is yet still hardly exploited. However, these six nominated technologies turn CO2 into value: ethanol, methanol, polyols, surfactants or syngas – the audience will choose the winner at the “9th Conference on CO2-based
by John Fialka (E&E News) … “Can we afford not to do this?” was the way Steve Oldham, the CEO of Carbon Engineering, headquartered in Squamish, British Columbia, put it in a recent TED Talk. He estimated that climate-related damages will eventually cost the U.S. over $500 billion a year “if
by Marc Engelhardt (Siemens Enegy) Green e-methanol is the ideal basis for a variety of alternative fuels and chemical compounds concentrated in universal e-Fuel hubs, according to Siemens Energy innovation expert Ireneusz Pyc. The idea, known for some time, has now become economically viable with costs for renewable power generation continuing
by Tammy Klein (Future Fuels Strategies) … Recently, I wrote a primer for the Methanol Institute entitled, Methanol: A Future-Proof Fuel. Polygeneration, the ability to scale efficiently and cost-effectively, its versatility in so many products and applications including transportation fuels, its biodegradability and its history of safe production, use and handling
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Methanol is versatile – it can be used as turbine fuel, cooking fuel, and as a fuel for solid oxide fuel cells. But G.K.Surya Prakash from University of Southern California shares in this illuminating presentation other ways methanol is handy dandy, like as a liquid hydrogen
(Planet Forward at GW) Grand Prize: A storytelling voyage to Iceland with Lindblad Expeditions and Planet Forward in summer 2020! — There is no story more gripping than that of our changing planet — and the solutions to sustain it. While problems from climate to plastic use to conservation abound,

ACI is excited to say we have secured an exclusive site visit at the Algalif production plant, which will take place on Tuesday 28th April, on the afternoon prior to the conference. See the dedicated tab below for further information and the schedule of the afternoon. The event will once
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … We’ve managed to get a hold of three presentations that really were the bomb at ABS 2019. Jonathan Male, director of the Bioenergy Technologies Office and one of the original Pyromaniax himself, gave this one on the algae R&D priorities and actions for fuels and
by Marta Gomez San Juan, Anne Bogdanski and Olivier Dubois (Food and Agricultural Organization) … )T)his report offers lessons from 26 case studies of sustainable bioeconomy interventions from around the world and from a range of different sectors. The overall aim of the report is to use these case studies to expand the general understanding of
(Methanol Institute) Compared to conventional fuels, renewable methanol cuts carbon dioxide emissions by up to 95%, reduces nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 80%, and completely eliminates sulfur oxide and particulate matter emissions. The report, prepared for MI by ATA Insights, features case studies on renewable methanol production by Carbon Recycling International
(Scandinavian Airlines System) A group of Nordic-based CEOs announced a joint initiative to speed up the realisation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Representatives from the group presented their shared ambitions to Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg during the 70th Nordic Council session in Oslo. The group consists of
by Cole Latimer (Sydney Morning Herald) startup company backed by energy giant Shell has developed a method to turn carbon dioxide into fuel by adding fake sunlight. US company Dimensional Energy has developed an “artificial photosynthesis” process with a photoreactor that converts carbon dioxide, using sunlight and water, into synthetic fuels and
(Algae Industry Magazine) exander Richter writes in thinkgeoenergy.com that Israel-based Algaennovation last week signed a 15-year contract with Icelandic energy utility and operator ON Power for the purchase of energy and other inputs for small-scale algae production, which the companies say will be the first of its kind in the world. Icelandic engineering group Mannvit
(NGV Journal) Icelandic geothermal power utility ON Power has announced it will start the experimental production of hydrogen at its Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant, near Reykjavik. The project is a European research project in collaboration with Icelandic companies Orkan, owned by Skeljung (Icelandic gas station operator), and Iceland New Energy. An
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … The clearest intersecting theme is bio-methanol. Let’s see why. For one, Södra has much more going on than Silva, and we reported on a major development in December when we related that Södra will invest more than $12.5 million in the production of biomethanol, a
by Michael Le Page (New Scientist) A small pilot project in Iceland has shown that carbon dioxide can be safely stored in basalt rocks. The finding could help tackle climate change, especially in countries such as India that have lots of basalt rock and little sedimentary rock suitable for CO2 storage.
by Mathew Carr (BloombergBusiness) Markets will help drive emission reductions under Paris deal; Rules needed to ensure markets have environmental integrity — Eighteen nations including the U.S., Japan and Germany will work together to develop international carbon markets to help speed the pace of emission reductions under the Paris climate
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who’s building what, where, now. 29 projects in construction or in commissioning in Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, and the Americas Despite low oil prices, first-gen biofuels and advanced biofuels continue to develop, and especially in the developing world. In this report, we
by Robert F. Service (Science Magazine) Stuart Licht has designed the ultimate recycling machine. The solar reactor that he and colleagues built in his lab at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., takes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere—a byproduct of fossil fuel combustion—and uses the energy in sunlight to turn
by Robert F. Service (Science Magazine) Liquid fuels aren’t the only things made from oil. Chemical companies start with oil to make thousands of different products, including plastics and pharmaceuticals. Most of these other commodities are worth more than fuels. So researchers and companies are also working to use renewable energy
(ECNS.cn/China Daily) Geely Holding Group, which owns Volvo Car Corp, plans to expand its methanol vehicle operation after its decision to invest $45.5 million in Iceland’s Carbon Recycling International Inc. The company operates the world’s first methanol plant in Iceland. Geely’s deal consists of an initial payment with additional purchases
by Keith Campbell (Engineering News) On October 19, 2004, the world’s first exclusively biofuel powered production aircraft received its certification, allowing it to be flown operationally. That aircraft was (and is) the Neiva (now Embraer) EMB-202A Ipanema crop duster. This is the most recent version of a design that first
by Roger L Chang, Lila Ghamsari, Ani Manichaikul, Erik F Y Hom, Santhanam Balaji, Weiqi Fu, Yun Shen, Tong Hao, Bernhard Ø Palsson, Kourosh Salehi-Ashtiani & Jason A Papin (Molecular Systems Biology) Metabolic network reconstruction encompasses existing knowledge about an organism’s metabolism and genome annotation, providing a platform for omics data