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by Jacek Fior (CleanTechnica) Attending the 9th session of IRENA’s General Assembly on Friday*, we were all looking forward to one item on the agenda – launch of a new report, A New World: The Geopolitics of the Energy Transformation. We all swarmed into the Regal Room of The St. Regis Saadiyat Island
Africa
(U.S. Grains Council) The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) recently conducted a market assessment mission to Nigeria and Ghana gauging the potential for U.S. ethanol exports to these countries. “The mission identified a need for higher ethanol volumes and engaged government and industry directly on enforceable biofuels policy as well as demonstrated
January 7, 2019
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(The World Bank) Bringing the Concept of Climate-Smart Agriculture to Life: Insights from CSA Country Profiles across Africa, Asia, and Latin America The Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Country Profile Series assesses climate change challenges and solutions in the agricultural sectors of more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and
January 3, 2019
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(UN Food and Agriculture Organization) Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is an approach that helps to guide actions needed to transform and reorient agricultural systems to effectively support development and ensure food security in a changing climate. CSA aims to tackle three main objectives: sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes; adapting and building
January 3, 2019
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(VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd/EurekAlert) Finnish pilot develops a new solution for sustainable forestry New unique mobile application puts forest Big Data to more efficient use The whole of Europe is feverishly looking for new ways to use farm, forest and fishery resources more responsibly and sustainably and to
December 26, 2018
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by Obed Owusu-Adda (Chatham House) Gitika Bhardwaj speaks to campaigner Obed Owusu-Addai about why solving the problem of deforestation across Africa requires tackling one of its biggest causes – poverty. — Deforestation is directly being caused by activities such as illegal logging, agricultural development, mining and infrastructure projects – but there are
December 11, 2018
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by Lisa Gibons (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Tariffs in China and Brazil have deeply affected U.S. ethanol exports, but other markets remain, new ones are opening and opportunities still abound for the world’s lowest-cost octane. Despite a 20 percent tariff rate quota implemented in 2017, Brazil has continued to purchase significant amounts
December 6, 2018
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(U.S. Grains Council) … Global markets vary greatly in their experiences with ethanol, from fully realizing the advantages of increased ethanol use to continued reliance on expensive and environmentally harmful fossil fuel additives. The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) wants countries around the world to look to ethanol when their government and
November 5, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The BP Energy Outlook explores the forces shaping the global energy transition out to 2040 and the key uncertainties surrounding that transition. It shows how rising prosperity drives an increase in global energy demand and how that demand will be met over the coming decades through
November 2, 2018
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(African Development Bank Group) The African Development Bank is championing a new regional and global effort to transform the African Savannah from a “Sleeping Giant” to the cradle of the continent’s green revolution. “This sleeping giant needs to wake up,” the Bank’s Vice-President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Jennifer Blanke,
October 31, 2018
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(EU Science Hub: The European Commission’s science and knowledge service) Future expansion of the palm oil industry could have a dramatic impact on African primates, according to the findings of a new study led by the JRC. The study has been published today (August 14, 2018) in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
August 17, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … (O)ne of the topics under discussion was 40 percent or higher maize crop losses now being experienced in Africa because of the Fall Anyworm pest. The losses are causing up to 10 percent GDP drop in some countries because of the importance of maize
May 11, 2018
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by Jieyi Lu (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) Today, about three billion people still cook and heat their homes with traditional stoves and solid fuels worldwide. These fuels and stoves are major contributors to household air pollution in the developing world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), household air pollution
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) With 195 countries on the planet today, an impressive 53 countries are Commonwealth countries, including countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific. They include large, rich countries like Canada and Australia all the way to some of the smallest or poorest countries
April 16, 2018
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Uganda, engineering graduate Lawrence Okettayot is addressing food waste with his new Sparky Dryer, which is a food dehydrator that runs on biofuel from a farmer’s garden and burns with zero-carbon emissions. The dehydrator helps farmers avoid food loss and food waste due to spoilage,
January 8, 2018
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by Louisa Burwood-Taylor (AgFunderNews) “A lot of what’s needed in African agriculture is quite low-tech if tech at all,” says Gary Vaughan-Smith, chief investment officer at SilverStreet Capital, the agribusiness private equity firm. SilverStreet has been investing in African agriculture since 2011 when it held the first close of its first $320 million
January 4, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Florida, the Digest today releases its annual review of biofuels mandates and targets around the world, looking at the state of biofuels mandates in 65 countries. The bulk of mandates continue to come from the EU-27, where the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) once specified a
January 2, 2018
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by Mitch Daniels (The Washington Post) Of the several claims of “anti-science” that clutter our national debates these days, none can be more flagrantly clear than the campaign against modern agricultural technology, most specifically the use of molecular techniques to create genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Here, there are no credibly conflicting
by Susan van Dyk, Emile van Zyl, Brett Pletschke (International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 39) This short contribution provides some perspectives on opportunities for biofuel production on the African continent. Africa has a large land base, with only 27% of its arable land currently utilised. High level assessments, such as by the
December 22, 2017
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by Thin Lei Win (Reuters) Improving soil health in farmlands could capture extra carbon equivalent to the planet-warming emissions generated by the transport sector, one of the world’s most polluting industries, experts said Tuesday. Soil naturally absorbs carbon from the atmosphere through a process known as sequestration which not only reduce
November 20, 2017
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(Biofuels International) India-headquartered Sona Group has announced that it has beefed up the production at its Nigeria-based ethanol plant, according to media reports from Business Day. The website reported that Sona ethanol will producing 120,000 litres daily, approximately 43.8 million litres per annum at its plant in Ogun state. The Sona ethanol
November 16, 2017
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by Laís F. Thomaz* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Held in Campos do Jordão on 16-19 October 2017, the Third Edition of the Brazilian BioEnergy Science and Technology Conference (BBEST) highlighted the theme “Designing a Sustainable Bioeconomy”. BBEST had 385 registered participants with 153 academics, 141 students, 55 invited speakers and 37
October 28, 2017
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Gerard Ostheimer and Doug Faulkner co-authored a Biofuels Digest article with some ideas that show the benefits bioenergy could bring to Africa: “Africans should strive for sustainable fuels from native feedstocks in a modern infrastructure and thriving economy … Renewable diesel would fit right into existing fuel systems without the need
October 23, 2017
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by Gerard Ostheimer and Doug Faulkner (Biofuels Digest) … (I)n Sub-Saharan Africa a thriving indigenous bioenergy industry can play a positive and productive role in modernizing economies and improving the quality of human life. One challenge for African bioenergy development though will be for Africans themselves to forge their own
October 23, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sweet sorghum stardom! In possibly one of the largest government grants given to anyone for research on a single feedstock, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is receiving a 5-year $16 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for research on the model grass green foxtail
October 9, 2017
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(Research and Markets/PR Newswire) The “Biodiesel: 2017 World Market Outlook and Forecast up to 2021” report has been added to Research and Markets’ offering. The present report is an essential resource for a one looking for detailed information on the world biodiesel market. The report covers data on global, regional
August 18, 2017
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by Liz Gyekye (Bioenergy Insight) The “first” pan-African expert network on food and non-food biomass has been launched by African and German researchers. BiomassNet aims to ensure that food security and environmental sustainability are not compromised in the development of new biomass uses. The scheme’s developers claim this will help
August 8, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In Botswana, jatropha’s adventures are just beginning according to the Ministry of Minerals Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security’s advisor, Freddie Motlhatlhedi. He was referring to a joint research project done by Botswana and Japan that shows quite a bit of promise for commercial production of jatropha
July 25, 2017
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by Anna Hirtenstein (Bloomberg) Taleveras signs joint venture with Global Green Development; First phase of biofuels project seen costing $400-$600 million — Taleveras Group, the African oil trading company, is making its first moves into renewable energy by setting up a joint venture to build a biorefinery in the U.S. with
June 14, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In Africa, the overwhelming use is cookstoves, and for a generation now, companies and organizations have been handing out LPG or ethanol cookstoves trying to move Africa to a new energy source for cooking. There’s been limited success. … Peter Scott has been working in
(Project Gaia) Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals and one of the leading providers globally of cellulosic ethanol production technology, and Project Gaia, a non-profit promoting the use of alcohol fuels (ethanol and methanol) for household energy, announced the donation of approximately 24m3 of cellulosic ethanol from Clariant’s pre-commercial
May 31, 2017
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(GreenAir Online) A year after issuing a joint Request for Information (RFI) from parties interested in supporting the development and production of sustainable aviation fuel in the region, Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia say they have had strong interest both locally and from abroad. The airlines have now completed
April 7, 2017
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(AllAfrica) The African Climate Technology Center (ACTC) has the mission of supporting Sub-Saharan countries in scaling-up the adoption of clean technologies for adaptation and mitigation, through activities that include knowledge creation and dissemination, support to policies and enabling environment and support to projects. The ACTC is financed by the Global
March 23, 2017
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(RightsAndResources.org) Experts at Dakar event point to a significant cause of investment losses, work stoppages and violence across Africa: the failure of governments and companies to respect the land rights of indigenous and local communities Sixty-three percent of disputes related to private sector land and natural resource investments in Africa
February 17, 2017
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(Awake Africa) The Community Heroes Awards is an initiative of African Centre for Peace Building and Awake Africa Magazine which seeks to identify, celebrate and honor individuals and organizations who have committed themselves to promote development at the grassroots through social work, entrepreneurship and selfless leadership. About the organizers: The
January 2, 2017
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(NexSteppe) NexSteppe, a company dedicated to pioneering the next generation of sustainable feedstock solutions for biobased industries, announced today that the South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has approved four NexSteppe sorghum hybrids for commercial sale in country. Approved hybrids include both Malibu sweet sorghum and Palo Alto
December 15, 2016
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by Patrick Kent (Irish Cattle & Sheep Farmers’ Association/Euractiv) The key element of this renewable energy plan is that the ceiling for the crop biofuel component of EU transport fuels will be slashed from 7% to 3.8% by 2030. The ultimate objective of the Commission is to remove crop based
December 6, 2016
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by Nicola Pamplona (Folha de S.Paulo) … The idea is concentrate expenditure in operations connected to petroleum production, which have a higher potential to generate revenues. All other operations, such as gas, energy, biofuel and the petrochemistry area, may be sold, if the market shows interest. The list of closed sales
September 21, 2016
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(BusinessWire/Technavio) The global biofuels market is expected grow at a CAGR of nearly 6% during the forecast period, according to Technavio’s latest report. In this report, Technavio covers the market outlook and growth prospects of the global biofuels market for 2016-2020. The market is further categorized into two fuel type
September 18, 2016
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by Lais Thomaz* and Dan Quadros** (Advanced Biofuels USA) With diverse and dynamic programming involving agribusiness, food safety, nutrition, sustainability and bioenergy, the 2016 GAF achieved its mission to gather producers, companies and academia to discuss the importance of agribusiness supply chains in the world. GAF is held every two years.
(North American Climate Smart Agricultural Alliance) Solutions from the Land (SfL) is taking an active role in the Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture (GACSA) summit underway this week in Rome, pressing business, government, NGO and other leaders there to take full advantage of the contributions that agriculture and forestry
(Transport & Environment) … In 2014, 45% of all the palm oil used in Europe ended up in the tanks of cars and trucks, data from EU vegetable oil industry association Fediol and obtained by green group Transport & Environment has revealed. This is equivalent to four Olympic-size swimming pools of
June 2, 2016
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by Gerald Kutney (Lee Consulting/Biofuels Digest) … From the time of the caveman until the early Industrial Revolution, biofuels – namely wood and the advanced biofuel of the day, charcoal – reigned supreme. Both fossil fuels and biofuels originate from biomass. The major difference between them is that fossil fuels are sequestered
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 64 countries have targets or mandates – but how much where, and when, and what? The bulk of mandates continue to come from the EU-27, where the Renewable Energy Directive specified a 10 percent renewable content by 2020 but has been scaled back to the 5-7.5
April 4, 2016
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(BioCube™) The BioCube Corporation was delighted to have The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada visit the BioCube™ at the GLOBE 2016 Conference in Vancouver last week. Held every two years in Vancouver, BC the GLOBE Series of conferences has become the pre-eminent platform for discussion of environmental
April 4, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In South Africa,, Chromatin and Zaad Holdings have entered into an alliance to produce and distribute planting seed for grain and forage sorghum throughout the African continent. In Africa, sorghum is used in the food and beverage industry and as animal feed. The crop conserves
April 1, 2016
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by Angela Charlton (Associated Press/Washington Post) Monaco’s government says it’s investigating how an alleged vast oil corruption scandal involving a Monaco-based company long went unnoticed, even though the principality has opened up its financial sector and cracked down on tax dodging. Monaco police carried out several raids and detained executives
April 1, 2016
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by Suzanne Goldenberg (The Guardian) Arpa-E project deploys drones and robots to breed fast-growing, drought-resistant and greener biofuel from sorghum which could replace corn ethanol — A US government agency is trying to build a better biofuel, using a higher energy-producing plant with a lower environmental impact than corn ethanol or
March 21, 2016
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by Fiona Lambe and Marion Davis (Stockholm Environment Institute/Reuters) … The reality, of course, is that electricity will not reach all households in the immediate future – not to mention, power is so unreliable in much of sub-Saharan Africa, and so expensive, that a large share of urban households cook with charcoal,
March 9, 2016
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by Shaimaa Al-Aees (Daily News Eqypt) … The ministry is working on developing the production of the Egyptian Sugar and Integrated Industries Company (ESIIC) through the establishment of a trademark. This trademark is currently being negotiated with private sector companies. ESIIC’s stock did not exceed 180,000 tonnes in the past
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Several U.S. producers, including Genuine Bio-Fuel, Hero BX and the now-defunct Promethean Biofuels, in addition to Miami-based biodiesel exporter and hopeful technology provider Lagosur, sketch out overviews of international developments. … “Taxation, regulation, cost of production, market access, distribution, and feedstock procurement are all more
January 13, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Q. How have the US elections and the regulatory situation in the US impacted development of biofuels for other countries, particularly Latin America? … Not much impact from the 2014 US elections, so far — too soon to tell. There’s far more impact from the
December 28, 2015
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by Shelagh Whitley and Laurie van der Burg (New Climate Economy) The research underpinning this New Climate Economy Working Paper was a major input into the 2015 New Climate Economy report and articulates the practical steps that policymakers can take to phase out fossil fuel subsidies. The paper reinforces the recommendations
December 22, 2015
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(ePURE) … At ePURE, the association representing European ethanol producers, we believe that renewable ethanol can play an important role in decarbonising transport. Because ethanol can be blended with petrol to run in existing engines, it is one of the ways we can immediately begin reducing emissions from transport and cut
December 17, 2015
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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
November 18, 2015
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by Jarrett Renshaw and Catherine Ngai (Reuters) … North Dakota’s Bakken production peaked at 1.153 million barrels per day in June, and had fallen to 1.13 million barrels per day by August, according to state data. The supply restraint has made Bakken crude relatively more expensive after transport costs than oil
November 4, 2015
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by Marc Gunther (Nonprofit Chronicles) … “Why exactly are we ahead with 100 million more wood burning stoves in the world? It’s an output metric and not an impact metric,” says Kevin Starr of Mulago, who wrote a pointed 2014 essay about cookstoves called Getting Beyond Hype in the Stanford Social
November 3, 2015
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(African Development Bank Group) The African Development Bank (AfDB) is hosting and co-organizing Energy Week, a series of events, including high-level discussions and partnerships focusing on lighting up and powering Africa, and unlocking the continent’s huge energy potential. Energy Week runs from Monday, September 14 to Friday, September 18 in
(Partnership for Clean Indoor Air) Over the last ten years, organizations like Project Gaia Inc. and its partners have been promoting clean cookstoves that are powered by ethanol, and have worked to help communities become energy independent by establishing locally-owned microdistilleries and sustainable commercial models. On July 7, 2015 Winrock
August 7, 2015
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by Dinfin Mulupi (How We Made It in Africa) Africa is seeing a surge in mobile phone-based solutions promising to revolutionise the agricultural industry. Technology entrepreneurs have developed mobile platforms offering a variety of solutions, including online livestock and produce exchanges, weather forecasts, market prices data, and access to insurance,
August 4, 2015
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by By Tom Schenk (Agriculture 2.0) Over the past ten years, scores of articles have been written about the merits of investing in farmland as well as the challenges of producing enough food to feed a population that is growing at the rate of about 80 million per year at the
July 17, 2015
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by Olatomiwa Bifarin* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Around 770,000 BC, it was fire, at some point – wood, dung and coal, to the now-ominous fossil fuels. This is the evolution of energy, and today the evolution must be accelerated to save our prized planet from imminent destruction – among several other
(SciDev.net) At least 500 million hectares are available for growing biofuel crops; This is after considering rising food demand and growing urbanisation; Only up to 200 million hectares would be needed to slash fossil fuel use Converting grazing land into fields to grow crops for biofuels could provide up to 30 per
July 2, 2015
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Eric Atkins (The Globe and Mail) The crash in oil prices will be felt at the farm gate as demand and prices moderate for biofuel crops corn and soybean, says a new report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
July 1, 2015
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by Janna Farley (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Deforestation and pollution have distressed the country’s environment and beauty. The chronic effects of disease, economic instability and social unrest, coupled with the infrastructure devastation from the 2010 earthquake, have positioned Haiti among the poorest countries in the world. The extreme poverty makes life
June 29, 2015
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By Tim Searchinger and Lyndon Estes (The Washington Post/Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs) In recent years, as governments have begun to protect tropical forests because of the carbon they store, other vast tropical ecosystems have come under increasing threat. These are the wet savannas, which
May 11, 2015
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(Chromatin, Inc.) Chromatin, Inc., an agriculture technology company, announced today that its newly introduced hybrid sorghum seed products have achieved unprecedented yields in East Africa. Chromatin introduced the new hybrids at a grain sorghum workshop it hosted in Kampala, Uganda. To promote and support local growers, Chromatin’s workshop brought together
March 23, 2015
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By Hilary Landfried (Project Gaia) … We rarely think of it here in the West, hooked up to electric and gas grids as we are, but nearly half of the world’s population still cooks on biomass fuels such as wood, charcoal, and coal. In some nations, domestic energy needs—primarily cooking and lighting—account
by Chris Woolston (Bioenergy Connection) With its crown of pink blossoms, the humble seashore mallow may look unassuming, even delicate. But when it comes to brutal environments, this seaside shrub is no pushover. Seashore Mallow can survive one drought after another. It’s a perennial. And it feels right at home
February 16, 2015
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(Renewable Fuels Association) U.S. ethanol exports reached near-record levels in 2014, sending 836 million gallons of ethanol worth $2.1 billion to international markets, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) explained today in its new publication “2014 U.S. Ethanol Exports and Imports: Statistical Summary.” The publication offers a succinct overview of the
February 8, 2015
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by Tom Bryan (Ethanol Producer Magazine) After halting distillers grains imports late last year, the world’s top DDGS buyer is poised to resume business, but on what terms? The prospect of China reissuing distillers grains import permits bodes well for the product’s American exporters, but Randy Ives isn’t ready to
January 19, 2015
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by Amanda Peterka (E&E Publishing / Greenwire) Bioenergy production would boom and spur steep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions if a global price is slapped on carbon, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers say in a report released today. Examining bioenergy production under a $15-per-metric-ton carbon price that would rise steadily
January 16, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) PANGEA is a leader in the promotion of technology transfer and investment into Africa’s growing bioeconomy, … . PANGEA in 2015 is breaking out beyond its traditional policy-oriented focus, away from Europe, and looking more toward supporting project development and implementation on the ground. With
December 15, 2014
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(United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) The report entitled: “The State of the Biofuels Market: Regulatory, Trade and Development Perspectives” offers a comprehensive snapshot of today’s biofuels market and how it contributes to enhancing access to renewable energy sources sustainably and improving the livelihoods of people in developing countries.
November 5, 2014
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(Renewable Fuels Association) Today, as the first African Sustainable Transport Forum gets under way in Nairobi, Kenya, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) called on forum attendees to adopt biofuels friendly policies and regulations that would kick-start the increased use of sustainable biofuels in Africa’s transport sector. “This Forum is
October 29, 2014
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by Caitlin Kennedy (Biotech NOW) National Geographic’s October issue contains an in-depth article, “The Next Green Revolution” on how plant biotechnology will be one part of a multifaceted solution to feeding a rapidly growing population in the face of climate change. Climate change and population growth will make life increasingly precarious for small farmers
October 17, 2014
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(Business Standard) Growth in 2013-18 period likely to be moderate compared to 2008-13 period as demand from the US stagnates, says the Freedonia Group report. Asia-Pacific region, Central and South America, and the Africa/Mideast region are expected to drive the global biofuels demand to reach 115 million metric tons in 2018 from
September 9, 2014
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(Biotechnology Industry Organization) An international confederation of biotechnology trade associations announced today the ratification of bylaws creating the International Council of Biotechnology Associations (ICBA), with the expressed purpose of advocating for public policies that support the growth of the innovative biotechnology industry worldwide. Jim Greenwood, BIO’s President and Chief Executive
July 22, 2014
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by Milsa Vijayadharan (Advanced Biofuels USA) Bioenergy is considered to be an important source of energy for the next decades for several reasons. Most important reasons are: bioenergy can contribute to the reduction of CO2, and therefore decrease the greenhouse-effect; bioenergy can reduce dependency on foreign sources of energy–in a
June 27, 2014
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(Boeing) Collaboration with Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials supports greater market access for “smallhold” farms Boeing [NYSE:BA] is launching an initiative with South African Airways (SAA) and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) to expand opportunities for “smallhold” farmers in Southern Africa to grow crops that produce sustainable fuels. The program builds
March 6, 2014
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Florida, the Digest today releases its annual review of biofuels mandates and targets around the world, looking at the state of biofuels mandates in 62 countries. The bulk of mandates continue to come from the EU-27, where the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) specified a
January 2, 2014
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(China New Energy) The Board of CNE (AIM:CNEL), the AIM quoted engineering and technology solutions provider to the bioenergy sector, is pleased to announce that it has entered into an contract with Jilin Province New Tian Long Alcohol Co., Ltd.(“NTLA”) to provide specialist technology and services to assist in building
December 17, 2013
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Excerpts from a November 10, 2013, letter from 74 African organizations to US President Barack Obama. Dear President Obama, We are African organizations working for the realization of a healthy and just environment for the people of our countries. We believe that every person has the right to a dignified
November 22, 2013
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by Whitney McFerron (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Argentina, the world’s biggest biodiesel exporter, is increasing shipments of the fuel on stronger U.S. demand, Oil World said. Argentine exports of biodiesel made from soybean oil will climb to 450,000 metric tons in the three months through December, more than double the year-earlier 221,000 tons,
November 19, 2013
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by Mary C. Scholes, Robert J. Scholes (Science Magazine) In the past, great civilizations have fallen because they failed to prevent the degradation of the soils on which they were founded (1). The modern world could suffer the same fate at a global scale. The inherent productivity of many lands has been
November 7, 2013
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(BioenergyCrops.com) A brand new study (2013) found that the projected energy demand (2035) in developing countries, can be covered with energy crops in surplus agricultural lands, then not competing with food production. The study, from the Department of Energy Technology, at Aalto University School of Engineering (Finland) was accepted by the sound
September 27, 2013
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by Rob Vierhout (ePURE/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … The “accountancy-model” IISD used was one-sided, looking only at government expenditure but leaving out of the picture the revenues the industry is generating for government and society. A well-respected company, Ecofys Consultancy, analyzed the report and spotted similar errors we spotted and indicated. As
September 25, 2013
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(Netzwerk Biotriebstoffe) The ERA-ARD project “Bioenergy in Africa: Opportunities and Risks of Jatropha and Related Crops” was officially closed at the end of March 2013. Within this project the coordinator published 5 Policy Briefs with the results of the project and the most important publications: 1. Jatropha growth and oilseed
September 19, 2013
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Miscanthus, sorghum, switchgrass, jatropha, camelina, carinata, and arundo. Who’s doing what to bring these crops to scale — and who are the potential big winners? … Just when you start feeling great about bagasse or stover, you realize that supply is limited by global demand for
August 8, 2013
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(EurekAlert/World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)) The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have launched the IFAD-ICRAF Programme for the Development of Alternative Biofuel Crops, an initiative focused on providing clean energy for rural communities, enhancing local food security and increasing subsistence farmers’ resilience to climate
July 24, 2013
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by Makhtar Diop (AllAfrica) Few development challenges in Africa are as pressing and controversial as land ownership and its persistent gap between rich and poor communities. With a profound demographic shift in Africa from rural areas to the cities where half of all Africans will live by 2050, these gaps
July 22, 2013
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by Joel Winston (AllAfrica) Significant uncertainties about the development of algae biofuels and a lack of research and development capabilities make this potential energy source an unsuitable option for developing countries, according to researchers from the UN University in Japan. The favourable growing temperatures and vast areas of undeveloped land
July 22, 2013
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by Richard Herbert (Biofuels Digest) Portfolios may be littered with the bones of first generation biofuels startups, but for strategic investors, the biofuels industry as a whole is far from cold in the grave. In fact, if you ask experts like John May, managing director of the investment banking firm Stern
July 22, 2013
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by Carlo Hamelinck (Euractiv.com/Ecofys) …By effectively decreasing the ambition on biofuels, as it is currently debated in the European Parliament and the Council, we walk away from concerns without solving them. There are a few key issues in the debate that could use some more nuance. Even though we and
July 5, 2013
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by Robyn Dixon (Los Angeles Times) Foreign firms seeking land in Africa for biofuel crops run into opposition from communities and environmental activists despite promising jobs and development. With its leaf-thatched mud huts, bad roads, chronic unemployment, crushing poverty and vast tracts of “underutilized” land, the Tana River Delta in
June 25, 2013
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(EurekAlert!) World’s cassava experts to wage war against cassava viruses; introduction into Nigeria, the largest cassava producer in the world, could result in drastic food shortages in this part of Africa Cassava experts are reporting new outbreaks and the increased spread of Cassava Brown Streak Disease or CBSD, warning that
May 13, 2013
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Belgium, PANGEA (Partners for Euro-African Green Energy) launched an update to its report “Who’s Fooling Whom? The Real Drivers Behind the 2010/11 Food Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa”. The report demonstrates an important conclusion: the degree of price transmission from international to local markets has
April 24, 2013
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Italy, Versalis and Genomatica announced the establishment of a technology joint venture for bio-based butadiene from non-food biomass. The resulting process will be licensed across Europe, Asia and Africa by the newly-created joint venture. Versalis — the chemical subsidiary of Eni — aims at being
April 11, 2013
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by Louise Downing (Bloomberg) SG Biofuels Inc., the green fuel biotech company working with Airbus SAS, is seeking a partner in Southeast Asia or Africa and expects to complete a cooperation deal within 180 days to expand its business into new markets. …The company is already working with Bharat Petroleum Corp. to grow
April 5, 2013
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by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine) There is enough land available to produce more food, more feed and more biofuels, which are not the cause of global malnutrition problems, according to the World Bioenergy Association. WBA makes this declaration in a recently released, fourth publication of a series of documents intended
March 29, 2013
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(SG Biofuels/Biodiesel Magazine) …Through the use of new genetic technologies, SGB’s scientists have revealed that the company’s germplasm collection can be divided into a number of distinct heterotic clades, or genetically related groupings of plants. In contrast to previous studies, these findings confirm significant genetic diversity in jatropha while enabling SGB
March 20, 2013
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by Matthew L. Wald (New York Times) A glut of ethanol in the gasoline supply is threatening to push up prices at the pump and may have exacerbated the growing cost gap between regular gasoline and premium, some oil experts say. Refiners have been trading so-called ethanol credits furiously in an
March 18, 2013
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At World Biofuels Markets, BP CEO Phil New delivered a keynote speech which attempted to turn the industry’s attention towards “the hard yards” of operational excellence, saying that “it is arguable that the time to talk of game-changing inventions in biofuels is largely behind us –
March 14, 2013
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the Netherlands, PANGEA (Partners for Euro African Green Energy) is launching today a booklet outlining Myths and Facts about Bioenergy in Africa. The brochure is intended to demystify the manipulated data and misinformation that is often used to describe bioenergy in sub-Saharan Africa. The
March 12, 2013
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(RSB Services) The RSB Services Foundation, the implementing entity of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) which has developed a global sustainability standard and certification system for biofuel production, is pleased to announce that Addax Bioenergy Sierra Leone (SL) Limited has earned the RSB sustainability certification, the first for any
February 28, 2013
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by By Brian Bienkowsk (Environmental Health News) As a growing population stresses the world’s food and water supplies, corporations and investors in wealthy countries are buying up foreign farmland and the freshwater perks that come with it. From Sudan to Indonesia, most of the land lies in poverty-stricken regions, so experts
February 19, 2013
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(VayuGrid/PR NewsWire) EEP-SEA Selects VayuSap™ Among 168 Other Projects for a Grant of Over $1 Million India-based VayuGrid and Zambia-based BetterWorld Energy have inked an agreement to partner on VayuSap™ biofuel development zones in Zambia. The development zones, based on Elite VayuSap™ trees, will produce sustainable energy, local jobs, and reforest and rehabilitate
February 15, 2013
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(ActionAid) At a seminar on biofuels in Dublin yesterday, David Barissa, a leading expert on food security and land rights from ActionAid Kenya spoke of the litany of broken promises, rights violations and destruction which have faced poor communities in Kenya as part of the second scramble for Africa. …Against
February 15, 2013
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the new USDA long-term forecasts, rising global meat consumption stands out as a driver of rising food prices, exports. …But you might ask yourself — in a world where you can find hyperbole linking hunger and biofuels about as easily as you can find
Workshop on Sustainable Biomass Production in South-East Africa March 19-21, 2013 Maputo, Mozambique
The workshop is organised by NL Agency with the support of WIP Renewable Energies. The objective is to discuss and share experiences on current initiatives for the development of sound frameworks for bioenergy in African countries. Results of recent and on-going projects funded through the Global Sustainable Biomass Programme and
January 25, 2013
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by Mohammad Shoeb (The Peninsula Qatar) Qatar has launched a novel pilot project, ‘Sahara Forest’ in collaboration with a Norwegian company, which will help produce food crops (such as tomatoes, cucumber, melon), fodder crops, freshwater, clean energy, salt, algae (for biofuel) and re-vegetation of desert areas using solar power and
December 18, 2012
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by Mackinnon Lawrence (Biofuels Digest/Pike Research) There are few topics that get the clean technology sector excited less than trash. Meanwhile, the news is littered with stories discussing municipal areas from Zimbabwe to Los Angeles and Mumbai to Moscow struggling to implement long-term strategies for dealing with municipal solid waste (MSW).
December 5, 2012
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by Jennifer Alsever (CNN Money) … While most of its rivals raced to commercialize the fuel, San Diego-based SG Biofuels took a different path: It hired plant geneticists. They hunkered down in the laboratory to come up with the best genetic variations of jatropha — ones that would be more consistent, easier
December 3, 2012
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by John Vidal (The Guardian) Israeli biotech firm says its modified eucalyptus trees can displace the fossil fuel industry It’s a timber company’s dream but a horrific industrial vision for others: massive plantations of densely planted GM eucalyptus trees stretching across Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia and China, engineered to grow 40% faster for
November 16, 2012
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“Into Africa- Building Local Markets, Improving Farm Productivity & Increasing ROI” “ Key highlights Climate change and the impact on global agriculture market Investment opportunities & land utilization in Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Nigeria, Cote D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Liberia & etc Experience sharing by farm operators in Africa Focus on: Sugar,
November 2, 2012
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by Olivier De Schutter (The Guardian) …The new starting point should be to put food security first. Globally, 25% of land is already degraded, and the remaining productive areas are subject to ever-greater competition from industrial and urban uses. This is exacerbated by the growth of international trade and investment –
October 26, 2012
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by Brian Winter (Reuters/Chicago Tribune) After years at each other’s throats, Brazil and the United States are working together to promote the use of ethanol in a collaboration that could revolutionize global markets and the makeup of the biofuel itself. The breakthrough came in January when Washington allowed a three-decade-old subsidy for
September 17, 2012
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by Drew Kershen (BioFortified) …I do not write to enter the debate focused on fuel standards, markets and commodity speculators. I acknowledge that other factors also contribute to food crises, particularly in developing nations – e.g., underfunded agricultural research and extension, inadequate infrastructure, and insecure land tenure. However, I write
September 7, 2012
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Presentation by Helena Chum (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) US led by its State Department, and Brazil led by Department of Energy of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, have entered into an MOU to advance cooperation of Biofuels. Sharing best practices include biomass characterization, techno-economic and life cycle analyses, and biofuel
August 27, 2012
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(Pangea) Partners for Euro-African Green Energy (PANGEA) published a new report, Africa’s Water-Bioenergy Nexus. Ensuring Sustainable Water Management in Africa’s Biofuel Sector. The report describes ways to ensure a low water footprint in the African bioenergy development by using methods that reduce water use in bioenergy production from crops that
August 24, 2012
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(Algae Industry Magazine) Leaders of the 14-member Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) came together at the St. George Hotel in Pretoria, South Africa, July 24-27, for a workshop on emerging technologies for sustainable biofuels and added value bio-products. Their discussions centered around the productive use of agricultural waste and algae
August 10, 2012
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by David Cronin (New Europe Online) …The production of biofuels is a central factor behind the grabbing of land in Africa. Yet rather than using food crops, many of the players in this murky game have recently chosen jatropha, a poison, as the fuel source for the SUVs congesting our
July 4, 2012
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(Environmental Expert) The winner of the World Bioenergy Award 2012 was announced on 29 May in Jönköping Sweden: Mr. Harry Stokes, USA. Mr. Harry Stokes has developed, funded and managed Project Gaia to improve the health, economic status and quality of life of a significant number of families in the developing world.
June 4, 2012
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by David Muwanga (AllAfrica.com) As the East African Community (EAC) was planning to release a total of Ksh1b for the removal of the water hyacinth from Lake Victoria, a United States based technology company has written to the secretariat proposing to turn the water into ethanol. …CrapCo Cellulosic Process Company
May 24, 2012
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …It doesn’t take a casual observer very long to see the China’s activity in industrial biotechnology accelerating, as more and more technologies develop there, or transfer there via JVs or licenses. What does a win in the grand scale-up of industrial and agricultural biotechnology offer
May 21, 2012
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(Global Renewable Fuels Association/Cardno ENTRIX) …As is the case with virtually all other emerging and developing countries, biofuels offer the prospects of a new cash crop for farmers, increased employment in rural areas, expanded manufacturing output, reduced fuel import costs, and foreign exchange earnings. Africa stands to benefit significantly from the development of
May 21, 2012
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by Greg Breining (University of Minnesota/Bioenergy Connection) …Did demand for biofuel feedstocks, such as corn, sugarcane, rapeseed, and soybeans, drive the high cost of food? Many analysts later pinned most of the blame on commodities speculation, oil prices, and weather—not biofuels production. Indeed, while biofuels production continued to expand, crop
April 11, 2012
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(JOil) • Tamil Nadu sites achieve first-year flowering in three months and first harvest in five months • Field trials now being conducted in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Cambodia JOil (S) Pte. Ltd., a scientific bioenergy crop developer of a new generation of jatropha, has achieved first-year yields in
March 22, 2012
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(Project Gaia) Nigerian Government Agency Launches Microdistillery and Stoves to Provide Sustainable Ethanol Fuel for Household Cooking, Lighting and Small-Scale Power Generation The National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), a parastatal under the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, has commissioned the installation of an efficient microdistillery (EMD) with a
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“Reviving the Palm Oil Industry in Africa – Challenges & Opportunities” Key Highlights Financing & Investment Prospects Land regulations, labour laws, logistics & infrastructure support Applying large-scale cultivation expertise from Asia & opportunities for downstream processing R & D on improved planting materials & techniques Whom you will network with Palm oil
February 16, 2012
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(Netzwerk Biotreibstoffe) As a potential substitute for fossil fuels, wood energy can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. FAO’s programme on wood energy promotes sustainable wood energy systems as a contribution to sustainable forest management, livelihoods and food security. To this end, FAO and the International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 31
January 31, 2012
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by Damian Carrington (Government Online) For the first time in a decade, the vast biofuel industry has stalled. But with crude prices still high, charting a course towards biofuels that do more good than harm is more vital than ever. … “The less biofuel you have the more gasoline you need,”
January 12, 2012
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(Reuters/VIASPACE) VIASPACE Executive Highlights Giant King Grass Advancement & Commercial Opportunities in Africa to Generate Electricity, Manufacture Energy Pellets and Produce Bio-Fuels: Presents at the Biomass West & Central Africa Congress in Ghana VIASPACE, Inc., a clean energy company growing Giant King™ Grass as a low-carbon, renewable biomass crop and its
December 12, 2011
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by Rick Westhead (The Star) …Indian industrialist Sai Ramakrishna Karuturi has his eye on this lush scenery, too, but he sees something much different: the potential for large-scale commercial farming. Karuturi, from the South Indian city of Bangalore, envisions the fields around Kimambila growing cut roses for Canada, lentils for
December 5, 2011
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(Project Gaia) Project Gaia, Inc., a U.S. non profit with operations in East Africa, is working with the UNHCR and others to bring relief to refugees from the Horn of Africa Famine in a very immediate way—cooking. Project Gaia promotes alcohol fuels and appliances for household energy use in Least
November 30, 2011
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by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) The African CleanTech Association launched Oct. 24 and, according to ACTA spokeswoman Suza Adam, the primary goal of the group is to assist in the development of African enterprises and technologies in the cleantech space while improving business sustainability and socioeconomic community development. The association
November 29, 2011
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(Alternative Energy Africa) Foreign firms are increasing their interest in the biofuel sector resulting in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) being urged to implement policy and legal mechanisms to foster responsible investments. The World Wild Fund (WWF) for Nature discussed the negative effects of biofuels if such regulation was
November 28, 2011
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(Reuters) A European Union target to promote the use of biofuels will accelerate global species loss because it encourages the conversion of pasture, savanna and forests into new cropland, EU scientists have warned. …The scale of species loss in areas converted into new cropland could be more than 80 percent,
November 17, 2011
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(Netzwerk Biotriebstoffe News) Biofuel production is booming. Worldwide, production of ethanol for fuel has almost quintupled since 2000, while that of biodiesel has risen by almost 25 times. This is, in part, a response to policies to replace fossil fuels for transport with renewable fuels — in practice, biofuels. Subsidies and
October 12, 2011
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by John C.K. Daly (OilPrice.com/Clean Techies) …According to PetroChina’s Petrochemical Research Institute deputy chief engineer Fu Xingguo, China is looking at generating 933,000 tons annually of fuel ethanol and 165,000 tons of biodiesel. According to Fu, China is looking to import biofuel from countries such as Brazil, the world’s
September 15, 2011
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by Graham von Maltitz, William Stafford (Center for International Forestry Research) Sustainable biofuel production should provide opportunities for sub-Saharan African countries and their inhabitants, especially in impoverished rural areas. Biofuel feedstock production has the potential to bring job opportunities and earnings, but this should not be at the cost
August 29, 2011
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by Sulaimon Salau (The Guardian Nigeria) Renewable energy projects in West African sub-region are set for a new shift, as a Nigerian energy firm, Global Biofuels (in alliance with some Chinese and African firms) has unveiled plans to float ethanol refining plants across the region to explore the inherent
August 1, 2011
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by Niki Moore (Bloomberg) Illovo Sugar Ltd. (ILV), Africa’s largest producer of the sweetener, plans to start making potable ethanol from molasses in Tanzania by 2013, Managing Director Graham Clark said. “We have created an opportunity in Tanzania to produce ethanol from molasses” he said in an interview at the company’s
July 20, 2011
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(Rainharvest) To achieve “win-win outcomes” for bio-energy, food security and poverty reduction, we must recognise that these outcomes are possible. This is what Prof Lee Lynd, of Dartmouth College and the Mascoma Corporation, told delegates during a seminar at Stellenbosch University, which was organised by the South African Energy Research
July 18, 2011
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(Nature: International Weekly Journal of Science) Biofuels have big boots to fill. After more than 150 years of using petroleum and its products we have become dependent on it. First generation biofuels are showing us both the potential and the pitfalls of this sustainable technology – second and subsequent generations
July 2, 2011
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(Business Wire) Addax Bioenergy S.A. (“Addax Bioenergy”), a subsidiary of the Swiss-based energy group, The Addax and Oryx Group Limited (AOG), announced today the signing of a loan agreement with seven European and African development institutions for an integrated renewable energy and agriculture project near Makeni, in Sierra Leone (the
June 27, 2011
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Biofuels in Africa: When it comes to clean energy production, Africa is at a crossroads. The production of industrial biofuels has the potential to be a boon for producers and could potentially sow the seeds for a middle-class throughout the continent. However, shortage of infrastructure to cope with biofuel production,
June 7, 2011
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by Damian Carrington and Stefano Valentino (The Guardian) British firms have acquired more land in Africa for controversial biofuel plantations than companies from any other country, a Guardian investigation has revealed. Half of the 3.2m hectares (ha) of biofuel land identified – in countries from Mozambique to Senegal – is linked to 11
June 1, 2011
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