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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … In today’s Digest, how a brewery in Australia is utilizing algae that eats up CO2 and spits out oxygen, all the cool things you can make with beer and liquor production waste (going beyond ethanol and biofuel), how blockchain is helping track beer
Australia
July 6, 2020
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by Lachlan Gilbert (University of South Wales Sydney Newsroom) Making catalysts to convert waste carbon dioxide into useful industrial products has been expensive and complicated – until now. UNSW engineers show it’s as easy as playing with Lego. — Chemical engineers from UNSW Sydney have developed new technology that helps convert
June 30, 2020
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Australia, Shepparton News reports that energy production can already begin at the AgBioEn biofuel project in Katunga when 25% of construction is completed at the end of 2021. The facility will use agricultural waste as feedstock. The company says that COVID-19 hasn’t interrupted construction and
June 23, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ATCO built and is currently operating a 0.25 MW (65 kg per day) hydrogen production facility in Jandakot, Western Australia. Hydrogen produced at the Clean Energy Innovation Hub is used for blending, direct fuel testing and to power a fuel cell for residential energy back
June 17, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Everyone wants to dominate the world, right? But Neste wants to do it in a nice way by becoming the global leader in renewable and circular solutions. There are 3 ways they are working on this lately – 1) expanding global reach with new offices in
June 16, 2020
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by Tim Lee (ABC News) …Victorian grain grower David Jochinke, who participated in the trials, said the prospect of pioneering a biofuel was exciting. “To have a product that needs very little refining, is biodegradable, is a bio-energy, is a bio-fuel, is something that displaces petroleum, something that’s been traditionally used
June 11, 2020
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(Global CCS Institute) The Global CCS Institute, an international think tank, has added 10 carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities to its global database, bringing the total number of CCS facilities in various stages of development to 59 with a capture capacity of more than 127 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). There are now 21 facilities in operation, three under construction, and 35 in
June 9, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How will we develop hydrogen for industrial and transport objectives? That is the question The Digest’s Jim Lane looks at in this visual slide guide highlighting the demand potential, background on renewable gases and renewable hydrogen, drivers behind it, state of play, major players, and more.
June 9, 2020
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(Biofuels International) Bioenergy Australia is calling on the federal government to support, and for sanitiser manufacturing businesses to continue to buy, Australian ethanol. As supply lines from China begin to reopen as lockdown measures are lifted, cheaper imports are beginning to enter the Australian market again. Economist and Bioenergy chairman
June 5, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Toyota’s been working on a global environmental challenge – a new vehicle with zero CO2 emissions and plants with zero CO2 emissions. But how can they achieve what seems to be impossible? That’s where hydrogen and fuel cells come into play. Toyota’s been working on fuel cells
June 1, 2020
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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
May 29, 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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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 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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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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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 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 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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(Suny College of Environmental Science and Forestry) Research published today in Nature suggests mature forests are limited in their ability to absorb “extra” carbon as atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations increase. These findings may have implications for New York state’s carbon neutrality goals. Dr. John Drake, assistant professor in ESF’s Department of
April 23, 2020
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by Sandra Enkhardt (PV Magazine Germany) Uniper plans to use its gas power plants and storage facilities for green hydrogen. — Siemens and the Uniper fossil fuels business spun out of German energy giant E.on have been working together for years and have announced a cooperation agreement aimed at decarbonizing
April 10, 2020
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by Marcus Storm (University of Sydney) The plant better known for making tequila requires no irrigation and produces comparable or better yields of ethanol than sugar or corn. Economic analysis shows a first-generation crop will need government support to kickstart an industry, researchers say. The agave plant used to make
April 2, 2020
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by Donavan Lim (S&P Global Platts) Finnish refiner and biodiesel producer Neste expects the worldwide demand for renewable diesel to surge in the next decade, driven by increased demand for sustainable road and air transport as well as renewable chemical and polymer products. The global renewable diesel demand is estimated
April 1, 2020
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(Biofuels International) A leading Australian firm has become a member of a national energy organisation. Viva Energy Australia has linked up with peak national body BioEnergy Australia with CEO Scott Wyatt saying the decision supports the company’s existing investment in biofuels distribution. He said: “We have ethanol and bio-diesel blending
March 12, 2020
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(Wall Street Online/Globe Newswire/Gevo) Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO) has signed a Heads of Agreement (HOA) with Viva Energy Australia Pty Ltd, one of Australia’s leading energy companies and the exclusive supplier of Shell fuels and lubricants in Australia. The HOA will further solidify both parties’ intent to work collaboratively on activities
March 6, 2020
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(Yara) Collaboration partners Yara International ASA and ENGIE have welcomed the announcement of $995,000 in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) towards their feasibility study, which is examining the potential to make renewable hydrogen technology work in industrial-scale facilities. Yara International is working towards making carbon-free fertiliser, and renewable hydrogen is
March 5, 2020
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by Carla Howarth (ABC News) … Tasmania’s Renewable Hydrogen Action Plan includes $20 million for a Tasmanian Renewable Hydrogen Fund, another $20 million in concessional loans and $10 million dollars for support services. In a statement, Premier Peter Gutwein said the Government’s goal was to have a renewable hydrogen generation
March 4, 2020
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(Gevo) Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO) has been awarded part of The Queensland Waste to Biofutures (W2B) Fund to support the development of waste to biofutures projects in Queensland, Australia. The W2B fund provides targeted funding for pilot, demonstration or commercially scalable biorefinery projects in Queensland that use conventional waste streams or biomass
March 3, 2020
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The global aviation and shipping sectors have set significant emission reduction targets to achieve by 2050 but how are they going to achieve them? With sustainable bio based fuels seen as a vital contributor to decarbonisation this presents an opportunity for the development of a new industry in Australia. Hear from
February 17, 2020
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The Australian Clean Energy Summit is the peak gathering of leaders driving Australia’s energy transformation. The two-day conference brings together heads of industry, government and finance to share the models, trends and technology innovations in driving clean energy adoption. READ MORE
February 15, 2020
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by Navid Moheimani and Parisa Bahri (Naked Scientists) … Our team at Murdoch University Algae R&D Centre has developed a unique process that uses algae to treat effluent. The process involves first passing the effluent through an anaerobic digester, which converts the organic material in the waste into biogas (methane).
February 3, 2020
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by Matt Bungard (Sydney Morning Herald) One of Sydney’s most popular beermakers is using algae to make its products entirely carbon neutral, and encourage other breweries to do the same. Young Henrys has installed a 400-litre ‘bioreactor’ of algae at its brewery in Newtown to offset carbon emissions from its beer production.
January 31, 2020
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Licella and BioLogiQ Join Forces to Accelerate Commercialisation of Cat-HTR™ Technology in Australia
(Licella) Licella and BioLogiQ join forces to accelerate commercialisation of Cat-HTR™ technology in Australia, to chemically recycle post-consumption plastic that would otherwise not be recycled. — Australia consumes 3.4 million tonnes of plastic each year, of which only 9% is recycled1. Licella Holdings Ltd (“Licella”), global technology pioneer, is delighted to
January 9, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As you clean up the post-holiday mess, you might find those annoying packaging peanuts all over your home or office…but three teens have developed an alternative to packing peanuts made from sunflower stem pith! And while we are talking about packaging, a German-based adhesives maker introduced
January 9, 2020
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(Green Distillation Technologies) Australian tyre recycler Green Distillation Technologies, which has developed world-first technology that recycles end-of-life tyres into oil, carbon and steel, has signed a deal to build their first plant in the United States, The agreement provides funding of up to US$100 million for the roll out of additional plants
January 8, 2020
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(Curtin University) New research led by Curtin University explores the use of methanol as a storage for hydrogen fuel, providing a potential green option for the extraction and creation of this zero pollution energy source. — Lead researcher ARC DECRA Fellow Dr Guohua Jia, from Curtin’s School of Molecular and Life
January 6, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Licella is transforming plastic and biomass waste into high value sustainable resources. Their Cat-HTR platform uses water at high temperature and pressure to transform wastes and residues to synthetic crude oil, chemically equivalent to fossil crude. Steve Rogers from Licella shared this illuminating presentation at
January 2, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Reaching high is something Mercurius is familiar with, esp. with their REACH technology. Standing for renewable, acid-hydrolysis, condensation, hydrotreating, their REACH technology works at low temperature, low pressure and enzyme free. According to Knud Balslev at Mercurius Biorefining, drop-in hydrocarbon jet fuel and diesel fuel are
January 2, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 64 countries have targets or mandates – but how much where, and when, and what? Besides the EU, the major blending mandates that will drive global demand are those set in the US, China and Brazil – each of which has set targets – or, in
January 2, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) “Facing catastrophic problems with the immediacy of wildfire and the sinister creeping of climate change is depressing. It is depressing enough to throw in the towel, to say I can’t make a difference, the problem is just too big for me to solve.” That’s what Jeff
December 28, 2019
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by Andrew Spece (The Lead) Construction has begun on a pioneering hydrogen production facility in Adelaide, which will play a major role in South Australia’s bid to become a global leader in certified green hydrogen. The AU$11.4 million HyP SA facility is being built at the Tonsley Innovation District and is expected
December 3, 2019
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by Claire Asher (South Africa Today/Mongabay) -Sugarcane crop production in Brazil may need to expand by up to 5 million hectares by 2030 to meet a rising demand for ethanol biofuels, according to computer models that compared the impact of different economic, social, and policy scenarios on increased ethanol production. -The
November 29, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Louisiana, longtime industry executive Glenn Johnston said that NuSeed has acquired the carinata assets of Canadian agricultural pioneer Agrisoma. Johnston was speaking at the IATA Sustainable Aviation Fuels Symposium in New Orleans and confirmed that five Agrisoma staff members have joined NuSeed, with the asset acquisition.
November 26, 2019
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(Neste) Neste, the world’s leading provider of renewable diesel and the 3rd most sustainable company in the world*, strengthens its footprint in renewable feedstock sourcing. The company has opened an office in Melbourne to serve Neste’s waste and residue raw material sourcing operations in Australia and New Zealand. “The opening of
November 22, 2019
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(Office of The Hon Angus Taylor MP, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) The Liberal National Government has announced the development of a new roadmap to enhance the growth of Australia’s bioenergy sector and identify the role bioenergy can play in Australia’s future energy mix. Bioenergy is a renewable energy source
November 15, 2019
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(Qantas Group) The Qantas Group will reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in a major expansion of the airline’s commitment to a more sustainable aviation industry. With actions starting from today, the national carrier will: Immediately double the number of flights being offset Cap net emissions from 2020 onwards Invest
November 12, 2019
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(CBH Group) The CBH Group has launched a new trial to supply certified sustainable malting barley from Western Australia to international customers as part of a pilot program in response to the growing global trend for sustainably sourced products. Since 2010, CBH Marketing and Trading has been accredited to access the
November 1, 2019
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by Max Hall (PV Magazine) Analyst WoodMac has spelled out the urgent need to decarbonize the global hydrogen production industry. While the fuel can offer a sustainable grid balancing act for intermittent renewables, in its current fossil-fuel driven form it is pumping out more than 800 megatons of carbon into
October 23, 2019
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(Green Distillation Technologies) Tyre recycler Green Distillation Technologies, has signed a deal with New Zealand’s CarbonScape to enhance the value of the carbon produced by its process, turning it into high value graphite. GDT’s world-first tyre recycling process turns end-of-life car, truck and oversize tyres into high value oil, carbon and steel,
October 21, 2019
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by Jason Deign (Green Tech Media) It’s early days for renewable hydrogen, but the potential is enormous, and several nations have an eye on the driver’s seat. — Air Liquide had a special gift for the U.S. on the little-known National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day this month: The French industrial
October 16, 2019
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(Bioenergy Insight) Scientists at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia have designed a graphene filter to purify methane from biogas. The research team, led by Dr Rakesh Joshi of the UNSW School of Materials Science and Engineering, found that graphene membranes can be used to extract methane present
October 15, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) An organization well worth knowing in the world of biogas, or renewable methane, is the indefatigable group organized as IEA Bioenergy Task 37, an international working group which covers the anaerobic digestion of biomass feedstocks including agricultural residues, energy crops, organic-rich waste waters, the organic fraction of
October 14, 2019
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(Prime Mover Magazine) Commercial vehicle manufacturer, Scania Australia, has signed another memorandum of understanding with a supplier to bring greater access for its truck and bus customers to low-emission alternative and renewable fuels. The agreement was signed between Scania and Refuelling Solutions on Friday 4 October in Melbourne, with the aim
October 11, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week there’s faux snow, there’s faux fur, wool-based surfboards and seaweed pods filled with a burst of Glenlivet whisky. Not to mention some biogas based fuels cells, an algae-based solar startup, news on the next-gen Toyota Mirai, and a skincare line that harnesses the
October 10, 2019
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(Office of the Department of Education; the Hon Dan Tehan MP, Minister for Education; the Hon Karen Andrews MP Minister for Industry, Science and Technology; John Alexander OAM, MP, Member for Bennelong ) The Morrison Government is investing in the development of an Australian biomanufacturing sector that will use biological systems
October 9, 2019
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(Ruhr University Bochum (Google Translation)) Enzymes use cascade reactions to produce complex molecules from comparatively simple raw materials. The principle was copied by researchers. An international research team has converted carbon dioxide into raw materials using nanoparticles. The scientists at the Ruhr University Bochum and the University of New South
September 30, 2019
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(Manufacturers Monthly) The potential to manufacture high-value products from sugarcane and cotton by-products is one step closer to realisation with an injection of funding from the Australian federal government into a project by Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Professor Ian O’Hara, of the Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, will lead
September 13, 2019
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by Andrew Kessel (Proactive Investors) The plan is to investigate the potential of sugars and glycerol derived from cellulose to be converted into hydrocarbon molecules for use in fuels or chemicals –Gevo Inc (NASDAQ:GEVO), a renewable fuels company, announced Tuesday that it has signed a joint development agreement with Leaf
September 11, 2019
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(ARENA/NGV Journal) On behalf of the Australian Government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has approved up to $9.41 million in funding to Hazer Group Limited for the construction and operation of a groundbreaking hydrogen production facility in Munster, Western Australia. Hazer is seeking to build a $15.8 million 100-ton per
September 3, 2019
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(Government of Queensland/NGV Journal) Hydrogen-powered cars will be added to the Queensland Government’s vehicle fleet to accelerate the state’s drive towards a hydrogen-fueled future. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the fuel cell vehicles would be integrated into QFleet as part of the $19 million Queensland Hydrogen Industry Strategy 2019-2024. “We’re ensuring Queensland
August 28, 2019
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … (T)oday we explore 9 of those constellations building around Sustainable Aviation Fuels. Some of them are young protostars in the earliest stage of stellar evolution, while others are like the Earth’s sun, a main-sequence mid-size star, and a few are superstars like, well,
August 26, 2019
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(Renewable Fuels Association) In a letter sent today (August 15, 2019), the Renewable Fuels Association encouraged Australia’s energy minister to strongly consider U.S. ethanol imports as a cleaner, more affordable alternative to purchasing oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve. According to RFA, opening the Australian market to ethanol imports would
August 16, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuhttp://radar.weather.gov/radar_lite.php?product=NCR&rid=LWX&loop=yesels Digest) Gevo produces and sells low-carbon, renewable, high-performance fuel products. From ethanol to isobutanol, jet fuel, isooctane, oxygenate blendstocks, and more, Gevo is on a mission to replace fossil based products and decarbonize products for large markets. Tim Cesarek, Executive VP and COO of Gevo gave this
August 8, 2019
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(Government of Western Australia) Renewable Hydrogen Strategy to position Western Australia as a frontrunner in the burgeoning global renewable hydrogen industry; McGowan Government commits to $10 million Renewable Hydrogen Fund The McGowan Government has launched its Renewable Hydrogen Strategy to position Western Australia as a major producer and exporter of
August 7, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Licella signed a memorandum of understanding with New Zealand’s pulp, paper and packaging business giant Oji Fibre Solutions to investigate plastic recycling technology for New Zealand. Specifically, the physical and chemical recycling of what they’re terming End-of-Life Plastic. That is to say, conventionally end of
August 6, 2019
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Bioenergy Strong 2019 is expected to attract over 350 delegates from throughout Australia. Integral to the Conference will be an exhibition showcasing the latest products and services available in the market. A number of support opportunities also exist to position and market your organisation to this audience in line with your
July 22, 2019
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by Erin Somerville (ABC News) Australia’s largest renewable biodiesel producer has restarted operations in north-east Victoria just three years after it was driven to closure. Key points: Just Biodiesel will produce up to 50 million litres of biodiesel each year at the Barnawartha site The plant’s general manager says the prospect
July 19, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Australia, Green Distillation Technologies is advising that a decision by the Queensland Government to not support a Resource Recovery Grant for the proposed Toowoomba tyre recycling plant has placed the project in jeopardy. “The tyre recycling plant was planned to be built at the Wellcamp Business
June 28, 2019
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(Australianaviation.Com.Au) Virgin Australia’s push into sustainable aviation fuel, part of a strengthening trend in the global airline industry’s push toward cleaner energy use, has clocked up one million kilometres in less than a year. The airline’s trial of low-carbon aviation fuel is being conducted in a partnership with the Queensland Government,
June 20, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Australia, the center-right Liberal/National party coalition won the Federal election this week, and the center-left Labor Party finds itself without office, without a federal leader, and without much of a clue how the polls predicting Labor victory got it so wrong, and why their urgent
June 7, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Jonathan Trent, late of the OMEGA algae projects, has authored a column on the topic of “putting existing technologies into ecosystems, to increase food productivity and profitability, while conserving water and energy and decreasing environmental impact.” He calls this UpCycle Systems, or UCS to those who
May 28, 2019
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by Paul Grad (Chemical Engineering) … (C)onverting CO2 into a solid offers an attractive alternative method for safely and permanently removing CO2 from the atmosphere. To date, CO2 has only been converted into a solid at extremely high temperatures, making it industrially unviable. The team created a liquid metal electrocatalyst that contains metallic elemental cerium nanoparticles, which facilitate
May 15, 2019
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(Michigan Technological University/Science Codex) What is the genetic basis for eucalyptus trees to produce that fragrant oil many of us associate with trips to the spa? Carsten Külheim, associate professor in Michigan Technological University’s School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, has spent the past 10 years of his career studying eucalyptus.
May 10, 2019
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(Australian Associated Press/Daily Mail) Qantas says the next federal government will need to have serious discussions about biofuel subsidies if the industry is to take off in Australia. The carrier has already used biofuel, which is less carbon intensive than traditional jet fuel, flying from Los Angeles but says government will
May 9, 2019
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by Kerry Reals (Aviation Week & Space Technology) After years of talking about the potential of biofuels and conducting sporadic demonstration flights powered partially by alternatives to kerosene, experts in the field of sustainable aviation detect that the industry could be moving toward a tipping point where more meaningful volumes are
April 29, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Mercurius Biorefining is developing its novel REACH process, which converts cellulosic biomass to hydrocarbons in the renewable diesel, aviation, and marine fuel ranges. Valuable by-products include bio-char and a bio-plastic monomer, FDCA. REACH (Renewable Acid-hydrolysis Condensation Hydrotreating) is a novel application of proven technologies which is both
April 23, 2019
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … What was a nationwide celebration and peaceful demonstrations for environmental reform in the U.S. by some estimated 20 million Americans, Earth Day events have now expanded to over 193 countries and more than a billion people every year. … The top 5 CO2 producing countries in the
April 23, 2019
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by Giles Parkinson (Renew Economy) Two years ago, Stephanie Moroz was named one of Australia’s most innovative engineers by Engineers Australia, and her experience working across lithium-ion batteries, internal combustion engines, fuel cells and hydrogen storage gives her a unique perspective of the choices facing Australia as it looks to decarbonise its
April 17, 2019
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) …Today we look at Queensland, Australia – the innovators, the leaders, the investors. In the last few days, a Queensland oil refinery said it is making biofuel from old tires and hopes to commercialize it soon to help take care of a huge tire waste issue in
April 15, 2019
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by Erin Semmler (ABC News) A central Queensland oil refinery has made biofuel from old tyres that can work in a standard diesel engine; Hopes are the production of the fuel, once commercialised, will help curb tyre waste and offer fuel security in the event of market failure; One passenger tyre will provide approximately
April 12, 2019
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(Australian Renewable Energy Agency/NGV Journal) The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced funding for Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Limited to start the transformation of part of its decommissioned car manufacturing plant in Altona Victoria into a renewable energy hub to produce green hydrogen for transport. The $7.4 million Toyota Australia
April 9, 2019
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(Algae Industry Magazine) Susan Kraemer writes in solarpaces.org that to use solar thermal energy to convert farmed algae to fuel, the solar fuels research team at Australian National University (ANU), led by John Pye together with Mahesh Venkataraman, proposed a new process, detailed in their paper Modelling of a 50 MWth On-Sun Reactor
April 3, 2019
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(CO2CRC) CO2CRC has been awarded funding to conduct important research into reducing greenhouse gas emissions in steel production. The year-long study has been made possible by a grant from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (Coal Innovation NSW Fund). The project will explore pathways for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
March 28, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) International Energy Agencyis an autonomous organization that works to ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy for its 30 member countries and beyond. Professor Mark Brown, Director of Forest Industries Research Centre – USC, IEA Bioenergy Exco Rep for Australia, and Task Leader for the IEA Bioenergy Task
March 20, 2019
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by Elisa Iannunzio (Energy Magazine) The Queensland Government has opened up expressions of interest for its new $5 million Queensland Waste to Biofutures Fund (W2B Fund). The fund will help Queensland companies find innovative ways to convert waste into bio-based products – creating investment opportunities and more long-term, high-value jobs across the
March 19, 2019
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(Benzinga) Biofuels created by recycling used cooking oils are being tested by ocean-going ships in pilot trials around the world. Such biofuels may even be gaining acceptance by ocean-shippers, freight forwarders and ship operators. The latest news is from international container ocean carrier CMA CGM. It has teamed up with the Port
March 14, 2019
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(University of Queensland/Phys.Org) Gene-editing sugarcane for use in renewable energy and bio-plastics could help secure the industry’s future. The University of Queensland’s Professor Robert Henry said sugarcane’s reinvention as an “energycane” crop could sustain the industry in the face of falling global demand for sugar. “The industry must think beyond just producing sugar,
March 13, 2019
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by Neil Dowling (Go Auto News Premium) An Australian company funded in part by the Queensland government is now trialling the production of renewable diesel fuel for use in heavy machinery, trucks and marine engines. It is hoped that the trials, to last up to 18 months, will lead to the construction
March 11, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of February 28th. In today’s Digest, world’s 1st for product carbon footprints, polyhydroxyalkanoates bioplastic, BASF shoe shanks, bacteria-infused knits, Eastman’s cellulosic yarn — these and more, ready
March 1, 2019
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(Biofuels International) Political party, Australia-first are trialling the use of 100% renewable diesel to fuel a Scania test engine, with support from the Palaszczuk Government’s Advance Queensland Industry Attraction Fund. Southern Oil’s Advanced Biofuels Pilot Plant at Yarwun, near Gladstone, is pioneering the refining of renewable diesel fuel made from waste
February 28, 2019
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(Fact.MR) According to Fact.MR’s recent forecast report, the global landfill gas market is anticipated to expand at a value CAGR of 4.9% during the period of forecast, 2017-2026. — Increasing demand for alternative energy sources has prompted the use of landfills containing biodegradable materials in production of combustible gases. A mixture of
February 27, 2019
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In the Australia, tire recycler Green Distillation Technologies, which has developed world-first technology that transforms old tires into oil, carbon and steel, has moved to try and remove some of the confusion about how their process is described. Their Chief Operating Officer Trevor Bayley has said
February 27, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From Australia we have just heard that Licella has given the exclusive Australian license for the Cat-HTR and End-of-Life Plastic to its subsidiary iQ Renew, which has in turn merged with Australian recycler Stop Waste, a cash flow positive business, in which Licella Holdings is now a
February 18, 2019
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(Queensland University of Technology) QUT researchers and Mercurius Australia have commenced work on a pilot plant to prove the economic viability of turning sugarcane waste into either jet and diesel fuel or chemicals that could be used to make plastic soft drink and beer bottles. Dr Darryn Rackemann, Senior Research Fellow
February 18, 2019
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by Jim Plouffe (The Lead) A green hydrogen power plant facility in South Australia is a step closer to completion with announcement of a generator supplier. — Australian hydrogen infrastructure developer H2U confirmed today that it will use Baker Hughes NovaLT gas turbine generators at its South Australian Renewable Hydrogen and Ammonia Supply
February 7, 2019
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by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) Forecasts say that electric vehicle sales are about to take off worldwide and increase demand for the raw materials that go into batteries. — Energy Secretary Rick Perry earlier this month said he would put more federal money into developing processes to recycle the raw materials used
January 28, 2019
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(University of New Castle) Australia’s $63 billion* agriculture sector stands to benefit from a revolutionary fuel technology that will convert multiple agricultural waste streams into valuable biofuel and green chemical products for the first time. In partnership with the University of Newcastle, Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER) and
January 25, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In a tale of two Washingtons, the sustainable aviation fuels movement will gather in Washington state in March and in Washington, D.C. in April to seek breakthroughs in the adoption rate of jet biofuels, which have been stalled for some time between the successful certification/demonstration efforts
January 23, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) IEA Bioenergy has several member countries involved in Task 37 which aims to improve innovations in biogas systems. Professor Jerry Murphy from IEA Bioenergy Task 37 gave this illuminating presentation on innovations in biogas systems at ABLC Global 2018 in San Francisco – and it’s ready for you
January 2, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Florida, the Digest today (January 1, 2019) 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)
January 2, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) IEA Bioenergy Task 42’s goal is to contribute to the development and deployment of integrated biorefineries as part of highly efficient sustainable value chains (co-)producing food/feed ingredients, chemicals, materials, fuels, power and/or heat out of sustainably sourced biomass (wood, crops, residues, etc.) as base for a global
December 26, 2018
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The International Research Conference is a federated organization dedicated to bringing together a significant number of diverse scholarly events for presentation within the conference program. Events will run over a span of time during the conference depending on the number and length of the presentations. ICABB 2019: 21st International Conference
December 19, 2018
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(Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) In Philadelphia, on 19th July 2018 the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) and the Queensland Renewable Fuels Association (QRFA) signed an MOU partnership agreement to support the certification of biofuels and endorsement of future low carbon fuel projects domestically in Queensland, Australia. This unique collaboration will assist
December 14, 2018
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(Agora Verkehrswende) According to a new report, CO2 emissions from transport are still rising. If immediate action is not taken, more radical measures will be unavoidable in the future. — To keep global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius, the world’s leading economies must act immediately to reduce transport emissions.
December 11, 2018
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(ATN Fully Loaded) Industrial and economic gains seen along with emissions reductions — Hard on the heels of a union critique of the nation’s fuel reserves policy, Bioenergy Australia has released a “first state-of-the-nation assessment” of the domestic bioenergy situation – and finds it lagging. With the exception of Queensland, the report,
December 4, 2018
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by Akane Okutsu (Nikkei Asia Review) Biotech company euglena teams with ANA to fuel green commercial flights — Japan’s biotechnology company euglena is to start mass production of bio jet fuel and biodiesel out of algae and waste oil, with the aim of being the first company to fuel green commercial flights out of Japan.
November 5, 2018
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(North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance) An international research team has found they can increase corn productivity by targeting the enzyme in charge of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. In a report published in the journal Nature Plants, researchers note that corn is a staple food for billions of people around
November 2, 2018
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by Gerard J. Ostheimer (below50), Graham Noyes (Low Carbon Fuels Coalition/Noyes Law Corp) Stephanie Batchelor (Biotechnology Innovation Organization) (Biofuels Digest) This month the International Energy Agency issued a wake-up call to the Renewable Energy sector. … In an apparent warning to prevent thought-leaders and policy-makers from getting complacent about the necessary
November 1, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, World Energy announced a $350 million investment over the next two years to complete the conversion of its Paramount, California facility into one of the cleanest fuel refineries in the world. The project will enable World Energy Paramount to process 306 million gallons annually.
October 31, 2018
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by Emma Stoye (Chemistry World) Scientists constructing enzyme library make serendipitous discovery — Researchers have made more active, heat tolerant versions of two potentially useful enzymes by reconstructing the forms thought to exist in the ancestor to all modern vertebrates 450 million years ago. They say this approach – demonstrated on a
October 29, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) IEA Bioenergy Task 33 is a working group of international experts with the aim to promote the commercialization of efficient, economical and environmentally preferable thermal biomass gasification processes. Here, Lars Waldheim of Waldheim Consulting gave this illuminating overview of wastes as a gasifier fuel, Waste fuel characteristics
October 25, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Then, seaport waterfront was teeming with ships, cargo, terminals, rail connections, power, water supply — not to mention rats, raw sewage, saloons, flophouses and itinerant sailors. Because oil supply came into the seaports, that’s where the wagon trade lived, that’s where the roads led, that’s
October 24, 2018
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by Courtney Wilson (ABC News) Blue agave — which is the base ingredient for tequila — is currently grown on a commercial scale in Mexico, but Queensland’s MSF Sugar is aiming to become a world industry leader, with plans to plant 4,000 hectares of the succulent on the Atherton Tablelands. About
October 22, 2018
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(Algae Industry Magazine) Scientists at The Australian National University (ANU) have engineered tiny carbon-capturing engines from blue-green algae into plants, in an innovation that can help boost the yields of important food crops such as wheat, cowpeas and cassava. READ MORE/WATCH VIDEO
October 20, 2018
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(The Star) Once surreptitiously dumped down drains in the dead of night, Asia’s used cooking oil is fast becoming one of the most sought-after commodities in Europe – as a feedstock for biodiesel. Aggressive green energy targets in the European Union that were bolstered further this year are pushing fuel makers
October 11, 2018
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by Staffan Persson (University of Melbourne/Phys.org) … Our new discovery, published in Nature Plants, shows how plant walls could be manipulated in the future to change the way we produce biofuels, bioplastics and other biomaterials. … In particular, understanding how to control the production of flexible primary walls, which support cell growth,
October 8, 2018
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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
September 18, 2018
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by Joanna Sampson (Gasworld) Macquarie University researchers have teamed up with BOC Australia and Bioplatforms Australia to genetically engineer bacteria that turn sugar into hydrogen (H2). The project has received a $1.1m grant from ARENA, the Australian Government’s Renewable Energy Agency. The three-year grant from ARENA is being matched by
September 18, 2018
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Carinata is proving that it is a feedstock to be reckoned with, a compelling catalyst for change, with the latest news that Agrisoma, United Airlines and World Energy came together for the longest transatlantic biojet flight yet. Lots of biofuel flights have been happening over the
September 17, 2018
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by Adrian Schofield (Aviation Daily/Aviation Week) Virgin Australia has just completed a major biofuel trial at Australia’s Brisbane Airport, and the carrier is planning further tests in the near future. Along with its partner organizations, Virgin arranged to have a biofuel blend supplied through Brisbane Airport’s aircraft refueling infrastructure. The carrier
September 14, 2018
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(University of Queensland) A $4.5 million initiative to boost Australia’s synthetic biology capabilities will be built by The University of Queensland and CSIRO, helping drive advances in areas such as manufacturing, industrial biotechnology, environmental remediation, biosecurity, agriculture and healthcare research. UQ Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Høj and CSIRO Executive Director for
September 7, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Licella produces drop-in biofuels from a wide range of biomass and uses a supercritical water-based technology and catalysts to break up biomass and reform it into a drop-in fuel hydrocarbon. The compelling features of supercritical are several: 1. It uses all of the biomass, including lignin.
September 4, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We hear from Australia and Malaysia that PETRONAS Chemicals Group and Leaf Resources inked a Memorandum of Understanding for Leaf’s proposed biorefinery project in Malaysia. In prospect? A study of chemical markets and commercially ready bio-technologies. Potential outcome? An offtake agreement for the fermentable sugars produced
September 4, 2018
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by Kapil Shyam Lokare (Biofuels Digest/E2IG Solutions) … The constantly increasing demand for plastics have caused substantial plastic wastes accumulation in landfills, oceans and rivers that have aggravated environmental pollution problems. The rising plastics demand has contributed significantly to the depletion of petroleum as part of non-renewable fossil fuel since plastics are
August 28, 2018
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(Camden Haven Courier) Sawmill waste from Herons Creek Timber Mill near Port Macquarie could soon be converted into biodiesel for vehicles and bitumen for roads. Federal Minister for Environment & Energy, Josh Frydenberg, is visiting the mill with Lyne MP Dr David Gillespie on Friday, August 24. A $1.2 million
August 27, 2018
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(Joint Genome Institute) … A diverse group of plant-produced organic compounds, terpenes play key roles in plant growth, defense, and environmental interactions. Terpenes are also economically important because of their use in industrial materials, pharmaceutical products, and as biofuel precursors. Collectively, hundreds of terpene compounds have been characterized from eucalypts, a
August 22, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the EU, perhaps the most comprehensive and useful guide to fuels and chemicals produced from “Recycled carbon fuels”, such as those produced from waste plastics or waste industrial gases, appeared from the gurus at E4Tech. And, there’s the world of alternative fuels and chemicals produced from
August 22, 2018
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by Lexy Hamilton-Smith (ABC News) Two cars powered by hydrogen derived from ammonia will be tested in Brisbane today thanks to a Queensland breakthrough that CSIRO researchers say could turn Australia into a renewable energy superpower. … For the past decade, researchers have worked on producing ultra-high purity hydrogen using a
August 10, 2018
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by Vishnu Rajamanickam (Freight Waves) … But unless the manufacturing process and the raw material sourcing is regulated and stabilized, it would be hard to sell EVs to the larger middle-class populace. This is because the on-road price of an electric vehicle is much higher than its combustion engine equivalent, as the
August 6, 2018
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(Biofuels International) $4 million AUD (€2.5 million) in funding is set to be provided to Australia’s Southern Oil Refining for a pilot plant which will turn biosolids from sewage to crude oil. According to a statement, the demonstration plant will be the first step towards developing biosolid waste to renewable fuels
August 2, 2018
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by Kurt Liedtke (Herald and News) On Wednesday, members of Red Rock Biofuels, political dignitaries, corporate representatives and a large community contingent gathered on the outskirts of Lakeview for a groundbreaking ceremony for the $320 million renewable fuels facility. Taking woody biomass waste products such as pine needles, agriculture waste,
July 30, 2018
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(Office of Queensland Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning The Honourable Cameron Dick) Queensland’s potential as the biofuel hub of the Asia Pacific has taken centre stage in Washington this week at a meeting with the US Department of the Navy. Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron
July 18, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …The rounds of applause at BIO have been loud and steady but the biggest ones were heard not for a presentation or a speaker — rather, BIO’s decision to stage the World Congress next year in Des Moines. It breaks a lengthy streak away from the
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Philadelphia, the Australian state of Queensland announced $100 million in support of high-value resource recovery industry projects as the state cemented its place ”at the vanguard of the bioeconomy” BioFutures program. The announcement at a Queensland Life Sciences evening event marked a memorable start to the
July 17, 2018
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by Glenneis Kriel (Farmer’s Weekly) Christo Smit, a former researcher at the Agricultural Research Council, is working on developing a sustainable biofuel industry from the diesel tree. — The South African government lost interest in biofuels when oil prices fell from about US$150 (approximately R1 780) to $40 (R474) a barrel at the
July 16, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Queensland’s vision is for a $1 billion sustainable and export-oriented industrial biotechnology and bioproducts sector, attracting significant international investment and creating regional, high-value and knowledge-intensive jobs. The Biofutures Roadmap provides the leadership required to help Queensland leverage its strategic advantages and secure its share of the global
July 12, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Because if you want it, here it is, come and get it, biofuels that is, and especially of the advanced type. If you like it from waste, even better. Out of the east, the dual and sometimes dueling engines of biofuels growth are changing the
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of invention and change is just too strong, we’ve realized, to highlight annual or even quarterly or monthly rankings and summaries of significant product and service advances. For now, we’re going to be tracking these on a weekly basis to keep pace with the
June 29, 2018
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(News.com.au) Ethanol-blended petrol was billed as a win for our hip pockets and the environment, but analysts say it’s a very different story — … While other states have so far resisted the temptation to mandate ethanol use, the Federal Government is considering phasing out or upgrading regular unleaded. “Motorists are not
June 28, 2018
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The annual AusBiotech conference has brought together Australian and international biotech leaders and stakeholders for more than three decades, creating a forum to reflect on the sector’s achievements and exchange ideas to further advance the sector’s standing both nationally and globally. AusBiotech is dedicated to consolidating this growth, and our
June 20, 2018
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We are excited to reveal details of the Bioenergy Australia 2018 Conference: • To be held 17 and 18 October 2018 at the State Library of Queensland • Welcome reception in the evening of 16 October at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art. • Optional technical tour is planned for
June 20, 2018
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(Science Daily/Queensland University of Technology) Waste oil from orange, tea tree and eucalyptus essential oil production mixed with diesel provides a sweet-smelling biofuel blend with comparable performance to diesel-only fuel. QUT PhD researcher Ashrafur Rahman tested each of the waste oils for performance and emissions as a 10 per cent oil/90per
June 19, 2018
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by Francis Witsenhuysen (Northern Star) Learning how to turn sugar cane into biofuel in primary school is one thing, but running the school’s lawnmower with biofuel is quite another. Yesterday, Empire Vale Public School raised the bar in innovation and sustainability by taking out the Northern Rivers Green Innovation Awards primary
June 5, 2018
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by Cheryl Kalisch Gordon (Rabobank/The Land) A proposal to alter the EU’s overarching renewable energy policy has been announced, which would phase-out palm oil as a biodiesel feedstock by 2021, due to production sustainability concerns. … Malaysia and Indonesia, which account for 90 per cent of global palm oil supply and sell
June 5, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In these top 20 projects, we usually say that we are using waste, but really we are converting something from a state of waste to a state of value — and that’s not just good for the project owners in question, it’s good for every stakeholder
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IPART Seeks Comment on Ethanol Market Monitoring COMMENT DEADLINE: September 10, 2018
(Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal) The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) is seeking comments on its proposed approach to monitoring the wholesale and retail markets for ethanol used in fuel blends like E10. Under the Biofuels Act 2007, a fuel retailer may be exempt from complying with the ethanol