by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Waste-to-fuel start up WasteFuel has launched WasteFuel Agriculture which will turn farm waste into low-carbon fuels including renewable natural gas and bio-methanol that can be used in land and marine transport with significantly lower emissions footprints than fossil fuels. The new effort offers farmers a
Central America
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
(Wilson Center) The impacts of environmental degradation and climate change are increasingly visible across the globe, affecting the resilience of communities and threatening biodiversity. From extreme weather events such as hurricanes and wildfires, to slow onset disasters like droughts and sea-level rise, the impacts of climate change are undermining human health and
(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
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
by Christina Siantar (Platts) Chinese ethanol buyers are turning to Central and South America for arbitrage supply, after Beijing’s imposition of additional 15% import tax on US ethanol has priced US cargoes out of the Chinese market. A Chinese oil refiner has bought 16,000-17,000 mt of fuel ethanol from Costa Rica this week, for
(4-Traders) Industry and government officials from more than 15 countries in the Western Hemisphere are meeting this week at the Ethanol Summit of the Americas to discuss current and future opportunities for ethanol in the region. The event is underway until Friday in Houston, Texas, sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council
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
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
(CNH Industrial Latin America Ltda.) CNH Industrial Latin America Ltda., a subsidiary of CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE, MI: CNHI), together with Evogene Ltd. (NYSE, TASE: EVGN), announce the ongoing cooperation between CNH Industrial and Evofuel Ltd., Evogene’s wholly-owned subsidiary. This cooperation involves the development of an efficient, easy-to-adopt combine solution
(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
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
(Alternative Fuels Americas/BusinessWire) Alternative Fuels Americas, Inc. (AFAI), an advanced biofuels company, announced today that United Biofuels of America (UBA) has joined AFAI’s Project Jetropha. “UBA has been recognized by Shell Oil as a top biofuels enterprise”, commented CEO Craig Frank. “Their network, reputation and experience will contribute greatly to
(Unilever) Unilever has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with international NGO, Solidaridad to further drive sustainable development in the sugarcane industry in Central America. This initiative supports the company’s commitment in the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan to source 100% of its agricultural raw materials sustainably. The project is being
(Alternative Fuels Americas/PR NewsWire) Alternative Fuels Americas, Inc. (AFAI) announced today (May 22, 2013) that it has successfully completed research trials targeting Jatropha trees as a feedstock source for profitably produced, sustainable biodiesel, and is moving to establish above ground oil fields in Central America as a staged entry into a market
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
(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
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Florida, the Cleantech Open, which has helped startups raise $800 million for over 700 alumni since its inception in 2006, announced that it is expanding to South Florida to attract the best and brightest cleantech entrepreneurs, technologists, and researchers from Florida, the Caribbean, and
(Fox News Latino) Energy officials from Central America met on Tuesday in this capital to study the use of ethanol as an alternative to fuels derived from crude oil. The coordinator of the Energy Unit within the Central American Integration System, or SICA, Jorge Vasquez, said during the opening of
(PRNewswire/Reportlinker.com) Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue. The report titled “Global Biofuel Market Outlook to 2016 – Going Mainstream Through Government Support” provides a comprehensive analysis of market size of biofuel industry on the basis of region such as Asia Pacific, Europe,North America and Central and South
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
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
(World Watch Institute/Environmental News Network) …In response to global criticisms that biofuels drive deforestation and threaten food security, Central American governments and interest groups specify that biofuel expansion will occur on “tierras ociosas”�—or vacant, unproductive land. This may include land that was never fit for growing food crops, land heavily
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) Panama Green Fuels, an entity working to establish biodiesel infrastructure within Panama, recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the director of the country’s National School of Agriculture (IDIAP) to use the school’s land to trial commercial cultivation of jatropha. Belgium-based Quinvita N.V. will oversee
(Costa Rica News) This has been the conclusion of the videoconference “Presentation of the Jatropha curcas L. network for investigation, development, and innovation in the production of biodiesel in Latin America and the Caribbean,” organized by the Hemispheric Program in Agroenergy and Biofuel of the Interamerican Cooperation Institute for Agriculture
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) …According to Greg Springer, president of Green Fuels America Inc., interest in community-scale biodiesel production is increasing all around the world. He attributes this to both high fuel prices and the specific advantages community-scale production can offer. A primary advantage of community-scale production is it
(Eco Periodicals) During a recent meeting in San Salvador, member countries of the Central American Integration System (SICA) weighed up the possibility of standardising criteria for assessing the quality of biofuels and their potential impact in each country. SICA comprises Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the
SG Biofuels, a sustainable plant oil company specializing in the development of Jatropha as a low-cost, sustainable source of oil, today announced it has developed the first large-scale Jatropha community-farming initiative in Central America and entered into the first project with the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) to test and