by Jael Holzman (E&E News/Greenwire) With climate change pushing the U.S. toward more rapid adoption of new technologies, many Republicans and Democrats are in rare agreement on one key point: This country needs a lot more mines. But exactly how much new mining is required for the energy transition isn’t clear.
Congo, Democratic Republic of
(Eni) The cargo that left the port of Mombasa is the first from Africa — The first cargo of vegetable oil for biorefining produced by Eni in Kenya has left the port of Mombasa, on its way to Gela’s biorefinery. This marks the start of the transport and logistic system that
by Lamar Johnson (Politico) … The Department of Labor plans to add lithium-ion batteries to a list of products whose components are known to be made using child or forced labor, write E&E News’ Jael Holzman and David Iaconangelo. … The department made the designation because many lithium-ion batteries use cobalt in
(Eni) The initiative in Kenya represents the first integrated project in the world to bring Africa into the vertical bio-refinery supply chain by providing income opportunities and market access to thousands of farmers in degraded areas. — Eni completed the construction of the oilseed collection and pressing plant (agri-hub) in Makueni,
(U.S. Department of Energy) DOE Seeks Public Input on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Program for Clean Energy Projects That Will Help Revitalize Energy Communities and Create Good Paying Jobs — The Biden Administration through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today issued a Request For Information (RFI) to inform a $500 million program funded by
by Ron Kotrba (Biobased Diesel Daily) The CEO of Italian energy and renewable diesel company Eni S.p.A., Claudio Descalzi, has signed two memorandums of understanding (MOU) in recent days with two Sub-Saharan African nations, the Congo and Angola, on joint development of the agro-biofuel sector in both countries. The MOU with
(Eni) Eni, Republic of Congo sign MoU on joint development of bio-refining agro-feedstock sector; Eni delegation led by CEO Descalzi met President Sassou Nguesso to discuss agricultural programs and gas valorization also with reference to access to energy for domestic market At the presence of the Prime Minister of the
by Robert Lea (AZO CleanTech) New research suggests that a carbon-neutral biofuel could be created from methane extracted from lakes. — … A team of environmental scientists from the University of Basel, Switzerland, suggest that methane stored in lakes could be tapped, converted to methanol, and used as fuel. …
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
(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,
by Scott Patterson and Alexandra Wexler (Wall Street Journal) Apple Inc., Volkswagen AG and about 20 other global manufacturers found themselves on the defense when Amnesty International reported two years ago that the cobalt in some of their batteries was dug up by Congolese miners and children under inhumane conditions. Many of
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
by Todd C. Frankel and Lena Mucha (photos) (The Washington Post) In Congo’s sun-scorched and dusty south, thousands of miners scour underground tunnels hunting for cobalt. Many of them work by hand. That’s why they are known as creuseurs — French for diggers. They don’t use power tools. They don’t wear
by Thomas Wilson and Jack Farchy (Bloomberg) Output at Congo’s artisanal mines probably rose at least half; Metal vital to many electric vehicles has tripled in 18 months — The appetite for electric cars is driving a boom in small-scale cobalt production in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where some mines have
by Thomas Wilson (Bloomberg) Congo supplies much of the cobalt needed for electric vehicles Political conflict, disputes, law changes put supply at risk — The cars of the future will depend increasingly upon supplies of an obscure metal from a country in the African tropics where there has never been a peaceful
by Todd C. Frankel (The Washington Post) … This remote landscape in southern Africa lies at the heart of the world’s mad scramble for cheap cobalt, a mineral essential to the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power smartphones, laptops and electric vehicles made by companies such as Apple, Samsung and major
(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
(Exchange Magazine) Visitors to the GLOBE Innovation Expo will get an up-close look at a made-in-B.C. portable biofuel refinery built inside a standard 20-foot shipping container. BioCube has successfully deployed its refinery on remote sites in The Congo, in India, and elsewhere around the world to produce fossil-free fuel for
by Anna Hirtenstein (Bloomberg/The Washington Post) A brew made from sawdust and water hyacinth flowers may help reduce the millions of lives lost across the developing world from the fumes of ramshackle cooking equipment. Those are the ingredients being used by Green Energy Biofuels, a Nigerian renewable energy developer, to produce
(Union of Concerned Scientists) A report from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) finds that reducing emissions from the land sector must be part of a global climate solution in order to close the “emissions gap,” the difference between the reductions in global warming pollution that are needed and the
by Robert Mbakou (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Spain’s Biocongo Global Trading will spend 150 million euros ($201 million) developing 60,000 hectares (148,000 acres) of palm oil plantations and two processing plants in Congo Republic over the next five years, according to a company statement. One plant will produce palm oil used in
(Bloomberg) A Chinese company plans to produce jatropha … in the Democratic Republic of Congo,…Greater Kingdom Group, has asked for 10,000 hectares in each of the provinces… READ MORE
(MarketWatch) …Carbon2Green is currently conducting a pilot project in the Bandundu region of DRC and wants to achieve a funding enabling it, by the end of the year, to proceed with the hiring of over 300 people and planting nearly 35 million trees, called Jatropha Curcas, on an area of