by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) ...#1 It’s a breakthrough year for Asian biofuels science and technology. Many scientific and technological developments that simmered away in Asian labs and pilot plants in 2010 are set to burst on the scene
(Europa.eu) An EU-funded collaboration between universities and industry is overcoming limitations in current technologies to develop new bioethanol engines. Driven by the need for more sustainable and less polluting sources of energy, the European Union is now more determined than ever to
by S.C. (TeatroNaturale International) The Commission published today (December 22, 2010) a report on indirect land use change related to biofuels and bioliquids. The report acknowledges that indirect land use change can reduce greenhouse gas emissions savings associated with biofuels,
(BIOLYFE) The BIOLYFE project aims at improving critical steps of the second generation bioethanol production process and at demonstrating the whole supply chain, from feedstock sourcing via fuel production to product utilisation. The main result will be the construction of an
(Europa) The European Commission has authorised under EU state aid rules a support of SEK222 million (approximately € 24 million) that Sweden intends to grant to the Gothenburg Biofuels Gasification (GoBiGas) research and development (R&D) project. Göteborg Energi AB, a Swedish energy
(Europa) The European Commission has authorised, under EU state aid rules, a €5 million investment aid for a pipeline infrastructure to transport waste CO2 from a bioethanol plant in Rotterdam to greenhouses in the “Zuidplaspolder”. The waste CO2 will be used
by Niki Koswanage (Reuters) Palm oil has production audit in place unlike other vegoils; Green palm oil production capacity growing. European Union rules requiring vegetable-oil based biofuels to come from eco-friendly sources may boost palm oil use in the sector as
by Alex Morales (Bloomberg Businessweek) Malaysia’s limited room for expanding palm oil cultivation means that industry growth will have to come from improving productivity, its plantation minister said. About 4.6 million hectares (11.4 million acres) of the southeast Asian nation’s 32 million
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) The European Commission released the results this month of a biotechnology report that explores public perceptions of biotechnology, including biofuels. Over all, the Eurobarometer survey found that 80 percent of Europeans are either in favor
(MarketWatch/Linde) ...Linde is currently researching various production options aimed at gradually increasing the share of "green" sources in the hydrogen landscape. One of these uses liquid biomass (glycerine), a by-product of biodiesel production, as the feedstock. READ MORE From the report: The
By Robert Vierhout (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The eBIO brand is no longer. For five years it served the European fuel alcohol industry well. In those years, the industry has changed. Few players became many players and small players became big
(Marketwire) GreenGold Ray Energies announced today that due to the increase target by the European Union of 10% of fuel sold at the pump be bio-diesel by 2020, the company will expedite its land acquisition. According to GreenGold Ray Energies, the current
by Alex Morales (Bloomberg) Biofuels targets in the European Union could raise emissions of greenhouse gases because forests and wetlands will be destroyed to grow the crops necessary, nine environmental groups said in a study. ...The EU aims to get 10 percent
by Laura MacInnis (Reuters) BP is focusing its biofuel efforts on Brazilian sugar cane and U.S. energy grasses, holding off on investments in the rest of the world for the moment, a senior executive of the global energy group said on
by Joelle Dent (Biofuels Digest Asia) ...On the one hand, the EU position to allow import of uncertified Malaysian palm biodiesel, but withhold EU subsidies, is not clear or comprehensive enough. On the Asian side, it involves only Malaysia, one
(The Star) The European Union Renewable Energy Directive (EU RED) and its sustainability criteria will not affect Malaysia’s palm oil exports to the EU market for consumer products like food, cosmetics and detergents, according to ambassador and head of the EU
by Teis Jensen and John Acher (Reuters) The technology to produce so-called second-generation bioethanol has moved beyond the research phase and is ready to be used if policymakers back it with incentives, Danish industry leaders said on Wednesday. ...Steen Riisgaard, head
(World Wildlife Fund) A new methodology that could deter the “indirect” conversion of virgin or tropical forests for biofuel production was published today by prominent consultancy Ecofys, WWF and Conservation International. The Responsible Cultivation Area [RCA] methodology could complement emerging bans
(Renewable Energy Focus) A consortium of research institutes, universities and industrial partners are looking for microorganisms with enzymes that could help process lignocellulosic biomass into biofuel. The EU-funded project, known as DISCO, is searching for microorganisms that can degrade lignocellulosic material. If successful,
by Dafydd ab Iago (EuroPolitics) The European organisation of farmers’ associations Copa-Cogeca warned, on 24 September, that schemes to verify the sustainability criteria for biofuels and bioliquids may not be implemented by member states on time. READ MORE (subscription needed)
by Roland Hiederer, Fabien Ramos, et al. (European Commission Joint Research Centre) This study implements a new methodology developed by the JRC IES and IE for estimating changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from soil and above- and below-ground biomass resulting
by Joelle Dent (Biofuels Digest Asia) There’s blast furnace heat but little light so far in the debate on the UK biofuels target for 2020. Some advisors have urged that the current target of 10 percent be halved or entirely
by Alex Morales (Bloomberg) Biofuels made from plant waste and municipal trash rather than food crops could replace more than half of gasoline used in the European Union by 2020, industry analyst Bloomberg New Energy Finance said today. The 27-nation bloc could
(RiaNovosti) The European market is attractive for Russia due to its proximity and high prices. "Russia could become a supplier of oilseeds, oil, biodiesel and ethanol as alternative fuel, cattle and goat meat, game and aquaculture products to the European
(Friends of the Earth International) The African continent is increasingly being seen as a source of agricultural land and natural resources for the rest of the world. National governments and private companies are obtaining access to land across the continent
(International Federation of Agricultural Producers) ...The achievements and commitments of EU beet growers in adapting to and mitigating climate change, in particular through the provision of sustainably produced feedstock for renewable energy production, show the important role of farmers in
by Yans Felippe Geckler (IPS News) Brazil has begun a counterattack on the European Union's measures for certifying crop-based fuels, which could lead to import barriers for this energy source coming from the South American giant. ...The EU's certification requirements for
(Algae Industry Magazine) An article by Rene H. Wijffels and Maria J. Barbosa, of Wageningen University in the Netherlands, published in the current edition of Science Journal, details the challenges and opportunities of algal biofuel development from a European perspective.
(Better Sugar Cane Initiative, Ltd.) July was an historic month for the Better Sugar Cane Initiative. After three years of hard work involving literally dozens of people, we submitted our application to the EU for our certification system which includes our
(European Union for Oil and Protein Plants) A new US study on the greenhouse gas (GHG) balance of soy-based diesel has been evaluated by Deutsches BiomasseForschungsZentrum (DBFZ). The study published by the United Soybean Board (USB) concludes that biodiesel produced
by Philippe Schild (Programme Officer, Directorate General Research, European Commission) In his presentation, Schild summarizes the mandated standards for biofuels in the EU, and ongoing programs to help meet these initiatives. Renewable fuel production research forms a substantial portion of
(Novozymes) ...Relying on agricultural and forestry residues and waste as feedstock, advanced biofuels can spur rural growth, promote job creation, increase energy security and save up to 90% CO2 emission. “Technology for advanced biofuels exists, but the sector needs clear political
(The Economist) Palm oil is a popular, cheap commodity, which green activists are doing their best to turn into a commercial liability. Companies are finding them impossible to ignore. ...The charges against palm oil are serious: environmental groups regard it as
by Martin Roberts and Michael Hogan (Reuters) Cheaper, local ingredients make bioethanol more profitable, and sustainable, than far more widely produced biodiesel in Europe, even though it adds to a surplus of conventional gasoline while diesel remains more in demand. ...However,
by K Rajani Kanth (Business Standard) Southern Online Biotechnologies Limited, a Hyderabad-based Internet services provider (ISP) and biodiesel manufacturer, is tapping the biodiesel export market and is expecting to garner Rs 75 crore forex revenues in the current financial year. “We have
(BERNAMA.com) The European Commission on Thursday (June 10, 2010) adopted guidelines to implement the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive which forms part of its 2008 climate and energy package. "The adopted package gives clear guidance to the Malaysian palm oil producers what
by Joelle Dent (Biofuels Digest Asia) As if the global trade in biofuels wasn’t already fragmented enough, last week Europe weighed in with draconian legislation that effectively bans Asian producers of biodiesel that use what many experts believe to be
(Climate-L) To prepare for implementation of the 2009 EU Renewable Energy Directive, the European Commission has released three documents on biofuels: a communication on voluntary schemes and default values in the EU biofuels and bioliquids sustainability scheme; a communication on the
by Beth Gardiner (New York Times) Ubiquitous in products from cookies to cosmetics, and increasingly in European fuel tanks, too, palm oil is driving the destruction of some of Southeast Asia’s last tracts of untouched rainforest and leading to huge
(Reuters) The greenest fuels would become the cheapest under plans for a pan-European energy tax which would also help governments tackle huge debts without raising taxes on workers, draft documents show. ...If approved by EU leaders, the new rules would be
(Reuters) Lufthansa is set to become one of the world's first airlines to mix biofuel with traditional kerosene on commercial flights as carriers seek ways to cut soaring fuel costs, its chief executive said. The German flag carrier will start running its
(LetsRecycle.com) Introducing ambitious Europe-wide targets for the separate collection of both food and garden waste could offer environmental and cost benefits worth more than €7billion (£6 billion) between 2013 and 2020, according to a report published as part of the
(European Environment Agency) While technological advances produce cleaner vehicles, more and more passengers and goods are travelling further distances, thereby offsetting efficiency gains. Based on analysis of long-term trends, a new European Environment Agency (EEA) report calls for a clear
(Environmental Protection) Gernot Pehnelt, Ph.D., director of GlobEcon, released a study that says the Renewable Energy Directive discriminates against foreign biofuels. “European Policies Towards Palm Oil: Sorting Out Some Facts,” demonstrates that the default assumptions embedded in the directive about the
"Global trade and environmental impact of the EU biofuels mandate" is the title of a study finalised by the International Food Policy Research Institute this 25 March 2010. The report is one of four studies commissioned by the European Commission
by Eric Petermann (The Journal-Standard) Furst-McNess has started a new business that markets a by-product of ethanol production, dry distillers’ grain, for use as a feed supplement for livestock, and has already established a relationship that exports that product to
Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Germany, Dr. Jurgen Ringbeck, Senior Partner of Booz & Co said “Fuel is strategic, and there is an argument that can be made that an energy monopoly will be dominating the aviation industry.” Dr. Ringbeck
At least 20% of the energy needs in Europe can be met by bioenergy from sustainable agriculture without compromising food safety and security. Key sustainability issues such as the use of water and maintenance of biodiversity can be respected. In
by Luke Geiver (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The first tanker of ethanol has left Ensus, Europe’s largest wheat-based ethanol facility. Headed for the Netherlands, the cargo, which has been purchased by Shell as part of a long term deal, is a
by James Kanter (New York Times) A European lobbying group weighed in Tuesday on a fierce debate over the environmental value of using algae to produce biofuels for vehicles. The group, the European Algae Biomass Association, said members of its scientific
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