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by Patrick Amunavi (farmers.co.ke) Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology alumni, and Innovator, Erick Gathirwa Kariuki, has developed a biofuel innovation by harnessing the water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) into a bioethanol product that can be used as cooking fuel in households. Erick Kariuki, who graduated in from JKUAT with a Bachelor
Kenya
by Benson Amadala (Business Daily Africa) The cash-strapped Mumias Sugar Company is expected to resume ethanol production Friday after reconnection of power supply to the factory. Mr Ponangipalli Venkata Ramana Rao, the receiver-manager appointed by Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) to oversee the revival of the miller said yesterday a team
January 16, 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 Noah Fish (Post Bulletin/AgriNews) High-level officials from Middle Eastern and African countries were in Minnesota this week to learn more about the U.S. ethanol production process. The state tour, which kicked off in Eyota at the Kwik Trip fuel blending site on Wednesday, was hosted by the U.S. Grains
October 18, 2019
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(Voice of America/Reuters) Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it must be a joke when he was told he could irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and efficiently using a pump fueled by cotton waste. “Who could believe it’s possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton
June 7, 2019
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(Business Today) KOKO Networks has announced the installation of 700 ethanol fuel ATMs across the Nairobi. The company also unveiled its new 2-burner cooker at an event attended by Dr Joseph Njoroge, Principal Secretary in the ministry of Energy. Speaking at the launch, Dr Njoroge highlighted the important role such solutions
May 31, 2019
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by Sanjoy Sanyal and Esther Kahinga (World Resources Institute) … While irrigation systems could help provide a more stable source of water, they currently cover only six to eight percent of Kenya’s land. Some farmers, though, are gaining access to them through a novel source of power—biodiesel made from crushed cotton seeds. Biodiesel
May 2, 2019
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by Moses Michira (Standard Digital) Kenya’s illegal ethanol importation scam is turning to be a deadly business that enjoys protection from the high and mighty, multiple interviews with people involved have revealed. So daring are the players in the scam that even some police are split, with a faction working for
April 12, 2019
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(KOKO Networks) Ahead of the Go-Live of KOKO’s Greater Nairobi Network, the company officially inaugurates 17,500 sq.ft facility that is the beating heart of its Nairobi operations — KOKO Networks (“KOKO”) today cut the ribbon on its state-of-the-art technology production facility in Ruaraka, Nairobi, in an event attended by senior politicians, business
March 14, 2019
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(Business Daily Africa) Low income households using KOKO Networks’ ethanol stoves can now earn commissions by marketing the cooker through a new app. myKOKO allows users to earn up to Sh250 per sale of the special cookers that currently retail at Sh6,200. Aside from inviting friends to sign up as
January 25, 2019
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(Louisiana State University/Science Daily) New research on the United States’ most economically important agricultural plant — corn — has revealed a different internal structure of the plant than previously thought, which can help optimize how corn is converted into ethanol. — It has been previously thought that cellulose, a thick and rigid
January 22, 2019
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by Vivianne Wandera (Standard Media/Standard Digital) … The technical term for this process is transesterification. … Biodiesel is said to degrade as fast as sugar and is less toxic than table salt. It can be used by itself or blended with petroleum for a more environmentally friendly fuel alternative.You can use biodiesel
January 10, 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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(Standard Media) … Part of the reforms involve opening up the telecommunications sector to limited private investment through floating shares in the State-owned monopoly Ethio Telecom and granting licences to new service providers. One of these providers slowly building traction in Ethiopia is a small payments app called Amole. Developed by Moneta Technologies, a firm
December 26, 2018
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by Benson Rioba (Inter Press Service) Water hyacinth is a weed and if not controlled on Lake Victoria, experts are concerned that the lake’s water levels might drop by 60 percent. — Currently 30 square kilometres of Lake Victoria, which stretches to approximately 375 kilometres and links Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, is
December 21, 2018
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by Hassan Lali (BBC) A Kenyan teacher Richard Awra uses water hyacinths in a new biofuel to combat both problems of energy poverty and plant over-growth. The Kenya Marine institute estimates has covered about 10,360 hectares of Lake Victoria. Richard hopes to continue to supply this cheap alternative so families can
November 5, 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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by Dan Odido (Daily Nation) Popularising the use of renewable energy has several benefits to the economy. It enhances energy independence; develops non-traditional industries, broadening the manufacturing base; and provides employment. The policy framework is, largely, in place and it is up to the innovators to take up the challenge
October 8, 2018
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Kenya, KOKO Networks Ltd. announced a strategic investment in Saarus Innovations Pvt. Ltd., a product design and manufacturing company headquartered in Ahmedabad, India. KOKO and Saarus have collaborated closely in recent years. In particular, Saarus helped design, develop and manufacture KOKO’s patent-pending bio-ethanol powered cookstove, which
October 6, 2018
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … Like a beautiful unicorn flying in the sky, biogas production is taking off in Denmark, accounting for almost 19% of the gas used in Denmark this July – an impressive 50% increase from last year! The Danish state company Energinet, which owns and runs the
September 10, 2018
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by Caroline Ochieng, Francis X. Johnson and Anne Nyambane (Stockholm Environment Institute) This paper synthesizes the current knowledge about the impact of biofuels on ecosystem services. — Biofuel feedstock production can be a significant driver of landscape modification, ecosystem change and biodiversity loss. There is a growing body of literature that shows
August 15, 2018
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by Macharia Kamau (Standard Digital) Oil marketing company Vivo Energy plans to scale up the sale of ethanol fuel for cooking to low-income households. Vivo Energy, which operates Shell-branded petrol stations, hopes to grow revenue in the wake of rising kerosene and charcoal prices. The firm has been selling ethanol as an
August 3, 2018
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(Koko Networks) Vivo Energy becomes first multinational fuels company to enter Kenyan market for ethanol cooking fuel, using KOKO technology to enable affordable mass-market access. Vivo Energy Kenya today announces a partnership with KOKO Networks (“KOKO”) that sees it enter the Kenyan market for clean liquid ethanol cooking fuel. Vivo Energy,
July 3, 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
(Burn) Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) announced Kenya-based BURN Manufacturing, makers of the JikokoaTM and KuniokoaTMcookstoves, has been awarded this year’s Bloomberg New Energy Pioneers Award. The annual award recognizes “game-changing companies” in the field of clean energy technology and innovation. BURN’s Chief Operating Officer Boston Nyer accepted the honor this week
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 Benson Amadala (Daily Nation/All Africa) Mumias Sugar Company has temporarily stopped crushing of cane due to shortage of raw material. However, Chief Executive Officer Nashon Aseka on Monday said only the factory’s sugar production line has been affected but other operations such as ethanol production and agricultural services are still
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) According to BIO, the global economic value today of the biobased economy – including industrial biotechnology, renewable chemicals and polymers, biofuels, enzymes and biobased materials – is $355.28 billion. And looking at the new USDA Indicators report and other sources, BIO estimates that the United States generates
March 30, 2018
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by Sanjoy Sanyal (World Resources Institute/Clean Technica/The Beam) … Taher Zavery’s company, Kitui Industries, started experimenting with biodiesel in 2008, when oil prices were peaking. This alternative fuel produced from vegetable oil is obtained from crushing cotton seed, and can replace conventional diesel. … Mr. Zavery then set up a small
February 21, 2018
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by Jeff Mulhollem (Penn State News) Agroforestry could play an important role in mitigating climate change because it sequesters more atmospheric carbon in plant parts and soil than conventional farming, according to Penn State researchers. An agricultural system that combines trees with crops and livestock on the same plot of land, agroforestry
February 7, 2018
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by Faith Nyamai (Daily Nation) The Ministry of Environment has pledged to support the use of ethanol stoves in both rural and urban areas in what is expected to play a major role in the reduction of carbon emissions in the country. Principal Secretary Charles Sunkuli said the ministry is
February 1, 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 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 Michael Hirtzer (Reuters) U.S. ethanol producers, looking to relieve a growing domestic glut, are hunting for new international fuel markets to replace China and Brazil after trade disputes slashed exports to those top buyers. … Without new markets, U.S. producers may have to pare output after spending hundreds of millions
by Alex Brinkley (National Newswatch) Groups concerned that using grains to make biofuels threatens food security should be paying more attention to the impact of waste on the food supply, says Andrea Kent, Vice-President of Government and Public Relations at Greenfields Global. Corn and other grains bought to make biofuels have
October 30, 2017
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by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Grains Council is working to develop ethanol markets in east Africa, which are accessible through the Persian Gulf. Brian Healy, USGC’s vice president of ethanol market development, traveled to Kenya recently to speak at a regional ethanol conference, and used the opportunity to
October 10, 2017
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by Jonny Wakefield (Edmonton Journal) An Edmonton businessman has settled with the province’s securities regulator after admitting to misleading investors. On Thursday, the Alberta Securities Commission announced it concluded a settlement agreement with David Gregor McClure after he admitted to breaching provincial securities laws. He is to pay the commission
August 21, 2017
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by Kurgat Marindany (The Star, Kenya) Several senior politicians are being investigated for the illegal importation of ethanol, Interior CS Joseph Nkaissery has said. Nkaissery said on Saturday that security agencies have profiled several senior politicians alleged to be key players in the illegal racket. He did not name them. … The
July 7, 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
F.O. Licht’s Sugar and Ethanol Africa brings together biofuel and ethanol producers, traders, sugar millers, technology companies, shipping and logistics companies and users of fuel, industrial and beverage ethanol. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to network and hear from key industry players from a region that offers huge potential
April 14, 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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by Jeff Mulhollem (Penn State News) Africa and agroforestry — defined as agriculture that incorporates the cultivation and conservation of trees — are in Penn State professor Michael Jacobson’s blood, and the combination has helped shape his career. In turn, the forest economist has played an important role in launching a
February 22, 2017
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(Bioenergy Insight) Waste recycling company Asticom K reports that construction is underway on a biogas plant in Kenya on a five acre plot of land donated by a local housing co-operative. The plant is being built with $12.7 million (€11.9m) funding from the multi-donor Climate Technology Initiative, according to the
February 21, 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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by Kieron Monks (CNN) Croton nut may be ideal fuel with high oil and protein concentration; Leading producers are expanding rapidly; Analysts say croton avoid ethical issues of other biofuels — The Croton megalocarpus tree is common throughout much of East and Central Africa, and until now it has been used for little
December 30, 2016
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by Gerald Andae (Business Daily Africa) Mumias has been importing molasses — the raw material used in ethanol production — from Uganda for over eight months now but, has now extended this to Tanzania. The loss-making sugar miller operates an ethanol plant with the capacity to produce 120,000 litres every
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Denmark, Novozymes launched Fermax, an enzyme protease that prevents foam development during the sugarcane ethanol fermentation process, while delivering improved control and replacing chemicals. In trials, partners also experienced a cost reduction of up to 20 percent when using Fermax, compared to using chemicals.
November 9, 2016
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by Kennedy Senelwa (AllAfrica) Lack of common standards for blending ethanol with petrol is limiting East Africa’s ability to use biofuels in reducing the carbon emissions from fossil fuels in the transport sector. The growing demand for petroleum products among the East Africa Community (EAC) member countries has seen a
November 7, 2016
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by Renson Mnyamwezi (Standard Digital) Police in Mwatate have seized 45,000 litres of ethanol alleged to be imported from Tanzania. Acting on a tip, police at Mwatate Divisional Police Headquarters along the Taveta-Mwatate road flagged down two trucks and found 180 drums of the flammable liquid hidden under a consignment of
November 4, 2016
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by Samuel Messo (Tuko) Detectives have exposed details of an undercover operation that discovered fishy ethanol dealings associated with a company owned by Raila Odinga’s company; The EACC detectives followed vehicles that had left the company in Kisumu to a warehouse in Embakasi — EACC and Kenya Revenue Authority officials raided a
October 20, 2016
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by Sharon Ji (Advanced Biofuels USA) The UN Foundation, PCI, USAID and Tetra Tech sponsored a afternoon of stories and solutions from the sponsors’ Women and Climate Change project which took place on June 23 in Washington, DC as part of the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security programs. Stories
by Robert Sanders (UC Berkeley/Ethanol Producer Magazine) A new analysis of the genetic diversity of cassava will help improve strategies for breeding disease resistance and climate tolerance into the root crop, a staple and major source of calories for a billion people worldwide. Published online April 18 in Nature Biotechnology, the UC
May 11, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In South Africa, the Energy and Environment Partnership Programme with Southern and East Africa (EEP S&EA) is seeking high-quality applications for projects in the two regions that can contribute to the reduction of poverty by promoting inclusive and job-creating green economy and by improving energy security
April 4, 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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(Stockholm Environment Institute) This briefing note synthesizes the latest evidence on the impacts of traditional biomass cooking and discusses options for addressing these challenges, with recommendations for policy-makers in Kenya and across sub-Saharan Africa. In Kenya, 76% of the population relies on traditional biomass for cooking, with serious implications for
March 9, 2016
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Melanie Sevcenko (The Guardian) Renewable natural gas is a growing industry for fuel, electricity and heat, but advocates says it’s a largely untapped market in the US — No matter how you spin it, the business of raw sewage isn’t sexy. But in Colorado, the city of Grand Junction is
January 22, 2016
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by Nancy Agutu and Elkana Jacob (The Star) Ethanol worth Sh288 million and contraband sugar valued at Sh56 million were seized in Mombasa between October and December 2015, the EACC has said. The ethanol in 64 containers had been imported by unlicensed excise manufacturers, said CEO Halakhe Waqo. … Waqo said
January 19, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who mandates what in biofuels? 64 countries have targets or mandates — but how much where, and when, and what? 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 64
January 4, 2016
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This month’s webinar takes us on the road! A few of our contributors have spent time working abroad during sabbatical periods while continuing their involvement with the NEWBio project. But despite being far away, all of them found fascinating local examples of bioenergy in action to share with our audiences
December 11, 2015
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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
November 17, 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 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
by Paul Wafula (Standard Digital News) A sting operation conducted at Mumias Sugar Company premises has uncovered an elaborate network through which some of the firm’s employees have been colluding with rogue Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officials to defraud the company by under-declaring the quantities of ethanol for export and
June 30, 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 Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The Pew Charitable Trusts has released a report, titled “Power Shifts: Emerging Clean Energy Markets,” that shows clean energy investment in developing countries has grown in real and relative terms. The report addresses a wide variety of technology types including solar, wind, geothermal, small hydro,
June 3, 2015
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by Mark Lynas (The New York Times) … As we squatted in the muddy field, examining the lush green foliage and shiny purple fruits, he explained how, for the first time this season, he had been able to stop using pesticides. This was thanks to a new pest resistant variety of eggplant supplied
April 29, 2015
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(The Star) Mumias Sugar will start buying bagasse and molasses from rivals to feed its ethanol production plant, it said after reporting massive losses for the first half ended December 31. Ethanol revenues decreased by 23 per cent in the six months, a decline the miller attributed to the 75-day plant
March 10, 2015
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(Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves) This year marks the third round of the Pilot Innovation Fund (PIF), which provides funding and capacity building to organizations and entrepreneurs to develop and test game-changing ideas for the clean cooking sector, either through technology or business model innovation. In return for seed capital
February 10, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who mandates what in biofuels? 64 countries have targets or mandates — but how much where, and when, and what? 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
January 5, 2015
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by Julie Fahnestock (Just Means) … In fact, traditional cooking methods—open fires of wood and chemically based charcoals—have been deemed “the silent killer.” According to the World Health Organization, more people in the developing world die each year from illness caused by smoke inhalation than malaria, HIV and tuberculosis combined.
November 18, 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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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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(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 Gerald Andae (Business Daily Africa) The Kenya Sugar Board asks firms to start ethanol and electricity production in next two years. Private and State-owned sugar millers that will not have started electricity generation and ethanol production in the next two years risk losing their licences, the sector regulator
August 8, 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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(BusinessWire) Radio Lifeline, a non-profit based in the US, announces the launch of the Black Earth Project, a new initiative designed to help farmers mitigate the growing effects of climate change. Radio Lifeline’s partner in this project is re:char, a leading developer of small-scale biochar technologies, based in Kenya. Major funding for the Black Earth
February 19, 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 Justus Ochieng (AllAfrica) THE Kisumu molasses plant will outsource for raw materials from Uganda and Tanzania to continue its operations. Insufficient supply of molasses has derailed operations at the company. The plant had been closed for some few Weeks due to inadequate supply of the commodity. Outgoing Managing Director
February 10, 2013
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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 Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) The United Nation’s emphasis of “Sustainable Energy for All” (SE4All) in 2012 wrapped up with a decision to continue the focus with a Sustainable Energy for All Decade. The Pennsylvania Sustainable Energy Fund (SEF) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) brought together
December 14, 2012
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by Sara Mojtehedzadeh (Edmonton Journal) Bedford Biofuels’ plantation is stalled, and along with it the company’s promise to provide jobs and cash for community development …Though this is an arid and unforgiving area, the land surrounding Garsen should have been green with crops by now. Alberta-based Bedford Biofuels had grand plans
December 3, 2012
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Brazil, India, the US, China and the EU point the way towards a 60 billion gallon biofuels market by 2022 – but can the capacity be built, and can the mandates survive pressure from opponents? In Florida, the Digest today releases its annual review of
November 28, 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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(Ventures-Africa) A 32-year-old Swedish-Kenyan has won the European-African Entrepreneurship Award for a proposal to covert used cooking oils, widely used in the restaurant industry, into biodiesel. The awards were held in The Hague in the Netherlands, with nine African-European entrepreneurs pitching their ideas for a business that could be adapted in the
September 5, 2012
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(CLC bio) Today CLC bio and the International Laboratory for Tropical Agricultural Biotechnology (ILTAB) at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, announced a collaboration to benefit the Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa project (VIRCA), a partnership including researchers at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St Louis, MO, the National Crops Resources Research Institute
July 4, 2012
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by Karthikeyan Sundaram and Siddharth Philip (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Hero MotoCorp Ltd. (HMCL), India’s biggest motorcycle maker, is seeking partners for products such as blended-fuel compatible engines as it prepares to tap customers in Brazil and Kenya to combat sliding sales growth at home. “We continue to look for more
June 6, 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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(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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(Daily Nation) A Sh12 billion biofuel complex to produce fuel ethanol from tropical sugar beet will be started in Bungoma, with construction commencing immediately. The first trail run is expected early next year. The company, Webco, which is funded by investors from Britain, China and Qatar with commercial banks like
March 5, 2012
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by The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (FocusingOnWildlife.com) A Kenyan wildlife haven threatened by the rush to grow biofuels for European companies such as IKEA, has been saved. The Dakatcha Woodland in Kenya – home to several globally threatened bird species – would have been destroyed if proposals
March 1, 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
(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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(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 Henry Wanyama (AllAfrica.com) Tana River councillors have asked the National Environmental Management Authority not to revoke a biofuel project licence in the area. Led by Tana River County Council chairman Salim Golo, they said they are happy with the project to be carried out on 160,000 hectares. The jatropha
September 29, 2011
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(Nature Canada) Nature Canada is concerned that a Canadian company – Bedford Biofuels – plans plans to set up a jatropha tree plantation in Kenya’s Tana Delta, an area that provides refuge for 350 bird species. …The latest news from our BirdLife colleagues in Kenya is as follows: A Nairobi
September 8, 2011
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by Joao Peixe (OilPrice.com) The bio-ethanol gel is an alternative biofuel developed by Consumer’s Choice Limited to reduce Kenya’s reliance on imported petroleum. …Consumer’s Choice Limited developed a bio-ethanol gel made from molasses derived from sugarcane. Kadhi noted, “During the sugar extraction process, molasses is derived as one of the
August 22, 2011
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(Guardian News and Mail) Gamba Manyatta village is empty now, weeds already roping around the few skeletal hut frames still standing. The people who were evicted took as much of their building materials as they could carry to start again and the land where their homes stood is now ploughed
July 5, 2011
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By Mazera Ndurya and Daniel Nyassy (Daily Nation) The environmental watchdog has not licensed a controversial multi-million shilling jatropha project because the investor has not complied with some of the conditions set by the government. Although the government has not out rightly rejected the project in Magarini, the investor was
June 8, 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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(Client Earth) The European Commission has been sued, accused of violating European transparency laws. Environmental law organisation ClientEarth, Friends of the Earth Europe (FOEE), FERN and Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) filed the lawsuit following the Commission’s refusal to provide access to information in decisions relating to the sustainability of Europe’s
May 27, 2011
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(AllAfrica.com) Jatropha should not replace any crops in arable farms and instead should be cultivated by smallholder farmers as hedges for farms, an expert has warned. Pamoja Inc Co-Director Jonathan Otto said in Dar es Salaam recently that jatropha as a source of energy for communities is receiving bad media
April 29, 2011
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …NGOs in Africa have been touting for some time the use of ethanol cook stoves, to replace three-stone, wood based stoves that can trigger local deforestation and expose women and girls (who do much of the firewood collection in traditional communities) to violence that comes
March 28, 2011
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by Ricardo Sequeiros Coelho (CoolTheEarth) A report by ActionAid, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Nature Kenya revealed that using biofuels from jatropha results in more greenhouse gas emissions than using oil (PDF). More specifically, taking into account the emissions from production and consumption processes, jatropha biofuels
March 24, 2011
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by Mazera Ndurya (AllAfrica.com) A team of specialists has been set up to study the viability of the controversial jatropha trees after renewed interest by foreign investors to start the project. The team was formed by the National Environment management Authority (NEMA). The move follows a directive by the Minister
March 10, 2011
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by Xinhua (Business Daily) A Kenyan green energy firm has announced plans to generate ethanol-based electricity. Gravitas Ltd managing director Lorna Omuondo said the company will introduce ethanol-powered cells into the market by mid year. This is expected to replace use of the expensive and environmentally polluting kerosene. “It’s
January 6, 2011
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by Miyuki Iiyama and James Onchieku (SciDev) It sounds too good to be true: a biofuel crop that grows on semi-arid lands and degraded soils, replaces fossil fuels in developing countries and brings huge injections of cash to poor smallholders. That is what some are claiming for Jatropha curcas, the ‘miracle’ biofuel
October 28, 2010
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by Joseph Bonyo (Daily Nation) …The plant that is expected to produce about 22 million litres of ethanol a year will be the latest addition to the firm’s portfolio. According to the company, the ethanol will be targeted for sale within the East African Community and Comesa member states. …A
September 28, 2010
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by Eric Ombok (Bloomberg) Mumias Sugar Co., Kenya’s largest producer of the sweetener, secured a 1.6 billion-shilling ($20 million) loan for its ethanol plant to be commissioned next year, the Daily Nation reported. A group of banks led by Ecobank Transnational Inc. will provide credit to construct the plant, which
September 1, 2010
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by Carol Christian (Fort McMurray Today) …John Mitchell, general manager of Bedford Biofuels, explained the company has 160,000 hectares of prime development land for jatropha cultivation in the eastern coastal region of Kenya with 200,000 additional hectares being secured. Its plantation in Zambia is home to its research and development
August 16, 2010
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(EurekAlert) Policies needed to address potential conflicts, but report views bioenergy as crucial to ‘unlocking Africa’s latent potential’. Crops can be produced for bioenergy on a significant scale in west, eastern and southern Africa without doing damage to food production or natural habitats, according to a report produced by the
July 27, 2010
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(AllAfrica) A planned biofuel project in Magarini District (Kenya) has put Malindi County Council and ecologists on a collision course. This follows a request by the National Environment Management Authority for residents’ views on the project, which requires 50,000 acres to be put under jatropha, whose berries are used to
May 14, 2010
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