by George Heagney (Stuff) A research and development centre producing the “ingredients” for plastic alternatives and environmentally friendly products has started work in Rangitīkei. GreenChem chief executive Kevin Snowdon opened its new facility in Marton on Friday, where they have a pressure cooker machine that breaks wood down to lignin. Lignin
New Zealand
June 5, 2023
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by Olivia Wannan (Stuff) The Government made a mistake torching a policy to mix biofuel into the petrol supply, international energy experts suggested. A new report from the International Energy Agency calls for the Government to “reassess its decision to abandon” its biofuels mandate, which was originally intended to kick in this month.
April 27, 2023
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by Tony Harrington (GreenAir Online) Air New Zealand has named Heart Aerospace, Embraer and Universal Hydrogen as new partners in its Mission Next Generation Aircraft accelerator research programme to help identify low-or-no emission technology to replace or upgrade its fleet of 23 Q300 turboprop aircraft. The companies will join Airbus and turboprop
February 27, 2023
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(Repco Supercars Championship) bp, the official fuel supplier to the Repco Supercars Championship, is excited to announce that a new lower carbon* fuel, bp E75 Racing Fuel, will debut in the Supercars from Round 1 in Newcastle. The new race fuel contains more than 80% of second generation fuel components that
February 23, 2023
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … The timelines of the company’s development may have been pushed back here and there by pandemic, but the patience of LanzaTech’s worldwide cadre of fans was rewarded when news arrived from the Financial Temples of New York City that AMCI Acquisition Corp. II and LanzaTech announced that
February 22, 2023
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(Airbus) Six international businesses have launched a new consortium to bring zero-emission aviation to life in New Zealand. — The Hydrogen Consortium’s vision is to support the country to pioneer the commercial deployment of green hydrogen-powered aircraft. The partners are international aerospace leader Airbus, global green energy company Fortescue Future Industries (FFI), leading world
February 20, 2023
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(LanzaTech/Business Wire) On February 10, 2023, LanzaTech’s common stock and public warrants expected to begin trading on Nasdaq under the ticker symbols LNZA and LNZAW, respectively. Total transaction proceeds of approximately $240 million expected to fund business plan through estimated cashflow breakeven in 2024. LanzaTech Global, Inc. (“LanzaTech”), formerly known as
February 10, 2023
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The US generates ~10 million tons municipal wastewater sludges/year Disposal to land or landfills is limited, expensive. The Opportunity is to convert sludges to fuels using Hydrothermal Liquefaction. Conversion of sludges to ‘biocrude’, for upgrading to aviation and other fuels, with HTL has a US
January 16, 2023
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(Radio New Zealand) … Scion, a Rotorua-based research institute, hopes to end the country’s reliance on imported fossil fuels by establishing a bio-energy industry here. Integrated bio-energy portfolio leader Paul Bennett said his team had already made significant progress. “We’re looking at ways of converting [organic materials] into useful energy products, whether they’re
January 5, 2023
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Florida, the Daily Digest today released its annual review of biofuels mandates and targets around the world, looking at the state of biofuels mandates in 65 countries. Get the latest up to the minute new information on the Canada Clean Fuels Standard as well
January 3, 2023
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Air New Zealand Looks to Zero-Emission Flights by 2026 as Airbus Sees Hydrogen Hub Cluster Potential
by Tony Harrington (GreenAir Online) Air New Zealand plans to introduce at least one zero emission aircraft type for commercial service on regional routes by 2026, as it evaluates technologies to replace or decarbonise its 23 Q300 turboprops from 2030. The announcement follows an invitation earlier this year to global
November 22, 2022
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by Emma Connors (Financial Review) Qantas is in discussions to import sustainable aviation fuel into Australia as what will be the world’s largest production site for used cooking oil and animal fat-based fuel nears completion in Singapore. SAF currently accounts for only 0.1 per cent of all aviation fuel used worldwide,
November 10, 2022
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by John Stossel (New York Post) … To make sure we have no choice in the matter, some left-leaning states have moved to ban gas-powered cars altogether. California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order banning them by 2035. Oregon, Massachusetts and New York copied California. Washington state’s politicians said they’d make it happen
November 9, 2022
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Here are the 50 Hottest Project Development & Deployment Spots in the Advanced Bioeconomy for 2022, as selected by the Digest’s editors. READ MORE
October 28, 2022
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(Waikato Herald) The Government will undertake a $2 million feasibility study to explore the development of hydrogen and bio-fuels at Tokoroa’s Kinleith Mill. Forestry Minister Stuart Nash says the partnership between the Government and Oji Fibre Solutions, which runs the mill, could also boost the development of sustainable wood products, create
October 25, 2022
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(Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore/Biobased Diesel Daily) Singapore’s Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore signed a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) on sustainable aviation with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration to advance sustainable aviation efforts in Singapore and the United States. The MOC
October 4, 2022
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From MetGen in Finland comes not one story but three, a hat-trick. First, a commercial license for biorefineries with Futurity in New Zealand; second, a partnership with Ivy Farms to develop an industrial process for bioactive molecules they use in their cultivated meat technology; third, a partnership with Technip Energies for the
September 29, 2022
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by Roeland van den Bergh (Stuff) Air New Zealand plans to start flying its aircraft partly on sustainable aviation fuel made from recycled cooking oil and animal waste from next week. Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran said the first 1.2 million litres of the jet fuel being imported was
September 19, 2022
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(Low Carbon Kapiti/Scoop) A group of concerned New Zealanders has launched a campaign urging the Government to drop the proposed ‘biofuels obligation’ set to begin on 1 April 2023. The ‘Don’t Burn Our Future’ advocacy group says the Government’s plan to legally require fuel suppliers to add biofuel to petrol and
August 2, 2022
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by Lauren Moffitt (Argus Media) New Zealand (NZ) fuel distributor Z Energy will permanently close its tallow-based Te Kora Hou biodiesel plant in south Auckland, deeming its production uneconomic compared with the global biofuels market. Te Kora Hou had been scheduled to reach a capacity of 20mn litre/yr, but was mothballed
July 25, 2022
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by Trenton Doyle (NZ Herald) New research has found a way to make explosive compounds using bacteria commonly found soil – which could pave the way for cleaner alternatives to jet fuel. And with fuel prices at record highs, some scientists think now is the time to grow the biofuel
July 1, 2022
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by Tony Harrington (GreenAir Online) Airbus has taken another significant step towards the introduction of its proposed ZEROe passenger aircraft by 2035 by establishing a Zero Emission Development Centre (ZEDC) for hydrogen technologies at its Filton, UK, facility. A priority of the centre, which has just commenced technology development, will
June 7, 2022
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by Jonathan Milne (Newsroom Pro) WATCH THE VIDEOS: Z Energy boss Mike Bennetts acknowledges progress on producing biofuels in New Zealand has slowed almost to a halt, despite their critical role in the transition to low-emissions transport Two challenges are frustrating the chief executive of New Zealand’s biggest fuel retailer, in
May 6, 2022
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(beehive.govt.nz) A New Zealand-Singapore Sustainable Aviation Arrangement signed today (April 20, 2022) marks the start of greater collaboration as both countries move towards low carbon economies, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says. The Arrangement is the first bilateral cooperation in sustainable aviation for both New Zealand and Singapore, and its signing was
April 26, 2022
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(Bioenergy Australia) A report released today by the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Alliance of Australia and New Zealand (SAFAANZ) titled Bridging the price gap for Sustainable Aviation Fuel, has identified, amongst a number of other recommendations, the creation of a Jet Council as an immediate priority action for Government to accelerate the
March 25, 2022
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(GreenBiz) A visit with ‘badass’ LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren (29:10) Jennifer Holmgren was thinking about retirement when she was recruited to lead the carbon recycling company LanzaTech. Under her leadership, the company has forged high-profile relationships to turn captured CO2 into materials for the likes of Zara, L’Oreal and Coty.
March 20, 2022
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by Fungmin Eric Liew (Lanza Tech/Nature Bioengineering Community) Industrial waste gas can serve as feedstock to manufacture fuels and chemicals through gas fermentation. Our work describes a collaborative and multidisciplinary team effort to engineer gas-utilizing microbe to produce acetone and isopropanol at industrial pilot scale in a carbon-negative fashion. Back
March 8, 2022
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(New Zealand Herald) Infrastructure at Refinery New Zealand will play a key role in the future shift to biofuel as signalled by the Government’s sustainable biofuels mandate, the publicly-listed company says. From April 1, 2023, fuel wholesalers will be required to cut the total greenhouse gas emissions for transport fuels they
January 4, 2022
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 65 countries have targets or mandates–how much, where, when and what? READ MORE Commodities 2022: European biofuel mandates to structurally shift ethanol demand higher in the year (S&P Global Platts) European Biofuel Mandates to Structurally Shift Ethanol Demand Higher in The Year (Biofuels Central) Malaysia
January 4, 2022
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by Kate Green (Stuff) A new biofuel mandate means fuel wholesalers – those who first import or refine fuels – must cut their total greenhouse gas emissions for transport fuels they sell by 1.2 per cent in 2023. — The Government has announced it will mandate the use of biofuels
December 15, 2021
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(IEA Bioenergy/Electric Energy Online) IEA Bioenergy has just released its updated Country Reports, showing the trends of bioenergy in the IEA Bioenergy member countries up to 2019, looking at the role of bioenergy in total energy supply (TES), in electricity use, total fuel/heat consumption, and in transport energy consumption. The individual
November 23, 2021
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by Erik Kobayashi-Solomon (Forbes) A visit this summer to New Zealand-American synthetic biology company, LanzaTech, opened my eyes to what the term “paradigm shift” means. LanzaTech is an industrial chemicals company that leverages innovations in biology, artificial intelligence, and precision engineering to create the molecules that make everything from yoga
November 12, 2021
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(UN Climate Change Conference 2021 UK) We, the ministers and representatives of states, participating in the inaugural meeting of the International Aviation Climate Ambition Coalition at the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in Glasgow this 10 November 2021. Being both parties
November 11, 2021
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(Vertus Energy/Business Scoop) Climate tech startup Vertus Energy has raised $1.2 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Icehouse Ventures with support from Outset Ventures, Startmate, and NOAB Ventures, to expand its green fuel production technology. Vertus Energy’s technology turbocharges the production of green fuel from waste, making the de-fossilisation
October 27, 2021
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(Air New Zealand/Biobased Diesel Daily) Air New Zealand’s journey to net-zero reached another significant milestone in late September with the airline and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment joining forces to bring sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) one step closer to becoming a reality in New Zealand. Air New Zealand and
October 8, 2021
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by Keith Button (Aerospace America) The air transport industry lacks enough suppliers of sustainable aviation fuel to meet the anticipated demand as airlines become more aggressive about reining in their carbon footprints and more travelers take to the air. Keith Button describes one company’s unique approach to meeting the demand. The
September 3, 2021
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(U.S. Grains Council) Ethanol’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction benefits could help New Zealand lower emissions by 30 percent by 2030, reaching net zero by 2050, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and industry partners told that country’s policymakers in comments submitted last month. A proposed mandate in New Zealand would go beyond
August 31, 2021
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by Tony Harrington (GreenAir Online) New Zealand’s aviation sector has consistently shown a pioneering commitment to sustainability, and is now embracing a move towards electric propulsion, reports Tony Harrington. Regional airline Sounds Air has just announced it will acquire three Heart Aerospace ES-19 electric airliners, emerging as the first Asia-Pacific
August 31, 2021
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by Troy Baisden (University of Waikato/The Conversation) A quick look at the numbers suggests New Zealand would have enough land to produce biomass energy to replace the nation’s current fossil fuel use. But this doesn’t mean we have the technology or could do so economically — nor in ways driven
July 29, 2021
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(University of Canterbury) University of Canterbury engineering researchers are developing a carbon-neutral – even carbon-negative – way to create clean ‘green’ hydrogen to power our world more sustainably. — University of Canterbury Chemical and Process Engineering academics Professor Shusheng Pang and Associate Professor Alex Yip are focusing on using renewable biomass – such as
July 9, 2021
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(New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) The Government is consulting on a proposal to increase the use of sustainable liquid biofuels in New Zealand to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transport. The discussion document, produced by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Ministry of Transport,
June 18, 2021
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by Bonnie Flaws (Stuff) … This could include things like collagen from bones, biofuel from animal fat and serum from blood. For a $1.8 billion company, those numbers were meaningful. More than 450 specialty ingredients and materials products were exported, he said. In the past year, the supply of animal tallow
June 7, 2021
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(New Zealand Ministry For Primary Industries/Business Scoop) Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service is laying the foundations for a new biofuels industry, to turn forestry waste into a potential billion-dollar industry, and working on a business case with help from global investment experts Indufor Asia Pacific Ltd. “Establishing a
May 19, 2021
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by Steven Mufson and Juliet Eilperin (Washington Post) The Commodity Futures Trading Commission aims to create a new Climate Risk Unit, joining initiatives at Treasury, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Reserve — A growing number of federal regulators are pushing corporate America to reckon with the cost
March 18, 2021
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(Air New Zealand/Scoop Business) Air New Zealand backs the New Zealand Government’s in principle decision to implement a biofuels mandate that will help the country to reduce carbon emissions in the transport sector. At the announcement today with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Minister for Climate Change James Shaw and Transport Minister
January 29, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Starting with wood waste or low-grade logs, Futurity uses pretreatment, Sweetwater Energy tech, MetGen’s tech and converts waste wood to worthwhile wonders like paints, packaging, coatings, and thermal energy. If you missed DigestConnect last week, check out this slide guide that covers how they are
January 29, 2021
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(Lanza Tech) Carbon Recycling Facility leads the way in production of sustainable materials with world leading certification — The Beijing Shougang LanzaTech New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. a joint-venture between carbon recycler, LanzaTech, Shougang Group Co. Ltd., a leading Chinese iron and steel producer, Tangshan Caofeidian Beijing-Hebei Cooperation Green Industry Investment
January 29, 2021
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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. Get the latest up to the minute new information on the Canada Clean Fuels Standard as well as a
January 8, 2021
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by Jacques Leslie (Los Angeles Times) The Los Angeles City Council is poised to endorse a call for a global Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. … Signatory governments would agree to stop further expansion of the fossil fuel industry within their boundaries. … The treaty addresses a nearly universal failing of climate change
January 5, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Wastewater treatment is a huge problem with about 30 billion gallons per day in the U.S. You’ve got pathogens in the water that could reach drinking water supplies. You’ve got nutrients causing excess algae growth. You’ve got organic matter causing low dissolved oxygen. But MicroBio
December 23, 2020
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In China, LanzaTech’s Shougang commercial carbon recycling facility reached 150 days of full capacity continuous operation in November, a significant achievement for a first of a kind technology at scale. Production at the site itself has exceeded 20 million gallons of ethanol since startup which
December 22, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From Europe comes news that major hydrogen project developers including ACWA Power, CWP Renewables, Envision, Iberdrola, Ørsted, Snam, and Yara have joined hands to scale-up green hydrogen production 50-fold in 6 years in a bid to slash the production cost to below $2 per kilo. This report
December 10, 2020
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(New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries) … “The Wood Fibre Futures project earlier this year identified viable wood-based alternatives to high carbon emitting products such as transport fuel, concrete, steel, and coal. “Having identified the options, we are now looking to accelerate to stage 2 of the project, which will
December 2, 2020
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by Amandeep Parmar (Argus Media) A new free-trade agreement (FTA) between 15 Asia-Pacific countries will phase out tariffs on a host of biofuels and feedstocks, although existing trade flows may limit the immediate market impact. The Regional Economic Comprehensive Partnership (RCEP) was signed yesterday by China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New
November 17, 2020
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(Business Airport International) The impact of Covid-19 on the fuel market has been pronounced, but the virus could also spur a move to more sustainable sources of fuel. … Avfuel has experienced interest in the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from business aviation operators, airports and maintenance stakeholders during the
September 8, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Today, biobased mandates around the world. Where are the markets you can count on, how much can you count on? 65 countries in all, We’ll be focusing especially on new information out of Argentina, Brazil, Britain after Brexit, Canada, the European Union, China, India, Indonesia,
September 7, 2020
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(Stuff) … But in a statement, Fonterra’s National Transport and Logistics General Manager Barry McColl said using biodiesel had become “uneconomic”. Z Energy stopped production at its Manukau plant in March, after a sharp rise in global prices for tallow, the fat waste product from meatworks used to make biodiesel. Then,
August 26, 2020
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by Luke Upton (Biomarket Insights) … We recently caught up with two of Futurity’s founders, CEO Jacob Kohn and CTO Dr. Gaetano Dedual who are on the cusp of some major breakthroughs in their goal to establish a first-of-its-kind commercial biorefinery in Tairāwhiti Gisborne, on the northeastern tip of New Zealand. Jacob, Gaetano and the
August 6, 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 Eloise Gibson (Stuff) Z Energy is “hibernating” its biodiesel plant but may re-open in a year. –Z Energy has put its Auckland biofuel plant to sleep after a bidding war broke out for the fatty animal waste it runs on. Fourteen people’s jobs will be lost, while Z looks
May 13, 2020
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(Business Wire) The City of Newton, Ill., Jasper County, and St. Joseph Renewable Fuels, LLC announced plans to build a $400 million renewable diesel plant in Southern Illinois that envisions utilizing innovative technologies and a new healthcare protocol to test and certify a COVID-19 free workforce. The 40-acre site in
May 13, 2020
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by Nikki Macdonald (Stuff) … It was one of many pieces of breathless hype to come out of the Nelson company – the fuel was actually 95 per cent ordinary diesel and 5 per cent bio-diesel. But the stunt received worldwide attention and spurred a flurry of investment, research and
April 27, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … ZeaKal, which announced that its multiyear field trials of its PhotoSeed technology – and their soybeans increased the per acre production of oil and protein by 18 percent and three percent respectively without any penalty to seed yield. It’s probably the only oil glut you
April 17, 2020
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(MetGen) Futurity, whose mission is to outperform oil with trees through the production of advanced chemicals and materials from plantation forestry in New Zealand has finalized a licensing agreement with the Finnish company MetGen Oy. Cooperation will allow the development of a full range of high value lignin-based products including resins
March 11, 2020
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Microalgae Applications and Cultivation: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to mBio’s Algae Biomass
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From microalgae applications that include adding value to feed, shrimp larvae culturing, bioplastics and anti-bacterial constituents and other applications, do you know about the latest in algae cultivation technologies? Check out what this team from MicroBio Engineering and Cal Poly State University shared during this
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) 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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(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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(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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(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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(Lanza Tech) Products made from recycled pollution are coming to a store near you! Beijing Shougang LanzaTech New Energy Science & Technology Co., Ltd. a joint venture between carbon recycler, LanzaTech, Shougang Group, a leading Chinese iron and steel producer, and its New Zealand partner, TangMing, have successfully produced over 9M
October 9, 2019
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by Maiki Sherman (TVNZ) Four new innovation partnerships have been signed today between New Zealand and Japanese entities including developing bio-fuels from microalgae, and AI and robotics research. Hirojiren and Cawthron Institute have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalise Mazda’s commitment to building a research and development partnership focused
September 23, 2019
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(University of Canterbury/Scoop) … This research will develop a new process and materials to produce bio-hydrogen and capture carbon dioxide by using New Zealand wood biomass resources from log harvesting and wood processing. The bio-hydrogen produced could be used as transport fuel, a chemical feedstock for methanol, ammonia and oil
September 19, 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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(National Road Carriers/Business.Scoop) There will not be one transport fuel for the future hydrogen, electric, biofuel and clean diesel energy will all play a part as the sector transitions to support the Governments goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. — That was the consensus of all the presenters at National
August 2, 2019
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by John Hanselman (Vanguard Renewables/Biofuels Digest) Renewable natural gas production is a good news story, but how to get there successfully is more complicated than most of us in the business anticipated. At Vanguard Renewables, we entered the renewable energy landscape with two different “eat what you kill” on-farm anaerobic digesters that
July 9, 2019
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by Meriana Johnsen (Newsie) KiwiRail is set to trial biodiesel on some trains and ferries, but it cannot source enough to switch completely anytime soon. A six-to-12-month trial on off-peak Wellington trains is due to begin midway through this year, according to a briefing to the Minister of the Environment, obtained
June 18, 2019
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(Emirates Team New Zealand/Scoop) Z Energy is to partner with Emirates Team New Zealand for the 36th America’s Cup as an Exclusive Supplier of fuel and bio fuel for the 36th America’s Cup being hosted in Auckland over the summer of 2020/2021. In coming together, both organisations have a strong desire
May 7, 2019
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(Scion Research) Crown research institute Scion congratulates the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment on his report Farms, forests and fossil fuels: The next great landscape transformation released today. Scion CEO Dr Julian Elder says the report’s proposal to take a “landscape approach” to managing our country’s climate and environmental issues is
April 2, 2019
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by Angie Skerrett (NewsHub) A new diesel biofuel made from an agricultural by-product is helping power Fonterra’s milk tanker fleet, and it’s hoped more transport operators will follow suit. Z Energy has built New Zealand’s first commercial scale bio-diesel plant, using a process which turns an unwanted tallow product, usually exported
March 14, 2019
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(SEKAB) “I feel very privileged to be celebrated in this context. We need more strong women working to develop the bioeconomy in order to break the fossil fuel dependency,” says Ylwa Alwarsdotter, Strategic Market Development Officer at SEKAB Biofuels & Chemicals. Il Bioeconomista is an international web magazine covering the bioeconomy.
March 14, 2019
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by Boon-Ling Yeo and Andrew Coleman (Environmental Economics and Policy Studies) This paper examines the interaction of different policies used to control two types of agricultural pollution. Pollution control policy is efficient when both pollution types are controlled by taxes, although a tax increase on one type of pollution can increase the
February 3, 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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Alan Brent (Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Engineering and Computer Science) … Where we haven’t reached consensus is what to do with heavy transport and aviation, which our economy (like any other) highly depends on. For KiwiRail to switch from electric to diesel locomotives just doesn’t make sense—unless, of course, they
November 16, 2018
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by Esther Taunton (Stuff) Diesel prices could be fixed for up to 12 months in some parts of New Zealand if technology used to turn wood waste and grass into biofuels is adopted here. The technology needed to make biofuels from wood residues, grasses, and industrial waste is already being commercially manufactured in
November 7, 2018
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(DB Breweries Limited/Scoop) Kiwis receive free biofuel when they help ‘save the entire world’ — New DB Export campaign kicks off with Gull partnership offering Kiwis free biofuel — As a fuel tax excise hits New Zealand today increasing fuel prices around the country by 3.5 cents + GST, Gull and DB Export
October 3, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … We’ve organized the state of biodiesel into 10 areas of vital interest ranging from the development of markets to the entry of ancillary products and new feedstocks. #1 Tax & Trade Free trade vs fair trade: Dumping and tax credit issues continue to mezmerize the
June 7, 2018
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(GrainNet) Industry and government officials from 17 countries in Asia and Oceania are meeting with members of the U.S. ethanol industry and U.S. officials in Minneapolis this week at the Ethanol Summit of the Asia Pacific (Summit), focused on current and future prospects for expanded ethanol use throughout the region. The
May 22, 2018
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(GreenAir Online) … Canada’s Biojet Supply Chain Initiative (CBSCI) is a three-year project between 14 stakeholder organisations, including Air Canada, which are working to enable a biojet supply chain in the country, with testing the feasibility of co-mingling biojet with an airport’s main fuel system an important component. Primary funding for the
April 27, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) LanzaTech has developed a fully sustainable integrative gas to fuels and chemicals platform that has no impact on food, water security or high biodiversity land use. LanzaTech’s gas fermentation platform disrupts the current highly centralized global energy system by enabling the regional production of low-cost energy
April 19, 2018
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by Chris Lee (Ars Technica) Future biofuel production requires new catalysts—or better training for stubborn enzymes. … I thought New Zealand would offer some chemistry-minded contrast. The country makes a lot of money on timber exports, but this profit is generally not from primary forest. Rather, New Zealand moves a lot of fast growing exotic
April 6, 2018
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In New Zealand, Air New Zealand says that despite talking with 30 companies following its call to source 20 million liters of aviation biofuels last year, no one is scalable at the moment to be able to supply the kinds of volumes the airline is looking
March 30, 2018
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(Biofuels International) A study from a government-owned research group is urging increased biofuel use to develop a renewable low-carbon transport sector. The report follows two years of research by Crown Research Institute Scion and looks at how New Zealand could grow and refine feedstocks into biofuels for heavy transport, shipping and air travel.
March 13, 2018
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(Scion/Scoop) Study proves New Zealand could forge a green transport fuels future — New Zealand could build a renewable low-carbon transport fuels industry – but only if the nation decides to act. A report by Crown Research Institute Scion outlines how the country could grow, process feedstock crops into green fuels particularly
February 27, 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 Maija Sihvonen* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Participants from over 70 countries gathered at Stockholm’s Älvsjömässan for the annual European Biomass Conference, EUBCE 2017 in June 12-15. In the field of advanced biofuels two years is a long time, so it was interesting to see how the topics and focus points
(National.org) New regulations for New Zealand’s fuel specifications will support the growth of lower-emission fuels that are better for people, the environment and cars, Energy and Resources Minister Judith Collins announced today. The Regulations set out minimum standards for fuel performance, and change incrementally over time to keep up with
August 23, 2017
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(GreenAir Online) A year after issuing a joint Request for Information (RFI) from parties interested in supporting the development and production of sustainable aviation fuel in the region, Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia say they have had strong interest both locally and from abroad. The airlines have now completed
April 7, 2017
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by Lilly Vitorovich (The Australian) Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand are hopeful aviation biofuel can be produced locally, in a bid to cut carbon emissions and fuel costs. The airlines have spent the past year investigating the merits of commercially viable biofuel sources within Australasia, and reviewed the input
March 28, 2017
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by Grant Bradley (New Zealand Herald) Z Energy hopes to get its biodiesel plant producing commercial fuel within the next two months after months of delays. The company had hoped to start supplying partners from the plant at Wiri in the second half of last year. However, the $22 million operation – which
March 6, 2017
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(GreenAir Online) Although sustainable alternative fuels are key to meeting the aviation sector’s long-term emissions goals, supportive government policies are required to bring these fuels to global deployment. This was a central theme of last week’s ICAO Seminar on Alternative Fuels in Montreal that brought together a range of stakeholders
February 24, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) LanzaTech has developed a fully sustainable integrative gas to fuels and chemicals platform that has no impact on food, water security or high biodiversity land use. LanzaTech’s gas fermentation platform disrupts the current highly centralized global energy system by enabling the regional production of low-cost
December 13, 2016
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by Grant Bradley (New Zealand Herald) Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon says using biofuel in aircraft is a long-term bet as the industry struggles to find a sustainable alternative to traditional aviation fuel. Speaking at a sustainability event in Auckland, he said the airline had received about 30 expressions
October 6, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the EU, the International Energy Agency has released its Bioenergy Countries’ Report, outlining the national renewable energy targets, total primary energy supply and contribution of bioenergy. We’ve presented the information relating to EU counties, below. The complete report can be downloaded here. This report was
October 6, 2016
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(AA Motoring/Driven) Biodiesel offers motorists a choice — Like the cars we drive, fuels have evolved — to the point that it feels like we have more choice than before. As car manufacturers strive to reduce the impact of their vehicles on the environment, more electricity-powered, or part-powered, vehicles are
October 4, 2016
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(Algae Industry Magazine) In New Zealand is an internationally significant collection of microalgae cultures known as the Cawthron Institute Culture Collection of Microalgae (CICCM). The CICCM was recently moved into a new home in Cawthron Institute’s recently built Envirotech building in central Nelson. The laboratory includes cabinets that are purpose-built
August 11, 2016
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Z Energy, a $26 million biodiesel processing facility in New Zealand, has begun the commissioning phase at its 5.3 MMgy plant in Wiri, Auckland. On Aug. 2, the company received its first feedstock delivery, and plant officials say commercial production of biodiesel from inedible tallow
August 4, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From Australia comes the news that the country’s former Federal Resources and Energy Minister, Martin Ferguson, is now the chairman of the advisory board for Byogy Renewables, the California-based alcohol-to-jet fuel pioneer that has been working towards an Australia-based first commercial project. Now, many people
July 5, 2016
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(Fonterra) Fonterra has taken another step forward in its commitment to environmental sustainability, today launching its switch to new Z biodiesel – as a foundation customer for the ZBioD fuel. Fonterra and Z were joined by Minister of Energy and Resources Hon. Simon Bridges, Whakatane Mayor Tony Bonne and other
July 1, 2016
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by Ben Rosen (Christian Science Monitor) Algae grows faster and produces higher energy yields than other plants, but is much more expensive to turn into fuel than traditional petroleum byproducts. — … Airbus researchers are growing algae for biofuel in tanks near Munich, just one in a growing number
June 17, 2016
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(Infineum International Ltd./Biodiesel Magazine) Infineum has revealed the initial results from its latest biennial global Winter Diesel Fuel Quality Survey, offering a unique update on the current trends in the industry across the global marketplace. The Infineum survey collected samples from service stations from across eight countries in order to
April 28, 2016
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by Valerie Richardson (The Washington Times) A newly released international study finds that farming, not fracking, is the likely culprit behind rising global methane levels, undermining the Obama administration’s crackdown on methane from oil-and-gas production in the name of climate change. The research published Friday in the journal Science came
(Scoop Independent News/Air New Zealand) Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia today announced a partnership to investigate options for locally produced aviation biofuel. The trans-Tasman alliance partners are issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to the market to explore the opportunity to procure locally-produced aviation biofuel. Air New Zealand Chief
March 14, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Australia, Leaf Resources and ZeaChem signed a joint venture agreement to establish a Glycell based project in the USA. The new agreenent advances the relationship between the two companies from an October 2014 Collaboration Agreement. That previous agreement covered ZeaChem’s evaluation of the Leaf
March 1, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … It’s Toy Story all over again. You remember Woody’s struggle to avoid being tossed onto the shelf when Buzz Lightyear arrives. So it is with biotechnology. It takes years, and zillions of dollars, to raise up a technology from its bench-scale lab roots. In
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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by Mathew Carr (BloombergBusiness) Markets will help drive emission reductions under Paris deal; Rules needed to ensure markets have environmental integrity — Eighteen nations including the U.S., Japan and Germany will work together to develop international carbon markets to help speed the pace of emission reductions under the Paris climate
December 15, 2015
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by Jamie Gray, Sophie Ryan (New Zealand Herald) Z Energy says committing to using biofuel is one way people can contribute to the global effort to reduce climate change outlined in the Paris Agreement. New Zealand has committed, along with 195 other countries, to reduce fossil fuel emissions to ensure
December 14, 2015
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(Scion) A Scion initiative to understand the true potential of a biofuels future for New Zealand has attracted serious players from industry, government and sector interest groups plus the research community. The project, called the New Zealand Biofuels Roadmap, sets out to define optimum pathways for large-scale production and use
December 10, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) LanzaTech has developed a fully sustainable integrative gas to fuels and chemicals platform that has no impact on food, water security or high biodiversity land use. LanzaTech’s gas fermentation platform disrupts the current highly centralized global energy system by enabling the regional production of low-cost
December 2, 2015
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(PR Newswire/BCC Research) This BCC Research report explores present and future strategies within the biofuel enzymes market, which includes amylase, cellulose, xylanase, lipase and other enzymes such as protease, lysomax, FermaSure, etc. Forecasts provided through 2020. Use this report to: Analyze the future direction of biofuel enzymes as important instruments
November 18, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Honeywell’s UOP has developed a renewable jet fuel processing technology, a renewable diesel process, as well as a joint venture, Envergent Technologies, that will market technologies and equipment for generating power, transportation fuel and heating oil from biomass using pyrolysis. UOP also owns a Renewable
October 30, 2015
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by Emily Smith (Daily Mercury) NOTHING creates jobs like the resource industry. It’s a widely held view in the Mackay region but Carl Morton is throwing it up for debate. The national operations manager for Wilmar’s bioethanol distillery said employment opportunities in biofuels one day may rival the resource industry,
September 4, 2015
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by Katie Fletcher (Biomass Magazine) IEA Bioenergy Task 39, a group of international experts working to commercialize sustainable transportation biofuels, recently released its latest newsletter, featuring an update on opportunities for biofuels in New Zealand. Newsletter Issue No. 40 distributed by Task 39 includes a feature article on New Zealand
September 4, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) No fossil fuel, no biomass, low carbon, no kidding. — … The top 10 new technologies. Note: Some amazing technologies such as Industrial Microbes, Trelys, Kiverdi and Mango Materials fell outside the concept for this rankings — generally because of a focus on chemicals, nutraceuticals, proteins
September 2, 2015
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by Meagan Parrish (Manufacturing.net) …It’s always a fun game to see what’s being used to make new fuels — so let’s play it, with a look at some of the coolest biofuel stories to hit the news this year. Bacterial spores power a “floating engine”: It’s been called one of the
August 21, 2015
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by Susan Strongman (New Zealand Herald) In what is claimed to be a world first, from today Aucklanders can top up their cars with Brewtroleum. Kiwis can now use a beer byproduct to fill their cars, with a new biofuel being unveiled at an Auckland service station today. The fuel, dubbed
July 6, 2015
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(AZO CleanTech) Using switchgrass to produce biofuel is one way to decrease the United States’ dependence on oil, but growing it and making it profitable can be complicated. Switchgrass is an excellent candidate for biofuel production. It is an adaptable plant that can grow on millions of acres of U.S.
June 22, 2015
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(Scoop Culture/DB Export) Drink Beer And Save the World — Today (June 15, 2015), DB Export is announcing it is on a mission to harness the power of drinking beer to save the world. In a New Zealand first, DB Export is attempting to make the country’s first ever commercially viable
June 16, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Taiwan, China Steel Corporation announced formal Board approval of a $46M capital investment in a LanzaTech commercial ethanol facility. This follows the successful demonstration of the revolutionary carbon recycling platform at the White Biotech Demonstration Plant in Kaohsiung using steel mill off gases for
April 28, 2015
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by Krista Eastman (University of Wisconsin-Madison) Scientists have demonstrated the potential for softwoods to process more easily into pulp and paper if engineered to incorporate a key feature of hardwoods. The finding, published in this week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could improve the economics of the pulp, paper
April 24, 2015
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by Aaron Leaman (Waikato Times) Invasive weeds choking the region’s waterways could be harvested and turned into valuable biofuel in an idea being floated by Waikato Regional Council. The health of the river’s hydro-lakes has come under increasing scrutiny in recent months after the appearance of a red algal bloom
March 27, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) To make fuel, chemicals, fiber, food more productively than ever before — it starts in the field with the New Agriculture. Here’s what’s happening as Silicon Valley converges with Silicon Farm. … Well, ultimately land productivity is the ultimate measure of agriculture, whether a venture
March 10, 2015
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by Jack Biddle (The New Zealand Herald) Blended fuel is fine in suitable cars. … Ethanol blended biofuel was introduced by Gull in August 2007 amid controversy over its suitability for a high percentage of the New Zealand fleet. Concerns were the risks of some fuel systems and components not
February 8, 2015
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by Keith Campbell (Engineering News) On October 19, 2004, the world’s first exclusively biofuel powered production aircraft received its certification, allowing it to be flown operationally. That aircraft was (and is) the Neiva (now Embraer) EMB-202A Ipanema crop duster. This is the most recent version of a design that first
January 16, 2015
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by Adrien Taylor (3News) Z Energy has started construction on a south Auckland plant to convert meat waste into biofuel. The plant will produce 20 million litres of the fuel every year, but Z says that’s just the beginning of a green transition, if consumers want it. In a
January 13, 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 Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The East is Green. Asia is confirmed as “the new Brazil” as project developers head en masse to the friendly receptions in Asian countries — based on energy diversification and rural development opportunities. Whether you look at financing, mandates or project announcements, there’s no question
December 29, 2014
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(The New Zealand Herald) A leading carbon recycling company has developed a way to turn CO2 emissions into essential omega-3 fatty acids – offering a sustainable alternative to feeding the world’s demand for fish oil. Now based in Chicago, New Zealand-founded company LanzaTech has been heralded for recycling the carbon-rich
November 10, 2014
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(Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand) Work by two recently completed Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) programmes will pave the way for future efforts towards a potential biofuels industry in New Zealand from forestry residues and reduced emissions from the fumigant methyl bromide. The Stump to Pump PGP programme, led by
October 15, 2014
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by Hamish Rutherford (Stuff Business Day) Increased royalties from oil and gas would be used to create a profit-oriented Green Investment Bank under Green Party proposals. Co-leader Russel Norman has unveiled plans for “an enduring, government-owned, for-profit bank” that would partner the private sector to fund projects from renewable energy
May 15, 2014
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(Biofuels International) Z Energy has revealed plans to build a $21 million (€15 million) domestic biodiesel plant that will produce fuel from inedible tallow feedstock. … The Wellington-based company hopes to produce 20 million litres of sustainable biodiesel from tallow every year, using approximately 10% of the country’s inedible tallow
April 17, 2014
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by Michael Daly (Fairfax NZ News/The Nelson Mail) Researchers at Lincoln University trying to boost the biofuel industry have found ways to lift yields of crops that can be turned into fuels, while reducing inputs. Their work has focused mostly on canola, which is turned into biodiesel, but the researchers
February 7, 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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(Sioux City Journal/Associated Press) A New Zealand company plans to move its headquarters to Kearney and set up a production plant for its biomass resin product. The plant will use distillers grains to produce a functional filler for the plastics industry. Marge Lauer, of Kearney Area Ag Producers Alliance, says LignoTech
December 11, 2013
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by Ben Geman (The Hill E2Wire) A new report finds that the most cost-effective climate change policies are the ones with the least political traction in the United States. Imposing an explicit cost on carbon pollution is the best way to put countries on a path toward steep emissions cuts,
October 15, 2013
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by Peter Hannam (The Age) Whether it’s the use of organisms first found in the guts of rabbits in New Zealand or converting the mountains of rubbish disposed of by Londoners, airlines around the world are hunting for ways to power their planes without using fossil fuels. In Australia, the focus
May 23, 2013
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Global Clean Energy Holdings announced that it has acquired Sustainable Oils, a leader in Camelina genetics and production. The acquisition includes 100% ownership interest of Sustainable Oils and the ownership of the key intellectual property and operational assets. Camelina is the only non-food based
March 15, 2013
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Comments on New Zealand’s Blending Policy Show Ethanol’s Role in GHG Reductions
(U.S. Grains) Ethanol’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction benefits could help New Zealand lower emissions by 30 percent by 2030, reaching net zero by 2050, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and industry partners told that country’s policymakers in comments submitted last month. A proposed mandate in New Zealand would go beyond previous