by Shashwat Mohanty (Economic Times) This partnership claims to provide much cheaper ethanol production from coal, TNVP's founder Michael Ahearn told ET. Banking on the government's target for the government’s plan to increase ethanol blending with petrol to reduce carbon
refineries
Back TO HOMEE10 in China and Potential Market Devastation in Store for MTBE: Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back in the Fuel Pool
by Steven Slome, Ron Cascone, and Matthew Morton (Nexant Inc./Biofuels Digest) As of mid-2019, the Chinese government has only six months to make good on its 2017 pledge to roll out mandatory ten percent ethanol content in gasoline (E10) on a
July 18, 2019 Read Full Article
Calls for Stricter ISO Standards of Biodiesel in Marine Fuel
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Germany, the International Union of Marine Insurance said in its December quarterly newsletter that more than 100 vessels have been negatively impacted by biodiesel-contaminated fuel and as a result is calling for stricter ISO standards beyond the
December 26, 2018 Read Full Article
Exclusive: Exxon Mobil Secured U.S. Hardship Waiver from Biofuels Laws - Sources
by Humeyra Pamuk and Chris Prentice (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted oil major Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) a financial hardship waiver this year temporarily freeing its Montana refinery from U.S. biofuel laws, three sources familiar with the matter told
December 20, 2018 Read Full Article
Determining the Renewability of Co-Processed Fuels
(UFOP/ECOFYS) To report the biofuel content (i.e. the renewable share) of the outputs when biogenic and fossil components are coprocessed, a robust, consistent and transparent methodology is needed. There are several processes for which such a methodology could be relevant. For
September 25, 2018 Read Full Article
Celanese to Sell Ethanol Production Unit and Form TCX® Technology Joint Venture with Chengzhi Co., Ltd
(Celanese/BusinessWire) Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE), a global specialty materials company, today announces that it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Chengzhi Shareholding Co., Ltd., to further the development of acetic acid-based ethanol as a clean energy source in China. From 2014
July 20, 2018 Read Full Article
SET-Plan Steering Group Approved Implementation Plan of SET-Plan Action 8: Bioenergy and Renewable Fuels for Sustainable Transport
(European Technology and Innovation Platform-Bioenergy) On 13 June 2018 the SET-Plan Steering Group approved the Implementation Plan of SET-Plan Action 8: Bioenergy and Renewable Fuels for Sustainable Transport. The plan was prepared by a working group, co chaired by industrial experts from
July 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Carl Icahn's Refinery Investment Has Rebounded by $1.4 Billion, Boosted by Trump Energy Policy
by Tom DiChristopher (CNBC) -Shares of CVR Energy have more than doubled since August, resulting in a $1.4 billion paper gain for Carl Icahn, who holds an 82-percent stake in the company. -CVR Energy's stock price slumped through much of last
May 07, 2018 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Speaks out against PES Anti-RFS Rally
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On Feb. 21, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, spoke at a rally against the Renewable Fuel Standard hosted by Philadelphia Energy Solutions Inc., a refiner that recently blamed the RFS and renewable identification number (RIN) prices
February 21, 2018 Read Full Article
Refiner Goes Belly-up after Big Payouts to Carlyle Group
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) Throughout 2016 and 2017, a rail terminal built to accept crude oil for the largest East Coast refinery often sat idle, with few trains showing up to unload. Although little oil flowed, plenty of money did. Under a deal Philadelphia
February 20, 2018 Read Full Article
API Urges EPA Not to Exempt Small Refiners from US Biofuel Mandate
by Meghan Gordon (Platts) The American Petroleum Institute has come out against a campaign by small refineries to avoid their obligations under the US biofuel mandate, according to a letter released Tuesday. More than two dozen refineries with throughput of less than
February 15, 2018 Read Full Article
American Energy Dominance Won’t Come from Turning Back the Clock
by Mike Carr (The Hill/New Energy America) President Trump has pledged a theme of “energy dominance.” It’s not the first time Washington has had this thought. During the years I worked at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee we grappled with
February 08, 2018 Read Full Article
Grassley: RFS Has Minimal Impact on Success of Refineries
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has released a memo produced by his energy policy staff that finds that Renewable Fuel Standard blending requirements and the cost of renewable identification numbers (RINs) have little to do with
February 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Bankrupt Refiner Made Missteps
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Washington Times) The oil industry’s campaign to undermine the growth of domestically produced renewable fuels such as ethanol has certainly been ramped up lately. Today they’re callously capitalizing on the financial woes of one of the
February 05, 2018 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels: Now? Later? Never?
by Terry J. Mazanec (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) ... Most modern refineries comprise more than 20 individual unit operations, each of which is a complex process on its own. And different refineries are optimized for different blends of crude oil, different
February 02, 2018 Read Full Article
What’s the Real Story behind Philadelphia Energy Solutions’ Bankruptcy, Crude Oil, and the Renewable Fuel Standard?
by Joelle Simonpietri (Biofuels Digest) On Jan 21st 2018, Carlyle-backed Philadelphia Energy Solutions(PES), the largest refinery complex on the U.S. east coast at 335,000 barrels per day, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, blaming Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) compliance costs. In the week since the filing, the Washington Examiner reports
February 02, 2018 Read Full Article
Refiner Bankruptcy Adds to Pressure to Overhaul Biofuel Program
by Jennifer A Dlouhy and Mario Parker (Bloomberg) Biofuel mandate overhaul mulled by Congress after bankruptcy; Unions and Pennsylvania politicians seek immediate action -- The bankruptcy of Philadelphia Energy Solutions LLC, the biggest refiner on the U.S. East Coast, has invigorated efforts to overhaul a 13-year-old federal
February 01, 2018 Read Full Article
Ethanol Group Urges US EPA to Limit RFS Waivers to Small Refineries
by Meghan Gordon (Platts) A major US ethanol trade group is urging the Environmental Protection Agency to be more transparent in weighing requests from small refineries to get out of their obligations under the US biofuel mandate. EPA has reportedly received more than
January 26, 2018 Read Full Article
Exclusive: U.S. Small Refiners Make Surge of Biofuel Waiver Requests - Sources
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) More than two dozen small U.S. refineries are seeking waivers from the nation’s biofuels law, an unusually high number that reflects growing oil industry resistance to the program, according to sources familiar with the matter. Prices of the
January 25, 2018 Read Full Article
Court Rules against Delaware City Refinery in Ethanol Appeal
by Scott Goss (The News Journal/Delaware Online) A judge has breathed new life into a two-year effort to block a major expansion of the Delaware City Refinery's biofuel operations. Superior Court Judge Diane Clarke Streett on Friday sided with two civic groups seeking to halt the
January 23, 2018 Read Full Article
Cruz Taps Texas Mistrust of Ethanol
by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) Attack on federal biofuels mandate provides chance to appeal to base -- ... But for the junior senator, facing re-election this year as Democrats show new swagger in the age of Trump, ethanol provides the chance to appeal
January 03, 2018 Read Full Article
Delaware, Regional Leaders Take on Trump's EPA
by Scott Goss (The News Journal/DelawareOnline) Delaware City Refinery rally to call on President Trump to fix the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and protect well-paying jobs for East Coast refiners and manufacturing workers. Area oil refineries, union leaders, a Republican lobbying firm
November 14, 2017 Read Full Article
U.S. Subpoenas Icahn Over Biofuel Action While Trump Adviser
by Miles Weiss, Jennifer A Dlouhy, and Mario Parker (Bloomberg) U.S. Attorney for Southern District of N.Y. seeks information; Icahn Enterprises discloses request in securities filing -- Federal investigators have issued subpoenas for information on Carl Icahn’s efforts to change biofuel policy while
November 09, 2017 Read Full Article
RFA Statement on Pennsylvania Governor RFS Waiver Request
by Emily Druckman (Renewable Fuels Association) In a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on Thursday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) asked the agency to waive Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) for the Northeast region to no more
November 06, 2017 Read Full Article
Trump Is Fulfilling His Promises on Ethanol
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Wall Street Journal) President Trump is faithfully sticking to his campaign promise to “do all that is in my power as president” to achieve the goals of the Renewable Fuel Standard. -- Regarding your editorial “Trump Caves
October 30, 2017 Read Full Article
New Biofuel Exemption Prospects Spur Oil Giant Concern
by Brian Dabbs (Bloomberg BNA) An era of relaxed biofuel blending requirements may be dawning for small oil refineries nationwide following a watershed court decision and new congressional direction for regulators. That prospect is cheered on by many companies that operate
August 29, 2017 Read Full Article
EPA Erred in Denying Renewable Fuel Hardship Exemption: Courts
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency used too strict of a test when it denied Sinclair Oil Corp's request for an exemption from the country's biofuel regulations, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday. The ruling could broaden
August 16, 2017 Read Full Article
Eni and CONOE Sign Agreement for the Transformation of Used Vegetable Oils into Biofuels
(Eni) The agreement will see Eni’s refineries in Italy capitalize on a national energy resource by creating high quality biofuels from used vegetable oils, representing the final stage of the virtuous cycle of the “circular economy”. Used vegetable oils can be transformed
May 18, 2017 Read Full Article
Hawaii’s Largest Oil Refinery Owner in Talks with Biofuel Developers
by Duane Shimogawa (Pacific Business News) Par Pacific Holdings Inc., owner of the largest oil refinery in Hawaii, is actively speaking with several biofuel developers regarding the use of this renewable fuel as a replacement for oil, a company executive confirmed
March 08, 2017 Read Full Article
RINs Not Driving Any Profits: Motiva
(Argus Media) No one profits from credits used to track compliance with US biofuel mandates, Motiva chief executive Dan Romasko said today, wading into a controversy that has split the industry. Refinery margins rise and fall to offset the cost of
March 08, 2017 Read Full Article
State Board Dismisses Appeal of Delaware City Refinery's Ethanol Project
by Scott Goss (Delaware Online/The News Journal) An appeal of DNREC's decision to approve the Delaware City Refinery's planned Ethanol Marketing Project failed Monday before it could begin. The Coastal Zone Industrial Control Board voted 5-1 to toss the case, ruling the
February 28, 2017 Read Full Article
Refinery, DNREC Seek Dismissal of Ethanol Challenges
by Scott Goss (The News Journal) The legal battle over Delaware City Refinery’s plans to expand its ethanol operations is heating up, days before a state board will hear the case. ... On its surface, the dispute centers on refinery owner PBF
February 21, 2017 Read Full Article
DNREC Approves Delaware City Refinery's Ethanol Project
by Scott Goss (The News Journal) PBF Energy won state approval Wednesday to ship unblended ethanol by barge from its Delaware City refinery. DNREC Secretary David Small signed an order affirming the refinery’s proposed $7 million Ethanol Marketing Project is consistent
December 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Don't Change the RFS Point of Obligation
by Mark Griffin (Pro Petroleum/Real Clear Energy) ... Moving the point of obligation eliminates our ability to compete and gives major refiners a significant unfair advantage over small businesses in small markets across the country. Liquidity and competition are what keep fuel
December 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Fuels, Joules & Molecules: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Paul Bryan’s “The Future of Biomass”
by Paul Bryan (Biofuels Digest) Without a significant cost of CO2 emissions, biofuels will never gain enough market share to meaningfully reduce those emissions,” said Paul Bryan at ABLC Next in San Francisco. Agree, disagree? Former VP Biofuels for Chevron and
November 28, 2016 Read Full Article
Changes Sought for RFS Compliance Mechanism
by Anthony Adragna (Politico's Morning Energy) Rep. Bob Brady is going to press for changes in the Renewable Fuel Standard compliance mechanism that the refineries in his district say costs them millions — and he may try to enlist his old
November 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Water-Energy Dependence around Pacific Rim Mapped in New Sandia Study
(Sandia National Laboratories) A wide-ranging analysis of water vulnerability across the Pacific — including the U.S., China, Russia and Japan — has identified hundreds of locations where energy production depends upon scarce water supplies. The Sandia National Laboratories study, “Mapping Water
September 20, 2016 Read Full Article
Trump Biofuel Proposals Echo Those of Backer Icahn
by Chris Prentice (Reuters) Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump on Thursday appeared to weigh into a debate over a controversial U.S. biofuels program with a proposal that would back the position of billionaire investor Carl Icahn, one of his wealthiest
September 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels Present Solution to Harmful Airborne Chemicals
by David Vandergriend (Sacramento Bee) ... But the day-to-day threat facing many communities doesn’t come from carbon. It comes from airborne chemicals with less attention-grabbing names like volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and ozone. As with carbon,
September 11, 2016 Read Full Article
U.S. Refiners Revamp Operations as Renewable Fuel Costs Surge
by Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice (Reuters/Yahoo! Finance) ... The alternative is for merchant refiners to increase their ability to blend ethanol. PBF Energy is the latest refiner to take this approach. PBF has asked Delaware regulators to expand its ethanol handling
September 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Refiner Cuts Costs, Offers Buyouts as Ethanol Credits Rise
by Barbara J Powell (Bloomberg) ... RINS aren’t the real problem for the Philadelphia refinery, Robert Campbell, head of oil products research for London-based Energy Aspects, said in a telephone interview today. “East Coast refiners are not particularly competitive in this
September 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Tesoro to Acquire Virent
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Wisconsin, Tesoro reached an agreement for Tesoro to acquire Virent. The acquisition, the partners said, will support the scale up and commercialization of Virent’s BioForming technology for the production of low carbon bio-based fuels
September 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Delaware City Refinery Wants Permit to Expand Operations
by Scott Goss (The News Journal/Delaware Online) PBF Energy wants to significantly increase the amount of biofuel being stored at and shipped from its Delaware City refinery. The company plans to go from handling about 84,000 gallons of denatured ethanol per day
September 08, 2016 Read Full Article
RTI International Awarded Project to Support Development of Advanced Biofuels
(RTI International) The U.S. Department of Energy awarded RTI International a project to support the development of biomass-to-hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways that can produce variable amounts of fuels or products. As part of the more than $2 million, 3-year project, RTI
August 30, 2016 Read Full Article
RINferno
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Let me see if we got this right. Donald Trump loves the Renewable Fuel Standard --- Carl Icahn loves Donald Trump --- Therefore, Carl Icahn hates the Renewable Fuel Standard With that, welcome to the 2016 United
August 17, 2016 Read Full Article
No Petroleum Required: U.S. Navy Completes Sea Trial with ARA’s 100% Drop-in Renewable Diesel Fuel
(ARA) For the first time ever a Navy ship has operated on a 100 percent drop-in renewable diesel fuel. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division's (NSWC PHD) Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS) completed final-phase testing of a 100% drop-in
August 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Understanding Octane Value in North America
by Tyler Wilson and Uday Turaga (ADI Analytics) The value of an octane barrel has risen significantly in recent years going from $2.30 in 2010 to $3.58 in 2015. This has surprised industry analysts since the refining industry has been blending
July 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Will the Gas Bubble Burst? More Projects Struggle for GTL Finance
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Remember how natural gas was the no-brainer of all time. Gas-to-Liquids was the rage, and a gold rush of companies popped up such as Siluria Technologies, Calysta, and Mango Materials. Fuels, chems, materials and more.
July 08, 2016 Read Full Article
The Gas-to-Isobutanol Gambit: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Intrexon
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Intrexon’s proprietary methanotroph bioconversion platform has the potential to transform the gas-to-liquids industry through use of optimized microbial cell lines to convert natural gas into higher carbon compounds such as isobutanol and farnesene under ambient
June 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Intrexon: Will Its GTL Business Arrive in 2018?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The indictment was handed down this week in The Motley Fool, which averred: While investors have been told to expect the natural gas-to-fuels platform to be commercialized by 2018, real-world indicators essentially guarantee that won’t be
June 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Valero Presses EPA for RFS Change
(Argus Media) US Environmental Protection Agency administrators should shift the burden of US biofuel blending mandates closer to retail stations, US independent refiner Valero said today. The company, one of the largest US producers of both gasoline and ethanol, petitioned EPA
June 14, 2016 Read Full Article
RES-T-BIOPLANT: Towards Advanced Biofuels – Options for Integrating 1st and 2nd Generation Biofuel Production
(IEA Implementing Agreement for Renewable Energy Technology Deployment) The integration of advanced (2nd generation / 2G) biofuel plants with conventional (1st generation / 1G) biofuel plants can lead to significant synergies and cost savings, especially for bioethanol plants. For biodiesel,
May 20, 2016 Read Full Article
US EPA 'Analyzing' Potential Shift in RFS Obligation from Refiners to Blenders
by Herman Wang (Platts) The US Environmental Protection Agency is considering a request by several independent refiners to shift the responsibility for complying with the federal biofuels mandate to blenders, a top agency official said Wednesday. But any such move would not
March 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Clean Fuels Shaping up as Fight of the Year in Sacramento
by Laurel Rosenhall (CALmatters/San Francisco Chronicle) A Harvard economist known globally for his work on climate change policy sat in the Sacramento office of the oil industry’s lobbying firm recently, making the case that California is fighting global warming the wrong way. California’s
March 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Virent Announces Strategic Collaboration with Tesoro to Advance the Commercialization of Virent’s BioForming Technology for Low Carbon Fuels and Chemicals
(Virent) Virent has entered into a new strategic relationship with Tesoro to accelerate the development and commercialization of Virent’s BioForming technology to produce cost effective, low-carbon, drop-in, bio-based fuels and chemicals. The agreement provides funding to Virent to advance its
February 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Ensyn Nabs Chevron Exec as New CEO
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Jeffrey Jacobs, who served as Vice President of Chevron Technology Ventures until his recent retirement from Chevron, was appointed CEO of Ensyn Corporation and elected to its Board of Directors. Jacobs was also appointed as
January 29, 2016 Read Full Article
U.S. Oil Refiners Look Abroad for Crude Supplies as North Dakota Boom Fades
by Jarrett Renshaw and Catherine Ngai (Reuters) ... North Dakota's Bakken production peaked at 1.153 million barrels per day in June, and had fallen to 1.13 million barrels per day by August, according to state data. The supply restraint has made Bakken
November 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Low Carbon Fuel Project Inches Closer to Construction
by Russell Hixson (Journal of Commerce) Blue Fuel Energy, based in Victoria, plans to make its final decision on a $2.5 billion gas refinery at the end of the year. The renewables and natural gas-to-gasoline plant would be built at a
February 08, 2015 Read Full Article
A Different Perspective on Getting Through the Ethanol Blendwall
by John Kingston (Platts: The Barrel) Anna Temple of WoodMac tried at the annual AFPM meeting to put one aspect of the ethanol issue into a highly consumable number: eight. The Houston-based downstream consultant, in one part of her presentation, said the Renewable Fuel
May 09, 2014 Read Full Article
RFA Answers Anti-Ethanol Speculation from Joint Economic Committee Hearing
(Renewable Fuels Association/BioFuelsChat.com) ...Specifically, (Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob) Dinneen noted two driving factors that have led to refinery shutterings on the East Coast: First, most East Coast refineries cannot process the lower-cost types of crude oil that are increasing
May 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Vital If Refineries Shut- Katter
(Big Pond News) Australia will need a vibrant bio-fuel industry more than ever if Caltex decides to close its refineries, independent MP Bob Katter says. Caltex Australia has flagged shutting its two domestic refineries in Sydney and Brisbane, putting 800 jobs
February 22, 2012 Read Full Article
Independents Seen Dominating US Refining Industry -Deloitte
(Fox Business News) Independent refiners are destined to be in the driver's seat of the U.S. refining industry as integrated oil companies increasingly shed refining assets, according to analysts at Deloitte LLP. In a report released Wednesday, the consultancy said by the end of
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
OriginOil Announces It Can Produce Algae Fuel In Existing Oil Refineries
by Christopher Demorro (Gas2) ...But new research shows that our existing oil refineries could process crude algae oil, meaning most of the infrastructure is already in place. OriginOil, a leader in algae fuel research, has announced that it has developed a drop-in
January 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Thai Oil Looking at Gasohol, Ethanol, Solar
(The Nation) Amid downturn in refining industry, company looks at alternative sources of energy. Environmental crises aside, the downturn and volatility in the oil-refining industry is pushing Thai Oil towards becoming an energy converting company and diversifying into non-oil products to