by Luke Geiver (Biodiesel Magazine) A London-based private fleet service has listened to customer feedback regarding the fleet’s use of environmentally friendly vehicles, and now Greentomatocars has added biodiesel. The fleet, mainly made up of 200 Toyota Prius cars, will
UK (United Kingdom)
Back TO HOMEIndo-UK Joint Research Projects for Bioenergy and Water Dynamics
(ZME Science) Developing alternative but sustainable energy resources to save scarce fossil resources and understanding the dynamics of changing water cycles to improve ecosystems in South Asia. These are the broad areas agreement for green-field collaborative research entered into by India
November 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Mast from Classic Racing Yacht Holds One of the Keys to Sustainable Biofuels
...A detailed structure of crystalline cellulose in algae was produced a decade ago. But only about half of the cellulose in wood fibres and crop plants is crystalline, the rest is disordered. The challenge was to find out how the
November 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Study: Meeting Green Transport Targets May Need £895m Biofuels Spend
by Will Nichols (Business Green) Government research body says next generation biofuels made from waste are a feasible low carbon option The UK could miss its renewable transport targets unless it spends £900m over the next 20 years on advanced biofuels,
November 21, 2011 Read Full Article
UK-India Collaboration on Algal Bioenergy
(Algae Industry Magazine) In New Delhi, India, the Minister of State for Universities and Science, David Willetts, announced plans for a £10M joint call for sustainable bioenergy research between the UK and India. The call will support collaborative science which
November 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Festivals Told to Switch to Greener Energy
(GreenWise) UK festivals are being encouraged to switch to biodiesel and other renewable energy forms, as a new report shows the energy consumed by the sector could power 10,000 homes. The research, to be released today at the industry’s annual conference, reveals UK
November 15, 2011 Read Full Article
The BP Biofuels Story
by Luke Geiver (Biorefining Magazine) ...“I came to the U.S. four years ago to really make what we wanted to be on a piece of paper a reality,” she (Sue Ellerbusch, president of BP Biofuels North America) tells Biorefining Magazine. That reality for
November 10, 2011 Read Full Article
China Completes First Biofuel Jet Test Flight
by John C.K. Daly (http://oilprice.com) On 28 October Air China conducted its first trial flight of a passenger jet powered by a mix of biofuel and traditional aviation fuel. The Jet A-1 biofuel kerosene used in the flight was derived from
November 02, 2011 Read Full Article
UK Firm's Failed Biofuel Dream Wrecks Lives of Tanzania Villagers
by Damian Carrington (The Guardian/The Observer) The collapse of Sun Biofuels has left hundreds of Tanzanians landless, jobless, and in despair for the future "People feel this is like the return of colonialism," says Athumani Mkambala, chairman of Mhaga village in rural Tanzania.
November 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels Growth Stifled by EU Policy Delays: BP
by Nina Chestney (Reuters) Biofuels for use in transport are becoming more competitive compared with oil but the pace of growth has slowed due to a lack of regulation and sustainability standards in Europe, the chief executive of BP's biofuels
October 27, 2011 Read Full Article
Price Volatility – Causes and Consequences
(Gant Daily) ...G20 countries in their June 2011 ministerial declaration recommended measures such as building grain reserves, a global market information system and regulating financial transactions in commodities markets. But economists like Brian Wright, professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University
October 26, 2011 Read Full Article
B30 Biodiesel Blend Fuels Carbon Reduction Bid
(Argent Energy) Switching to Argent Energy's 30 per cent biodiesel blend is helping a leading leaflet marketing specialist in its ambition to become carbon neutral by 2015. EAE Ltd, who distribute display stands, tourist information leaflets and other promotional material to some 5,000
October 21, 2011 Read Full Article
UK Study Suggests Biodiesel Will Be Critical to Oilheat Market
by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine) The use of renewable alternatives to petroleum-based heating oil in the U.K., such as fatty acid methyl esters, has the potential to significantly reduce fuel costs and carbon emission profiles, according to a report published
October 13, 2011 Read Full Article
Argent Secures £7m in Funding from RBS
(Biofuels International) Biodiesel producer Argent Energy Group has been awarded £7 million (€8.1 million) from the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) to help fund its development. ...Lombard is funding the purchase of innovative equipment that will enable Argent to convert used
October 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Tanzania: Sun Biofuels Jatropha Project in Kisarawe Suspended
by Finnigan Wa Simbeye (AllAfrica.com) An ambitious biodiesel project which was allocated over 8,000 hectares of land by Kisarawe district officials in 2008 is in trouble. Employees and casual workers of Sun Biofuels Plc, told Business Standard last weekend that work
October 07, 2011 Read Full Article
John Lewis Use Biodiesel to Power Jungheinrich Forklift
(Logistics Business Magazine) At its distribution centre at Brackmills, Northamptonshire, leading retailer John Lewis is turning waste cooking oil from its in-store restaurants into eco-friendly biodiesel which it is using to power a Jungheinrich counterbalanced forklift truck. The oil is collected directly
October 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Thomson to Operate Britain's First Biofuel Flight
by Oliver Smith (Telegraph) The first commercial flight in Britain to use "environmentally-friendly" biofuel will take off from Birmingham on Thursday afternoon. Thomson Airways will fly passengers to Arrecife, on the island of Lanzarote, using a combination of “hydroprocessed esters and fatty
October 06, 2011 Read Full Article
UK Researchers to Assess Algae's Environmental Impacts in Europe
by Luke Geiver (Biorefining Magazine) The U.K.’s National Non-Food Crops Centre has been chosen to investigate the environmental impacts of algae-based bioenergy. “This study will help provide the evidence needed for a U.K. strategy for algae, ensuring that the developing algae
October 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Greenergy Digs Deeper into Waste to Make Biodiesel
by Nigel Hunt and Ikuko Kurahone (Reuters) Major British independent oil firm Greenergy sees its future as an exploration company, but one that hunts for fuel in piles of stale pork pies and cakes rather than under the ground or from
September 29, 2011 Read Full Article
UK Biodiesel Producer Looking to Expand Capacity
by Luke Geiver (Biodiesel Magazine) When the founders of Organic Drive, a U.K.-based biodiesel producer, decided to leave their industrial and operational consulting positions, the team wanted to find an industry that was growing. They chose the biodiesel industry, according
September 26, 2011 Read Full Article
Government Gives Hope for Ensus Plant
by Rob Merrick (The Northern Echo) Production at one of Europe's largest biofuel plants will soon be "up and running again" after the Government pledged to come to its rescue, an MP vowed yesterday. In May Ensus said it was temporarily
September 26, 2011 Read Full Article
Bentley 'Is Achieving Flex-Fuel Targets' but Demand is Limited
(The Engineer) Bentley has said that is achieving its flex-fuel targets but that demand is being restricted by a poor infrastructure for E85 bio-ethanol. Engineering chief Ulrich Eichorn said that by next year all Bentley models and engines will have bio-fuel
September 16, 2011 Read Full Article
'Microwave Waste' to Get Biofuel
By Leila Battison (BBC) Microwaving waste food products could be used to produce important chemicals and biofuels, new technology has shown. ...Using highly focused microwaves, the scientists believe they can input any organic waste, and extract useful chemical compounds that can
September 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Sustainable Biofuels: Prospects and Challenges
(Science Policy Section, The Royal Society) However, access to energy underpins our current way of life and the hopes of peoples around the world for improved lives. Mobility is a core component of these aspirations. Transport has become the main driver for increasing global
September 16, 2011 Read Full Article
UK Firm Produces High-Energy 'Hycadiesel'
by Luke Geiver (Biodiesel Magazine) Hycagen Ltd., a U.K.-based advanced biofuel startup, uses the same feedstocks traditionally used by the biodiesel industry, but Hycagen doesn’t make biodiesel. ...Hycagen produces a fuel they call Hycadiesel. The fuel is made using
September 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Closes the Gap on Biodiesel in Britain
(Agra Europe) The gap between biodiesel and bioethanol supply appears to be narrowing in the UK, with 41% of biofuel now reported as ethanol, compared with 29% in the previous year ending April 14, 2010. Used cooking oil, with its strong sustainability credentials,
September 13, 2011 Read Full Article
7 Guilty in European Biodiesel Investment Fraud
by The Serious Fraud Office (Biodiesel Magazine) Seven men are facing jail after being convicted at Ipswich Crown Court for their roles in a boiler-room fraud that pulled in more than £8 million ($12,650,400). The Spanish-based operation targeted thousands of investors
September 13, 2011 Read Full Article
Newcastle University Outlines Plans for North East Carbon Capture Hub
by James Murray (Business Green) Could gasification hold the key to the decarbonisation of the North East's heavy industries? Researchers at the Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability(NIReS) are working on ambitious plans that could establish the North East as a global
September 08, 2011 Read Full Article
European Partnership to Unlock the Potential of Algal Bioenergy
by Dr Matthew Aylott (National Non-Food Crops Centre) A major new €14 million (£12.3 million) initiative - bringing together experts from across North West Europe to develop the potential of algae as a source of sustainable energy - has been
September 07, 2011 Read Full Article
GBL and Songyuan Laihe Chemical Company (Laihe) Enter into a Technology Collaboration Agreement
(Green Biologics) GBL and Laihe Chemical Co. a company focused on producing bio-fuels and bio-chemicals from non-food bio-mass resources have entered into a collaborative development and licensing agreement in China. Under the terms of the agreement GBL and Laihe
September 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Cracking Cellulose: A Step into the Biofuels Future
(University of York/EurekAlert!) Scientists from the University of York have played a pivotal role in a discovery which could finally unlock the full potential of waste plant matter to replace oil as a fuel source. Professor Paul Walton and Professor
September 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Oxford Study Highlights Advantages and Barriers for Algal Biodiesel
(Algae Industry Magazine) A new life cycle analysis by a team from the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, at the University of Oxford, states that algae-derived biodiesel could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and deliver a high financial return,
August 26, 2011 Read Full Article
NNFCC to Investigate Environmental Impacts of Algae Bioenergy
(National Centre for Biorenewable Energy, Fuels and Materials) The new research will explore what needs to be done to sustainably produce bioenergy, biofuels and biochemicals from algae in the UK. Algae have the potential to make a significant contribution towards our future
August 24, 2011 Read Full Article
Streamlining a Community-Scale Solution
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) ...According to Greg Springer, president of Green Fuels America Inc., interest in community-scale biodiesel production is increasing all around the world. He attributes this to both high fuel prices and the specific advantages community-scale production
August 17, 2011 Read Full Article
New Technology Revives Biofuels
(Alpha Galileo) Started three years ago, EQUIMOTOR PLUS, an R&D project financed through the EUREKA initiative, benefited from the brains of some of the brightest researchers in the four corners of Europe. Together, technicians from Spain, the Czech Republic, Finland,
August 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels: What Do the Experts Think?
by Matthew Knight (CNN) It wasn't so long ago that biofuels were being heralded as the savior of the planet and a thoroughly green solution to our climate woes. But fair winds have been replaced by persistent storms of criticism.
July 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Portland Says NOPE to Bio Fuels Energy Plant
(YouandFilms.com) ...Nope (http://nope.org.uk/) has been campaigning against the biofuel electric plant for more than 2 years. The plant has been approved by the local government but no building works have started. If the plan gets built we will see vast
July 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Airline's Pioneering Biofuel Flight Grounded after Delivery Hitch
(Click Green) The UK's first commercial flight powered by sustainable biofuels has been postponed after delivery problems, airline Thomson Airways confirmed this afternoon. Thomson Airways' flight TOM7424 from Birmingham to Palma was scheduled to make aviation history tomorrow by being the
July 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Competition Open for Local Ecopreneurs
(Kirriemuir Herald) FORFAR and Kirriemuir ecopreneurs with innovative ideas for tackling climate change are invited to apply for awards of up to £40,000 each as the Shell Springboard programme opens for its seventh year. Since 2005, the Shell Springboard programme has
July 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Future of Food: Meet the Farmers and Scientists Who Could Save Our Fragile Global Food System
by Robin Barton (The Independent) ...So I called my local farmer, David Bowtell. Sparing me the arcane details of the deal, he explained that growers of oilseed rape have received a cast-iron subsidy courtesy of the Common Agricultural Policy since
July 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Bath's Roman Baths Algae Could Fuel Cars
(BBC News) ...The research team, which also includes the university's department of chemistry and scientists at the University of the West of England, is growing each of the algae from the Roman Baths over a range of temperatures and comparing
July 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Thomson Airways to Become First UK Sustainable Jet Biofuels Operator as It Announces Start of Weekly Flights
(GreenAirOnline) UK holiday airline Thomson Airways is to operate the UK’s first sustainable biofuel commercial flight at the end of this month and start regular weekly flights from September on routes from Birmingham. A 50/50 blend of used cooking oil
July 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Indian River Agrees to Provide 55,000 Tons of Vegetative Waste Annually to Planned Bio-Ethanol Fuel Plant
by Henry A. Stephens (TCPalm) INEOS New Planet BioEnergy, which is building an estimated $150 million plant on Oslo Road, will be shipping in 90,000 tons a year of yard clippings, tree trimmings and other vegetative waste from other counties
June 27, 2011 Read Full Article
Electric Cars May Not Be So Green after All, Says British Study
by Ben Webster (The Australian) Electric cars could produce higher emissions over their lifetimes than petrol equivalents because of the energy consumed in making their batteries, a study has found. An electric car owner would have to drive at least 129,000km
June 20, 2011 Read Full Article
Honeywell: The Lindbergh of Aviation Biofuels
by Mark Halper (SmartPlanet) Jet biofuels should get a boost this Friday, when Honeywell has scheduled a trans-Atlantic flight heading to Paris from Morristown, N.J., powered by Honeywell-branded Green Jet Fuel. The corporate jet, a Gulfstream 6450, will carry executives from
June 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Lignin Munching Enzyme Discovered in Bacteria – Lower-Cost Route to Biofuels?
by Thomas Saidak (Biofuels Digest) In Canada, research carried out by teams at the Universities of Warwick and British Columbia have identified an lignin-breaking enzyme in bacteria which could be used to make biofuel production more efficient. The
June 10, 2011 Read Full Article
National Farmers Union Rejects Biofuel Criticism
(National Farmers Union) Biofuels can help to create a strong and sustainable agricultural sector in Europe, NFU policy director Martin Haworth stressed this week. Speaking at an international food security conference in Brussels this week Mr Haworth criticised campaign groups for painting
June 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Battles over Biofuels in Europe: NGOs and the Politics of Markets
by Sarah Pilgrim and Mark Harvey (Sociological Research Online) In this paper, we argue that a consortium of NGOs has played a significant role in shaping the market for, and restricting the use of, biofuels as an alternative to conventional
June 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels Boom in Africa as British Firms Lead Rush on Land for Plantations
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 –
June 01, 2011 Read Full Article
MIT Researchers Increase Algal Hydrogen Production
(Algae Industry Magazine) Many kinds of algae and cyanobacteria are capable of using energy from sunlight to split water molecules and release hydrogen. One reason this approach hasn’t yet been harnessed for fuel production is that under ordinary circumstances, hydrogen
May 31, 2011 Read Full Article
UK Renewable Energy Review: Another Acceptance of International Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) Arguments Without Analysis
by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) The UK Committee on Climate Change, an “independent statutory body which was established under the Climate Change Act (2008),” recently published their recommendations on future renewable energy in the UK, Renewable Energy Review,
May 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Campaign against Biofuels Stops at DfT Office
(Green Car Website) Anti-poverty charity ActionAid has launched a new anti-biofuels campaign targeting Transport Secretary Philip Hammond by using adverts on buses which stop outside his office. The adverts urge Mr Hammond to consider the impacts that biofuels are having in developing countries
May 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Review Highlights Major Role for Renewables in Meeting UK Climate Targets - 9 May 2011
(Committee on Climate Change) The Committee on Climate Change said today, that renewable energy should make a major contribution to decarbonising the UK economy over the next decades. The conclusions are set out in the Committee’s Renewable Energy Review which was
May 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Greenergy International (UK) to Begin Producing Biodiesel From Solid Food Waste
(Biofuels Journal) Greenergy, a privately owned company that supplies one fifth of Britain’s road fuel, announced May 6 that it has begun producing biodiesel from food waste. In a unique partnership with Brocklesby Ltd, a specialist in recycling edible oils, unsaleable
May 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Royal Wedding Car Runs on 85 Percent Ethanol
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The Dukemobile is an FFV! Never thought there would be a biofuels angle to the Royal Wedding, but as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left Buckingham Palace for the royal residence Clarence House, they drove off
May 03, 2011 Read Full Article
Global Food Crisis, Biofuels and Land Grabs in Ghana
by Bright Owusu (Ghana mma) The time has never been riper for the people of Ghana to speak out about the terrible negligence of consecutive governments who have allowed horrendous land grabs by foreign nationals for the production of questionable
April 29, 2011 Read Full Article
EU's Airline Emission Goals under Scrutiny
(Euractiv.com) When the European Commission unveiled plans to slash transport CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050 last week, many assumed the figure would apply to road, rail and air travel in the same way. But EurActiv has learned that
April 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Scientists Aim to Improve Photosynthesis to Increase Food and Fuel Production
(University of Glasgow) Scientists from the University of Glasgow are working with international colleagues on a £5.4m collaboration to improve the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process whereby biological systems convert sunlight into food and the source of all the
April 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Focus on Cost and Sustainability Issues as Aviation and Biofuel Sectors Meet Face to Face in Rotterdam
(GreenAirOnline) Sustainability and economics dominated debate at last week’s World Biofuels Market (WBM) event in Rotterdam as airlines gathered to make the case for aviation biofuels commercialisation to a wider biofuels industry audience. In a keynote speech, KLM Managing Director
March 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Microfuelers: Biofuels Companies Aim Big, by Thinking Small
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
March 28, 2011 Read Full Article
New Report Tracks Aviation Biofuels Collaboration
(Air Transport Action Group) The Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) has released a new report, Powering the Future of Flight, which tracks progress in some key aviation biofuels projects worldwide and provides policymakers with a few examples of how they can
March 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Sugar Beet Acreage Could Rise as Alternative Uses Are Developed
by Philip Case (Farmers Weekly Interactive) Sugar beet is on the cusp of benefitting from a host of technological advances that could increasingly see it grown for uses other than to create sugar, according to the director of Rothamsted Research. Maurice Moloney said
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
ASA Bans ExxonMobil Biofuel Ad
(RAC) The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned an ExxonMobil advertisement after its claims relating to environmental benefits of using algae to form biofuels were found to be misleading. A complaint was filed by a viewer against the TV ad, featuring
March 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Energy Secretary Chris Huhne Addresses CentreForum on the UK's Energy Future
by Rt Hon Chris Huhne MP (Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change/CentreForum) ...Policymakers around the world understand that climate change is real, is happening, and is worth defending ourselves against. ...What does a low carbon economy look like?
March 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Greener Role for Sugar Beet, Norfolk Growers Told
by Michael Pollitt (EDP24) ...Gino De Jaegher, British Sugar’s managing director, told the 300 delegates at the John Innes Centre on Norwich Research Park: “The future offers even more opportunity. In future sugar beet will be processed for
March 04, 2011 Read Full Article
BP Biofuel Breakthrough Imminent
by Graham Cooper (OilPrice.com) BP is poised for a major advance in its biofuel operations, as it is completing commissioning of the world’s first biobutanol pilot plant and plans to begin full–scale production later this year at its Vivergo Fuels
February 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Report Criticises the UK over Its Refusal to Earmark EU ETS Carbon Revenues for Financing Green Projects
(GreenAirOnline) According to a report by carbon offsetting company Carbon Retirement, the United Kingdom has earned more than one billion euros ($1.35bn) from the auction of EU Allowances since its first auction in Phase II of the EU Emissions Trading
February 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Funding Boost for Biofuel Development in Wales
by Emily Thomas (Energy Saving Trust) Scientists in West Wales and the Valleys looking to develop biofuels from locally grown plant crops have been given a funding boost of £20 million from the Welsh Assembly. Aberystwyth University's Institute of Biological, Environmental
February 24, 2011 Read Full Article
S.S. Lootah to Introduce Compact Biodiesel Processor to UAE
(Zawya) The UAE-based conglomerate S.S. Lootah Group will introduce biodiesel processor known as the Biobot to the UAE, in cooperation with UK- based Practical Energy Solutions. The compact processor is fitted with a unique feature that accelerates the reaction and settling
February 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuel Crops to Fall within Assurance Chain
by Julian Gairdner (Farmers Weekly Interactive) Grain destined for the biofuel chain looks set to fall within farm assurance following negotiations between Assured Food Standards, the NFU and the European Commission. Ensuring there was a single assurance programme was a key objective of
February 22, 2011 Read Full Article
UK's Carbon Trust Funding Cut by 40%
by Damian Carrington (The Guardian) Cuts to the government's low-carbon agency will cancel grants to biofuel projects and cause dozens of redundancies The government's leading low-carbon agency has had its funding cut by 40%, causing the cancellation of grants to a major
February 22, 2011 Read Full Article
UK Wheat Crop Can Expand to Meet Food and Fuel Demand
by Nigel Hunt (Reuters) * UK wheat yields seen having potential to rise * EU biofuel expansion seen mainly based on bioethanol * Higher percentage of equity used in financing project Britain can grow enough wheat to supply the needs of food, feed
February 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Qantas and Solena to Explore Feasibility of a Waste to Jet Biofuel Production Plant in Australia
(GreenAir Online) US-based Solena Group, which is seeking to build and operate a facility in London to convert waste biomass feedstock into sustainable jet fuel, has signed a letter of intent with Qantas to develop a business plan over the
February 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Teesside Biofuels Firm Spends £6m to tackle Bad Smell
by Karl (Make Biofuel) A biofuels company on Teesside has pledged to spend £6m on ridding its plant of a bad smell which has sparked complaints from residents. Ensus opened its bioethanol plant at Wilton in 2009. But since March
January 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Fears over Impact of £200m Biofuel Refinery due to Open at Saltend
(ThisIsHullAndEastRiding) FEARS have been raised over the environmental impact of a new £200-million biofuel plant due to open early this year in Saltend. The refinery will convert about one million tonnes of wheat every year into bioethanol and animal feed. Once fully
January 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Call for Cuts to Trade Barriers for Ethanol and Sugar Trade
(ABC Rural) ...At a meeting in London, the Global Sugar Alliance has called on governments to eliminate subsidies and trade barriers. It says sugar consumption around the world is expected to increase by 40 million tonnes over the next decade, but
December 08, 2010 Read Full Article
BP Biofuels CEO Presents Sugar-Based Vision
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Growing biofuels mandates will require 220 “world-scale” cellulosic biofuels plants to be operational in the U.S. by 2020, according to Phil New, CEO of BP Biofuels. The head of the oil giant’s biofuels division
December 06, 2010 Read Full Article
Butamax Hits Milestones on Path towards Commercial Biobutanol in 2012
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Previewing the bolt-on biobutanol technology that Butamax is expecting to commercialize with corn as a feedstock by 2012, and sugarcane by 2013-14, Potter confirmed that the company is in discussions for “conversions…that’s with an s”
November 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Local Growth White Paper
by Vincent Cable (They Work For You) This Government's economic ambition is to build a more balanced economy, driven by private sector growth. Today I am announcing the publication of the Government's local growth White Paper, which sets out what that
November 03, 2010 Read Full Article
New Processing Plant for Biofuel Firm
(EADT24) Green energy company Living Fuels has launched a new processing facility to help it meet growing demand. The East Anglia-based firm, which collects used cooking oil from more than 270 recycling centres across the country and refines in into biofuel, has
October 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Microbubbles to Make Biofuel Plants More Economic
(The Engineer) A University of Sheffield researcher has won national recognition for the development of a ’microbubble device’ that promises to make the production of biofuels much more energy efficient. ...This new method consumes much less energy, using a special air-lift
October 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Quangos Working on Renewable Energy No Longer a 'Priority'
by Damian Carrington and James Randerson (The Guardian) Renewables Advisory Board and Office for Renewable Energy Deployment among bodies axed Two renewable energy quangos have been axed, with a leaked letter describing the function delivered by one of them as no longer
October 19, 2010 Read Full Article
Gas Oil Users Warned to Check for Biodiesel Presence
by Dennis Flower (H&V News) Users of gas oil should prepare for the inclusion of biodiesel following changes in line with new European Directives for Renewable Energy and Fuel Quality, ICOM Energy Association has warned. The new fuel will be available later
October 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Home Made Biodiesel is Cheap and Easy
by William Surman (Farmers Guardian) Buy a litre of diesel today and it will cost you £1.20, but do it yourself and it can cost you as little as 20 pence per litre. That was what visitors to EBEC – the UK’s
October 12, 2010 Read Full Article
EUR 6.1 mln Project to Farm Algae for Biofuels
(FIS) Scientists are proposing the creation of methane gas from algae grown in great offshore farms to power adapted vehicles. A new GBP 5 million (EUR 6.1 million) UK and Irish joint project called BioMara disclosed the plan and seeks to
September 30, 2010 Read Full Article
Potato Power Future of Biofuels, Vodka Maker Says
by Emma Jackson (WardsAuto.com) First scotch, now vodka. William Chase, founder of Chase Vodka, has launched a plan to convert waste potatoes from his U.K. distillery into a high-grade biofuel for vehicles. “We have known for a long time that potato starch
September 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Fuelling Sugar Beet's Future
by Paul Spackman (CheckBiotech) ..."Ethanol production accounts for around 20% of cane harvested and 3% of beet and I'm cautiously optimistic those proportions will increase," (the International Sugar Organization's Peter Barron) said. ...While feed wheat rather than sugar beet is the
July 25, 2010 Read Full Article
Oakfield Capital Acquires Biofuel Company from BP
(AltAssets.com) Europe-focused private equity firm Oakfield Capital Partners has completed an investment in Coryton Advanced Fuels (CAF) to acquire the assets of biofuel company Coryton Fuels Technology Unit (FTU) from embattled petroleum company BP. UK-based company FTU was established in 2000
July 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Scramble's on in London to Snag Biodiesel
by Howard Mustoe (Seattle Times) ... Cabbies, who collectively spend almost $634,000 a day on diesel, are starting to switch to biodiesel, a fuel derived from vegetable oil, to cut costs. Accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers is also looking at using biodiesel to
May 25, 2010 Read Full Article
A New Way to Make Methanol Fuel
(New Energy and Fuel) University of Oxford researchers are developing a method for the homogeneous conversion of CO2 to methanol, with methanol as the only resulting C1 product. With momentum building in the methanol powered fuel cell market there is good
May 25, 2010 Read Full Article
New Laboratory to Help Chemical Revolution
(University of York) A major new suite of laboratories, to be opened this week, will help scientists in the Green Chemistry group at the University of York to advance research into clean synthesis, catalysis, novel materials and the application of
April 26, 2010 Read Full Article
EU Report Signals U-Turn on Biofuels Target
(Reuters) ...The European Union appears to be backtracking on its biofuels policy with a new study showing that more than 5.6 percent of biofuel in road fuels can damage the environment. EU leaders agreed in 2008 that 10 percent of transport
March 26, 2010 Read Full Article
UK Looks to Produce 70bn Litres of Biofuel a Year from Pondlife
(clickgreen) The Carbon Trust has announced plans to take on the world in the global race to develop a sustainable, cost-effective biofuel from algae. The "dream team" of eleven leading UK institutions was unveiled who will work together with the Carbon
March 19, 2010 Read Full Article
Consortium Gets Government Backing to Turn Waste Biomass into Transport Biofuel
(Greenwise) A consortium of British businesses has netted £7 million of Government funding to develop a technology that could see mini refineries sited near landfill sites up and down the country producing cheap, carbon efficient biofuel for transport from waste. ...The
March 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Review of the Potential for Biofuels in Aviation
by E4Tech (UK Committee on Climate Change) The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) is an independent body which provides advice to (UK) Government on defining and setting carbon budgets, and on wider climate change issues. The CCC’s first report, published
March 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Biofuel ‘Worse than Regular Petrol or Diesel’
(ETA) The environmental impact of clearing forests to make way for biofuel crops is such that using fossil fuel in cars is better for the environment than biofuels made from crops such as palm oil. Under the minimum sustainability standard set
March 02, 2010 Read Full Article
Ensus Signs with Shell, Sends First Tanker
by Luke Geiver (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The first tanker of ethanol has left Ensus, Europe’s largest wheat-based ethanol facility. Headed for the Netherlands, the cargo, which has been purchased by Shell as part of a long term deal, is a
March 02, 2010 Read Full Article
Biofuels Programme at The Maltings, South Milford
(Mytum & Selby Waste Recycling, Ltd) “The fuel of the future is going to come from fruit like that sumach out by the road, or from apples, weeds, sawdust, and even municipal waste - almost anything.” Henry Ford, 1925 This quote
February 27, 2010 Read Full Article
Gene Discovery to Increase Biomass Needed for Green Fuel
(S)ays Professor Simon Turner, one of the University of Manchester researchers whose BBSRC-funded study is published in Development (Wednesday 10th February 2010), “Our work has identified the two genes that make plants grow outwards. The long, thin cells growing down
February 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Everyday Grass Could Provide Green Fuel
Researchers at the (Teesside) University’s Contaminated Land and Water Centre began the project in 2004 to see which plants could best be grown on brownfield sites as a way of improving unsightly blots on the landscape.Now, the research by the
February 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Ricardo Consortium Aims to Meet the Engineering Challenge of Biofuels
Ricardo today announced the formation of a consortium that is open to automakers, Tier 1 suppliers, oil companies, additive manufacturers and government agencies, with the aim of evaluating the impact of biofuels on current and future light duty engine technologies. Concerns
February 18, 2010 Read Full Article
British Airways Signs Deal to Make Biofuel for Aircraft
by Gerard Wynn (Reuters) British Airways will start sourcing a small portion of its jet fuel from municipal waste from 2014, under a deal with U.S.-based biofuel company Solena Group, the two companies announced on Monday. British Airways, one of the
February 17, 2010 Read Full Article
Glamorgan Builds on Biofuel Expertise with Microbial Fuel Cells Funding
(Renewable Energy Focus) The University of Glamorgan in the UK has been awarded £630 000 (US$1m) to develop its research into biological fuel cells. The work at Glamorgan’s Sustainable Environment Research Centre is looking at how microbial fuel cells can be
January 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Scientists' Breakthrough in Production of Biofuels
(Science Daily) A team of scientists from the University of Sheffield have developed an innovative device which will make the production of alternative biofuels more energy efficient. The research team has adapted a unique bioreactor for use in the production of
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
BP and DuPont Form Kingston Research Ltd to Focus on Commercializing Biobutanol
(GreenCarCongress) BP and DuPont have formed Kingston Research Ltd, which will focus on the commercialization of advanced biofuel technology—specifically biobutanol—at a £25-million (US$41-million) purpose-built development and demonstration facility at BP’s Saltend site, near Hull. Kingston Research will construct a facility to
January 05, 2010 Read Full Article
UK's Renewable Fuels Agency Report on Biofuels Use 2008-9
To encourage suppliers to source sustainable biofuels, the RFA requires fuel suppliers claiming Renewable Transport Fuel Certificates to submit monthly reports on the lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) saving and the sustainability of the biofuels they supply. Reporting is also seen by
December 28, 2009 Read Full Article
World's Largest Wheat-Based Biofuel Refinery Opens on Teeside
by Tom Young (Business Green) The world's biggest refinery for making biofuels from wheat was unveiled at Wilton on Teeside yesterday, as the company behind the giant facility confirmed production will begin before Christmas. The £250m Ensus plant will turn
December 09, 2009 Read Full Article
Research into Renewable Biofuel Set to Reduce Reliance on Fossil Diesel Imports
(Alpha Galileo) Aston University in Birmingham, UK is involved in a € 3.73m (£3.4 million) research project, which will transform organic residues from biofuel production processes into a renewable biofuel that can reduce reliance on fossil diesel imports. A particular benefit
October 30, 2009 Read Full Article
The Global Oil Depletion Report
The 'peak oil' debate is polarised, contentious and characterised by competing interpretations of the available data. A growing number of commentators are forecasting a near-term peak in global oil production with potentially serious economic impacts. Others, however, argue that production
October 28, 2009 Read Full Article
Hunger for Biofuels will Gobble Up Wheat Surplus
by Robin Pagnamenta (Times Online) Britain’s self-sufficiency in wheat will end next year, because a giant new biofuel refinery needs so much of the staple crop that home-grown supplies will be exhausted feeding both the factory and the nation. The
October 07, 2009 Read Full Article
Distillery Using Algae to Cut CO2
(BBC) One of Scotland's best known whisky distilleries is taking part in a scheme to cut carbon dioxide emissions using oil-producing algae. The Glenturret Distillery in Perthshire will use the ground-breaking system to turn fumes generated by whisky production into
October 07, 2009 Read Full Article
UK Quality Protocol Unveiled for Waste-Derived Biodiesel
(letsrecycle.com) A protocol designed to boost customer confidence in biodiesel derived from waste cooking oil and rendered animal fats has been published today July 29. The protocol is the latest produced by the Waste Protocols Project - a joint Waste
July 31, 2009 Read Full Article
Advances in Wheat-Based Biofuel in England
by Nidaa Bakhsh. (Bloomberg) -- Ensus Ltd. is preparing to start production at Britain’s first wheat-based bio-ethanol plant as the country increases requirements for cleaner-burning fuel. “Construction is nearly complete” on the plant at Wilton in Teesside, northeast England, Ensus Chief
June 17, 2009 Read Full Article
Wheat-to-Ethanol Refinery Being Built in North East England
The Ensus Group is building Europe’s largest wheat refinery at Wilton on Teesside in North East England. When completed in 2009, it will use locally grown animal feed wheat to produce over 400 million litres of bioethanol, 350 thousand tones
June 17, 2009 Read Full Article
U.K. Algae Biofuel Co. BioMara Launches
Researchers funded by a consortium of European governments and institutions to investigate algae strains most optimal for remote rural biofuel production. BioMara, a Scottish-Irish research project, has secured €6 million ($8.1m) to produce biofuel from algae. Research is to be led
April 30, 2009 Read Full Article
80% of British Biofuels are Unsustainable
by Fred Pearce (New Scientist) Biofuels have received another environmental black mark. A survey commissioned by the UK government found that over 4 litres in every 5 supplied at British pumps fail to meet basic industry standards for sustainable production. Manufacturers