In Minnesota, Reuters reports that Green Plains is idling yet another ethanol plant, this time the 55 million gallon per year Otter Tail facility in Fergus Falls, as low ethanol prices continue to bite into margins. With winter weather making it difficult to restart the plant, it will have to stay idled until spring, but […]
In Pakistan, local press reports that the cabinet’s Economic Coordination Committee has tightened the trade of molasses for ethanol production, requiring it to be bought by ethanol producers directly from sugar mills or for mills to use it themselves to produce ethanol. Though the trade of ethanol, 95% of which is exported, is well documented, […]
In Minnesota, local press reports that after four years of litigation that went as high as the state supreme court, the legal tussle between Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company and Glacial Plains Cooperative has come to an end with a court order saying that “reasonable time” had elapsed for the ethanol plant to terminate its contract […]
In Washington, Reuters reports that POET is leading the charge to get the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to adjust its ethanol swap contract that is based on the Platts price, saying that ADM is using the benchmark contract to push down prices and squeeze other players out of the market. Some allege that the Platts price, […]
In Minnesota, Crown announced a new processor upgrade for biodiesel manufacturers: advanced catalyst reduction and economization (ACRE). ACRE allows biodiesel processing plants to run at the lowest operating cost and highest efficiency by adding a third transesterification reaction step while also delivering an energy-efficient design for reduced cooling load and steam use. The ACRE processing […]
In Ireland, local press reports that the Mallow County council unanimously approved support to request government work with Greencore, the former monopoly sugar producer in the country that ended production following the reform of the European Union’s sugar regime, in reforming the former sugar plant in Mallow into a biofuel production facility. Four years after […]
In India, researchers at the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune have developed a new version of zeolite catalyst to produce furfural as well as ethyl levulinate from waste biomass sources much quicker. The country is a major producer of agricultural waste such as rice husk and wheat straw, so the new process could help to […]
In Indonesia, the Jakarta Post reports that the energy ministry has fined 11 companies a total of $24.83 million for failing to implement the B20 mandate in September after being given a month to comply with the higher blending ratio. The value of the fine for each company was determined by how long it took […]
The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of December 19th. In today’s Digest, liquid waste garments and birch tree gowns, pulp pill bottles, bioplastic advances and biobased solvents — these and more, ready for you now at The Digest online. #1 World’s […]
California Energy Commission Research & Development aims to improve bioenergy’s value proposition and role in supporting California’s clean energy and carbon neutrality goals. Rizaldo Aldas from the California Energy Commission Research & Development gave this illuminating overview of how bioenergy, including biomass, biogas, and biomethane fits into the state of California’s energy policy goals at […]
