In Washington, Reuters reports that RIN prices for corn ethanol sank to a nearly eight-month low of 61 cents on Thursday following it breaking the news about an unusually high numbers of small refiners—a total of 27—requesting waivers by the Environmental Protection Agency from compliance with the Renewable Fuels Standard. In a typical year, about […]
In Brazil, two investment funds, two players already in the sugarcane sector and BP’s local counterpart are in various phases of discussions with Abengoa Bioenergia Brasil to buy its Usina São Luiz and Usina São João. If sold, the two could pay off as much as 65% of the $354 million in debt currently being […]
In Canada, New Green Technology’s proposed C$185 million timber-based biodiesel plant in Newfoundland isn’t likely to move forward. Nearly a year has passed since the agreement in principle was made with local authorities including securing the required timber rights to make the project viable. But the final deal was dependent on resubmitting the business plan […]
In Massachusetts, a new report from MIT Sloan professor John Sterman supports the growing argument that burning wood pellets for power is worse for the climate than burning coal, because of the short-term effects and the “potentially irreversible impacts that may arise before the long-run benefits are realized.” “Because combustion and processing efficiencies for wood […]
In Belgium, Reuters reports that this week the European Commission is expected to follow up on the European Biodiesel Board’s request to investigate alleged subsidies on Argentine biodiesel exports into Europe. The EBB requested an investigation into the subsidies on export taxes on soybeans that led to accusations of dumping, an investigation the EC is […]
Bit of biofuels from the bush, poured into and powering one of those Flying Kangaroos, and you have the latest news out of Australia, and a beauty if you happen to barrack for aviation biofuels. The world’s first dedicated biofuel flight between the United States and Australia, QF96 from Los Angeles to Melbourne, has departed from […]
A team of researchers from Iowa State led by Robert Brown and supported by the DOE’s Biomass Technologies Office is aiming to demonstrate the liquefaction of forest biomass for hydrocarbon fuels, as a viable path to stable intermediates for hydrocarbon fuel blendstocks. In many ways, this project inherits work developed at Catchlight Ventures that at one […]
By Dr. Bernard Cooker, Chemical Processing Solutions, Consultant with Lee Enterprises Consulting Inc. Special to The Digest This is a review of the biomass-fed chemical process projects producing renewable chemical products which were published in Chemical Engineering Progress (CEP) and Chemical and Engineering News (CEN) from 1/1/17 to 12/18/17. It includes activity in biochemicals, biopolymers […]
Improving hydrogen utilization and carbon recovery, as a pathway to higher efficiency bio-oil production using thermochemical process? That’s the focus for a project from RTI International that picked up significant DOE support in the search for #3 per gallon hydrocarbon biofuels. The researchers aim to increase hydrogen utilization from hydrodeoxygenation during in-situ catalytic pyrolysis, to […]
In Brazil, Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) is joining the Switzerland-based Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, whose member companies represent more than a quarter of the world’s oil and gas production. OGCI aims to speed and scale up initiatives taken by member companies to reduce the greenhouse gas footprint of their core oil and gas business […]
