New investments and new investors enter or double down on sorghum, sweet sorghum, castor and cellulosic biofuels There’s a rumor going around the biofuels and biomaterials business that today represents one of the most difficult periods to raise capital. Apparently, the rumors did not reach ZeaChem, Chromatin or Synthetic Genomics, which this week made separate […]
In Ohio, REX American Resources Corp. authorized repurchase of an additional 500,000 common shares of stock on Oct. 20, bringing the total this quarter to 747,696 shares. The company invests in ethanol plants and has interests in six. The buyback is meant to leverage its ability to further expand its investments in existing facilities and […]
In Wisconsin, Eco-Energy will manage the corn and ethanol of Utica Energy’s 50 million gallon per year ethanol production facility in Oshkosh for the next three years under an integrated margin management agreement. “We see tremendous value in Eco’s integrated platform which provides systematic risk management, optimization of available storage, and transparent ethanol marketing, all […]
In Washington, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall on two ethanol fuel gels because they’ve been deemed unsafe for public use. This month PatioGlo Bio-Fuel was recalled because of dozens of accidents resulting in serious burns and three deaths, along with nine other brands in September. In June it recalled the liquid […]
In Brazil, analysts Datagro have reduced their cane production forecasts for the season yet again, expecting ethanol production to reach 19.89 billion liters of ethanol, down from their September estimate of 20.48 billion liters. Of the total, 12.12 billion liters will be hydrous ethanol, predominantly sold in the domestic market for flex-fuel vehicles. The new […]
In Poland, ADM has beaten out Bunge in the bidding war for control of biodiesel producer Elstar Oils with ADM buying 95% of the company’s shares and will have the option to buy the remaining 5% in November. ADM was forced to boost its offer in September after Bunge offered a higher bid, which still […]
In Brazil, Vanguarda Agro is moving out of biodiesel and shifting its focus solely to agriculture. It has recently sold a biodiesel refinery in Rosario do Sul and a vegetable-oil extraction plant in Rio Grande do Sul state to rivals Camera Agroalimentos for $33 million. The facility is currently idle as it didn’t receive any […]
In Japan, Teijin announted that it has developed film and sheet versions of its BIOFRONT highly heat-resistant bioplastic, which already is available as fiber and resin, opening up many new possibilities for this versatile, plant-based bioplastic. BIOFRONT film and sheet can be used for a wide range of applications, including packaging and printing substrate requiring […]
In Indiana, researchers at Purdue University have begun a five-year research project that will explore the use of poplar trees as feedstock for cellulosic ethanol, including 69 varieties of the tree, which will be studied for appropriateness as a feedstock. Between their very fast growth rate and the fact that they’re vegetatively propagated, meaning that […]
In Brazil, local biodiesel producers are pushing the government to raise the biodiesel blend rate to B20 from the current B5 over the next decade. The country currently has 5.1 billion liters per year of capacity installed but is only using about half that. To reach the B20 mandate would require production of 14 billion […]
