In Ukraine, the Ministry of Agriculture announced an allocation of 40 million tons of sugar beet for biofuels production. While the profitability of sugar beets as a feedstock has not yet been examined, experts say that within 5 years Ukraine’s production capacity has the potential to increase by 16 times.
In Scotland, scientists have developed an “electric leaf”, which is capable of producing a liquid hydrocarbon similar to petrol using electricity generated from renewable resources. This discovery could mean significant yield improvement for algae development by eliminating or reducing the inefficiencies of photosynthesis. The research, entering its second phase, will be applied to cyanobacteria to […]
In Washington, the USDA received recommendations from Airlines for America (A4A) and Boeing regarding the commercial deployment of aviation biofuels. The recommendations called for support across the supply chain and at least two successful commercial-scale projects as a precursor to private investment. A4A Vice President John Heimlich indicated these recommendations were directed towards the recently […]
In Belgium, Friends of the Earth Europe and ActionAid have put out a study condemning the EU’s biofuel policy, claiming it could cost European motorists up to $166 billion by 2020. The European Commission does not deny the facts, but claims it’s “reasonable” for motorists to pay more for biofuels than fossil fuels. More on […]
In Malawi, a group of businessmen are considering investing up to $750,000 for biofuel technology. The group, acting as a sort of Chamber of Commerce for the country, believes Malawi, a landlocked but agricultural country, has potential to develop a self-sustaining energy sector. The country has been faced with serious fuel shortages since 2009. More […]
In Lithuania, the Ministry of Environment recently proposed a program to raise the usage of logging waste from 80,000 cubic meters to 500,000 cubic meters per year. According to their National Forestry Sector Development Programme, the amount of waste that can be taken from the Lithuanian forests without damaging the eco-systems had previously been underestimated. […]
In India, the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) has demanded inclusion in the process of ethanol price-setting. Because alcohol and ethanol producers both use molasses, the annual demand for molasses is going up at a rate of 14% per year. The CIABC has lobbied to have this issue considered in the price-setting for […]
In Canada, Himark bioGas is in the final phase of building for its 40MMly feed wheat ethanol plant that will convert manure into power using anaerobic digesters. The plant is expected to be producing ethanol by September. The technology brings the grams CO2 equivalent per megajoule of energy output count to near-zero; Western Plains Energy […]
In Washington, the USDA will grant up to $25 million to two key programs to encourage the use of renewable biomass and production of advanced biofuels. The grants will be made based on the cost effectiveness of the system and the percentage reduction in fossil fuels used by that biorefinery.These grants will be made viable […]
In Michigan, Synenergy announced their distributorship with Allard Energy. Allard will provide research, development, and manufacturing services to support Synenergy’s ongoing distribution of ethanol production refineries and related products. Allard supplies small- to medium-scale ethanol refineries designed to support a new distributed fuel production model. R ather than building large-scale ethanol plants, Allard’s distributed fuel […]
