In Hong Kong, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Gregory So visited ASB Biodiesel’s new plant, congratulating the company on setting up its new 30 mmgy plant in Hong Kong. Asia’s first advanced multifeedstock technology for waste-to-biodiesel represents the 3000th project completed by Invest Hong Kong. The plant, at 18,000 square meters, is also the […]
In the Energy Journal, an MIT economist has published a report saying that ethanol may not lower the price at the pump. The ‘crack ratio,’ the relative value of gasoline compared to oil, has declined recently, and many have attributed the decline to ethanol. However, the analysts argue that changing oil prices is what really […]
In Washington, the EPA’s proposal for biofuel blending requirements was leaked with a significant scale-back from to 15.21 billion gallons for 2014, and the report apparently acknowledges that the blend wall is an “important reality.” The cut, which slashes requirements from 18.15 billion gallons, almost a 3 billion gallon reduction, is a huge blow to […]
In the Midwest, the investment bank 321 Capital has indicated that an unnamed but operational Midwest-based biodiesel producer is seeking an equity parner or entirety buyer for the company. The company, which has a 3.5 MMgy capacity, is seeking a buyer to take the facility to the next level, where an expansion could allow for […]
In North Dakota, the Jamestown water system will have to undergo $1m in upgrades to meet the requirements of a water sales contract under negotiations with Great River Energy as they prep their Dakota Spirit AgEnergy ethanol plant. The plant broke ground in August and plans to be operational by next year, with the upgrades […]
In South Africa, sorghum production may climb fivefold as the country plans to source all grain needed for biofuel production locally. “We need an additional volume of 620,000 tons of sorghum to produce enough bioethanol to meet the 2 percent inclusion rate,” Wessel Lemmer, a senior economist at Grain South Africa, said in an e-mail. […]
In Canada, Mustard 21 Canada has received an investment of $4.9 million to cover research and development as the company explores industrial mustard use for biofuels. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researchers are to collaborate on these projects, including developing a mustard with high oil and protein content, early maturing properties, and disease resistance. The funding […]
In the UK, agriKomp has moved to a new headquarters on its site in Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire, expanding to a space four times the space of its previous offices. The company has currently captured ten percent of the small-scale biogas plant installation market for farmers. The company is expecting to install 8 projects in […]
In Zimbabwe, Green Fuel may help to fund the country’s 2013-2014 agricultural season, with the government increasing the mandatory ethanol blend rate from 5% to 15% in turn. The company currently has a monopoly on ethanol production, so the increase could result in huge profits for the company. Zimbabwe has already announced a more than […]
In California, a synthetic metabolic pathway for breaking down glucose could lead to a 50% increase in the production of biofuels, according to research performed at the University of California, Los Angeles. The process converts all six glucose carbon atoms into three acetyl-CoA molecules, without losing two of those atoms as carbon dioxide. The pathway […]
