In Malaysia, palm oil stockpiles advanced to their highest level of output this year to 1.72 million metric tons. This number is up from 1.67 million tons in July. Survey estimates have placed stockpiles around 20% lower than last year, and have predicted that stockpiles will not reach the end-year record of 2.63 million tons. […]
In Brazil, Copersucar will receive a USD$217.7 million loan from state development lender Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social for storage of renewable fuel. Several banks will distribute the funds, furnished through BNDES’s PASS credit line. The terms of the loan are thusfar undisclosed. More on the story.
In Zimbabwe, boundary clashes are resuming at the Chisumbanje ethanol plant as a result of a worsening political climate in the area following elections. The plant has seen intermittent closures before, partially due to instability and a fire that occurred at the plant earlier this year. The plant remains online, despite several arrests. More on […]
In Tennessee, a biodiesel contamination detector has been developed by researchers at the University of Tennessee to protect jet fuel engines from operational issues and flameout if biodiesel contamination levels are too high. At high levels, biodiesel can impact thermal stability and the freezing point of jet fuel. The detector is field-ready and portable, and […]
In Colorado, Navigant has released a new study that estimates 129 GW by 2020, with the Asia-Pacific and Latin America regions picking up production. The study, which expands on earlier assertions that estimated investment would top $69B over the next ten years as revenues hit $7.6B by 2023, predicts that revenues will reach $11.5B annually […]
In North Carolina, state budget cuts continue to shut down research opportunities as the North Carolina Biofuels Center prepares to close by October 1. The North Carolina Department of Energy will take over some of the responsibilities of the research center, but more than two dozen projects stand to lose funding, including a project to […]
In Russia, Airbus and RT-Biotechprom have signed an agreement to make aviation biofuel from Russian sources, planning to have results by the end of 2014. ‘This partnership will be a significant step in implementing our strategy of developing biotechnology in Russia, including deep processing of renewable biomass,’ RT-Biotechprom CEO Sergei Kraevoi was quoted as saying. […]
In the Philippines, TWA will build another biodiesel facility in the Visayas with a capacity of around 8 million gallons, as the Philippines gears up to raise their biodiesel blend in fuel products. The company, responsible for the Flying V brand of biodiesel, pioneered the use of B5 in their retail stationing Philcoa, Quezon City […]
In Canada, Zeton and R.C. Costello have signed an MOU to offer scale-up services that combine Costello’s front-end engineering experience and Zeton’s expertise in process technology, specializing in modular pilot and demonstration plants. Together, the companies will provide a customized “end-to-end” solution from feasibility studies, simulation, design, procurement, fabrication, and factory testing for chemical processes, […]
In Florida, lipid accumulation in algal cells begins only hours after they are starved of nitrogen, according to a new study from the University of Florida’s horticultural sciences department. The findings, which also found that 30% of lipids produced under nitrogen stress occurred as the membrane began to degrade inside each cell, has altered the […]
