In Missouri, the car-rental company Enterprise has announced a $2m gift to the University of Missouri for the research of biofuels, biomass and energy efficiency. Missouri Chancellor Brady Deaton said the money will be used to create an endowment “to support the work of our sustainable energy initiative,” a core component of the Mizzou Advantage […]
In Finland, Neste Oil reported its first quarter results, showing a net profit or the first time in several years. The company has recorded an operating profit of US$34m. “We were able to expand our customer base further and sales allocations were also successful. Price differentials between different vegetable oils remained favourable during the quarter,” […]
In Washington, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) has published its ethanol statistics for January 2013, showing a drop compared to December of 2012 and compared to January of 2012. According to the report, the US produced 1.047 b gallons of ethanol, compared to 1.221 billion gallons last year in January. However, January marked the second […]
In the UK, Streetkleen bio system will divert 700,000 tonnes of canine excrement to plants to produce methane and C02. The commercial-scale venture will take advantage of the UK’s copious pet waste in order to provide renewable heat. The first unit is expected to operational as early as July. The biogas from the first unit […]
In Bulgaria, Sofia is building a waste-based biofuels plant, to be constructed by Greek companies Aktor and Helektor. The plant is expected to be built within 19 months of signing the contract, and will reduce use of natural gas for heating in the city by at least 10%. The companies offered a low cost of […]
In Sudan, Kenana, already Sudan’s largest sugar producer, will nearly triple its ethanol output in the next two years to reach 1 million tonnes and plans to make a stock market offering in South Africa. The company expects to receive $500M this year from primary shareholders to cover the expansion, as well as an additional […]
The Pew Charitable Trusts has published its clean energy investment report, published annually using data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The report notes that clean energy investment decreased 11% from 2011, plateauing at $269B. The report also notes that the biofuels sector experiencing a drop of 47% in investment from 2011 to 2012, with global […]
In Florida, BIO responded to efforts in the state legislature to repeal Florida’s Renewable Fuel Standard, urging Gov. Rick Scott to veto the bill. HB 4001/SB 320 is expected to pass next week. “Unfortunately the legislation repealing Florida’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) will lead to uncertainty about the state’s continued support of developing advanced biofuels […]
In Washington, Canola acreage is expected to grow by 67% this year to 25,000 acres. Oregon acreage is also expected to grow 78% and Idaho may add 45,000 additional acres. The jump seems to be correlated to demands for food-grade oil for healthy eating, however, farmers acknowledge the increasing demand for canola for biodiesel. Despite […]
In France, Air Liquide has partnered with the CEA, Commission for Atomic Energy, to develop a second-generation biofuel production pilot unit. The process, which will use syngas, has been in development at Air Liquide’s Research Centers in France, Germany, and the U.S. CEA will contribute expertise and equipment for grinding, pressurizing, measuring, and transporting biomass. […]
