By Charles G. Loos, P.E., Special to The Digest By the time a developer seeks non-recourse financing for a biomass project, the contracts for construction and major equipment procurement have usually been pre-negotiated and are on hold awaiting notice to proceed. Prospective lenders then scour these contracts for defects, paying particular attention to inconsistencies between […]
In Turkey, at the World Petroleum Congress, India’s flagship national oil company Indian Oil Corporation and carbon recycler LanzaTech unveiled a Statement of Intent to construct the world’s first refinery off gas-to-bioethanol production facility in India. The basic engineering for the 40 million liter per year demonstration plant will begin by Q4 for installation at […]
LanzaTech has developed a fully sustainable integrative gas to fuels and chemicals platform that has no impact on food, water security or high biodiversity land use. LanzaTech’s gas fermentation platform disrupts the current highly centralized global energy system by enabling the regional production of low-cost energy from local wastes and residues, including gases as varied […]
What’s the CoOptima initiative? Out of the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, the initiative aims to accelerate the introduction of affordable, scalable, and sustainable biofuels and high-efficiency, low-emission vehicle engines. This project’s ambitious, first-of-its-kind approach simultaneously tackles fuel and engine innovation to co-optimize performance of both elements and provide dramatic and rapid cuts in […]
The US EPA has issued its draft RVO for 2018 (and for biodiesel, for 2019), and here are the proposed numbers: At first glance, the proposal looks like a carbon copy of the 2017 RVO finalized last year. Advanced biofuels have been reduced by a token 40,000 gallons, cellulosic has been reduced by a more […]
Renewable Energy Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGI) is the US’ biggest producer of biomass-based diesel, and leading provider of cleaner, lower carbon intensity products and services. REG utilizes an integrated procurement, distribution, and logistics network to convert natural fats, oils, greases, and sugars into lower carbon intensity products. Curious about REG, but unable to wade through […]
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its proposed Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) renewable volume obligations (RVOs) for 2018. The agency proposed a total renewable fuel volume of 19.24 billion gallons (BG), of which 4.24 BG is advanced biofuel, including 238 million gallons of cellulosic biofuel. That leaves a 15 BG requirement for conventional renewable […]
In Iowa, Renewable Energy Group announced that Dan Oh has resigned as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Company’s Board of Directors. The resignation was effective July 3, 2017. The Board of Directors appointed long-time director Randolph (Randy) L. Howard as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer. Howard is a […]
By Gerald Kutney, Special to The Digest The 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation arrived on July 1st of this year — it is a time to reflect upon the country’s achievements; this article covers the evolution of the Canadian biofuel industry – including gaseous, liquid and solid biofuels, and biomass power – from 1867 to 2017. The […]
Much of the angst over ethanol’s expansion comes from stakeholders’ worries over corn and land use. Justified or not, there’s worry over cost, food security. environmental impact, grower adoption, supply chain. And so on and so on. It would be fair to regard these questions as the most perplexing for the replacement of fossil fuels […]
