Category: Top Stories

Develop Malaysia, develop palm oil biomass, develop bioenergy: the primer

Develop Malaysia, develop palm oil biomass, develop bioenergy: the primer

July 7, 2013 |

If palm oil has been key to the Malaysian economy, palm oil biomass may be key to the next steps, say Dovre Group’s Dr. Ronald Zwart in a detailed national survey. By Dr. Ronald Zwart – Sr VP, BioRenewables, Dovre Group Oil palm biomass  Oil palm plantations in Malaysia cover close to 5 million hectares, […]

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EPA OK’s arundo, napier grass for renewable fuels

EPA OK’s arundo, napier grass for renewable fuels

July 5, 2013 |

In Washington, The Environmental Protection Agency is issuing a supplemental final rule, containing a lifecycle greenhouse gas analysis for renewable fuels made from giant reed (Arundo donax) and napier grass, and a regulatory determination that such fuels qualify as cellulosic renewable fuel under the RFS program. In the rule, EPA addressed concerns over the potential […]

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Commercial aviation biofuels: Translating green ambitions into green miles

Commercial aviation biofuels: Translating green ambitions into green miles

July 5, 2013 |

How to get from available field to affordable fuel in 14 steps. The MASBI report is out, and that’s good.  But, what are the immediate steps, and why these 14 and why not others, and why this way? The Digest gets the scoop from Honeywell UOP’s Jim Rekoske. Last week, the Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels […]

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Making Algae Biofuels Pay

Making Algae Biofuels Pay

July 4, 2013 |

Algae.Tec and Macquarie Power Group sign landmark algae biofuels pact. What makes this deal different? To find out more, the Digest spoke with Algae.Tec chairman Roger Stroud In Australia, Algae.Tec announced this week that it has signed a deal with Australia’s largest power company to site an algae carbon capture and biofuels production facility alongside […]

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The Heretofore Unachievable

The Heretofore Unachievable

July 4, 2013 |

A Digest essay for US Independence Day Sometimes I wonder if, of all the glittering contributions of The Australian Museum to cultural life, the placement of a hot chocolate machine in the East Stairwell will not prove one of the institution’s more important contributions to education. A generation of boys from Sydney Grammar School once […]

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The PyroWall: US DOE chases the “The Three Big Barriers” to drop-in, thermochemical fuels

The PyroWall: US DOE chases the “The Three Big Barriers” to drop-in, thermochemical fuels

July 3, 2013 |

Seeking to drop the cost of drop-ins to $3 a gallon, the DOE invests $13M in advanced separation technologies  In Washington, the US Department of Energy announced four research and development projects to bring next generation biofuels on line faster and drive down the cost of producing gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels from biomass. The […]

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EU bioenergy potential from a resource efficiency perspective

EU bioenergy potential from a resource efficiency perspective

July 3, 2013 |

Report calls for a broader biomass mix and more perennial crops. In the UK, Bioenergy production must use resources more efficiently, says a new report from the European Environment Agency, and follow EU resource efficiency principles. The report, ‘EU bioenergy from a resource efficiency perspective’, primarily looks at the potential for energy from agricultural land, […]

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Green Biologics inks Iowa demo plant deal with Easy Energy Systems

Green Biologics inks Iowa demo plant deal with Easy Energy Systems

July 2, 2013 |

Green Biologics heads for scale – pilot complete, demo ready in 2014. The race for n-butanol from cellulosic materials is on. The prize for a transformative breakthrough on n-butanol’s cost, performance and sustainability? Could be millions. Could be billions. In the UK, Green Biologics announced a collaboration and planned investment in facilities with Iowa’s Easy […]

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KiOR commences shipments of cellulosic gasoline

KiOR commences shipments of cellulosic gasoline

July 2, 2013 |

In Texas, KiOR announced that its Columbus, Mississippi facility made its first shipment of cellulosic gasoline on June 28, which represented the first fuel shipment since March, 2013. The company added that it has “commenced regular shipments of both gasoline and diesel” also as of June 28. At the same time, the company said that its […]

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Largest green diesel plant completed in US, Diamond Green Diesel: can it make money?

Largest green diesel plant completed in US, Diamond Green Diesel: can it make money?

July 1, 2013 |

A now-complete 142 million gallon green diesel monster project will easily deliver big on renewable energy targets and greenhouse gas emissions reduction. But it also offers a material path to profits for its parents, Valero Energy and Darling International. In Louisiana, Darling International announced that Diamond Green Diesel, the joint venture between Valero subsidiary Diamond […]

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