News

Community members of Klamath Falls and Keno in the US will get the chance to discuss their objections over a proposed new biomass plant set for construction by Klamath Falls Bioenergy (KFB). The Oregon Department of Energy has released a notice of contested case proceedings and those opposed to the idea will be able to voice their concerns at a hearing in a court of law this September. Vice…
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Chemical and biofuels company Gevo has signed a joint development agreement with Beta Renewables to develop an integrated process for the production of bio-based isobutanol from cellulosic biomass. The agreement anticipates production plants will be located where cellulosic feedstocks like switchgrass, miscanthus, agriculture residues and others will be readily available. Depending on the success…
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Austria-based plant manufacturer and technology supplier BDI Bioenergy International has been commissioned to build a multi-feedstock biodiesel plant at the port of Le Harve, France. BDI won the contract worth €16.4 million ($20.1 million) from EcoMotion France (EF) and it involves implementing the entire biodiesel process as well as the assembly and installation of the plant. EF is a…
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US-based advanced fuels and renewable chemicals company Aemetis has acquired ethanol plant owners Cilion, which includes a 55 million gallon per year production plant. The acquisition is set to advance Aemetis’ plans to use the existing ethanol plant’s infrastructure to create a next-generation biorefinery producing advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals, in addition to ethanol and…
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A new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted a 40% jump in the global use of green energy by the year 2017. The IEA’s Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report 2012 believes the world’s dependence on fossil fuels will lessen as the use of biopower, wind, solar and hydro will grow. The document focused on eight common renewable energy sources* including…
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Leading renewable chemical producer Gevo has announced a collaboration with US-based ethanol producer BioFuel Energy to explore high-volume production of isobutanol. ‘The capacity of BioFuel's plants would allow us to begin delivering isobutanol at the scale that refinery customers are likely to demand,’ says Patrick Gruber, CEO of Gevo. ‘BioFuel Energy has agreed to explore a…
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Poland can increase its share of renewable energy in power generation from 7% in 2010 to nearly 38% by 2030, according to a report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). REmap 2030 Renewable Energy Prospects for Poland, prepared with input from the Polish Ministry of Economy, also finds the share of renewable energy in total final energy consumption can more than double to…
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Biomass Supplies (Pvt), a company based in Sri Lanka, has earned the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) certification for biomass produced from branches pruned from live fences of Gliricidia trees. The certification covers Biomass Supplies' work with 30,000 small farmers who have planted 60 million new trees on their fences. Gliricidia is a fast-growing, short-rotation tree found…
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The Japanese ministry of industry gave the go-ahead for renewable energy feed-in tariffs to be introduced on 18 June. Effective from the start of July, and set to last at least 20 years, the new incentives will require Japanese utility companies to purchase electricity from renewable sources including biomass. The Japanese government sees this move as a positive move to reduce the country’s…
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Rhyl Leisure Centre will be the home to a new biomass heating system after planning permission was granted by Denbighshire council’s planning committee. The system, to be installed by E.ON Energy Solutions, will provide heat and warmth to the centre and its swimming pool. The structure will be 10.1 metres in width and stretch up 3.5 metres. “The scheme is a pilot project for the…
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US-based oil refiners Valero Energy (VE) and ethanol producers Nedak Ethanol (NE) have both temporarily closed their ethanol plants in Nebraska recently. VE spokesman Bill Day cited ‘poor profit margins’ returned by its facility, which produces up to 110 million gallons of biofuel annually, as the reason behind the suspension. There were no signs that VE’s other nine ethanol…
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Finnish wood and pulp supplier Metsa Group (MG) is to consider increasing the use and production of renewable energy sources at its pulp mill in Kemi despite another project falling by the way side. A feasibility study and review of production technology will be undertaken by MG as it considers putting in a gasification plant for biofuel production in place of a current fossil fuel-run lime kiln.…
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US-based Greenleaf Biofuels is due to fully open what it is claiming to be the ‘biggest biodiesel facility in New England. Construction begun eight months ago and the plant is expected to produce around 10 million gallons of biodiesel a year. Greenleaf is hopeful it will be online by September and its Waterfront Street location has links to both rail lines and a nearby port. ‘Eight…
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A proposal to turn abandoned agricultural land in Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia into a biomass production site has overcome initial environmentalist concerns. Energy crop project developer Pro Farm Energy and Minas Basin Pulp and Power want to grow elephant grass on the land and use it to produce electricity via a proposed $50 million (€39.7 million) plant to be constructed by…
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