Global Bioenergies has announced that its German subsidiary, Global Bioenergies GmbH, secured a [Eur] 400.000 grant from the BMBF (the German Federal Ministry for Research and Education) to finance a 14 month-project aimed at producing renewable gasoline additives. The company will first produce ETBE, a molecule obtained by the condensation of ethanol and isobutene, and presently used as a gasoline additive in large volumes (worldwide market: 3.4 million tons per year).- See News Renewables is reporting a consortium comprising Belgium’s Alcogroup SA, Vanden Avenne Commodities and Vandema has agreed to buy the Rotterdam assets of troubled Spanish engineering and renewables group Abengoa SA. The Rotterdam plant is one of the largest European biorefineries with an annual production capacity of 480 million litres ethanol for fuel use, 360,000 tonnes of dried distilled grain with solubles (DDGS) – high protein feed products, as well as 400,000 MWh of electricity.
- The AVA cleanphos pilot plant in Karlsruhe, Germany, sponsored by the German Federal Environment Foundation (DBU), came online this month. AVA-CO2 has developed the AVA cleanphos process which enables efficient and cost-effective recovery of phosphorus from sewage sludge. The process also allows for co-incineration in the future and therefore the direct substitution of fossil fuels such as lignite.
- Asia Pulp & Paper has announced its support for a new community-led pilot project aimed at reducing the use of fossil fuels and increasing the availability of biofuels in Indonesia. Kemiri Sunan has a high yield of up to 10 tonnes of oil per hectare making it an attractive source of biofuel, with waste used to produce fertilizer, animal feed and biogas. The Kemiri Sunan crop is rapidly emerging as a potential source of biofuel to supply Indonesia’s biodiesel programme and key export markets for biofuels such as the European Union (EU). The trees develop broad canopies and deep root systems, helping to reduce soil erosion and water evaporation, while promoting water retention.
