Australia-based Algae.Tec will bring its algae-biodiesel technology into China. This story from Proactive Investors says Algae.Tec will issue a $500,000 convertible bond to China Finance Strategies Investment Holdings (CFS), with another $5 million in conditional options to come. CFS has extensive relationships in China with its key executives having completed over 250 fundraising and advisory transactions in Greater China Region …
Market Challenges, Fed Policy Talk at Biodiesel Conf.
World energy market challenges and federal policies have had some major impacts on the biodiesel industry as 2014 closed out. That’s why this month, as a new year begins, attendees of the annual National Biodiesel Conference and Expo, January 19 – 22 at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Texas, will talk about what the petroleum glut and the delay …
Fed Policy Blamed for Iowa Biodiesel Production Dip
The nation’s leader in biodiesel production remained that way in 2014, but federal policy is being blamed for Iowa’s dip from 2013’s record biodiesel numbers. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) says the state’s biodiesel production was 227 million gallons in 2014, down slightly from the 2013 record of 230 million gallons. For the vast majority of 2014, Congress allowed …
Bidding Ends on Ontario Biodiesel Plant
After about a month on the auction block, the bidding period has ended for an Ontario, Canada biodiesel plant. But this article from the Welland (ON) Tribune says it will take a few days to see who gets the $50-million Great Lakes Biodiesel refinery. In early October, the plant went into receivership as a result of court action by Luxembourg-based …
West Coast Biodiesel, Ethanol on the Rise
Advanced biofuels, especially biodiesel and ethanol, are on the rise on the West Coast. Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders, investors and others promoting smart environmental policies, says fuel policies in Oregon, Washington state and California, as well as federal initiatives, have helped the country as a whole produce more than 800 million gallons of advanced …
Indiana Town Considering Sludge-to-Biodiesel Plan
An Indiana town is looking at a plan that would turn sewer sludge into biodiesel. This article from the Princeton (IN) Daily Clarion says that city is negotiating a contract with Terre Haute, just up the road, to haul away the sludge and make it into the green fuel. Sewer plant superintendant Charlie Woodruff said Terre Haute works with a …
EPA Seeks Comments on Sorghum-to-Biofuels GHGs
The federal government is seeking public comment on its preliminary analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to the production of biomass sorghum feedstock to make biofuels. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invited the comments after a recent study by the agency that showed biomass sorghum is suitable for the same conversion processes as approved cellulosic feedstocks such as switchgrass …
Iowa State Students to Ride Smarter on Biodiesel Bus
Students at Iowa State University will get to class a little smarter… and not just because of good study habits. The school and the university’s hometown of Ames, Iowa have inked a deal with Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group (REG) that will see CyRide, the transit agency serving the City of Ames and Iowa State University, to supply biodiesel blended fuel …
Carolina Biodiesel Producer to Expand Operations
Western North Carolina-based Blue Ridge Biofuels will expand its operations to turn oilseeds and used cooking oil into biodiesel. The company says this year’s expansion will take their capability from about 360,000 gallons of the green fuel a year to a million gallons this year and up to 3 million gallons in the coming years. Early in 2015, we’re setting …
Genetics to Help in Biomass-to-Biofuel Conversion
Researchers might have found a more efficient way to turn biomass into biofuel using plant genetics. This article from Phys.org says plant geneticists Sam Hazen at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Siobhan Brady at the University of California, Davis, have sorted out the gene regulatory networks that would have the biggest impacts on the green fuel production. The authors …