Today marked the official opening of what is believed to be the world’s largest operational, commercial scale advanced biofuels facility. Situated in the fields outside the city of Crescentino, Italy, Beta Renewables, part of the Mossi Ghisolfi Group, along with Novozymes celebrated the first plant to be designed and built to produce bioethanol from agricultural residues and energy crops as …
Croatia to Get First Multi-Feedstock Biodiesel Plant
On the heels of Austrian BDI–BioEnergy International AG announcing deals to build biodiesel plants in the U.S. and UK, the company inked a deal to to build Croatia’s first multi-feedstock biodiesel plant. The agreement was signed in front of Croatian and Austrian economic and political representatives. The representative of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Vesna Trnokop-Tanta has pledged full …
Ormat to Build Geothermal Project in Indonesia
President Obama’s U.S. Asia Pacific Comprehensive Energy Partnership (USACEP) is encouraging U.S. companies to develop renewable energy in South East Asian countries and Ormat Technologies has heeded the call. The company has signed an agreement for the development of the Hu’u Dompu geothermal project in Indonesia. The agreement was signed in the presence of Penny Pritzker, Secretary of Commerce for …
GRFA Calls for Redaction of Biofuels & Security Report
The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) is demanding the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) withdraw their Biofuels and Food Security report given its flaws and their refusal to release the report’s funding sources. The organization’s call to action comes as the Committee on World Food Security’s (CFS) annual Plenary gets underway in Rome, Italy. …
Quest for Carbon Neutral Beer
Göss Brewery is one step closer to producing carbon neutral beer with the start-up of its new solar plant. The solar farm occupies nearly 1,500 m² and will generate a portion of the heat required for the brewing process. The brewery, owned by Brau Union Österreich and a member of the HEINEKEN Group, has embarked on a “Green Brewery” project …
Argentine Biodiesel Makers Vow to Fight EU Duties
Calling European Union punitive duties on their biodiesel bad for biodiesel overall on the continent, Argentine producers say they will fight them. This story from Reuters says the proposed $330-per-tonne duties on biodiesel imports from Argentina are seen by the Argentinians as unfair and bad for biodiesel in Europe as well. “We will seek to defend ourselves against this decision, …
Darling Closing Deal to Buy Renderer for Biodiesel
Back in August, we told you about Darling International Inc.’s bid to buy Canada-based Rothsay, the rendering and biodiesel division of Maple Leaf Foods Inc. Darling is now expected to close that deal to give the company animal fats for biodiesel feedstock on October 28, 2013. Rothsay is the leading recycler of animal by-products in Canada and provides an essential …
BDI Upgrading Biodiesel Plants in US & UK
A pair of biodiesel plants, one in the U.S. and the other in the UK are being upgraded. Biodiesel Magazine reports Austria-based BDI-BioEnergy International AG will upgrade and get back to running an unnamed plant in Atlanta (suspected to be Renewable Energy Group’s currently idled 15 MMgy Atlanta-based biodiesel facility) and beef up the British plant’s (also unnamed) purification capabilities. …
Hong Kong Biodiesel Maker Soon to Come Online
A Hong Kong biodiesel maker looks to go online soon, and when it does, it will be the city’s biggest biodiesel refinery, turning waste oil into the green fuel. This story from the South China Morning Post says ASB Biodiesel will start up next month and turn out 100,000 tonnes of biodiesel a year. The plant will refine 600,000 tonnes …
Brazil to Import 1-1.5 Bln Liters American Ethanol
Brazil is expected to import 1-1.5 billion liters of American ethanol this winter. This story from Reuters says the imports are expected from December to April when the sugarcane-producing region is between harvests. “We are going to import corn ethanol during the center-south interharvest. Today the price is right. It’s cheaper than local anhydrous ethanol,” [ethanol analyst from Job Economy …