Fourteen southern African nations are now members of the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance. The Southern African Biofuels Alliance has joined forces alliance to help “promote biofuels friendly policies throughout the world.” Andrew Makenete, President of the Southern African Biofuels Association (SABA) called on other nations to speak out in favour of policies that would promote investment in biofuels particularly in …
KL Energy Corporation Expanding Into Brazil
KL Energy Corporation, based in Rapid City, South Dakota, has announced a partnership agreement with add blue Ltda, based in São Paulo, Brazil, to build a cellulosic ethanol plant in Brazil utilizing KL Energy’s cellulosic ethanol technology for the use of sugarcane bagasse and straw feedstock. The plant will use KL Energy’s enzymatic process which will be integrated into a …
Canadian’s Support of Biofuels Strong
Public support for biofuels continues to grow in Canada according to national poll results released today. The poll was conducted by Praxicus Public Strategies and funded by the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association. When respondents were asked if they support replacing some fossil fuels with renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel, 69 percent said yes. This is an improvement from last …
Ethanol Report on Global Biofuels Policy
The need for renewable fuels to replace fossil fuels is becoming more and more of a global necessity. This edition of the “Ethanol Report” features information about the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) and the organization’s goals for providing scientific information about life cycle assessment and greenhouse gas reduction, as well as the importance of expanding biofuels production for developing …
Indonesia Looks to US Firm for Biodiesel Equipment
While the biodiesel production business has been growing in the U.S., it has also grown in popularity overseas, especially in Southeast Asia. That has led a group representing commerce interests in Indonesia to visit a Southern California biodiesel equipment manufacturer. This article from Biodiesel Magazine says SRS Engineering Corp. is at the center of potential trade agreements between the two …
Bioenergy Could Provide Benefits for Rural Poor
A new international study indicates that small-scale bioenergy plants can play a significant role in rural development for poorer nations. The new report, “Small Scale Bioenergy Initiatives: Brief Description and Preliminary Lessons on Livelihood Impacts from Case Studies in Latin America, Asia and Africa,” was published jointly by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UK’s Department …
Ethanol Half The Price Of Gas In Brazil
I think Joel Velasco, Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association, had the quote of the day here at the Farm Foundation Transition To A Bio Economy Conference. He said that carbon is the new agricultural commodity and that our incentive is to produce less of it and get paid for it. So, grow a crop, sell it and maybe earn some carbon …
Description Of EU Renewable Energy Mandate
Speaking on behalf of the European Commission To The United States here at the Transition To A Bio Economy Conference was Laurent Javaudin. His comments focused on the impact of EU mandates for renewable energy. To start with, in the EU they don’t have a mandate of a certain number of gallons of biofuels. Instead they are looking at requiring …
Ethanol Production Affects Meat Trading Patterns
Biofuels production in Canada will impact meat trading patterns according to research by Al Mussell, George Morris Centre, University of Guelph. He says that the increase in biofuels production will turn the country into an importer of grains instead of an exporter. Al was one of the speakers at the Transition To A Bio Economy Conference. He says that as …
Poverty And Biofuels Production
A very interesting presentation at our Farm Foundation Global Trade and Policy Issues conference had to do with the impact on poverty. Tom Hertel, Purdue University, was our presenter. He says they conducted an international study of 16 developing countries and the impact of biofuels production on the poverty level. As he puts it, it’s a very complex issue. Most …