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The RED: Europe's way to promote biofuels

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Both the RED and the FQD were adopted in December 2008 as part of a package of six laws on energy and climate. But it is the RED, in particular the section on biofuels, that has caused long, intensive, emotional public debates. Major cornerstones of the RED are on the one hand the reduction of GHG emissions and on the other hand the security of supply. On top of that the promotion of renewable... energy production in Europe triggers technological developments and creates employment, both of which are badly needed in times of crises. The Directive is a comprehensive framework bringing together all sectors, which have so far been covered by different directives.1 As the most important piece of legislation to promote renewables, the RED replaces the Biofuels Directive from 2003, which set an indicative target for the use of biofuels of 5.75% by energy in 2010. A binding target In January this year the European Commission – the executive branch of the EU –proposed a binding 10% target for renewable energy in transport by 2020. As the inclusion of this target followed the political will of the European Heads of States who spoke in favour of a 10% biofuels target in March 2007, the fierce political discussions about this very target have taken many by surprise. Unlike in 2003 when the Biofuels Directive that is now in force was discussed, this time the majority of the European Parliament (EP) was loudly questioning the proposed target – spearheaded by a green Luxembourg MEP who happened to be responsible for steering the dossier through Parliament. The target – so the argument of the biofuels opponents went – would promote biofuels whose impact on the environment was unclear, possibly doing more harm than good. Therefore the Parliament tried to insert an intermediate target for 2015 of only 5% combined with fixed sub shares for electric vehicles and hydrogen cars. The Commission and the Council, however, stayed convinced of the positive contribution of biofuels to both energy security and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and supported the 10% target throughout the discussions. Finally, also the EP recognised the importance of renewable fuels for the EU’s energy and climate strategy and accepted the binding minimum target of 10% be it under additional conditions mainly in the area of sustainability criteria, monitoring and reporting requirements. [read more]

Update on sustainability reporting

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Biofuels supply chains have developed over a number of years in response to market signals underpinned by developing policy measures in regions across the globe. These supply chains have at their origin organic material. This material can be from highly developed agricultural systems, adopting high levels of machinery to support annual crop establishment, management and harvesting, or it can be... [read more]

Rain clouds still linger over US

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It has been tough sledding for the US biodiesel industry, with the economic recession compounding the woes for the nascent market. There have been a few bright spots, and market interest for the green diesel additive has been increasing. However, the reality is biodiesel continues to hold a better than $1 (€0.77) per gallon premium over diesel fuel, more than the blender’s tax credit, and that... [read more]

Leading the US biodiesel industry

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Renewable Energy Group (REG) markets more biodiesel than anyone else in the US, and is continuing to expand, despite diffi cult market conditions. So how does it do it? The company, like everyone, has felt the impact of restricted access to fi nance and the reduction of investment going into renewable fuels, but is pressing ahead with expansion plans. ‘We’re optimistic about the development of... [read more]

US production: 20% of total capacity

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New markets all go through natural phases of expansion and contraction, weeding out the weak and creating new opportunities for the bold. The good news for beleaguered biofuels producers in the US is that their current pain is part of this natural market contraction. The bad news is that these growing pains have coincided with a global economic and fi nancial downturn so severe that comparisons... [read more]

A photosynthetic solution?

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At the start of this year research into biofuels produced from algae was propelled sky-high by a test fl ight successfully undertaken by a Continental Boeing 737- 800. The jet fuelled with 50% algae and jatropha-based biodiesel and normal jet fuel did not require any modifi cations. Back fi rmly on the ground, companies looking into algaebased biofuels are reviewing business plans to optimise the... [read more]

Algae biofuels: commercialisation outlook

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The pathway to algae commercialisation is witnessing several breakthroughs and technological advances in synthetic biology, genomics, metabolic engineering, closedloop photobioreactor systems, raceway pond developments, harvesting, lighting and extraction systems. Each of these innovations is helping to reduce costs, increase productivity in pilot and demonstration projects, and accelerate the... [read more]

Cellulosic ethanol is closer than it seems

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Danish biotechnology company Novozymes’ recent launch of two enzyme products is one of the latest ground-breaking technologies predicted to propel the cellulosic ethanol industry towards commercial viability. The first enzyme in this new family is a speciallydesigned cellulase complex that converts cellulose to glucose with a lower dose and lower cost than any other biomass enzyme seen so far.... [read more]

Alternative uses for glycerine

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The glycerine market has undergone a radical transformation over the last 10 years. With the advent of largescale biodiesel production, the supply of glycerol has increased significantly. As a consequence the prices on glycerine, nonpurified glycerol in particular, have dropped. This has drastically affected the operation margins on the biodiesel plants world over. This change in supply has been... [read more]

Wastewater treatment at the plant

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A report prepared by the Sandia National Laboratories1 in 2007 estimates that around 4 gallons of water is used per gallon of ethanol produced. For comparison water use in petroleum refining is about 1.5 gal/gal. Biodiesel production uses rather less if dry-wash systems are implemented but it is still significant. Producers must pay for fresh water, and will be fined if polluted water leaves the... [read more]

Biodiesel power on standby

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Though biodiesel is gaining broad acceptance for use in transportation, there is still reluctance to convert to biodiesel for power generation. Green power is making some impact close to agricultural sources of feedstock, but is only slowly gaining favour for standby and distributed power generation applications. Potential users are put off by a variety of factors. There are severe limitations on... [read more]

Hope springs eternal in San Francisco

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The 2009 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo is over – the last stragglers have left the Moscone Center and the last booth packed up. The speakers have sheathed their laser pointers, and the exhibition cars and motorcycles have returned to their daily jobs of carrying people and goods. Autopsies are never pleasant, but this conference was ambiguous and attendance was down about 50% from last... [read more]