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Date Published:
20 February 2015

Volume 9, Issue 2


Rejected proposal slows progression

Feature
In January, the European Parliament voted in support of a movement to reject the European Commission’s (EC) proposal to implement Article 7a of the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD). The European renewable ethanol association (ePure) states that European renewable ethanol has a crucial role to play in decarbonising the transport sector, as emissions have increased by 36% since 19901 and has... [read more]

A missed opportunity

Feature
On 15 January, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released RIN generation data that indicates the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) statutory requirements established by Congress in 2007 could have been reached comfortably. The results show that the RFS waiver proposed, and then cancelled, by EPA was avoidable. ‘In 2007, Congress challenged the budding ethanol industry to produce... [read more]

Current price index

Feature
The European ethanol market has been going through a season of maximum producer output, with manufacturers ramping up capacity since last November. As always, this production increase has coincided with the period of lowest demand side pull. Petrol demand is low and ethanol blend rates also lower, in line with winter petrol specifications. Traders have been looking for low hanging fruit in the... [read more]

Breaking the viscous cycle

Feature
Second generation (2G) ethanol finally became a reality in 2013 when the first commercialscale production plant came online in Crescentino, Italy. Since then, a handful more 2G ethanol plants are in the pipeline across Europe, including three more in Italy and one in the Slovak Republic. Without mandatory blending requirements for 2G fuel ethanol however, demand for advanced biofuels will be... [read more]

Pushing the boundaries

Feature
In October 2014, Biochemtex, a biochemical technology and process provider owned by the Mossi Ghisolfi Group, and advanced biofuels producer Beta Renewables signed a contract with one of the leading Slovak chemical companies – Energochemica – for the construction of a second generation ethanol plant in Strážske, Slovak Republic. The build will be the third of its kind following... [read more]

Making industrial history

Feature
On 12 January this year, Finnish forestry company and renewable energy producer UPM started commercial production at its biorefinery in Lappeenranta, Finland. In 2008, with the popularity of printing paper declining, the company decided to transform itself in a bold way. Biofuels was a prevalent trend and UPM had suitable residues available from its own production as feedstock so it became a... [read more]

Progress to be made

Feature
The European biofuels industry is facing issues regarding legislation proposed and discussed by the European institutions. Despite these challenges, biofuels remain the only sustainable and immediately commercially available alternative to fossil fuels. Europe has the infrastructure, the producers and the opportunities to fight climate change and achieve energy independence, but seems intent on... [read more]

US biodiesel trade again frozen amid policy uncertainty

Feature
The market’s dependency on government policy has again stifled spot trade for physical biodiesel in the US early in 2015, which follows a year in which the industry shrunk amid uncertainty over the volume of the renewable blendstock that would be mandated under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). That uncertainty carried over into 2015, along with excess supply and after another lapse in a... [read more]

Socialising technology and financing

Feature
Following the 2007/2008 financial crisis, new regulations introducing more stringent solvency and liquidity requirements has meant the banking sector has had to improve its capital position. Considerable progress has been made by banks, with the average Tier 1 ratios (a measure of capital), increasing from 8.3% in 2007 to 13.6% in 20131. For the last eight years, it has been a time for... [read more]

From rags to riches

Feature
Biodiesel factories built with specific virgin oil feedstock supply chains in mind have seen their business model blown off course. Feedstock costs linked to food prices coupled with biodiesel prices capped by the cost of mineral diesel have caused diminished processing margins. Today’s typical biodiesel processor must find a way to handle these challenges or face going out of business.... [read more]

There's something in the water

Feature
In the July Short-Term Energy Outlook, the US Energy Information Administration predicts ethanol production will average 940,000 barrels per day, more than a third of a billion barrels in total, in 2015. The cleaning for all of that production contributes to a massive waste stream as the traditional cleaning method is to flood plants, pipes, tubes, and equipment with an ocean of water. The waste... [read more]

Enhanced chemical cleaning strategies for biofuels facilities

Feature
Biofuels manufacturing is a wet process, where a carbonbased feedstock such as corn, sugarcane bagasse, or residue from a food processing facility is processed to generate a mash rich in fermentable sugars. This fermentable mash is subsequently inoculated with a specific microorganism and serves as a substrate for the growth of that organism, which in turn converts much of the substrate into the... [read more]

Software-driven biofuels productivity

Feature
The economic viability of biofuels is largely dependent on two things: the price of oil and the efficiency with which producers transform raw biomass into finished product. While the price of oil is largely out of the control of individual producers, production efficiency differs from producer to producer, and this can often mean the difference between profitability and loss. Biofuels production... [read more]

Chain of custody systems

Feature
There is a widely agreed need that the system tracking sustainably certified biomass from the source to the consumer should be robust. The concern is that inconsistencies, mistakes or even fraud can creep in undetected, despite the best efforts of auditors. The sustainability attributes associated with biofuel batches need to be passed down the supply chain to the final obligated blenders and... [read more]

The be-all and end-all

Feature
For a company such as Modern By-Products (MBP Group), being certified as sustainable is of the utmost importance. MBP collects, handles and processes by-products – predominantly oils and fats – and works to find optimal markets for these otherwise waste products. One of the main industries in which MBP is active is the biodiesel sector, among others. In addition to supplying byproduct... [read more]

Making commercial jatropha a reality

Feature
Improving genetics and optimising the agronomy of jatropha are the two driving forces behind JOil’s R&D efforts. For six years since 2008, the company collected germ plasms from all over the world including Brazil, Africa, India and Indonesia. Once collected, researchers carried out field evaluation and crossed the different accessions to create new varieties. This process was utilised... [read more]

Releasing its full potential

Feature
Jatropha, a fast growing, non-edible, subtropical tree that produces oil bearing seeds, is native to Central America but has been naturalised throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Due to its inability to survive periods of freezing temperatures, it is not typically found outside of what is referred to as the jatropha growing belt; 30 N latitude to 35 S latitude. The trees... [read more]

From jungle to jet fuel

Feature
Today, companies and research institutes are focusing their efforts on meeting global demand for sustainable plant oil by working towards scientific commercialisation of a dedicated biodiesel crop that will lend credibility, reliability and scalability. In recent years, collaborative research efforts surrounding perennial oil seeds bearing trees such as Pongamia Pinnata, Moringa oliferia, Jojoba,... [read more]

Improved conventional and edible cultivars

Feature
T he fruit husks and seed shells of jatropha pressed to fuel pellets represent an additional and valuable bioenergy product with high economic potential. High quality fibres can be extracted from the soft wood, but the technical solution of this approach has to be further investigated and developed to an industrial scale. Currently, the most valuable byproduct is the kernel meal or press cake... [read more]

Watertight technology

Feature
Waste- and wastewater streams released in the production processes of biofuels or bio-based chemicals are valuable resources for energy production. With anaerobic technology, biodegradable components present in waste streams can be converted into biogas. For the production of ethanol from cellulosic materials, water is consumed for different purposes, e.g. wash water of cellulosic stock,... [read more]

De-risking fermentation

Feature
2014 was the year of second generation ethanol with the openings of several plants in North and South America. A number of other multi-partner global projects have also been announced or are currently under construction by major actors of the cellulosic ethanol scene. In the US alone, the E2 advanced biofuel market report published in January 2015, states cellulosic ethanol capacity in 2014 was... [read more]

A bolstering market

Feature
The global demand for fossil fuels is swelling against a tight economic environment and the Middle East is no exception. The domestic consumption of energy in the region is increasing at an astonishing rate. Saudi Arabia’s consumption of oil and gas has risen by approximately 5.9% over the past five years, while electricity demand is witnessing an annual growth rate of 8%. Although Middle... [read more]

Back to the roots

Feature
Following the rise in oil prices, the renewable energy industry needed to quickly find an alternative solution for accessing stored solar energy, preferably a sustainable alternative that could be adapted to air transport. Fuels from arable plants were disregarded, as the similarly high prices of agricultural products were blamed for the starvation of exposed populations. The industry then turned... [read more]

Questions remain unanswered

Feature
Over the last 10 years, the algae industry has gone through a considerable amount of hype and despair to finally reach the current realistic approach. Accordingly, the promises that were given to the biofuels industry by the algae industry have changed dramatically during this journey. Neste Oil, a renewable diesel producer, has been able to successfully discuss with hundreds of algae scientists... [read more]

Cover all bases

Feature
One of the biggest areas for concern regarding risk management for biofuels producers lies in effective communication and consistent application of risk management policy. A divide can develop across a plant’s board, management team and accounting staff, which can in turn cause breakdowns in effective risk management and thus increase financial risk. Christianson & Associates (C&A),... [read more]

Making a comeback

Feature
Nearly 5% of the global liquid fuel market is met by biofuel alternatives today. With supply dominated by ethanol and biodiesel, first generation production models have proven to be relatively successful in areas endowed with highly concentrated commodity crops like corn, sugarcane, soya, rapeseed and palm oil. Nearly 70% of global installed biofuels production capacity, for example, comes from... [read more]