View Issue Contents

E10: a learning curve

Feature

At the beginning of 2009, the EU opened its doors to the introduction of E10 in Europe as part of the climate and energy package. However, as yet only a few member states have introduced the new fuel. The biggest markets so far have been France and Germany, and the experiences could not have been more different. In April 2009 France was the first member state to introduce E10, from the day the... [read more]

No revival yet

Feature

Trade sources anticipate a short squeeze developing in the US biodiesel market in the coming months that will support higher prices for not just supply but also a federal compliance credit that trades in the open market after a slow return in plant startups early in 2011. Akin to the once bitten twice shy analogy, a one-year extension in a tax incentive to encourage biodiesel to be blended into... [read more]

Are you REACH compliant?

Feature

REACH is one of the most complex regulations to affect companies involved in importing and transporting biofuels within the EU. To achieve REACH compliance any company involved in the sector will need to rethink the way in which they send Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) to customers, as the legislation now insists they are responsible for sending them directly to customers. Failure to do so could... [read more]

RIN volatility: are you advanced?

Feature

Successful biodiesel production and marketing within the US demands a high level understanding of two basic cash flows that stem from government subsidy and mandate. First, there is the deferred cash flow of $1 (€0.7) per gallon of biodiesel that is blended with a percentage of petroleum diesel. This subsidy is represented by the federal blender’s credit and is typically a Net 20 receivable. Most... [read more]

Room enough for both

Feature

With the world’s population set to rise from around 7 billion today to around 10.5 billion by 2050, producing enough food to eat whilst increasing biofuel production, places increasing pressure on land use and management. The UN’s index of food prices in January 2011 – an international basket of commodities comprising wheat, corn, dairy produce, meat and sugar – stood at its highest since the... [read more]

A unique approach

Feature

South Africa’s Department of Energy said in March this year it would make an announcement on regulated bioethanol and biodiesel prices by the same time next year, a sign that support for renewable fuels is growing, albeit slowly. The country has a Biofuels Industrial Strategy, which was approved in 2007. It proposes that the levy exemption for biodiesel be increased to 50% and has proposed a 100%... [read more]

Mitigating energy risk through bioenergy

Feature

Back in the 1970s, while much of the world was reeling from the effects of the oil crisis, countries like Brazil but also Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe looked for ways to protect itself. It was this event that triggered the Proalcool programme, the seeds of what would grow into Brazil’s world-leading ethanol industry that it is today. Malawi’s ethanol industry also currently exists, though... [read more]

Shelling out on biofuels

Feature

Shell is the world’s biggest distributor of biofuels. Last year alone the oil giant distributed 9.5 billion litres of the renewable fuel and has no plans to stop there. The company has laboratories around the world in places such as Chester, UK; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Houston, US; and Bangalore, India; and has plans to open more. Although the company is unable to disclose how much it invests... [read more]

Strapped for cash

Feature

It has been a long time coming, but it finally looks like the race to producing commercial volumes of second generation ethanol is nearly over as the first wave of cellulosic ethanol plants are slated for completion towards the end of 2011-2012. The end may be in sight, but the race has been slow and problematic. The first of their kind, these projects are reliant on government programmes such as... [read more]

The opportunity to bounce back

Feature

Over the last few months, news stories covering biofuels plants lying idle have become more and more frequent. Last year the National Biodiesel Board estimated 25% of US plants had idled or closed permanently, and the Spanish association APPA Biocarburantes was reporting that 75% of the country’s plants were inactive. So the prospect of retrofitting these plants with new technology in order to... [read more]

Mavericks

Feature

Last year, the US military announced plans to use biofuels for 50% of its fuel by 2016. These plans, while ambitious, seem to make perfect sense when one factors in the rising cost of fuel, as well as the security risk to troops guarding supply lines. Of course, this also means that there is potentially an extremely lucrative market for biofuels providers to tap into. In August 2010, Boeing’s... [read more]