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Date Published:
14 October 2019

Volume 13, Issue 5


Moving beyond the RFS

Feature
The global biofuels community is without a doubt watching the developments in the US with the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and might be understandably confused. How is a programme that was passed by the US Congress and supported by Democrats and Republicans alike, and happily signed into law by two different Presidents, so controversial? How can this programme be considered so successful that it... [read more]

Changing export markets provide challenges, opportunities

Feature
As demand for ethanol in the US has been pummeled by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) small refinery exemptions (SREs) over the past two years, ethanol marketers have focused increasing attention on export markets. Those increased exports have been the difference between profit and plant closure for the ethanol industry in 2017 and 2018, but the US President’s ongoing and increasing... [read more]

Joining forces to fight for biodiesel

Feature
We have expressed our frustration, made alliances, and called on the White House to make real change in the biodiesel industry. While we won’t stop fighting, we keep receiving the short end of the stick in Washington, D.C. Early in September, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) expressed frustration with a Court decision declining to review the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)... [read more]

What will the EU's Green Deal mean for biofuels?

Feature
The new European Commission begins its mandate at a crucial time in the fight against climate change. Right from the start there have been some promising signs, with incoming Commission President Ursula von der Leyen making a Green Deal for Europe her top priority. But even though politicians seem to have received the message from the European elections in May that people want urgent action... [read more]

Gold rush in Asia?

Feature
There are plenty of positives to be found when assessing the state of the biofuels industry in Asia, with blending commitments past and present helping to drive production and usage forward across the region. There’s also no shortage of difficulties and disappointments, of course, with the sector’s achievements rarely matching the aims and ambitions of the various and very different... [read more]

From waste to jet fuel

Feature
In August, Velocys subsidiary Altalto Immingham, a collaboration between Velocys, British Airways and Shell, submitted a planning application to develop the first commercial scale household and commercial solid waste to sustainable fuels plant in Europe. Biofuels International spoke to Velocys CEO Henrik Wareborn to find out more.

Feedstock to flight to food

Feature
In the last 60 years, jet travel has changed the world. Travellers with the willingness and resources can get anywhere they want in relative comfort in a reasonable amount of time. Recently, a new twist has been added: travellers are becoming aware of their responsibility for the resulting quantities of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere – tonnes per person in the case of long-haul... [read more]

Decarbonising the aviation sector

Feature
As every business and leisure traveller experiences at crowded airports and aircrafts operating at full capacity, air travel is booming. While the International Air Transport Association (IATA) counted 3.1 billion passengers in global air traffic in 2013, the estimate for 2018 is 4.3 billion passengers – an increase of 38% in just five years. Air travel is more accessible than ever. 

Improving the bottom line

Feature
Bacterial issues in a fuel ethanol production plant can have expensive consequences, including increased chemical costs and, eventually, revenue lost. It is common practice for plants to employ a clean-in-place (CIP) programme to protect the product against bacteria.

Revisiting the $500 million problem

Feature
Readers of Biofuels International may recall an article from September/October 2018 titled ‘A $500 million problem flying under the radar’. Figure 1 shows the weekly Midwestern US ethanol production trend, which clearly visualises the magnitude of the problem. The ethanol production process requires significant cooling, and during the summer months in six of the past seven years,... [read more]

On the road to supreme sustainability

Feature
When Panu Routasalo began his career as an oil company engineer, there was very little talk about climate change or biofuels. Today, 13 years later, with global warming recognised as the gravest threat of the 21st century, the father of two is pleased to be making a meaningful contribution – as part of the solution, rather than the problem.

A feedstock in the spotlight

Feature
As the bioeconomy expands and begins to impact more aspects of our daily lives, one previously novel feedstock is getting unprecedented attention: carbon dioxide (CO2). Technologies that capture carbon from industrial settings, or even directly from the atmosphere, are attracting investment from energy companies, venture capitalists and several governments.

Flexible and efficient membranes

Feature
External factors not directly linked to ethanol production, such as weather, policies and export conditions, continue to remain a challenge for the US biofuels market. Each factor can lead to financial difficulties for ethanol producers, but when all of these issues occur at once, the impact on the producer and its surrounding community can be devastating.