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European biodiesel producers are enjoying their fattest margins in years as blenders find themselves catapulted into a tight winter blending market thanks to a combination of disparate factors. The ranks of RME producers has thinnedi n the wake of resurgent imports which crushed prices and margins through to September, with some operational producers opting to switch from Europe to supplying the... US market using imported EPA-certified beans. [read more]

US soybean exports remained under pressure early in the fourth quarter amid a US-China trade dispute, with China buying less of the crop despite competitive pricing and seeking alternative suppliers. According to Todd Hubbs with the University of Illinois’ Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, US soybean exports were trailing the year ago pace by 16% through 4 October, while... sales to China are down 272 million bushels. [read more]

The world has been discussing climate change for years. In the meantime, global temperatures have continued to rise at an alarming pace. Scientists now say the world must hit zero CO2 emissions well before 2040 to prevent global warming from going above 1.5℃ by the end of the century. To address this challenge before it is too late, policymakers, businesses, and investors must act – fast.... The political discourse, however,is often stuck between two extremes: A belief in rather simple solutions to address climate change or indifference despite incontrovertible evidence of climate change. Both views tend to brush aside the role of the biorefining sector – even though comprehensive and rational analysis clearly shows that we cannot achieve the goalof net zero global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions without biorefineries. [read more]

“Sustainability is in our DNA”, UPM’s vice president Biofuels Sari Mannonen tells Biofuels International, at the end of a year that has seen the Finnish company recognised by the UN as one of 34 Global Compact LEAD companies ‘demonstrating world-class commitment to corporate sustainability’. In addition, 2018 has seen UPM receive two internationally recognised... sustainability certificates from RSB (Roundtable of Sustainable Biomaterials). The first is for the cultivation of Brassica carinata, a new feedstock for biofuel production that the company is developing in Uruguay. The second is the ‘world’s first’ RSB low indirect land use change (ILUC) risk certification, covering both the company’s Brassica carinata feedstock and the crude tall oil already in use at the company’s Lappeenranta Biorefinery. [read more]

Biodiesel and renewable diesel production across the United States continues to grow strongly, showing a 16% year-on year output advance for the first nine months of 2018, which is expected to equate to 200 million gallons of new US domestic production by the year end. Impressive as that sounds, the word from the US National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is that the story could be a whole lot better if... the right policy support was in place at both federal and state levels. [read more]

Exciting steps have been taken in the new Green Sports Day Initiative, including various Major League Baseball (MLB) stadiums deciding to participate by transforming their waste into biodiesel. Here, Biofuels International speaks with the US National Biodiesel Board’s (NBB) director of Sustainability, DonScott, who provides valuable insight into the initiative and the future of waste based... biodiesel in the US. [read more]

Californian biodiesel producer Biodico’s CEO, Russ Teall, speaks to Biofuels International about current plans and the exploration of future prospects regarding the company’s promising Zero Net Energy Farms (ZNEF) project.

A computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) is one of the most helpful tools out there for executing a successful biofuel plant shutdown. Plant shutdowns are a major ordeal for any plant, as they are costly, complex, and disruptive, which makes having a CMMS even more critical than during non-shutdown times. Below are a few ways a CMMS can help with the planning and execution of a... successful plant shutdown.  [read more]

Who said what at the recent Argus Biofuels 2018 Event in London.