View Issue Contents

← Go Back

Issue cover
Date Published:
10 November 2014

Volume 8, Issue 6


On the same page

Feature
The renewable fuel industry has had its share of struggles when it comes to planning a confident growth trajectory. Regulatory uncertainty is one of the primary culprits that makes it difficult for renewable fuel producers to write a predictable business plan, on which financial lenders can hang their rationale to lend. Business plans for new fuel production technologies invariably depend on... [read more]

Out with the old

Feature
In recent years, the biofuels industry has experienced a number of intermittent setbacks, including the unpredictability of government subsidies, the emergence of the food versus fuel debate, and the introduction of deforestation and land grabbing charges against both public and private sectors. Despite these ongoing problems, a considerable number of benefits have also been sought, including the... [read more]

Estimated GHG increase from Obama Administration inaction on 2014 RFS

Feature
In November 2013, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed waiving a substantial portion of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) mandated volumes for 2014 and reducing the use of biofuels in US transportation compared to 2013.1 As of mid-September 2014, the Obama administration had not finalised the rule, leaving obligated parties with the proposed reduction as guidance for the year.... [read more]

Going ahead

Feature
In January 2015, Germany will change the country’s commitment framework from a renewable energybased quota, which currently sits at 6.25% and remains unchanged from 2010, to a greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction commitment. On 9 October this year, the German parliament agreed that these levels will be set at 3.5% in 2015, and will subsequently increase incrementally to 4.0% in 2017 and 6.0% from... [read more]

Current price index

Feature
The global commodities markets have been at the centre of a near perfect storm of bearish factors in recent weeks. The strong US dollar coupled with a booming US shale oil output has hit crude oil prices hard while seemingly limitless yields and record production for corn and soyabean in the US has supressed the agricultural complex. Production margins for both European and US ethanol producers... [read more]

Lethargic US biodiesel spot market drops more than 10% in Q3

Feature
Soya methyl esters biodiesel spot prices in the US dropped 10.5% or more in the third quarter to fouryear lows despite higher implied demand for distillate fuels. These were pressured by a 10.9% decline in the benchmark Ultra-low Sulfur Diesel futures contract traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange and lower values for federal government compliance credits. The price decline, which... [read more]

Side by side

Feature
In June this year, renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels company Gevo started the coproduction of isobutanol and ethanol at its existing ethanol plant in Luverne, Minnesota, US. The plant uses three fermenters to produce 15 million gallons a year of ethanol, and one fermenter has now been added to create 2-3 million gallons per year of isobutanol. Isobutanol was selected for its engine... [read more]

Keeping it local

Feature
On 1 May this year, small-scale biodiesel producer Springboard Biodiesel opened the doors of its first fully automated, zerowaste biodiesel production facility in Chico, California at a grand opening. Starting life as an equipment and clean-tech manufacturing company, Springboard Biodiesel has this year delved into small-scale biodiesel production, concentrating on local distribution and the... [read more]

Reinventing the wheel or going round in circles?

Feature
Many governments insist on finding new solutions for problems that have already been solved, and in doing so, end up going round in circles. This is happening at present on both sides of the Atlantic, specifically in Europe and Brazil. London, UK, has just announced it plans to pay diesel car owners up to £2,000 each to switch to ‘cleaner models’. Following the £300... [read more]

Uncertainty continues

Feature
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) writes and enforces regulations concerning the environment based on laws made by Congress. Biodiesel is one of the first advanced biofuels to achieve commercial-scale production throughout the region, but chaotic government mandates and tax incentives over the last five years have jeopardised continued growth to North America’s biodiesel... [read more]

Catching up

Feature
The US and Europe have long realised the benefits of biofuels, but the Middle East is quickly catching up. For years, the Middle East depended heavily on gulf countries for fuel. This gave the US and Europe the opportunity to explore possibilities in biofuel production from waste. Policies were soon drafted, indicating the government’s support for the production of biofuels waste in the US... [read more]

Name of the game

Feature
In 2003, less than three million gallons of ethanol were produced. Today the US has a total installed capacity approaching 15 billion gallons per year; nearly 500% the production of a decade ago. With the government implementation of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the race was on to get ethanol plants up and running quickly to meet the growing government mandated quota. By... [read more]

Wanting more

Feature
North America is keenly focused on next generation corn oil extraction methods to meet a growing demand for biodiesel feedstock, as well as animal feed supplements. Biodiesel producers, who are currently the primary demand driver, have in recent months made corn oil their number two feedstock. Another strong demand driver, however, is poultry feed and ethanol producers are poised to meet the... [read more]

Improving fermentation through optimised mixing design

Feature
Aerobic fermentation is becoming an increasingly common application in the production of biofuel from sugars. Although the goals are similar to other fermentation processes, the different feedstock rheology and scale of this particular application amplifies the importance of good agitator design to increase mechanical reliability and reduce power costs. Agitators provide mass transfer, gas... [read more]

From spools to biofuels

Feature
Biomass-based production is becoming increasingly important in the Finnish and European bioeconomies. Responsibly produced wood-based biofuels are a worthwhile alternative, reducing traffic emissions and oil dependency while also increasing the self-sufficiency of the economy. Nevertheless, in the production of woodbased biofuels, accountability within the whole value chain has to be ensured. In... [read more]

Transforming the market

Feature
Companies generally pre-treat their feedstocks using sulphuric acid, an acidic polymer-based resin or enzymatic process. Lower grade feedstock does not always improve companies’ bottom line. Yield rates, higher capital and operating costs are required for processing lower grade feedstock. Using sulphuric acid to pretreat feedstocks corrodes the catalyst. Hardware therefore needs to be... [read more]

Crowning glory

Feature
Most biodiesel is derived from triglycerides or fats, which are purified and reacted with alcohol to create fuel. Producers must decide whether to remove all of these problematic components at the beginning or the end of the biodiesel production process. Biodiesel pre-treatment technology purifies these biodiesel fats by removing phosphorus, water, free fatty acids, and other materials so that... [read more]

Time for a new wave of optimism?

Feature
I am sure I once heard that if everyone in China jumped up and down at the same time a small Earth tremor would be felt far across other continents. Well maybe it’s time for everyone in the biofuels industry to jump up and down together to send ripples around the globe. Hampered by a myriad of policy and scientific uncertainties surrounding their social, environmental and economic impacts,... [read more]

On the road to success

Feature
Although plantbased fuels are renewable, create less combustion damage to the environment and support agricultural development, the biofuels industry needs to avoid conflicts with food crop energy farming. Biofuel feedstock plants should therefore be adaptable and able to tolerate adverse soil and climatic conditions. Jatropha curcas possesses these qualities and has grown in popularity over the... [read more]

On the brink of commercialisation

Feature
Jatropha may finally be able to shrug off its earlier disappointments as a biofuel crop as scientific progress in the last decade signal light at the end of the tunnel. Breeders have begun to reveal yields that prove jatropha can be grown in commercial scale acreages, setting the stage for the crop to become an industry game changer. Global concerns on price volatility, long-term availability of... [read more]

Reducing water use in dry grind ethanol plants

Feature
Similar to many other industries, fuel ethanol producers have focused on water conservation, due to the increasing risks of water scarcity and wastewater disposal limitations to their operations and initiatives by companies to achieve sustainability. Consequently, water use in fuel ethanol production has decreased by half in the past 20 years, according to the US-based Renewable Fuels Association... [read more]

Accelerating R&D for biofuels and biochemicals

Feature
The use of biofuels and biochemicals as alternatives to petroleum-based products has attracted much attention over the last few years. This attractiveness stems from their classification as sustainable products supported by legislative incentives to promote their market penetration. The use of biomass as a feedstock for the production of fuels and chemicals will, in theory, decrease the... [read more]

Breaking new ground

Feature
Due to the predicted increase in biodiesel consumption and the ongoing discussion regarding first generation biodiesel processes, technology developer BDI is continuing with the ongoing search for new waste feedstock resources. One of these waste feedstock resources is palm sludge oil (PSO). PSO is a floating residual oil, which is discharged with palm oil mill effluent (POME) from palm oil... [read more]

Nitrogen blanketing for biofuel storage

Feature
Air is detrimental to many materials. Not only can the oxygen in the air cause product degradation, but moisture, dirt, hydrocarbons and exhaust gases can negatively affect the raw materials stored in tanks and vessels. In the case of biofuels, the flammability of methanol – a highly volatile compound – and the oxygen sensitivity of methylate catalysts are major concerns. The proper... [read more]

Pick of the crop

Feature
The key to commercial success of solid state fermentations compared to liquid substrates or slurries is improving process efficiency through R&D work, which can be carefully monitored and controlled using bioreactors, either at the initial process development stage, or as on-going scale-down experiments alongside fullscale production runs. One clear problem with solid state fermentation... [read more]

Disruption hits biobutanol production

Feature
Bioethanol shares 80 million tonnes annual consumption around the world. However, some of the inherent properties of ethanol, such as high water solubility and low energy density, set the limit of its blend ceiling to 10% in petrol. Moreover, using sugar or starch in the ethanol fermentation process could affect the food supply stability and price, globally. To facilitate a more aggressive goal... [read more]

Performance inspired by nature

Feature
Despite its relatively short life, the modern biofuels industry has experienced amazing technological and market transformations. We have seen shifting political landscapes, a worldwide financial recession, a cleantech investment bubble, and booming natural gas markets – all of which might seem to compromise the promise of widespread, renewable and cost-effective liquid biofuels by the end... [read more]

A drop in the engine

Feature
With demand for drop-in hydrocarbon fuels growing, the industry is looking to convert a broad range of biomass and organic residues to fungible liquid ‘drop-in’ hydrocarbon fuels fully compatible with existing fuel infrastructure. Biomass contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur as primary components along with various inorganic materials. In order to produce high... [read more]

Policies losing traction

Feature
Sustainable growth of the Australian biofuel industry has been in reverse since 2011. Over the past four years there have been at least four or five ‘structural’ changes to the support schemes for biodiesel and ethanol in the nation. The conundrum for the industry and government is that over the past three years the support schemes have failed to stem the decline in ethanol demand,... [read more]