In Sweden, state-owned mining and mineral group LKAB will switch from producing iron ore pellets to producing carbon-free sponge iron using new, hydrogen-based technology, a $47 billion investment over the next 20 years. It will be the largest industrial initiative in modern times and when fully introduced it will create thousands of new jobs and […]
In Germany, Platts reports the country’s Heide Raffinerie—a key ethanol blender— believes that the fortunes of biodiesel producers are getting a boost as the year comes to an end, with Q4 seeing biofuel demand at near pre-COVID levels while next year will be even stronger. A proposal currently under consideration would see first generation biofuels […]
In the UK, Bloomberg reports OTC Direct will launch its online trading platform on Dec. 2 that will allow for trading RINs and LCFS credits for California and Oregon in an effort to bring transparency to those markets. The company says 35 companies are currently signed up to use the platform along with another 70 […]
In India, the Hindu Business Line reports that government is looking at boosting ethanol blending to 20% in the wake of its progress in expanding feedstocks beyond sugarcane to include corn and rice. The E20 target had originally been envisioned for 2030 but with the recent approval of soft financing for nearly 4.7 billion liters […]
In Iowa, a new study from Iowa State University shows that carbon-rich biochar could be used to mitigate many odors and potentially toxic volatile organic compounds emitted from swine manure. The research team tested two types of biochar with different characteristics: biochar from red oak and a highly alkaline, porous biochar made from corn stover. Three 30-day […]
In Argentina, the Clarin newspaper reports the Foreign Ministry has not ruled out taking a complaint to the World Trade Organization over the increase in tariffs imposed on Argentine biodiesel in the US market. The comments came from the Foreign Minister’s team after a Clarín query. And they occur days after a US complaint filed […]
In Australia, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced A$5.9 million in funding to Jemena to trial injecting biomethane into the natural gas network in New South Wales. In a joint initiative with Sydney Water, the demonstration scale project will upgrade biogas produced from the anaerobic digestion process at Sydney Water’s Malabar wastewater treatment […]
In Brazil, the Biofuture Platform, a multi-stakeholder initiative facilitated by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and designed to take action on climate change by promoting international coordination on the sustainable low-carbon bioeconomy, has responded to the almost 12% drop in biofuel output in 2020 announced in the IEA’s Renewables 2020 report. The Platform urges countries, […]
In India, the Press Trust of India reports the Food Ministry has approved up to $1.68 billion in soft loans for 185 sugarcane mills and distillers to set up standalone ethanol production, four times the volume of loans approved under the program in the past two years. Once installed, the new projects represent an increase […]
In Brazil, Platts reports the government has given the green light to use imported soy as feedstock for biodiesel in light of the ongoing supply shortage nationally. Soybean and soy oil stocks are at 20-year lows which have pushed up prices significantly. The biodiesel blending mandate has focused on domestic production until now as a […]
