In Canada, the shortage of medical grade masks worldwide has hobbled health care professionals responding to the novel coronavirus — highlighting the need for improving supply lines and manufacturing more masks locally. Researchers in the BioProducts Institute at the University of British Columbia have stepped up to the challenge, designing what could be the very […]
In Brazil, Platts reports that hydrous ethanol prices are recovering from the previous COVID-19 induced slump that coincided with the start of the sugarcane crush, rising 13% from the recent low on April 24. International prices for oil products have almost doubled in the past four weeks, so the increase in hydrous prices pales in […]
In the UK, Velocys said planning permission has been given to Altalto Immingham, the UK’s first commercial waste-to-jet-fuel plant, by North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC)’s Planning Committee. A formal decision notice will then be issued subject to the completion of standard legal agreements with NELC. All statutory consultees have indicated their acceptance of the plan. […]
In Washington, a diverse portfolio of 33 companies, operating mainly in Africa, will be supported by the Clean Cooking Alliance’s new Venture Catalyst (VC) program. The program focuses on building an investment-ready pipeline through venture-level interventions, to deliver universal access to clean cooking in developing countries. The Venture Catalyst portfolio currently includes biofuel, LPG, and […]
In Iowa, tracking COVID-19’s economic impacts, especially in the state of Iowa, is now possible thanks to resources on a new web hub. The webpage “COVID-19 Pandemic: Research and Resources” developed by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development and the Department of Economics at Iowa State University, examines the pandemic’s impacts on the economy, agriculture […]
In the UK, the government is launching a new effort to support green start-up companies across the UK, joint-funding a £40 million venture capital fund to supercharge the development of next generation clean, low-carbon technologies. The Clean Growth Fund will contribute towards the UK’s plans to reach Net Zero by 2050 and will be accessible […]
In India, Northeast Now reports the Numaligarh Refinery Limited bamboo-based ethanol plant under development is set to produce acetic acid and furfural in addition to 49,000 metric tons of ethanol annually and bioplastics. The facility, which is expected to come online by the end of 2021, will use 500,000 metric tons of bamboo annually as […]
In Belgium, Euractiv reports that the European Commission is quietly reopening for review its controversial Annex IX dealing with feedstocks under the Renewable Energy Directive II. The REDII must be applied by European Union member states as of July 21 and there is concern by some in the biofuels industry that additional tinkering with the […]
In Germany, UFOP reports that decreases in prices of palm oil, soybean oil and rapeseed oil show through more strongly in the FAO price index than do increases in asking prices for sunflower oil. The April FAO price index for vegetable oils slipped 7.2 points, or 5.2 per cent, and the lowest level since August […]
In Washington, D.C., while much of the world has spent the last couple of months sheltering at home to avoid the COVID-19 pandemic, grain trade has continued supplying nations with needed commodities, mostly unhindered, according to the U.S. Grains Council. As many parts of the world are on the verge of reopening, U.S. Grains Council […]
