Europe

June 01, 2018

Despite palm oil polemic, Total's La Mède plant to start soon

BY Ron KotrbaAmid controversy over its planned use of imported palm oil, Total S.A. received an operating license for its La Mède biorefinery in the south of France. FNSEA called on farmers and consumers to protest the decision in support of French agriculture. READ MORE

May 30, 2018

German biodiesel exports in Q1 2018 up more than 30 percent

BY UFOP In the first quarter of 2018, Germany's biodiesel exports increased more than 30 percent from same period last year to 128.67 million gallons. Around 84 percent of exports were shipped to EU countries. U.S. imports of German biodiesel grew the most. READ MORE

May 29, 2018

Neste to acquire majority control of Dutch animal fat trader

BY Neste Corp. Neste, a producer of renewable fuels from waste and residues, and animal fat trader IH Demeter B.V. have agreed that Neste acquires sole control and 51 percent of the shares of IH Demeter B.V., making Neste the controlling shareholder. READ MORE

May 23, 2018

AGQM issues quality check material for pharmaceutical glycerin

BY Ron KotrbaThe new QC material offering for PhGly can be used internally to check various analysis methods for glycerin from the European Pharmacopeia such as glycerin and water content, along with additional standard methods such as color via EN ISO 6271-2. READ MORE

May 01, 2018

New report shows Germany's biodiesel quality continues to improve

BY Ron KotrbaAGQM has released its 2017 quality report from the sampling of biodiesel producers and warehouse operators throughout Germany last year in three sampling campaigns. All samples met or exceeded DIN EN 14214 and even stricter AGQM requirements. READ MORE

April 06, 2018

BDI to engineer scale-up of phosphorus recycling plant in Germany

BY Ron KotrbaAustrian plant engineering firm and biodiesel tech provider BDI-BioEnergy International has been contracted for a scale-up project funded by the German environmental ministry to recover phosphorus from sewage sludge with Remondis and Hamburg Wasser. READ MORE

March 28, 2018

FAME, rapeseed oil round robin tests modified to include UCO

BY Ron KotrbaIn Germany, AGQM and FAM have opened registration for their annual round robin tests for biodiesel and rapeseed oil. After a decade of such tests, however, the groups have modified rapeseed oil fuel round robin test to include used cooking oil. READ MORE

March 28, 2018

ADM blames imports for cutting German biodiesel output

BY Ron KotrbaADM announced plans in March to temporarily cease production of biodiesel at its facility in Mainz, Germany, as a result of increased biodiesel imports into the EU. Last fall, looming imports caused France's Saipol to make a similar decision. READ MORE

March 20, 2018

UK-based Vertas Group acquires waste management firm

BY Ron KotrbaVertas Group provides catering for approximately 400 schools and MMB Environmental—now being rebranded as Vertas Environmental—has been converting the used cooking oil into biodiesel since 2016. The company says it plans to continue this practice. READ MORE

March 19, 2018

Aemetis completes construction of biodiesel pretreatment unit

BY Ron KotrbaAemetis announced that its 50 MMgy Universal Biofuels subsidiary in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, India, has completed construction of a biodiesel pretreatment unit to process low-cost feedstocks, which was part of a supply deal inked with BP Singapore. READ MORE

March 15, 2018

Biodiesel can help reduce injector deposit formation

BY Ron KotrbaModern diesel engines utilize high pressure common rail fuel systems whose small injector gaps are highly sensitive to deposits. New research from the University of Rostock in Germany has shown that biodiesel use can help minimize deposit formation. READ MORE

March 12, 2018

New Valtra tractors factory-filled with renewable diesel

BY Ron KotrbaNeste Corp. has announced that tractor manufacturer Valtra, part of AGCO Corp., is factory-filling its new tractors with Neste MY Renewable Diesel made from waste and residues. Valtra will use approximately 185,000 gallons a year of renewable diesel. READ MORE

March 05, 2018

2017 German biodiesel exports up 4.4 percent from 2016

BY UFOP German biodiesel exports amounted to around 1.61 million metric tons, or more than 483 million gallons, in 2017. Exports exceeded the previous year's level by 4.4 percent and are a major support for rapeseed oil demand in Germany. READ MORE

February 20, 2018

Off-road engines, aftertreatment systems perform well on B100

BY AGQM University of Rostock research shows off-road engines conforming to exhaust emission category EU Stage IV are suitable for operation with pure biodiesel. Special attention was given to the operational stability of exhaust gas aftertreatment systems. READ MORE

February 05, 2018

UPM assesses construction of second biorefinery in Finland

BY UPM Biofuels UPM has begun an environmental impact assessment for a possible biorefinery in Mussalo, Kotka, in southeastern Finland. The 500,000-ton plant, which would be UPM's second, would use different feedstocks than the current UPM Lappeenranta Biorefinery. READ MORE

January 31, 2018

European biodiesel industry welcomes antisubsidy investigation

BY The European Biodiesel Board Following an EBB complaint, the EU Commission initiated an antisubsidy investigation Jan. 31 targeting subsidized Argentine biodiesel exports. Since September when EU tariffs were reduced, Argentina shipped 600,000-plus tons of biodiesel to the EU. READ MORE

January 29, 2018

WTO: EU duties on Indonesian biodiesel must conform to GATT 1994

BY Ron KotrbaEU antidumping duties against Indonesian biodiesel are expected to be lowered, following a WTO panel report stating that the duties are inconsistent with provisions in established trade rules and must be brought into conformity with GATT 1994. READ MORE

January 26, 2018

BDI breaks ground on algae production facility in Styria, Austria

BY Ron KotrbaBiodiesel technology and engineering firm BDI-BioEnergy International AG officially broke ground Jan. 26 on its new algae biomass production plant at Hartberg Ecopark in the Austrian state of Styria. The milestone is the culmination of years of R&D. READ MORE

January 19, 2018

Evonik, Siemens to make chemicals from CO2, eco-electricity

BY Evonik Corp. Evonik and Siemens are planning to use electricity from renewable sources and bacteria to convert CO2 into specialty chemicals. The two companies are working on electrolysis and fermentation processes in a joint research project called Rheticus. READ MORE

January 17, 2018

EU Parliament vote on RED II puts ILUC debate to rest

BY The EU Biodiesel Chain The EU Parliament plenary vote Jan. 17 on the post-2020 EU Renewable Energy Directive rebalanced an initially negative Environment Committee report. Parliament decided not to reopen the indirect land use change debate, which was settled in 2015. READ MORE

January 02, 2018

German biodiesel exports stepped up first 9 months of 2017

BY UFOP Between January and September 2017, German biodiesel exports climbed around 11 percent to 1.16 million metric tons, or 348 million gallons. Roughly 94 percent was shipped to EU-28 countries. This was up 16 percent from the previous year. READ MORE

December 19, 2017

EU Energy Council agreement sends mixed messages on renewables

BY The EU Biodiesel Chain EU Energy Ministers agreed on the Council General Approach for the post-2020 RED II. Biodiesel stakeholders welcome boosting renewable energy in transport 10 to 14 percent from 2020-'30 and keeping a 7 percent crop-based biofuel cap through 2030. READ MORE

December 19, 2017

Registration opens for AGQM's third round robin test on glycerol

BY AGQM The round robin test offers the opportunity to perform an external independent quality assurance for analytics of pharmaceutical glycerol. Company and commercial service labs can validate their own measuring performance and verify the used methods. READ MORE

November 21, 2017

Deutz approves engines for use of alternative fuels

BY Deutz AG Electrification is gaining popularity, but for medium- and heavy-duty applications, there is no replacement for diesel power. Deutz has approved the latest generation of its entire TCD engine range for operation with renewable diesel and biodiesel. READ MORE

November 09, 2017

EU vote shows Parliament strongly divided on crop-based biofuels

BY The EU Biofuels Chain The EU Parliament Transport Committee decision to reject MEP Bas Eickhout's opinion, and not to endorse the hardline Environment Committee position on biofuels, is yet another sign of the divisions over where EU biofuel policy should be heading. READ MORE

November 06, 2017

Germany consumed more UCO biodiesel last year than RME

BY Ron KotrbaGermany's Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) has published an evaluation and progress report for 2016 in which it shows that, for the first time, consumption of biodiesel from used cooking oil (UCO) exceeded that of rapeseed biodiesel (RME). READ MORE

October 30, 2017

EU parliament committee denies prospects for domestic biofuels

BY UFOP The recent EU committee vote concerning reforms in biofuel policy from 2020-'30 would completely phase out RME by 2030. UFOP now places high expectations on the industrial committee, which is responsible for the RED II biofuel policy reforms. READ MORE

October 26, 2017

EU committee vote on RED II wrongly penalizes crop biofuels

BY The European Biodiesel Board The European Parliament Environment Committee's vote to phase out the use of biofuels by 2030 seriously undermines the EU's climate and sustainability objectives. It diverges sharply from the latest draft proposal from the EU Council. READ MORE

October 17, 2017

BDI to construct innovative algae production plant in Austria

BY BDI-BioEnergy International AG Internationally renowned company BDI-BioEnergy International, known for development and construction of biodiesel plants, takes the first step into implementation of an in-house developed algae technology, with its subsidiary BDI-BioLife Science. READ MORE

October 17, 2017

Opinion: Low Carbon Demand Regears Biodiesel Inputs

BY Niamh Boyle Prima Markets provides a comprehensive summary of the growing international demand for low carbon fuels, including U.S. policy drivers and waste feedstock consumption, along with a detailed overview of the international trade of low carbon feedstock. READ MORE