Feedstock

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 22, 2018

Corn Oil One's Bob Riley receives leadership award

BY The Iowa Biotechnology Association and Cultivation Corridor The Iowa Biotechnology Association Executive Director Joe Hrdlicka and Cultivation Corridor Executive Director Billi Hunt have presented the 2018 Cultivation Corridor Iowa Biotech Leadership Award to Robert G. Riley Jr., owner of Corn Oil One. 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 16, 2018

Powerful reasons to celebrate National Biodiesel Day March 18

BY Ron KotrbaWhile the biodiesel industry is celebrated by many people every day of the year for its creation of jobs, support of farmers, use of byproducts and waste for clean energy, and its important role in helping the environment, March 18 is special. READ MORE

March 15, 2018

Oklahoma cellulosic diesel facility achieves D7 Q-RIN status

BY Ron KotrbaD7 RINs generated at a biorefinery in Oklahoma City producing cellulosic diesel fuel have been verified by Weaver and granted Q-RIN status. Envia Energy uses FT technology to convert landfill gas and natural gas into diesel fuel, naphtha and wax. READ MORE

March 15, 2018

Chinese researchers boost algae lipids, reduce peroxidation

BY Ron KotrbaResearchers from Nanjing Tech University in China have published a paper in Biotechnology for Biofuels on their method to increase lipid content and reduce peroxidation in Schizochytrium sp., a marine microalgae rich in docosahexaenoic acid. READ MORE

March 08, 2018

March Madness: NBB releases field of 'Elite 8' biodiesel schools

BY The National Biodiesel Board As March Madness nears, the very best of college basketball will be showcased. In that spirit, the National Biodiesel Board has released its own bracket of colleges and universities upping their game with biodiesel research, production and education. READ MORE

March 05, 2018

Brazil implements B10 mandate a year ahead of schedule

BY Ron KotrbaBrazil's nationwide biodiesel mandate has increased from 8 to 10 percent on March 1, according to an announcement from the Ministry of Mines and Energy. The National Energy Policy Council approved the increase in December, one year ahead of schedule. READ MORE

February 27, 2018

US Senate finally confirms Northey for USDA leadership position

BY Ron KotrbaThe U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey Feb. 27 as USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. Northey was nominated in September, but his confirmation was held up for months by Ted Cruz. READ MORE

February 26, 2018

US DOE grants $10.6M to produce more biodiesel, biojet fuel

BY Claire Benjamin, Steve Long Lab The U.S. DOE awarded the University of Illinois a $10.6 million, five-year grant to transform two of the most productive crops in America into sustainable sources of biodiesel and biojet fuel. The new research project, ROGUE, kicked off Feb. 25. READ MORE

February 13, 2018

American Soybean Association hires new CEO to replace Censky

BY Ron KotrbaThe American Soybean Association has hired Ryan Findlay as its new CEO to replace Stephen Censky, who is now the deputy secretary at the USDA. Findlay, a Michigan native, has worked for the global ag company Syngenta for the past four years. READ MORE

February 12, 2018

NBF offers students $2,000 through new Beth Calabotta grant

BY The National Biodiesel Foundation Student scientists can quality for up to a $2,000 award through the new Beth Calabotta Sustainability Education Grant. The National Biodiesel Foundation established the grant to help students interested in research and biodiesel sustainability. READ MORE

February 08, 2018

Carinata seed distribution agreement discussions underway

BY Agrisoma Biosciences Inc. Following a recent transpacific flight powered by carinata biojet fuel, Agrisoma Biosciences and Nuseed are in discussions to develop a distribution agreement for carinata seed. Both events signal the beginning of a new market for Australian growers. READ MORE

February 05, 2018

USDA stops support for Farm-to-Fleet biofuel production incentive

BY Erin Voegele The USDA Commodity Credit Corp. has withdrawn support for the Farm-to-Fleet biofuel production incentive, effective Feb 1. Payments will continue to be made, however, under existing commitments. The USDA said the incentive is no longer a priority. 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

Emergent research could forge new paths to biodiesel's future

BY Ron KotrbaYoung scientists presented their ongoing biodiesel research projects during a panel at the National Biodiesel Conference in late January. Process and feedstock research like the work presented could provide an impetus the biodiesel industry needs. 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 24, 2018

Industry honors biodiesel champions, reflects on history

BY The National Biodiesel Board As the U.S. biodiesel industry celebrates 25 years at its yearly gathering, this year back in Fort Worth, the National Biodiesel Board's annual awards recognize individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to biodiesel. READ MORE

January 15, 2018

llinois claims top soybean production spot in 2017

BY The Illinois Soybean Association Illinois continues to top the nation in soybean production, a title it has claimed four of the past five seasons. If Illinois were a country, it would be the fourth largest soybean-producing country in the world after the U.S., Brazil and Argentina. READ MORE

January 05, 2018

Inside NBB: Discovery Channel Documentary Spotlights Biodiesel

BY The National Biodiesel Board The Discovery Channel’s documentary Hot Grease made its official debut this fall. Directors Sam Wainwright Douglas, Paul Lovelace and Jessica Wolfson are set to appear on the main stage at the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo in January. READ MORE

January 05, 2018

EPA proposes distillers sorghum oil as advanced biofuel feedstock

BY Erin Voegele The U.S. EPA has released a notice of proposed rulemaking related to fuel pathways using distillers sorghum oil as feedstock for advanced biofuel production, including biodiesel. A 30-day comment period on the proposal is set to close Jan. 26. READ MORE

January 04, 2018

In Depth: Biodiesel Agents of Change

BY Ron KotrbaBiodiesel Magazine spotlights four companies—a respected producer, a service-oriented wholesaler, a 200-year old chemical firm, and a fuel conditioning company—that enable biodiesel's role as an effective change agent. READ MORE

January 02, 2018

In Depth: Fat and the City

BY Hermann Stockinger and Stefan Divjak Nature knows no waste, but we all certainly do—at the end of the day we ourselves might be readily biodegradable, but the progress mankind made over the past thousand years undeniably came with a few side effects. READ MORE

December 01, 2017

MSU gets grant for power plant emission reduction, algae growth

BY PHYCO2 PHYCO2 will collaborate with Michigan State University under a $1 million U.S. DOE grant to develop technologies to transform the efficiency and operating costs to reduce power plant emissions of CO2 and create marketable chemicals. READ MORE

November 13, 2017

BDI to build RepCat biodiesel plant at Crimson Renewable Energy

BY Ron KotrbaOne year after Austrian biodiesel engineering firm BDI completed upgrades at Crimson Renewable Energy in Bakersfield, California, including process optimization and expansion, the company announced another milestone project at the same facility. READ MORE

November 07, 2017

Penn researchers mimic giant clams to enhance biofuel production

BY The University of Pennsylvania The lustrous cells on the surface of the clam scatter bright sunlight, efficiently converting it into fuel. Using what they learn from these giant clams, the University of Pennsylvania researchers hope to improve future production of biofuel. 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

November 02, 2017

Biodiesel helps fuel Tow Trucks for Tots in Illinois

BY The Illinois Soybean Association The Illinois Soybean Association checkoff program is partnering with Tow Trucks for Tots to help bring toys to needy children, while educating tow truck drivers on the benefits of B20 biodiesel fuel. The annual event will take place Nov. 12. READ MORE

November 01, 2017

ExxonMobil, REG report progress in cellulosic biodiesel research

BY ExxonMobil ExxonMobil and REG announced Nov. 1 that by utilizing REG's patented fermentation technology, the companies' joint research program has demonstrated the ability to convert sugars from a variety of nonedible biomass sources into biodiesel. 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