January 30, 2014
BY Ron Kotrba
Neol Biosolutions, a 50/50 joint venture between the Neuron Bio Group and Repsol, has patented the microorganism Neoleum, which the company says is able to produce oils from waste at a faster rate than oil-bearing seeds such as palm, rape or sunflower.
The trademarked Neoleum culture in a one-cubic-meter bioreactor produces the same quantity of oil in a year than an extension of one hectare of oil palm in the same period of time, according to Neol.
The oils obtained are highly versatile, the company says, and their composition makes them ideal raw material for the production of biofuels such as biodiesel and biokerosene, or for other industrial applications such as biolubricants or surfactants.
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Neol is working to scale up the process in order to manufacture enough oil to supply the biodiesel market with additional feedstock.
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The USDA reduced its outlook for 2024-’25 soybean oil use in biofuel production in its latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, released April 10. The outlook for soybean oil pricing was revised up.
BDI-BioEnergy International has signed a contract with Ghent Renewables BV to begin the construction of a pioneering biofuel feedstock refinery plant. Construction is underway and the facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2025.
Verity Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of Gevo Inc., has partnered with Minnesota Soybean Processors (MnSP) to implement Verity’s proprietary track and trace software. The collaboration aims to unlock additional value through export premiums.
U.S. operatable biofuels capacity increased slightly in January, with gains for ethanol, according to the U.S. EIA’s Monthly Biofuels Capacity and Feedstock Update, released March 31. Feedstock consumption was down when compared to December.
U.S. farmers are expected to plant 83.5 million acres of soybeans in 2025, down 4% when compared to last year, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s annual Prospective Plantings report, released March 31.