Foreword
Despite the environmental benefits of using biofuels,
biofuels policy seems to always be fraught with controversy. Most recently this
has been seen here in the EU with the decision by the European Commission to
classify palm oil as a “high-risk” feedstock, restricting policy support for
palm-based biofuels, before eventually phasing them out. Naturally, this has
caused controversy in nations for whom palm oil is a key produce and export,
notably Indonesia and Malaysia, who have threatened WTO action against the EU.
In the meantime, to account for lost exports, Malaysia has committed to raise
domestic biodiesel mandates. This does not mitigate the sustainability concerns
surrounding palm oil – chiefly the carbon emitted when peatland is cleared to
make way for its plantation – but does provide palm oil producing nations with
an opportunity to.........
Other news this month includes:
Policy
- US bill requires transparency on biofuel mandate exemptions
Markets
- Neste and VTT in research partnership
- Gevo releases first quarter financial results​
Research and Development
- Drax launches electric vehicle support service
- Research into biomass logistics for biofuel production
- Biofuel investment from ExxonMobil
- "Electroactive" bacteria could produce biofuels
Bioethanol
- Nordfuel biorefinery to produce bioethanol from 2021
- Approval for two Californian ethanol plants
- Bacterial enzyme catalyses biofuel production from methane
Biodiesel
- Malaysia responds to EU restriction by upping domestic palm biodiesel
blending
- Shanghai buses to run on biodiesel
Aviation Biofuel
- World's first dedicated aviation biofuel refinery
- Neste offering aviation biofuel at Caen airport
- United Airlines renews biofuels contract​
Other Biofuels
- Norwegian cruise ships to run on biogas
- Gasum opens first biogas refuelling station in Sweden​
Price Information
Events