US fuel ethanol exporters are on track to export a record amount of the fuel in 2024, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). The increase in exports this year has largely been driven by demand in countries with biofuel blending mandates and cheaper-than-usual US fuel ethanol prices. In... Read more →

Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have now presented a method for electrocatalytically converting carbon dioxide into ethanol, which is then available as a sustainable raw material for chemical applications. According to Professor Carsten Streb from the JGU Department of Chemistry, the conversion technique, which has so far been... Read more →

Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) received a grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office. Bridgestone will design, build and operate a pilot plant that will advance an innovative, potentially more sustainable and cost-effective approach to obtaining butadiene from ethanol. The project will evaluate the economic and... Read more →

LanzaTech, a company focused on carbon recycling to create sustainable fuels, chemicals, and materials, recently signed a Master License Agreement with Sekisui Chemical to implement a jointly developed platform that converts syngas from municipal solid waste (MSW) and industrial solid waste into ethanol at a commercial scale. Sekisui plans to... Read more →

A study coordinated by Agroicone in partnership with national and international researchers finds that the second crop corn ethanol production system in Brazil provides renewable and affordable energy, animal feed, contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to improving food security. Double-cropping is the practice whereby two crops are... Read more →

Gevo has been awarded US Patent Nº 12,043,587 B2 covering its ethanol to olefins (ETO) process process. This patent protects the process of using certain proprietary catalyst combinations for converting ethanol into olefins. This process is designed to give best-in-class cost and yields of olefins from ethanol, with improved energy... Read more →

Gevo, a developer of net-zero hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals, entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the ethanol production plant and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) assets of Red Trail Energy for $210 million. The Adjusted EBITDA from Red Trail Energy ethanol and CCS assets, when combined with Adjusted EBITDA... Read more →

CF Industries Holdings, a leading global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products and the world’s largest producer of ammonia, and POET, the world’s largest producer of biofuel and a global leader in sustainable bioproducts, announced a collaboration to pilot the use of low-carbon ammonia fertilizer to reduce the carbon intensity... Read more →

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announced up to $36 million in funding to develop technologies to lower nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions by 50% from the cultivation of corn and sorghum used for United States ethanol production. The Technologies to Emend and Obviate SYnthetic Nitrogen’s Toll on Emissions (TEOSYNTE) program... Read more →

bp will acquire Bunge’s 50% holding interest in its bp Bunge Bioenergia S.A. joint venture, one of Brazil’s leading biofuels-producing companies. Upon completion, bp will become sole owner of the industrial scale sugarcane and ethanol business, enabling bp to accelerate value creation through integration with bp’s trading and technology capabilities.... Read more →

SAFFiRE Renewables LLC plans to break ground on its pilot plant to turn agriculture residue into a scalable biofuel business near Liberal, Kansas, in late 2024. In 2023, the company negotiated a license agreement for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) deacetylation and mechanical refining (DMR) process, a technology seen... Read more →

BASF has sold its bioenergy enzymes business based in San Diego to Lallemand’s subsidiaries, Danstar Ferment AG and Lallemand Specialties Inc. This includes the Spartec product portfolio and related technologies in development. Lallemand will integrate the business and associated employees in its Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits (LBDS) business unit.... Read more →

NGK INSULATORS, LTD. (NGK) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) jointly will develop two types of membrane dehydration systems, one for Bioethanol and e-Methanol, respectively. The goal is to realize low cost and to optimize efficiency of manufacturing processes for Bioethanol and e-Methanol to meet expected demand growth for clean... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved registration for VertiGas20, a renewable gasoline product, to be sold as 20% blends in conventional gasoline to help mitigate transportation carbon emissions. VertiBlue Fuels, LLC, a 50/50 joint venture between Blue Biofuels and Vertimass, will start producing this renewable gasoline as one... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing an emergency fuel waiver to allow E15 gasoline—gasoline blended with 15% ethanol—to be sold during the summer driving season. EPA intends the waiver to provide relief at the pump from ongoing market supply issues created by the ongoing war in Ukraine and... Read more →

Propel Fuels, a leading low carbon fuel retailer, has opened the company’s first Flex Fuel E85 station in Washington State, partnering with the Road Warrior Travel Center to introduce a new low-cost, high-performance fuel choice to the Yakima Valley. Propel and Road Warrior celebrated the availability of Flex Fuel E85... Read more →

Growth Energy, Renewable Fuels Association, National Corn Growers Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Farmers Union, and National Sorghum Producers sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calling on Administrator Michael Regan to act swiftly on an emergency waiver for E15 sales. New and ongoing conflicts across the... Read more →

Sales of E85 fuel in California reached an all-time high of 103,521,770 118,473,719 gallons in 2023 according to data released by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). This marks a 14.4% increase from the 2022 level of 103,521,770 gallons. California is the only state in the US where E15—a blend... Read more →

Stellantis announced a record investment plan for the South American region totaling €5.6 billion (R$30 billion) from 2025 to 2030, making it the largest investment in the history of the Brazilian and South American automotive industry. The planned investments will support the launch of more than 40 new products during... Read more →

Nissan Motor has developed a stationary, bio-ethanol-fueled solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) capable of high-efficiency power generation. Trials have begun at Nissan’s Tochigi Plant in Japan aimed to improve power generation capacity toward full-scale operations from 2030. In 2016 Nissan became the first automotive company to create a vehicular propulsion... Read more →

Growth Energy, the US’ largest biofuel trade association, released updated data showing that American drivers recently surpassed a massive milestone: 100 billion miles driven on E15 fuel. The 15% biofuel blend is saving motorists nationwide an average of up to 15 cents per gallon at the pump, Growth Energy said.... Read more →

Brazil-based Raízen, an integrated energy company with a broad portfolio of renewable products, and Wärtsilä, a global leader in technologies for the maritime and energy markets, signed a Decarbonization Agreement to advance the reduction of emissions from the maritime sector. By studying the application of ethanol as a marine fuel,... Read more →

Researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of Connecticut have demonstrated high-performance metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (MS-SOFC) with an integrated high entropy alloy (HEA) internal reforming catalyst (IRC) for transportation applications using ethanol and methanol as fuels. A paper on their work is published in the Journal... Read more →

Gevo announced that its Net-Zero 1 ethanol-to-jet project has been invited by the US Department of Energy to the due diligence and term sheet negotiation phase for a $950-million loan guarantee under the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program. The invitation was based on the DOE’s determination that Gevo’s Net-Zero... Read more →

A power generator demo unit genset, relying on a first use of FuelAdaptive engine technologies patented by ClearFlame Engine Technologies, has successfully progressed through phase one trials. The trial was conducted by Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in partnership with ClearFlame and Duke Energy. In addition to a series of... Read more →

Indian Oil Corporation and Praj Industries signed a term sheet to advance plans to strengthen biofuels production capacities in India. Various biofuels covered under this MoU include Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), ethanol, compressed bio-gas (CBG), biodiesel and bio-bitumen among others. Earlier in October 2021, both the companies had entered into... Read more →

The Volkswagen brand aims to make significant gains in South America with a major product offensive. By 2027, the company plans to grow by 40% in Brazil, the region’s largest market. For example, 15 new electric and flex-fuel vehicle models are being launched by 2025 alone. Hybrid vehicles will also... Read more →

LanzaJet and Airbus entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to address the needs of aviation through the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The MOU establishes a relationship between LanzaJet and Airbus to advance the building of SAF facilities which will use the LanzaJet Process, a proven and proprietary... Read more →

A study by a team from UC Riverside has assessed the potential of increasing ethanol content in California reformulated gasoline (CaRFG) by investigating the exhaust emissions from a fleet of 20 Tier 3 light-duty vehicles. A baseline CaRFG E10 (10% ethanol by volume) fuel was splash-blended with denatured ethanol to... Read more →

EcoCeres, an Asia-based bio-refinery company, announced its first shipment of 100% agricultural waste-produced cellulosic ethanol to the European markets, a milestone the company achieved after commissioning another facility in China. EcoCeres can produce a diverse range of renewable biofuels, covering Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), Hydro-treated Vegetable Oil (HVO) and Cellulosic... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency recently issued an emergency fuel waiver to allow E15 gasoline—gasoline blended with 15% ethanol—to be sold during the summer driving season. Current estimates indicate that on average, E15 is about 25 cents a gallon cheaper than E10. Currently, in roughly two-thirds of the country, E15... Read more →

Butadiene, an essential component of synthetic rubber, is currently produced by the petrochemical industry from fossil reserves. Butadiene can also be produced from ethanol by one of two primary methods: Lebedev, which converts ethanol over one catalyst in one reactor, and Ostromisslensky, which converts a mixture of ethanol and acetaldehyde... Read more →

Gevo has entered into a joint development agreement with LG Chem to develop bio-propylene for renewable chemicals using Gevo’s Ethanol-to-Olefins (ETO) technology. The ETO process uses Gevo’s proprietary mixed metal oxide catalysts to produce tailored mixes of polymer-grade propylene, high-purity isobutylene and hydrogen from fuel-grade ethanol. The basic process involves... Read more →

Japan has published a new biofuels policy that will allow the United States to capture up to 100% of Japan’s on-road ethanol market, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative. According to the new biofuels policy under the Sophisticated Methods of Energy Supply Structure Act, exports of... Read more →

A research team led by Profs. CHEN Wei and WEI Wei from the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (SARI) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed novel graphene/silicon carbide (SiC) catalysts for efficient CO2 photoelectroreduction to ethanol (C2H5OH). The results were published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition. The composite catalyst,... Read more →

Nippon Paper Industries, Sumitomo and Green Earth Institute agreed to begin trilateral consideration of the first commercial production of cellulosic bioethanol from woody biomass in Japan and its development into bio-chemical products. Bioethanol is currently attracting attention as a renewable energy source and as feedstock for biofuels such as SAF... Read more →

United Airlines, Tallgrass, and Green Plains announced a new joint venture—Blue Blade Energy—to develop and then commercialize a novel Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) technology that uses ethanol as its feedstock. United, Tallgrass, and Green Plains will invest up to a combined $50 million in the joint venture. United has entered... Read more →

Brazil-based Braskem, the largest polyolefins producer in the Americas, as well as a global market leader and pioneer producer of biopolymers on an industrial scale, announced a project to evaluate an investment in producing carbon-negative bio-based polypropylene (PP) in the US. The project would utilize Braskem’s proven, proprietary technology to... Read more →

LanzaTech announced that its DRAGON facility project (earlier post) has received a £25-million (~US$31-million) grant from the UK Department for Transport’s Advanced Fuels Fund Competition. LanzaTech’s Project DRAGON, which stands for Decarbonizing and Reimagining Aviation for the Goal Of Netzero, will convert waste gases into synthetic kerosene for use in... Read more →

At an event held at its steel plant in Ghent, Belgium, ArcelorMittal inaugurated its flagship carbon capture and utilization (CCU) project. (Earlier post.) The €200-million Steelanol project is a first of its kind for the European steel industry. Utilizing carbon recycling technology developed by project partner LanzaTech, the CCU plant... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a multipart proposal for required volumes of biofuel under the Renewable FUel Standard (RFS) for the next one to three years and on a series of modifications to the program. The agency is seeking public input on the proposal to help shape the... Read more →

At its Dakar debut in January 2022, the Audi RS Q e-tron (earlier post) series hybrid set standards in efficiency and competitiveness of e-mobility in motorsport. In the next step, the three desert prototypes with electric drive and energy converter will run in the 2023 Dakar Rally with an innovative... Read more →

In a letter sent to US Senate and House leadership, a broad coalition of energy and agriculture organizations called on Congress quickly to adopt legislation that would resolve inconsistent fuel volatility regulations. Specifically, the groups expressed support for legislation that would result in equal regulatory treatment for all gasoline blends... Read more →

As part of the strategy to decarbonize its customers’ supply chains, A.P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk) has entered a green methanol partnership with US-based project developer Carbon Sink LLC. This is Maersk’s 8th such agreement in the efforts to accelerate global production of green methanol. The parties have signed a... Read more →

In the summer of 2022 (June—August), the price of fuel ethanol was lower than the price of the petroleum component of gasoline, which led to record-high fuel ethanol levels (blend rates) in gasoline sold in the United States, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). In addition, on 29... Read more →

Shell has agreed to buy a total of 3.25 billion liters (860k gallons US) of sugar-cane cellulosic ethanol under a long-term agreement with Brazil’s Raízen. The low-carbon fuel is expected to be produced by five plants that Raízen plans to build in Brazil, bringing its total portfolio of cellulosic ethanol... Read more →

Fuel ethanol, a biofuel most commonly mixed with finished motor gasoline, is second only to coal as the most-transported fuel by rail. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) Petroleum Supply Monthly, 95% of all US fuel ethanol deliveries between regions in the first half of 2022 were by... Read more →

Honeywell announced a new ethanol-to-jet fuel (ETJ) processing technology that allows producers to convert corn-based, cellulosic, or sugar-based ethanol into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Depending on the type of ethanol feedstock used, jet fuel produced from Honeywell’s ethanol-to-jet fuel process can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 80%... Read more →

ClearFlame Engine Technologies, a company developing net-zero engine technology (earlier post), has hit a number of key milestones through multiple partnerships with customers, manufacturers, and fuel providers. These achievements highlight the company’s ability to leverage existing infrastructure within the transportation sector, giving it a clear advantage to scale quickly and... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has released the results of a multiyear study evaluating exhaust emissions from the use of California Reformulated Gasoline (CaRFG) that contains 15 volume percent ethanol (E15). The study was performed by a team from the University of California at Riverside (UCR) Bourns College of... Read more →