Northumberland, UK-based biodiesel producer V-Fuels has entered administration owing to a combination of events borne from poor market conditions.It doesn’t mean that as a site and as a business we are a dead duck. We are hoping that the business will be able to move forward, whether as V-Fuels or as another entity,’ V-Fuels site director John Moller comments.
The plant, which is running at two-thirds of the 150,000 tonnes per year capacity, is a multi-feedstock site set up in 2006 to process mainly used cooking oil along with smaller amounts of rapeseed and soya oil.
A month-long shut down forced by a blocked effluent discharge system in late 2008 tipped the firm into administration, Moller says.

Swedish power utility Vattenfall plans to convert its power plant facilities in Denmark to use large quantities of biomass fuel instead of coal.
Project MaxBio will replace up to 724,000 tonnes of coal a year, beginning in 2018. As a result, it will prevent at least 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.
According to the company, in the Nordic region alone it will invest more than 60 billion Danish crowns (€8 billion) until the year 2016 in order to achieve this goal. The new MaxBio plan comprises investments in excess of 5 billion Danish crowns.

Ribera ha señalado que el almacenamiento geológico de CO2 está llamado a desempeñar un "papel capital" para, junto con la eficiencia y el ahorro energéticos y un impulso decidido a las energías renovables, "poder alcanzar objetivos de estabilización de concentraciones atmosféricas de CO2 por debajo de los umbrales de peligro señalados por el Panel Intergubernamental de Cambio Climático y la Agencia Internacional de la Energía".

La secretaria de estado también ha añadido que

UK-based Local Generation has announced plans for a food-waste to energy plant in Cambridgeshire, UK.

The food recycling company is investing £9-12 million (€10.3-13.7 million) in an anaerobic digestion system, which will produce up to 2.5MW of power to supply 1,500 local homes and businesses.
Local Generation intends to submit a planning application for the site in the town of March in Q2. Operations are expected to begin in mid-2010.
Food-waste feedstock for the plant will come from the recycler’s sister company potato packer Fenmarc as well as other local sources.

Finland-based paper company UPM Kymmene and renewable fuel supplier Lassila & Tikanoja are testing the use of producing ethanol from the pulp-based waste created by the paper industry.
During the pilot tests ethanol and energy are produced from commercial and industrial waste, such as paper,

cardboard and wood.By developing waste processing units, energy company St1’s biofuel division intends to produce 70 million litres a year of ethanol by the end of 2011.

En el mundo circulan ya 800 millones de vehículos… En 2030 serán casi el doble. La aspiración a la movilidad motorizada individual está tan arraigada entre nosotros que ponerle freno resulta tremendamente difícil. ¿La alternativa? El coche eléctrico.

 La electrificación del transporte puede favorecer, además, la integración de las energías renovables en la red eléctrica y su gestionabilidad. Nuestra portada de febrero es para un tema de plena actualidad

El plazo para presentar solicitudes de instalaciones fotovoltaicas a la segunda convocatoria del registro de pre-asignación de retribución concluía el pasado 31 de enero, de acuerdo con lo establecido en el Real Decreto 1578/2008. El Ministerio de Industria, sin embargo, ha decidido modificar la ley y ampliar ese plazo. El motivo es que se desconoce el resultado definitivo de la primera convocatoria y es necesario conocerlo para fijar las condiciones de participación en la segunda.El Ministerio de Industria argumenta en la orden publicada en el BOE el 31 de enero de 2009 que “el grado de cobertura de cada uno de los cupos, en la primera convocatoria, es el que determina los valores de la tarifa regulada para las instalaciones que se presenten en la segunda convocatoria, y los cupos correspondientes de potencia”. Explica el gobierno que es necesario modificar el calendario porque debido a la enorme cantidad de solicitudes presentadas a la primera convocatoria (la “potencia total es más de ocho veces superior al cupo previsto”, dice el ejecutivo) es necesario modificar el calendario para que la finalización del plazo de presentación de solicitudes de la segunda convocatoria sea posterior a la resolución de la primera.

El alcalde de Madrid, Alberto Ruiz Gallardón, ha inaugurado hoy el complejo de biometanización del vertedero de Valdemingómez, el primero que según sus promotores aprovechará el biogás que generan los residuos mediante su distribución a través de la red de gas natural. También se utilizará para producir electricidad en el mismo complejo.Según datos aportados por el alcalde de Madrid, los 18,7 millones de metros cúbicos de gas natural que se obtendrán durante el proceso de biometanización “serán suficientes para abastecer a 405 autobuses de la EMT, cerca del 25% de toda su flota, y si toda la energía que produce este nuevo complejo se transforma en electricidad, bastaría para cubrir el consumo de 20.500 viviendas o el del 4% de toda la industria de la ciudad"

California-headquartered Sirona Fuels has acquired producer Blue Sky Biofuels.
Blue Sky Biofuels’ Oakland, California-based biodiesel refinery is permitted for 15 million gallons a year and is currently producing ASTM-spec biodiesel from recycled cooking oil.
Sirona has implemented plans for the rapid expansion of its used cooking oil collection business, and by the end of 2009 expects to produce the majority of its biodiesel from jatropha, an oil-yielding plant that grows on non-arable land and is not part of the food chain.
The company has identified commercial sources for jatropha in several countries and is developing businesses that will promote the establishment of jatropha farms in Haiti, India and other developing countries.

Mission Biofuel India is seeking government approval to construct India’s first biodiesel refinery in the eastern coast state of Orissa, by the Bay of Bengal.
The first phase of the project is expected to cost Rs 350 crore (€55.8 million).
The company is focusing on seeds from the jatropha plant as feedstock.
The company is looking at wastelands around the ports at Paradip and Dhamra. Jatropha is already being grown in western parts of Orissa, including Bolangir.
Mission officials presented the plan to state government officials on 29 January.In September 2008, India’s cabinet approved a national policy on biofuels, mandating a 20% blend in petrol and diesel by 2017. The policy requires bioethanol and biodiesel derived from non-edible sources and be grown on non-farming land. 

Singapore-based Allgreen Energy India plans to spend Rs 500 crore (€79.4 million) to construct 10 biomass projects in India.The company eyes operations of the plants for 2011/2. Each plant will have a production capacity of 6.5 MW.

 Allgreen plans to start work on biomass projects in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh by March, with production expected to begin within a year.
Allgreen's plants are expected to use biomass gasification technology developed by the Indian Institute of Science.

El Gobierno alemán ha dado luz verde a una polémica misión científica que aspira a esparcir hierro en el mar para fertilizar el mar y hacer proliferar el fitoplancton (algas microscópicas) con el objeto de aumentar la absorción de dióxido de carbono. Las algas capturan CO2 en su proceso de fotosíntesis.Lo anunció así la ministra alemana de investigación, Annette Schavan:Con el informe de expertos que se ha presentado, estoy convencida de que no hay ninguna objeción científica o legal al experimento LOHAFEX. De modo que he decidido poner en marcha este experimento.La idea, como muchas otras de geoingeniería, ha sido criticada por científicos y ecologistas por los peligros de sus consecuencias, al menos si el experimento es a gran escala.

El presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, quiere trabajar con Brasil en biocombustibles y prometió avanzar en las charlas de comercio global para impulsar el crecimiento económico, dijo el lunes el portavoz del mandatario sudamericano Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.Lula y Obama hablaron por teléfono por cerca de 25 minutos y acordaron reunirse en marzo en Washington, dijo Marcelo Baumbachel, portavoz del presidente brasileño.El presidente Obama dijo que está interesado en continuar las discusiones para avanzar con la ronda de Doha, dada la importancia del comercio global para enfrentar la actual crisis económica internacional.

US ethanol producer Poet may bid on plants owned by VeraSun Energy during an auction to be held in March, CEO Jeff Broin says.Earlier in January VeraSun obtained approval from a judge to auction seven of the eight ethanol plants it had bought from U.S. BioEnergy in 2008 for approximately $700 million (€527 million).Poet first expressed an interest in making investments in ethanol production several months ago.We are looking at all of our opportunities [with] VeraSun being one of them,’ Broin comments. ‘Basically we’re vetting those and looking at how they stack up against other[s].’VeraSun filed for bankruptcy protection in October after expensive prices for corn, the main feedstock for making ethanol in the US.

The UK Government has set a higher target for the use of biofuels in vehicles for 2009-10.
The initial 3% limit deliberated by the Government has been lifted to 3.25%, using feedstock sources such as palm oil and sugar beet.Transport Minister Lord Adonis has set a slightly higher target in response to a legal loophole which meant less renewable fuel was supplied than intended.
Ministers had decided the rate at which biofuels are introduced to the UK under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) would be slowed after the Gallagher Review last year raised questions about their environmental benefits.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to assist the ailing ethanol industry by improving efficiency.
The USDA will research, develop and promote best practices to improve efficiency at corn-based ethanol plants, which have suffered volatile corn prices and low demand for a fuel more expensive than petrol, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says.VeraSun Energy, the second-largest US ethanol producer, filed for bankruptcy protection in October, and has closed 12 of its 16 plants. More recently Texas-based Panda Ethanol filed for bankruptcy for a plant it owns in the state.

The sale of petrol with 7% ethanol content is anticipated for March in Costa Rica following a pilot plan conducted in the north-western area Guanacaste.Biofuels in the country will use a number of feedstocks. Ethanol is made from sugarcane and cassava, while biodiesel is extracted from oil-producing plants such as castor bean and jatropha.Roberto Dobles, minister of the environment and energy, expects that the purchase of ethanol to be mixed with regular and super petrol will be adjudicated by March. However, a decree will have to be signed first for establishing the legal framework of a biofuels industry in the country.This initiative began when the Ministry of the Environment and Energy (MINAE), the Ministry of Agriculture (MAG) and the Costa Rican Petroleum Refinery (RECOPE) were instructed to give priority to studies and any necessary actions to begin using biofuels in the country, with emphasis on offering petrol-ethanol mixes.

Sierra Leone has launched a $200 million (€154 million) renewable energy project, which includes the production of ethanol.The project’s sugarcane plantation will take 20,000 hectares of land and the ethanol plant will produce more than 1.2 million litres of ethanol a year.In addition, a 30MW power plant will also be in operation. The project’s funding has been approved and construction is expected to begin in June.Sierra Leone’s special trade agreements with EU countries, where they would eventually find a market for their products, would be beneficial to their enterprise, President Ernest Bai Koroma says.

The Netherlands-based biodiesel producer Solarix, the University of Amsterdam (UvA), and technology company Yellow Diesel have received a €1 million subsidy for developing new biofuels from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, as part of the EOS KTO programme (short term energy research). The funding forms part of a €1.5 million R&D project for synthesising and commercialising a new type of biodiesel.The process uses a novel catalyst and design optimising the use of raw materials with practically no waste streams. The new biodiesel is cheaper, burns better, reduces soot emissions and can use organic waste oil/fat as feedstock.

The first industrial biodiesel production plant in Latvia opened on 22 January.The plant constructed by BDI – BioDiesel International is located in the port area of Ventspils with an annual production capacity of 100,000 tonnes. The plant will use vegetable raw materials coming from the Baltic states, the Ukraine, Belorussia and Kazakhstan. It is also capable of processing used cooking oils and free fatty acids (FFAs) on a pro-rata basis.Around the production plant, customer Bioventa has established crop storages, an oil mill for processing raw materials, a fuelling station for trucks as well as a ship loading station with a total investment volume of approximately €85 million.

Thailand-based palm oil crushing company Vichitbhan Group is investing almost THB2 billion (€44.3 million) to set up biogas and biomass energy businesses.Vichitbhan Group runs separate palm oil crushing mills under its Vichitbhan Palm Oil and Vichitbhan Plantation companies.Krisada Chavananand, MD of Vichitbhan Palm Oil, says the investment is part of a five-year business plan focusing on the palm oil and energy businesses, ending in 2011.Of the total investment, Bt460 million will be spent on renovation and expansion of facilities at Vichitbhan Palm Oil, which will install modern crushing processing lines. It will invest Bt300 million to set up the biogas power plant and another Bt1 billion in the biomass plant.Another Bt160 million will be spent to set up a biogas power plant at Vichitbhan Plantation’s manufacturing base. The plantation was established in 2005, as the group’s second crushing mill, with an investment of Bt500 million.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded cellulosic ethanol producer Range Fuels a conditional commitment for an $80 million (€62 million) loan guarantee for the development and construction of its commercial cellulosic ethanol plant near Soperton, Georgia.Range Fuels was awarded this loan guarantee in part because they are working toward the development of commercially available fuel that is not corn-based.The USDA’s Biorefinery Assistance programme is intended to assist in developing new and emerging technologies that produce advanced biofuels.

PetroAlgae, a US-based developer of systems to produce biofuel from algae, announced that it has closed on a $10 million (€7.4 million) capital raise through the sale of approximately 3.2 million of newly-issued shares of common stock to two existing investors. The company said that the proceeds from the stock sale will be used to help finance the commercial launch of PetroAlgae’s biodiesel product derived from algae.‘As a result, 2009 could represent the breakthrough year not only for PetroAlgae but for the entire

US-headquartered Magellan Midstream Partners has added ethanol blending capabilities at two Texas-based terminals, including a third truck rack lane at its terminal in Fort Worth.The Fort Worth terminal now has 18,000 barrels of ethanol storage. In addition, the facility can receive ethanol via truck through an automated off-loading system that is open 24 hours a day.The West Fort Worth terminal has a state-of-the-art sequential ethanol blending system with installation of the system complete and ready for operations in the forthcoming weeks.US-headquartered Magellan Midstream Partners has added ethanol blending capabilities at two Texas-based terminals, including a third truck rack lane at its terminal in Fort Worth.The Fort Worth terminal now has 18,000 barrels of ethanol storage. In addition, the facility can receive ethanol via truck through an automated off-loading system that is open 24 hours a day.The West Fort Worth terminal has a state-of-the-art sequential ethanol blending system with installation of the system complete and ready for operations in the forthcoming weeks.

US state Pennsylvania has signed a letter of agreement with 10 other eastern states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels and other sources by developing a regional low carbon fuel standard.Vehicles using low carbon transport fuels include cars fuelled with biodiesel and ethanol, especially cellulosic ethanol made from non-food plant materials; and those powered by hydrogen fuel cells and electric cars such as plug-in hybrids.‘In conjunction with Pennsylvania's energy policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase clean energy development, this work done by this partnership will ultimately grow our economy and protect our planet by fostering a cleaner environment,’ Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell says.

BioWanze, the Belgian subsidiary of Germany-based ethanol producer CropEnergies, has started production at its next-generation bioethanol plant in Wanze, Belgium.The bioethanol plant, the largest in Belgium, will produce up to 300,000m³ of bioethanol a year from wheat and sugar syrups. The manufacturing process, which uses biomass as a primary energy source, lowers carbon dioxide emissions by up to 70% compared to fossil fuels. With this, BioWanze has been awarded half of the distributed production licenses or 125,000m³ a year until 2013 with which the Belgian government promotes biofuels in the domestic market.The investment for this technology exceeds €250 million. 

Texas-based GreenHunter Biofuels, a wholly-owned subsidiary of GreenHunter Energy, has received approval by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to sell GreenHunter Biodiesel to the on-road market in the US.This approval by the EPA improves GreenHunter Energy’s biodiesel distribution capabilities in the US, and further enhances the company’s strategy of diversifying risk by distributing its products in multiple markets.Previously, GreenHunter announced a distribution strategy that included selling biodiesel in the overseas markets as well as owning distribution assets in the marine market in the Gulf of Mexico.

US-based Liberty Green Renewables Indiana plans to build a 28 megawatt biomass-to-electricity plant on 110 acres northwest of Milltown, Indiana.The Crawford County plant will cost $80-90 million (€57-64.5 million).Funding for the project is expected to come through equity investments, bank financing, local tax abatement and federal New Markets Tax Credits, which the company plans to seek. The company also expects to qualify for federal Renewable Energy Credits and production tax credits.

Nigeria-based Global Biofuels is establishing the first of a number of refineries for the production of bioethanol from sweet sorghum.Ethanol will be blended with petrol to make E10.
Global Biofuels is planning to establish the project in nine Nigerian states. It expects to start production in December 2009, with an initial production capacity of 27 million litres a year. 

BioWanze, the Belgian subsidiary of Germany-based ethanol producer CropEnergies, has started production at its next-generation bioethanol plant in Wanze, Belgium.The bioethanol plant, the largest in Belgium, will produce up to 300,000m³ of bioethanol a year from wheat and sugar syrups. The manufacturing process, which uses biomass as a primary energy source, lowers carbon dioxide emissions by up to 70% compared to fossil fuels. With this, BioWanze has been awarded half of the distributed production licenses or 125,000m³ a year until 2013 with which the Belgian government promotes biofuels in the domestic market.

The US Department of Energy (DoE) is making available up to $200 million (€140 million) for advanced biofuel pilot refineries.The funds could be awarded to up to 12 projects over the next six years.If deployed on a large scale, the commercial facilities could produce volumes that would contribute significantly to the new national renewable-fuels mandate. 

El grupo de energías renovables Conergy asegura que el parque fotovoltaico (FV) que acaba de conectar a la red de Alemania es el mayor del mundo con tecnología de capa fina. El parque se ubica en la ciudad de Trier, de la región Renania-Palatinado, y pertenece al cliente promotor Stadtwerke Trier (SWT).La instalación, que ha supuesto una inversión de aproximadamente treinta millones de euros, cuenta con un total de 112.500 módulos del estadounidense First Solar. Estos equipos han sido montados sobre 40.000 estructuras fijas del propio Conergy. El conjunto ocupa una superficie de 25.000 metros cuadrados.

Las organizaciones ecologistas españolas hacen un balance negativo en la política ambiental española del 2008, entre otros puntos por la política de cambio climático llevada a cabo por el presidente del Gobierno, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, más insostenible que el Gobierno anterior, un hecho que ha supuesto un año perdido para el medio ambiente, según apuntan.A pesar de ello, afirman que se han producido avances, y vislumbran ‘algunas luces’, como la aprobación del Decreto de Protección Bifauna o la disminución del número de incendios forestales en España, casi a la mitad, con respecto a la media de los últimos 15 años.Así,

US company Amyris Biotechnologies and Brazilian sugar and ethanol group Crystalsev have formed a joint venture to produce and sell the first commercial diesel made from sugarcane instead of oilseeds like soy and canola.The first product, a renewable diesel that works in vehicle engines, is targeted for commercialisation in 2010. Scale-up and testing work to date indicate that this fuel scales more quickly and economically than currently available biofuels, and reduces emissions by 80% over petroleum diesel.

In Italy, Oxem Group has begun construction on a 60 million gallon a year canola-based biodiesel plant near Pavia, in Lombardy.

Oxem will invest $100 million (€63.4 million) in the project that will use feedstock from France, Germany, Romania and Hungary.

Our climate change work has reached an important milestone. The Departments of Ecology and Community, Trade and Economic Development have completed the state's draft interim climate change report. This interim report was prepared in response to the executive order signed by Governor Gregoire in February 2008, establishing goals for reductions in climate pollution, increases in jobs, and reductions in expenditures on imported fuel.

 La Secretaría de Medio Ambiente otorgó las licencias correspondientes para la instalación en el país de tres parques eólicos que producirán cada uno 190 megas de energía. El titular de la cartera, Omar Ramírez, informó que estos parques serán instalados en Baní, Oviedo y Monte Cristi.“Estamos trabajando en la inspección y el establecimiento del Parque Eólico Nacional. Ya somos el tercer país en Latinoamérica y el séptimo del mundo, que ha conseguido a través del Mecanismo de Desarrollo Limpio, inscribir estos tres proyectos”, precisó.Estos detalles fueron expuestos ayer durante una reunión extraordinaria  de ministros de Medio Ambiente de El Salvador, Belice, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panamá, Nicaragua y República Dominicana, en la que se planteó la necesidad de definir una posición conjunta y crear estrategias regionales sobre cambios climáticos.

Biodiesel has gotten a bad rap for using valuable food crops. Now, several African countries are producing their own biodiesel from non-food materials, and the technology to do it comes from a family business in Sweden. Each year, restaurants throw out millions of liters of oil that has been used for frying and cooking. But Gert Frykeras' company in Norrkoping, just south of Stockholm, takes that waste and turns it into biodiesel. The process avoids the moral dilemma of turning potential human food into fuel and, in a world facing severe food shortages, his machines have won international attention.

La Asociación de Productores de Energías Renovables (APPA) ha valorado de forma positiva la nueva orden ministerial publicada por Industria sobre mezcla de biocarburantes en combustibles de transporte, pero pidió concreción en el objetivo de que en 2011 el 7% del contenido energético de estos productos proceda de esta fuente

Está previsto que el 3 de diciembre despegue de Auckland, Nueva Zelanda un Boeing 747 de Air New Zealand, que funciona parcialmente con un nuevo tipo de combustible para reactores elaborado a partir de una mala hierba. Una mezcla a partes iguales de de biocombustible y combustible convencional hará funcionar uno de los motores del avión. El biocombustible, que podría ayudar a reducir las emisiones de dióxido de carbono, ha sido desarrollado por UOP, un destacado proveedor de tecnología para el refinado de petróleo.

 El secretario general de la ONU, Ban Ki-moon, ha asegurado que hay medios "reales y asequibles" para combatir el cambio climático y ha urgido a los políticos a dar respuesta a las evidencias que han constatado los científicos. Ban Ki-moon ha presidido el acto de clausura de la 27ª sesión plenaria del Grupo Intergubernamental de expertos en Cambio Climático (IPCC, en sus siglas en inglés) de la ONU, reunido en Valencia desde el pasado lunes.

Tomar un conjunto de medidas que hicieran controlable el cambio climático y las consecuencias medioambientales que de él se derivarían costaría sólo un poco más del 1% del PIB mundial de aquí a 2030, un periodo en el que el crecimiento económico global sería del 97%.Éste es el principal mensaje del informe anual de perspectivas medioambientales que hoy publicó la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económico (OCDE), que subrayó lo "abordable" de ese costo, aunque al mismo tiempo insistió en la necesidad de actuar con carácter urgente y de forma concertada entre todos los países.

A sólo dos semanas de que comience la décimocuarta Cumbre del Clima, que este año se celebra en Poznan (Polonia), la Secretaría de Cambio Climático de la ONU hizo ayer públicos los datos de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero de los países industrializados. Entre éstos, los más relevantes son los de los 41 países que forman parte del Anexo I de la Convención de Cambio Climático. Estos son los países que tienen compromiso de reducción en el Protocolo de Kioto, si bien Estados Unidos y Turquía no han ratificado dicho Tratado, por lo que el nivel de cumplimiento queda restringido a 39 países.

La Unión Europea (UE) logró hoy un acuerdo para que el 20% de la energía que consuma en el 2020 sea renovable, una de las medidas de lucha contra el cambio climático que quiere aprobar la cumbre comunitaria de esta semana.La decisión se adoptó en una reunión entre representantes del Consejo, la Comisión y el Parlamento europeos que concluyó hoy, dentro de la intensa serie de negociaciones previas que buscan despejar en lo posible un acuerdo de cara a la cumbre del jueves y viernes próximos.

Actualmente, bodegas, destilerías y otros productores de alcohol descartan millones de litros de subproductos cada año. A eso hay que sumarle bares y restaurantesTodos estos milones de litros de alcohol deshechado se podrían aprovechar para destilarlos en etanol para vehículos, con la unidad de destilado y bombeo de etanol La E-Fueler 100 funciona bien mediante deshechos orgánicos, aunque también tiene un modo “destilería”. Funcionando con este modo, solamente hace falta llenar el tanque de fermentación con restos de alcohol y la estación destila todo en etanol con el que se puede llenar directamente el tanque de combustible del vehículo.

Escalating demand for E10 fuel in Jamaica has driven plans to expand the market.‘We intend to have at least some Petcom stations providing up to E85 in the coming year,’ Ministry of Energy Portfolio Minister Clive Mullings says.Demand for E10 ethanol blended petrol has nearly tripled the projected 3,000 barrels, with calls for 8,000 barrels a week.The market's response to the fuel has forced the Ministry to rethink its earlier decision for a national roll-out in April 2009. The phased roll-out, with only service stations mid-island and in eastern parishes retailing the fuel, aimed to facilitate completion of a storage tank facility in Montego Bay, which will supply the western-end of the island.

Cuba to bump up biogas power generationCuba will install a modern biogas industrial plant in central Cienfuegos province in 2009.The plant will generate electricity using the excrement of pigs from the General Swine Complex in the town of Palmira, and forms the beginning of a national programme.It is estimated that only 50% of more than 700 biogas plants in the country are in operation, but efforts are being made for their renewal in light of the world movement towards obtaining sustainable and cleaner production.

It would be a big mistake for leaders to ignore climate change during the financial crisis, said Nicholas Stern, a former British Treasury economist, who released a seminal report in 2006 that said inaction on emissions blamed for global warming could cause economic pain equal to the Great Depression.That's a very important lesson, tackle risk early," Stern told a climate and carbon conference in Hong Kong.There have been worries that countries will be unwilling to commit to climate change goals at an international meeting scheduled in Copenhagen at the end of next year. Stern said he was optimistic that countries would agree to reduce carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2050.

The two-week UN climate conference that began in Poznan, Poland, on Monday, Dec. 1, is meant to put governments on track for a new global deal to save the climate that leaders can approve in Denmark in a year's time."The need for real progress on tackling climate change has never been more urgent," said Yvo de Boer, the UN's top climate official. "The effects of climate change that science has identified are already weighing upon those most vulnerable."An array of clashing interests is expected to come into focus at Poznan as delegates chart a way to create a successor the Kyoto Protocol. That pact binds 35 developed nations to limit emissions of gases linked to the earth's warming, notably carbon dioxide spewed out when fossil fuel burn.

Under the deal, announced on Monday, Dec. 1, plans to limit the gas blamed for global warming would be phased in over several years, with 65 percent of cars to meet the goal of releasing 120 grams or less of the pollutant per kilometer by 2012.

But in what was seen as a compromise deal, several prominent EU auto brands were excluded from 2012 phase-in date.Germany won a reprieve for jobs and earnings after luxury carmakers BMW and Mercedes were allowed to continue manufacturing higher-carbon output vehicles until 2014. Britain's Aston Martin and Jaguar and Italy's Fiat, Maserati and Ferrari also joined selected French automakers and the German pair in being awarded special treatment.

El representante de la Oficina de Negocios de la República China de  Taiwán en el país, Wang  Werhua,  reveló este domingo que empresarios de esa nación están interesados en instalar en la República Dominicana una planta de generación eléctrica utilizando como materia prima la basura.El diplomático entiende que en la  República Dominicana se  producen miles de toneladas de basuras que deben ser aprovechadas para la producción  de energía, sin embargo no reveló el costo de la misma, aún que la instalación de la planta saldría por  miles de millones de dólares.

Desde la combustión de algas hasta el almacenamiento de CO2, la organización ecologista noruega Bellona, presentó este jueves una serie de medidas que según ella permitirían reducir en 85% las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero de aquí a 2050.Combatir el calentamiento del planeta es un desafío considerable pero no insuperable.Así lo afirma Frederic Hauge, presidente de Bellona, en un informe publicado durante un seminario sobre el clima en Sarpsborg, sudeste de Noruega.

Perpetual Energy Systems (PES) has announced the launch of its newest project hosted at the City of Willits Water Treatment Plant. The project guarantees a reduction in energy costs and has the capacity to generate approximately 530,000 kilowatt hours AC (kWh) per year to meet 100 percent of the plant's current power needs.

France is preparing a national plan for renewable energy, which has set aside any assessment of the EU's biofuels draft directive to generate a 10% share of biofuels in transport by 2020.France's Environment and Energy Minister Jean-Louis Borloo offered the national plan for renewable energies on 17 November.The plan aims to bring the share of renewables in the energy mix by 2020 to 23%. This corresponds to 20 million tonnes of oil equivalent and involves 50 different measures to develop biomass, wind, geothermal and solar energy.

US Green Energy Technology (GET) and the Philippines-based biotechnology firm Secura International (SIC) have signed an agreement to construct a $30 million (€23.7 million) biodiesel plant using malunggay oil as feedstock.Malunggay is a versatile plant that can grow anywhere, except in rice-growing, flooded areas. It is suitable for rainfall of less than 1,000 millimeters a year and needs little maintenance and irrigation. An estimated 500 tonnes of oil will be produced a day at the plant.

The biofuel test flight programme, the first using a second-generation biofuel, is a joint initiative between Air New Zealand, Boeing, Rolls-Royce and UOP, which has produced the jet fuel using its refining technology.
The jatropha oil has been independently sourced by Terasol Energy from south-eastern Africa (Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania) and India, and fulfils the three “non-negotiable” criteria imposed by the partners: it must be sustainable and not compete with existing food resources; it must be a drop-in replacement for traditional jet fuel and technically at least as good; and it should be cost competitive with existing fuel supplies and be readily available.

Hay dos alternativas para usar biocombustibles en un motor diesel:

Producir biodiesel y usarlo, no es necesario modificar el motor.
Comprar un sistema CAV para tu coche, o construirte uno, para que el motor pueda funcionar con aceite de cocina usado. Casi no es necesario depurar el aceite, sólo llenar el depósito y arrancar.

Elsbett, Alemania
¿Funciona bien con aceite vegetal? Sí, pero tienes que hacerlo todo bien. No es tan fácil como parece por un motivo: el aceite de cocina usado, que suele ser gratuito, hay que procesarlo de todas formas, aunque menos que el biodiesel. Y después de purificarlo sigue sin ser tan buen combustible como el biodiesel.

Pero sigue leyendo. Puedes hacer funcionar tu coche diesel sin problemas con aceite usado en la cocina. Encontrarás dificultades, pero nosotros te ayudaremos a superarlas.

There is a great deal of information and enthusiasm today about the development and increased production of our global energy needs from alternative energy sources. Solar energy, wind power and moving water are all traditional sources of alternative energy that are making progress. The enthusiasm everyone shares for these developments has in many ways created a sense of complacency that our future energy demands will easily be met.

Eight developing countries have told the EU that they might file a World Trade Organization complaint unless Europe reconsiders its new proposals on biofuels. The EU is set to decide on tougher biofuel regulations in the coming weeks.Until recently biofuels were considered an exciting new source of renewable energy, creating fuel from plants like rapeseed. But environmentalists charge that using grains and oilseeds for fuel has pushed up food prices and forced farmers to start hacking into rainforests and draining wetlands in order to expand their agricultural output.

"We have agreement on everything except the deletion of the review clause," the European Parliament's lead negotiator Claude Turmes said on Thursday, Dec. 4 following extensive closed-door talks.The debate surrounding biofuels flared up in January when the European Commission proposed that 10 percent of road transport fuel should come from renewable resources by the year 2020. Biofuels would comprise a large portion of such resources, meaning that a large market currently coveted by exporters such as Brazil and Indonesia would be opened up.

Klaus has called manmade global warming a myth and questioned sanity of Al Gore, the former US vice-president who received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for turning a spotlight on climate change.Most recently, Klaus expressed hopes the EU would give up its ambitious plan to spearhead the global struggle against climate change in the face of the global financial crisis.From his vantage point in Prague's Hradcany castle, Klaus could be involved in negotiating a new set of EU climate laws while the Czech Republic chairs the EU in the first half of 2009.

Comisiones Obreras y diversas organizaciones ecologistas enviaron ayer una carta a la presidenta de la Comunidad de Madrid (España), Esperanza Aguirre, en la que le reclaman un compromiso firme contra el cambio climático con un nuevo plan energético que fomente la eficiencia y el ahorro energético, el desarrollo de energías renovables y la potenciación del transporte público.La Comunidad de Madrid se sitúa a la cabeza de las regiones en las que más crecieron las emisiones de CO2, según un informe de la Secretaría de Salud Laboral y Medio Ambiente de CC.OO.. En concreto, la región aumentó sus emisiones un 76 por ciento entre 1990 y 2007, mientras que la media nacional fue del 53 por ciento.

Garbage truck fleets in a growing number of cities, including New York and San Francisco, are switching to the alternative fuel which experts say can cut soot and greenhouse gas emissions at no extra cost.The trend comes amid a nationwide push to displace fossil fuels with home-grown renewable energy like biodiesel and ethanol, which the White House hopes will eventually reduce US dependence on foreign oil shipments.The greening of the waste management is here, but it's not going to happen overnight," said Bruce Parker, director of the National Solid Wastes Management Association.

 El mundo mágico de Disney y Al Gore se han unido para llevar a la juventud norteamericana al frente de la lucha contra el cambio climático.Unos 2000 adolescentes se han unido a la organicación “Juventud Incómoda” para hacer campaña a sus amigos, vecinos a toda su generación y a cualquiera que les escuche, en favor de la lucha contra el cambio climático y que si hay que hacer algo, el momento es ahora. Mary Doerr, fundadora de la organización, cree que las nuevas generaciones pueden arreglarlo.

Global Solar Energy has announced the full operation of the largest solar electric array worldwide using CIGS photovoltaic (PV) technology. The 750-kilowatt (kW) system, located at Global Solar's manufacturing facility in Tucson, is the first commercial-scale deployment of the company's highly efficient CIGS thin-film solar technology and will help power its manufacturing plant.

El agujero de la capa de ozono sobre la Antártida ya es más grande que en 2007, aunque los expertos no creen que este año se llegue a los niveles de 2006, cuando se observó el mayor agujero de la historia, ha advertido hoy la Organización Mundial de la Meteorología (OMM), dependiente de la ONU, con motivo del Día Mundial para la Preservación de la Capa de Ozono. La OMM ha alertado, además, de que los cambios observados en la estratosfera podrían retrasar la recuperación de la capa de ozono, a pesar del freno al desgaste logrado tras la firma del Protocolo de Montreal en 1987.

Biodiesel producer Natural Fuel plans to start production at the world's largest plant located on Jurong Island, Singapore, by early-November given the recent fall in palm oil prices.'We are planning to start-up two of our biodiesel lines by either late-October or early-November,' said a source, adding that the company was 'still working on the third line,' and that the start-up would be slightly delayed.

 US-based Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP) has announced successful ethanol movements through its Central Florida pipeline system and has begun tests to assess transporting biodiesel through its pipelines on a commercial basis. The company is conducting a test movement of blended B5 biodiesel in a segment of the Plantation Pipe Line system that transports petrol and diesel from Collins, Mississippi, to Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Brazil's state-owned oil company Petrobras and Galp Energia SGPS have signed an investment agreement to create a joint-venture to develop a biofuel production and marketing project.The agreement is the outcome of a Memorandum of Understanding the companies signed last May, which was aimed at studying the feasibility of joint biodiesel production, marketing and distribution projects in the Brazilian, Portuguese and international markets

Mejores descripciones del la planta jatropha ,sus procesos y todo los procesos para la elaboracion del biocombustible.. Link:

..

Los canadienses cada vez se preocupan más por las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero. Quizá por eso, gobierno federal pretende dar luz verde a las diferentes provincias para que empiecen a permitir que los camiones eléctricos de poca velocidad se puedan vender en el país y circular por algunas de sus carreteras, como los campus universitarios, parques o comunidades de retiro, donde la velocidad de circulación es menor.Zenn Motor Co, un fabricante de vehículos eléctricos de Toronto, ya ha dicho que la medida no es suficiente.

Entrando al siglo 21, estamos enterados de manera jamás vista sobre lo que llaman la naturaleza. Para muchos, el conocimiento del término “naturaleza” se relaciona a las cosas no humanas que debemos proteger o conservar para evitar consecuencias graves. Un árbol, una flor, un ave, la lluvia, y hasta el sol subiendo sobre el horizonte - todos son percibidos como ejemplos de la naturaleza. La palabra “naturaleza” viene de la palabra Latina “natura,” la cual significa “carácter natural de las cosas.” Esta es derivada de la palabra Griega “physis,” que se refiera a la forma espontanea en la cual los animales y las plantas crecen.

AE Biofuels, a vertically integrated biofuels company, has signed a joint development agreement with DS Development, a subsidiary of the DS Group, to build, own and operate a 75mgy production biodiesel plant near Rosario, Argentina. Soya oil will be the primary feedstock at the facility as Argentina is one of the world's largest producers and exporters of soya oil. Construction of the biodiesel plant is subject to obtaining necessary project financing.

La Jatropha tiene ventajas naturales y prácticas sobre otros biodiesel hasta ahora producidos.Desde hace dos años, Becker trabaja apoyado por la empresa automovilística Daimler-Chrysler. Teniendo en cuenta los precios del crudo, los ecologistas no son los únicos interesados en buscar alternativas al petróleo.

Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere will increase during the next century unless greenhouse gas emissions decrease substantially from present levels. Increased greenhouse gas concentrations are very likely to raise the Earth's average temperature, influence precipitation and some storm patterns as well as raise sea levels (IPCC, 2008). The magnitude of these changes, however, is uncertain.

The Solar Thermal Systems (STS) market for hot water and heating has changed considerably over the past few years in Europe as market shares spread into new countries. In 2003, close to 80% of the solar thermal market in operation was concentrated in Germany, Greece and Austria. Just a few years later, these same countries only hold 55%, making room for countries like Spain, Italy and France that previously only held about 10% of the total market share each. Now France, Italy and Spain are among the fastest growing solar thermal markets in Europe

Poet, the US' largest ethanol producer, is engaging in buyout talks with a number of ethanol companies.Several US ethanol companies have encountered financial battles brought on by volatile market conditions. VeraSun Energy, the second largest US producer, sought bankruptcy protection on 31 October after it suffered significant losses in Q3 due to a dramatic rise in the cost of corn.Shares of smaller ethanol manufacturers such as Pacific Ethanol, Aventine Renewable Energy Holdings and Biofuel Energy are trading at a fraction of what they once were, creating a pool in which it may be cheaper to buy an ethanol company than to build new plants.

Forest Research is establishing a ‘one stop shop’ able to provide advice and guidance - signposting to other specialised sources of advice as necessary - on a wide range of biomass fuels and conversion technologies. This initiative has been undertaken in support of Government’s response to recommendations made by the Biomass Task Force.The initial focus will be on woodfuel and some energy crops, drawing on results and knowledge accumulated over many years by staff linked to our own Woodfuel Research Centre. Over the coming months we will develop links with experts in other sectors of the bio-energy industry, including waste management, and establish an information service dedicated to biomass derived heat and energy technologies and supply chains. Information will be provided via the above website and helpline.

Un grupo de empresarios de Vietnam anunció su disposición de instalar en la República Dominicana un  sistema de energía solar que en su primera etapa incluiría un plan piloto de un kilómetro de extensión, que sería donado para fines de prueba.  Durante una cena ofrecida al secretario de Estado sin cartera, Miguel Mejía, al embajador dominicano concurrente ante el gobierno de Vietnam, señor Hans Dannenberg Castellanos, y a los periodistas Manuel Díaz Aponte y Luis M. Cárdenas, que les acompañan en esta visita oficial,  los empresarios se comprometieron a elaborar un estudio detallado del proyecto de energía no renovable que será entregado al presidente Leonel Fernández.

Long before trees appeared on Earth, animals and other land plants were scattered among the land masses. And before land plants came the land animals. How did it all happen, and where did they all come from?They came from the oceans, where just a few billion years earlier the first animal life evolved followed by plants. So, you see, the occurrence of trees was quite full of twists and turns and came about quietly long after land plants had struggled to rise from the oceans. Yet, their existence is the essence of all life on the planet.

On a recent fossil collecting trip a friend asked, "What do you think is the most important organism on the Earth?" She knew full well I would answer, "Humans!" since we are the masters of our domain and without rival in the animal world (are we good or what?).She was a bit surprised, and gave me the "Are you nuts?" look, when, without hesitation, I answered, "No doubt about it... hands down the most important organism on this planet is marine algae."

Not only is the Arctic ice cap shrinking, it is shrinking at a pace that places its disappearance two to three decades ahead of the gloomiest previous forecasts. It is now generally predicted that the Arctic ice cap will totally disappear in 20 - 25 years, leaving the Arctic Ocean totally free of summer ice as early as the summer of 2030. Some scientists even predict that Arctic summer sea ice will totally disappear as early as 2015. The previous most dismal prediction of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had the Arctic ice cap vanishing by the year 2050.

The atom, the smallest component of any element, contains enormous energy. When it is split -- a process called fission, this energy is released in the forms of tremendous heat and light. It is this energy that was released on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, by two separate atom bombs in 1945 that led to the conclusion of World War II. The horrors created by those two bombs led the international community to condemn further use of atomic weapons

There is a great deal of information and enthusiasm today about the development and increased production of our global energy needs from alternative energy sources. Solar energy, wind power and moving water are all traditional sources of alternative energy that are making progress. The enthusiasm everyone shares for these developments has in many ways created a sense of complacency that our future energy demands will easily be met.

The Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson, has launched the Australian Government's AUS$15 million (€7.6 million) Second Generation Biofuels Research and Development Programme (Gen 2).Businesses and institutions researching second generation biofuels are now able to apply for grants of between $1 million and $5 million. Second generation biofuels use fuel stocks such as biomass and algae (rather than grain or other livestock feed) and will allow the industry to move beyond the food versus fuel debate. This funding will importantly provide a boost to the biofuels industry and assist in the research and development of the next generation of biofuel technologies, which have the potential to be a cleaner burning alternative to petroleum products with lower carbon dioxide emissions,' Ferguson says.

A tree fungus discovered in the Patagonian rainforest in South America has been found to naturally produce a mixture of hydrocarbon molecules similar to diesel.'This is the only organism that has ever been shown to produce such an important combination of fuel substances,' Gary Strobel, a plant scientist from Montana State University, comments. 'We were totally surprised to learn that it was making a plethora of hydrocarbons.'The fungus, Gliocladium roseum, discovered growing inside the ulmo tree (Eucryphia cordifolia) in northern Patagonia, produces a range of hydrocarbon molecules that are virtually identical to the fuel-grade compounds in existing fossil fuels.

 Houston-headquartered GreenHunter Energy is mulling plans to construct a $70 million (€54.8 million) facility that would store and produce biofuels at the Port of Tampa. The company recently paid $1 million for an option to lease the 22-acre site.The project will give GreenHunter a foothold in a deep-water port that handles over half of the transportation fuel used in the state of Florida, GreenHunter chairman and CEO Gary Evans says.

 Australia-based biofuels producer Mission NewEnergy, formerly Mission Biofuels, has announced that a joint venture with a scientific team in India has successfully produced cellulosic ethanol from agricultural wastes at a pilot-scale facility in northern India. The project focused on developing a novel conversion process for lingocellulosic feedstocks at the plant, which has a batch capacity of 10,000 gallons a year.'While other technologies have been able to produce bioethanol from biomass, they have suffered from a low conversion rate of raw material to bioethanol or high conversion cost,' Mission NewEnergy MD Nathan Mahalingam says.

 China-based Hainan Yedao Group has reportedly invested $51.5 million (€41.1 million) in a new biofuel facility to produce 33 million gallons a year of bioethanol from cassava plants. The plans follow recent moves from the Beijing government to ban the use of grain-based energy crops in bioethanol, amid concerns demand had led to a decline in food supplies.Cassava avoids the ban as it is a root vegetable that represents China's fifth-largest crop yield after rice, sweet potato, sugarcane and maize.

 The ethanol market is set to swell to nearly 30 billion tonnes over the next four years, a report by Global Industry Analysts finds. Fuel-ethanol is experiencing great interest brought on largely by the ban on MTBE in several countries and its resulting replacement with ethanol.In the US, the renewable fuels standard mandates the use of approximately 8 billion gallons of ethanol by the year 2012.

 Production has begun at the largest ethanol plant in California, Pacific Ethanol's facility at the Port of Stockton, which is projected to produce 60 million gallons per year. Neil Koehler, president and CEO of publicly traded Pacific Ethanol, says starting up the Stockton plant puts the company on track to produce 220 million gallons of ethanol annually, and dramatically increases the availability of renewable fuels produced in the state of California.In addition to ethanol, the plant will annually produce 500,000 tonnes of wet distiller's grains, a waste product of the ethanol manufacturing process that is used as a high-protein feed product for dairies.

El Congreso estadounidense comienza el lunes a analizar una ley que busca combatir el calentamiento global, que es apoyada por republicanos y demócratas y respaldada por científicos y economistas pero a la cual se opone la Casa Blanca.Este proyecto de ley -bautizado Lieberman-Warner por sus autores, los senadores independientes Joe Lieberman y republicano John Warner- propone aplicar un sistema que otorgue a las empresas derechos de contaminación, cuyo total sería limitado en función del conjunto de las emisiones actuales.

French water and waste management group Veolia will launch its first biodiesel plant in France in early 2009 using oil recycled from the restaurant trade.The plant in Limay, near Paris, would be Veolia's first move in the biofuels industry, Laurent Bromet, head of biofuels at the group, says.Bromet anticipates that recycled cooking oil could account in the future for 5-6% of biodiesel production in France.The production site, in which Veolia has invested €25 million, will be supported by a partnership with French cooking oil manufacturer Lesieur to collect used oil from restaurants.

The UK inaugurated plans to commercialise the use of biofuels derived from algae on 23 October.The Carbon Trust, a company set up by the UK government, is backing The Algae Biofuels Challenge with an expected commitment of £3-6 million (€3.7-7.4 million) to fund the project. Other funding has been pledged by the UK government through the Department of Transport.

 Colombia will have six operational palm biodiesel plants by next year with a plan to increase its share of the biofuels market. The South American country is the leading producer of palm oil in the Americas.Four of these six plants have already begun operating, but production will be stepped up next year and the other two plants will also come on stream.

 A group of Brazilian companies and industrial organisations will set up a joint venture to finance research in cellulosic ethanol, the Sao Paulo Industry Federation (Fiesp) says. The initiative includes Brazil's leading sugar and ethanol producer, Copersucar, the country's Sugar Cane Industry Association, Unica, and the local subsidiary of commodities giant Bunge.

 The Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (PetroVietnam) will invest $120 million (€93 million) to set up a bioethanol plant in the Dung Quat economic zone in central Ngai province. The Deputy Minister of Sciences and Technology Nguyen Van Lang says Vietnam has an urgent need to develop biofuels to meet its energy demands.The country is placing a high priority on investment and exploitation of agricultural waste and its by-products.

The Earth's climate has changed throughout history. From glacial periods (or "ice ages") where ice covered significant portions of the Earth to interglacial periods where ice retreated to the poles or melted entirely - the climate has continuously changed.Scientists have been able to piece together a picture of the Earth's climate dating back decades to millions of years ago by analyzing a number of surrogate, or "proxy," measures of climate such as ice cores, boreholes, tree rings, glacier lengths, pollen remains, and ocean sediments, and by studying changes in the Earth's orbit around the sun.

Arizona-based energy company PetroSun has partnered with China in a $40 million (€29.4 million) programme to produce biodiesel and other products from algae in China. PetroSun has formed an agreement with Shanghai Jun Ya Yan Technology to build a commercial scale algae farm to produce algae biomass for conversion into ethanol, biodiesel and other products.

US-based chemical company DuPont's plans to bring its two advanced biofuels programmes to market are on track and making significant technical progress toward the commercialisation of biobutanol and the economical conversion of cellulosic feedstocks into biofuels. 'We are on track to have a biobutanol pilot facility operational next year with the commercial biotechnology package complete by 2010 at economics comparable to grain ethanol,' John Ranieri, the company's VP and GM, says. 'Once we are commercial with biobutanol we intend to combine our technologies to make biobutanol from non-food feedstocks.'

US-based Great Plains - The Camelina Company is teaming up with the University of North Dakota to produce biodiesel jet fuel from camelina.The University's Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) will use Great Plains' proprietary technology to produce advanced fuels. Great Plains has studied the science and agronomy of camelina for over 10 years and for the past three years has contracted with growers throughout the US and Canada to grow the crop. Presently, the company is processing camelina seed to create biodiesel, but the EERC technology will maximise the biofuels potential for the crop.

Superintendecia de Bancos se integró en forma masiva a la Primera Jornada de Reforestación desarrollada por esa entidad en las márgenes del kilómetro 56 de la Autopista Duarte, coordinada por la Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales dentro del Plan Quisqueya Verde, con motivo de "Mes de la Reforestación".La iniciativa responde al interés de que los recursos humanos de las entidades públicas y privadas participen de los programas de preservación del ambiente al tiempo de contribuir a la creación de conciencia en ese sentido en el resto de la sociedad.

US pipeline company Colonial has began a feasibility study to introduce alternative fuels, such as ethanol, to pipeline shipments.Ethanol production centres are mostly in the Midwest, far from consumers and not in direct reach of many existing pipelines. Colonial Pipeline will use geographic information system (GIS) technology to find the best opportunities for tying producers to pipelines and terminals and, eventually, retail petrol stations. The tedious process of shuffling through paper maps and relying on manual interpretation has become an efficient process of spatial analysis when we put all the information into the GIS,' Chad Zamarin, GIS analyst with Colonial Pipeline, comments.

 The US is positioned to become the single largest biodiesel market with 19% of consumption by 2012, according to a report released by California-based SRI Consulting. SRI says the industry grew 50% from 2002-2007, the highest growth in the chemical industry, and is poised to grow 30% between 2007 and 2012.SRI projects a slower pace of growth for the global biodiesel industry due to market uncertainties such as the ongoing fuels versus food debate, rising raw material costs, changing regulatory environment, a slowing global economy and the current financial crisis.

US ethanol producer Southridge has announced plans to acquire an ethanol plant in Brazil that would enable it to produce 50 million gallon/year (190 million litres/year) by May 2009, the Texas-based company said.No financial details were available. The plan will be funded by proceeds from an Asian-based investment transaction nearing completion.

Aventine Renewable Energy Holdings will delay the opening of its new ethanol plant in Aurora, Nebraska by roughly three months because of cost concerns.The Illinois-based company had planned to open the 113-million-gallon plant next March but is now aiming for June.Aurora Mayor Marlin Seeman says company officials have prioritised another ethanol project in Indiana ahead of the Nebraska project. The ongoing credit crunch has made it difficult for the company to afford both projects at the same time.

Alternative energy producer Panda Ethanol has restructured the financing of its Hereford ethanol plant, clearing the way for $31.5 million (€23 million) in additional funds to continue construction on the plant, located in the Texas Panhandle.Under the restructuring, senior lenders waived all existing defaults under the original financing agreements.The 115 gallon per year ethanol refinery, when finished, will be the largest biomass-fuelled ethanol plant in the US, according to Panda Ethanol.

Esta historia es de un padre Australiano que realizaba año tras año el Ironman (Hombre de Hierro) de Australia, y su mayor ilusión era competir al lado de su hijo dicha prueba. Por desgracia este pequeño nació con parálisis cerebral. El australiano nunca vio la situación de su hijo como obstáculo y entrenó muy fuerte - junto con su hijo - por varios años hasta que llegó la hora. El Australiano de aproximadamente 60 años inscribió a su hijo y a él mismo al
Ironman de Australia. Esta es una prueba para gente grande.... gente con mentalidad ganadora, ejemplar, y con convicciones realmente fuertes. Terminar un Ironman es algo fuera de este mundo.

Para darles un parámetro, la competencia esta compuesta por tres partes comenzando casi siempre al amanecer: 1-Nadar en el mar, o lago un tramo de 4 Km . ( con el frío de la mañana) 2-Salir de nadar y tomar la bicicleta de ruta y recorrer un trayecto de 180 Km. ininterrumpidos, con subidas y bajadas muy pesadas. 3-Terminando la ruta de bicicleta, se termina la prueba con un maratón de 42.5 Km. lo cual es una prueba madamente agotadora tanto física pero ante todo mentalmente.

Los campeones del mundo lo hacen en 8 horas 15 minutos aproximadamente.

Uno de los tantos que compitieron - Mexicano – termino el pasado fin de semana su primer Ironman de Australia con un tiempo de 12 horas 8 minutos interrumpidos, y terminó
el evento.. El Australiano de la historia lo terminó en casi 17 horas.

Las autopistas, circuitos, etc. que son cerrados para el transito de los
lugareños y reabiertos para continuar la vida como cualquier otro día, en este caso, al ver la prueba y quien la estaba ejecutando, las dejaron cerradas hasta que ellos la terminaran por completo, al grado que se hizo de noche!

Lo mas bonito y prendente de esta persona - y las que hacen este tipo de eventos - es que son personas mas fuertes mentalmente que físicamente! Nuestro australiano logró terminarlo con su hijo.

Quería compartir este gran Regalo realmente motivante, emocionante y de mucho mucho empuje.

China Biodiesel International Holding has reported first-half profit attributable to equity holders of RMB 8.34 million (€834,000) or RMB 0.183 per share, compared to RMB 7.77 million or RMB 0.170 per share last year.Profit for the period was RMB 8.32 million, higher than RMB 7.77 million in the prior-year period.Pre-tax profit rose to RMB 9.93 million from RMB 7.92 million a year earlier.

Biofuels technology company D1 Oils has released its interim results for the six months ending 30 June 2008.During this period, D1 delivered its first crude jatropha oil, approximately 1,000 tonnes. A sum of £14.9 million (€18.8 million) was raised in May 2008 to allow the company to remain cash positive through to the end of 2009; with £22 million cash at 30 June 2008.The company has planted 257,370 hectares to date with 300,000 hectares anticipated by year end.

UK-based oilseeds company Flex Fuels Energy (FFE) is progressing with plans for the design and construction of an integrated oilseed processing and biodiesel facility in the UK. FFE is reviewing a number of tender submissions for the design and construction of the proposed facility in Cardiff, South Wales, UK, and is scheduled to announce its decision on the preferred engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor early in October 2008.

UK-based bioethanol producer Vireol's plans to build a plant in Lincolnshire, England, UK, have been approved after planners agreed tighter measures to safeguard birdlife near the new bioethanol plant.Vireol was granted permission for a £150 million (€190 million) plant at Moody Lane, Grimsby, in July.At a North East Lincolnshire Council meeting, planning officers recommended a change to the original condition which will increase monitoring of noise during the construction of the site.

Biodiesel producer Renewable Fuel Corp (RFC) has acquired Bio Refining Industries (BRII), which owns two Indonesian biodiesel projects, licenses and plant properties with a nameplate capacity of 400,000 tonnes a year.The facilities are in the early stages of development in Dumai, Indonesia. When at full production capacity the plants will have the ability to produce 120 million gallons of B100 biodiesel a year.

Spanish energy company Abengoa has restarted its largest bioethanol plant in Spain, with a capacity of 158,000 tonnes a year, the company announced on Friday 26 September.A company spokeswoman added that the plant in central Salamanca province had been up and running since the end of August, but had no details on current output.The plant is 50% owned by food group Ebro Puleva and had been on hiatus since September 2007 as its remote inland location made it unsuitable for the export market.

the first diesel engine ran on peanut oil, so it really not that much of a stretch. I have heard that they run better on Veg. oil cause they were originally made to.

 Integrated Biodiesel Industries (IBI) has acquired a new biodiesel process unit as part of its second plant in Argentina. The new plant will have a production capacity of 50,000 metric tonnes a year and is located in Alvear Industrial Park, on the south of the city of Rosario. The plant is located 5km from the Parana River's export terminal. The new plant will replace the one planned for the Port of Rosario facilities. The new process unit to be installed in this plant uses a second-generation biodiesel production technology which has no reactors or moving parts.

The UK is meeting its 2.5% target for biofuels use in motor fuel, heavily helped by imports. The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) came into effect on April 15 requiring suppliers of motor fuel to ensure 2.5% of the fuel is derived from renewable sources.A Renewable Fuels Agency report showed following the first two months of programme biofuels use stood at 2.53%The UK produced 10% of the biofuel, while the US produced 27% and Brazil 15%.The remaining 48% is from unknown sources, which are likely to be rapeseed from the EU.

The New Zealand Parliament passed legislation requiring oil companies to supply biofuel at a fixed percentage of their total sales on Wednesday 3 September.The companies must start supplying the fuel in October this year at 0.5%, rising to 2.5% by 2012.Decisions about which type of biofuel is supplied, how much of it is blended with fossil fuels and where it comes from will be up to the industry.Energy Minister David Parker says during the third reading of the Biofuel Bill that the alternative fuels would have to be sustainable.

 India's government officials are delaying a mandate for petrol to contain 10% ethanol, just a few weeks before it was scheduled to go into effect. The government is likely to wait until next year to review the requirement for molasses-based ethanol, which was scheduled to start in October. The current approval for a 5% ethanol blend will stay in place until the government can reassess the situation sometime after October, when the sugarcane crushing season begins, according to recent government reports.

 The US' largest biodiesel board has teamed up with an emissions tracking supplier and L.A. logistics fleet to measure the environmental benefits of biodiesel. The National Biodiesel Board, Chicago-based Indigenous Energy, and States Logistics, a fleet and logistics company using clean technology, are set to culminate a six-month over-the-road pilot to quantify States Logistics' emissions and carbon dioxide reduction from using biodiesel.Results for May and June showed a 16.5-tonne reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

 Nigeria is planning to launch the first fuel ethanol project in Africa, worth N14.4billion (€ 86.7 million) in Ekiti State. CrowNek Green Energy will produce 180,000 litres of ethanol and 100 tonnes of starch a day, which would require 1,500 tonnes of Cassava a day.CrowNek recently received 12,000 hectares of land for cassava production from the state's governor.

Extracion de Aceite Jatropha Curcas Brasil

La República Dominicana es parte del paraíso terrenal, entre  la diversidad de climas y el potencial económico por su ubicación geográfica ahora también se encamina  a disminuir su dependencia de los  combustibles derivados del petróleo gracias a un arbusto de producción nacional conocido como Jatropha Curcas o Piñón de Leche.

A biodiesel plant owned by Biofuel of Tennessee in Decaturville, Tennessee, US, exploded on Friday 15 August at 6:30 a.m. The Decatur Fire Department evacuated the rural area and neighbourhoods around the plant, but residents were able to return home around 9:45 a.m. Fire department officials said that no one was hurt and that no one was at the plant during the time of the explosion.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of the People's Republic of China have signed an agreement to collaborate on biofuels research. The existing cooperation between the US and China on science and technology was originally signed in 1979. In 2002, the USDA and MOST signed a specific agreement paving the way for the present agreement between Tsinghua University in Bejing and ARS's National Center for Ag Utilization Research (NCAUR).

US-headquartered Pure Biofuels has opened a new biodiesel plant in Lima, Peru. It plans to produce 52 million gallons of biodiesel next year, about 35% of which will meet Peru's internal demands for the alternative fuel. The rest will be exported. The plant has the capacity to increase its production threefold, and hopes to eventually produce 156 million gallons of biodiesel a year. Production will start at the plant later this year.

Brazil's state-owned oil company Petrobras has opened its second commercial biodiesel production plant in Quixadá (CE) Brazil.The plant is part of Petrobras Biocombustível, Petrobras' subsidiary, which will concentrate on the company's biofuel production projects. The new plant, and the first plant installed in Candeias (Bahia), are capable of producing 57 million litres of biodiesel a year.Petrobras Biocombustível's third commercial biodiesel plant, located in Montes Claros (Minas Gerais), is in its final construction stage.

North America's largest wheat-based ethanol plant has opened in Saskatchewan, Canada. The Terra Grain Fuels plant is designed to produce approximately 150 million litres of ethanol and 160,000 tonnes of dried distiller grains (DDGs) a year.Farmers and ethanol plants are benefitting from new and improved varieties of wheat and it takes less than 5% of our production capability in Canada to meet our biofuels mandate,' Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz comments.

 A proposal to start a sugarcane plantation and ethanol plant in the Kasane Forest Reserve, Botswana, has been rejected over concerns of the loss of biodiversity, the assistant minister of agriculture, Shaw Kgathi, says. Northern Sugar Holdings approached the government in April 2007 intending to start a sugarcane plantation in the Chobe District to produce sugar, molasses and biofuel in a 10,000 hectare plot in the Kasane Forest Reserve area.

 PetroVietnam is setting up a new company to manage its biofuel production and distribution. The new company, PetroVietnam Biofuel Joint Stock, will have an initial capital of about $2.7 million (€1.8 million). The new company will produce ethanol from cassava. The output will be blended with petrol sold at local petrol pumps to help reduce the country's fossil fuel dependence.

El Gobierno de Brasil ha creado un fondo que pretende captar donaciones voluntarias de entidades privadas de todo el mundo para financiar la campaña contra la deforestación de la Amazonia.Tenemos consciencia de lo que la Amazonia representa para la humanidad y para Brasil, y que si se destruye, será utilizado como uninstrumento contra nuestro país y nuestros productos.Lula aprovechó para volver a reivindicar la soberanía de Brasil sobre la mayor selva del planeta, criticó que muchos extranjeros hablan de la Amazonía como se fuesen los dueños y garantizó que Brasil va a asumir todas las responsabilidades sobre su preservación.

El Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio del Gobierno de España tiene interés por extender en un futuro la producción de energía a través del mar, una tecnología que se encuentra en un estado incipiente, en relación a otras energías renovables.Así lo expresó el secretario general de Energía del Ministerio, Pedro Luis Marín Uribe, quien intervino en el curso de la Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP) de Santander ‘Mitigación y cambio climático II: urbanismo, edificación y transporte’.
Además, reconoció que en una primera fase, sus costes serán “muy elevados”, como lo fueron al principio los de otras energías renovables como la eólica o la solar, si bien auguró que los costes se reducirán en un plazo aproximado de diez años.

Un estudio de la Universidad Nacional de Australia determina que los bosques vírgenes, que no han estado explotados, almacenan un 60% más de CO2 que los bosques replantados, y que este factor no se ha tenido en cuenta en ninguno de los estudios, como los del IPCC, que se han realizado para determinar la magnitud e implicaciones del calentamiento global.Por ejemplo, en el estudio del IPCC, no se distinguió entre la capacidad de los bosques nuevos, replantados desde cero, y los bosques vírgenes o que nunca se han explotado, y que tienen una capacidad tres veces superior de captura de CO2, y en este tipo de estudios, los datos que se toman son estimaciones en relación a los bosques nuevos, en los que se considera “bosque” como árboles de más de dos metros de altura y una copa más amplia que un 10%. Sin embargo, en Australia se considera a un bosque como árboles de más de diez metros de altura y una cubierta de más del 30%, lo que implica un gran cambio.

Un equipo de investigadores liderado por el Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) ha explorado las profundidades de una parte del Pirineo Aragonés para estudiar posibles cambios climáticos.
Esta investigación ha consistido en la extracción de muestras de sedimento del fondo del lago de la Basa de la Mora (Ibón de Plan), en un proyecto que pretende reconstruir los principales cambios climáticos rápidos (ocurridos en sólo unas décadas) de los últimos 25.000 años.

Gushan Environmental Energy, China's largest producer of biodiesel as measured by annual production capacity, will temporarily suspend operations at its Beijing plant from August 1, 2008 to September 20, 2008.The suspension is due to heightened traffic measures adopted by the Beijing government in preparation for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.Such traffic control measures require that vehicles operating in and out of Beijing meet certain emission standards, that vehicles be driven on alternate days, depending on whether their license plates are even-numbered or odd-numbered and regulate or limit the transportation of hazardous chemicals by road, restricting the deliverer of raw materials to the Beijing plant

Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed to use the surplus from their palm oil stockpiles to produce biodiesel as part of the mechanism to boost the palm oil price.Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui and Indonesia's Agriculture Minister Dr Anton Apriyantono say both countries would continue to do so until the edible oil commodity achieves a price equilibrium in the world market.

 Austrian bioethanol producer Agrana has launched a 240,000 tonne corn and sugar beet ethanol plant in Pischelsdorf, Austria. The company had delayed a planned opening of the $180 million (€116 million) project in March due to high feedstock prices, saying that high wheat grain prices had forced a switch to corn as a feedstock.

 DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol will partner the University of Tennessee Biofuels Initiative to construct a pilot-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Tennessee. The biofuels initiative is on track to break ground in Q4 on the pilot-scale biorefinery to combine DuPont Danisco's cellulosic ethanol technology with the university's expertise in switchgrass production.

In the next five years, the Ethiopian government plans to produce 130 million litres of ethanol from the present 8 million litres a year. According to Sinkinesh Ejigu, State Minister of Mines and Energy, in 2013 the country will produce over 130 million litres of ethanol from three sugar factories: Methara, Wonji, Finchaa and Tendaho, which is under construction and will be completed soon as the fourth sugar factory in the country.

 Massachusetts-based biofuels and enzyme developer Verenium and energy company BP have announced a strategic partnership under which Verenium will receive up to $90 million (€58 million) over the next year and a half for work on facilities producing low-cost cellulosic ethanol. Verenium controls the rights to a class of microbes, called ethanologens, that it says are more effective than conventional yeasts at breaking down high-cellulose materials such as so-called energy grasses and fermenting them into ethanol.

Spanish energy company Abengoa has announced it will restart its biggest bioethanol plant in Spain by Q3. The decision was made in anticipation that legislation on compulsory blending in petrol will revive the domestic market.The 158,000 tonne a year plant, in the central Salamanca province in central Spain, is 50% owned by food group Ebro Puleva and has been out of operation since September. The joint venture is known as Biocarburantes de Castilla y Leon (BCyL).

 Environmental and community groups have taken Kenya's government to court over a controversial project to grow sugar in the River Tana Delta. The $369 million (€235 million) project aims to grow sugarcane to produce ethanol and generate power.The project was approved in June, despite the concern of fragile coastal wetlands. In early July a judge ordered work on the project to be stopped while the case was being heard.The lawsuit claims that at least five laws and the Kenyan constitution would be broken if the project goes ahead.

South Korea's largest company Samsung Group plans to develop a 25,000 hectare oil palm plantation and biodiesel refinery in Riau province. The investment for the project is around Rp 15 trillion (€1.04 billion).Head of the national team for biofuel development Al Hilal Hamdi says the company has spent Rp 1.5 trillion on acquiring the land and the factory. The Samsung factory is expected to go online next year and produce 50,000 kilolitres of biodiesel a year.

South Dakota-based VeraSun Energy is starting up its ethanol plant in Hankinson, southeastern North Dakota, in line with improving business conditions. The plant, built in 2006, can produce 110 million gallons of ethanol a year.VeraSun had delayed the startup last month due to volatility in the market.The Hankinson plant will process about 39 million bushels of corn a year and produce approximately 350,000 tonnes of distillers grains for livestock feed.

INEOS, the world's third largest chemical company, has announced it is aiming to produce commercial quantities of bioethanol fuel from biodegradable municipal waste in two years. INEOS' new technology will produce bioethanol in large quantities from municipal solid waste, organic commercial waste and agricultural residues.'In North America and Europe we will see around 10% or more of petrol being replaced with bioethanol,' Peter Williams, INEOS Bio CEO, comments. 'Our technology will make a major contribution to reducing greenhouse gases and the world's need for fossil fuels.'

French biotechnology company Biométhodes has signed an agreement with Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties for multiple technologies designed to convert biomass into bioethanol and biohydrogen.One process releases sugars that can be fermented into ethanol from non-food lignocellulosic biomass. The process uses enzymes and mild recyclable physicochemical conditions that do not require high pressure or high temperatures. The pre-treatment process, which does not degrade sugar, separates other profitable products, such as lignin and acetic acid. If sufficient funding can be raised, a pilot plant will be built in Virginia, which will eventually be scaled up to a full size biorefinery.

China's planning authority has approved construction of three state-owned biodiesel plants, with a total capacity of 170,000 tonnes a year, using jatropha oil as feedstock. PetroChina's Nanchong refinery in southwest Sichuan province will build a 60,000 tonne a year plant, while Sinopec Corp will build one in Guizhou with a capacity of 50,000 tonnes a year, the National Development and Reform Commission says.Chinese offshore oil and gas producer CNOOC will also build a 60,000 tonne a year plant in the southern island province of Hainan

London-based Associate British Foods (ABF) has announced a strategic collaboration with Massachusetts-based Mascoma to develop advanced conversion methods in the production of cellulosic ethanol. Among the feedstocks for assessment will be switchgrass, hardwood and sugarcane bagasse.During hydrolysis, cellulosic material is broken down into sugar, which then is fermented into ethanol. The two–step process continues with fermentation.

Royal Dutch Shell and Canada-based biotechnology company Iogen Corporation have announced an extended commercial alliance that will accelerate their development and deployment of cellulosic ethanol.This includes a significant investment by Shell in technology development with Iogen Energy Corporation, a jointly owned development company dedicated to the advancement of cellulosic ethanol. This new arrangement will also see Shell increasing its stake in Iogen Energy Corporation from 26.3% to 50%.

 Spanish energy company Abengoa has announced it will restart its biggest bioethanol plant in Spain by Q3. The decision was made in anticipation that legislation on compulsory blending in petrol will revive the domestic market.The 158,000 tonne a year plant, in the central Salamanca province in central Spain, is 50% owned by food group Ebro Puleva and has been out of operation since September. The joint venture is known as Biocarburantes de Castilla y Leon (BCyL).

Muchas lomas de esta provincia han sido devastadas por la tala de bosques, los incendios forestales intencionales y las quemas constantes de pinos y otras especies. Esta situación puede observarse por las zonas de Mahoma, Rancho Arriba, La Cieniguita, La Isleta, Los Quemaos, Quita Pena, Cabecera del Río Nizao, por la zona de Las Avispas, Sabana Larga, La Esperanza, Nizao, Los Martínez, Distrito Municipal Nizao, Las Auyamas, La Horma, Sabana de San Juan, Loma la Vigía en Ocoa, Los Ranchos, entre otras.

En un esfuerzo del Gobierno y otros sectores por resolver el problema energético del país, el Instituto Nacional de Formación Técnico Profesional (Infotep) y la Agencia para la Cooperación Internacional del Japón (JICA) presentaron un proyecto orientado a la formación de técnicos especializados en uso y manejo de tecnología de alta generación aplicada a la investigación y desarrollo de energías renovables.El proyecto tiene como componentes básicos la energía eólica, generada a través del viento, la fotovoltaica o energía solar y la producción de biodiesel como sustituto de los combustibles derivados del petróleo, con una inversión conjunta superior a los 12 millones de pesos.

The European Union could see its installed biodiesel production capacity increase by 55% this year to reach 16 million tonnes, the European Biodiesel Board (EBB) says. EU production increased from 4.9 million tonnes in 2006 to 5.7 million in 2007, a rise of 17%. Last year’s growth was 54% with 65% in 2005.Despite high expectations, there is presently 3 million tonnes of idle capacity due to limited market interest in Europe, and the EU has not yet matched the industry's investment in biodiesel by creating an effective legislative and regulatory environment, the statement says.

The UK is to slow its adoption of biofuels, Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly told the House of Commons on July 8.As a result of the conclusions of the UK Gallagher report, the Government is to consult on slowing down the rate of increase in the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).The RTFO currently mandates that all biofuels sold in the UK must contain 2.5% biofuels. This was set to increase to 5% in 2010, but the Government is now considering delaying this increase to 2013/14.Kelly said she agreed with the conclusions of the Gallagher report to ‘amend not abandon’ biofuel policies. A panel of government experts, chaired by Professor Ed Gallagher, head of the Renewable Fuels Agency, looked at the impact of biofuels on land use

US producer Central Indiana Ethanol has announced it will construct a new corn oil extraction plant.The corn oil, which is taken from distillers grains, improves the quality of the livestock feed and is used in turn as a biodiesel feedstock or sold to the commodity markets for use in food products.The equipment was provided by GS Cleantech, a subsidiary of GreenShift, which has been striking corn oil deals with ethanol plants around the country. GreenShift's extraction technology reduces plant utility costs by up to $1 million (€637,000) a year for a 100 million gallon a year ethanol plant that dries 100% of its distillers grains.

European Energy Ministers have signalled the beginning of a change of policy on biofuels. Instead of producing liquid biofuels in the EU, they are considering to import the green fuels from Brazil, where they can be made far more efficiently. The Commission's target of having 10% of all transport powered by renewable by 2020 is now being rephrased. The term 'renewable' does not have to mean 'liquid biofuels'. Instead, solid biomass used for the production of electricity to be used in more efficient electric cars, is also a way to meet the target. Biohydrogen, possibly coupled to carbon capture and storage to yield negative emissions energy, and used in fuel cell cars, is another way to be renewable

 Germany-based bioethanol producer CropEnergies has completed the expansion of capacity at its bioethanol plant in Zeitz, Saxony-Anhalt. After a construction period for the extension of 13 months, the original capacity of the Zeitz location of 260,000 m³ of bioethanol a year has been increased by a further 100,000 m³ to 360,000 m³. The increase was carried out in two stages. The existing plant, which processes cereals and sugar syrups into bioethanol, was expanded by an additional 40,000 m³ of bioethanol a year. The newly-built plant with capacity of 60,000 m³ a year exclusively processes sugar syrups originating from the neighbouring sugar factory. With this expansion, the Zeitz factory is Europe's largest bioethanol plant.

 British energy company BP has pulled out of offtake plans for a 160 million litre a year grain ethanol plant in Western Australia (WA). The AU$300 million (€181.9 million) plant at Kwinana, WA, to be built by Primary Energy was originally expected to begin production by the end of this year. BP had a memorandum of understanding with Primary Energy in 2006 to purchase the offtake from the plant. Chandran Vigneswaran, media manager for BP Australia explains that the project was no longer seen as commercially viable.

La Secretaria de Estado de Cambio Climático del Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino (MARM), Teresa Ribera, defendió que los sumederos de CO2se incorporen a los objetivos nacionales de reducción de gases de efecto invernadero, durante la reunión informal de Ministros de Medio Ambiente de la UE que se celebra en París y que debate el paquete de medidas sobre Energía y Cambio Climático para 2020.Ribera se mostró confiada en que los países de la UE alcancen un acuerdo este mismo año como señal de compromiso hacia el exterior en la lucha contra el cambio climático, según informó hoy el MARM en un comunicado.

La petrolera norteamericana anunció el comienzo de la construcción en Galveston, Texas, de la mayor planta de fabricación de biodiesel de Estados Unidos, con una capacidad de 378,541 millones de litros al año.
Esto supone un potencial superior al doble de la producción actual de Estados Unidos, que fue de 75 millones de galones en 2005. La nueva planta procesará bioetanol a partir de la soja.
“Chevron Corporation ha creado una unidad de negocios de biodiesel de tecnología avanzada para buscar oportunidades comerciales relacionadas con la producción y la distribución de etanol y biodiesel en Estados Unidos,” aagrega el comunicado de la empresa.

El estudio, financiado a través del Plan Nacional de I+D en el capítulo de Energía, cuenta con el apoyo empresarial de Repsol y Abengoa y concluirá en 2009 tras cuatro años de investigación. Como explica uno de los responsables del proyecto, el profesor José Juan Segovia, “se trata de ofrecer una base de datos con predicciones para saber a priori qué porcentaje de cada uno de los componentes del biocombustible hay que añadir a la mezcla para lograr los objetivos que nos propongamos”. Por el momento, el estudio se encuentra en fase experimental y en los próximos meses se desarrollarán las ecuaciones que permitirán saber cuál será el comportamiento de la mezcla a partir de sus componentes (parafinas, cicloparafinas, olefinas o compuestos aromáticos, entre otros).

La presentación será hecha por la empresa española Globalia con el objetivo de colaborar al desarrollo de la zona mediante el auto abastecimiento de energía obtenida de los recursos naturales del país sin causar perjuicio a la cadena alimentaria, dijeron fuentes de la compañia.El proyecto contempla la producción de 60,000 toneladas anuales de biodiésel en República Dominicana presentado por Globasol (perteneciente al grupo español Globalia) y quien acaba de recibir un premio en el Foro Latinoamericano de Liderazgo celebrado en Miami (Estados Unidos).

La secretaria de Estado de Cambio Climático, Teresa Ribera, recibió ayer al alcalde de Vigo y presidente de la Red de Ciudades por el Clima, Abel Caballero, con el fin de impulsar acciones locales en materia de lucha contra el cambio climático, según informó el Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino, en un comunicado.Ribera y Caballero coincidieron en la necesidad de intensificar la coordinación y los esfuerzos conjuntos, dado el potencial de las medidas que pueden iniciar las entidades locales para aliviar el i impacto de los gases invernadero. Ambos responsables se comprometieron a trabajar de forma conjunta en la divulgación de la Red para aumentar el número de ayuntamientos que se impliquen en ella.

 Brazil has forced multimillion-dollar fines on 24 ethanol producers accused of environmental crimes in the country's shrinking Atlantic rainforest, Environment Minister Carlos Minc says. The companies together face 120 million reals (€47 million) in fines for operating without licenses and planting sugarcane in illegally deforested parts of one of Brazil's most threatened ecosystems, Minc says. They will also be required to restore 143,300 acres (58,000 hectares) of degraded rainforest.'We will not let companies that destroy the Atlantic rain forest have any peace,' Minc asserts. 'If these environmental crimes continue, they will provide ammunition for those who want to slap trade barriers on the export of Brazilian ethanol.

The Italian Biodiesel Association has stated that five new biodiesel plants are ready to come online and will increase national biodiesel capacity from 1.9 million tonnes and to 2.7 million tonnes. The 12 existing plants produced only 469,707 tonnes due to high feedstock costs last year, down from more than 590,000 tonnes in 2006. The association is projecting that total production will reach 600,000 tonnes in 2008 and 800,000 tonnes in 2009.Italian research has detailed the potential to use tobacco oil as a biodiesel feedstock. Researchers say that tobacco is a higher-yield crop than comparable biodiesel feedstocks

The European Union could see its installed biodiesel production capacity increase by 55% this year to reach 16 million tonnes, the European Biodiesel Board (EBB) says. EU production increased from 4.9 million tonnes in 2006 to 5.7 million in 2007, a rise of 17%. Last year’s growth was 54% with 65% in 2005.Despite high expectations, there is presently 3 million tonnes of idle capacity due to limited market interest in Europe, and the EU has not yet matched the industry's investment in biodiesel by creating an effective legislative and regulatory environment, the statement says

The Shell Foundation and DOEN Foundation are supporting Diligent Energy Systems, a Dutch company from Eindhoven that has expansion plans for sustainable biofuel production from the tropical plant Jatropha in Tanzania. The support to Diligent will strengthen its work in promoting Jatropha among farmers. The Shell Foundation has invested $250,000 (€157,000) and business support, if required, while the DOEN Foundation has invested €50,000, and a loan of €200,000.

US-based Algae to ethanol company Algenol, operator of the world's largest algae library in Maryland, is targeting the building of algae-to-ethanol farms on coasts in the US. BioFields has signed an agreement to sell the fuel to the Mexican government.Every 100 million gallons of ethanol from algae will absorb about 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, the company said. It is an emissions reduction alternative technique rather than capturing the gas at power plants and storing it underground.

Gushan Environmental Energy (Gushan), China's largest producer of biodiesel, has started production at its Shanghai plant, adding 50,000 tonnes to the company's biodiesel production capacity a year. With the addition of the Shanghai plant, Gushan's biodiesel production capacity has now reached 290,000 tonnes a year from five existing production facilities in the Sichuan, Hebei and Fujian provinces and Beijing and Shangha. Gushan aims to increase its biodiesel production capacity to 400,000 tonnes by the end of 2008.

En declaraciones realizadas en el turno de preguntas tras su intervención en el Foro Nueva Economía, y recogidas por la agencia Efe, Espinosa dijo que las energías renovables "nos pueden situar en el año 2020 en un 40 por ciento". La ministra añadió que la postura del Gobierno respecto a la energía nuclear era "clara" y que, en comparación con las energías renovables, "las nucleares no nos suministrarían ni el 20 por ciento".

La alimentación ecológica es un sector en auge en España y la superficie destinada a la producción ecológica en este país es la segunda mayor de Europa, sólo superada por Italia, según afirmaron hoy los responsables de ‘El mercado ecológico’, un portal de Internet dedicado exclusivamente a este tipo de alimentación.Una de las iniciativas que desarrolla este portal es que a partir de hoy y hasta el próximo 20 de julio se celebrará un concurso en su página web (’www.elmercadoecologico.com/concurso/’) que pretende acercar la alimentación ecológica a todos los ciudadanos de una manera entretenida.

The biofuels market in North America will generate revenues of $18.52 billion (€11.96 billion) by 2012, nearly double the $9.98 billion earnings for 2007, according to business and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan’s latest report North American Biofuels Market: Investment Analysis.‘Regulatory support coupled with the need to address the geopolitical risk posed by relying on the turbulent Middle East and Venezuela is driving the growth of the North American biofuels market,’ one Frost & Sullivan Research analyst notes.

Land management company Alico has announced it is withdrawing from its role in the Florida ethanol project, which was selected as one of the cellulosic ethanol projects to participate in the DOE's initial $385 million (€249 million) grant program.The project will be the first commercial application of the innovative gasification/biocatalytic process developed by Bioengineering Resources. The technology is capable of co-producing low-cost ethanol and a range of co-products (that could include electricity, steam, hydrogen or anhydrous ammonia for fertiliser) from any carbon-based materials

Suncor Energy has decided to go ahead with a $120 million (€77.4 million) expansion of its St. Clair ethanol plant in Sarnia. The company says the expansion will double the plant's existing production capacity to 400 million litres per year. 'This investment reinforces Suncor's commitment to biofuels and providing the renewable energy options that consumers demand,' says executive VP Jay Thornton

Greenergy Fuels, the UK's leading independent oil company and market leader in biofuels, has unveiled the first set of biofuels sustainability criteria for bioethanol developed to meet the requirements of the UK's Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). The new bioethanol criteria were produced by ProForest with advice from a range of Brazilian organisations including Imaflora, a leading standards organisation in Brazil, and have now been approved by the UK Government's Renewable Fuels Agency. It means for the first time, Greenergy will be able to effectively audit its Brazilian bioethanol purchases.

Brazil's state-controlled energy company Petrobras will begin sales of biofuel for motor vehicles in Japan as early as this year.Petrobras, one of the world's largest biofuel producers, will supply petroleum blended with ethanol to independent petrol stations, which number 10,000 in Japan.The wholesale price is expected to be one to two yen (cents) per litre (0.26 gallons) lower than ordinary petroleu.

 The commitment to use biofuel is part of an environmental strategy released by the German airline yesterday. The strategy also aims to reduce the airline's carbon emissions per flown kilometre by 25% in 2020 as compared to the emission level in 2006. The biofuel used will be drawn from non-food sources such as algae, according to Lufthansa's spokesperson Peter Schneckenleitner. Lufthansa is the third commercial airline after Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand planning to switch to biofuels.

China Biodiesel International Holding is on track to meet market estimates for 2008, as trial production is expected to begin at its new plant at Xiamen, which will double the company's design capacity to 100,000 tonnes a year.This figure is nearly four times last year's output.The biodiesel producer said though global inflation in vegetable and animal oil prices has continued to exert competitive pressures, it has moved to higher margin output through increased production of B1 and B2 biodiesel.

Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group (REG), a biodiesel producer and marketer, has announced that U.S. Biodiesel Group (USBG) will invest cash and merge its largest assets into REG, including USBG's biodiesel production facility near Houston and an existing liquid storage terminal in California. The deal is expected to close in late June, subject to regulatory approval. The announcement comes less than a month after REG closed a deal expanding its network through management and operations services agreements at a 45 million gallons a year facility in Illinois

Massachusetts-based biofuels and enzyme developer Verenium has begun the start-up phase on individual systems at its $60 million (€38.8 million) 1.4 million gallons a year demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Louisiana.Our facility is the first of its kind in the United States, and we expect the learning that comes out of that plant will give us the guidance we need to move forward on our first commercial-scale facility by the end of next year,' Kelly Lindenboom, VP of corporate communications for Verenium, says.'It will be an important landmark not only for Verenium, but for the cellulosic ethanol industry.

Germany-based bioethanol producer CropEnergies has signed an agreement for the acquisition of French alcohol producer Ryssen Alcools. The acquisition of Ryssen Alcools is set for completion at the end of June 2008. The seller is French sugar producer Saint Louis Sucre, which is a member of the Südzucker Group. CropEnergies is expanding its activities in the French market and will be increasing its capacities for the production of bioethanol for fuel applications by another 100,000 m³ a year.

U.S. Development Group (USDG), a Houston-based ethanol logistics company, has opened an ethanol terminal in the Dallas area which will distribute a large percentage of fuel-grade ethanol in north and central Texas. The Dallas Fort Worth Rail Terminal ethanol handling and distribution terminal is located on a 15-acre site in Arlington and is a wholly owned subsidiary of USDG.

 Switzerland-headquartered biodiesel producer Biopetrol has issued its annual report.Biopetrol experienced growth in sales of approximately one-third over Q1 2007 despite the high cost of rape oil and soya oil, subsidised biodiesel imports from abroad (B99), as well as the increase in the mineral oil tax on the B100 market, now €0.15 a litre.

Agro Biotechnology Technovation (M) (ABT) is building Malaysia's largest biodiesel plant in Kuala Lukut for RM900 million (€179 million).Construction of the plant, which has the capacity to produce 250,000 tonnes of biodiesel a year, has begun and will be completed within 22 months.

 US-based BlueFire Ethanol plans to build capacity to make 500-550 million gallons a year of cellulosic ethanol fuel by 2013. The company plans to build 10 cellulosic ethanol plants with at least 55 million gallons a year of capacity in five years throughout the US. The feedstocks would include agricultural waste, wood scraps and non-food crops such as switch grass

Durante la jornada La biomasa en España, organizada por el IDAE ayer en el recinto Feria Valencia, se presentaron varias ponencias que pusieron de manifiesto el bajo nivel de aprovechamiento energético de la biomasa residual en España, en especial la procedente de las explotaciones forestales.

Los tres prototipos Audi R10 TDI que disputarán las próximas 24 Horas de Le Mans se convertirán en los primeros autos del mundo de carreras en utilizar la próxima generación de biocombustibles producidos a partir de desechos biológicos que prometen reducir las emisiones de CO2 casi 90 por ciento en comparación con el diesel tradicional.

El secretario general de la ONU, Ban Ki-Moon, ha afirmado que el calentamiento global estaba convirtiéndose en el asunto decisivo de la era, y que dañará a ricos y pobres por igual, informa la agencia Reuters. "Nuestro mundo está en las garras de un peligroso hábito de dióxido de carbono", ha señalado Ban en un comunicado con ocasión del Día Mundial del Medio Ambiente, que hoy se conmemora con eventos en todo el planeta..

Desde la combustión de algas hasta el almacenamiento de CO2, la organización ecologista noruega Bellona, presentó este jueves una serie de medidas que según ella permitirían reducir en 85% las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero de aquí a 2050.

Por primera vez en 20 años, un oso polar atravesó los 300 kilómetros que separan el sureste de Groenlandia de la costa norte de Islandia pese a que, teóricamente, el hielo polar desaparece a marchas forzadas. Sin embargo, su hazaña no pareció conmover demasiado a las autoridades islandesas, que le dispensaron una siniestra bienvenida. Poco después de ser avistado el miércoles por la mañana por un granjero mientras deambulaba por una carretera próxima a la ciudad de Skagafjördur, el oso fue abatido a tiros por la policía local.

The US Department of Energy (DoE) has awarded Massachusetts-headquartered SunEthanol a $100,000 (€634,000) research grant to help the US develop clean transportation fuels from a variety of non-food feedstocks, including corn stover, bagasse, switchgrass, sorghum, softwood (pine), and high lignin poplar This is the third DoE grant that SunEthanol has won in the past year.

 The Philippines-based Basic Energy Corp (BEC) will construct a multi-feedstock ethanol plant in partnership with a Taiwanese group. The plant will cost up to P3 billion (€44.1 million), and focus on more sustainable energy sources like sweet sorghum.BEC has started negotiation with a Taiwanese group that visited the Philippines in early May to discuss the 150,000 litre a day bioethanol plant.

Brazil president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and German chancellor Angela Merkel signed cooperation agreements on 14 May for environment and renewable energy, including biofuels. The two leaders also officially reaffirmed their strategic partnership launched six years ago.  

Texas-based GreenHunter Energy is set to open the largest biodiesel refinery in the US in June at the Houston Ship Channel. The facility will produce 105 million gallons of high grade B100 biodiesel a year. The converted waste-oil refinery will give GreenHunter's Renewable Fuels Campus deepwater access and the ability to transport products via barge, rail and truck.

Italy-based energy company Eni has announced a $3 billion (€1.93 billion) investment in biodiesel, oil and food production in the Republic of Congo. The company intends to cultivate 340,000 tonnes of crude palm oil in the Niari region of the Congo and provide 250,000 tonnes for export.

Hace 12 meses el precio del petróleo rondaba lo 63 USD por barril, hoy (23-05-08) el precio alcanza los 131 USD por barril (USD/B), es decir, una duplicación de precio que no tiene una justificación visible o entendible, ya que no han ocurrido eventos internacionales de envergadura en los países productores, especialmente los de OPEP. A menos que este aflorando situaciones conocidas por muy pocos, y que ya sea muy difícil de ocultar.

¿No sería excelente que arriba de prácticamente todo lo que hay un una calle tuviera paneles solares para generar energía limpia?. La empresa de diseño Nikola Knezevic piensa que si sería excelente, por lo que han diseñado una calle solar concepto, en donde hay paneles solares en casi todas las instalaciones públicas.

Most people know by now that hybrids use electricity to achieve good gas mileage, but how their advanced powertrains work and whether they help your pocketbook is a bit more complicated. Here we'll take a look at the basic technology and its variations. In a future article we'll discuss the cost, and potential savings, of owning a hybrid.

El Estudio Eólico 2008 (WindEnergy Study 2008) encargado por Husum WindEnergy –que organiza la conferencia eólica anual de Husum, Alemania– junto con el Instituto Eólico Aleman (DEWI), revela que los directivos de la industria eólica creen que el volumen anual mundial de nuevas instalaciones se multiplicará por cinco de aquí a 2017, hasta llegar a los 107.000 MW (actualmente hay unos 20.000 MW).

 German bioenergy expert PvT Capital and Ireland-based bioethanol developer Greenfield Project Management have agreed to jointly develop Greenfield's proposed ethanol refineries in Belarus. The two are the only biofuels companies to have come up with plans to use biofuels production to remediate the lands contaminated by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Los habitante de el centro de México el calentamiento global como una realidad siempre había sido algo muy lejano, aun teniendo conocimientos teóricos sobre las causas y efectos del calentamiento global.El último mes se ha sentido en mi ciudad, Cuernavaca, un calor descomunal, lejano a cualquier calor que hayamos sentido antes, el sol quema de una manera intolerable y es casi imposible permanecer fuera de la sombra.

El equipo sueco, que consiguió recorrer 299 kilómetros con un litro de etanol, ganó el galardón al vehículo que menos CO2 emitió de todos los participantes en la nueva edición de la Shell Eco-Marathon, cita en la que coches de toda Europa movidos con diferentes combustibles deben recorrer la máxima distancia con un litro de combustible

 Hungary-based Hungrana, Europe's largest maize processor, has spent €100 million to more than triple its bioethanol capacity to 150,000 tonnes a year.

The company's new capacity is enough to allow Hungary to meet the EU's 2020 target for 10% bioethanol content in vehicle fuel

The Philippines-based Basic Energy Corp (BEC) will construct a multi-feedstock ethanol plant in partnership with a Taiwanese group.

The plant will cost up to P3 billion (€44.1 million), and focus on more sustainable energy sources like sweet sorghum.

BEC has started negotiation with a Taiwanese group that visited the Philippines in early May to discuss the 150,000 litre a day bioethanol plant.

Un equipo de ingenieros de IBM ha desarrollado un nuevo sistema de generación de energía solar gracias al uso conjunto de una célula solar comercial y un sistema de refrigeración avanzado basado en el metal líquido, que se utiliza ya en la refrigeración durante la fabricación microprocesadores. Los investigadores de IBM creen que este adelanto podría reducir de manera considerable el coste de aprovechar la energía solar para convertirla en electricidad.

El ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Rural y Marino ofrecerá el viernes en la Mesa de Diálogo Social datos parciales sobre las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero correspondientes al sector energético industrial, según anunció hoy en el Senado la ministra Elena Espinosa. La titular confirmó asimismo que la Comisión Ministerial de Cambio Climático ya está constituida.

La República Dominicana cuenta con los recursos naturales suficientes para convertirse en una potencia en la producción de energía renovable, indispensable para poder abaratar los enormes gastos en la compra de petróleo.

A esta conclusión llegaron Carlos Janáriz Iribarren, del Centro Nacional de Energía Renovable de España y el experto en la materia Roberto Montes Vega, durante el simposio de Energía Alternativa y Nuevos Combustibles efectuado en el auditorio del Politécnico Loyola, en San Cristobal.

The largest biorefinery in the European Union could be operational in the first half of 2009. The refinery, which UK biofuels firm Ensus is building in northeast England, will make bioethanol and a protein rich animal feed co-product from about 1.2 to 1.3 million tonnes of UK wheat.

American Transit Inc. - Yonkers NY American Transit Incorporated, a Westchester County based New York corporation, has been providing Ambulette and Para-transit services since 1976. From its incorporation to the present, Americans main headquarters, located in Yonkers,

A disabled boy's dream of playing soccer has come true. Nicole Jacobs has from Yadkin county....WXII Triad Yakin County Nicole Jacobs disabled boy's dream handicapped .

Es hermoso ver como este par de chicos se demuestran así mismo la garra y el corajen que poseen, digno ejemplo a seguir por aquellas personas que de un forma u otra no tienen un determinado miembro de su cuerpo y no se les detiene la vida. Esta danza tiene una carga espiritual maravillosa.

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Malaysia-based investment holding company Platinum Energy expects to complete its 200,000 tonne a year biodiesel facility by July this year.

The RM60 million (€11.8 million) plant is located within the company's High Technology Biopark in Senawang, Negeri Sembilan.

Royal Nedalco, a subsidiary of Dutch sugar producer Cosun, and a leading ethanol producer, is the latest speaker announced for Biofuels International expo and conference on 4-5 June in Rotterdam.

The producer will be speaking about its current projects, particularly its cellulosic ethanol technology, which is based on yeast, rather than bacteria.

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty signed legislation on 12 May to increase Minnesota's biodiesel requirement from 2% to 20% by 2015.

Minnesota introduced a 2% biodiesel mandate in August 2005 in conjunction with the opening of Minnesota Soybean Processors' (MnSP) 30 million gallon a year soyabean oil refinery.

Brazil Renewable Energy Co. (Brenco) plans to invest $1 billion (€650 million) to build a 1,100km, 4 million litre a year ethanol pipeline extending from Alto Taquari in Mato Grosso state to Santos, the country's largest port, in Sao Paulo state on the country's south Atlantic seaboard.

Abandonados a su suerte y sin contar con apoyo de instituciones públicas o privadas, cientos de personas con discapacidad física, que han perdido sus órganos vitales en accidentes, riñas y por enfermedades congénitas, se entrecruzan en calles y avenidas de esta ciudad para buscar afanosamente el sustento de sus hijos u otros dependientes.

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The 2008 Tahoe Hybrid, available in two- or four-wheel drive, provides the power and capability you expect from a utility vehicle while offering fuel efficiency you never imagined — an outstanding EPA estimated MPG of 21 city, 22 highway for 2WD models, and 20 city, 20 highway for 4x4. In fact, 2008 Tahoe Hybrid 2WD offers the same EPA estimated city fuel efficiency as a four-cylinder Toyota Camry

Globasol, la compañía vinculada a Globalia y especializada en iniciativas internacionales de energías renovables, abordará un proyecto integral de producción de biodiésel en la República Dominicana.

MADRID.-«El uso de los aceites vegetales puede resultar insignificante hoy en día, pero a medida que el tiempo avance, estos productos pueden resultar tan importantes como los derivados del petróleo que ahora tenemos».

El biodiesel es un combustible de origen organico,removable y limpiol que puede usarse en lugar del gasoil en todos los vehiculos o plantas electricas equipados con un motor de gasoil.

El biodiesel se elabora a partir de toda clase de aceite vegetal y grasa animal.Esto quiere decir que podemos usar como material prima el aceite de mani, soya, algodon,sorgo,palma Africana,coco,pinon Jatropha Curcas,Higuereta Castol Seeds y cualquier otro aceite vegetal.

En cuanto a las grasas animals, estas pueden provenir de cualquier tipo de Ganado o de aves de corral.

Nebraska-based Green Plains Renewable Energy and VBV together with its subsidiaries have entered into a merger agreement. The companies will combine, creating a vertically-integrated ethanol company with expected operating capacity of 330 million gallons of ethanol a year.

Royal Nedalco, a subsidiary of Dutch sugar producer Cosun, and a leading ethanol producer, is the latest speaker announced for Biofuels International expo and conference on 4-5 June in Rotterdam.The producer will be speaking about its current projects, particularly its cellulosic ethanol technology, which is based on yeast, rather than bacteria.

Este nuevo sistema nos permite ya no solo ahorrar espacio, sino que las mantiene seguras, fuera del alcance de los amigos de lo ajeno, evitando robos de sillín, ruedas o accesorios.

“Bike Tree” dispone de un panel de control con reconocimiento de huellas de forma que no tenemos que utilizar ninguna llave. Para “aparcar” nuestra bici al colocaremos sobre una especie de slot al efecto y a continuación se activa un sistema que al retiene procediendo a continuación a la comprobación de la huella

SD. Un dominicano graduado de ingeniería electrónica de la Universidad de México logró inventar una máquina que genera electricidad en base al agua y aire.El ingeniero M. J. C. Martínez, quien visitó la redacción de Diario Libre, refirió que con ese equipo, que denominó "el petróleo dorado de los países pobres", busca que se resuelva la crisis de electricidad, los altos precios del petróleo y los problemas  medioambientales en el país.

 Indian state-run refiner Bharat Petroleum Corp will invest 2.66 billion rupees (€42.5million) to buy a third of a joint venture to produce biodiesel. The company will partner Mumbai-based firm Shapoorji Pallonji and southern India-based Nandan Biomatrix to extract biodiesel from jatropha and karanj plantations in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

A partir de agosto, Simeprode, la empresa pública de la ciudad de Monterrey (México) encargada de la gestión de los residuos urbanos, conectará una planta de producción de energía eléctrica a partir de biogás de 5,3 MW que servirá para mover las dos líneas de metro de esta ciudad, conocido popularmente como Metrorrey.

 Germany-based Choren Industries has completed work on its large scale biomass to liquid (BTL) plant, which it claims is the world's first commercial synthetic biofuel production plant. The 3.9 million gallon BTL facility, which will make biodiesel from forest residue and waste wood, will now go into a commissioning phase over the next eight to 12 months.

Germany-based chemical and EPC company Lurgi will construct an $8 million (€5.2 million) pilot plant in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, that will convert methanol to synthetic biofuel. The project is supported by the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, as an experiment into alternatives to the Fischer Tropsch synthesis.

El libro, titulado ‘Recuperación energética ecoeficiente de los residuos. Potencial en España’, asegura que el aprovechamiento energético de los residuos permitiría cubrir más de un 8 por ciento del consumo de energía primaria en España.

El calentamiento global podría ralentizarse durante los próximos 10 años gracias a variaciones naturales en las corrientes oceánicas.Científicos que trabajan con modelos climáticos de Europa y Norte América han encontrado que la principal corriente oceánica que transporta agua caliente hacia el norte se está debilitando, lo que potencialmente podría equilibrar los cambios de temperatura causado por la actividad humana.

 UK-based Energy giant BP will join forces with Brazil-based cotton producer Maeda Group (MG) and sugarcane crusher Santelisa Vale (SV). The three will enter a joint venture under the name Tropical BioEnergia, with BP paying $60 million (€38.6 million) for a 50% stake.

Sugar mills in Brazil's major producing region will turn a record 58% of this year's sugarcane crop into ethanol as rising oil prices generate demand for alternative fuels. Ethanol production in Brazil's central south region, which accounts for more than 80 % of the nation's output, will increase to 24.3 billion litres (6.4 billion gallons) this year from 20.3 billion litres last year, the Sugar and Ethanol Industry Association says. Last year, 56% of the crop was processed into fuel, up from 51% in 2006.

Brazil-based company Plant.a.Bio and the Netherlands-headquartered project developer and trading firm BioFuel Projects International (BFP International) have outlined their cooperation to develop and manage commercial scale jatropha plantations in Brazil.BFP International and Plant.a.Bio aim to develop plantations in the interior of Brazil in less developed regions providing labour and chances for new farmers on grounds that were considered to be unusable.

When two or more crops are grown simultaneously in the same field, this is called intercropping. According to the topography, soil profile and prevailing agroclimatic conditions in an area, Jatropha can be combined with other suitable species comprising the agricultural, horticultural, herbs, pastoral and/or silvicultural components to result in an ecologically viable, economically profitable and socially acceptable agroforestry system. By evolving, promoting and adopting Jatropha based intercropping systems it is possible to improve the socioeconomic conditions in rural areas and to transform the National energy scenario and the ecological landscape.

SANTO DOMINGO.- La Fundación por los Derechos del Consumidor (Fundecom) pidió del Poder Ejecutivo la promulgación del decreto que aprueba el reglamento para la aplicación de la ley 57-07, sobre incentivos al uso de energías renovables.

Con recursos abundantes de viento, luz solar, y tierra, y una Ley de Incentivos a las Energias Renovable que ya ha atraido mas de US $2 billones en proyectos de energia eolica, energia solar termica, produccion de modulos solares, etanol, y biodiesel, se habia supuesto en la Republica Dominicana que nuestro mensaje a los combustibles fosiles (petroleo, carbon, y gas natural)

The Alternative Energy Technology Center (AETE) has announced its plans to produce ethanol for the US market for less than $1 (€0.63) a gallon.

AETE plans to refine cellulose biomass into fuel products using its]

proprietary technology.

A new biodiesel blending and storage facility has opened in Aurora, Colorado, increasing the availability of the cleaner-burning fuel for the area.

Pipeline company Magellan Midstream Partners owns the facility, which is located at an existing petroleum terminal.

The Philippines plans to import approximately 170 million litres of ethanol from Brazil and Thailand in 2009.

The ethanol imports would be a temporary measure, as the Philippines will boost capacity to meet its domestic needs within the next five years.

US-based ethanol producer VeraSun Energy has closed its merger with US BioEnergy.

'We expect to reach 16 biorefineries and an operating capacity of more than 1.6 billion gallons by the end of 2008,' VeraSun CEO Don Endres comments.

With the completion of the merger, valued at approximately $707 million (€450 million), VeraSun owns and operates 10 ethanol production facilities with an annual capacity of 980 million gallons a year. Seven other facilities are currently under construction or in development.

US-based alternative energy investor Leaf Clean Energy has invested $20 million (€12.7 million) in biodiesel technology company Greenline Industries, and $20 million in cellulosic ethanol producer Range Fuels.

The investment would allow Greenline to accelerate research and development and add new products to reduce the cost of producing biodiesel.

European bioethanol production increased over 10% in 2007.

Total EU production was around 1.77 billion litres, an increase of 13.5% compared to the previous two years. Ethanol production in the continent experienced a growth rate over 70% during the last two years.

The greatest production was achieved in France (578 million litres) where the production almost doubled. Germany (394 million litres) and Spain (348 million litres) were the next largest producers.

Dubai Group, a financial services company of Dubai Holding, has invested $49.5 million (€31.2 million) for approximately 30% of Malaysia's GBD Investment (GBDI), the largest biodiesel plant in southeast Asia.

The investment was made by Dubai Ventures, the equity investment company of Dubai Investment Group, a subsidiary of Dubai Group.

First Wheelchair-Accessible Van To help celebrate 100 years of the taxi cab in New York City, General Motors is placing into the city’s taxi fleet service the only vans approved to transport individuals with mobility-restricting disabilities or spinal cord injuries.

A genetics company and a biodiesel refiner have formed a joint venture to see if they can cut the cost of biodiesel.

Sustainable Oil is a joint venture between Green Earth Fuels, an established biodiesel manufacturer from Texas, and Targeted Growth, which specializes in creating genetically enhanced plants. Targeted Growth has created a version of camelina, a distant relative of canola, with seeds that produce about 20 percent more oil than seeds from conventional plants, according to CEO Tom Todaro. The more oil that comes out of the seeds, the more fuel that can be produced. Additionally, camelina grows on marginal land, requires little water, and isn't eaten by humans.

US-based ethanol producer VeraSun Energy has closed its merger with US BioEnergy.'We expect to reach 16 biorefineries and an operating capacity of more than 1.6 billion gallons by the end of 2008,' VeraSun CEO Don Endres comments.

Ethanol production, distribution and marketing company Renova Energy is evaluating ethanol plans following the suspended construction of its 21 million gallon a year ethanol production facility at Heyburn, Idaho due to cost overruns in December 2007.

On 8 February 2008, the company entered into a Standstill Agreement with its banks under which the banks agreed not to exercise their rights relating to certain breaches of banking covenants by the company that resulted from the suspension of the Heyburn project.

La medida, concebida para favorecer la protección forestal, será pionera en España La Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Rural está diseñando los primeros planes anuales de aprovechamiento de biomasa en el Principado de Asturias, que empezarán a ejecutarse en montes públicos que requieran trabajos selvícolas y de prevención de incendios.

La higuereta o higuera, es una planta que se desarrolla de forma silvestre en toda la geografía nacional,Países donde se cultiva en grandes extensiones son: Brasil, La India, China, Argentina y muchos otros países.

The southern Brazilian state of Paraná will construct 10 ethanol and sugar plants due for operation in 2010.

The state is the country's second largest ethanol producer and the fourth largest sugar producer. Planted area for sugarcane is set to increase by 16.5% in the 2007/2008 crop.

Brazil's state-owned oil company Petrobras has announced it will sign a cooperation agreement with two Brazilian states for the country's second ethanol-only pipeline.

Petrobras and the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and Parana plan to develop viability studies for the pipeline, which would link Campo Grande in western Brazil to the port of Paranagua in southern Brazil.

Las organizaciones ecologistas han demandado al presidente del Gobierno en funciones, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, la creación de un superministerio de Medio Ambiente, con nuevas y más profundas competencias en la materia.

Paralelamente han solicitado que haya una vicepresidencia de sostenibilidad para afrontar los retos que plantea compatibilizar el bienestar con el respeto al medio ambiente.

Ya a partir del pasado 1° de enero de 2008 los automovilistas en Berlín, Colonia y Hannover necesitarán una calcomanía medioambiental para circular en ciertas zonas protegidas, de lo contrario serán multados con 40 euros.

“Es el paquete de medidas para proteger el medio ambiente más ambicioso del mundo”, contaba José Manuel Barroso, presidente de la Comisión Europea, a sus colegas del Parlamento europeo. La fórmula mágica ha sido bautizada como 20-20-20: emitir un 20% menos de CO2 con respecto a los niveles de 1990, aumentar la participación de las energías renovables en la producción eléctrica hasta un 20% del total y ahorrar un 20% de energía. Todo ello, hasta 2020.

Portugal-based corporation Galp Energia and Visabeira Mocambique have formed Mocamgalp to set up a biofuels plant in Mozambique and export vegetable oil for use as biodiesel in Portugal.

According to a cooperation memorandum Mocamgalp will find up to 150,000 hectares of land for oilseeds production and transformation into vegetable oil. Mozambique will also use biodiesel from the plant following the agreed allocation of exports to Portugal.

In the Dominican Republic, the government has authorised E7.5 blends for sale across the country, citing high petrol costs of $5 (€3) per gallon.

The government also announced that it would switch vehicles to compressed natural gas to save on fuel costs.

In the Republic, companies such as Brazil's Infinity Bio-Energy and Dominican Bioetanol Boca Chica are investing up to $200 million towards establishment of a Dominican ethanol industry based of the country's extensive sugarcane resources.

German bioethanol producers are calling for cuts in bioethanol imports which have not been produced from sustainable agriculture.

Petra Sprick, CEO of German biofuels industry association VDB, said cheap bioethanol imports, such as those from Brazil, are pushing German producers out of the market and that the imports have often been produced on farmland cleared of tropical rainforests.

Venezuela is building at least four ethanol plants to convert sugarcane and yucca into fuel.

Petroleos de Venezuela SA, the state energy company, has an agricultural subsidiary working on plants in four states.

Researchers at the University of Maryland have developed a new process that could yield as much as 75 billion gallons of carbon neutral biofuel a year from plant waste.

The Zymetis process can make ethanol and other biofuels from many different types of non-grain plants and plant waste, including waste paper, brewing byproducts and leftover agriculture products, including straw, corncobs and husks, and energy crops such as switchgrass.

Ginger is the common name for Zingiber officinale, which was originaly cultivated in China and now equally spread around the world.Ginger is a herb but is often known as a spice, with a strong distinct flavor that can increase the production of saliva. The part that is used as spice on the plant itself is the rhizomes or ginger root. This ginger root is traditionally used with sweet foods in Western cuisine being included in popular recipes such as ginger ale, ginger snaps, gingerbread, ginger biscuits and ginger cake.

Climate Change May Lead to War.   A study finds that long-term climate change with its resulting food shortages, population shifts, and economic instability can lead to war and population decline. The study revealed that as temperatures decreased centuries ago during a period called the Little Ice Age, the number of wars increased, famine occurred, and the population declined. Even though temperatures are increasing now, the same conflicts may occur, as 80% of the world's wars from 1400 to 1900 were triggered by food shortages and famine caused by extreme weather. Previous research found that temperature changes were correlated with times of war in Eastern China between 1000 and 1911.

Climate Change is the most serious problem we face in the 21st century. Future generations are depending on us to do whatever we can to turn things around.

Global Warming is a dramatically urgent and serious problem. We don't need to wait for governments to find a solution for this problem: each individual can bring an important help adopting a more responsible lifestyle: starting from little, everyday things. It's the only reasonable way to save our planet, before it is too late.

Durante miles de años, los humanos han estado jugando un papel cada vez más importante en la deforestación. A través de la historia, un imperio tras otro han cortado bosques para construir sus barcos y viviendas, y como combustible. Una vez que han sido devastados, esos bosques no se han recuperado en mil años o más, y algunos nunca se recuperarán -- como en partes del Mediterráneo, el Medio Oriente y Gran Bretaña.

La higuereta o higuera, es una planta que se desarrolla de forma silvestre en toda la geografía nacional, hasta el momento no se tiene información de ninguna plantación sembrada con fines comerciales. Países donde se cultiva en grandes extensiones son: Brasil, La India, China, Argentina y otros países.

Start Business Of Growing Green Fuel From Jatropha Plantation To Biodiesel Production Covering All Three Stages
Farmers would earn from jatropha farming
Farm worker would have employment
Small rural enterprises would sell or purchase the seeds
Small scale industries grow for oil production
Diesel fuel production would further provide business opportunity
By products like press-cake would be traded by villagers
Energy employment and earnings would go together.

Las oleaginosos son semillas que  se comen o utilizan para la extracción de aceite. Estas incluyen semillas de calabaza, de melón, de salsifí (Telfairia pedata) y semilla de algodón. Esta última es una importante fuente de aceite en áreas donde se cultiva algodón en Asia, África y América Latina. En África occidental y otras partes, se utilizan en la dieta mantequillas de semilla de shea (Butyrospermum parkii), de nuez de nogal blanco y otras semillas oleaginosas. Casi todas estas semillas crecen en árboles nativos.

Genera independencia economica y energetica, un pais que fabrica su propio combustible ya no dependerá de las constantes alzas del mercado petrolero ni de las disputas causadas por la escasez del llamado "oro negro".Mayor duración y lubricidad de los motores, ya que por haber sido obtenido de aceites vegetales sus propiedades lubricantes ayudan al motor a funcionar de forma más eficiente.,

Es una hierba con tallo erecto, de 1 a 5 metros de alto, más o menos ramificada, a menudo se vuelve arbórea, con un tronco robusto. Hojas alternas y palmeadas. Flores numerosas, apétalas, pequeñas, verdosas y en racimos terminales. El fruto es una cápsula tubular espinosa que contiene en cada celda una semilla ovoide. Las semillas son brillantes, lisas, negras, matizadas de blanco y moteadas con marcas grises y pardas. El endospermo es carnoso y aceitoso.

Jatropha curcus is a drought-resistant perennial, growing well in marginal/poor soil. It is easy to establish, grows relatively quickly and lives, producing seeds for 50 years. Jatropha the wonder plant produces seeds with an oil content of 37%. The oil can be combusted as fuel without being refined. It burns with clear smoke-free flame, tested successfully as fuel for simple diesel engine.

It's a simple fact: wind is cheaper than oil and the most cost-effective offshore energy source. Yet, despite its attractive saving potential, it is not presently being used by cargo ships - for a simple reason: so far no sailing system has met the requirements of commercial shipping.

The Dominican Republic covers around two thirds of Hispañola island (49,000 square kilometers) with a total population of some 8.5 million. 40 percent live in rural areas.

FICHA TECNICA DE LA JATROPHA CURCAS:

Link:

Popular Mechanics on Clean Diesels 

España importó 150.000 toneladas de biodiésel norteamericano en 2007. El 80% de las importaciones ha sido realizado por las principales petroleras (fundamentalmente las españolas), pese a la existencia en España de 22 plantas operativas de producción de biodiésel.

Large-scale wind turbines are becoming an increasingly common sight throughout the country, providing enough electricity to meet the needs of more than 600,000 families.

Modern wind energy uses the same basic principles that have been around since the 1800s: the wind spins a rotor, which in turn spins a turbine inside a generator to produce electricity.

Documento informativo con subtitulos en español que presenta los usos de la cocina solar parabólica Ksol, la cocción con calor retenido y las posibilidades que presenta esta tecnología en los países altamente energetizados y en los que no lo están y dificilmente lo podran estar.

El Ministerio de Agricultura dominicano informó hoy de que se sembrarán 30.000 tareas (1.884 hectáreas) de higuereta en el suroeste del país para producir biodiesel.Este proyecto piloto, impulsado por los gobiernos de la República Dominicano y de Brasil, involucra a pequeños y medianos productores agrícolas de las provincias de Elías Piña, San Juan de la Maguana, Azua, Bahoruco y Barahona, explicó el Ministerio en un comunicado.

La petrolera norteamericana Chevron ha anunciado el comienzo de la construcción en Galveston (Texas) de la mayor planta de fabricación de biodiesel de Estados Unidos, con una capacidad de 100 millones de galones al año, lo que supone un potencial superior al doble de la producción actual de todo EEUU, que fue de 75 millones de galones en 2005.

Aunque en EEUU los biocarburantes están encabezados por el bioetanol que se produce principalmente con maíz, la producción de biodiesel fabricado sobre todo con soja está experimentando también un gran crecimiento, con un volumen que ha pasado de 200.000 galones en 1999 a 20 millones en 2004, y 75 en 2005.

Enter into contract with growers for assured seeds supply if you’re not the producer
Conduct a feasibility study- hire a consultant
Write a business plan
Form a enterprise with experts
Solicit financing
Hire a engineering discipline
Develop the markets
Install the plant and run the business
Value additions of by-products in form of bio-fertilizer and herbal soaps.

  El hidrógeno es inagotable para los cálculos humanos.
El Sol es una bola de hidrógeno que agota su mocedad con 4.6 billones de años, si no estalla antes, la hipótesis del gran boom le anticipa 15 billones de años, después, junto a los demás sistemas concentrarán toda la energía del universo en un punto, causando otro estallido en medio de la eternidad.

The German Government planned to increase from five to 10% the amount of bio-ethanol in gasoline. Now the decision is postponed until March. Too many drivers may not be compatible with the measure.

El Gobierno alemán planeaba aumentar de un cinco a un 10% la cantidad de bioetanol contenida en la gasolina. Ahora la decisión se pospone hasta marzo. Demasiados motores podrían no ser compatibles con la medida.

LONDRES, Inglaterra | AP Virgin Atlantic realizó este domingo el primer vuelo mundial de una aeronave comercial propulsada por biocombustible, en un esfuerzo por demostrar que puede contaminar menos la atmósfera que el combustible normal de aviación.

Los climatólogos del Instituto Goddard de Estudios Espaciales (GISS), organismo perteneciente a la NASA, informaron que el 2007 quedó empatado como el segundo año más caluroso durante los últimos cien años, junto a 1998.

Ya en los albores de la era del automóvil, Henry Ford predijoque el alcohol etílico será el 'carburante del futuro'. De hecho, su famoso modelo T funcionaba con etanol. Por su parte, Rudolf Diesel mostró en la Exhibición Mundial de París de 1900 un motor que funcionaba con aceite vegetal.

The Chile defense minister, Jose Carrasco Goñi said that Chile wants to assume a more rigorous, under the Antarctic treaty-that sustained so far to care for the environment on the mainland glacier, especially when there is a growing tourism. He assured that consideration is being given to equip Chilean bases in Antarctica of a system of wind energy.

La pobreza es una realidad que todos enfrentamos, que muchos vivimos, pero que resulta sumamente arduo definir y medir.