Crude Oil Tumble Hits Southeast Asia's Biodiesel Ambitions
by Naveen Thukral (Reuters) The world's top palm oil producers Indonesia and Malaysia may have to curb plans to channel
by Naveen Thukral (Reuters) The world's top palm oil producers Indonesia and Malaysia may have to curb plans to channel
(Autodisplay Biotech GmbH) In November, an international consortium led by Autodisplay Biotech GmbH started Pathway EFB, a €1.6 million ($1.75
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A mere “The Year in Rewind” as we reach the end of 2015? Not the
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who mandates what in biofuels? 64 countries have targets or mandates — but how much where,
(Biofuels International) A team of experts from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and the University of Cambridge in the UK are
(Fleets & Fuels) Installation Combines Membrane and PSA Technologies Yielding Biomethane-Based CNG for Palm Oil Mill Vehicles --- Canada’s Xebec Adsorption has
(ScandAsia.com) Scania Malaysia (Scania) and Agensi Inovasi Malaysia or Malaysia Innovation Agency (AIM) are to collaborate in exploring viable commercial
by Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn (News Locker) Voluntary measures and government targets are great – but it is legislation that will push European
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who’s building what, where, now. 29 projects in construction or in commissioning in Africa, Europe,
(Borneo Post/Bernama) In the light of the current haze Malaysians are facing, a local company, Biofuel Sdn Bhd, has come
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) All have soaring ambitions, some will be realized on schedule, some later, some probably not
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) License agreement adds countries in Southeast Asia; Optional capacity for up to 75,000 metric tons
by Mohamad Azlan Jaafar (Malaysia Reserve) Several anti-palm oil groups are pressuring international manufacturers to boycott products from Felda Global
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Verdezyne is a privately held industrial biotechnology company that is developing and commercializing novel genetically
by Jayson Beckman (US Department of Agriculture) Global biofuel production rose tremendously over 2001-13, led largely by rapid growth in the
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Glucan Biorenewables is producing furan derivatives from biomass. The furfural platform will be used to
by V. Nilesh (Deccan Chronicle) The government’s national policy on biofuels which aims to blend 20 per cent biofuels by 2017
(Biofuels International) Malaysia's biodiesel exports surged twelvefold year on year to 46,601mt in July, bolstered by an open arbitrage to
(Hellenic Shipping News) India’s newly launched biodiesel mandate would have limited impact on the region’s balances but could potentially help
(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) In July, the FAO price indices for oilseeds and meals rose by
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It’s been around for a generation or so — fast pyrolysis, that is. Though in
by Sean Lin (Taipai Times) The EPA said more than 100,000 tonnes of biodiesel per year are made from recycled
(Bernama/The Malay Mail Online) Some 1.22 million tonnes of crude palm oil (CPO) from the country’s stockpile will be utilised
(Malaysian Digest) Barely two weeks after casting doubt on the viability of Malaysia’s B10 biodiesel fuel for car engines, Mercedez-Benz
(Paultan.org) Following BMW Malaysia announcing it found “technical challenges” running its diesel engines on B10 biodiesel (10% palm-based biodiesel/90% petroleum
(Platts) ... In immediate reaction, market participants viewed the proposed obligations as bearish for corn-based ethanol (D6) RINs and bullish
(Biofuels International) Palm oil is predominantly consumed for food applications, however in the last decade palm oil consumption for biofuels has
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From remarks by Antonio De Palmas — president, Boeing Italy, at the World Bioenergy Leadership
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The renewable energy industry was saddened on March 3 by the news of the death
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) To make fuel, chemicals, fiber, food more productively than ever before — it starts in
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It’s New, it’s Neo — the neodiesel companies — brimming with technologies to create cleaner
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Here’s our most recent update, focusing on 10 key issues (though not ranked in order
(Daily Express) Kota Kinabalu: A biofuel expert based in China has identified Sabah as a suitable location for planting sweet
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Teck Guan Group is a progressive multinational (Malaysia, China, Indonesia) oil palm plantation, palm oil
(Bernama) A total of 366 petrol kiosks in Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan will be selling B7 palm oil biodiesel from
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As a newly-closed venture fund opens for business with a distinctly Malaysian flavor, we look
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who mandates what in biofuels? 64 countries have targets or mandates — but how much
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The East is Green. Asia is confirmed as “the new Brazil” as project developers head
by Allan Koay (The Star Online) The Algae Research Lab in Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, smells like the sea. ...
by Teis Jensen (Reuters Africa) Denmark's Novozymes , the world's largest enzymes producer, will stick to its plans
by Zarina Zakarian (New Straits Times) Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGV) aims to be the world’s leader in biodiesel
by Joy Lee (The Star) Malaysia is home to a thriving palm oil industry and we are the second largest
by Mario Parker (The Washington Post/Bloomberg) The U.S. is adding ethanol to the list of fuels it dominates in world
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Malaysia, Brooke Renewables and Hock Lee Group presented a Letter of Intent to the
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Policy uncertainty has adversely impacted the U.S. biodiesel industry, but media reports would have you
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) A recent report issued by Grand View Research indicates the global market for specialty fuel
(Growth Energy) Growth Energy participated in a market development mission with the U.S. Grains Council and the Renewable Fuels Association
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) If you’ve seen Bill Randany’s face lately, it’s probably in a photo opp recently in
(Phys.org) ... A research team led by Professor Mohamad Asadullah has embarked on a project related to gasification of biomass to
(BlackSeaGrain/Bloomberg) Palm oil production in Colombia will climb to a record this year as trees planted three years ago start
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How a small, development-stage industrial biotech company, making chemicals you never heard of, landed $48M
(Bernama) Felda Global Ventures Biotechnologies Sdn Bhd (FGVB) has delivered its first 48 metric tonnes (MT) of palm methyl ester
(Cool Planet/Biomass Magazine) Cool Planet Energy Systems, a technology company producing green fuels and biochar products, has broken ground on
(Aemetis) Aemetis, Inc. (OTCQB: AMTX), an advanced fuels and renewable chemicals company, announced today that its 50 million gallon per
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Florida, the Digest today releases its annual review of biofuels mandates and targets around
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Asia looks at petroleum reserves and exploration and concludes: our future is in biomass. As we wrote
by Simon Khoo (The Star) iNNOVATIVE Green products that can help to address climate change are the way forward as far
(Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) has launched an initiative with the help of The Boeing Company
by Jessica Jaganathan and Judy Hua (Reuters) China's biodiesel imports are surging, displacing local diesel sales as some trading companies take
by Rhett Butler (Mongabay.com) Palm oil imports into Europe for use as car fuel increased by more than three-fold since 2006,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Colorado, Cool Planet Energy Systems and Acritaz Greentech announced that they have signed an
(The Malaysia Insider) Malaysia and Japan-based Asian Energy Investments Pte Ltd. have launched a $100 million (RM320 million) venture capital
(4-Traders.com/Graphene NanoChem plc) Graphene NanoChem (AIM: GRPH), the performance chemicals and advanced materials company, is pleased to announce that PlatClear,
(The Economist) Energy technology: Making large amounts of fuel from organic matter has proved to be more difficult and costly than
Thomas Blakeslee (Renewable Energy World) ...Though solar electric is the clear winner based on land use, biofuels are still in
(Borneo Post) The Microbiology Research Group at the University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Biotechnology Research Institute has developed a simple and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A technology developed for Europe finds it is in demand again, as technologists address the
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Today’s hottest news comes from LanzaTech, and India’s Centre for Advanced Bio-Energy, which have partnered
(Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen e.V./Biodiesel Magazine) With 53 percent raw material content, rapeseed oil remains the most
by Ranjeetha Pakiam (Bloomberg) Palm oil gained for the first time in six days after West Texas Intermediate crude surged above
(The Oil Palm) Spanish MEP and Draftsman for the influential Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE), Alejo Vidal-Quadras, has dismissed
( SCS Global Services/PR NewsWire) SCS Global Services has announced the expansion of its biofuel certification services in Southeast Asia. The
(Algaetech International) AMIC, Malaysia, and Algaetech International Sdn Bhd, Malaysia, announces the signing of a Research & Technology agreement on
by Intan Farhana Zainul (The Star) ...I was given a chance to attend the Palm and Lauric Oils Conference &
(The Star/Reuters) A blending tax credit for alternative fuels has helped re-open the way for shipments of palm biodiesel to
(INCBIO) Incbio, a leading Portuguese engineering company, who specializes in state of the art fully automated industrial ultrasonic Biodiesel plants,
(Mongabay.com) Degradation of peat swamps for oil palm and timber plantations is a substantially larger source of greenhouse gas emissions
by Nina Chestney (Reuters/Huffington Post) Growing palm oil trees to make biofuels could be accelerating the effects of climate change, new
by Emily Bruns (Ashton Gasette) In an effort to evolve with the constant changes and challenges within a $50 billion
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There’s only one complete region for biofuels where abundant feedstock, lack of oil & gas
by Craig Hanson (WRI Insights) At the 10th Annual Meeting of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), WRI launched two new online
by Nigel Sizer (WRI Insights/The Jakarta Post) ...The world’s top scientists are also raising concerns. According to a recent study in Nature Climate
by Barbara Lewis (Reuters) The European Commission has approved a scheme that would certify as sustainable transport fuel made from
by Jason Motlagh (The Washington Post/Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting) Long a preferred cooking ingredient in developing countries, palm oil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Brazil, India, the US, China and the EU point the way towards a 60 billion
The National Institute of Standards and Technology announced that it has posted presentations from the 4th International Conference on Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Ensyn – moving rapidly towards scale as a transport fuel technology after decades in smaller,
by Robert Rapier (Biofuels Digest) ...Oxford Catalysts claims that with natural gas at $3.89 per million BTU (MMBTU), they
(Algae Industry Magazine) Mitsubishi Corp has signed a research collaboration agreement with the Sarawak Biodiversity Council, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In Malaysia, LanzaTech and the Malaysian national oil company, Petronas, announced they will work together
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...We say that biofuels are “capital-intensive,” mainly to be polite. It’s like saying that Genghis Khan,
(Frost & Sullivan/Sacramento Bee) Removing subsidies for conventional fuels and providing incentives for biofuels will bolster market growth New analysis from
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...While the economic growth in China has been drawing virtually all the headlines in recent
by Kan Yean Thoong (The Star) TWENTY secondary schools and two universities in Selangor will be participating in the
(Bankok Post) Thailand is being urged to step up joint development and know-how exchanges with Malaysia and Indonesia on ethanol
(EcoBusiness/The Borneo Post) Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water is planning to set up a biomass refinery at a major city
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Researchers in Southeast Asia have identified an approach to producing ethanol using an abundant
(EurekAlert/Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology) Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology and palm oil giants Felda, Sime Darby, in
(Global Renewable Fuels Association/Cardno ENTRIX) ...As is the case with virtually all other emerging and developing countries, biofuels offer the prospects
(Bernama) Malaysia and Indonesia, the world’s largest producers of palm oil, are on a joint mission to correct and update
By Meng Yew Choong (The Star) Palm oil milling is far from benign, but the industry is frantically conducting research
(JOil) • Tamil Nadu sites achieve first-year flowering in three months and first harvest in five months • Field trials now
(FreshFruitPortal.com) Indonesia and Malaysia have questioned a U.S. decision that their palm oil fails to meet regulatory greenhouse gas reduction
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) Palms are said to be a symbol of peace and prosperity, but you can’t prove
(Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) Multi stakeholder initiative, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) reported unprecedented growth for Certified
(Manila Bulletin) The government is subjecting to fuel standard testing the jatropha biodiesel of Malaysia-based Bionas which is offering to
(US Environmental Protection Agency) he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a Notice of Data Availability (NODA) to release its
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In India, LanzaTech is working with Indian Oil and Jindal Power and Steel Limited on
(Platts) Japanese Toyo Engineering Co is to build a 10,000 mt/year industrial-grade ethanol plant in Johor Baru, Malaysia by Q2
(The Star) Most of the used cooking oil collected from kitchens are no longer recycled for biodiesel because of the
(Business Times) Selecting an optimal algae strain to produce jet fuel in Malaysia will be a top research priority in
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) This week, while the world’s biofuel producers were busy ramping up production towards the
by Achten, W. M. J., and L. V. Verchot (Ecology and Society) Biofuels are receiving growing negative attention. Direct and/or indirect
by Niluksi Koswanage (Reuters) Indonesian palm-based biodiesel shipments seeking a foothold in the United States will face stiff competition from
(The Star) ...Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said in a speech during the launch of BioMalaysia 2011 and the
(Transport & Environment) Biofuels produced from palm oil grown in tropical peatlands are a significant source of greenhouse gases. This
by Maya Thatcher (Center for International Forestry Research) Smallholder farmers in developing countries risk being left behind in the push
by Premalatha Jayaraman (The Sun Daily) Malayan Banking Bhd has launched a US$500 million (RM1.57 billion) private equity fund to
by Isaac Leung (PACEToday.com) Mission NewEnergy will construct a major waste material processing facility in Malaysia which will recover palm
by Sonya Kolesnikov-Jessop (New York Times) Pahang State in central Malaysia is about to becomehome to the world’s largest commercial
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) When Syed Alwi speaks about the algae industry, you get the feeling that he
(Jakarta Post) PT INKUD Exchange signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday with Malaysian biotechnology firm Lestari Pasifik
by Monika Bertzky, Valerie Kapos & Jörn P.W. Scharlemann (Joint Nature Conservation Committee) Inference from production statistics and modelling studies
by Paul Tan (Paul Tan's Automotive News) Chevron Malaysia Limited, the operator of retail brand Caltex, is seeking to expand
by Liz Lee (The Star) Lestari, Arter Group to build 616 plants Lestari Pasifik Bhd, in an unprecedented joint venture with
by Niluksi Koswanage (Reuters Africa) Malaysia, the word's No.2 palm oil producer, will come up with a certification scheme to
(Algae Industry Magazine) Marilyn Tenn in the Borneo Post talks about biotechnologists and researchers from Swinburne University of Technology, in Sarawak,
by Charlie Dunmore (Reuters) The EU will protect existing investment in its $13 billion biodiesel sector even as it acts
(The Star) ...“Biofuels are the only low-carbon transport fuel that can be scaled up fast enough to tackle carbon emissions
(Borneo Post) Mitsubishi Corp Energy Business Group (Mitsubishi Energy), which is involved in the oil and gas industry in Bintulu,
(The Star) Biodiesel is now available in the market. Beginning this month until October, the supply of the new fuel
(The Guardian/Eco-Business) Malaysia and Indonesia, which together account for about 90% of the world’s palm oil production, have launched a joint PR offensive
(ABC Rural) The European Union wants more of its transport fuel to be made from renewable biomass like canola
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) An interview with James Garton, president of Mission Biofuels USA subsidiary. We look at the
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) This was one of the best weeks yet in the Asian biofuels industry. China
(The Star Malaysia) Experts predict the majority of the world’s oil fields will reach maximum petroleum extraction capacity in 2020,
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) ...Malaysian scientist Jagjit Kaurah works at the Universiti Putra Malaysia research station in Port
by Rupa Damodaran (Business Times) The European Union is not using environmental non-government organisations as a "fifth column" to help
by Stephen Then (The Star Sarawak) A leading biofuel company with global links wants to turn Sarawak into a producer
(Daily Markets/PRNewswire) Multi-Media Enterprises is reporting that Mission NewEnergy Limited has announced the establishment of Asia’s first fully integrated Sustainability
(Neste Oil) Neste Oil with Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Mr. Teo Chee Hean, Finnish Minister
(Bernama) Mitsubishi Corporation's Chief Executive in Malaysia Junichi Iseda and Rector of UTP Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Hj Kasim launch
(Wetlands International) An increasing part of Malaysia’s palm oil is produced at the account of huge areas of tropical peatswamp
(Japan Today) Malaysia’s Sime Darby Plantation is collaborating with Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co to construct and operate a bioethanol
by Tom Tanton (Hawaiian Star Advertiser) Hawaiian Electric Co. has announced plans to build a facility to convert palm oil into
by Alex Morales (Bloomberg Businessweek) Malaysia’s limited room for expanding palm oil cultivation means that industry growth will have to come
by Joelle Dent (Biofuels Digest Asia) ...On the one hand, the EU position to allow import of uncertified Malaysian palm
(The Star) The European Union Renewable Energy Directive (EU RED) and its sustainability criteria will not affect Malaysia’s palm oil exports
(Jakarta Globe/Agence France-Presse) Malaysia will consider cutting a diesel subsidy next year in a bid to make its biofuel industry
by Bert Hill (Ottawa Citizen) Construction will start this year on a biofuel plant in Malaysia that uses the technology of