All Knowledge & Insights By Date

On December 5, 2016, China's National Energy Administration (NEA) published a five-year plan that aims to increase ethanol production to four million tons by 2020 despite the government maintaining strict control over the use of food grains.  The target remains unchanged from the previous five-year plan that ended in 2015.  NEA intends to increase the share of non-fossil fuel consumption from 12 percent to 15 percent by 2020, in part through the vigorous development of fiber...

On December 12, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule, Renewable Fuel Standard Program:  Standards for 2017 and Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2018, in the Federal Register.  This final rule sets the annual percentage standards for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel for motor vehicle gasoline and diesel produced or imported in 2017, as reported in the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy...

?   Aimplas,“Improved Bioplastics for Sustainable Food Packages”   ?   European Bioplastics, “‘Rethinking Plastics’ -- Insights into the Bioplastic Materials of the Future”   ?   Renewable Fuels Association, “RFA Welcomes New Member Valero Renewable Fuels Company LLC”   ?   California Institute of Technology, “Bringing Silicon to Life”   ?   University of Wisconsin-Madison, “Food...

On November 29, 2016, the United Kingdom (UK) Department of Transportation published proposed legislative changes to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), which is open for consultation until January 22, 2017.  Among the proposed changes is an increase in the blending mandates to 9.75 percent by volume for 2020.  The three main proposals outlined detail increasing the supply of waste derived fuels, encouraging the production of advanced renewable fuels, and setting a maximum...

On December 1, 2016, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) testified at a hearing before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs regarding the feasibility of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program .  GAO stated that the goals of the program, to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and expand the nation’s renewable fuels sector, were unlikely to be met as envisioned due to the limited...

?   Department of Energy, “Fact Sheet: Obama Administration Announces New Financing For Renewable Energy Projects and Actions to Spur Innovation and Promote Energy Access Globally”    ?   Department of Agriculture, “USDA Resumes Incentives to Grow the Bioeconomy and Improve Forest Health”   ?   Iowa State University, “Iowa State University Scientists Explore Environmental Advantages of Horticultural Bioplastics”    ?...

On November 14, 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its partners celebrated the successful journey of the first commercial flight powered in part by a new renewable fuel made from wood waste. The demonstration flight, operated by Alaska Airlines, was made possible due to a five-year $39.6 million research project to develop a viable renewable fuel source from cellulose-rich wood harvest leftovers funded by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and led by...

On November 23, 2016, EPA Administrator, Gina McCarthy, signed the final rule on the RFS volume standards for 2017 and biobased diesel standards for 2018. This final rule will increase the renewable fuel volume requirements as reported in the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®) post “EPA Releases Proposed Renewable Fuel Volume Requirements.”  The proposed volume requirements are:   ?   Cellulosic biofuel, from 230 million gallons in 2016 to 311...

On November 16, 2016, the White House filed the Mid-Century Strategy for Deep Decarbonization with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change under the Paris climate deal. The strategy highlights the role that U.S. government-funded research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) had on the technological advances of the last century, and the potential to increase the pace and reduce the costs of decarbonization using the full power of U.S. RD&D efforts focused on clean...

?   BP, “BP Announces Investment of $30 Million in Biojet Producer, Fulcrum”    ?   European Coatings, “Sustainable Coatings from Bio-based Polyesters with Enhanced Functionalities”    ?   PR Underground, “Advanced Biofuel Center Reports Moringa Biodiesel Breakthrough"     ?   Biofuels International, “Hungarian Company to Build Biogas and Ethanol Plant in Nigeria”   ?   Washington...