The 21st International Congress for Renewable Mobility “Fuels of the Future 2024” has come to an end. Over 660 participants from 31 nations accepted the invitation of the German biofuels industry. The two-day conference showed once again that climate protection with low-CO2 mobility can only succeed in the transport transition if it is designed to be open to technology and with renewable fuels. The final press release is attached.
The European Parliament has voted in favour of passing a law to regulate sustainability claims on product labels. The law will prohibit retailers from making general environmental and sustainability claims without evidence. The law prohibits the use of terms such as “eco”, “biodegradable”, “eco-friendly”, “natural” and “carbon neutral” without evidence.
In addition, the law addresses carbon offsetting and prohibits labels from stating that products have a “neutral, reduced or positive impact on the environment” because companies participate in carbon offsetting programmes (greenwashing). The move comes at a time when more and more studies are showing that carbon offset programmes do little to actually reduce emissions, but rather act as “phantom credits” that do not remove CO2 emissions from the atmosphere. https://www.dvz.de/politik/detail/news/eu-richtlinie-gegen-greenwashing-verabschiedet.html
The International Energy Agency (IEA) writes in its recent report on renewable energy that the role of biofuels has come to the fore. Emerging economies, led by Brazil and India, are expected to account for 70% of global demand in the next five years as biofuels begin to realize their true potential in sectors such as aviation and as a replacement for highly polluting fuels. The report shows that the use of biofuels is not accelerating fast enough. The report is attached in annex.
LanzaJet joined with industry leaders and partners to open Freedom Pines Fuels. It will be the world’s first production facility to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from ethanol. LanzaJet’s technology enables current and future delivery volumes to support a large SAF industry as well as the White House SAF Grand Challenge, which calls for the delivery of at least 3 billion gallons of SAF per year by 2030 to significantly reduce aviation emissions. With its proprietary ethanol-to-SAF technology, LanzaJet serves as a blueprint for deploying the first innovation of its kind. More under: https://www.lanzajet.com/news-insights/lanzajet-celebrates-grand-opening-of-freedom-pines-fuels-plant-the-worlds-first-ethanol-to-sustainable-aviation-fuel-production-facility
India and Brazil are negotiating a technology partnership to expand the use of ethanol. Brazil has been using ethanol in vehicles for a very long time and there is a lot to learn from the American nation, said Union Minister V K Singh. “We can learn from them and work with them to ensure that we also develop an ecosystem for ethanol and such alcohol-based fuels,” the Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways said at the Assocham “Fuels of the Future 2.0” conference recently”. Continue below: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/renewables/india-in-talks-with-brazil-for-tech-partnership-to-expand-ethanol-usage/articleshow/106898696.cms?from=mdr
Airbus and the CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop new technologies and test and qualify indigenous sustainable aviation fuel in the country. The collaboration will address the decarbonization ambitions of the Indian aerospace industry by supporting SAF production and marketing using a new HEFA technology pathway and locally sourced raw materials. More under: https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-01-airbus-partners-with-csir-indian-institute-of-petroleum-to-foster
Hutanbio has secured a $2.85 million seed investment to accelerate the delivery of biofuels to the global shipping and aviation industries. “Our HBx biofuel oil is a sustainable and scalable, high energy density, low carbon and zero sulfur fuel solution that uses the greenhouse gas CO2 as a feedstock,” the company said. More under: https://www.bunkerspot.com/europe/60941-europe-hutanbio-wins-2-25-million-seed-funding-for-its-hbx-biofuel
In Uruguay, the government is examining the possibility of increasing the proportion of ethanol in gasoline and resuming the use of biodiesel in diesel. Current regulations require a blend of bioethanol to gasoline of at least 8.5%, although the current blend is actually closer to 9.8%. More under: https://mediospublicos.uy/gobierno-evalua-aumentar-mezcla-de-etanol-en-nafta-y-retomar-uso-de-biodiesel-en-gasoil/
Michelin, IFPEN and Axens inaugurated the first industrial-scale demonstrator of a plant producing bio-based butadiene in France, at Michelin’s site in Bassens near Bordeaux. The demonstrator was built within the framework of the BioButterfly project, involving the three partners, and supported by ADEME (French Agency for Environment and Energy Management) with the aim of developing and commercializing butadiene from ethanol derived from biomass (plants), to replace butadiene from petrochemicals. BioButterfly has reached a significant step in creating a bio-based synthetic elastomer industry. https://www.michelin.com/en/press-releases/inauguration-of-the-first-industrial-scale-demonstrator-of-a-plant-producing-butadiene-from-bioethanol-in-france/
India’s oil marketing companies have opened their procurement tender. The government has largely stopped ethanol production from sugarcane juice and B-heavy molasses. The tender does not allow these types of ethanol to be included in the 2.67 billion litre tender. The tender relates to the supply of ethanol between 1 February and the end of the current ethanol marketing year on 31 October. C-heavy molasses, spoilt foodstuffs such as rice and maize are the raw materials that may be supplied for the remainder of the marketing year. More under: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/omcs-latest-procurement-tender-excludes-ethanol-made-from-sugarcane-juice-b-heavy-molasses/article67776569.ece
Progress has been made in the supply of alternative fuels in Singapore, as inventory sales of biofuel blends rose to 520,000 tonnes last year, a more than three-fold increase from 2022. This was announced at the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) New Year Conversation event last week. During the event, Acting Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat announced a record 2023 for Maritime Singapore. More under: https://www.world-energy.org/article/39755.html
Babcock & Wilcox and Black Hills Energy announced that the companies have received a $16 million grant from the Wyoming Energy Authority to fund the permitting, engineering and development activities for a clean hydrogen generation facility with carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and sequestration at Black Hills Energy’s Neil Simpson Power Plant in Gillette, Wyo. More under: https://www.babcock.com/home/about/corporate/news/babcock-and-wilcox-and-black-hills-energy-receive-state-of-wyoming-grant-to-develop-a-low-carbon-hydrogen-facility-using-brightloop-technology
According to a press report from Repsol, there will be more than 600 gas stations offering 100% renewable fuel by the end of 2024. Repsol currently supplies 100% renewable fuel to more than 60 gas stations in the main cities and transport corridors of the Iberian Peninsula. With 46 gas stations in Spain and 15 in Portugal, the energy company has exceeded the target it set last May when it began supplying the first three gas stations in Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon, making it the first Spanish company that offers 100% electricity. offer renewable fuel to its customers. More under: https://www.repsol.com/en/press-room/press-releases/2024/repsol-to-exceed-600-service-stations-with-renewable-fuel/index.cshtml
In India, the government of Himachal Pradesh will set up an ethanol plant in Jeetpur. The Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and the state government would equally share the construction cost of the plant. According to the report, the state share would include the cost of the land provided by the state government for construction. More under: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/hpcl-to-set-up-ethanol-plant-in-una-district-582518