Dear readers,
The aviation industry is responsible for 2-3% of all CO2 emissions worldwide. This percentage will increase over time as developing countries become richer and demand for air travel increases. The graph below shows that demand for passenger travel is expected to increase by up to 71% by 2050. This will undoubtedly lead to a significant increase in demand for aviation fuels in the same period that many countries are trying to achieve carbon neutrality.
International Energy Agency, Outlook 2023 (IEO2923)
Alternative fuels, such as Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), play a key role in the aviation industry’s strategy to become carbon neutral by 2050. Like 2nd generation ethanol, which is produced from residues, these fuels can be carbon neutral, i.e. they produce the same amount of carbon during combustion as is removed from the atmosphere during production. Therefore, these bio-fuels can drastically reduce carbon emissions that rely on combustion engines and turbines. . https://www.czapp.com/analyst-insights/saf-could-create-demand-driver-for-ethanol-corn/
Virgin Atlantic has announced the key results of Flight100, the first transatlantic flight to use 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). As well as demonstrating that the SAF used for the flight is safe to use with existing infrastructure and leads to a significant reduction in CO2, it also improves local air quality, helps reduce the formation of persistent contrails and reduces fuel consumption. https://corporate.virginatlantic.com/gb/en/media/press-releases/virgin-atlantic-flight100-saved-95-tonnes-of-co2.html
India’s transport minister is aiming for all passenger vehicles to run on E100 in the next few years in preparation for the country’s eventual transition to hydrogen. A key objective of the NDA government is to shift farmers from being food producers to energy producers. The Prime Minister wants to turn India into a $5 trillion economy, which will have to rely on a wide range of sectors, from energy to infrastructure, to achieve these goals. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/renewables/hydrogen-fuel-of-future-vehicles-will-run-on-100-ethanol-in-coming-years-nitin-gadkari/articleshow/109957028.cms?from=mdr
Cemvita announced in Texas its major breakthrough that enables the company to produce significant quantities of its sustainable oil from waste carbon sources. This groundbreaking achievement is a critical step forward in the production of low-carbon feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) HEFA and represents a significant opportunity to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. https://www.cemvita.com/news/cemvita-unveils-eco2-pilot-plant-transforming-co2-emissions-into-renewable-feedstocks-and-fertilizers
US ethanol industry leaders are seeking to join the challenge to the ReFuelEU aviation regulation, which bans the use of renewable, plant-based biofuels such as corn ethanol as a feedstock for decarbonising the aviation sector. https://growthenergy.org/2024/05/03/us-ethanol-industry-challenges-eu-biofuels-saf-ban/
In Washington, in response to President Biden’s Executive Order 14081, “Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy,” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have developed a plan to update, streamline, and clarify their regulations and oversight mechanisms for products of biotechnology. https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/05/08/epa-fda-and-usda-issue-joint-regulatory-plan-biotechnology
Fortescue conducts liquid ammonia, diesel and HVO vessel tests in Singapore. Support comes from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), government agencies, research institutes and industry partners successfully completed propulsion and manoeuvrability tests of its Singapore-registered Fortescue Green Pioneer in the Port of Singapore. https://fortescue.com/news-and-media/news/2024/05/06/successful-propulsion-and-manoeuvrability-trials-by-fortescue-s-dual-fuelled-ammonia-powered-vessel-in-the-port-of-singapore
Bio Capital Group, the UK’s leading producer of energy from food waste, is acquiring a Scottish food waste transfer station and has added a fourth facility to its portfolio. The newly acquired food waste transfer station in Linwood will significantly enhance the ability to process feedstock for its regional anaerobic digestion (AD) plants. https://bio-capital.co.uk/bio-capital-acquires-linwood-transfer-station-to-process-feedstock-for-scotland-anaerobic-digestion-sites/
On the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Brazil last month, the Global Biofuels Alliance agreed its work plan despite not yet having a charter. The alliance plans to review the strategy at its next meeting in July. https://www.business-standard.com/economy/news/global-biofuel-alliance-sets-up-three-pronged-work-plan-says-govt-124050500378_1.html
UK-based Carbon Clean announced that it has reached a milestone in the manufacture of Ørsted’s FlagshipONE project, the largest commercial eMethanol plant under construction in Europe. The company announced that the first equipment has been installed on the structural steel of the first module, marking the start of the module assembly process. https://www.carbonclean.com/news
In Brazil, Mato Grosso will use 25% of the 2023/2024 maize harvest for ethanol production. Data from the Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea) of Mato Grosso shows that in the twelve months to March 2024, around a quarter of the state’s maize production was used for ethanol production. During this period, ethanol production increased by 39% year-on-year to 4.54 billion litres, with more than 10 million tonnes of maize being used as a raw material. https://ukragroconsult.com/en/news/approximately-25-of-mato-grossos-corn-used-for-ethanol/
Bloomberg reports that the US is latest to suffer from suspicious imports of used cooking oil supplies from China, following Europe who has launched investigations into the significantly increased trade flows. In 2023, the US International Trade Commission says UCO imports from China tripled from the year prior, with half of those volumes coming from China. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/suspicious-frying-oil-from-china-is-hurting-us-biofuels-business-1.2069825
In Massachusetts, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has signed an agreement for the purchase of sustainable aviation fuel certificates (SAFc) with World Energy, the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer and low-carbon solutions provider. https://www.bcg.com/news/7may2024-bcg-investment-decarbonization-through-sustainable-aviation-fuel-agreement
Marta Cosulich, an IMO Type II chemical bunker tanker fully equipped to carry methanol and biofuels up to B100 was added to the Fratelli Cosulich fleet. The new ship, from the Zhejiang Shenzhou Sunshine Heavy Industry Co., Ltd yard in China, was built following the modern bunker tanker technology. https://www.offshore-energy.biz/fratelli-cosulich-adds-new-methanol-and-biofuel-bunker-barge-to-its-fleet/
Gevo, Inc. and other companies announced a collaboration to advance field-to-fleet decarbonisation traceability for the road freight market in the United States, which consumes an estimated 29 billion gallons of fuel each year. Through a collaboration, the parties intend to use Verity’s proprietary carbon accounting software to track the carbon intensity of biofuels derived from crops grown on U.S. farms to their consumption in ClearFlame-equipped trucks. The Verity platform would track environmental characteristics from the field to the fleet. At the field level, data on the greenhouse gas emissions required to grow a crop is tracked to calculate a CI value for the crop, such as corn. This corn is then processed in an ethanol plant where energy use, potential carbon capture and other carbon reduction efforts are quantified to deliver low-carbon ethanol for use by ClearFlame and its customers. https://investors.gevo.com/news-events/news-releases
In Australia, Yarra Valley Water has begun construction of a second large-scale food waste-to-energy plant in Lilydale. According to the report, the new plant will divert around 55,000 tonnes of commercial food waste from landfill each year while generating renewable electricity. https://www.yvw.com.au/news-room/construction-underway-yarra-valley-waters-second-larger-food-waste-energy-facility
In Spain, Spain’s Official Credit Institute (ICO in Spanish) is showing its support for the fund known as MAPFRE Energías Renovables II, FCR. The insurance group, together with its partner, IAM Carbonzero, launched this innovative vehicle last year, as the first fund in Europe dedicated to investment in biomethane, a 100% green biofuel derived from agriculture sector waste. https://www.mapfre.com/en/communicate/mapfre-support-ico-biomethane/
The Indonesian government plans to utilise 2 million hectares of sugar cane for ethanol production. As part of its efforts to achieve energy independence and improve air quality, sugar cane is to be cultivated in Papau and utilised for ethanol production. It is also investigating the use of maize and seaweed as feedstock. https://vir.com.vn/indonesia-to-grow-2-million-hectares-of-sugarcane-for-bio-ethanol-fuel-development-110889.html
In Argentina, Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. and Bayer have announced a strategic collaboration to promote camelina cultivation as part of Bayer’s PRO Carbono programme in Argentina. The partners explained that camelina is used as an ultra-low carbon feedstock for the production of advanced biofuels. It is a “catch crop” that is grown in Argentina in winter between the main crops and helps to maintain soil health, especially between the summer crops of soya and maize. https://www.ldc.com/press-releases/louis-dreyfus-company-global-clean-energy-holdings-and-bayer-collaborate-to-promote-camelina-cultivation-in-argentina-as-part-of-bayers-pro-carbono-program/