Dear reader,
Governments around the world are ignoring climate change with wilful indifference. This is not the way forward. We now know that carbon dioxide and methane are the main causes of global warming.
The Global Energy Monitor, an NGO based in San Francisco, catalogues fossil fuel and renewable energy projects worldwide. https://globalenergymonitor.org/ According to GEM, new coal-fired power plant construction increased capacity by a further 48 gigawatts (GW). With 32 GW of electrical output, China took the lead in the construction of new coal-fired power plants.
It has long been known that cattle emit approx. 250 kg/year of methane. Worldwide, we keep around 1 billion cattle for meat and milk production. With the realisation that methane is up to 80 times more harmful than carbon dioxide, the number of cattle has been rising again since 2019. You can find out how cattle methane can be reduced at: https://biotech-energy.com/protein-food/
Solugen has broken ground on a new bioproduction facility adjacent to an Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) corn processing complex. The 500,000-square-foot Bioforge™ Marshall facility will use ADM’s dextrose to produce low-carbon organic acids for applications in water treatment, agriculture, energy, and home and personal care. The groundbreaking is a milestone in Solugen’s growth journey and underscores its commitment to innovation and the future of organic production in the U.S.
According to UFOP, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has raised its forecast for canola production by 317,000 tonnes to 88.4 million tonnes. More in attachment:
The Belgium-based Methanol Institute (MI) and SEA-LNG, key representatives of the methanol and liquefied natural gas industries respectively, express their deep concern about the recent announcement by the European Commission which has implications for trade in biomethane and biomethane-based biofuels such as biomethanol. The Commission has announced its intention to exclude the automatic certification of biomethane and biomethanol-based fuels produced in third countries outside the EU gas networks under the Union Database (UDB), an IT system for tracing the sustainability and origin of renewable fuels put into service on the European market. This exclusion will severely limit the use of these critical fuels in the decarbonisation of intra-European and international maritime transport, even if these fuels are produced in compliance with the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED). https://www.methanol.org/press/
Sao Martinho expects corn-based ethanol grown in Brazil to become the first sustainable aviation fuel in the U.S. after receiving the necessary certifications, including approval from Corsia and the EPA. The company expects to produce between 3.4 and 4 million gallons of sugarcane ethanol for export to the U.S. SAF market. Raízen, BP Bunge Bioenergia and several Copersucar mills have also received the same certifications and approvals and are ready to enter the US market. https://www.agweb.com/markets/pro-farmer-analysis/brazil-makes-first-ethanol-saf
ZEMBA announced the successful conclusion of its first tender for ocean shipping that achieves at least a 90% reduction of greenhouse gases on a lifecycle basis relative to fossil fuel powered service. Through this deal, more than a dozen ZEMBA members including founding members Amazon, Patagonia, and Tchibo. https://www.porttechnology.org/news/zemba-announces-successful-completion-of-inaugural-collective-tender/
Marquis and United Cooperative announced the sale of Marquis’ ethanol plant. The plant will operate under the new name United Energy Necedah LLC. The sale of the plant will be effective 31 May 2024 and will ensure a seamless transition for grain customers and employees. The Necedah facility, which produces 36,000,000 bushels (910,000 tonnes) of locally grown corn annually, is an important part of the community’s agricultural landscape. With an annual production capacity of 100 million gallons (450 million litres) of ethanol, the plant plays an important role in supporting the regional economy and meeting market demand. https://marquisinc.com/2024/04/18/marquis-and-united-cooperative-announce-the-sale-of-marquis-necedah-wisconsin-ethanol-facility-to-united-cooperative/
BIOGEST, Austria, was awarded the contract to build a biomethane plant for INA in Sisak, central Croatia, as general contractor, including site preparation until 2026. The biomethane produced in Sisak could be fed into the Croatian gas grid, while the residues from production could be used as an environmentally friendly fertiliser. https://www.biogest.at/news-events/news/biogest-collaborates-with-ina-group-for-a-biomethane-project
Sunfire has received an order for a 100 MW electrolyser in Germany. The company is now involved in the next major project: conducting the front-end engineering and design (FEED) study for a large-scale 500 MW hydrogen project scheduled to be operational by 2028. Sunfire’s FEED study will enable the client to make a transparent, comprehensive financial investment decision (FID) for the project. https://www.sunfire.de/en/news/detail/sunfire-conducts-feed-study-for-500-mw-green-hydrogen-project
Volvo Cars’ Taizhou manufacturing plant has switched to biogas, making it the company’s first plant in China to achieve climate-neutral status. The plant’s switch from natural gas will result in a reduction of more than 7,000 metric tons of CO2 per year. https://www.media.volvocars.com/ch/it-ch/media/pressreleases/325665/volvo-cars-uses-biogas-to-achieve-its-first-climate-neutral-plant-in-china
In the U.S., bipartisan legislation was recently introduced in the House of Representatives to introduce year-round E15 sales. The Year-Round E15 Act, co-sponsored by US Congressmen Adrian Smith, Nikki Budzinski, Brad Finstad, Eric Sorensen and Don Bacon, would allow the sale of E15 in eight Midwestern states in 2024. https://nunn.house.gov/media/press-releases/nunn-introduces-bipartisan-legislation-implement-year-round-e15
ENGIE Group launched mosaHYc – a cross-border project for the conversion of gas pipelines to transport hydrogen between France and Germany. GRTgaz, owned with Caisse des Dépôts (60% / 40%), has announced the final investment decision for the 90 km renewable or low-carbon hydrogen network project with its partner CREOS Deutschland. https://www.engie.com/en/news/mosahyc
A new report by Guidehouse reveals that Europe (EU-27 + UK, Norway and Switzerland) could produce 111 bcm of biomethane by 2040. This amount represents over 30% of the EU gas consumption in 2022. As a renewable and domestically-produced source of gas, biomethane is gaining momentum and the industry is fast mobilising to speed up the decarbonisation of many sectors of the European economy. https://www.europeanbiogas.eu/report-reveals-111-bcm-of-sustainable-biomethane-potential-for-2040/
Hyosung TNC recently received investment approval for the “Hyosung BDO Project” from the Ba Ria-Vung Tau provincial government, which took place at Phu My 2 Industrial Park in southern Vietnam. Hyosung plans to proactively respond to the restructuring of the global materials market towards sustainable products by investing $1 billion to build several bio-BDO production plants capable of producing 200,000 tonnes annually. BDOs are the building blocks for bio-plastic production. https://blog.hyosungtnc.com/hyosung-tnc-invests-1-billion-in-future-bio-business/
MAN Energy Solutions and Svitzer have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop a methanol-fuelled version of the MAN 175D engine. The MoU, called 175DF-M (Dual Fuel-Methanol), is aimed at concluding a field test agreement on the basis of which a dual-fuel engine and the plant equipment are to be installed on board a new Svitzer tugboat. https://www.man-es.com/de/unternehmen/pressemitteilungen/press-details/2024/03/25/svitzer-zielt-auf-methanolbetriebenen-man-175df-m-motor-f%C3%BCr-schlepper
The European Commission has approved a €2.2 billion German aid scheme to promote investment in the decarbonisation of industrial production processes to support the transition to a net-zero economy. Under this scheme, aid will be provided in the form of direct grants. The measure is available to companies that use fossil fuels as an energy source or feedstock for their production processes in the industrial sector in Germany. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/el/ip_24_1889
Eni plans to divest its majority stakes in biofuels and bioplastics by the end of the year, which could raise up to 1.3 billion euros. Funds are in talks with the company to buy 10% of its Enilive venture and up to 30% of its Novamont venture, which would provide the company with liquidity to accelerate its energy transition. Bringing outside investment into its “satellite” ventures will allow the company to expand faster without having to rely on the oil and gas side of the business. https://ca.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/ENI-S-P-A-413403/news/Eni-aims-to-sell-stakes-in-biofuel-bioplastic-units-by-year-end-sources-say-46437043/
FAMU-FSU College of Engineering researchers have created a potential alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastic that is made from carbon dioxide (CO2) and lignin, a component of wood that is a low-cost byproduct of paper manufacturing and biofuel production. https://eng.famu.fsu.edu/news/using-co2-and-biomass-engineering-researchers-find-path-more-environmentally-friendly
The US Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and the US Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) have released the MACRO: Mixed Algae Conversion Research Opportunity (FOA) funding announcement. The FOA will award up to $18.8 million to address research and development challenges in converting algae, such as kelp and other wet waste feedstocks, into biofuels and bioproducts that can decarbonise domestic transportation, industry and communities. https://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/bioenergy-technologies-office