Tag Archives: indian
US Steps Up Advanced Biofuels Support With $25m Funding
Algae biofuels producers win lion’s share of funding as United States’ first commercial-scale cellulosic biofuels plant opens in Florida By BusinessGreen staff 05 Aug 2013 The US government has awarded grants of over $22m to companies using algae and other biomass to produce fuel in the latest show of support for the nascent advanced biofuels sector. Hawaii Bioenergy, San Diego-based Sapphire Energy, and New Mexico State University will each receive $5m in Department of Energy funding to advance the development of algae-based fuels as a direct replacement for conventional fuels, while California Polytechnic State University was awarded $1.5m to cultivate more productive algae strains. In addition, FDC Enterprises was given $6m to improve processes for collecting and distributing wood, grass and agricultural waste that can be converted into fuel. [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] Announcing the funding last week, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said: “By partnering with industry and universities, we can help make clean, renewable biofuels cost-competitive with gasoline, give drivers more options at the pump and cut harmful carbon pollution.” [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] Currently, the US transportation sector accounts for two-thirds of the country’s total oil consumption and one-third of its greenhouse gas emissions. [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] The Obama administration has sought to bring forward the production of next generation fuels to insulate the country from oil price shocks and reduce its dependence on imports. It aims to produce cost-competitive drop-in biofuels by 2017 and algae biofuels by 2022. [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] As well as funding advanced biofuels producers, the US military has also jointly invested in plants to ensure there is sufficient supply of sustainable biofuels. [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] Cellulosic biofuels made from non-food feedstocks, waste materials and algae can directly replace petroleum fuels in vehicles and refineries and in theory do not pose the same challenges as first generation fuels made from crops such as wheat or corn. Campaigners have claimed industrial-scale production of biofuels can hinder food production, drive deforestation, and produce more emissions over their life cycle than fossil fuels. [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] However, advanced biofuels production still remains at relatively low levels, despite long-standing targets in the US, and the country’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant only came online last week. [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] INEOS Bio’s Indian River BioEnergy Center in Vero Beach, Florida, a joint venture between INEOS Bio and New Planet Energy, is expected to convert wood scraps, grass clippings and other waste materials into eight million gallons (30.3 million litres) of transportation fuel a year, as well as 6MW of energy for heat and power. Continue reading
9 killed in Indian consulate blast in Afghanistan
9 killed in Indian consulate blast in Afghanistan (Reuters) / 4 August 2013 Suicide bombers attacked the Indian consulate in Afghanistan’s eastern capital Jalalabad on Saturday, killing nine people, including children, mostly in an adjacent mosque, officials said. Twenty-three people were injured. Guards at a checkpoint stopped the three attackers as their car approached the building around 10am, the office of Gul Agha Sherzai, governor of Nangarhar province, said in a statement. Two attackers leapt out of the car and a gunfight broke out, while the third remained inside and detonated his explosives. The blast badly damaged the mosque and dozens of homes and small shops in the area. All three assailants were killed in the explosion. The Taleban, which spearheads armed opposition to Western-backed President Hamid Karzai’s government, denied it was responsible. “Explosion in front of India’s Consulate in Jalalabad. All Indians officials safe,” Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said on Twitter. The bombing followed a world-wide travel alert issued by the United States on Friday, saying that Al Qaeda could be planning attacks in August, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. The United States has ordered the closure of 21 embassies and consulates on Sunday, including its Kabul mission. All the casualties were civilians, the governor said, though one health official said a soldier was among the injured. Most of those killed or injured were inside the adjacent mosque, according to Nangarhar police chief Mohammad Sharif Amin. India’s Kabul embassy came under attack in both 2008 and 2009, with dozens of people killed. The eastern border province of Nangarhar, and its capital Jalalabad, have long been a hotbed of insurgent activity. In June, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) decided to withdraw foreign staff and suspend some activities in the area after an attack that killed a guard and injured three others. The assault was the first of its kind on the strictly neutral ICRC in Afghanistan since it started operations in the country in 1987. On Friday, a five-hour battle between Afghan security forces and Taleban fighters in the province’s Shirzad district killed dozens of Afghan police and insurgents, officials said. Continue reading
INEOS Bio BioEnergy Center Makes Fuel From Wood Waste
Posted: 07/31/2013 Vero Beach, Fla. – INEOS Bio today announced that its Indian River BioEnergy Center (Center) is now producing cellulosic ethanol at commercial scale. First ethanol shipments will be released in August. This is the first commercial-scale production in the world using INEOS Bio’s breakthrough gasification and fermentation technology for conversion of biomass waste into bioethanol and renewable power. “We are delighted with the progress made by our team at Vero Beach”, said Peter Williams, CEO of INEOS Bio and Chairman of INEOS New Planet BioEnergy. “They have successfully addressed the challenges of moving a new technology to large production scale for the very first time. Consequently, we are now pleased to announce that we are producing commercial quantities of bioethanol from vegetative and wood waste, and at the same time exporting power to the local community – a world first. We expect to spend the remainder of 2013 putting the plant through its paces, and demonstrating full nameplate capacity.” Dr. Williams added, “All that we have seen so far validates the technical and economic viability of the technology. We remain convinced that the ability to divert waste materials from communities by converting them into competitively priced renewable fuel and power offers an excellent value proposition. It helps solve waste disposal issues, contributes to the supply of affordable and renewable fuel and energy, creates attractive jobs, and provides a sustainable source of value for the community. We look forward to taking the next steps in building a global business based on the broad deployment of this advanced technology.” The BioEnergy Center is a joint venture project between INEOS Bio and New Planet Energy. The facility has already converted several types of waste biomass material into bioethanol, including vegetative and yard waste, and citrus, oak, pine, and pallet wood waste. It will have an annual output of eight million gallons (24kta) of cellulosic ethanol and six megawatts (gross) of renewable power. The Center is also permitted to utilize municipal solid waste (MSW), quantities of which will be used for bioethanol production at the Center during 2014. The biofuels produced in Florida will anchor the new production of cellulosic ethanol under the U.S. Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). INEOS Bio is working with other companies and cities globally to use this technology as a new direction for waste disposal and the production of advanced biofuels and renewable power. The Center cost more than $130 million and created more than 400 direct construction, engineering and manufacturing jobs during its development. The project sourced more than 90% of the equipment from U.S. manufacturers, creating or retaining jobs in more than 10 states. The Center has 65 full-time employees and provides $4 million annually in payroll to the local community. The Center will serve as a reference plant for future INEOS Bio facilities and for companies and cities interested in licensing the technology for similar facilities. As a major licensor of chemical process technology in the world, INEOS will leverage its extensive expertise to bring this technology forward as an exciting new alternative for sustainable waste disposal. For more information on licensing the INEOS Bio technology, contact Mark Dietzen or Markus Hesse at bioinfo@ineos.com also at http://www.ineosbio.com . – See more at: http://www.woodworki…h.0vL5Uy7N.dpuf Continue reading
