October 2022

In China, with the help of genetic manipulation and advanced biophysical tools, an international research team has gained unexpected insight into how a bacterium uptakes sugars derived from plant feedstock. Their findings were published on Sept. 7 in mBio. The bacterium, Clostridium thermocellum, has long been a lead contender in the sustainable industrial production of biofuels. Although how the industrial microorganism C.

by Maiko Nakashima (Argus Media) Japanese shipping firm Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and LPG importer Astomos, together with domestic energy supply firm Sustainable Energy, plan to work on producing marine biofuel from combustible trash on ocean-going vessels during voyages. The three companies have agreed to equip vessels by the mid-2020s with an integrated subcritical water organic waste power generation (ISOP) system developed by Sustainable Energy.

Terpenes are one of the most diverse and abundant classes of natural biomolecules, collectively enabling a variety of therapeutic, energy, and cosmetic applications. Recent genomics investigations have predict…

A research team at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology has succeeded in the real-time observation of the expansion and deterioration of the anode material within batteries due to the movement of lithium ions.

Late last week, the U.S. Government Accountability Office published a technology assessment on carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), drawing on findings from peer-reviewed literature, a meeting of experts, and stakeholder interviews that included the Renewable Fuels Association.

A breakthrough in electric vehicle battery design has enabled a 10-minute charge time for a typical EV battery. This is a record-breaking combination of a shorter charge time and more energy acquired for longer travel range.

Biofuels have contributed much towards our independence from foreign oil. The use of biofuels also rendered a positive influence on the economic growth of our nation. The conversion of waste to other reusable energies has great commercial significance in today’s world. Paving our way to an eco-friendly future is only possible when we follow a futuristic business model in mind.

The metal-carbon dioxide battery is a promising and environmentally friendly technology, but its energy efficiency is limited. Recently, a research team has discovered an innovative way to overcome this problem by introducing an unconventional phase nanomaterial as a catalyst, boosting battery energy efficiency up to 83.8%. The study reveals a novel design of catalysts for the new generation of meta-gas batteries that can contribute to carbon neutral goals.

Engineers at the University of Toronto are proposing a new, more sustainable method to mine lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese from lithium-ion batteries that have reached the end of their lives. In a paper recently published in Resources, Conservation and Recycling, the researchers explain that conventional processes for recycling lithium-ion batteries are energy intensive and not environmentally friendly.

Indonesian power company Kayan Hydro Energy (KHE) has revealed the latest details of its plan to build a 9GW hydroelectric complex in Borneo. The company yesterday held a press conference to mark its agreement with Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation to help develop the $17.8bn programme. KHE is a joint venture between Malaysian state-owned utility Sarawak Energy and Kayan Patria Pratama Group.

In Singapore, Reuters reports Cargill means to rapidly shift in the marine decarbonization through biodiesel- and methanol-fueled ships. Following previous biofuel trials earlier in the year using 12,000 metric tons of biofuels, a next round of trials is expected in mid-2023 using 50,000 tons of biofuels. The use of methanol is likely to come from the use of dual fuel vessels that the company is currently tendering for with delivery expected in the next few years.

In Malaysia, the New Straits Times reports Bioeneco has included the Philippines into its agreement with Orion as a port of call. The original deal was for two monthly shipments of palm kernel shells from Malaysia to Thailand but that has been expanded to include the Philippines, with the annual total to the two countries set to hit 204,000 metric tons. The original agreement began in April 2020 and the extended agreement will follow the original schedule, ending in March 2024.

Airbus said on Wednesday that its Tianjin plant delivered an A320neo to China Eastern Airlines that used 5 percent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as the fuel for the delivery flight. Flying from Tianjin to Xi’an in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, it will be the first SAF delivery for a single-aisle aircraft assembled by Airbus in China, opening the green journey of Airbus in China. SAF is a sustainable alternative fuel produced from animal waste and vegetable oils and fats.

Rigzone.com

Beijing’s zero-Covid policy has left it out of sync with the recoveries seen elsewhere over 2021-2022. That’s what analysts at Fitch Solutions Country Risk & Industry Research stated in a new report sent to Rigzone, adding that Beijing’s zero-Covid policy has left it out of sync with the recoveries seen elsewhere over 2021-2022.

NewsNCR

Indonesia is stepping up a partial privatisation push as a part of reforms to its $606bn state-owned enterprise sector. The preliminary public providing of Pertamina Geothermal Energy, which makes use of seismic warmth to generate electrical energy within the volcano-studded archipelago, may worth the corporate at as much as $2bn relying on market circumstances, folks conversant in the matter stated.

by Emily Chow (Reuters) TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) will start offering biofuels as a bunkering fuel to its customers in Singapore from next year, a senior executive at the French energy giant said on Thursday, as the company seeks to reduce its emissions in shipping. The move would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping by 20-25%, said Vice President Marine Fuels Louise Tricoire.

In Singapore, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has developed a framework to allow licensed bunker suppliers to supply biofuel within the Port of Singapore to support trials conducted by vessels provided that the conditions of the framework are adhered to. For the supply of biofuel to support trials on vessels, the bunker supplier is encouraged to supply International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) certified biofuel.

The world’s first advanced compressed air energy storage (CAES) is about to enter commercial operation in Zhangjiakou, a city in northern China’s Hebei Province. The 100MW Zhangjiakou Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage Demonstration Project scheme is a national pilot project for the technology, and is also the largest and most efficient CAES plant so far, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is located in Miaotan Cloud Computing Industrial Park and covers an area of 5.7ha.

Nation pledges to cut emissions by 31.89%, from 29% by 2030; Emission cut could be deeper with international help — Indonesia raised its 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction goal by imposing stronger measures to boost usage of electric vehicles and biofuels. The fifth-biggest carbon dioxide emitter in Asia pledged to cut emissions by 31.

Bell’s next generation five seater helicopter, the Bell 505, fueled with Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) took off at Seletar Airport in Singapore for a demonstration flight. This is the first ever helicopter flight fueled with SAF in Southeast Asia.

In Thailand, the Bangkok Post newspaper reports the government is working to make E20 the primary fuel sold at the pump as it phases out E10 from the market. The effort to boost demand and therefore prop up prices for cassava and sugar could include adding a levy for the Oil Fuel Fund onto E10 that would make E20 cheaper and therefore more attractive. Although E20 is currently cheaper than E10, the difference is so slight that it’s not making a difference for drivers.

Australia touted a world-first project Tuesday that could help make the country a “renewable energy superpower” by shifting huge volumes of solar electricity under the sea to Singapore. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese in Canberra to ink a new green energy deal between the two countries. Albanese said the pact showed a “collective resolve” to slash greenhouse gas emissions through an ambitious energy project.

Malaysia LNG, majority owned by Petronas, has declared force majeure on liquefied natural gas supplies to its customers, including Japanese utilities, Mitsubishi Corp, which owns a stake in Malaysia LNG, said on Thursday. The move came after Petronas declared force majeure on gas supplies to its LNG production and sales unit, Malaysia LNG, due to a pipeline leak, said a spokesperson at Mitsubishi.

In Indonesia, Bloomberg reports the country aims to implement an E20 blend at the pump next year. State-owned oil company Pertamina has wanted to blend ethanol for some time, but low oil prices kept it from doing so while its new net zero ambitions for 2060 are helping it to move the dial. The new blend will include 5% domestic ethanol along with 15% methanol produced from natural gas. The government is expected to mandate the fuel blend in 2023 in line with its biodiesel blending mandate.

China’s biodiesel production in 2022 is expected to increase by 32 percent when compared to 2021 due primarily to a surge in export demand, according to a report filed with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network. Domestic ethanol blend rates, however, remain limited with no mandates beyond one municipal B5 program. China currently has 46 biodiesel plants, up from 44 in 2021 and 42 in 2020.