Heating oil, marine industry seek higher biodiesel blends

During the National Biodiesel Conference held virtually early this year, Dr Thomas Butcher, technical director of the National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA), highlighted several of the barriers to moving to very high biodiesel blends, including cold flow and cold ignition, as well as seal material issues. Other important considerations include moving between high and low

Engineered yeast could expand biofuels’ reach

Boosting production of biofuels such as ethanol could be an important step toward reducing global consumption of fossil fuels. However, ethanol production is limited in large part by its reliance on corn, which isn’t grown in large enough quantities to make up a significant portion of U.S. fuel needs. To try to expand biofuels’ potential

New methanol fuel standards for China

New methanol fuel standards introduced in China are expected to promote methanol use in more Chinese cars, but analysts say it is unlikely to replace gasoline use in the country to any large degree. The two new standards, released earlier this year by the Standardisation Administration of China, are the vehicle methanol fuel standard, which

Biomethanol offers renewable fuel alternative

Methanol, which has gained market share as an alternative fuel in the bunker fuel sector as well as for vehicle transport, could be a widely used renewable fuel in the long term, but the current cost of production means it is uncompetitive. Renewable methanol – which contains carbon but at a low level — is

Has methanol finally got its due?

The government explores this alternative to electric mobility, especially for heavy-duty commercial vehicles Going by the Department of Science and Technology’s report for February, it is clear that the government is growing serious about a clean fuel that has been asking for attention for some time — namely, methanol. Eight of the 18 points under

Bechtel to conduct FEED for LNG-to-power project

Delta Offshore Energy (DOE) has awarded Bechtel a contract to provide Front End Engineering Design (FEED) services for a new 3200 MW combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant in the Bac Lieu province, approximately 175 miles (250 km) south of Ho Chi Minh City in Southern Vietnam. The plant consists of four single shaft

Sovcomflot expands business portfolio with TotalEnergies

Sovcomflot (SCF Group) has received confirmation from TotalEnergies of the exercise of its option for two further next-generation 174 000 m3 LNG carriers. The vessels will be chartered for a period of up to seven years operating within TotalEnergies global portfolio LNG trade under the technical management of Sovcomflot. The option was exercised under a

Natural gas demand growth set to slow in coming years

Natural gas demand is set to rebound strongly in 2021 and will keep rising further if governments do not implement strong policies to move the world onto a path towards net-zero emissions by mid-century, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency. Global gas demand is expected to rise by 3.6% in 2021

IMO adopts an Arctic heavy fuel oil ban

The United Nations shipping agency on Thursday adopted a ban on the use of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic region, but environmental groups said the regulations contained loopholes which will allow many vessels to keep sailing without enough regulatory control. Antarctic waters are protected by stringent regulations, including a ban on heavy oil fuel

India’s Rs 50,000 cr bet to cut dependence on foreign oil

India is set to spend almost $7 billion to boost ethanol production as it prepares to roll out a greener mix of gasoline that may cut its dependence on foreign oil. About 10 billion liters of ethanol will be required each year to meet the 20% ethanol-blended fuel standard by 2025, India’s Oil Secretary Tarun