How do you convert an oil refinery to a biorefinery? In this presentation given at an IEA Bioenergy Task 43 workshop, the research team examines the case of Hungary’s INA oil refinery and a project called BIO-CCUS.

Miscanthus New Zealand says that small-scale renewable diesel production using 50,000 metric tons dry weight of forestry waste or biomass such as miscanthus could be produced at prices equal to current fossil fuel prices and locked in for 12 months at that price—as long as the rest of the supply chain was also locked into a similar contract. Though the article in Stuff says the technology has been tested in the US, the exact technology referred to wasn’t identified.

Read accurate, up-to-date information on the overall EU energy system, the current state of play of bio-heat and bio-electricity, the availability and dynamics of supply, and much more on the situation of bioenergy in Europe.

On Nov. 13, the European Parliament approved new targets for renewables, energy efficiency and second-generation biofuels when it voted to confirm a provisional agreement reached with the European Council in June on a revised Renewable Energy Directive (REDII).

Low-lying fields often flood after heavy rains, sometimes requiring those acres to be replanted or even leading to total crop losses. The problem occurs often enough that some Iowa State University scientists wonder if planting grasses in those flood-susceptible sections might make more sense than corn and soybeans.

European plant researchers developed and tested under field conditions a method of biomass production on heavy metal contaminated (HMC) sites that simultaneously improves soil quality and function.

Advancing Domestic Resources for a Thriving Bioeconomy says that 1.2 billion tons of biomass would be available at $40 or less per ton by 2040, and 1 billion tons would be available by 2030, for conversion into biofuels.

In Croatia, not to be left behind as the European Union moves towards advanced biofuel consumption, the government has approved a 0.1% blending mandate for second-generation fuels but it could be shifted higher in 2019 depending on availability of supplies.

An ambitious political agreement on increasing renewable energy use in Europe was reached today between negotiators from the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council. Today’s deal means that two out of the 8 legislative proposals in the Clean Energy for All Europeans package (adopted by the European Commission on 30 November 2016) have been already agreed by the co-legislators. On 14 May, the first element of the package, the Energy Performance in Buildings Directive, was adopted. Thus, progress and momentum towards completing the Energy Union are well underway and the work started by the Juncker Commission, under the priority “a resilient Energy Union and a forward-looking climate change policy» is delivering its promises.