BASF announced the commercial launch of Fourtiva, a new fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst for gasoil to mild resid feedstock. Fourtiva incorporates BASF’s newest Advanced Innovative Matrix (AIM) and the Multiple Frameworks Topology (MFT) technologies to achieve an optimized catalyst design to maximize butylene yields and selectivity over propylene while... Read more →

Today’s biggest cruise ships are twice as big as they were in 2000, a new Transport & Environment (T&E;) report shows. If the ships continue to grow at this rate, the biggest cruise ships in 2050 could amount to a staggering 345,000 gross tonnage, making them almost eight times bigger... Read more →

In the first five months of 2024, U.S. imports of renewable diesel averaged 30,000 barrels per day (b/d), approaching the monthly record set in May 2023, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Most of the imports (94%) were destined for the US West Coast, where most of the... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award $41 million to 14 projects to develop technologies, Renewables-to-Liquids (RtL), for harnessing renewable energy sources such as wind and solar to produce liquids for sustainable fuels or chemicals that can be transported and stored as easily as carbon-intensive liquids such as gasoline... Read more →

Fortescue, a green technology, energy and metals company, and COSCO SHIPPING, the world’s leading shipping company, signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding to work together on decarbonizing shipping. Both companies will collaborate on developing technologies to lower emissions and build a green fuel supply chain. This includes exploring the construction... Read more →

Sora Fuel, a startup producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using only water, air and renewable energy, raised an oversubscribed $6 million seed round. The Engine Ventures led the round, with Wireframe Ventures and others participating. The funding will be used to expand Sora Fuel’s Boston-based team, develop commercialization partnerships and... Read more →

Neste will provide up to 1 million gallons (3,000 metric tons) of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel to United Airlines for use at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in the US through the end of 2024. This expansion of the existing partnership between the two companies enables United to become... Read more →

Metafuels and PSI, the developers of a technology for sustainable aviation fuel compatible with existing aircraft, announced a CHF 4.4-million funding grant from the Swiss Government’s Federal Office of Energy to support the implementation and operation of a pilot facility based on Metafuels’ sustainable aviation fuel (e-SAF) technology (earlier post)—aerobrew—which... Read more →

Since model year 2018, manufacturers have recommended or required premium gasoline for more than half of all light-duty vehicle configurations, according to the US Department of Energy (DOE). In model year 1985, premium fuel was required/recommended for 6.5% of new vehicle model configurations. In pursuit of efficient performance, manufacturers have... Read more →

A researcher at Brunel University in the UK has identified an optimal blend comprising oxymethylene ethers (OMEn = 1–5 series) with diesel aimed at simultaneously reducing soot and NOx emissions while enhancing fuel efficiency. Farhad Mazari identified the optimal blend through experimentation and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. The study... Read more →

A team from Tianjin University in China has expxlored the combustion and flame development characteristics of ammonia at different excess air ratios (λ) in an optical spark ignition (SI) engine employing high-speed natural flame luminosity (NFL) imaging, OH* chemiluminescence imaging and flame spectra measurement. The combustion performance and flame development... Read more →

Firefly Green Fuels and Synagro Technologies, Inc. have partnered to bring Firefly’s novel fuel-production techniques to the American market. Synagro, a provider of sustainable solutions for biosolids, organics and residuals, has agreed to be the exclusive supplier of the biosolids feedstock used in Firefly’s innovative process. Firefly has developed a... Read more →

Production capacity of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the United States could increase from around 2,000 barrels per day (b/d) to nearly 30,000 b/d in 2024 if all announced capacity additions come on line, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Developers expect Phillips 66’s Rodeo Renewed project to... Read more →

Audi and bp are joining forces in an extensive new strategic partnership in Formula 1. Under the new partnership, bp and its specialist lubricants business Castrol will help deliver Audi’s ambition to combine technology and innovation to achieve success in Formula 1. (Earlier post.) The parties have been working closely... Read more →

Liquid Wind and Uniper signed a strategic partnership agreement to further accelerate the development of eFuel facilities to produce fossil-free eMethanol. The partnership will leverage the companies’ strength and competencies to drive commercial-scale development of eFuel facilities, while reducing costs and risks and developing the supply chain. Under the collaboration,... Read more →

A new study led by researchers from MIT finds that burning ammonia for maritime fuel could worsen air quality further and lead to devastating public health impacts, unless it is adopted alongside strengthened emissions regulations. It has been estimated that maritime shipping accounts for almost 3% of global carbon dioxide... Read more →

A new study shows feedstocks produced within the US are on track to support domestic production of an additional 1.4 billion gallons of renewable diesel and biodiesel, also known as biomass-based diesel (BBD), by 2030. Commissioned by the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) and conducted by S&P; Global Commodity Insights,... Read more →

STEYR and Tu Wien recently unveiled the FCTRAC, a hydrogen fuel cell-powered STEYR concept tractor based on a standard STEYR 4140 Expert CVT tractor. The FCTRAC was developed in collaboration between engineers at the CNH tractor plant in St. Valentin and TU Wien as part of a national research project... Read more →

Shell Nederland Raffinaderij B.V., a subsidiary of Shell plc, will pause on-site construction work at its 820,000 tonnes a year biofuels facility at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam in the Netherlands to address project delivery and ensure future competitiveness given current market conditions. As a result, contractor numbers... Read more →

On the heels of new research investigating a variety of technologies to further reduce the 0.1% of global carbon emissions from recreational boating, the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) announced the first pilot program for rolling out one of the portfolio of solutions—sustainable marine fuels. The pilot program, taking place... Read more →

Aramco, one of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, has signed definitive agreements to acquire a 10% equity interest in HORSE Powertrain Limited, the new global powertrain solutions company, alongside Renault Group, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and Geely Automobile Holdings Limited. HORSE Powertrain Limited was formed on 31... Read more →

MAIRE S.p.A. announced that NEXTCHEM (Sustainable Technology Solutions BU), through its subsidiary MyRechemical, has signed a licensing contract with DG Fuels Louisiana, LCC in relation to its proprietary NX Circular gasification technology. The DG plant, expected to be operational in 2028, will produce 450 million liters per year of SAF... Read more →

Phillips 66 announced the full conversion of the Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex, expanding commercial-scale production and positioning the company as a leader in renewable fuels. The Rodeo facility in the San Francisco Bay Area increased rates to approximately 50,000 BPD (800 million gallons per year), reaching the company’s goal of... Read more →

bp will acquire Bunge’s 50% holding interest in its bp Bunge Bioenergia S.A. joint venture, one of Brazil’s leading biofuels-producing companies. Upon completion, bp will become sole owner of the industrial scale sugarcane and ethanol business, enabling bp to accelerate value creation through integration with bp’s trading and technology capabilities.... Read more →

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is receiving €130 million from the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) for the construction of the power-to-liquids technology platform (PtL). The research facility in Leuna, Saxony-Anhalt, is intended to research and develop technologies for the production of electricity-based fuels on an industrial... Read more →

The Arizona Sedona-Oak Creek Airport Authority (SOCAA)—in partnership with leading aviation fuel supplier, Avfuel Corporation, and the airport’s fixed base operator (FBO), Red Rock Aviation—now offers sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The airport is Avfuel’s first location to offer SAF in the state of Arizona, positioning it as a leader in... Read more →

The world’s leading used cooking oil (UCO) producer, China, will soon run out of waste oil, as demand from Europe and the US outstrips supply, a new Transport & Environment (T&E;) study shows. Stratas Advisors’ research, on behalf of T&E;, looks at the collection capacity of the world’s leading UCO... Read more →

Chevron Lummus Global LLC (CLG) announced its ISOTERRA technology has been selected for a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project in China. CLG will provide the technology license, engineering services, and supply proprietary equipment and catalysts for this facility. We are honored to be entrusted with advancing China's sustainability goals through... Read more →

Topsoe is supplying its HydroFlex technology to Canadian startup Braya Renewable Fuels, which converted a former petroleum refinery to produce renewable diesel in Come By Chance, Canada. Braya anticipates initial production capacity of 18,000 barrels per day of renewable diesel, with future plans to expand production capacity, add sustainable aviation... Read more →

A new report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) finds that the sharp growth in US renewable diesel production and capacity is causing significant, market-altering shifts both domestically and to foreign feedstock trade. Renewable diesel, like biodiesel, is produced from the same renewable feedstocks such as vegetable oils, animal... Read more →

OMV Petrom, the largest integrated energy producer in Southeast Europe, will invest approximately €750 million at Petrobrazi to transform the refinery into the first major producer of sustainable fuels in the region. The company has made the final investment decision to build a SAF/HVO facility along with two facilities for... Read more →

Zero, a company developing and manufacturing whole-blend synthetic, non-biological fuels—gasoline, diesel and jet fuel—using just carbon dioxide from the air and hydrogen from water—has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus to advance the development of synthetic Sustainable Aviation Fuel (eSAF) and enable commercial-scale adoption of the technology by... Read more →

The C919 aircraft completed maiden test flight with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced by Sinopec earlier this month. China’s homegrown large passenger aircraft, the C919 made a soft landing on the runway of Dongying Airport in Shandong Province, marking the first time for the domestic commercial aircraft to be fueled... Read more →

Glocal Green AS and Norwegian Hydrogen entered into a cooperation agreement for the development and establishment of hydrogen production in connection with Glocal Green’s planned bio-methanol plant. The hydrogen production will be organized into a separate jointly owned company. The bio-methanol will be produced from low-grade biological residual materials and... Read more →

Element Fuels Holdings, LLC, a company founded to develop and operate scalable, next-generation clean fuels production, has completed site preparation and pre-construction on a new hydrogen-powered refinery and combined-cycle power plant within the Port of Brownsville, Texas. The Element complex is designed to produce and recycle hydrogen using advanced technologies... Read more →

Polestar is taking the next steps in reducing its supply chain emissions by integrating renewable fuels on its ocean freight routes, which account for around 75% of Polestar’s total transportation emissions. Polestar is now also operating its Vehicle Processing Centre (VPC) in Belgium on 100% renewable electricity. The VPC acts... Read more →

Results from the world’s first in-flight study of the impact of using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in both engines of a commercial aircraft show a reduction in soot particles and formation of contrail ice crystals compared to using conventional Jet A-1 fuel. The ECLIF3 study (earlier post), in which... Read more →

Swiss marine power company WinGD, Swedish marine technology leader Alfa Laval and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) will work with Korean shipbuilder K Shipbuilding (KSB) on the development of an ammonia-fueled MR tanker design, under a memorandum of understanding signed in April. The design will feature a 6X52DF‑A engine... Read more →

Berkeley Lab scientists have developed a digital model to accelerate the optimization of membrane-electrode assemblies to convert CO2 to fuel and other products. A paper on the work appears in the journal Nature Chemical Engineering. Carbon dioxide can be transformed into valuable feedstocks such as carbon monoxide and ethylene, which... Read more →

The two classification societies, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Lloyd’s Register (LR), have awarded a new ship design of an ammonia-fueled 3,500 TEU container vessel Approval in Principle (AiP). A cross-industry taskforce including A. P. Møller-Mærsk, MAN Energy Solutions, Deltamarin, Eltronic FuelTech, ABS, and LR, and led by... Read more →

Two-thirds of European green shipping fuel projects are at risk, a new Transport & Environment (T&E;) study shows. T&E;’s mapping of green hydrogen projects across Europe shows that nearly 4% of European shipping could run on green e-fuels by 2030. But fuel suppliers appear to be reluctant to commit financially... Read more →

Volvo Group and Westport Fuel Systems announced the closing and launch of their previously announced joint venture transaction. (Earlier post.) The joint venture is committed to accelerating the commercialization and global adoption of Westport’s HPDI fuel system technology for long-haul and off-road applications. The joint venture will be led, on... Read more →

Proman Stena Bulk, the joint venture between tanker company Stena Bulk and methanol producer Proman, formally christened Stena Prosperous during a ceremony at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre in Singapore. Stena Prosperous is the last of six vessels in Proman Stena Bulk’s joint venture fleet to be formally named, following... Read more →

The predominant method for industrial green diesel production involves hydrotreating technology using sulfided CoMo or NiMo catalysts. However, the maintenance of these catalysts requires continuous replenishment of the sulfur source during operation, leading to increased costs, equipment corrosion, and sulfur contamination. Hence, the quest for a non-sulfur catalytic system to... Read more →

Neste welcomes the allowance of unrestricted sales of paraffinic diesel fuels according to the DIN EN 15940 fuel standard in Germany. The sales of unblended, 100% renewable diesel (also known as “HVO100”) has previously only been allowed in specific segments, such as in non-road vehicles and public transportation. The approval... Read more →

Idemitsu Kosan, ENEOS, Toyota Motor, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries commenced a study toward the introduction and spread of carbon-neutral fuels that contribute to the decarbonization of automobiles with the aim of realizing a carbon-neutral society. Seeking to introduce carbon-neutral fuels in Japan around 2030, the four companies fulfilling major roles... Read more →

A research team led by Principal Researcher Young Kim from the Heat Pump Research Center of the Research Institute of Carbon-neutral Energy Machinery of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) has successfully developed a highly efficient microchannel reactor which reduces the required catalyst amount to 30% for electrofuel... Read more →

Metafuels AG (earlier post), a Swiss aviation tech company, has signed an agreement with European Energy to set up a synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) facility near Padborg in southern Denmark. The new facility is set to be constructed adjacent to a future Power-to-X facility from European Energy. The facility... Read more →

A team of scientists led by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has found an unconventional way to improve catalysts made of more than one material. The solution demonstrates a path to designing catalysts with greater activity, selectivity and stability. A catalyst normally uses a support to... Read more →

At ACT Expo, Achates Power (API) is displaying one of three engine variants of what it calls the cleanest and most efficient combustion engine architecture to date. With the industry facing massive disruption due to stringent limits on both criteria and CO2 emissions, API’s demonstrations of its opposed-piston engines have... Read more →