A three year project to develop a more sustainable biofuel feedstock by focusing on sugar-rich varieties of perennial ryegrass was unveilled by Aberystwyth University today (26th November). The Grassohol project brings together the expertise of eight partners who are leaders in their respective fields; Aber Instruments Ltd, Alvan Blanch, Germinal Holdings Ltd, IBERS, National Farmers Union, ONE 51 Plc, TMO Renewables and Wynnstay Group Plc.

A two-year project announced today (24th November) sees Ceres and CHOREN joining forces to optimize energy crops for thermochemical conversion to advanced low-carbon biofuels. The joint project, funded in part by a grant from the US Department of Energy, will use Ceres to evaluate the composition of a broad range of switchgrass and willow plants, and provide biomass samples to CHOREN for thermochemical processing. The results will be used to identify the most relevant compositional traits, and later, to select the plants and traits that improve conversion and maximize fuel yields.

An agreement to further develop and optimize the process and the enzymes for converting plant residues to fuel has been signed Inbicon and Novozymes. The deal says the company paves the way for a profitable green technology.

Mercuria Energy has acquired 3B Biofuels Gmbh & Co. KG, a leading European bio-diesel refinery with 250,000 MT of fully operational production capacity it was announced today (23rd November). The plant is located in Brunsbuttel, Germany, at the confluence of the Elbe River and the Kiel canal, approximately eighty kilometers from Hamburg. This strategic location is close to the main commodity and refinery ports of Hamburg and the Benelux countries, providing competitive sourcing and selling opportunities. Following an upgrade which was completed in June 2009, the plant is a state-of-the-art facility, says the Mercuria.

A deal to produce biofuels to replace up to 20% of Rwanda's fossil fuel requirement was signed today (23rd November) by US company Eco-Fuel Global and the Rwandan government. The agreement estimated to be worth in excess of $250m will see Eco-Fuel Global producing biofuels from Jatropha Curcas.

A biofuel test flight by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines today (23rd Novermber) also marked the unveilling of the SkyEnergy consortium set up jointly by the airline, North Sea Petroleum and Spring Associates. The test flight, the first for KLM, used Honeywell UOP's process technology to convert oil from camelina to green jet fuel, or biokerosene, for the flight. One engine of a Boeing 747 was powered by a fuel mixture consisting of a 50/50 mix of the green jet fuel and traditional petroleum-derived jet fuel.

Bob Dinneen, President of the Renewable Fuels Association, took Vice President Al Gore to task this week over what it sees as the inaccuracies about biofuels in his new book, 'Our Choice'.  In the book Vice President Gore expresses his "disappointment” over the progress of ethanol in the past 30 years. Yet, the facts used to support his opinion either do not reflect the industry as it exists today or are simply inaccurate, says the RFA.

Allegations of an unrestricted and exploitative land grab in Papua to develop a biofuels industry have been made by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) in a report, 'Up for Grabs: Deforestation and Exploitation in Papua's Plantations Boom ' published yesterday (10th October).  The, self styled, Agency alleges that there are moves by large companies to target five million hectares of land in the region, most of which they say is forested, to develop a biofuels industry and that it is is provoking conflicts with local communities.