Refining
Waste-based microbial oil set to become a raw material for renewable diesel
Neste Oil has applied for patents to cover technology developed to produce microbial oil from waste and residues with the help of various yeasts and molds for use as a feedstock for its NExBTL renewable diesel.
Foster Creek receives approval to expand oil sands production
Cenovus Energy Inc. is moving forward with the expansion plans for its Foster Creek oil sands operation after receiving regulatory approval from the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB).
CITGO opens ultra-low-sulfur diesel unit at Lemont refinery
CITGO Petroleum Corp. has completed the construction and startup of a major processing unit to produce ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) at its refinery in Lemont, Illinois.
Bixby Energy Systems’ new liquefaction technology
Bixby Energy Systems, Inc. has added carbon liquefaction technology to its energy portfolio, which when commercialized, will allow the company to produce both synthetic natural gas and light sweet crude oil from coal without the need to burn the coal and significantly reducing greenhouse gases.
Statoil and Bio Architecture Lab commercializing macroalgae-to-ethanol process
Bio Architecture Lab (BAL) and Statoil have a wide-ranging strategic partnership for the production of renewable, sustainable and low cost ethanol derived from macroalgae grown off the coast of Norway.
Update from the National Petroleum Council’s September meeting
The National Petroleum Council (NPC) is a federal advisory committee to the US Secretary of Energy. The sole purpose of the NPC is to advise, inform and make recommendations to the Secretary of Energy, at his request, on matters pertaining to oil and natural gas or to the oil and gas industries.
Diesel lobby touts its contributions to success of Clean Air Act
Allen Schaeffer, the executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, issued the following statement today highlighting the role of clean diesel in the ongoing success of the Clean Air Act. Schaeffer made his comments after attending activities in Washington, DC hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Act.
World’s first BioDME renewable motor fuels plant inaugurated in Sweden
The world’s first plant for production of the renewable motor fuel BioDME was inaugurated on September 9.
ExxonMobil and Badger to market a new catalytic process
ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Co. (EMRE) has signed an agreement with Badger Licensing LLC (Badger) to jointly market EMRE’s BenzOUTTM technology, a novel catalytic process to reduce benzene in gasoline while delivering other additional benefits.
Ecopetrol opens Barrancabermeja hydro-treatment plant
With an investment of $1.02 billion, Ecopetrol has opened its hydro-treatment plant at the Barrancabermeja refinery in Columbia.

- CLG and INA successfully produce SAF from biogenic feedstock 7/29
- HAMR Energy announces plans for Australia’s first major methanol-to-jet fuel facility 7/29
- Johnson Matthey’s tech enables successful start-up of the world’s largest single-train methanol plant 7/29
- Clariant and Shanghai Boiler partner to develop green methanol/ammonia and SAF projects in China 7/29
- China ramps up exports of refined fuels as margins rise 7/29
- Baker Hughes to acquire Chart Industries for $13.6 B 7/29