Latest news with #UCO
Time of India
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Ethanol taking centerstage in India's clean energy landscape amid growth in biofuels
New Delhi: Ethanol, the renewable fuel made from plant materials, is fast gaining prominence in India's clean energy sector with its increasing use in replacing fossil resources as part of a larger movement favouring biofuels . Consider the fact that the average Ethanol Blending Percentage achieved by the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) reached 18.4 per cent at the end of March 2025, from 14.6 per cent in the previous year, inching closer to the national target of 20 per cent. "As far as use of biofuels in the transport sector is concerned, ethanol blending has been a great success and we are now touching 20 per cent of ethanol bending in gasoline. There are discussions on ethanol blending beyond 20 per cent. There are talks about using flex fuel vehicles which are also coming up. All the OEMs have been given a target to come out with flex fuel vehicles in this year. With that ethanol blending percentage will go higher," said Alok Sharma, Director (R&D) at Indian Oil Corp . The oil companies are also working on an Alcohol to Jet (ATJ) fuel plan. While these plants are in the initial stages they will also come up in the next 2-3 years as the blending percentage increases slowly. Thanks to the aviation boom and the upcoming CORSIA mandates oil firms are shifting focus to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) . IOC, for instance, is trying to use Used Cooking Oil (UCO) for making SAF, and the first plant is likely to be commissioned by October 2025 on Coprocessing route. IOC plans to produce at least up to 1-2 per cent of SAF blended ATF. "By 2030, there is a likely mandate that 5 per cent of aviation fuel will be SAF. We are also trying to modify some of the plants where we can use UCO in our refineries. There are dedicated plants also being thought of where we can use UCO without co-processing to produce neat SAF. So, Ethanol is definitely going to be a centerstage going forward in the form of ethanol blending in gasoline, ethanol blending in diesel, and it will also be used as feed for producing aviation fuel," Sharma said. Parallely, Indian Oil has set up its first plant for 2G Ethanol -- produced from agricultural residues and non-food crops -- at Panipat even as it faces a few issues in handling of the feed. It is running the plant at around 50 per cent capacity while the scale up-related issues are sorted. Other OMCs are also setting up at least three more plants. The companies see 2G ethanol too playing a critical role in boosting clean energy uptake as the issues surrounding feed supply chain, feed handling and the high price of 2G ethanol are addressed. Apart from Ethanol, the past few years have witnessed progress on bio-CNG front too, which is receiving push under the SATAT scheme. Indian Oil has already set up three CBG plants under SATAT and it has plans to set up around 30 plants this year. "The CBG programme has received a push also because of the CBG blending mandates -- 1 per cent by 2026, and increasing to 5 per cent by 2030. There are various schemes launched by the government on these initiatives including on Ethanol blending, biofuel policy, PM JI-VAN Yojana, Gobardhan etc. A lot of policies have been launched to push these fuels in the energy mix," Sharma said. Another key promising area in fuel research is bio-Hydrogen used in the transport industry. IOC is working in this direction. Apart from Hydrogen production from the electrolysis of water, work on biomass gasification as a pathway is gaining traction. Indian Oil is trying to produce green Hydrogen via this route jointly with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The OMC has already developed a process allowing 5 kg per hour of Green Hydrogen to be produced from biomass gasification and it plans to scale it up in one of its refineries. The company also sees potential in using CBG reforming as a Green Hydrogen pathway. Overall, the biofuel sector in India is grappling with five broad challenges including skills, standards, segregation of waste, scale up and supply chain but Sharma believes there are many opportunities too in areas like 2G Ethanol, WTE, and non-food crops. India is aiming to become Net Zero by 2070, and in the Oil & Gas sector most of the companies have already announced their Net Zero targets. For example, IOC has plans to achieve operational Net Zero by 2046. Sharma believes in order to achieve the Net Zero goal, action is required on key areas like energy efficien cy, renewable energy including biofuels, Green Hydrogen, and Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS). The focus on biofuels must be ramped up specifically in view of their critical role in the decarbonisation of the automobile sector too.
Business Mayor
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Mayor
Core77 Weekly Roundup (5-5-25 to 5-9-25)
Here's what we looked at this week: The Glue Looper is a pinpoint glue applicator for modelmakers that fits in a standard hobby knife handle. GravaStar's skeletonized gaming mice resemble space-age footwear. Explaining a video that seemingly shows 'checkered paint' being applied. UCO's StakeLight: A self-illuminating tent peg. The RIVR LEVA is a Swiss wheeled dog-like robot for carrying cargo. Subaru's external airbag, designed to protect cyclists struck by cars, won't be coming to the 'States. The latest objet d'esign from a luxury automaker: Rolls-Royce's chess set. Peter Donders' Spherene Side Table stretches material optimization to extremes. In Japan, these DMV (Dual-Mode Vehicle) buses can also ride the rails. Unitree's B2 is a firefighting robot dog deployed with Qingdao's fire department. A waterproof fanny pack that allows you to use your smartphone's touchscreen. Industrial designer/design researcher Marco Compardo revives an ancient glassworking technique with a digital twist. Faber-Castell's designey E-Motion line of pens (and pencil). An elaborate mountainside chicken feed monorail, and an ingenious design for chicken nesting structures. Videos of humanoid robots going dangerously berserk. This is why we need kill switches. Flectr's CargoMate is a clever design for a no-tools-required, fast-installing universal bike rack. 30-plus wonderful examples of design improvisation, i.e. redneck engineering. In Milan, San Siro stadium's egress feature creates an optical illusion. Video: Dorian Pellumbi Industrial design case study: Pensa develops a lightweight, inflatable travel kennel. READ SOURCE
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China pivots to Europe for used cooking oil exports as tariffs hit shipments to US
By Chen Aizhu and Trixie Yap SINGAPORE (Reuters) -China's used cooking oil (UCO) exports to the United States, its largest buyer, are set to plunge in coming months due to steep tariffs, forcing sellers to divert shipments to Europe and elsewhere, industry players said. With Trump administration is now charging 125% import tariff on Chinese UCO from this month. Shipments to the U.S., valued at $1.1 billion last year, are tumbling with the last cargoes sailing around late March and early April before trade grinds to a halt, said three China-based UCO traders. China's UCO exports hit an all-time high last year at nearly 3 million metric tons or worth $2.64 billion, according to Chinese customs. "For the time being, arbitrage to the U.S. is closed and we think it will remain so for the medium term," said Richard Dickinson, Shanghai-based head of trading Amarus Trading, one of the largest dealers of Chinese UCO. "Some of the exports will be diverted to Europe and new markets in Asia such as Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and India." At least four new Sustainable Aviation Fuel facilities, which use UCO as an ingredient and totalling at least 700,000 metric tons per year of production capacity, have started up or will begin operation by this year in Thailand, Malaysia and Japan, according to industry insiders. Exports to the U.S. have fallen since last December as Beijing removed tax rebates for UCO exports and also due to the new U.S. clean fuel tax policy that discourages the use of imported UCO, and the latest tariffs only exacerbates the situation, a shipper of the fuel said. The European Union, which mandated a 2% SAF use this year, is likely to become the top destination for at least half of China's UCO shipments in the coming months, the traders said. CHINA DEMAND UP Chinese UCO exports is expected to fall this year as demand from its nascent SAF sector rises, traders and biofuel industry officials. Dickinson and another Beijing-based senior biofuel trader estimated China's UCO exports to ease to 150,000 to 200,000 tons each month from April onward, 20-40% below the average monthly shipments in 2024. The other sources declined to be named as they are not authorised to speak to the media. New SAF plants such as Zhejiang Jiaao Enprotech launched late 2024 and several other plants starting or slated for start-up in the coming few months - owned by Haixin Energy Technology, Haike Chemical in Shandong and Blue Whale Bioenergy in Zhejiang - are set to become new UCO users, according to industry sources familiar with these plants. Chinese SAF producers are using 100,000 to 120,000 tons of UCO a month currently, a volume set to climb as new plants begin operations, according to industry estimates. China began a pilot scheme last September of SAF use at four domestic airports in Beijing, Chengdu, Zhengzhou and Ningbo. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Edmond teacher transforms lives, inspires at-risk students
EDMOND, Okla. (KFOR) — It's the teachers at Boulevard Academy, like News 4's Pay it 4Ward award winner, Nora Self, who take time to make a difference, whether it is in the classroom or any setting that helps her students excel. 'These are the kids that need the most love, the most attention to succeed in life,' said Math teacher Nora Self when talking about her passion for helping students at Boulevard Alternative School in Edmond. Boulevard Academy offers students, who are at risk of not graduating from high school, a place to learn in a way that makes that diploma possible. One of the students whom Nora has helped is Sophie Wong. A special honor for a special education paraprofessional With Nora's help, Sophie was able to get her degree from Edmond Santa Fe High School, and that's not all. 'As a Boulevard Academy graduate, I'm now a student at UCO, a senior, and I'm graduating with a finance degree in May,' Sophie told News 4. 'So I owe part of that to her, I don't think I would have finished high school without her and her encouragement.' And that's why she nominated her friend and mentor, Mrs. Self, for First Fidelity Bank's Pay It Forward Award. Mrs. Self's principal, Josh Williams at Boulevard Academy, says she goes above and beyond to help her students. 'She's special. It's not uncommon to walk by and see her tutoring kids individually out in the hallway during her lunch break, things like that,' says Williams. 'Coming in before or after school just to make a difference with kids.' So, with the $400 in hand from First Fidelity's Brad Willis, we surprised Mrs. Self in the school's gym, where she was giving some of her students a reward for their hard work by letting them play a little basketball. When Sophie presented her with the money and a gracious hug, Mrs. Self told us with tears in her eyes, 'This does mean a whole lot. Especially from a student who is getting ready to graduate from UCO in May. It means the world to me, I'm so excited for her future, and I greatly appreciate her recognizing me.' Nora Self, paying it forward, one student at a time. Pay it 4Ward is sponsored by First Fidelity 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China pivots to Europe for used cooking oil exports as tariffs hit shipments to US
By Chen Aizhu and Trixie Yap SINGAPORE (Reuters) -China's used cooking oil (UCO) exports to the United States, its largest buyer, are set to plunge in coming months due to steep tariffs, forcing sellers to divert shipments to Europe and elsewhere, industry players said. With Trump administration is now charging 125% import tariff on Chinese UCO from this month. Shipments to the U.S., valued at $1.1 billion last year, are tumbling with the last cargoes sailing around late March and early April before trade grinds to a halt, said three China-based UCO traders. China's UCO exports hit an all-time high last year at nearly 3 million metric tons or worth $2.64 billion, according to Chinese customs. "For the time being, arbitrage to the U.S. is closed and we think it will remain so for the medium term," said Richard Dickinson, Shanghai-based head of trading Amarus Trading, one of the largest dealers of Chinese UCO. "Some of the exports will be diverted to Europe and new markets in Asia such as Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and India." At least four new Sustainable Aviation Fuel facilities, which use UCO as an ingredient and totalling at least 700,000 metric tons per year of production capacity, have started up or will begin operation by this year in Thailand, Malaysia and Japan, according to industry insiders. Exports to the U.S. have fallen since last December as Beijing removed tax rebates for UCO exports and also due to the new U.S. clean fuel tax policy that discourages the use of imported UCO, and the latest tariffs only exacerbates the situation, a shipper of the fuel said. The European Union, which mandated a 2% SAF use this year, is likely to become the top destination for at least half of China's UCO shipments in the coming months, the traders said. CHINA DEMAND UP Chinese UCO exports is expected to fall this year as demand from its nascent SAF sector rises, traders and biofuel industry officials. Dickinson and another Beijing-based senior biofuel trader estimated China's UCO exports to ease to 150,000 to 200,000 tons each month from April onward, 20-40% below the average monthly shipments in 2024. The other sources declined to be named as they are not authorised to speak to the media. New SAF plants such as Zhejiang Jiaao Enprotech launched late 2024 and several other plants starting or slated for start-up in the coming few months - owned by Haixin Energy Technology, Haike Chemical in Shandong and Blue Whale Bioenergy in Zhejiang - are set to become new UCO users, according to industry sources familiar with these plants. Chinese SAF producers are using 100,000 to 120,000 tons of UCO a month currently, a volume set to climb as new plants begin operations, according to industry estimates. China began a pilot scheme last September of SAF use at four domestic airports in Beijing, Chengdu, Zhengzhou and Ningbo. Sign in to access your portfolio
