Todays Latest Updates: 11 September 2026

Biobased chemicals: France. Michelin ResiCare and Axens announced they entered exclusive discussions toward a strategic partnership around an innovative production technology for 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), a key molecule for green chemistry. Michelin, through its ResiCare brand, and Axens are negotiating an exclusive partnership to accelerate the industrialization and rollout of 5-HMF, a strategic bio-based molecule for decarbonized chemistry, developed with IFPEN. Axens would contribute its licensing and engineering expertise to deploy the technology globally and substitute fossil-based products with renewable alternatives. Link 11/09/2026.

Biodiesel: South Korea. A new report presents a comprehensive Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies (GREET)-based framework for LCA across five different biodiesel feedstocks. Their study was made available online on July 01, 2026 and was published in Volume 422 of Applied Energy on November 01, 2026. The study shows that not all biodiesel is equally sustainable. Its environmental impact depends strongly on the feedstock used and the way it is produced. This creates a complex decision-making landscape for policymakers and stakeholders, necessitating comprehensive life-cycle assessments (LCAs) of different biodiesel pathways. Although previous LCAs have compared biodiesel pathways, most have focused primarily on total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and a limited range of feedstocks. Link 11/09/2026.

e-fuels: Sweden. Uniper signed contracts with AFRY, Carbon Clean, Siemens Energy and Topsoe to begin the next development phase for NorthStarH2, a planned e-methanol production facility in Östersund aimed at helping decarbonize sectors such as transport and the chemical industry. The work will run for approximately one year. The contracts are worth more than SEK 100 million in total. The planned facility in Östersund is designed to produce around 115,000 tonnes of e-methanol per year. Link 11/09/2026.

Feedstock: Germany. Bayer and Neste finalized a commercial agreement to jointly scale Bayer’s newgold® winter canola. The collaboration will enable Bayer to significantly expand acres of winter canola in the Southern Great Plains of the US, strengthening the oilseed supply potential of lower-carbon-intensity feedstocks to meet the growing global demand for biofuels such as renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel, which is estimated to increase almost threefold reaching approximately 40 billion gallons by 2040. The high protein meal from the winter canola grain will be sold into the feed market, offering additional feed sources for dairy and beef cattle, poultry and swine markets. Link 11/09/2026.

Methanol: Australia. Mitsui Kinzoku reached an agreement with Wildfire Energy to jointly advance a demonstration project aimed at producing low-cost bio-methanol from biomass and waste feedstocks, with a view to future application in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The project will be implemented with a grant of A$3.15 million, announced by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) on July 6, together with funding support from Mitsui Kinzoku. By combining Wildfire Energy’s MIHG technology with Mitsui Kinzoku’s methanol synthesis technology, the project aims to establish a modular process for converting biomass and waste into low-cost biofuels. Link 11/09/2026.