The U.S. Secretary of Energy announced Dec. 7 an offer of $100 million in Recovery Act funding to accelerate innovation in “green” technology.

Florida-based PetroAlgae officials announced Dec. 10 that they’ve signed a memo of understanding with global oil refinery engineering firm Foster Wheeler “to develop commercial solutions that will allow existing oil refineries to convert micro-crop biomass into fuels that are functionally compatible with petroleum-based fuels in the current market.”

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack on Dec. 4 announced 19 integrated biorefinery projects will get up to US$564 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants to accelerate the construction and operation of pilot, demonstration and commercial-scale facilities, plus a $54 million USDA loan guarantee.

Audi on Dec. 3 won both the “Green Car of the Year” award for its A3 TDI diesel car, while its Q7 SUV diesel simultaneously won the “Earth, Wind & Power” environmental award as “most environmentally progressive truck of the year.”

The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu announced Dec. 4 the selection of three new projects with a value of $3.18 billion to accelerate the development of advanced coal technologies with carbon capture and storage (CCS) at commercial scale.

Petrobras announced Dec. 2 the signing of five contracts for the construction of the Abreu e Lima Refinery worth R$8.9 billion (US$5.2 billion).

Australia’s Minister for Resources and Energy Martin Ferguson announced Dec. 8 that two integrated gasification combined cycle projects moved into the queue for carbon capture and storage funding under the country’s A$2 billion (US$1.8 billion) CCS Flagships Program.

London-based Rio Tinto officials Dec. 4 announced they’ve decided to trim their global investment in their Hydrogen Energy joint venture with oil major BP, including withdrawal from an Abu Dhabi project.

A cellulosic bioethanol demonstration plant constructed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI), Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Co. Ltd. and Kansai Chemical Engineering Co. Ltd. is about to launch continuous operation, MHI announced Nov. 30.

Fluctuating market dynamics and tougher regulations present unique challenges for Indian refiners. Blending optimization techniques, APC and linear programming techniques are being embraced by the most competitive refiners, according to a recently completed study.

Sasol is working on a memo of understanding (MOU) for a proposed US$10 billion, 80,000 barrels/day coal-to-liquids (CTL) project in Indonesia, according to Jakarta Globe report quoting Gita Wirjawan, the head of Indonesia’s investment board.

The Subaru car division of Fuji Heavy Industries aims to boost car sales in China to 50,000 units in 2011, up 40% from the current year, according to a report from Nikkei news service.

Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura refinery will shut down for 45 days of maintenance, according to press reports. In the long term, domestic refining capacity will need to increase to keep up with a growing population and government business objectives.

Paz Corporation becomes largest energy company in Israel after wining tender for Ashod Oil Refineries. The acquisition by Paz involved a bid of US$918 million.

Lukoil refinery in Bulgaria commissions new sulfur acid alkylation unit to help meet the region’s requirement for higher octane gasoline. The new unit will incorporate the most modern safety systems and will replace an outdated alkylation unit.

The Terracastus subsidiary of Sweden-based Volvo on Dec. 7 signed a letter of intent with Nordvastra Skanes Renhallningsbolag to establish a joint company for upgrading biogas to a liquefied biogas.

According to a new report from Sweden-based pulp-mill black-liquor gasification specialist Chemrec, the Preem petroleum refinery in Sweden will soon be processing a pulp-mill tall-oil product into “green diesel” fuel for the European market.