Second-generation biofuel plant opens in Holland

A new second-generation biofuel plant went into operation in the Dutch city of Delfzijl on Friday, Xinhua reported.
  
With a capacity of 250 million liters, the plant is the world's largest facility for bio-methanol production, according to a press release by the Dutch biofuel company BioMCN.
  
Bio-methanol is produced through an innovative process, patented by BioMCN, and is made from crude glycerin, a sustainable biomass which is a residue from industry processing vegetable oils and animal fats. The product is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.
  
"There is a lot of demand, particularly because the fuel we make is produced sustainably," Rob Voncken, the company's director, told media.
  
BioMCN said the new plant can fulfill the entire Dutch biofuel obligation -- a minimum of 4 percent blended into gasoline, a standard set by a 2005 EU directive. The proportion would grow to 10 percent by 2020.
  
Compared with regular methanol, bio-methanol reduces CO2 emissions by 78 percent and will play an important and lasting role in the transition toward sustainable fuels with low CO2 emissions.