Free your mind - Be part of the GRAPAS experience

If you're in Bangkok next week be sure not to miss the one-day GRAPAS Conference - which will be held above the Victam Asia 2012 exhibition area (in Meeting Room 222-223 on the second floor) of BITEC.This event looks at milling in general and rice milling developments in particular. Specialists will be sharing their knowledge and insight in rice and milling technology. The GRAPAS Conference starts at 09:30 on February 15, 2012 and is part of the GRAPAS Exhibition, co-located with Victam.

Get to the BITEC on Bangkok's (Rapid Transit Systems) Skytrain – to Bang Na Station - on the E line to E13.

                                                                  Eight days to GRAPAS

                                          Free your mind be part of the GRAPAS experience

                                            Download your free GRAPAS ticket and badge

How do you get to the GRAPAS Conference

How do you get to the GRAPAS Conference for a 09:30 start on February 15, 2012 in a city you are not that familiar with? Especially when it’s located alongside an exhibition that is at a new location for the first time. BITEC, the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre, is on the Bangkok Rapid Transit Systems’s network. You can reach BITEC by Skytrain –Bang Na Station -  on the E line to E13. If you arrive at BITEC from the Skytrain, you will enter BITEC on the 2nd floor and will pass the entrance to the conference areas. If you enter via the trade show on the 1st floor, you can reach them by escalators, lifts and stairs. The conferences are well signed.

How do you get to the GRAPAS Conference

OriginalOil and Aquaviridis join together in a joint venture for development

Algae producer Aquaviridis has joined forces with OriginOil to develop a new technology that extracts oil from the algae and will develop this multi-phase production at its Mexicali site in Mexico. Through the North American Free Trade Agreement, a region in the country has been put aside for such developments and OriginOil will help by harvesting and developing its algae cultivation technologies, as well as using the site as a testing area. Commercial scale production is scheduled for the second quarter of next year, and the site chosen is expected to have good growing conditions, as well as positive local and government support.

OriginOil's vice president of marketing, Ken Reynolds, says: "The Mexicali Valley is a great place to develop an algae industry, given its climate and access to industry research and resources throughout North America. With the US as a neighboring market for high value exports, Mexico is in an excellent position to take the lead in areas such as research and production of algae for nutritional products, animal feed, and oil for biofuels, which would create long-term regional economic growth and job production." Read more ...

The UK Energy Now Expo countdown begins

Thousands of farmers are expected at the Malvern Showground in Worcestershire next week for the third Energy Now Expo. Despite the recent legal challenge to proposed changes to the level of Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) for solar PV, renewable energy remains one of the best choices for farmers and landowners looking to diversify their business.

With the cost of energy rising and many observers warning about the damaging effect of fossil fuels on the world's climate, adopting renewable alternatives will allow farmers to offset costs and reduce their carbon footprints. Read more ...

If you’re going to Victam Asia

If your first choice of conference at Victam Asia 2012 is sold out, why not consider attending the GRAPAS Conference on February 15, 2012 from 09:30 where space is unlimited? It's located at the same venue as Aquafeed Horizons and FIAAP (on the second floor of the BITEC) and there is no registration fee. GRAPAS is in both Thai and English and focuses on rice milling and milling technology in general. Register here to attend this informative event. Make you visit to Victam Asia even more worthwhile by attending GRAPAS!

If you’re going to Victam Asia
Be sure to wear some …

Whisky bi products could be next biofuel

"Scotland’s whisky has a world-wide reputation for excellence and generates huge benefits for our economy. It’s fitting, then, that the by-products of this industry are now being used in an area where we have so much promise sustainable biofuels," said Fergus Ewing the Scottish Energy Minister as he launches a new company to commercialise a process making biobutanol from whisky by-products.

The new company, called Celtic Renewables, has been set up to capitalise on Scotland's UK£4 billion (US$6.3 billion) malt whisky industry to develop biobutanol a next generation biofuel along with other renewable chemicals and animal feed. Read more ...

India shows record growth in renewable energy investments

A BNEF report into renewable energy investments in India showed that renewable energy investments increased by more than 52 percent in 2011, the fastest growth among major global economies. More than US$10.3 billion (€7.836 billion), was invested in renewable energy projects in India last year, with about US$4.6 billion (€3.5 billion) targeting wind energy projects and another US$4.2 billion (€3.5 billion) going toward solar project. “India’s record performance in 2011, and the momentum it is carrying into 2012, is one of the bright spots in the clean energy firmament,” said Michael Liebreich, BNEF’s chief executive. Read more ...

Funding for energy programs announced by USDA

The US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the available funding for the fiscal year 2012 for two key programs to encourage the use of renewable biomass and production of advanced biofuels. Around US$25 million (€19.1 million) is to be made available through each program.

"President Obama has laid out a new era for American energy an economy fueled by homegrown and alternative energy sources that will be designed and produced by American workers," said Secretary Vilsack. "These programs support that vision by helping biorefineries use renewable biomass as a replacement fuel source for fossil fuels and supporting advanced biofuel producers as they expand production." Read more ...