Biodiesel Conference Trade Show

Cindy Zimmerman

A record number of exhibitors are showing their wares to attendees at the 2008 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo.

EcoJetKeep in mind this is only the fifth annual conference for this industry and about 4,000 people are at the event with almost 400 exhibitors. Many of the booths are showcasing new technology for the industry – while others, like New Holland, are focusing on the fun stuff.

The EcoJet is a creation of Jay Leno and General Motors. This bad boy sports a jet engine and runs on 100 percent biodiesel and it could even go head to head with an Indy car since they say it could top 220 miles per hour.

See more coverage of the conference on the official Biodiesel Conference Blog. Your friendly and hard-working conference bloggers – John Davis and myself – will be hard at it again today with coverage to include the Eye on Biodiesel awards and a look at how some big Florida companies are using biodiesel.

Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference

BioExtend Celebrates First Anniversary

Cindy Zimmerman

Eastman Dr. ClineEastman Chemical Company showcased new test data of Eastman BioExtend 30 at the 2008 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo in Orlando on Monday.

Eastman is also be celebrating the one year anniversary of the BioExtend launch, which debuted at 2007’s National Biodiesel Conference.

BioExtend, a high-performance antioxidant for biodiesel fuels, increases shelf life and enhances product protection. The oxidative stability of biodiesel can be improved by the use of antioxidants like BioExtend.

The new test data was presented by Dr. Sharon Cline, Eastman’s BioExtend technology leader. Listen to an interview with Dr. Cline here.
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/audio/eastman-cline.MP3]

Audio, Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference

Beetle-Killed Trees Could Make Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Bark BeetleBark beetles are busy little buggers in the Rocky Mountain region these days, killing off swaths of trees thanks to a couple of warmer winters that have kept them more active than normal.

Officials are looking at ways to utilize the dead timber to avoid fueling forest fires in the region and one idea is to use it to make ethanol, according to a story from Wyoming on SanDiego.com.

“We’ve had at least five different energy companies looking at different forms of energy conversion,” said Larry Hicks, natural resource coordinator for the Little Snake River Conservation District.

Hicks said the technology to make ethanol from wood chips is rapidly advancing.

Carbon County Commissioner Jerry Paxton said making ethanol from wood chips would be better than using corn because corn has other uses – namely, to eat. He said he hopes that Carbon County can land a pilot project to make ethanol from beetle-killed trees.

“We’re just putting out feelers to anybody who may be interested,” he said.

Ethanol, News

World’s First Oil Producers At It Again

John Davis

solazyme.jpgOne of the companies at the 2008 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo is Solazyme, a company that is making biodiesel out of algae. In fact, the folks from Solazyme brought a sweet ride to the conference… a Mercedes Benz C320 that runs on the green fuel made from the green algae.

I caught up with Jonathon Wolfson from Solazyme and asked him some questions about how his company was able to produce the fuel from what some people might see as an unlikely source.

He pointed out that algae are the original oil producers on the planet. “Frankly, the last time you filled up your car with any petroleum fuel, chances are the oil that fuel was made from came from algae, maybe a hundred million years ago. The strategy has been to take the original oil producers, which, by the way, are the most efficient oil producers and collapse that 100-million-year process into a few days,” Wolfson says.

Wolfson his algal-biodiesel is meeting tough American standards for diesel and the even more stringent Euopean standards. For the consumer, he says they’ll find the fuel performs superbly, sometimes even better than conventional petroleum diesel.

Right now, his company is producing the algal-biodiesel in small quantities, but he hopes that within the next couple of years, they’ll be on a commercially-viable scale of production.

Listen to my entire interview with Wolfson by clicking here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/nbb/nbb-08-wolfson.mp3]

Check out the conference blog to see more stories and pictures and see more pictures.

Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference

Riding on Biodiesel with Michael Peterson

John Davis

biodieselconference3.gifCountry music star Michael Peterson was one of the featured speakers at this morning’s “Ride-and-drive” event at the 2008 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo in Orlando, Florida.

michael.jpgCindy grabbed Michael for a quick interview right after he returned from a test drive of a 2008 Dodge Ram 3500 diesel pick up truck running on B20. As he stepped out of the vehicle, he joked how he was just sure the organizers meant for him to take the truck home (sorry, Michael!). But, seriously, he really loved the way the vehicle drove and its acceleration.

During his interview, Michael said he’s been traveling the country, spreading the good news of biodiesel: what it means for our economy, ecology, and the education of our youth. “There are so many possibilities inherent in this product and the development of it,” Michael told Cindy.

He says the whole nature of the biodiesel business is one of innovation because the people involved are not afraid to look at things in a new way. “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

Listen to Cindy’s interview with Michael here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/nbb/nbb-08-Peterson1.mp3]

Also, you can see more news, pictures, and hear more audio from the 2008 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo by clicking on the conference blog.

Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference

No Budget Change in Ethanol Tariff

Cindy Zimmerman

Bush BudgetReports of the demise of the ethanol tariff in the new White House budget were apparently greatly exaggerated.

Despite hints from Energy Secretary Sam Bodman last week that changes might be made to the expiring U.S. ethanol import tariff in its new 2009 government budget that was sent to Congress on Monday, no such changes were included.

Reuters reports that an energy department spokesperson said while the 54-cent-a-gallon tariff is set to expire at the end of December during the 2009 budget year, which begins this October 1, the administration will have discussions with lawmakers later this year on what should be done with the tariff.

The tariff is designed to protect the U.S. ethanol industry from other countries taking advantage of the 51 cent per gallon blenders’ tax credit.

Ethanol, Government, News

Interview with NBB Chairman Ed Hegland

John Davis

biodieselconference2.gifDomestic Fuel is here at the 2008 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo in Orlando, Florida, bringing you the latest updates from this gathering of biodiesel industry experts.

hegland1.jpgJust after we flew into the sun and warmth of a beautiful Central Florida day, Cindy was off to track down Ed Hegland, chairman of the National Biodiedsel Board. She caught up with Ed at a session on sustainable biodiesel production where it was announced a new task force would be formed to look at making biodiesel more sustainable and possibly move away from more expensive feedstocks, such as soybeans.

Listen to Cindy’s interview with Ed: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/nbb/nbb-08-hegland.MP3]

You can also stay up-to-date on all of the latest happening from the 2008 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo by going to the conference blog, where you can see even more pictures and hear more interviews. Check it out!

Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference

Domestic Fuel at the NBB Conference

John Davis

biodieselconference1.gifThe 2008 National Biodiesel Board Conference and Exp is underway in sunny Orlando, Florida, where thousands of biodiesel producers, marketers, and industry folks gathered for the four-day event.

youngblood.jpgDomestic Fuel is there as well, covering the events of the conference. We’ve already heard presentations on sustainable biodiesel efforts, the state of the industry, and even a Super Bowl party featuring NFL Hall of Famer Jack Youngblood (shown with me… Jack is on the left), who was signing footballs and helmets to raise money for the National Biodiesel Foundation… a group that is promoting education and research efforts to advance the biodiesel industry.

A little later on today, we’ll hear from actress Darryl Hannah and get to go on a ride-and-drive event to take a spin in some of the latest biodiesel-powered vehicles.

Keep checking back here at Domestic Fuel to see updates, and you can go to the NBB’s conference blog, where we are posting more pictures and interviews on this week’s events.

Biodiesel

Biofuels from Leftovers and Food By-Products

John Davis

planzero.jpgA food bank association and a renewable energy company have joined to produce electricity from food and food by-products that would have been just thrown away.

oafbstorm.jpgThe Ontario Association of Food Banks and StormFisher Biogas, an Ontario-based renewable energy utility will work together to produce the power through what’s being called Plan Zero, according to this association press release:

Plan Zero will work with food industry producers, growers and manufacturers to direct organic by-products to StormFisher’s biogas production facilities – called anaerobic digesters – which accelerate the decomposition of organic matter to create biogas for use in producing electricity, natural gas and heat. Plan Zero will direct a portion of the proceeds from the sale of energy to Ontario’s electricity grid to the OAFB.

StormFisher’s anaerobic digesters can produce energy using a wide range of organic materials, from used cooking oils to cow manure. The company also formed relationships with farms, food processing facilities, universities and technology providers. Its first three biogas facilities are currently in early development in London, Drayton and Port Colborne, Ont. and will be operational by 2009.

This is truly a win-win-win situation with million of tons of food being kept out of landfills while helping food companies’ bottom lines and providing a way to get surplus food to more than 100 communities throughout Ontario through Plan Zero.

Biodiesel

Do You Know This Man?

John Davis

johndavispic.jpgWell, if you don’t, you will by the end of the 2008 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida next week. I’ll be there covering the event for energy.agwired.com and posting on the conference blog as well.biodieselconference.gif

One of the items I hope to see (and bring to you) is a press event that will highlight the use of biodiesel by some of Florida’s biggest fleets, such as NASA and Universal studios:

WHAT: A press event announcing expanded usage of biodiesel in Florida, including some leaders of the local tourism industry. You will meet the innovators and hear news on biodiesel honors and usage from Florida fleets including NASA, Universal Studios and Florida Power & Light. These fleets are using biodiesel blends and leading the way to protect Florida’s delicate ecosystem by reducing their carbon footprint. Vehicles from these biodiesel users will be on display outside at the Gaylord Palms Resort Convention Center Main Entrance and Parking Area.

At the press conference, Universal Studios will announce the expansion of biodiesel to marine crafts.

The press conference will start 11 a.m. EST on Tuesday, February 5th in the Miami 2 Room at the Gaylord Palms Resort. Hope to see you there!

Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference