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At the end of May, the Earthrace… a biodiesel-powered speed boat… had to abandon its record-breaking attempt to circumnavigate the globe. At the time, they were down… but not out!

Captain Peter Bethune says he should be ready for another attempt next March. This story posted on Grainnet.com says, this time, they’ll be better prepared:

The 78-foot boat is currently on a tour of European ports where it is attending boat shows and sailing festivals.

“If we do a second attempt, we will ensure we get someone there a month in advance to determine the fuel quality, and to have it waiting on the dock.”

To set the record, the Earthrace will have to cover 24,000 miles of the ocean in 75 days.

You can read more about the Earthrace by visiting its web site: www.earthrace.net.

A biodiesel plant that will add 30 percent to the U.S. biodiesel production capacity when it opens will start doing just that when the Imperium Renewables plant at Gray’s Harbor in Washington state starts production on Wednesday.

This article in the Kitsap Sun says the 100-million-gallon-a-year refinery will make biodiesel from canola and soy oils, as well as other crops:

“Obviously we think it’s the wave of the future,” said Martin Tobias, CEO of Seattle-based Imperium Renewables. “We are adding roughly 30 percent to the United States capacity in one fell swoop.”

Last year, national biodiesel production was 250 million gallons, more than triple the production just the year before, according to the Missouri-based National Biodiesel Board. By the end of the year, that number is expected to climb to between 300 million and 350 million gallons.

The refinery has been much-anticipated by the local area that has been suffering the last couple of years when a Weyerhaeuser sawmill closed and nearly 100 people lost their jobs.

We at Domestic Fuel have been anticipating the opening of the plant for sometime as well. A quick search of our posts shows at least a dozen stories we’ve done this year on the progress on the West Coast behemoth of a biodiesel refinery.

They’re not exactly the most environmentally-friendly mechanisms out there, but recreational vehicles… RVs… are moving to greener fuels.

This article in the Bend (Oregon) Bulletin says while hybrid motors may not be coming up, biodiesel is certainly gaining popularity:

Ty Adams, a 28-year-old freelance journalist and green RV activist from Bozeman, Mont., has spent the past nine months on the road. He’s hit 24 states and put 18,000 miles on his multicolored Monaco, also known as the bioTrekker.

“Every RVer I’ve met is concerned about the future and the environment,” Adams said. “They are touring state parks and getting into nature and places that are enhanced by a pristine environment, so they are very aware.”

Adams says while only about five percent of RVers use biodiesel, 40 percent say they have heard of it. He also believes that manufacturers need to be convinced as well.

Check out Adams’ blog at biotrekker.blogspot.com/.

You probably think of the Deep South, such as Georgia and Alabama, when you think of peanuts, but a farmer and a researcher from Washington State Univesity are looking to grow goobers in the Pacific Northwest to make into biodiesel.

This article in the Seattle (WA) Post Intelligencer says Steve Price’s venture is picking up steam:

Price has been growing dry beans in the area about 30 miles north of Eastern Washington’s Tri-Cities since the 1980s. He planted about 25 acres of peanuts last year, just to see if he could grow them.

“When I started this I thought my background in dry edible beans would be a plus,” Price said. “But I found out I don’t know anything about peanuts.”

Price ran into some problems, such as not having peanut harvesting equipment. In addition, dry bean processing plants didn’t want to handle the peanuts because of the allergy problems. But despite that, he had some success growing the legumes, getting 5,000 pounds an acre… when the national average is only 3,300.

Price’s initiative impressed Tim Waters, a WSU extension educator based in Pasco. He and another professor for WSU’s crop and soil sciences program began working with Price and helping where they could.

“We can do this and study the potential to see if this is something that is feasible for growers so they don’t have to take the risk,” Waters said.

This year’s crop looks even better than last year. And, if you remember my July 31st post, researchers back in Georgia are developing a type of peanut ideal for biodiesel. Hopefully, they’ll share their information with the peanut-biodiesel far off to the north.