Researchers at Clemson University have a new mobile biofuels processing plant that will help do new research on new biomass feedstocks, like algae and fungio, while spreading the word of what biodiesel can do. This press release from the school says its $125,000 piece of equipment from Piedmont Biofuels in North Carolina will provide the research platform and take the …
Ferry Could Use Biodiesel Instead of Shutting Down
Some new clean air regulations in California could lead to a popular ferry shutting down. But it might not have to if the vessel uses biodiesel. This article from the Daily Pilot says the Catalina Flyer, a 500-passenger catamaran that runs between the mainland and Santa Catalina Island could have to shut down while the owners buy and install a …
Ethanol Gets Iowa Football Fans Pumped Up
Did you know that 60 cents of each gallon of E85 purchased stays in the state of Iowa? I didn’t know that until I participated in the Iowa Corn Fed Game Day pump rally at Riverside, Iowa to get people “pumped up” for the upcoming Iowa State versus Iowa football game. Another way to look at this is for each …
Getting Grease Out of Sewer, Into Biodiesel
Columbia, South Carolina is the latest municipality that is getting waste grease out of its sewer system and into its vehicles in the form of biodiesel. The Columbia Free Times says the city has set up a system to collect residents’ used cooking oil and use it in a trash truck: When restaurants need to get rid of used cooking …
Iowa Corn Fed Game Day Highlights Food and Fuel
Did you know that Iowa is leading the way in both corn production and ethanol production but corn is not only used for ethanol? It is also an ingredient in more than 4,000 products including toothpaste, pizza, tires, drywall, bubblegum and more. The Iowa Corn Growers realized that many people don’t know this so they have developed a consumer promotion …
Ethanol Co-Product Hitting “Feed Wall”
We hear a lot about the blend wall for ethanol in the United States market, but there’s also a wall that the ethanol co-product Dried Distillers Grains (DDGS) in hitting with the livestock industry. “We’ve already run into a feed wall,” says Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Bob Dinneen. “While domestic markets for DDGS continue to expand, quite …
Michigan Researchers Turn Wet Algae into Biodiesel
Researchers have found a feasible way to turn wet algal biomass directly into biodiesel. Biodiesel Magazine reports that University of Michigan scientists have published a paper on a two-step hydrolysis-solvolysis process that eliminates costly biomass drying, organic solvent extraction and catalysts: In the first step, wet algal biomass contained 80 percent moisture and was reacted with subcritical water to hydrolyze …
Denver to Host Alt Fuel Trade Alliance Workshop
Make your plans now to attend the free Alternative Fuel Trade Alliance Workshop, Thursday, Sept. 9, at the Crowne Plaza in Denver, Colo. Sponsored by our friends at the Renewable Fuels Association, the National Biodiesel Board, the Clean Vehicle Education Foundation and the Propane Education & Research Council, this one-day event promises to be a must-attend event for a wide …
Help Gulf Coast Move Beyond Oil
A Florida company is trying to win a $250,000 grant from Pepsi to bring alternative fuels to the Gulf Coast region. Pura-Vida-Ventures is an independent company based in Sarasota that has a proposal in to Pepsi for a share in $1.3 million they are offering to fund ideas that “refresh the Gulf.” Their concept is to convert a closed gas …
Federal Ag & Energy Depts. Team Up for Bioenergy
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy have teamed up to hand out some research awards to designed to improve and accelerate genetics in plants for bioenergy production. This USDA release says the announcement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Energy Secretary Steven Chu will make $8.9 million available: “Cost-effective, sustainable biofuels are crucial to building a clean energy economy,” …