The Propane Education & Research Council recently joined the University of California-Davis, Onsite Power Systems, and industry partners at the official start-up of the anaerobic biodigester system for UC Davis’ Biogas Energy project. The project will demonstrate an innovative waste-to-energy technology with possible environmental and economic advantages, including potential as a renewable energy source. Anaerobic biodigesters use bacteria to break …
Ethanol Helps Fuel Nebraska Economy
A business conditions report for midwestern states indicates that economic growth has slowed overall, but ethanol is helping to fuel growth in at least one of the states. In a monthly survey of supply managers in nine states, Creighton University’s Economic Forecasting Group found that Nebraska’s leading economic indicator, the Business Conditions Index, increased slightly for October. According to Creighton …
Kubota Approves Biodiesel Use
Kubota Tractor Corporation has approved the use of five percent biodiesel fuels in specified Kubota diesel-powered products. According to a company release, the approved blends of biodiesel fuel for use in Kubota diesel-powered products range up to a “B5” blend that consists of 5% biodiesel and 95% petroleum diesel. “Kubota is committed to environmentally sound practices and the support of …
Price is Right
Consumers can find out the latest prices for E85 all over the country with the click of a mouse at E85prices.com. According to the website, the price of E85 fell significantly last month and the spread between unleaded and E85 has now widened to about 40 cents per gallon in many areas. The price of E85 is below $2.00 a …
Panda Keeps Climbing
Texas-based Panda Energy has announced plans to build another 100 million gallon-per-year ethanol plant powered by manure. According to the company, the latest plant will be located near the city of Muleshoe in Bailey County, Texas. The Muleshoe facility will generate the steam used in the ethanol manufacturing process by gasifying more than 1 billion pounds of cattle manure a …
Jumpstarting E85 in California
The U.S. Department of Energy has provided a major grant to build 15 public E85 stations in California. According to a news release, the effort will include the collaboration of some major environmental and corporate partners, including CALSTART, General Motors, Pacific Ethanol, and CleanFUEL USA. Currently, there is currently only one public station that sells E85 ethanol in California, despite …
Cool Fuel
Illinois Central Ethanol, or ICE, has announced plans for the development of an ethanol production facility in Nokomis, Illinois. The Montgomery County plant is projected to produce 50 million gallons of ethanol annually. The dry mill plant will use an estimated 18 million bushels of corn annually, according to Don Frank, ICE board president, “which will provide a good local …
Mechanics Can Fill Up and Feel Good With On-Line Course
Learn more about how auto technicians and anyone else can benefit from taking the free on-line “Ethanol Fuel Performance Training” course from the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council. This simple, user-friendly computer course provides an understanding of ethanol fuel and how it affects engine performance and the environment. Different lesson levels provide information from the very basic to the very …
Warm Up With Bioheat
Just in time for colder weather, consumers who use heating oil now have a new option that is cleaner-burning and domestically produced – Bioheat®. The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) and National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) recently trademarked the term and launched the official logo for this product, which is made from a combination of biodiesel and generic heating oil, making …
International Domestic Fuel
Here’s a couple of interesting international developments on ethanol. Domestic Fuel reader Erick Erickson of Nebraska sent a link to a post on a European blog called Biopact that tells about “an interesting but as yet unclear development” in Venezuela. Seems that Venezuela’s most recent Energy Strategy Meeting concluded with the announcement that the country will be investing massively in …