There’s a saying in the ethanol world – “drink the best and burn the rest” – but a couple of Iowa State University researchers are out to turn that saying on its head. ISU researchers Hans van Leeuwen and Jacek Koziel are working on a process to quickly and cheaply convert fuel ethanol into the purer alcohol used in cocktails …
Ethanol-Powered Car Sets New Speed Record
GM Performance Division’s Ecotec-powered Bonneville Student Project Chevy Cobalt SS set a 172.680 mph land speed record this month at the Bonneville Salt Flats in its final run using E85 ethanol. The car was converted to run on E85 by three female engineering student interns – 19-year-old Heather Chemistruck from Virginia Tech University, 21-year-old Lauren Zimmer from Purdue University and …
Andretti Makes History
Mario Andretti sure was proud Sunday as his 19-year-old son Marco won his first Indy race in Sonoma, California on the Infineon Raceway. That was race number 13 of the season, just one more to go this year on ten percent ethanol before the big switch to 100 percent next year. Meanwhile, Team Ethanol can be proud of Sunday’s race. …
Growing Fuel In Trees
A tree that can reach 90 feet in six years and be grown as a row crop on fallow farmland could provide an additional feedstock for biofuels production. According to a Purdue University release, researchers Clint Chapple and Rick Meilan (pictured with trees) are using genetic tools in an effort to design trees that readily and inexpensively can yield the …
Purdue Energy Summit
Next week, Purdue University and U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar will host an energy summit to discuss industry and policy perspectives on how our nation can significantly reduce its dependence on foreign oil. Richard G. Lugar-Purdue Summit on Energy Security will bring more than 600 leaders to the Purdue campus in West Lafayette, Ind. to discuss national energy issues and policy. …
866-BIODIESEL
Truckers on the nation’s highways can now find biodiesel just by calling a toll-free hotline. The National Biodiesel Board has announced the launch of 866-BIODIESEL where truckers and other motorists can locate biodiesel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. According to an NBB release, the Biodiesel Hotline staff has access to mapping software linked to a database that …
Absolutely Ethanol
Absolute Energy and its farmer-owners broke ground on a new facility near St. Ansgar, Iowa today. That’s Absolute, with an “e” on the end, for ethanol. These guys are planning on making alcohol for energy, not to be confused with Absolut, the vodka. When complete, this state-of-the-art biorefinery will produce 100 million gallons of ethanol and 320,000 tons of distillers …
Blue + Yellow = Green
Garst Seed Company is showing its true colors. The company recently launched its Blue + Yellow = Green (BYG) initiative. Blue signifies Garst’s leadership in the seed corn industry, while yellow represents kernels of corn bred to enhance ethanol production. Added together, they create green — the color representing the environmental and earth-friendly renewable fuels such as ethanol, as well …
Biodiesel Hotline for Truckers
As truckers increasingly demand homegrown biodiesel, a new toll-free number will help them find retail availability anywhere in the United States. Friday, at the Great American Trucking Show, the National Biodiesel Board will announce the launch of the Biodiesel Hotline. The hotline will be staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We’ll have that number as soon as …
Light Posting
I apologize for the light posting this week. I have been doing a “virtual press room” for the National Institute for Animal Agriculture ID INFO EXPO 2006 this week in Kansas City, so that has been keeping me busier than normal and out of the office. But, as you can see from the previous post, I did still manage to …