The University of Georgia is holding a Southeastern Biodiesel Workshop this week in Athens featuring a number of interesting speakers and perspectives on the fuel. Although the National Biodiesel Board was not able to be a part of this event, you might be interested in hearing a update from NBB Executive Director Joe Jobe on what is happening with this …
Home Stills Selling Like Hot Cakes
We got a couple of comments about this company when I did the post about The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) warning not to make ethanol at home (see previous post). Dogwood Energy claims that it is “perfectly legal to own and operate an ethanol still on your property, provided that you are using it ONLY to …
Will NASCAR Climb Aboard the Ethanol Train?
If the IRL does it, why not NASCAR? That’s the question some are asking, some even urging NASCAR to make the switch to ethanol, according to this SI.com article. SI seems to think if Jeff Gordon used ethanol it might make even more folks sit up and take notice. General Motors is actively encouraging NASCAR to make the switch.
Water Power
A friend of mine sent me this news video about running cars on water. Water Fuel (WMV file) It’s pretty amazing. This would be the ultimate domestic fuel. The company is Hydrogen Technology Applications and they call it the Hybrid Hydrogen Oxygen System (HHOS). Interesting.
Calls For New Farm Policy
Some sectors of agriculture are calling for a new direction to farm policy. At a press conference last week, the American Farmland Trust unveiled its vision of a new farm policy called Agenda 2007. AFT President Ralph Grossi says this vision includes renewable energy. “Much more can be done to unleash producer innovation and entrepreneurial spirit,” said Grossi, including expanding …
Coast to Coast Ethanol Plant News
US BioEnergy and Big River Resources of West Burlington, IA are joining forces to build a 100 million gallon per year (mgy) dry grind ethanol facility near Grinnell, Iowa, according to a company release. A proposed Florida ethanol plant is facing opposition, according to an article on Gainesville.com. The proposed $80 million plant, a project of Gate Petroleum in Jacksonville, …
News Briefs
I have been letting Chuck do the talking this week covering Clean Cities and Ethanol Day. Now it’s time to catch up on some Domestic Fuel news: Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) announced a new biofuels policy in the Senate, while House Ag Democrats unveiled a comprenesive biodiesel energy package. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest price forecast for corn predicts …
Ethanol Flood
The World Bank is being “flooded” with requests to fund ethanol projects worldwide, according to a report from Reuters. The article says that requests are coming from countries such as “Mali, Guatemala, Honduras, the Philippines, Colombia, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Mozambique, Tanzania, Egypt and Turkey,” and that “inquiries have increased since President Bush last week called on the U.S. Congress …
Pineapple Ethanol
A Florida-based company is working to make ethanol from pineapples. Biomass Resources Corporation of Boca Raton reportedly has “achieved initial success at extracting Ethanol from pineapple fruit and pineapple plant waste,” according to a news release. Initially, the company is focusing on the pineapple industry for its production, and has established a 5,000 sq. ft. R&D and production facility outside …
Catalytic Conversion Could Make Ethanol Cheaper
Lowering the cost of ethanol production is the goal of Syngas International, a Canadian alternative energy technology corporation. The company hopes to do that by by replacing corn with less-expensive cellulose-based feed stocks and using its “M2 gasifier and PyStR system,” with is catalytic conversion as opposed to fermentation. According to a news release, “cellulosic feed stocks include agricultural wastes, …