As a graduate of Iowa State University (ISU), I couldn’t pass up this story. Several students are launching a project to recycle used vegetable oil from campus cafeterias into biodiesel. The fuel will then power campus buses, known as CyRide. One of the drivers of this project is Bernardo de Campo, a co-chair of the organization Next Generation Scientists for …
Heliae – Measuring Algae by the Barrel
Sun and algae go together like peanut butter and jelly. Just ask Karl Seitz, Co-Founder of Heliae. I sat down with Seitz during the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference in DC to learn a little more about his company and their technology. The first unique attribute of the company is their name. Heli is Greek for the sun and the ae …
BioJet & Abundant Biofuels Merge
It’s official. BioJet International, a developer of bio jet fuels, and Abundant Biofuels Corporation, an integrated feedstock development company, have merged. With this merger in place, Abundant is now a wholly owned subsidiary of BioJet but its affiliates will continue to operate under the Abundant name and brand. Abundant is best known for its Philippine Jatropha Project and today has …
OPEL Solar Selected for Solar PV Project
The Town of Newtown, located in Connecticut, will soon be the home of a new solar photovoltaic (PV) project. The city’s waste water treatment facility (Newton Facility) is installing a 95 kilowatt (kW) solar system using technology developed by OPEL Solar International. The project received a $320,000 grant from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) to help cover the cost …
Thailand to Use UC Riverside Biofuel Technology
A national laboratory in Thailand has signed an agreement that will allow them to produce biofuels using the University of California, Riverside’s process to convert biomass and agricultural wastes into fuel. The project is a collaboration between the UC Riverside Bourns College of Engineering and the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research. The work will focus on utilizing steam …
Study – Ethanol Saves Consumers 25 Cents at Pump
According to a new study released today by Iowa State University and the University of Wisconsin, in 2010, on average the use of ethanol reduced wholesale gasoline prices by an average of .89 cents per gallon. The research was conducted by a number of economists and released by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) and is an update …
ICM Deploys Its Biomass Gasification System
ICM has announced that it is beginning commercial deployment of its biomass gasification system after the successful completion of infrastructure development, research, testing, and an independent engineering review. The company began operating its commercial scale demonstration gasifer back in 2009. The technology has the capacity to covert 150 tons of biomass per day to a syngas that can then be …
Creating a Downstream Market for Algae Products
“When we embarked on this project three years ago, we thought by the time we reached commercial scale, like we have today, there would be plenty of demand for algae biomass to produce these products,” said Todd Becker, CEO of Green Plains Renewable Energy (GPRE) during the dedication of BioProcess Algae’s Grower Harvester bioreactors. This dedication signaled the last stage …
Gevo & Mustang Engineering to Produce BioJet Fuel
Gevo has signed an engineering and consulting agreement with Mustang Engineering LP (Mustang) to convert Gevo’s renewable isobutanol to biojet fuel. The first step will be to focus on the downstream processing of isobutanol to kerosene (jet fuel) and from there to test the fuel in jet engines as well as in commercial planes. “Our work with Mustang is another …
First Biofuel Flight Takes Air in Mexico
Interjet, Mexico’s domestic airline carrier, along with Airbus received praise today from The Consejo de Promocion Turistica de Mexico for the first successful test flight using biofuels. The test was conducted earlier this month with an Airbus A320 aircraft using a 30 percent biofuel blend produced from jatropha. The biojet fuel blend was made from locally sourced jatropha grown and …