While the shower room favorite the loofah is known for exfoliating your skin to a radiant glow, researchers might have found a way to pair them with bacteria to turn waste into power. This article from the American Chemical Society’s journal Environmental Science & Technology says loofahs and bacteria can create a power-generating microbial fuel cell (MFC). Shungui Zhou and …
Connecticut to Host Biodiesel Forum
Biodiesel policymakers, industry experts, and manufacturers are invited to a Regional Biodiesel Industry Forum on December 16, 2013 at the Rome Ballroom on the University of Connecticut (UConn) campus in Storrs, Conn. The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) and UConn are collaborating to put together the gathering. “Our goal is to bring together representatives from all components of the …
Biodiesel Voices to be Heard at EPA Hearing
We will be at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearing on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), ready to kick off in just a couple of hours in Arlington, Va., just across the river from the nation’s capital. Advocates and friends of biofuels are expected to turn out en masse, including our friends from the National Biodiesel Board, who plan to …
Argentina Helps Biodiesel by Upping Blend
Argentina will be using more biodiesel in its power generation and vehicles. In a move to help its biodiesel industry hit by European sanctions, Biofuels International reports the South American country will require a 10 percent biodiesel blend in fuel burned for power generation and will step up vehicle blends to 10 percent starting next month. Biodiesel producers have been …
Biodiesel Production Still at Record Pace; Imports Up
The latest numbers from the government show that biodiesel production is still on a record pace for the year. Meanwhile, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) says America is importing more of the green fuel while exporting less of it to other countries. September’s figures put biodiesel production at 127 million gallons in September 2013, down just slightly fromm August’s …
Neste Renewable Diesel is Sustainably Certified
Renewable diesel from European company Neste Oil has been certified sustainable. This company news release says it’s the world’s first company to be awarded an RSPO-RED Supply Chain certificate under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s (RSPO) new certification system, covering the production of NExBTL renewable diesel: The RSPO’s new RSPO-RED overall certification system calculates greenhouse gas emissions released over …
Researchers to Get More Biofuels from Pine Trees
A federal grant will help researchers get more biofuels out of pine trees. The University of Florida says it will use the $1.45 million in federal money to develop trait-prediction models and accelerate the growth of loblolly pine trees to produce more bioenergy. In his grant application, UF associate professor Matias Kirst, the principal investigator for the study, said Southern …
Biodiesel Feedstock’s Proteins Mapped
Researchers in Europe and South America have mapped the protein of a biodiesel feedstock, castor beans, in hopes of reducing the poisons in the leftover pulp. This article from The Almagest says researchers from the University of Southern Denmark and hope to be able to get more out of the bean. Countries like Brazil and India grow large quantities of …
Biodiesel Popular as Vancouver’s New Micro-Brew
Vancouver Island is knows for its beer micro-breweries, with 17 places cooking up liquid gold. But a new kind of micro-brew is gaining popularity there: biodiesel. This story from Beacon News says a biodiesel cooperative at a farmer’s market is selling about 40,000-50,000 gallons of the green fuel each year. As you walk into the Cowichan Biodiesel Cooperative’s processing facility …
Turkey Fryer Oil Gets New Green Life as Biodiesel
Many a turkey met a delectable fate yesterday as they were dipped in hot oil and fried up GBD – golden, brown and delicious. Well, you might want to add green to that equation, as the leftover fryer oil can be turned into biodiesel. Many cities and communities across the country are offering to take that used fryer oil off …