A college in the Minneapolis, Minn., suburbs is testing whether double-cropped camelina could be a good alternative for biodiesel feedstocks. Minnesota Farm Guide reports Anoka-Ramsey Community College’s Cambridge Campus has a 24-acre double-crop plot of camelina and soybeans to see if the non-food camelina will produce enough oil in the double-crop environment. “This is a true energy crop that isn’t …
Sapphire, Linde Partner to Turn Algae into Crude Oil
San Diego-based Green Crude – oil made from algae – producer Sapphire Energy, Inc. and German gasses and engineering company The Linde Group have partnered to commercialize a new industrial scale technology to turn algae biomass into crude oil. The five-year deal is to go through the development of Sapphire Energy’s first commercial scale, algae-to-energy production facility. “Sapphire Energy is …
Biodiesel Research Looks at Jatropha Genes
Jatropha plants with their high oil content are seen as potentially a good alternative to some food crops as a feedstock for biodiesel. But the shrub’s nature makes it just as intensive to raise as a food crop, as well as having issues with drought resistance. Researchers at Penn State University believe they have found the gene that will help …
Chem Students Use Syrris for Biodiesel Research
A group of chemical engineering students in Massachusetts have used technology from UK-based Syrris to investigate the production of biodiesel. Syrris officals say the Worcester Polytechnic University students used Syrris’ Globe jacketed reactor system that allowed for a safe project: “As part of their senior thesis, some of our undergraduate students suggested a ‘green’ experiment; converting vegetable oil into biodiesel. …
UFOP: Sustainability Ups Biodiesel Content Choices
A study from a group in Germany says sustainability certification systems have opened up market access for vegetable oils from countries outside the European Union. The study from the Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen e.V. (UFOP) surveyed 60 filling stations across Germany and found that rapeseed oil remains the most important raw material source for the production of …
Tennessee State to Take Biodiesel Maker on Road
Researchers at Tennessee State University hit the road this week with a mobile demonstration lab to convince more farmers to brew their own biodiesel. This school news release says unit will also be on display at the university’s Small Farm Expo this Thursday, July 18th. The eye-catching mobile lab is the showpiece of the University’s pioneering alternative fuels program. Funded …
Biodiesel Maker Advocates for New Distro Strategies
A biodiesel maker in the Pacific Northwest is advocating for new strategies to distribute the green fuel. In a piece written for Biodiesel Magazine, Director of Sales for SeQuential-Pacific Biodiesel, Gavin Carpenter, made the case for a system that works with wholesalers and retailers alike: Biodiesel distribution has largely followed the same model as petroleum-based fuels. Manufacturers partner with third-party …
Algae Products Producer Gets Expansion Funding
An Arizona-based producer of algae products, including biofuels, has secured nearly $30 million in funding that it hopes to use to expand its operation. Biofuels Journal reports Heliae raised the $28.4 million that will be used for support and expansion of its first commercial facility in Gilbert, Ariz., set to startup this September. “With Heliae’s first commercial plant on schedule …
European Wind Installs Double But Orders Weaken
The amount of new offshore wind energy installed in Europe during the first half of this year has doubled compared to a year ago, but a lack of future orders is troubling wind energy advocates there. The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) says 277 new offshore wind turbines, totalling 1,045 megawatts (MW), were connected to the grid during the first …
Bioheat Seen as Warming Biodiesel Trading
Mandates for biodiesel-blended heating oil … better known as Bioheat … are seen as good news for the growth of biodiesel, and traders are taking note. This article posted on SECFilings.com says the Bioheat mandates, coupled with other biodiesel mandates, will make the green fuel an investment that could make some real green, too. In early July, the New York …