How you manage and plan your biofuels operation is just as important to ensuring its profitability as the price of the inputs that go into making the green fuels. “The biofuels industry is like any other company,” explains John Christianson, partner and founding member of Christianson & Associates, a Minnesota firm that specializes in working with farmers and rural businesses, …
Australian Biodiesel Headed for U.S.
About 1.5 million gallons of Australian biodiesel is headed for the U.S., with another 1.32 million gallons fast on its heels. Biodiesel Magazine reports Australian Renewable Fuels Ltd. sent 5.7 million liters, and the other shipment is scheduled for August: Customers for the order are Valero Energy Corp. and Gavilon Inc., two of the world’s leading energy companies. Gavilon is …
Biodiesel Bounces Back in Iowa
The last year or two has been especially tough for the biodiesel industry, but the green fuel is seeing a comeback. And nowhere is that more apparent than Iowa, one of the nation’s leaders in biodiesel production. This article in Iowa Farmer Today says the biodiesel industry is having a much better year this year and even quotes Iowa Biodiesel …
Genscape Monitoring to Ensure RIN Integrity
The recent crisis over fraudulent Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) led to great consternation in the biofuels community, as obligated parties sought assurances that the RINs they were buying were legitimate and met their obligations. Provider of energy information for commodity and financial markets Genscape, which got its start in monitoring the power grids, has expanded into the biofuels area. “We …
Students’ Biodiesel Project is EPA Winner
Students from a school in Chicago are one of the groups of winners an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency award, recognized for their biodiesel project. The EPA announced that the students from Loyola University of Chicago developed a greener way, through a wetland and a distillation process, to treat and reuse byproducts of biodiesel. EPA’s People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) …
Oberon Fuels to Develop Diesel Alternative
The developer of an alternative to regular diesel fuel has received a grant to develop the environmentally dimethyl ether, better known as DME, made from shale gas and biogas from animal, food, and agricultural waste. Oberon Fuels is receiving a $500,000 grant from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD) to produce fuel-grade DME at its facilities in …
Biodiesel Ally Chides House Over Farm Bill Defeat
The Farm Bill in the U.S. House goes down to defeat, and that was not welcome news to one of biodiesel’s allies. The American Soybean Association (ASA) said it is disappointed frustrated with the 195-234 defeat of the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013. ASA President Danny Murphy, a soybean farmer from Canton, Miss, issued the following …
US Energy Init., Promethean Sign Biodiesel Deal
Automotive and hybrid fuel systems and technologies developer U.S. Energy Initiatives Corp. Inc. and California-based Promethean Biofuels signed a biodiesel production agreement that will bring Promethean’s facility to its maximum capacity starting in a couple of weeks. Biodiesel Magazine reports Promethean could produce 2.1 to 3 MMgy, and the two companies could split the revenues which could top $6 million …
Genscape Monitoring Empowers Wind Generators
A company that monitors the output of power plants says its product can also help wind farms optimize their operations. Genscape’s technology of using electro-magnetic frequency monitors allows it to see how much power is flowing through power lines and from plants. The company’s managing director of power intelligence Chris Seiple says they then make that information available to traders …
Biodiesel Keeps U.S. Tallow at Home
The world is seeing less of American tallow as biodiesel makers turn more of the animal grease into the green fuel. This article from Bloomberg says U.S. tallow exports are expected to fall nearly 4 percent because the biodiesel market is squeezing the supply and keeping the price up: Tallow shipments from the U.S. may decline to 680,000 metric tons …