Idled Louisiana Renewable Diesel Plant Could Be Re-Opened

John Davis

The Dynamic Fuels renewable diesel plant in Geismar, La., idled late last year, soon could be reopened. Biomass Magazine reports that Syntroleum, which has the animal fat and yellow grease renewable diesel plant as a joint venture with Tyson Foods, expects to start up operations once again this summer: During the call, Gary Roth, president and CEO of Syntroleum, said …

biomass

GE to Supply New Turbines for Michigan Wind Farm

John Davis

GE will be rolling out a new wind turbine for a wind farm in Michigan. This company news release says GE will supply 59 of the 1.7-100 brilliant wind turbine, the world’s most efficient wind turbine in its class, for the NextEra Energy Resources, LLC’s wind farm in the thumb region of Michigan. The 1.7-100 machine is the second brilliant …

Wind

U of Maine Unveils Floating VolturnUS Wind Turbine

John Davis

A new floating wind turbine is making its debut. The Bangor (ME) Daily News reports the University of Maine unveiled the VolturnUS, a one-of-a-kind offshore wind turbine: VolturnUS will be the first grid-connected floating wind turbine in North America and the first concrete-composite floating turbine in the world, according to Habib Dagher, director of the UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites …

Wind

Sanimax Building Capacity at Wisconsin Biodiesel Plant

John Davis

Renderer-turned-biodiesel-maker Sanimax increases capacity at its 20 MMgy biodiesel refinery in DeForest, Wisconsin… although the company won’t say by how much. This Biodiesel Magazine article says Apache Stainless Equipment Corp. will provide the stainless steel tanks: Apache supported Sanimax’s need for increased capacity by supplying an atmospheric stainless tank and three pressure vessels within the past month. Sanimax would not …

Biodiesel

MidAmerican to Invest $1.9 Billion in Iowa Wind Energy

John Davis

Midwest-based MidAmerican Energy Co. is investing $1.9 billion in wind energy by adding up to 1,050 megawatts of wind generation, consisting of up to 656 new wind turbines, in Iowa by the end of 2015. This article from the Iowa City Press Citizen says the utility’s investment will create lots of green jobs in the state, without tapping any state …

Wind

Beef Ranches as Biodiesel Refineries

John Davis

The next set of biodiesel refineries will probably continue to be in rural America, but they might be part of livestock operations. This article from BeefProducer.com says Arkansas State University researcher Kevin Humphrey sees real potential for ranchers to produce their own biodiesel from oil seed crops, waste oil or tallow: “If all you want to do is extract oil …

Biodiesel, Farming, livestock, livestock feed

Intertek Biodiesel Lab Earns BQ-9000 Certification

John Davis

The Intertek biofuels lab in Romeoville, Illinois has earned an important designation from the National Biodiesel Board (NBB). This company news release says the Intertek lab is now listed as a testing facility on the BQ-9000® website and is a preferred lab for BQ-9000® producers and marketers by the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission (NBAC): NBAC, a committee of the NBB, …

Biodiesel, NBB

Wilks’ Biodiesel Analyzer to Meet ASTM Standards

John Davis

Meeting ASTM methods D7371 and EN 14078 for biodiesel standards usually requires FTIR spectrometers, an expensive proposition considering the equipment would be placed on a loading dock. This article in Biodiesel Magazine says Wilks Enterprises has something that could help producers meet those ASTM standards with a fast, easy-to-use and inexpensive infrared method: The InfraCal Biodiesel Blend Analyzer is a …

Biodiesel

Kit Teaches Students Wonders of Soy Biodiesel

John Davis

Biodiesel made from soybeans is a clean fuel for many gas tanks, including the buses that haul kids to school. Now those same children hauled by the green fuel can also get a lesson in chemistry from it. The Indiana Soybean Alliance is offering a Soy Biodiesel Chemistry Kit, touted as a valuable educational science lab for high school students, …

Biodiesel, Soybeans

Farmers Encouraged to Ask for Higher Biofuels Blends

John Davis

While we talk a lot about using more biodiesel and ethanol, there’s no more fitting place to use the green fuels than the farms where it all starts. A Minnesota farmer took his own advice to use more biofuels to heart, and this article from the Rochester (MN) Post Bulletin explains most farmers should use higher blends because their equipment …

Biodiesel, biofuels, Ethanol, News