Columbia, South Carolina is the latest municipality that is getting waste grease out of its sewer system and into its vehicles in the form of biodiesel. The Columbia Free Times says the city has set up a system to collect residents’ used cooking oil and use it in a trash truck: When restaurants need to get rid of used cooking …
Michigan Researchers Turn Wet Algae into Biodiesel
Researchers have found a feasible way to turn wet algal biomass directly into biodiesel. Biodiesel Magazine reports that University of Michigan scientists have published a paper on a two-step hydrolysis-solvolysis process that eliminates costly biomass drying, organic solvent extraction and catalysts: In the first step, wet algal biomass contained 80 percent moisture and was reacted with subcritical water to hydrolyze …
Denver to Host Alt Fuel Trade Alliance Workshop
Make your plans now to attend the free Alternative Fuel Trade Alliance Workshop, Thursday, Sept. 9, at the Crowne Plaza in Denver, Colo. Sponsored by our friends at the Renewable Fuels Association, the National Biodiesel Board, the Clean Vehicle Education Foundation and the Propane Education & Research Council, this one-day event promises to be a must-attend event for a wide …
Federal Ag & Energy Depts. Team Up for Bioenergy
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy have teamed up to hand out some research awards to designed to improve and accelerate genetics in plants for bioenergy production. This USDA release says the announcement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Energy Secretary Steven Chu will make $8.9 million available: “Cost-effective, sustainable biofuels are crucial to building a clean energy economy,” …
REG Biodiesel Featured at Farm Progress & Beer Tour
Chuck and Joanna have been giving you some great coverage of Farm Progress Show from Boone, Iowa here on Domestic Fuel and over at AgWired.com. It only seems fitting that the country’s premier farm show is being powered by Iowa-based biodiesel producer Renewable Energy Group (REG). And in the same tradition of having a cold beer after a long day …
Aussie Customer to Get Algae-Oil Single Step System
A California-based producer of renewable oil from algae production products is getting ready to ship a system that uses a single step to get the oil out of the green pond scum to one of its customers down under. OriginOil, Inc. has notified Australian MBD Energy Limited that it is ready to ship a Single-Step Extraction™ System (seen in the …
Mother Earth News Sponsors Alt Energy Fair
Green living guide Mother Earth News wants to give average consumers some of the tools they need to get the most out renewable energy. That’s why publication is offering the Mother Earth News Fair, Sept. 25-26 at Seven Springs Mountain Resort near Pittsburgh. Organizers promise more than 15 hands-on demonstrations ranging from beginner’s information for passive solar systems to building …
Outfitter Dresses Flagship Store with Solar Panels
Retail outfitter L.L.Bean is turning to the power of the sun for its flagship store. The company says it has used stimulus bucks to install a 180-tube solar hot water collector array that provides 100 percent of the hot water to the Freeport, Maine outlet: The Efficiency Maine Commercial Grants funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) …
Company Debuts Biodiesel Hybrid Wind Turbine
A Colorado-based wind turbine company believes it has the solution when winds are not enough to generate electricty: team the turbine up with clean-burning biodiesel. Smartplanet.com says Hybrid Turbines Inc.’s SmartGen system will use biogas, biodiesel and natural gas to run a back-up power generation system fuel the back-up power system that will operate during the 70 percent of time …
$11 Mil in Grants for Propel Biodiesel, Ethanol Stations
Propel Fuels, a west coast retailer of ethanol and biodiesel, has received $11 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and the California Energy Commission to build and operate 75 self-serve alternative fuel stations across the state over the next two years. This article in the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal says the effort will reduce the amount …