A team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have figured out how to get the the sugar molecules trapped inside inedible plant biomass, a key step in the creation of cellulosic biofuels. This press release from the school says the process, featured in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, converts up to three-quarters …
Fargo to Host Free Biodiesel Workshop
Breathing easier is what the American Lung Association is all about, and that’s why the group’s North Dakota chapter has teamed up with the North Dakota Soybean Council, North Dakota Office of Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency, Red River Valley Clean Cities Coalition, and the North Dakota Department of Commerce to offer a free workshop on clean-burning biodiesel, Friday, March …
Algae Assoc. to Hold Seminar on Using Wastewater
Our friends at the Mid-South Chapter of the National Algae Association are holding another seminar. This time the talk will be “Algae: Mining Wastewater for Nutrients, Fuel, and Fertilizer” at the Holiday Inn Research Center in Huntsville, Alabama on March 26, 2010. I caught up with the chapter’s president, Tamra Fakhoorian, to talk about this information-packed workshop that will explore …
Big Oil Exec Talks Natural Gas, Electric Cars, Biofuels
The CEO of one of the world’s biggest petroleum companies says his company will soon produce more natural gas than oil and is investing more than ever in biofuels. And this article from the Wall Street Journal says that Peter Voser of Royal Dutch Shell says he expects in the next 40 years, 40 percent of the world’s cars will …
Imperium Re-Opens Washington State Biodiesel Plant
They’re back up and running at Imperium Renewables’ Grays Harbor, Washington biodiesel plant. This company press release says Imperium re-opened the facility after a glycerin tank rupture idled operations last December: “We are thrilled to be producing again,” said John Plaza, founder and CEO of Imperium Renewables. “We have replaced the damaged equipment and re-designed the glycerin neutralization system to …
Biodiesel Credit Clears Senate, On to House
As expected, the federal $1-a-gallon biodiesel tax incentive has cleared the U.S. Senate on the back of the current jobs bill. The 62-36 vote now moves the measure into a reconciliation phase with the House’s version of the bill. I caught up with Michael Frohlich, the director of federal communications for the National Biodiesel Board’s office in Washington, D.C. earlier …
Wisconsin Team Turns Biomass into Jet Fuel
A group of engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been able to turn biomass into the chemical equivalent of jet fuel, and they’ve been able to do it using a process that actually takes advantage of biomass sugars’ bad habit of degrading. This press release from the school says a simple process developed by James Dumesic, Steenbock Professor of …
Biodiesel Clears Senate Hurdle on the Back of Jobs Bill
It looks like the $1-a-gallon federal biodiesel tax incentive could be close to renewal, as the jobs bill to which it was attached has cleared a key vote in the U.S. Senate. The vote came Tuesday as eight Republicans sided with 58 Democrats to end debate on the $150 billion measure. The cloture vote clears the way for final passage …
Biofuels and Conservation Achievable with Biomass
Getting energy from the land and practicing good conservation are not mutually exclusive. A federal ag deartment researcher says we can have both through using biomass. USDA researcher Doug Karlen, who works at the Agricultural Research Service’s National Soil Tilth Lab in Ames, Iowa, told attendees of the recent USDA Outlook Forum that conservation and energy from biomass can be …
Shipping Giant Maersk to Test Biodiesel
Dutch shipping giant Maersk Line is joining with Lloyd’s Register to test biodiesel in its marine engines for the next two years. This story from the Journal of Commerce says the feasibility study on the container ship Maersk Kalmar will be funded in part by the Dutch government: Using fatty acid methyl esters – a biodiesel product known as FAME …