Biodiesel and ethanol, along with some gas/electric hybrids, are credited with helping the Illinois Department of Transportation win a sustainability award in that state. This press release from IDOT says the agency made exceptional progress in 2009 in a statewide effort to become a more sustainable agency and win the Green Government Award from the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council: …
Propane Buses to be Tested in Minnesota Cold
Some students in Minnesota will soon be breathing easier on their way to school … no, not because they won’t be hit up with that big algebra test. A school in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area is testing propane in one of its buses. The Star-Tribune reports that Eastern Carver County school drivers have been testing the propane bus to see …
Biodiesel Conference BOGO Registration Extended
The new Renewable Fuels Standard … aka RFS-2 … is set to be released in just the next few days. That’s why the National Biodiesel Board has extended the regular registration rates, as well as the “buy one, get one (BOGO)” offer to bring a friend for free to the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo, Feb. 7-10, at the Gaylord …
Concept Bike to Run on Biodiesel
While they haven’t received as much press as their alternatively fueled cousins, motorcycles that run on biodiesel are carving out a bit of a niche. Well, maybe this next design will punch a hole right through everyone’s thinking! This post on Gas 2.0 introduces us what could be the next generation of bad motor scooters: Meet the Metalback motorcycle concept. …
Biodiesel Maker Contends Study Proves Algae’s Worth
A recent study that contends algae-based biodiesel is no more environmentally friendly than conventional row-crop feedstocks has generated some controversy, as well as quite a few comments. And even the algal-biofuel industry seems to be split on the issue. As you might remember from my story last week, University of Virginia researchers have concluded that algae’s environmental footprint is larger …
Biodiesel Goes Underground
It’s not a move to put the green fuel incognito … biodiesel is literally going underground. This article in Biodiesel Magazine says a new, 206-page report from the Mine Safety Health Administration talks about how miners have found that biodiesel keeps clean a precious commodity underground: air: After testing multiple biodiesel blends, MSHA concluded that biodiesel reduces emissions—especially when combined …
Algae Might Not Be as Green as Crops for Biodiesel
We’ve talked a lot about the potential of turning algae into biodiesel, especially how it could be better for the environment than more conventional feedstocks, such as farm crops like soybeans and canola. But researchers at the University of Virginia are casting some doubt on that assumption. This story on Greenbang.com says their new study finds that growing algae for …
Tobacco Tapped for Biodiesel
Researchers at a school in Philadelphia have figured out how to get more oil from a decidedly non-food source: tobacco leaves. Professors from the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories at Thomas Jefferson University have found out how to increase the oil in tobacco plant leaves, and according to this school press release, that might just be the next step in using the …
Culver Makes Case for Biodiesel Incentive in DC
The governor of a state that has a big stake in the biodiesel biz traveled to Washington, DC to make the case for renewal of the federal $1-a-gallon biodiesel tax incentive. Iowa Governor Chet Culver testified before a Senate Subcommittee just how important the incentive is to the Iowa biofuels industry, an $8 billion operation supporting about 80,000 jobs: “This …
USDA, Navy to Work on Advanced Biofuels
The USDA and the Department of the Navy (DoN) have agreed to work together to develop advanced biofuels and other renewable energy systems. This USDA press release says the agreement is part of the government’s plan to build a clean energy economy, create new jobs and reduce American dependence on foreign oil, while building a strike force that will run …