Students in Minnesota and South Dakota are the latest recipients of Clean Air Choice Scholarships. This Biodiesel Magazine story says the winning essays touted the virtues of biodiesel: Emily Johnson of Minnetonka, Minn., a recent graduate of Hopkins High School, has been awarded first place in the 2009 Minnesota Clean Air Choice Scholarship, presented by the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association …
Landfill Methane to Help Power Tulsa Cement Plant
A landfill is now one of the sources of power for a the Lafarge Tulsa Cement Plant. The Tulsa World reports that an 8,000-foot pipeline will bring methane, produced from the rotting garbage, from the Waste Management landfill where the city’s residential waste is taken: By substituting methane for coal, a renewable energy source is tapped and reliance on fossil …
Imperium Founder Argues for WA Biodiesel Mandate
The state of Washington has missed its goal of having biodiesel and ethanol make up at least 20 percent of its state vehicle fuel use. And that has prompted the founder of one of the nation’s biggest biodiesel facilities… which just happens to be located in Washington… to make the case that it didn’t have to happen. John Plaza, the …
Seattle Stops Buying Soy Biodiesel, Waste Grease OK
Concerns about the impact that soy-based biodiesel might be having on the environment (and, I know, that’s another story and debate of its own), Seattle officials have stopped buying biodiesel for the city’s fleet. But the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that they could start buying biodiesel made from local waste grease: “Not all biodiesels are the same,” [Brenda Bauer, director of …
Cool Weather Jatropha Plant for Biodiesel
Jatropha is one of the promising non-food feedstocks for biodiesel. However, the tropical plant is not well-suited for the cooler climes of some parts of the U.S. But Biomass Magazine reports that an American company is working on a variety of jatropha that could grow in colder areas: California-based SG Biofuels has identified several strains of cold-tolerant jatropha and has …
Top Guns Could Soon Fly on Top Biofuels
Some of the world’s best and brightest fighter pilots soon might be headed off to war running on a fuel that used to be reserved for green peaceniks. This article in the Navy Times says the U.S. Navy could be testing non-petroleum based fuels in F/A-18E/F Super Hornets as early as next year: A team of chemists at Naval Air …
NREL & Google Launch Alternative Fuel Map
Don’t know where to buy your biodiesel? Un-enlightened about ethanol’s whereabouts? Perplexed about propane? Well, a new tool from the National Renewable Energy Labs and Google could help you be a more active alternative fuel buyer. Ecogeek.org reports that the two have launched TransAtlas, an interactive map that shows all existing and planned alternative fuel stations across the country: The …
Missouri Utility to Buy Iowa Wind Power
Missouri’s biggest utility has struck a long-term agreement with an Iowa wind farm to buy enough power for 26,000 homes. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that AmerenUE will buy 102 megawatts of wind power beginning September 1: The utility entered a 15-year agreement for about a third of the output from the second phase of a 300-megawatt Pioneer Prairie wind …
Boeing Biodiesel Study Backs Up Earlier Claim
About three weeks ago, Boeing officials proclaimed that biodiesel is just fine to use in aircraft. Now, they’ve backed up that claim with a study that proves biodiesel’s effectiveness in flight. Forbes reports that the Boeing study was released during the Paris Air Show and found that a series of tests by Japan Airlines, Air New Zealand and Continental Airlines …
Biodiesel Gets Sweet Smell of Success in Stinkweed
While it might have been something that farmers have tried to keep out of their fields, stinkweed could prove to be a successful product for those growing feedstocks for biodiesel. This article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution says stinkweed… also known as field pennycress… might just be the ticket for those trying to find a non-food stock for the green …