One of the big knocks on hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles has been the availability of refueling stations… or more accurately, the lack thereof. But that could be changing in California. This article from RedHerring.com says the state’s Air Resources Board is handing out $6.8 million in grants to build four hydrogen refueling stations, doubling the amount of hydrogen available for California …
RI Legislature Moves Forward Biodiesel Tax Break
A tax incentive designed to encourage the use of biodiesel has moved forward in the Rhode Island State Legislature. The Providence (RI) Journal reports the state’s Senate Finance Committee gave unanimous approval to Sen. Louis P. DiPalma’s measure that would exempt blended biodiesel fuel from the state’s 30-cents-a-gallon motor fuel tax: Current law generally exempts from the tax only 100 …
Canadian Bioenergy, ADM Building Biodiesel Plant
A leading biodiesel company north of the border has teamed up with an American agri-business giant to go in to the green fuel business together. A press release from the Canadian Bioenergy Corporation says it will work with ADM to build and run a 70 million-gallon-a-year biodiesel plant. The joint venture will make biodiesel from canola crushed at ADM’s crushing …
Biodiesel Cold Soak Tax Credit Deadline Pushed Back
Biodiesel producers not quite able to pass the newest quality standard… ASTM D 6751, which now includes a Cold Soak Filtration Test (CFST)… will have some extra time when they can still claim the Internal Revenue Service’s dollar-per-gallon tax credit. Those not meeting the new standard were supposed to lose the credit as of April 1st, but that’s been rolled …
Illinois Biodiesel Plant Expands Feedstock Choices
An Illinois biodiesel plant has made some upgrades and can now use a wider variety of feedstocks. Hoosier Ag Today reports that the improvements made by Renewable Energy Group to the 45-million-gallon-a-year Blackhawk Biofuels plant in Danville, Ill., will be able to turn more fats and oils, such as used cooking grease, into biodiesel: “These upgrades enhance local production of …
Biodiesel’s New Cold Soak Method Gets ASTM Number
The new Cold Soak Filtration Test method for B100 biodiesel finally has an official number. This story from Biodiesel Magazine says the ASTM’s Committee of Standards has given the method the an official number – ASTM D 7501, due to be published later this month: The CSFT method currently in effect was developed as a result of the Minnesota experience …
Midwest Senators Sponsor Biofuels Pipeline Bill
The Midwest has plenty of ethanol and biodiesel… the big population centers in the Eastern United States needs those renewable fuels. You’d think it would be a match made in heaven, but the lack of infrastructure to move those biofuels has been a problem, adding extra transportation costs. But a new piece of legislation looks to rectify that. According to …
Labs Added to Biodiesel Quality Assurance Program
A new certification for commercial labs will help ensure the most reputable biodiesel quality program will be verifying the green fuel. This press release from the National Biodiesel Board says the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission (NBAC) has created the BQ-9000 Lab Program: “Reliable lab results are a major factor in guaranteeing fuel quality,” Rod Lawrence, Manager of Quality Control for …
“Wingless Flight” in a Nearly Emission-less Car
It’s named for the Greek phrase for wingless flight and practically slips through air nearly as effortlessly as Lance Armstrong bicycling through France (half the drag of a Toyota Prius). The beauty you see on the left is the battery-powered Aptera 2E… a three-wheeled, two-seater due out this fall. Mother Nature News’ Jim Motavalli road along with Aptera CEO Paul …
Just Scratching the Surface of Biodiesel’s Potential
Growing biodiesel oilseed feedstocks along the nation’s highways… capturing the power of the sun by growing algae for biodiesel production… finding multiple uses for the by-products of biodiesel refining… the U.S. is just scratching the surface of the potential biodiesel holds for this country. Those are just some of the findings of a new report. Entitled “High Yield Pathways for …