VeraSun Energy, one of the country’s largest producers of ethanol, aims to expand its business as consumers become more educated about the fuel. Marketing Director Melissa Ullerich said VeraSun Energy supplies E85 fuel to more than 90 locations. Melissa said with plants in Aurora, SD, Fort Dodge, IA and Charles City, IA the company produces about 340 million gallons of …
Clean Diesel, Bosch Ink Deal
Clean energy innovator Clean Diesel Technologies, Inc has struck a deal with Stuttgart, Germany-based Bosch GmbH, a leading global supplier in the areas of automotive and industrial technology, customer goods and building technology, to allow Bosch access to key patents developed by Clean Diesel for selective catalytic reduction (SCR). Dr. Walter Copan, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of …
SW Missouri Biofuel Hub
It looks like a 50-million-gallon-a-year ethanol plant is in the works at a site near Nevada, Missouri… just up the road from $90 million plant that will make soy-based biodiesel. Officials with Ozark Ethanol LLC recently met with the Vernon County Commission and citizens to discuss the plant. According to this AP story in the Springfield News-Leader, not much officially …
Biodiesel By-product as Beef Feed
University of Missouri researchers are testing to see if glycerin, left over from biodiesel production, is a viable feed source for beef. In a press release on the MU web site, Monty Kerley, professor of ruminant nutrition in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, is looking at how effective feeding glycerin would be. He’ll be testing the rowth …
Tyson Defends Using Biodiesel Credit
Tyson is defending the use of a biodiesel tax credit by the meat-producing giant and oil giant ConocoPhillips. A recent IRS ruling that the two companies could take advantage of a $1-a-gallon tax credit brought criticism from the National Biodiesel Board (see my post on April 18th) and the threat of legislative action by a Congressman from Texas (see my …
Biodiesel Boat Out for Sure This Time
It looks like it’s truly the end of the road, or the water in this case, for a biodiesel-powered boat trying to set a record for a ’round-the-world trip. Previous reports of the Earthrace abandoning its bid were dismissed by the crew. The record attempt looked in serious jeopardy earlier this spring when the boat ran into mechanical and biodiesel …
Traveling with the Wind
This past long weekend, I had the chance to travel back home to Iowa to one of my favorite fishing spots in the entire world: Spirit Lake. This natural lake is up in the northwest corner of the state, and it takes nearly 10 hours to get there from my home in Missouri. Full of walleyes, it is a destination …
Brewin’ Up Biodiesel in the Garage
Most of the time, I tell you about the big biodiesel plants that are helping shed this country of its dependance on foreign oil. Those operations that crank out millions of gallons a year are great and make a BIG difference. But sometimes its nice to report on the little guys who are making a difference in their own right. …
Biodiesel Gives Back
Many times we hear about the government incentives designed to encourage the biodiesel industry, but this story is about something the industry is giving back to one community. According to this story in the Decatur (Georgia) Daily News, the city of Athens, GA was in need of a sponsor for a family resource center when a local biodiesel producer stepped …
Int’l Biodiesel Conference Set
Mark your calendar for the International Congress on Biodiesel, November 5-7th in Vienna Austria. Congress General Chair Michael Haas of the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service posted a message on the American Oil Chemists’ Society’s web site (one of the conference sponsors, along with the USDA) inviting participants to open a global discussion on the science and the technologies of biodiesel: …