A company from Nevada thinks it has found a way to make a profit turning algae into renewable diesel: multi-tasking. This article from the New York Times says Algae Systems, which has a pilot plant in Alabama, believes it will be able to turn a profit by doing several other things while turning the algae oil into a usable fuel, …
Neste’s Renewable Diesel Keeps Summer Festivals Green
While summer rains this year might be keeping lawns green, a renewable diesel maker in Finland says its fuel is keeping summer festivals ecologically green. This news release from Neste Oil says its NEXBTL renewable diesel helped generate electricity at the Flow Festival in Helsinki and the Neste Oil Rally Helsinki Battle street circuit race. NEXBTL diesel generated 45% of …
Calif. Gets First Anaerobic Digester to Turn Manure into Biogas
California gets its first anaerobic digester that will turn manure from a dairy farm into biogas. Wisconsin-based DVO, Inc. announced it has nearly completed work on the anaerobic digester scheduled to open at Calgren Renewable Fuels on September 30, 2014 in Pixley, Calif. The DVO anaerobic digester, built by Andgar of Ferndale, Washington, is designed to hold approximately 1,400,000 gallons …
Researchers Help ID Non-Invasive Species for Biofuel
With a host of new plants being discovered for their biofuel-producing qualities, everyone wants to make sure what is being grown doesn’t become a destructive invasive plant. To that end, researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a set of regulatory definitions and provisions and a list of 49 low-risk biofuel plants that growers can choose. Lauren Quinn, an …
Preaching Conservation with Biodiesel and Ice Cream
Three recent college grads have been spending their summer winding across the country handing out free ice cream from a truck running on biodiesel. Caleb Kruse, Cameron Kruse and Jordan Fatke have been trekking through what will be 33 states by the end of the Ice Cream Expedition, an effort funded by National Geographic, designed to show conservation from a …
Leaf-Cutter Ants Could Hold Key for Biomass
A fungus from leaf-cutter ant gardens could be key in how biomass gets broken down into bioenergy sources. This article from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory says researchers working with colleagues at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center are using metabolomic and metaproteomic techniques to examine the dynamics of nutrient turnover in the gardens of leaf-cutter ants to discover how …
Dutch Researchers Develop Catalyst to Get Oil from Biomass
Researchers in The Netherlands have developed a catalyst that helps get more energy from biomass to more closely match more conventional sources of oil-based energy. This article from the University of Twente says the new, simple catalyst improves the quality of this oil before it is even transported to the refinery and was selected as part of the follow-up technology …
Oregon Clarifies Biodiesel Rules
The Oregon Department of Agriculture has clarified some of its rules about what needs to be sold as biodiesel. The agency says it sent notices to more than 400 retailers that they can’t market diesel with 6 to 20 percent biodiesel as “diesel.” “We have investigated a number of consumer complaints alleging that certain retail fuel establishments are advertising diesel …
Feds: Propane Inventories Growing Strong
Propane uses, especially Midwestern farmers, are hoping to avoid a repeat of last winter’s high prices, low inventories and logistical and infrastructure challenges that caused some real problems last year. The latest information from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that while inventories are below average, they’re above the numbers from a year ago and are trending upwards in the …
Imperium Secures Financing to Expand Biodiesel Production
Imperium Renewables, Inc. will get an infusion of financing that should let it expand its biodiesel production. This company news release says it picked up an additional $10 million in working capital from Umpqua Bank. “Umpqua Bank’s knowledgeable team continues to find smart, flexible financing solutions that Imperium needs,” said John Plaza, president and CEO of Imperium Renewables. “These resources …