An up-and-coming feedtsock for biodiesel has broken out of a log jam that kept it from going from the farm fields of Canada to the plants where it could be processed, and that is helping push up its value. This article from Barrons says canola has bounced back from 3 1/2-year lows and could end up gaining 20 percent in …
Minnesota Biodiesel Mandate: I’m Not Dead Yet!
Minnesota’s biodiesel mandate, looking like it could take a hit, has risen up like a Monty Python character and shouted back, “I’m NOT dead yet!” Recently, we told you how the mandate was facing an uncertain future, as the date to finally move to B10, a 10 percent blend of the green fuel, is coming this year. But that put …
Corn Oil Gains in Popularity as Biodiesel Feedstock
Corn oil, squeezed from the seeds at the Nation’s many ethanol plants, has seen a meteoric rise in popularity as a feedstock for biodiesel. This article from Ethanol Producer Magazine says use of corn oil as a biodiesel feedstock grew by an impressive 245 percent between 2011 and 2013. Corn oil’s role as a popular feedstock choice in the biodiesel …
Multifeedstock Refiner Hosting Collective Biodiesel
A multifeedstock biodiesel refiner plays host to this summer’s Collective Biodiesel Conference. This article from Biodiesel magazine says Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro, N.C. will hold the event Aug. 14-17 with this year’s theme being “Think Differently.” Piedmont Biofuels is known for its community-based approach to biodiesel production and distribution, as well as its process technology innovations such as the cooperative’s …
UC San Diego Has Top Algae-Biodiesel Programs
Plenty of warm Southern California sun must be helping fuel the brains of algae-biodiesel researchers, as two programs at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) are rated tops in the Nation. This article from the school says the U.S. Department of Energy bestowed the high marks. A program at Scripps Institution of Oceanography was rated the best in the …
North Dakota Canola for Aviation Biodiesel Explored
Canola from North Dakota farmers could be the next source for biodiesel for aircraft. This story from the Billings (MT) Gazette says researchers in the northern plains have been exploring the oilseed’s possibility to fill aviation fuel tanks since 2011. The Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory in Mandan is one of eight locations testing different plant products for biofuels. The …
Biodiesel Board Joins EPA, DOJ Against Big Oil
While the basketball national championship might have been decided on the court, it could be the courts that decide the future of advanced biofuels in this country. The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) joined forces with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Justice to fight an attempt to dismantle the Renewable Fuel Standard (NBB). In the current case, Monroe …
Minnesota Biodiesel Mandate Faces Uncertain Future
A delay in Minnesota’s biodiesel mandate could have a ripple effect for more targets in the law’s future. This article in the Mankato Free Press says nearly three years ago, state regulators delayed implementing a B10 mandate scheduled for 2012. Now that officials in Minnesota believe they’re ready for the higher blend, it’s running dangerously close to another target, B20, …
New Biodiesel Mandate Pleases Canadian Farmers
The new biodiesel requirement north of the border is pleasing farmers in that area. The trade group Grain Farmers of Ontario welcomed its province’s new 2 percent biodiesel mandate, expected to be a boon for soybean farmers. “The creation of an Ontario Greener Diesel mandate will reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by the transportation sector and will help build a …
Biodiesel Tax Incentive Moves Out of Committee
A measure that would renew the federal $1-per-gallon biodiesel tax incentive has cleared a congressional committee. The credit, which expired at the end of 2013, passed the Senate Finance Committee as part of a package of tax provisions. The news was welcomed by the National Biodiesel Board, which still appeared miffed it expired in the first place, as Congress let …