The race to take advantage of the expiring federal biodiesel tax credit helped push up profits for the green fuel. Last week, we told you about the University of Illinois analysis on the profitability of ethanol. Well, the analysts from the school are back, and this time they’ve looked into the factors over the past few years that have helped …
Research Looks Into Water-Free Biodiesel Brewing
Efforts to make biodiesel production even more sustainable might get a boost from research into a water-free method of making the green fuel. This story from Biofuels Journal says researchers at the University of Porto in Portugal are looking at a way to eliminate the water normally used water to remove impurities to meet stringent quality standards. Instead of water, …
Biodiesel Bites Back… with a Gator CHOMP!
We’ve told you before about how researchers found a way to turn alligator fat into biodiesel. But this article in Biodiesel Magazine says new findings show a method using a supercritical methanol to make the scaly-sourced biodiesel even more efficiently. Researchers reported on a novel method this week at the 247th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, to produce …
German Biodiesel Sales Have Big Drop
Sales of German biodiesel dropped dramatically last year. Germany’s Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen (UFOP), an association that advocates for oil and protein crops in that country, says 300,000 fewer tonnes of biodiesel were produced in 2013, down from the previous five-year average of 2.5 million tonnes to just 2.2 million tonnes. UFOP has determined that the actual …
Celebrating Biodiesel Day Advocating for Green Fuel
While yesterday was National Biodiesel Day, our friends at the National Biodiesel Board were not just cutting birthday cake. They were advocating on Capitol Hill for the green fuel. March 18th marks the 156th birthday of Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of the engine that bears his name and a man who wanted it to run on peanut oil, not petroleum. …
Iowa Biodiesel Board Gets New Leader
The new executive director for the Iowa Biodiesel Board started his new job on National Biodiesel Day. The Iowa Biodiesel Board named Grant Kimberley, formally Iowa Soybean Association director of market development, as its new executive director. Kimberley succeeds Randy Olson, who accepted a position earlier this year with the U.S. Soybean Export Council. Kimberly was pleased to start his …
Celebrating National Biodiesel Day
Yesterday we celebrated the patron saint of Ireland – today it is the patron saint of biodiesel. National Biodiesel Day is celebrated on March 18, which is the birth date of Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the engine that bears his name. He would be 156 years old today, but he died a century ago last September, disappearing from a ship …
Old Pipeline Could Get New Life Carrying Biodiesel
An old pipeline in Hawaii originally used to transport petroleum-based asphalt could get a new life carrying biodiesel. This article from the Hawaii Tribune-Herald says the state Board of Land and Natural Resources is considering whether to allow the Shell Oil pipeline built in the 1960s at Hilo Harbor to carry the green fuel. A new company, Hoku Kai Biofuels …
Minnesota Biodiesel Mandate Survives Delay Attempt
A bill that would have delayed implementation of a 10 percent biodiesel mandate in Minnesota diesel fuels was stopped in a state legislative committee. This story from WDAZ-TV says the bill from Sen. Melisa Franzen, D-Edina, was defeated overwhelmingly in the state Senate Commerce Committee. She said most cars and light trucks are built to handle 5 percent biodiesel, which …
NYC’s First Large-Scale Biodiesel Plant Coming
The first large-scale biodiesel in New York City could soon become a reality. This article from the New York World says former Republican mayoral candidate and Gristedes magnate John Catsimatidis is resurrecting the Metro Fuel Oil project. Catsimatidis-owned United Biofuels is seeking approval from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for a permit to convert an existing fuel-storage …