Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group (REG) is planning on buying the assets of Oklahoma’s Syntroleum Corporation. REG announced it had agreed to acquire all of Syntroleum’s assets, including the company’s pioneering Fischer-Tropsch gas-to-liquids and renewable diesel fuel technologies and the company’s 50 percent share in Dynamic Fuels’ 75-million gallon renewable diesel production facility in Geismar, Louisiana. The deal is worth nearly …
Obama’s Proposed Biodiesel Cuts Could Cost Dems
Democrats looking to make gains on the Republican majority in the U.S. House and hold back any possible GOP takeover in the Senate in the 2014 elections could be hurt by the Obama Administration’s proposal to cut the amount of biodiesel in the Nation’s fuel supply. And that criticism is coming from one of the Democratic Party’s own. This opinion …
Soybean Board Offers Winter Biodiesel Storage Tips
As the latest winter storm bears down on a large part of the country, the United Soybean Board is offering some cold weather tips for biodiesel. This post on Southeast Farm Press says the cold can cause problems for both biodiesel and No. 2 diesel, so there are some things you need to do in the way of tank maintenance. …
Biomass-based Diesel Supply Curves Examined
Rapid growth in the renewable diesel market has some big implications for biodiesel, especially considering biomass-based diesel supply curves. In the latest of some really well-thought out analyses, University of Illinois Ag Marketing expert Scott Irwin gets into the issue of supply responsiveness from biodiesel to the broader category of biomass-based diesel. He starts out explaining the difference between biodiesel, …
A Q&A with JatroDiesel
JatroDiesel’s technology has been selected by Patriot Renewable Fuels for its 4-5 million biodiesel facility under construction next to its ethanol plant in Annawan, Illinois. The biodiesel plant, when it goes into operation in September 2014 will use the corn oil produced during the ethanol process for its primary feedstock. To learn more about the multi-feedstock biodiesel technology, I spoke …
Toyota Racing Biodiesel SUV in Dakar Rally
Toyota will race a biodiesel-powered SUV in the 2014 Dakar Rally. This story in the Japan Times says Toyota Auto Body Co. team will run a Toyota Land Cruiser 200 in the roughly 5,500-km off-road race through Argentina, Bolivia and Chile next month. The Land Cruiser will run on biodiesel made from used cooking oil, emitting 60 percent less carbon …
Florida Company Starts Trials on Jatropha Biodiesel
Florida-based Alternative Fuels Americas, Inc. has started trial production runs of its Jatropha-based biodiesel. This company news release says it will be run in three phases, using feedstock from its Costa Rican plantation for the first phase. “As with every endeavor we undertake, we are testing our assumptions and capabilities before we engage in larger scale activity. This is a …
Miraculous Keynote Announced for Biodiesel Conf.
Backs against the wall, facing what seems like impossible odds … there’s a lot of parallels between what the biodiesel industry is facing these days with possible cuts to its share of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and what the 1980 U.S. hockey team faced more than two decades ago, as the team got ready to face the mighty Soviet …
IRFA to Host Renewable Fuels Forum
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) is hosting a renewable fuels forum for Iowa’s leading Republicans seeking the GOP nomination to run for U.S. Senate in 2014. The seat is currently held by U.S. Senator Tom Harkin who is set to retire after his current term ends. The forum will be held at the Western Iowa Tech Community College Cherokee …
Biodiesel, Solar Powered RV Ready to Hit the Road
While the weather outside might be frightful, it won’t be too much longer until thoughts will be turning to getting out in the great outdoors, and a company called Roadtrek has a way you can do it using biodiesel and solar power. This article from the Gas2 blog says Roadtrek has unveiled the new E-trek, a B+ class motorhome that …