A Canadian company has announced the release of the genome for camelina, a rising, important feedstock for biodiesel. This Genome Prairie news release says the company’s “Prairie Gold” project was started as a public-private partnership between Genome Prairie, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the National Research Council Canada: Camelina is a technically difficult species to sequence, and the latest in …
Louisiana Animal Fat-to-Diesel Plant Hits Capacity
A Louisiana plant that turns animal fats, used cooking oil and other waste grease into diesel fuel hit capacity this week in its startup phase. This article in The Advocate in Baton Rouge says the Diamond Green Diesel plant, a joint venture between Darling International Inc. and Valero Energy Corp., can now produce about 9,300 barrels per day of biodiesel …
Biodiesel Plant in a Box Hit at Minnesota State Fair
A cargo container seems to be garnering some attention at this year’s Minnesota State Fair. But this isn’t your ordinary, run-of-the-mill shipping box. This article in the Star-Tribune says it’s built to brew biodiesel: SarTec Corp., an Anoka-based company in the agricultural nutrients and biodiesel business, has developed the unit. It is a smaller, portable version of the Mcgyan technology …
Study Shows Biodiesel’s Growth in California
California is poised to make some big waves in the biodiesel market… at least according to a new study from the Environmental Defense Fund and E2. This story from Biodiesel Magazine says the report profiles six companies in California revolutionizing the industry. “Once again, California is ahead of the curve when it comes to delivering on fuels that not only …
REG, Franken Mark Expansion of MN Biodiesel Plant
Renewable Energy Group (REG) officials were joined by federal, state and local leaders, including U.S. Senator Al Franken, for a ribbon-cutting of a southern Minnesota biodiesel plant. This REG news release says the upgrades to the 30-million gallon refinery in Albert Lea was a $21 million project started last October and will allow the plant to use multiple raw materials …
Darling Int’l Buying Canadian Rendering for Biodiesel
Texas-based rendering leader Darling International Inc. is buying all the assets of Canadian company Rothsay, a division of Maple Leaf Foods Inc. for approximately CAD $645 million in cash. This Darling news release says the deal includes machines to turn fats and proteins into biodiesel feedstocks, as well as an actual biodiesel operation itself. Rothsay has a network of five …
Farm Bureau: RFS Bendable, Just Don’t Break It
Farm Bureau officials are making the case that the Renewable Fuels Standard has some flexibility… but just don’t break it. In this story on its newsline, American Farm Bureau energy economist Matt Erickson makes the case that the RFS is working, but Americans are using 10 billion fewer gallons of gasoline this year than in 2007 when the law was …
Interactive Map Shows Biofuel Friendly Policies
According to the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA), 62 countries now have biofuels friendly policies in place that have driven global demand to over 1 million barrels per day. To help people around the world keep track of the changing political landscape, GRFA has launched an Interactive World Biofuels Map available on their new website. “It is amazing to watch …
Univ. of Tenn. Develops More Sensitive Biodiesel Sensor
An issue that biodiesel runs into in the jet fuel field is the lack of tolerance for ASTM D1655, the jet fuel specification at just 5 parts per million (ppm) of allowable amount of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) contamination. Biodiesel Magazine reports while that traditional analytical equipment, such as gas chromatography, Fourier transform infrared and high-performance liquid chromatography, cannot …
Biodiesel Board Defends RFS in USA Today
The National Biodiesel Board is coming to the defense of the renewable fuels standard (RFS) in a national newspaper. In USA Today’s “Your Say” opinion piece asking readers for their thoughts on the importance of biofuels, Anne Steckel, vice president, federal affairs, for NBB in Washington, D.C., made the case that the RFS has helped her industry grow from a …