The man in charge of a company that sells biodiesel and E85 ethanol to the public has told Congress that it needs to keep funding programs to help offset the costs of infrastructure that make the green fuels available to the public. This post from Biodiesel Magazine says Matt Horton, CEO of Propel Fuels, told the Senate Committee on Energy …
USDA Awards Grants for Sustainable Biodiesel, Ethanol
The U.S. Department of Agriulture has announced nearly $37 million in research grants to promote the production sustainable biodiesel and ethanol production. This USDA press release says the money is designed to help the country meet the goal of 36 billion gallons of biofuels per year by 2022 and focuses on three areas: crop protection for sustainable feedstock production systems, …
Food Distribution Company to Use Biodiesel
Instead of food versus fuel, this time it’s food working with (bio)fuel. Illinois-based food distribution giant U.S. Foodservice has announced the acquisition of WVO Industries of Bluffton, S.C., a facility that turns used vegetable oil to fuel, and this article from The Packer.com says the company plans to use the biodiesel to fuel their food distro trucks at one of …
New York Project to Promote Biodiesel in Generators
The use of biodiesel in generators and power units is getting a boost from a pilot program by Sprague Energy Corp. of White Plains NY and BIODICO, Inc (also known as Biodiesel Industries, Inc.). The Biogenset (www.Biogenset.com) program is being partially funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and will be aided by the New …
NBB Protests EU Extension of Tariffs on US Biodiesel
European Union members have voted to extend current tariffs on U.S. biodiesel, and that violates the group’s own laws, according to the National Biodiesel Board. This Reuters article posted on ForexPros.com says EU officials accuse U.S. exporters of smuggling biodiesel through Canada to avoid tariffs imposed since 2009: “We think this would be a bad decision that runs directly counter …
Petroleum, not Biodiesel, Confirmed as Problem with Bioheat
As I reported to you back on March 17th, it looks like a bad batch of petroleum, not the biodiesel, was the real culprit with some recent problems with bioheat (a mix of biodiesel and home heating oil) in the Northeastern United States. This blog post from Biodiesel Magazine says testing has confirmed the petroleum’s role: Paul Nazzaro, petroleum liaison …
Energy Use Down, But Biofuels, Wind, Solar & Hydro Up
A new report from the feds says, due to the recession, overall energy consumption in the U.S. dropped in 2009. However, renewable energy … biodiesel, ethanol, wind, solar and hydro power … use during that same period actually increased. This report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that overall energy consumption in 2009 dropped by 4.8 percent, the second …
POET Launches Corn Oil Product Called Voila
POET has announced it is now selling corn oil extracted from its ethanol plants for use by the biodiesel industry to produce biodiesel. Known as Voilà, the company’s patent-pending technology was debuted at its plant located in Hudson, South Dakota. POET plans to add the technology to its other plants over the course of the year. Eventually, POET believes its …
Proposed Indiana Biodiesel Plant Gets Green Light
A planned $165 million biodiesel and soybean-processing facility in Indiana got a boost when a local commission approved the company building a storage facility so its air quality permit will stay current. This article from the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel says Ultra Soy of America got approval to put up a 21,450-square-foot steel storage building at its site near South Milford: …
Pennsylvania Biodiesel Plant on Track for Record Year
One of the country’s busiest biodiesel plants is on track to have a record year. This article from the Erie (PA) Times-News says Hero BX was part of a recent USDA tour checking out the plant’s success: Operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the plant on Erie’s lakefront is on track to produce 40 million gallons of …