A new Louisiana refinery that turns chicken fat and other greases into biodiesel is in danger of closing if Congress doesn’t hurry up and renew the $1-a-gallon federal biodiesel tax incentive. This article from the Wall Street Journal says the Tyson Foods Inc. and Syntroleum Corp. venture is just getting ready to announce the successful opening of the Geismar, La. …
Two Big Wins for Amyris
Amyris is having a busy week. Yesterday, they announced a partnership with Tate and Lyle Ingredients Americas, Inc (a subsidiary of Tate and Lyle) for them to produce farnesene. Amryis will take the farnesene and produce farnesane, the company’s unique diesel molecule that forms the basis of its renewable diesel. The product will be manufactured in Tate and Lyle’s facility …
CEC Awards $9.6M in Energy Grants
Good news today for several California biofuel producers. The California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved eight grants worth more than $9.6 million along with $11,969,855 in private funds. Each winning project demonstrated its ability to reduce petroleum use, reduce pollution and provide jobs. The categories of industry that were eligible for funding included biofuels, manufacturers of electric vehicles and batteries, …
USDA Looks Into Pennycress for Biodiesel
The USDA is looking into turning a common weed into biodiesel. Researchers with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have found that field pennycress, better known in some circles as stinkweed, puts out a large amount of oilseeds good for making the green fuel: Field pennycress belongs to the Brassicaceae family, along with canola, camelina and mustard-other prolific producers of oil-rich …
Advance to the 2011 Biodiesel Conference
It is time to start thinking about the next National Biodiesel Conference, coming up February 6-9 in Phoenix. Registration is now open with special early bird discounts until available until November 19. The theme of the 2011 conference is “Advance” – reflecting the fact that biodiesel is classified as an advanced biofuel by EPA under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2). …
More Cellulosic Ethanol Investment Needed
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) has lowered its projection for cellulosic ethanol production in 2011, which means investment in next generation biofuels is more important than ever. In a recent letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lisa Jackson, EIA administrator Richard Newell noted that they are now projecting cellulosic ethanol production will be just 3.94 million gallons next year, …
ADM to Construct Biodiesel Plant in Brazil
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is increasing its biodiesel presence in Brazil with its announcement that it will be constructing a second biodiesel plant in Joaçaba, Santa Catarina. The new plant will be adjacent to the existing ADM soybean crushing and refining facilities and will more than double ADM’s biodiesel production in the country. Construction is set to begin in …
Cobalt Partners With U.S. Navy On Biobutanol Project
Cobalt Technologies announced today that it has created a partnership with the U.S. Navy to develop performance jet and diesel fuels from biobutanol. The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) established a program that will convert n-butanol produced by Cobalt into biodiesel fuels using technology developed at the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) in China Lake, Cali. …
Software Helps Biodiesel Producer Run Better, Cheaper
A Washington state biodiesel maker has used some sophisticated computer software to help it streamline its process and complete a plant upgrade for a lot less money than what it previously would have cost. General Biodiesel, which turns used cooking oil into biodiesel, has used Autodesk, Inc.’s Digital Prototyping and piping and instrumentation diagramming (P&ID) to upgrade its main production …