We’ve talked a lot about the potential of turning algae into biodiesel, especially how it could be better for the environment than more conventional feedstocks, such as farm crops like soybeans and canola. But researchers at the University of Virginia are casting some doubt on that assumption. This story on Greenbang.com says their new study finds that growing algae for …
Tobacco Tapped for Biodiesel
Researchers at a school in Philadelphia have figured out how to get more oil from a decidedly non-food source: tobacco leaves. Professors from the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories at Thomas Jefferson University have found out how to increase the oil in tobacco plant leaves, and according to this school press release, that might just be the next step in using the …
Culver Makes Case for Biodiesel Incentive in DC
The governor of a state that has a big stake in the biodiesel biz traveled to Washington, DC to make the case for renewal of the federal $1-a-gallon biodiesel tax incentive. Iowa Governor Chet Culver testified before a Senate Subcommittee just how important the incentive is to the Iowa biofuels industry, an $8 billion operation supporting about 80,000 jobs: “This …
Timing Key with this Year’s Biodiesel Conference
Outside of location, location, location (for real estate, at least), the three most important words in business might be timing, timing, timing. You get both when you attend the National Biodiesel Conference and Expo, Feb. 7-10 in the Dallas-Forth Worth area (actually Grapevine’s Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center). The NBB points to location, in the 30 biodiesel plants that …
Winter & Double Crops Increase Biofuels Opportunities
I recently wrote about the potential of energy crops for biofuels, but there are many more opportunities including the biofuels value of planting winter crops or double crops. Last week during the AG CONNECT Expo, I spoke with Dr. Tom Richard, associate professor with Pennsylvania State University, who discussed the opportunities for biofuels and agriculture through the planting and harvesting …
How to Create Effective Biofuels Public Policy
One of the biggest challenges for our country lies in the issue of how to create effective public policies that will grow the biofuels industry and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Dr. Antonio Bento, associate professor in the Applied Economics and Management Program at Cornell University, has been researching exactly how to do this and he shared his results …
Joule Biotechnologies Secures Solar Fuel Site
Joule Biotechnologies announced today that they have signed a lease agreement to build its first pilot plant to be located in Leander, Texas. The plant will be the testing ground to further develop and test its transformative system for the production of renewable solar fuels and is expected to be online within the first half of 2010. The site was …
Global Ethanol Plant to Use GreenShift Technology
Global Ethanol recently received the rights to use new corn oil extraction technologies at a 100 million gallon ethanol plant in Lakota, Iowa. The technology, patented by GreenShift Corporation allows first generation corn ethanol plants to tap into the existing reserve of inedible crude corn oil with an estimated industry-wide output of about 20 million barrels per year. This corn …
Kinder Morgan Energy Buys Three Ethanol Terminals
It an effort to turn-around its struggling renewable fuels operations, Kinder Morgan Energy Partners has agreed to purchase three ethanol terminals for nearly $195 million in a joint venture with U.S. Development Group as reported by the Wall Street Journal. Kinder Morgan Energy has more than 28,000 miles of pipelines and 170 terminals and estimates that with this new deal, …
Biomass to Provide Power for Algae Biodiesel Plant
An algae-biodiesel plant in Alabama will be powered by biomass. This press release posted on CNNMoney.com says Nevada-based Energy Quest, Inc. will build a turn key biomass (wood waste) to power/algae energy plant producing 26.8 megawatt (24 net) of power in Piedmont, Alabama: The attached Algae biodiesel plant will produce a clean and efficient fuel that can be used in …