It looks like soybean-based biodiesel is returning to profitability. This article from Biodiesel Magazine says the USDA-funded Agricultural Marketing Resource Center model shows that a hypothetical, soy biodiesel plant has reversed a six-month trend of losses and would now be operating in the black. The overwhelming impact of soybean oil prices, which amount to close to 90 percent of the …
Electric, E85 and Biodiesel Lead Auto X Prize Finalists
A mix of electrically powered and biodiesel and E85 ethanol fueled vehicles lead the list for the Automotive X Prize. This story from Consumer Reports says the $10 million prize will go to the team that makes a production-ready car that gets 100 mpg or the energy equivilant AND is sold at a profit for a reasonable price: “The teams …
Biodiesel Nabs Disney More than Mickey-Mouse Prize
Disneyland has picked up California’s highest and most prestigious environmental honor… thanks in part to biodiesel. This press release posted at Reuters.com says the resort has won the 2009 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA), recognizing “individuals, organizations and businesses that have demonstrated exceptional leadership for voluntary achievements in conserving California’s resources, protecting and enhancing the environment and building …
Open Ponds Could Be Key to Algae-Biodiesel Production
Rising feed prices for catfish farms and the rising Chinese market are bad news for those in the South, as more than 320,000 catfish pond acres could be up for grabs. But where one door closes, another opens, as a possible glut of open-air ponds could provide a boon for those looking to raise algae for biodiesel. To explore the …
DF Cast: Study Shows Biodiesel’s Energy Balance
Last week, we told you new research shows how green biodiesel is. I finally got a chance to catch up with National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe to talk a little bit about this important study… and what it will mean as the Environmental Protection Agency considers a new Renewable Fuels Standard, RFS-2. In this edition of the Domestic Fuel …
REG to Supply Hawaiian Generators with Biodiesel
Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group has inked a contract with Hawaiian Electric Company to supply the utility with 400,000 gallons of biodiesel for the company’s new Campbell Industrial Park Generating Unit. This press release from REG says the biodiesel maker will produce the green fuel from used cooking oil and waste animal fat for testing on the 110‐megawatt combustion turbine generator: …
Company to Auction Ethanol, Biodiesel Equipment
What’s a loss for some ethanol and biodiesel producers could be a big gain for others looking to expand or get into the green fuel business. A pair of auctions… one in Nebraska and the other in New Jersey… by Maas Companies will offer some brand-new, out-of-the-box ethanol and biodiesel production equipment. Carelton, Nebraska is the site of the Altra …
Iowa Ethanol Producer Embarks on Algae Project
Iowa Governor Chet Culver was seeing green at the grand opening of the Green Plains Renewable Energy (GPRE) Algae Project Thursday in Shenandoah. “This project here is an ideal of what this could mean not only to securing our energy future and helping fuel the world and lower emissions, but jobs in Iowa,” Culver said during the event held at …
USDA Official Will Tour Iowa Biofuels Industry
USDA Deputy Secretary Dr. Kathleen Merrigan will get some first hand knowledge of Iowa’s ethanol industry during a tour scheduled for October 20. During her visit, Dr. Merrigan will learn about ethanol production, utilization of co-products and biodiesel research. Merrigan will first visit Lincolnway Energy, a 50-million gallon per year ethanol plant with a corn oil extraction process. Next, she …
DF Cast: Mixing Ethanol and (Bio) Diesel
You can’t burn ethanol in a diesel engine. Nope. Just not done. Like mixing oil and water. But what if you added more water to the ethanol? And came up with a way to mix the hydrated-ethanol blend with the diesel… or better yet, biodiesel… right at the point of ignition? Ahhh… then you’d have something that National Corn Growers …