Three government agencies have been given a presidential directive to aggressively accelerate the investment in and production of biofuels. The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy, together with the Environmental Protection Agency will make up the the new Biofuels Interagency Working Group. “The president has directed us to create a comprehensive biofuel marketing development program to focus on the infrastructure …
Wake Forest Develops Cost-Cutting Biodiesel Catalyst
Biodiesel makers have been extending their feedstocks into the various types of oils, including waste greases and even animal fats. But the problem is converting the free fatty acids in the feedstocks into biodiesel, sometimes a long and costly process. Well, it looks like researchers at Wake Forest University have found a way to do it quicker and cheaper. This …
Louisiana Chicken Fat Biodiesel Plant Nears Completion
A refinery in Louisiana slated to turn chicken fat, along with beef tallow, pork lard and other greases, into high-quality biodiesel and jet fuel by next year. This story in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette says the Dynamic Fuels LLC refining plant in Geismar, La., a partnership between Tyson Foods and Syntroleum Corp., is on time and on budget: Bob Ames, …
NBB Warns of Dropping Biodiesel Production
Biodiesel production in the United States has dropped sharply, and the green fuel’s biggest advocate warns of the dire consequences of that drop and urges implementation of federal environmental rules that would support biodiesel and other renewables. The National Biodiesel Board says commercial biodiesel production in the U.S. in March 2009 fell to 30 million gallons… down from 49 million …
Deal Inked to Build Destiny’s Alt Energy Park
For some time, we’ve been telling you about Destiny, Florida, a 41,000-acre community founded in 2005 in South Central Florida, designed to one day be America’s first eco-sustainable city with 16,000 green tech jobs, including building solar panels (see our Feb. 27, 2009 Domestic Fuel podcast and April 22 post). The project took another step closer to that goal when …
Biodiesel Board Congratulates MN on Requirement
Minnesota has upped its biodiesel requirement today from 2 percent to 5 percent, making the state the first in the nation to move to that high of blend of the green fuel. The state is being recognized by the National Biodiesel Board for its efforts to keep valuable jobs in the U.S., decrease dependence on foreign oil and lessen environmental …
Local Lung Associations: Biodiesel Key to Clean Air
A report by the American Lung Association says that the air in America is pretty bad. But local associations of that parent organization believe that biodiesel is key to cleaning it up. The State of the Air Report 2009 was shown during the American Lung Association of the District of Columbia’s recent (ALADC) news conference, as touted in this National …
FedEx Announces “30 by 30” Initiative
During a recent session of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce aviation forum, FedEx announced that it has a goal of using renewable fuels for 30 percent of its fuel needs by 2030. The company is confident that this action will both reduce air-transportation costs and greenhouse gas emissions. According to a New York Times article published yesterday, CEO Fred Smith …
Changes in New Engines Might Be Issue for Biodiesel
I ran across an interesting article in Popular Mechanics about some issues that pure biodiesel might have in some new diesel engines. Dave Hubbard, who follows developments in biodiesel and even makes the green fuel himself, writes that changes in environmental laws have actually made formerly B100-compatible engines unable to burn the pure form of the biofuel: Until two years …
New ISA Building to Help Biodiesel Development
A new office building for the Iowa Soybean Association will help the group in its efforts to promote biodiesel. And the ISA will be able to complete the construction of its Ankeny, Iowa building thanks to some help from the state legislature. This story from MidwestAgnet.com says Iowa’s Governor Chet Culver went to the construction site to sign Senate File …