Some trains in South Florida will be running on a nearly pure mix of biodiesel. This story from the Miami Herald says the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority’s commuter train system, Tri-Rail, is planning to run eight of its 10 locomotives on a 99-percent biodiesel blend: Thanks to South Florida’s comparatively temperate climate, Tri-Rail is one of the few commuter …
Summit Looks at Algae Biodiesel Future
More than 650 attendees and 50 speakers looked at the future of algae biodiesel at a recent conference in Seattle. The Algae Biomass Summit, hosted by firms Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Byrne and Company, brought together those exploring the scientific and commercial advances of the field of the slimy green biodiesel feedstock. Our friends at Biodiesel Magazine covered …
Biodiesel Conference Early Bird Registration
It’s that time of year again… to start making plans to attend the National Biodiesel Board’s Conference & Expo! This year’s event takes place Feb. 1-4th, 2009, in San Francisco. While that is a while off, now is the time to sign up to save some serious money on your registration. It’s an event you won’t want to miss! Conference …
CAST Comments on Biodiesel
A new report looks at the technology behind biodiesel production. The Iowa-based Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) has released a new CAST Commentary—Convergence of Agriculture and Energy: III. Considerations in Biodiesel Production: This new CAST Commentary reviews the technology of biodiesel production in the United States and outlines major issues and policy implications associated with its expanded production …
Teaching Biodiesel Production On the Run
Students from the University of Colorado are spreading the good news of biodiesel… and going mobile to do it. This story from the Colorado Daily says the CU Biodiesel program is using donated, used restaurant cooking oil in a production facility that is contained in a trailer: “I’ve taught everyone from post-graduate students to second-graders how to brew their own …
Thinking Small for Big Biodiesel Production
Iowa State University has received an $885,000 U.S. Department of Energy grant to see how small particles can be used to help make biodiesel production bigger. This story from Biodiesel Magazine says the school’s Ames Laboratory is researching how nanoscale particles can be used to get chemical compounds (triglycerides, neutral lipids, and fatty acids) from microalgae for biodiesel production. According …
Tampa Could Become Major Biodiesel Port
Tampa, Florida could become a major port for alternative fuels… just in time as an area just up the road is expanding its potential to produce biodiesel. Yesterday, I told you about how Groveland is expanding its biodiesel production capabilities and hopes to rival Houston, Texas in terms of green fuel refining. Now, GreenHunter Energy Inc. of Houston might be …
Speakers Announced for the 2008 MO Agribusiness Summit
The line of speakers have been announced to participate at the 2008 Missouri Agribusiness Summit on November 12 in Columbia, MO. The purpose of this event is to provide information to agribusinesses and producers regarding current industry topics and to promote the local resources that are available to agribusinesses. “The 2007 inaugural Summit covered a lot of great topics, and …
Mustard Seed Biodiesel for Some CA Buses
Some locally grown mustard seeds could soon be powering buses in Monterey County, California. This story from the San Mateo County (CA) Times says the mustard seed oil could be turned into biodiesel by the end of this year: By December, Monterey-Salinas Transit officials hope to have refined mustard-seed oil — which will be mixed with regular diesel fuel — …