USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Thomas Dorr will hold a public meeting next month to work on implementing renewable energy programs authorized under the recently enacted farm bill. “Continuing to develop renewable energy is a key component of President Bush’s strategy to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil,” Dorr said. “This meeting is an opportunity for business owners, citizens …
REG Able to Produce Algae-Biodiesel on Commercial Scale
Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group has announced it has the technology to produce biodiesel from algae on a commercial scale. This article from Biodiesel Magazine says while the biodiesel maker isn’t producing algae itself, it is providing the crucial elusive step for some companies that are producing the slimy feedstock: REG has adapted it multi-feedstock technology to refine oil from a …
Biodiesel Maker Looks at Pipeline to Erie, PA’s Ports
Lake Erie Biofuels, the Pennsylvania biodiesel maker with a 45-million gallon a year biodiesel refinery on the shores of Lake Erie (so it’s not just a clever title) is reportedly considering building a pipeline from its plant to the ports of Erie, PA… but company officials aren’t saying much about the project. However, the Erie Times-News did find somebody who …
Sustainable Biodiesel Looks for Public Input
A non-profit group dedicated to making sure that the production of biodiesel is a sustainable proposition is looking for your input how to keep biodiesel refining, well, sustainable. The Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance (SBA) has released a first draft of its “Principles and Baseline Practices for Sustainability” for a 45-day public comment and review period. This post on the gas2.0 web …
New Law Means New Labels for Biodiesel Pumps
This December, the Federal Trade Commission’s new rules on labeling of biodiesel pumps kicks in. Basically, pumps that dispense greater-than-5-percent biodiesel blends will have to have a label indicating that pump’s blend. The National Biodiesel Board hosts a web site, AllThingsBiodiesel.com, that sells the new labels… among the many other objects sold there: “Our goal is two-fold. We want to …
Florida Farm to Fuel Summit On-Line
The third annual Florida Farm-to-Fuel Summit was a huge success with more than 460 participants, exceeding last year’s attendance according to organizers. Presentations are now available online at the conference website. The wide variety of presentations includes some very interesting information about alternative biofuels feedstocks, such as sweet sorghum, sugarcane, jatropha, perennial grasses and even sweet potatoes. Organizers of the …
Nova CEO: Cheaper Biodiesel Feedstocks Key
In a time when many biodiesel makers are having a tough time because of the high costs of their feedstocks, one is looking to expand its operations. The CEO of Houston, Texas-based Nova Biosource Fuels, which has biodiesel refineries in Iowa, Mississippi and Illinois, Kenneth Hern say the key to his company’s success has been expanding its range of feedstocks …
Florida Researcher Wins Award for Work Including Biodiesel
A University of Florida professor has been recognized with the highest honor the Florida State Horticultural Society bestows for his work that includes research to get more oil from plants to produce biodiesel. This article from the school’s newspaper, InsideUF, says Wagner Vendrame, an associate professor of environmental horticulture at the University of Florida’s Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, …
Galva Holstein Opens Iowa’s First Blender Pump
“With the assistance of IDED (Iowa Department of Economic Development) grants,” said Anne M. Johnson of Galva Holstein Ag., “which we are truly grateful for, we were able to add blender pumps this summer to this location and are now dispensing E10, E30, and clean-burning E85. All of us at Galva Holstein Ag are delighted to be a part of …