Biodiesel has cleared an important hurdle as it passed a vote that will establish standards for the green fuel. The Subcommittee E of ASTM International, a group that establishes standards for a variety of things including fuels, has voted to recommend the passage of finished specifications for biodiesel blends. This press release from the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) says this …
Mississippi State Turning Sludge Into Biodiesel
Researchers at Mississippi State University are working on a project that will turn wastewater sludge into biodiesel. And to help them out, the Environmental Protection Agency has given the school $200,000 toward the project. This story from the Starkville (MS) Daily News has more: “The research and development of sustainable energy technologies can translate into both economic and environmental success,” …
Midwest Flooding Causing Hit to Ethanol & Biodiesel
Flooding in the Midwest is dealing a hard blow to ethanol and biodiesel production on two fronts: 1. direct production of the green fuels, and 2. feedstock production. This story from the Truth About Trade & Technology web site says the high waters have shut down several plants in flood-ravaged Iowa: At least five small to midsize ethanol plants have …
US-EU Biodiesel War About to Heat Up
The fight between American and European biodiesel makers is heating up. European biodiesel producers are urging the European Union to hit U.S. biodiesel with punitive fines as the EU is set to open anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into imports of the green fuel from the United States. This story from AFP says this comes after the European Commission started looking …
Investment Banks Bank on Alternative Energy
A growth sector focused investment bank is hosting its annual Alternative Energy Conference today at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York. The Thomas Weisel Partners one-day event will focus on the opportunities and challenges of the Alternative Energy industry for 2008 and the future. The conference will showcase presentations from over 30 established and emerging public and private companies, …
Alternative Energy Incentives Hit Snag in Senate
A bill that would have extended and boosted the producer-incentive tax breaks on a host of alternative energy sources, including wind, solar, biodiesel, clean-coal and other projects to help spur alternative energy development, has been stopped in the U.S. Senate… for the time being. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana), would have extended the $1-a-gallon producer tax incentive …
Solazyme Algae-Biodiesel Meets Standard
As we told you yesterday, Solazyme’s algae-based biodiesel now meets the strict American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D-975 specifications… the first algal-biodiesel to meet the standard set for all regular diesel. Today, the San Francisco-based synthetic biology company put out its own press release: In a 100% blend, SoladieselRDTM has been road tested in a factory standard 2005 …
Ag and Energy Chiefs Say Ethanol is Moderating Gas Prices
The U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy sent a letter to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) answering questions about biofuels production and food prices. In the joint letter, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman and Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer noted the complexity of the food and fuel pricing issues and cautioned the senator “against hasty judgments driven …
Solazyme Algae-Biodiesel About to Meet Standard
Solazyme is about to make history as the first algae-biodiesel maker to meet stringent standards that diesel fuel must meet. This post from the Wall Street Journal’s Environmental Capital blog has details: Closely held Solazyme Inc. is set to announce shortly that its algae-derived biodiesel meets the American Society for Testing and Materials specification for diesel fuel. This means it …
Ethanol and Biodiesel Groups React to Anti-Biofuels Coalition
The leaders from the two biggest biofuels groups in the country are countering what they term as a smear campaign against the benefits of biodiesel and ethanol by the nation’s grocers. The National Biodiesel Board and the Renewable Fuels Association (which represents ethanol production in the U.S.) both issued statements today to counter the anti-biofuels campaign launched by the Grocery …