San Francisco, California has started a program to turn the waste cooking oil from the city’s many restaurants into biodiesel. This story in the San Francisco Chronicle has more details: Today the city launches SFGreasecycle, a free program in which the city will pick up used cooking oil and grease from local restaurants, hotels and other commercial food preparation establishments. …
Sweet Homegrown Alabama Biodiesel
The City of Eufala, Alabama has cashed in on the benefits of biodiesel. This story in the Eufala Tribune says cost savings and tax credits are helping its bottom line: By operating various city vehicles and machines on a co-processed bio-diesel mixture, the city currently saves approximately 90 cents per gallon of fuel. That’s big savings considering the city, even …
Companies Form Montana Biodiesel Venture
A West Coast company has joined a Texas-based company to form a joint venture to produce biodiesel in Montana. This press release from Sustainable Oils… formed from Seattle-based Targeted Growth, Inc. a renewable energy bioscience company, and Green Earth Fuels of Houston, a vertically integrated renewable biodiesel energy company… has more. The new venture will produce and market up to …
Renewing Cheese Water for Renewable Fuels
A Wisconsin entrepreneur says producers don´t have to rely on corn, or even cellulosic waste, to create ethanol. Joe Van Groll, Owner of Grand Meadow Energy, LLC, says he can create ethanol from cheese water waste. Joe says this new method for creating ethanol is a great alternative. He points out that the ethanol industry is the target of negative …
Nebraska Offers Crops-to-Fuel Workshops
The University of Nebraska is offering producers, consultants, dealers, and others interested in agriculture a chance to attend one of five “Growing Corn or Soybeans to Fuel Nebraska” workshops, December 17th – 21st at various locations around the state. This press release from the school’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources has more information: Morning topics include pointers on making …
Biodiesel Fuels Fryer Oil Boom
As biodiesel has gained in popularity so has a feedstock that used to be just a waste product. Used cooking oil from restaurants can be made into some pretty high-quality biodiesel, and refiners are having to compete to get what used to be thrown out. This story on the Oregonlive.com web site says it used to cost restaurants to have …
The Math Behind Soy Biodiesel
The recent story of a biodiesel plant under construction near Evansville, Wisconsin that halted construction because of the high price of its feedstock, soybeans (see my November 13th, 2007 story on the issue), has prompted the local newspaper to question how economical making biodiesel really is. This article in the Janesville (WI) Gazette breaks down how you can actually still …
Minnesota Farmer to Head Biodiesel Board
Appleton, Minnesota soybean farmer Ed Hegland has been tapped to head the National Biodiesel Board. This press release from NBB says he’s no stranger to the biodiesel advocacy group: Hegland has served as a board member for the nonprofit trade association since 2004, representing the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, and was elected to the governing board last year. …
BioWillie Wonka
With all due respect to Willie Nelson’s biodiesel, this could be be the sweetest of all the biofuels. A company in England is making biodiesel from waste chocolate from a candy company. This story from the Lancashire Evening Post has more about the product from Ecotec: And in the ultimate test, the chocolate invention is set to be used to …
New Biodiesel Plant Opens in Houston
Green Earth Biofuels has held the official grand opening of its new 90-million-gallon-a-year biodiesel plant near Houston, Texas. This story on Grainnet.com says the ceremony attracted company officials and Texas Governor Rick Perry: Greg Bafalis, Green Earth Fuels president and chief executive officer, remarked, “As the nation’s newest leader in helping energy companies integrate renewable, environmentally clean, and high-value biodiesel …