There’s a great feature story in the latest issue of the High Plains Journal that tells the story of how one Kansas Farmer took the journey in deciding to grow his own biodiesel crop… even refining his harvest into his own green fuel. Check out these excerpts: Luke Jaeger was fed up with high fuel prices. A few years ago, …
Safeway Converts Arizona Trucks to Biodiesel
Grocery giant Safeway is converting its entire fleet of trucks in Arizona to 20% biodiesel. The Arizona Star has more about the green grocer and the green fuel: For the last 30 days, the company has worked to convert all 79 of its Arizona trucks to fuel that is 20 percent biodiesel made from domestically manufactured virgin soybean oil. The …
Hawaiian Utility Pledges Investment in Biodiesel Research
Officials with Hawaiian Electric Co., Inc have pledged to invest an undisclosed amount of money into finding the right crops so the Aloha State can make its own fuel: biodiesel. This story in the Pacific Business News says the utility plans to use the biodiesel it buys in its generators: “At this stage, the most important thing we can do …
Indiana Opens 88 Million Gallon Biodiesel Plant
One of the nation’s largest biodiesel plants is up and running today as Louis Dreyfus Commodities opened the doors of its 88-million-gallon-a-year biodiesel plant near Claypool, Indiana (pictured above). The opening gained the praise of the company owner, the state’s governor, and of course, the National Biodiesel Board: Governor Mitch Daniels and Robert Louis-Dreyfus, owner of Louis Dreyfus Commodities, addressed …
Restaurant Grease Becoming “Hot” Item
Just when you thought thieves had run out of new things to steal, now the old grease from restaurants has become the latest pilferable item. Officials are blaming the home-made biodiesel craze for making criminals out of people who just might not have realized that’s it’s wrong to take that used cooking oil. Some probably good-intentioned folks have been taking …
Brewing Biodiesel at Room Temperature
Scientists in India are experimenting with a method that could make biodiesel production a whole lot more efficient. Instead of heating sunflower oil and methanol for several hours, researchers at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology are running the mixture over a bed of fungal spores. This article on the Wired Science web site says an enzyme produced by the …
Nothing “Funny” About This Biodiesel Car
In a blur of yellow… pushed by a yellow flame shot out of the back of a J60 Pratt and Whitney jet engine… this Corvette funny car might be one of the fastest things on Earth. Kevin Therres’s funny car that runs on canola oil-based biodiesel wowed the crowds this week at the Hot August Nite event at the Castrol …
Historic Scottish Steamer to Get New Life with Biodiesel
For more than 100 years, The Sir Walter Scott has sailed the waters of Loch Katrine in Scotland… one of the last coal-powered steamers in the country. A 2.2 million Pounds (4.35 million U.S. dollar) renovation is due for the old girl, and officials want to run her on biodiesel. This story in the Scotsman.com says the conversion will take …
Pumped About E85
Tonight Show host Jay Leno is an equal-opportunity biofuels promoter. We recently pointed you to Jay’s on-line interview with Joe Jobe of the National Biodiesel Board. There is also a video on Jay Leno’s Garage about ethanol called “E85 Demystified.” The interview is with Gale Banks of Gale Banks Engineering, “Turbocharging Since 1958.” This guy is “an unadulterated gearhead with …
Indiana State Fair Running on Biodiesel
A new tradition at the 150-year-old Indiana State Fair has started this year as biodiesel powers the fair’s midway. This story from Gary Truitt’s Hoosier Ag Today web site says they’re even making sure it’s biodiesel produced from Indiana soybeans: “The Indiana State Fair is a showcase of the state’s agriculture industry, so it’s fitting that Hoosier-grown soybeans are helping …