Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) President Bliss Baker is calling on national leaders to eliminate all fossil fuel subsides, especially in light of the current low price per barrel costs. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the estimated global fossil fuel subsidies are worth $490 billion. IEA is also predicting global oil demand will drop 25 percent in 2016 …
Top 100 People in Advanced Bioeconomy Announced
The Top 100 People in Advanced Bioeconomy for 2016 has been released by Biofuels Digest. The top spot went to Tom Vilsack, USDA Ag Secretary. Other notables on the list included #3 Daniel Oh with REG; #10 Brent Erickson with BIO; #12 Terry Branstad, Iowa Governor; #21 Bob Dinneen with RFA; #22 Brooke Coleman with ABBC; #26 Joe Jobe with …
Minnesota Biodiesel Looks to Make it in Big Apple
A group of Minnesota soybean farmers recently made the trip to New York City to see how one of their products, biodiesel, is making a big splash in the Big Apple. This article from the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council says the group was able to see several success stories of the green fuel being used in the big …
Students Discuss Biodiesel Research Projects at #NBB16
Students who are part of the Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel had the opportunity to share their research during the recent National Biodiesel Conference and Expo. The students all have one thing in common – their passion for the biodiesel industry. I spoke with several of these budding biodiesel leaders during the poster session. Thomas Kwan is a PhD candidate …
Pfizer Grant Boosts Biodiesel at NJ College
Biodiesel is getting a boost at a college in New Jersey, thanks to a grant from Pfizer. This article from the Morris (NJ) NewsBee says the College of Saint Elizabeth has received the grant through Pfizer Undergraduate Research Endeavor (PURE). PURE’s goal is to support and encourage undergraduate students, especially underserved students, to participate in research opportunities. The student projects …
REG Buys Sanimax Biodiesel Plant
Biodiesel giant Renewable Energy Group got a little bit bigger. This company news release says REG bought Sanimax Energy, LLC’s 20 million gallon nameplate capacity biodiesel refinery located in DeForest, Wisconsin. Under the asset purchase agreement, REG will pay Sanimax approximately $11 million in cash and will issue 500,000 shares of REG common stock in exchange for the biorefinery and …
Two Women Share Their Biodiesel Research
There is a growing number of women who are forging paths and leading the way in innovative biodiesel research. Two such women are Megan Hums, a student at Drexel University, and Jennifer Greenstein, a student at North Carolina State University. They are both members of the Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel program and they both presented posters during this year’s …
Oil Prices, Incentives Making Biodiesel Free
A combination of low oil prices and incentives are making biodiesel sell for free… and in some cases even less! This article from Bloomberg.com says in some places are being paid to use the green fuel. Midwest refiners are paying as little as 64.5 cents a gallon for the fuel after factoring in a $1-a-gallon tax subsidy and other credits. …
#ClimateChange in Focus at #NBB16
Former Republic Congressman Bob Inglis of South Carolina brought his message of conservative climate realism to the 2016 National Biodiesel Conference opening general session last week in Tampa. “Free enterprise can solve the problem of climate change,” said Inglis, who talked about the Energy and Enterprise Initiative he founded in 2012. RepublicEn, as it is called, is a nationwide public …
New Zealand to Get First Major Biodiesel Plant
New Zealand will soon get its first industrial-scale biodiesel plant. This article from Radio New Zealand says the Z Energy plant will produce the green fuel from animal fat and is expected to make about 5 million gallons of biodiesel per year when it opens in June. While the planned 20 million litre production will be just a fraction of …