As diesel vehicles become more popular in the U.S., especially in states such as California, Propel Fuels has been offering biodiesel blends to fuel drivers’ commutes. Today, Propel began selling B20 (20 percent biodiesel, 80 percent low-sulfur diesel) at three of its stations located in the Bay Area (San Francisco). The company plans to add B20 blends to several stations …
U.S. Auto Club Endorses Ethanol
The U.S. Auto Club (USAC) made a surprise announcement at the Lucas Oil Raceway last week when they announced they are switching to “Ignite High Performance Ethanol,” an ethanol racing blend distributed by National Biofuels Distribution (NBD). USAC President & CEO Kevin Miller said during his presentation that his organization is “excited to take this direction toward environmentally-friendly fuel usage.” …
New Catalyst For Biomass Production
A new catalyst for biomass production has been developed by researchers from the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Washington State University (WSU). These catalysts could turn ethanol into other products by converting it into a chemical called isobutene. This feat can be accomplished in one step, and the process can use water-diluted ethanol rather than purifying …
Big Green Bus Rolls Across the U.S.
The Big Green Bus rolled into Dallas last week and subliminally, the people in its wake couldn’t help but think about french fries. Okay, so I’m exaggerating a bit but 13 students from Darmouth College converted a Greyhound bus that runs on biodiesel and vegetable oil derived from used cooking grease. According to an article in the Dallas Morning News, …
CAFE Standards Hiked to 54.5 MPG
The U.S. government may not be able to figure out how to save our country from it’s multi-trillion dollar debt, but for the second time during his administration, President Obama has increased CAFE standards or the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. The goal for all new cars and light duty trucks manufactured in 2025 and beyond must be at least …
Florida Farm to Fuel Event Reorganizing
New dates have been scheduled for a conference on the future of energy in Florida. The 6th annual Farm to Fuel Summit had been scheduled for August 3-5 in Orlando but was postponed in May after the Florida legislature approved the transfer of the State Energy Office from the Executive Office of the Governor to the Department of Agriculture and …
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin to Keynote ACE Conference
Former South Dakota Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin will be a keynote speaker at the upcoming American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) conference being held in Des Moines Iowa August 22-24 in the Marriott Hotel. Her speech, “Our Sons’ and Daughters’ Ethanol Industry: Adjusting to New Realities and Enlisting More Allies,” will be given at 12:15 pm CST on August 23rd. “The …
Industry Urges Opposition to Anti-Ethanol Amendments
The renewable energy and agricultural industry today sent a letter to all Members of the House of Representatives urging them to vote no against amendments that would harm the growth of the ethanol industry. The coalition says moves such as prohibiting the Environmental Protection Agency from implementing the E15 waiver would “weaken efforts to reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign …
Book Review – The Vertical Farm
I switched gears this week and spent some time learning about ways the world can feed a burgeoning population. One emerging idea is through a “vertical farm,” an idea that has been promoted by Dr. Dickson Despommier, a former professor of microbiology and public health in environmental sciences at Columbia. He recently authored, “The Vertical Farm Feeding the World in …
Synterra Energy Takes Commericalization Step Forward
Synterra Energy has taken a step forward in bringing advanced biofuels to commercial scale with the merger of Pacific Renewable Fuels and Chemicals and Red Lion Bio-Energy. Synterra will now own key intellectual property and assets designed for waste biomass conversion. This announcement signals the company’s move to commercial scale production of renewable fuels, chemicals and power from waste biomass …