Can fecal sludge be used for biofuels? Maybe believes Kartik Chandran an associated professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia Engineering. He has recently been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the Gates Foundation to continue his research into a new model for water, sanitation and energy. And this is where fecal sludge, aka poop comes in. This is …
Biodiesel Heads to Space
Biodiesel is going to outer space. Well, not exactly but the jatropha plant will be part of the shuttle Atlantis’ last mission to space launching this July. Assistant Professor Wagner Vendrame, who works in the department of horticulture at the University of Florida’s research center in Homestead, Florida will send the experiment to look at the effect of low gravity …
Diesels, LLC Formed to Buy & Sell Biodiesel
A new company has been formed to aid biodiesel companies sell their product. Diesels, LLC, the new company, will be managed by biodiesel consulting group, Lee Enterprises, based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Wayne Lee, principal owner of Lee Enterprises Consulting said he is pleased his company has been selected to lead the new company. “Diesels, LLC was formed by four …
7th Annual Biofuels Financial Conference Around the Corner
Despite high oil prices, the financial future of the ethanol industry could be a challenge due to high corn prices, fluctuating energy prices and uncertainty of the future of ethanol policies such as the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC). To learn more about managing plant risk and to foster the environment for the biofuels industry to better work together, …
Cosan and Shell Partner Form Raizen
Regulatory approvals have come through for Shell and Cosan’s partnership to called Raizen. The new company’s goal is to produce low-carbon biofuels from sugarcane. This Brazil-based multi-billion dollar venture is one of the largest to date. Raizen will produce and sell over 2 billion litres per year of ethanol produced from Brazilian sugarcane through the more than 4,500 Shell stations …
Perdue AgriBusiness Assures Producers Barley Contracts Intact
Last month Osage Bio Energy announced that is would be selling its plant without going into production. Had the plant gone online, it would have been the country’s largest biorefinery using barley as its main feedstock. In light of this announcement, Perdue AgriBusiness is assuring its customers that it will honor all contracts for the 2011 barley crop. Perdue AgriBusiness …
SunPower Biodiesel Goes Into Production
SunPower Biodiesel is official producing biodiesel at its plant located in Cumberland Wisconsin. The plant is using locally grown canola oil to produce the biodiesel. To celebrate, SunPower held a grand opening event that included a biodiesel workshop, plant tours and a ribbon cutting ceremony. “Sun Power is very unique in our region,” said Laura Richard, Wisconsin Clean Cities, Southeast …
Propel Offers Sacramento, CA Drivers B20
Biodiesel is gaining traction in California. This week Propel Fuels began selling B20 biodiesel at two of its Sacramento area fuel stations. Propel says its B20 is a blend of 20 percent American made biodiesel and 80 percent petro-diesel, and provides motorists increased performance, longer engine life and reduced emissions. Next, Propel added B20 to its Roseville stations as well …
Group Calls Open Fuel Standard Bad for Biofuels
A new analysis done by Advanced Biofuels USA finds that the Open Fuel Standard (OFS) is “bad for advanced biofuels and will add to environmental damage if passed and implemented.” The Open Fuel Standard Act was introduced recently in the House and a similar bill in the Senate. The bills mandate that specific percentages of vehicles be built to operate …
Bi-Fuel Ethanol-Diesel Vehicle Debuts in Brazil
Typically flex fuel vehicles are a combination of ethanol and gasoline or diesel and biodiesel. But inroads have been made to create flex fuel vehicles that use a combination of ethanol and diesel fuels. Iveco, FPT Industrial and Bosch officially debuted the Iveco Trakker Bi-Fuel Ethanol-Diesel vehicle at Agrishow last week in Ribeirão Preto, the country’s largest agricultural show. The …