Massachusetts is about to get its first commercial biodiesel distribuiton facility.
This story from the North Andover (Mass.) Eagle-Tribune says Baystate Biofuels is using an old Lucent property for the center and will come as the state’s biodiesel mandate kicks in next summer:
“In about 10 days, we’ll have biofuel for sale off our rail cars,” Baystate Biofuels chief executive officer Jesse Reich promised the crowd.
Reich noted that parts for the pumping station had arrived. Once it is assembled, oil companies will be able to buy biodiesel shipped in from Chicago and New Jersey to blend with petroleum diesel for use in automobiles and home heating to meet the requirements of the state’s Clean Energy Biofuels Act of 2008 which goes into effect in July of next year.
Under the first year of the law, diesel and home-heating oil sold in Massachusetts must contain 2 percent biodiesel. The mix increases by 1 percent per year until it reaches 5 percent in 2013.
Reich told the gathering Tuesday night that North Andover’s master plan had called for two 175,000 storage tanks already on the Lucent property at Osgood Landing to be torn down within a few years.
Instead, Baystate Biofuels cleaned them up and converted them so they can hold biodiesel, a clean-burning fuel produced from oil bearing plants, animal fats, algae and recycled products like oils and greases.
In the next year and a half, Baystate Biofuels plans to have its own 10-millon-gallon-a-year facility at the location, with plans to eventually expand that to 57 million gallons.
For MME Minister Edison Lobão, the project is a further step for the government to consolidate the country’s expertise in the use of renewable sources. “This project results from a huge effort of the Ministry of Mines and Energy with its partners. With the hydrogen-fueled bus we are further developing the Brazilian economy,” he said.
Twitter has become all the rage and the ethanol industry is not to be left out. Next week, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is hosting a 
Last time, we told you about how researchers are working on ways of making algae into a viable feedstock for Midwest biodiesel production. In this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast, we continue the conversation on algae and it’s potential as a fuel… and the chemical by-products and processes it can bring to the table.
During the recent 2009 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) hosted a webinar so that reporters and those who could not attend in person could still participate in a discussion on the feasibility of algae to fuel our vehicles, feed our bodies and even free our air of carbon emissions.
Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group will be opening a new multi-million dollar research and support lab for seven network biodiesel production plants and others in the industry this coming Tuesday, July 28th at its Ames locaiton.
It was quite a scene today as more than 50 semis, pickup trucks and cars lined up for biodiesel at the newest stop in the 
“The over-the-road trucking market represents 38 billion gallons of diesel usage a year,” said Jess Hewitt, Chairman of the National Biodiesel Board’s Marketing Committee, and President of Houston-based HYPERFUELS. “Every gallon of biodiesel they use displaces foreign oil, reduces emissions, and supports 50,000 green jobs in the U.S.”
oil.”
There has been concern about the quality of dried distillers grains (DDG) but once again, tests show that they are safe. Phibro Animal Health Corporation (PHAC) has just released test results from its 
The 
Hamilton, York and Blue River corn grower associations, along with the Nebraska Corn Grower Association (NeCGA), are combining their efforts to be the title sponsor and promote corn ethanol during the two-day Cornhusker Challenge. Tuesday night’s winner receives $3,000, while Wednesday night’s champion gets to cash a $5,000 check.