Frisco to Host Algae Biofuels Summit

John Davis

algaebiofuelsummitOn the heels of hosting the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo, San Francisco will be home to Algae Biofuels World Summit, March 23-25, 2009 at the Marines’ Memorial Club & Hotel.

Summit officials bill the meeting as the first major algae biofuels industry-building event and a unique forum where leading carbon generators, algae developers, biorefiners, financiers, investors, transportation companies and other key players in the algae biofuels value chain will connect and share…

The Algae Biofuels World Summit will be the first major event where all the communities in the algae biofuels value chain come together to discuss how to build a new algae biofuels industry. Unlike scientific research-oriented events, the goal of the Summit is to provide a forum where the algae community can discuss and learn how to build the links within the value chain that are necessary to make the algae biofuels industry a reality.

No single community will be able to create an algae biofuels industry. Only through intense cooperative efforts will this be possible. This means that all the communities in the value chain will need to obtain a detailed understanding of the capabilities, challenges and needs of the other parts in the value chain in order for the industry to move forward.

Power plant operators, industrial carbon generators, algae technology developers, algae equipment suppliers, algae project developers, biofuels refiners, financiers, carbon market players, oil companies, airlines, aircraft and engine manufacturers will be on hand to share their perspectives on what is needed to build a truly viable algae biofuels industry.

For more information and to register, go to the conference Web site.

algae, Biodiesel

Company Designs Truck-Trailer Sized Biodiesel Refinery

John Davis

amoilA California-based energy company has designed a mobile biodiesel production plant, able to make 2,000 to 3,000 gallons of the green fuel a week while fitting in the back of a 8 foot by 45 foot by 9.5 foot trailer.

This company press release says AM Oil Resources & Technology Inc. says the biodiesel refinery is just in the design stage right now, but it will soon become reality:

According to Anthony K. Miller, CEO, “The mobile biodiesel plant is to be self sufficient, adaptable to different grades of waste vegetable oil (WVO), environmentally friendly, and economical. Our initial goal is to produce fuel that can be used to operate our patent steam generators, oil field equipment and/or our vehicles. Biodiesel is typically blended with diesel for usage and any surplus we produce can be sold for a profit. We can sell the glycerin as a profit center as well.” Miller added, “Management and our consultants have extensive experience in this field, with involvement in one of the first stationary plants built in California. We are extremely excited by the promise this can hold for our Company.”

I couldn’t find a picture of the mobile biodiesel plant, but I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about it soon.

Biodiesel

MO Ethanol Fuel Law Under Fire

mo-capitolAccording to the Springfield News Leader, Missouri’s law of standardizing a ten percent ethanol fuel blend into gasoline recently re-emerged in a Senate agriculture committee hearing.

Sen. Matt Bartle from Lees Summit said, “We’re coming along and saying ‘government knows better,’” Bartle said in a nearly 20-minute monologue that delved deeply into conservative economic philosophy. “We are picking ethanol over other alternative (energy) technologies … that might produce less dependence on foreign oil.”

Missouri’s alternative energy standard went into effect Jan. 1, 2008 and until gasoline prices plummeted, most unleaded gasoline contained E10.
“I didn’t need government to tell me that I had to buy one fuel or another,” Bartle said.

Despite Bartle’s pleas for the committee to renew their faith in capitalism and vote out a repeal of the mandate, he wasn’t getting much sympathy.

Ethanol, Government, News

Ethanol – Right Here, Right Now

Cindy Zimmerman

RFA AdThe Renewable Fuels Association has released a new television ad focusing on the important role ethanol is playing in our nation’s economic, energy and environmental future by creating jobs, developing new technologies, and reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

In just 30 seconds, the ad entitled “Right Here, Right Now” stresses that our energy future starts at home with 180 ethanol plants nationwide, fueling the economy with over 300,000 green jobs.

Watch the ad here:

communications, Ethanol, News, Promotion, RFA

Retired General Tackles Ethanol Land Use Issue

Cindy Zimmerman

Growth EnergyRetired General Wesley Clark today embraced his new role as a leader in the growth of renewable energy.

Clark was named co-chairman of Growth Energy during a Thursday morning press conference in Washington DC. “Every gallon of ethanol that we put in our fuel system today is a gallon of imported gasoline that we avoid,” Clark said. “This country is importing 15 billion gallons of gasoline, refined product, a year. We don’t need to do that.”

Clark talked about some of the challenges facing the ethanol industry, such as the indirect land use issue. He said that the land use issue is being based on the GREET (Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation) model, which he says is based on outdated assumptions about the ethanol industry and agriculture. “I think if you look at the fundamental issues you can see that our best environmentalists are the American farmers and what they have done is pretty remarkable in terms of strengthening the environment, protecting the land and being able to bring in crops more efficiently.” He thinks that when the model is updated it will show a much more favorable picture relating to land use.

Listen to some of General Clark’s comments from this morning’s press conference here:
Gen. Clark Growth Energy

Audio, Ethanol, Growth Energy, News

General Enlisted to Fight for Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Wesley ClarkGrowth Energy today announced four-star retired General Wesley Clark as the organization’s co-chairman.

“It’s a new time for ethanol,” said General Clark during a press conference this morning. “I am very impressed with this industry. What we are doing for national security is profound.”

In his new role at Growth Energy, Clark will steer the organization towards meeting its goals of boosting our economy through the creation of green-collar jobs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding ethanol use in gasoline, and decreasing our dependence on foreign oil. “Across the board, this is a win, win, win, win for America,” Clark said.

He outlined what he sees as a strategic plan for the ethanol industry during the press conference, which includes using corn-based ethanol to move into cellulosic ethanol to meet the needs of the nation.

Ethanol, Growth Energy, News

More Biodiesel Awards

Cindy Zimmerman

NBB 09 AwardsSeveral more awards were presented on the last day of the National Biodiesel Conference this week in San Francisco.

As the Inspiration award winners, Bryan Peterson (right) and Pete Bethune shared their inspiring stories at the final general session. Fourteen years ago, Peterson made his way around the world in a small boat powered by biodiesel. He completed the 35,000 mile, two year trip in a boat called Sunrider. Peterson’s successful adventure generated some of the earliest news on biodiesel, and it paved the way for a world record last year. More recently, New Zealander Pete Bethune made headlines for breaking the world speed record for circumnavigating the globe in his Earthrace expedition in 60 days. Both men’s biodiesel message circumnavigated the globe with them.

Listen to an interview with Bryan and Pete here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/nbb/nbb-09-pete-bryan.mp3]

NBB 09 AwardsNational Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe (right) presented the Pioneer Award – a special honor to an individual or group who has served the industry – to Kenlon Johannes, the first Executive Director of the National SoyDiesel Development Board, which later would become the NBB.

Johannes, a soybean farmer when he represented the board, continues to promote biodiesel through the Kansas Soybean Commission.

Listen to an interview with Kenlon here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/nbb/nbb-09-kenlon.mp3]

Last but not least, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom was presented with the NBB Inspiration award for his work in helping to make his city by the bay the largest known city in the world to use B20 fleet-wide. In 2006, Newsom issued an Executive Directive designed to increase the pace of municipal use of biodiesel. Today, virtually all of the City’s 1,500 diesel vehicles run on B20.

2009 National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

Audio, Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference, NBB

Greenline Announces Biodiesel Cold Flow Solution

John Davis

GL_Logos_PMS368_01A leader in small-to-medium scale biodiesel production equipment has announced the development and release of technology that eliminates cold-flow issues to help biodiesel pass the new mandatory ASTM cold soak test and always performs in cold weather.

Greenline Industries’ “Greenline Tea FASTRACK” was debuted at the recent National Biodiesel Conference and Expo and, according to a company press release, combines a proprietary blend of materials with new equipment and process:

“We are excited to be able to provide all biodiesel producers, regardless of equipment brand, a much needed cold-flow solution that is ready now, when the industry needs it,” said Donn Tice, CEO of Greenline Industries. “The Greenline Tea FASTRACK system is simple, modular, ‘plug-and-play’ and extremely cost-effective, with a terrific return on investment. It will enable the world-wide biodiesel industry to once and for all solve one of the major production problems, which has been an obstacle to consistently perfect year-round biodiesel performance and broad-scale adoption.”

The Greenline Tea FASTRACK process ensures that biodiesel produced from a vast array of feedstocks will pass the ASTM cold-soak test. B100 (100 percent biodiesel) passed through the Greenline Tea process will remove sterol glucosides, monoglycerides, sulfur and phosphorus with minimal impact on product yield.

“We want to remove any technical barriers to biodiesel adoption; our vision is to make biodiesel accessible anywhere in the world. All of our technologies and processes have been developed to that end,” said Jacques Sinoncelli, Co-Founder of Greenline Industries. “With Greenline Tea FASTRACK, we help eliminate concerns that biodiesel content greater than 20 percent could create cold-flow problems.”

Company officials say this will give biodiesel producers the ability to crank out biodiesel year-round… especially important for those in northern areas… without cranking up their production costs.

Biodiesel

Enterprise Expands Hybrid Fleet

John Davis

enterpriseEnterprise Rent-A-Car, already home to the world’s largest fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles, is doubling the number of gas/electric hybrids in its inventory by adding 5,000 of the green vehicles.

This company press release says Enterprise is also designating nearly 80 rental locations across the country as “hybrid branches” that will have a high concentration of the new hybrids available for customers to rent online or over the phone:

The new hybrids will be available at nearly 80 locations in 24 major markets across the country, including the 10 busiest airports for business travelers in the United States. Markets include California (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and Fresno); Colorado (Denver); Florida (Orlando, Tampa); New York (Albany, Ithaca, New York City, Rochester); Oregon (Eugene, Portland); Texas (Austin, Dallas, Houston); Atlanta; Boston; Detroit; Minneapolis; Philadelphia; St. Louis; Seattle; and Washington, D.C.

“Whether they’re traveling for business or pleasure, our customers continue to seek out environmentally friendly vehicle options,” said Jeff Morrell, Vice President of Business Development for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. “Doubling our fleet of hybrid vehicles nationally is in direct response to that demand and furthers our commitment to help grow the market for new engine technologies and alternative fuels.”

Enterprise also has designated eight of its branches as “E85/FlexFuel” branches where as much as 30 percent of the local fleets
are FlexFuel vehicles capable of using E85. The company also fills those vehicles at nearby E85 stations.

E85, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News

Carbon Credits for Burning Biodiesel

John Davis

pennfbFarmers in Pennsylvania could soon be earning carbon credits for burning a clean fuel that they help grow right on those farms.

Biodiesel Magazine reports that the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau has partnered with Global Emissions Exchange of Closter, N.J. to work out a plan they hope to roll out by the last quarter of this year that will give the credits for using biodiesel in no-till practices:

When the biodiesel-focused portion of the program rolls out, farmers will earn carbon credits at a rate of 19.7 pounds of carbon dioxide reduction per gallon of B100 biodiesel used, according to Philip Gotthelf, managing director for the Global Emissions Exchange. The protocol used to determine the carbon credits earnings for biodiesel was developed in cooperation with Amerigreen BioFuels Inc., a biodiesel wholesaler and blender in Lower Swatara Township, Penn.

“That’s a protocol that can be rolled out to any of the biodiesel distributors,” Gotthelf said. “If someone wants to register their brand, they can go to the exchange to do it in the manufacturer’s registration area or they can contact us directly.”

Gotthelf said the Global Emissions Exchange is a fractional carbon exchange that allows anyone to register any energy efficient product or technology, from a single light bulb to an entire wind farm. He said the system allows for small quantities of emissions reductions to be combined into one-pound and one-kilogram carbon credits, which can then be sold on the exchange.

Gotthelf says biodiesel producers might also be able to purchase carbon credits from their consumers that could be traded for a discount on the biodiesel they buy.

Biodiesel