ACE Conference 2026

E. coli Helps Make Ethanol

John Davis

Researchers in California are looking at turning a bacteria that is deadly for humans into biofuels… which are decidedly healthier for people and the planet.

This story from Los Angeles’ CBS 2 says work at UCLA is looking at using E. coli to make ethanol:

Scientists at UCLA have for the first time produced E. coli that can generate alcohol with five carbon atoms per molecule, instead of the normal two or three. Alcohol molecules with eight carbon atoms may also be possible, they report in this month’s edition of the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

liaoLead scientist James Liao, at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, says the E. coli will be able to create biofuels that reduce pollution and deliver much-more energy per molecule than traditional biofuels like Ethanol.

“We wanted to create larger, longer-chain molecules because they contain more energy,” the team wrote in the science journal. “This is significant in the production of gasoline and even jet fuel.”

The new E. Coli bugs would be unleashed on organic material, much like Ethanol is produced from corn. But Ethanol has only two carbon atoms per molecule, and the greater the number of carbon atoms from the bacteria will increase the density of the biofuel, the UCLA team said.

Interestingly, this same E. coli often shuts down West Coast beaches. Now, it could be used to make that drive to the beach a little greener.

Ethanol, News

Florida Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Approved

Cindy Zimmerman

Plans for a cellulosic ethanol plant in Highlands County, Florida were approved by county commissioners last week.

VereniumThe commissioners granted a special use permit for Verenium to build a cellulosic biofuels plant on 95 acres land currently owned by Lykes Brothers farms.

Officials say the plant will cost about $350 million to construct and will produce 36 million gallons of ethanol per year.

About 400,000 tons of dried feed stocks, mostly high fiber sugar cane, will be needed and all of the plant material will be grown by Lykes Brothers on its 35,000 acres of farmland surrounding the proposed plant.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, News

Ethanol Use for Hydrogen Research

Cindy Zimmerman

A research team in New Mexico is studying the possibility of putting biofuel into a fuel cell.

UNMAccording to director of the University of New Mexico’s Center for Emerging Energy Technologies Plamen Atanassov, they hope to “link the world of biofuels with the world of fuel cells.”

A major grant from the Department of Energy’s EPSCoR program brought together research faculty from UNM, New Mexico State University, New Mexico Tech and Eastern New Mexico University as well as researchers from Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Labs to explore the possibility of making usable fuel cells from ethanol to produce electricity.

The research groups want to determine whether ethanol can be reformed to produce hydrogen. If possible, they will build on the results to explore how direct electrochemical oxidation of ethanol might work. The research is expected to result in a new family of materials.

Ethanol, Hydrogen, News, Research

Missouri Ethanol Plant Expansion

Cindy Zimmerman

A Missouri ethanol plant is undergoing a $2 million expansion that will increase the plant’s capacity and provide a larger market for locally produced corn.

POETPOET Biorefining – Laddonia was built in September 2006 with a capacity of 45 million gallons per year (MGPY), but it actually is producing almost 52 MGPY, according to General Manager Robin Venn. The expansion will add another 5 million gallons of capacity.

“The plant itself is running very efficiently,” Venn said. “It’s performing above and beyond expectations.”

The additional capacity will allow the plant to purchase another $3 million worth of corn per year at today’s prices, Venn said, boosting the local economy even as the country is facing difficult financial times.

Audio, Ethanol, Government, News

Corn Growers Updated on VeraSun

Cindy Zimmerman

NCGAThe National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is keeping corn growers updated about the status of pending contracts with the bankrupt ethanol producer VeraSun.

VeraSunAttorneys for NCGA say that VeraSun generally seems to be handling grower contracts based on the original ownership of the ethanol facilities, but growers need to check with the plants directly to determine what arrangements can be made.

Should some of the plants be sold, attorneys say that while it seems unlikely that the buyer will want to assume above-market contracts, they will need a steady supply of corn and will need some amount of good will, or will at least want to avoid bad will among the local or regional producers – leaving the door open for a consensual agreement that could work to the grower’s advantage.

corn, Ethanol, News

US Now Tops in Wind Energy

John Davis

aweaA record-setting year for American wind power keeps getting better as the United States has become the world’s top wind energy producer.

This story from Environment News Service cites an American Wind Energy Association year-end report that says steady growth has helped the Americans surpass their German counterparts:

AWEA says that this summer, the U.S. wind industry reached the 20,000-megawatt installed capacity milestone, doubling installed wind power generating capacity since 2006.

By the end of September, the U.S. had over 21,000 megawatts of wind capacity up and running. Germany had 22,300 megawatts, but U.S. windpower developers sprinted to the end of the year while German wind development slowed.

“With additional projects coming on line every week since, the wind industry is on its way to charting another record-shattering year of growth,” AWEA said in its report.

That 21,000 megawatts of capacity are expected to generate over 60 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2009, enough to serve over 5.5 million American homes.

This means that in 2009 wind power is estimated to displace the burning of 30.4 million short tons of coal – enough to fill a coal train that would stretch 2,000 miles, from Washington, DC to the middle of Utah.

You can read the AWEA’s top wind accomplishments of 2008 by clicking here.

Wind

Algae-Biodiesel Maker Raises Funds for Commercial Plant

John Davis

petroalgae2A Florida-based algae-biodiesel maker has raised funds for what it hopes will become its first commercial plant.

This story from TheAutoChannel.com says PetroAlgae Inc. has raised $10 million in capital for the project:

“The proceeds from this offering are expected to help finance the launch of PetroAlgae’s most significant milestone to-date, the commercialization of its first biodiesel product derived from algae,” said Dr. John Scott, Chairman of the Board of PetroAlgae Inc. “As a result, 2009 could represent the breakthrough year not only for PetroAlgae but for the entire biodiesel and alternative energy markets. We are pleased to be able to position PetroAlgae at the forefront of these emerging markets and look forward to providing our shareholders, employees and customers with our detailed commercialization strategy in the weeks ahead,” concluded Dr. Scott.

The money was raised through sales of stock to two existing investors.

Biodiesel

Iowa Gets First Biodiesel Blender Pump

John Davis

The folks who visit Ron’s Five Point Mart in Dubuque, Iowa will have a choice in the variety of biodiesel they put into their tanks… not just a choice of using biodiesel. The gas station has installed Iowa’s first biodiesel blender pump, which this article from the Dubuque (IA) Telegraph Herald says gives drivers a choice in what percentage of biodiesel they use in their tanks:

At a typical diesel pump, one option exists — regular diesel. Some pumps offer a biodiesel blend, as well.

But at a blender pump, diesel vehicle drivers are looking at a multiproduct dispenser that pours either B2, B5, B10 or B20.

irfa2“What this pump does is offer availability to a variety of fuels,” [Iowa Renewable Fuels Association managing director Lucy] Norton said.

The pump looks different from regular gas pumps. More buttons dot the machine, and the buttons should appear in different colors to alert customers that they are purchasing a different fuel mix.

The biodiesel blender pump was made possible, in part, thanks to a grant from the IRFA. Association officials believe this will encourage more use of biofuels.

Biodiesel

E85 Station Opens in Broomfield, CO

co-cornThe Colorado Corn Growers Association, the Governor’s Biofuels Coalition (GBC) and Western Convenience Stores partnered to celebrate the opening of a new E85 pump location at 12702 Lowell Boulevard, in Broomfield, Colorado. The station sold E85 for 85 cents per gallon during the recent grand opening festivities.

“We are glad to partner with the Governor’s Biofuels Coalition (GBC) and Western Convenience who are working to expand E85 availability throughout the state. Together, we are making a difference for Colorado’s air quality and for consumers who support renewable fuel,” says Mark Sponsler, CEO of Colorado Corn. “Western Convenience, GBC, and auto industry leaders like GM have been outstanding partners in this effort.”

This new E85 station brings the total number of E85 locations in Colorado to about 90. Western Convenience has invested in 32 of those locations throughout Colorado. Eighteen stations are reportedly adding the clean, domestically produced fuel soon.

The Colorado Corn Growers Association and GBC have provided funding and support to most of the E85 refueling sites across the state.

corn, E85, Miscellaneous, News

Eat Christmas Cookies, Save the Earth

John Davis

Christmas cookies helping you grow your spare tire a little more this season? Well, you could get that fat sucked out and made into biodiesel to power your green ride.

bittnerAccording to this article from Forbes, for a time, Beverly Hills doctor Craig Alan Bittner was turning the fat he liposuctioned from patients into biodiesel and putting it into his and his girlfriend’s SUVs:

Love handles can power a car? Frighteningly, yes. Fat–whether animal or vegetable–contains triglycerides that can be extracted and turned into diesel. Poultry companies such as Tyson are looking into powering their trucks on chicken schmaltz, and biofuel start-ups such as Nova Biosource are mixing beef tallow and pig lard with more palatable sources such as soybean oil. Mike Shook of Agri Process Innovations, a builder of biodiesel plants, says this year’s batch of U.S. biodiesel was likely more than half animal-derived since the price of soybeans soared.

A gallon of grease will get you about a gallon of fuel, and drivers can get about the same amount of mileage from fat fuel as they do from regular diesel, according to Jenna Higgins of the National Biodiesel Board. Animal fats need to undergo an additional step to get rid of free fatty acids not present in vegetable oils, but otherwise, there’s no difference, she says.

Greenies like the fact that waste, such as coffee grounds and french-fry grease, can be turned into power. “The vast majority of my patients request that I use their fat for fuel–and I have more fat than I can use,” Bittner wrote on lipodiesel.com. “Not only do they get to lose their love handles or chubby belly but they get to take part in saving the Earth.”

Now here’s the catch: it’s illegal in California to use human medical waste as fuel for vehicles. The state’s health department is looking into Bittner’s activities… some unrelated to the body-fat biodiesel processing… and a message on his company’s Web site says he’s closed his Beverly Hills office and moved to South America.

While there might be some legal issues about using your own fat to make your own biodiesel… besides the “ick” factor… the idea is good. And after all, isn’t it the thought that counts?

Please excuse me while I grab another slice of pie… I gotta do my part to build up my fat layer to eventually save the planet.

Biodiesel