Earthrace Ready to Go Again

John Davis

earthrace.JPGThe boat, Earthrace, is set to make another attempt at circumnavigating the globe fueled by biodiesel.

You might remember that Earthrace’s attempt fell short last year after it ran into problems, including hitting a Guatamalan fishing boat, killing one man. But this story in Motor Boat & Yachting says there’s another try to start on March 29th:

The international crew, led by New Zealander Pete Bethune, leave Sagunto, near Valencia, hoping to beat the 75-day mark set by British boat Cable and Wireless Adventurer in 1998.

They need to be back in Sagunto by 10 June.

The over-riding aim of the project is to raise awareness of the potential of biofuels and encourage people to lead more sustainable lives. The boat is run on biodiesel donated by SGC Energia in Portugal; the fuel is derived from waste cooking oil, as well as soya and canola oils.

To back up the sustainable message, the boat has been made using “environmentally friendly components”, such as hemp, and the project claims to maintain a carbon neutral status through the purchase of carbon offsets from www.downwithcarbon.org which uses the income to fund a sustainable biofuel project in Egypt.

The offsets account for any CO2 produced through transportation of the biofuel to the different fuel stops, the biofuel itself, and all travel undertaken by the ground crew, it is claimed.

You can follow the boat’s round-the-world progress at www.earthrace.net.

Biodiesel

PA Biodiesel Producers Barely Hanging On

John Davis

pastatecapitol.jpgBiodiesel producers in Pennsylvania are in a tough spot these days, and unless the state steps in to help them, their industry could go bust by the end of the month.

This story in the Central Penn Business Journal says lawmakers are still sparring over subsidies that could help make the industry competitive again:

There are two proposals that would help the industry. One would increase subsidies and the other would mandate the blending of biodiesel into petroleum-based diesel. Both are part of Gov. Ed Rendell’s energy strategy to reduce the state’s dependence on foreign oil.

The Republican-controlled state Senate passed a subsidy bill in December. Special Session Senate Bill 22 would give biodiesel producers 75 cents per gallon. The Democrat-controlled House wanted a bill that raised subsidies to $1 per gallon. All biofuels producers, including ethanol producers, are eligible for a 5-cent-per-gallon subsidy.

Biodiesel producers last year asked for $1 per gallon so Pennsylvania producers could be competitive with Midwest producers that already receive subsidies ranging from $1 to $1.50 per gallon, said John Cole, founding partner of United Biofuels in Manchester Township, York County.

Meanwhile, biodiesel producers say they’re down to running on fumes and loans.

Biodiesel, Government, Legislation

“Sugar Eater” Holds Biofuel Promise

Cindy Zimmerman

Two University of Maryland scientists believe a strain of bacteria that decomposes everything from algae to newspapers to crab shells could help produce cheaper fuel. Found on marsh grass in the Chesapeake Bay, this organism could soon be used to generate ethanol from cellulosic sources such as waste paper, brewing byproducts, leftover agriculture products, including straw, corncobs and husks, and energy crops such as switchgrass..

ZymetisA process using the bacteria, developed by University of Maryland professors Steve Hutcheson and Ron Weiner, is the foundation of their incubator company Zymetis. When fully operational, the Zymetis process could potentially lead to the production of 75 billion gallons a year of carbon-neutral ethanol.

The bacterium is called Saccarophagus degradans, which translates as “sugar eater,” because it has the largest known concentration of enzymes that eat carbohydrates.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, News, Research

Win $10,000 for Ethanol Video

Cindy Zimmerman

EPIC contestIf you have a video camera and/or a computer, plus a little creativity and some time, you could win $10,000 and the chance to have your creativity seen by millions.

The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council’s “Fuel the Change” sweepstakes has a casting call out for a 30 second video about how ethanol is a part of your life and how you’re fueling American independence and a greener, cleaner future one tank at a time. The producer of the winning video will receive a $10,000 cash prize and have the chance to have his or her commercial aired during the 2008 Indianapolis 500 on ABC.

Not creative, even with 10,000 bucks at stake? There’s still a chance to win some green just for voting on your favorite submitted videos.

Go to www.fuelthechange.com and enter or vote before April 21, 2008.

Here’s a one of the entries from the site: