Carlsbad, California-based Flometrics, Inc., an engineering service for the aerospace, medical device and consumer products industries, has tested B100 biodiesel on a RocketDyne LR-101 rocket engine. This story from Space-Travel.com says it performed very well: The B-100 fuel was found to have performance within 4% of the RP-1 fuel which the engine was originally designed for. BioDiesel is a renewable, …
Biodiesel Refinery Idled by Ike Back On Line
Back in early September, Hurricane Ike roared ashore on the Texas Gulf Coast as the third most destructive hurricane ever to strike the U.S. A biodiesel refinery in the Houston area that was part of the destruction (see my post from Sep. 29, 2008) has finally recovered and is back on line. GreenHunter Biofuels has announced in this press release …
Minnesota Passes 20% Biodiesel Mandate
The Minnesota Legislature has passed the largest biodiesel mandate in the country, sending the bill to Governor Tim Pawlenty for his signature. SF 3683 is an omnibus agricluture bill authored by Sen. Jim Vickerman, DFL-Tracy (pictured left) that uses language from original legislation introduced by Rep. Al Juhnke, DFL-Willmar, (pictured right). It moves the biodiesel standard up to 5 percent …
Cellulosic Ethanol Focus at Hearing
A South Dakota lawmaker is urging Congress to allow cellulosic ethanol derived from woody biomass on federal lands to count towards the Renewable Fuels Standard. Current law prevents biofuels made from biomass that originates on public lands or any biomass from private land that is not ‘planted’ and ‘actively managed’ from being counted toward the RFS. During a hearing this …
Happy National Biodiesel Day!
In honor of Rudolph Diesel’s birthday on March 18, 1858, today is National Biodiesel Day! As you might know, the inventor of the diesel engine advocated for the use of vegetable oil (in particular peanut oil) to power his fuel-efficient invention. Today, biodiesel is the manifestation of Diesel’s vision, as it provides a clean source of renewable energy for the …
Galveston Biodiesel Plant Back On
A Galveston, Texas biodiesel plant that looked like it was done after oil giant Chevron backed out of a deal to expand operations, now looks like it is back to expanding its efforts. This story in the Houston Chronicle says Galveston Bay Biodiesel will spend $15 million to do some improvements and settle legal claims against it after Chevron left …
Ethanol Pioneer Dies
One of the original ethanol visionaries has passed away, but the plant he helped to build in 1984 continues to operate. The Washington Post today published the obituary of Donald Evans, a Washington area lawyer and “70s ethanol pioneer,” as the headline reads. In 1980, he and other partners formed New Energy Inc. of Indiana to build a $185 million …
Texas Cuts Biofules Incentives
Surprise, surprise… petroleum giant Texas has cut some of the state’s incentives to biofuels makers. The Dallas Morning News reports that lawmakers in the state legislature removed funding for biodiesel and ethanol because some complained that they were competing with the state’s petroleum industry. But some lawmakers see the move as short sighted: Rep. David Swinford, a Republican lawmaker from …
The Brotherhood of Biodiesel
As naysayers try to bash the promise of biofuels, a man in Washington state is doing his part to spread the word through his brotherhood of biodiesel. This story in the Othello (WA) Outlook says Bill Riley, the director of Big Bend Economic Development Council, has been making his own biodiesel for several years. He’s taking the approach that every …
Soybean Acres Drop Despite Biodiesel Rise
In what might be considered a bit counter-intuitive, U.S. soybean acres planted have dropped to the lowest level in 12 years… despite increased interests in biodiesel… a product that often uses soy oil as its feedstock. This story posted on Forbes.com says the culprit is more farmers switching to corn to make the even more popular ethanol: The USDA reported …