Celebrating Biodiesel Day Advocating for Green Fuel

John Davis

biodieselday1While yesterday was National Biodiesel Day, our friends at the National Biodiesel Board were not just cutting birthday cake. They were advocating on Capitol Hill for the green fuel. March 18th marks the 156th birthday of Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of the engine that bears his name and a man who wanted it to run on peanut oil, not petroleum. The NBB’s governing board spent the day talking to lawmakers and taking part in meetings in Washington, D.C.

While hearing more about the NBB’s communications efforts, NBB Governing Board Member Tim Keaveney, HERO BX (shown to the right), reviews a selection of the several dozen letters to the editor published to date regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to cut drastically the amount of biodiesel required to be blended into the Nation’s fuel supply.

biodieselday2Meanwhile, in this picture on the left, NBB Governing Board members listen to representatives of Bingham McCutchen as they provide an update on litigation related to the RFS.

In a separate news release, while pointing out that the EPA is proposing 1.28 billion gallons of biodiesel to be blended – a sharp drop from last year’s record production in the biomass-based diesel of 1.8 billion gallons – NBB officials made another push for biodiesel.

“Nearly every product that ends up on a store shelf is dependent on diesel fuel to get it there. That heavy reliance on one fuel means our economy is directly linked to petroleum price swings. It’s in everyone’s best interest to have a choice in transportation fuel, and that’s where biodiesel – America’s first Advanced Biofuel – comes in,” said Joe Jobe, National Biodiesel Board CEO.

Biodiesel, NBB

Iowa Biodiesel Board Gets New Leader

Cindy Zimmerman

The new executive director for the Iowa Biodiesel Board started his new job on National Biodiesel Day.

ibb-kimberlyThe Iowa Biodiesel Board named Grant Kimberley, formally Iowa Soybean Association director of market development, as its new executive director. Kimberley succeeds Randy Olson, who accepted a position earlier this year with the U.S. Soybean Export Council.

Kimberly was pleased to start his job today on National Biodiesel Day. “Biodiesel has been a passion of mine for the last decade,” Kimberley said. “Since the early 2000s, I’ve seen tremendous growth and change in the biodiesel industry, hitting a record 1.8 billion gallons last year. I look forward to working more closely with all aspects of Iowa’s thriving biodiesel industry.”

The IBB’s mission is to promote the commercial success of biodiesel in Iowa. In this expanded role, Kimberley will develop and implement strategic plans for the organization, including critical policy efforts. His duties will include overseeing the day-to-day operation of the organization, and collaborating with the board for the future of the organization.

Biodiesel

Celebrating National Biodiesel Day

Cindy Zimmerman

rudolf-diesel_3946456981091095575Yesterday we celebrated the patron saint of Ireland – today it is the patron saint of biodiesel.

National Biodiesel Day is celebrated on March 18, which is the birth date of Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the engine that bears his name. He would be 156 years old today, but he died a century ago last September, disappearing from a ship in the English Channel in an apparent suicide, despite his many accomplishments.

Diesel was only 39 when he introduced the first high-compression prototype engine in 1897, designed to run not on petroleum but on peanut oil. Today, diesel engines are responsible for moving the majority of goods, including electronics, from manufacturer to consumer. But, more than ever those engines are being run on the type of fuel their inventor envisioned.

“National Biodiesel Day is a reminder that diversity in fuel supply means more stable prices and less dependence on a global oil cartel. That benefits the economy, the environment and leaves more opportunities for our future,” said Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board. “It’s in everyone’s best interest to have a choice in transportation fuel, and that’s where biodiesel – America’s first Advanced Biofuel – comes in.” With plants in almost every state, biodiesel production amounted to nearly 1.8 billion gallons in 2013.

Jobe notes that the EPA proposal to lower the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) this year would be a step backward for production, setting the volume requirement at just 1.28 billion gallons. “The biodiesel industry is asking the Administration to revise the biodiesel proposal so that it is at least consistent with last year’s production,” he said. Rudolf would probably agree.

Biodiesel, NBB

Scripps Research Develops Lower Cost Fuels

Joanna Schroeder

Researchers from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TRSI) have devised what they believe is a new and more efficient way to convert the major components of natural gas into useable fuels and chemicals. The research, led by TSRI Professor Roy Periana, uses chemistry and nontraditional materials to turn natural gas into liquid products at much lower temperatures than conventional methods.

“We uncovered a whole new class of inexpensive metals that allows us to process methane and the other alkanes contained in natural gas, ethane and propane, at about 180 degrees centigrade or lower, instead of the more than 500oC used in current Energy Diagramprocesses,” said Periana. “This creates the potential to produce fuels and chemicals at an extraordinarily lower cost.”

Methane, the most abundant compound in natural gas, is difficult and costly to convert into useable liquid products. With a need for lower carbon fuels, new processes are required to convert methane to fuel and chemicals in a way that is competitive with petroleum-based products.

Methane, ethane and propane, the major components in natural gas, belong to a class of molecules named alkanes that are the simplest hydrocarbons and one of the most abundant, cleanest sources of energy and materials. At the core of technologies for converting the alkanes in natural gas is the chemistry of the carbon-hydrogen. Because of the high strength of these bonds, current processes for converting these alkanes employ high temperatures (more than 500oC) that lead to high costs, high emissions and lower efficiencies.

Periana has been thinking about this type of problem for decades and has designed some of the most efficient systems for alkane conversion that operate at lower temperatures. However, when Periana and his team examined these first-generation systems they realized that the precious metals they used, such as platinum, palladium, rhodium, gold, were both too expensive and rare for widespread use.

“What we wanted were elements that are more abundant and much less expensive that can carry out the same chemistry under more practical conditions,” said Brian G. Hashiguchi, the first author of the study and a member of Periana’s lab. “We also wanted to find materials that could convert methane as well as the other major components in natural gas, ethane and propane.”Read More

Alternative energy, biochemicals, Natural Gas

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFThe global Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) market is expected to undergo a major growth spurt in the next five years, with its cumulative installed capacity forecast to jump from 357.9 Megawatts (MW) in 2014 to 1,043.96 MW by 2020, according to a new report from GlobalData. According to the report, China and the US dominated the global CPV market in 2013, with their cumulative installed capacity reaching shares of 35.4% and 33.3%, respectively. Spain stood third after the US with 12.2%, followed by Portugal and Italy, with respected shares of 5.1% and 4.3%.
  • Mr. Simon Doray has joined Purthanol Resources and its subsidiary Biocardel Quebec to oversee a new joint venture BioMix Fueling Solutions Inc. Doray also serves as chairman of the board for the Quebec Council of Biodiesel.
  • Midwest Energy and Clean Energy Collective have signed an agreement to build a 1MW community solar photovoltaic array, the largest in Kansas, with panels owned by Midwest Energy members. The 4,000-panel solar garden will be located within the Midwest Energy service territory, and the purchase price for panels will include all available rebates and tax incentives, as if the system were located on the customer’s roof. Customers will receive credit for the power their panels produce directly on their Midwest Energy electric bills.
  • Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy has joined the Renewable Fuels Association. The company is located in Council Bluffs, Iowa and produces more than 120 million gallons of ethanol and more than 330,000 tons of Dried Distillers’ Grain (DDG) each year.
Bioenergy Bytes

E15 Comes to Cambridge, Nebraska

Joanna Schroeder

Anew E15 pump in Cambridge NebraskaAnew Travel Center in Cambridge, Nebraska is now offering E15 to consumers for use in 2001 and newer vehicles. E15 is currently available in 14 states.

“Anew Travel Center is pleased to announce the opening of our new fueling facility,” said Cliff Meeuwsen, member of Anew. “Through the installation of the Flex Fuel dispensers, we aim to promote the use of cleaner vehicles while also displacing the country’s dependence on foreign oil and creating employment positions that will benefit the local economy.”

The station will have ten pumps—five Flex Fuel dispensers that offer ethanol blends including E10, E15, E30 and E85, and five flexible fuel dispensers that offer biodiesel blends including B0, B2, B5 and B20. In doing so, Anew Travel Center also joins more than 3,000 retailers throughout the nation who have the infrastructure available to provide motorists with a choice of various ethanol blends.

“Seeing retail leaders like Anew, MAPCO Express, Murphy Oil and Minnoco offering E15 continues to validate that there is a viable market for higher ethanol blends. When given the choice, consumers will seek the fuel that costs less, is better for our environment and improves the performance of their vehicles. The momentum building around E15 is really quite impressive,” stated Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy whose association assisted Anew in the process of offering E15 at the pump.

E15, Ethanol, Growth Energy

Old Pipeline Could Get New Life Carrying Biodiesel

John Davis

Hawaii_state_flagAn old pipeline in Hawaii originally used to transport petroleum-based asphalt could get a new life carrying biodiesel. This article from the Hawaii Tribune-Herald says the state Board of Land and Natural Resources is considering whether to allow the Shell Oil pipeline built in the 1960s at Hilo Harbor to carry the green fuel.

A new company, Hoku Kai Biofuels LLC, has acquired the old asphalt plant property and wants to use the pipe to transport vegetable-based biofuels from cargo ships to storage tanks on its land, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

BLNR will consider whether to grant in concept a 65-year easement for the pipeline. Final approval is contingent on a finding of no significant impact from an environmental assessment.

In a memo to the board, DLNR staff say the biofuels would be “distributed to various power producers as an alternative to fossil fuels.”

Officials with Hoku Kai Biofuels say they have had some conversations with Hawaii Electric Light Co. about buying the fuel.

Biodiesel

Minnesota Biodiesel Mandate Survives Delay Attempt

John Davis

mnstatelegis1A bill that would have delayed implementation of a 10 percent biodiesel mandate in Minnesota diesel fuels was stopped in a state legislative committee. This story from WDAZ-TV says the bill from Sen. Melisa Franzen, D-Edina, was defeated overwhelmingly in the state Senate Commerce Committee.

She said most cars and light trucks are built to handle 5 percent biodiesel, which now is required to be sold in Minnesota, not the planned 10 percent, known as B10.

Biodiesel supporters said they have heard this argument before, reaching back years to when ethanol first was required to be blended with gasoline. Problems have been few and far between once the state mandated that gasoline and diesel contain plant-based fuel, they said.

Jerry Schoenfeld, who represents soybean farmers and the Minnesota Biodiesel Council, said those who support Franzen’s bill sit on a biodiesel task force but never brought up their complaints until the bill surfaced recently.

Both sides used Illinois as an example to support their cause. Those wanting a B10 delay pointed to fuel-blamed engine problems such as clogged filters and acceleration hesitation. Biodiesel supporters said that even in Illinois, Mercedes-Benz praised biodiesel and urged owners to monitor oil levels and strictly follow oil change intervals, but few problems have been reported.

A 2008 law in Minnesota upped the current 5 percent blend to 10 percent when state officials believe there is enough biodiesel to meet that demand, and they had decided that will come on July 1st.

Biodiesel, Government, Legislation

UNICA Pleased With CARB Proposal

Cindy Zimmerman

UNICAThe Brazilian sugarcane ethanol industry is pleased with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) proposal last week to revise Indirect Land Use Change (iLUC) numbers for biofuels.

Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association UNICA applauded CARB for “once again declaring that sugarcane ethanol is one of the most environmentally friendly biofuels supplying today’s market.”

UNICA North America Representative Leticia Phillips notes that the CARB staff proposal to revise ILUC estimates under the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard shows the Brazilian sugarcane biofuel generates about half the indirect emissions that CARB originally suggested during its rulemaking process in 2009. “If implemented, these revised ILUC estimates will confirm what numerous other studies have shown: sugarcane ethanol is one of the most environmentally friendly biofuels supplying today’s market,” she said in a statement.

Phillips adds that UNICA looks forward to providing detailed comments to this CARB proposal as they have done in the past.

Brazil, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Indirect Land Use, International

Wind Power Line to Move Energy to the East

John Davis

wind energy in U.SA proposed $2.2 billion, 750-mile long, high-voltage overhead transmission line could solve some of the issues of getting wind energy from the areas out west producing it to the areas in the east that need that power. This article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune says Clean Line Energy Partners’ idea is to build a line from the wind turbine farms of Kansas to Indiana, where it can be distributed to urban areas. But the project is meeting some resistance from farmers in the areas it would traverse.

The idea is supported by environmental groups who say it is an opportunity to take a big step forward for an energy source that could reduce the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels and cut air pollution. Clean Line has four other transmission line projects in the works in the West and Midwest.

Clean Line says the project will be an economic boon, with all four states seeing new jobs for construction and local companies providing things like parts and concrete. Lawlor said consumers would benefit, too, by the new source of power that would drive down electricity costs.

Yet many landowners have organized in opposition to Clean Line. They worry about whether the towers and lines will reduce property values, get in the way of farming operations like crop-dusting and irrigation, and even create health risks for those living so close to high-voltage wires.

“This is some of our best ground,” said Kent Dye, 56, who farms about 7,000 acres in northeast Missouri’s Monroe County. “This line — there’s no proven need for it. There are no contracts to provide power, no contracts to sell on the other end.”

Clean Line officials believe that after they have a chance to talk to the farmers and ranchers who have concerns, they’ll be able to convince them of the benefits of easements they can collect money on and the long-term environmental benefits for everyone.

Wind