NewNergy

NewNergy discusses the latest inventions, innovations and breakthroughs in the energy & environmental sciences.

UCLA Researchers Produce Liquid Fuel Isobutanol

Posted on Monday, December 14, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:08 PM

In California, researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have genetically modified cyanobacteria to produce the liquid fuel isobutanol directly from carbon dioxide and sunlight.

The announcement mirrors a breakthrough by Joule Biotechnolgies, which announced last month it had produced, in its lab, diesel-equivalent fuels from sunlight and CO2.

The technical approach: using Synechoccus elongatus (a cyanobacterium) the team first genetically increased the quantity of the CO2-fixing enzyme RuBisCO. Then they spliced genes from other microorganisms to engineer a strain that intakes carbon dioxide and sunlight and produces isobutyraldehyde gas. The low boiling point and high vapor pressure of the gas allows it to easily be stripped from the system.

According to the researchers, the engineered bacteria can produce isobutanol directly, but researchers say it is currently easier to use an existing and relatively inexpensive chemical catalysis process to convert isobutyraldehyde gas to isobutanol, as well as other useful petroleum-based products.

The team said that a project, using the technology, could be placed next to power plants and convert CO2 into transportation fuels. The team said that they are working on improving the rate and yield of the production, addressing the efficiency of light distribution and reducing bioreactor costs.” The group reported their results in the current issue of Nature.

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A New Solid Catalyst to Reduce Costs of Biodiesel Process

Posted on Monday, November 16, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 10:58 PM

Biodiesel Magazine reports that a study of Catilin Inc.’s new T300 solid catalyst process saves biodiesel producers 13 cents a gallon over a traditional catalytic process, and up to 19 cents a gallon if you figure in capital expense savings.

The T300 heterogeneous catalyst is nontoxic and can be a direct replacement for conventional catalysts used in biodiesel production. The drop-in solid catalyst operates at industry standard pressures and temperatures and is removed with filtration. As a result, current producers can retrofit their plants in a matter of days at very low cost. Another key advantage is that the glycerin coproduct has purity greater than 98 percent and qualifies as technical grade, which significantly enhances its overall value.

Catilin is commercializing the research done in developing the new catalyst at Iowa State University in Ames and the U.S. DOE’s Ames Laboratory.

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Biofuel to be Made from Bacteria

Posted on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 12:33 AM

US - A team of researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology are attempting to engineer biofuel-producing microbes from Rhodococcus bacteria — soil-dwelling microbes that eat a variety of toxic compounds.The aim of Professor Anthony Sinskey's team is to make an organism that produces biofuel, which can use a variety of fuel sources.

According to a Cleantech report, the bacteria strain is related to the type that causes tuberculosis and the researchers say it works well because the bacteria are hungry for a number of sugars and toxic compounds and produce lipids that can be converted to biodiesel.They have created a strain of the bacteria that can eat a mix of two types of glucose and xylose, and have also engineered strains that can feed on glycerol, a waste product of biodiesel production.

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OIT Students Look At Ways to Clean Waste Vegetable Oil into Fuel

Posted on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 3:28 AM

Aaron Findley, a student at Oregon Institute of Technology in Southeast Portland, has devised a way to filter and clean used vegetable oil for use in cars and trucks that run on diesel.The project, called the automated biodiesel reactor was one of many student presentations featured at OIT’s 2009 Student Project Symposium. A wide array of renewable energy, information technology and mechanical engineering projects were included.

However, the project is in the early stages, which can produce about 25 gallons of biodiesel at a time. The system separates glycerol from the used vegetable oil in one tank and then further cleanses it in an adjacent tank.The end product would be high-grade biodiesel that meets national American Society for Testing and Materials standards. The energy needed to run the biodiesel reactor would come from solar panels.The advantages of this biodiesel reactor is that it would be far cheaper than others on the market, which cost around $200,000.

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Microbial Process Turns Urban Waste into Biodiesel

Posted on Wednesday, June 3, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:17 AM

A group of Spanish developers has developed a biochemical process called Ecofa to turn urban solid waste into a fatty acid biodiesel feedstock. Eventhough using microbes to convert organic material into energy isn’t a new concept, using bacteria to convert urban waste to fatty acids, which can then be used as a feedstock for biodiesel production, is a new twist here. It is based on metabolism’s natural principle by means of which all living organisms, including bacteria, produce fatty acids.

Two types of bacteria are under further development by Biotit Scientific Biotechnology Laboratory in Seville, Spain: E. coli and Firmicutes.They are also working on other types of bacteria that are capable of producing fatty acids with the same characteristics as biodiesel, which would eventually allow producers to skip the transesterification step.This technique can be extended to other organic debris, plants or animals.It is only necessary to find the appropriate bacteria.

According to the group, they can produce between 1-2 liters [of biodiesel] per 10 kilograms of trash. That’s a little more than one-fourth to one-half of a gallon for every 22 pounds of trash—or between 24 and 48 gallons per ton of urban waste.They are working to improve that.

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Biofuel from Waste Fats

Posted on Monday, May 25, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 2:56 AM

UK based biofuel manufacturer, Amplefuel is set to produce 40 million litres of biofuel each year, focusing on making it from used cooking oil and solid fats.The plant, which utilises a variety of feedstocks from waste products, is one of a handful of firms that is able to break the solid fats down to a liquid biodiesel that does not solidify to later cause blockages.

Amplefuel utilise the solid waste fats from cooking that end up in landfill. Around 500kg of this fat is sent to landfill each week from people’s cooking which they put into a container to let it solidify and then leave it with the rest of their rubbish.The plant breaks the solid fat down by heating it and cleaning it of any visible and emulsified water. The two main fats found in solid fat are separated, treated and then cleaned up again and impurities are filtered out. The result is a liquid diesel that is then blended with other materials to ensure it stays liquid at low temperatures, like normal diesel, which solidifies at around -15 degrees Celsius.

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Biodiesel Production from Legume Tree

Posted on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 10:41 PM

The discovery of a hormone that controls how plants form branches and the use of a legume tree in biodiesel production are just two of the major scientific breakthroughs to come out of UQ's ARC Centre of Excellence in Integrative Legume Research (CILR) this year. The Centre, primarily through work at the UQ Node, achieved a number of successes in its biofuel program focussing on the legume tree Pongamia pinnata.In the case of carbon sequestration, the legume removes CO2 from the atmosphere and stores it in soil; nitrogen gain refers to the legume's ability to return nitrogen to the soil they grow in, acting like a fertiliser.

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Historic Patents For Bio-hydrogen & Algal Oil Production

Posted on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:51 PM

Sustainable Green Technologies , a start-up company in Escondido, California, announced that it has four patents pending with the USPTO which cover commercial bio-hydrogen generation from waste streams and enhanced green algal oil production. The patents cover two unique microorganisms, SGT-06 and SGT-T4, a proprietary bio-reactor process for increased hydrogen production, and a method for increasing algal oil production. The waste streams include bio-diesel refinery waste, brewery malt waste and office paper waste. With this proprietary biotechnology portfolio, SGT will develop industrial scale bio-energy systems which will convert waste streams into bio-hydrogen, and with a coupled fuel cell turn the bio-hydrogen into on site energy in the form of electricity and heat. In addition, they provide a truly innovative solution of converting system byproducts into algae oils. This breakthrough technology supports the U.S. Advanced Energy Initiative - which seeks to diversify the U.S. energy portfolio and to reduce dependence on foreign oil.

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First Economical Process for Making Algae Biodiesel

Posted on Thursday, March 26, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:47 PM

Chemists reported development of what they termed the first economical, eco-friendly process to convert algae oil into biodiesel fuel — a discovery they predict could one day lead to U.S. independence from petroleum as a fuel.A key advantage of this new process, he says, is that it uses a proprietary solid catalyst developed at his company instead of liquid catalysts used by other scientists today. First, the solid catalyst can be used over and over. Second, it allows the continuously flowing production of biodiesel, compared to the method using a liquid catalyst.

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Camelina and Mustard are Two Potential Biodiesel Sources

Posted on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 9:13 PM

Every now and then we hear about biodiesels, biouels,and more about these stuff. Recently it has been found that mustard and camelina have been found to be a major source of oil used for biodiesel production. University in chile has found that camelina and mustard are able to produce 25 and 40 percent oil and they have a very good potential for being used in biodiesels. Furthermore camelina is able to be grown in harsh conditions and requires very little hybridization. This provides a breakthrough in the field of biodiesels and biofuel production. More and more work is being carried on in this field at the moment.

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Integrated Biorefinery Using Pennycress

Posted on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 10:10 PM

Innovation Fuels, the renewable energy company that manufactures, markets, and distributes second-generation biodiesel to customers around the world, has launched an initiative to create the country’s first integrated biorefinery in New Jersey with the introduction of a new cash crop that will increase revenues for local farmers, without displacing any food crops.

Innovation Fuels’ pennycress (a mustard family plant closely related to canola) grows wild and prolifically throughout the United States, and can yield up to 100 gallons/acre of high quality feedstock oil for the production of biodiesel. The crop is typically planted in the fall and harvested in the spring, so producers can cultivate and harvest pennycress without interfering with normal production of corn or soybeans, while increasing revenue from the same acreage.

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Dangers of the Next Generation Biofuels

Posted on Sunday, January 18, 2009 posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 3:40 AM

While a large section of the alt energy industry - especially the bio-energy industry - is optimistic about the next-generation biofuels being in a position to provide transportation fuels in a sustainable manner, a diverse alliance of organizations published an open letter recently in the U.S. and internationally warning of the dangers of industrially produced biofuels (called agrofuels by critics). The letter explains why large-scale industrial production of transport fuels and other energy from plants such as corn, sugar cane, oilseeds, trees, grasses, or so-called agricultural and woodland waste threatens forests, biodiversity, food sovereignty, community-based land rights and will worsen climate change. With the new Obama Administration slated to take office Tuesday, the letter's originators warn that if Obama's "New Green Economy" runs on agrofuels it may trap the U.S. in a dangerous "Green Bubble" of unrealistic promises from an unsustainable industry.

"This no longer about corn ethanol-turning any plants into fuel is simply not renewable," stated Dr. Rachel Smolker, co-author of the letter and Global Justice Ecology Project agrofuels specialist. "All plants, edible or not, require soils, water, fertilizers and land, all of which are in shortening supply. Yet these unsustainable technologies are commanding the vast majority of renewable energy tax incentives, at the expense of genuine cleaner energy solutions like conservation, efficiency, wind, solar, and ocean power. Additionally, because agrofuel crops rely on fertilizers, 44% of which are imported, they cannot even satisfy the calls for U.S. energy independence."

Now, that's a rather forceful statement. I think their arguments merit more introspection. For instance, take cellulosic ethanol. Even if the entire world's cellulosic feedstock were to be converted to ethanol, from some estimates I made earlier, it would only replace a max of 30% of the total world's transportation fuels. Now, we are never going to be able to use all the available cellulosic biomass, so the total replacement is going to be much less than 30%. In fact, according to some of the studies made by large consulting groups, by 2030, it is likely that cellulosic ethanol will only form less than 20% of the total transportation fuel. Now, if this is all we are going to achieve by massively turning all cellulosic feedstock into ethanol, is the effort worth it?

Possibly, the only silver lining could be algae. Algae are the only feedstock that can completely replace all fossil fuels (at least in theory). And algae do not even have most of the negative effects that the second-gen feedstock have. So, perhaps, just perhaps, it will be algae that will save the world. It should however be pointed out that energy from algae is in the research phase and no company is really producing oil on a commercial scale from algae. But we always have hopes for the future, don't we?

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Steven Shigematsu Recognized as Lead Inventor for OriginOil

Posted on Thursday, June 12, 2008 posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 10:01 PM

News Release, Jun 2008

OriginOil, Inc., the developer of a breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, today announced Senior research Engineer Steven Shigematsu's instrumental role in the company's recent technical innovations and patent applications.

Mr. Shigematsu spearheaded the development of the company's algae growth, scalability and extraction systems, leading up to recent patent filings for the Helix BioReactor(TM) and the Transportable Modular Photo Bioreactor. These inventions will create a more effective system to industrialize algae production on a large scale. Mr. Shigematsu has over 30 years of electronics and bio-engineering experience. As Chief Systems Engineer at Matterhorn California Inc., Shigematsu helped to pioneer and perfect a stream bank stabilization system still in use today in hundreds of locations throughout Northern California. This innovation became the de facto standard for waterways agencies seeking replacements for aging concrete flood channels.

OriginOil Recognizes Steven Shigematsu as Lead Inventor

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Micro-Algae In CARS Will Clean Up Tar Sands, Suck CO2, Make Biofuel

Posted on Monday, May 5, 2008 posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 7:56 PM

CARS, the humorous abbreviation for a Carbon Algae Recycling System, is being developed by the Alberta Research Council and nine other research corporations.

In CARS, exhaust CO2 from power plants is diverted from the exhaust gases and pumped into the tailing ponds, where micro-algae eat it all up, along with the heavy metals and leftover hydrocarbons. Result? algae that are harvested and turned into biofuels. From the press release:

“In essence, the goal of CARS is to fast-track Mother Nature’s own process of using plants to soak up greenhouse gases that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere,” says John McDougall, vice-chairman for I-CAN from the Alberta Research Council. “Algae growth research isn’t new, but our goal is. Other algae projects are aimed at creating bio-fuels. The goal of CARS is to provide industry with a sustainable, affordable way to deal with their greenhouse gas emissions.”

More from here



http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/05/micro-algae-will-save-world.php

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Biodiesel Report - Blog Review @ NewNergy

Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 11:05 AM

Biodiesel Report

The Biodiesel Report blog is a well-known blog in the biodiesel and alternative energy domains, partly because it was one of the earlier blogs in the field of biodiesel to arrive on the scene.

The very updation frequency could have been higher - especially given the lovely pics and the useful and detailed articles that are posted in the blog.

The major categories in which postings are made are: Biodiesel, Biodiesel Car, Motorcycle & Trucks, Biodiesel Companies, Biodiesel Conversions, Biodiesel Engine, Biodiesel Kit, Biodiesel Legislation, Biodiesel Production...

Some of its posts will delight those who look for the rare-to-find news items - such as the one on Earthrace Biodiesel Powered Trimaran

Biodiesel Report

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Biodiesel Blogs - Energy Blogs Review

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 10:58 AM

Biodiesel Blog

News and information about Biodiesel & alternative fuels.

A prominent blog for the energy and biodiesel domain, the Biodiesel Blog has been active since Feb 2004.

Though the posts are not very frequent, the content of each post is quite useful. The posts have a focus on what is happening in the biodiesel domain across the globe. It also comprises a useful and long blog roll.

The Biodiesel Blog

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About the So-called Dangerous Chemicals in Biodiesel Production

Posted on Monday, May 14, 2007 posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 4:48 AM

About the So-called Dangerous Chemicals in Biodiesel Production

I keep hearing about some folks being a bit afraid of biodiesel production because they have heard that dangerous chemicals are used in its production. Is this really true?

Not much. If one were to say biodiesel production needs to be done in a safe manner, that is fine. But it is not the same as saying production is dangerous.

This is what the author of this post @ Triangle Biofuels says as well.

The author goes on provide details about the basic ingredients used to make biodiesel (vegetable oils / Animal Fats, an alcohol such as Methanol/Ethanol & a catalyst, such as Sodium Hydroxide or Potassium Hydroxide).

For those who wish to get a quick backgrounder on biodiesel production, a useful post to have a look at

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Turning oil refineries into biorefineries: the BIOCOUP project

Posted on Tuesday, May 8, 2007 posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 11:01 AM

Turning oil refineries into biorefineries: EU launches BIOCOUP project

May 08, 2007, Biopact

Adapting existing mineral oil refineries for use as biorefineries is the goal of an ambitious new EU funded project called BIOCOUP.

BIOCOUP is supported by the European Commission through the Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, under the theme 'Sustainable development, global change and ecosystems'. Its aim is to develop a chain of process steps, which would allow biomass feedstocks to be co-fed to a conventional oil refinery. Energy and oxygenated chemicals will be co-produced as well as bio-liquids. The overall innovation derives from the integration of bio-feedstock procurement with existing industries (energy, pulp and paper, food) and processing of upgraded biomass forms in existing mineral oil refineries.

Read more from this post @ Biopact

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Locate Biodiesel Near You! NearBio Biodiesel Locator Service

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 10:59 AM

Locate Biodiesel Near You! NearBio Biodiesel Locator Service

29 November 2006, source: Biodiesel Report

It’s easy to run biodiesel when you’re driving in familair territory but what happens when you take an extended trip and you would rather not run a non-biofuel? NearBio is a free service to help you find biodiesel when your tank is getting low.

NearBio updates their database of biodiesel filling stations every day. You’ll get a list of stations near your location, driving instructions to find them and GPS coordinates, too.

Read the full report from Biodiesel Report

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Plans for Jatropha Biodiesel in India

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 10:53 AM

Plans for Jatropha Biodiesel in India

Quoting from a post I saw at Biodiesel Blog:

"...in certain parts of the world, governments and some corporations consider the jatropha plant, common in hot climates, one of the most promising sources of biodiesel. The plant can grow in wastelands, and it yields more than four times as much fuel per hectare as soybean, and more than ten times that of corn. But the commercial-scale cultivation of jatropha, which has not previously been grown as a crop, raises several significant challenges."

..."So far, the project has signed up 5,000 farmers representing 1,000 hectares of land. The goal is to have 8,000 hectares under cultivation by March 2008, and Adholeya says that the success of the first crops has drawn interest from many more farmers....Eventually, it aims to produce 90 million liters of biodiesel annually."

Source: Biodiesel Blog

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Sanimax biodiesel is more pure, as clear as water

Posted on Saturday, April 21, 2007 posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 1:39 AM

Sanimax biodiesel is as clear as water

Nathan Leaf, APR 20, 2007

Unlike traditional biodiesel, which has a yellow hue, the biodiesel fuel produced at the Sinmax's new biodiesel DeForest plant, which began production this month, is cleaner, Russ Read, the manager said. And that cleaner fuel is expected to attract more customers.

There's a lot of impurities in biodiesel produced by traditional processes. Sanimax claims that by their double refining process, they improve the quality by taking more impurities out, and guarantee that there is no methanol in it...

Read the full report from here @ Wisconsin State Journal

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Yanmar Kota Kinabalu R&D Centre Set To Boost Biodiesel Sector

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 1:33 AM

Yanmar Kota Kinabalu R&D Centre Set To Boost Biodiesel Sector

April 20, 2007, Bernama, Malaysia

KOTA KINABALU, April 20 (Bernama) -- The establishment of Yanmar Kota Kinabalu R&D Centre Sdn Bhd here by Yanmar Co Ltd, a Japanese manufacturer of diesel engines and its allied machinery, is expected to further boost Sabah's biodiesel industry.

Sabah, the biggest palm oil producing state in Malaysia, was currently at the forefront of developing biodiesel from palm oil.

Read the full report from here @ Bernama, Malaysia

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Pacific Natural Energy Launches Mobile Biodiesel Processor

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 1:31 AM

Pacific Natural Energy Launches Mobile Biodiesel Processor

Apr 20, 2007

Los Angeles, CA -- Eric McLeod, founder and CEO of Pacific Natural Energy (PNE), today announced the launch of his new alternative energy company just in time for Earth Day.

PNE will be a producer of high-grade biodiesel fuel (manufactured from common vegetable oil or animal fats) and also provide the opportunity for other innovators to produce their own biodiesel fuel on-site.

Read the full report from here @ Grain Net

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Fueling the Debate: Ethanol vs. Biodiesel

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 1:29 AM

Fueling the Debate: Ethanol vs. Biodiesel

By Jack Uldrich, April 20, 2007, Motley Fool

This past week offered a perfect synopsis of the continuing debate over whether ethanol or biodiesel is the preferred biofuel of the future. Determining which fuel is better, though, is about as helpful as determining whether running or swimming is the healthier exercise option -- since both, of course, are beneficial. So how do they differ, and what really are the benefits of each?

This article from Motley Fool discusses the topic

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Conoco, Tyson Alliance on biodiesel from Animal Fat

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 1:24 AM

Conoco, Tyson Alliance on biodiesel from Animal Fat

Conoco-Phillips and Tyson Foods have announced plans to team up to make biodiesel fuel out of animal fat, according to a report @ The Wall Street Journal

Tyson produces over 300 million gallons of beef, pork and chicken fat each year. The company plans to ship about 60 percent of its fat to a Conoco-Phillips plant for processing. The remaining 40 percent will be used in cosmetics, soap and pet food, as it is now.

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Pacific Natural Energy Launches Innovative Alternative Energy Solution: A Mobile Biodiesel Processor

Posted on Friday, April 20, 2007 posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 1:09 PM

Pacific Natural Energy Launches Innovative Alternative Energy Solution: A Mobile Biodiesel Processor Makes Renewable Resources Anyone's Business

Press release, Apr 2007

Pacific Natural Energy, a Los Angeles-based startup, unveils an innovative and cost-effective way to turn urban waste oil into Biodiesel. The company will supply both mobile processing reactors and fully processed biodiesel fuel. This will introduce a new option for individuals, businesses, entrepreneurs and local communities to become fuel manufacturers and produce ASTM grade biodiesel at approximately $1.50 per gallon, opening a new market of legal biodiesel production in the 50,000 to 250,000 gallon per year range. The announcement comes just in time to coincide with Earth Day 2007.

Read the full press release from here @ PR Web

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Brazil Soy Industry Prepares For Biodiesel War With Argentina

Posted on Monday, March 26, 2007 posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 8:57 AM

Brazil Soy Industry Prepares For Biodiesel War With Argentina

SAO PAULO and BUENOS AIRES (Dow Jones)--Brazil's major soyoil producers are preparing for a fight against Argentina over the biodiesel market, hoping Brasilia can convince Buenos Aires that Argentine tax policies are bad for Brazil's biodiesel program.

Brazil soy oil is the number one ingredient used in making biodiesel. Soy oil companies think Argentina's cheaper costs (Argentina has lots of tax incentives for biofuels) will cut them out of the market, especially the export markets.

Read the full report here @ Cattle Network

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New biodiesel production method created

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 8:00 AM

New biodiesel production method created

NASHVILLE, March 21 (UPI) -- A new Nanocatalyst developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory might replace a costly process in biodiesel production.

Scientists at the laboratory's Nanoscience Center say the technology might replace the biodiesel manufacturing process that consumes chemicals, water and energy.

Read the full report here @ Science Daily

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Van Der Horst Biodiesel builds plant in Singapore

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 7:53 AM

Van Der Horst Biodiesel builds S$40m plant in Singapore

By Tung Shing Yi, Channel NewsAsia, 21 March 2007

SINGAPORE: Van Der Horst Biodiesel is planning to build Singapore's first biodiesel plant that uses Jatropha as feedstock.

The plant on Jurong Island will cost the joint venture between Van Der Horst Engineering and the Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering, which is an institute linked to Nanyang Technological University, S$40 million.

Read the full report from here @ Channel News Asia

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Farmer promotes biodiesel plant

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 7:49 AM

Farmer promotes biodiesel plant

March 22, 2007, CBC News

A group of more than 30 farmers gathered in Charlottetown Wednesday night to explore the possibility of building their own biodiesel plant.

The proposal is for the plant to be owned by farmers. It would crush oil from canola grown by Island farmers and mix it with diesel to create a fuel that could run vehicles and heat buildings.

Read more from this news report @ CBC, Canada

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Oxidation stability of biodiesel and blends

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 7:43 AM

Oxidation stability of biodiesel and blends

A standardised quality parameter to avoid motor damage can be easily determined with the highly reliable Biodiesel Rancimat from Metrohm UK. In addition to other alternative fuels such as ethanol, methanol or biogas (methane), fatty acid methyl esters are increasingly found on the market; these are then known as biodiesel, RME (rapeseed oil methyl esters) or FAME (fatty acid methyl esters).

Read more from this article @ Manufacturing Talk

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NextEnergy Biodiesel Summit Set Goals for Biodiesel Research

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 7:32 AM

NextEnergy Biodiesel Summit Set Goals for Biodiesel Research

Press release

Detroit, MI - Manufacturers, policy makers, regulators and biodiesel industry representatives met on Monday, March 12, for a Biodiesel Summit to identify and remove barriers to widespread acceptance of biodiesel blends of up to 20 percent by volume (B20) by engine and vehicle manufacturers.

DaimlerChrysler, a sponsor of the B20 Summit, challenged the group to come up with a viable fuel standard for the B20 finished blend.

"Biodiesel represents a huge opportunity to address some of our nation’s toughest energy, environmental and economic challenges,” said Deborah Morrissett, DaimlerChrysler’s VP of Regulatory Affairs.

“We know this is the right thing to do – so the goal now is to develop a national B20 standard that can be universally applied to all diesel vehicles, both on road and in production, to confidently support higher blends of biodiesel such as B20.”


A major step towards full B20 support is finalization of a defined B20 American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specification.

The ASTM B20 specification moved closer to reality in recent months when the group approved new limits in ASTM D 6751, the existing standard for pure (B100) biodiesel, for oxidation stability and other parameters needed for 2007/2010 diesel engines.

“The B100 standard has been designed so that it is protective of B20 and lower blends,” said Steve Howell, NBB Technical Director and Chairman of the ASTM Task Force on biodiesel standards, “but regulators need us to approve a finished blend standard to hold people to, and engine makers need something they can design to.”

The multi-industry Biodiesel Summit group met at the NextEnergy Center, Michigan’s alternative and renewable energy business incubator, located in Detroit’s TechTown district.

Beyond the final approval of the B20 finished fuel standard, participants identified several areas that need additional study and funding to bolster full B20 support, including:

>Long-term effects of B20 on emissions control and after-treatment devices .

>Long-term engine durability testing .

>Greater fuel quality monitoring efforts to ensure the fuel standards are being met.

“If we want to increase our economic competitiveness, strengthen energy security and help protect the environment, we have to provide customers with more clean, domestically-produced energy options,” said Jim Croce, NextEnergy CEO.

“Biodiesel has the most immediate potential to succeed. It’s sustainable, renewable and doesn’t require new invention."

The biodiesel industry is already looking to the future with the next generation of biodiesel.

“Our goals for next generation biodiesel are to optimize biodiesel’s fatty acid profile for cold flow and stability, optimize agriculture for higher production of oils and fats from traditional crops, and to develop non-traditional additional crops like micro-algae for biodiesel, or even crops that can be grown on marginal land or using brownfield sites,” said Donnell Rehagen, NBB Chief Operations Officer, who spoke at the summit.

“In my 40-plus years as an agricultural scientist and administrator, I have never experienced such exciting times in agriculture,” said Gale Buchanan, USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics.

“The era of bioenergy and bioproducts is clearly agriculture’s “Grand Challenge” for the 21st Century.”

All major OEMs support B5 and lower blends, provided they are made with biodiesel meeting ASTM D 6751, the existing ASTM standard for pure biodiesel (B100).

Use of blends higher than B5 will not necessarily void existing warranties. A growing number of OEMs are also recommending that users purchase biodiesel from BQ-9000 certified companies.

BQ-9000 is the biodiesel industry’s quality program for biodiesel producers and marketers.

While full B20 support is the goal, several auto and equipment manufacturers have recognized that the market may not be willing to wait years for it to happen.

DaimlerChrysler was the first auto manufacturer to approve the use of B20 by government, military and commercial fleet customers in its 2007 model year Dodge Ram pickup truck.

New Holland has also approved the use of B20 in all of its equipment using New Holland engines, becoming the first OEM to announce full formal support for B20 in the engines it produces.

For more information, call Mark Beyer, NextEnergy at 313-833-0100.

See Related Websites/Articles:

National Biodiesel Board

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Researcher develops bioplastic as a disposable source of biodiesel

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 4:55 AM

Researcher develops bioplastic as a disposable source of biodiesel

Posted by Giles Clark, London

23 March 2007

In an effort to develop a new source of sustainable energy, researchers at Polytechnic University, the premier New York-based technology and engineering higher education institution, have bioengineered a fuel-latent plastic that can be converted into biodiesel. Commercialization of this technology will lead to a new source of green energy.

The team made a new plastic from plant oils that has remarkable properties, which includes being tougher and more durable than typical polyethylenes. Additionally, the bioplastic can be placed in a simple container where it is safely broken down to liquid fuel.

REad the full report from here @ Biofuel Review

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Biodiesel for school buses in Wisconsin

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 4:46 AM

Biodiesel for school buses in Wisconsin

Dane County and the Wisconsin Soybean Program provided the money and students at Wright Middle School provided the science in the unveiling Thursday of a plan to reimburse school districts for using biodiesel fuel in their buses.

The Dane County Clean Air Coalition will contribute $50,000 toward a fund that will reimburse county school districts for the cost difference between biodiesel and standard diesel fuel.

Read the full report here from Wisconsin State Journal

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Biodiesel in Trucks - Trucking Sees Use of Biofuels

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 4:41 AM

Biodiesel in Trucks - Trucking Sees Use of Biofuels

Mar 2007

By John Latta

Almost a quarter of the way into a 2-million-miles test of biodiesel in 20 over-the-road Caterpillar-powered Peterbilts, the company behind the experiment claimed positive results at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky.

Hard numbers are not yet available from the identically spec’d trucks which began rolling last fall and 350,000 miles ago with a B20 blend of biodiesel. The tractors are Peterbilt 379s, 388s and 389s with Caterpillar C13 and C15 2006 and ’07 engines.

Increased lubricity, and the fact that biodiesel burns cleaner, are seen as the source of decreased maintenance for trucks & trucking.

Read the full report from here @ eTucker News

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Biodiesel could fuel canola explosion in California

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 4:07 AM

Biodiesel could fuel canola explosion

by Bob Johnson, Check Biotech

Canola may provide California growers with a new alternative to other grain crops because its oil seeds are a major source of biodiesel. The crop is similar to wheat in terms of planting and harvesting dates.

And if biodiesel use increases as expected, there could be enormous demand and significant price increases for canola, says this report from Check Biotech

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Cummins Announces Approval of B20 Biodiesel Blends

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 3:36 AM

Cummins Announces Approval of B20 Biodiesel Blends

23 Mar 2007

Louisville, Kentucky [RenewableEnergyAccess.com]

Cummins Inc. announced the approval of biodiesel B20 blends for use in its 2002 and later emissions-compliant ISX, ISM, ISL, ISC and ISB engines. This includes the recently released 2007 products.

Cummins is able to upgrade its previous position on the use of biodiesel fuel, which limited the use to B5 blends only, up to B20 for three key reasons.

Read the full report from here @ Renewable Energy Access

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Montreal buses to run on biodiesel

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 3:29 AM

Montreal buses to run on biodiesel

March 23, 2007, CBC News

Montreal's transit corporation is switching to biodiesel fuel and buying hybrid buses in an attempt to green its fleet and cut carbon emissions.

All Société de transport de Montréal (STM) buses will run on biodiesel fuel by 2008, and the transition should be fairly inexpensive, said president Claude Trudel.

Bus engines can run on biodiesel fuel without requiring any modifications, and the cost of a fill-up should be the same, says this report from CBC News, Canada

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Sugar catalysts can turn waste vegetable oil into biodiesel

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 3:22 AM

A sweet future for biodiesel

26 March 2007

Sugar catalysts can turn waste vegetable oil into biodiesel, researchers have revealed.

Min-Hua Zong at the South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, and colleagues have used a sugar catalyst to prepare biodiesel from waste vegetable oil. Sugar catalysts, made by the sulfonation of partially carbonized D-glucose, have previously been used for making biodiesel from new vegetable oils, but had never been successfully used in making biodiesel from waste oil.

Read the full report from here @ Chemical Science

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Houston Area Power Plant Runs Entirely on Biodiesel

Posted on Saturday, March 10, 2007 posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 10:57 AM

Houston Area Power Plant Runs Entirely on Biodiesel

08 Mar 2007

Oak Ridge North, Texas [via RenewableEnergyAccess.com]

Biofuels Power Corp. has begun producing and selling electricity into the ERCOT Power Grid from its biodiesel powered generating plant in Oak Ridge North, Texas, which is run entirely on biodiesel.

Biofuels Power plans to build a series of biodiesel powered electric generating plants to serve residential and industrial customers in the Houston Metropolitan area.

Read more from this report @ Renewable Energy Access

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Rabobank Warns of Overcapacity in Biodiesel in Asia

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 10:53 AM

Rabobank warns of overcapacity in biodiesel

March 09, 2007

HONG KONG: Asia may see a large overcapacity in biodiesel due to an investment boom in Malaysia and Indonesia, Rabobank analysts warned on Thursday.

Though less than half of biodiesel projects currently planned are likely to be realised, Asia may see a surplus capacity of more than one million tonnes a year by 2010, analysts said.

Read the full story here @ Daily Times, Pakistan

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UK Company Installs 100% Biodiesel Pumps for its Fleet

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 10:48 AM

UK company installs 100% biodiesel pumps for its fleet

09 March 2007

A UK company, Sandtoft, has taken the radical step of installing 100 percent biodiesel pumps and storage tanks at its Doncaster HQ. The move represents the first benchmark in ambitious plans to convert all of the company’s fleet vehicles to 100 percent biodiesel within three years.

The Sandtoft pumps dispense 100 percent Rapeseed Methyl Ester (RME) biodiesel, which is produced to EN14214 quality standards and derives from oilseed rape.

Read more from here @ Biofuel Review

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New Zealand Biodiesel Boat Sets Off on Record Attempt

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 10:35 AM

Biodiesel boat sets off on record attempt today

10-Mar-2007

A record-attempting New Zealand boat, running on biodiesel fuel, sets off on a global adventure today.

The 24-metre trimaran, Earthrace, is trying to snatch the powerboat record for circling the world, from a British boat which made it in 75 days in 1998.

Source: TV3, New Zealand

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Canadian Research Project To Determine Best Biodiesel Fuel Blend

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 10:32 AM

Research Project To Determine Best Biodiesel Fuel Blend

09 March 2007

A two year research project by the University of Saskatchewan Engineering Department will help the city determine the best biodiesel blend to use in it's buses.

Transit Manager Jeff Balon says two conventional diesel buses and two electric hybrid buses are being used to test the effect of low sulphur diesel, and 5 per cent canola biodiesel blend.

Read more from here @ Saskatoon Homepage

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Hoover, AL turns old grease to biodiesel

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 10:28 AM

Hoover, AL turns old grease to biodiesel

March 10, 2007

After President Bush visited Hoover in September and praised the city for its use of ethanol in city vehicles, Mayor Tony Petelos said city leaders decided to seek more ways to use alternative fuels.

The city this week launched a new initiative, making its first batch of biodiesel fuel from leftover cooking oil.

Read more from this Al.com report

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