http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/biodiesel/ en-us Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:37:26 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2070837/posts I kid you not. Democrat presidential nominee Barack Obama and his running mate Joe Biden kicked off their campaign today at a chicken fat factory in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The chicken fat factory converts the fat to biodiesel.The Pittsburgh Tribune Review reports Obama and Biden, accompanied by their wives, toured the Pennsylvania Bio Diesel plant that produces 35,000 gallons a month.Obama is scheduled to address a rally of "hundreds" of supporters tonight in Irvine Park in Beaver County, the paper reported.US Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) smells a sample of bio diesel fuel during a tour of the... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2070837/posts#comment Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:37:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2066362/posts A small group of unassuming mid-westerners has discovered what could be a complete game-changer for the global biodiesel industry. Their new system makes biodiesel in mere seconds, creates a product that costs half the price, produces no waste, and can use any animal fat or vegetable oil as a feedstock. Gas 2.0 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2066362/posts#comment Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:07:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064222/posts In the world of alternative fuels, there may be nothing greener than pond scum. Algae are tiny biological factories that use photosynthesis to transform carbon dioxide and sunlight into energy so efficiently that they can double their weight several times a day, producing oil in the process — 30 times more oil per acre than soybeans, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Like soybean oil, the algae oil can be burned directly in diesel engines or further refined into biodiesel. University of Virginia researchers have a plan to greatly increase algae oil yields by feeding the algae extra carbon... FOXbusiness.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064222/posts#comment Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:07:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2056323/posts If, say five years from now, you're filling your car's tank with low-cost fuel made from grass, algae or another non-food plant, you might have a University of Northern Colorado professor to thank. Chhandak Basu, an assistant professor of biological sciences, is researching whether a gene from a tropical "diesel tree" can be cloned into other plants for mass production of biofuel. Basu has received $100,000 for the two-year collaborative project with researchers at the University of Tennessee. Basu got a $49,643 grant from the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade, along with matching funds from UNC. "I... www.greeleytribune.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2056323/posts#comment Mon, 4 Aug 2008 17:58:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2054212/posts A Northamptonshire man destroyed his garage and badly injured himself at the weekend while attempting to make biodiesel from used cooking oil. A devastating explosion levelled the makeshift reprocessing plant on Saturday afternoon, when sparks from an electric drill being used to mix ingredients ignited explosive vapours. Firemen hastened to deal with the smoking wreckage, in Middleton Cheney, and the unnamed thrifty motorist was airlifted to hospital with 20 per cent burns. "Firefighters would like to urge members of the public to take extreme caution if undertaking such chemical mixtures in their own homes," said a statement from the Oxfordshire... www.theregister.co.uk http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2054212/posts#comment Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:26:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2053051/posts Oil prices recently hit $140 per barrel. The cost to grow and transport food is rising in tandem, and the global economy is being squeezed. Meanwhile pollution from burning fossil fuels continues to pollute the planet. The world needs an abundant source of clean, transportable, inexpensive fuel. Could microscopic algae hold a key to that future? There has been a lot of hype surrounding oil production from algae lately. Visionaries claim algae holds the key to energy independence, but as exciting as oil produced from algae is, the reality is that a fossil-fuel-free economy is probably farther off than many... www.thetrumpet.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2053051/posts#comment Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:48:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051202/posts Imagine a three-way chicken and egg question. What came first: the chicken, the egg or the nest? That is the latest conundrum facing anyone trying to get started in the biodiesel business. How does one ensure that over a plant’s life that production will find an open market, access to feedstock, will not contravene local ordinances, and will have a trained and efficient pool of employees? The best answer begins with feedstocks because they determine how far and how fast one can adapt to changing market conditions. Feedstock prices typically represent approximately 85 percent of the price of biodiesel. Never... biodiesel magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051202/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:48:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051198/posts Mark Rosenzweig, owner of San Jose Tallow, was driving home through suburban San Jose, Calif., one mid-April day when he noticed a pumper truck pulling into a shopping center. He was immediately suspicious. Rosenzweig knew the only eatery in that center was a Burger King because he held the contract for grease removal. “I followed him until he pulled into the Burger King where I watched him steal the grease,” he says. Rosenzweig is no stranger to grease theft. “It’s a common problem out here,” he says. He told Biodiesel Magazine that in one week during the month of June... biodiesel magazine. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051198/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:45:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051194/posts he steep rise in fuel prices is creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to innovate and discover new low-cost feedstocks for biofuels production. Neptune Industries, a Florida company, is looking to collect waste generated byits fish farming operation to fertilize algae production for biodiesel feedstocks. biodiesel magazine. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051194/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:41:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039326/posts POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. - It's a concept gaining in popularity, homemade hydrogen fuel cells attached to cars and trucks in order to squeeze out a few more miles per gallon. If you're willing to do some homework and make a trip to the hardware store, you could save some money. "It just helps the fuel completely burn in the engine," said Doug Batton. He explains how this hydrogen fuel cell, or booster attached in the bed of his truck, helps him get more miles per gallon on the road. His Dodge truck still needs fuel, this device just helps him... www.kfvs12.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039326/posts#comment Tue, 1 Jul 2008 18:58:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039157/posts Gabe Schwartzman, a tall, lanky high school senior from Montgomery County, can fill up the tank of his 1980 Volvo sedan for less than $20. And he's happy to share his secret: "I take what would be thrown away and turn it into fuel." Over the last several months, Gabe has been hunkered down in the basement of his parents' Garrett Park home, converting used fryer oil from a restaurant up the street into fuel for his car. Brewing biodiesel, once a quaint hobby for green-minded citizens and budding chemists, is becoming more mainstream. The spike in gas prices is... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039157/posts#comment Tue, 1 Jul 2008 14:40:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038814/posts Rice engineers ID 'green' methods to make valuable organic acidsHOUSTON -- June 30, 2008 -- In a move that promises to change the economics of biodiesel refining, chemical engineers at Rice University have unveiled a set of techniques for cleanly converting problematic biofuels waste into chemicals that fetch a profit. The latest research is available online in the journal Metabolic Engineering. The new paper and others published earlier this year describe a new fermentation process that allows E. coli and other enteric bacteria to convert glycerin -- the major waste byproduct of biodiesel production -- into formate, succinate and other... Rice University http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038814/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:04:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031350/posts In 2007 this subsidy cost the American taxpayer $300 million, and it’s projected to cost the American taxpayers $600 million next year,” said Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz. The scam — as Shadegg and others call it — is known as “splash and dash.” It stems from an existing $1 subsidy for every gallon of biodiesel fuel blended with regular diesel in the United States. Here’s how it works: Biodiesel is produced abroad using South American sugar cane or Asian palm oil and shipped to the United States, where it’s blended with just a “splash” of regular diesel. A typical tanker-load... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031350/posts#comment Sun, 15 Jun 2008 09:31:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031274/posts BRUSSELS: Picking a new trade fight with the United States, the European Union on Thursday accused U.S. producers of biodiesel of benefiting from subsidies that threaten to put European producers out of business. Biofuels are bitterly contested because of allegations that they raise food prices and do little to fight global warming. But they are also a big business, with sales of about €8 billion, or $12.3 billion, annually in Europe. EU trade officials say European producers are at risk because of a tax credit that is granted to American exporters. The commission said it would begin a formal anti-dumping... International Herald Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031274/posts#comment Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:09:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024943/posts Texas expanded its lead as the biggest producer of biodiesel fuel in the U.S. with the opening today of the nation's largest biodiesel refinery at the Houston Ship Channel. The facility, owned by Grapevine-based GreenHunter Energy, will have capacity to produce 105 million gallons a year of the fuel, which is touted as a way to help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. But the refinery may be more notable for its ability to make biodiesel from non-food sources. While most U.S. producers use soybean oil or other vegetable oils to make the fuel — and have been hammered by... Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024943/posts#comment Mon, 2 Jun 2008 20:04:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024335/posts WACO, Texas — There's a reason David Cole's diesel pickup truck smells like fried chicken. It's fueled by the glistening, golden waste oil of a restaurant fry pit. Every two or three weeks, Cole visits a North Waco chicken joint and empties out a 50-gallon oil barrel. He takes the free fuel home and filters it through a homemade system of pipes and barrels. Then he pumps it into a tank in the bed of his 1995 Ford F-350. The four-door truck, which can switch easily from diesel to cooking oil, is the only vehicle for his family of four.... chron.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024335/posts#comment Sun, 1 Jun 2008 12:07:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019930/posts The mere mention of moving biodiesel through pipelines brings so many related aspects into question that Biodiesel Magazine decided it was time to address the totality of these interrelated concerns. biodiesel magazine. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019930/posts#comment Thu, 22 May 2008 22:57:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019929/posts What started as a student research project at Augsburg College may become a major change in the biodiesel industry. A team of scientists and engineers have turned a tool for purifying and separating chemicals into a six-second process for turning the poorest quality vegetable oil into biodiesel. The first commercial-scale plant using the process should come on line this year. biodiesel magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019929/posts#comment Thu, 22 May 2008 22:54:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019928/posts The oil from the Moringa tree is considered to be a more sustainable biodiesel feedstock than jatropha oil by those who argue that sustainability is better served by feedstocks that can yield both food and fuel. biodiesel magazine. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019928/posts#comment Thu, 22 May 2008 22:52:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019690/posts Mississippi State University, for the second consecutive year, earned top honors in the GM and US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Challenge X student engineering competition. Over the past nine months, the 2008 Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainability competition challenged 17 university teams from the US and Canada to re-engineer a Chevrolet Equinox that employs advanced powertrain technologies. The Mississippi State team designed a through-the-road parallel hybrid electric vehicle powered by a 1.9L GM direct injection turbo diesel engine fueled by biodiesel (B20). It used a GM F40 6-speed manual transmission and a Johnson Controls 300V NiMH battery pack in conjunction... www.greencarcongress.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019690/posts#comment Thu, 22 May 2008 14:45:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2016857/posts Having finally worked out the kinks in using more biodiesel in its 600-bus fleet, TriMet is not sure it can afford it because of skyrocketing biodiesel costs. Portland Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2016857/posts#comment Fri, 16 May 2008 14:11:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014385/posts Isanti has gained state-wide attention for its Ever Cat Fuels biodiesel facility project. Mayor George Wimmer announced Isanti won the Economic Development Association of Minnesota Business Recruitment award during the May 6 Isanti City Council meeting. Community Development Director Carla Vita said the business recruitment award is presented annually by EDAM, who received two to three times the amount of normal submissions. The city was notified it had won the award May 1 and will be presented the honor during a ceremony June 18, held during EDAM’s summer conference at Ruttger’s Bay Lodge in Deerwood, Minn. “This is a great... isanti county news. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014385/posts#comment Sun, 11 May 2008 13:21:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013678/posts Diesel owners who switch to cooking grease can run afoul of the law. Just ask the governor. Dave Eck, a Half Moon Bay mechanic, had attracted a media spotlight with his fleet of vehicles fueled by used fryer grease from a local chowder house. So when Sacramento called, he figured officials wanted advice on promoting alternative fuels. Not at all. The government rang to notify Eck that he was a tax cheat. He was scolded for failing to get a "diesel fuel supplier's license," reporting quarterly how many gallons of grease he burns, and paying a tax on each gallon.... LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013678/posts#comment Fri, 9 May 2008 18:13:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011408/posts US Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM), ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced the American Energy Production Act of 2008 (S.2958) to increase domestic production of oil and natural gas and to fund the development of oil shale and coal-to-liquids technology. Eighteen other senators co-sponsored. Included in the bill is language for a coal-derived fuels mandate. The bill would open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as well as the Atlantic and Pacific regions of the Outer Continental Shelf for exploration and production; and lift the one-year moratorium on developing oil shale in Colorado, Wyoming... www.greencarcongress.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011408/posts#comment Mon, 5 May 2008 13:29:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010352/posts Continental has introduced a new piezo injector with direct drive and closed-loop needle control, enabling engine developers to further reduce consumption and emissions. The new injector offers further potential savings by simplifying other emissions-related components such as sensors and control algorithms, according to Continental. “Even vehicles in higher weight categories will now meet the Euro 6 emissions standard without nitrogen oxides aftertreatment,” said Wendelin Klügl, Senior Vice President, Powertrain System & Technology at the 29th International Vienna Motor Symposium. A piezo injector uses a piezo actuator, consisting of a stack of more than 300 wafer-thin ceramic platelets, to control the... www.greencarcongress.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010352/posts#comment Fri, 2 May 2008 18:54:23 GMT