According to data released by the Biodiesel Bureua Board (catchy title eh?) Biodiesel production jumped by 16% from 2008 to 2009.
Of course while this sounds impressive and surprising, in 2005-6 the increase was just over 50%.
Even still, it furthers Europe's reputation as King Of Biofuels.
Full story here … http://green.autoblog.com/2010/08/01/biodiesel-production-shoots-up-16-in-european-union-output-rea/
CABC (Consortium for Algal Biofuels Commercialization), SABC (Sustainable Algal Biofuels Consortium, and Cellana, LLC Consortium just received a large grant of twenty four million dollars from the federal government in algae fuel research. Each group has been designated specific tasks to tackle the obstacles laid forth by algae's ability to yield energy.
CABC, led by the University of California will focus on developing algae as a hearty biofuel feedstock. Most of their assignment will include the following:
• Investigating new ways to protect algae crops from contamination and predation
• Algal Nutrient usage and recycling
• Developing genetic tools
They will be working closely with seven companies including Sapphire Energy, General Atomics, and Sempra Energy, who are also providing three million to finance research and development.
SABC, led by Arizona State University, will pay close attention to testing acceptability of these new biofuels as substitutes for petroleum based fuels. Some of their duties will be to:
• Investigate biochemical conversion of algae to fuels
• Analyze properties of algal fuels and intermediates
Lastly, Cellana, led by Cellana (Shell and HR BioPetroleum) will look at large scale production of feed and fuels from microalgae matured in seawater. Their tasks will include the following:
• The assimilation of new harvest technologies with "pilot-scale cultivation test beds"
• Development of marine microalgae as animal nourishment for the industry of aquaculture
CABC will receive approximately nine million from the DOE, while SABC and Cellana will get the remaining fifteen. Funding for such research began back during the Jimmy Carter period, where the former president invested nearly twenty five million into algae fuel research. Funding and research was shelved momentarily during the Clinton Administration, but has since returned, with many fortune 500 (i.e. – Exon Mobile) pouring money into R&D.
Despite the hault in algae fuel funding, Former President Clinton along with close confidant Doug Band, continues to invest into reducing the U.S. carbon footprint. With alternative energy efforts like this, and that of the Fed and Exon, we're still on track towards optimum sustainability.
Jack Lundee – "Follower of all things green and progressive"
I always get slightly disappointed when I see folks go backward in their thinking and return to their old ways. Kind of
Reports Of Biodiesel's Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated...
like we're slipping back into the bog from where we came…
Sorry getting carried away there.
So I figured I'd ask YOU dear reader, what you thought about the current economy and the fact that over a third of biodiesel plants in the US have closed over the past few months.
And you responded in your droves. So good to have so many bright folks reading my insignificant ezine.
Some of your tales and thoughts were optimistic and inspiring, others a harsh reality check.
I thank you all and hope you stay in touch as we get through this economic blip (see, now I'm being optimistic!)
Here are the high (and low) lights…
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$4+ per gallon … then bio-diesel will come back!
So discussion is still raging about the merits of making biodiesel from algae…and indeed…whether it's possible at all.
Some of you have mailed me to ask how it's done and I have to be honest…
"I don't have a clue!"
Well, until now that is…
Usually I just point folks to the earlier blog post about algae biodiesel but now…
I've stumbled across a truly authoritative algae biodiesel bible, I mean…this manual is huge and exhaustive, I've never seen anything like it.
It's a little pricey but if you want to get started making biodiesel from algae, it's really all you need.
Some fundamentals that most people tend to get confused…and some Interesting thoughts on the future of biodiesel from Michael Wittman.
The US may well become the largest consumer of biodiesel by 2012 (so says a report at SRI Consulting) with around 19% of the world's biodiesel consumption.
With the governments of China and India recently announcing biodiesel advances themselves it's thought that these countries will emerge as a real force in the marketplace.
Anyway check out this pretty graphic for a predicted breakdown of current biodiesel consumption…
Jatropha: Not Just For Voodoo You Know…
I often get asked a few questions via email about the Jatropha plant and its biodiesel properties. I have to admit I'm no expert on the subject so it was a relief to find my faithful Guardian newspaper with some news on the subject.
For the longest time voodoo fanatics have sworn by Jatropha's potential for banishing evil spirits but it may have a bigger and more eco friendly use than that.
In Latin America they tend to run short of most things except for Jatropha. You see, the seeds can produce an oil that has great energy properties and in Haiti particularly, this could be really valuable (particularly as their electricity supply barely works at all!)
The best thing about Jatropha is that it can produce upto 4 times the amount of biodiesel as soya beans and even 1.5 times as much as canola.
Plus, the crop can grow on land that's been left for ruin with little rainfall. A sturdy plant indeed!
Funny that this voodoo bashing plant could well turn out to be one of the world's saviours!
Biodiesel From Seaweed?
Lastly, Italy are the latest country to make biodiesel from an odd substance. This time it's seaweed.
They're calling it the Mambo Project and they're spending a tidy $14 million on it!
Clearly, with the worry that biofuels are contributing to the increase in food prices this method is currently getting a lot of attention.
Basically, they grow seaweed in plastic tubes which are fed CO2 from power plants, they expect to perfect the oil production process within two years.
Be interesting to see if they succeed…
Source: Sustainable Business
The following was left as a comment in the algae biodiesel discussion by Sam Haynes. I felt it too interesting to be left buried deep in that other post, so here it is. Some eye-opening points here, please leave your comments…
"When I was first asked to write an article on alternate fuels for this blog, I did so to test my ability to write an article which would generate some interest, arouse some participation and stir the pot of discussion, so to speak.
I had no idea that what I wrote would stir the pot so well.
I have learned a lot reading these posts over the last few weeks. I encourage you to keep stirring, for I firmly believe that you can, one by one, piece by piece, come up with realistic approaches with meaningful ROI.
One of the early posts remarked that there is no one all encompassing solution to the alternative fuel pie challenge, rather various slices, each appropriate to a unique situation or set of constraints. I agree.
Marine Algae Biodiesel (MAB)is specific to the needs of our national transportation systems. The consumer infra-structure is already in place, needing only a change of signage on the pumps and station marquees. We could conclude that the arguments pro MAB are good and sufficient, requiring only resolution of the political and venture capital financial dog fights we are only too familiar with.
Ethanol from U.S. corn fields is a highly subsidized product requiring massive conversion of food grain acreage into subsidized corn production. The negative back lash against the status quo (AMD in case) is mounting daily and rightly so. The ROI number crunch is not friendly to Ethanol for fuel. Brazil is universally cited as a model for ethanol for transportation but hardly any mention is made of the massive and necessary technology changes in automobile fuel handling to make the system work. There seems to be too much smoke and mirrors around the concept for the U.S. to make Ethanol a meaningful fuel alternate.
Fuel cells and elementary Hydrogen are also two exciting alternatives, both of which would require massive industrial production and delivery technology changes. Both are worth further R&D and are feasible for limited specialized applications where cost is a minor factor.
Two of the most interesting alternate sources are Wind Turbines, excellent for remote power grid locations where wind is a constant reliable source, and Geothermal steam tukrbine power generators.
Of the two, Wind is a highly developed, currently in use application in remote and isolated regions globally. Its ROI based on location constraints is excellent.
Geothermal power generation is a sleeping giant currently being exploited around the world in some of the most unlikely locations. There is something almost seminal about drawing nourishment from the heart of mother earth.
The potential energy available from the hot strata deep within our crust is for all practical purposes, inexhaustible. The technology for deep well drilling is already available and currently being used. Deep strata sourcing can be drilled literally anywhere a rig can be set up.
More easily tapped geothermal sources can be made along any volcanic fault lines, of which the U.S. has several. (I used to live in Hawai'i (The comma actually belongs there) and local proposals to tap the main island volcano, Kiluea, for live steam production cum turbo electric power generation were met with controlled rage by some of the state's native Hawaian population who still cling to the pagan religious beliefs, especially those of Pele, goddess of fire and volcanos. Powerful stuff! There are more user friendly places.
Within the contiguous states, the most likely location is Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone has several good reasons for establishing a large geothermal power plant there, the obvious one being evidenced by the geysers, numerous geysers, present in what geologists and volcanologists call the Yellowstone Caldera. The geothermal source is very close to the surface there, making its use more cost effective.
There is a more pressing reason to source power there and that is the history of Yellowstone Caldera. Some seventeen thousand years ago it blew up, sending a lethal layer of volcanic ash as far east as Kansas, killing everything it fell upon. The blow up was the latest in a cyclical blast that some geologists calculate to occur every 17,000 years, plus or minus.
It would seem that we are presently due for that big bang at Yellowstone any time now. Not impressed? Due diligence, my friends, due diligence. Google: "Yellowstone Caldera volcanic activity". BTW, I am citing all this off the top of my head from data I read some years ago. Check me out, please. Don't take anyone's word for anything until you personally have checked out their credibility. Me included!
Their is an ad by General Electric, I believe, currently running on TV, promoting geothermal energy. They make some mind boggling claims. Check that out.
I believe that, using all or some of the alternate energy pie slices above, that we could be totally energy independent within the next fifteen to twenty years.
We put a man on the moon, not once but many times. We can do anything if we set a national goal and commit to making personal sacrifices till we get it done.
The only thing standing in our way is our own apathy, a "Let George do it; I don't want to get involved" national curse. My friends, it is for me a struggle of morals and spirituality against the lust for power and greed for money.
Election day is coming up next Tuesday. Do you know whose bed your candidate is sleeping in tonight? Do you approve? Tell that scoundrel next week. Demand accountability. It is your right. One small vote can make a big difference."
Aloha oe,
Pathfinder
…thanks for that Sam, interesting stuff I'm sure you'd agree. So, what do you think…?
Get Friendly With Your Local Restaurant
Are you looking for somewhere to get hold of waste cooking oil to use in your biodiesel making experiments? Contact your local eating places…they're probably throwing a ton of the stuff away each day.
Check out Lucas Manteca who owns a seafood restaurant. The environmentally conscious owner wanted to make his restaurant as enviro-friendly as possible so instead of throwing out his waste oil as sewage he gives it to a company called Waste Oil Recyclers….who then proceed to go and sell it off as biodiesel and make a pretty penny.
Now of course, what you want to do is get in there first before these new companies, which are springing up all over the place, get there first!
Do you use local contacts? I'd love to hear about it, leave a comment below…
Biodiesel Trains?
Over here in the UK, they're trialling a South West Train run on diesel, soya beans and rapeseed oil over the Exeter-London-Salisbury route.
Over the next few months they're going to decide whether it improves the speed, engine or emissions.
…bet it's still not on time though! (cheap shot I know)
Pond Life May Power Cars And Planes In The Future
A company called Sapphire Energy claims to have developed a green crude oil that is identical to regular crude oil… but which doesn't affect climate change and doesn't need acres of land to produce.
Too good to be true?
Sapphire has so far raised about $50m in venture capital recently as investors see "green crude" as the future of oil supplies.
Of course this type of algae biodiesel has been discussed on this site before but where Sapphire claim to differ is in not just concentrating on producing ethanol and biodiesel but instead creating traditional crude oil. As for what type of algae they are using Sapphire are keeping quiet although commentators say they're likely to be using a genetically modified cyanobacteria, otherwise known as blue-green algae. These organisms are capable of doubling their mass in an hour!
Sapphire hopes to be at a stage of commercial production within 3 to 5 years.
They do of course have their critics, John Loughhead of the UK Energy Research Centre argues "it's a very sound idea but…are they able to do anything practical in an efficient way" he goes on "They also have the classic renewable's problem in that you're dealing with energy from the sun…so you're only getting peak conditions around 0.5KW per square metre. You need vast, great big farms."
Algae is one alternative fuel source we here at biodieselfuelonline are optimistic about, we'll have to wait and see what the future brings. You may enjoy the algae discussion from this earlier article.
(Thanks to The Guardian UK for source material)
Did you know that Prince Charles cut his tax bill by £5000 last year despite earning an additional £1 million 
because of some cunning accounting and he also managed to reduce his carbon footprint.
How did he cut his carbon footprint? By converting his sports car to run on cheese and wine.
No, really!
As the Prince states in his own annual review the car now runs on "100% bioethanol made from surplus wine".
Now the wine used is apparently "surplus" English wine which isn't allowed to be sold off for consumers. So old Charlie simply sticks it in his vehicles!
Apparently the exhaust smells like vodka and it cost Charles £5000 to convert his car.
But good on him I say, of course it helps if you have the cash to do this. Onto another alternative fuel nut…
Neil Young Loves Biodiesel
As Neil himself recently said "I feel like I have a lot to do, I really would like to work on the energy problem, on solutions to the oil need."
So what has Neil been doing about it?
He's created a prototype model called the Linc Volt, a 1959 Lincoln Continental which he's converted into an electrically powered, multifuel beast which has its own generators!
He also drives a gargantuan Hummer converted to run on biodiesel and explains his future mission thus…
"What I'm really focused on, is to work out a way to eliminate roadside refuelling and come up with a way to build a car that creates its own fuel and powers the owner's house."
To see more on the technology go take a look at www.lincvolt.com
Now it's true that we may not have the resources of these rather affluent folks but I'm always glad when famous people manage to bring renewable energies into the limelight.
What do you think?
(Thanks to The Times for the quotes)
I recently heard a word I wasn’t familiar with.
Thinking it was some new internet slang, I asked my teen what “hypermiling” means.
He looked up from his laptop, raised a quizzical eyebrow and said, “Hypermiling? How should I know?”
The boy spends 99% of his waking time on the web. If he didn’t know the word, clearly it wasn’t related to the internet. There was nothing to do but Google it.
Seconds later, Google was showing me hundreds of links and I was discovering a world I didn’t know existed, the world of the hypermilers.
Hypermilers are motorists fixated on squeezing out every last smidgeon of power from the gas they put in their vehicles. The model of car you drive doesn’t matter here. Mercedes owners don’t rank higher than the guy driving a rusty pickup. The only status in this group comes from producing eye-popping mpg’s.
The word “hypermiling” seems to have originated with Wayne Gerdes, a man many regard as the High Priest of the new order. Gerdes clearly knows his stuff. He reportedly once got a standard issue Ford pickup truck to average better than 100 miles per gallon over the course of one long, hot summer.
Gerdes may lead the army, but it’s everyday Jacks and Jills who fill out the ranks of the hypermilers. There’s no membership pledge, no team jacket, no dues to pay. All you need to join is an obsessive-compulsive relationship with your gas tank.
True, some hypermilers see it as a competitive sport. But most hypermilers want only to prevent gasoline from gobbling up most of their paycheck.
As one hypermiler mom told me, “Gasoline rules my budget. I fill up the car first, and then head to the grocery store to spend what’s left on dinner. I never know till I see what the gas pump says whether we’ll be eating hamburgers or Hamburger Helper.”
With a nod toward the design on her T-shirt that says, “Hypermiling is just plain fuelish,” she says, “I figured I either had to learn to use gas as efficiently as possible or convince the kids their favorite dinner is cornflakes.”
Another newby hypermiler explains, “I’ve never been a gear head. Don’t even change my own oil. And I sure never gave any thought to how my driving affected my gas mileage.”
He goes on. “But I saw a magazine article on Gerdes getting 100 miles a gallon from an old truck. He explained how letting the vehicle coast could increase your gas mileage. I tried it and sure enough, it extended the time between fill-ups. That’s how I got interested in hypermiling.”
If hypermiling was born out of frustration with high gas prices, it’s being raised by people who want a lot more than just to save a couple of dollars on gas. The truly dedicated hypermiler wants to join the ranks of the small, almost mythical group of drivers who manage, like Gerdes, to Coast and Pulse and Glide their way to fuel efficiency we mortals can only dream of. Me, I’ll be all too happy if I just learn enough about hypermiling to coax 50 miles per gallon from my old Chevy.
