Dr. Richard Sayre, the Director of the Enterprise Rent A Car Institute For Renewable Fuels at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
He says the future for biodiesel production in the Midwest could be in the form of the common, single-celled organism that out-produces conventional land crops for biodiesel by two to tenfold.
The more moderate summers of the Midwest are actually more conducive to algae growth, and the area obviously has more water, vital for algae. Finally, Sayre says there are techniques, such as harvesting the CO2 and heat from coal-powered plants to keep the ponds clear of ice even in the coldest of winters.
He makes some great points, and you can hear more of it here: (see audio interview at story site)
I am from Minnesota, and in the summer, algae grows like mad. But can it really out-produce a plant like soy for oil production? Dr. Sayre says yes it can. Interesting article.
Logo of EBB from: http://www.ebb-eu.org/index.php
The European Biodiesel Board charged that U.S. biodiesel, which benefits from up to $1 per gallon tax credit, was sold in the European market at a discount, effectively undercutting local producers. The European Commission, the executive branch of the EU, outlined the investigation in lengthy report.
Perhaps we should make the best of it and treat biodiesel as a local affair, saving the huge shipping costs of sending it to Europe and beyond. Don’t we need it more right here?
Blackhawk logo from: http://www.blackhawkbiofuelsllc.com/
Renewable Energy Group’s Blackhawk Biofuels has earned BQ-9000 Producer status from the National Biodiesel Board and the National Biodiesel Accreditation Committee. This press release from the Iowa-based REG says the biodiesel from the Danville, Illinois Blackhawk Biofuels plant meets what is considered the ultimate standard for the green fuel’s production:
“Today the petroleum industry is demanding biodiesel from BQ-9000 Producers,” said REG’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Gary Haer. “This certification distinguishes this strategically-located, multiple feedstock facility as a high quality fuel provider for petroleum distributors in Illinois, the greater Midwest region and distributors across the country.”
That is how you do it, biodiesel industry entrepreneurs, get your product certified in any way possible and start mixing it with what some folks call “mineral fuel”. Nice work, Blackhawk, hope we hear lots more from your company.
Photo of Bio-Box from: http://www.stopxon.com/
The Pauma Band of Mission Indians in Pauma Valley, Calif., will soon utilize waste cooking oil to produce biodiesel for use within the tribal community. Pacific Natural Energy is providing the federally recognized tribe with a modular “Bio-box” biodiesel unit, to process approximately 1 MMgy of biodiesel. PNE President Eric McCloud said the company has been working with the tribe, who live just outside of San Diego, Calif., for more than a year, to develop a four-phase project plan. “We’re currently in the first stage, which is setting up the oil collection systems,” McCloud said. “We’re placing collection bins and setting up their vacuum truck, waste oil processing and filtration [systems].”
Here is yet another spot where biodiesel fits in so well, a tight-knit community like a tribal land where they know of every diesel engine and can control the maintenance of record-keeping of each engine.