Forget the electric vehicle revolution--this car is juiced up by the same stuff that powers you in the morning. The "Carpuccino" car was built by a team from the BBC science show Bang Goes The Theory to prove the viability of cars powered by fuels other than conventional gasoline and diesel. The car, built from a converted 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco, was used by the show because it looks like the DeLorean from Back to the Future.
Interesting story of a car that runs on coffee, not very practical, but a great reminder that almost any fuel can be harnessed for the use of transportation. Makes biodiesel seem simple, this is a contraption.
Fruits of J. curcas. Fruits are produced terminally in the branches, and each fruit contains three seeds. Image credit: Dr. Wagner A Vendrame, University of Florida at Homestead
What if space held the key to producing alternative energy crops on Earth? That's what researchers are hoping to find in a new experiment on the International Space Station.
The experiment, National Lab Pathfinder-Cells 3, is aimed at learning whether microgravity can help jatropha curcas plant cells grow faster to produce biofuel, or renewable fuel derived from biological matter. Jatropha is known to produce high quality oil that can be converted into an alternative energy fuel, or biofuel.
By studying the effects of microgravity on jatropha cells, researchers hope to accelerate the cultivation of the plant for commercial use by improving characteristics such as cell structure, growth and development. This is the first study to assess the effects of microgravity on cells of a biofuel plant.
As expected, the federal $1-a-gallon biodiesel tax incentive has cleared the U.S. Senate on the back of the current jobs bill.
The 62-36 vote now moves the measure into a reconciliation phase with the House’s version of the bill.
I caught up with Michael Frohlich, the director of federal communications for the National Biodiesel Board’s office in Washington, D.C. earlier this evening. He says final passage of this important measure can’t come soon enough.
“It’s an immediate need for the industry at this point,” says Frohlich, pointing out that biodiesel has been without the credit since the beginning of the year. Fortunately, if the bill does pass and is signed into law, it will be retroactive back to January 1, 2010.
It looks like a sure thing at this point, the politics of biodiesel wins the moment, but if this young industry has to go through this much trauma each year, there will be big losses. Let’s at least get a five year plan for biodiesel in America.
The Imperium Grays Harbor biodiesel refinery has resumed production. Photograph: Imperium Renewables
Imperium’s refinery in Grays Harbor, Washington, suffered damage on 2 December when a 10,000-gallon, heated glycerine tank ruptured due to over-pressurization, damaging nearby pipes and storage tanks.
On Tuesday, the plant received its first shipment of vegetable oil and has restored biodiesel production. While the market is improving, the huge plant will operate at less than full capacity for the time being.
Imperium founder and chief executive John Plaza states: “We are thrilled to be producing again. We have replaced the damaged equipment and re-designed the glycerin neutralization system to ensure such a rupture won’t happen again.”
Glycerine, a dark liquid, is a co-product of biodiesel production.
In addition to the plant repairs, the biodiesel market appears to be on the mend.