Vertical farming is an eye-popping construction to grace the world with a new and innovative concept of agriculture. Skyfarming, as it is also known, is a proposal to perform agriculture in urban high-rises. In these farmscrapers (high-rises) food such as vegetables, fruit, fish and even livestock can be raised by using greenhouse-growing methods. The idea is to grow food in urban areas by creating tall buildings where each floor is its own super greenhouse capable of growing crops to feed people.
This detailed article comes with a whole photo gallery of conceptual drawings like the one above. They are talking about growing food now, but this might also be a valuable biodiesel feedstock source.
South San Francisco’s Solarzyme has just taken home the gold in the Sustainable Biofuels Technology category at the 2ndAnnual Sustainable Biofuels Awards held in Amsterdam. The international awards offer companies from around the world the ability to showcase significant accomplishments in the biofuels industry.
The company has many firsts to boast: Since its beginnings in 2003, Solayzme has produced the world’s first algal-based renewable diesel and the world’s first 100% algal-based jet fuel. It has also signed the largest production orders for commercial algae fuel contracts to date, supplying the U.S. Department of Defense with 21,500 gallons of fuel for Navy compatibility testing.
The company pioneered an unusual process, in that it makes algae indoors, without sunlight. CEO Harrison Dillon claims that their algae are 1000 times more efficient at producing oils from sugar compared to growth by sunlight. Distillation is an energy-intensive process, and by using cellulosic-ethanol processing – using sugars that are not part of the human food supply – with their algae processing, they avoid the use of fuels required for conversion and distillation of alcohol-based fuel.
“Biodiesel is a great fuel. It’s a great success story,” said Rob Joslin, the President of the American Soybean Association when I asked him during an interview (see below for audio) why biodiesel is so important to our country. While the biodiesel has had great success, it is currently facing a challenge – the $1 per gallon tax credit expired at the end of 2009 and has yet to be extended, although it is close.
Great interview with the big man in the soybean association, and I suggest it to all. Here is one man who says we have all the growing power we need to fuel this country, and I don’t doubt him.
The 2011 Ford Super Duty, with all-new diesel and gasoline engines, maintains best-in-class towing and payload.
Looking for an excuse to carry your St. Patrick's Day binging into tomorrow? Well, consider celebrating National Biodiesel Day, noting the birthday of engine inventor Rudolf Diesel.
So says Ford, which is using the anniversary as a reason to promote the 2011 Ford Super Duty pickup as a "green" vehicle, a bold move given that it's about the biggest thing on the road. Ford says it's one biodiesel-lovin' truck. What is there to love?
Biodiesel is diesel fuel made from renewable stuff like vegetable oil and animal fat. The monster 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 turbocharged diesel engine in the Super Duty is B20 compatible, meaning it can handle of blend of 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel.