…But there are problems facing advanced biofuels, including significant issues of infrastructure, scaling up at a competitive price and securing middle-stage financing. Panelists went into detail about obstacles before proposing ways the industry could make the “leap” to change the way America uses fuel.

There is no lack of technology for advanced biofuels, and no need for additional infrastructure, as natural gas or other oil alternatives might require.  … Compounding the problem is that many companies are being advised against middle-stage investment, said Lynde Coit, a senior adviser to Plasco Energy Group.

…Even in venture capital, producers can take a different angle: corporate social responsibility. The CSR argument for biofuels and against oil is idealistic and pragmatic, Coit said, as the industry has hard assets.  READ MORE

On a recent weekday morning, Larry Markoski, founder of one of those startups, set out his contraption for a run-through on a strip of sidewalk connecting a parking lot with his office.

That the device is a portable generator is plainly obvious. About as big as a small duffel bag, the mechanism rumbles away, connected to a tangle of cables leading to a battery pack and a portable solar panel.

Then Markoski, founder and president of INI Power, proceeds to list the fuels his little dynamo can burn: gasoline, ethanol, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel, methanol, grain alcohol, rum, paint thinner, hydrogen. Any liquor that’s 151-proof and stronger will do in a pinch.

Although today the military is able to buy fuel for operations anywhere around the world, access to oil is not guaranteed in the future. … Related to that risk, the military, like all consumers in the U.S., relies on oil from countries that do not align with our interests.  …  It also means that, in a shooting war, when our fighting men and women need access to fuel to effectively fight, we may not be able to guarantee access to the fuel we need.

…Today, there is a new technology on the horizon that is rapidly developing as a real alternative to petroleum-based fuel. New, next-generation biofuels can provide a drop-in replacement for the fuels our military needs for combat and training operations.

…The Department of the Navy has proposed to address this risk by using the Defense Production Act, in conjunction with the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture, to directly invest in commercial development of a domestic biofuels industry.

…Last year, a congressionally mandated study concluded that biofuels would be competitive early in the next decade – a timetable that it said could be moved forward if the government partnered with industry to speed up commercialization.  READ MORE

Volvo and Mack are among the first OEMs to extend B20 approval both to their new 2010 EPA emissions certified engines featuring selective catalytic reduction technology, as well as to their older legacy models.  READ MORE

…Language in the regulations stipulates that before the mandate can be increased to B10 or B15, the commissioners of agriculture, commerce and the pollution control agency are required to determine whether four statutory conditions have been met. The conditions include that ASTM specifications or equivalent federal standards for the specified blend exist, and that there is a sufficient supply of biodiesel available which is produced in-state using feedstocks produced in the U.S. and Canada.

In addition, the commissioners must determine that adequate blending infrastructure and regulatory protocols are in place, and that at least 5 percent of the biodiesel necessary to meet the mandate is produced from a feedstock other than an agricultural resource traditionally grown or raised in the state. This includes algae, waste oils or tallow.

…Those in the biodiesel industry seem to agree that the delay in implementing the B10 mandate shouldn’t negatively impact the regional industry. Jim Willers, chairman of the Minnesota Biodiesel Council, notes that his association was aware that this delay was likely to occur. While not all members of the council necessarily agree with the decision, Willers says as a group the council probably does agree the delay is for the best.
Willers says that the Minnesota biodiesel industry will use the time to bolster education efforts, build support for the fuel, and showcase the state’s biodiesel production capacity, which he currently estimates to be 64 MMgy. He also notes his group will seek to enhance cold weather performance quality programs.
The council is also working to mitigate the lack of blending infrastructure in the southwestern part of the state, Willers says. There is no terminal blending infrastructure in the area, he says, noting that most of the biodiesel in the southwest region of the state is splash-blended. “The guys doing it are doing a pretty good job and we’re getting by,” he says, “but the state is worried that if you go to B10, then maybe it could become an issue.

…He also stresses that biodiesel producers in the state are ready for the mandate, and the possible delay is not due to the quality of biodiesel being manufactured or the producers’ ability to make enough of the fuel.  READ MORE

All biodiesel processes, whether traditional or nontraditional, involve a settling process as the penultimate step. During the settling process, the biodiesel and glycerin mixture is settled using a decanter or a centrifuge to separate the biodiesel from the glycerin. The separated biodiesel is then taken through the final steps, which, in some cases, involve two stages: washing/polishing and distillation. Washing/polishing is mandatory and biodiesel distillation is optional. This article discusses both the washing/polishing and distillation stages.

Washing and polishing mean the same thing. The term washing is used if water is used to do the washing step, and the term polishing/filtration is used if powder, ion exchange resins or some other media is used instead. This step is necessary to wash or polish off the excess glycerin or soap in the freshly separated biodiesel to meet the ASTM specification.

Biodiesel distillation is an optional step. As the name indicates, the distillation process distills the fuel to a colorless methyl ester. Both of these steps are individually addressed below in detail.  READ MORE and MORE (Biodiesel Magazine) and MORE (Biodiesel Magazine) and MORE (Biodiesel Magazine/Pacific Biodiesel Technologies)

“This is one piece of legislation upon which all Americans depend, urban as well as rural,” stated the letter. “With limited time remaining before the expiration of current program authorities, time is of the essence.”

The Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012 passed the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on April 26 by a 16-5 vote. The broad range of the 125 cosigners emphasizes the expansive reach and impact of the farm bill.

“This strongly bipartisan bill ensures that agriculture does its part to reduce the deficit, cutting spending by $23 billion, while still maintaining a safety net that family farmers and ranchers need,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “Some farm bill programs have already expired, and the rest expire on Sept. 30. It is critical to pass a farm bill as soon as possible so that Americans have the agriculture, conservation, environmental, forestry, hunger, and rural development programs that they need. While many of us will continue to work for improvements in the bill, we all agree that we need a farm bill this year.”   READ MORE   Read LETTER

…Because there is no mandate requiring the sale of E15, it remains to be determined how quickly retailers across the nation will move to sell E15 once infrastructure compatibility issues are resolved. However, in some Midwest states, retail stations that have installed blender pumps are expected to begin offering E15 to customers driving 2001 and newer vehicles any day. Blender pumps are approved for use with any ethanol blend up to E85 and so are not constrained by the same compatibility issues facing owners of conventional retail dispensers.  READ MORE

Get the latest information at this all-day regional and national conference from top leaders on: • $21 billion in RESTORE Act monies • $8 billion in BP lawsuit settlement monies • New BP oil spill claims process • New monies, programs, and contracts for tourism, real estate, infrastructure development, new energy development, preparedness, construction, education, and environmental restoration.    READ MORE