by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Turquoise hydrogen is made by the process of decomposing methane (methane pyrolysis), which can be either fossil or biological in origin. Turquoise hydrogen is considered low carbon because it creates a solid carbon (carbon black) that can
black carbon
Back TO HOMEEnhancing School Transportation with Biodiesel: One Company’s Green Journey
by Ron Kotrba (School Bus Fleet) For more than six decades, Cook-Illinois Corporation has been entrusted with the crucial task of transporting children to and from school. And for more than 15 years, this family-owned and operated school-bus contractor, among the largest in the
April 23, 2024 Read Full Article
Decarbonizing the Shipping Industry
by Wily Salim (LEC Partners/Biofuels Digest) ... Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO), a more dense and more viscous liquid than diesel, is the current dominant fuel used in the marine shipping industry. This is because HFO is relatively affordable, has high energy density,
April 22, 2024 Read Full Article
BLACK (Soot) – A 5-Letter Word for EARTH MONTH
The GREEN economy aims to foster sustainable development by promoting environmentally friendly practices and technologies across various industries. One significant challenge in this pursuit is the presence of BLACK soot, also KNOWN as BLACK carbon, WHICH contributes to air pollution
April 22, 2024 Read Full Article
Boeing, NASA, United Airlines to Test SAF Benefits with Air-to-Air Flights
(Boeing) Boeing ecoDemonstrator Explorer, a 737-10 for United Airlines, will fly on SAF, trailed by NASA's DC-8 Airborne Science Lab measuring non-CO2 emissions; - Studying how SAF can reduce soot and impact contrails; - Supported by FAA, GE Aerospace, German Aerospace Center (DLR),
October 13, 2023 Read Full Article
Using Sustainable Aviation Fuels Could Reduce Emissions by up to 80%, Scientists Find
by Jessica Marsh (University of Manchester) A team of scientists have completed tests to quantify the emissions from the combustion of sustainable aviation fuels, revealing a profound reduction when compared to regular jet fuel. Researchers from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science
October 13, 2023 Read Full Article
A New Hydrogen: from Methane, via Pyrolysis, without the CO2 Release
by Chingis Idrissov (IDTechEx/Biofuels Digest) Digest note. This column from Chingis Idrissov focuses on production of hydrogen from methane, with an underlying assumption that the methane will come from fossil gas reserves. But, not necessarily so. There’s renewable methane, which
June 30, 2023 Read Full Article
Pyrum and SUEZ Sign Exclusivity Agreement to Build Pyrum's First UK Pyrolysis Plant
(Pyrum Innovations) During the one-year exclusivity phase, the first location will be determined and the approval process will begin; The plant will consist of three pyrolysis reactors with a capacity of around 20,000 tons of used tires per year --
June 29, 2023 Read Full Article
Greenergy Enters the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Market with New Teesside Plant
(Greenergy) Greenergy is to enter the Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) market through a new plant planned on Teesside. The company has submitted a planning application for two renewable fuel plants located at the same complex. The SAF plant will be the
June 26, 2023 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2023 Multi-Slide Guide to the Outlook and Lifecycle Characteristics of Alternative Marine Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The transportation Sector accounts for 33% of total US emissions and marine fuels are 3 percent of that- and they are famously hard to electrify. In this overview from the US Department of Energy’s BioEnergy
June 08, 2023 Read Full Article
The Pathways to Biofuels: A Survey of Why We Should Stop Fretting
byMichael Barnard (CleanTechnica) We have enough waste biomass feedstock to fulfill all of our transportation needs, and the market and a bunch of bright people will figure out which ones are cheapest and lowest impact. ... And in this future world of
May 24, 2023 Read Full Article
Portland Is First in Nation to Phase out Petroleum Diesel, Replace with Biofuels
by Gosia Wozniacka (The Oregonian/OregonLive) Portland will phase out the sale of petroleum diesel by 2030, in its first major step to reduce carbon emissions by 50% under the city’s recently adopted climate emergency plan. The unanimous decision by the Portland City Council
December 09, 2022 Read Full Article
Ethanol’s Clean Octane Key to EPA Particulate Rule
by Doug Duarante (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/Governors' Biofuels Coalition) Coalition Urges Administrator to Address Mobile Sources -- In a detailed letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Fuels Development Coalition (CFDC) called on the agency to use its existing
September 13, 2022 Read Full Article
Our Best Chance to Avert a Catastrophic Climate Crisis
(California Natural Gas Vehicle Partnership) ... Let’s first focus on methane reductions. Nearly 50% of methane emissions in California come from livestock manure and organic waste decomposing in landfills. To help address this, a new statewide law went into effect in
June 03, 2022 Read Full Article
Our Best Chance to Avert a Catastrophic Climate Crisis
(California Natural Gas Vehicle Partnership) At the COP26 summit in Scotland in November 2021, the world’s leading climate scientists agreed that the #1 priority — the only measure to avert a catastrophic and irreversible climate crisis — is to immediately
May 04, 2022 Read Full Article
Why These Fleets Use Renewable Diesel Fuel
by Ronnie Wendt (Heavy Duty Trucking Info) Titan Freight Systems, a regional less-than-truckload carrier in the Pacific Northwest, found renewable diesel was the key to meeting its emissions goals. -- Titan Freight Systems has provided overnight services across the Pacific Northwest
April 21, 2022 Read Full Article
Coming to Terms and Time with Carbon
(Diesel Technology Forum) ... Which is why decarbonizing transportation needs to leverage the fuels and technologies we have that can cut greenhouse gas (GHG) today: Out with the old, in with the new: Black carbon, or soot, is a byproduct of
February 01, 2022 Read Full Article
Opinion: California Is Missing the Boat on Climate Change
by Winston Hickox and Jim Boyd (Mercury News) ... The climate conference in Glasgow made it clear that the No. 1 priority — the only measure that can prevent cataclysmic climate change — is to cut the climate super pollutants
November 24, 2021 Read Full Article
Renewable Diesel Byproduct to Fuel Low-Carbon Rocket Launch
by Ron Kotrba (Biobased Diesel Daily) The carbon footprint of launching the new Orbex Prime space rocket will be up to 96 percent lower than comparable space launch programs, according to Orbex’s citation of a recent assessment by Xiaoyu Yan from
November 02, 2021 Read Full Article
Yosemite Clean Energy Has Secured Their First Plant Site Commercial Scale Carbon-Negative Biofuels from Waste Wood, Stewarding California Forests and Farmland
(Yosemite Clean Energy/PR Newswire) Yosemite Clean Energy (Yosemite), announced today (October 28, 2021) they have secured the site for developing their first carbon-negative green hydrogen and renewable natural gas (RNG) production plant in Oroville, California, with groundbreaking scheduled for Q2 of
November 01, 2021 Read Full Article
Orbex Set to Launch World’s Most Environmentally Friendly Space Rocket
(Orbex/SpaceRef) The carbon footprint of launching the new Orbex Prime space rocket will be up to 96 per cent lower than comparable space launch programmes, a new scientific study has revealed. Prime is poised to become one of the most environmentally friendly
October 22, 2021 Read Full Article
RFA Founder Calls for Correction of EPA Transportation Office’s “Shocking Miscarriage of Environmental Justice”
(Dakota Ag Energy) Speaking to the 14th Annual Bioenergy Conference hosted by Brazilian government and industry stakeholders, the founder of the U.S. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) charged U.S. EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) bureaucrats with a “shocking
August 10, 2021 Read Full Article
SEA-LNG Warns against Delay in Addressing Shipping Decarbonisation
(SEA-LNG) Industry coalition stresses that LNG fuels reduce up to 23% of GHG emissions, and that bio- and synthetic LNG offer low risk, incremental pathways to net zero. Waiting for future fuels and not fully utilising LNG, which is safe, proven, competitive
April 20, 2021 Read Full Article
CFDC Calls Nebraska E30 Demonstration One More Step Towards Higher Blends
(Clean Fuels Development Coalition) The Clean Fuels Development Coalition (CFDC) today applauded the work of the State of Nebraska following the release of a report that found higher ethanol blends are safe, efficient, and cost effective when used in conventional vehicles. The
March 08, 2021 Read Full Article
Biofuel Opportunities for Marine Sector: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to ORNL
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Mike Kass shared this illuminating slide guide at ABLC 2020 as part of the marine and heavy duty biofuel opportunities panel. Dive into marine cargo vessel fuels, the advantages of using
February 11, 2021 Read Full Article
ICCT’s Vision 2050: “Ambitious Yet Feasible”
by Tammy Klein (Future Fuel Strategies) ... ICCT (International Council on Clean Transportation) has been and, it’s clear in this document will continue to be, a major change agent for transport decarbonization globally. ICCT will use the results of the
October 01, 2020 Read Full Article
Converting Biomass Plant into RNG – Site Layout, Catalysts Requirements: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Low-Carbon Renewable Natural Gas from Wood Wastes – Part 1
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) California needs facilities that can dramatically reduce GHG emissions and black carbon production by using wood waste, according to GTI. The closing of biomass power plants is leading to open burning of the excess
April 15, 2020 Read Full Article
Turning Household Waste into Liquefied Biofuel to Save Electricity
by Edgar Brandt (New Era Live) The founder of Nghishe Biotech, Charles Haluodi, has developed a system to convert organic waste such as food, animal and plant waste, into environmentally friendly flammable gas and organic fertiliser. ... He added that biogas is
February 07, 2020 Read Full Article
Researchers Work on Project to Develop Cleaner-Burning, Renewable Fuels
(TechXplore/University of Central Florida) Biofuels offer potential benefits as renewable fuels with cleaner emissions, but with thousands of types of biofuels to choose from, it makes it hard for the energy sector to focus on just a few for further development. That's
February 04, 2020 Read Full Article
Australian Tyre Recycler Signs Deal for First US Plant
(Green Distillation Technologies) Australian tyre recycler Green Distillation Technologies, which has developed world-first technology that recycles end-of-life tyres into oil, carbon and steel, has signed a deal to build their first plant in the United States, The agreement provides funding of up
January 08, 2020 Read Full Article
Govs. Walz and Noem for Support of E30
(Grand Rapids Herald Review) Recently, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the chair of the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition, along with South Dakota Gov. and coalition vice chair Kristi Noem, sent a letter to President Trump urging the administration to consider 30 percent ethanol
December 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Climate Change, Short Lived Climate Pollutants, Black Carbon and Clean Diesel
(Diesel Technology Forum) Thanks to the introduction of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, more efficient engines and more effective emissions control technologies, diesel engines, vehicles and equipment are a small and declining contributor of black carbon emissions globally. Technology and policy
October 22, 2019 Read Full Article
Braathens Regional Airlines, Air BP, ATR and Neste Collaborate to Achieve the ‘Perfect Flight’
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Sweden, a “perfect flight” took off. What exactly is a “perfect flight”? For some of you, it might mean wingsuit flying done by daring humans but for Neste, it’s when “Every element of the flight management
May 23, 2019 Read Full Article
Neste MY Renewable Jet Fuel Wins Award for Reduction of Black Carbon Emissions
(Neste) Neste MY Renewable Jet Fuel has won an award for its role in reducing black carbon emissions in a competition jointly organized by the Climate Leadership Coalition, the Bioenergy Association of Finland, the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, the Finnish Environment Institute, and the
May 09, 2019 Read Full Article
A Sweet Approach to Clean Cooking
by Danilo De Oliveira Pereira (United National Industrial Development Organization) UNIDO is implementing a programme which creates value chains of clean cooking fuels and technologies in several countries. With a “market enabling framework,” the organization is turning the lack of clean cooking
April 25, 2019 Read Full Article
ICAO's Technical Committee Agrees Increase in Stringency Level on Particulates and CORSIA Sustainable Aviation Fuel Methodologies
(GreenAir Online) ICAO’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) has agreed to increase the stringency level of a standard limiting emissions of non-volatile Particulate Matter (nvPM) from aircraft engines. The technical committee’s 11th (CAEP/11) triennial meeting just concluded also delivered new technology goals
February 22, 2019 Read Full Article
UC Riverside Team Examines Influence of Mid-and High-Level Ethanol Blends on Pollution from GDI Flex Fuel Vehicle
(Green Car Congress) A team from the University of California Riverside has investigated the influence of low-, mid-, and high-ethanol fueling—as well as the influence of the aromatic hydrocarbons in the fuel blend—on the regulated and greenhouse gas emissions, the mobile
January 02, 2019 Read Full Article
To Kill Climate Rule, EPA Wants to Redefine Danger of Soot
by Niina Heikkinen (E&E News) Whether it's in haze-shrouded cities, plumes of car exhaust or even clear skies, fine particle pollution can be found just about everywhere in the United States. ... Exposure to fine particles is linked to premature death and higher
August 07, 2018 Read Full Article
New Research Shows the Health Benefits of Ethanol-Fueled Cookstoves
by Jieyi Lu (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) Today, about three billion people still cook and heat their homes with traditional stoves and solid fuels worldwide. These fuels and stoves are major contributors to household air pollution in the developing world.
May 07, 2018 Read Full Article
Weak Governance at UN Shipping Agency Delaying Action on Climate Change
(Transparency International Secretariat) The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is at risk of unresolved conflicts of interest due to shortcomings in its governance, according to preliminary key findings of a new study by Transparency International. Private shipping-industry concerns could have undue influence over the policymaking
April 09, 2018 Read Full Article
Scania Will Provide Clean Buses to 20 Major Cities
(Scania) Scania today joins the Global Industry Partnership on Soot-Free Clean Bus Fleets with a commitment to, by 2018, provide modern soot-free buses to 20 major cities in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Australia. “To tackle the challenge of poor air quality
October 10, 2017 Read Full Article
Phasing out Cookstoves a ‘Win-Win’ for Climate and Health, Study Shows
by Roz Pidcock (Carbon Brief) Replacing traditional wood and coal-burning cookstoves with cleaner technology could trim nearly a tenth of a degree from global temperature and save more than 10 million lives by 2050. This is according to a new study
February 06, 2017 Read Full Article
Ship Voyages on 100 Percent Renewable Biofuel for 1 Year
by Brittany Hook (University of California San Diego) Harnessing the University of California’s leadership in sustainability and pledge to become carbon neutral by 2025, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Associate Director Bruce Appelgate had a bright idea: What if Scripps Oceanography at UC
June 14, 2016 Read Full Article
UIA Calls on CARB to Recognize Role of Ethanol in Reducing Carbon
(Urban Air Initiative/Ethanol Producer Magazine) In comments recently filed with the California Air Resources Board, the Urban Air Initiative made a compelling case for higher octane, lower carbon fuels like midlevel ethanol blends to help the state meet its carbon
June 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Commercial Aircraft Propulsion and Energy Systems Research: Reducing Global Carbon Emissions (2016)
by Committee on Propulsion and Energy Systems to Reduce Commercial Aviation Carbon Emissions; Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board; Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies Press) The primary human activities that release carbon
June 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Hyacinths and Sawdust Used to Combat Africa’s Cooking Pollution
by Anna Hirtenstein (Bloomberg/The Washington Post) A brew made from sawdust and water hyacinth flowers may help reduce the millions of lives lost across the developing world from the fumes of ramshackle cooking equipment. Those are the ingredients being used by Green
November 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Accounting for Bioenergy Emissions, Benefits Must be Done Right
(25 x '25) With the White House shining a very bright spotlight on its plans for addressing climate change – in particular, the long-awaited proposal to regulate carbon emissions from existing power plants under Clean Air Act ‑ it is important that
June 13, 2014 Read Full Article
Ultrafine Particles from Vehicles: A Missing Piece in Emissions Regulations
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On Monday June 2, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took the single largest step to control stationary sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other harmful emissions in the nation’s history. It announced a proposed regulation
June 09, 2014 Read Full Article
Where is Blue Carbon Going?
by Olatomiwa Bifarin* (Advanced Biofuels USA) On Wednesday, May 21, 2014, a panel of experts discussed the importance of blue carbon and the ramifications of its release in a “Managing Our Planet” seminar series developed jointly by George Mason University,
May 23, 2014 Read Full Article
NASA Signs Agreement with German, Canadian Partners to Test Alternative Fuels
(National Aeronautics and Space Administration/PRNewsWire) NASA has signed separate agreements with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to conduct a series of joint flight tests to study the atmospheric effects of emissions from jet engines burning alternative
April 10, 2014 Read Full Article
Sen. Collins Introduces Clean Cookstoves Bill That Would Improve Environment, Public Health
(Senator Susan Collins) U.S. Senator Susan Collins today introduced the "Clean Cookstoves Support Act," a bill that would reduce carbon pollution and improve public health by supporting a global market for clean and efficient cookstoves. "Replacing unsafe cookstoves with modern alternatives
March 11, 2014 Read Full Article
What Role for Short-Lived Climate Pollutants in Mitigation Policy?
by J. K. Shoemaker, D. P. Schrag, M. J. Molina, V. Ramanathan (Science Magazine) Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) include methane (CH4), black carbon (BC), tropospheric ozone, and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). They are important contributors to anthropogenic climate change, responsible for as much
December 13, 2013 Read Full Article
Sugarcane Diesel Tests Yield Positive Results in Brazil
(Biofuels International) It has been reported auto manufacturer MAN Latin America has completed tests on diesel made from sugarcane. The company is believed to have performed over 500 hours of testing on Euro 5 engines within four Volkswagen Constellation trucks and
November 07, 2013 Read Full Article
Black Carbon Ranks as Second-Biggest Human Cause of Global Warming
by Juliet Eilperin (The Washington Post) Soot ranks as the second-largest human contributor to climate change, exerting twice as much of an impact as previously thought, according to an analysis released Tuesday. The four-year, 232-page study of black carbon, published in
January 16, 2013 Read Full Article
EPA Proposed Rule “National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter”: Urban Air Initiative Comments
(Urban Air Initiative) From a letter to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, August 30, 2012: Urban Air Initiative (UAI) appreciates this opportunity to comment on the Agency’s proposal to address one of our most dangerous and costly health threats,
August 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Biomass Burning Really Heats Things Up: New Study Shows Significance of Fire's Brown Carbon for Global Warming
(Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development / Environmental News Network) Emissions from forest fires and other biomass burning has a greater impact on global warming than previously understood, according to a new study. “We used to think the lighter particles in
July 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Black Carbon Belchers?
by Naomi Lubick (Chemical & Engineering News) Pollution Monitoring: Cars may produce more climate-warming particles than previously thought. Tiny particles known as black carbon can pack a heavy punch when it comes to climate change, by trapping heat in the atmosphere
March 05, 2012 Read Full Article
Members of the European Parliament Call for Cuts in Non-CO2 Greenhouse Emissions
(European Parliament) Great efforts have been made to reduce CO2 emissions in Europe and internationally, but a number of other substances are also causing Arctic ice-melt and on Wednesday MEPs called for action against so-called non-CO2 emissions including the
September 19, 2011 Read Full Article
United States Joins Alliance to Promote Clean Cooking in Developing Countries
By Arpita Bhattacharyya, Andrew Light (Center for American Progress) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Tuesday an impressive collaboration at the Clinton Global Initiative that brings together U.S. agencies and the United Nations Foundation to form the Global Alliance for
September 27, 2010 Read Full Article
Soot Seen as Significant in Global Warming
(UPI) Soot from burning fossil fuels and solid biofuels has a greater impact on global warming than previously believed, a U.S. researcher says. But unlike carbon dioxide, Stanford University scientist Mark Z. Jacobson says, soot stays in the atmosphere for only a