by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Americans respond more to environmental messages on renewable diesel fuels than energy security or economic impact, according to a survey undertaken by the Diesel Technology Forum and presented last week by DTF’s Tom Fulks at
diesel
Back TO HOMEGeneral Motors Announces 20 for B20 in Its Diesel Vehicle Lineup
(National Biodiesel Board) GM Expands its B20 Biodiesel Capable Lineup with New Cars, Crossovers, Trucks -- General Motors is taking bold steps to expand the U.S. diesel vehicle market beyond its traditional stronghold in full-size pickups, and providing more options
January 18, 2017 Read Full Article
Automakers Fuel the U.S. Market With More Biodiesel Capable Diesel Vehicle Models
(National Biodiesel Board) U.S. auto manufacturers have introduced a record number of new biodiesel capable diesel vehicle options for consumers as the push for increased fuel efficiency, performance, and sustainability in America’s transportation sector grows. Despite a challenging marketplace, automakers
January 17, 2017 Read Full Article
Walk This Way: NYC Agrees to Run D.M.E. in New Fuels Trial
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... This week, a company known as Oberon Fuels running a DME technology is coming Straight Outta New York City with the idea that you can make it out of the the boutique world of
January 16, 2017 Read Full Article
Energy Department Announces Up to $7 Million for the Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines
(U.S. Department of Energy) Today, the Energy Department (DOE) announced up to $7 million for eight universities to accelerate the introduction of affordable, scalable, and sustainable high-performance fuels for use in high-efficiency, low-emission engines. Under the Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines (Co-Optima)
December 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Mayors of Paris, Madrid, Athens & Mexico City Stumble; African Nations Get It Right on Policies for Cleaner Air with Cleaner Diesel Fuel & Technology
(Diesel Technology Forum) Last week, the mayors of four cities - Paris, Madrid, Mexico City and Athens - announced they had pledged to remove diesel vehicles from their cities by 2025. Last week, five African countries - Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo,
December 07, 2016 Read Full Article
A California Company Develops Nanotechnology Combining Ethanol with Corn Oil for a New Blendstock that Reduces Diesel Emissions
by Debbie Sniderman (Ethanol Producer Magazine/VI Ventures LLC) One of the biggest technology upgrades for the ethanol industry in the past decade has been corn oil extraction. If Virginia Klausmeier and the team she leads at Sylvatex have their way, the
November 21, 2016 Read Full Article
VW Billions to Foster Natural Gas Vehicles?
by Rich Piellisch (Fleets & Fuels) NGVAmerica Urges States to Take Advantage of Settlement -- States should take advantage of the big diesel emissions settlement with Volkswagen to promote natural gas vehicles to reduce pollution, says NGVAmerica. The association notes that
October 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Engine, Truck and Equipment Industry Leaders Highlight Strategies for Achieving Climate and Clean Air Goals
(Diesel Technology Forum) New Videos Feature Policy Approaches, Engine Technology and Fuel Options to “Meet the Climate and Clean Air Challenge of the Future” -- The Diesel Technology Forum is releasing a series of short videos featuring industry leaders from
October 18, 2016 Read Full Article
EPA and DOT Finalize Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles
(Environmental Protection Agency) Standards address second-largest segment of U.S. transportation in terms of emissions and energy use -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration jointly finalized standards for medium- and heavy-duty
August 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Keep It in the Ground or America First?
(Diesel Technology Forum) ... One of the great benefits of the diesel platform is its capability to run on higher blends of high quality biofuels including renewable diesel fuel and biodiesel fuel. These fuels are considered advanced biofuels by the U.S.
July 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Future Freight Plan for California Depends on Clean Diesel Power to Achieve Environmental, Economic and Sustainability Goals
(Diesel Technology Forum) The major environmental, economic and efficiency goals sought in California’s proposed sustainable freight plan will be attainable only with expanded use of advanced clean diesel technology, according to the Diesel Technology Forum. These points and others were outlined
July 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Statement of the Diesel Technology Forum Regarding the Mitigation Aspects of the Volkswagen Settlement Announcement
(Diesel Technology Forum) Allen Schaeffer, the Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum, issued the following statement today regarding the announcements by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies, private plaintiffs and 44 U.S. Attorney Generals regarding the
June 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Scania Trucks Use Ethanol Made with Clariant's Sunliquid Process
(Clariant/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, and Scania, one of the world's top heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers, are celebrating the results and the opportunities generated by the partnership established last year, which involved an investment in sustainable
May 20, 2016 Read Full Article
How Different Is Diesel from Biodiesel, Really?
by Laurie Winkless (Materials Today) Australian researchers have found that particulate emissions from a diesel exhaust are heavily influenced by the fuel’s composition According to the European Commission, biofuels now represent around 5 per cent of all transport fuel used in
May 19, 2016 Read Full Article
CNG More Harmful for Environment than Diesel: Gujarat Govt to High Court
(ZeeNews.India) ... Citing an expert committee report on fuels, the state government today told the Gujarat High Court that CNG will prove more harmful to the environment than diesel "as CNG engines emit more greenhouse gases than diesel". In its affidavit filed
May 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Clean Diesel: Fueling a Decade of Change / Recognizing the 10-year anniversary of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel this Clean Air Month
(Diesel Technology Forum) Ten years after the introduction of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel in 2006, the Diesel Technology Forum recognizes the role of the shift to cleaner diesel fuel and its importance in the major environmental accomplishments being celebrated during
May 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Clean Diesel Delivers Clean Air Benefits to the Mid-Atlantic Region
(Diesel Technology Forum) ... Looking toward to the future, (Diesel Technology Forum executive director Allen) Schaeffer noted in the next decade that diesel would remain the prime mover for the global economy, but that new engines would be far more efficient
May 09, 2016 Read Full Article
You Can't Always Get What You Want: What the Rolling Stones and Emerging Technologies Have in Common
(Diesel Technology Forum) Efforts to develop and “commercialize” emerging technologies in the time horizons considered may not provide substantial air quality benefits if these technologies do not find their way into the fleet in substantial numbers. ... Whether it is electric cars
May 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Science Teacher Plans First Coast-to-Coast Biofuel Flight
by Megan Elliott (Flying Magazine) First transcontinental flight using aviation biofuel in a certified light aircraft. -- High-school science teacher Ross McCurdy is planning the first transcontinental flight using aviation biofuel in a certified light aircraft. McCurdy will launch from North
March 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Are Low Diesel Prices Hurting Biofuels Companies?
by John O’Dell (Forbes/Trucks.com) With diesel fuel prices hovering at lows not seen in a decade, the smart money might bet against businesses developing products to replace the diesel engines and technology that keep the nation’s trucks on the road. But entrepreneurs
March 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Major Impacts on U.S. Carbon Emissions Since the Great Recession
by John Miller (The Energy Collective) U.S. total carbon emissions increased to a historic high in 2007. During the 2007-09 Great Recession U.S. total carbon emissions declined rapidly due to a combination effective Government energy and carbon policies, and economic factors.
March 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Future for Diesel Passenger Vehicles in U.S. Remains Positive Despite Recent Set Backs
(Diesel Technology Forum) While diesel passenger vehicles sales have decreased in recent months, there are some positive signs that indicate diesel sales will recover and expand in the coming years, according to Allen Schaeffer, the Executive Director of the Diesel
March 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Ensyn Biocrude Receives CARB Approvals for Refinery Coprocessing
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Ensyn Corp.’s chief technology officer Barry Freel announced the company has been granted key regulatory approvals by California Air Resources Board pursuant to the low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) on the company’s application for its renewable
February 27, 2016 Read Full Article
Why Flint? Why Dieselgate? Why Was the EPA Prevented From Acting?
by Robert E. Kozak* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Of all the grandstanding by politicians over the Flint, Michigan, drinking water disaster perhaps the most hypocritical has been that of Democrats such as Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton heaping all the blame on
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
12 Billion More Cleaner Burning Miles Annually with Biodiesel, PACCAR, Peterbilt, Kenworth
(National Biodiesel Board) Vehicle manufacturer support for America’s Advanced Biofuel going strong -- More than 100,000 trucks join renewable fuel ranks as PACCAR embraces biodiesel blends in its engines, old and new. Considering average mileage, these trucks alone have the potential
January 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Joule Unlimited: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Joule is advancing a production platform for Liquid Fuel from the Sun, expected to eclipse the scale, productivity and cost efficiency of any known alternative to fossil fuel today. Its transformative Helioculture platform directly and
January 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels Company Industrializes Photosynthesis
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) For eight years, Joule has been working under the radar to develop and commercialize its CO2-to-fuel technology. -- When it comes to ethanol production volumes per acre of land, Joule's Helioculture technology leaves all
January 18, 2016 Read Full Article
United States Files Complaint Against Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche for Alleged Clean Air Act Violations
(U.S. Department of Justice) The Department of Justice, on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), today filed a civil complaint in federal court in Detroit, Michigan, against Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, Volkswagen Group of America Inc., Volkswagen Group of
January 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Climate Benefits of One of the Oldest Technologies Still in Use
(Diesel Technology Forum) Thanks to decades of innovation, clean diesel technology is helping to deliver significant reductions in GHG emissions and is a major feature of the U.S. climate commitment outlined in the INDC that explains how the U.S. will
December 18, 2015 Read Full Article
India to Allow Ethanol-Only Vehicles; Response to Be Muted
by Mayank Bhardwaj (Reuters) India will soon allow automakers to manufacture vehicles that can run entirely on ethanol, but adoption is likely to be slow as the country has not been able to source the sugarcane by-product even for its
December 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Soon, a Fuel Based on Coconut Oil for Your Car
(Times of India) As the world continues to debate climate change and curb on emissions, this engineering college has developed a coconut oil-based biofuel that that promises to be more eco-friendly by reducing emmision of carbon and sulphur. SCMS College
December 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Kane Opts for Clean Diesel After January CNG Truck Fire
by Joseph Bebon (Next-Gen Transportation News) Although Kane Is Able Inc. still isn’t operating its compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered trucks following a January fire and subsequent lawsuit, the third-party logistics provider nevertheless likes the notion of using cleaner-burning vehicles. In
November 12, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA Says Volkswagen Cheated a 2nd Time on Pollution Tests
by Matthew Daly and Tom Krisher (Associated Press/Washington Post) ... The Environmental Protection Agency, along with the California Air Resources Board, said Volkswagen installed software on thousands of Audi, Porsche and VW cars with six-cylinder diesel engines that allowed them to emit
November 03, 2015 Read Full Article
How Could Volkswagen’s Top Engineers Not Have Known?
by DuneLawrence, Benjamin Elgin, Vernon Silver (Bloomberg Business) ... From February through April 2013, they (researchers from West Virginia University's Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions) tested three diesel cars: a Volkswagen Jetta, a Volkswagen Passat, and a BMW SUV. Besch took
October 23, 2015 Read Full Article
What Energy Will Power Tomorrow’s Trucks?
(CCJ Digital) While there never may be a fuel as ideally suited to long-haul trucking as diesel, it’s a sure bet that fleet managers of the future will have new power sources at their disposal – both on and off
October 22, 2015 Read Full Article
MBTA Purchases Dozens of Diesel-Hybrid Buses
(NGT News) The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) says its fiscal and management control board has unanimously approved the purchase of 44 diesel-hybrid buses for its Silver Line and other high-volume bus routes. The 60-foot-long buses will replace a fleet of
October 14, 2015 Read Full Article
We Should Not Be Surprised about Volkswagen’s “Diesel-Gate”
by Bill Brandon (Biofuels Digest) Fooling with computers to give false readings has happened before. It is important to recognize similarities to earlier cases and EPA’s role in them. The 1998 consent decree In October 1998, the DOJ and EPA entered into a
September 29, 2015 Read Full Article
NOxgate Expands: 93% of Diesel Vehicles Tested Fail to Meet Euro 6 NOx Emission Standards; Average Is 7 Times over the Limit
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The VW crisis just keeps getting worse, with Volkswagen suspending its VW, Audi, and Porsche R&D chiefs, as Audi confirmed that 2.1 million of its vehicles were outfitted with defeat devices, and reports surfaced that the
September 29, 2015 Read Full Article
VW Scandal Raises Doubts over Clean Diesel and Lab-Based Emissions Testing
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On September 22, Volkswagen Motors (VW) admitted that it had cheated on emissions testing in Europe and the United States, by installing a piece of software known as a ‘defeat device’ in diesel cars. The Environmental
September 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Your Guide To Dieselgate: Volkswagen's Diesel Cheating Catastrophe
by Patrick George (Jalopnik) Yes, it’s a catastrophe. There’s no other way to describe the allegations from the Environmental Protection Agency that Volkswagen cheated on their emissions tests with nearly half a million TDI diesel cars. What’s at stake here?
September 21, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA Says VW Running Massive Clean Air Scam via Jettas, Audis, Passats
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, EPA issued a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act to Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, and Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. alleging that four-cylinder Volkswagen and Audi diesel cars from model years 2009-2015
September 21, 2015 Read Full Article
The New Tobacco Road: A Path beyond Smoking for America’s Traditional Cash Crop
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Tobacco’s been re-thought, re-engineered and re-invented as a platform for sustainable, low-carbon fuels, and green chemicals – who’s doing what, where and how? ... If tobacco’s reputation has fallen into disrepute on soil sustainability and smoking
September 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Solar Fuels: Making Hydrocarbon Fuels Directly from CO2 and Sunlight
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Drop-in Hydrocarbon fuels made directly by plants? Here. we look at the science and risks of turning an “ability” into an “industrial reality”. It’s common knowledge that terrestrial plants (and many aquatic species) use carbon dioxide,
July 07, 2015 Read Full Article
New Environmental Study Urges “Caution” for Policymakers Considering Replacing Clean Diesel Trucks With Natural Gas Vehicles
(Diesel Technology Forum) Uncertainty Over Amount of Methane Emissions & Diesel Technology Efficiency Warrant Further Examination A new study published today said that switching from diesel to natural gas in heavy-duty trucks could worsen and accelerate negative climate impacts unless methane
May 19, 2015 Read Full Article
A CORN-acopia of Energy Options Coming
by Jason Spiess (Fargo Business Examiner) Recently I sat down with Tom Lilja, executive director, North Dakota Corn Growers Association, to chew the fat on a variety of corn-themed energy and agriculture topics. ... "I think a lot of people just
February 25, 2015 Read Full Article
Read the Label!
by Robert White (Renewable Fuels Association) Every week I hear from consumers with questions on ethanol and what it does to their fuel. Most don’t understand that the composition of gasoline, along with the refining process, has changed dramatically over
January 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Breakthrough or No Breakthrough? As UK Research Team Reports Progress toward Renewable Propane, Global Media Goes Gaga
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the UK, If you look this week in your Google News alerts, you’ll see an awful lot of breathless headlines around a meme something like “Researchers have engineered the harmless gut bacteria E.coli to generate
September 08, 2014 Read Full Article
Intrexon Makes Farnesene from Methane: Hot Route to Low-Cost Jet Fuels and Diesels?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Second Product of Intrexon’s Proprietary Bioconversion Platform Following Isobutanol Who’s happy, who’s bumming — and how far along is the work, really? The Digest looks at Intrexon’s breakthrough. Gas-to-Liquids approach significantly more cost-efficient versus conventional
July 01, 2014 Read Full Article
Putting the Squeeze on Gasoline
by Kelly Taylor (Chronicle Herald Wheels) It’s a breakthrough that has eluded engine researchers for more than a century. Now, it might be as little as five years away. ... The dream of using diesel’s compression-ignition idea — where the air-fuel mixture
May 19, 2014 Read Full Article
Alternative Fuel Vehicles to Gain Traction Over the Next 10 Years
(Fuels Institute) The growth of vehicles running on alternative fuels will accelerate over the next decade, but diesel fuel- and gasoline-powered vehicles will continue to dominate market share, according to “Tomorrow’s Vehicles: What Will We Drive in 2023?” a new
November 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Gasoline Will Maintain Its Dominance
by Brian Berk (Convenience Store News) Which alternative fuels do convenience store retailers currently sell the most? Although certainly not a scientifically accurate poll, Sunday morning’s “Future of Fuels” educational session at the NACS Show wanted to find out the answer immediately. According
October 16, 2013 Read Full Article
Study Shows Diesels Save Owners Money over Gasoline Versions
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) The University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute recently published a study that shows the total cost of ownership (TCO) is lower for diesel vehicles compared to their gasoline-powered counterparts. The researchers built their model by
July 24, 2013 Read Full Article
Advanced Alternative and Renewable Diesel Fuels: Detailed Characterization of Physical and Chemical Properties
(The Coordinating Research Council, Inc) This report documents and compares the results of detailed analyses of the physical and chemical properties of ten advanced alternative and renewable diesel fuels and four commercial ultra low sulfur diesels (ULSDs). A key objective
May 10, 2013 Read Full Article
Urbee 2 To Cross Country On Just 10 Gallons Of Ethanol
by Edwin Kee (Ubergizmo.com) Remember the first generation Urbee, which was a 3D printed car that was specially developed in order to usher in a new age of cheaper and more economical travel, and to test it, it was sent on
March 07, 2013 Read Full Article
CME to Require Biofuel Free Diesel for New Heating Oil Spec
(Reuters) CME Group said on Tuesday that the specification of its heating oil contract from May 2013 will contain no renewable fuel or biodiesel, matching the "Grade 62" of ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) carried on the Colonial Pipeline. "Because the ULSD
January 23, 2013 Read Full Article
EU to Revive Debate on Minimum Energy Tax Levels
by Barbara Lewis (Reuters) EU officials are to debate a new set of tax proposals to promote clean fuel and erode fiscal advantages that have made diesel relatively cheap, a document seen by Reuters showed. ...Ahead of a working party meeting on January
January 14, 2013 Read Full Article
Refining Chiefs Expect More Regulations under Obama
by Simone Sebastian (FuelFix) ...A number of federal rules that seek to cut emissions and expand biofuel use were passed or discussed during Obama’s first term. Chief executive officers of Phillips 66 and Marathon Petroleum say that portends another four years of
December 19, 2012 Read Full Article
Diesel Technology Forum Statement on the UC-Berkeley Study on Secondary Organic Aerosols
(Diesel Technology Forum) The Diesel Technology Forum issued the following statement today regarding the study published this week by the University of California-Berkeley comparing diesel and gasoline emissions. Allen Schaeffer, the Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum, issued this statement: “There
October 25, 2012 Read Full Article
Modeling Biofuel Fitness for the Sea
(University of Wisconsin-Madison) With the help of a $2 million grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research, mechanical engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will develop a tool to characterize the performance of a new class of alternative fuels
July 18, 2012 Read Full Article
Diesel Engine Renaissance
by Katherine Tweed (GreenTechMedia) Diesel car sales are soaring in the U.S. as Americans reconsider the latest diesel offerings ...Most diesels command a 30 percent improvement in real-world fuel economy against their non-diesel counterparts. Just as important, these new diesels drastically cut
October 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Study Finds Adding DME to Ethanol/Diesel Emulsion Improves Performance and Lowers Fuel Consumption and Emissions over Emulsion or Base Diesel
(Green Car Congress) In a study published in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels, M. P. Ashok of Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, India reports that adding dimethyl ether to an ethanol/diesel emulsion results in an increase in brake thermal efficiency and
September 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Diesel Power Ready to Meet Challenge To Achieve Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions & Increased Fuel Efficiency in Trucks & Buses
(Diesel Technology Forum) Diesel engines – which power more than 95 percent of America’s commercial trucks and 85 percent of its buses – will play a central role of the United States’ new effort to reduce fuel consumption and lower
August 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Maximizing Efficiency. Minimizing Impact.
by Julie Flannery-Allen (POET/Vital Online) The next generation of engine technology is here. ...Ethanol enjoys a very high octane rating of 113. When blended with gasoline, the octane rating of the fuel goes up improving the fuel's performance. In addition, ethanol
April 01, 2011 Read Full Article
December 1st Marks a Major Milestone in United States’ Transition to Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel
(Diesel Technology Forum) Sulfur Content in Diesel Fuel Has Been Reduced By 97% Since 2006 This week marked a major milestone for the nation’s transition to ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel as all highway diesel fuel in the United States complies with the
December 10, 2010 Read Full Article
Study Finds Fumigation Ethanol Operation with Diesel Reduces PM and NOx, While Oxidation Catalyst Reduces Resulting Increased CO and HC
(Green Car Congress) A study by researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Tianjin University has found that the use of fumigation ethanol in a 4-cylinder diesel decreases NOx, smoke and particulate mass and number concentrations. An accompanying significant increase
October 22, 2010 Read Full Article
International Fuel Technology Announces U.K.-Based East Midlands Trains Will Continue Using DiesoLiFT™ 10 For Fuel Economy Improvement and Emissions Reduction
(International Fuel Technology) International Fuel Technology, Inc. announced that East Midlands Trains will continue using DiesoLiFTTM 10 in its light rail, diesel multiple unit (DMU) operations. East Midlands Trains recently completed one of the largest in-service field demonstrations ever run utilizing
July 13, 2010 Read Full Article
Dynamic Fuels Hosts Investor Plant Tour
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) From time to time, you hear people complain that you can’t make money off of recycling. Dynamic Fuels gives the lie to that statement. Not only has it already saved tens of MILLIONS of
May 24, 2010 Read Full Article
Improved Internal Combustion Engines: Zajac Motors
by Eric Weshoff (Greentechmedia) ...With a longer "residence time" and a constant temperature of 1425 degrees C, their split-cycle engine can make carbon fuels "virtually clean." The engine certainly emits CO2, although only half as much as conventional diesels. The