by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) While attending the Detroit Grand Prix races earlier this month, we had the opportunity to spend some time with racing legend Bobby Rahal. Bobby is the 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner, a three-time IndyCar series
internal combustion engine
Back TO HOMEEPA Holds Hearings to Gather Public Comments on Vehicle and Gasoline Standards
(Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold two public hearings in April on the Tier 3 proposed rulemaking aimed at addressing the impacts of motor vehicles on air quality and public health. The program proposes to
April 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Big Oil's Big Effort
by Loretta Sorensen (MidWest Producer) The best way farmers and consumers can weaken the grip of giant oil companies and further reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil is to start asking their fuel retailer to sell E15. Oil companies are not
April 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Impressions on Conference Style in Asia and Challenges Facing the Biofuel Industry in Asia
by Stefaniya Becking* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The “Sugar & Ethanol Asia 2013” conference organized by F.O. Licht took place in Bangkok, Thailand, on February 26-27, 2013. This event attracted 125 people representing 20 countries (mostly private sector in Asian countries).
March 07, 2013 Read Full Article
The Potential of Di-Methyl Ether (DME) as an Alternative Fuel for Compression-Ignition Engines: A Review
by Constantine Arcoumanis, Choongsik Bae, Roy Crookes, Eiji Kinoshita (Fuel/Science Direct) This paper reviews the properties and application of di-methyl ether (DME) as a candidate fuel for compression-ignition engines. DME is produced by the conversion of various feedstock such as natural
January 17, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Production Continues for E Energy
by Scott Koperski (Beatrice Daily Sun) ... One key to E Energy Adams’ success has been finding uses for byproducts in ethanol production. (Carl) Sitzmann (CEO of E Energy Adams) said the starch from corn is the only portion of the grain
December 19, 2012 Read Full Article
RD Wraps up Model Fuels Consortium Combustion Simulation Work
(Reaction Design/Biodiesel Magazine) Reaction Design, a leading developer of combustion simulation software, has successfully concluded its work leading the Model Fuels Consortium, an organization that has involved 20 automotive and energy industry luminaries engaged in the development of accurate fuel models
November 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Iowa RFA Asks Car Makers to Endorse E15
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) is asking all auto makers to recommend the use of 15% ethanol blended fuel (E15) for use in new model vehicles. IRFA has sent letters to the heads of 12 auto manufacturers asking
November 02, 2012 Read Full Article
SAE International Book Takes You Inside the Workings of a Grand Prix Motorcycle Engine
(Business Journals/SAE/PR NewsWire) SAE International offers a book that takes readers inside engines of World Championship Grand Prix motorcycles, detailing the design concepts that make them work. "Engine Design Concepts for World Championship Grand Prix Motorcycles" is developed especially for racing enthusiasts,
October 31, 2012 Read Full Article
Ricardo Engine Optimizes Ethanol
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) It’s called the EBDI – Extreme Boost Direct Injection – and it may be the “little engine that could” revolutionize the automotive world to produce cars that get drastically improved fuel mileage while optimizing the higher
October 18, 2012 Read Full Article
Incitor and the Birth of a New Low-Cost Fuel Molecule
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A new drop-in, low-cost, high-octane fuel molecule? How does that work, and why, and when? How does it change the energy independence equation? Today, the Digest visits Incitor to find out about Alestron. ...Back in 2008,
October 04, 2012 Read Full Article
A Brief History of Biofuels
by RP Siegel (TriplePundit) ...Back in 1917, Alexander Graham Bell made the following observation in National Geographic, “Alcohol makes a beautiful, clean and efficient fuel. Alcohol can be manufactured from corn stalks, and in fact from almost any vegetable matter capable of
October 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Ford and GM Okay E15 Blends for New Vehicles
(Opis.net) Ford Motor Co. and General Motors have quietly approved gasoline blends with up to 15% ethanol for use in later model cars and light trucks, Oil Express has learned. Together, the automakers produce more than a third of the new
October 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Take It to the Limit: Algenol and Rising Yields in Advanced Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Algenol hits 7000 gallon per acre mark in field operations. What’s the impact for Algenol, for energy independence, for the cost of transport fuel? ...Algenol CEO Paul Woods revealed that the company, at its 4-acre, outdoor
September 25, 2012 Read Full Article
High Octane Number Ethanol–Gasoline Blends: Quantifying the Potential Benefits in the United States
by J.E. Anderson, D.M. DiCicco, J.M. Ginder, U. Kramer, T.G. Leone, H.E. Raney-Pablo, T.J. Wallington (Fuel) Ethanol provides a significant contribution to road transportation fuel in the US, Brazil, and elsewhere. Renewable fuels regulations in the US and EU imply that
September 20, 2012 Read Full Article
EPA’s 2017-2025 Light Duty Vehicle Rule Discourages Alternative Fuel Use
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest/BIO) ...While there are a number of obstacles impeding further growth in alternative energy, few are as critical as the joint EPA/NHTSA proposed rules establishing light-duty vehicle GHG and fuel economy standards. The proposed rule eliminates
August 08, 2012 Read Full Article
E85 + Small Displacement Turbocharged Engine = High Efficiency and Mileage: Proof from the Racetrack
[caption id="attachment_34842" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="IndyCar fans watch the action at Turn 1."][/caption] by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) “2 more laps on 4 or 5 less gallons.” Mid-Ohio Honda Indy 200 Winner Scott Dixon in post-race interview Abstract We added Green Racing to
August 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels USA Updates Next Generation Engines White Paper
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) With Ford's Ecoboost engines in about 40% of F-150 fleet and three shifts working in Cleveland, Ohio to keep up with demand, along with the increasing popularity of GM's Ecotec engines, it was time
August 02, 2012 Read Full Article
A Glimpse of the Alternative Fuel Future
by Matthew L. Wald (New York Times) ...While a variety of new fuel technologies are advancing, policy makers can be assured that the internal combustion engine will remain dominant for decades, the National Petroleum Council told the Department of Energy on Wednesday
August 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Octane: What's in Your Fuel?
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Minimum octane rating decisions could greatly impact ethanol’s future market opportunities At a time when ethanol’s high-octane rating is touted as its most valuable asset, a situation in South Dakota shows a lower-octane gasoline scenario
July 25, 2012 Read Full Article
ASTM Lowers E85's Minimum Ethanol Volume to 51 Percent
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Scientific standards development body ASTM International (formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials) recently made significant changes to its E85 specification, lowering the approved minimum ethanol volume of the fuel to
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Specialty Fuel Additives Market
by Reportlinker (Sacramento Bee) ...Some of the biggest impacts of the RFS2 regulations will be in the diesel additive segment. Cold flow improvers will grow at the fastest rate relative to other fuel additives due to the rising use of
April 26, 2012 Read Full Article
An Opportunity to Show Ethanol’s Edge
by Brian Jennings (American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...First, with E15 market ready in many states, the U.S. EPA ought to ensure summer Reid vapor pressure (RVP) limitations do not stand in the way of consumers having access
March 14, 2012 Read Full Article
Electric Cars and Liberals’ Refusal to Accept Science
by Charles Lane (The Washinton Post) OpEd: President Obama boasted at a United Auto Workers conference last week that General Motors was back in business, producing cutting-edge vehicles like the plug-in electric Chevrolet Volt. He even promised to buy one when his time
March 06, 2012 Read Full Article
E85 Switzer ‘Cornzilla’ GT-R Returns With 1,000 Horsepower
by Patrick Frawley (Jalopnik) It's been almost two years since we featured an E85-fueled Nissan GT-R from Switzer. Since then, the Ohio-based tuner has been steadily improving their cornfed-Godzilla conversion package to the tune of a nearly 25% power jump. To review: The 2010-model
March 02, 2012 Read Full Article
High Octane Fuels To Power Cars to New Mileage
(Convenience Store Decisions) Auto-engineering firm Ricardo Inc. reports that three out of every four vehicles will require a gasoline-type, higher octane fuel to operate a growing list of engine technology options. Automakers will need higher octane fuels to meet the coming
February 27, 2012 Read Full Article
Thirsty for More: Ethanol’s High Octane Rating May Be the Ticket for Meeting Escalating Fuel Efficiency Standards in Engines
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards unveiled by the agencies, which reportedly had the support of major automakers and environmental groups, would steadily increase fuel efficiency requirements
February 27, 2012 Read Full Article
The Fan Connection: NASCAR Looks Back on a Year of E15 as the 2012 Season Kicks off in February
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The basic message of 2011 was simple: If E15 is good enough for NASCAR racecars, it’s good enough for street cars too. Backing up that message is the fact that NASCAR made no changes to
February 27, 2012 Read Full Article
The Future of Aerospace Engines
(Aviation Goes Green) Everyone agrees that aircraft engines need to get greener. Does the answer lie in revolutionary propulsion systems, or will our future travels be powered by the same old jet engine running on renewable fuels? Metalworking World looks into the aero
February 14, 2012 Read Full Article
Ferrari Running E-85 Ethanol: Bellissimo!
by Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) Ferrari is the world’s premier builder of expensive beautiful cars. But, Ferraris are not simple pretty car show models. From the 250 GTO of 1965 to the current 458 Italia, Ferrari has combined
January 18, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol’s Octane Provides Proactive Opportunity
by Brian Jennings (Ethanol Producer Magazine/American Coalition for Ethanol) ... The new CAFE standards apply to light-duty vehicles beginning in model year 2017, requiring a nationwide average of 54.5 miles per gallon by model year 2025. While the automakers agreed to
January 16, 2012 Read Full Article
Tiger Cars for Tiger Fuels: E100 Group Calls for More Ethanol-Tuned Engines
by Don Siefkes (E100 Ethanol Group/Biofuels Digest) To The Editors of the Wall Street Journal: Cellulosic ethanol has been a debacle, but not for the reasons stated in your editorial “The Cellulosic Ethanol Debacle” of December 13. Cellulosic ethanol has not
January 10, 2012 Read Full Article
Battery-Car Future Undercut by Europe, Improvements in ICE Technology
by Neil Winton (Detroit News) Investment bank Morgan Stanley came up with a nasty surprise for Nissan-Renault and other cheer-leaders for battery powered cars when it cut its electric vehicle sales forecast by nearly 50 per cent for 2025. Europe’s economic
December 19, 2011 Read Full Article
MATT HARTWIG: Ethanol's critics cite outdated, misleading data
by Matt Hartwig (Northwest Florida Daily News) Opinion: In a Nov. 2 editorial (“Florida’s ethanol escapade”), the Northwest Florida Daily News mischaracterized my remarks to a reporter and extrapolated conclusions that simply were not there. ...First, America produced more than 13
November 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Mazda Showcases Grand Ideas in Small Cars at 2011 SEMA Show With "Green" Roadster and Tiny Turbo
(PR NewsWire/Mazda) North American Operations (MNAO) is known for its Zoom-Zoom dynamism, which is evident in the brand's lineup of distinct design and divine drivability, and brings to this year's Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show a fleet of vehicles
November 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Gevo Supplied Isobutanol-Gasoline Blend Runs Well in Small Engines
(BusinessWire/Gevo) Briggs & Stratton Tests Show None of the Engine Compatibility Issues of Ethanol In side by side performance, durability and emissions testing of small engines, gasoline blended with isobutanol performed better than blends using ethanol. Gevo, Inc., a renewable chemicals
October 31, 2011 Read Full Article
Auto Alliance, RFA Underscore Cooperative Commitment to New Technologies
(Renewable Fuels Association) Today, the CEO of the Auto Alliance, Mitch Bainwol, joined Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen to address the annual meeting of the RFA held in Washington, DC. In remarks, both leaders reaffirmed their industries’
October 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Don’t Forget the Combustion Engine
by Robert W. Carling (Sandia National Laboratory/The Washington Post) op ed: ...Amid the national discussion on the future of electric vehicles, biofuels, fuel cells and other advanced technologies, the fact remains that it will take decades before any new engine