(NGVAmerica/NGV Journal) Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) voted to purchase 295 40-foot CNG buses, which will be fueled by renewable natural gas (RNG). The contract includes an option for the purchase of 305 additional 40 foot CNG buses.
NOx (nitrogen oxides)
Back TO HOMEEPA Warned Fiat Chrysler about Diesel Defeat Devices in 2015
by Richard Read (WSET/The Car Connection) In February, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' CEO, Sergio Marchionne, warned investors that his company could soon face a Dieselgate crisis of its own. As it turns out, Marchionne had plenty of time to reach that conclusion.
June 20, 2017 Read Full Article
Heineken Brews Biofuel Barge Plan to Cut Emissions
by Turloch Mooney (JOC.com) Heineken is working on a joint pilot with a marine biofuels maker and goods distributor to use low emission barges for exports from The Netherlands. The pilot uses an advanced marine fuel in a 104-TEU barge carrying beer
June 09, 2017 Read Full Article
UAI Challenges CRC Ethanol Study, Calls Test Procedures Flawed
(Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Urban Air Initiative is calling the results of a new Coordinating Research Council emissions study “one more example of the biased and flawed testing procedures used to penalize ethanol.” The ethanol advocacy group said Wednesday CRC’s match
March 31, 2017 Read Full Article
From Off-Take to Take-Off: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to the US Renewable Jet Fuels Program
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In June 2011, the Secretaries of Agriculture, Energy, and Navy signed MOU to commit $510M (up to $170M from each agency) to produce hydrocarbon jet and diesel biofuels in the near-term. This initiative sought to
February 21, 2017 Read Full Article
Waste to Fuels Viability: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Velocys Economics
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Velocys enables modular gas-to-liquids and biomass-to-liquids plants to convert unconventional, remote and problem gas and waste biomass into valuable, drop-in liquid fuels. After 15 years and some $300 million in investment, Velocys technology is headed for
February 08, 2017 Read Full Article
Volkswagen to Recall 83,000 3.0 Liter Diesel Vehicles and Fund Mitigation Projects to Settle Allegations of Cheating Emissions Tests on Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche Vehicles
(Environmental Protection Agency) Settlement requires Volkswagen to offer to buy back older vehicles, and spend $225 million to mitigate NOx pollution. Volkswagen will also repair newer vehicles to comply with the standards to which they were certified In a second partial
December 20, 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
UAI: EPA Emails Show Oil Industry Helped Design Test Fuels
(Urban Air Initiative/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Urban Air Initiative has discovered that the U.S. EPA relied heavily on the oil industry to help design test fuels used for the EPAct Study. This is a critical development because the data in
October 20, 2016 Read Full Article
Driven by Propel Fuels, California Now Leads the Nation in Low Carbon Fuels
(Propel/MarketWired) Young and Diverse Californians at the Center of Surge in Low Carbon Fuel Volumes in Major Oil Industry Transition -- California's Big Oil disrupting climate-change policies have been extended to 2030, and the state now leads the nation in
September 15, 2016 Read Full Article
The High-Flown Fantasy of Aviation Biofuels
by Almuth Ernsting (Biofuelwatch/The Biomass Monitor) ... As far as Branson and his airline, Virgin Atlantic, were concerned, the flight was indeed no more than a stunt: The “biofuel test flight” burned 95% ordinary kerosene and just 5% biofuels, made from
September 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels Present Solution to Harmful Airborne Chemicals
by David Vandergriend (Sacramento Bee) ... But the day-to-day threat facing many communities doesn’t come from carbon. It comes from airborne chemicals with less attention-grabbing names like volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and ozone. As with carbon,
September 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Biodiesel a Fuel Option for Army Workboats
by John Simpson (Engineering 360) A three-year study to evaluate the feasibility of using biodiesel fuel in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) floating plant operations has concluded that the use of such fuels does not negatively affect engine performance and can
September 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Sacramento County Switches to Renewable LNG
(Government Fleet) Sacramento County has announced that it will make the switch from liquefied natural gas (LNG) to renewable liquefied natural gas (RLNG) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The county signed a multiple-year deal with Applied LNG. "We have 60 vehicles
September 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Biodiesel from the Right Sources Can Burn More Cleanly than Regular Diesel: Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, the Mineta National Transit Research Consortium at San José State University released a study on the generation of various pollutants during low-temperature combustion (LTC) of several types of biodiesel in comparison to ultra-low sulfur
August 30, 2016 Read Full Article
A $2.7 Billion Missed Opportunity
(Diesel Technology Forum) For any level of funding, more near-zero NOx technologies may find their way on the road and at work with clean diesel than other technologies. -- The Volkswagen settlement may be the second biggest environmental settlement in
July 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Greens Sue EPA to Force New NOx, SOx Standards
by Alex Guillén (Political Pro) ... The two standards were last reviewed in 2010 - meaning EPA is currently a year behind the five-year review schedule for those standards set under the Clean Air Act. The Center for Biological Diversity and the
July 08, 2016 Read Full Article
GoodFuels Marine Signs up Dutch Dredging as Second Major Dredging Customer on Sustainable Marine Biofuels
(Dutch Dredging) Dutch Dredging has kicked off its year round operation on sustainable “drop-in” marine biofuel out of the Dutch Port of Moerdijk. The Alouette, permanently stationed in the port of Moerdijk will operate on a unique marine fuel which
July 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Air Pollution Linked to 6.5 Million Deaths a Year, Study Says, with the Highest Concentration in Asia
by Melissa Chan (Time Magazine) Air pollution contributes to about 6.5 million deaths each year, the International Energy Agency warned in a report released Monday, with casualties expected to drastically rise in coming decades unless the energy industry curbs emissions. The agency’s
July 05, 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
Renewable Diesel Proves Viable for Construction Trucks and Equipment
(Gas & Electricity) By now, most are familiar with biodiesel. It is a cost-effective and more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional petroleum-based diesel fuels when used in the correct applications. ... However, there are limitations when compared to petroleum-based diesel. Biodiesel typically
June 23, 2016 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
Urban Air Initiative, Energy Future Coalition Challenge EPA Data on Ethanol’s Lifecycle Emissions
(Urban Air Initiative) Urban Air Initiative joined the Energy Future Coalition and the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition (GBC) in calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to recognize an overwhelming body of new evidence showing fuel ethanol can reduce carbon
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
US Files Civil Complaint against VW for Clean Air Act Violations
(Biodiesel Magazine/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. EPA, filed a civil complaint Jan. 4 in federal court in Detroit, Michigan, against Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, Volkswagen Group of America Inc., Volkswagen Group
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
What Do the Super Bowl, UPS, the City of San Francisco and the Local Water Untility in Eugene, Oregon All Have in Common?
(Diesel Technology Forum) They are all committed to using renewable diesel fuel. Interest in renewable diesel fuel is growing quickly among public and private fleets looking to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality without sacrificing power, performance, and driving
January 28, 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
Propel Fuels Reports Strong Consumer Adoption of Renewable Diesel as Retail Sales Rise 300 Percent in Southern California
(Propel Fuels/PR Newswire) Drivers Choose Superior Performance, Better Value and Cleaner Emissions of Diesel HPR -- Propel Fuels launched Diesel HPR (High Performance Renewable) across Southern California in August 2015, and consumer adoption of the fuel has risen 300 percent compared
November 18, 2015 Read Full Article
Multifunctional Landscapes: Site Characterization and Field-Scale Design to Incorporate Biomass Production into an Agricultural System
by Herbert Ssegane, M. Cristina Negri, John Quinn, Meltem Urgun-Demirtas (Biomass and Bioenergy) Design of a multifunctional landscape by integrating cellulosic biofuel production into an existing agricultural system. The design does not adversely offset current grain production for bioenergy crops. Maps of
October 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Statoil Announces New Biodiesel Based on Offal
by Peder Qvale (TU (Google translation)) Should cost as much as regular diesel. -- For a few weeks back, the company launched Eco-1 a renewable diesel option that should cost around 11 million liters and be better for the environment.
October 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Clean Diesel: What Is SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction), How Does It Work . . . & Why Is It Important?
(Diesel Technology Forum) The Diesel Technology Forum issued the following explanation on Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), an advanced active emissions control technology system used in clean diesel engines today: What Is SCR? Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) is a proven and advanced active
October 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Aemetis Distilled Biodiesel Solves India's Unhealthy Air Quality
(CNN Money/Market Watch/Aemetis) New Delhi Has the Worst Air Pollution in the World -- Aemetis, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMTX), an advanced renewable fuels and biochemicals company, announced that distilled biodiesel produced by its subsidiary in India reduces major causes of air pollution
October 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Dozens of Deaths Likely from VW Pollution Dodge
by Seth Borenstein (Associated Press/Detroit News) Volkswagen’s pollution-control chicanery has not just been victimless tinkering, killing between five and 20 people in the United States annually in recent years, according to an Associated Press statistical and computer analysis. The software that the
October 05, 2015 Read Full Article
New Ozone Regulations Ignore Tailpipe Exhaust
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) welcomes new ozone standards that will further protect public health from the negative respiratory, developmental, and other health effects of ozone exposure. The new standards, set at 70
October 02, 2015 Read Full Article
UPM BioVerno Diesel Found to Reduce Tailpipe Emissions
(Biofuels International) Wood-based BioVerno diesel by Finland’s UPM has been found to significantly reduce harmful tailpipe emissions, the company reports. A number of engine and vehicle tests have been carried out across key research institutes, such as VTT Technical Research Centre
October 01, 2015 Read Full Article
VW Scandal: Time for German Industry to Abandon Its Arrogance
by Armin Mahler (Der Spiegel) Made in Germany isn't the seal of quality it used to be. Arrogance and complacency are widespread in Germany industry, with Volkswagen becoming just the most recent example. For the German economy to remain healthy, fundamental
October 01, 2015 Read Full Article
CARB Re-Adopts State’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard
by Ann Bailey (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The California Air Resources Board has re-adopted a Low Carbon Fuel Standard requiring a 10 percent reduction in the carbon intensity of transportation fuels by 2020. “Unlike the EPA, California's Air Resources Board has consistently
September 30, 2015 Read Full Article
How Many Deaths Did Volkswagen’s Deception Cause in the U.S.?
by Margo Sanger-Katz and John Schwartz (New York Times) Volkswagen’s diesel deception unleashed tons of extra pollutants in the United States, pollutants that can harm human health. So while many commentators have been quick to say that the cheating engines are not a
September 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Sustainable Marine Fuel Initiative Consortium to Launch 2-Year Testing, Certification, Scaling Effort for Drop-In Marine Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the Netherlands, the Sustainable Marine Fuel initiative will be launched on October 7th by Boskalis, Wärtsilä, and GoodFuels Marine and supported by Carbon War Room, Zero and both the Ports of Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
September 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Volkswagen NOxGate Probe Widens
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A 6-year Volkswagen scheme to defraud emissions regulators, uncovered by the US Environmental Protection Agency and disclosed publicly in recent days, has caught the eye of other countries and stakeholders around the world. In France, Finance
September 22, 2015 Read Full Article
New ORNL Catalyst Addresses Engine Efficiency, Emissions Quandary
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory) A catalyst being developed by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory could overcome one of the key obstacles still preventing automobile engines from running more cleanly and efficiently. The mixed oxide catalyst could
September 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Neste's NEXBTL Renewable Diesel Retail Availability Expands into Southern California
(Neste/Bloomberg/Globe Newswire) After a very successful debut in Northern California, Neste's NEXBTL renewable diesel is now also available to drivers in Southern California at retail stations. Propel Fuels is the first retailer in the world to sell essentially neat NEXBTL
August 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Hybrid Electric-Biodiesel Buses: Cleaner, Fuel-Saving Alternative for Public Transportation
by Milsa Vijayadharan* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Hybrid Electric-Biodiesel Buses used in California, Washington and Michigan Model Lower GHG Emissions Options for Cities Everywhere Public transportation plays an important role in green and sustainable practices. Public transportation use means fewer cars on the road and a cleaner environment.
July 10, 2015 Read Full Article
ED95 – The Green Biofuel for Heavy Transport
(SEKAB) ED95 is an ethanol based fuel for adapted diesel engines. It consists of 95 percent pure ethanol with the addition of ignition improver, lubricant and corrosion protection. In a diesel engine adapted for ED95 ethanol’s potential can be up
July 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Meeting the Energy and Climate Challenge in California: FOCUS: Can Biofuels Save the Day?
(Diesel Technology Forum) Public funding provided over many years to incentivize the purchase of alternatives to diesel for heavy-duty trucks has barely made a small dent in introducing these alternatives into the vehicle population. Yet one alternative fuel is making
June 04, 2015 Read Full Article
California Air Resources Board to Hold Hearing on Biodiesel March 20
(California Air Resources Board) ARB's diesel fuel regulations are geared toward controlling criteria pollutant emissions from hydrocarbon-based fuels and are not intended to provide a market pathway for alternative diesel fuels (ADF), such as biodiesel. With the advent of the policies