Saturday, April 01, 2006

Crooner Nelson Breaks Ground On BioDiesel Refinery, BioFuels grand opening, Willie Nelson concert scheduled for Sunday

Crooner Nelson Breaks Ground On BioDiesel Refinery
CBS 11 - Dallas/Fort Worth,TX,USA
... gas prices. Willie Nelson, a partner with Pacific Biodiesel Texas, has backed alternative sources of energy for a few years. The ...

BioFuels grand opening, Willie Nelson concert scheduled for Sunday
Durant Daily Democrat - Durant,OK,USA
Millions of gallons of biodiesel fuel produced by a new plant opening in Durant this weekend likely will never leave the state, even though its owners chose ...
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(BW) Earth Biofuels Secures Exclusive Use of ''BIOWILLIE'' Brand ...

(BW) Earth Biofuels Secures Exclusive Use of ''BIOWILLIE'' Brand ...
Houston Chronicle - United States
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2006--Earth Biofuels, Inc. (OTCBB:EBOF) today announced that it has finalized an agreement with Biodiesel Venture, LP for ...
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9MP a shot in the arm for plantations, farming sectors

9MP a shot in the arm for plantations, farming sectors
Business Times - Malaysia - Malaysia
... He noted that with global demand for biodiesel increasing by the day, there is an urgent need to increase the production of palm oil, but at the same time ...

Friday, March 31, 2006

Biodiesel company drums up deal with Willie, North Dakota produces more diverse energy than other states

Biodiesel company drums up deal with Willie
Austin Business Journal - Austin,TX,USA
wrapped up an agreement with Biodiesel Venture GP LLC for the exclusive distribution of the company's biodiesel under the "BioWillie" brand name. ...
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North Dakota produces more diverse energy than other states
Minot Daily News - Minot,ND,USA
... Sen. Byron Dorgan, DN.D. "We have coal, we have oil, we have natural gas, we have wind, biodiesel, ethanol ­ you name it. We have ...

MALAYSIA'S BOUSTEAD IN JV TO BUILD BIODIESEL PLANT
TMCnet - USA
... owned subsidiary of Boustead Holdings Berhad (KLSE:2771), has teamed up with CTI Biofuels Malaysia LLC to build and operate a oil palm-based biodiesel plant. ...
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Lurgi Wins Contract for a Vegetable Oil and a Biodiesel Plant in ...
Chemie.de (press release) - Germany
... The Victoria Group in Novi Sad, Serbia, has awarded Lurgi AG an order for the supply of equipment for a complete vegetable oil plant and for a biodiesel plant. ...

Green Star Products Expands into Biodiesel Plant Construction, Nova Energy Launches Biodiesel Fuel Company

Green Star Products Expands into Biodiesel Plant Construction
Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco,CA,USA
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2006--Green Star Products, Inc. (OTC:GSPI) announced today that it has decided to utilize its Biodiesel Engineering and ...

Nova Energy Launches Biodiesel Fuel Company
Market Wire (press release) - USA
(OTC BB: NVAO) announced the launch of its new biodiesel fuel company, which is headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company's business ...


Ethanol from fat in new BP blend, Washington State Adopts Biodiesel Requirement

Ethanol from fat in new BP blend
Australian - Sydney,Australia
... litres of ethanol, extracted from wheat, from a $100million purpose-built plant to be constructed at Kwinana south of Perth by biodiesel pioneer Primary Energy ...
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Washington State Adopts Biodiesel Requirement
Wisconsin Ag Connection - Marshfield,WI,USA
A renewable energy standard has passed in Washington, making it the second state to commit to making biodiesel an everyday part of the diesel fuel market. ...

Australian govt to ensure tallow biodiesel receives tax benefits, Howard welcomes BP ethanol investment

Australian govt to ensure tallow biodiesel receives tax benefits
TMCnet - USA
(Asia In Focus Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)CANBERRA, March 31 Asia in Focus - The government is to legislate to ensure biodiesel made from animal fat receives ...

Howard welcomes BP ethanol investment
The Age - Melbourne,Victoria,Australia
The government is to ensure biodiesel made from animal fat receives the same favourable tax treatment as biodiesel produced by other processes. ...
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Summertime Primary On Tap In Washington

Summertime Primary On Tap In Washington
KOMO - Seattle,WA,USA
... A measure making Washington the second state with biofuel and biodiesel mandates, to be implemented by December 2008. ... The biodiesel bill is SB 6508. ...

Thursday, March 30, 2006

BP signs Australian deal on biofuel production

BP signs Australian deal on biofuel production
Reuters.uk - UK
BP will produce 110 million litres of tallow-based biodiesel at its Bulwer refinery in Queensland by 2007, which it will use to produce around 2 billion litres ...
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Gregoire signs alternative fuels bill, Portland Testing Out Alternative Fuel, Biodiesel plant planned for Vernon County

Boustead unit to produce biodiesel
Business Times - Malaysia - Malaysia
CONGLOMERATE Boustead Holdings Bhd, via Boustead Plantations Bhd, is venturing into biodiesel production by setting up a joint venture with CTI Biofuels ...

Biodiesel plant planned for Vernon County
Belleville News-Democrat - Belleville,IL,USA
NEVADA, Mo. - More than a thousand farmers in southwest Missouri have pledged enough money to build a biodiesel plant in Vernon County. ...
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Portland Testing Out Alternative Fuel
WLBZ-TV - Bangor,ME,USA
The cleaner burning biodiesel reduces emissions and improves air quality. ... Bangor became the first municipality in Maine to switch its vehicles to biodiesel. ...

Gregoire signs alternative fuels bill
Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA
Beginning in 2008, it requires state fuel suppliers to ensure that two percent of the diesel is biodiesel and two percent of the gasoline is ethanol. ...

Biofuels safe for modern vehicles

Biofuels safe for modern vehicles
Virginia Farm Bureau - Richmond,VA,USA
RICHMOND—As interest in switching to fuel mixtures like ethanol and biodiesel increases among Virginians, so do questions about performance and availability. ...
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RICHMOND—As interest in switching to fuel mixtures like ethanol and biodiesel
increases among Virginians, so do questions about performance and availability.
The good news is most consumers should have no trouble using a biofuel blend.
“All automobile manufacturers say a blend of biofuels is fine for modern
vehicles,” said Andrew Smith, senior assistant director of governmental
relations for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. “However, ethanol and
biodiesel are natural engine cleaners, and so drivers may have to replace their
fuel filters after beginning to use a blend. It’s cleaning the gunk out of your
engine.”

The National Corn Growers Association has published a pamphlet to
address many concerns about the growing use of ethanol. It can be found online
at www.ncga.com/ethanol/pdfs/ethanolFacts11292005.pdf.

A common misconception is that, as petroleum companies begin adding ethanol to their fuel mixtures, consumer prices will rise because there’s not a large domestic supply of ethanol. Smith said that’s not a major concern now, and the Virginia General
Assembly has taken steps to boost biofuel supplies at the request of farmers.


“That’s why Farm Bureau pushed for new legislation in the General
Assembly this year,” Smith said. “This legislation creates a biofuels incentive
program. It will help attract large-scale biofuel production to Virginia by
offering a 10-cents-per-gallon producer credit from the state for every gallon
of ethanol or biodiesel produced on a minimum production level of 10 million
gallons a year.”

How soon can Virginians expect to see more biofuels at local gas stations? It will take a while, Smith said. But truckers on Interstate 81 already are using biodiesel made from Virginia soybeans and manufactured in New Kent County.

Virginia farmers support the move toward more ethanol and biodiesel fuels for obvious reasons, Smith said.

"It’s going to create an even bigger market for their crops, like barley, corn, soybeans and potentially even wood-based products down the road. That will help our growers, because it will increase demand.”

Contact Smith at 804-290-1021 or Norm Hyde, VFBF video
producer, at 804-290-1146.

BUSINESS: Veridium Receives Order to Increase Ethanol Production ...

Veridium Receives Order to Increase Ethanol Production ...
Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco,CA,USA
... Kevin Kreisler, chairman and chief executive officer of GreenShift Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: GSHF), Veridium's majority shareholder, said that "the ...

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 30,
2006--Veridium Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: VRDM) today announced its
receipt of an order from a Wisconsin based ethanol producer for the second stage
of Veridium's patent-pending Corn Oil Extraction Systems(TM).

Veridium's proprietary new Corn Oil Extraction Systems(TM) extract high grade corn oil from an ethanol by-product called distillers dried grain ("DDG").

One Kernel, Two Fuels

Currently, the majority of ethanol production is based on a dry milling technique that utilizes more than 1 billion bushels of corn to produce 3 billion gallons per year of ethanol. The dry mill process converts the starch from the kernel of corn into sugar and then the sugar into ethanol. The balance of the corn (non-starch components) then goes through a dewatering and dehydration process where the byproduct is sold as a
commercial feed ingredient called DDG. DDG contains the majority of the corn oil
that was present in the kernel. Today, the 1 billion bushels of corn currently
used in the dry mill ethanol process contain roughly 300 million gallons of corn
oil that is currently sold for about $0.03 per pound as commercial feed. The new
Veridium technology presents another option - cost effective conversion of the
oil in the ethanol by-product into biodiesel.

Veridium's technology has the capability of removing up to 75% of the corn oil from within the DDG in two stages. The first stage extracts 1.2 to 1.5 million gallons per year and corresponds to about 30% of the corn oil in the DDG for a 50 million gallon per
year facility. Each of Veridium's previously announced orders for its Corn Oil Extraction Systems(TM) are for deployments of the first stage.

The second stage of the Veridium technology recovers another 30% to 45% of the corn oil in the DDG, corresponding to another 1.2 to 2.2 million gallons of corn oil per year out of a 50 million gallon per year ethanol facility. The Wisconsin facility has ordered both stages and is expected to produce about 2.4 to 3.7 million gallons of corn oil per year when both stages are deployed later this year.

David Winsness, chief executive officer of Veridium's industrial design division, stated that "3 million gallons per year of high grade corn oil converts to 3 million gallons per year of biodiesel. This equates to a 6% increase in fuel production out of a 50 million gallon per year ethanol facility, and a significant increase in plant productivity out of
the plant's existing infrastructure."

Veridium provides turn-key Corn Oil Extraction Systems(TM) for no up-front cost in return for long-term corn oil purchase agreements based on a fixed discount to prevailing market prices.

Increased Demand for Ethanol

Kevin Kreisler, chairman and chief executive officer of GreenShift Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: GSHF), Veridium's majority shareholder, said that "the Veridium technology is very timely. We expect that demand for ethanol is going to increase markedly in the immediate future as the fuel additive MTBE is phased out and replaced with ethanol. Our belief is that this is going to result in increased demand for technologies that enhance ethanol production efficiencies and Veridium holds the
rights to a number of technologies that we believe achieve this."

MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, is blended with gasoline to enhance its oxygen content and it accounts for about 10 percent of the volume of every gallon of gasoline with which it is blended. This is equal to about 1.4 percent of the nationwide supply. Many gasoline marketers are planning to eliminate their use of MTBE once the oxygenate requirement lapses on May 5 due to the fact that the Energy Policy Act of 2005 didn't rotect MTBE producers from past or future groundwater contamination lawsuits.

Additionally, the new Renewable Fuel Standard holds refiners to a baseline use
of renewable fuels such as ethanol of 4 billion gallons in 2006 and increasing
to 7.5 billion gallons by 2012. The Energy Department estimates that 130,000
barrels per day of extra ethanol will be needed beginning May 5, an amount equal
to almost 50 percent of current output.

Winsness concluded: "According to the Renewable Fuels Association, the ethanol industry has been planning for this transition for some time and producers have taken the necessary steps to respond to the increased demand. We are excited and grateful for the opportunity to provide our ethanol clients with additional options to meet the increased demand in cost-effective and rapid ways."

About Veridium's Corn Oil Extraction System(TM)

Veridium's Corn Oil Extraction System(TM) offers the following compelling benefits for ethanol producers:

  • Low Operating Costs - the system requires less than $0.05 per gallon of corn oil produced;
  • High Recovery Rates - the technology is capable of recovering up to 75% of the corn oil within the DDG;
  • Increased Revenue - the corn oil extracted with Veridium's technology is readily amenable to refining into biodiesel fuel which creates a new revenue stream for participating ethanol facilities;
  • Reduces Current Operating Costs and Emissions - Veridium's technology improves the drying efficiency of the DDG which in turn reduces overall plant operating costs and emissions; and,
  • Low Capital Cost - Veridium's oil extraction methods have a capital cost of less than 15% of traditional corn oil extraction methods.

Pictures and video of the new Veridium technology are available online at www.meangreenbiofuels.com - this system is the first stage of the technology and it is in use today recovering corn oil from concentrated thin stillage.

About Veridium Corporation

Veridium Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: VRDM) is a publicly traded industrial waste recycling company and holds the rights to more than a dozen proprietary universal processing, water purification, emissions control and waste recycling technologies.

Veridium's business model is based on the engineering and marketing of green innovations and processes that enhance manufacturing efficiencies, improve resource utilization and minimize waste. Veridium's mission is to deliver consumer oriented Natural Solutions(TM) based on an array of green technologies and applied engineering expertise that reduce waste at the source and make it easier for people and businesses to recycle and reuse resources. Veridium plans to focus on the continued acquisition, development and marketing of benchmark green technologies and products that accomplish the following key goals:

  • Reduce the volume of waste generated by
    residential and commercial consumers;
  • Increase the convenience and decrease the
    cost of recycling by residential and commercial consumers; and,
  • Increase the cost-efficiency of
    processing certain types of industrial wastes.

Veridium is 70% owned by GreenShift Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: GSHF), a publicly traded business development company (BDC) whose mission is to develop and support companies and technologies that facilitate the efficient use of natural resources and catalyze transformational environmental gains.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements, which may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Those statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of Veridium Corporation, and members of their management as well as the assumptions on which such statements are based. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Important factors currently known to management that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-statements include fluctuation of operating results, the ability to compete successfully and the ability to complete efore-mentioned transactions. The company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results.


Biodiesel gets green light

Biodiesel gets green light
Pryor Daily Times - Pryor,OK,USA
By Chadwick Watters. NEVADA, Mo. — More than 1,000 area farmers have pledged $34.2 million so far to build a biodiesel plant in Vernon County. ...

ID Program Needed To Keep State Cattle In Lucrative Markets, Eastman Plans To Make Chicken Fat Biodiesel

ID Program Needed To Keep State Cattle In Lucrative Markets
Springdale Morning News - Springdale,AR,USA
... Bell said he'd like more time and resources for developing alternative fuel sources, such as biodiesel and ethanol, to give Arkansas farm products new markets. ...

Eastman Plans To Make Chicken Fat Biodiesel
Today's THV - Little Rock,AR,USA
... expand. The plant is now capable of producing six million gallons of biodiesel fuel annually out of soybeans and rendered chicken fat. ...
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Marion-Polk Food Share trucks to use biodiesel, Efficiency of wind, biodiesel fuel touted

Marion-Polk Food Share trucks to use biodiesel
Salem Statesman Journal - Salem,OR,USA
... "It is a fantastic idea," said Neil Bishop, the owner of Cascade Biodiesel. ... But biodiesel proponents say they like the image of a food bank making the switch. ...

Efficiency of wind, biodiesel fuel touted
Columbia Missourian - Columbia,MO,USA
... Jenna Higgins, a 1994 MU graduate, showcased her work as National Biodiesel Board communications director, located in Jefferson City. ...

South Africa’s MBI looks for partner for biodiesel factory ...

South Africa’s MBI looks for partner for biodiesel factory ...
Macauhub - Macau,China
... and a South African agricultural cooperative Cofamosa announced they would invest US$125 million on an industrial unit to manufacture biodiesel from sugar cane ...


Renewable fuels legislation helps Illinois rural economy, Push toward biodiesel fuel sets down a solid plan for the future

Renewable fuels legislation helps Illinois rural economy
Brownfield - Jefferson City,MO,USA
... “This bill will provide the creation of new ethanol and biodiesel plants in Illinois and bring some benefits of the Renewable Fuel Standard to our state ...
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Push toward biodiesel fuel sets down a solid plan for the future
Online Athens (subscription) - Athens,GA,USA
... He stated that biodiesel, the fuel in question in Senate Bill 453, is not a valid option for diesel-powered transportation since ethanol is not net energy ...


Wednesday, March 29, 2006

FOREIGN: Leyte lecture-demo tackles village-level biodiesel production

Leyte lecture-demo tackles village-level biodiesel production
Philippine Information Agency - Philippines
... Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s thrust of looking for alternative sources of fuel for the country, a one-day lecture-demo on village-level biodiesel production as ...

Renewable fuels bill clears Iowa House

Renewable fuels bill clears Iowa House
Brownfield - Jefferson City,MO,USA
by Lane McConnell. The Iowa House passed legislation that is designed to enhance the availability and use of renewable fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel. ...
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Wednesday, March 29, 2006, 10:18 AM
by
Lane McConnell

The Iowa House passed legislation that is designed to enhance the availability and use of renewable fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel. The bill will now head to the Iowa Senate.

Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President Craig Lang said in an IFBF press release,” this bill illustrates what can happen when groups work together for the greater good. Farm Bureau members throughout Iowa want to achieve the highest level of renewable fuels use possible.”

This is the first time in Iowa a bill would establish a retail tax credit for E85 and biodiesel. The House bill, HF 2754, would also boost funding for renewable fuel infrastructure grants. The grants will help retailers make the necessary changes to offer biodiesel blends and E85 to consumers.

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association’s (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw said in a prepared statement, “the IRFA and other groups believe the bill can be made even better for Iowa. We were happy to see the process move forward today and we’ll continue to work to include a meaningful renewable fuels standard in the legislation before it reaches the Governor’s desk.”

The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) and the IRFA worked to develop the 25 percent by 2015 Renewable Fuels Standard, which allows gasoline retailers flexibility in meeting the standard through the sale of E10, E85 and biodiesel blends.

Representative Joe Hutter, a Republican from Bettendorf opposed the bill suggesting the next step would be to raise the state tax on wine that wasn't made with Iowa grapes.

"I am not in favor of any tax increases," Hutter says. “Despite the spat over the tax issue, the bill was widely praised as an important step in building demand for ethanol.”

Iowa will have a minimum of 27 ethanol plants capable of producing over 1.7 billion gallons per year and six biodiesel plants that will be able to produce more than 120 million gallons by the end of 2006.

New biodiesel plant finds ready market in Oklahoma

New biodiesel plant finds ready market in Oklahoma
KTEN - Denison,TX,USA
TULSA, Okla. A new biodiesel fuel plant opens in Durant this weekend and is expected to produce (m) millions of gallons of fuel that will never leave Oklahoma. ...


Biodiesel production to top 6m tonnes by 2006 - 29th March 2006

Biodiesel production to top 6m tonnes by 2006 - 29th March 2006
Platinum today - UK
The European vegetable oil producers and processors federation (Fediol) has predicted that biodiesel production within the EU could grow to more than six ...


One-stop online shop for DIY biodiesel equipment, Canada lags leading countries in production of renewable fuels

One-stop online shop for DIY biodiesel equipment
Response Source (press release) - London,UK
More and more people are looking to cut their fuel costs by producing their own biodiesel. Now they can buy all the equipment they ...

Canada lags leading countries in production of renewable fuels
Canada.com - Hamilton,Ontario,Canada
Brazil, the United States, China and the European Union are far ahead of Canada in production of fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, says the report by ...
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FOREIGN: D1 Oils Madagascar to open first biodiesel refinery in 2008

D1 Oils Madagascar to open first biodiesel refinery in 2008
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
D1 Oils Madagascar announced Tuesday that it would construct its first biodiesel refinery in 2008 in the large Indian Ocean island. ...


Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Serbia set to get biodiesel plant, Dalton oil company offers biodiesel fuel

Serbia set to get biodiesel plant
Monsters and Critics.com - Glasgow,UK
HOUSTON, TX, United States (UPI) -- The Victoria Group of Novi Sad in Serbia let contract to Germany`s Lurgi AG for a biodiesel plant to be built near Belgrade ...
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Neste Oil to set up biodiesel joint venture in Austria
Helsingin Sanomat - Finland
... company Neste Oil has signed a letter of intent with the Austrian oil and gas company OMV for the construction of a new generation biodiesel production plant ...
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In EU, a shift to foreign sources for 'green' fuel
International Herald Tribune - France
PARIS Output of alternative fuels like biodiesel and ethanol in the European Union may be hit over the next few years as some countries are delaying ...
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Dalton oil company offers biodiesel fuel
WNYT - Albany,NY,USA
... Biodiesel fuel is made from renewable resources. ... The amount of pollutants emitted from biodiesel fuel is 75 percent less than your everyday diesel. ...

Earth Biofuels Opens Second Biodiesel Retail Service Station, Supply contract let for Serb biodiesel plant

BNDES earmarks US$70mn for biodiesel in 2006 - Brazil
BNamericas - Santiago,Chile
Brazil's national development bank BNDES will disburse some 150mn reais (US$69.6mn) this year for biodiesel projects, the bank's energy director Ricardo Cunha ...

Earth Biofuels Opens Second Biodiesel Retail Service Station
Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco,CA,USA
(OTCBB:EBOF) today announced the opening of its own biodiesel truck stop/service station located in Grenada, Miss. The opening follows ...

Supply contract let for Serb biodiesel plant
Oil & Gas Journal - Houston,TX,USA
... The Victoria Group of Novi Sad, Serbia, has let a contract to Lurgi AG, Frankfurt, for the supply of equipment for a 100,000 tonne/year biodiesel plant and a ...

Imports and legal delays may hamper EU biofuel output

Imports and legal delays may hamper EU biofuel output
Reuters.uk - UK
... and Finland are probably the countries that are dragging their feet the most," said Raffaello Garofallo, general secretary of the European Biodiesel Board (EBB ...

Answer questions on biodiesel before making it mandatory for ..., Biodiesel - an exciting new frontier for Maple Leaf Foods

Answer questions on biodiesel before making it mandatory for ...
Canadian Transportation & Logistics - Toronto,Ontario,Canada
REGINA, Sask.-- The impact of biodiesel on post-2002 truck engines, the fuel's widespread availability and its benefits versus the gains already made by the ...

Biodiesel - an exciting new frontier for Maple Leaf Foods
Canada East - Canada
... Rendering, based in Toronto, provides vital recycling service in the food processing industry and now is a major player in the Canadian biodiesel industry. ...


Tapping into biodiesel; Biodiesel fuel fuels student's win at science fair, State Legislators Study Farm Issues With Care

Tapping into biodiesel
Berkshire Eagle - Pittsfield,MA,USA
Yesterday, it accepted its first shipment of biodiesel, an environmentally friendly mixture of fossil fuel and vegetable-based fuel. ...

Tuesday, March 28Brown Oil Co. in
Dalton is turning green.

Yesterday, it accepted its first shipment of biodiesel, an environmentally friendly mixture of fossil fuel and vegetable-based fuel.

Chris Swindlehurst, owner of Brown Oil, said he is the first Berkshire County distributor to make biodiesel available to customers who use home heating oil or who drive diesel-powered vehicles.

Mike Lipton, operations manager at rival Lipton Energy, said offering biodiesel represents the future for energy distributors.

"It is something we will eventually do," Lipton said. "Everyone will. It's just a question of when."

Swindlehurst said Brown Oil initially will sell a 5 percent blend of soybean-derived biodiesel and regular petroleum-based diesel. In fuel parlance, that would be a B5 biodiesel blend. Brown Oil will get the biodiesel from Sprague Energy of East Greenbush, N.Y.

Swindlehurst said he realizes that anything new can create uneasiness among consumers. "I'm a little nervous about public opinion, but I decided to bite the bullet and go ahead and do it anyway," he said. "It's a cleaner, more environmentally friendly product, and it's made here in the U.S. by U.S. workers."

Biodiesel can be produced in a variety of ways. Even used cooking oil from restaurants is being filtered and used in diesel engines by some, although unused soybean oil has a lower point of coagulation and, therefore, burns better in colder climates.

Swindlehurst said that, although it is doubtful the United States could ever produce enough biodiesel to eliminate the use of fossil fuels, biodiesel can substantially reduce the pollutants emitted by diesel engines and decrease our dependence on foreign oil.

Swindlehurst said his B5 blend is available now to home heating oil customers. He said it costs him an extra penny per gallon, an increase that he will not pass on to his customers. In less than a month, he plans to offer the blend to customers who use diesel vehicles. A few months down the road, he will add a 20 percent blend, or B20, mixed with a low-sulfur petroleum to his offerings, for a higher price.

According to a report by the U.S. Department of Energy, the higher the blend, the lower the emissions.

At 100 percent, "biodiesel reduces the net carbon dioxide emissions by 78.45 percent compared to petroleum diesel. For B20, carbon dioxide emissions from urban buses drop 15.66 percent," the report said.

Jamie Cahillane, director of recycling services at the Center for Ecological Technology (CET), uses biodiesel in his car whenever he can. CET also uses the fuel in its truck. "There are definitely advantages to using it," he said. "And if commercial fleets or school buses could make the switch, it would have a much bigger impact."

Now that Brown Oil is making biodiesel available in the Berkshires, Cahillane said it will be easier for him and CET to use it more often.

"It smells a lot better and runs a lot cleaner," he said.

Any late-model diesel vehicle can run on biodiesel without a mechanical conversion, Swindlehurst said. And home heating furnaces also will burn the fuel without any need for additional conversion.

Sprague Energy opened the first biodiesel distributor terminal in the Northeast last week. Andy Lynch, Sprague's communications manager, said the biodiesel is being brought in by rail from producers in the Midwest.

Lynch said Sprague sold its first 40,000 gallons in less than a week and had to refill its tanks yesterday afternoon.

Biodiesel fuel fuels student's win at science fair
Noblesville Ledger - IN, USA
NOBLESVILLE -- Drew Ahner helped make a biodiesel fuel that won him first place in the regional science fair and will help his parents save money running the ...

Forest Hill 4th-grader makes vegetable-oil fuel for family's farm tractor.

By Chris Sikich
Chris.Sikich@TheNoblesvilleLedger.com
March 28, 2006

NOBLESVILLE -- Drew Ahner helped make a biodiesel fuel that won him first place in the regional science fair and will help his parents save money running the family farm.

The Forest Hill Elementary fourth-grader won the Central Indiana Regional
Science Fair March 21 at the University of Indianapolis for his project,
Biodiesel: An Economical, Environmentally Friendly Solution for High Fuel
Costs.

In December, Drew's father suggested the family use biodiesel fuel instead of
diesel for their tractor. Andy Ahner said his son jumped on the Internet and
found Web site after Web site detailing how to make the fuel.

Drew made the fuel but his father, a process engineer at Diversified Systems
in Indianapolis, supervised. Andy Ahner said materials used in the process are
dangerous, so his main focus was to make sure his son wasn't working too
fast."He knows this stuff and he has phenomenal recall when it comes to
reading technical information, being able to recite what is needed and being
able to apply it," Andy Ahner said of Drew.

The two used vegetable oil from area restaurants, and through a three-week
chemical process made biodiesel fuel. While they made a small amount for the
science fair, they plan to build a facility this summer to make 200 gallons a
week. It costs 63 cents a gallon to make, excluding electricity.

According to AAA Hoosier Motor Club, diesel in the Indianapolis area is
selling for $2.55 per gallon, up 30 cents from $2.25 a year ago.

Aside from saving his family money on the 400-600 gallons of diesel they
expect to use this summer, Drew hopes to pique the interest of area farmers.

"We're planning to make it and sell it for my college money," said Drew, an
aspiring mechanical engineer.

He said biodiesel fuel is more environmentally friendly than diesel. Instead
of thick black smoke, he said the tractor lets off the smell of french
fries.

"Diesel fuel is hard on the environment," Drew said, noting the biodiesel
fuel wouldn't harm the ozone layer.

There are other advantages for farmers. "Biodiesel fuel gets a little better
gas mileage and higher horse power," he said.

Drew said people also ask him if the fuel will work in their cars. "I've
always thought that was well explained in the word 'biodiesel,'" he said. "It
only burns in a diesel engine."

His teacher, Jason Pearson, has never seen a student like Drew, calling him
way beyond the typical fourth-grader mentally.

"You don't see too many kids have the depth of knowledge that this kid has,"
Pearson said, noting his challenge is to make sure he's not moving too slowly in
class for Drew.

Pearson said growing up on a farm and gaining real experience probably helps
Drew in class.

Drew said he helps out in just about every aspect on the family's 16-acre
farm.
The family raises horses and uses the tractor to farm a 10-acre hay
field, as well as nearby fields they farm contractually.

"Drew's my tractor man," Andy Ahner said. "He's been doing that for two years. I don't think I spend any time at all baling hay; he did all of that."

State Legislators Study Farm Issues With Care
Harrisonburg Daily News Record - Harrisonburg,VA,USA
... to address.". Another debate in the General Assembly this winter, Lohr said, addressed production of biodiesel fuel. Progress in ...


DGAP-News : BIOPETROL INDUSTRIES AG - Final Results

DGAP-News : BIOPETROL INDUSTRIES AG - Final Results
Vereinigte Wirtschaftsdienste - Germany
... The biodiesel producer reported consolidated net income of EUR 3.2 million (prior year: EUR 0.1 million) and thus an after-tax return of 3.7 %. ...


Monday, March 27, 2006

Biotech industry calls for more R&D funds; GHope CEO: Give biodiesel incentives

Finnish, Austrian companies to build biodiesel fuel plant
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
and Austrian oil and gas company OMV have agreed to jointly build a large-scale plant to produce next-generation biodiesel fuel, Neste Oil said in a statement ...
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Biotech industry calls for more R&D funds
Malaysia Star - Malaysia
... Biodiesel, singled out as one of the major drivers of growth, was something that cannot be avoided. ... We can convert that to biodiesel. ...

GHope CEO: Give biodiesel incentives
Malaysia Star - Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: Golden Hope Plantations Bhd (GHope) suggests more incentives be introduced to develop the biodiesel industry under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP). ...
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Chemical company seeks tax freeze for biodiesel production

GHope asks govt to give tax incentives for bio-diesel industry
The Edge Daily - Malaysia
Golden Hope Plantations Bhd (GHope) is asking the government to offer initial support for budding biodiesel firms, such as tax credit to companies venturing ...
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Chemical company seeks tax freeze for biodiesel production
Memphis Business Journal - Memphis,TN,USA
A Memphis chemical company plans to expand operations to manufacture biodiesel fuels for the growing alternative fuels industry and is seeking a six-year tax ...

Biodiesel pilot successful, Entrepreneur puts home on line for biodiesel: Mortgage went to ...

Biodiesel pilot successful
CBC.ca - Alberta, Canada
There were no serious problems reported with a small pilot project using biodiesel fuels this winter, the provincial government says. ...

Entrepreneur puts home on line for biodiesel: Mortgage went to ...
TMCnet - USA
King and his spouse, Margaret, have, literally, bet their home on the latest version of the next big thing – biodiesel. They have ...

(Spokesman-Review, The (Spokane, WA) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Mar. 27--Tim King talks nervously about the home he built years ago in the woods
above Newman Lake.

And he should.

King and his spouse, Margaret, have, literally, bet their home on the latest version of the next big thing – biodiesel. They have taken out a second mortgage to help buy a machine that presses rapeseed into canola oil, which can then be refined into biodiesel.

For all the hype whipped up about the alternative fuel recently, it has come down to this in Eastern Washington: a couple borrowing against their home to turn the promise of biodiesel into reality.

The Kings are partners in the Carbon Technology Transfer Center LLP, a business that works with farmers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to foster compliance with conservation programs. Tim King has long been an advocate of so-called green technology advances and accompanying government initiatives. He also knows that building a new alternative-energy industry requires risk-takers, so he decided to get involved.

He paired the $300,000 mortgage money with an additional $550,000 from Rapid
Finance, a lender he called a "quick-finance type," to buy the oilseed crusher
from Cambra Foods, a large Canadian company that has been pressing canola oil
for years.

The purchase was completed in March, King said, and he's hiring a millwright to disassemble the crusher and ship it south from Lethbridge, Alberta, to the Spokane area.

As he talks about the business venture, King wipes his palms on his blue jeans.

"Nervous?" he says. "More than just a little."

King has to repay the half-million dollars he borrowed – plus 15 percent interest – within two years. It's the only money he could find without strings.

Most lenders demanded some sort of oversight role that King worries could have stripped his project of its mission – opportunity for Eastern Washington.

"Margaret is not real happy about all this, but she is supportive," King said.

King bought a crusher so big that it can conceivably be split into four independent units and set up in four different communities.

He anticipates forging partnerships with communities that can then tap a new low-interest loan pool established by the Washington Legislature in its recently ended session. The loaned money would help pay back King's initial outlays and also go toward purchasing seed.

"I'm doing this because I want it to work for the farmers," he said. "I don't want to sell them out."

King worked for the USDA for 25 years on climate change initiatives before taking an early retirement package after the election of President Bush.

He started Carbon Technology to continue working closely with farmers and landowners.

At first, seed may have to be purchased from growers out of state, but King said he is willing to pay 12 cents a pound for canola seed – a price he thinks pencils out for local farmers, who could harvest upward of 2,000 pounds an acre.

He doesn't anticipate problems with finding appropriate sites for the crushers.

The crushing process involves a double-screw press to extract the most oil without using Hexane, a chemical commonly used in crushing operations.

The leftover seed meal could be sold to dairy farms and the vegetable oil shipped to biodiesel refineries.

Eventually, King envisions more refineries will be built in Washington.

The deal should move Eastern Washington biodiesel from the concept column to the product column, alongside Seattle Biodiesel, a refinery founded by airline pilot John Plaza and now controlled by venture capitalist Martin Tobias.

King said he's ready for the next step.

"I think the time is right," he said, "I guess we'll see."

Finland's Neste and Austria's OMV to launch biodiesel joint ...

Finland's Neste and Austria's OMV to launch biodiesel joint ...
Newsroom Finland - Helsinki,Finland
... Mineralölverwaltung Aktiengesellschaft) are in negotiations aimed at jointly building a large-scale facility to produce next-generation biodiesel fuel, Neste ...
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NESTE OIL AND OMV PLAN A JOINT BIODIESEL PRODUCTION FACILITY

NESTE OIL AND OMV PLAN A JOINT BIODIESEL PRODUCTION FACILITY
Market Wire (press release) - USA
... Oil Corporation and Austrian oil and gas group, OMV, are in negotiations aimed at jointly building a large-scale plant to produce next-generation biodiesel fuel ...


Germany's Biofuel Industry Booming, Opening For M'sia?

Germany's Biofuel Industry Booming, Opening For M'sia?
Bernama - Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia
... Barbara Hendricks, the highest-ranking official in the German Finance Ministry, stated that for each litre of biodiesel, the manufacturers would be required to ...
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Sunday, March 26, 2006

FOREIGN: Plan for merged GLC plantations

Plan for merged GLC plantations
Malaysia Star - Malaysia
... acquisition of 50% of global oils and fats business in German-based Cognis Deutschland GmbH & Co KG, and serious venture into biodiesel projects last year.”. ...


Making biodiesel easier, 'Gold rush' for biofuel plants beginning upstate

Making biodiesel easier
Hawk Central - Iowa City,IO,USA
With oil prices hovering above $60 a barrel, Kalona-based Flying F Bio-Fuels has introduced a new biodiesel processor, the Ester Machine, that the company says ...

'Gold rush' for biofuel plants beginning upstate
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Rochester,NY,USA
... Masters is co-founder of Northern Biodiesel, one of seven companies with proposals to manufacture alternative fuels in an area stretching from Buffalo to ...

Groups: State’s fuel future in biodiesel, Groups plan ethanol, biodiesel plants

Groups: State’s fuel future in biodiesel
Helena Independent Record - Helena,MT,USA
... Photographer - Duane L. Johnson of the Northwestern Ag Research Center spends quite a bit of time traveling around the state promoting biodiesel fuels and the ...
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Groups plan ethanol, biodiesel plants
Sioux Falls Argus Leader - Sioux Falls,SD,USA
... renewable fuels - twice. Separate groups are proposing to build an ethanol plant and a biodiesel plant in Akron, Iowa. That would ...


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