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Posts in category Biofuel

Microbubbles may lower cost of algae-based biofuel

Jan30
2012 Leave a Comment Written by admin2

Microbubbles can be used to float algae to the surface of the water, thereby lowering harvesting costs in algae-based biofuel production.

So-called microbubbles are already used for water purification—they surround contaminants and float them out of the liquid. Similarly, in water containing algae, bubbles can float the algae to the surface for easy collection and processing.

The research builds on previous work that used microbubbles to grow algae more densely and thus increase production. This time, however, the researchers produced the fizziness with a new method that uses far less energy, and is cheaper to install. The study is in the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering. [James Hanotu, HC Hemaka Bandulasena and William B Zimmerman, Microflotation performance for algal separation]

 

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E.coli turns seaweed sugars into ethanol

Jan24
2012 Leave a Comment Written by admin2

Berkeley scientists have engineered a form of the E.coli bacterium that converts alginate, or sugars from seaweed, into ethanol.

The scientists claim the engineered E. coli yields “80 percent of the theoretical maximum amount of ethanol for a given amount of biomass”.

They calculate that a commercial plant could produce 19,000 liters per hectare annually, which is twice as productive as sugar cane-based ethanol and five times as productive as corn. This leads them to the perhaps-optimistic conclusion that “less than three percent of the world’s coastal waters can produce enough seaweed to replace some 60 billion gallons of fossil fuel”

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Posted in Ethanol

Biomass and natural gas may produce cheap(er) biofuel

Jan20
2012 Leave a Comment Written by admin2

Madison, WI-based Virent is developing a process that produces biofuel from biomass and natural gas.

Making hydrocarbons from biomass requires first removing the oxygen. Virent has also developed inorganic catalysts that remove most of the oxygen from the molecules it produces. It then uses a series of chemical reactions to remove the remaining oxygen and reconfigure the molecules to take on the properties needed to make fuels like gasoline or chemicals for making plastic bottles.

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Posted in Biomass, Natural Gas

Feds fine companies for not using unavailable biofuel

Jan12
2012 Leave a Comment Written by admin2

The Environmental Protection Agency is imposing fines on oil companies for not using cellulosic biofuel. The problem? Cellulosic biofuel is not available.

The law, aimed at reducing the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, its reliance on oil imported from hostile places and the export of dollars to pay for it, includes provisions to increase the efficiency of vehicles as well as incorporate renewable energy sources into gasoline and diesel.

It requires the use of three alternative fuels: car and truck fuel made from cellulose, diesel fuel made from biomass and fuel made from biological materials but with a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gases. Only the cellulosic fuel is commercially unavailable. As for meeting the quotas in the other categories, the refiners will not close their books until February and are not sure what will happen.

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US Navy to launch Green Strike Force

Dec08
2011 Leave a Comment Written by admin2

The US Navy has commisioned the government’s largest biofuel purchase in order to launch a Green Strike Force partially powered by different kinds of non-petroleum fuels.

The Green Strike Force will not run exclusively on biofuels (it is anchored by a nuclear-powered carrier), but it will demonstrate the performance capabilities of biofuel in a variety of ships and aircraft in real operations. The biofuels will be blended half-and-half with conventional marine and aviation fuels, and the Navy’s tests have shown that the 50-50 blend performs as well as 100 percent petroleum without requiring modifications to engines, fueling procedures, or storage and transportation infrastructure.

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Navy’s experimental destroyer to run on biofuel mix

Nov13
2011 1 Comment Written by admin2

The experimental destroyer, the Paul F. Foster, will be the US Navy’s largest ship to run on a biofuel mix.

The fuel in the tanks is a 50/50 blend of F-76 petroleum and the hydro-processed algae oil. The fuel will be used to power one of the LM2500 gas turbines the ship uses for propulsion and it will power the ship’s service turbine. The experimental ship will travel on November 16 from Point Loma in San Diego to the Navy Surface Warfare Center in Port Hueneme, California. The trip is considered a short overnight jaunt.

The ship will take on 20,000 gallons of the biofuel previously said to sell for over $400 per gallon.

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United completes first US biofuel flight

Nov08
2011 Leave a Comment Written by admin2

United’s flight 1403, from Houston to Chicago, was the United States’ first biofuel-powered commercial flight. The biofuel used was based on algae.

Honeywell’s UOP developed the process for converting inedible natural oils and wastes into jet fuel that meets or exceed flight specifications and requires no changes to the aircraft or engine.

Rekoske said its Green Jet Fuel also offers as much as an 85% net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to petroleum-based jet fuel. He said the company received Defense Department funding from 2006 to 2008 for its initial research to develop military-grade jet fuel from organic waste.

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Cattle-based biofuel to power Amtrak train

Nov01
2011 Leave a Comment Written by admin2

Amtrak announced that a blend of diesel and beef tallow will power its Heartland Flyer train.

The railroad said Monday that a mix of beef tallow and diesel fuel effectively powered the passenger train’s 3,200-horsepower engine. Following a yearlong test on the rails between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas, an evaluation found that the fuel blend met industry standards, engine wear was limited and emissions were below federal limits for the type of engine using it.

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Biofuel: worse CO2 than conventional fuels?

Oct27
2011 Leave a Comment Written by admin2

The most comprehensive study on the effects of biofuel production, conducted by the Oregon State University’s College of Forestry in conjuction with other universities in Germany and France, indicates that biofuels would increase carbon dioxide emissions by 14% more than conventional fuels.

During the past four years, the study examined 80 forest types in 19 eco-regions in Oregon, Washington and California, ranging from temperate rainforests to semi-arid woodlands, according to an OSU statement, the journal Nature Climate Change reports.

“On the West Coast, we found that projected forest biomass removal and use for bioenergy in any form will release more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than current forest management practices,” said Tara Hudiburg, doctoral candidate at Oregon, who led the study.

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Algae could clean Chesapeake Bay and produce biofuel

Oct17
2011 Leave a Comment Written by admin2

Algae grown in a controlled environment could not only clean the Chesapeake Bay, it could also be feedstock for the production of biofuel.

Typically, algae hurt the bay because they contribute to dead zones, oxygen depleted areas harmful to aquatic life. But by growing fields of algae in a controlled system, the tiny plants can clean water while creating a feedstock for biofuel.
“We’re really just taking what happens in nature and controlling it and channeling into the kinds of ways that we want to use the algae essentially to work for us,” Kangas said.

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