Pacific Business News reports that a new gas station in Oregon owned by SeQuential Biofuels will sell biodiesel fuel. The fuel will come from the production plant of their partner, Pacific Biodiesel, which is based in Maui. The five alternative fuels will have different percentages of ethanol or biodiesel mixed with gasoline or diesel to offer drivers a fuel that is compatible with their vehicle.

The Thermo Scientific Biodiesel Gas Chromatography (GC) Productivity Solutions provide a high level of integration and productivity for the three most common GC-based methods: EN 14103 for Fatty Acid Methyl Ester characterization and linolenic acid methyl ester determination, EN 14105/ASTM D6584 for free and total glycerine content, and EN 14110 for methanol content. Delivering complete automatic characterization of pure biodiesel, the systems offer full compliance with these official standards, which aim to certify the quality of pure biodiesel for any commercial trading. The interest in biodiesel as a clean-burning alternative fuel produced from renewable sources has increased tremendously over the past few years because of its environmental advantages over conventional petrodiesel.

With ever-rising fuel prices and an increasing dependence upon foreign oil, research into alternative fuel has become extremely important. Ethanol has quickly become a well-researched and known additive for conventional gasoline engines. For diesel engines, however, alternative fuels are just becoming more intensely researched. A potential replacement for petroleum diesel fuel that has come to the forefront in recent years is biodiesel. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel comprised of esters derived from vegetable oils. The vegetable oils can be from almost any oilbearing seed, such as soybean, corn or sunflower. The oil reacts with an alcohol such as methanol, but ethanol, another valuable product from crop production, can be used as well.

Long Meadow Ranch confirmed today that it had formally adopted a policy of exclusively employing biodiesel fuels in all of its farming equipment after more than two years of experimentation. Biodiesel is an alternative fuel produced from plant oils and animal fats that can supplant the use of conventional petroleum-based fuels in most diesel engines.

There are also several disadvantages to using biodiesel fuels. Overall, biodiesel has lower energy content than diesel fuel, causing a reduction in fuel economy. Current production costs keep biodiesel slightly more expensive than diesel fuel. The cold flow properties of biodiesel prevent it from being used in colder climates or in winter conditions. The flow characteristics of biodiesel have been shown to not work well in some diesel fuel injection systems. Though significant reductions in other emissions exist, biodiesel produces higher nitrous oxide emissions. The exact cause of this phenomenon is not exactly known. This greenhouse gas is becoming more strictly regulated by the government and more research needs to be completed to better understand how it is produced so it can be more effectively controlled.

Northeast Biodiesel Company is a biodiesel plant in Greenfield Massachusetts designed to produce 10 million gallons of biodiesel for diesel vehicles and oil heat systems using recycled vegetable oils and animal fat as the primary raw material. It will initially produce five million gallons per year. Construction will begin in 2008 on the $7 million production facility. The Ralston, Iowa-based company is planning to raise up to $150 million in an IPO according to regulatory filings with the SEC on Monday. REG boasts that it is one of the leading biodiesel producers in the United States, with an output of about 78 million gallons of fuel in 2006. REG is not the only one to cash in on the clean-craze.

Midwest Biofuels, 125 Industrial Drive, is about to become the second plant in Wisconsin to produce biodiesel commercially. It will be the first completely indoor biodiesel producer in the world and one of the first in the nation to use a waterless method of turning soybean oil into diesel fuel. Imperium is expecting to complete construction on its Port of Grays Harbor facility on the coast of Washington state in July, 2007. When complete, the facility will have the capacity to produce up to 100 million gallons of biodiesel per year, making it the largest biodiesel production facility in the United States. The company is using the proceeds from the Series B round to begin planning for up to three additional similarly sized facilities across the country and around the world. The combined facilities will be designed to produce up to a total of 400 million gallons, or about 10 million barrels of biodiesel, per year by the end of 2008.

Crescent Biodiesel will use soy, sunflower, peanut, cottonseed and palm oil to produce biodiesel fuel. South Carolina farmers will have the first opportunity to supply the crops needed for raw materials. About a year after it?s open, Crescent Biodiesel?s plant is expected to produce 25 million gallons of fuel a year, Mr. Phillips said.

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that is blended with or replaces petroleum diesel. With Biodiesel, any diesel engine can become a renewable fuel engine. Biodiesel is made in the USA from vegetable oils, animal fats, and used restaurant grease. The raw materials used to make Biodiesel are grown by America’s farmers, many of whom are already running on it, and have been for years. Biodiesel is safer to use, handle, and store than petroleum diesel. Biodiesel is less environmentally damaging to produce, and cleaner at the tailpipe. Plus, it is less damaging if it spills on the ground or in water.

BQ-9000 is a quality assurance certification program that includes procedures for fuel storage, handling and management aimed at ensuring fuel quality throughout distribution. There are two categories: certified marketer and accredited producer. Although there are more than ten accredited producers, Sprague Energy is only the second company to become a certified marketer. The other is Peter Cremer, an Ohio-based biodiesel manufacturer.

One of the industrys pioneer biodiesel producers has announced a company makeover and the largest planned biodiesel expansion in the history of the industry. In August, Renewable Energy Group, Inc. (REG) announced completion of a $100 million private equity financing and two new strategic partnerships. The company has said its overall biodiesel production will reach approximately 640 million gallons by 2009, including third-party plants.

Buoyed by President Bush’s plan to reduce gasoline consumption by 20 percent in the next 10 years and growing consumer demand for alternative fuels, venture capitalists and private equity firms are tossing hundreds of millions of dollars into alternative energy companies. Last year, an estimated $740 million flowed into ethanol, methane and biodiesel startups — a sevenfold increase over 2005 levels, according to the Cleantech Group.

Ethanol producers Cilion and Altra scored more than $150 million in financing last year, while Ralston, Iowa, biodiesel producer Renewable Energy Group pulled in $100 million. Meanwhile, the National Biodiesel Board reports that there are 105 biodiesel plants in the U.S., with a total production capacity of 864 million gallons. That could increase by 1.7 billion gallons in the next 18 months if all the plants in development are built.

Gary Haer, vice president of sales and marketing at Renewable Energy Group, said his company plans to open three plants in Iowa this year. Deriving fuel from Midwest soybeans, those three plants alone would add 90 million gallons of biodiesel capacity. Last year, Renewable Energy Group’s production stood at 72 million gallons — making it one of the largest in the country. By 2009, the company hopes to be producing 600 million gallons.

Biodiesel’s limited horizons raise the question of whether the fuel is worth subsidizing. Compared with other energy and agricultural subsidies, the cost of the federal biodiesel tax credit is a drop in the bucket, but because it’s indexed to consumption, the subsidy will grow with biodiesel output. While actual fuel costs per gallon are difficult to determine because buying arrangements differ among companies, calculations using the at-cost numbers show that moving to a B20 biodiesel blend would increase both average cost per trip and average cost per stop by approximately 6.3% for both broadliners and systems distributors. To restate the obvious, the economics are not there, nor are they expected to be any time soon.

Hackett gave this breakdown of biodiesel economics: in December 2007, soybean oil on the Chicago Board of Trade averaged 48 cents per pound, or $3.60 per gallon (one gallon equals 7.5 lbs.) compared with the average spot price for diesel fuel of $2.60 per gallon at the same time. Refining soybean oil into biodiesel costs about 50 cents a gallon. The dollar a gallon tax break brings pure biodiesel at cost to only 50 cents a gallon higher than petroleum diesel. Factoring in the blend, using B20, at 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum, the approximate cost is 10 cents higher per gallon (20% of 50 cents equals 10 cents). Safeway decided to go ahead despite the higher cost. In line with the document, biodiesel (the domestic demand is estimated at more than 2 million tonnes a year) will be produced with a 5% additive of biofuel what will allow to save around 300 thousand tonnes of oil a year. The country is set to build the capacities to produce 100 thousand tons of methyl ether a year. According to specialists, such facilities can be created at Grodno Azot and Mogilevkhimvolokno which produce methanol which is necessary for bio-fuel production. The cost of the project is estimated at approximately $50 million.

Bottom line here is that biodiesel, like ethanol, is no panacea to petroleum dependency. It’s role should be understood, like ethanol’s, to be a regional one and also one of many alternative fuels that will in combination help lower but not eliminate dependence on petroleum. Only drastically reduced demand for petroleum fuel can truly help accomplish that.

The biodiesel conversion kits you hear about are for use with straight vegetable oil (SVO) or waste vegetable oil (WVO) fuels. These do require some different equipment and modifications to your vehicle. Converting a standard diesel engine to biodiesel is mostly a question of providing a second fuel tank and fuel line to deliver the organic fuel to the engine. If a stable form of vegetable oil with a lower point of solidification can be developed, the need to heat the biodiesel tank may be eliminated in the future. It is important to understand that the conversion process only works on diesel engines, not the gas-powered internal combustion engines found on most cars on the road today.

So if you are interested in having a biodiesel engine then you can buy packaged biodiesel engine conversion kits which will help you achieve this. Such kits come with full instructions and all the necessary equipment you will need in order to modify any car with a diesel engine so that it can run on straight waste vegetable oil (SVO). There are even kits available for more heavy duty diesel engines such as those in heavy duty trucks.

A privately owned car can be made to run on vegetable oil by either installing a biodiesel conversion kit or by putting converted fuel into a standard diesel tank. The conversion kit, available at greasecar.org, costs about $800, and creates a two-tank diesel/biodiesel system. The engine starts and stops with regular diesel. The driver has a switch that would change the car’s fuel source over to the biodiesel tank, which is pure waste vegetable oil. Restaurants, which usually pay to dispose of the grease, are usually amenable to giving it away for free.

DHSYS Series biodiesel centrifuge can be used in producing biodiesel oil (fatty acid methyl ester) by the ester permutation. Biodiesel oil is one kind of oxo cleansing fuel, which has lots of merits, such as good lubrication, safe store, safe conveyance and so on. It is also one kind of good anti-explored fuel, which can be re-used. In the other word, it is a kind of re-resource. This kind of disc centrifuge can separate the mixture into heavy phases (glycerol &ester) and light phases (biodiesel) in the mean while it can also discharge spots of solid impurity. The separating process is continuous, sealed and controlled by PLC. Biofuel centrifuges can immediately increase your biodiesel production output by decreasing production lead times. What takes many hours for gravity to separate down to EN/ASTM specifications, a centrifuge can separate instantly in seconds.

All the information is provided by the company itself. All trademarks/logos of the image are shown for reference purpose only. This supplier cannot sell any product containing the trademarks/logos without authorization. All rights of intellectual property are protected. Biodiesel reactors are double skin stainless steel and guaranteed for up to 10 years. You can plan your Biodiesel business in the knowledge your Biodiesel equipment works and will continue to work. There is no comparison. An inner vessel and an outer jacket – for maximum efficiency in operations. Top quality British and German engineering. Centrifuges can immediately increase production output by decreasing production lead times. What takes many hours for gravity to separate down to EN/ASTM specifications, a centrifuge can separate instantly in seconds.

Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel produced from vegetable oils and animal fats through a chemical reaction and meeting ASTM D 6751. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with heating oil. It can be used in home heating oil systems safely with no modifications to the fuel tanks, pumps or burners in concentrations up to 20% biodiesel with only minimal precautions (see conditions for use section). For higher Bioheat blends than 20% biodiesel, special precautions are needed (see materials compatibility).

Using biodiesel blends requires little or no engine modification and maintenance costs are comparable to those of conventional diesel vehicles. Neat biodiesel costs range from $1.95 to $3 per gallon, depending on the feedstock and supplier. In general, B20 will cost $.20 to $.40 per gallon more than conventional diesel. For more information, download the Alternative Fuel Price Report from the AFDC.

Most engine and vehicle manufacturers allow biodiesel blends in concentrations up to five percent provided the biodiesel meets accepted (ASTM) fuel quality standards. Biodiesel blends are mixtures of petroleum-based diesel fuels and fuels produced from soybean oil, waste cooking grease, or other organic matter. These fuels may contain biodiesel in concentrations ranging from two percent to levels approaching 100 percent by volume.) To ensure proper quality, consumers should use only biodiesel-ULSD fuel blends that are properly mixed by a qualified biodiesel blender. Consumers should not create their own biodiesel blends by adding biodiesel to ULSD fuel in a vehicles fuel tank.

With the recent addition of biodiesel at nineteen Shell stations around the city, Austin now has a grand total of twenty fuel stations that carry B20, as well as three that have B99 or B100 available. This concentration of B20 pumps should be a goal for all major U.S. cities,? What?s happening in Austin with B20 availability represents a significant achievement, and is a powerful stand for renewable energy and energy independence.? The NBB estimates that there are more than 800 biodiesel pumps across the county.

There are approximately 6 million E85 compatible vehicles operating in the U.S. These vehicles are similar to gasoline vehicles. In fact, most drivers do not even know if they own an FFV, as the vehicle looks and drives the same as an equivalent gasoline powered model. FFVs are fully warranted and available at no extra cost to the consumer. For a list of E85 vehicles available for purchase, visit the Alternative Fuel Data Center, or contact your local auto dealer.

Biodiesel is registered as a fuel and fuel additive with the Environmental Protection Agency. The Departments of Transportation and Energy recognize biodiesel as an alternative fuel. An ASTM standard, D6751, has been developed to ensure biodiesel quality. Diesel vehicles has driving more than fifty million miles on biodiesel fuel in the United States, even more in Europe.

For those who travel and require rental cars, there is good news as automobile rental companies such as Bio-Beetle are now offering consumers the option to rent cars which do not use fossil-fuels. Bio-Beetle, based on the island of Maui in Hawaii, offers rental cars which run using biodiesel made from 100% recycled vegetable oil. Biodiesel is a cleaner burning diesel fuel made from completely natural and renewable sources.

Going bio with your auto doesn’t mean you have to invest in some strange contraption your neighbors will stare at. In fact, upward of 4 million cars currently on the road in the United States are already compatible with E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. More automakers are making new E85-ready models — known as flex-fuel vehicles — every year. To top that off, so to speak, any gasoline-powered car can run on a 10 percent ethanol/90 percent gasoline blend — in fact, the state of Minnesota requires that all gasoline sold there is of that balance. Some folks even elect to run their regular ol’ cars on blends as high as 30 percent, but most auto manufacturers only guarantee their warranty services on non-flex-fuel cars for up to 10 percent blends.

When running on biodiesel, there are tremendous emissions benefits as well. Biodiesel, on the other hand, reduces emissions significantly in every category in which pollutants are measured except nitrous oxide (NOx) which can be adjusted with some slight modifications. Unlike their petroleum powered counterparts, biodiesel exhaust smells pleasantly like the feedstock of whatever vegetable oil is used.

A group called Clean Technology Australia collected investors, dealers and Australian biofuel company CEOs together for a forum to discuss the current situation and future possibilities of biofuels Down Under recently. The short of it is that biodiesel rules ethanol, but overall Australia lags behind the U.S. and Brazil. Australia could grow crops that would produce between 600 and 750 million liters of biofuel (a year?). Biodiesel is more popular than ethanol in Australia thanks to an existing infrastructure of large-scale production facilities. The companies that participated were Australian Biodiesel Group Ltd., Australian Renewable Fuels Ltd., and Australian Ethanol Ltd. Other biofuel news from Australia can be read here (insurance issues) and here (using food waste to make biofuels).

All over the world, biofuels are being heralded as a solution to many of the problems of the 20th century. Well, the fuels have got problems as well and Australian insurance agents may put the breaks on the rapid biofuel expansion in that country because of those problems. UPI has a quick news item about Australian insurance brokers who are worried the biofuel field is “open to exploitation and error because pressure to adopt such alternative fuels as biodiesel has eclipsed the government’s ability to regulate the industry,” the article says. Without regulations and a standard product, insurers are worried about what biodiesel may do to motors. Fuel distributors are worried, too, about liability if their fuel causes damage to someone’s engine and the engine manufacturer’s do not honor their warranty.

The Australian government’s 2001-02 inquiry into the fuel taxation structure led to a recommendation that excise and customs duty be applied to all liquid fuels regardless of source. To make this possible without compromising the push toward cleaner fuels, a grant was necessary to offset the inevitable imposition of excise on biodiesel. As a result of the Energy Grants (Cleaner Fuels) Scheme Bill 2003, the excise duty on diesel (38.143 cents per litre) will now apply to biodiesel as well. However, grants for import and production of biodiesel will be provided so as to ensure that the effective excise rate for biodiesel is zero. This applies to both 100% biodiesel and to the biodiesel components of blends until 30 June 2008. Subsequently, the grant will be reduced in five annual instalments by 1 July 2012.

Australia, as a late entrant into the biodiesel market, has current and expected capacities for biodiesel production that are negligible when compared to the total domestic diesel consumption of around 14 billion litres a year. In the first place, total oilseed production volumes in the country are small by global standards.