News
New Clean Energy Bill Would Reinstate Biodiesel Tax Break
August 09, 2010
would extend the excise tax credit for biodiesel and renewable diesel retroactively for 2010 and through 2012.... More > The non-profit Iowa Central Fuel ...
Grassley still swinging for biodiesel credits
July 20, 2010
Credits were imposed years ago to help biodiesel — which is mostly made from soybean oil — compete with petroleum diesel fuel. ...
EPA Increases Biodiesel Production Target
July 19, 2010
... EPA said in a July 12 renewable fuel standard proposal that the Energy Information Administration predicts average monthly biodiesel production rates in ...
Farmers Endorse Bio
July 07, 2010
Long-time Mississippi farmer Bruce Craft started operating some of his heavy farm equipment with bio-diesel fuel when diesel gas prices sky-rocketed over ...
State roadside planting program aims to produce biodiesel fuel
July 01, 2010
Most diesel engines can run on biodiesel without needing any special equipment. Using biodiesel fuel reduces greenhouse-gas emissions, according to the EPA. ...
Biodiesel Better for Breathing
May 11, 2010
Some state and local lung association groups are recommending biodiesel use in response to findings in the State of the Air Report 2009 produced by their national organization. During the American Lung Association of the District of Columbia's recent news conference, Bailus Walker, Jr., Professor of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the Howard University College of Medicine, stressed the extensive research that supports biodiesel's benefits for human health.
“Give your support to any effort to advance technology that emits lower levels of pollution like biodiesel,” says Walker. He also showed attendees the Journal of Inhalation and Toxicology published issue on biodiesel that resulted from a summit the ALADC and the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest convened in 2006.
“With biodiesel, America can produce its own cleaner-burning diesel alternative that helps clean up the air with existing vehicles,” says Joe Jobe, National Biodiesel Board CEO. “Biodiesel is a natural solution to help achieve lung associations' goals to reduce air pollution and safeguard our health. We are grateful for their support and applaud their vision for a cleaner future.”
The American Lung Association in Minnesota described the State of the Air report as a “wake up” call to further embrace fuels like biodiesel and is also participating in May 1 activities to kick off Minnesota's increase to a B5 biodiesel blend. The report named Fargo, North Dakota, as the cleanest city in the nation, and the lung association there gave credit to steps like biodiesel use.
Congressman gets updates on Penn State Harrisburg biofuels research
May 01, 2009
Harrisburg, Pa. -- Penn State Harrisburg researchers are working on developing an alternative fuel source which could become a profit-generator for the state’s agriculture industry.
Also, a federally aided center on campus, supported by the college’s Environmental Engineering programs, is the Commonwealth’s leader in assisting small public water systems overcome their financial, technological, and training challenges.
The research and assistance has now gained the attention of U.S. Congressman Tim Holden, who recently visited campus for an update on the effort to genetically alter the oil-rich jatropha plant so it will grow in cold-weather states such as Pennsylvania and the Small Public Water Systems Technology Assistance Center.
Although jatropha now grows only in hot-balmy climates, lead researcher Sairam Rudhabhatla, assistant professor of biology, said he is "excited" about the prospects of introducing a cold-tolerant gene to the plant over the next nine months.
Holden, while touring the college’s labs, indicated he, too, is excited about using jatropha as an energy source because it is said to cost far less than soybeans and corn to produce biodiesel and can grow in marginal lands. Holden serves on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee and a subcommittee looking into alternative energy sources to lessen America’s dependence on foreign oil.
Rudhabhatla told the Harrisburg Patriot-News, “In the next nine months, we should be able to introduce the gene in to the plant and probably in a year we can grow it in a greenhouse.” He added that just one acre of jatropha is capable of producing enough seeds to make 202 gallons of biodiesel fuel.
And because the seeds are inedible, it does not compete with the world’s food supply, which is the case when corn and soybeans are used to manufacture biofuel.
The Penn State Harrisburg research has also captured the attention of the biofuels industry. Ben Wootton, president of the Shiremanstown-based Keystone BioFuels, said he is “passionate” about the project. “The prospects for this research are huge,” he added. “It’s a win-win situation. When the food vs. fuel debate comes — and it will — jatropha could be leading the way in biofuel development while not taking away from food commodities.”
The next step for the research is to subject the genetically altered plants to a refrigeration test and then outdoor field testing next year. In an academic partnership, the Milton Hershey School is providing space in its greenhouses to grow the plants and will be providing farmland for the test plots. In return, Penn State Harrisburg will provide educational opportunities for Milton Hershey School students in plant biotechnology.
The Small Public Water Systems Technology Assistance Center (SPWSTAC), created in 1999, offers assistance to the 9,000 Pennsylvania systems serving less than 3,300 customers. In addition, the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s support enables faculty and students to undertake water-related research, aimed at further assuring a safe water supply for the Commonwealth.
Statewide water system operator participation in training and the number of courses offered to them through SPWSTAC have steadily increased since the center’s inception. In 1999, 308 professionals participated in 22 training courses. By 2008, those numbers had risen to 1,557 professionals and 147 courses throughout the state.
