Biodiesel is now available on a regular basis at Jatrodiesel's
Miamisburg, OH plant. Pricing fluctuates on a regular basis. Today's
pricing is, $3.51/gal (4/18/2011)  for on-road B99. Call 937-847-8050 ext.201 for updated
pricing or send email to biosales@jatrodiesel.com
www.jatrodiesel.com

Visa/MC accepted at 845 N.Main St, Miamisburg, OH. Phone numbers are below. Hours of operations: currently week days between 8:30 and 4:30.

For those who might be interested in what is happening in transportation here in Ohio (and the nation), Clean Fuels Ohio is hosting a lecture and a facilities tour at the Ohio State University Center for Automotive Research. The February 16th lunch will be a great opportunity to hear about the changes coming to the vehicles that we’re all accustom to driving as well as the fuels we will be using. A reservation is requested so be sure to contact Jill if you would like to attend … click on the image below for a PDF version of the flyer.

With an expected economic recovery underway and oil prices rising, the biodiesel industry is looking to produce "as much as a billion gallons" and be profitable in 2011.

Washington, D.C. — Boom times are ahead for a biodiesel industry that struggled just to stay alive in 2010.

The industry could produce as much as a billion gallons in 2011, nearly triple this year's production, said Gary Haer, chairman of the National Biodiesel Board.

Congress this month revived a critical $1-a-gallon tax subsidy that had lapsed at the end of 2009, and the industry also will benefit in 2011 from increased federal mandates on refiners to use biodiesel.

http://is.gd/jREaC

Federal stimulus funds are political hot potato as the Novemeber 2010 election draws near, but it is still good to know where the money is being spent. According to Biodiesel Magazine,  the Ohio Department of Development will be using "$8 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to help biodiesel and ethanol companies fund new or additional refining equipment." The $8 million is being awarded to applicants in amounts from $500,000 up to $1,000,000 in order to make Ohio a leading biofuels producer her in the U.S. The state of Ohio received a total of $96 million in total from the ARRA State Energy Program.

Interested applicants must reside in the state of Ohio and be able to invest at least 25% of the total equipment cost. The project must also be completed with 12 months and provide a direct economic benefit to Ohio. According to the article, "applicants will be judged on four categories: project readiness, financial ability to meet the 25 percent requirement, economic/employment impacts on Ohio and possible job creation and retention during construction phases." Perhaps a group like CinciTDI should initiate a business venture to produce and distribute biodiesel like BioWillie?

According to a Journal Science article by René H. Wijffels and Maria J. Barbosa, we are still a few years away from algae biodiesel becoming an affordable alternative to petroleum diesel, synthetics or grown feedstocks, but opportunities for companies are on the horizon for microalgae visionaries.

Microalgae are considered one of the most promising feedstocks for biofuels. The productivity of these photosynthetic microorganisms in converting carbon dioxide into carbon-rich lipids, only a step or two away from biodiesel, greatly exceeds that of agricultural oleaginous crops, without competing for arable land. Worldwide, research and demonstration programs are being carried out to develop the technology needed to expand algal lipid production from a craft to a major industrial process. Although microalgae are not yet produced at large scale for bulk applications, recent advances—particularly in the methods of systems biology, genetic engineering, and biorefining—present opportunities to develop this process in a sustainable and economical way within the next 10 to 15 years.

For alternatives to petroleum, the hype has recently been about EVs and almost all auto makers are rolling out their electric vehicles, yet for most American automotive owners they are far from practical considering the miles of highway and distances we travel. For that, efficient clean diesels running biodiesel makes a lot of sense ... here's a NYTimes article offering some positive news on this carbon neutral renewable fuel especially if it is produced from genetically engineered algae.

Algae are attracting attention because the strains can potentially produce 10 or more times more fuel per acre than the corn used to make ethanol or the soybeans used to make biodiesel. Moreover, algae might be grown on arid land and brackish water, so that fuel production would not compete with food production. And algae are voracious consumers of carbon dioxide, potentially helping to keep some of this greenhouse gas from contributing to global warming.

 An article in AutoblogGreen highlighted some positive research on developing a greener diesel fuel.or really an additive that improves petroleum diesel fuel. According to the article, Michael Boot, a doctoral student and researcher from Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (TU/e) in the Netherlands, calls this new fuel Cyclox. It’s actually a blend of petroleum diesel and 10% cyclohexanone (CH2)5CO which reduces soot emissions by 50 percent. If fuel to air mixtures are adjusted to a 50/50 air to fuel ratio, Boot is able to achieve zero soot .

The additive being used isn’t all that exotic either; it can be made from lignin which is part of the cell walls from plants and trees. The blog post points to all the wasted ‘lignin’ produced during paper manufacturing as a readily available source of waste material that can be utilized to produce the additive.

Starting February 27th, Volkswagen will be implementing a "Think Blue" marketing campaign stressing the company's focus on "sustainable mobility" which to many CinciTDI members highlights the fuel efficiency of VW TDI diesel vehicles and the environmental awareness of new "clean diesel" TDIs and biodiesel fuel options. Volkswagen is building on the "BlueMotion" label and bringing back the successful 1960's "Think Small" slogan which with the diminutive VW Beetle put Volkswagen on the map here in North America.