biodiesel

On one hand, we've heard proponents tout the benefits of biodiesel, and seen lines of diesel cars at a local biodiesel station. On the other, we've heard manufacturers of diesel cars, such as Mercedes-Benz, say that because of the unregulated nature of biodiesel, using anything greater than B5 (five percent biodiesel/95 percent petroleum diesel) will void the vehicle's warranty. Mercedes-Benz thinks that if you buy something, such as Uncle Frank's own biodiesel blend, impurities in the fuel could clog the injectors. Paradigm Sensors is working on a technological solution to this problem and announced the … Read more

The biodiesel industry in Germany is nearing a state of collapse because of a tax increase that kicked in at the first of the year, according to a report on Reuters.

Biodiesel refiners in Germany are only producing at 10 percent capacity, according to the Reuters story from a European biodiesel conference. That's down from 20 percent the year before. Because of the downturn, some biodiesel manufacturers are taking apart their factories and selling the equipment to manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada.

The problem? Like solar energy, biofuels still largely depend upon government support and subsidies. Biodiesel … Read more

Imperium Renewables has cut its workforce, only weeks after pulling plans for its public offering and replacing its CEO, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

The Seattle-based biodiesel producer told the newspaper that the workforce reductions were done to "address short-term challenges and ensure the company's long-term growth."

It said that the changes will not affect the operation of its Grays Harbor, Wash., biodiesel plant which will produce 100 million gallons of biodiesel a year.

The news follows the company's announcement that it has delayed its planned initial public offering citing market conditions and the departure of former CEO Martin Tobias … Read more

Better Biodiesel, a Utah-based producer of biodiesel fuel, said Friday that it plans to buy GeoAlgae Technologies for an undisclosed sum. GeoAlgae Technology, or GAT, makes inexpensive feedstock for the production of biodiesel, the companies said.

The buyout is Better Biodiesel's first public news since announcing this summer that it would suspend fuel production after its manufacturing fuel processor caught fire. (Better Biodiesel produces roughly 3 million gallons of biodiesel annually, according to the company.) The company said it has developed a waterless technology that can produce biodiesel from low-grade feedstocks without expensive pre- and post-processing of materials. That … Read more

Biodiesel manufacturer Imperium Renewables has withdrawn its plans to go public, citing "unfavorable market conditions."

The Seattle-based company filed the paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday. It had filed to go public in May, and had plans to raise $345 million.

The news comes a few weeks after the company replaced its then-CEO, Martin Tobias, naming President John Plaza as interim CEO and investor Nancy Floyd as chairman.

Imperium Renewables said that Tobias' departure was part of a planned transition, but company watchers noted that his leaving was abrupt and not well publicized. (The company … Read more

Another day, another CEO ouster at a green tech start-up.

Martin Tobias is out as chairman and CEO of Imperium Renewables, the company has announced. John Plaza, who founded the company with Tobias, is interim CEO while Nancy Floyd has taken over as chairman.

Tobias has been the spokesman and public figure for Imperium since its founding. The company has raised more than $200 million dollars and earlier this year christened a 100-million gallon refinery in Washington state. It has plans to build similar sized facilities in Hawaii, Argentina and elsewhere.

The ouster of Tobias is something of a surprise. … Read more

Things are looking up for lowly sea algae.

Fuels giant Royal Dutch Shell and HR Biopetroleum on Wednesday announced the creation of a joint venture called Cellana to make biodiesel from algae in Hawaii.

The plans call for growing algae in ponds of seawater using strains of algae that are native to Hawaii. It will be placed near other industrial sites that produce algae for the pharmaceutical and nutrition industries.

Cellana said that algae can produce 15 times more oil per hectare than rape, palm soya, or jatropha plants.

Algae growth also has been proposed as a way to absorb … Read more

Two Australian firms have established a joint venture that intends to use emissions from coal power plants to grow algae that can be used as fuel.

Linc Energy and Bio Clean Coal announced the creation of the company last week and said they would spend $1 million over the next year to build a prototype bioreactor.

The bioreactor will be designed to grow algae, using the carbon dioxide produced from processing coal for electricity as "food." That process should dramatically reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from burning coal, the company said.

The dried algae could be … Read more

Algae's not the only organism that can be used as a feedstock for biofuel.

BP will collaborate with Arizona State University to try to figure out a way of using cyanobacteria, a photosynthetic form of bacteria, as a feedstock for diesel or synthetic petroleum. Ideally, the bacteria could be cultivated in large, contained plots of land baked by the sun--Arizona has a lot of that. The bacteria also consume carbon dioxide to grow. Thus, carbon dioxide could be pumped in from a power plant into the contained bacteria farm. The company could thus make money from selling carbon credits … Read more