Trends
« Previous EntriesFord Testing Ethanol Injection With Ecoboost
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008
CNET News:
We haven’t been too excited about Ford’s Ecoboost tech, simply because it’s not really new tech. However, Ford’s next evolution of Ecoboost, code-named Bobcat, might be worth getting worked up about.
According to sources at PickupTrucks.com, the Bobcat is essentially a turbocharged engine running at a high compression ratio. Typically, this combination results in […]
The Ethanol Economy
Monday, September 1st, 2008Daily Breeze:
Californians are fed up with high fuel prices, but some relief may finally be in sight. The ethanol industry is revving up to boost the supply of its renewable fuel in Los Angeles County. And the technology has advanced to the point that there are really few downsides to moving forward.
The idea is […]
Ethanol Industry Looking Up
Monday, August 4th, 2008Chicago Tribune:
The industry, which buys corn to make ethanol, has been finding it tough to make even a tiny profit, said ethanol consultant Mark Luitjens of Aberdeen, who has been part of the industry since 1992.
“For the past few months, the plants have struggled, and some have had negative (profit) margins,” he said. “Today, […]
Ethanol Plant To Mean Millions To Local Economy
Thursday, July 31st, 2008South Hill Enterprise:
Osage Bio Energy’s proposed ethanol plant in Chase City is predicted to bring more than a hundred direct, indirect and induced jobs and millions of dollars into the local economy, according to the economic impact study completed by Duff & Phelps, an international provider of independent financial advisory and investment banking services.
The Duff […]
13-Foot Grass Next Hope For Ethanol Production?
Thursday, July 31st, 2008CNET News:
A perennial grass that grows as tall as 13 feet, requires little to no fertilizer, and can be stored away in bales almost indefinitely could be the next hope for efficient ethanol production.
At least that’s the thinking of researchers from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who have been field testing a sterile grass known […]
Car Rental Companies Offering Hybrids And Flex Fuel
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008Biodiesel and Ethanol Investing:
Los Angeles Times Travel reports that car rental companies are beginning to offer hybrid and biofuel-run vehicles in Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas, New York City, Chicago, Washington, DC, Atlanta, and Miami. Enterprise, Alamo, and National are renting out Ford, Toyota, and Saturn hybrids in addition to Terrapass carbon […]
A Do-It-Yourself E85 Conversion Kit
Monday, July 14th, 2008Minneapolis Star Tribune:
If you’re looking for relief from high gas prices - and who isn’t? - Bart Wells wants to sell you on his invention.
Wells, owner of Hitech Motorsport in Elk River, so far this year has sold 64 of his new devices - with that many more on order - that convert regular gasoline-burning […]
French Firm To Develop Va Tech Ethanol, Hydrogen Technologies
Monday, July 14th, 2008Domestic Fuel:
French firm Biométhodes has inked an exclusive deal with Virginia Tech’s Intellectual Properties Inc. division to option-to-license the school’s processes to convert biomass into ethanol and hydrogen.
This story from the school says the processes were invented by Percival Zhang, assistant professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at […]
How Cheap Is It To Drive Green?
Friday, July 4th, 2008KHOU:
Going green with a hybrid vehicle that gets 40 to 50 miles per gallon may sound great. But after you factor in the cost of the car, maintenance and insurance, are hybrids really saving their owners money?
Before $4 a gallon gasoline, Gary Stankowski bought a hybrid vehicle for the ecological reasons.
“I just thought it […]
Ethanol Byproduct Produces Green Results
Thursday, July 3rd, 2008EurekAlert!:
Commercial flower and plant growers know all too well that invasive, ubiquitous weeds cause trouble by lowering the value and deterring healthy growth of potted ornamental plants. To control weeds, many commercial nursery owners resort to the expensive practice of paying workers to hand-weed containers. Some growers use herbicides, but efficacy of herbicides is questionable […]
An Investment Boom: The New Coal Car
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008The technology dates to the 1920s, but today’s prices make liquid coal for cars a live option. The result is an investment boom.
Newsweek:
Powering cars with coal might seem like a recipe for ecological disaster. But if fuel experts are right, a liquefied form of the notoriously dirty mineral will be providing much of the world […]
The Marketing Of Ethanol Conversion Kits
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008StimulationBlog:
Swedish media are full of reports on new laws and regulations that come into effect today on 1st July. From a car and environmental perspective perhaps the most important one is the possibility to now legally convert gasoline cars to run on ethanol/E85.
According to reports the interest for the (not yet available) conversion kits is […]
Moving Beyond Corn - The Latest On Alternative-Energy Deals From Dow Jones Clean Technology Investor
Monday, June 30th, 2008Wall Street Journal:
Investors are pouring new money into companies developing alternative ethanol-production technologies.
Sources like paper pulp and barley are gaining attention as the merits of corn-based ethanol as an alternative fuel source is being questioned by environmentalists and politicians because of the fuel’s link to rising food prices.
In May, oil-and-gas giant Marathon Oil Corp. led […]
US Home Ethanol Maker Gets Boost From Record Oil
Friday, June 27th, 2008Reuters:
A U.S. firm that believes it has the answer to high fuel prices with machines that make ethanol at home says it has been swamped with orders even before the first unit ships in September.
Since California-based firm E-Fuel Corp officially unveiled the 100 MicroFueler last month, there had been overwhelming interest in the product due […]
Ethanol Mixes Finding Way Into Traditional Tanks
Thursday, June 26th, 2008The Associated Press:
To save money and support neighboring farms, Scott Dubbelde began mixing gasoline and cheaper, ethanol-based fuel in his cars years ago, driving first to the gasoline pump, and then to the ethanol pump.
It has worked so well that Dubbelde, who manages a local grain elevator, mixes fuels for all three of his family […]
From Prayers To Ethanol, Events Prove Times Are Still A-Changin’
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008MinnPost.com:
Remember when it was OK for Catholics to pray with gays and lesbians? When communities thought they were going to receive a bigger taste of state aid? When ethanol was the answer to all our energy needs? When a bus ride was two bits, or even $1.50? When there was a gate across Rice […]
Performance Improvement On Biofuels
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008Processing Talk:
The Pavilion Technologies Ethanol Solution will help maximise plant performance, increase ethanol yield, and reduce energy consumption for leading ethanol producer White Energy of Dallas.
Leading ethanol producer White Energy, of Dallas, Texas, has awarded a multisite Model Predictive Control (MPC) project to Pavilion Technologies, a Rockwell Automation company. The project will help improve ethanol […]
Biofuel From Bacteria? Startup Says It’s On The Way
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008Ars Technica:
Oil is running out. Our yearly usage of oil, coal, and natural gas are the products of around 1 million years’ worth of organic matter converting sunlight to chemical energy, and unfortunately for us, much of our way of life depends upon the plentiful supply of petrochemicals. A Silicon Valley startup called LS9 might […]
Some Drivers Save Big With Ethanol Fuel
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008KDKA:
Remember when gasoline sold for $3.45 a gallon? It still does if your vehicle can use E-85.
E-85 is 85 percent corn ethanol made in America and only 15 percent oil-based gasoline. Right now, it’s 55 cents cheaper than regular gas.
There’s a slight reduction in fuel efficiency, but the dollars saved make up for that. […]
Sugar Companies Have Answer To Fuel Shortages
Friday, June 13th, 2008New Vision:
The Ministry of Energy published its Renewable Energy Policy in November 2007. This policy also covers bio-fuels and improving efficiency of bio-mass utilisation. With respect to bio-fuels production, the ministry’s target is to blend 20% bio-fuels into all gasoline fuel and diesel. For petrol, this is planned to be done by blending with ethanol. […]