Update on Algae and ...

Algae Fuel:

• The United States Department of Energy estimates that if algae fuel replaced all the petroleum fuel in the United States, it would require 15,000 square miles (38,849 square kilometers), which is a few thousand square miles larger than Maryland. This is less than 1/7th the area of corn harvested in the United States in 2000. - http://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/cropmajor.html
• Quick primer on Algae: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofuel_from_algae
• National Algae Association: http://www.nationalalgaeassociation.com/
• Shell is to become the first major oil company to produce diesel fuel from marine algae, New Scientist reports.

Gasoline vs Diesel:
The global economy now faces a structural surplus of gasoline and a structural shortfall of diesel. By implication, the world has too much capacity for producing gasoline (much of it concentrated in the United States) and not enough capacity for producing diesel (especially in Asia).
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2008/12/01/bleak-outlook-for-us-oil-refiners/

Recent news related to Renewable Diesel:

1. Solazyme Showcases World's First Algal-Based Renewable Diesel at Governor's Global Climate Summit
   http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Solazyme-Showcases-Worlds-First-Algal/story.aspx?guid=%7B5917A48D-CED1-4A54-9D83-456441546B57%7D
2. Amyris Opens Pilot Plant to Produce Renewable Diesel Fuel
   <http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/081112/20081112005465.html?.v=1>
3. 
   Syntroleum Corporation owns the Syntroleum(r) Process for Fischer-Tropsch (FT) conversion of synthesis gas derived from biomass, coal, natural gas and other carbon-based feedstocks into liquid hydrocarbons, the Synfining(r) Process for upgrading FT liquid hydrocarbons into middle distillate products such as synthetic diesel and jet fuels, and the Bio-Synfining(tm) technology for converting animal fat and vegetable oil feedstocks into middle distillate products such as renewable diesel and jet fuel. Together with Tyson Foods, Syntroleum is focused on siting, engineering and constructing a plant that produces clean renewable synthetic diesel and jet fuel using low grade fats and greases as feedstock. The 50/50 venture - known as Dynamic Fuels - was formed to construct and operate multiple renewable synthetic fuel facilities, with production on the first site beginning in 2010 - Pasted from <http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=PZ&date=20081117&id=9374283>
   

Oil Prices Caused the Current Recession?

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4727#more

"Oil shocks create global recessions by transferring billions of dollars of
income from economies where consumers spend every cent they have, and then some,
to economies that sport the highest savings rates in the world.
While those
petro-dollars may get recycled back to Wall Street by sovereign wealth fund
investments, they don’t all get recycled back into world demand. The leakage, as
income is transferred to countries with savings rates as high as 50%, is what
makes this income transfer far from demand neutral."

"Given that oil prices really took off in the third quarter of last year, after
several years of more gradual increases, we should expect to see its maximum hit
on the economy right about now. By the same token, however, the impact from the
even larger decline in oil prices over the last two quarters should give its
maximum boost to the economy moving into 2009."

News Update - 10/21

• ASTM publishes new biodiesel standards - http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=2836
  
  "More widespread usage of biodiesel took a step forward Oct. 13 when the ASTM International published new approved standards for stronger biodiesel blends.
  
  ASTM International, one of the largest and most highly regarded standards development organizations in the world, officially published the highly anticipated biodiesel blend specifications on its Web site.
  
  The new biodiesel blend specifications include:
  ASTM D975-08a, Specification for Diesel Fuel Oils — used for on- and off-road diesel applications, was revised to include requirements for up to five percent biodiesel
  D396-08b, Specification for Fuel Oils — used for home heating and boiler applications, was revised to include requirements for up to five percent biodiesel
  ASTM D7467-08, Specification for Diesel Fuel Oil, Biodiesel Blend (B6 to 20) — a completely new specification that covers finished fuel blends of between six (B6) and 20 (B20) percent biodiesel for on- and off-road diesel engine use
  ASTM D6751-08, Specification for Biodiesel Fuel Blend Stock (B100) for Middle Distillate Fuels — used to control pure biodiesel (B100) quality prior to blending with conventional diesel type fuels, was revised to include a requirement that controls minor compounds using a new cold soak filterability test"
  
  Pasted from <http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=2836>

• Good description about the differences between BioDiesel and Renewable Diesel:
  http://www.dieselforum.org/meet-clean-diesel/renewable-fuels

News Update - 10/20

News Update:

• Two more fuels are added to the list of renewable diesel types that fall under UK RTFO (Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation) - http://www.greenbang.com/5760/government-takes-more-cautious-approach-to-biofuels/:
  -- biobutanol renewable diesel
  -- hydrogenated renewable diesel

• The U.K. proposed pushing back a target for mixing biofuels with road fuel and will fund 6 million pounds ($10.5 million) of research to address concern that biofuel production may have damaging environmental and social impacts. (http://bioenergy.checkbiotech.org/news/2008-10-16/U.K._to_slow_biofuel_target_on_environmental_concerns/)
• Impact to environment: "Biodiesel - the most destructive crop on earth?
  Palm oil produces significantly better yields than other crops and so is a favoured source of biodiesel. It is grown mainly in South East Asia, where ancient rainforest is commonly cleared and peat bogs drained to make way for plantations, both processes leading to the release of huge amounts of carbon dioxide. Indonesia has already established some six million hectares of oil palm plantations and plans a further 20 million. A recent Friends of the Earth report found that between 1985 and 2000, oil-palm plantations were responsible for an estimated 87% of deforestation in Malaysia. As a result, 90% of the orang-utan's habitat has been destroyed, threatening extinction within twelve years.(5) " - http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/FreeBuyersGuides/traveltransport/diesel.aspx

• Another Renewable Diesel Producer - New Generation BioFuels: "Based on current projections of sales and timing to complete financing, New Generation Biofuels (NGB) expects to complete construction of the first 25 million gallon per year facility in the first quarter of 2009 and to launch production shortly thereafter. Once completed, NGB expects the facility to have a production capacity of up to 50 million gallons of second-generation biofuel a year to serve potential customers in Maryland and the mid Atlantic region. " (http://www.newgenerationbiofuels.com/technology.php)
  

Research on Alternate Energy - BioFuels

Research on Alternate Energy - BioFuels
There is a lot of confusion about the terms used. This is an attempt to put together these definitions.

Good definition of Fuels -
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/index.html

Conventional BioDiesel

Advanced BioDiesel

1. Biomass-based - hydrogenation-derived renewable diesel (HDRD) reactions for producing renewable diesel (also called Renewable Diesel).
   Cellulose Biomass based use plant matter composed primarily of inedible cellulose fibers (stems and branches) -
   Crop residues (such as corn stalks, wheat straw and rice straw), wood waste, and even municipal solid waste are potential sources of cellulosic biomass.
2. Undifferentiated advanced biofuel

Renewable Diesel is produced now by:

1. Stand Alone Plants
2. Existing Refineries - like ConocoPhillips/Tyson plant which uses existing oil refinery to make the Renewable Diesel - also called Co-Processed Renewable Diesel

Pasted from <http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=2808&q=&page=2> :

For 2009, the RFS mandates 10.5 billion gallons of conventional biofuel and 600
million gallons of advanced biofuel, which includes 500 million gallons of
biomass-based diesel and 100 million gallons of undifferentiated advanced
biofuel. The industry doesn’t anticipate having difficulty meeting the increased
conventional biofuel standard, particularly with another 3 billion gallons of
capacity under construction. However, the advanced biofuel category presents a
new issue for the industry. Advanced biofuels in the legislation are defined as
anything other than corn-starch-based ethanol that achieves a 50 percent
greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction when compared with fossil fuels.

Stu Porter, manager of business development and projects for BBI
International, highlighted the biomass-derived diesel production mandate of 500
million gallons by next year. He noted the emergence of hydrogenation-derived
renewable diesel (HDRD) reactions for producing renewable diesel. The HDRD
pathway differs from conventional biodiesel production in that it uses hydrogen
and a catalyst (such as platinum, palladium, rhodium or ruthenium) from
virtually the same feedstocks used to produce biodiesel.

According
to Porter, the only drawback HDRD renewable diesel has is that there are no
present specifications for HDRD as a pure fuel or a blend component in ASTM
standards whereas biodiesel specifications are clearly outlined in ASTM for B5,
B20, B100, and B5 Bioheat home heating oil. Otherwise, HDRD requires no special
tank storage, can be pipelined to a blending site and it may be pipelined to
retail distribution centers. HDRD plants are also typically larger to achieve
economies of scale.