Alternative Biofuel

Biofuel from Sunflower: A bright opportunity for the sun-loving bloom

by Rita T. dela Cruz


In a bid to decrease the country's over dependence on fuel, various research institutions started to focus their leads in studying and identifying some of the most cost-effective and environment-friendly energy source to produce biofuels. Biofuels, such as bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas, are renewable fuels that are generally produced from agricultural crops or organic matter.

This effort to find alternative bio-source is also in accordance with the recent passing into law of the Biofuel Acts or SB 2226 and the Department of Agriculture (DA)'s drive towards energy independence. The law requires that “a minimum of 1% biodiesel by volume shall be blended into all diesel engine fuels sold in the country subject to domestic supply and availability of locally sourced biodiesel component.” Violators are penalized with one to five years imprisonment and a fine ranging from Php1 million to Php5 million.

Among the crops identified as potential sources of bioethanol are: sugarcane, sweet sorghum, coconut, corn, cassava, and jathropa. And now, sunflower is also coming into the picture as another potential bio-source for ethanol.

The potential of sunflower (along with rapeseed) is also being studied in Taipei in their effort to look for more domestic feedstocks coupled with best available and affordable technology.

Even the Brazilian agricultural experts are now optimizing the potential of sunflower by learning how to transform sunflowers into biofuel in the most cost-effective means. Other renewable energy sources that they are looking into are soybean and oilseed rape.

Meanwhile, an Italian farming association is working on biofuels produced from sunflowers and sugar beets. Its sunflower oil-powered boat premiered at the recent Kyoto Protocol conference in Montreal. It sounded a bit off-beat, but the boat ran fine. According to experts, if this project pushes through in the market, this biofuel is going to be relatively inexpensive. It was also reported that everything smelled faintly like French fries after the demonstration.

According to Dr. Heraldo L. Layaoen, vice president for administration, planning and external linkages of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) and overall coordinator of the DA-BAR Sweet Sorghum Project, anything (crops) with cellulose can be produced into bioethanol, the main difference lies on how ease is the conversion into ethanol and how cost effective is the production. Currently, with the technologies in tact and the varieties of seeds available, DA is endorsing the use of sugarcane and sweet sorghum as feedstocks. But as research on bioethanol continues to proliferate, more potential crops are coming into the scene.

Sunflowers in the Philippines
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant that belongs to the family of Asteraceae and is native in North and South America. Although it is not commonly grown in the Philippines, it can thrive in its soil. The giant sunflowers (grows up to 12 feet with head up to 3 inches wide) are native in the eastern United States. The common and recommended variety of sunflower in the Philippines is the hybrid type, which grows up to 105 days after planting.

There's a reason why they are called the sun-loving flowers. Sunflower is a classic example of heliotropism, or the involuntary response of plant to the sun. It turns its head directly to face the sun and reorients overnight to wait for the rising of the sunrise. So, early dawn, looking at them in a vast area of a sunflower field, they look all drooped and weak.

Sunflowers in the Philippines are grown for ornamental purposes and for its edible oil. Specifically, at Central Luzon State University (CLSU), they have been growing sunflower since early 70s, mainly for its edible oil. Sunflower oil, extracted from the seeds, is used for cooking. Its oil is less expensive (and heathier) than olive oil. Its fatty acid content is composed of high oleic type that contains higher level of healthy monosaturated fats.

At the moment, CLSU is reviving its sunflower production not for the edible oil but for biofuel. The sunflower seeds contain 36-42% oil and 38% protein meal.

Growing sunflowers
According to the group of researchers from CLSU, the best time for planting sunflower is from October to January for the first crop and February to May for the second crop.

To grow sunflower well, the area for planting should have good irrigation facilities. A moderate to well-drained soil is the basic soil requirement. The group added that, soil used in growing corn, rice, and vegetable is also suitable for sunflower production.

It is important to prepare the land before planting sunflowers. The recommended system of planting is single row with 75 cm space between rows and 25 cm between mounds. Seeding rate is 18-20 kg/ha given that there are 2-3 seeds with 3-4 cm depth for each mound. It is important to thin and off-bar, 14 days after the emergence of plants and to hill-up after 30 days.

Although chemical control is recommended, proper use must always take into consideration. Wilted plants must be burned immediately to avoid further complications. Bees are also important in increasing seed setting up to 20% since they act as pollinators.

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Sources:
Agustin, M.B., Q.D. dela Cruz, and T.M. Aganon. 2007. “Technoguide for Sunflower Production for Biofuel” Central Luzon State University, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.
“APEC Symposium on Foresighting Future Fuel Technology: Future Strategies for Biofuel Roadmap”
“Brazilian Agricultural Experts Learn to Transform Sunflowers into Biofuel”
“Biofuel Boating News” posted December 2005.
www.bar.gov.ph

Pricey Chemicals Gleaned From Biodiesel Waste

In a move that promises to change the economics of biodiesel refining, chemical engineers at Rice University have unveiled a set of techniques for cleanly converting problematic biofuels waste into chemicals that fetch a profit.

The latest research is available online in the journal Metabolic Engineering. The new paper and others published earlier this year describe a new fermentation process that allows E. coli and other enteric bacteria to convert glycerin -- the major waste byproduct of biodiesel production -- into formate, succinate and other valuable organic acids.

"Biodiesel producers used to sell their leftover glycerin, but the rapid increase in biodiesel production has left them paying to get rid of it," said lead researcher Ramon Gonzalez, Rice's William W. Akers Assistant Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. "The new metabolic pathways we have uncovered paved the way for the development of new technologies for converting this waste product into high-value chemicals."

About one pound of glycerin, also known as glycerol, is created for every 10 pounds of biodiesel produced. According to the National Biodiesel Board, U.S. companies produced about 450 million gallons of biodiesel in 2007, and about 60 new plants with a production capacity of 1.2 billion gallons are slated to open by 2010.

Gonzalez's team last year announced a new method of glycerol fermentation that used E. coli to produce ethanol, another biofuel. Even though the process was very efficient, with operational costs estimated to be about 40 percent less that those of producing ethanol from corn, Gonzalez said new fermentation technologies that produce high-value chemicals like succinate and formate hold even more promise for biodiesel refiners because those chemicals are more profitable than ethanol.

"With fundamental research, we have identified the pathways and mechanisms that mediate glycerol fermentation in E. coli," Gonzalez said. "This knowledge base is enabling our efforts to develop new technologies for converting glycerol into high-value chemicals."

Gonzalez said scientists previously believed that the only organisms that could ferment glycerol were those capable of producing a chemical called 1,3-propanediol, also known as 1,3-PDO. Unfortunately, neither the bacterium E. coli nor the yeast Saccharomyces -- the two workhorse organisms of biotechnology -- were able to produce 1,3-PDO.

Gonzalez's research revealed a previously unknown metabolic pathway for glycerol fermentation, a pathway that uses 1,2-PDO, a chemical similar to 1,3-PDO, that E. coli can produce.

"The reason this probably hadn't been discovered before is that E. coli requires a particular set of fermentation conditions for this pathway to be activated," Gonzalez said. "It wasn't easy to zero in on these conditions, so it wasn't the sort of process that someone would stumble upon by accident."

Once the new metabolic pathways were identified, Gonzalez's team began using metabolic engineering to design new versions of E. coli that could produce a range of high-value products. For example, while run-of-the-mill E. coli ferments glycerol to produce very little succinate, Gonzalez's team has created a new version of the bacterium that produces up to 100 times more. Succinate is a high-demand chemical feedstock that's used to make everything from noncorrosive airport deicers and nontoxic solvents to plastics, drugs and food additives. Most succinate today comes from nonrenewable fossil fuels.

Gonzalez said he's had similar success with organisms designed to produce other high-value chemicals, including formate and lactate.

"Our goal goes beyond using this for a single process," he said. "We want to use the technology as a platform for the 'green' production of a whole range of high-value products."

Technologies based on Gonzalez's work have been licensed to Glycos Biotechnologies Inc., a Houston-based startup company that plans to open its first demonstration facility within the next 12 months.

The research was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, Rice University and Glycos Biotechnologies.

Biofuels: Muddled issues

By Corazon PB. Claudio

MANILA, Philippines--Despite the raging debate on the pros and cons of biofuels, some countries are fast increasing their biofuel production.

The European Union, the largest market for biofuels, aims to make biofuels account for 5.75 percent of its transport fuels by 2010 and 10 percent by 2020. In the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Thailand is expected to be the region's leading producer of biofuels.

What should we do in the Philippines? Biofuels are part of the uncertain energy and food environment that demands serious decision making. It involves the views and preferences of many decision makers and stakeholders, from farmers to top policy makers.

Decisions taken now may have long-run implications on the use of lands and other resources.

For similar important cases beset with uncertainty, most big corporations in the world apply decision analysis. In applying it, we must first define the values and preferences of the decision maker (or the group of stakeholders), specify the decisions to be made and identify the alternatives.

The relevant values and preferences in this case could be a) increased income for farmers through agricultural development; b) sustainable and secure food, feeds and fuel sources; and c) greening of the environment by using cleaner fuel.

Issues
Reacting to the rice crisis, some legislators now call for suspension of the implementation of the Biofuels Act of 2006, which mandates the progressive production and use of biofuels. This is one decision point that is clouded by uncertainty.

The most important issues associated with biofuels are rural poverty, food security, energy security and the food vs. fuel issue.

Various groups in other parts of the world have been studying these issues. We can refer to the results of their studies, since we have not done our own in a significant way.

One ongoing study is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation at Stanford University. The research team includes Prof. Walter Falcon, former chair of IRRI, who kindly shared with me an initial report on their research.

Their policy research on the food vs. fuel issue involves a quantitative assessment of the effect of biofuels expansion on food security in the developing world.

Rural poverty and food security
The Stanford study concluded that "it is likely that aggregate investments in agricultural development at the national or regional level will be more successful in reducing rural poverty than individual biofuels investments by specific companies or groups."

Hence, to achieve "increased income for farmers through agricultural development" and "food security," we need to invest more in agricultural development, including sustainable technologies and infrastructure for food production and marketing and smallholder farmers' access to land, capital, credit and technology.

The investments must also ensure availability of water, which is essential to food production, but is now the subject of another crisis.

Biofuels may not help much in achieving increased income of farmers. But suspending the Biofuels Law will not help raise incomes or secure food supply. Adequate investments in agricultural development will most likely do both.

Energy Security
Energy security is a major issue facing us. In applying decision analysis on energy supply, the availability and price of imported fuel are uncertain variables that we cannot control. We can only adopt measures to adjust to them.

We need to focus on what we can control. Producing our own fuel, such as biofuels, is one of them. How to do so is the challenge that requires work.

We need to attend also to energy demand, e.g., by applying energy conservation measures. Biofuels production that provides for active participation of local people could also lead to improved demand management.

Food versus Fuel
The issue seems to boil down to what crop to plant for biofuel and where, so that it will not compete with food needs.

We still have many underutilized lands so I will focus more on the crop. Emerging crop choices in the Philippines are coconut (which is already being used for biodiesel production), sugar cane (which will be the feedstock for a bioethanol plant that will soon operate in Negros), sweet sorghum (which the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics recommends as major feedstock for bioethanol), jatropha (which receives priority government attention), and malunggay (which can produce oil for both food and fuel). All, except jatropha, have food, feed and fuel uses. Algae and waste biomass, which are gaining more interest in other countries, can also be produced in the Philippines.

Some major considerations in choosing a feedstock are energy yield of a crop, production costs and returns, effects on farmers and employment and impact on the environment (on soil, water, biodiversity, land use, and climate).

Preliminary results of the Stanford study have concluded that the effects of biofuels on food prices can be traced through the responsiveness of supply and demand of the crops to prices (which depends on substitution possibilities in production and consumption for food, feed and fuel), the ability of countries to expand land area and raise yields for biofuel feedstock, market integration between the biofuels and fossil fuels markets and policy incentives.

Recommendations
The long-run effects, the study says, depend on changing incomes, tastes, biofuels research and development, and infrastructure investments.

The EU hopes to achieve its goals by cultivating more land, increasing land productivity and crop quality with modern plant breeding techniques and biotechnology, and focusing on the production of biofuels from cellulose and agricultural waste (the second generation fuels) instead of starch, sugar and oils (the first generation ones).

How do we hope to achieve ours?

First, we must strengthen our research and development capability so that we can analyze existing biofuel alternatives, create new ones and give well-thought out responses to issues raised. We must mobilize our best scientists and provide them with adequate laboratory and other facilities so they can help create new or improved fuel, as well as food and feed, sources and systems.

The ripple effects of biofuels on food security, as the initial Stanford report concludes, depend on the country and its policies. In our country, we must improve our policy making, conduct more rigorous decision analysis, and act faster. We must invest more in agricultural development now if we want to achieve food security.

It is not clear what difference suspension of the implementation of the Biofuels Act will make. But if the approved Biofuels Act is flawed to begin with, we should, perhaps, suspend law-making until such time that more thinking goes into it.

(The author is president of EARTH Institute Asia Inc. and director/host of dzRH's Kalikasan, Kaunlaran!, which will feature biofuels on May 21, 7:30- 8:30 p.m. A Balik-Scientist and TOWNS Awardee for Science and Technology Energy Program in the late '80s. Feedback at map@globelines.com.ph. For previous articles, please visit .)

AF&V Conference and Alternative Fuels Steer the Transition to the Future of Transportation

Las Vegas, NV, March 31, 2008 - Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute hosts the14th annual Alternative Fuels & Vehicles Conference + Expo 2008, in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 11-14. The fuel and technology neutral conference welcomes 2,000 public and commercial fleet decision-makers to the foremost learning marketplace in the world featuring the fuels, vehicles and technologies available today that provide an alternative to fossil fuels. Fifty sessions feature many of the leading decision-makers in alternative fuels and technologies, representing vehicle manufacturers, fuel suppliers,
government agencies and parts manufacturers. Session topics include legislation, funding, product availability, plug-in hybrids, ports, EPA engine standards, biofuels updates, electric drive advances, and tours of Las Vegas city, transit, water district and taxi operation facilities.


"We are at a crossroads in the history of transportation," said AFVi
Executive Director, Annalloyd Thomason. "Fossil fuel based mobility is giving way to new demands for greater fuel efficiency, cleaner vehicles, and alternatives to petroleum. Those hardest hit are the fleet managers trying to navigate this new terrain. This conference presents the available options that will steer us to our transportation future."

More than 200 speakers will be making presentations in the general and concurrent sessions, as well as in Expo Hall's "Technology Showcase." Among the companies represented by speakers are AutoblogGreen, California Fuel Cell Partnership, Central Indiana Clean Cities Alliance, Edmunds.com, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Environmental Protection Agency, Google, Navy Exchange Arlington, Odyne, Pacific Gas & Electric, UPS, VeraSun Energy, and spokespeople from all participating auto manufacturers.

Conference sponsors and exhibitors represent the products and services that define the industry today. The leading sponsors include the American Clean Skies Foundation, Clean Energy, American Honda, Foton America Bus Company, General Motors and Toyota. Some of the 100 participating exhibitors include Austin Energy Plug-in Partners, Cummins Westport, Ethanol Promotion and Information Council, Ford, Freightliner, Global Electric Motorcars, National Biodiesel Board, Phoenix Motorcars, Propane Education and Research Council, and Sterling Trucks. Technology Showcase presentations and giveaways also take place in the Expo Hall. Attendees have an opportunity to test drive vehicles during the May 13 Ride-n-Drive.

Fleet Day, sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council, is Tuesday, May 13, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Any fleet representative with ten or more vehicles is eligible for complimentary admission, with a company business card. The general public is invited to participate at no charge on Wednesday, May 14, for Public Day. The hours are 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Rio Convention Center Pavilion.

The Alternative Fuels & Vehicles Conference & Expo 2008 is at the Rio All-Suite Hotel, 3700 West Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. Pre-registration is open through May 2, 2008. Register today by going to http://www.afvi.org/NationalConference2008/.

About AFVi:

AFVi is an entrepreneurial organization that works through industry to bring people in need of proven transportation technologies together with those who can meet their needs. The AFVi is the education provider and information link between the alternative fuels and vehicles industry and public/private fleets. The primary business of the company is to advance the interests of OEMs, fuel providers and their associated business partners through education, outreach and deployment. AFVi is fuel and technology neutral.

50% CO2 reduction from home-grown biodiesel

Study confirms 50% CO2 reduction from use of home-grown biodiesel

High-quality biodiesel from oilseed rape, grown and produced in the South Island by Biodiesel New Zealand, is sustainable, emitting around 50% less carbon dioxide over its life cycle than mineral diesel. This exceeds the 35% criteria proposed by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
That’s the conclusion of an independent life cycle assessment carried out for the company of greenhouse gas emissions and primary energy for the production of biodiesel from oilseed rape, from the cultivation of the rapeseed, through to oil extraction and the refining and processing of the biodiesel.

Biodiesel New Zealand General Manager, Paul Quinn, says that the company shares concerns expressed yesterday by Dr Jan Wright, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, to the Local Government and Environment Select Committee about the sustainability of biofuels and their true environmental and economic impacts.

“However, as we discussed with the Select Committee last month, biodiesel made from oilseed rape will contribute positively to greenhouse gas reduction targets and can be grown in such as way that it does not displace food production. In fact, oilseed rape has benefits for agriculture as a break crop for cereals, improving cereal yields in following years. The oil extraction process also creates a high-value stock feed which replaces imported material such palm oil husk,” Mr Quinn says.

“We completely understand the issues raised by the PCE and others about the sustainability of biodiesel, which is why we commissioned this independent life cycle analysis of biodiesel, based on New Zealand conditions, as we didn’t believe that studies carried out in other countries would necessarily be applicable here.

“The conclusion of our study is good news for the local industry and confirms that oilseed rape will make a sustainable contribution to our national response to climate change and that it is 55% more energy-efficient than mineral diesel. As a result biodiesel will enhance New Zealand’s energy security through onshore fuel production.

“Biodiesel New Zealand supports the development of a strong and sustainable New Zealand biofuels industry which generates a range of sustainable feedstocks. We can learn from the rest of the world, but we need to learn from the international experience of many years and refine those techniques to ensure that our industry is sustainable and will contribute to the reduction of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions,” Mr Quinn concludes.

Biodiesel New Zealand, a subsidiary of Solid Energy New Zealand Ltd, currently produces biodiesel from used cooking oil and will next year expand production to use oilseed rape as a feedstock. The company currently has 6,000 hectares of oilseed rape planted from which the company expects to produce more than 10 million litres of pure biodiesel after the 2009 harvest. Biodiesel New Zealand plans to produce 70 million litres a year of sustainable transport fuel, made from oilseed rape and used cooking oil, within the next three years. The company will open a new production facility at an industrial site in Christchurch next year.

Source: Solid Energy NZ

HyPower Fuel Releases Details on Ultra-Green Biodiesel Process and HyPower Fuel Limited Partnership Format

WILMINGTON, Del. HyPower Fuel Inc. (Pinksheets: HYPF) is pleased to release details on its newly acquired ultra-green biodiesel process for the North American market.

Mr. Douglas Bender, President of HyPower Fuel, reports that “we firmly believe that our biodiesel process is the world’s most cost-effective and environmentally friendly method of producing biodiesel. Our process uses no water and virtually no hazardous chemicals other than methanol, which is a common denominator in any biodiesel process. Due to the fact that we use no chemicals in pre-treatment, we do not have any phosphates or sulfates which have to be removed. Having no pre-treatment and post-treatment dramatically reduces our input and operating costs. In addition, our reaction time from feedstock to a biodiesel product meeting ASTM standards is approximately two hours. These are all major improvements over conventional biodiesel technologies.”

Doug Bender went on to say that “our small scale biodiesel plant has been a virtual gold mine in providing a Proof of Technology and in displaying how the process works to interested parties. All visitors who have seen the plant in operation have been extremely impressed and we are now fielding proposals for use of our technology within the HyPower Fuels Limited Partnership (HFLP) format that we have developed. Essentially the HFLP format is a joint venture that provides for HyPower to provide the technology and technical expertise in return for a 50% ownership of biodiesel plants built using our “best in class” technology. The remaining 50% would be owned by our funding partner. Each plant built under the HFLP format would provide a positive revenue stream to HyPower in terms of royalties, technical fees, construction fees and operating profits. We have received a number of expressions of interest from major entities wishing to be a partner for one or more plants using the HFLP format.”

About HyPower Fuel Inc.

HyPower Fuel, Inc. is a category leading company in the energy technology sector, focusing on providing innovative alternative energy using environmentally beneficial processes. HyPower is currently commercializing the integration of green alternative fuel technologies to improve overall energy performance and efficiency. For more information please visit: www.hypowerfuel.com

Safe Harbor

Statements about the Company's future expectations and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created thereby. The above information contains information relating to the Company that is based on the beliefs of the Company and/or its management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company or its management. Factors that could cause results to differ include, but are not limited to, successful performance of internal plans, the impact of competitive services and pricing and general economic risks and uncertainties.

Investor Relations:
Taylor Capitol, Inc.
Stephen Taylor, 973-351-3868
STEPHTAYL9@AOL.COM

Tellurian Biodiesel Acquires Superior Process Technologies

07 Feb 2008 - Tellurian Biodiesel, independent maker and marketer of sustainable high-quality biodiesel, announced an agreement to acquire Superior Process Technologies (SPT) from Baker Commodities.

Early to identify the emerging opportunity for biodiesel in the U.S., Baker Commodities invested in SPT in December 2003 to develop technology for the conversion of rendered materials into high-quality biodiesel. Tellurian has been collaborating with Baker and SPT on the construction and upgrade of biodiesel plants since 2006.

Engineering expertise and technology acquired in the deal positions Tellurian to move forward with plans for a nationwide network of plants capable of converting America's abundance of recycled feedstocks and other domestic fats and oils into biodiesel that exceeds both ASTM and EN quality specifications.

The new deal also gives Tellurian the technology to turn low-grade raw materials into high-quality fuels at prices that can compete with petrodiesel.

SPT will serve as Tellurian's engineering department, and Tellurian will continue to offer Baker access to research and development that assist its ongoing efforts in the field. All current SPT employees will be kept on to continue development of innovative process technologies needed to convert commonly available and new, unique bio-based feedstocks such as algae oil and trap grease into renewable fuels.

Cognis Extends its Patented Biodiesel Testing System to Diesel Distributors

Results-in-two-minutes will Help Diesel Distributors Quickly Test and Better Price Every Load of its Biodiesel Blends

Cognis Corporation, through its QTA® System business, recently announced that it has successfully developed a BioDiesel Blend Analysis that, in just two minutes, can accurately measure biodiesel percentages in biodiesel-diesel blends.

Cincinnati, OH. January 30, 2008 -- Cognis Corporation, through its QTA® System business, recently announced that it has successfully developed a BioDiesel Blend Analysis that, in just two minutes, can accurately measure biodiesel percentages in biodiesel-diesel blends. Long known for its ability to accurately test the quality of biodiesel production, the QTA System can now quickly and economically determine the blend percentages for each diesel load leaving a distribution facility.

Barbara Stefl, Global Business Director, said, "Much like the quality testing process currently used in our customer's biodiesel production plants, just a small drop of diesel fuel is all it takes to determine whether the fuel you are selling was properly blended and accurately priced given its biodiesel concentration. And, because the QTA System can measure the blend concentration of a fuel load in just two minutes, you have time to change pricing or adjust the blend percentage before the load leaves the terminal. Our approach does not require a lab or a chemist to operate."

Cognis' QTA patented BioDiesel Blend Analysis starts by digitizing the light spectra of the diesel fuel using proven infrared technology. Those spectra are then sent, via the internet, to Cognis' central database where algorithms converts the spectra, in real-time, into standard quality measurements or percentage measurements that are viewed online. All this occurs in less than two minutes.

Cognis' QTA system is offered on a subscription basis and does not require any capital investment. The monthly subscription includes an easy-to-use infrared spectrometer, software for a standard PC and unlimited use of Cognis' Chingometric™ centrally-calibrated algorithms that covert the light spectra into actionable information.

Cognis QTA will be conducting real-time demonstrations of its new BioDiesel Blend and its BioDiesel Quality Testing System at the National BioDiesel Conference & Expo on February 3-6 in Orlando, Florida.

About QTA®
QTA® is a service business of Cognis Corporation -a worldwide supplier of innovative specialty chemicals and nutritional ingredients, with a particular focus on the areas of wellness and sustainability. The company employs about 7,700 people, and it operates production sites and service centers in 30 countries. Cognis' QTA® business provides on-site, ready-to-use analytical capabilities without additional investment in equipment or personnel. Patented, centralized calibration technology enhances accuracy. For more information on the QTA® system, visit http://www.qta.com .

Cognis is owned by private equity funds advised by Permira, GS Capital Partners, and SV Life Sciences. In 2006, Cognis recorded sales of 3.37 billion euros and an Adjusted EBITDA (operating result) of 394 million euros.

Making BioDiesel

This article is taken from www.schnews.org.uk. Reprinted here. Read and Enjoy.

- It’s a piece of piss

There’s nothing we like more at SchNEWS towers than a spot of DIY, be it a pint of homebrew or a free party. But one piece of DIY that we reckon is up there with free parties is home made diesel.

Yep, forget about handing your hard-earned coffers over to the corrupt, greedy and killing corporations like Shell and BP, take a squeezy bottle, a piece of sticky backed plastic and make your own biodiesel. No seriously, biodiesel is a fuel made from waste vegetable oil, of which there is literally tons of the stuff being dumped in landfill sites up and down the country! This otherwise waste is easily collected from chip shops and restaurants and without too much hassle processed to make biodiesel that can be used to run any diesel engine. Biodiesel, far from being an inferior homemade product, is better for your engine than the usual crappy fossil-based fuel that is helping to screw up the environment and people’s health. Biodiesel can be made in your own backyard with little start up cost involved and works out at about 30 pence per litre. Wanna know more? Then read on.

Let’s first rewind and go back to the beginning of the 1900s where Dr Rudolf Diesel has just invented the diesel engine and is displaying it at the Paris exhibition. Sat right there is the mother of all diesel engines happily chugging away running on peanut oil! Rudolf had designed the Diesel engine to be run a variety of fuels and during his Paris speech said, "the diesel engine can be fed with vegetable oils and will help considerably in the development of the agriculture of the countries which use it." Sounds good for developing countries but not so good for the petroleum industry. A few years later and Rudolf Diesel’s body is found drifting face down in the English Channel. After holding secret talks with the UK navy about fitting diesel engines into their submarine fleet Rudolf Diesel was killed by the French to stop his diesel technology being fitted into submarines over the world, nothing new there then! After Diesel’s death the petroleum industry capitalised on the diesel engine by naming one of their crappy by-products of petroleum distillation ‘diesel fuel’. That’s how dirty diesel fuel has come to be the fuel for diesel engines.

Fast-forward to the beginning of a brave new millennium, one where oil is running out, the climate is fucked and Biodiesel can save the world, well no but it can do its bit!

A few facts on biodiesel

Biodiesel is biodegradable and non-toxic. 100% biodiesel is as biodegradable as sugar and less toxic than table salt. It biodegrades up-to four times faster than petroleum diesel fuel with up-to 98% biodegradation in three weeks. However, contrary to a popular misconception, it stores indefinitely in completely full, cool, dark containers. Compared to crappy fossil fuel diesel, biodiesel has the following emissions characteristics:

* 100% reduction of net carbon dioxide
* 100% reduction of sulphur dioxide
* 40-60% reduction of soot emissions
* 10-50% reduction of carbon monoxide
* a reduction of all polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and specifically the reduction of the following carcinogenic PAHs:
* phenanthren by 97%
* benxofloroanthen by 56%
* benz-a-pyrene by 71%
* aldehydes and aromatic compounds by 13%
* 5-10% reduction of nitrous oxide depending on age and tuning of vehicle.

For every one ton of fossil fuel burnt, 3 tons of CO2 is released into the atmosphere, biodiesel only releases the CO2 that it has taken in while the plants it is made from were growing, therefore there is no negative impact on the carbon cycle.

How to build a single tank biodiesel processor

Firstly though, we have to say that our biodiesel expert is not longer involved in SchNEWS so we are not able to offer any advice or further information on the subject further than what's here. There are websites listed at the bottom of the page which contain loads more info. Please don't email us asking questions about biodiesel as we won't be able to help.

Equipment required

* 45 gallon drum.
* 1/2 or 3/4 Hp electric motor.
* Two pulleys which produce 250 rpm and a max of 750 rpm at mixer blade.
* A belt for the above.
* 12 inch rolled steel rod.
* Two steel shelf brackets (for the blade).
* 1 1/2 inch (38mm) brass ball valve.
* A hinge and a spring to act as a belt tensioned.
* 2000-watt electric water heater element.
* A water heater thermostat.
* 1 1/2 diameter piece of steel pipe * 3-5 inches long with male threads on one end.
* Assorted tat: angle iron, wood, screws etc.

Assembly

1. Cut a large opening (about half the top) in the top of the steel drum.
2. Drill 11/2-inch hole in the bottom of the drum.
3. Weld the 1 1/2-diameter pipe in the hole at the bottom of the drum.
4. Attach the 1 1/2-inch brass ball valve to the pipe. This is the drain valve.
5. Drill a hole in the side of the drum at the bottom, same size as the heater element.
6. Fit the heater element making sure it is not touching the side of the drum.
7. Wire up the heater element.

Chemical mixer

1. Attach one pulley to the rolled steel rod.
2. Attach the other pulley to the spindle of the electric motor.
3. Weld the propeller to the other end of the rolled steel rod (shelf brackets).
4. Attach the rod, pulley and propeller assembly to one side of the hinge.
5. Weld a piece of angle iron across the top of the drum.
6. Weld the unattached side of the hinge to the angle iron so the propeller and rod assembly sits in the middle of the drum. The hinge should swing the propeller and rod back and forth.
7. Mount the electric motor on the side of the drum.
8. Fit the belt to the pulleys and tighten by wedging a block of wood into the hinge.

You also need to fashion a simple wooden measuring stick with 10 litre increments.

Other bits and bobs

A hydrometer is a good piece of kit to have to measure the specific gravity of the biodiesel. The specific gravity of biodiesel should be between 0.860 and 0.900, usually 0.880. The specific gravity of vegetable oil is 0.920 therefore the specific gravity of biodiesel should be lower than the vegetable oil used to make the biodiesel.

How to make biodiesel

Every time you make a new batch of biodiesel using old vegetable oil you have to find out the amount of reactants required to get the correct reaction, this process is know as titration. In addition to the above equipment you will also need the following equipment:

Petri dish
20 ml beaker
1500 ml beaker
500 ml beaker
Isopropyl alcohol
A graduated eye dropper
Litmus paper
Blender with a glass bowl.
Methanol
Used cooking oil
Sodium Hydroxide

Titration

Step 1 Titration: to determine the quantity of catalyst required

1. Measure 1 gram of Sodium Hydroxide onto a petri dish
2. Measure 1 Lt. of distilled water into a 1500 ml beaker.
3. Pour the 1 gram of Sodium Hydroxide into the 1 Lt. of distilled water
4. Label ‘do not drink Sodium Hydroxide’
5. Measure 10 ml of isopropyl alcohol into a 20ml beaker
6. Dissolve 1ml of used vegetable oil into the isopropyl alcohol.
7. Label oil/alcohol.
8. Use the graduated eye dropper to drop 1 millilitre of Sodium Hydroxide /water solution into the oil/alcohol solution
9. After 1 millilitre of Sodium Hydroxide /water solution is added check the pH
10. Repeat steps 8&9 until the oil/alcohol reaches a pH of between 8&9. The pH increase will usually occur suddenly. Usually no more than 3 millilitres of Sodium Hydroxide /water solution will need to be added.
11. Use the following equation: · the number of millilitres of the Sodium Hydroxide/water solution dropped into the oil/alcohol mixture = x · (x+3.5)=N

· N= the number of grams of Sodium Hydroxide required to neutralise and react 1 Litre of used vegetable oil.

· N will be between 4.5-6.5, but it can be higher if the oil has been used for a long time.

Step 2. Measure the reactants

Measure the reactants in separate containers

1 Litre of filtered used oil into a 1500ml beaker

200 ml of methanol into a 500 ml beaker

N grams of Sodium Hydroxide onto a petri dish

Step 3. Dissolve the Sodium Hydroxide into the Methanol

The third step is to combine the methanol with the Sodium Hydroxide to create sodium methoxide, an extremely strong base. Once the Sodium Hydroxide has been dissolved in the methanol, the sodium methoxide must be mixed with the vegetable oil straight away.

· Carefully pour the methanol into the blender, any spills must be cleaned immediately with a water and vinegar solution.

· Carefully pour the Sodium Hydroxide into the blender

· Replace the lid of the blender and blend on the lowest setting for 30 seconds, until the Sodium Hydroxide has dissolved. Sodium methoxide has been produced and caution must be exercised

Step 4. Mix the reactants

· Remove the lid of the blender keeping your face well away from the top of the blender

· carefully pour the vegetable oil into the blender

· Place the lid on the blender and blend on a medium/high setting for 15 minutes. If the bowl or the blender motor get over hot switch off the blender and leave until cooled down sufficiently to continue again.

Step 5. Allow the glycerine to settle

Settling takes about 8 hours but since 75% of the separation occurs within the first hour after the reaction immediate separation will be visible. Within 8 hours the glycerine will have fallen to the bottom leaving a layer on top, this is methyl esters, or more commonly referred to as biodiesel

Step 6. Separation

After blending the contents can either be transferred into a 1500ml container with a stopcock or left in the blender for at least 8 hours.

Step 7. Clean up

Store the leftover used vegetable oil in a dry cool place

Clean all the equipment so it is ready to use again

Expose the glycerine to air and sunlight for 1 week and then use as soap.

Pour the biodiesel into your fuel tank and laugh like fuck!

So there you have it, fuel from vegetable oil. Of course this is only one method of making biodiesel, there are many recipes for making biodiesel just take a look through the web sites at the end of this article. Don’t be fooled into thinking that biodiesel is anything but a serious contender in the alternative fuels market, throughout the world there are commercial processors being built to supply a rapidly emerging market. The UK government however, has chosen to ignore biodiesel, this is their mistake and something we can capitalise on. Let’s start making biodiesel and get production down to the local small scale level with co-operatives and individuals supplying all our needs while taking power away from the mega-corporations.

For more information on biodiesel check out www.planetfuels.co.uk rather than emailing us (please, you wouldn't believe how many people do email us) - we're no experts, unfortunately. Alternatively the first book on the following website (LILI: how to make biodiesel by Dan Carter & Jon Halle) has been recommended to us: www.lowimpact.org/acatalog/books_biodiesel.html The Low Impact Living Initiative website also has other information and equipment for biodiesel and other related topics.

Other Useful web sites:

www.biodieselcommunity.org
www.biodieselfuelonline.com
www.lazymansguideto.com/Making-Biodiesel.html
www.veggievan.org
www.dancingrabbit.org/biodiesel

Philippine biodiesel meets international standards

By Abigail L. Ho, Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines -- Initial tests on locally produced biodiesel have yielded positive results, indicating that the Philippines can produce jatropha-based biodiesel that meets international standards.

PNOC Alternative Fuels Corp.’s jatropha-based biodiesel, tested in collaboration with the Technological University of the Philippines and Chemrez Technologies Inc., met both European and American Biodiesel Standards, according to data from PNOC-AFC.

The tests included jatropha oil and methyl ester production and characterization, development of high-value products, and actual performance testing of jatropha methyl ester.

“And the variety we used for that test wasn’t even the best variety we have found so far,” PNOC-AFC president and chief executive Peter Anthony Abaya said.

In preparation for commercial production, he said PNOC-AFC and the Department of Science and Technology were still conducting tests on which variety of jatropha would be best for propagation.

The pool has so far been narrowed to six local varieties.

Based on initial trends, on the fourth year or by 2011, PNOC-AFC could have an annual average yield of 7.5-15 tons of jatropha per hectare and that 1,000-1,400 seeds will be needed to produce a kilo of jatropha.

The oil extraction rate ranged from 30-40 percent on varieties taken from the southern city of General Santos and the provinces of Saranggani, Davao, Palawan, Batangas, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Camarines Sur and Sorsogon.

Before establishing commercial plantations, PNOC-AFC aims to put in place a 1,500-hectare nursery from which the seedlings for the plantations will come.

It then hopes to develop, together with private sector partners, 700,000 hectares of jatropha plantations -- 140,000 hectares this year, another 250,000 hectares next year and another 310,000 hectares in 2010.

In terms of actual jatropha-based biodiesel, PNOC-AFC envisions production of 100,000 metric tons next year, 400,000 in 2010 and 500,000 in 2011.