biodiesel news stories on Newser

Hot Commodity: Used Restaurant Oil

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 12:44:05 CST

"Greasers" are drivers who fuel their vehicles with used frying oil—which used to be a snap to come by for free, thanks to restaurants who were willing to give the stuff away. But the vegetable oil is also a component of biodiesel, and as demand has grown, so has...

Amtrak Testing Beef-Powered Train

Rob Quinn — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 06:34:00 CDT

America's first biodiesel train runs through the heart of Texas cattle country using fuel made from beef byproducts. The daily Heartland Flyer between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth will use the fuel for a one-year trial run, after which the rail operator will analyze data on emissions and on the...

Biofuel Boom Runs Out of Gas

Drew Nelles — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:49:02 CDT

Once considered a win-win for the environment and energy independence, America’s biofuel industry is sputtering to a halt, the Wall Street Journal reports. Thanks to the recession, lower oil prices, and government delays, two-thirds of American biodiesel refineries—dozens of plants—are idle, and companies across the country are shutting...

America's Greenest Ski Resorts

Paul Stinson — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 08:07:15 CST

Despite their reputation for being unfriendly to the environment, several ski resorts have become more sustainable, says Treehugger, which lists seven of the nation’s greenest mountain getaways. The Aspen Skiing Company, Colorado: This four-mountain resort said to be at the center of the green movement began eco-friendly initiatives in 1997...

E. Coli Biofuel Can Go Right in the Tank

Harry Kimball — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:19:41 CST

Scientists have genetically engineered the E. coli bacteria to produce a carbon-rich alcohol molecule equivalent in energy to gasoline, Popular Mechanics reports. The “long-chain” alcohol does not occur in nature, but with six to eight atoms of carbon, it is far more efficient than ethanol, which has only two. “Long-chain...

Winter Chills Green Energy

Rob Quinn — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 07:03:22 CST

Winter weather is cooling newfound enthusiasm for renewable energy, the New York Times reports. Solar panels get snowed up or suffer from lack of sunlight on short winter days, and biodiesel sometimes congeals in cold weather. Wintry weather is a plus for wind power, but turbines can get iced up...

Doc Used Patients' Blubber to Fuel Cars? Fat Chance

Will McCahill — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:05:01 CST

A Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who claimed to have turned excess fat taken from patients into “lipodiesel” that could power his girlfriend’s Lincoln Navigator is apparently on the run after California health officials raided his practice, the Times of London reports. A message on Alan Bittner’s site says he’s “going...

One Man's Coffee Grounds Are Another's Biodiesel

Ambreen Ali — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:25:01 CST

If lattes seem overpriced now, wait until coffee becomes a precious commodity. An engineering professor spied an opportunity in the layer of oil he found floating in an old cup of coffee one morning. He extracted what was left in some used grounds—about 10%-15% oil by weight—with simple...

Biofuels Not Worth Upward Push on Food Prices: UN

Nick McMaster — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:33:01 CDT

While use of biofuels is supposed to combat climate change, the effects of its production on food prices is not worth the emissions they offset, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said today. The FAO called for countries to review production quotas and subsidies that encourage biofuel use in...