VW facing up to $18.07 billion in fines; recalls, mandatory vehicle emission fixes on the horizon; investigations underway at EPA and in California as “defeat devices” uncovered that evade clean air regulations. In Washington, EPA issued a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act to Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, and Volkswagen Group of America, […]
In Washington, Inside Climate News is reporting on how Exxon launched and then shuttered a broad investigation into the links between climate change, CO2 emissions and fossil fuels in the 1970s and 1980s. “In the first place, there is general scientific agreement that the most likely manner in which mankind is influencing the global climate […]
By Don Siefkes, Executive Director, E100 Ethanol Group, Debbie Baron, Secretary, Mendo Alcohol Fuel Group, and Eileen Broderick, Board Member, Mendo Alcohol Fuel Group Special to the Digest Net, new CO2 emissions from burning gasoline in the U.S. are currently 3.486 trillion lbs per year and rising due to increasing gasoline usage (141 billion gals […]
In Tennessee, a catalyst being developed by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory could overcome one of the key obstacles still preventing automobile engines from running more cleanly and efficiently. The mixed oxide catalyst could solve the longstanding problem of inhibition, in which nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons effectively clog […]
In California, Aemetis distilled biodiesel, produced by its subsidiary in India has been used by bulk customers to replace 100% petroleum diesel with 100% distilled biodiesel, reducing emissions by 80% and providing cost savings to customers. Traditionally, in Europe and in the United States, biodiesel is blended in the range of 5% to 20% with […]
In California, a new technology developed by Canadian firm G4 Insights, converting scraps and small trees from forest thinning projects into renewable natural gas, was demonstrated for the first time ever today in Auburn. In its first public demonstration, G4 used gas produced on site to fuel an unmodified Placer County truck. G4 principal Matt […]
In Washington, the National Biodiesel Board criticized the European Commission’s decision announced Tuesday to extend protectionist trade duties “that have blocked U.S. biodiesel from the European market since 2009,” the association said. NBB executive vice-president Anne Steckel noted, “The European Commission has decided to continue a policy that is clearly aimed at giving European biodiesel […]
In Michigan, MBI’s AFEX biomass pretreatment technology has been issued a US patent, by the USPTO. A video about AFEX technology and its potential impact can be found here. The AFEX technology was conceived at MBI in 2010, this technology enables “low-cost production of AFEX pretreated biomass, while cost-effectively recycling and reusing the catalyst used during […]
In Iowa, consumers showed their enthusiasm toward E15 in a recent poll conducted by the Tarrance Group, where respondents overwhelmingly supported the use of E15. When participants were asked if they would consider using E15 if they owned a 2001 and newer vehicle and it was cheaper than E10, an overwhelming 70 percent said yes. […]
In Washington, top executives from the advanced and cellulosic biofuels industry released a letter to President Obama on his Administration’s Renewable Fuel Standard proposal, showing how it represents a broken promise that undercuts investment in advanced biofuels, sends innovation and jobs overseas and flies in the face of the President’s statements in support of clean […]
