|
Biodiesel study targets cleaner air, cleaner engines
April 04, 2007GUELPH — Cleaner engines, cleaner air and more uses for local farm products were the focus of a just-completed study of biodiesel as an alternative fuel source on selected Ontario farms. This province-wide initiative is the only one of its kind in Canada. It involved six farms to evaluate the effectiveness of using biodiesel in agriculture.
"This project was designed to accelerate the adoption of biodiesel use on Ontario farms through a series of on-farm evaluations," said Deanna Deaville, Special Project Coordinator with the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), which is administering the project. "Biodiesel has the potential to reduce Canada's dependence on fossil fuels, provide great environmental benefits and increase market opportunities for Canadian oilseed producers."
"Our Government is committed to encouraging the development and use of renewable fuels," said the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources. "Initiatives such as these play an important role in helping us achieve the government's objective of five percent renewable content in transportation fuels by 2010. This is another example of how we can create new economic opportunities for farmers and the agricultural sector while also taking care of our environment."
Natural Resources Canada contributed $300,000 to the project, with other partners Environment Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, UPI Energy, and the University of Guelph providing in-kind support.
It is hoped that the success of this project will lead to an accelerated adoption of biodiesel use in on-farm applications, not only in Ontario but across Canada. This will bring both environmental and economic benefits to Canadians, since biodiesel can be produced from local, renewable resources. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel made from locally available sources, including animal fats and plant oils such as soybean, sunflower and canola.
During normal farm field work, a research team from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada tested both pure and blended biodiesel, in which the renewable fuel is mixed with petroleum diesel. Evaluated blends had 5 percent and 20 percent biodiesel content, and were tested for engine horsepower and fuel efficiency. Environment Canada monitored exhaust emissions from tractors at the trial sites, including levels of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter.
Although commercially available, biodiesel has never been tested on agricultural machinery in Canada and has not yet been widely used by farmers. It is hoped the research results — expected in early May — will help increase demand for biodiesel, which in turn will increase market opportunities for recycled materials and oils and give farmers the chance to grow some of their own fuel. Recent government announcements supporting renewable fuels will help advance the demonstration and use of biodiesel on farms.
Natural Resources Canada
Natural Resources Canada contributed $300,000 to the project, with other partners Environment Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, UPI Energy, and the University of Guelph providing in-kind support.
It is hoped that the success of this project will lead to an accelerated adoption of biodiesel use in on-farm applications, not only in Ontario but across Canada. This will bring both environmental and economic benefits to Canadians, since biodiesel can be produced from local, renewable resources. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel made from locally available sources, including animal fats and plant oils such as soybean, sunflower and canola.
During normal farm field work, a research team from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada tested both pure and blended biodiesel, in which the renewable fuel is mixed with petroleum diesel. Evaluated blends had 5 percent and 20 percent biodiesel content, and were tested for engine horsepower and fuel efficiency. Environment Canada monitored exhaust emissions from tractors at the trial sites, including levels of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter.
Although commercially available, biodiesel has never been tested on agricultural machinery in Canada and has not yet been widely used by farmers. It is hoped the research results — expected in early May — will help increase demand for biodiesel, which in turn will increase market opportunities for recycled materials and oils and give farmers the chance to grow some of their own fuel. Recent government announcements supporting renewable fuels will help advance the demonstration and use of biodiesel on farms.
Natural Resources Canada
Biodiesel News and Current Biodiesel Events RSSAre microbes the answer to the energy crisis?
The answer to the looming fuel crisis in the 21st century may be found by thinking small, microscopic in fact. Microscopic organisms from bacteria and cyanobacteria, to fungi to microalgae, are biological factories that are proving to efficient sources of inexpensive, environmentally friendly biofuels that can serve as alternatives to oil, according to research presented at the 108th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Boston.
New source for biofuels discovered
A newly created microbe produces cellulose that can be turned into ethanol and other biofuels, report scientists from The University of Texas at Austin who say the microbe could provide a significant portion of the nation's transportation fuel if production can be scaled up.
Money Doesn't Grow on Trees, But Gasoline Might
Researchers have made a breakthrough in the development of "green gasoline," a liquid identical to standard gasoline yet created from sustainable biomass sources like switchgrass and poplar trees.
New Research Suggests Biofuel Blending is Often Inaccurate
While sampling blended biodiesel fuels purchased from small-scale retailers, researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution found that many of the blends do not contain the advertised amount of biofuel.
International effort takes critical steps to accelerate growth of global biofuels market
The governments of the United States, Brazil and the European Union (EU)-the world's major producers of biofuels-today released an analysis of current biofuel specifications with the goal of facilitating expanded trade of these renewable energy sources.
Growing markets bring potential for rubber and oilseed crops
Changing and growing markets have renewed interest and research on guayule and lesquerella, two native Big Bend plants that might be grown in other parts of Texas, a Texas AgriLife Research scientist said.
DOE JGI Releases Soybean Genome Assembly
A preliminary assembly and annotation of the soybean genome, Glycine max, has been made available by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI), to the greater scientific community to enable bioenergy research.
MSU researcher finds renewed interest in turning algae into fuel
The same brown algae that cover rocks and cause anglers to slip while fly fishing contain oil that can be turned into diesel fuel, says a Montana State University microbiologist.
Government of Canada calls on industry to participate in new biofuels initiative
More Canadians will soon be putting cleaner biofuels in their vehicles such as ethanol and biodiesel.
Biodiesel could reduce greenhouse gas emissions
A CSIRO report released today confirms that using pure biodiesel or blending biodiesel with standard fuel could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector.
More Biodiesel News Articles
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |