Biofuels Digest Anniversary issue: The 10 Most Offbeat Stories of the Year for 2008-09

Today, Biofuels Digest celebrates its 2nd anniversary with a special look back at “the 10 Most Offbeat Stories of the Year” for 2008-09

1. Liposuction biofuels. In California, the controversial Beverly Hills Liposculpture announced that it would close, after disclosures (that may be unrelated to the shut-down) that its chief, Dr. Alan Bittner, has been converting liposuctioned fat into biodiesel to power two SUVs belonging to himself and a girlfriend. The company served more than 7000 liposuction patients over a 10-year period. Yecch.

2. Police sergeant nabbed in grease theft operation. In California, police sergeant John Landahl of Folsom was arrested last October on a charge of stealing used cooking oil from the Sacramento Rendering Company. The theft of approximately 1000 pounds of grease led to the charge. Numerous victims of grease theft across the country have noted a slow response by police, who have been reluctant to chase down pilferers of waste materials. The sergeant is a 22-year veteran of the department, and went on administrative leave pending trial. Meanwhile, grease thieves are stealing 600,000 pounds per year in northern California. Grease theft has spread to Oregon Kentucky, Taxes, Florida, Missouri, Alabama, Washington, and North Carolina

3. Veggie Vroom. The World First Racing team in Britain announced the construction of a Formula Three car that runs on vegetable oil and waste chocolate, with a steering wheel made from carrots and other root vegetables, a seat made from flax fiber and soybean oil, and bodywork made from potato starch.

4. Biofuels on Mars. Researchers at Flometrics have reported the possibility of growing oilseed crops on Mars for rocket fuel, after a test of B100 biodiesel in a Rocketdyne LR-101 engine showed comparable burn characteristic to RP-1 kerosene. The test was carried out in a General Dynamics/Convair Atlas missile based on a six-second burn, and B100 developed an 820 lb thrust compared to 840 for RP-1.

5. Sewage in an ocean-floating baggie as an algae bioreactor? Officials at NASA have proposed an algae-based solution for the production of biofuels in closed plastic bags that would be filled with sewage that the algae would utilize as a feedstock, and produce algal oil. NASA said that the proposal addressed a major limitation of closed bioreactor systems on land, which is water-storage and temperature control in addition to land acquisition. The semi-permeable membranes “allow fresh water to flow out into the ocean, while retaining the algae and nutrients,” using a technology that NASA is testing for use in long-duration space flight.

6. Biobutanol, other biofuels envisioned for Virgin Galactic spaceflight. In New Mexico, construction commenced last month on the $198 million Spaceport America, a vertical launching pad and runway facility in Truth or Consequences that will be home to the Virgin Galatic spacecraft offering commercial space tourism flights for $200,000. Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Fuels is developing biofuels that can be used to power both the mothership Eve that will launch the spacecraft from the stratosphere, while the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft will itself be designed to run on biobutanol. Branson is an investor in Gevo, a development-stage company making butanol from cellulosic feedstocks.

7. Arctic Technology Centre to convert shark waste to biodiesel in Greenland. The village of Uummannaq finds itself with an abundance of sharks – so much so that there is a bounty of $38 for a shark heart. What to do with all the carcasses? Make biodiesel, says the Arctic Technology Centre in Sisimiut. A pilot project in will provide up to 13 percent of the energy for the village’s 2450 inhabitants, using a combined heat and power process from sharks and other fish waste oils. Eew.

8. Prince Charles converts Royal Train to biodiesel. The Prince is at it again, God bless him. The eco-friendly monarch-in-waiting last year started fueling his Aston Martin D86 with ethanol made from wine, and his collection of Jaguar and his Land Rover vehicles to used cooking oil-based biodiesel. Now, staff said that plans are underway to convert the royal train to biodiesel. Cutting back on the number of transportation options has not yet been announced by the Palace.

9. Coconut-powered bamboo taxis. In the Philippines, “Bamboo taxis” made of 90 percent bamboo and powered by coconut biodiesel have emerged as a replacement for dangerously crowded motorcycles used to carry up to six passengers in town traffic.

10. Look before you speak department. Bill Reinert, Toyota Motor Sales national manager for the advanced technology group told a conference audience that “Using ethanol for fuel is like electing the dumbest kid in school as class president.” Apparently Toyota’s investment in the development of cellulosic ethanol, in partnership with Nippon Oil and Mitsubishi, escaped the attention of Toyota Motor Sales.

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Biofuels Digest Anniversary issue: The 10 Most Offbeat Stories of the Year for 2008-09

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