In North Carolina, biosolids from a wastewater plant outside Raleigh are spread upon a nearby 50-acre field where sunflower is grown for biodiesel production. Using the nitrogen-hungry plants reduces runoff into the watershed that can lead to algae blooms and eventually fish kill. In the second year of the pilot, the City will crush the […]
In Vermont, fields of sunflowers growing in Newbury and Shaftsbury will have an unusual future: the flowers’ seeds will be converted to biodiesel and livestock feed. The fuel will be used in Green Mountain Power’s fleet of vehicles and for building heating, saving GMP’s customers money and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants. The […]
In Spain, researchers at the University of Cordoba obtained a new biofuel similar to biodiesel using the 1,3-selective transesterification reaction of sunflower oil with ethanol using as biocatalyst a Rhizopus oryzae lipase (ROL) immobilized on Sepiolite, an inorganic support. The studied lipase was a low cost powdered enzyme preparation, Biolipase-R, from Biocon-Spain, a multipurpose additive […]
In Malaysia, LMC International says that increased demand for palm oil as a biofuel feedstock will boost CPO prices to $858 per metric ton by early next year. Currently the differential between Brent crude and CPO is such that it’s profitable for businesses to be producing biodiesel. A major recovery in soft oils like canola […]
In Germany, Oil World says that vegetable oil and fats prices are expected to fall on slower demand for biodiesel mixed with increased soy and sunflower oils. Consumption globally is seen at 192.9 million metric tons in 2013/14, up from 187.6 million tons in 2012/13, compared to production of 193.8 million tons, up from 187.3 […]
In Illinois, Chicago Biofuels is looking into sunflower oil as a possible feedstock. The company currently focuses on using cooking oils from city restaurants, but is looking into planting sunflowers in the cities vacant lots as sunflowers can remove the polluting lead from the soil in these lots. The company harvested 11 pounds of seeds […]
In Florida, combining the planting of a biofuels crop with a legume and a short-season oilseed crop may make an intensive and short rotation of crops economically profitable, according to research performed by plant pathologist Dan Chellemi. During 2010, he added a legume cover crop, which would supply part of the nitrogen, into the rotation […]
In Northern Ireland, scientists from the Biomolecular Diagnostics and Engineering Group at the University of Ulster and children from St John the Baptist Primary School are involved in a novel research project to investigate the potential of sunflowers as a fuel source. Children at the school planted sunflower seeds in small pots in their classrooms […]
In Minnesota. Nuseed, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nufarm Limited, announced the acquisition of Seeds 2000 Inc, based in Breckenridge, Minnesota, USA. Seeds 2000 is a seed research, production, sales and marketing company focused primarily on the development of elite oil and confection sunflower hybrids that benefit both the farmer and end-use food customer. Nuseed is […]
In Montana, the demand for sunflowers has been unusually steady this year, says Larry Kleingartner, the executive director of the National Sunflower Association. Given the spring flooding that notably reduced the planted acres, the demand does not come as a shock and is expected to continue, explains Kleingartner. Good weather in the Dakotas during the […]
