EPA announces renewables standards - receives qualified welcome; biofuels benefit from industrial waste and E.Coli; European buyers take low emissions options; new 'bike and LNG oils; and an interesting take on particulate traps.
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Biofuel The US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) finally announced it 2010 Renewable Fuel Standard Programme, establishing new volumes for cellulosic and advanced biofuels, biomass-based diesel and total renewable fuels, along with new definitions and criteria for feedstocks.
The overall volume standard was set at 12.95 billion gallons (bg with cellulosic at 6.5 million gallons and biomass diesel at 1.15bg. Corn based ethanol was included in the potential sources of feedstock.
The new guidelines received a qualified reception. The NPRA broadly welcomed principles of the Standards, but stated that earlier release would have been preferred and that the details may reveal scientific flaws. The green lobby focused on the corn ethanol debate, questioning the "significant new scientific data available to the agency" which put CBE back into the renewables mix.
One organisation looking to reduce the amount of food crop use in biodiesels is Sachtleben, a subsidiary of Rockwood, which is working with Augsburg College and Ever Cat Fuels to further develop its catalytically active particle technology. The consortium is planning a pilot site in Minneapolis to commercially produce biodiesel using the formula involving industrial waste products and algae.
Another potential catalyst for biodiesel could be the highly contagious E.coli bug. Apparently, a genetically modified version of the virus can break down the cellulose in any type of biomass, converting the sugars into chemicals including diesel fuel.
In Europe, consumers appear to be taking the message of reducing vehicle emissions to heart with the news that over 50% of the region's new car market is in the 140g/km CO2 category or lower. The low CO2 segment (101-120g/km) saw an 8.9% increase in market share in 2009, with Fiat topping the table. Vehicle scrappage schemes appear to have had a significant influence on new purchases. The news comes at the same time as Europe's vehicle manufacturer as calling on the European Union to an "ambitious as well as realistic framework" to promote electric mobility.
Amongst new products, Kawasaki have launched a new range of motorcycle performance lubricants. Kawasaki Performance Oils are a complete range of fully and semi-synthetics and mineral multigrades as well as ATV/UTV and PWC formulae. In the natural gas engine sector Petro-Canada's SENTRON LD 5000 brand has been approved by Jenbacher for its Type 6 engines and Shell has added T3 NG 15W-40 to its Rotella brand range, aimed at the transport sector running 100% CNG or LNG engines.
And finally, the innovation of metal carboxylate fuel additives by a team from Infineum, has helped improve fuel emissions, particularly in diesel. However, an interesting piece in science blog, Smarticle, points out that with increasing use of these types of additives may also come increasing pressure on legislators to mandate particulate traps capable of controlling nano-particles and NOx emissions.