BrevardBioDiesel Blog

Following this years NBB and Sustainable Biodiesel conferences, and a joint press release announcing a "Sustainability Task Force", the National Biodiesel Board is stepping up their efforts to put forth the environmental benefits of made-in-the-USA soybean based biodiesel.
Highlights of the Feb. 27th press release:

"Our recently established Sustainability Task Force is working to ensure that the U.S. biodiesel industry continues to protect the environment, while producing jobs and reducing dependence on foreign oil."
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"In the United States, more than 80% of estimated 2007 biodiesel production came from domestic soybean oil."
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"The USDA reports that U.S. acreage for crop production has not increased since 1959. Major land use changes in the United States that would endanger environmentally sensitive lands are not expected due to biofuels"
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"The United States is the largest exporter of soybeans in the world, making the importation of soybeans from countries with non-sustainable agricultural practices less likely."
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"According to U.S. Census data, the country currently has the equivalent of more than 400 million gallons of soybean oil sitting in inventory."

Brevard Biodiesel will take part in "A Day to Change the World" event, sponsored by Residence Life at the Florida Institute of Technology on Friday February 22nd from 10am-2pm. The goal of the event is to have "volunteer, political, and socially conscious organizations ... expose our college students to the opportunities they have to make an impact in their world." We'll be at Panther Plaza to share information about biodiesel.

Maggi and Lilli, daughters of Cammie and Chris Marshall, each earned a first place award at the West Melbourne Elementary School for Science Science Fair held January 31st. Lilli's experiment sought to answer "What is the effect of Fossil Fuel and Biofuel on plant growth after an Oil Spill?" Maggi wanted to find out "Can Ethanol be made from Apple Cider?"
Lilli writes:

I tested my hypothesis by injecting vegetable oil, biodiesel, gasoline, diesel, and ethanol into the soil of separate plants, to simulate an oil spill. To make sure the experiment was fair, I used the same amount of fuel on each of the plants, and the same amount of water on each plant. I also had a control plant group to make sure there were not any other variables. I observed the plants changes daily and measured the temperature, watered them as needed, and measured the height weekly.

I believe the overall performance of the fuels for which affected plant growth the least was: 1) Vegetable Oil and Biodiesel (it was an overall tie),
2) Diesel Group, 3) Gasoline Group, 4) Ethanol Group. In my hypothesis, I thought ethanol would perform better than gasoline and diesel because it is a biofuel. But I did not consider the water solubility of the fuels when making my hypothesis.
I believe that biodiesel is the best biofuel for the environment, because it would harm plant life less if there was an oil spill. My science fair project has shown this. Also using biofuels can help global warming.

Maggi fermented and distilled two types of apple cider to produce ethanol and concluded:

The liquid produced from distilling the fermented apple cider with no preservatives was able to burn, proving that ethanol was produced. The liquid produced from distilling the fermented apple cider with preservatives was not able to burn, proving ethanol was not produced.

Congratulations to both girls for their dedicated work that honors the achievements of their father Chris.

The Hometown News reports that the Florida Institute of Technology has been awarded a $415,000 grant from the Florida Department of Agriculture. The FIT researchers will work with Aurora Biofuels Inc. of Alameda CA at the Florida Tech Marine lab in Vero Beach FL.

An FIT press release notes this project goal:

A key goal is to produce algae biomass with a high content of triglycerides suitable for conversion to biodiesel and with a high content of valuable omega-3 fatty acids and carotenoids, which can augment animal feeds.

For example, adding these products to chicken feeds produces a better-color egg with a high content of desirable omega-3 fatty acids. This creates characteristics valuable to the consumer.

This grant is part of the Farm-to-Fuel initiative spearheaded by commissioner Charles Bronson. The program hopes to reach 25% of Florida's energy needs using its agriculture industry by 2025.

Other biodiesel related grants around the state are:

• $4 million, in a commercial project grant for the construction of a $21 million biodiesel plant in Pensacola.
• $7 million, in a commercial project grant for the construction and operation of both an ethanol and biodiesel plant in a $62 million project in Mossy Head, Florida.
• $500,000, in a research and development grant to develop a catalytic chemical reactor system to convert woody biomass to biodiesel.
• $182,832, in a research and development grant to demonstrate a new technology in converting crop oils into biodiesel.
• $158,270, in a research and development project that would create a pilot-scale floating algae production system in quarry lakes in South Florida to produce algae capable of being converted into biodiesel.