The researchers noted that at the moment there are basically three ways to refine oil from microalgae:

• make use of hydrotreating catalysts like CoMo and sulfided NiMo but these may contaminate the product;
• transesterification of alcohol and triglycerides into glycerol and FAAEs just like how it is done for the 1^st gen biodiesel but this results to problem with flow property in colder weather giving it a limited application;
• make use of base metal and noble catalysts for decarbonylation and decarboxylation of carboxylic acid into alkanes

The experts reports that crude oil from microalgae can be converted to a high grade biofuel fit for transportation application by using Ni as scalable catalyst supported with zeolite Hbeta.

The microalgae used for the study consist of comprised unsaturated fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, and other fatty acids. The microalgae hydrotreated the material using the NI/HBeta catalyst and they were able to obtain good amount of octadecane, propane, and methane.

The new approach in this study gives way to possibilities to produce high grade transportation fuels using microalgae as raw material and doing it in large scale production.

Gas Technologies LLC, an alternative energy company, has found a way to convert natural gas to fuel without going through the syngas process. It costs way lower than the conventional syngas process. Gas Technologies LLC just recently decided to improve its GasTechno plants and offer mini gas-to-liquid packages.

The GasTechno process is able to convert natural gas to fuel through a “direct homogenous partial oxidation” procedure. It also comes with the so-called “energy-neutral cycle” that continuously works with unconverted materials until they reach the desired conversion.

GasTechno’s core process plus the auxiliary compressor system can effectively deliver 30,000 standard cubic feet of gas daily (scfd). When the company decides to go commercial, they can produce almost 30 million cubic feet of gas per day. This figure is based on a study made by an independent party that GasTechno mentioned.

As a first step towards clients who wish to avail of the GasTechno process, the company recently announced their Basic Engineering Package (BES) that amounts to $250,000, which is cheaper than the conventional method plus recommendations from the company itself.

Owners of Audis will be pleased to know that this world-renowned car manufacturer has lots of plans up its sleeves to bring out eco friendly cars, though it might take a few years before they make their presence felt. In about 10 years time Audi shall be producing cars that run on electricity. While the rest of the world is finding out ways and producing cars that will have lower CO2 emissions, Audi will do away with emissions all together. The electric cars that Audi shall be producing in about a decade will be sans exhaust emissions. The owners of Audi cars can glee in delight armed with the knowledge that their favorite will again show the way to the world.

For recent eco-friendly audi news, check here!

The Korean auto manufacturers Hyundai and Kia are among the front runners of the development of HEV technology. These two companies have released almost 3000 units of hybrid electronic vehicles under the brand of Accent and Elantra prototypes to the Korean government as part of their demonstration that kicked off in 2004.

Come July 2009, a lithium-polymer battery and liquefied petroleum gas combo will power the Hyundai Elantra LPI. This vehicle is set to be initially released in Korea.

Hyundai showcased the Santa Fe Blue in the Paris Motor Show. The hybrid architecture will be the building blocks of future Hyundai HEVs that includes that 2010 Sonata scheduled to be introduced to the US market.

The Santa Fe has the Theta 2.4L engine coupled with a six speed automatic gear shifting system under its hood. A 30Kw motor is also installed to provide power for its regenerative braking. The design of the engine was focus on decreasing friction along its cooling system and drivelines so fuel economy will be at its optimal.

The software of the engine was enhanced to improve handling of injection pressure, exhaust system, and cycle timing. The engine is also automatically shut off instead of being left on idle to save more fuel. With this stop-start function, the driver can easily start the car by applying pressure on the gas pedal which in turn will trigger the integrated starter generator.

The fuel saving features of the Santa Fe places it at 38 miles per gallon of fuel. Top speed was recorded at 105 mph.

One can say without hesitation that the owners of the Swedish car, SAAB, are the best off. As it is this car manufacturer is famous all over the world for the safety features of their car and also for the fact that they are credited with introducing certain innovative features that are now being adopted by car manufacturers all over the world. It is hence natural that SAAB cars would also lead the way when it comes to manufacturing cars that run on alternative fuels.

SAAB has not let down its fans and has come out with the SAAB 9-5 BioPower. This car has got the capability of reducing the CO2 emission by as much as 70%, a percentage that has not been achieved by any other car manufacturer prior to SAAB. The 9-5 BioPower can run either on petrol or on a mixture of petrol and bioethanol (E85). There is no need for special adjustments to be made by the driver to run the car on these different fuels.

Although only in the concept stages and not yet available for general sale, Cadillac showed the new Provoq earlier this year at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show. Born from General Motors’ vision to replace gasoline as mainstream fuel, the Provoq is a hydrogen fuel cell crossover. It uses fuel cell technology coupled with a lithium-ion battery. The result is a vehicle driven electrically without the detrimental emissions of gas. It is called hydrogen fuel cell because the only emission is vapor or water.

Tanks of hydrogen are stored at the rear of the vehicle in order to feed the fuel cell stack where the hydrogen mixes with water to create electricity. The battery pack then supplements the power giving the car higher performance levels. In addition, the Provoq has been aerodynamically designed to reach maximum performance. For example when the car is travelling at higher speeds, the front grill louvers close in order to reduce drag from the wind and open again at lower speeds to aid cooling of the fuel cell stack.

Other features that demonstrate Cadillac’s commitment to design products more harmonious to the environment are:

• Wheels are wrapped in custom Michelin tires incorporating Green-X technology.
• Recycled and recyclable materials were used for the rich interior.
• Carpet is made of recycled polyester and jute.
• Headliner is wrapped in a fully recyclable soy-based material.

Such a luxurious vehicle sparing no expense in details but saving so much in the environment proves that one does not have to sacrifice when using alternative fuels.

The owners of Volkswagens too are seeking if there are any alternatives available with Volkswagen that is both eco compliant and fuel-efficient. Such people should check out the Volkswagen Polo as it zips around. This car is a marvel of auto engineering and demonstrates what gasoline powered efficiency means. Its turbo diesel, direct injected, 3 cylinder 1.4L engine allows it to give a “staggering” 79 horsepower. And this is not enough.

Just combine the Volkswagen with special aerodynamics, LRR tires along with manual transmission and check out the car achieving 60 miles per gallon as advertised. Though this car has a small 12-gallon fuel tank, one can easily achieve over 700 miles with the same. This is something amazing. This is also one of the major reasons why owners of Volkswagens love this particular model. There are different ways of achieving the end result if one wants their car to be eco friendly. They can go in for a car that runs on alternative fuels or they can go in for a car that delivers more per liter. This Volkswagen stands in the latter category.

These cars are 100% street-legal, and Mazda claims they’re the first ever street-legal Hydrogen cars sold in the world (they’re driving around in Japan, but not that much as they’re bought by companies as a PR-stunt, what a surprise)…

Fingers crossed we’ll soon se more hydrogen/gasoline hybrid sports cars in the near future…

Using wood chips to create ethanol is a great way, as long as we’re using the kind of wood Scandinavia is famous for — the kind that doesn’t kill worldwide photosynthesis…

In an article titled Moving Away from Food Source Ethanol, Alternative Fuels Blog talks about this, and I think it’s an excellent resource…

One such energy farm is Destiny, in Florida, which recently announced that it would become an eco-city spotlighting sustainable farming practices. Having already planted several hectares of sorghum, a type of grass, they plan to also plant algae and jatrophai in an attempt to manufacture bio fuels from non-food materials. Because the sorghum uses less water than corn and can thrive in less fertile soil, it may come to rival corn when making ethanol.

The University of Florida will participate in the project by assessing the crops to determine which will be best suited to bio fuels with the smallest impact to the environment. They will also look at costs involved in the use of the sorghum. One of the reasons non-food raw materials may be more attractive is the fact that presently bio fuel companies must compete with the food industry to obtain their raw materials for ethanol. As the food market increases prices, the price of bio fuel increases as well. By finding an alternative to food, the price of bio fuel may be kept considerably lower.

Destiny is not the first energy farm to plant sorghum nor is it the first to focus on non-food crops for bio fuels. The state of Oklahoma recently planted a large section of switchgrass to determine its viability as an alternative fuel source.