154 inform March 2009, Vol. 20 (3)
Bloomington-based bus company was the received $166 million by May 6, Sapphire
only fleet that was experiencing filter plug- Energy (San Diego, California; green crude
ging issues.” from algae) $100 million by September 18,
Amyris Technologies (Emeryville, Cali-
New method for fornia; renewable diesel) $61 million by
August 15, Mascoma (Boston, Massachu-
testing biodiesel setts; cellulosic ethanol) $61 million by
May 6, and Coskata (Warrenville, Illinois;
stability syngas to ethanol) $40 million by Decem-
ber 5. For further information see http://
The US National Institute of Standards and biofuelsdigest.com/blog2/2009/01/23/
required the federal government to give vc-investment-in-us-biofuels-reaches-
Technology (NIST) announced in January
auto companies notice “before the end of 6348-million-in-2008-a-biofuels-digest-
a method to accelerate stability testing of
the third year preceding that year” in which special-report.
biodiesel fuel made from soybeans and also
the standard comes into effect.
identified additives that enhance stability
No standards had appeared as of
at high temperatures. Both oxidation and
heating can cause biodiesel to break down,
January 2009, so now the earliest the gov- Carbon dating as
tool for renewable
ernment can compel Canadian car manufac-
adversely affecting performance. These
turers to meet new fuel-efficiency standards
two effects usually are analyzed separately,
but NIST chemists developed a method to
approximate both effects at once while also
would be the 2012 model year.
New US regulations regarding fuel carbon content
efficiency standards are expected to become
analyzing fluid composition. According to Biofuels Digest, Beta Ana-
effective in 2011, however, and these are
NIST’s “advanced distillation curve lytic (Miami, Florida, USA) is experienc-
expected to have an effect on vehicles pro-
method accelerates and simplifies testing ing an increase in requests for radiocarbon
duced in Canada. One reason for the delay
of biodiesels,” according to T.J. Bruno dating of fuels for the purpose of determin-
in establishing new Canadian standards was
and co-workers (Bruno, T.J., et al., Energy ing the amount of fossil fuels contained in
voiced by David Adams, the president of
& Fuels, publication date[web] January blended fuels. The company bases its test on
the Association of International Automobile
2, 2009. DOI: 10.1021/ef800740d). The