SAN DIEGO, Aug. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Bharat Renewable Energy Ltd (BREL), a joint-venture of Bharat Petroleum, India’s second largest petroleum company, has initiated a program with SG Biofuels (SGB) to develop and deploy elite hybrids of Jatropha for the production of biodiesel in India.

The program’s first phase includes a crop development effort to produce high performing hybrid varieties of Jatropha adapted to unique growing conditions across the country.  Additional phases include the deployment of more than 86,000 acres of Jatropha using SGB’s JMax™ hybrid seeds.

“With the genetic diversity of their Jatropha hybrid material combined with ability to produce large volumes of hybrid seed, SG Biofuels is an ideal partner to work with to successfully develop, validate and scale Jatropha as the primary source for biodiesel in India,” said Mr. M.V. Radhakrishnan, chief executive officer of Bharat Renewable Energy Ltd.

SGB will draw from the advancements of its global JMax™ crop development centers where the company is optimizing elite hybrid varieties of Jatropha through a combination of molecular breeding and biotechnology.  The centers feature (more…)

On Thursday, August 11th, award-winning author and filmmaker Josh Tickell will join leading biofuels producers and retailers at “Biodiesel and Flex Fuel for Fleets – Just the Facts” – an interactive workshop for regional businesses to address common misconceptions about domestic biofuels.  During the workshop, hosted by Propel Fuels, New Leaf Biodiesel, CleanTECH San Diego, the San Diego Regional Clean Fuel Coalition, the California Center for Sustainable Energy, and Pearson Fuels, Tickell and other speakers will discuss the performance benefits, cost advantages, incentives and availability of renewable fuels in Southern California with fleet managers, fuel distributors and other decision makers.   

WHO:            

Josh Tickell, Award-Winning Filmmaker of FUEL and FREEDOM
Jake Millan, Fleet Sales Manager, Propel Fuels
Brendan Reed, Environmental Resource Manager, City of Chula Vista
Lisa McGhee, San Diego Airport Parking

WHAT:          

A free, interactive workshop for fleet managers, fuel distributors and other decision makers interested in learning about the performance benefits, cost advantages, incentives and availability of renewable fuels in Southern California.

WHEN:               

Thursday, August 11th, 2011,
Media Availability: 3:00 p.m.
Workshop: 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

WHERE:

Pearson Fuels
4067 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92105

TO REGISTER:     www.energycenter.org/flexfuel

Not really. Pearson Fuels opened in 2003 as the nation’s first Alternative Fuel Station. You know their owners as the folks who operate Pearson Ford on El Cajon Blvd. in San Diego. Their menu offers flavors you don’t usually see at your corner gas station, including ethanol, biodiesel, CNG, propane, ultra low sulphur diesel and even electricity.

The boom and bust that represents the ethanol business in our nation’s corn belt is being challenged by alternatives which are not disruptive to the food chain. Today, AE Biofuels Inc. of Cupertino and Pearson Fuels said they have been awarded a $6.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy through its Clean Cities program. The two companies will build and supply 55 public E85 ethanol-fueling stations across California over the next 42 months.

Pearson Fuels will establish the stations. AE Biofuels Inc. will supply the product. The technological focus of the project will be the production of cellulosic ethanol from crop wastes such as corn stover and wheat straw, or energy crops such as switchgrass, sugar cane bagasse and miscanthus. The fuel produced will be identical to the ethanol derived from corn. It’s a win-win. Drivers get their fuel and bourbon distillers get their corn. As near as I can determine, nobody is making whiskey out of switchgrass.

Link to Pearson Fuels

Link to AE Biofuels Inc.

San Diego-based General Atomics is working with the U.S. military to study how battlefield-derived waste plastic dissolved in biodiesel performs in generators for military encampments. “The system includes a grinder that chews up waste plastics and dissolves it in biodiesel, which is kept at about 140 degrees Fahrenheit as the fuel is fed to the genset warm.” The generator system “is similar to those being used in Afghanistan today…”

Link to article on www.biodieselmagazine.com