Daily News—12/09/09
US Patent Office “fastracks” applications for green technology
Patent requests related to green technology will get the equivalent of the carpool lane at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The patent office on Monday introduced a pilot program to accelerate the reviews of green technology-related patents. The goal is to shave as much as one year off the process, which now takes on average of 30 months for an initial action from the USPTO and 40 months for a final decision.
This would also apply to biodiesel inventions, so anyone with an idea to patent would get the royal treatment from the Patent Office. More evidence of this administration’s dedication to green tech.
“Green Crude” oil from algae seen as “drop-in replacement” for crude oil
Sapphire Energy's Green Crude from algae is a complete drop-in replacement technology for crude oil.
Sapphire Energy has received another big boost for its groundbreaking energy work. Sapphire was awarded nearly $104.5 million as part of President Obama's American Recovery and Investment Act and the Biorefinery Assistance Program, authorized through the 2008 Farm Bill.
The grant is from the U.S. Dept. of Energy for $50 million and the loan guarantee from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture for $54.5 million.
Sapphire Energy's Green Crude from algae is a complete drop-in replacement technology for crude oil. The Green Crude can be refined directly into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
This article answers some questions for me, such as the idea of making gasoline from algae oil. This would explain the government’s interest in algae biodiesel applications—it can be made into other fuels besides biodiesel.
Bio-Beetle rents out only biodiesel-powered cars—(story from 2007)
Would you believe there exists a company that offers rental cars which are entirely powered by biodiesel? In support of their mission statement to be the “greenest” and “best” rental car company on the planet, Bio-Beetle Eco Rental Cars began their environmentally conscious business endeavor in 2003 with only a single car. The company was not, and still isn’t, supported by a major car manufacturer. Powered by biodiesel, each Bio-Beetle has been purchased and developed individually by the founders as funds allow. The founders of Bio-Beetle believed their business venture was a great way to demonstrate environmental consciousness and have, therefore, slowly built the foundation for the only rental car company of its kind available.
I saw this story from the past and found it interesting. They are running the cars on B100 it would seem. I hope they are still in business, if anyone has dealt with Bio-Beetle, please post about it. Great idea for a business!
Capitol Christmas tree completes biodiesel-powered journey
Tomorrow (Tuesday) night will be a magical time in Washington, D.C., as the Capitol Christmas Tree is officially lit.
The National Biodiesel Board points out that the 85-foot blue spruce made the 4,000-mile cross-country trip from Arizona to the nation’s capital on a truck fueled with biodiesel … a first for the tradition of the Capitol Christmas Tree that goes back to 1964:
Two diesel trucks running on B5 (a 5 percent biodiesel fuel mix) were part of a caravan carrying the approximately 125-year-old tree from the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.
Yet more proof that this administration does support the concept of biodiesel, and even though we are talking about B5, remember this tree is for everyone in the country to enjoy, thanks to biodiesel.
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