Ethanol producers may feel less pain from sinking oil prices than in previous tough times, as a government rule ensures a minimum use of the biofuel and recent consolidation gives them both financial strength and output flexibility.
Saudi Arabia outlined ambitious plans on Monday to move into industries ranging from information technology to health care and tourism, as it sought to convince international investors it can cope with an era of cheap oil.
The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, has brought the health effects of lead back into the public eye, and in a big way. In that context, it’s worth noting that lead was still a part of everyday gasoline more recently than many drivers remember.
Andrew Jones, the roads minister, said sales of ultra-low emissions vehicles (ULEVs) were “rocketing”, with 28,188 new ULEV cars on the road in 2015 – almost double the number in 2014, and more than the previous five years combined.
San Antonio-based refining company Tesoro Corp. is hoping to turn trash and other renewable resources into regular unleaded. Earlier this week, Tesoro announced that it plans to add renewable “biocrudes” to the feedstocks processed at its refineries in California.
Lithium-ion batteries are the energy source of choice for products sold by many tech companies. However, a problem with lithium-ion batteries is they have a chance of overheating and starting fires, posing a potential hazard for products powered by them like laptops, hoverboards and electric vehicles.
It has been a truism of the American economy for decades: When oil prices rise, the economy suffers; when they fall, growth improves. But the decline of oil prices over the last two years has failed to deliver the usual economic benefits.
A couple of readers who are staunch biofuel advocates have asked why the 2016 Chevy Volt isn’t capable of running its range-extending engine on non-fossil fuels. So did Fuel Freedom, which published an entire post on the question.
*But what if we can’t reach the future in time?
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“Cassava, sugar beets, sorghum, prickly pear cactus, mesquite trees, buffalo gourds, cattails,” Blume said. “These are all energy crops that can be converted into alcohol-based fuel. Distilled from sugar, it helps divert waste, is near-zero emission and is low cost.”
