http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2359595&CategoryId=23620

The company Alcoholes de Uruguay (Alur) has started a project to convert used cooking oil into biodiesel.

The head of Alur's oleaginous products and derivatives unit, Nicolas Ferrari, has announced that a green-colored "smart" container was already installed to gather used cooking oil in a school in Montevideo and will gradually set up others nationwide. The project is modelled on recycling systems of the company Ekogras.

Alur has already signed agreements with fast-food chains and supermarkets in Montevideo, while other individual collectors are also dispersed in various parts, and will allow people to sell their used cooking oil. Ferrari said Uruguayan society is interested in the program because people do not know what to do with their used oil.

"One liter of oil contaminates 1,000 liters of water and in Uruguay each inhabitant uses an average of 15 liters year, 3 of which end up as waste," he said. Awareness-raising and education are part of this recycling initiative.

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http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-11-05/abengoa-wins-order-for-393-million-belgian-biomass-plant

The Spanish energy and environment company Abengoa SA (ABG/P) is now scheduled to build one of Europe's largest biomass projects for Belgian Eco Energy NV. The 215-megawatt heat and power plant in Ghent will cost at least 315 million euros to develop and will use wood chips and agricultural residue as feedstock.

Abengoa opened its first facility that makes biofuel from crop waste, a $500 million plant in Kansas. The company also has biomass plants in Europe, Latin America and the U.S.

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http://atwonline.com/technology/norway-prepares-first-biofuel-flights

Budget carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle and SAS Scandinavian Airlines conducted their first biofuel flights in Norway last November 11, 2014. Two flights made relatively short trips to Oslo using 48% biofuel in their tanks. The heads of both airlines "believe this is the future."

SAS CEO Rickard Gustafson said SAS has been working to speed up commercialization of renewable fuel for more than 10 years now and that biofuels will enable them to greatly reduce those harmful emissions for a more sustainable aviation industry.

While Norwegian's fleet is among the newest and most environment-friendly planes in Europe, sustainable biofuels are also important. "This flight with biofuel from Bergen to Oslo is therefore an important milestone in the industry's joint efforts to make sustainable biofuel available to the airlines," said Norwegian CEO Bjørn Kjos.

The initiative for these trial flights was taken by Norwegian airport operator and air navigation services provider Avinor and the environmental foundation ZERO.

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http://www.biofuels-news.com/industry_news.php?item_id=8489#sthash.e8hxNvh4.dpuf

Biomass Japan has selected Davao City, Philippines, to set up a used cooking oil-based biodiesel plant.

Biomass Japan will collect all used cooking oil from restaurants and households, filter and process this into biodiesel, which can be used by cars and generators according to Ivan Cortez, officer-in-charge of Davao City Investment Promotion Centre (DCIPC). The firm is currently negotiating feedstock supply contracts with major restaurants and other potential oil suppliers.

DCIPC assisted the company in conducting a survey and data gathering to determine the volume of used cooking oil the company can get from the city.

http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/230484/nrel-scientists-revive-algae-from-frozen-dormant-state

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has developed a technique to cryogenically store and resurrect algae.

The frozen algae samples are stored in vials in the dark inside a cryogenic tank set at -195 C°. The algae were alive, but dormant, due to a solution of a cryogenic protectant solvent. When reviving the algae, it is essential to keep them in the dark for the first steps of the process. Researchers then slowly replicate the specific algae's natural environment. The samples are then put in a shaker to mix well with the growth medium and placed in a subdued lighting environment for 24 hours.

NREL researchers have also shown that algae grown under the right conditions can produce lipids, proteins and carbohydrates which can be turned into biofuels.

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http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/226058/study-shows-air-quality-benefits-of-biodiesel-in-city-buses

The Mineta National Transit Research Consortium has released its latest study based on laboratory and field experiments. Their study found that using biodiesel could effectively reduce the mass of particulate matter released in both hot and cold idle modes. The study was led by Ashok Kumar and Dong-Shik Kim from the University of Toledo. 

The study showed that biodiesel has many advantages over regular diesel even in a very low blend percentage. The benefits include low emissions of particulate matter, combustion elements, elemental carbon, and carbon monoxide. It was recommended that governments consider using blends of biodiesel in urban and commercial vehicles to enhance the quality of air.