The northwest portion of the United States isn’t rife with cropland suitable for soybeans or other feedstocks ideal for biodiesel production, so industry members there have been more resourceful in their attempts to produce biodiesel. In Oregon, an algae-based project is underway that could ultimately serve as an example for industrial partnerships throughout the country
Two years ago, Jon Norling, vice president of Washington-based renewable energy company Columbia Energy Partners LLC, began exploring an idea to produce biodiesel from algal oil generated by feeding algae carbon dioxide emissions from a coal-fired power plant. Norling also serves as president of Portland Biodiesel LLC, a 1 MMgy biodiesel plant in Portland, Ore. Columbia Energy Partners agreed the project was a good idea, and Norling began seeking a partner.
Read more
(The success of the biodiesel fuel industry relies heavily on biodiesel testing, not only at the production level but at the consumer level, where degraded fuel may cause engine failures.  Fleet Biodiesel's family of inexpensive biodiesel test kits is just a click away on the internet)