Whiskey By-Products Could Power Cars in Scotland

Biofuels have been criticized for taking away agricultural food production land, but Scottish researchers have found one solution using the by-products of whiskey. Care2 reports:

Scotland produces large quantities of whisky, enough that there are 1,600 million liters of pot ale and 187,000 tons of draff left over. These waste products can now be used to create biobutanol, which is said to produce 30 percent more power than ethanol. The university has filed a patent for the new biofuel and envisions a commercial operation to produce and sell it. Biobutanol can be used in ordinary cars, and requires no adaptions. The plan is to have the new biofuel available at petrol pumps already in use. Presumably it would be blended with conventional petroleum fuel to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. It could also be offered in a pure form.

Image:   Some rights reserved by duluoz cats

Improve Your Fuel Efficiency with the Lemur Vehicle Monitor Keychain

Ever wonder what your car's real gas mileage is or how much fuel you waste by idling? Lemur Vehicle Monitors LMED-001 EconoDriver Wireless Vehicle Monitor can give you those answers and more from your keychain.

Lemur Vehicle Monitors EconoDriver is a wireless vehicle monitor that provides real-time driving feedback to help drivers save money spent on fuel. Reports cost per trip in dollars and cents. Reports distance traveled. Reports wasted fuel in dollars and cents. Provides a green rating based on your style of driving, the more leaves you get the better driver you are. Also displays your fuel economy in miles per dollar so you know how far you can drive on one dollar. Plus more cool features. Simple self install. Plug and play on any vehicle made since 1996.

I have not personally tried this gadget, but it sounds really cool. You could learn a lot from your keychain that could change your driving habits to be more fuel efficient...just don't get into an accident because you are staring at it!

Peugeot Diesel Gets 75 MPG Across Europe

To see if regular drivers could replicate mileage claims by Peugeot, the car company hosted a Paris to Geneva Eco Cup.  Using regular diesel models, drivers got an impressive mileage, even with larger models.  Autobloggreen explains:

Over the course of the two-day, 622-mile drive, the competitors put up some pretty impressive numbers. The top overall result came in a C-segment 308 hatchback with an overall average of 74.9 miles per gallon (U.S.). Next up was the smaller 207 HDi 90 with 72.5 mpg. Particularly impressive were the 5008 MPV with 70.6 mpg and the new 3008 crossover with 65.9 mpg. Part of the competition included a prescribed time window based on the speed limits along the route to make sure that drivers didn't simply drive at excessively slow speeds.

Too bad these efficient models are not available in the US.  As Peugeot states, "This is a great reminder that, in this dynamic and technology-obsessed industry, genuine environmentally friendly motoring is available for the masses right now." 

Burlington, Vermont Airpot Gets Solar and Wind Power

The airline industry is often targeted for its excessive greenhouse gas emissions, Vermont is trying to make one of its airports more eco-friendly. Heritage Aviation at Burlington International has installed its first wind turbine and 120 solar panels. UPI reports:

"We're proud to be on the leading edge of energy efficiency, corporate responsibility and environmental stewardship, in our region and in the aviation industry," said Christopher Hill, president of Heritage Aviation.

Heritage Aviation is the sole fixed base operator at Burlington International Airport. Hangars and other facilities at the airport include rainwater collection systems and one of the largest so-called green roofs in New England.

Thanks to Government Policy, Ethanol Grows from 1% to 7% of Fuel Supply in 8 Years

Many experts agree ethanol is not the answer. From the overuse of antibiotics to the heavy water footprint, ethanol has come under scrutiny from everyone except policymakers. Thanks to Congress and state governments, ethanol has risen from 1% to now 7% of the fuel supply in the United States.

The Cattle Network reports on the future of ethanol:

In 8 short years, ethanol grew from 1% of the fuel supply to 7% with the help of numerous policy decisions by Congress and state governments. While that was happening, the amount of corn used for ethanol production climbed from 6% to 24% and will level off in the next decade at 30-35%. While most row crop farmers say they are willing to meet that demand, the technical goal is to reach 36 billion gallons of ethanol available for the motor fuel supply by 2022. That includes both corn-based ethanol and biomass-based or cellulosic ethanol. Westcott says the mandate "would require significant expansion of biofuel production and use from current U.S. levels. However, major challenges in both supply and demand may limit future growth in the industry."

Challenges facing the ethanol industry includes the limitations of flex fuel cars on the market and gas stations featuring gasoline with high ethanol content. Furthermore, acceptance of ethanol by consumers provides additional challenges, especially considering the common belief that ethanol production is impacting food production and prices.

Ethanol is also criticized for its detrimental effects on South America. The Cattle Network continues:

Lurking on the horizon is the federal policy that allows states to be flexible in their requirements for motor fuel, and California's Air Resources Board has taken a dim view of ethanol, by alleging it causes the loss of soil carbon in South America. In brief, ethanol critics say is pushes corn production up, soybean production down, and the result is more tillage for Brazilian soybean fields.

Despite the negatives, ethanol is still touted as the "as the prime alternative to hydrocarbon fuels".

Image: Kables on Flickr under a Creative Commons License

Green Blog Recommendations: Ecofriend.org

We've discovered a new green blog we'd like to recommend to you! Ecofriend.org features many great posts on environmental trends. From Eco Homes to Eco Cars, Ecofriend has you covered. Recent posts include:

• Eco Homes: Solar-powered houseboat can survive the harshness of the ocean
• Eco Cars: Hydrogen-powered Circulus can turn 360-degrees on a dime
• Eco Tech: Toyota installs solar energy generating flowers to promote Prius

Greenbird Breaks Land Speed Record for Wind-Powered Vehicles

British engineer Richard Jenkins clocked 126.1mph in his Ecotricity Greenbird powered only by the wind. The previous record of 116 mph for a wind-powered vehicle had held for ten years. At Lake Ivanpah, a dry lake bed, just south of Las Vegas, the Greenbird was powered by only 30 mph winds. Eco-businessman Dale Vince explains:

The record is an amazing achievement. It shows what is achievable with great British engineering and the power of the wind. In the next twenty years I firmly believe that wind power will be our main energy source and wind-powered cars will no longer be the stuff of dreams.

Ecotricity plans to reveal a wind-powered car for everyday use in the near future.
Via: Daily Mail

Japanese Airport to Store Winter Snow for Summer Air Conditioning

New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, Japan plans to start storing winter snow for summer cooling in 2010. The winter snow will provide 30% of the summer cooling needs. EcoGeek explains this clean technology:

The snow will be covered by heat-insulating materials, which should retain about 45% of the snow collected. The remaining snow will then be used to chill the liquid of the building's cooling system. According to Japan Today, the practice could result in a 2,100 ton reduction in CO2 emissions per year.

Hokkaido's annual snowfall is between 20 to 30 feet. Hopefully this innovative technology will catch on in other snowy cities around the world.

Used Coffee Grounds Can be Made Into Biodiesel

I am an organic, biodynamic coffee junkie, and my used grounds end up in the compost pile. New research done in Nevada has revealed that wasted coffee grounds can be used to make biodiesel. 16 billion pounds of coffee are grown worldwide annually (so apparently I am not the only addicted to morning soy lattes). The used grounds contain 11 to 20-percent oil by weight, and its high level of antioxidants makes coffee more stable then other biodiesel blends. Researchers estimate that coffee grounds could add another 340 million gallons of biodiesel to the world's supply. If SVO cars smell like french fries, I wonder if coffee biodiesel will have that delicious roasted aroma when burned.

Can Biodiesel by Made from Rainforest Fungus?

From algae to dirty diapers, it seems like biodiesel can be made from almost anything. Recently, researchers have discovered in the Patagonian rainforest a unique fungus that makes diesel compounds directly from cellulose. Professor Gary Strobel of Montana State University explains:

These are the first organisms that have been found that make many of the ingredients of diesel. This is a major discovery.

Gliocladium roseum could be used to turn the 430 million tons of plant waste that are produced on U.S. farms each year into biofuel.

Eco Touch: Conscious, Eco-Friendly Car Care

The green market is full of eco-friendly cleaning products for the home; however, Eco Touch is the first specific green product I have come across for the car. It's ironic that I will only clean my home with eco-friendly products, but when it comes to my car's interior, I've been known to use Armor All. Non-toxic, biodegradable, and phosphate-free, Eco Touch products keep your car clean without a nauseating brew of toxic fumes.

• Eco Touch Dashboard + Trim: Keep your car's interior shining without a greasy residue! Just spray on and wipe off with a reusable, washable microfiber towel. This product even cleans the major layer of dust off my dashboard from living on a dirt road.
  
• Eco Touch Waterless Car Wash Starter Kit: Who needs water to wash their car? A typical home car wash uses between 80-140 gallons of water! Just spray this product on your car and wipe off with a microfiber towel. One bottle saves 800 gallons of water and cleans six cars!
  
• Eco Touch Carpet + Upholstery: The description of this product cracks me up: "removes wine, coffee, and more". Why are there wine stains in your car? Well, it does work...the wine coffee stains are gone from my driver's seat.

Oil Alternatives: Making Biodegradable Motor Oil from Cow Fat

When we talk about lessening our dependency on foreign oil, it is not just gasoline we need to find alternatives for in making this change. Green Earth Technologies (G.E.T.) makes high performance motor oils made from American grown base oils, including cow fat! Although I am a vegetarian and appalled at the way the beef industry treats cattle, making oil from leftover cow fat is a good solution for eliminating some waste in the industry while meeting our needs for engine lubricants. I especially like how Green Earth Technologies rapidly decomposes outside of your engine. According to G.E.T.:

One five quart oil change improperly disposed can:

* create an oil slick on the surface of ten acres (about ½ million square feet),
* render five acres (about ¼ million square feet) unusable for planting for decades,
* and, contaminate one million gallons (a year supply for 50 people) of water.

Should such an accident occur with cow fat oil, it will mostly biodegrade in 9 days and completely biodegrade in 28 days. It is much safer for our soil and water.

Via: Eco Geek and Green Earth Technologies

Toyota Adding Solar Panels to Prius to Power Air Conditioning

The Toyota Prius has long been the golden child of the environmental movement for its fuel economy. When the EPA changed the standards for reporting fuel economy on new car stickers to include the use of air conditioning, the hybrid Prius lost a few miles per gallon. That may all change, now that Toyota plans to install solar panels on the roof of high end models to power the AC. The Kyocera solar panels will produce between two to five kilowatts. Hopefully this power can be stored while the car is idle to power the electric motor too.  People just may have to think twice about parking in covered garages if solar panels become a regular feature on car roofs. 
Via: BBC and Treehugger

Ahoy Matey! Bring Me My Eco-Friendly Wine!

I thought I got my wine in a low carbon manner by walking to my neighbor's cabin, but the French have outdone my efforts. A three-masted, 19th century barque transported 60,000 bottles of French wine from Bordeaux to Dublin. The delivery by ship took longer than a flight, but it saved 18,375lb of carbon or about 4.9oz of carbon per bottle. Each bottle was labeled, "Carried by sailing ship, a better deal for the planet." Further voyages are planned to Bristol, Manchester, and Canada.

Via: The Guardian and Planetsave