Filed under: Biodiesel, Ethanol
Michigan's role in the biofuel industry
If you enter "Michigan" into the search box on the top right side of any AutoblogGreen page, you'll be rewarded with a long list of Mitten State stories, and many of them are focused on biofuels (If you're interested, I've saved you a few seconds by giving three results as related links below). As all of these stories show, "Michigan Plays Key Role in Growing Biofuels Industry." Hey, what a coincidence, that's also the title of a Michigan Business Report story. The story mentions how the Michigan-based auto industry and the fairly new biofuel industry are figuring out how to best work together. As Bruce Dale, Ph.D., professor of chemical engineering at Michigan State University and faculty advisor of MSU's Biomass Conversion Research Laboratory, tells MBR, "The fuels that we produce need to be in sync with the vehicles that can use them, and we have that opportunity here in Michigan to actually work closely with the auto industry to help develop fuels that are most suitable for either existing or future engines." GM and Ford are certainly moving forward with their E85-capable vehicles in America. But are they ready to warranty biodiesel in diesel engines? Not so much, and at least one Michigan biodiesel plant is having severe difficulties. This tango will continue, certainly, and pretty soon the cellulosic folks will be cutting in, asking if they can have this dance. We'll enjoy being the wallflowers.
Related:
[Source: Michigan.org]
