SBS '08 Gets the Scoop

Rachel Burton, of Piedmont Biofuels, welcomed all to the conference on behalf of the organizing committee with a summary of the current state of the biodiesel industry. Carles Estevez, director of Spain's IUCT (Science and Technology Institute), spoke of how emerging technologies in green chemistry could do much to make biodiesel production greener and more efficient by "maximizing atom economy." Chris Juniper, a sustainability economist with the Sustainability Leadership Institute, argued the business case for biodiesel. Shedding light on obscure economic terms, Juniper discussed his experience as a consultant for businesses and the U.S. military.

Poster presentations of various biodiesel systems and research projects were on display throughout the two-day conference. Greg Austic from Piedmont Biofuels used his to advocate electrolysis to maximize biodiesel conversion, while the University of Connecticut Biofuel Consortium suggested microwaves to speed it up. The Vermont Biofuels Association showed off several interesting projects, including a statewide pilot project on home heating oil.

Jake Stewart, of Houston, Texas's Organic Fuels, kicked off the second day with an excellent presentation entitled "Biofuels Sustainability, Climate Change and the Big Picture." Next was a series on Sustainable Certification programs. Representatives of the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance and others gave a glimpse into possible future standards.

At lunch, National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe and board chair Ed Hegland officially broke the news of the creation of the NBB's "Sustainability Task Force," scooping the next day's national conference announcement. Even more exciting, the two announced that SBS organizer Emily Bockian Landsburg of Philadelphia Fry-o-Diesel would direct the task force.