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Source: FuelFix.com

An English company has made gasoline with only air and electricity, causing experts to call the new technology a “game changer” against climate change and a solution to the global energy crisis.

Air Fuel Synthesis, which developed the technology, uses sodium hydroxide as a filter to capture carbon dioxide from air, according to The Telegraph. Hydrogen, which is harvested from water, is mixed with the carbon dioxide to produce methanol.
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Source: Environmental Leader.com

Solid waste specialist Republic Services is investing $25 million to expand and improve its fleet of compressed natural gas-powered trucks for use around the St. Louis area, reports the St. Louis Business Journal.

Of the $25 million, $22 million will be spent on 72 new CNG-powered collection vehicles, the web site reports. The remaining $3 million will be used to improve infrastructure, such as fueling stations and other operational needs.

The new trucks will replace the company’s existing diesel-powered fleet. The CNG trucks will be 90 percent quieter and produce 23 percent fewer carbon emissions than the trucks they are replacing. Republic Services’ area president Tim Trost said that the long-term environmental and economic benefits will justify the company’s up-front investment in CNG.

This announcement takes the company’s investment in the St. Louis area to around $45 million this year, according to the St. Louis Business Journal. In May, the company announced plans to pump $19 million into two recycling centers in the area, effectively tripling its waste-handling capacity in the area.

Republic Services recently pledged to make nearly 70 percent of its 2012 vehicle purchases natural gas vehicles, according to NGT News. By the end of 2015 the company should have over 3,000 trucks nationwide running on alternative fuels.

In May, Waste Management announced plans to add 35 CNG vehicles to its Houston fleet by the end of 2012, and said it would open its CNG fueling station in Conroe, Texas to consumers. In August, WM launched a Louisville fleet of 25 CNG trucks — the first of its kind in Kentucky — and unveiled Louisville’s first public-access, 24-hour CNG fueling station.

Earlier this month the company opened a CNG fueling station at its Canal Winchester operations, part of a $13.5 million investment in its Central Ohio fleet. Waste Management spent $3.8 million on the fueling station, and $9.75 million on 30 CNG trucks, half of which are in operation. The rest will be operating by the end of 2012.

Source: Environmental Expert.com

Arizona State University researchers have developed a new software system capable of estimating greenhouse gasemissions across entire urban landscapes, all the way down to roads and individual buildings. Until now, scientists quantified carbon dioxide CO2 emissions at a much broader level.

Dubbed Hestia after the Greek goddess of the hearth and home, researchers presented the new system in an article published October 9 in Environmental Science and Technology. Hestia combines extensive public database data mining with traffic simulation and building by building energy consumption modeling. Its high resolution maps clearly identify CO2 emission sources in a way that policy makers can utilize and the public can understand.
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Source: Environmental Protection.com

As part of an ongoing campaign to reduce harmful diesel exhaust that can lead to premature deaths and asthma attacks, the EPA has awarded $30 million for clean diesel projects.

Diesel engines are known as durable and fuel efficient, but older diesel engines that were manufactured before the cleaner standards emit large amounts of air pollution. Nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) are examples of this air pollution that have been linked to various health problems, such as asthma, premature death, and lung and heart disease.
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Source: Environmental Leader.com

With world energy consumption set to rise by about 40 percent by 2030, the sources and structures of transportation fuel systems will radically change, according to a new BSR report.

The Sustainability Impacts of Fuel (1.8MB) — the first report in sustainability consulting firm BSR’s Future of Fuels initiative — assesses the total sustainability impacts of commercial transportation fuels: gas/diesel, natural gas, biofuel, hydrogen, electric power (battery-powered vehicles), and efficiency, because the report says the savings available in reducing energy use can provide an important source of additional energy.

Advanced technologies for renewable and clean energy will require major investments and policy support to become commercially significant, the report finds.

It says the greatest certainty in the future of fuels is the growing diversification of fuels in the marketplace, with oil ceding part of its share to all other fuel types.
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Source: Fuel Fix.com

Ferries running on natural gas have saved money and run for five years in Norway, nearly without incident, an executive told hundreds of diesel users today in Houston.

The talk was aimed at users of some of the largest, heaviest and most power-intensive equipment that have been tied to diesel for decades.

On the second day of the three-day High Horsepower Summit 2012 in Houston, representatives from companies that haul massive loads from mines, run trains, operate oil field drilling equipment or have fleets of heavy-duty trucks, heard the case for using natural gas over diesel.

Oscar Bergheim, operations manager for Norwegian ferry operator the Fjord1 Group, said that switching five vessels to natural gas has made sense.

“In the beginning, we thought the maintenance costs would be somewhat higher than on the Diesel engine,” Bergheim said. “The history has shown that the cost from having a gas engine is about the same as for a Diesel engine and it is very popular for our staff to work on these engines. Everything is clean, it’s high-tech.”
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Source: Fuel Fix.com

Users of some of the world’s bulkiest, most powerful vehicles got an earful Wednesday about the cost benefits of natural gas over diesel fuel.

“This really has turned the world upside down as far as fuel and economics,” said Erik Neandross, CEO of Gladstein, Neandross & Associates, which organized the High Horsepower Summit at the Royal Sonesta Hotel.

For example, Neandross said a single mining truck could save about $500,000 annually by using natural gas instead of diesel.

With natural gas prices running close to $2 cheaper for the energy-equivalent of one diesel gallon of fuel – and with gas producers pronouncing a steady supply of the resource for decades to come – the hundreds of attendees were eager to hear about the possibilities for everything from oil field machinery to trains to massive trucks used for hauling loads of mined material.
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Source: Environmental Protection On-line

The company said these new leased vehicles replace its oldest diesel trucks and give it one of the largest private natural gas fleets in Southern California.

99 Cents Only Stores® recently announced it has leased 40 new compressed natural gas-powered tractors from Ryder to replace its oldest diesel-burning units. These CNG rigs make its fleet one of the largest private Class-8 CNG fleets in Southern California, according to the company.

“We are pleased to announce that we not only plan to continue offering our valued customers the best selection of products at the lowest possible prices, but have also made a commitment to our community and global environment by converting a significant portion of our delivery trucks to compressed natural gas,” said CEO Eric Schiffer. “We expect to reduce the carbon footprint of the fleet and its CO2 emissions by up to 25 percent. This will positively impact both our customers and the communities our stores serve.”

The new trucks will be used to make deliveries to the 165 stores in Southern California and to pick up goods from vendors. Ryder also will provide maintenance for the vehicles.

“We are confident that this new equipment is well suited to service our 165 Southern California stores, many of which are in densely populated areas,” said Jim Parros, senior vice president of Logistics for the company. “We chose to work with Ryder for a number of key reasons, none more important than our confidence in their capabilities to provide maintenance for the new CNG engine platform and their commitment to service, which is particularly critical when dealing with new technology.”

The company was founded in 1982 and has expanded to 302 stores: 221 in California, 37 in Texas, 29 in Arizona, and 15 in Nevada

State and local climate change and clean energy policies can improve air quality, reduce negative impacts on human health, and save lives. This webinar will cover three EPA tools that state and local governments can use to estimate and communicate the health and related economic benefits of actions that reduce air emissions:

• Diesel Emissions Quantifier (DEQ): Presented by Julie Wang Hawkins, environmental engineer, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality.
• CO-Benefit Risk Assessment (COBRA) screening model: Presented by Denise Mulholland, senior analyst, EPA Office of Atmospheric Programs.
• Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program (BenMAP): Presented by David Risley, environmental protection specialist, EPA Office of Atmospheric Programs.

Audience: Recommended for state and local air quality, energy, public health, sustainability, and transportation planning staff.

Date and Time: Thursday, October 11, 2012, 2:00-3:30 PM EDT.

To register, visit the webcast registration page.

For more information about this topic and view presentations as they become available, go to the State Climate and Energy Technical Forum page.