August 27, 2019
BY The National Biodiesel Board
Hop onto a red CyRide bus in Ames, Iowa, and there’s a pretty good chance it’s fueled by a biodiesel blend. That’s thanks in part to the work of Sam Kramer, a chemical engineering and economics undergraduate at Iowa State University, who helped get the school’s unique “BioBus” program going again after a long hiatus.
Kramer is one of two new co-chairs selected to lead the Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel.
“The world needs more capable and caring engineers,” Kramer said. “Programs like NGSB and our ISU BioBus Club spark interest in renewable energy and give young engineering students hands-on experience.”
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NGSB, a program of the National Biodiesel Board for college-level science students, fosters professional relationships between budding and established scientists, shares accurate information and increases collaboration with academia and the biodiesel industry.
A second newly selected co-chair, Kayla Tilton, first fell in love with preservation and sustainability as a child growing up in Maine, where she spent summers at her grandparents’ campground.
Currently pursuing a master’s degree in public health through National University in San Diego, she landed a unique opportunity to work for a biodiesel company as a college student. She works as an outreach coordinator for Maine Standard Biofuels.
“I love watching people make the decision to switch to heating their homes with a 20 percent blend of biodiesel [Bioheat] and helping local fleet managers take their corporate social responsibility plan in a whole new direction,” Tilton said. “We are working toward something bigger—reduced particulate matter and air that is easier to breathe. Biodiesel is a pathway to a greener future.”
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Both new co-chairs attended the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo earlier this year. The NBB offers competitive travel scholarships to NGSB members. The application process for the 2020 conference will open in the fall.
Tilton and Kramer join two other co-chairs: Jennifer Greenstein at North Carolina State University and Shyam Paudel at Missouri University of Science and Technology.
For his service, NBB thanked outgoing co-chair William Gray, who recently graduated from Rowan University and accepted a job as an engineer at Merck.
Made from an increasingly diverse mix of resources such as recycled cooking oil, soybean oil and animal fats, biodiesel is a renewable, clean-burning diesel replacement that can be used in existing diesel engines without modification. The National Biodiesel Board is funded in part by the United Soybean Board and state soybean board checkoff programs.
The U.S. EPA on Aug. 21 released data indicating nearly 2.04 billion RINs were generated under the RFS in August, up from 1.84 billion generated in August 2022. Total RIN generation for the first eight months of the year reached nearly 15.45 billion.
WestJet Group CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech, on Sept. 19 at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary, addressed the airline's ambitions to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and the vital role SAF plays in the future of decarbonizing aviation.
Clean Fuels Alliance America, American Soybean Association, National Oilseed Processors Association the U.S. Canola Association are urging the Biden administration to adopt GREET for the purposes measuring GHG reductions for the SAF tax credit.
Montana Renewables LLC, a subsidiary of Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP, on Sept. 18 hosted an event to celebrate the first receipts of camelina oil into its biorefinery in Great Falls, Montana. The facility produces renewable diesel and SAF.
President Joe Biden on Sept. 9 joined leaders of India, Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates to launch the Global Biofuels Alliance. The launch took place on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi.