Biofuels pursuit: Cheaper, faster, better

Professor endeavors to make plants more efficient and profitable to attract investors

Using what they call a “giant tea bag,” inventors say they have devised a way to make biodiesel cheaper, faster and better without the support of government subsidies.

The method is the brainchild of an Iowa State University professor who developed his idea with backing from a California venture capital firm.

The biodiesel invention is just one example of new technology designed to make ethanol and biodiesel plants more efficient, flexible and environmentally friendly. Renewable energy analysts say technology is now vital in biofuels as profit margins narrow and investors and lenders get more selective about the companies they decide to finance.

Plants will be more attractive if they can use “first-generation technology” that boosts output – more fuel or new byproduct – and cuts operating costs, said Paul McGarvey, a founding member of Cybus Capital Markets in Des Moines.

Des Moines Register