PALO ALTO, Calif.--This is sort of like the "two, two, two mints in one" solution for the clean-tech set.

Australia's Terra Fuel Technologies has come up with a device that, when added to a diesel car, bus or truck, lets the vehicle also run partly on ethanol. You need to add a second gas tank on the vehicle to hold ethanol, but in the end, it's an ethanol-diesel car. The device, a black box, controls the flow of ethanol into the engine.

The company has tested it and will start selling it in the United States.

Who in their right mind would want this? Adding ethanol to a diesel engine actually improves performance of the vehicle by about 10 percent while reducing emissions, said Alexander Daniel, vice president of Business Strategies International, which is trying to help Terra Fuel get traction in the States.

Running a diesel engine on vegetable oil, a clean alternative, can degrade performance a little, even according to biodiesel fans.

Diesel drivers, of course, can reduce emissions by running their cars on a mix of regular diesel and biodiesel. But biodiesel is made from oil, Alexander and others at BSI noted, and a lot of countries don't have a lot of spare vegetable oil. Australia, for instance, grows sugarcane, which can be turned into ethanol.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--This is sort of like the "two, two, two mints in one" solution for the clean-tech set.

Australia's Terra Fuel Technologies has come up with a device that, when added to a diesel car, bus or truck, lets the vehicle also run partly on ethanol. You need to add a second gas tank on the vehicle to hold ethanol, but in the end, it's an ethanol-diesel car. The device, a black box, controls the flow of ethanol into the engine.

The company has tested it and will start selling it in the United States.

Who in their right mind would want this? Adding ethanol to a diesel engine actually improves performance of the vehicle by about 10 percent while reducing emissions, said Alexander Daniel, vice president of Business Strategies International, which is trying to help Terra Fuel get traction in the States.

Running a diesel engine on vegetable oil, a clean alternative, can degrade performance a little, even according to biodiesel fans.

Diesel drivers, of course, can reduce emissions by running their cars on a mix of regular diesel and biodiesel. But biodiesel is made from oil, Alexander and others at BSI noted, and a lot of countries don't have a lot of spare vegetable oil. Australia, for instance, grows sugarcane, which can be turned into ethanol.

PERU - Caña Brava sends off 1st ethanol shipment

Peruvian ethanol producer Caña Brava has sent its first shipment of ethanol overseas through the northern port of Paita.

The 8,000m3 shipment was sold for US$5mn to Mitsui and will arrive at Rotterdam port, local press reported. Caña began producing the biofuel at its 350,000 liter/d plant in August.

Almost all of next year's production will go to Mitsui, although negotiations are also underway with UK major BP (LSE: BP), Caña general manager Ángel Irazola was quoted as saying.

Irazola added that although the principal market will be Europe, talks are underway with Chilean companies.

Some 100Mm3 of ethanol will be produced next year that will bring in roughly US$80mn, according to the executive. The company invested US$185mn to develop its ethanol project, he said.

PERU - Caña Brava sends off 1st ethanol shipment

Peruvian ethanol producer Caña Brava has sent its first shipment of ethanol overseas through the northern port of Paita.

The 8,000m3 shipment was sold for US$5mn to Mitsui and will arrive at Rotterdam port, local press reported. Caña began producing the biofuel at its 350,000 liter/d plant in August.

Almost all of next year's production will go to Mitsui, although negotiations are also underway with UK major BP (LSE: BP), Caña general manager Ángel Irazola was quoted as saying.

Irazola added that although the principal market will be Europe, talks are underway with Chilean companies.

Some 100Mm3 of ethanol will be produced next year that will bring in roughly US$80mn, according to the executive. The company invested US$185mn to develop its ethanol project, he said.

Indonesia pushes biodiesel processing

Feedstock-rich Indonesia is poised to boost production of biodiesel.

The government plans to develop regional centres for processing palm oil into biodiesel and other products.

The government is seeking investment to produce oleochemicals, oils and biodiesel from palm oil.

As the nation awaits a record production of 21.5 million tons of palm oil next year three areas for processing have been readied – Riau, North Sumatra and East Kalimantan.

Indonesia earned $12.4 billion in palm oil revenue last year, making it the country’s largest non-oil and gas export earner, Hatta said.

The country has a potential 18 million hectares of land that can be developed for palm, including 7.9 million hectares of existing areas already planted, Indonesia’s agriculture minister says.

Indonesia pushes biodiesel processing

Feedstock-rich Indonesia is poised to boost production of biodiesel.

The government plans to develop regional centres for processing palm oil into biodiesel and other products.

The government is seeking investment to produce oleochemicals, oils and biodiesel from palm oil.

As the nation awaits a record production of 21.5 million tons of palm oil next year three areas for processing have been readied – Riau, North Sumatra and East Kalimantan.

Indonesia earned $12.4 billion in palm oil revenue last year, making it the country’s largest non-oil and gas export earner, Hatta said.

The country has a potential 18 million hectares of land that can be developed for palm, including 7.9 million hectares of existing areas already planted, Indonesia’s agriculture minister says.

Argentina Plans to Mandate 3% Ethanol Blend Next Year

NEW YORK (DTN) -- Argentina will begin blending 3 percent ethanol into gasoline used for transportation starting Jan. 1, according to Roberto Salafia, a commercial attache at the country's embassy in Washington, D.C.

The details of the plan were not immediately available, but Salafia confirmed reports that his country plans on imposing a blending requirement for both gasoline and diesel.

He said Argentina already exports biodiesel, so the requirement for mandatory use of biodiesel won't be a problem.

According to reports, Julio De Vido, a key energy adviser to Argentinean President Cristina Fernadez de Kirchner, on Monday announced the rollout of the 3 percent ethanol blend, which has been discussed for a while. The mandate is part of an effort to diversify energy sources.

Argentina joins Jamaica in recently mandating biofuels, with Jamaica imposing a 10 percent ethanol blend requirement in November. Meanwhile, last week, China lowered import tariffs on biofuels.

George Orwel can be reached at george.orwel@dtn.com

Argentina Plans to Mandate 3% Ethanol Blend Next Year

NEW YORK (DTN) -- Argentina will begin blending 3 percent ethanol into gasoline used for transportation starting Jan. 1, according to Roberto Salafia, a commercial attache at the country's embassy in Washington, D.C.

The details of the plan were not immediately available, but Salafia confirmed reports that his country plans on imposing a blending requirement for both gasoline and diesel.

He said Argentina already exports biodiesel, so the requirement for mandatory use of biodiesel won't be a problem.

According to reports, Julio De Vido, a key energy adviser to Argentinean President Cristina Fernadez de Kirchner, on Monday announced the rollout of the 3 percent ethanol blend, which has been discussed for a while. The mandate is part of an effort to diversify energy sources.

Argentina joins Jamaica in recently mandating biofuels, with Jamaica imposing a 10 percent ethanol blend requirement in November. Meanwhile, last week, China lowered import tariffs on biofuels.

George Orwel can be reached at george.orwel@dtn.com

'Acidifying oceans' threaten food supply, UK warns

Acidification of the oceans affects marine life

By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website, Copenhagen

Acidification of the oceans is a major threat to marine life and humanity's food supply, Hilary Benn is to warn as the UN climate summit resumes.

The UK environment secretary will say that acidification provides a "powerful incentive" to cut carbon emissions.

Ocean chemistry is changing because water absorbs extra CO2 from the air.

Some believe this could be as big an impact of rising CO2 levels as climatic change, though it is rarely discussed within the UN climate convention.

The UN summit in Copenhagen, which started a week ago, is scheduled to conclude on Friday, when more than 100 world leaders will attend in an effort to agree a new global treaty on climate change.

'Really important'

OCEAN ACIDIFICATION Up to 50% of the CO2 released by burning fossil fuels over the past 200 years has been absorbed by the world's oceans This has lowered the pH value of seawater - the measure of acidity and alkalinity - by 0.1 The vast majority of liquids lie between pH 0 (very acidic) and pH 14 (very alkaline); 7 is neutral Seawater is mildly alkaline with a "natural" pH of about 8.2 The IPCC forecasts that ocean pH will fall by "between 0.14 and 0.35 units over the 21st Century, adding to the present fall of 0.1 units since pre-industrial times" Natural lab shows sea's acid path What is ocean acidification? 'Coral lab' offers acidity insight

The science has come to prominence only within the last five or six years, and most of the details were not available when the convention was signed in 1992.

"We know that the increasing concentration of CO2 [in the air] is making the oceans more acidic," Mr Benn told BBC News.

"It affects marine life, it affects coral, and that in turn could affect the amount of fish in the sea - and a billion people in the world depend on fish for their principal source of protein.

"It doesn't get as much attention as the other problems; it is really important."

In September, the UN-backed study into The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (Teeb) concluded that the widely-endorsed target of trying to stabilise atmospheric concentrations of CO2 or their equivalent to around 450 parts per million (ppm) would prove lethal to much of the world's coral.

1. Up to one half of the carbon dioxide (CO2) released by burning fossil fuels over the past 200 years has been absorbed by the world's oceans 2. Absorbed CO2 in seawater (H2O) forms carbonic acid (H2CO3), lowering the water's pH level and making it more acidic 3. This raises the hydrogen ion concentration in the water, and limits organisms' access to carbonate ions, which are needed to form hard parts

Mr Benn will be speaking during the summit's "oceans day" at a meeting organised by Stanford University and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, both based in California.

"Unlike global warming, which can manifest itself in nuanced, complex ways, the science of ocean acidification is unambiguous," said Andrew Dickson, a Scripps professor of marine chemistry.

"The chemical reactions that take place as increasing amounts of carbon dioxide are introduced to seawater have been established for nearly a century."

CLIMATE CHANGE GLOSSARY

Select a term from the dropdown:GlossaryAdaptationAnnex I countriesAnnex II countriesAnthropogenic climate changeAosisAR4Atmospheric aerosolsBali action planBali roadmapBaseline for cutsBiofuelBlack carbonBoxer-Kerry billBusiness as usualCap and tradeCarbon capture and storage (CCS)Carbon dioxide (CO2)Carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalentCarbon footprintCarbon intensityCarbon leakageCarbon neutralCarbon offsettingCarbon sequestrationCarbon sinkCertified Emission Reduction (CER)Clean Coal TechnologyClean Development Mechanism (CDM)Climate changeCFCCO2Commitment periodCOP15Country in transitionDangerous climate changeDeforestationEmission Trading Scheme (ETS)EU Burden-sharing agreementFeedback loopFlexible mechanismFossil_fuelsGeological sequestrationGlobal average temperatureGlobal energy budgetGlobal dimmingGlobal warmingGlobal Warming Potential (GWP)Greenhouse gases (GHGs)Greenhouse effectHockey stickIPCCJoint implementationKyoto ProtocolLDCsLULUCFMajor Economies Forum on Energy and ClimateMethaneMitigationNairobi work programNatural greenhouse effectNon-annex I countriesOcean acidificationppm (350/450)Per-capita emissionsPre-industrial levels of carbon dioxideREDDRenewable energyStern reviewTechnology transferTipping pointTwenty-twenty-twenty (20-20-20)UNFCCCWaxman-Markey energy billWeather

Suggest additions

Glossary in full

The oceans and atmosphere are constantly exchanging CO2.

Concentrations in the atmosphere are now about 30% higher than in pre-industrial times; a proportion of this is absorbed by seawater, which results in rising concentrations of carbonic acid.

As a result, the pH of seawater has fallen by about 0.1, and a further change of 0.3-0.4 is expected by the end of the century.

This is likely to affect the capacity of organisms including molluscs, coral and plankton to form "hard parts" of calcium carbonate.

A 2007 study showed that rates of coral growth on the Great Barrier Reef had fallen by 14% since 1990.

Mr Benn will say that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) should investigate ocean acidification during its next major assessment of the Earth's climate, scheduled for release in 2013.

'Acidifying oceans' threaten food supply, UK warns

Acidification of the oceans affects marine life

By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website, Copenhagen

Acidification of the oceans is a major threat to marine life and humanity's food supply, Hilary Benn is to warn as the UN climate summit resumes.

The UK environment secretary will say that acidification provides a "powerful incentive" to cut carbon emissions.

Ocean chemistry is changing because water absorbs extra CO2 from the air.

Some believe this could be as big an impact of rising CO2 levels as climatic change, though it is rarely discussed within the UN climate convention.

The UN summit in Copenhagen, which started a week ago, is scheduled to conclude on Friday, when more than 100 world leaders will attend in an effort to agree a new global treaty on climate change.

'Really important'

OCEAN ACIDIFICATION Up to 50% of the CO2 released by burning fossil fuels over the past 200 years has been absorbed by the world's oceans This has lowered the pH value of seawater - the measure of acidity and alkalinity - by 0.1 The vast majority of liquids lie between pH 0 (very acidic) and pH 14 (very alkaline); 7 is neutral Seawater is mildly alkaline with a "natural" pH of about 8.2 The IPCC forecasts that ocean pH will fall by "between 0.14 and 0.35 units over the 21st Century, adding to the present fall of 0.1 units since pre-industrial times" Natural lab shows sea's acid path What is ocean acidification? 'Coral lab' offers acidity insight

The science has come to prominence only within the last five or six years, and most of the details were not available when the convention was signed in 1992.

"We know that the increasing concentration of CO2 [in the air] is making the oceans more acidic," Mr Benn told BBC News.

"It affects marine life, it affects coral, and that in turn could affect the amount of fish in the sea - and a billion people in the world depend on fish for their principal source of protein.

"It doesn't get as much attention as the other problems; it is really important."

In September, the UN-backed study into The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (Teeb) concluded that the widely-endorsed target of trying to stabilise atmospheric concentrations of CO2 or their equivalent to around 450 parts per million (ppm) would prove lethal to much of the world's coral.

1. Up to one half of the carbon dioxide (CO2) released by burning fossil fuels over the past 200 years has been absorbed by the world's oceans 2. Absorbed CO2 in seawater (H2O) forms carbonic acid (H2CO3), lowering the water's pH level and making it more acidic 3. This raises the hydrogen ion concentration in the water, and limits organisms' access to carbonate ions, which are needed to form hard parts

Mr Benn will be speaking during the summit's "oceans day" at a meeting organised by Stanford University and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, both based in California.

"Unlike global warming, which can manifest itself in nuanced, complex ways, the science of ocean acidification is unambiguous," said Andrew Dickson, a Scripps professor of marine chemistry.

"The chemical reactions that take place as increasing amounts of carbon dioxide are introduced to seawater have been established for nearly a century."

CLIMATE CHANGE GLOSSARY

Select a term from the dropdown:GlossaryAdaptationAnnex I countriesAnnex II countriesAnthropogenic climate changeAosisAR4Atmospheric aerosolsBali action planBali roadmapBaseline for cutsBiofuelBlack carbonBoxer-Kerry billBusiness as usualCap and tradeCarbon capture and storage (CCS)Carbon dioxide (CO2)Carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalentCarbon footprintCarbon intensityCarbon leakageCarbon neutralCarbon offsettingCarbon sequestrationCarbon sinkCertified Emission Reduction (CER)Clean Coal TechnologyClean Development Mechanism (CDM)Climate changeCFCCO2Commitment periodCOP15Country in transitionDangerous climate changeDeforestationEmission Trading Scheme (ETS)EU Burden-sharing agreementFeedback loopFlexible mechanismFossil_fuelsGeological sequestrationGlobal average temperatureGlobal energy budgetGlobal dimmingGlobal warmingGlobal Warming Potential (GWP)Greenhouse gases (GHGs)Greenhouse effectHockey stickIPCCJoint implementationKyoto ProtocolLDCsLULUCFMajor Economies Forum on Energy and ClimateMethaneMitigationNairobi work programNatural greenhouse effectNon-annex I countriesOcean acidificationppm (350/450)Per-capita emissionsPre-industrial levels of carbon dioxideREDDRenewable energyStern reviewTechnology transferTipping pointTwenty-twenty-twenty (20-20-20)UNFCCCWaxman-Markey energy billWeather

Suggest additions

Glossary in full

The oceans and atmosphere are constantly exchanging CO2.

Concentrations in the atmosphere are now about 30% higher than in pre-industrial times; a proportion of this is absorbed by seawater, which results in rising concentrations of carbonic acid.

As a result, the pH of seawater has fallen by about 0.1, and a further change of 0.3-0.4 is expected by the end of the century.

This is likely to affect the capacity of organisms including molluscs, coral and plankton to form "hard parts" of calcium carbonate.

A 2007 study showed that rates of coral growth on the Great Barrier Reef had fallen by 14% since 1990.

Mr Benn will say that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) should investigate ocean acidification during its next major assessment of the Earth's climate, scheduled for release in 2013.

Stock Car dá adeus à gasolina

A principal categoria do automobilismo brasileiro, a Stock Car, se despediu da gasolina como combustível da competição neste domingo (06/12/2009), ao realizar a última corrida da temporada 2009 no Autódromo de Interlagos, em São Paulo. A partir de 2010, a Stock Car retoma uma tradição de 19 anos interrompida em 2000, e passa a utilizar exclusivamente o etanol.

Stock Car dá adeus à gasolina

A principal categoria do automobilismo brasileiro, a Stock Car, se despediu da gasolina como combustível da competição neste domingo (06/12/2009), ao realizar a última corrida da temporada 2009 no Autódromo de Interlagos, em São Paulo. A partir de 2010, a Stock Car retoma uma tradição de 19 anos interrompida em 2000, e passa a utilizar exclusivamente o etanol.