World class: Albemarle received the Biodiesel Corporation of the Year award by the World Refining Association during the Biofuels 2011 annual meeting in Amsterdam on Oct. 12. The award, which was presented to representatives from Albemarle’s Alternative Fuel Technologies division, recognizes industry leaders making substantial contributions in the field of renewable fuels. Albemarle received the award for its successes in the development and commercialization of highly engineered basic transesterification catalysts for the production of fatty acid methyl-ester biodiesel. Albemarle launched its AFT division in 2007. Since then, Albemarle has grown into the world’s largest supplier of heterogeneous catalysts to the biofuels market.
Buckle up: A new report compiling data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, the American Motorists Association and MADD ranks Louisiana as having the worst drivers in the nation. Released by a website called carinsurancecomparison.com, the rankings are based on driving fatalities, how many traffic tickets are handed out and drunk driving statistics. “The numbers don’t lie: It’s in the bottom ten in all categories except one, failure to obey. It’s No. 18 there, but it’s so bad elsewhere that it beats (No. 2) Missouri by 12 points.” See the complete rankings here.
Exchange change: The launch and demonstration of Louisiana’s Health Information Exchange, LaHIE, is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Friday in Kenner at the Pontchartrain Center, 4545 Williams Blvd. Piloted in the Acadiana region, LaHIE is the mechanism that will allow for the secure exchange of health information among authorized providers and across Louisiana’s health care system in an attempt to improve patient safety, quality of care and health outcomes. LaHIE is an initiative of the Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum. The LaHIE launch will be featured as part of the Louisiana Chapter of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society 2011 state conference that begins this afternoon and runs through Friday.
