French firm Biométhodes has inked an exclusive deal with Virginia Tech’s Intellectual Properties Inc. division to option-to-license the school’s processes to convert biomass into ethanol and hydrogen. This story from the school says the processes were invented by Percival Zhang, assistant professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech: An integrated biorefinery …
Crop Group Confirms Ethanol Calibration System
DuPont recently received confirmation from an independent sources that its ethanol yield calibration system really works. The external independent validation came from the Illinois Crop Improvement Association (ICIA), which demonstrated that the Ethanol Yield Potential (EYP) near infrared (NIR) calibration does reliably predict the ethanol output of whole corn grain. The calibration, developed by DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred, allows ethanol …
ACE Announces Lineup for 2008 Ethanol Conference
“Fueling Revolution” is the theme for the 2008 Ethanol Conference and Trade Show being held August 12-14 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska. The conference officially gets underway on August 13 with morning breakout sessions on a number of important topics, including Protecting Profitability in Volatile Markets, Mid-Range Ethanol Blends & E85, Current Issues in Distillers Grains, and Cellulosic …
Company to Commercialize New Biofuel Technology
California biofuels technology corporation Primafuel has created a new Kansas-based subsidiary for next-generation biofuels solutions. According to the company, Primafuel Solutions will deliver next-generation, market-ready technology solutions to the biofuels industry. By taking Primafuel’s advanced technology platforms to market, Primafuel Solutions is working with customers to facilitate the transition to more sustainable bio-refineries. The team’s initial offering is SMAART™Oil, a …
Organizations Support Ethanol Tariff
Seven commodity and ethanol organizations have written a letter to President Bush in support of the secondary tariff on imported ethanol. The groups called attention to the importance of the tariff for the nation’s growing ethanol industry, as well as to the nation’s energy, economic, and environmental security. The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Ethanol Producers and Consumers (EPAC), National …
Ethanol Industry Leaders Unite
Biofuels groups from the US, Canada, Brazil and Europe put aside their differences this past week to present a united front to world leaders meeting in Japan. This edition of “The Ethanol Report” features an interview with Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen about the input the groups provided to the Group of Eight meeting of world leaders, …
Big Easy Bouncing Back with Biodiesel
Nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, destroying a large portion of the city and trashing more than half of its 370 buses, the city is getting some public transportation fueled by biodiesel. The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that the eight new biodiesel buses arrive just as skyrocketing gas prices are helping increase ridership: The vehicles were …
PA Gov Signs Biodiesel & Ethanol Incentives, Mandate
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has signed into law measures that will provide incentives to biodiesel producers while mandating a rising scale of biodiesel percentages in all diesel sold in the state. This story from FoxBusiness.com has details: “Pennsylvanians are struggling with higher fuels costs,” said Governor Rendell, who signed House Bill 1202 and Special Session Senate Bill 22 into law …
Scientists to DOE: “Keep Working on Biodiesel”
A committee of scientists that helps the government make decisions is recommending that the U.S. keeps working on biodiesel. This story from Biodiesel Magazine says a National Research Council committee looking at the 21st Century Truck Partnership, a group of of federal government agencies and private industries, has told the U.S. Department of Energy to continue research into the green …
POET Starts Ethanol Publication
POET has launched a new quarterly publication called “Vital.” Originally created to replace over 100 separate newsletters POET distributed every year, Vital is putting a face to the ethanol industry. Throughout 2008, Vital will base its editorial on four main themes: the future of ethanol, community profiles, industry information and environmental advancements. The first issue of Vital came out in …