One-Sided Article Blames Ethanol for Meat Price Hike
The ethanol industry was quick to respond to a Bloomberg Business Week article Monday that places the blame for the current hike in meat prices solely on using corn for ethanol. The story quotes several meat industry representatives who state that current higher meat prices are “ethanol-induced” – the result of hog and cattle herds that were reduced in 2008 …
New E85 Stations Open in North Florida
Thanks to the efforts of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Protec Fuel there are now two new E85 fueling stations near I-10 just west of Jacksonville, Florida. R H Davis Oil Exxon in Macclenny and Citgo in Glen St. Mary will provide more fueling options to drivers of flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) on the interstate as well as commuters traveling …
CME Launches Ethanol Co-Product Contract
The trading of futures contracts for the ethanol co-product that is used as livestock feed officially began today on the CME Group electronic trading platform, Globex. Distillers’ Dried Grain (DDG) futures are a physically delivered contract designed to bring price discovery and transparency to the corn crush market allowing customers to better manage their price risk in the feed, livestock, …
Obama to Visit Ethanol Plant
The White House has confirmed that President Obama will be visiting a Missouri ethanol plant this week. It will mark the first time Obama has visited a working ethanol biorefinery, although he was the guest speaker at the ribbon cutting of the now-bankrupt VeraSun plant in Charles City, Iowa when he was a presidential candidate. According to the White House, …
More Funds for Verenium Demo Cellulosic Plant
Verenium Corporation has been awarded an additional $4.9 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to fund ongoing activities at its demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol facility in Jennings, Louisiana. “We are very pleased to receive this additional funding from the DOE, particularly given the critical work currently being performed at Jennings to optimize our cellulosic process,” said Carlos A. Riva, …
POET Ups the Cellulosic Ethanol Ante
The largest ethanol producer in the world intends to be directly or indirectly responsible for the production of 3.5 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol by 2022. Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., POET CEO Jeff Broin said they have made enough progress on technology and feedstock development to break ground on their first cellulosic ethanol plant in …
ZeaChem Moves Closer to Cellulosic Ethanol
Just in time for Earth Day last week, Colorado-based ZeaChem announced it had successfully produced commercial-grade ethyl acetate, a commercial grade “green chemical,” from woody biomass instead of oil. The ethyl acetate can either be sold to chemical manufacturers or converted into ethanol through hydrogenation. “These results demonstrate ZeaChem’s ability to produce another valuable bio-based intermediate chemical on the road …
Military Tops in Alternative Fuels Use
A new report says America’s warfighters are leaders in the use of alternative fuels. This story from ExecutiveGov.com says a Pew Charitable Trust report has good news about the U.S. Department of Defense’s use of solar, geothermal and biodiesel: According to [Phyllis Cuttino, director of Pew Charitable Trusts’ climate and energy programs], DoD accounts for 80 percent of the U.S. …
Missouri Biodiesel Plants Suffer from Budget Cuts
Biodiesel producers in Missouri might be feeling like they’re the victims of insult added to injury. Not only have they lost the federal $1-a-gallon federal tax credit, but now, the St. Joseph News-Press reports they are the latest victims of state budget cuts: Gov. Jay Nixon proposed reducing $4 million, or 16 percent, of the state subsidies for biodiesel plants …