Back by popular demand, the 6th Process Optimization Seminar will take place on September 28-29, 2011 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. To date, more than 120 ethanol plants have participated and 300 plus people have been trained. I was able to speak with Tom Slunecka, the VP of Marketing for Phibro Ethanol Performance Group this morning, one of the founders of the …
RFA: Ethanol Lowers GHG Emissions
In the third installation of RFA Vice President of Research, Geoff Cooper’s series on ethanol plant improvements, he highlights how improvements in farming practices and ethanol efficiency have allowed greater productivity and cost efficiencies. He explained that in 2008-2010, the ethanol industry was producing nearly 440 gallons of ethanol per acre, a 50 percent improvement over the average from just …
New E85 Station Opens in Stuart, Florida
Just in time for Labor Day travel (I will be one of those millions of travelers but I will be using ethanol) a new E85 station has opened in Planet Ozone at 1601 S.E. Federal Hwy. in Stuart, Florida. The new pump was opened in partnership with Protec Fuel. E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, …
Clean Green Minnesota Bean Appears at State Fair
The American Lung Association in Minnesota presented “The Clean, Green Minnesota Bean” over the weekend during the Minnesota State Fair. Randy Hilliard with the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) gave a presentation to the fairgoers from the Sustainability Stage of the Eco Experience Building. The topic? Soybeans. Hilliard discussed the market for plastics, fabrics, cleaners and other bio-based materials, all …
Corn for Ethanol Predicted to Stall
According to an article in Agrimoney, growth in U.S. corn ethanol production is expected to stall due to reduced predictions on this year’s corn harvest along with the fact the industry has basically reached the blend wall. Also a factor has been record high corn prices which have already caused a few plants to stop production. Goldman Sachs has estimated …
IRFA Calls for Texas Gov. To Oppose E15 Ban
Last week during the Ethanol Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) was given an award for its work on promoting ethanol. Their work continues this week as the association sent a letter to Texas Governor and presidential candidate Rick Perry, to oppose Congressional efforts to ban E15, a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 …
US Navy Completes Successful T-45 Biofuel Flight
The U.S. Navy has successfully flown a T-45 training aircraft using biofuels at the Naval Air Station (NAS) in Patuxent River, Maryland. The flight was completed by the “Salty Dogs” of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 flying on biofuel mixture of petroleum-based JP-5 jet fuel and plant-based camelina. The T-45 “Goshawk” is a tandem-seat aircraft used by the …
NextGen Biofuels Fund Accepting Applications
If you are an advanced biofuels company based in Canada that needs funds, then you might not have to look any further than the NextGen Biofuels Fund. The fund was created by the Government of Canada to support development of advanced biofuels. Currently, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) is issuing a Call for Applications. “By helping to create biorefineries, the …
Crusin On A Biodiesel Bike
“When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the bands which have connected them through an ineffective national energy policy, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created …
REG Distributing Biodiesel at Minnesota Refinery
Biodiesel is now available via truck and rail from the Renewable Energy Group’s (REG) newly acquired Minnesota production facility, REG Albert Lea, LLC. The first truckload of biodiesel was picked up August 25 for the Trail’s Travel Center truck stop in Albert Lea along I-35. REG VP Gary Haer says customers have the option to pick up either B99 or …