A new report commissioned by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has concluded that drought and high oil prices, not biofuels, were behind the so-called food crisis of 2007/2008. “Available evidence suggests that biofuels had a relatively small contribution to the 2008 spike in agricultural commodity prices,” the report noted. “Studies which have found a large …
More Corn Acres for Food and Fuel
More corn acreage is in the forecast for this year, according to the USDA Prospective Plantings report out today, and there is still plenty more in storage. According to the forecast, farmers intend to plant 88.8 million acres of corn in 2010, three percent more than both last year and 2008. Meanwhile, the Grain Stocks report shows corn stocks as …
Ethanol Bob Tweeting President’s Energy Speech
Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen is on location at the site of President Obama’s speech this morning on energy initiatives for the United States. The event is being held in a hanger at Andrews Air Force Base with the backdrop of a Navy Green Hornet jet that will fly on biofuels on Earth Day. The president is …
Study Finds Benefits of 20 Percent Ethanol Blends
A new study from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) finds benefits to the gasoline blended with 20 percent ethanol (E20). The study by RIT’s Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies indicates that E20 reduces emissions of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide compared with traditional gasoline or E10 blends. In addition, the research team found no measurable impact to vehicle drivability or …
Petroleum Industry Files Suit Over Renewable Fuel Standard
The petroleum industry has filed a legal challenge over the expanded Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2), which was just finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency. Both the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association (NPRA) filed the lawsuit Monday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia challenging the EPA rule, officially published …
Cellulosic Ethanol Fuel in 12 Hours of Sebring
Cellulosic ethanol from Iogen Energy was part of the 58th running of Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring earlier this month. It was the first time Iogen Energy’s cellulosic ethanol was blended into an E85 fuel for the demanding American Le Mans Series (ALMS) presented by Tequila Patrón. The 500 gallons of cellulosic ethanol supplied were produced from wheat straw …
RFA Offers RFS2 Information for Producers
Under the expanded Renewable Fuels Standard, or RFS2, all producers of ethanol regardless of feedstock will be required to register with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In an effort to help ethanol producers understand what they need to do, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has created two documents intended to provide producers with information they need to comply. First, there …
Record Global Ethanol Production Forecast
The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) has released its 2010 production forecast for ethanol which indicates a positive trend for growth in the industry. Total ethanol production for 2009 was 73.9 billion litres (19.5 billion gallons) according to data assembled by F.O. Licht. The GRFA predicts global production will reach 85.9 billion litres (22.7 billion gallons) in 2010, up more …
Company Promotes In-Field Production of “Sorganol”
An Iowa inventor and entrepreneur is promoting a harvester he developed that can produce ethanol from sweet sorghum right in the field. Lee McClune of Knoxville, Iowa invented the SORGANOL® Process (PatPend) and Sor-Cane Harvester after studying research done at Iowa State University in the 80s on the potential of producing ethanol from sorghum. According to McClune, the harvester acidifies …