Cobalt Technologies has signed an agreement with engineering firm Fluor Corporation to help design production plants to commercialize biobutanol. Under the agreement, Fluor will provide engineering consulting services and a broad range of EPCM services for Cobalt’s demonstration and commercial-scale butanol production plants. “We are very pleased to have Fluor as our strategic partner to help us design the most …
Gevo Buys Ethanol Plant for Isobutanol
Denver-based chemical and biofuels company Gevo is buying a Minnesota ethanol plant to produce isobutanol. The company will acquire Agri-Energy’s ethanol production facility in Luverne, Minnesota and will begin mechanical retrofitting of the plant upon closing. Isobutanol production is expected to begin by the first quarter of 2012, but in the meantime, the facility will continue to produce ethanol. Company …
Missouri Congressman Supports Biodiesel Tax Credit
Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt, fresh off a primary win to be the Republican candidate for Senator, stopped at the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) in Jefferson City, Missouri on Friday to voice his support for reinstating the biodiesel tax credit which expired at the end of 2009. “I’m very concerned that we continue to see good, job-producing tax credits in the …
ACE Honors Corn Growers for Ethanol Promotion
The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) honored corn growers for their efforts in promoting ethanol at the 23rd Annual Ethanol Conference and Trade Show in Kansas City this week. The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and 11 corn grower states were recognized by ACE with the “Paul Dana Marketing Vision Award” for their support in making the BYOEthanol campaign possible. …
ACE Update on Ethanol Blender Pumps
One year ago at the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) conference in Milwaukee, the BYO Ethanol campaign was launched as a joint effort between corn-producing states, ACE, and the Renewable Fuels Association with the goal of installing more blender pumps nationwide. Today that effort is more important than ever as the industry is face to face with the 10 percent …
ACE President Stresses Positives for Ethanol Industry
The president of the American Coalition for Ethanol is a great representative of this grassroots organization that was formed in 1988 – a family farmer from South Dakota who believes in the ability of agriculture to help serve the nation’s energy needs. “We have to keep reminding ourselves how fast we’ve grown in a relatively short time and answered the …
ACE Looks at Big Issues Facing Ethanol Industry
Attendance at the 23rd annual Ethanol Conference and Trade Show this week is considerably smaller than it was when the American Coalition for Ethanol meeting was held here in Kansas City just a few years ago – but the issues facing the industry have never been bigger. As everyone knows, two major policy-driven challenges face the industry – expiration of …
The Economics of Ethanol from Corn Cobs
Producing a significant amount of ethanol strictly from corn cobs is possible but would require a specific set of circumstances to be economically feasible, according to a new report from Purdue University researchers. In the report “The Economics of Harvesting Corn Cobs for Energy,” Matthew Erickson and Wallace Tyner found that factors such as corn yield, farm size, harvesting equipment …
Ethanol Report on the Climate in Washington
It’s August in the nation’s capitol and the climate is hazy, hot and humid with a chance of afternoon thundershowers, which Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen says kind of describes what is happening on Capitol Hill these days as well – especially the hazy and stormy part. In this edition of “The Ethanol Report,” Dinneen discusses the …