An Iowa corn ethanol plant has been converted to produce commercial cellulosic biofuels from fiber and municipal waste. Clean technology company Fiberight announced today that it has started “commenced production at the nation’s first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant using enzymatic conversion technology and industrial / municipal solid waste (MSW) as feedstock.” According to a company release, Fiberight converted a former …
Ethanol Demand a Topic at Clean Energy Forum
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and other administration officials joined rural stakeholders for a clean energy economy forum at the White House on Wednesday, which was the one year anniversary of President Obama’s Biofuels Directive. “Renewable energy production is a key to sustainable economic development in rural America,” Vilsack said. “We must rapidly escalate the production of biofuels to meet the …
Ethanol Report on Oil Spill Response
Addressing the tragedy hitting the Gulf of Mexico and coastal areas requires both an aggressive short term response and an equally aggressive long term energy and environmental strategy. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen is asking the Obama administration to take action to help increase the use of ethanol, starting with immediately allowing up to 12 percent ethanol …
USDA Invites Applications for Renewable Energy Funding
USDA is seeking applications to increase the production and use of renewable energy sources. Funding is available from four USDA Rural Development renewable energy programs authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill). “This funding will help spur investments in technologies that will reduce reliance on fossil fuels, conserve natural resources and help build a sustained …
NASCAR Eyes Ethanol Blends for 2011
NASCAR teams are testing 15 percent ethanol blended fuel for use in the 2011 Sprint Cup series. FoxSports reports that Hendrick Motorsports is already testing the fuel and Roush Yates engines will start development with E15 in the next few weeks. The Fox story also indicates that POET could be under consideration as a possible supplier for the fuel. According …
Ethanol Production Continues Record Pace
U.S. ethanol production continued on a record pace in February. According to information from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), February 2010 ethanol production averaged more than 833,000 barrels per day, 186,000 more than February 2009. Ethanol demand, as calculated by the Renewable Fuels Association, also reached an all time high of 795,000 barrels per day in February. However, production continues …
Growth Energy Pleased With Obama Visit to Ethanol Plant
Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis gave President Obama a big hug after his speech at the POET ethanol plant in Macon, Missouri on Wednesday. “It’s a great honor to have the president of the United States come out to an ethanol plant and demonstrate again his long support for production of renewable fuels,” Buis said in an interview with Domestic …
Corn Utilization Conference to Feature Ethanol Issues
Indirect land use change and DDGs quality are just two of the ethanol-related topics that will be featured at the 2010 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference scheduled for June 7-9 in Atlanta. Geoff Cooper with the Renewable Fuels Association is chair of the “Maximizing DDG Quality” technical session. “We are coming off of a very late, wet harvest that presented …
Farm Bureau Supports Extending Biofuel Tax Incentives
Tax incentives play a key role in the development and production of renewable energy, and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) is urging Congress to pass two bills that would extend renewable fuel tax credits for five years. In a statement presented for the record to a House Ways and Means Committee hearing this week on energy tax incentives, AFBF …
Developing Specialized Sorghum for Energy
An Illinois biotech company is working on the development of sorghum varieties specifically suited for energy production. Chromatin, Inc. CEO Daphne Preuss told the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. this week that the company is expanding its technology development portfolio to produce fit-for-purpose sorghum as a renewable feedstock for the biofuels, green power and renewable chemicals sectors. “Feedstock …