California-based BlueFire Ethanol received approval from the Department of Energy (DOE) recently to locate its second planned cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in Fulton, Mississippi. The company was awarded a $40 million dollar grant from DOE for a second facility in 2007 that was originally to be located in California. However, development and licensing concerns, coupled with the challenging business climate in …
Loan Program Needs Changes to Advance Cellulosic Ethanol
An ethanol industry group says the loan guarantee program at the U.S. Department of Energy needs to function more efficiently and effectively to make capitol available to advance next generation biofuels like cellulosic ethanol. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is asking US Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu to make needed changes in the loan guarantee program for biorefineries. …
Promoting BYO Ethanol to Retailers
Representatives from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) teamed up at the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show in Las Vegas last week to promote the BYO Ethanol blender pump program. Robert White (left) with RFA says blender pumps that can offer a variety of ethanol blends, from E10 to E85 and several …
Corn Grower Named to Growth Energy Board
A Minnesota corn grower has been named to the board of directors for Growth Energy. Gary Pestorious is a fifth-generation farmer and CEO of a family-run 12,500-acre farming operation in Freeborn County, Minn. He is a member of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and has served as Chairman of POET-Glenville, a 44-million gallon farmer-owned ethanol plant, since production began 10 …
Companies Working on Cellulosic Technology
Two companies have formed an alliance to commercialize a patented process to economically and efficiently produce ethanol from cellulose feedstocks. The ChemPro Group of New Jersey has joined with Mo-Fuel (Rural Bio-waste) of Sikeston, Missouri on the project. According to Steve Lavorerio, President of ChemPro, the process can handle a full spectrum of cellulosic feedstock, from wood chips and pulp-and-paper-plant …
Ethanol Groups Refute Science Article
All of the major ethanol organizations in the country have made statements refuting an article in Science journal this week regarding indirect land use change effects of biofuels. “Fixing a Critical Climate Accounting Error”, authored by recognized ethanol-detractor Timothy Searchinger, argues that biofuels and other bio-based energies should be accountable for the biogenic tailpipe and “smokestack” CO2 emissions that are …
Ethanol Report From NACS
The largest gathering of retailers who sell fuel to the public has been going on this week in Las Vegas. The NACS show, which is the annual meeting of the Association for Convenience and Petroleum Retailing, draws some 10,000 visitors from all over the country and even internationally. It was the first opportunity for the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and …
Verenium to Test Technology for Cellulosic Ethanol
Verenium Corporation has entered into an agreement to test the effectiveness of technology for the creation of cellulosic ethanol from pulp and paper processing. The is agreement with Value Prior to Pulping (VPP), an organization created by the Agenda 2020 Technology Alliance, a special project of the American Forest and Paper Association, and CleanTech Partners, Inc. VPP is funded by …
Poll Finds Support for Corn Ethanol
A nationwide survey conducted for the National Corn Growers Association finds broad public respect and trust for family farmers and support for corn as food, feed and fuel. Ninety-five percent of those polled agreed that farmers are trusted messengers on issues such as agriculture, corn products and ethanol – and ethanol itself was supported or strongly supported as a good …
Iowa Ethanol Producer Embarks on Algae Project
Iowa Governor Chet Culver was seeing green at the grand opening of the Green Plains Renewable Energy (GPRE) Algae Project Thursday in Shenandoah. “This project here is an ideal of what this could mean not only to securing our energy future and helping fuel the world and lower emissions, but jobs in Iowa,” Culver said during the event held at …