A new plant is in the works that will produce synthetic oil from biomass that can in turn be made into transportation fuel. The process is called “fast pyrolysis” and two companies, Ensyn Technologies Inc. and Tolko Industries, have announced that they will build the world’s largest fast commercial pyrolysis plant in High Level, Alberta. When completed, the new plant …
New Yeast Strain For Cellulosic Ethanol Production
Purdue University scientists have improved a strain of yeast that can produce more biofuel from cellulosic plant material by fermenting all five types of the plant’s sugars. The researchers used genes from a fungus to re-engineer a yeast strain developed at Purdue. The new yeast can ferment the sugar arabinose in addition to the other sugars found in plant material …
Iowa Indy Race Spotlights Corn Ethanol
The only Indy race to still run on homegrown corn ethanol is just around the corner. The 2010 Iowa Corn Indy 250, presented by Pioneer, will once again showcase 100% race powered corn-ethanol during the 4th annual race in Newton, Iowa on June 20. 2010 Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti won the very first Iowa Corn Indy in 2007, when …
USDA Chief Confident of Ethanol Blend Increase
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack believes that the Environmental Protection agency will increase the amount of ethanol allowed in regular gasoline above the current ten percent. “I’m very confident that we’re going to see an increase in the blend rate,” said Vilsack in a telephone press conference from Iowa on Friday. Vilsack also said that long-term extensions of the …
New Central Florida E85 Station
Motorists in Central Florida with Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) can now fill up with 85 percent ethanol in Lakeland. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Protec Fuel have announced the availability of E85 for both the general public and government fleets at the Fleetwing retail station in Lakeland, which is near Tampa and St. Petersburg. The station utilized Protec Fuel’s …
Brazil Invests in Next Generation Ethanol
The Brazilian Innovation Agency, FINEP (Research and Projects Financing), and Brazil’s National Development Bank have entered into a new partnership to promote bioethanol development, providing up to $540 million in financing to the country’s biofuels sector to promote innovation in the field of bioethanol. The funding will be invested in technology projects over the next three to four years, which …
ZeaChem Breaks Ground on Biorefinery
Biomass refinery developer ZeaChem broke ground last week in Boardman, Oregon for a 250,000 gallon-per-year facility that will eventually be used to turn wood and other feedstocks into cellulosic ethanol. The plant will initially use ZeaChem’s technology to produce ethyl acetate, which the company says is a salable chemical intermediate and precursor to cellulosic ethanol. With a grant from the …
Importance of Biofuels in Rural Revitalization
The expansion of biofuels will play a significant role in the revitalization of rural America, according to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “Why not create biofuel refineries and renewable energy plants that create jobs and markets for a product that otherwise might not be valued as much,” said Vilsack during a Rural Summit in Missouri on Thursday. “Why not …
Challenges Undermine Clean Energy Future
“If we refuse to take into account the full costs of our fossil fuel addiction — if we don’t factor in the environmental costs and the national security costs and the true economic costs — we will have missed our best chance to seize a clean energy future.” That is what President Obama said in his speech at Carnegie Mellon …