Registration is officially opened for the Renewable Fuels Association’s 15th Annual National Ethanol Conference “Climate of Opportunity” which will be held February 15-17, 2010 in Orlando, Florida. Speakers and sessions will focus on the historic opportunities facing our industry. As a renewable fuel, as an industry continuing to reduce energy inputs, and an industry diversifying into new feedstocks, ethanol is …
Biomass Feedstocks Research
USDA’s Agricultural Research Service is studying the use of plant residues for biofuels. At the University of Minnesota-Morris Biomass Gasification Facility, for example, gasification researcher Jim Barbour and ARS soil scientist Jane Johnson (pictured) are evaluating potential biomass feedstocks, including pressed corn stover. The Agricultural Research Service has scientists in 18 states involved in the Renewable Energy Assessment Project (REAP) …
Ethanol Issues Addressed at South Dakota Forum
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) hosted U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack Monday for a Rural Issues Forum in Bath, South Dakota which was attended by an estimated 300 people who were able to ask questions about issues impacting the rural economy. South Dakota’s contribution to biofuels production was discussed during the forum. Rep. Herseth Sandlin joined 28 members of …
Study Finds Ethanol Enhances Vehicle Efficiency
A new University of Nebraska study finds that higher ethanol blends increase engine efficiency. The study, which was funded by the Nebraska Corn Board, found that high ethanol blends provide better energy conversion within an engine than other fuels, meaning less energy to travel further. The report says that e85 improved energy conversion by 13, 9 and 14 percent, respectively …
Verenium to Offer Shares of Common Stock
Verenium Corporation has announced a proposed public offering of common stock, subject to market and regulatory conditions. According to the company, the offering is expected to price before 9:30 am EDT on Tuesday, October 6. Lazard Capital Markets LLC is acting as the sole book-running manager for the offering. This action follows a 1:12 reverse stock split of the company’s …
Ethanol Production Up in July
U.S. ethanol producers continue to set new production records. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), American ethanol facilities produced 728,000 barrels per day in July 2009. That is up 114,000 barrels from a year ago. EIA also reports fuel ethanol imports of 42.4 million gallons in July. Ethanol demand, as calculated by the Renewable Fuels Association, continues to outpace …
Renewable Fuels Association Elects 2010 Officers
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) announced the officers and Board of Directors who will lead the association and the ethanol industry in 2010 during its annual meeting last week in Washington, DC. Chris Standlee, Executive Vice President of Abengoa Bioenergy, was reelected Chairman of the Board for a third term. Chris was first elected chair in October 2007. Joining Standlee …
GAO Report Gets Mixed Reviews from Ethanol Groups
Ethanol organizations received a Government Accounting Office report on biofuels this week with mixed reviews. On the plus side, the GAO report indicated that using indirect land use change to evaluate the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard may be difficult due to uncertainty in how that can accurately be measured. According to the report, …
Ethanol May Be Innocent in Baltimore Police Car Problems
Baltimore police may have charged the wrong suspect in the crime of disabling city cop cars last week. A Baltimore Sun blogger is now reporting that the gasoline supplier, IsoBunkers, conducted its own tests and “found the gas was 10 percent ethanol — just what it was supposed to be.” In a story that went nationwide, Baltimore city officials blamed …
Ethanol Co-Product Demand in China
The U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC) Annual China Corn Tour currently underway is finding big demand for the ethanol co-product distillers dried grains for livestock feed in that country. According to Cary Sifferath, USGC Senior Director in China, drought conditions in China this year have led to high corn prices. “Those high prices have led to some opportunities for US feed …