A process used in breweries and wastewater treatment facilities could make corn ethanol more energy efficient. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are exploring the use of oxygen-less vats of microorganisms that naturally feed on organic waste produced from the ethanol fermentation process. According to a university release, a WUSTL team has tested anaerobic digestion on waste from ethanol …
Ethanol and Politics
With ethanol continuing to be such a political issue, it was especially important this election year for the ethanol industry to have a clear presence at both recent political conventions. In this Ethanol Report podcast, Matt Hartwig with the Renewable Fuels Association and Randy Doyle with Al-Corn Clean Fuels in Claremont, MN discuss how and why the ethanol industry was …
Bobcat Could Boast Ethanol Boost
Auto blogs are buzzing about ethanol boosting technology. Pickup Trucks.com reports this week that Ford is developing a new line of turbocharged ethanol direct-injection gasoline engines under the code name Bobcat. Bobcat engines will feature ethanol boost technology, developed by Ethanol Boosting Systems, LLC of Cambridge, Mass., that promises 5 to 10 percent greater fuel economy than EcoBoost engines. Ethanol …
Gulf Ethanol Offers Feedstock Powder Samples
Cellulosic feedstock powder may sound like a form of fairy dust – a powder that enhances the productivity and viability of cellulosic ethanol production. But producer Gulf Ethanol is prepared to prove it to anyone who asks. The company announced today that they are offering free samples of the microscopic cellulosic feedstock powder produced by its processing unit as a …
Ethanol Fuels RNC
During the Republican National Convention this week, delegates have been educated about ethanol in the state of Minnesota in several ways, thanks to the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest Clean Air Choice Team. Communications Director Bob Moffitt was at the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council’s AgNite event on Tuesday evening in the Twin Cities where ethanol was featured as a …
Brazil May Challenge Ethanol Tariff
Brazil is considering a World Trade Organization challenge over the United States ethanol import tariff. Brazil’s Foreign Minister Celso Amorim told reporters in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday that they have “a very strong case and there is a good chance” that they will challenge the 54 cent per gallon tariff on Brazilian ethanol. The tariff was extended through 2010 …
Ethanol at AgNite
Ethanol was showcased to Republican National Convention goers this week during an event sponsored by the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council. The Renewable Fuels Association and Minnesota’s ethanol producers joined together to be one of the sponsors of AgNite, a non-partisan event to celebrate the food, agriculture and biofuel industries of the state and nation. The event was held in the historic …
GOP Platform Addresses Ethanol
Delegates to the Republican National Convention this week have adopted a party platform that would essentially end the Renewable Fuels Standard passed by Congress and signed by the president in December as part of comprehensive energy legislation. However, they do support the development of cellulosic ethanol and increased flex-fuel vehicles on the road. Under the agriculture section, the platform talks …
Biodiesel May Replace Ethanol Plans in Florida
Plans for an ethanol plant near Tampa have been scrapped, but a biodiesel plant could take its place. According to the St. Petersburg Times, legal problems caused Port Sutton EnviroFuels to shelve plans to build Florida’s first ethanol plant but a Texas company has stepped in to take over Port Sutton’s 22-acre lease and build a biodiesel plant instead. GreenHunter …
Hurricane Debris Could Provide Energy Resource
As Hurricane Gustav storms its way toward the coast of Louisiana, a New York-based lumber company is preparing to swoop in afterward to clean up the debris. Green Energy Resources says it will take up to 10 million tons of hurricane storm wood in 2008, if it becomes available. The company is asking for the public’s assistance to help procure …