A cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant is planned for Grand Junction, Colorado. Lignol Energy Corporation has received approval from the U.S. Department of Energy to locate the facility on the western slope of Colorado. The approved location is a change from the originally proposed site adjacent to Suncor Energy refinery in Commerce City, Colorado. According to the company, the Grand Junction …
Lab to Test Ethanol Feedstock Powders
Gulf Ethanol Corporation has contracted a commercial testing laboratory to perform analysis on its preprocessed feedstock powders. Microbac Laboratories has over fifteen years’ experience in analyzing a wide range of biomass products. They work directly with national Renewable Energy Laboratories and various private entities to characterize and analyze biomass materials. According to a company release, Gulf Ethanol CEO Bill Carmichael …
Ag Secretary Defends Ethanol in WSJ
The Wall Street Journal published a letter to the editor this week from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer that defends ethanol and the nation’s biofuels policies. Schafer wrote the letter mainly in response to an op-ed by Texas Governor Rick Perry that appeared in the paper after EPA’s recent decision to deny his request to waive the Renewable Fuels …
Transition to Bioeconomy Conference
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer will be the keynote speaker at the Oct. 15-16 conference, Transition to a Bioeconomy: Environmental and Rural Development Impacts. Secretary Schafer will address public policy challenges for the bioeconomy. Also featured on the program will be Under Secretary for Rural Development Thomas Dorr. The conference is is a collaboration of Farm Foundation, and USDA’s …
USDA Announces Renewable Energy Grants
USDA announced Wednesday that 639 individuals and businesses in 43 states and the Virgin Islands have been selected to receive $35 million in grants and loan guarantees for renewable energy systems or to improve energy efficiency in farm and business operations. USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development Tom Dorr announced the funding at the 2008 Farm Progress Show in Iowa on …
Agribusinesses Join Forces for Cellulosic Ethanol
Three global agribusiness giants have teamed up to explore technologies and processes to turn crop residues into feed and bioenergy products. Archer Daniels Midland Company, Deere & Company and Monsanto Company will work together to identify environmentally and economically sustainable methods for the harvest, storage and transport of corn stover that can be used as feed for animals, as biomass …
US and China to Study Sorghum for Ethanol
As athletes were racing for the gold in Beijing last week, representatives from the United States and China were in Texas teaming up in the race to develop new feedstocks for ethanol. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China signed an agreement to collaborate on biofuels research during the …
Louisiana Ethanol Plant Wants Sugar Cane
A Louisiana group wants to buy sugar cane from farmers for an ethanol plant they are constructing from an old sugar mill. Louisiana Green Fuels Group, which purchased a mill that was closed two years ago, met last week with St. James area growers about plans to construct a facility capable of producing 25 million gallons of ethanol annually from …
Supporters Sign Up For Ethanol
Hundreds of supporters have been “signing up for ethanol” on a website sponsored by the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council. The website is tied in to an advertising campaign which started running in South Dakota at the beginning of August. The campaign highlights the role of ethanol in increased energy security, economic development and decreased gas prices. The goal for …
Turning Ethanol Into Hydrogen
Researchers at Ohio State University say they have found a way to efficiently convert ethanol and other biofuels into hydrogen. According to OSU professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering Umit Ozkan, a new catalyst can makes hydrogen from ethanol with 90 percent yield, at a workable temperature, and using inexpensive ingredients. Ozkan says the catalyst could help make the use …