On Saturday in Indiana, Presidential candidate Barack Obama echoed what a Nobel laureate in physics said Wednesday in Nebraska – corn-based ethanol is a transitional technology. During a campaign stop in corn country over the weekend, the Terre Haute News reports that Senator Obama was asked what he thought about corn-based ethanol. Obama answered, “We spend a billion dollars a …
Global Marketing of Cellulosic Technology
South Dakota-based KL Process Design Group has signed an agreement with O2 Diesel Europe to market their cellulosic process globally. According to the companies, the agreement secures O2Diesel’s rights to expand KL’s cellulosic to ethanol fuel production technology in Europe, India, Russia and other rapidly developing global markets. KL announced the start up of the first commercial small scale wood …
Putting Water Use in Perspective
Among the emerging issues highlighted at last week’s Ethanol 2008: Emerging Issues Forum was water usage. Greg Krissek, Director of Government Affairs for ICM, put water use in context. “Basically, three to four gallons of water per gallon of ethanol is used in the ethanol plant,” Krissek says. “A little over one gallon actually touches the corn in what we …
Nebraska Starting Ethanol Producer Association
By the end of 2007, over three-quarters of the gasoline sold in Nebraska contained ethanol. There are currently 21 ethanol production plants in Nebraska, producing over 1.3 billion gallons of ethanol each year, and the state ranks second nationally in ethanol production. Nebraska’s first ethanol plant, now known as Chief Ethanol Fuels in Hastings, began production in January, 1985. At …
Ethanol Pump Promo for Sebring
The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council helped the American LeMans Series kick off the 56th running of the Mobile 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring this weekend with a pump promotion offering E10 for $2.56. A total of 2566 gallons of the fuel were sold at the local Gate Petroleum station in Sebring, Florida. Several race car drivers were on hand …
Ethanol Industry Counters Attacks
The Renewable Fuels Association countered attacks from the food processing and petroleum industries this week with fact checks. Referencing news stories about statements made by officials with Valero Energy and Pilgrim’s Pride, RFA President Bob Dinneen said, “To put the blame for rising commodity, food and energy prices solely at the feet of the American ethanol industry is misleading and …
Helio in Iowa
Two-time Indy 500 winner and “Dancing with the Stars” champion Helio Castroneves was in Iowa Wednesday to promote the Iowa Corn Indy 250 on June 22. Castroneves drives for Team Penske in the IndyCar Series. This will be the second year for the ethanol-fueled race at the Iowa Speedway in Newton. The premier Iowa Corn Indy 250 last year was …
Ethanol is Helping Cut US Petroleum Demand
The latest report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) concludes that ethanol will reduce U.S. petroleum demand by 130,000 barrels per day this year. According to the EIA’s Short-Term Energy Outlook, “The slowing economy combined with high petroleum prices is expected to constrain growth in U.S. consumption of liquid fuels and other petroleum products to just 40,000 barrels per day …
Missouri Corn Growers Honor Governor
In honor of his commitment to renewable fuels, the Missouri Corn Growers Association has presented Missouri Governor Matt Blunt with this year’s President’s Award. This is the second year in a row that Governor Blunt received that award from the MCGA and the first time anyone has been a two-time recipient of the organization’s highest honor. “With our support for …
Karsner Promotes Domestic Fuel
I finally had the chance today to sit down and listen to the entire speech Assistant Energy Secretary Andy Karsner made at the National Ethanol Conference last month. He is quite the orator and he definitely got the crowd all fired up. If you can find 40 minutes to listen to it all, it is well worth the time. But, …