Tropical maize could prove to be a very attractive dedicated energy crop with some very desirable characteristics, according to research being done at the University of Illinois. When University of Illinois crop scientist Fred Below began growing tropical maize, the form of corn grown in the tropics, he was looking for novel genes for the utilization of nitrogen fertilizer and …
Morgan Stanley Finds Alternatives Attractive
Despite falling ethanol prices and some plant cutbacks, Morgan Stanley thinks ethanol makers, as well as solar energy companies, have a lot of long-term potential. According to an AP report, analyst David Edwards initiated coverage of the clean energy industry with an “Attractive” view. “The global risks posed by climate change are driving spending and investment in clean energy solutions, …
Technology Key to Food and Fuel
The 2007 Norman E. Borlaug International Symposium held in Des Moines this week focused on “Biofuels and Biofoods: The Global Implications of Emerging Technologies.” At the event, more than 700 leading policymakers, industry executives, and agricultural and food science experts from over 65 countries, gathered to explore the international impact that biorenewable energy will have in the coming decades. One …
Blue Fire Gets Biomass Funding
BlueFire Ethanol Fuels of California has been approved to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy loan guarantee program for clean energy projects.. According to a company release, BlueFire Ethanol was recognized for its proposed project to build a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in California using an array of low-cost feedstocks including landfill waste. “The Department of Energy’s continued encouragement …
Advanced Bioenergy Finances SD Operations
Advanced BioEnergy, LLC has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Heartland Grain Fuels, L.P., has closed on a $118 million financing package for its South Dakota ethanol production facilities. According to the company, the financing will be used to refinance Heartland Grain Fuels’ existing debt, complete construction of a 40 million gallons nameplate per year expansion facility at Heartland’s existing Aberdeen …
UL Announces E85 Pump Certification
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has announced the establishment of safety requirements for E85 fuel dispensing equipment and is now ready to start certification investigations, according to a UL news release. The establishment of safety requirements follows the completion of UL’s comprehensive research program to investigate potential safety concerns associated with dispensing highly concentrated ethanol-blended fuels. The research included extensive gathering of …
Biogas-powered Swiss Cheese Production
The Fairview Swiss Cheese Plant in Pennsylvania soon will be running in part on biogas made from its own waste products. The plant broke ground last week on the renewable energy project, which converts food waste into gas, according to a release from the office of Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff. “The Fairview Swiss Cheese Plant is just one more …
Flex Fuel Conversion Kit Receives EPA Certification
An alternative fuel conversion unit has received certification from the Environmental Protection Agency for use on certain types of fleet vehicles. Flex Fuel U.S. of Chicago reports that its Flex-Box Smart Kit™ fuel conversion system is “the first and only E85 conversion unit has been certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for fleet vehicles.” The Flex-Box Smart Kit is …
USDA Lowers Corn for Ethanol Forecast
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s supply and demand forecast has lowered its estimate of how much of this year’s corn harvest the ethanol industry would use by another 100 million bushels. It was the second straight month the forecast has been reduced reflecting lower indicated plant capacity utilization and lower returns for ethanol producers due to recent declines …
Ethanol Promotion Events
Kansas flex-fuel motorists can take advantage of bargain prices while pumping up the local economy at an E85 grand opening in Manhattan, Kansas on Friday. E85 will be available for $1.85 a gallon at the Farmers Cooperative Association in Manhattan. The first 50 cars to fill up with E85 will receive an IndyCar® Series #17 Team Ethanol diecast car. Free …