Fungus and Termites May Hold Keys to Cellulosic Future
A prolific fungus found in eastern Russia and termites from Costa Rica are just two of the avenues being explored to get ethanol on the cellulosic superhighway. A Business Week online article reports on some of the bio-breakthroughs that are promising more efficient ways to make ethanol. Scientists are scouring China for strains of tall grasses and tinkering with plants’ …
Ethanol Boom to Continue in 2007
Business Week reports that the ethanol industry appears poised for another big year in 2007, as companies scramble to take advantage of continuing government subsidies and a growing political desire to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil. But Wall Street investors who went pedal-to-the-metal during ethanol’s midyear IPO frenzy seem to be easing off the accelerator upon warnings of …
USDA Raises Crop Price Forecast
The latest global supply/demand report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture increases the forecast for corn and soybean prices this year due in part to stronger demand for ethanol and biodiesel.
Oil From Algae
Solix Biofuels Inc., a startup company based in Boulder, is working with Colorado State University engineers to commercialize technology that can cheaply mass produce oil derived from algae and turn it into biodiesel. Algae are the fastest growing organisms on the planet, and can produce 100 times more oil per acre than conventional soil-tilled crops that are now being grown …
Tariff on Ethanol Imports Extended
Before adjourning Saturday, Congress approved legislation extending the 54-cent-per-gallon tariff on imported ethanol as part of the Omnibus Tax bill. The tariff was set to expire in October 2007 but will continue to be imposed until January 2009. The American Coalition for Ethanol praised the action to support domestic ethanol production. Brian Jennings, ACE Executive Vice President said, “We are …
Will We Have Enough Corn?
The Iowa Corn Growers/Corn Promotion Board has released a document addressing concerns about whether they will be able to produce enough corn to meet demand for ethanol. One of the issues they address is the price of corn, which this year is expected to average about $3 a bushel, the highest it has been since 1995. The corn growers point …
Iowa Corn Growers Prepared to Meet Demand
Iowa corn growers say they can meet the demand for both food and fuel. Grower leaders from the Iowa Corn Promotion Board and Iowa Corn Growers Association held a media teleconference Friday to answer concerns about corn prices and supplies and the increasing demand for corn to make ethanol. Bob Bowman, ICGA president, who farms in DeWitt, said the current …
MIT Yeast Could Speed Up Ethanol Production
Scientists with the Massachusettes Institute of Technology have engineered yeast that can improve the speed and efficiency of ethanol production. By manipulating the yeast genome, the researchers have engineered a new strain of yeast that can tolerate elevated levels of both ethanol and glucose, while producing ethanol faster than un-engineered yeast. The new strain produced 50 percent more ethanol during …
Corn Crop Seen as Main Source For Cellulosic Ethanol
Corn’s role in cellulosic ethanol appears solid. According to a story in Illinois Farm Bureau’s FarmWeek, the push to promote “cellulosic” biomass ethanol development generated some early sparring between corn growers and proponents of new “energy crops.” But experts at a recent Cellulosic Ethanol Summit in Washington, D.C., cited public-private efforts to generate cellulosic fuel from existing corn residues, potentially …