The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will provide up to $200 million, over five years to support the development of small-scale cellulosic biorefineries in the United States. According to a DOE announcement, the funding will be for projects to develop biorefineries at ten percent of commercial scale that produce liquid transportation fuels such as ethanol, as well as bio-based chemicals …
Millers Focus on Fuel
The 48th Annual Corn Dry Milling Conference is coming up May 31 – June 1 at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Illinois. The conference is jointly sponsored by the North American Millers’ Association and the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research Agricultural Research Service, USDA. Among the ethanol-related topics at the meeting will be the National …
FEW Scholarships Available
BBI International’s 2007 Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW) Scholarship program is looking for a few good people pursuing higher education leading to careers or post-graduate studies related to the ethanol industry. Three $5000 scholarships will be awarded at the FEW this June in St. Louis, sponsored by American Stainless & Supply, a supplier of industrial PVF materials. In business for over …
Bush on Biofuels
During a White House press briefing on Monday with European leaders, President Bush commented on his goals for renewable fuels and the current research in producing ethanol from sources other than corn in response to a foreign journalist’s question about global environmental concerns: I have said we’ll have a mandatory fuel standard, not a voluntary fuel standard, but a mandatory …
Another Cellulosic Breakthrough
Cornell University researchers have reportedly discovered a class of plant enzymes that potentially could allow plant materials used to make ethanol to be broken down more efficiently than is possible using current technologies. According to Jocelyn Rose, Cornell assistant professor of plant biology, the breakthrough could make the production of cellulosic ethanol less expensive. “The bottleneck for conversion of lignocellulose …
Mow Greener
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new regulations to cut harmful emissions from lawnmowers and other small engines. The new proposal would set strict standards for most lawn and garden equipment but would not go into effect until at least 2011. In the meantime, lawn jockeys can do their part to help cut emissions by using 10 percent ethanol in …
Watchdog Group Questions Study Credibility
A consumer watchdog group is questioning the credibility of a widely reported Stanford University study warning that ethanol use could be harmful. The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights says the school’s ties to ExxonMobil make the study’s findings “difficult to accept.” ExxonMobil has given $100 million to fund Stanford’s Global Climate and Energy Program (GCEP). Though the ethanol study …
Corn Pores Hold Ethanol Promise
Purdue University researchers are opening the pores of corn to try and increase ethanol yield. According to a Purdue news release, researchers have discovered that particles from cornstalks undergo previously unknown structural changes when processed to produce ethanol, an insight they said will help establish a viable method for large-scale production of ethanol from plant matter. Their research demonstrates that …
E85 Everywhere
The American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest is holding an “E85 Everywhere” rally in the Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda this Friday, April 27. Governor Tim Pawlenty and a bipartisan gathering of legislators from both the Minnesota Senate and Minnesota House of Representatives will speak on the importance of maintaining the lead in E85 development and on their support for …
Ethanol in Ag Hall of Fame
Ethanol and the Indy Racing League will be in the spotlight at the National Agricultural Center & Hall of Fame 2007 Annual Meeting Thursday in Bonner Springs, KS. Featured speaker for the “Farm-Fueled” event is Tom Slunecka, executive director of the Ethanol Promotion & Information Council. The event will also set the stage for the Kansas Lottery 300 scheduled for …