VeraSun Energy Corporation, the nation’s second-largest ethanol producer, plans to produce biodiesel from an oil by-product of the corn ethanol production process. The company plans to make biodiesel, normally produced from soybeans, with oil extracted from distillers grains, a co-product of the ethanol production process. VeraSun would be the first company to develop a large-scale, commercial facility for biodiesel production …
Farmers Resist Ethanol Buyout
Mid-Missouri Energy, a farmer-owned ethanol plant, is the topic of a New York Times article on local plant investors resisting the lure of big money. According to the story, the farmer-investors in the small town of Malta Bend, Mo are being courted by “offers — some as high as $275 million” to buy the plant which opened in 2005. So …
The Future is Now
The IndyCar Series’ switch to ethanol will be featured at the annual “PopSci Best of What’s New” event at Grand Central Station in New York, November 7-9. The theme this year is “The Future Now.” Sponsored by Popular Science magazine, the show features impressive new technologies developed during the previous year and one of them is Honda’s new engine, designed …
Biogas Energy Project
The Propane Education & Research Council recently joined the University of California-Davis, Onsite Power Systems, and industry partners at the official start-up of the anaerobic biodigester system for UC Davis’ Biogas Energy project. The project will demonstrate an innovative waste-to-energy technology with possible environmental and economic advantages, including potential as a renewable energy source. Anaerobic biodigesters use bacteria to break …
Ethanol Helps Fuel Nebraska Economy
A business conditions report for midwestern states indicates that economic growth has slowed overall, but ethanol is helping to fuel growth in at least one of the states. In a monthly survey of supply managers in nine states, Creighton University’s Economic Forecasting Group found that Nebraska’s leading economic indicator, the Business Conditions Index, increased slightly for October. According to Creighton …
Kubota Approves Biodiesel Use
Kubota Tractor Corporation has approved the use of five percent biodiesel fuels in specified Kubota diesel-powered products. According to a company release, the approved blends of biodiesel fuel for use in Kubota diesel-powered products range up to a “B5” blend that consists of 5% biodiesel and 95% petroleum diesel. “Kubota is committed to environmentally sound practices and the support of …
Price is Right
Consumers can find out the latest prices for E85 all over the country with the click of a mouse at E85prices.com. According to the website, the price of E85 fell significantly last month and the spread between unleaded and E85 has now widened to about 40 cents per gallon in many areas. The price of E85 is below $2.00 a …
Panda Keeps Climbing
Texas-based Panda Energy has announced plans to build another 100 million gallon-per-year ethanol plant powered by manure. According to the company, the latest plant will be located near the city of Muleshoe in Bailey County, Texas. The Muleshoe facility will generate the steam used in the ethanol manufacturing process by gasifying more than 1 billion pounds of cattle manure a …
Jumpstarting E85 in California
The U.S. Department of Energy has provided a major grant to build 15 public E85 stations in California. According to a news release, the effort will include the collaboration of some major environmental and corporate partners, including CALSTART, General Motors, Pacific Ethanol, and CleanFUEL USA. Currently, there is currently only one public station that sells E85 ethanol in California, despite …
Cool Fuel
Illinois Central Ethanol, or ICE, has announced plans for the development of an ethanol production facility in Nokomis, Illinois. The Montgomery County plant is projected to produce 50 million gallons of ethanol annually. The dry mill plant will use an estimated 18 million bushels of corn annually, according to Don Frank, ICE board president, “which will provide a good local …