MGP Ingredients Inc. and Bunge North America are considering jointly building an ethanol plant in the Atchison, KS area, according to a Kansas City Business Journal report. In a filing Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Atchison-based MGP Ingredients said the companies have made no decisions to proceed beyond the investigatory stage. In other Bunge news this week, the …
Groundbreaking in SD
Aberdeen Energy and Glacial Lakes Energy broke ground Thursday on a state-of-the-art 100 million gallon ethanol biorefinery near Mina, South Dakota. To produce the 100 million gallons of ethanol and 288,000 tons of distillers grains annually, Aberdeen Energy will consume 36 million bushels of corn. Equity for the new facility was raised entirely from South Dakotans during a three-day equity …
O2 Diesel Helping the Environment
For every student that rides an 02 Diesel bus in Spearfish, SD, the Arbor Day Foundation will plant one tree in Custer State Park which was devastated by a forest fire. At a celebration this week marking the start of the Spearfish school system using buses powered by the O2 Diesel blend of ethanol and biodiesel (see previous post), Kevin …
Imus on Ethanol in the Morning
Nationally-syndicated radio show host Don Imus will soon be extolling the virtues of ethanol on “Imus in the Morning,” according to officials with the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC). Imus was named one of Time Magazine’s 25 Most Influential in America in 1997 and his morning radio program remains one of the nation’s mostly popular, especially on the East …
Ethanol-Powered Tractor Research
The Saskatchewan Research Council has reportedly modified a 7110 Deutz tractor to operate on 100% hydrated ethanol. According to a news release, “SRC has been conducting research and development in the area of natural gas vehicles since 1985 and continues to explore the feasibility of using hydrogen and ethanol as alternative fuels,” Saskatchewan Research Council Minister Eric Cline said. The …
Riding the O2 Diesel School Bus
Students in Spearfish, SD will be breathing easier this school year now that Spearfish Public Schools in South Dakota and Dakota Trailways have announced that all district school buses will now be running on O2 Diesel™, a new, cleaner-burning fuel blend of ethanol-diesel. The first of these newly converted buses was unveiled at a news conference at West Elementary School …
Boise Biodiesel
Boise, Idaho Mayor David Bieter has issued a directive to use biodiesel fuel in city vehicles as often as possible, with the goal of reducing petroleum consumption and cutting smog-causing emissions. According to a press release from the Mayor’s office, the announcement was made Monday during a ceremony to mark Idaho Renewable Fuels Awareness Days during the month of September …
New Broin R&D Man
Broin Companies has hired Dr. Mark Stowers as the Vice President of Research and Development. Stowers will join Broin Companies from MBI International in Lansing, Mich., where he has served as the President and CEO since 2001. MBI International is a leading firm focused on the development, scale-up, and commercialization of products from biotechnology. “We are extremely fortunate to have …
Chevron California Cellulosic Collaboration
Chevron Corporation and the University of California, Davis have “formed a strategic research collaboration to pursue advanced technology aimed at converting cellulosic biomass into transportation fuels.” According to a press release, the joint research effort will coordinate with the California Biomass Collaborative to focus on renewable feedstocks available in California, including agricultural waste such as rice straw. The objective of …
MO Ethanol
MO Ethanol is on the way. The grand opening for Missouri Ethanol will be Monday, Sept. 25 on the plant site near Laddonia, Mo. The event will include public tours of the facility and a fly-over from the Vanguard Squadron, the world’s only 100 percent ethanol-powered aerobatic fleet. Several dignitaries will be on hand to celebrate the event, including U.S. …