Biodiesel Helps Green Government

Cindy Zimmerman

Three winners of this year’s White House Closing the Circle Awards use a 20 percent biodiesel blend (B20) to help them achieve outstanding environmental track records. They are the Department of Defense, Naval Station Great Lakes; the Department of Energy Green Fleet Team and the U.S. Postal Service. According to a National Biodiesel Board release, 16 winners and 11 honorable …

Biodiesel

Ethanol Distribution Solution

Cindy Zimmerman

A new turn-key solution to deliver enough ethanol to supply the daily needs of the Dallas/Fort Worth market was announced recently by BNSF Railway Company and Musket Corporation, a privately owned petroleum and petroleum products wholesaler. According to a release, Beginning June 23, ethanol will be transported by rail from the Midwest and other production areas to a BNSF terminal …

Ethanol

Ultrasonics and Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Iowa State University is using some high technology to try and boost the release rates of corn sugars for ethanol production. According to an ISU release, a team of Iowa State researchers has demonstrated that pre-treating milled corn with ultrasonics can break the corn pieces into even finer particles. That exposes more of the corn’s starch to the enzymes that …

Ethanol

Idaho Biodiesel School

Cindy Zimmerman

The University of Idaho is holding a one-day crash course in biodiesel June 15 in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. Among the topics are Growing Oilseeds in the Pacific Northwest, Biodiesel Production Practices, and Biodiesel Economics. The course is just $75. More information available here.

Biodiesel

IL Governor Argues Against New Ethanol Research Center

Cindy Zimmerman

Looking at the headline you would think Governor Rod Blagojevich is against new ethanol research. Not so. According to the AP story, he is against the government wasting money, building a new center when they can just upgrade the current National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center in Edwardsville instead. The new center is proposed to research cellulosic ethanol, however, so the current …

Cellulosic, Ethanol, Government

VeraSun is Hot

Cindy Zimmerman

Forbes is calling the pending IPO of VeraSun Energy a hot investment. “VeraSun Energy is profitable. Its planned IPO will be a winner, as the price of oil has hit about $70 per barrel amid high worldwide demand and growing concerns about the stability of the Middle East. VeraSun says it’s the second-largest ethanol producer in the United States with …

Ethanol

Mt. Vernon Plant Plans

Cindy Zimmerman

ASAlliances Biofuels LLC plans to build a $125 million ethanol plant in Mount Vernon, Ind., according to news reports. ASAlliances Biofuels is a partnership comprised of the some of the biggest names in the ethanol and agribusiness industries – Cargill, Fagen and United BioEnergy. The Mount Vernon plant would be located adjacent to a Cargill grain elevator and would produce …

Ethanol, Facilities

BioWillie Distributor Buys Into NC Plant

Cindy Zimmerman

Earth Ethanol, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Earth Biofuels, Inc., today announced that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire majority interest in North Carolina-based Albemarle Biorefinery, Inc. of Raleigh, North Carolina. According to a Business Wire release, the company intends to build a state-of-the-art ethanol facility in the town of Jamesville, Martin County, North Carolina. Earth …

Biodiesel, Ethanol