Texas-based Panda Energy has announced plans to build a 100 million gallon per year ethanol plant in Sherman County, Texas. According to a news release, the Sherman plant will generate the steam used in the ethanol manufacturing process by gasifying more than 1 billion pounds of cattle manure a year. Once complete, it will be one of the most fuel …
Paseo Investment Meeting
Paseo Biofuels, the Kansas City biodiesel plant joint venture between Cargill and Missouri Soybean growers announced earlier this month, is holding an investment meeting this week. It will take place at 1:00 p.m. Thursday at the Farm Credit Services office off Hwy 65 North in Marshall, Missouri. No website yet, so for more information about Paseo Biofuels they suggest you …
American Agriculture on the Move
The American Agriculture Movement is organizing a “Drive for American Bio-Energy for Jobs, Family Farms, and National Security.” According to the AAM, a “small group of patriotic family farm advocates, business people, and concerned citizens” will travel east from Kansas City to Washington, D.C. in antique tractors and cars “in an effort to raise public awareness about the contribution agriculture …
First Terminal Certified For Biodiesel
Sprague Energy Corp. of New Hampshire has become the first oil terminal operator in the United States to earn BQ-9000 Certified Marketer status by the National Biodiesel Board, according to releases from both Sprague and NBB. “This designation demonstrates Sprague’s commitment to supplying our customers with the highest quality biodiesel,” said Sprague President and CEO John McClellan. “It is our …
Another Record (yawn)
Gotta admit – it’s getting old. Every month is a new record with ethanol production. I mean, just how many times can we say that? But, it’s a good thing – we’ll worry when it starts going down! The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today announced that U.S. ethanol production increased in June to 318,000 barrels per day (b/d), an all-time …
New Blog on the Block
St. Petersburg Times reporters David Adams and Craig Pittman have started a new Florida-based biofuels blog called The Fueling Station. They promise to “provide regular updates with news about your favorite energy source from renewables to nuclear.” On the site now are interviews with Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Dr. Jose Sifontes in Gainesville talking about “his waste transformation bioreactor …
Ethanol Efficiency Explained by Rocket Scientist
Here’s an interesting commentary from the Providence (RI) Journal written by a “former rocket scientist and combustion specialist.” Maurice Webb is his name and he explains the gasoline vs. ethanol mileage question as follows: The fact is that higher fuel-heating values do not necessarily provide better engine performance (mileage). Engines equipped with carburetors do not perform well with ethanol because …
Ethanolics Anonymous?
There’s a saying in the ethanol world – “drink the best and burn the rest” – but a couple of Iowa State University researchers are out to turn that saying on its head. ISU researchers Hans van Leeuwen and Jacek Koziel are working on a process to quickly and cheaply convert fuel ethanol into the purer alcohol used in cocktails …
Ethanol-Powered Car Sets New Speed Record
GM Performance Division’s Ecotec-powered Bonneville Student Project Chevy Cobalt SS set a 172.680 mph land speed record this month at the Bonneville Salt Flats in its final run using E85 ethanol. The car was converted to run on E85 by three female engineering student interns – 19-year-old Heather Chemistruck from Virginia Tech University, 21-year-old Lauren Zimmer from Purdue University and …