The largest mis-use of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINS) since the inception of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has been settled this week. The U.S. EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice have ordered Chemoil Corporation to retire 65 million fuel credits to resolve violations. When factoring in the current market value of the credits, combined with an additional 7.7 million …
Supercomputer Paving Way for Biomass to Biofuel
Supercomputing is being used to discover ways to make turning biomass into biofuel. The University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) project is led by Jeremy Smith, UT Governor’s Chair for Molecular Biophysics based in the Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology. He also is director of the UT-ORNL Center for Molecular Biophysics. One of the …
NCGA’s Skune: RFS Important to Drive Demand
As North Dakota farmer Kevin Skunes takes the reigns as the new First Vice President of the Board for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) for fiscal year 2017, he says two of the greatest challenges he sees for corn farmers is both increasing demand and the ability to meet increasing demand. One area that can increase demand for corn …
2017 RFA Board of Directors’ Officers Elected
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) held its annual meeting this week in Minneapolis where the 2017 Board of Directors’ Officers were elected. The RFA elected Mick Henderson, general manager at Commonwealth Agri-Energy LLC, as Chairman of the Board. Also elected: Vice Chairman, Neil Koehler, Pacific Ethanol in Sacramento, California Treasurer, Jim Seurer, Glacial Lakes Energy LLC in Watertown, South Dakota …
Biobased Industry Positioned to Explode
According to a new report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the biobased products industry contributed $393 billion and 4.2 million jobs in 2014, an increase of 220,000 jobs and $24 billion over 2013. “An Impact Analysis of the U.S. Biobased Products Industry,” commissioned by USDA’s Biopreferred Program, is a follow-up to the 2015 report and sought to …
Spurlock Takes NCGA Helm Focused on #Ethanol Trade
Wesley Spurlock, a grower from Spurlock of Stratford, Texas, officially took the helm as the President of the Board for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Saturday and he has his eye on trade as a major focus of the 2017 fiscal year. Trade will play a starring role in finding homes for the increasing corn harvests and one growing …
U.S. Propane Exports Growing
A recent Today in Energy looks at the correlation between the growth of propane exports and growth in exports of petroleum products. According to U.S. Energy Information Administration data (EIA), during the first half of 2016, the U.S. exported 4.7 million barrels petroleum products per day. This is an increase of 500,000 b/d over the first half of 2015 and …
Canada Adopts Carbon Pricing Strategy
Canada has announced a carbon pricing strategy on emissions that takes effect in 2018 with a $10 per ton rate. The fees rise to $10 per ton per year until they are capped out at $50 per ton by 2022. As part of the legislation, provinces and territorial governments can select from two carbon pricing systems: carbon tax or cap …
BIO Releases RIN White Paper
A new white paper finds evidence to challenge the assumption that the ethanol blend wall caused the 2013 spike in Renewable Identification Number (RIN) spot market prices. “The Myth of High RIN Prices as Proof of the Blend Wall,” was released by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and analyses EPA data on compliance of the Renewable Fuel Standard between 2010-2013. …
BioEnergy Bytes
Global Bioenergies and Clariant have announced the first isobutene production from a wheat straw hydrolysate, in the industrial pilot of Pomacle Bazancourt. This success is the result of a collaboration initiated more than 18 months ago, and has been made possible by combining Clariant’s proprietary process, allowing for the conversion of agricultural residues into sugar-rich hydrolysates, with Global Bioenergies’ proprietary …