The state of Washington has proposed its own Clean Air Rule (CAR) and according to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), the rule does not factor in the environmental and health benefits of ethanol blended fuels. In their comments submitted to the Washington Department of Ecology, RFA states that the proposed rule is inconsistent with virtually every other program designed to …
Senators Call for More Biodiesel in #RFS
Forty Senators are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to strengthen biodiesel volumes in the proposed 2018 rules for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The senators said that biodiesel and renewable diesel are providing the vast majority of renewable fuel under the Advanced Biofuels category and the EPA should do more to encourage growth. “The biodiesel industry has met …
Survey Says…Consumers Don’t Care about Ethanol
According to a new survey looking at consumers’ decisions at the pump, the environment does not seem to play a primary role in the choices they make. The big factor is price at the pump. According to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and reported in a Reuters article, E15 is about 5 cents per gallon less expensive, or about 2 …
BioEnergy Bytes
According to Lux Research, biojet fuels will be key to achieving the aviation industry’s pledge to cut CO2 emissions to 200 million tons in 2050—half the 2005 figure—as opposed to the staggering 2.1 billion tons projected by current growth rates. Biojet fuel innovations, led globally by Honeywell UOP and Boeing, will account for 56 percent of the targeted CO2 emissions …
Bioenergy Crop Modeling Predicts Soil Carbon Increases
Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Argonne National Laboratory are using computational modeling to predict which counties in Illinois could see increases in soil organic carbon from crops such as switchgrass for biofuels. Increasing carbon stored in soil is one way to help mediate the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) …
The Ecology of a New Crop
Researchers at the UConn Plant Science Farm are studying the ecology of camelina as a high-tech crop. The research team is led by professor emerita Carol Auer and she and her team have been working with Camelina sativa, an oilseed crop that has never been grown commercially in the state. The feedstock has been subject to genetic modification for use …
Is the Trump-Pence Republican Ticket Good for Biofuels?
Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What do you think about the Senate’s GMO Disclosure Bill? The Senate has passed it’s version of the GMO Disclosure Bill followed by the House passing the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard, and the President is expected to sign the bill into law soon. However, 40 percent of voters believe the legislation is bad …
BioEnergy Bytes
Richmond BizSense is reporting that Vireol Bio Energy, a bankrupted ethanol plant located in Virgina, confirmed they will pay creditors around $0.29 for every $1 they’re owed by the company. This amounts to about $1.7 million to potentially be paid out on around $4.98 million in debt claims. Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation and Mitsui Zosen Machinery & Service have agreed to …
E20 Would Reduce Europe’s GHGs in Transport Sector
Ricardo Energy & Environment has found that a higher use of ethanol blends in Europe would contribute to a 14.1 percent greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) reduction in the continent’s transportation sector even after taking into account possible land use change (ILUC) emissions. The new study was commissioned by ePURE and looks at the potential contribution ethanol could play in reducing …
Ocean Park Advisors Retained by Abengoa
Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas has retained Ocean Park Advisors to sell its cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton, Kansas. The biorefinery, one of the first using biomass to produce cellulosic ethanol and renewable electricity in the U.S. went online in October of 2014. The sale is part of the company’s filings under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. According to Ocean Park Advisors, …