The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) elected its new 2012 Board of Directors and executive committee during its annual meeting last week. 2012 IRFA Board of Directors include Brad Albin, Renewable Energy Group, who will serve as president; Rick Schwarck, Absolute Energy, vice president; Steve Bleyl, Green Plains Renewable Energy, treasurer and Brian Cahill, Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, secretary. Monte …
Farmers See Biodiesel and Bioheat Use in Big Apple
About 20 U.S. soybean farmers are in New York City this week to see the how the Bioheat Industry is gaining momentum. The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is hosting the group. Bioheat is biodiesel mixed with home heating oil. Starting in October, 2012, all heating oil sold within New York City will contain at least two percent biodiesel. The group …
GROWMARK Perspective on Energy Policy
2011 has been a challenging year for getting anything done in Washington DC, including as it relates to both agriculture and energy policy. “In agriculture, when it comes to energy, we want reliable, economically competitive sources,” says GROWMARK government affairs director Chuck Spencer. “As a country, what we are looking for is energy security and that’s going to come from …
Life Cycle Analysis Favorable for Biodiesel
Comparing the life cycle analysis of soy products to petroleum products shows clear environmental advantages on the soybean side. Early last year, the United Soybean Board released the findings of a life cycle analysis report that compared several different soy-based products with the same products made from petroleum sources, including soy biodiesel. The peer-reviewed study was done by Omni Tech …
Iowa Biodiesel Interests Plan Radio Ads for Basketball
Iowa’s biodiesel leaders are unveiling new radio ads for Iowa State/Iowa men’s basketball games to promote biodiesel to consumers. “These radio ads are designed to encourage Iowans to learn more about the industry’s starting line-up of performance, quality, support for Iowa agriculture, green-job creation, as well as price and availability,” said Jon Scharingson, Director, Sales and Marketing at Renewable Energy …
Verenium Markets Enzyme for Biodiesel Production
Verenium Corporation is now marketing its successful Purifine® phospholipase C (PLC) enzyme product for use in the pretreatment of oil for biodiesel production. The Purifine® PLC enzyme is designed to improve yields and overall economics of edible oil and biodiesel production. “Since the initial launch of our Purifine® PLC enzymatic degumming process, we have seen rapid adoption and success within …
Largest Government Purchase of Biofuels Announced
The largest government purchase of biofuels for military application was announced today. U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack jointly announced that the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) signed a contract to purchase 450,000 gallons of advanced drop-in biofuel. The biofuel to be purchased is made from a blend of non-food waste (used cooking oil) …
POET Ramps Up Production of Corn Oil for Biodiesel
By the end of 2011, POET will be producing enough corn oil as feedstock for 12 million gallons of biodiesel per year. POET has been selling Voilà corn oil for biodiesel and feed markets since January. With its patent-pending technology expanding to a total of six plants, POET has increased its capacity. POET Biorefining in Hudson, South Dakota, was the …
USDA Announces Insurance Program for Biofuel Crop
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a new pilot program of insurance for camelina beginning with the 2012 crop year. According to a release from USDA, “Camelina is an oilseed crop with the potential to create new renewable energy markets in the United States, generate rural jobs here at home, and decrease America’s dependence on foreign oil. The new …
Cobalt Technologies Appoints New CEO
Former Genencor head Bob Mayer has been appointed chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors for Cobalt Technologies, a leading developer of next generation bio n-butanol. Mayer, who has more than 30 years of experience in the chemicals and biotech sectors, will lead Cobalt as it focuses on developing commercial facilities globally. For the past 30 years, …