The Renewable Fuels Association has joined the Ag Bioeconomy Coalition, a group founded earlier this year to advance federal policy initiatives that “foster growth toward an economy based on innovative bio-based products derived from agricultural commodities, including ethanol and other renewable fuels.” “With smart policy and targeted investment, the U.S. agriculture and bio-manufacturing sectors can provide practical solutions to today’s …
Biofuel Groups Urge Congress to Avoid Rail Strike
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) joined nearly 200 organizations representing agricultural, food and renewable fuels industries last week in a letter urging Congress to act quickly to prevent a rail strike and service shutdown on November 19, the deadline for unions and railroads to finalize an agreement. “A strike or lockout combined with existing challenges in the rail system, at …
Clariant Buys BASF’s U.S. Attapulgite Business
Specialty chemical company Clariant has completed the acquisition of BASF’s U.S. based Attapulgite business assets for $60 million. The transaction includes the transfer of land as well as mining rights, the processing facility, and inventories, which will be integrated into Clariant’s Functional Minerals business. Adsorbent clays, such as attapulgite, are an important enabler for growth in the purification of edible …
Clean Fuels Help Enhance Tight Diesel Supplies
The latest report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) has set off fears of a looming diesel shortage by Thanksgiving, but clean fuels are helping to augment supplies. EIA reports that, as of Oct. 14, the U.S. had only 25 days of reserve diesel supply, the lowest since 2008. In addition, distillate fuel, which includes heating oil inventories, is about …
Honeywell Announces New Ethanol-to-Jet Fuel Technology
Honeywell has announced an innovative ethanol-to-jet fuel (ETJ) processing technology that allows producers to convert corn-based, cellulosic, or sugar-based ethanol into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Demand for SAF continues to grow, yet the aviation industry is challenged by limited supplies of traditional SAF feedstocks such as vegetable oils, animal fats and waste oils. Ethanol offers producers a widely available, economically …
Danforth Center to Lead Research on Sorghum for Bioenergy
The Danforth Plant Science Center with principal investigator Andrea Eveland will lead a multi-institutional project to study sorghum as a versatile bioenergy crop, and its response to drought. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Genome-Enabled Plant Biology program supports the three-year $2.7 million project for the Determination of Gene Function program. Sorghum is the fifth most widely grown cereal crop …
Gilbarco Veeder-Root Adds New Features to Encore® 700 S
Gilbarco Veeder-Root has added two new premium features for the Encore 700S Series: 6-Grade Select option and the 15.6” touchscreen. These features are designed to provide convenience store operators with enhanced flexibility and an improved customer experience. As the alternative fuels market grows towards biofuels and other blended fuel types, adding a 6th-Grade Select empowers retailers to leverage those trends …
Renewable Diesel Projected to Boost US Biofuel Growth
A new report from the CoBank Knowledge Exchange indicates the surge of investments in renewable diesel production capacity is becoming a turbo-charged game changer for the U.S. biofuels industry. “The outlook for biofuels is favorable as the U.S. and other leading developed countries embrace renewable liquid transportation fuels as a solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Kenneth Scott Zuckerberg, …
Iowa Biodiesel Board Elects New Chair
The Iowa Biodiesel Board has elected Nathan Nolte, biofuels sales manager for Ag Processing Inc., to serve as the chair of the Iowa Biodiesel Board. AGP, a prominent farmer-owned cooperative, is the largest soybean processor west of the Mississippi and is a leading biodiesel producer. The Omaha-based company operates three biodiesel plants, two of which are in Iowa. They are …
MN Bio-Fuels Appoints New Executive Director
The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels) has appointed Brian Werner as its new executive director. Prior to joining MN Bio-Fuels, Werner was the deputy legislative director / senior legislative assistant for renewable energy and agriculture for Sen. Amy Klobuchar. During that time, he supported Klobuchar’s work to protect mandatory funding for Farm Bill energy title programs, maintain stability in the …