This morning hundreds of people are expected at the RFS Rally (Renewable Fuel Standard) in support of keeping the renewable biofuel volumes for 2014 moving in the right direction: up. Patriot Renewable Fuels, located in Annawan, IL is hosting the event with Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL) speaking about her support of the RFS. Rep. Bustos along with Representative Kristi Noem …
Today in Energy Looks at RFS
A recent Today in Energy published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reviewed the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rule for the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The RFS program, established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and later expanded by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA07), requires EPA to set annual requirements for the …
EPA Proposal Pulls the Rug on Advanced Biofuels
According to the Michael McAdams, president of the Advanced Biofuels Association, if the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sticks with the 2.2 billion gallons in the final rule, the agency will pull the rug out from underneath the growing advanced biofuel industry. This was in response to the EPA’s proposed 2014 fuel for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that proposed the …
Cellic Ctec Enzyme Featured in Cellulosic Plant
It was only a few weeks ago that one of the largest, if not the largest commercial scale advanced biofuel facility in the world using enzymatic technology marked the official opening in Crescentino, Italy. The project partners included global companies Beta Renewables and Novozymes. The biorefinery features Novozymes Cellic® CTec enzymes, a technology developed and refined specifically for the cellulosic …
DF Cast: Is EPA Overstepping RFS Authority?
A leaked document from the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the Renewable Fuels Standard is causing some real consternation among advocates for ethanol. While it’s just a draft and has not even been officially released, there is already plenty of debate over the possible proposal, including whether the EPA is overstepping its authority granted under the RFS. In this edition of …
Beetle-Infested Trees to be Turned into Biofuel
Trees lost to beetle infestations might not be a total loss; they could be turned into biofuels. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded nearly $10 million in grants to a consortium of academic, industry and government organizations led by Colorado State University (CSU) to see if insect-killed trees in the Rocky Mountains could be a sustainable feedstock for bioenergy. …
Farmers Harvesting Biomass for Project LIBERTY
Farmers are now harvesting and delivering cob bales for the 2014 opening of Project LIBERTY in Emmetsburg, Iowa. Project LIBERTY is POET-DSM’s 20 million-gallon-per-year biorefinery currently under construction. When the facility begins production, it will use corn crop residue – cobs, leaves, husk and some stalk – as the primary feedstock to produce cellulosic ethanol. With the 2013 harvest season …
KiOR Receives $100M in Equity Financing
KiOR, has announced the execution of $100 million in committed equity related financing in two separate private placement transactions to support the Company’s recently announced expansion of production capacity in Columbus, Mississippi, called the Columbus II Project. Once completed with the planned technology enhancements for both Columbus facilities, the Columbus II Project is expected to achieve overall positive cash flow …
Global Farmers Learn Value of Ethanol
Each year during World Food Prize week, the Truth About Trade and Technology Global Farmer Roundtable brings farmers from all over the world to visit Couser Cattle Company in Nevada, Iowa. Owner Bill Couser not only produces cattle, he also grows plenty of corn on his operation and is a big proponent of ethanol as a means of getting the …
Cellulosic Byproduct Increases Ethanol Yield
Scientists from the University of Illinois have reported that they have engineered yeast to consume acetic acid, a previously unwanted byproduct of the process of converting plant leaves, stems and other tissues into biofuels. This innovation increases ethanol yield from lignocellulosic sources (aka second generation feedstocks) by nearly 10 percent. According to researchers, the new advance will streamline the fermentation …