John Deere sponsored one of the most popular and well attended Learning Center sessions at the 2008 Commodity Classic in Nashville this week. “Starch and Cellulose as Ethanol Feedstocks” discussed the importance of starch as today’s primary ethanol feedstock, harvesting challenges for increased corn yields as well as cellulose, and how to increase demand for biofuels. Don Borgman, director of …
Chevron, Weyerhaeuser Team Up for Biofuels
Oil giant Chevron and timber giant Weyerhaeuser are teaming up to make biofuels. This story in the Seattle Times says the new company formed from the partnership, Catchlight Energy, will be looking to get the green fuel from cellulose and lignin: Catchlight will initially have offices at Weyerhaeuser’s Federal Way headquarters and at Chevron’s San Ramon, Ca. homebase. Chevron executive …
Industry Optimism
The chairman of the Renewable Fuels Association is excited about the developments in cellulose technology for the future of the ethanol industry. “And we fully believe that many of these technologies will in fact be proven to be economically viable on a commercial scale,” said Chris Standlee, who is executive vice president of Abengoa Bioenergy in St. Louis. He says …
Waste to Fuels Conference
The Southern Waste Information eXchange and the Florida BioFuels Association are sponsoring the 1st Annual Waste-to-Fuels Conference & Trade Show in Orlando, Florida on April 6-8, 2008. The conference will provide a forum for informing the public and private sectors of the economic and environmental benefits of converting waste materials to alternative fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol as well …
25x’25 Refutes Science Article
The National 25x’25 Steering Committee has responded to widespread media coverage of studies published by Science Magazine last week, saying they failed to report that there are ways to insure that future biofuels give us both a new renewable energy source and greatly reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The journal Science reported last week that studies indicate clearing land for the …
Financing Closed For PA Plant
BioEnergy International announced it has closed financing for Bionol Clearfield, enabling the 100 million gallon a year ethanol plant to begin construction in Clearfield, Pennsylvania. “With the launch of the Clearfield Project, we have created a model of sustainability with partners Getty Petroleum Marketing Inc. and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” said Stephen J. Gatto, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of …
Coskata Teams With ICM for First Plant
Next generation ethanol company Coskata on Wednesday announced an agreement with ICM Inc. to design and construct a commercial ethanol plant using Coskata’s biological fermentation technology. Last month, the young company made a splash at the North American international Auto Show in Detroit where a strategic partnership with General Motors was announced. Bill Roe, president and CEO of Coskata said, …
NASA-Funded Research to Study Biofuels Crops Impact
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is funding a $738,000 three-year study by South Dakota State University looking at possible environmental changes that could accompany a shift toward new biofuel crops such as perennial grasses. The three-year study will focus on land use in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, western Minnesota and northern Iowa. “If you look at one …
Next Gen Ethanol on Track
Big announcements for cellulosic ethanol recently prove that the next generation of the biofuel is here today. This “Fill up, Feel Good” podcast features Reece Nanfito of EPIC and representatives from KL Process Design Group of South Dakota, which has the first commercial cellulosic ethanol facility operating in the United States that will now be providing the fuel for American …
Verenium Plant Almost Finished
A demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol facility in Jennings, Louisiana is getting closer to completion. Verenium officials held a site tour of the plant last week, according to an article in the Daily Advertiser. The plant, which officials hope to complete by the end of March, uses enzymes to make ethanol from plant material such as sugarcane bagasse and wood chips. In …