IRFA Elects 2011 Officers

Joanna Schroeder

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) has elected its 2011 Board of Director Officers and Executive Committee. New officers were elected during the organization’s annual meeting and will service a one-year term during the 2011 calendar year. The IRFA was formed in 2002 to represent Iowa’s ethanol and biodiesel producers. “Congratulations to the newly elected officers,” said IRFA Executive Director …

Biodiesel, Company Announcement, Ethanol

Happy New Year Survey Winner

Cindy Zimmerman

The new year is starting off a little greener for the latest winner in our ZimmComm publication survey drawing. The winner for December is Michelle Stahlhut, an Agwired reader and crop farmer from Indiana. Michelle actually filled out her survey in November and since we put all the entries back in the pot for the next month, she was the …

Company Announcement

Best of 2010 on Domestic Fuel

Cindy Zimmerman

2010 was a year of ups and downs for the domestic renewable energy industry, which kept your Domestic Fuel reporters busy. One of the ups was traffic here on Domestic Fuel. We had a total of more than 315,000 unique visitors in 2010, up 17 percent from 2009. Your reporters did 1537 posts this year, including 160 with audio interviews, …

Company Announcement

TetraVitae Announces n-Butanol Production Milestone

Joanna Schroeder

Butanol is not just for fuel. Today, TetraVitae Bioscience announced that it has successfully demonstrated its process to produce renewable n-butanol in a corn dry-mill pilot plant. The company says this is a major milestone for them in creating economically competitive renewable n-butanol for the coatings, plastics, personal care, and packaging industries. “With this achievement, TetraVitae has shown that producing …

biobutanol, biochemicals, biomaterials, bioplastics, Company Announcement

Butamax Advanced Biofuels Recieves Patent

Joanna Schroeder

Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC announced today that they have received a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Patent number 7851188 encompasses Butamax’s isobutanol producing biocatalyst under the title “Fermentive Production of Four Carbon Alcohols”. This in one of several patents that the company has filed across the biofuels value chain for its work in biocatalyst, bioprocess and …

biobutanol, Company Announcement

2010 Pivotal Year for Verenium

Joanna Schroeder

This year was a pivotal for Verenium in many ways both operational and financial as announced by the company today. In particular, on the financial side, the company raised $98.3 million and reduced operating losses through the sale of assets to BP; repurchased $21 million of convertible notes, extinguishing all remaining 8% notes; and are on track to achieve revenue …

Company Announcement, Ethanol

GM Reaches Zero-Landfill Plants Goal

Joanna Schroeder

General Motors has announced that it has reached its global operations commitment set in 2008 to convert 50 percent of its 145 plants to landfill-free status by the end of 2010. Currently, 52 percent, or 76 of its worldwide facilities, now take all its waste generated from normal operations and reuse, recycle or convert it to energy. GM’s first facility …

bioenergy, Company Announcement, Environment, Waste-to-Energy