Trying to get more ethanol out of every part of the corn is the goal for many alternative fuel producers. With demand for the actual grain of corn for food, scientists are looking at the rest of the plant to try to extract ethanol. This article from the American Chemical Society’s journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research says researchers have …
Adding Value To Ethanol Byproducts
Researchers are looking for ways to get more value out of the byproducts of ethanol production, and thus, making the production of the green fuel more efficient and cost effective. During the recent Corn Utilization Technology Conference, USDA’s Kurt Spokas presented his ideas of getting more value out of those ethanol byproducts. He’s been working with the Minnesota Corn Growers …
Ethanol Report on First E15 Sales
The nation’s first E15 gallons under the EPA waiver were finally pumped this week at the Zarco 66 “Oasis” station in Lawrence, Kansas at a price two cents a gallon less than E10. This edition of “The Ethanol Report” features comments from Jere White, Executive Director of the Kansas Corn Commission, who bought the first gallon of E15 at the …
USDA Cuts Corn Yields and Ethanol Use
As expected, the USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate report out this morning did lower corn yields as a result of the hot and dry conditions throughout much of the growing region this summer. The projected U.S. corn yield was lowered 20 bushels per acre to 146 bushels reflecting the rapid decline in crop conditions since early June and …
Study: High Corn Lowers Indirect Land Use for Biofuels
A new study seems to add credibility to the arguments that high corn prices, often driven by demand for biofuels, are not increasing the actual indirect land use effects. This press release from the Iowa Corn Promotion Board says researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of Illinois at Chicago found that as prices for corn go up …
Nebraska Corn Board Funding More Blender Pumps
Retailers in Nebraska will get some help putting in pumps that give more choices when it comes to ethanol. The Nebraska Corn Board will give grants of $30,000 for acquisition and installation of the first blender pump at a location and $10,000 for a second pump to qualifying retailers: Blender pumps allow retailers to more easily offer additional ethanol blended …
Corn Prices Shutter Another Valero Ethanol Plant
It looks like there’s more trouble for Valero’s corn-based ethanol plants. In just more than a week, the company has shuttered a second ethanol plant. This Reuters article says this one is in Linden, Indiana, but the reasons are the same as last week’s closing of Valero’s Nebraska facility: high corn prices: The 110-million-gallon-a-year (500-million-liter) Linden plant is the second …
American Ethanol Flags Fly in Michigan
NASCAR fans attending the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway were flying American Ethanol Green flags as the cars promoting ethanol and family farmers hit the track. Corn growers and the American Ethanol team distributed 3,000 flags to campers prior to the races, where Kenny Wallace piloted the Family Farmers car on Saturday and Austin Dillon made his 2012 …
The Future for Corn Stover in Biofuels
The future of using corn stover for advanced biofuels was one of the discussion topics at last week’s Corn Utilization Technology Conference in Indianapolis. Nathan Mosier with the Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering at Purdue University, told the conference that the corn refining industry has done a great job of using the corn kernel to create various value-added products. …
Producers Discuss Life After VEETC at the 2012 FEW
The general session panel was a highlight for many Monday morning at the 28th Annual International Fuel Ethanol Workshop. Tom Bryan, Vice President BBI International, served as the moderator for the group with panelists Mark Marquis, President and General Manager Marquis Energy Inc., Ray Defenbaugh, President and CEO Big River Resources, Randy Doyal, CEO Al-Corn Clean Fuels and Walt Wendland, …