Swiss company Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, has chosen Romania as the site for a new full-scale commercial cellulosic ethanol plant using its sunliquid® technology. The flagship facility will use wheat straw and other cereal straw sourced from local farmers. “After five years of operating our pre-commercial sunliquid® plant in Straubing, Germany, and thorough process demonstration we are …
More than 4,000 U.S. Stations Offering E85
Coast to coast, drivers of flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) now can find more than 4,000 stations to fill up with 85% ethanol blended fuel (E85). According to E85prices.com, operated by the Renewable Fuels Association, Minnesota offers the most E85 stations, but states outside the Corn Belt have shown the greatest growth in recent years, including California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina …
Ethanol Producers Going “RINless”
Renewable Identification Number credits (RINs) have been trading higher this week and some ethanol producers and marketers are taking advantage of the higher values to offer denatured ethanol as low as 30 cents per gallon and E85 at 55 cents per gallon (plus tax and freight). American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty reports that Glacial Lakes …
Ethanol Politics Hold Up Northey Nomination
Refinery state senators are hitting back against the Trump administration for bowing to pressure from ethanol supporters last week and abandoning proposed changes in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) this week put a hold on the nomination of Iowa’s Bill Northey for USDA Under Secretary of Farm Production and Conservation, who was approved by the Senate …
U.S. Ethanol and DDGS Exports Drop in August
U.S. ethanol exports totaled 103.1 million gallons (mg) in August, down 12% from July shipments, according to government data analyzed by the Renewable fuels Association (RFA). Canada and Brazil were again the top destinations for U.S. exports, combining to receive more than half of total exports in August. Year-to-date U.S. ethanol exports to all destinations stood at 906.5 mg, indicating …
Ethanol Conference Scholarships Available
For the ninth year, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the Renewable Fuels Foundation (RFF) are joining to offer scholarships for students interested in attending the National Ethanol Conference (NEC), scheduled for Feb. 12-14, 2018 in San Antonio. Six scholarships are available to students in higher education to attend NEC. Scholarships cover the cost of the conference registration fee—a $925 …
PA Governor Seeking RFS Waiver
In a letter to President Donald Trump late last week, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf asked the administration to waive Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) for Northeast refiners “unless or until the prices of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) deflate,” according to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). “Numerous studies—including some funded by the oil industry—show that merchant refiners recover …
Ethanol Trade Teams Tour Prior to Summit
The U.S. Grains Council took three ethanol trade teams to three states to learn about the ethanol value chain from the field to the pump ahead of the Ethanol Summit of the Americas last week. The three teams included representatives from 12 countries that explored the U.S. ethanol industry in Missouri, South Dakota and Ohio. Representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, …
Ethanol Summit Focuses on Trade in Americas
Industry and government officials from more than 15 countries in the Western Hemisphere got together last week at the Ethanol Summit of the Americas in Houston to discuss current and future opportunities for ethanol in the region. The Summit was sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC), Growth Energy, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, …
Industry Just Says No to EPA NODA
Ethanol, biodiesel, and agricultural organizations were united in their message to the Environmental Protection Agency in comments to a Notice of Data Availability (NODA) that would further reduce overall biofuels volumes under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) – just no. The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), which was chosen to participate in EPA’s new Smart Sectors program, urged the agency …