While a new poll from Big Oil tries to paint biofuels and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in a bad light, the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy are trying to shine a little truth on the subject. The poll from the American Petroleum Institute (API), aka “Big Oil,” tries to make it look like Americans don’t support the RFS …
New Facility to Turn Ethanol Byproduct into Bio-Resin
A Nebraska-based company has expanded its operation to turn an ethanol byproduct into a bio-based resin additive. Composites World reports Laurel BioComposite LLC held an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony for its new 20,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, which will crank out 7 million pounds annually of its trademarked Bio-Res PE. Tim Bearnes, CEO of Laurel BioComposite, was on hand to …
NE Corn Board: Calculate Cost Per Mile with E85
Prices at the pump for E85 ethanol are substantially lower than regular gasoline or even other mixes of ethanol. But with the lower price, sometimes you sacrifice mileage. But as this story from Nebraska TV says, the key word is sometimes. As gas prices rise, the cost of E85 has become even more attractive to [flex fuel vehicle] owners despite …
Ethanol Production Down Slightly, Consumption Up
Numbers from the government show ethanol production is down slightly during the first six months of the year, but consumption of the green fuel was up during the same period. Ethanol Producer Magazine reports U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) figures show production at 6.419 billion gallons of ethanol, slightly off from the 6.893 billion gallons for the same period a …
Research to Look into Food Waste-to-Ethanol
Researchers are going to be looking into the feasibility of fermenting food waste and sweet potato into ethanol. Greenbelt Resources Corp. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Diversified Ethanol Corp. will have California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo look into the fermentation testing at a commercial level. The study seeks to optimize three factors in biomass-based ethanol production that are …
Iowa, Nebraska Phase Out Non-Ethanol Regular Gas
When you fill up with the lowest cost unleaded gasoline in Iowa and Nebraska, rest assured you’ll be using ethanol. The Omaha World Herald reports both of the states are replacing 87 octane fuel without ethanol with an ethanol blend. Rose White of AAA Nebraska said most consumers already use ethanol fuel blends and won’t be affected by the change. …
Surplus US Sugar Sold to Ethanol Makers
In an effort to get rid of surplus sugar and produce green fuel, the US Department of Agriculture has sold a large block of the sweetener to ethanol makers. This article from Ethanol Producer Magazine says the government sold the sugar rather than just forfeiting it under the Feedstock Flexibility Program for Bioenergy Producers. The program requires the USDA to …
Eco-Energy Inks Deal with MN, Iowa Ethanol Makers
Tennessee-based biofuel and ethanol marketer Eco-Energy has signed deals with ethanol makers in Minnesota and Iowa. The company announced the new multiyear marketing agreement with Heron Lake BioEnergy, in Minnesota, as well as agreement extensions with Granite Falls Energy, located in Granite Falls, Minn., and Central Iowa Renewable Energy, now known as Corn, LP, located in Goldfield, Iowa. “Our team …
Corn Price Drop Helps Ethanol Make Money Again
A drop in the price for the price for the primary feedstock for ethanol, corn, is helping ethanol producers make money again on the green fuel. This article from the Minneapolis (MN) Star Tribune looked at the industry tracking service Biofuels Benchmarking and how the new corn crop is helping put those margins back in the black. “We are forecasting …
Brazil to Import 1-1.5 Bln Liters American Ethanol
Brazil is expected to import 1-1.5 billion liters of American ethanol this winter. This story from Reuters says the imports are expected from December to April when the sugarcane-producing region is between harvests. “We are going to import corn ethanol during the center-south interharvest. Today the price is right. It’s cheaper than local anhydrous ethanol,” [ethanol analyst from Job Economy …