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 …
Iowa Fuel Retailers Hit Roadblock to E15 Sales
The independent Linn Co-op Oil Company in Marion, Iowa is all set to be the first in the nation to sell 15% ethanol blended gasoline to customers, except for one little detail. They can’t get the fuel to sell it. The problem is that petroleum refiners servicing the Cedar Rapids area refuse to make the proper gasoline for blending with …
Ethanol Report Visits Bobby Likis
This edition of “The Ethanol Report” features comments from Bobby Likis of the Bobby Likis Car Clinic Network, a radio, television and internet distributed automotive talk show that recently partnered with the Renewable Fuels Association to help educate both consumers and automotive technicians about ethanol. Likis recently visited Argonne National Labs and the Detroit Technical Campus of Ricardo Engines to …
Biofuels Defense Investments Announced
The Obama administration today announced new investments in the biofuels industry as part of the Defense Production Act (DPA). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Navy and Department of Energy jointly announced $30 million in federal funding to match private investments in commercial-scale advanced drop-in biofuels. The Energy Department is also announcing a total of $32 million in new investments …
Pacific Ethanol Looks to Raise $12 Mil in Stock Sale
Pacific Ethanol, Inc. makes an underwritten public offering to sell 28 million units at $.43 a share expected to raise $12 million. This company press release has details: Each unit consists of (i) one share of common stock; (ii) one warrant to purchase one share of common stock (“Series I Warrant”); and (iii) one warrant to purchase 1/2 of a …
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 …
Edeniq Producing Cellulosic Ethanol in California
A California-based biofuels company officially launched its Corn to Cellulosic Migration (CCM) pilot biorefinery this week. The CCM biorefinery is located at the headquarters of Edeniq in Visalia, California. According to the company, the pilot plant’s technologies can be used as bolt-on technology to existing facilities to allow the use of other feedstocks such as corn stover, switchgrass, sugarcane bagasse, …
Ethanol Production Expected to Grow this Year
New numbers show that, globally, ethanol production will be up just slightly this year. In the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance’s Global Annual Ethanol Production Forecast, the group that represents about two-thirds of the world’s ethanol production in 44 countries says production of the green fuel should hit 85.2 billion litres in 2012. This comes despite the worries about the world’s …
Likis Learns About Ethanol and Engines at Argonne
Automotive expert Bobby Likis is learning more this week about the latest research into ethanol and car engines to bring to his audience on the Car Clinic Network. “I’m amazed at all the research and development going on with new fuel technology with all sorts of engines to include hydrogen, ethanol, ethanol blends, diesel and dual fuels,” he said during …