Ethanol Plants Improve Efficiency
Ethanol plants continue to increase in efficiency. A new University of Illinois at Chicago study of facilities that produce most of the nation’s ethanol found that the energy needed to make a gallon of the corn-based fuel decreased on average by about 30 percent within the past decade. The study, conducted by Dr. Steffen Mueller at the Energy Resources Center …
“Wrong” to Candidate’s Ethanol, Biodiesel Bashing
A candidate for the U.S. Senate from Iowa has responded to one of his rivals statements calling ethanol and biodiesel subsidies “bologna, bologna” by calling the statement “wrong, wrong!” During the recent debate on Iowa Public TV for the Democratic nomination to face presumptive Republican nominee Sen. Charles Grassley, former state Sen. Tom Fiegen bashed the support for ethanol and …
Everyone Wins in Ethanol Border Battle
Everyone was declared a winner in a Minnesota-Wisconsin border battle this week between two fuel retailers on opposite sides of the St. Croix River. The promotional event on Thursday featured a rush-hour special where both stations sold E85 (85 percent ethanol fuel) at an 85 cents per gallon discount from 4-6 pm. The promotion was supported by the Minnesota Corn …
Ethanol Industry Refutes Global Rebound Theory
First it was the unprovable Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) theory. Now ethanol is being challenged by a new “what goes around comes around” hypothesis called the “Global Rebound Effect.” Earlier this week, the Clean Air Task Force filed suit against the Environmental Protection Agency over the Renewable Fuel Standard for failing “to account for the “global rebound effect” when …
Biodiesel, Ethanol Vehicles Win EcoCAR Challenge
Two biodiesel-powered and one ethanol vehicle took top honors in the latest EcoCAR competition. This press release says a biodiesel extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) from Mississippi State University won first place in the General Motors and Department of Energy-sponsored EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge finals in San Diego, with Virginia Tech earning second place with an ethanol-powered EREV design and Penn …
New Report Shows Ethanol Saves Drivers Money
Memorial Day is right around the bend and this weekend marks the start of summer driving. According to AAA, nearly 28 million Americans are expected to travel this weekend alone, a number curtailed due to environmental concerns as well as concerns caused by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Yet there is good news for drivers as they are saving …
China on Fast Track for Celluosic Biofuel Production
Today COFCO, a leading producer and supplier of processed agricultural products, Sinopec, the world’s third largest oil refinery and Novozymes, the leader in biofuel enzyme development and production, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to take the next steps towards commercial production of cellulosic biofuels in China. As an element of the partnership, COFCO and Sinopec will build a cellulosic …
The Auto Channel Fights for Ethanol
The Auto Channel has been a proponent of ethanol for quite some time and has given favorable coverage to the fuel. This week, Executive Vice President and Co-Publisher, Marc J Rauch, took it up a notch in defense of ethanol. In his piece, “The Auto Channel Fights for the Truth about Ethanol Versus Gasoline,” Rauch writes, “Bob [Gordon] and I …