The Brazilian Innovation Agency, FINEP (Research and Projects Financing), and Brazil’s National Development Bank have entered into a new partnership to promote bioethanol development, providing up to $540 million in financing to the country’s biofuels sector to promote innovation in the field of bioethanol. The funding will be invested in technology projects over the next three to four years, which …
ZeaChem Breaks Ground on Biorefinery
Biomass refinery developer ZeaChem broke ground last week in Boardman, Oregon for a 250,000 gallon-per-year facility that will eventually be used to turn wood and other feedstocks into cellulosic ethanol. The plant will initially use ZeaChem’s technology to produce ethyl acetate, which the company says is a salable chemical intermediate and precursor to cellulosic ethanol. With a grant from the …
E85 Promotions in Minnesota
Cenex Prairie Pride Hwy 59 & 30 Slayton, MN June 10 from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. Schmitty’s 100 Atlantic Ave. Grove City, MN Supporters for the events include: Meeker County Corn Growers, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, US Department of Energy Clean Cities, American Lung Association in MN & the Minnesota Clean Air Choice™ Team, Murray County Corn & Soybean …
Importance of Biofuels in Rural Revitalization
The expansion of biofuels will play a significant role in the revitalization of rural America, according to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “Why not create biofuel refineries and renewable energy plants that create jobs and markets for a product that otherwise might not be valued as much,” said Vilsack during a Rural Summit in Missouri on Thursday. “Why not …
Challenges Undermine Clean Energy Future
“If we refuse to take into account the full costs of our fossil fuel addiction — if we don’t factor in the environmental costs and the national security costs and the true economic costs — we will have missed our best chance to seize a clean energy future.” That is what President Obama said in his speech at Carnegie Mellon …
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 …