The ethanol industry is responding to legislation proposed by U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss) and David Vitter (R-La) to block the continued roll-out of E15. The Senators claim the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acted irresponsibly with its approval of the ethanol blend and claim that E15 will cause a negative impact on families and businesses should E15 be allowed in …
If You’re Not Extracting Corn Oil, Why Not?
Ethanol producers need to squeeze every penny out of their operations. But one expert in the field of corn oil wonders why some refiners aren’t trying to capture the corn oil produced when they make ethanol. “It seems to be a fundamental piece of ethanol plant profitability,” Joe Riley, General Manager with FEC Solutions told Joanna during the recent Iowa …
Urban Air Initiative Worried About Stocks, Not Ethanol
Ethanol is good for taking harmful particles out of automobile emissions, but a group committed to cleaner air is worried that gasoline makers might just end up putting more particulates in the blendstock. “The [ultra-fine particulates] profile of the ethanol is very, very consistent,” but Greg Krissek, Director of Government Affairs for ICM, part of the Urban Air Initiative, told …
Best DC Fly-In Ever!
Saying that the American Coalition for Ethanol’s (ACE) DC Fly-In will be the best ever may be a bit premature but not if I can help it. The fifth annual event will happen on Wednesday, March 13 and Thursday, March 14, 2013 in Washington, D.C. where ACE members and other ethanol supports will descend on the Hill and tell the …
Car Makers Take Stage at Ethanol Conference
Representatives from General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen and Mercedes Benz talked “Future Fuels and Higher Octane” at the National Ethanol Conference last week in Las Vegas. Kristy Moore, Vice President, Technical Services, Renewable Fuels Association moderated the panel and said the manufacturers are facing some real challenges. “They are under significant pressure to create a vehicle that meets these regulatory …
President Calls for More Sustainable Energy
Citing a need for increasing jobs and combating climate change, President Obama pledged to do more to “speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy” during his 2013 State of the Union address. Four years ago, other countries dominated the clean energy market and the jobs that came with it. And we’ve begun to change that. Last year, wind …
Most Entertaining Panels at Ethanol Conference
As always, the Global Perspectives and Washington Insiders panels at the National Ethanol Conference were as entertaining as ever. The panels routinely feature representatives from other organizations that may not share the same viewpoint of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), allowing the opportunity for some interesting dialogue. Global Renewable Fuels Alliance spokesperson Bliss Baker served as the moderator/referee for the …
Abengoa to Use ICM Oil Separation System
The ICM Advanced Oil Separation™ System (AOS™) will be deployed at Abengoa Bioenegy plants Madison, Illinois and Mt. Vernon, Indiana. The AOS™ is a specially-designed combination of equipment that utilizes an ICM-proprietary, patented process to maximize the recovery of non-food-grade bio-oil from emulsion concentrate after the centrifugal separation of mid-stillage (syrup). Installation of the two corn oil extraction systems is …
“Phantom Fuel” is Real
It’s ironic that the “Phantom Fuels Reform Act of 2013” was introduced in the Senate on Thursday at the same time a panel discussion on “Dispelling the Myth of the Phantom Fuel” was going on at the National Ethanol Conference where four different cellulosic biofuels companies talked about how they will be making commercial quantities of the fuel this year. …
EPA Addresses E15 Issues
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced a solution to address specific concerns about retail sales of 15% ethanol (E15) ensuring that gasoline with up to 10 percent ethanol is available at each station when also offering the higher octane fuel E15. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Director of Market Development Robert White explains that the solution will eliminate the need for …