Farmers in north central Iowa have harvested 61,000 tons of corn crop residue to produce cellulosic ethanol, but delivery to POET’s Project LIBERTY plant in Emmetsburg is contingent on funding of a federal program that provides incentives for biomass production. Some 100 farmers are waiting for word on the status of the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) in the 2012 …
Nebraska Ethanol Coalition to Promote FFV Awareness
A new grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be used to promote flex fuel vehicles, flex fuel pumps, and driver education in Nebraska, one of six states that will be working with the FlexFuel Vehicle Awareness Campaign. The Nebraska Ethanol Industry Coalition (NEIC) will be heading up the statewide project with partners including the Nebraska Ethanol Board, …
Cellulosic Ethanol Still Needs to Get Cheaper
A cost comparison study between corn based and cellulosic ethanol has found that corn is still the cheapest way to make the alternative fuel. The study, published in the international journal Biofuels, Bioproducts & Biorefining, concludes that “the production of ethanol from lignocellulose-rich materials such as wood residues, waste paper, used cardboard and straw cannot yet be achieved at the …
First Commercial Flight Made on Advanced Biofuel
The friendly skies of United Airlines are now friendlier for the environment as subsidiary Continental flew the first commercial flight on advanced biofuel yesterday. “United is taking a significant step forward to advance the use of environmentally responsible and cost-efficient alternative fuels,” said Pete McDonald, United’s executive vice president and chief operations officer. “Sustainable biofuels, produced on a large scale …
Biodiesel Industry Pleased with Supreme Court Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear a case brought by petroleum interests against the Environmental Protection Agency over the expanded Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2). The petition made by the National Petrochemical Refiners Association (NPRA) and the American Petroleum Institute (API) was rejected by the District Court of Appeals in December 2010. The petition filed in March 2010 claims that …
Europe Charges US With Unfair Ethanol Imports
The association which represents European ethanol producers is requesting that the European Commission take action “against unfair imports of fuel ethanol from the United States.” ePure claims that U.S. ethanol policy has encouraged production to the point that it can be sold at much lower prices on the world market. “Massive and sudden imports of US ethanol, combined with unfairly …
GROWMARK Watches Energy Markets
One of the benefits of membership in the GROWMARK cooperative system is daily information about the energy markets and recommendations on contracting fuel at different times of the year. Harry Cooney is manager of customer risk management for GROWMARK Energy and he is constantly keeping an eye on the energy complex, especially gasoline, propane and diesel fuel. He says the …
Nebraska Corn Completes Ethanol Co-Product Research Initiative
A three-year initiative by Nebraska corn growers to fund research into feeding the ethanol co-product distillers grains to cattle has resulted in some new breakthroughs. The initiative created a beef cattle advisory committee to work with University of Nebraska researchers to identify research projects that would benefit cattle producers and the Nebraska Corn Board then provided funding for the projects. …
Ethanol Industry Left Out of Hearing Again
The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology’s Subcommittee on Energy and Environment is holding a hearing today on “Conflicts and Unintended Consequences of Motor Fuel Standards” with a witness list that the ethanol industry claims is biased against biofuels. “This is the second time this year that this subcommittee has held a hearing on ethanol without bothering to include …
Contract Awarded for Florida Waste to Fuel Plant
Vogelbusch USA has been awarded a contract to supply the ethanol distillation and dehydration equipment for the INEOS Bio waste-to-bioenergy facility near Vero Beach, Florida. “We chose Vogelbusch’s distillation and dehydration systems for their proven capabilities, which are vital as we commercialize our advanced bioenergy technology,” said Mark Niederschulte, COO of INEOS Bio. “Our project is on schedule, and we …