Denver-based chemical and biofuels company Gevo is buying a Minnesota ethanol plant to produce isobutanol. The company will acquire Agri-Energy’s ethanol production facility in Luverne, Minnesota and will begin mechanical retrofitting of the plant upon closing. Isobutanol production is expected to begin by the first quarter of 2012, but in the meantime, the facility will continue to produce ethanol. Company …
Ethanol Companies Post Strong 2nd Quarter Profits
Several companies that rely on ethanol as a part of their business have reported strong financial results for the 2nd Quarter. According to The Andersons earning reports, the company’s net income for the 2nd Quarter surpassed the $25 million mark, almost $10 million more than what was reported during the same quarter in 2009. The company attributes much of the …
Verenium Reports Positive Second Quarter
Verenium Corporation announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2010 and the outlook is positive. On the enzyme side, the company reported increased total product revenue by 27 percent for the 2nd Quarter compared to the 2nd Quarter in 2009 and a 15 percent increase in revenue over 1st Quarter sales of this year. In the biofuels space, …
POET to Begin Biomass Harvesting in Texas
This week, POET will begin biomass harvest research in corn fields near Navasota, Texas. This is part of an ongoing effort to learn more about the most efficient ways to harvest and store biomass for cellulosic ethanol production. Project LIBERTY, the country’s soon-to-be largest corn cob and corn stover cellulosic-to-ethanol plant, located in Emmetsburg, Iowa, is also engaged in biomass …
Oodles and Oodles of Biomass, Oh My!
There are several barriers to the success of converting biomass to biofuels including harvesting, transportation and storage. But of these three challenges, one of utmost importance is not only how to store the biomass but how long can it be stored without compromising the feedstock? The most advanced commercial scale corn stover to ethanol project in the U.S. is Project …
ACE Honors Corn Growers for Ethanol Promotion
The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) honored corn growers for their efforts in promoting ethanol at the 23rd Annual Ethanol Conference and Trade Show in Kansas City this week. The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and 11 corn grower states were recognized by ACE with the “Paul Dana Marketing Vision Award” for their support in making the BYOEthanol campaign possible. …
RFA: EPA Overestimates ILUC Emissions
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has sent another letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding what they call errors in the calculations of biofuels’ carbon intensity under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2). In the August 4th letter, RFA writes, “according to [EPA’s] own analysis, EPA grossly overestimated potential emissions from land use change (LUC) attributable to the [greenhouse gas] …
Murphy Oil Looks to Grow Biofuels Business
One of the country’s most touted, and failed, ethanol concepts may be sold. Last year, Hereford Biofuels, the first commercial scale plant in the country intended to operate using methane from cattle operations, went belly-up. Construction was halted when owner, Panda Energy, an energy firm based in Dallas, Texas, sold the plant to creditors earlier this year for a reported …
ACE Update on Ethanol Blender Pumps
One year ago at the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) conference in Milwaukee, the BYO Ethanol campaign was launched as a joint effort between corn-producing states, ACE, and the Renewable Fuels Association with the goal of installing more blender pumps nationwide. Today that effort is more important than ever as the industry is face to face with the 10 percent …