Biomass refinery developer ZeaChem today announced the successful production of ethanol at a capacity that can be scaled to commercial production. According to a news release, ZeaChem’s results have been confirmed by third party vendors and the company will now demonstrate the integration of its biorefining processes at its 250,000 gallon per year Boardman, Oregon biorefinery, announced earlier this month. …
EPAC’s 20th Annual Conference Kicks Off
Montana’s Director of Agriculture Ron De Yong presented opening remarks this morning followed by a video greeting from Senator Max Baucus, Senator Jon Tester and Representative Dennis Rehberg. The session that followed, The Journey Begins. . . “The OFEC (Old Fogie Ethanol Coalition) Perspective” included presentations from Shirley Ball, Larry Johnson of LLJ Consulting and Business Development, Dave Hallberg of …
23rd Ethanol Conference Just Around the Corner
It’s hard to believe that the 23rd Ethanol Conference and Trade Show is just around the corner. This year’s event will be held in Kansas City on August 3-5th and there is a lot of excitement surrounding the conference. To get an update on what attendees will be able to learn during the event, I sat down with Brian Jennings, …
Need For Research On Grain Quality and Ethanol Production
You may be interested to know how grain quality affects ethanol production and DDGs. If so, then you would interested in Leland McKinney’s presentation at the Corn Utilization and Technology Conference, held recently in Atlanta. I spoke with him to learn about his research on this topic. Leland is Extension State Leader in the Dept. of Grain Science at Kansas …
Corn Growers Say Now is Time for Ethanol
No time like Independence Day to renew the call for renewables to increase our energy independence. This week, with Congress preparing for an Independence Day recess prior to debate on a new energy bill, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is stepping up its campaign to ensure that corn-based ethanol is part of the formula that brings our country to …
Senators Call for Increasing Ethanol Blend Rate
Midwestern senators are calling on the Obama administration to stop delaying testing that would allow an increase in the blend rate of ethanol in gasoline to 15 percent. In a letter to President Obama, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and six other senators expressed concern that the Department of Energy (DOE) has not yet completed testing higher blends of ethanol …
Growth Energy Sets Key Ethanol Policy Issues
There are many key priorities for the ethanol industry right now and so I spent some time with Growth Energy’s CEO, Tom Buis to learn more about the political priorities the association is currently working on. Buis began by explaining that a lot depends on what actions Congress will take on the energy front. He mentioned that our country has …
Florida Farm to Fuel Summit Coming Up in August
As the nation’s worst oil spill in history threatens the Gulf Coast’s energy, tourism and fishing industries, Florida is continuing efforts to promote the production of renewable energy from biomass resources in the Sunshine State. For the fifth year in a row, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson will host the Farm to Fuel Summit, August 11-13 at the Rosen Shingle …
E85 Pumps Get UL Approval
After nearly four years of Underwriters Laboratory (UL) testing, certifications have finally been issued to both the Gilbarco Veeder-Root Encore® E85 fueling dispenser and the Dresser Wayne Ovation® Eco fueling E85 dispenser. These fuel pumps are now completely certified and approved for dispensing any range of fuel ethanol from E0 through E85. “The final UL certification of both the Gilbarco …
Ethanol Industry Pleased With USDA Biofuels Report
USDA’s “Roadmap to Meeting the Biofuels Goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard by 2022” released on Wednesday gives all the right directions as far as the ethanol industry is concerned, now they want to see it actually hit the road and make it to the destination. Releasing the report, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “The current ethanol industry provides a …