Green Plains Buys Two Former VeraSun Plants

Cindy Zimmerman

Green Plains Renewable Energy will acquire two former VeraSun ethanol plants located in Nebraska, to make it the fourth largest ethanol producer in the U.S. Addition of these plants will increase the Company’s ethanol production capacity by 45%, from 330 million to 480 million gallons per year. “The acquisition of the plants in Central City and Ord lowers our cost …

Ethanol, Facilities

Hope Meets Destiny

John Davis

The nation’s first eco-sustainable city, which will use biodiesel, ethanol, solar and wind sources to power the community and its green industries (such as building solar panels), has been selected as one among 16 founding projects of the for former President Bill Clinton’s Climate Positive Development Program. This press release from Destiny, Florida says the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) program …

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News, Solar, Wind

Senate Bill Would Change Renewable Fuels Standard

Cindy Zimmerman

A bill was introduced in the Senate this week that would keep the Environmental Protection Agency from using non-scientific data when determining greenhouse gas emissions. The bill introduced by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is a companion to legislation introduced last week by Collin Peterson (D-MN), the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. Like the House bill, Grassley’s bill improves several …

Biodiesel, Environment, Ethanol, Government

Advanced Biofuels Workshop Agenda Announced

Joanna Schroeder

Don’t miss out on the Advanced Biofuels Workshop during this year’s Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW). This dynamic one-day event will focus on technology, feedstock management, market challenges, R&D activities, and near-term policy developments supporting advanced biofuels. In addition, the workshop will emphasize the provisions of the RFS and current efforts to commercialize, low-carbon, advanced biofuels technologies. The workshop takes place …

Biodiesel, biofuels, Cellulosic, conferences, Ethanol

Ethanol Lobbyists Top on the Hill

Cindy Zimmerman

There are literally thousands of registered lobbyists who regularly walk the halls of the nation’s capitol buttonholing lawmakers to talk up the benefits or detriments of some piece of legislation to their particular organization members. Political insider publication “The Hill” made a list the week of who they consider to be the nation’s most influential association lobbyists – and two …

Ethanol, Government

Sunoco Wins Bid for NY Ethanol Plant

Sunoco spokesman Thomas Golembeski said that this aquisition would supply 25 percent of the ethanol Sunoco needs to blend into gasoline to meet renewable-fuels standards. He noted that Sunoco was attracted to the Northeast Biofuels plant in Volney, NY because it was close to Sunoco’s main operations in the Northeast. Golembeski also said the company hoped to save some money …

Ethanol

Making Ethanol from Solid Waste

John Davis

Canadian waste-to-biofuels technology company Enerkem has received North America’s first unconditional commercial permit to produce advanced biofuels, in particular, ethanol, from sorted municipal solid waste. This company press release says Enerkem GreenField Alberta Biofuels (EGAB) received the pemit to make the ethanol at a facility in Edmonton, Alberta: “This unprecedented project is set to change the dynamics of the waste …

Ethanol, News

Watermelons Could Source Ethanol

The National Watermelon Association began working with the USDA in 2006 to see if the 700-800 million pounds of blemished melons (and late-season melons that are not worth it for big farms to harvest) could find another life as ethanol instead of being plowed back into the ground. ARS researcher Wayne Fish has found a way to get about 7/10ths …

Ethanol

World Ag Congress Discusses Biofuels

Cindy Zimmerman

Biofuels from the perspective of India and East Africa, as well as Europe and the United States, were part of the discussion at the World Ag Congress in St. Louis on Tuesday. Henk Joos with London-based D1 Oils moderated the panel focusing on an integrated approach to biofuels. He stressed that the purpose of the panel was to find solutions. …

Agribusiness, algae, Audio, Biodiesel, Ethanol, International

Sunoco Offers $8.5 Million for Ethanol Plant

Philadelphia-based Sunoco outbid companies that offered $1 million for the plant. Northeast Biofuels creditors claim they owe about $172 million. Many of the creditors have filed objections to the proposed sale. Now a bankruptcy judge must approve the sale. The plant achieved “Mechanical Completion” on July 30, 2008 and “Interim Completion” on August 24, 2008. The plant was supposed to …

Ethanol