This edition of “The Ethanol Report” podcast features comments from Renewable Fuels Association Vice President of Research and Analysis Geoff Cooper about recently released studies from the University of Nebraska and the University of Minnesota regarding life cycle analysis and greenhouse gas emissions of ethanol compared to gasoline. Cooper compares the two reports and discusses RFA’s major concerns with the …
Oil Company in Ethanol Partnership Files Bankruptcy
Kansas-based Crescent Oil Company has filed for bankruptcy after failing to make deliveries last week to many retailers the company serves in the Midwest. The sudden move comes just two weeks after Crescent took part in a grand opening for NewGen Fuels, a joint venture with ethanol plant owner/designers ICM and POET. Officials with NewGen say their goal to offer …
Ethanol Groups Criticize Negative Study
Ethanol industry organizations say a University of Minnesota study critical of corn ethanol is flawed. The study, which claims corn ethanol is worse for health and the environment than gasoline, was analyzed in detail by the Renewable Fuels Association. RFA warns “because there is no consensus within the academic community on the best methods for analyzing highly uncertain potential land …
Optimizing Engines for Ethanol
A Michigan-based engineering firm has reportedly developed technology to optimize engines for ethanol. According to a press release from Ricardo, Inc., the technology “optimizes ethanol-fueled engines to a level of performance that exceeds gasoline engine efficiency and approaches levels previously reached only by diesel engines.” The technology, called Ethanol Boosted Direct Injection or EBDI, takes full advantage of ethanol’s best …
Catalyst Could Jump Start Ethanol Fuel Cells
Researchers have developed a new catalyst that could make ethanol-powered fuel cells feasible. The research was done by a team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Delaware and Yeshiva University, and was published online in the January 25 edition of Nature Materials. According to the researchers, the …
Oil Company Bids to Buy Ethanol Plants
Bankrupt ethanol producer VeraSun has announced an agreement to sell a significant portion of its assets to Valero Energy Corporation for $280 million. The deal would involve VeraSun production facilities in Aurora, South Dakota; Charles City, Fort Dodge, and Hartley, Iowa; and Welcome, Minnesota; and a development site in Reynolds, Indiana. Having entered into the Valero agreement, the Company is …
No Deliveries From Oil Supplier in Ethanol Partnership
An oil distributor that is part of a recently-announced joint venture with POET and ICM to deliver new generation fuels caused some panic this week when it failed to deliver old generation fuel to gas stations across the Midwest. Officials with Crescent Oil Company, a fuel supplier for seven Midwest states, had no comment Friday about claims that this week’s …
Ethanol – Right Here, Right Now
The Renewable Fuels Association has released a new television ad focusing on the important role ethanol is playing in our nation’s economic, energy and environmental future by creating jobs, developing new technologies, and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. In just 30 seconds, the ad entitled “Right Here, Right Now” stresses that our energy future starts at home with 180 …
Retired General Tackles Ethanol Land Use Issue
Retired General Wesley Clark today embraced his new role as a leader in the growth of renewable energy. Clark was named co-chairman of Growth Energy during a Thursday morning press conference in Washington DC. “Every gallon of ethanol that we put in our fuel system today is a gallon of imported gasoline that we avoid,” Clark said. “This country is …