The next generation of ethanol plants will be producing both food and fuel. ICM, Inc. has announced that ethanol biorefineries investing in the company’s newest technology by the end of this year will be capable of commercially producing both food and fuel in 2010. The announcement was made during ICM’s customer meeting at the annual Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW) in …
FEW Welcome
The 2008 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop is getting started in Nashville and is expected to attract some 4,000 visitors from around the globe. This is the 24th year for the event that started out with just a few dozen dreamers. The FEW this year will offer 23 technical workshops on topics such as cellulosic ethanol, non-food feedstocks, water utilization and …
Study Finds Oil Impacts Prices More Than Policy
Government biofuel policies affect fuel and farm commodity prices, but the price of a barrel of oil can have even larger effects. That is the conclusion of a report by the University of Missouri Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI). The study researched biofuel scenarios based on 500 random draws of possible weather, production and other market influences. The …
Ethanol Credited for Lowest National Gas Prices
Nationwide, the average cost of gas has hit a record $4 a gallon, which means some areas, like California, the average price has topped $4.50 a gallon. But in Missouri, the average price of $3.82 a gallon is the lowest in the nation – in part because of ethanol. The state implemented a ten percent ethanol mandate this year, which …
Ethanol is “Ugly Baby”
Ethanol is “an ugly baby but it’s ours and it will move cars,” according to billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens. Speaking at the Oil and Gas Investor’s Energy Capital Forum in Houston Tuesday, Boone emphasized that he prefers the less-than-perfect fuel over imported oil because there is “no question” that America must embrace alternate energy sources to alleviate the $700-billion …
Investment Banks Bank on Alternative Energy
A growth sector focused investment bank is hosting its annual Alternative Energy Conference today at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York. The Thomas Weisel Partners one-day event will focus on the opportunities and challenges of the Alternative Energy industry for 2008 and the future. The conference will showcase presentations from over 30 established and emerging public and private companies, …
Suncor Expands Ethanol Production in Canada
The largest ethanol facility in Canada is becoming even larger. Suncor Energy has announced plans for a $120 million expansion of its St. Clair Ethanol Plant. The expansion is expected to double the plant’s ethanol production of 200 million litres per year to 400 million litres annually. Expanding ethanol production is part of Suncor’s plan to invest $750 million in …
Algae-ethanol Coming Soon
Well, just as soon as I posted the previous story about Solazyme making the world’s first algae-based biodiesel to meet American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D-975 specifications, I found a story about a producer that plans to make ethanol out of algae. This story from Reuters says Algenol Biofuels has big plans for making the green fuel south …