GM Performance Division’s Ecotec-powered Bonneville Student Project Chevy Cobalt SS set a 172.680 mph land speed record this month at the Bonneville Salt Flats in its final run using E85 ethanol. The car was converted to run on E85 by three female engineering student interns – 19-year-old Heather Chemistruck from Virginia Tech University, 21-year-old Lauren Zimmer from Purdue University and …
Andretti Makes History
Mario Andretti sure was proud Sunday as his 19-year-old son Marco won his first Indy race in Sonoma, California on the Infineon Raceway. That was race number 13 of the season, just one more to go this year on ten percent ethanol before the big switch to 100 percent next year. Meanwhile, Team Ethanol can be proud of Sunday’s race. …
Growing Fuel In Trees
A tree that can reach 90 feet in six years and be grown as a row crop on fallow farmland could provide an additional feedstock for biofuels production. According to a Purdue University release, researchers Clint Chapple and Rick Meilan (pictured with trees) are using genetic tools in an effort to design trees that readily and inexpensively can yield the …
Purdue Energy Summit
Next week, Purdue University and U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar will host an energy summit to discuss industry and policy perspectives on how our nation can significantly reduce its dependence on foreign oil. Richard G. Lugar-Purdue Summit on Energy Security will bring more than 600 leaders to the Purdue campus in West Lafayette, Ind. to discuss national energy issues and policy. …
Absolutely Ethanol
Absolute Energy and its farmer-owners broke ground on a new facility near St. Ansgar, Iowa today. That’s Absolute, with an “e” on the end, for ethanol. These guys are planning on making alcohol for energy, not to be confused with Absolut, the vodka. When complete, this state-of-the-art biorefinery will produce 100 million gallons of ethanol and 320,000 tons of distillers …
Blue + Yellow = Green
Garst Seed Company is showing its true colors. The company recently launched its Blue + Yellow = Green (BYG) initiative. Blue signifies Garst’s leadership in the seed corn industry, while yellow represents kernels of corn bred to enhance ethanol production. Added together, they create green — the color representing the environmental and earth-friendly renewable fuels such as ethanol, as well …
Johanns on Food vs. Fuel
I had the opportunity for a 15 minute interview with Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns today in Kansas City. I was wearing many hats, so I had to ask him questions on several topics, but I did get in a question about food versus fuel when it comes to ethanol. Basically, the short answer is – use all you want, …
US BioEnergy Groundbreaking
A ground-breaking event will be held Friday in Hankinson, N.D. on August 25 for US Bio Hankinson, the biggest ethanol plant in North Dakota. (see previous post). The 100 million gallon per year ethanol plant, being constructed by US BioEnergy Corporation, will consume approximately 36 million bushels of corn and will produce 320,000 tons of distillers grain annually.
Ethanol Ok in OK
Oklahoma Sustainable Energy LLC is well on its way to building a 55 million gallon a year plant in Enid, OK. The Alva (OK) Review Telegram reports that a Monday meeting for potential investors drew “scores of area residents” interested in hearing about the plan. The group hopes to obtain 449 investors for the project which needs a minimum of …
Another One?
Alternative Energy Sources, Inc. of Kansas City, which just announced last week that it is in the process of building the “first cellulosic plant” in the country, (a claim disputed by SunOpta) today announced plans to build a 110-million-gallon ethanol plant 65 miles south of Chicago in Kankakee, Ill. According to a company release, AENS has optioned the entire 248-acre …