The planned site of Florida’s first major ethanol facility served as the backdrop for Governor Jeb Bush this week as he signed into law the four-year, $100 million Florida Renewable Energy Technologies and Energy Efficiency Act, designed to encourage the development of alternative fuel technologies in the state. U.S. EnviroFuels is planning a 40 million gallon per year facility at …
Governor Jon Huntsman Likes Ethanol
This morning Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. greeted the interstate convoy. He brought his black Harley to escort us to the Wyoming line. Here you can see him getting ready to saddle up and lead us out of town.
New Ethanol Enzyme Technology
Genencor International, a division of Danisco A/S, announced today the availability of a new acid fungal protease enzyme product for use in the ethanol industry. According to a company release, the new product, called FERMGEN™ will be introduced this week at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Thanks to Erick Erickson in Nebraska for forwarding the release to me.
Sweetening the Ethanol Pot
Brazil makes almost all of its ethanol from sugar, and some US lawmakers in sugar-producing states would like to see more of that here. The question is whether it would be economically viable to do so. AP reports the U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to issue a long-awaited study around July 1 on the viability of converting sugar into …
Famine to Feast?
Just a few weeks ago, the media was focused on there not being enough ethanol to meet the demand with the phase out of MTBE. Now we’re seeing articles questioning if we might be heading toward producing too much ethanol. Forbes’ Dirk Lammers writes “some analysts say the burgeoning industry faces risks of oversupply, volatile commodity prices and a dependence …
Ethanol Truck On Display
Hello from Reno, NV. This is our first stopping point on the road to Washington, DC. It’s been a great day for the kickoff of the AASHTO Celebrate The Interstate Convoy.
Chippewa Valley Celebrates Milestone
Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company in Benson, Minnesota is celebrating a decade in the ethanol industry. The plant opened in 1996 and today is a 45 million gallon per year ethanol biorefinery. In addition to producing fuel ethanol and marketing E85, CVEC also produces a top-shelf vodka under the Shakers brand. According to a Renewable Fuels Association press release, CVEC also …
IRL Doing Well with Ethanol
Indy Car drivers seem pretty pumped about ethanol, according to this Dallas Business Journal article, which quotes Bombardier Learjet 500 winner and two-time Indianapolis 500 winnner Helio Castroneves and 2004 IndyCar Series Champion Tony Kanaan – both Brazilians. The article says the IRL switch to ten percent ethanol this year has been “problem-free” and Dan Layton, spokesman for Honda Performance …
E85 Observations from the Road
I’m not the only one writing about ethanol on the road. So is Rick Tolman, CEO of the National Corn Growers Association. Rick’s posting some road commentary on E85 which you can find on this page. It’s not quite blogging but it’s close. Here’s an excerpt from his last post: