Range Fuels has been held up as the poster child for commercializing cellulosic ethanol and the company has now raised $100 million to build a 100-million-gallon-a-year plant in Georgia. Range Fuels has also received a US Department of Energy grant and other venture funding in an effort to get the plant up and producing at least 20 million gallons of …
Marathon to Make 16 Midwest Terminals E10 Only
Several Midwest terminals for Marathon Oil will carry only E10 blended fuel starting May 1. According to the company, Marathon Oil Corporation will switch to 100 percent ethanol-blended fuel at 16 Midwest terminals located in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. Specific locations are Indianapolis (86th Street) and Muncie, Ind.; Louisville (Algonquin), Ky.; Detroit (Refinery Rack), Romulus, Niles (South), Bay …
Safely Moving Ethanol
Several ethanol producers are among the winners of the 14th annual CSXT Chemical Safety Excellence Award which reflects commitment to rail car maintenance and safety as well as continuous safe tank car loading. To be eligible for the award, companies must ship 600 or more railcars per year on CSXT and have zero non-accidental releases during the year. Among the …
Transitional Ethanol
On Saturday in Indiana, Presidential candidate Barack Obama echoed what a Nobel laureate in physics said Wednesday in Nebraska – corn-based ethanol is a transitional technology. During a campaign stop in corn country over the weekend, the Terre Haute News reports that Senator Obama was asked what he thought about corn-based ethanol. Obama answered, “We spend a billion dollars a …
Global Marketing of Cellulosic Technology
South Dakota-based KL Process Design Group has signed an agreement with O2 Diesel Europe to market their cellulosic process globally. According to the companies, the agreement secures O2Diesel’s rights to expand KL’s cellulosic to ethanol fuel production technology in Europe, India, Russia and other rapidly developing global markets. KL announced the start up of the first commercial small scale wood …
Putting Water Use in Perspective
Among the emerging issues highlighted at last week’s Ethanol 2008: Emerging Issues Forum was water usage. Greg Krissek, Director of Government Affairs for ICM, put water use in context. “Basically, three to four gallons of water per gallon of ethanol is used in the ethanol plant,” Krissek says. “A little over one gallon actually touches the corn in what we …
Nebraska Starting Ethanol Producer Association
By the end of 2007, over three-quarters of the gasoline sold in Nebraska contained ethanol. There are currently 21 ethanol production plants in Nebraska, producing over 1.3 billion gallons of ethanol each year, and the state ranks second nationally in ethanol production. Nebraska’s first ethanol plant, now known as Chief Ethanol Fuels in Hastings, began production in January, 1985. At …
Missouri-Kansas Becoming Green Rivals
When you live in this part of the country, you KNOW how big of rivals Kansas and Missouri are. This hatred goes all the way back to before the Civil War! I’ve even known people who would actually spit after they spoke the other state’s name. Officials at MU and KU have tried to tone down the rhetoric by calling …
Long Term Lending Support Needed
At today’s Ethanol 2008: Emerging Issues Forum one of the speakers was Dave Vander Griend, President/CEO ICM, Inc. Dave spoke about financing new technologies and the move toward a market based incentive system. I spoke with him afterward. He says that he continues to believe that the ethanol industry is solid and that there are opportunities. Right now he says …
Ethanol Industry Counters Attacks
The Renewable Fuels Association countered attacks from the food processing and petroleum industries this week with fact checks. Referencing news stories about statements made by officials with Valero Energy and Pilgrim’s Pride, RFA President Bob Dinneen said, “To put the blame for rising commodity, food and energy prices solely at the feet of the American ethanol industry is misleading and …