VeraSun Energy, one of the country’s largest producers of ethanol, aims to expand its business as consumers become more educated about the fuel. Marketing Director Melissa Ullerich said VeraSun Energy supplies E85 fuel to more than 90 locations. Melissa said with plants in Aurora, SD, Fort Dodge, IA and Charles City, IA the company produces about 340 million gallons of …
Committee Passes Energy Bill
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has approved energy legislation that calls for 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels use by 2022. The bill also provides the necessary incentives to spur the development of commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol production. The bill received bi-partisan support in the committee, with eight Republicans and 12 Democrats voting in favor of passage. Three Republicans …
US BioEnergy Claims Title of Largest “Pure Play” Producer
US BioEnergy Corporation has announced that with its Albert City and Central City ethanol plants now in commercial production the company can claim the title of “largest pure-play ethanol producer in the United States.” “This is an important milestone for our company and to the revitalization of the American heartland,” said Gordon Ommen, CEO and chairman. “It’s the spirit and …
Taking the Gas Out of Ethanol
Iowa State University researchers are working to cut the use of natural gas from the production of ethanol, which would make it less expensive to make since natural gas is the second largest expense in the ethanol process behind the corn. ISU Mechanical Engineering professor Ted Heindel, says they’re working with Frontline BioEnergy of Ames, Iowa to develop “fluidized bed …
Interview With Cargill’s Teddy
Wayne Teddy is the President of Cargill’s Grain & Oilseed Crush Supply unit for North America. He was on hand this morning at the Paseo Biofuels announcement.
Paseo Biofuels Announced
Dale Ludwig, Executive Director of the Missouri Soybean Association (MSA), was the emcee today for a major announcement in Kansas City, MO.
Developing Corn For Ethanol
I just finished up a day at Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. Although I blogged the event on AgWired I did run into an interesting story about ethanol. Syngenta is developing an amylase enzyme trait into corn which they hope to have on the market by 2008. In this picture a Syngenta scientist is conducting a simple iodine test for starch. That’s because the amylase enzyme speeds up starch conversion to sugar.
Sugar Not So Sweet For Ethanol
Producing ethanol from sugar cane or sugar beets in the U.S. would cost about 2 1/2 times more than it costs to produce it from corn. That is according to a long-awaited USDA study on the economics of producing ethanol from sugar authored by the agriculture department’s top economist Keith Collins. The detailed report compares production scenerios for sugar cane, …
New Mexico Plant Plans
Clovis, New Mexico is the future site of a 105 million gallon a year ethanol plant planned by private equity firms Riverstone Holdings and The Carlyle Group. According to a news release, “the plant will more than triple New Mexico’s ethanol output. New Mexico’s only other ethanol plant, Abengoa in Portales, currently produces 30 million gallons annually.” The plant will …
Broin Pushes Billion Gallon Mark
The Broin Companies are approaching a milestone. According to a release from the development, production, management, and marketing firm, “combining the production from plants now in operation and those currently under construction, the Broin Companies will push past the one billion gallon mark in annual ethanol production.” As the second largest producer in the industry, the Broin Companies have designed …