ACE Conference 2026

Biodiesel Consulting Group Expands

Cindy Zimmerman

leeBiodiesel consulting firm Lee Enterprises of Little Rock, Ark., has announced plans for expansion in 2012 into ethanol, biomass, wind, solar and geothermal, and the addition of consultants and strategic partners.

“We are currently the world’s largest biodiesel consulting group, and most of our consultants and strategic partners are already very involved in the other alternative fuels,” said principal owner Wayne Lee.

leeLee notes that the group’s current appraiser, environmental expert, QA experts, and grant writers have backgrounds and experience in these areas, and that the group’s larger strategic partners – Stoel Rives (legal), Christianson & Associates (accounting), IMA of Kansas (insurance), FCStone Merchant Services (feedstock financing), and Executive Leadership Solutions (staffing) – already have very significant presences in these other alternative fuels sectors. “Our goal over the past several years has been to put together a top notch team of the best biodiesel experts in the world”, says Lee. “I am quite satisfied that we have accomplished that goal and now address almost every need in the biodiesel sector.”

“I am a firm believer in biodiesel as the best alternative to diesel fuels and I strongly believe in its future” says Lee. “But, the overall solution to the world’s oil dependency rests with all the alternative fuels working together”. As a result, Lee wants his consulting group to be able to provide the same depth of assistance for all kinds of alternative fuels as they currently provide for biodiesel.

Biodiesel, biomass, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Geothermal, Solar, Wind

Post Office Goes Green for the Holidays

Cindy Zimmerman

uspsThe U.S. Postal Service may be in the red but they’ve been promoting going green this holiday season.

“The Postal Service is one of the greenest mailing and shipping companies in the world,” said Thomas G. Day, chief sustainability officer. The eco-friendly options offered by USPS include mailing and shipping supplies, free package pickup and holiday cards printed on recycled paper available in 2,000 Post Offices.

“We have a ‘fleet of feet’ delivering mail the greenest way possible, by walking,” Day added. “Nearly 9,000 of our carriers will be delivering holiday mail on foot this season. And we also have nearly 80,000 ‘park and loop’ routes, where carriers will drive vehicles from the Post Office to neighborhoods and then deliver those holiday packages and cards on foot.”

The Postal Service will have delivered a total of 16.5 billion cards, letters and packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve using various alternative fuel vehicles in the largest civilian fleet in the world of 215,000 vehicles. Alternatives utilized by USPS include three-wheeled electric vehicles with zero gas emissions that operate at a cost of only 2 cents a mile, as well as vehicles that can operate on compressed natural gas, propane, ethanol, and fuel cell. There’s also 30 large all-electric trucks delivering holiday mail in Manhattan.

Electric Vehicles, Environment, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Natural Gas, Propane

USDA Report Shows No Cropland Growth for Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

The amount of land in the United States devoted to growing crops declined between 2002 and 2007, which indicates that increased ethanol production is not using up more land.

usdaAccording to the report, “Major Uses of Land in the United States 2007,” total cropland was down by 34 million acres in 2007 to its lowest level since 1945. Cropland accounted for 18 percent of the total land area in the country – the third largest land use behind forest (30%) and grassland (27%).

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president Bob Dinneen said the new report shows increased ethanol production has not resulted in expansion of total U.S. cropland or a decline in grassland and forest.

“Using real data from the real world, this report from USDA shows yet again that U.S. cropland is not expanding in response to increased ethanol demand,” said RFA President Bob Dinneen. “The report also shows that forest and grassland increased dramatically during a period when ethanol production more than tripled.”

The smallest total use of land in the U.S. is urban at 61 million or three percent. However, while urban land use accounts for the smallest percentage, the USDA report shows that it accounts for the biggest increase in land use, quadrupling between 1945 and 2007, increasing at about twice the rate of population growth over
this period. Urban land use increased almost 2 percent from 2002 to 2007.

“It is ironic that the land use debate has fixated on biofuels, when the actual culprit of land conversion has clearly been urban and suburban sprawl,” Dinneen said. “Subdivisions full of mini-mansions, big box stores, shopping malls, and parking lots are encroaching on productive farmland across the country.”

Read the USDA report here.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, RFA, USDA

Ethanol Racing Fuel Firm Gets Paul Dana Award

Cindy Zimmerman

If not for the vision of Paul Dana that ethanol could fuel Indy Racing cars, Ignite Racing Fuel might never have existed.

brownfieldThe Indiana company this week received the 2011 Paul Dana Excellence in Bioenergy Leadership Award from the state department of agriculture. The award was established to honor the memory of Indy Racing League driver Paul Dana who was killed in a racing accident in 2006 after seeing the fulfillment of his dream that the IRL adopt ethanol as a racing fuel.

Indiana Agriculture Director Joe Kelsay (pictured far right), presented the award to Jay Berry and Reggie Henderson of Ignite Racing Fuel during a ceremony on Monday at the governor’s residence. In an interview with Brownfield Network’s Meghan Grebner, Berry said the award provides another way to help spread the word about how ethanol performs on the track. “A few years ago we went into several racing conventions and no one would talk to us – ethanol was kind of the red-headed step child for fuels.” But, Berry says they’ve been able to get ethanol in enough people’s hands that they can see its performance. For that, he says they are thankful.

brownfieldPaul Dana’s brother Greg, pictured here with Berry, was also on hand for the award presentation. He says the award means a great deal to the Dana family. “We’re honored that folks remember Paul and remember the work that he did, both on the race trace and off,” said Dana. “What Ignite has done is bring to fruition what Paul was working on 6-7 years ago to bring ethanol to all the grassroots racing in the country.”

Dana says increased use of ethanol is very important for not only the industry, but for farmers, the state of Indiana and the entire country.

Thanks to Brownfield Network for the photos and interviews. To listen to all of Meghan’s interviews with Greg Dana and Jay Berry, here is the link to the Brownfield Network story.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Indy Racing

South Dakota has $950,000 for Blender Pumps

South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard says $950,000 in grants will be made available through the Governor’s Office of Economic Development to help pay for the installation of blender pumps and associated infrastructure at retail gas stations across the state.

Funding for the grant program was made possible by a partnership between South Dakota Ethanol Producers and the State of South Dakota. During the 2011 legislative session, South Dakota Ethanol Producers agreed to a reduction in ethanol producer payments while temporarily allocating a portion of their remaining ethanol producer payments to the blender-pump grant program and a portion to the Revolving Economic Development Initiative fund. South Dakota produces about one billion gallons of ethanol a year, and blender pumps allow motorists to select their desired blends of gasoline and ethanol.

“By making more ethanol blends available, we are improving producer opportunities, creating jobs, and stabilizing our domestic fuel supplies,” says Gov. Daugaard.

South Dakota was the first state in the nation to allow ethanol blender pumps. More than 100 pumps currently help support South Dakota’s 15 ethanol plants and nearly 900 South Dakotans directly employed by the industry.

Grant awards up to $25,000 are available for installation of a station’s first blender pump. Grant awards up to $10,000 are available for installation of each additional pump. The majority of the grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis; the final 20 percent will be awarded competitively. Informational meetings about the blender pump grant program will be held in January. Meeting times and locations will be announced at a later date.

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) praised South Dakota for creating the grant program for the installation of ethanol blender pumps.

ACE Director of Market Development, Rick Serie, says, “South Dakota has continually looked at ways to get more ethanol to consumers and this program will go a long way toward supporting ethanol plants, hundreds of South Dakotans employed by those plants, and the thousands of farmers and local owners that benefit from the economic activity created by ethanol production.”

blends, Ethanol

RFA Seeks Answers in 2012 RFS Delay

Today, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) wrote to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson seeking an explanation for the delay in releasing the 2012 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requirements. According to statute, volume requirements for the coming compliance year were due by November 30th.RFA

The entire letter from RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen to Administrator Jackson is as follows:

December 20, 2011

Dear Administrator Jackson:

With fewer than two weeks remaining before a new compliance year is set to begin under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), it is concerning that EPA has thus far failed to announce the volume requirements for 2012 as dictated by the law. Equally concerning is the failure to provide renewable fuel providers and obligated parties under the RFS any explanation for the delay beyond the November 30th deadline set forth by the statute.

The RFS provides critical market certainty for existing ethanol producers, emerging renewable fuel technologies, and motor fuel suppliers that must comply with the RFS. Additionally, the RFS is an important tool in reducing the nation’s dependence on imported oil and creating domestic jobs and economic opportunities that cannot be outsourced. This market certainty is put in jeopardy as long as questions remain about impending RFS requirements and when those requirements will be made final.

With the holidays fast approaching and a new compliance year upon us, we are asking that EPA release its final volume RFS requirements for 2012 as soon as possible. At the very least, EPA should immediately explain the reasoning for the delay, provide guidance to renewable fuel producers and obligated parties, and disclose when release of the final rule might be expected. Quite frankly, this nearly three-week delay in the publication of 2012 RFS requirements is both inexplicable and unacceptable.

The members of the RFA and the entire American motor fuels industry eagerly await your reply.

Sincerely,
Bob Dinneen
President and CEO

Ethanol, RFA

Congress Disappoints Biodiesel Industry

Cindy Zimmerman

Congress has failed to renew the biodiesel tax incentive that will expire at the end of this year and the biodiesel industry is hoping they will turn it around and act quickly in 2012 to save thousands of jobs that have been created thanks to the initiative this year.

“We’re disappointed,” said Anne Steckel, vice president of federal affairs for the National Biodiesel Board. “Jobs and the economy are supposed to be the top priority in Washington, yet Congress has left thousands of workers in limbo heading into the holidays by failing to extend this tax incentive. It’s a missed opportunity, and we are urging Congress to pass an extension immediately next year to limit the economic damage.”

“We appreciate our bipartisan supporters in the House and Senate who worked hard to include the incentive in year-end legislatiohttps://energy.agwired.com/wp-admin/post-new.phpn recently, and we look forward to building on that support when Congress returns,” Steckel added.

The biodiesel industry has seen a remarkable turnaround this year after Congress reinstated its $1-per-gallon tax incentive following a one-year lapse in 2010. When the credit lapsed, dozens of plants shut down and thousands of jobs were lost as 2010 production plummeted to about 315 million gallons, the lowest level since 2006.

Through the end of October of this year, according to the latest EPA figures, the industry had set a new annual production record of more than 802 million gallons and could triple the 2010 production volume by the end of the year.

Biodiesel, Government

Poll Shows Agriculture Support for Ethanol

Chuck Zimmerman

A significant majority believe that ethanol production is a good thing. In answer to this past week’s ZimmPoll question, “Is Ethanol production good for ALL of Agriculture?” 64% said yes and 36% said no. That still shows a large group who aren’t on board the ethanol bandwagon. If you’re in the “no” group let us know why by posting a comment.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “What is your Christmas/Holiday entree?” The holidays are almost here and I’ll be you’ve got plans made already. We sure hope you have a happy holiday time with family and friends.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

corn, Ethanol, Farming, ZimmPoll

Biofuel and Chemicals Made from Wood Biomass

Researchers at Aalto University in Finland have developed a method using microbes from wood biomass to produce butanol suitable for biofuel and other industrial chemicals. Butanol is particularly suited as a transport fuel because it is not water soluble and has higher energy content than ethanol.
butanol
Until now, starch and cane sugar have been the most commonly used raw materials in butanol production. In contrast, the Aalto University study used only lignocellulose, otherwise known as wood biomass, which does not compete with food production.

Another new breakthrough in the study is the successful combination of modern pulp and biotechnology. Finland’s advanced forest industry provides particularly good opportunities to develop this type of bioprocesses.

Wood biomass is made up of three primary substances: cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. Of these three, cellulose and hemicellulose can be used as a source of nutrition for microbes in bioprocesses. Along with cellulose, the Kraft process that is currently used in pulping produces black liquor which already can be used as a source of energy. It is not, however, suitable for microbes. In the study, the pulping process was altered so that, in addition to cellulose, the other sugars remain unharmed and therefore can be used as raw material for microbes.

When wood biomass is boiled in a mixture of water, alcohol and sulphur dioxide, all parts of the wood – cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin – are separated into clean fractions. The cellulose can be used to make paper, nanocellulose or other products, while the hemicellulose is efficient microbe raw material for chemical production. The advantage of this new process is that no parts of the wood sugar are wasted.

In accordance with EU requirements, all fuel must contain 10 percent biofuel by 2020. A clear benefit of butanol is that a significantly large percentage – more than 20 percent of butanol – can be added to fuel without having to make any changes to existing combustion engines. The nitrogen and carbon emissions from a fuel mix including more than 20 percent butanol are significantly lower than with fossil fuels. For example, the incomplete combustion of ethanol in an engine produces volatile compounds that increase odor nuisances in the environment. Estimates indicate that combining a butanol and pulp plant into a modern biorefinery would provide significant synergy benefits in terms of energy use and biofuel production.

advanced biofuels, biobutanol, biofuels, biomass, Research