Loan Guarentee Offered for Cellulosic Ethanol Plant

Cindy Zimmerman

The government is paving the way for the nation’s first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in Iowa.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the announcement today of a $105 million loan guarantee to support the development of Project LIBERTY, sponsored by POET and located in Emmetsburg, Iowa.

“This project will help decrease our dependence on oil, create jobs and aid our transition to clean, renewable energy that is produced here at home,” said Secretary Chu. “The innovations used in this project are another example of how we are seizing the opportunity to create new economic opportunities to win the clean energy future.”

“Projects like the one we are announcing today show that our investments in next generation biofuels are paying off,” said Secretary Vilsack. “Project LIBERTY will produce up to 25 million gallons of ethanol per year, create over 200 jobs, and generate millions of dollars in revenue for the local economy. This project is an important step in the Obama Administration’s effort to break our nation’s unsustainable dependence on foreign oil and move toward a clean energy economy.”

According to POET officials, the plant will ultimately produce up to 25 million gallons of ethanol per year, generate approximately 200 jobs during construction and 40 permanent jobs at the plant, and bring approximately $14 million in new revenue to area farmers.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, POET

Load Toad Available for Ethanol Producers

Chuck Zimmerman

The Load Toad™ was on the loose in Indianapolis last week.

The patented Load Toad™ technology that evenly distributes distillers’ dried grains onto rail cars was unveiled for the first time at the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop in Indianapolis, IN. It was first announced at the end of last year.

“The Load Toad is used with conventional loading to enhance the process by pushing product out into the void space of the rail cars,” said Joel Bordewyk, Associate Mechanical Engineer with POET, which developed the technology for their plants. The technology was installed in POET plants in 2010, and those plants have been able to load 3-5% more DDGS into each car.

“It goes straight to the bottom line,” Bordewyk explains. “If you can ship 19 rail cars instead of 20 and each week you are cutting more and more rail cars out of your fleet, it’s just more profit.”

Listen to an interview with Joel who explains all about the Load Toad: Load Toad Interview

2011 FEW Photo Album

Our coverage of the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop is being made possible by the Renewable Fuels Association.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, POET

Corn Growers Proud to Promote American Ethanol

Chuck Zimmerman

At the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop last week, the CEO of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) accepted an award for promoting the advancement of ethanol on behalf of the corn industry as a whole.

“It’s more of an award for the people that I work with, the farmers, our leaders, our great staff, the state groups,” said Rick Tolman after accepting the ethanol industry’s High Octane Award. “I think it reflects how committed we are to this industry, how much we have gotten engaged and involved.”

One way that NCGA has gotten involved in a big way in the promotion of ethanol recently is the commitment to the American Ethanol NASCAR program, which Tolman says has exceeded his expectations. “I think it’s one of the best things we’ve ever done,” he said. “It still has real potential to be a game changer for ethanol.”

Tolman says that NASCAR has proven to be a wonderful partner. “When they first came to us 2-3 years ago, I was impressed then that they did their homework. They knew the myths and the misinformation,” Tolman said. “They’ve been first class from day one.”

Listen to or download an interview with Rick Tolman here: Rick Tolman Interview

2011 FEW Photo Album

Our coverage of the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association.

Audio, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NASCAR, NCGA

ZimmPoll Results for GIPSA Rule Proposal

Chuck Zimmerman

The ZimmPoll is not a scientific, statistically valid measurement of any demographic but rather a gauge of opinion and other information from interested readers. Never has that been more evident than this past week when our poll was highly influenced by a concerted campaign to do so by R-Calf in response to a post Cindy did, “GIPSA Dominates Senate Committee Hearing.” The R-Calf campaign helped generate most of the 112 comments posted there. Unfortunately, most of them are nothing more than personal attacks on Senator Pat Roberts. They do little to foster a constructive “debate.” I considered not approving many of them but figure common sense people will see them and realize the movement behind them and take them for what they’re worth. There are some good, reasoned comments mixed in from both sides of the issue at least. We’re just happy to provide a public forum for this very important issue.

So, the results of our last poll which asked the question, “What do you think of USDA’s proposed GIPSA Rule?” are as follows: 68% say Love it, 18% say Kill it, 10% say What’s GIPSA? and 4% say Good concept but needs changes. The R-Calf position is in favor of the proposal and I think that’s clearly reflected in the results. By the way, the poll generated the most responses we’ve had to a ZimmPoll to date. What do you think about this issue if you haven’t already weighed in? Feel free to make a comment.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “What’s the very first thing you check online each day?” Let us know what you think.

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

ZimmPoll

Iowans Have Saved $50M in Fuel Costs in 2011

Joanna Schroeder

Looking to save some cash on fuel costs? For those who can’t reduce your driving should consider filling up with ethanol or E10 to be exact. Drivers in Iowa who have fueled up with E10 in 2011 have saved $50 million during the first five months of the year according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA).

Ethanol sales in the state have remained steady at 75 percent of total gasoline sales totaling over 500 million gallons from January through May. The Iowa Department of Revenue released the figures and also noted that E10 blends averaged a 10-cent savings compared to E0 (100 percent gasoline) during that this time frame.

“Having just celebrated the Fourth of July weekend, Monty Shaw, Executive Director of IRFA said it is important to remember that Iowans choosing E10 will keep more money in their wallets. “With high crude oil prices driving up the cost of nearly everything we buy, from food to clothing, it is nice to know ethanol is helping to reduce high gasoline prices.”

This is not the only proof that ethanol saves all consumers money at the pump. A recent study by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University found that consumer savings from ethanol goes far beyond the price reduction at the pump. In fact, in 2010, Midwestern consumers saved an average of $1.37 per gallon because ethanol expanded the fuel supply and helped to drive down the cost of all gasoline products, regardless of ethanol content.

“Today, 25 percent of the gasoline produced from domestic resources is ethanol,” added Shaw. “Having ethanol as an affordable, domestic alternative to high priced foreign oil is paying big dividends – for consumers, for jobs, and for energy security.”

biofuels, Ethanol

Country’s First B20 Biodiesel Bus Retired

Joanna Schroeder

Medford, New Jersey’s, and possibly the country’s, first bus to run on a 20 percent blend of biodiesel (B20) has been retired. The 1998 International bus consumed more than 28,000 gallons of biodiesel during its lifetime and allowed children to ride to and from school and other events surrounded by cleaner air.

The bus was first fueled with B20 on November 17, 1997 and during its tenure logged 190,000 miles without ever needing any major engine work. In addition, the bust still has its original fuel injectors and pump. So if the bus is in mint condition why is it being retired? Because New Jersey has a mandatory school bus retirement age.

Joe Biluck, Director of Operations and Technology for the Medford, NJ Township Board of Education, sees the bus as symbolic of the biodiesel industry’s challenges and achievements over the past 13 years. Furthermore, he points out that many of the children who rode the bus back in 1997 are now in their early 20s. He hopes that exposing those children and thousands of others over the past 13 years to a “real world” application of how renewable energy can be a successful alternative to fossil fuels has helped shape their views as adults about the importance of sustainable energy.

Biodiesel

Biofuels Arrive in Tarrant, Alabama

Joanna Schroeder

Biofuels have arrived in Tarrant, Alabama. Pacific Pride Services, a subsidiary of Wright Express Corporation, has announced that in partnership with Quality Petroleum of Alabama the opening of the first Commercial Fuel Center offering both biodiesel for fleet customers as well as ethanol. The new location is Quality Petroleum’s eighth Pacific Pride Fuel Center in Alabama and joins more than 1,000 centers across the U.S. and Canada.

“We are excited to bring a clean new commercial fueling center to Tarrant. The biodiesel offered at our center will give fleets an even greater variety of environmentally friendly fueling options,” said David Melton, Vice President of Quality Petroleum of Alabama. “Tarrant is a hub of commercial trucking fleet activity and we look forward to being a part of the community for many years to come.”

Gregory D. Iverson, President of Pacific Pride Services added, “Pacific Pride is proud to partner with innovative petroleum marketers to bring valuable fuel management and alternative energy solutions to businesses with commercial vehicles. The 24-hours, seven-days-a-week facility will also seek to prevent fraud and monitor transaction security for all of its private and municipal fleet customers.”

Biodiesel, biofuels, Ethanol

Hot Springs Microbe May Hold Key to Biofuel Production

Joanna Schroeder

Researchers from the University of California Berkeley and the University of Maryland School of Medicine have discovered a microbe in a Nevada hot spring that enjoys eating cellulose (aka plant material) at temperatures above the boiling point of water, 109 degrees Celsius or 228 degrees Fahrenheit. This microbe could hold a key in developing technologies to improve the breakdown of cellulose, an important step in turning biomass to biofuels. The research is being published today in the online journal, Nature Communications.

The hyperthermophilic microbe was discovered in a geothermal pool and is only the second member of the ancient group Archaea known to grow by digesting cellulose above 80℃. In addition, the microbe is the most heat tolerant enzyme found an any cellulose-digesting microbe including bacteria.

“These are the most thermophilic Archaea discovered that will grow on cellulose and the most thermophilic cellulase in any organism,” said coauthor Douglas S. Clark, UC Berkeley professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. “We were surprised to find this bug in our first sample.”

Robb and his colleagues collected sediment and water samples from the 95℃ (203℉) Great Boiling Springs near the town of Gerlach in northern Nevada and grew microbes on pulverized Miscanthus gigas, a common biofuel feedstock, to isolate those that could grow with plant fiber as their only source of carbon.

The discovery is part of research being led by Clark and his team at UC Berkeley along with a team led by Frank T. Robb U-MD School of Medicine in Baltimore. Their goal was to analyze microbes from hot springs and other extreme environments in search of enzymes that could be used in industrial processes including biofuels.

Today, many of the enzymes used are not optimized for extreme temperatures. For example, according to Clark, a fungal enzyme is used to break down difficult plant cellulose into its constituent sugars to enable them to be fermented by yeast into alcohol. However, the preferred temperature is around 50℃ (122℉), and the enzyme is not stable at higher temperatures desirable to prevent other microbes from contaminating the reaction.

“Our hope is that this example and examples from other organisms found in extreme environments – such as high-temperature, highly alkaline or acidic, or high salt environments – can provide cellulases that will show improved function under conditions typically found in industrial applications, including the production of biofuels,” said Clark who noted that this discovery was interesting because it indicates that there are a lot of potentially useful microbes in places that haven’t yet been looked at.

The research is supported by a grant from the Energy Biosciences Institute.

biofuels, Research

ExxonMobil to Offer Biodiesel at Four Texas Terminals

Joanna Schroeder

ExxonMobil will soon offer ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) blended with biodiesel for the first time at four rack terminals in Texas. ExxonMobil will offer ULSD with up to a 5 percent biodiesel blend in Irving, Texas and North Houston beginning this summer. They will also also the fuel via third party terminals located in Tyler, Texas and Pasadena, Texas.

According to an article by OPIS, exact details on when the fuel will be sold is not available. However, the company has plans to offer a similar product in other regional markets. Also not confirmed, but the industry believes the move was spurred by the renewable diesel mandates as set by the Renewable Fuel Standard. As use of biodiesel is increasing, investments have also increased to improve biodiesel infrastructure.

“As America’s first fully commercialized Advanced Biofuel, the biodiesel industry looks forward to working with ExxonMobil and other petroleum partners to continue to seamlessly improve the infrastructure and grow the domestic diesel fuel pool,” said Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board.

Biodiesel, NBB

Renewable Energy Production Surpasses Nuclear

Joanna Schroeder

Renewable energy production has surpassed nuclear energy production in the U.S. according to the latest issue of Monthly Energy Review published by the Energy Information Administration. Production of alternative energy is also beginning to close in on domestic oil production.

During the first three months of 2011, energy produced from renewable energy sources (biomass/biofuels, geothermal, solar, hydro, wind) generated 2.245 quadrillion Btus of energy equating to 11.73 percent of U.S. energy production. During this same time period, renewable energy production surpassed nuclear energy power by 5.65 percent. In total, energy produced from renewables is 77.15 percent of that from domestic crude oil production.

When looking at all energy sectors, production of renewable energy has increased by a little over 15 percent when compared to first quarter of 2010, and by more than 25 percent when compared to the first quarter of 2009. Of this total, biomass/biofuels accounted for approximately 48 percent of this total followed by hydropower at 35.41 percent, wind at 12.87 percent, geothermal at 2.45 percent and lastly solar at 1.16 percent.

Despite a seemingly low number for solar power, when compared to first quarter last year, solar power has increased by 104.8 percent while wind power increased by 40.3 percent. Hydropower and geothermal energy also increased by 28.7 percent and 5.8 percent respectively. While nuclear energy has seen a slight increase in power generation, for the most part it has remained steady.

“Notwithstanding the recent nuclear accident in Japan, among many others, and the rapid growth in energy and electricity from renewable sources, congressional Republicans continue to press for more nuclear energy funding while seeking deep cuts in renewable energy investments,” said Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign. “One has to wonder ‘what are these people thinking?’”

biofuels, biomass, Electricity, Geothermal, Hydro, Solar, Wind