ACE Conference 2026

Software Helps Biodiesel Producer Run Better, Cheaper

John Davis

A Washington state biodiesel maker has used some sophisticated computer software to help it streamline its process and complete a plant upgrade for a lot less money than what it previously would have cost.

General Biodiesel, which turns used cooking oil into biodiesel, has used Autodesk, Inc.’s Digital Prototyping and piping and instrumentation diagramming (P&ID) to upgrade its main production facility in Seattle, saving more than a million dollars on the project and completing it at a fifteenth of the previous cost:

As part of its plant improvements, General Biodiesel used Autodesk Inventor and AutoCAD P&ID software to design a sophisticated pre-treatment system that enables more effective filtering and cleansing of the cooking oil, removing contaminants before the oil is processed and refined. This pre-treatment produces exceptionally clean-burning biodiesel, the lowest carbon diesel alternative available on the market, offering 85 percent less carbon dioxide than conventional petroleum diesel.

The Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program—which provides software for emerging clean tech companies in North America and Europe—enabled General Biodiesel to combine Digital Prototyping technology with AutoCAD-based P&ID design to efficiently implement this state-of-the-art biodiesel production process within its plant, and Autodesk partner IMAGINiT to provide the training to ensure successful deployment of the products.

General Biodiesel was also able to use the AutoCAD P&ID software to generate the bill of materials, making for accurate reports and saving money through greater efficiency.

Biodiesel

Ag Secretary Vilsack to Keynote Cellulosic Biofuels Summit

Joanna Schroeder

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming Cellulosic Biofuels Summit on November 16, 2010 in Washington DC. His topics will focus on several recent announcements from the USDA that established five regional Biomass Research Centers, the funding of five new biorefineries and the final rules for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), a $525 million program designed to help spur the growth of the cellulosic ethanol industry. Most recently, Vilsack was named as the top person in the Biofuels Digest “100 Top People in Bioenergy“.

Other summit speakers include Margo T. Oge, Director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Eric Darmstaedter, CEO, Clearfuels Technology; Harrison Dillon, Chief Technology Officer, Solazyme; Lee Edwards, President & CEO, Virent Energy Systems; Neil Renninger, Chief Technology Officer, Amyris Biotechologies; among others. In addition, representatives from all the major ethanol organizations will also be speaking.

The 5th annual summit is set for November 15-18 at the Almas Temple Club and Stoel Rives LLP has come on board as the platinum sponsor. Registration is still open and there is currently a 25 percent discount on the standard registration rate.

biofuels, Cellulosic, conferences

Ethanol Industry Files Against California LCFS

Cindy Zimmerman

The ethanol industry is proceeding with its lawsuit against the state of California over a rule that they claim would shut corn ethanol out of that state.

Renewable Fuels Association LogoLate yesterday, the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy filed papers in U.S. District Court in California asking the federal court to declare that California’s low carbon fuels standard (LCFS) violates the U.S Constitution.

The groups filed their suit on December 24, 2009. On June 16, the federal court overruled a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, permitting the ethanol groups to proceed with their claims.

Growth EnergyThe two groups issued a joint statement on the filing. “With these papers filed in federal court, the ethanol industry is seeking a preliminary injunction, as well as summary judgment, to halt implementation of the regulation. Our argument is that the regulation as written is unconstitutional and injurious to the domestic ethanol industry, and we don’t believe a full trial is needed to decide that.”

A hearing on the motions is scheduled for February 23, 2011.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Growth Energy, RFA

New Global Biofuels Alliance Announced

Joanna Schroeder

Five biodiesel companies have come together to launch an new biodiesel lobbying organization called the Global Biofuels Alliance, Inc. The effort was led by HERO BX, one of the country’s largest biodiesel producers. The first goal of the organization is to focus on reinstating the Biodiesel Blenders Tax Credit, which expired on December 31, 2009.

According to Mike Noble, co-founder of the alliance and President of HERO BX, the group is a nonprofit organization designed to support energy independence for the United States. Target members include representing small to midsize biofuels producers, traders, marketers, distributors, and other interested biofuels parties. The group was formed as an alternative to what Kevin Gorman, Chairman of the Board of Global Biofuels Alliance and President of Nextfuels, Inc., based in San Francisco, says is a “more narrowly focused National Biodiesel Board.”

“I think to be honest with you, we are trying to get an organization out there that represents the group and try to let the Senate and Congress know what needs to be done,” Gorman said in the Erie Times. “We need to create a viable industry where we can grow.”

The five founding members, each contributed $25,000 to get the organization off the ground which included hiring Brad Davis as the new Chief Executive, who was formerly the president of Lake Erie Biofuels. The group hopes that it grows to more than 100 companies. While the tax credit is of utmost concern to the group today, ultimately their goal is to help the country achieve energy independence.

Biodiesel, biofuels

Corn Growers Adopt New Logo

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Corn Growers Association has unveiled a new logo for their identity. It’s the first time the organization has adopted a new brand in many years.


“In August, we reached a record membership level of 36,216 individual dues paying members,” said NCGA President Bart Schott, a corn farmer in Kulm, N.D. “We’ve also got a record number of entries in our National Corn Yield Contest as it approaches its 50th year, and more and more of our growers are becoming more involved in our organization.”

“We are always taking a fresh look at how to approach what we do and just as farmers embrace new technology and new ideas for their fields, so too it has become time to embrace a new look and feel for our national organization,” Schott added. “This new symbol for our association reflects our movement forward as a team working to create and increase opportunities for corn growers, and harvesting progress along the way.”

corn, NCGA

Get Out and VOTE!

Cindy Zimmerman

voteHopefully everyone reading this will be wearing one of these “I Voted” stickers by the end of today – well, assuming your polling place has them. Mine didn’t this morning and I was quite disappointed. It’s kind of like getting ashes on Ash Wednesday – wearing it is a reminder to others of what day it is.

Much is being made about this year’s election, with many calling it one of the most significant in our lifetime. Fact is, every election year is significant. Voting is the single most important act we can perform as citizens of a free country.

Take advantage of it and VOTE – NOW!

politics

Political Odd Couple to Highlight Ethanol Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

America’s most well-known political odd couple will be the keynote speakers for the 2011 National Ethanol Conference, February 20-22 in Phoenix.

rfa 2011According to the Renewable Fuels Association, James Carville and Mary Matalin will “present an enlightening and entertaining look at today’s most important political issues and a behind-the-scenes look at how the outcome of the 2010 Congressional elections will affect Congress and the 2012 Presidential campaign.”

Co-authors of the national best seller All’s Fair: Love, War, and Running for President, Matalin and Carville are key players on the national political stage—they each have over 30 years of experience in politics and have worked for every president over the last three decades. They combine their unique experiences to provide audiences with a stimulating, candid and provocative conversation from both sides of the political aisle.

The theme of the 2011 conference is “Building Bridges to a More Sustainable Future” and there is lots more on the agenda for the premier education and networking opportunity for the ethanol industry. Information on the full agenda, registration and sponsorship opportunities is available on-line.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, RFA

Biofuels Journal Ethanol Workshop A Success

Joanna Schroeder

The third annual BioFuels Journal Commercial Ethanol Technology and Research Workshop, in partnership with the American Coalition for Ethanol, was a success with nearly 100 attendees coming to St. Joseph, Missouri. This workshop is unique in that it focuses on bolt-ons for existing ethanol plants and new technologies for advanced biofuels. According to Myke Feinman, Publisher of BioFuels Journal, the audience was very positive, especially as they learned that advanced biofuels are here now, not five years down the road. This spurred a lot of conversation on how to get banks to free up financing for plants to invest in the new technologies.

Feinman said one of the most exiting presentations was delivered by Doug Rivers, Director of Research and Development for ICM, Inc. Rivers spoke about ICM’s Total Kernel Optimization Program and reflected on the potential for corn dry grind plants to utilize the fiber in corn as an additional feedstock for cellulosic ethanol right at the plants.

The technology is featured in LifeLine Foods’ fractionation plant, based in St. Joseph, Missouri, and is one of only five dry grind ethanol plants currently operating in the U.S. Attendees were able to tour the plant as part of the workshop.

In addition, Feinman said economist John Urbanchuk gave a very well-recieved talk on the economics of ethanol and how it positively impacts the economy, such as adding millions of dollars. He pointed out that rural communities with ethanol plants are prospering, not because of the 40 to 50 jobs it created, but because of the additional market for the farmers corn and all the additional dollars pumped into the community by the plant and its connected businesses.

For those who missed the workshop, you can access the speakers’ presentations on BioFuels Journal’s website. and Feinman said they will be hosting their next workshop in the fall of 2011.

biofuels, conferences, Ethanol

Army Highlights Biodiesel Use at Ft. Bragg

John Davis

Ft. Bragg might be the home of the U.S. Army’s Airborne soldiers (by the way, as a former Air Force guy, we land those planes … you don’t have to jump out!), but the North Carolina post soon could be known as the home to clean air, born of biodiesel!

The Fayetteville (NC) Observer reports that the Army recently highlighted biodiesel during Ft. Bragg’s recent Green Living & Design Tour:

Fort Bragg is now served by seven separate shuttle routes. The buses are powered by B-20 fuel, which is 20 percent biodiesel fuel and 80 percent petroleum diesel fuel, and are hybrid electric diesel buses. Emissions reduction is about 20 percent and may be as much as 70 percent with hybrid technology, according to the Fort Bragg green tour fact sheet…

Fort Bragg has the ability to transform used cooking oil into biodiesel.

Eric Torres, who works in Pollution Prevention with the Environmental Compliance Branch, travels to 24 dining facilities with a 55-gallon drum and picks up cooking oil from storage tanks.

A processor turns 50 gallons of oil into 45 gallons of biodiesel, which is used in some forklifts and other heavy machinery around post.

The Directorate of Public Works is using these batches of biodiesel in two forklifts and a skid steer.

A Special Forces unit also is testing the biodiesel in one of its skid steers…

The Directorate of Public Works hopes to use biodiesel in all of its vehicles, then spread it to all the directorates on Fort Bragg, Torres said.

The Army could have produced 12,000 gallons of biodiesel last year, if all of the used cooking oil would have been turned into the green fuel. Officials hope to acquire a newer, bigger processor soon.

Biodiesel, Government

Growth Energy Names New President

Cindy Zimmerman

Growth Energy has announced former congressman Jim Nussle as new president and chief operating officer of the ethanol organization, starting today.

Jim Nussle (pictured left) is a former eight-term Congressman from Iowa and served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush. He has served on the Board of Directors of Growth Energy since February 2009.

growth energy nussle buisGrowth Energy CEO Tom Buis says Nussle will provide immediate value to the organization. “Jim’s experience on Capitol Hill and his ability to manage large teams will be huge assets to Growth Energy,” Buis said. “As a former Iowa Congressman, he also possesses the knowledge of ethanol and agriculture that will allow him to hit the ground running and be a powerful advocate for America’s ethanol supporters.”

Nussle noted that he is looking forward to the opportunity to work full time on behalf of the ethanol industry. “While representing the 1st District of Iowa for 16 years, I witnessed the positive impact that ethanol production had on rural America,” Nussle said. “Over the past few years as a Director at Growth Energy, I’ve seen the benefits of ethanol to the entire country. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work full-time on behalf of America’s ethanol supporters, so that our nation can benefit even more from this clean, green, renewable fuel.”

As President and COO, Nussle will be responsible for Growth Energy’s day-to-day operations, including revenue growth, budget, expenses, communications, and other non-lobbying associated activity.

*POST UPDATE* Interview with Jim Nussle

I just talked with Jim Nussle about his new role in Growth Energy as President and COO. We discussed his background, the new job, what he sees as the challenges facing the ethanol industry, the Obama administration’s support of biofuels and what a new Congress will mean for ethanol. Listen to that interview here: Jim Nussle Interview

Audio, Ethanol, Growth Energy