ACE Conference 2026

USDA Announces Biofuels Initiatives

Cindy Zimmerman

As part of the Obama Administration’s effort to promote production of fuel from renewable sources, create jobs and mitigate the effects of climate change, Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a series of measures during a speech to the National Press Club in Washington.

“Domestic production of renewable energy, including biofuels, is a national imperative and that’s why USDA is working to assist in developing a biofuels industry in every corner of the nation,” said Vilsack. “By producing more biofuels in America, we will create jobs, combat global warming, replace our dependence on foreign oil and build a stronger foundation for the 21st century economy.”

The Secretary announced several measures, including the publication of a final rule to implement the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). Under the BCAP final rule, USDA will resume making payments to eligible producers. The program had operated as a pilot, pending publication of the final rule. Authorized in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, BCAP is designed to ensure that a sufficiently large base of new, non-food, non-feed biomass crops is established in anticipation of future demand for renewable energy consumption.

The nation’s largest ethanol producer, POET, welcomed finalization of rules for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), saying it will help launch the biomass market near the site of their planned cellulosic ethanol plant. “The 85 farmers we have contracted with to deliver 56,000 tons of biomass this fall are nearly finished harvesting, so the final BCAP rule comes not a day too soon,” said Jim Sturdevant, Director of Project LIBERTY for POET. “We will now apply for our cellulosic ethanol plant to become an approved Biomass Conversion Facility (BCF) so that local farmers can become eligible for matching payments for the biomass they will soon deliver.”

POET is in the midst of the world’s largest commercial harvest of biomass for cellulosic ethanol. Farmers around Emmetsburg, Iowa are baling corn cobs and light stover for delivery to POET. In order to store the bales, POET recently completed construction of a multi-million dollar stack yard next to where the first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant will be built.

Read more about Vilsack’s announcement here.

bioenergy, biofuels, biomass, Ethanol, Ethanol News, POET, USDA

Report: US Military to Get Off Petroleum by 2040

John Davis

A group that develops national security and defense policies says the American military needs to be ready for a future without petroleum. If recent tests … and testing to come … are any indication, our warfighters are already preparing for that contingency through the use of biofuels.

This article from EV World says the Center for New American Security’s (CNAS) 36-page study entitled “Fueling the Future Force: Preparing the Department of Defense for a Post-Petroleum Era” should be alarming:

Prepared in close consultation with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, as well as the major branches of U.S. Armed Forces and other government agencies, the key authors — Christine Pathemore and John Nagl — conclude that the military has three decades to dramatically reduce its dependence on petroleum, the fuel that powers 77 percent of the America’s fighting machinery.

Why the urgency and why get off of oil? Soberingly, CNAS analysts project the United States has just 11 years of reserve-to-production (R/P) capacity. Neighboring Canada, our largest external supplier, 28 years. Meanwhile, Venezuela, Iraq, Iran, the Emirates and Saudi Arabia all have 100 years of R/P capacity.

Parthemore and Nagl state in the introduction to their paper…

To ready America’s armed forces for tomorrow’s challenges, DOD should ensure that it can operate all of its systems on non-petroleum fuels by 2040. This 30-year timeframe reflects market indicators pointing toward both higher demand for petroleum and increasing international competition to acquire it.

The report goes on to say that the DoD needs to also take into account the economic costs of petroleum: every $1 increase in the price of a barrel of oil costs the Department of Defense an additional $130 million.

It looks like military planners are already preparing for the petroleum-less future. If you might remember from my post last March 25, 2010, the U.S. Air Force has flown the first A-10 … aka the Warthog … on a blend of biomass jet fuel. And Joanna’s article from yesterday points out the Navy will be testing a biofueled boat on Friday.

Government

Biodiesel Meeting RFS2 Requirement

John Davis

The new Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) has been in effect for 90 days, and biodiesel is meeting the requirement in the first quarter of the standard’s existence.

Biodiesel Magazine reports the green fuel is making it, despite the loss of the federal biodiesel tax credit:

Despite the sharp decline in biodiesel production after the expiration of the tax credit, Gary Haer, vice president of sales and marketing for Renewable Energy Group Inc., said there is enough volume to satisfy prescribed RFS2 requirements. He added that 1.8 billion gallons of capacity are currently registered with the U.S. EPA. The current obligation under the new RFS2 rule is 1.15 billion gallons. “There’s more than enough capacity already registered with the EPA to address the current and foreseeable future need of biomass-based diesel RINs for the industry,” he said.

Coleman Jones, biofuels implementation manager for General Motors of North America, said through July the biodiesel industry produced about 210 million gallons. “At that current rate we would produce another 150 million gallons more, which would push that total to 360 million gallons,” he said. “This is significantly short of the 650 million-gallon inferred mandate for 2010; however, there are enough 2008 RIN credits to bridge the difference between the cost of biodiesel and their petroleum competitors.”

According to analysis put out by the National Biodiesel Board and EPA, approximately 350 million gallons would have to be produced for the remainder of the year. Haer said that would provide the RINs necessary for carry-forward provisions allowed from 2008-2009 to meet the current obligation.

The article goes on to point out that the loss of the federal blender tax credit has caused instability in the market, and with original engine manufacturers concerned about producer behavior, there are concerns RIN prices could spike as obligated parties scramble to meet their quotas. That could cause some biodiesel producers to rush into production, hurting the quality of biodiesel.

Biodiesel

North Dakota A Leading State for Ethanol Blends

Joanna Schroeder

While many retailers across the country will look at offering consumers mid-level blends of ethanol now that the EPA has approved the use of E15 for cars and light duty trucks manufactured after 2007, North Dakota already has a competitive edge. Since May of this year, 60 blender pumps have been installed in the state with the help of the North Dakota Corn Growers Association and the North Dakota Department of Commerce.

“The blender pump program has partnered our eastern corn fields with the western oil fields of North Dakota and will be a model for the rest of our nation to become less dependent on foreign oil,” states Tom Lilja, Executive Director of the North Dakota Corn Growers Association.

The state’s blender pump program provides retailers a $2,500 grant per pump from the North Dakota Corn Council and the state offers an additional grant of $5,000. In addition, the “Blend Your Own Ethanol” campaign is also aiding retailers with installation. The BYO Ethanol Program is jointly executed by the American Coalition of Ethanol and the Renewable Fuels Association and is also supported by the National Corn Growers Association and several state corn grower organizations.

“The use of biofuels is growing rapidly in this country, and we are happy to be able to supply these different fuel options to our customers,” said Kent Satrang, CEO of Petro Serve USA and one of the retailers who has taken advantage of the state grants for retailers to install blender pumps.

Blender pumps typically offer consumers mid-level ethanol blends including E20 (20 percent ethanol/80 percent gas), E30 and E40. Most pumps also offer E10 as well as E85 and now that E15 is approved, many retailers may add that to their fuel mix. To ensure consumers who don’t have flex-fuel vehicles don’t unknowingly fill their tanks with mid-level ethanol blends, the pumps are clearly labeled.

ACE, blends, E85, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

ILUC From Corn Ethanol “Minimal to Zero”

Joanna Schroeder

In a report that will be published soon,”Decomposition Analysis of U.S. Corn Use for Ethanol Production from 2001-2008,”the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory concludes that the indirect land use change (ILUC) as a result from the expansion of corn ethanol production over the past decade has likely been “minimal to zero.” The study was requested by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which has appointed several teams of expert working groups to assess the methodology and data that went into California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

In response to the news, Geoff Cooper, the Vice President for Research and Analysis for the Renewable Fuels Association remarked, “The most recent work on ILUC is showing that ethanol expansion in the U.S. simply isn’t incurring the type of land use changes that were originally hypothesized. The initial results recently presented by the Department of Energy are further proof that America can continue to meet its global responsibilities to provide food and feed, while simultaneously providing a cleaner, domestic alternative to petroleum—all without needing to bring new lands into agriculture.”

The results of the study were released during the last CARB meeting focused on ILUC held last week. The time frame reviewed was during 2001-2008, when the U.S. ethanol industry more than quadrupled. The researchers concluded, “Empirical evidence does not support significant effects on U.S. commodity exports [and] other crops or cropland expansion in the U.S.”

“This should put the stake into the heart of the bizarre ILUC scheme. Here are some of the best scientists in the country – scientists who have no stake in the game – who found that ethanol had little to no impact from ILUC,” said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy. “We must ask why California insists on going forward with a regulation that is based not just on controversial theory, but a theory that has been disproven.”

Coinciding with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s research, a paper published in Environmental Science & Technology and authored by Bruce Dale and other researchers at Michigan State University, “Biofuels Done Right: Land Efficient Animal Feeds Enable Large Environmental and Energy Benefits,” found that significantly larger volumes of biofuels can be produced without incurring ILUC.

“Using less than 30% of total U.S. cropland, pasture, and range, 400 billion liters (106 billion gallons) of ethanol can be produced annually without decreasing domestic food production or agricultural exports. This approach also reduces U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 670 Tg CO2-equivalent per year, or over 10% of total U.S. annual emissions, while increasing soil fertility and promoting biodiversity. Thus we can replace a large fraction of U.S. petroleum consumption without indirect land use change,” the authors concluded in the paper.

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Indirect Land Use, Research

Navy to Fuel Boats with Biofuels

Joanna Schroeder

There will be a Wrigtht Brothers reenactment on Friday as the U.S. Navy prepares to fuel a boat with biofuels. Okay, so I fibbed a bit in the lead….it’s a boat, not a plane, and the boat will be fueled by biofuels and not jet fuel, but you get the point. The full power demonstration of a Riverine Command Boat (experimental) powered by a blend of 50 percent algae-based biodiesel and 50 percent NATO F-76 fuel will be groundbreaking. And in case you’re wondering, this bit of history will take place on October 22, at Naval Base Norfolk, Virgina.

“Our primary mission for Navy energy reform is to increase warfighting capability, both strategically and tactically. From a strategic perspective, we are reducing reliance on fossil fuels from unstable locations,” said Rear Admiral Philip Cullm, Director of the Chief of Naval Operations Energy and Environmental Readiness Division (OPNAV N45), which leads the Navy’s Task Force Energy. “Tactically, efficient use of energy resources extends our combat range and use of non-petroleum fuels assures multiple supplies are available.”

The Naval Sea Systems Command’s advanced fuels program office is leading the tests and demonstration for all alternative fuels used for the U.S. Navy. The office is also working in coordination with the Task Force Energy Maritime Working Group, supports the Secretary of the Navy’s efforts to reduce total energy consumption on naval ships.

algae, Biodiesel, biofuels

Flux Capicitor Travels in Time to Return With Algal Fuels

Joanna Schroeder

Just in time for the 25th anniversary of Back to the Future, the flux capacitor is back in action. Only this time, it’s not taking us back in time – it’s bringing us fuel. Last week, a bubble-maker that mimics the flux capacitor in looks alone, was awarded the Royal Society’s Brian Mercer award for innovation, a £250,000 prize. The money will help bring the technology to market. The technology received the award due to its ability to transform the cost and effectiveness of growing algae for biofuel, treating sewage and cooling computers.

The machine was invented by Prof Will Zimmerman, a chemical engineer at the University of Sheffield. His muses were children and how they blow bubbles. “If you blow slowly and steadily, you blow a big bubble, but we use our fluidic oscillator to blow short puffs and make small bubbles,” explained Zimmerman to the Guardian.

According to the paper, the device has already been involved in several field trials with the goal of diverting the carbon dioxide produced during the manufacturing process of steel plant and routing the CO2 bubbles to algae, which need it to survive and grow. A bonus from the system is that that small bubbles carry away waste oxygen and allow 100 percent of the algae to survive.

“If you sit in your own waste products, it’s not good for your health, it stunts your growth and leads to death,” said Zimmerman. “The bubble-maker also stirs the algae, meaning each cell is better exposed to the light it needs to grow. I call it a five star hotel for algae.”

It appears that both ExxonMobil and Shell have both separately invested in the technology.

“There has been a lot of hype in this area and we think algal biofuels are 10 years from being commercialized, as most of the expertise is in the laboratory at the moment,” said Ben Graziano, Carbon Trust manager of the Algae Biofuels Challenge. “But biofuel from algae can reduce carbon dioxide emissions significantly better than many existing biofuels, and can be sustainable as they don’t need arable land.”

algae, biofuels

Algenol Opens New R&D Algae Lab

Joanna Schroeder

Algenol Biofuels has officially christened its new biofuels and green chemistry lab and R&D facility in Fort Myers, FL yesterday with a ribbon cutting celebration. On hand for the event were U.S. Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.), Lee County Commission Chairwoman Tammy Hall, Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah, and Algenol Founder and Chief Executive Officer Paul Woods. The lab in part, became a reality with a $10 million incentive grant from the Lee County Board of Commissioners.

The 40,000 square-foot facility houses an advanced algae biology, engineering, carbon dioxide (CO2) and green chemistry laboratory, as part of the larger Lee Integrated Biorefinery. An adjoining 4-acre outdoor R&D area and 36-acre outdoor commercialization area will hold the company’s proprietary photobioreactors—the containers that generate ethanol from algae, saltwater and CO2 using Algenol’s patented Direct to Ethanol™ technology.

“Today is a remarkable milestone in our quest to bring algae-based biofuels and bio-based chemicals to commercialization, said Woods during the ceremony. “With the opening of our new biofuels and green chemistry facility, we aim to make Florida a hub for green, clean technology innovation that will create jobs, lessen our dependence on foreign oil and reduce carbon pollution.”

Congressman Connie Mack (FL-14) welcomed Algenol Biofuels and said that the lab was a win for Southwest Florida as well as the state. “This company is a terrific example of how private enterprise can lead the way in alternative energy development. By working together, we can diversify our nation’s energy needs and strengthen our economy,” added Mack.

Algenol is also researching related ethanol products including using ethanol and other green chemicals as a replacement for petroleum in plastic and chemical building blocks. To further is research goals, the company has formed a partnership with Florida Gulf Coast University to assist in establishing programs for students interested in pursuing careers in the green chemistry and biofuels industries.

algae, biofuels, Cellulosic, Ethanol

Illinois Biodiesel Maker Gets Equipment, to Install Soon

John Davis

An Illinois biodiesel maker has secured the equipment it needs to finish its 30 million-gallon-a-year plant.

BN National Trail has bought the biodiesel process equipment from Kreido Biofuels, and it is expected to arrive at Newton, Illinois, near the second largest transportation corridor in the U.S. later this month:

The scalable 30 MGPY facility’s key differentiator is the multi-feedstock capability of the technology, proven in large-scale production in Europe today. This enables BN National Trail to establish purchasing contracts with local feedstock providers who will be able to supply crude soybean, corn oil, or other low-saturated oil at an opportunistically low price throughout the lifecycle of the plant.

“Enhancements from the plant in Newton will come from the advanced feedstock technology program in Budapest where a pilot plant is being expanded to include algae as a feedstock. QSB, a BNE licensed technology will be integrated with the new process equipment,” confirmed CTO Robert Brooks. No timeframe has been provided for when the plant would begin production.

Company officials say being able to buy the equipment provides revenue and moves up BN National Trail’s plans by two years.

Biodiesel

Pennsylvania School Unveils Large Solar Array

John Davis

A Pennsylvania school district has unveiled a solar array that will generate 1.2 megawatts of power while teaching about the power of clean renewable energy.

The Carlisle School District has the 5,192 panel array, designed by Henkels & McCoy, Inc., headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania with panels from Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group. It’s one of the largest arrays in the state:

The new ground-mount solar array includes 1,227 kW of Sharp’s 240 W monocrystalline panels and 9.2 kW of Sharp’s 115 W framed thin film panels, allowing students to study and compare the performance of both technologies. This project was financed in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Commonwealth Financing Authority. The Project was also funded by the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority using monies from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Additional Funding will be provided to the school district under the ACT 129 renewable energy rebate program.

“We’re thrilled that the largest solar installation at a Pennsylvania school district is here in Carlisle,” said John Freind, Superintendent of the Carlisle Area School District. “Bringing the message of the importance of renewable energy sources to our students will help create a greener future. It’s a win for our students, for the state and for the future of our planet,” he said.

“We are very honored to have participated in this landmark and visionary project from the start. It is extremely gratifying to see the involvement of local labor in an initiative with so many benefits to the community. The Carlisle Area School District has our sincere best wishes for long-term success,” stated Rod Henkels, President and CEO of Henkels & McCoy.

“Sharp is delighted to work with Henkel’s & McCoy to help the Carlisle Area School District educate its students about renewable energy while simultaneously reducing its carbon footprint,” said Eric Hafter, senior vice president of Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group. “Renewable energy projects such as this one are not only good for the environment – they’re good for the economy as well as we they create new green jobs here in Pennsylvania and nationwide.”

The Sharp solar panels are built rugged to put up with tough operating conditions, while giving great solar power output.

Solar