Members of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) made a 1,000-mile trip from Des Moines to Washington, D.C. to use a real world situation to bust a bogus claim by Big Oil. In an effort to scare consumers away from ethanol in general and E15 in particular, the oil companies put together a report that showed vehicles using ethanol had …
Consumer Funding Opportunity for Military Solar Project
Mosaic is offering an opportunity for consumers to invest in a U.S. military solar project. Accredited Investors throughout the country, along with non-accredited investors in California, can put their dollars to work by investing in the addition of solar panels on military housing. Mosaic is offering investments in a 12.3 Megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) energy installation across 547 homes at …
More E85 Ethanol Stations, More Supportive Studies
It’s been a pretty good couple of weeks for E85 ethanol, as the green fuel made its way into 24 more stations across the country and got another study with supportive results. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) says there are now 139 stations in the Nation offering E85. Plus the group touted the results of Iowa State University’s Bruce Babcock …
Nebraska Corn Board Highlights Biofuels’ Benefits
Nebraska is home to a lot of corn and soybeans, and the Nebraska Corn Board, with an admitted stake in the success of ethanol and, indirectly, biodiesel, is making the case for the green biofuels. The group does a good job of laying out the facts about just how sustainable and renewable ethanol and biodiesel really are. Greenhouse gas (GHG) …
Wine Chemicals Uncork Biodiesel Potential
Chemicals found in wine could help uncork the potential in biodiesel. Researchers at the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country in Spain are looking into how acetals, chemical compounds found in many wines, can improve biodiesel’s properties. From the point of view of chemistry, acetals are obtained through the reaction of an alcohol and an aldehyde. They are generated naturally in …
Feds Bust Biodiesel RIN Frauder
Federal charges against a company accused of biodiesel Renewable Identification Number (RIN) looks to stop fraud of the green fuel’s federal program. Biodiesel Magazine reports the government is charging an Indiana biodiesel firm with 88 counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, false tax claims, false statements under the Clean Air Act, obstruction of justice, money laundering and securities fraud, for an …
API’s Broken Record
The American Petroleum Institute (API) has submitted a report to Congress regarding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and according to Bob Greco, API’s downstream group director, the RFS is “broken beyond repair”. In a press call, he called the RFS a “reality gap” and argued that with gasoline demand being down decreasing imports and levels of cellulosic biofuels being “disappointing” …
Emotions Mixed on EU Biofuels Vote
There are very mixed emotions with the European Union’s (EU) vote on the biofuels and indirect land use change (ILUC) that took place earlier this week. The EU voted for 6 percent cap. In October of 2012, MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) were voting to cap the amount of land-based and food-based biofuels used in transport fuel. In October, …
ABO Forms Joint Partnership with Japan
The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) and the Algae Industry Incubation Consortium, Japan (AIIC), a group working to commercialize algae biofuels in Japan, announced a cooperative effort to share algae industry best practices and expertise during the International Symposium on Algal Biomass held in Tokyo, Japan. The AIIC contacted ABO for assistance in bringing together global algae expertise as part of …
Better Benchmarks = More Accurate Ethanol Picture
One of the issues ethanol producers struggle with is some outdated information being used to argue against the positive effects of the green fuel. It’s an issue attendees of the recent American Coalition for Ethanol’s (ACE) “Unite and Ignite” conference in Des Moines, Iowa have been facing for some time. In fact, last March, Joanna talked with Ron Alverson, current …