New E85 Stations Open in North Florida

Cindy Zimmerman

Renewable Fuels Association LogoThanks to the efforts of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Protec Fuel there are now two new E85 fueling stations near I-10 just west of Jacksonville, Florida.

R H Davis Oil Exxon in Macclenny and Citgo in Glen St. Mary will provide more fueling options to drivers of flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) on the interstate as well as commuters traveling to Jacksonville. R H Davis Oil Company utilized Protec Fuel’s turnkey E85 program that included station design, conversion, fuel supply and financial assistance.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the towns of Macclenny and St. Mary,” said R H Davis Oil President, Max Davis. “With the Chevy Dealership down the road ordering more flex-fuel trucks and cars, we have an increasing amount of Flex-Fuel Vehicle drivers, but we never had the fuel option of E85 to offer them. With these new stations, we are able to offer all of our customers a fuel they desire.”

“We are thrilled for the opening of two new E85 fueling locations in northern Florida,” said Protec Fuel CEO Todd Garner. “With more fuel option developments like this, we will be able improve and increase the use of ethanol throughout the country. We look forward to providing fuel for these new locations.”

“These stations are part of an overall strategic plan to increase the number of E85 stations throughout the Southeast in an area full of FFVs,” said RFA’s Director of Market Development, Robert White. To help find E85 stations while on the road, the RFA has developed a fuel locater application for Garmin and TomTom GPS systems. This application will map out fueling stations closest to the user’s location and their chosen destination.

E85, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

CME Launches Ethanol Co-Product Contract

Cindy Zimmerman

The trading of futures contracts for the ethanol co-product that is used as livestock feed officially began today on the CME Group electronic trading platform, Globex.

Distillers’ Dried Grain (DDG) futures are a physically delivered contract designed to bring price discovery and transparency to the corn crush market allowing customers to better manage their price risk in the feed, livestock, dairy, biofuels, grains and oilseed industries. In addition, DDG futures can be combined with corn and ethanol futures to establish the Corn-for-Ethanol-Crush margin.

The contract will allow ethanol producers to create a complete risk management profile through hedging both inputs (corn, natural gas) and outputs (ethanol and DDGs); otherwise known as the “corn crush”.

More information is available here.

Distillers Grains, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Obama to Visit Ethanol Plant

Cindy Zimmerman

VeraSun ObamaThe White House has confirmed that President Obama will be visiting a Missouri ethanol plant this week. It will mark the first time Obama has visited a working ethanol biorefinery, although he was the guest speaker at the ribbon cutting of the now-bankrupt VeraSun plant in Charles City, Iowa when he was a presidential candidate.

poet maconAccording to the White House, Obama will tour POET Biorefining in Macon, Mo. and “talk to workers about what they are experiencing during these tough economic times and share ideas for rebuilding our economy in the long term.” The president is scheduled to “tour a local farm and visit with the family who operates the farm” in Missouri. The visits are part of what the administration calls the president’s “Main Street Tour,” but neither event will be open to the public. Tickets are being distributed for a speech that evening in Quincy, Ill.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government

More Funds for Verenium Demo Cellulosic Plant

Cindy Zimmerman

VereniumVerenium Corporation has been awarded an additional $4.9 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to fund ongoing activities at its demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol facility in Jennings, Louisiana.

“We are very pleased to receive this additional funding from the DOE, particularly given the critical work currently being performed at Jennings to optimize our cellulosic process,” said Carlos A. Riva, President and Chief Executive Officer at Verenium. “I believe this award demonstrates further the DOE’s support for our technology and commitment to developing a cellulosic ethanol supply industry.”

The funding is an extension of the grant previously awarded to Verenium in 2008 under a DOE program supporting the development of demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol biorefinery plants. The company plans to use the additional funds to support on-going cellulosic technology and process optimization at the Louisiana facility.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News

POET Ups the Cellulosic Ethanol Ante

Cindy Zimmerman

Jeff BroinThe largest ethanol producer in the world intends to be directly or indirectly responsible for the production of 3.5 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol by 2022.

Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., POET CEO Jeff Broin said they have made enough progress on technology and feedstock development to break ground on their first cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa later this year. “By 2022, POET plans to be responsible for 3.5 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol production by adding the technology to our existing facilities, licensing our technology to other producers and finally, transferring our technology to other forms of biomass such as wheat straw, switchgrass and municipal waste,” Broin said. That volume would represent over 20 percent of the cellulosic ethanol mandated in the Renewable Fuel Standard.

Specifically, one billion gallons of production capacity will come from adding the technology to POET’s existing network of 26 corn-based ethanol plants, while licensing that technology to other corn-based ethanol producers would add another 1.4 billion gallons of production capacity. Another 1.1 billion gallons of production capacity will come from a wide variety of other feedstocks from across the U.S, either produced by POET or through joint ventures and opportunities where POET Biomass provides logistics support to other producers.

POET submitted its application for a loan guarantee with the U.S. Department of Energy to build the Emmetsburg plant. “If we get that favorable ruling, we told the DOE that we will start construction by the end of this year, which puts us on track to start up the facility in early 2012,” said Broin.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, POET

ZeaChem Moves Closer to Cellulosic Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

ZeachemJust in time for Earth Day last week, Colorado-based ZeaChem announced it had successfully produced commercial-grade ethyl acetate, a commercial grade “green chemical,” from woody biomass instead of oil. The ethyl acetate can either be sold to chemical manufacturers or converted into ethanol through hydrogenation.

“These results demonstrate ZeaChem’s ability to produce another valuable bio-based intermediate chemical on the road toward cellulosic ethanol production,” said Jim Imbler, president and chief executive officer of ZeaChem.

ZeaChem is now testing the downstream applications including hydrogenation, which is the final step in making cellulosic ethanol. The company intends to break ground on a demonstration plant in Boardman, Ore. in the near future, but has already begun construction on the equipment at their pilot plant in Hazen, Colo.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Military Tops in Alternative Fuels Use

John Davis

A new report says America’s warfighters are leaders in the use of alternative fuels.

This story from ExecutiveGov.com says a Pew Charitable Trust report has good news about the U.S. Department of Defense’s use of solar, geothermal and biodiesel:

According to [Phyllis Cuttino, director of Pew Charitable Trusts’ climate and energy programs], DoD accounts for 80 percent of the U.S. government’s energy consumption, which amounts to 330,000 barrels of oil and 3.8 billion kilowatts of electricity per day for more than 500 major military installations. However, she said, the department is working to meet its stated goal of having one-fourth of its energy come from renewable sources by 2025.

The report, “Reenergizing America’s Defense: How the Armed Forces Are Stepping Forward to Combat Climate Change and Improve U.S. Energy Posture,” details how the department and military services are progressing toward that goal. Amanda J. Dory, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy; Navy Secretary Ray Mabus; and John W. Warner, a former Navy secretary, were involved in the report and the conference call.

The decreasing reliance on fossil fuels “will make us better warfighters,” Mabus said, by reducing dependence on oil from volatile nations, and by freeing up warfighters from delivering as much fuel and reducing the high-risk of attacks on convoys that carry it.

In Afghanistan, troops are using solar-powered water purification systems to decrease the use of fossil fuels and the need to haul water, Mabus said. Marines there are using things such as spray-on insulation to keep tents warm in winter and cool in summer, and Marines at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia are testing alternative fuels and other products to reduce the need to ship fuel to Afghanistan, he said.

Additional examples of how the Navy is going green include developing a carrier strike group that will run completely on alternative fuels; powering the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake by geothermal sources; and commissioning the USS Makin Island, a large-deck amphibious ship propelled by both gas and electric engines.

And don’t forget, it was just last month that the Air Force flew for the first time an A-10 Thunderbolt II, better known as the Warthog, on a biomass-based jet fuel.

Biodiesel, Geothermal

Missouri Biodiesel Plants Suffer from Budget Cuts

John Davis

Biodiesel producers in Missouri might be feeling like they’re the victims of insult added to injury. Not only have they lost the federal $1-a-gallon federal tax credit, but now, the St. Joseph News-Press reports they are the latest victims of state budget cuts:

Gov. Jay Nixon proposed reducing $4 million, or 16 percent, of the state subsidies for biodiesel plants as part of $45 million in budget cuts.

The Missouri Soybean Association said cuts to the producer’s incentive fund will make it harder for Missouri to capitalize on a national biodiesel standard, which mandates increased biodiesel use beginning July 1.

“It definitely is concerning,” said J.P. Dunn of the Missouri Soybean Association. “We could have an edge if we are fully funded.”

Ironically, Missouri is home to the headquarters of the National Biodiesel Board. The announcement came as the state was preparing to celebrate Earth Day.

Biodiesel, Government

Biodiesel to Fuel Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer

John Davis

America’s passenger train line is now running on America’s fuel – biodiesel.

The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram reports Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer that runs in Oklahoma and Texas is now being fueled with a 20 percent biodiesel blend made from beef fat:

“I don’t smell any french fries yet,” Amtrak assistant superintendent Joy Smith quipped as the Heartland Flyer arrived from Oklahoma City.

Although some forms of biodiesel are fashioned from restaurant grease — and yes, they may even smell like french fries — Amtrak is using a fuel produced from the remains of cattle raised near Fort Worth.

And no, the train station didn’t smell like a smoked steak Tuesday.

Armed with a $274,000 federal grant, Amtrak plans to operate the Heartland Flyer for 12 months solely on the biodiesel blend, then carefully monitor how the engines respond.

Emissions will also be measured to determine the environmental benefits. The Heartland Flyer burns about 100,000 gallons of diesel per year, said Roy Deitchman, Amtrak vice president of environmental health and safety. It makes a daily round trip of about 400 miles between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City.

Hopes are that one day all of Amtrak’s trains will run entirely on biodiesel.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel Board Cites Earth Day in Renewal Call

John Davis

This past week marked the 40th anniversary of the original green event, Earth Day. And the National Biodiesel Board used the occasion to call for an important tax break for the original advanced biofuel – biodiesel.

This NBB press release says renewal of the $1-a-gallon federal tax incentive is imperative for the economic health of the country and the ecological health of the world:

“Lawmakers need look no further than the National Mall to see cleaner-burning biodiesel at work powering generators this Earth Day,” said National Biodiesel Board (NBB) CEO Joe Jobe. “Not only does biodiesel have the best greenhouse gas reduction of any domestic transportation fuel, but also it is the only advanced biofuel currently in the U.S. commercial marketplace.”

In recognition of Earth Day, the National Biodiesel Board is urging Members of Congress to reinstate the biodiesel tax incentive immediately. Since the credit lapsed on December 31, 2009, domestic biodiesel production has plummeted to nearly a standstill. One of the most successful energy policy initiatives ever enacted, the program makes biodiesel price competitive with petroleum diesel.

The biodiesel tax credit allows the U.S. to reap the significant environmental benefits associated with the sustainable fuel, including:

Biodiversity: Biodiesel is the most diverse fuel on the planet, made from a wide variety of oil and fat by-products of regional crop and livestock production.

Regional diversity: More than 150 biodiesel plants support green jobs and green investment in nearly all 50 states, producing fuel from regionally available resources.

Carbon reduction: Last year, biodiesel’s contribution to reducing greenhouse gas was the equivalent of removing over 774,000 passenger vehicles from America’s roadways.

Energy balance: Biodiesel produces 4.5 units of energy for every 1 unit it takes to make the fuel, boasting the highest energy balance, and the highest energy content of any American-made renewable fuel.

Versions of the bill to retroactively extend the credit have passed both the Senate and the House. But, the two chambers have not agreed upon a compromise between different bills.

Biodiesel, Legislation, NBB