IRFA Hires Menke As Biofuels Manager

John Davis

irfaI always love to report when a fellow Iowan finds his way back home again.

After serving for the past six years as a research assistant for U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) in Washington, D.C., Grant Menke has been hired as the Biofuels Manager for the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA). This IRFA press release has details:

“It is certainly an honor to be joining the IRFA team,” said Menke. “The renewable fuels industry is crucial to Iowa’s economy, so as an Iowa farm boy, I am especially grateful and excited for the opportunity to serve in this role at IRFA.”

Menke was raised on a corn and soybean farm just outside of the northwest Iowa town of Calumet. He received Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Humanities from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Menke is accompanied in his return to Iowa from Washington, DC, by his wife, Susie (also a native Iowan), and eight month-old son, J.J.

“IRFA is excited to have someone with Grant’s experience and work ethic joining our team,” stated IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “This is a challenging time for biodiesel and ethanol producers and the addition of Grant will help us more quickly respond to the needs of our members.”

Congratulations, Grant!

biofuels

Scientists Trying to Make Fuel from Zoo Poo

John Davis

hippoGet your pooper-scoopers ready, because scientists in New Orleans are tapping into the products of some zoo animals’ backsides to move forward in green energy.

The New Orleans CityBusiness reports that researchers at Tulane University are trying to produce butanol from the waste of animals from the zoo:

A project to identify and genetically engineer bacteria to create butanol has been under way at a Tulane lab for just more than a year. The work is funded in part through a grant the U.S. Department of Energy awarded to the coalition of six Louisiana universities that comprise the Clean Power and Energy Research Consortium.

“We are on the cutting edge here,” said W.T. Godbey, a Tulane assistant professor of chemical and biomedical engineering who is one of the project’s investigators.

Once the researchers determine the best bacteria for producing biobutanol, they intend to genetically modify them to produce higher yields of the chemical and to digest cellulose so biomass sources that might have otherwise wound up in landfills can be used to produce fuel…

smithericTo date, the Tulane researchers have identified more than a dozen different strains of bacteria capable of catalyzing the butanol fermentation process. The bacteria have been obtained from feces collected from plant-eating animals at the Audubon Zoo.

“It sounds — and is — humorous, the image of scientists running around the backside of a giraffe or hippo,” [Eric Smith, associate director of the Tulane Energy Institute] said, “but these animals evolved an efficient way of consuming cellulose long before we thought about it.”

The scientists say butanol contains significantly more energy per volume than ethanol, blends more readily with gasoline and can be distributed through existing pipelines.

Miscellaneous

Former VeraSun Ethanol Plant Now Farmer-Owned

Cindy Zimmerman

A group of nine farmer-owned ethanol plants in the upper Midwest got together to purchase the former VeraSun plant in Janesville, Minnesota to make it an even ten.

rpmgGuardian Energy LLC, headquartered in Shakopee, Minnesota recently entered into an agreement to purchase the 100-million gallon plant acquired by AgStar Financial Services’ lending group through VeraSun Energy’s bankruptcy in March of 2009. Guardian Energy is a wholly owned subsidiary of Guardian Eagle Investments formed to own and operate this ethanol facility in Janesville. The group also founded Renewable Products Marketing Group, which will provide marketing services for the facility.

Renewable Products Marketing Group CEO Randy Hahn said, “Our group of farmer owned ethanol producers are very excited to see this purchase come together. We strongly believe that the value generated by converting our locally grown corn into renewable energy ought to stay here at home. We are committed to keeping this facility in the hands of local producers and farmers.”

AgStar has now found new owners for four of the six VeraSun plants they are representing. Another announcement is expected this week for a fifth plant in Dyersville, Iowa.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Facilities

E85 and Biodiesel Promos in Austin, MN

ala-mnTwo E85 and biodiesel promotions will be held in Austin, Minnesota next week. E85 will be sold for 85 cents off per gallon and B5 will be sold for 20 cents off per gallon at both events.

The first promotion will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 18, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Freeborn County Coop at the intersection of Highways 56 and 90. Two days later, on Thursday, Aug. 20, the Kwik Trip at 4th St. NW (near the I-90 exit) will offer the same discount on E85 and B5 from 1-3 p.m. There will be a 30-gallon limit per vehicle at both events.

The promotions are supported by Freeborn County Coop, Kwik Trip, Mower County Corn & Soybean Growers, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, the Minnesota Clean Air Choice Team and the American Lung Association in Minnesota.

Minnesota currently houses the highest number of E85 stations within the U.S. with 361 sites. For a listing, click here.

Biodiesel, E85, News

Solar Generated Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

jouleBioengineering firm Joule Biotechnologies of Massachusetts recently unveiled a new technology that uses sunlight to directly convert carbon dioxide into ethanol. The process, called Helioculture™, produces what the company is calling SolarFuel™ liquid energy.

jouleAccording to Joule, the conversion requires no agricultural land or fresh water, and leverages a highly scalable system capable of producing more than 20,000 gallons of renewable ethanol or hydrocarbons per acre annually.

“There is no question that viable, renewable fuels are vitally important, both for economic and environmental reasons. And while many novel approaches have been explored, none has been able to clear the roadblocks caused by high production costs, environmental burden and lack of real scale,” said Bill Sims, president and CEO of Joule Biotechnologies. “Joule was created for the very purpose of eliminating these roadblocks with the best equation of biotechnology, engineering, scalability and pricing to finally make renewable fuel a reality—all while helping the environment by reducing global CO2 emissions.”

Read more here.

biomass, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Solar

Biofuel System Follows the Crop

Cindy Zimmerman

A Maryland-based biotech/biofuel company is working on the development of a portable biofuel production system called “Follow the Crop.”

kozakAtlantic Biomass Conversions president Bob Kozak recently explained the concept to Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD 6th) at his Go Green Energy Expo in Frederick, Maryland. According to Kozak, instead of bringing biomass to biorefineries, the bioconversion technology will go to the crops.

Following the model of combines that follow the harvest season, “Follow-the-Crop” modules will be deployed nationwide as energy grasses and crops are harvested.

These modules will convert biomass into high density biofuel intermediates, such as highly concentrated sugars, using the Atlanitc Biomass fast, low-cost enzyme system.

By creating a viable market for environmentally suitable “energy” grasses and agricultural residues grown in stands as small as 10 acres, the deployment of this system would improve the income of small and medium growers. This positive impact would greatly help rural economies throughout the country.

Read more about it here on the Atlantic Biomass Conversions website.

biomass, Cellulosic, Ethanol News, Research

BYO Ethanol Initiative Launched

Cindy Zimmerman

Corn growers and the ethanol industry are uniting to provide consumers with more choices at the pump, gas station owners with more product flexibility, and the nation with the ability to achieve its renewable fuels targets with a new campaign to increase the number of ethanol blender pumps nationwide.

BYOThe campaign is a partnership between leading corn-producing states, the American Coalition for Ethanol, and the Renewable Fuels Association, with the goal of installing 5,000 blender pumps nationwide over the next three years.

The “Blend Your Own Ethanol” campaign – or BYOethanol (pronounced “bio”) – will offer a single source of ethanol information and technical expertise for petroleum marketers looking to upgrade equipment or begin offering more choices to their customers. By serving as a central clearinghouse for renewable fuels infrastructure incentives, the “BYOethanol” campaign will bring blender pumps to key areas of the country, and from there they will spread as neighboring gas stations see the benefit and want to remain competitive.

The announcement was made today at the opening of the 22nd Ethanol Conference & Trade Show in Milwaukee. Domestic Fuel reporter Joanna Schroeder will have interviews and photos from the event coming soon.

ACE, corn, Ethanol News, Flex Fuel Vehicles, NCGA, RFA

Hawaii Commission Deals Blow to Biodiesel Deal

John Davis

HECOA deal that would have provided biodiesel to a Hawaiian Electric Co. plant has been dealt a tough blow that in all intents and purposes kills the project.

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports that the state Public Utilities Commission has denied HECO’s request to change where it would have gotten the green fuel for its plant:

According to the contract terms, [Seattle-based] Imperium [Renewables] was to build a local refinery with a pipeline to supply biodiesel for HECO’s newly completed, $142.3 million, 110-megawatt plant at Campbell Industrial Park.

imperium-logoWhen the contract was later amended to have Imperium import biodiesel from a West Coast refinery, HECO also sought a terminaling and trucking agreement with Aloha Petroleum to transport the imported biodiesel to its generating plant. That additional contract would have incurred additional costs that HECO would have passed on to its customers.

The PUC also determined that the contract with Aloha Petroleum without a corresponding biodiesel supply contract was unnecessary.

“While we’re disappointed in the ruling from the PUC, we understand their concerns about cost to ratepayers,” said Imperium CEO John Plaza. “We put together the best proposal we could based on HECO’s contractual requirements to source sustainable palm oil.”

The original deal was seen as a savior for the ailing Imperium Renewables, which has struggled in recent years when feedstock prices skyrocketed.

Biodiesel

Grassley, Cantwell Introduce Bi-Partisan Biodiesel Bill

John Davis

GrassleyCantwellA bill that would extend the biodiesel tax incentive by five years, as well as changing the way the program is administered, has been introduced.

SustainableBusiness.com reports it is a bi-partisan measure from Democrat U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington state and Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa:

The Biodiesel Tax Incentive Reform and Extension Act is expected to provide stability and reliability to the biodiesel industry by extending the tax incentive for five years. In addition, the legislation would change the tax incentive from a blenders excise tax credit to a production excise tax credit. This change will focus the incentive on the domestic biodiesel industry, improve administration of the nation’s tax laws and protect the integrity of the credit, according to the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), the trade association for the U.S. biodiesel industry.

The bill gained the praise of the NBB:

NBB-logo“Domestic production and use of biodiesel is consistent with an energy policy that values the displacement of petroleum with low-carbon, renewable fuels. This legislation will provide certainty to biodiesel producers and improve the form and function of the biodiesel tax incentive. We strongly support this proposal and commend Senator Cantwell and Senator Grassley for introducing this forward thinking legislation,” said NBB CEO Joe Jobe.

Biodiesel, Government, Legislation

Rhode Island Students to Show Off Fuel Cell Model T

John Davis

A group of Rhode Island students who drove a biodiesel-powered truck 3,000 miles cross-country last summer are showing off their latest green energy project.

FuelCellModelTA fuel-celled powered Model T from Ponaganset High School, put together by teacher Ross McCurdy and his student, is going to be on display at GovEnergy 2009, the premier energy training workshop and tradeshow for Federal agencies, going on now in Providence, Rhode Island:

ConEdison Solutions has been involved with Ponaganset High School, part of the Foster-Glocester school district, as a result of a major energy efficiency program which has saved the district $700,000 annually and reduced its energy use by 29 percent. The company also introduced the state’s first environmentally friendly biomass boiler – a wood chip gasifier system using locally-produced chips – to heat the 371,000 SF Ponaganset Middle and High Schools in North Scituate, RI.

Along with the Model T, that biodiesel truck that made the trek from Rhode Island to California last August (see my post from August 25, 2008) will also be on display.

Miscellaneous