Sunoco Wins Bid for NY Ethanol Plant

sunoco2On June 15, Sunoco Inc. is scheduled to be the owner of a former Miller brewery near Syracuse, NY. Northeast Biofuels L.P. filed bankruptcy in January this year and is now being purchased by Sunoco for $8.5 million.

Construction of Northeast Biofuels began in 2006, but it was never completed, though some production occurred last year. Northeast owes creditors $172 million, according to bankruptcy documents. The purchase price is only a fraction of the $200 million cost to build the plant.

nebiofuels_plantSunoco spokesman Thomas Golembeski said that this aquisition would supply 25 percent of the ethanol Sunoco needs to blend into gasoline to meet renewable-fuels standards. He noted that Sunoco was attracted to the Northeast Biofuels plant in Volney, NY because it was close to Sunoco’s main operations in the Northeast. Golembeski also said the company hoped to save some money in the shipment of ethanol from the Midwest, where most of the nation’s ethanol is made and where corn production is concentrated.

“We think this is a good value. We also view this as a first step into an area of possible growth for the company,” Golembeski said.

Ethanol

Biodiesel Could Benefit from Higher CAFE Standards

John Davis

President Barack Obama has proposed that vehicle fuel economy standards be substantially increased to 35.5 miles per gallon by the year 2016… and biodiesel could be a big benefactor of that change.

This article from Biodiesel Magazine says auto industry folks, such as Dave Barthmuss, group manager for General Motors Environment and Energy Communications North America, believe the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements would make diesel engines more attractive… and thus, make the green fuel to put in those vehicles more attractive:

“Because diesel engines have greater fuel efficiency and can operate with biodiesel—which is a low-carbon fuel—expanding this area will be considered, but our plan is to achieve the reductions with our current portfolio.”

Along with compression engines and biodiesel utilization, corporate fleets will use flex-fuel, hybrid, plug-in and other alternative fuel vehicles to cut back on their petroleum usage and comply with the more stringent CAFE program.

Because diesel engines can offer fleet operators savings on CAFE requirements, it has been speculated in the short time since the new CAFE overview was published that the sector could see more business. This could be a boon for biodiesel. “There definitely has been more of a push from the current administration to implement programs that help the biofuels industries,” said Robert Dascal of New Energy Fuels in Waller, Texas. “Increased diesel fuel utilization obviously opens up more of a market for us.”

GM officials believe having one consistent fuel economy standard… instead of the hodge-podge of individual states’ regulations… will provide a more consistent platform for manufacturers to shoot for.

Biodiesel, Car Makers, Energy, Government, Indy Racing

Renewable Energy Part of Next Farm Foundation Forum

John Davis

farmfoundationforum3Get your reservation in for the next free Farm Foundation Forum, as the topic of discussion will turn to the subject of greenhouse gases and the options for agriculture.

Entitled “Carbon Policy Options and Implications for Agriculture,” the forum will be held on Tuesday, June 2:

Presenters confirmed for this Forum are Iowa farmer Varel Bailey, and Jon Scholl of American Farmland Trust. Invitations have been extended to the energy industry, the livestock industry and greenhouse gas researchers.

As usual, the National Press Club at 529 14th Street NW, Washington D.C. will be the venue for the two-hour event starting at 9 a.m. (get your coffee at 8:30 a.m.).

Make sure you RSVP to our friend Mary Thompson, Farm Foundation Director of Communication at mary@farmfoundation.org, by Friday May 29th. There is no charge to participate.

Farm Foundation

Making Ethanol from Solid Waste

John Davis

enerkemCanadian waste-to-biofuels technology company Enerkem has received North America’s first unconditional commercial permit to produce advanced biofuels, in particular, ethanol, from sorted municipal solid waste.

This company press release says Enerkem GreenField Alberta Biofuels (EGAB) received the pemit to make the ethanol at a facility in Edmonton, Alberta:

“This unprecedented project is set to change the dynamics of the waste and fuel industries by making waste – that would otherwise be landfilled – a resource for transportation fuels,” said Vincent Chornet, President and Chief Executive Officer of Enerkem. “The City of Edmonton is a leader in waste management and is now pioneering this solution which is to become a model for cities around the globe.“

In 2008, EGAB entered into a 25-year agreement with the City of Edmonton to build and operate a waste-to-biofuels facility on municipal land and to receive the City’s sorted municipal solid waste as feedstock. The City of Edmonton will supply 100,000 tonnes of sorted municipal solid waste per year. The sorted municipal solid waste to be used is the end-waste after recycling and composting. These residues would otherwise be landfilled.

Enerkem is expected to start building the $61.5 million facility by the end of this year. It will turn out about 9.5 million gallons of ethanol a year, taking 6 million tons of carbon dioxide over the next 25 years out of the environment… roughly equal to taking 12,000 cars off the road annually.

Ethanol, News

Watermelons Could Source Ethanol

watermelonLook out corn and sugar, an untapped source for ethanol could be on its way — watermelon. According to the USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Oklahoma has been testing ways to make the simple sugars found in watermelons into ethanol, and the USDA is now reporting some success on that front.

nwaThe National Watermelon Association began working with the USDA in 2006 to see if the 700-800 million pounds of blemished melons (and late-season melons that are not worth it for big farms to harvest) could find another life as ethanol instead of being plowed back into the ground.

ARS researcher Wayne Fish has found a way to get about 7/10ths of a pound of ethanol from a 20 pound watermelon. While that sounds like a pretty tiny amount, remember that these melons aren’t being grown as a biofuel crop; it’s just a way to get some oil independence out of leftover melons.

Ethanol

Making Algae Commercially Viable Workshop Coming Up

John Davis

naalogoAlgae is being seen as the next great feedstock for biodiesel… if the industry can grow the algae and extract the oil in a commercially-viable way. To that end, our friends from the National Algae Association`s Mid-South Chapter are hosting a one-day workshop on algae commercialization on June 12, 2009 at the Doubletree Castle Hotel in Orlando, Florida.

According to the group’s Web site, the workshop, entitled “Algae: The Race for New Oil,” will feature several presentations including an update on algae production in the region. There are some deadlines coming up soon if you want to submit white papers and business plans for review during the workshop:

* White papers for algae-related growth systems and support products, as well as R&D overviews must be submitted also by May 26, 2009 for review by the executive committee for potential inclusion in the workshop.

* Three business plans will be picked to present to the National Algae Association. Business plans must be submitted by May 26, 2009 for review by the executive committee for potential commercialization production of algae.

“We have seen amazing developments in algae commercialization during this past year. NAA conferences and workshops have played an important role in bringing together the history-makers who are turning `algae for biofuels` into a household phrase,” says [Tamra Fakhoorian, President of the NAA Mid-South Chapter].

Organizers expect producers, equipment manufacturers, researchers, engineers, along with members of the legal, investment and financial communities to attend. More information is available on the NAA Mid-South Chapter Web site: www.NationalAlgaeAssociation.com.

algae, Biodiesel

World Ag Congress Discusses Biofuels

Cindy Zimmerman

Biofuels from the perspective of India and East Africa, as well as Europe and the United States, were part of the discussion at the World Ag Congress in St. Louis on Tuesday.

World Ag ForumHenk Joos with London-based D1 Oils moderated the panel focusing on an integrated approach to biofuels. He stressed that the purpose of the panel was to find solutions. “We can decide to go again in an immense debate on food versus fuel,” he said. “I would like to take a different approach. I would like with my fellow panelists to identify responsible ways to make food and fuel at the same time.”

Joos noted, as did several others on the panel, that biofuels alone were not the cause of last year’s dramatic increase in food prices. “Food production per capita in the world has never been higher than it is today,” he said. “It’s not necessarily about the total production of food, it’s really food distribution, getting it to the people who need it.” Not only that, he added, a great deal of food continues to be wasted around the world.

He also pointed out the food and fuel example of Brazil, which has developed a very successful sugarcane ethanol industry using only 0.3% of total acreage to produce sugarcane. “That is a perfect example of how this production can go hand in hand,” he said.

The panelists included former Secretary of Agriculture for India Radha Singh, Lee Broughton with Enterprise, Bill Horan with 25x’25, and professor Nuhu Hatibu, CEO of Kilimo Trust, East Africa. All agreed that there are ways the world can produce fuel from various feedstocks – including non-food like jatropha and algae for biodiesel – and still feed a growing population.

You can listen to the opening remarks of the panelists here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/world-ag-forum/waf-09-biofuels.MP3]

Agribusiness, algae, Audio, Biodiesel, Ethanol, International

EU Wants to Extend Biodiesel Tariffs

John Davis

useuflagsTemporary tariffs on American biodiesel imposed by the European Union could become more permanent.

In March, the EU, citing what it called unfair subsidies by the U.S. government that help American biodiesel producers, slapped temporary duties on biodiesel coming from this side of the pond. And, according to this story on CNMoney.com, the duties, which typically last five years, could be going up significantly:

The commission is proposing changes to the biodiesel duties: U.S. agriculture giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) will face a duty of EUR359 a metric ton of biodiesel, up from the temporary duty announced in March of EUR261/ton, the European official said.

ADM’s rival Cargill will have to pay EUR213.80/ton, down from the duty announced in March of EUR275/ton. Imperium Renewables will have to pay EUR293/ ton.

Green Earth Fuels will pay EUR284/ton, and World Energy Alternatives EUR294/ ton, according to the proposal. Fifty-three companies that cooperated with the E.U.’s investigation will have to pay EUR335/ton, including Louis Dreyfus Agricultural Industries, Vitol Inc., and U.S. Biofuels Inc.

Peter Cremer North America LP and all other companies will have to pay EUR409/ ton, down slightly from the temporary duty of EUR419/ton.

National Biodiesel Board officials have dismissed the Europeans’ complaints about American biodiesel as baseless.

Biodiesel, International

Imperium Might Re-start Biodiesel Plant… IF…

John Davis

imperium-logoWhat a rollercoaster couple of years it has been for Seattle-based Imperium Renewables. Back in August, 2007, I was telling you about how Imperium was opening a 100-million-gallon-a-year biodiesel plant in the Pacific Northwest, representing 30 percent of all U.S. biodiesel production. A year later, the company was in trouble, canceling long-term contracts, cutting production and laying off almost all of its workforce. The latest move by the European Union to impose trade protection tariffs against American biodiesel has all but shuttered the once mighty company. But as the man in the Monty Python movie said, “I’m not dead yet!”

This story from the Seattle Times says Imperium could re-start its biodiesel plant next year… IF the government doesn’t de-rail its latest efforts:

[Imperium founder and CEO John Plaza] hopes to resume operations next year, but that depends on what happens in a lengthy federal rule-making process to guide the future of biofuels.

An initial Environmental Protection Agency draft of those rules does not favor the canola-oil biodiesel Imperium produces.

“It’s been frustrating and difficult for the industry,” said Plaza, who challenges the EPA analysis.

A turnaround likely depends on how the EPA finalizes rules that flesh out biofuels legislation passed by Congress in 2007.

When the Imperium plant first opened, Plaza thought the rules would be in place by 2009 and would guarantee a significant U.S. market for biodiesel.

But the final rules are still awaited, and the EPA has launched an extensive review to address a hotly contested issue: how to accurately compare the greenhouse-gas impact of biofuels compared with petroleum fuels.

Maybe they should ask for a federal bailout. Isn’t it funny that an industry that has a product that is popular with the public gets government interference while another one that produces unpopular cars gets all the help it could want? Talk about providing a disincentive for hard work!

Biodiesel, Government

Interstate Oil Adds E85 Station in Northern CA

pacificprideInterState Oil Company is now offering E85 at the Pacific Pride station at 917 Cotting Lane in Vacaville, California.

“We want to be environmentally conscious,” said Greg Andrews, vice president of Interstate Oil. “Everyone is concerned about the air. We want to do our part.”

interstateoilThe company has been a family owned and operated business since 1970. It is a leader in promoting the use of alternative fuels in the California and Nevada markets. They offer terminal infrastructure and the ability to handle rail traffic.

Andrews acknowledged that the E85 venture is new for the company, which is curious to see how well the industry will do. “We’ll see what happens,” he said. “We feel there will be a demand and we wanted to align ourselves with what the state is already doing.”

E85