First Transcontinental Biodiesel Flight

John Davis

Florida-based Green Flight International and Pennsylvania’s Lake Erie Biofuels have teamed up to complete the first non-stop, transcontinental flight in a jet powered predominantly by biodiesel.

This press release from Green Flight says the flight took off from Reno, Nevada and landed in Leesburg, Florida, flying for more than 11 hours:

“This transcontinental flight was distinctive in that 1,776 miles of the 2,486 total miles flown were powered on 100% biofuel,” said [Green Flight International President and CEO Douglas] Rodante. Only 710 miles of the flight were powered by a mixture of 50% biofuel and 50% standard jet fuel. The 50/50 fuel mix was used to compare performance data and demonstrate the capability of blending biofuel with existing jet fuel supplies.

“These flights prove that we have the capability of supplementing our energy requirements with safe, environmentally-friendly alternatives to petroleum,” said Rodante. “And the biofuel is produced in the U.S., which essentially negates our dependency on foreign fuel supplies.”

The Federal Aviation Administration has expressed an interest in using the Orlando-based Green Flight’s biofuel test program as a template to assess future generations of aviation fuels. “There is absolutely no room for error in a single engine jet aircraft operating on 100% biofuel,” said Chief Pilot [Carol] Sugars. “The extended cross-country experimental flight operated to stringent specifications required by the FAA in order to ensure public safety.”

Green Flight officials promise another record-breaking flight in the future… maybe around the world next time.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel, Ethanol Part of Farm Foundation Summit

John Davis

Our friends at the Farm Foundation are at it again, bringing a variety of folks together to offer differing viewpoints to come up with workable solutions. Last month, I had a chance to sit in on their Transition to a Bioeconomy: Environmental and Rural Impacts Conference in St. Louis where I heard many sides of the issues facing the biodiesel and ethanol industries.

Now, the foundation, in conjunction with Farm Journal, is holding its first Food and Agriculture Policy Summit, Dec. 2nd–4th in Washington D.C., where biofuels will be a key part of the agenda:

On Dec. 4, Farm Foundation will examine long-term challenges and opportunities in the conference Agriculture’s Strategic Role: Feeding and Fueling a Growing World. This program will begin with the release of a new Farm Foundation report detailing the policy challenges and options the United States and the world will face to feed a growing world over the next 30 years.

“Experts predict the world’s population will increase 35 percent by 2050, reaching almost 9.2 billion people,” says Farm Foundation President Neil Conklin. “It is critical that we begin today to address the challenges facing the world’s food and agricultural system to provide feed, fiber and fuel for this growing world.”

On Dec. 3rd, nine former Secretaries of Agriculture are slated for a 90-minute discussion of challenges and opportunities facing agriculture today, and you can bet that biodiesel and ethanol will be a key part of that talk.

There’s still plenty of time to register with early-bird registration open until Nov. 17th. Click here for more information.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Farm Foundation, News

Indiana Firefighters Learn How to Handle Ethanol Fires

Indiana firefighters learned firsthand how to battle an ethanol fire at one of Poets’ refineries in Alexandria. A fire training exercise yesterday led the firefighters to learn how to battle ethanol verses gasoline type fires.

According to The Herald Bulletin, Alexandria Fire Chief Bruce Waters invited Pendleton, Anderson, Richland Township and Pipe Creek Township fire departments to take part in the exercise along with the Madison County Hazmat team. The ethanol plant arranged four square steel walls on a gravel section of the plant property for the exercise. Firefighters poured ethanol into designated burn areas and then ignited the fuel. They were taught how to fight the blaze during a four hour training prior to the exercise.

Dave Hudak of Poet noted that the likelihood of a fire at the ethanol plant is low since ethanol fires are extremely rare and Poet officials take strict precautions to prevent accidents. Hudak said ethanol at the plant is contained to pipes and enclosed structures that are not exposed to heat or air, two of the components that fire needs. Fuel, in this case ethanol, is the third.

Ethanol

Growth Energy Formed

Chuck Zimmerman

Growth EnergyAmerica’s ethanol producers have formed a new organization based out of Washington, DC. It’s called Growth Energy.

Growth Energy is a group committed to the promise of agriculture and growing America’s economy through cleaner, greener energy. Growth Energy members recognize America needs a new ethanol approach. Through smart policy reform and a proactive grassroots campaign, Growth Energy promotes reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding the use of ethanol in gasoline, decreasing our dependence on foreign oil, and creating American jobs at home.

The organization will be dedicated to promoting clean, green ethanol as America’s best renewable fuel that is high-tech and homegrown, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. In addition, the organization will release a new policy brief and announce a new advertising campaign focused on dispelling one of the major myths about ethanol production.

The new organization will have a press conference tomorrow which we’ll participate in and have more information to share then.

Ethanol, Growth Energy

BBI Moving Headquarters

Cindy Zimmerman

BBIBBI International is moving to bigger headquarters nearer to an international airport.

BBI has maintained its corporate headquarters in Salida and neighboring Cotopaxi, Colorado for nearly 15 years. Maintaining its operational hub in the geographically remote community became increasingly difficult for the 90-person international company, according to company president Mike Bryan, especially being three hours from Denver airport. The company headquarters will move to the Denver suburb of Lakewood, Colorado, by the end of the year.

The privately held media, events, consulting and engineering firm will also consolidate its event logistics, marketing and media operations in Grand Forks, North Dakota, effective immediately.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News

Mr. Ethanol Looks To Future

Chuck Zimmerman

Jeff BroinMr. Ethanol, Jeff Broin, CEO, POET is looking to the future and a new organization that will help open new markets for the renewable fuel.

I spoke to Jeff at last week’s Project LIBERTY field day and asked him what he thinks about the results of our Presidential election. He says, “President-Elect Obama, is going to be I think very, very strong for ethanol.” In fact, Jeff says that POET had one of Obama’s top advisors on energy at their grand opening in Ohio just a couple weeks ago and she stated that he would like to see the RFS increase to 60 billion gallons which Jeff says, “is a great thing for farmers, it’s a great thing for agriculture, it’s a great thing for ethanol.”

An issue that Jeff says presents a challenge to the ethanol industry is the regulatory cap which limits ethanol to 10 percent of the fuel supply – and the industry is bumping up on it now. He says they need access to more markets. For that reason a new ethanol organization is being formed. “We actually are just in the process of working with many other ethanol producers and several ag companies to create a new organization that’s going to drive that agenda forward.” He says we’ll hear more about it shortly.

You can listen to my interview with Jeff here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/poet/poet-liberty-08-broin-2.mp3]

You can also download the interview with this link (mp3).

Project LIBERTY Field Day Photo Album

Audio, Ethanol, POET

Former Ag Secretary on Ethanol Company Board

Cindy Zimmerman

John R. BlockFormer Secretary of Agriculture John Block recently was named to the board of directors for California-based potential cellulosic ethanol company AE Biofuels, Inc.

AE Biofuels“AE Biofuels has a winning strategy and a strong management team. The company’s patent-pending cellulosic ethanol plant in Montana is producing ethanol from agricultural waste, and its 50 million gallon biodiesel facility in India is supplying large customers in a rapidly growing local and global market,” said Secretary Block.

Block served as agriculture secretary under President Reagen and then as an executive in the food industry. He is now a Senior Legislative Advisor to Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode Matz, P.C., an organization that represents the US food industry. Secretary Block was formerly a member of the Board of Directors of John Deere & Co. and Hormel Foods Corp.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, News

Case IH Collecting Cobs

Chuck Zimmerman

Sam AckerWhen it comes to harvesting equipment for Case IH, Scott Acker is who you want to talk to. He’s their Director, Harvesting Marketing. I spoke with him at POET’s Project LIBERTY field day right after he answered a bunch of questions from farmers who were attending.

Sam says POET approached them with the idea of collecting cobs to make ethanol about a year ago. They discussed the business opportunities and concluded that this was a promising venture. He says they need to provide farmers with incentive and options to harvest both the grain and cobs so POET can make more ethanol. They’re working on it.

The harvesting options Case IH is working on include CCM and a cart behind the combine that collects the cobs separately from the grain. He says it’s best then to just pile the cobs for later pickup.

You can listen to my interview with Sam here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/poet/poet-liberty-08-acker.mp3]

You can also download the interview with this link (mp3).

Project LIBERTY Field Day Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Cellulosic, Equipment, Ethanol, POET

Farm OEM’s Developing New Equipment

Chuck Zimmerman

Scott WeishaarThe Director of Business Development for POET is Scott Weishaar. He was the guy who told us about the various equipment options on display at their Project LIBERTY field day. That’s because he works directly with the farm OEM’s.

He says the response from the OEM’s is phenomenal. There are several systems already being tested and they should be available in the near future. He says one of the important elements of harvesting cobs for the farmer is being able to do it without “slowing them down.” He also says they’re targeting the collection of cobs to all sizes of farms too. Therefore, there are multiple options and costs for some of these solutions

Options to collect the cobs include CCM (corn cob mix) where the cobs are mixed with the grain during harvest and then separated afterward and towable solutions where the cobs are collected in separate bins during the harvest process.

You can listen to my interview with Scott here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/poet/poet-liberty-08-weishaar.mp3]

You can also download the interview with this link (mp3).

I also recorded Scott’s stage presentation in which he talks about the whole cob collection process which you can watch here:

Project LIBERTY Field Day Photo Album

Audio, Cellulosic, Equipment, Ethanol, Farming, POET

Big Equipment Finance Options

Chuck Zimmerman

Farmers and EquipmentSomeone had to provide assistance to get all this big machinery to the POET Project LIBERTY field day last week. That someone was MachineryLink, represented by Landon Morris, Vice President, Marketing.

Landon says they’re in the business of leasing late model combines and that they heard about the project a year ago. So what they’re doing is leasing machines directly to POET. He says they’ve used them in their research this summer to test their cob wagons. He thinks that it’s interesting that ethanol companies are now thinking about farm equipment.

You can listen to my interview with Landon here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/poet/poet-liberty-08-morris.mp3]

You can also download the interview with this link (mp3).

Project LIBERTY Field Day Photo Album

Audio, Equipment, Ethanol, POET