Gulf Ethanol Offers Feedstock Powder Samples

Cindy Zimmerman

Cellulosic feedstock powder may sound like a form of fairy dust – a powder that enhances the productivity and viability of cellulosic ethanol production. But producer Gulf Ethanol is prepared to prove it to anyone who asks.

GulfThe company announced today that they are offering free samples of the microscopic cellulosic feedstock powder produced by its processing unit as a way to address those who are skeptical of their claims.

“Skeptics and short sellers have been implying that our technology is not real or that it doesn’t produce the fine cellulosic powder as we have announced,” said Gulf Ethanol president Bill Carmichael. “Now, we are going to eliminate the doubts of any honest investor by giving them an actual sample of the powder we have produced.”

Individuals may request a sample by writing to the company at Gulf Ethanol Corp., Sample Request, 1240 Blalock Road, Suite 200, Houston, TX 77055.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, News

Ethanol Fuels RNC

Cindy Zimmerman

CACDuring the Republican National Convention this week, delegates have been educated about ethanol in the state of Minnesota in several ways, thanks to the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest Clean Air Choice Team.

Bob Moffit and Matt HartwigCommunications Director Bob Moffitt was at the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council’s AgNite event on Tuesday evening in the Twin Cities where ethanol was featured as a sponsor. “Cleaner burning biofuels have made an enormous difference for Minnesota,” Moffitt said. “Minnesota is kind of the focus of the world right now with the RNC and we want to try to make biofuels a big focus.” He is pictured here on the right with Matt Hartwig of the Renewable Fuels Association at the event.

In conjunction with the convention, the St. Paul-based Clean Air Choice Team held an event to offer E85 for $1.00 off the current posted price at a station in nearby Eagen, Minnesota. “In terms of E85 stations, we are number one in North America with more than 350 stations,” Moffitt said.

In addition, GM flex-fuel vehicles fueled with E85 were the official vehicles for the RNC as they were at the Democratic National Convention.

Listen to my interview with Bob Moffitt done at the AgNite event here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/agnite/agnite-moffitt.mp3]

Check out the AgNite Photo Album for pictures from the event.

E85, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News, RFA

Brazil May Challenge Ethanol Tariff

Cindy Zimmerman

AmorimBrazil is considering a World Trade Organization challenge over the United States ethanol import tariff.

Brazil’s Foreign Minister Celso Amorim told reporters in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday that they have “a very strong case and there is a good chance” that they will challenge the 54 cent per gallon tariff on Brazilian ethanol.

The tariff was extended through 2010 and is designed to keep foreign ethanol producers from taking advantage of the blenders tax credit that was recently cut from 51 cents to 45 cents per gallon under the 2008 Farm Bill. All ethanol blended with gasoline in the U.S. qualifies for the VEETC or blenders’ credit, no matter where the ethanol comes from. Under the Caribbean Basin Initiative, ethanol from certain nations may be imported tariff free.

Ethanol, Government, International

Ethanol at AgNite

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol was showcased to Republican National Convention goers this week during an event sponsored by the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council.

Indy Car at AgNiteThe Renewable Fuels Association and Minnesota’s ethanol producers joined together to be one of the sponsors of AgNite, a non-partisan event to celebrate the food, agriculture and biofuel industries of the state and nation. The event was held in the historic Minneapolis Depot and drew over 4,000 attendees who browsed through exhibits, ate local foods and listened to music.

The biofuels industry was also well represented by two of the event’s top level sponsors, the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and CHS, which is a supplier and distributor of both ethanol and biodiesel and an owner of ethanol manufacturer US BioEnergy. Another of the event sponsors was ethanol plant design-builder Fagen, Inc. of Granite Falls, MN.

Agribusiness, corn, EPIC, Ethanol, News, RFA

Chicken Fat Biodiesel Company Honored

John Davis

A company that turns chicken fat into biodiesel has been honored as the Manufacturing Industry of the Year for small companies for Pasco County on Florida’s Gulf of Mexico coast.

The Tampa Tribune reports Agri-Source Fuels picked up the honor at the Pasco Economic Development Council’s annual awards banquet:

EDC President Mary Jane Stanley said Agri-Source was honored because, as the state’s only biodiesel firm, its $1.7 million venture in Dade City represents an investment in the future.

“They’re at the forefront of the search for alternative fuels that the country and the state are involved in,” Stanley said.

Agri-Source is part of a nationwide boom in biodiesel production that has been driven by a federal subsidy set to expire at the end of this year. A $4 million state grant will help set up another biodiesel plant in the Panhandle in the coming years, company officials said.

The company makes about 3 million gallons now, but it has the potential to expand that to 10 million gallons in the near future and to 60 million gallons within a few years.

The article goes on to say that despite the cost of their feedstock, rendered chicken grease, doubling in the last year, the company is profitable… thanks to the even faster expansion of the popularity of the green fuel.

Biodiesel

Summer Campers Learning Biodiesel Lesson

John Davis

No macaroni-covered tissue boxes for some summer campers near Poolsville, Maryland this summer. They learned about how to be green using clean-burning biodiesel.

This story from Biodiesel Magazine says this is the second year Calleva Inc.’s Building Green adventure camp offered 12-18 year-olds the chance to learn about sustainable building construction and biodiesel production:

One day of the building green week is spent touring the camp’s biodiesel production facilities and learning how it’s made. This unique opportunity is made possible by the efforts of two of the camp’s directors, Matt Markoff and Dave Ritter.

Ritter said it was Markoff’s initial idea to produce biodiesel for use at the camp as part of the organization’s building green initiative. About two years ago, Markoff and Ritter began researching the feasibility of biodiesel production and after “making mayonnaise” for about six months, began producing small quantities of biodiesel.

Campers who tour the production facility are shown the basics involved in biodiesel production and given the opportunity to see what it takes to make the fuel, as well as learn about other alternative fuel options. Because the production process contains various chemicals, campers don’t get too many hands-on activities that day, but “having the grease on their pants adds to the experience,” Ritter said. “They’re going to remember that and the next time they eat French fries for dinner they might think about how the oil that was used to cook their dinner can now be used to make biodiesel.”

The camp gets its feedstock for the biodiesel from the used grease of six local restaurants. In the near future, camp officials hope to produce 600 gallons of biodiesel a week to run the camp’s buses, tractors and other vehicles… making this summer camp project pay off long after the macaroni has fallen off the average tissue box.

Biodiesel

World’s Biggest Camelina Grower Fueling Biodiesel Production

John Davis

The world’s largest producer of camelina is fast becoming the biggest producer of a non-food feedstock for biodiesel.

This press release from Great Plains – The Camelina Company says it has several crushing partners in North America, helping it produce more than 10 million road miles of camelina biodiesel to date… and the company plans to bump that up to 100 million gallons by the year 2012:

The U.S. Energy Bill signed at the end of 2007 increases the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) to 36 billion gallons by 2022. But, with the rising cost of consumer goods, this mandate has come under fire recently as the primary reason land is being used to grow crops for fuel instead of for food production. Camelina offers a solution for reaching this biodiesel production goal by providing a sustainable, low-input biofuel feedstock option that does not interfere with food production. Camelina is virtually 100 percent efficient. It can be harvested and crushed for oil and the remaining parts can be used to produce high quality omega-3 rich animal feed, fiberboard and glycerin.

Camelina does not take away from land currently being utilized for food production because it has the ability to grow on marginal land utilizing very little moisture. Camelina also fits into many farming operations as an excellent rotational crop to break the cycle of continuous small grains cropping. Even more important to some growers, camelina has been shown to enhance the yield of subsequent crops such as wheat by up to 15 percent.

Great Plains started commercial camelina production three years ago, paying growers in North America to grow the oil seed. After 10 years of research into camelina, Great Plains has developed higher-yielding, higher oil-content camelina varieties… just in time to feed the current boom in the biodiesel market.

Biodiesel

E85 Grand Openings in Iowa

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association reports that grand opening celebrations will be held at four new E85 pumps across the state of Iowa in the next couple of weeks. This will bring the total of E85 fueling facilities in Iowa to over 100.

The events in the state will include some blender pumps offering E85 and midlevel blends. Below is a listing of the locations and dates of their grand openings:

Unity Biofuels – September 5th
in Olds, IA

Cenex Pump 24 – September 12th
in Forest City, IA

Popkes Car Care Center – September 12th
in Rock Rapids, IA

Galva Holstein Ag – September 17th
in Galva, IA

For additional information regarding E85 in Iowa, go to http://www.iowarfa.org/.

blends, E85, Ethanol, Facilities, News

Biodiesel Board Moves Into Green Building

John Davis

The National Biodiesel Board is moving into some new digs, cleaner and greener… just like the fuel the group backs.

Jefferson City, MO-based board has a new building on the east side of the city in an area that has undergone some massive renovations over the past couple of years. The good folks at NBB will hold a press conference and open house between 10 am and noon at their new location at 605 Clark Avenue in Jefferson City.

Governor Matt Blunt and Congressman Kenny Hulshof, Republican gubernatorial candidate to replace Blunt, along with local officials, will be on hand for the event.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel Roadster Goes 200 MPH, Gets 100 MPG

John Davis

High performance and great gas mileage don’t have to be exclusive, as British-based Trident Performance Vehicles proves with its Iceni two-seater sports car.

This article from gizmag.com says the company is nearing production of the green, turbo-charged roadster that can go 200 MPH and still get 100 MPG (although at quite a bit slower speed:

The car’s 6.6 litre turbo diesel V8 develops 550bhp@3800rpm and an arm-stretching 950lb/ft of torque at just 1800rpm, meaning it can be leisurely potter around short-changing at ballistic speeds. Not only does it get to 60 mph in under four seconds (a serious supercar time), it’ll do 200 mph, deliver 70 mpg at 70 mph, and if you treat the throttle very gently, it’ll deliver 100 mpg.

Testers say you would only get the 100 MPG if you drove only 30 MPH.

At about $135,000, the Iceni won’t be in my driveway anytime soon, but it does show that you can have it all, performance and gas mileage… if you can afford it!

Biodiesel