Nation’s Capital to Host Renewable Energy Expo

John Davis

A coalition of business, environmental and energy policy organizations advocating aggressive development of renewable energy will team up with members of Congress for the the 11th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum, July 31st in Washington, DC.

According to the group:

This year’s EXPO will bring together more than three dozen businesses, sustainable energy industry trade associations, government agencies, and energy policy research organizations to showcase the status and near-term potential of the cross-section of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. A morning news conference will feature Members of the U.S. Congress while afternoon speakers will discuss the role sustainable energy technologies can play in meeting America’s energy needs.

As Congress, the Administration, the business community, environmental advocates, and American voters search for options to address ever-higher energy prices, increased reliance on energy imports, and the potential threat posed by rising levels of greenhouse gas emissions, the EXPO will help address the role that sustainable energy technologies might play. This will include not only the technical aspects of renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies but also related issues such as economics, jobs potential, environmental benefits, current and near-term market potential, model programs in the public and private sectors, institutional and legal barriers, etc.

The EXPO will be going on in the Cannon House Office Building – Caucus Room (on the 3rd floor) and is free and open to the public. No RSVPs are required. For more information contact:
Ken Bossong,
Sustainable Energy Coalition
Phone: 301-270-6477 x.23

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Government, News

French Firm to Develop Va Tech Ethanol, Hydrogen Technologies

John Davis

French firm Biométhodes has inked an exclusive deal with Virginia Tech’s Intellectual Properties Inc. division to option-to-license the school’s processes to convert biomass into ethanol and hydrogen.

This story from the school says the processes were invented by Percival Zhang, assistant professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech:

An integrated biorefinery pilot plant in Virginia is envisioned to advance the process for the conversion of biomass into ethanol and valuable co-products, focusing especially on biomass pretreatment. The process for transformation of biomass into hydrogen will be developed in France and will be validated through a biohydrogen fuel cell prototype and small-scale model car.

Zhang developed a novel and innovative process for releasing sugars that can be fermented into ethanol from non-food sources into sugars that can be converted to ethanol. His process uses enzymes and mild and recyclable physicochemical conditions that do not require high pressure or high temperature. The gentle pretreatment process also results in no sugar degradation and separates other highly profitable products, such as lignin and acetic acid. “More revenues from lignocellulose components other than sugars would be vital to the success of biomass refineries,” said Zhang.

According to Gilles Amsallem, Biométhodes chief executive officer, “The pilot plant will integrate two major technologies – Virginia Tech’s pretreatment process, which breaks down the biomass, and Biométhodes’ hydrolysis enzyme optimization technology to improve the cellulose degradation into fermentable sugars.”

Virginia Tech officials believe the ethanol production from biomass can reach into the billions of gallon a year with Biométhodes scaling up the hydrogen end to deliver fuel cells for cars.

Ethanol, Hydrogen, News

Crop Group Confirms Ethanol Calibration System

Cindy Zimmerman

PioneerDuPont recently received confirmation from an independent sources that its ethanol yield calibration system really works.

The external independent validation came from the Illinois Crop Improvement Association (ICIA), which demonstrated that the Ethanol Yield Potential (EYP) near infrared (NIR) calibration does reliably predict the ethanol output of whole corn grain. The calibration, developed by DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred, allows ethanol plants to rapidly and consistently evaluate incoming grain, helping both plant managers and growers determine which corn hybrids and management practices can improve ethanol production.

Illinois crop improvement association“Rapid determination of EYP of corn can be a valuable step in improving ethanol plant efficiency,” said Dennis Thompson, ICIA chief executive officer. “ICIA recognizes the need for rapid measurement tools based on standardized reference lab methods. Our initial validation procedures have shown a strong correlation between the Pioneer EYP calibration and our laboratory method.”

The calibration has been incorporated into the QualiTrakSM system from Pioneer, a measurement and reporting program that facilitates the flow of ethanol yield information to both plant personnel and corn growers. The technology allows ethanol producers to use analytical data to manage the corn grain feeding for their ethanol production process through rapid analysis and grading at the point of grain receiving. Farmers are then able to take this information and combine it with their on-farm agronomic performance data to tailor the corn hybrids they plant and apply management practices to maximize the ethanol yield on every acre.

Miscellaneous

ACE Announces Lineup for 2008 Ethanol Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

ACE 08“Fueling Revolution” is the theme for the 2008 Ethanol Conference and Trade Show being held August 12-14 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

The conference officially gets underway on August 13 with morning breakout sessions on a number of important topics, including Protecting Profitability in Volatile Markets, Mid-Range Ethanol Blends & E85,
Current Issues in Distillers Grains, and Cellulosic Ethanol: Feedstock Production, Handling, and Logistics.

Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman will speak at the opening of the general session Wednesday afternoon. After remarks from the American Coalition for Ethanol leadership, a panel discussion on “Innovations in Corn Ethanol” will be held, featuring experts from the National Corn Growers Association, Chippewa Valley Ethanol Co. of Benson, Minnesota, and VeraSun Energy Corp.

A full agenda and registration information is available on-line at the ACE website.

ACE, conferences, corn, Ethanol, News

Company to Commercialize New Biofuel Technology

Cindy Zimmerman

California biofuels technology corporation Primafuel has created a new Kansas-based subsidiary for next-generation biofuels solutions.

PrimafuelAccording to the company, Primafuel Solutions will deliver next-generation, market-ready technology solutions to the biofuels industry. By taking Primafuel’s advanced technology platforms to market, Primafuel Solutions is working with customers to facilitate the transition to more sustainable bio-refineries. The team’s initial offering is SMAART™Oil, a down-stream system that extracts more food and fuel from the same bushel of corn.

Primafuel Solutions will introduce additional bio-separation innovations in 2009. Future technologies will include systems to convert low-value fats from ethanol facilities into more food-grade and fuel-grade materials, as well as other higher value compounds.

Biodiesel, Cellulosic, Ethanol, News

Organizations Support Ethanol Tariff

Cindy Zimmerman

Seven commodity and ethanol organizations have written a letter to President Bush in support of the secondary tariff on imported ethanol. The groups called attention to the importance of the tariff for the nation’s growing ethanol industry, as well as to the nation’s energy, economic, and environmental security.

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Ethanol Producers and Consumers (EPAC), National Association of Wheat Growers, National Corn Growers Association, National Farmers Union, National Sorghum Producers, and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) pointed to factors such as oil prices, rising demand, drought, and declining value of the dollar as having more effect on the price of food than biofuels. They urged the President to avoid yielding to the misdirected efforts to blame ethanol for rising prices and to prevent American taxpayers from subsidizing foreign products.

RFA“Removing the tariff would not lower food prices,” said RFA president Bob Dinneen. “Such an action would halt development of new ethanol technologies and take the jobs and economic opportunity being generated by the domestic ethanol industry to foreign countries. I strongly encourage President Bush to recognize that skyrocketing oil prices play a far greater role in the complex issue of food prices than does ethanol and reject the efforts to remove the secondary tariff.”

The 54 cent per gallon secondary tariff was enacted by Congress in 1980 to offset any incentive for imported ethanol to benefit from the 54 cent per gallon tax credit for ethanol blended into motor fuel. The tax credit is taken by refiners who blend ethanol into motor fuel and the purpose of the secondary tariff is to protect American taxpayers from subsidizing imports.

ACE, corn, Ethanol, Government, Legislation, News, RFA

Ethanol Industry Leaders Unite

Cindy Zimmerman

RFA PodcastBiofuels groups from the US, Canada, Brazil and Europe put aside their differences this past week to present a united front to world leaders meeting in Japan.

This edition of “The Ethanol Report” features an interview with Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen about the input the groups provided to the Group of Eight meeting of world leaders, what the outcome of the meeting was regarding biofuels, and why it is important for global biofuels producers to work together.

You can subscribe to the twice-monthly “The Ethanol Report” by following this link.

Or you can listen to it on-line here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/rfa/ethanol-report-16.mp3]

Audio, Ethanol, International, RFA

Big Easy Bouncing Back with Biodiesel

John Davis

Nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, destroying a large portion of the city and trashing more than half of its 370 buses, the city is getting some public transportation fueled by biodiesel.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that the eight new biodiesel buses arrive just as skyrocketing gas prices are helping increase ridership:

The vehicles were built by the Orion bus company based in Ontario, Canada. At 35 feet long, the bus is smaller than the standard RTA coach.

Currently, 29 of the buses are in the New Orleans area, with 10 more arriving from New York in the next few months.

The release of the brand-new buses comes at a time of increased reliance on the RTA. From April and May of 2007 to April and May of this year, ridership has increased 53 percent, RTA spokeswoman Rosalind Cook said.

Many of the new riders have been using public transportation in light of rising gas prices, Cook said.

These new buses are more comfortable than the older buses and have better access for riders with disabilities. Plus, of course, they run on cleaner-burning, renewable biodiesel.

Biodiesel

PA Gov Signs Biodiesel & Ethanol Incentives, Mandate

John Davis

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has signed into law measures that will provide incentives to biodiesel producers while mandating a rising scale of biodiesel percentages in all diesel sold in the state.

This story from FoxBusiness.com has details:

“Pennsylvanians are struggling with higher fuels costs,” said Governor Rendell, who signed House Bill 1202 and Special Session Senate Bill 22 into law at the National Armory in Montgomery County. “Record-high fuel prices are straining family budgets and pinching the bottom lines of our businesses. We need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and keep our energy dollars in Pennsylvania, to invest in our economy and create jobs.”

Here are the requirements for biodiesel percentages and what is believed to be the first cellulosic ethanol mandate in the country:

All diesel fuel sold at retail must contain:

— 2 percent biodiesel, once in-state production reaches 40 million gallons;

— 5 percent biodiesel, once in-state production reaches 100 million gallons;

— 10 percent biodiesel, once in-state production reaches 200 million gallons; and

— 20 percent biodiesel, once in-state production reaches 400 million gallons.

All gasoline sold at retail must contain:

— 10 percent ethanol, once in-state cellulosic ethanol production reaches 350 million gallons.

Pennsylvania is also investing $5.3 million for in-state biodiesel producers each year through 2011. Those producers will also be able to cash in on a 75 cents-a-gallon subsidy. The bills are expected to add a billion gallons of biofuels a year to the state.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Legislation, News

Scientists to DOE: “Keep Working on Biodiesel”

John Davis

A committee of scientists that helps the government make decisions is recommending that the U.S. keeps working on biodiesel.

This story from Biodiesel Magazine says a National Research Council committee looking at the 21st Century Truck Partnership, a group of of federal government agencies and private industries, has told the U.S. Department of Energy to continue research into the green fuel:

The review was conducted at the request of Patrick Davis, director of the U.S. DOE’s office of FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies. It looked at the high-tech goals and research and development efforts put forth by the partnership, as well as further evaluate the program’s progress and direction and comment on the overall adequacy of the program.

The committee’s findings were published in the book, titled “Review of the 21st Century Truck Partnership.” In it, the committee recommends that the DOE continue its work with biodiesel developers and users to assure compatibility when blending biodiesel with regular diesel. It also said that current DOE work to find an alternative fuel to petroleum has been focused on resolving biodiesel issues, but the agency hasn’t provided a timetable for a successful resolution of those efforts. “Successful deployment will require resolving operational issues and updating the biodiesel specifications,” the review stated. “DOE should develop specific plans, including key actions and timetables, for 5 percent replacement of petroleum fuels.”

The DOE will take the advice into consideration.

Biodiesel, Government