Ribbon Cutting Planned for Ethanol Plant

Cindy Zimmerman

VeraSun Energy will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house Thursday for its 110 million-gallon-per year biorefinery in Albion, Nebraska.

VeraSunThe plant began operation in October 2007 and VeraSun announced it would acquire the facility from ASAlliances in July 2007. The plant is one of 11 VeraSun ethanol production facilities currently in operation.

According to VeraSun officials, the ribbon cutting, which will be held at the Boone County Fairgrounds, “will focus on the power of partnership™, recognizing those who contributed to the success of project and are leaving a legacy of creating energy diversity and economic benefits for the communities of Boone County.”

Among those who will be on hand for the event are Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman, VeraSun CEO Don Endres, Brian Jennings with the American Coalition for Ethanol, Todd Sneller of the Nebraska Ethanol Board and Randy Uhrmacher with the Nebraska Corn Growers Association.

corn, Ethanol, Facilities, News

Ethanol Focus of Corn Utilization Technology

Cindy Zimmerman

The theme for the 6th Corn Utilization and Technology Conference (CUTC) is “Corn – New Horizons,” and ethanol is definitely a big part of that landscape.

CUTCOrganizers say the theme reflects the continued growing importance of corn as a keystone to a carbohydrate-based economy. The conference has been expanded to include new topics in wet milling, dry grind technologies, value-added products from corn and new uses for distillers dry grains (DDGs) that will be of value to ethanol producers and livestock interests.

Steve Lewis POETAmong the speakers will be POET Chief Science Officer, Steve Lewis, who will discuss POET’s patent-pending biorefining technologies.

Lewis’s presentation on “Cutting Edge Research in Dry Mill Ethanol Production” will focus on POET’s two innovative technologies, BPX™ and BFRAC™.

BPX is a patent-pending raw starch hydrolysis process converts starch to sugar, which then ferments to ethanol without heat. It reduces energy and water usage by up to 15 percent in comparison to conventional processes.

BFRAC separates the corn into three fractions including fiber, germ and endosperm. The endosperm is then fermented to create ethanol while the remaining fractions are converted into value-added co-products, including POET’s Dakota Gold HP™ (a high protein distillers grain feed product), Dakota Bran™ cake, corn germ meal and corn oil.

The Corn Utilization and Technology Conference hosted by the National Corn Growers Association will be held June 2-4 at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown in Kansas City, Mo.

conferences, corn, Distillers Grains, Ethanol, News

Demo Cellulosic Ethanol Plant to be Dedicated

Cindy Zimmerman

A dedication ceremony is planned this week for a new demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol facility in Louisiana.

Verenium PlantOfficials with Verenium Corporation say the Thursday dedication begins the commissioning phase for the new facility located in Jennings.

“This is a major step forward and a transformational moment for Verenium and the next-generation ethanol industry as we seek commercially-viable alternatives to traditional fuel sources,” said Carlos A. Riva, President and Chief Executive Officer of Verenium. “This is a first for the U.S. and as we take the next step toward commercialization, we are breaking new ground and setting new standards for our industry.”

The demonstration-scale plant in Jennings is rated to produce 1.4 million-gallons-per-year of next-generation ethanol by using specialty enzymes and the Company’s proprietary technology to convert non-food biomass.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, News

Analyst: High Oil Prices Good for Biofuels

John Davis

While the rising price of crude oil might be taking a chunk out of your wallet, one analyst says it’s good news for ethanol and biodiesel.

In this story on Grainnet.com, University of Illinois Extension marketing specialist Darrell Good made the comments while reviewing factors supporting the price of corn and soybeans:

“Higher ethanol prices and strengthening prices of distillers grains have offset the higher prices of corn and natural gas,” he said.

“A continuation of relatively high crude oil and gasoline prices would be supportive of continued strong demand even with a lower blender tax credit and reduced mandates.

“The current wholesale price of unleaded gasoline along with a 45 cents per gallon blender’s tax credit, for example, would support ethanol prices 20 cents above current plant level prices.

“Higher fuel prices might also give a boost to soybean oil demand for biodiesel production.”

Good says the use of soybeans in the production of biodiesel has dropped sharply since the peak of August 2007, but refiners are using other feedstocks, such as animal fats, to keep biodiesel production increasing sharply.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News

New Mexico Gov Helps Open Biofuels Center

John Davis

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson helped open a new center that will feature renewable fuels.

According to this company press release, Richardson filled up the Cummins-Blue Sun Biodiesel dragster this weekend at the Nambe Falls Travel Center in Santa Fe… a Blue Sun Biodiesel complex that includes retail and wholesale sales of the green fuel:

The Nambe Falls Travel Center is representative of the future of fueling stations, featuring major alternative fuels like biodiesel and ethanol. The Travel Center is only the third store in New Mexico to offer E10, E85, B5 and B20.

Nambe Falls selected premium Blue Sun Fusion™ B20 biodiesel because Fusion delivers greatly improved engine performance over traditional diesel fuel, has lower emissions and enjoys a strong brand franchise throughout the Mountain States.

“We’re glad to have Nambe Pueblo Development Corporation as a partner in New Mexico to bring customers the alternative fuels they demand and to help New Mexico continue on the path to becoming a clean energy state,” said Mike Miller, President and COO of Blue Sun Biodiesel.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News

E85 Over One Dollar Under Gasoline in NY

Albany, NY E85 stationThere is no excuse to not purchase E85 in Albany, NY. The cost of the domestically grown, alternative fuel is $1.10 below that of unleaded at $2.95 per gallon! Village Mobil, a member of the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, is located at 88 Wolf Road in Albany.

E85 contains less energy than unleaded gasoline and when used in a flexible fuel vehicle, consumers will see less miles driven per gallon. To be adventageous financially to consumers, E85 must be priced under gasoline. According to the NEVC, the price differential should be at least 20%. Village Mobil’s price of E85 is nearly 27% below the price of regular unleaded gasoline.

There are nearly 4,700 flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) in Albany that can take advantage of this pricing, and over 200,000 FFVs in the entire state. For a complete listing of E85 stations, including the 20 in the state of New York, go to www.E85Refueling.com.

E85, Ethanol, Facilities, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News

Clinton, Obama Make Pitches for Biofuels & Voters

John Davis

The Democratic Party presidential nomination process rolls on (who’d have thunk it that we still wouldn’t have a nominee this late in the game?) with the next primary June 3rd in Montana, as well as Democratic and Republican primaries in South Dakota and the New Mexico Republican primary on the same day.

Both Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama granted interviews with the Flathead Beacon (in Kalispell, MT) and made their pitch to win over voters. Part of their pitches included the topic of renewable energy:

Q: A new Bush administration report says most of the oil and nearly half of the natural gas beneath public lands in the U.S. are off limits to drilling. To get at those resources would require Congress to roll back environmental safeguards and lift drilling prohibitions on large areas of the Rocky Mountain West. As president, would you favor lifting some of these restrictions to increase domestic energy production?

Obama: I do not believe that we can drill our way out of the energy problem. I think that the way we solve our energy problem is by investing in a new generation of technologies: solar, wind, biodiesel, making our cars far more fuel-efficient. That’s the answer to our long-term energy needs and the more we put that off by trying to drill our way out of the problem, the bigger the price we’re going to pay down the road. Now is the time for us to start and that’s why I’ve said I’m going to invest $150 billion dollars, over ten years, $15 billion dollars a year, on an “Apollo Project” for energy independence and we are going to not only invest in science and research but we’re also going to invest in major projects that are going to produce millions of “green” jobs, all across the country, including Montana. That’s, I think, the kind of leadership that we need out of the White House right now.

Clinton: Not at this time, no. I’m familiar with the discussion about drilling on the Rocky Mountain Front and on other federal lands. I do not favor that at this time. I think we ought to be much more focused on energy efficiency and conservation and looking for sources of renewable energy like investing in clean-coal technology. I agree with Senators Baucus and Tester that keeping the Rocky Mountain Front untouched by drilling is essential to the enjoyment and economic security of local families and communities along the Front and all of Montana.

As I’ve mentioned before, here are the links to Obama’s, Clinton’s, and Sen. John McCain’s stances on renewable energy. And I’ll say it again: You read… you decide.

Miscellaneous

LifeLine’s Vision for Corn and Ethanol

John Davis

Domestic Fuel CastLifeLine Foods sells ethanol, but ethanol is just one of many products the company produces. The St. Joseph, MO-based corn milling plant started off as a manufacturer of snack foods in 2001. Today, LifeLine’s identity is continually evolving. The 51 percent farmer-owned company is committed to innovation and is now partnered with ICM, Inc, a world leader in ethanol facility design and engineering, in the production of ethanol.

In this DomesticFuel Cast, we hear from LifeFine Foods CEO Bill Becker about the company’s current innovations with corn, food and fuel and what’s in store for the future.
Here is the Domestic Fuel Cast #4:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/domesticfuel/df-podcast-4.mp3]

You can also subscribe to the Domestic Fuel Cast using the following url/feed link: http://www.zimmcomm.biz/domesticfuel/domestic-fuel-cast.xml.

Audio, corn, Distillers Grains, Domestic Fuel Cast, Energy, Environment, Ethanol, Food prices, Indy Racing, News, Production, Research

DOE Says ‘20% Wind Energy by 2030’ an Attainable Goal

John Davis

The U.S. Department of Energy says current wind power technology is capable of powering 20 percent of the nation’s electricity. A DOE report, “20% Wind Energy by 2030,” finds an acceleration in the growth of wind power could reduce national consumption of natural gas by 11 percent and consumption of coal by 18 percent each year. The report states that this would mean a reduction of 825 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

“This is the equivalent of taking 140 million cars off the road,” said Randall Swisher, of the American Wind Energy Association.

“We can do this nationally for less than half a cent per kilowatt hour if we have the vision,” said Andrew Karsner, the DOE’s assistant secretary for efficiency and renewable energy.

According to the DOE’s report, the growth rate needed to reach 20% would pose challenges for the wind energy industry but is achievable. Already, the wind industry is attracting many new entrants — traditional utilities like Florida Power and Light, smaller wind developers and even big oil companies.

Energy, Government, News, Wind

EU Asking Biodiesel Questions

John Davis

The European Union wants more information about U.S. subsidies on biodiesel. The inquiry stems from a European Biodiesel Board (EBB) complaint at the end of April that American subsidies were unfair trade practices (see my April 25th post).

Now, according to this Reuters story, the EU is formally looking into the EBB charges:

“The Commission is in contact with the United States to clarify certain details regarding U.S. production,” an European Union diplomat said on Monday.

“This is an initial prerequisite to any move the Commission may take in this area,” the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

European biodiesel producers in April asked the Commission to impose duties on biodiesel imports from the United States on the grounds they broke international trade rules.

The National Biodiesel Board calls the charges hypocritical:

The head of a U.S. biodiesel group accused the EU sector of trying to use litigation for protectionist ends and said his group would “aggressively challenge” EU trade obstacles.

“It is hypocritical for the European Biodiesel Board to cry foul while they benefit from a blatant trade barrier,” said Manning Feraci, vice president of federal affairs at the National Biodiesel Board.

Feraci vows the NBB will aggressively challenge the EU trade barriers already in place.

Biodiesel, International