Annoying Weed Could Make Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

KudzuMaking ethanol from a nuisance weed could be an idea whose time has come.

A Tennessee entrepreneur claims to have found a way to make ethanol out of kudzu – into a product he calls “Kudzunol.”

Doug MizellDoug Mizell is a co-founder of Agro*Gas Industries, LLC, which he promotes on his MySpace page. He and partner Tom Monahan are looking for funding to build a demonstration plant to prove that their technology will work.

Kudzu is an invasive species that grows vine-like throughout the southeast. “There’s 7.2 million acres of kudzu in the south that’s absolutely good to no one,” said Mizell. “It grows a foot a day, 60 feet a season and can be harvested twice a year and not even hurt the stand.”

Agro*Gas plans to break ground on a demonstration plant somewhere in Tennessee by end of the year and hopefully begin production in 2009.

Miscellaneous

Governor’s Ethanol Challenge in Minnesota

Cindy Zimmerman

The Minnesota Corn Growers are hosting the 4th annual Governor’s Ethanol Challenge this week at various venues around their state.

MN CornMinnesota Corn Growers treasurer Chad Willis says corn growers will be out at the events, talking to the fans and promoting ethanol. “For the past few years we’ve done an ethanol trivia contest with the t-shirts as a prize,” said Willis, who is a farmer from Willmar and one of the volunteer coordinators for the event. “It’s a great way to get our message across because it has the crowd listening carefully so they know the answer if they get called up. The best way to learn something is to learn it and repeat it.”

The races run on four consecutive nights at four different Wissota Auto Racing tracks in western Minnesota and will draw together a score of “Midwest Modified” class drivers and vehicles to compete for higher-than-usual purses. The vehicles will be running on E-98, a performance fuel with octane topping 105.

The races will be held July 8 at Viking Speedway in Alexandria; July 9 at Madison Speedway in Madison; July 10 at KRA Speedway in Willmar; and July 11 at Fiesta City Speedway, Montevideo.

corn, Ethanol, News, Racing

Jayhawks Brew Up Biodiesel for a Buck

John Davis

Researchers at the University of Kansas are making biodiesel… and it’s costing only $1-a-gallon to make the green fuel.

This story from the Lawrence (KS) Journal-World says Prof. Susan Williams is using the school’s leftovers with intentions of putting the biodiesel back into the university:

With her raw materials virtually cost-free — used cooking oil from campus dining facilities, leftover methanol from chemistry researchers and potassium hydroxide (lye) from the hardware store — the associate professor of chemical and petroleum engineering and her colleagues can brew up biodiesel for less than $1 a gallon.

And with their biggest customer poised to start burning the fuel, Williams’ team is looking beyond Mount Oread and into a market that could use some alternatives to Middle Eastern crude.

“It can make a huge difference,” she said. “People don’t really have a lot of confidence right now in biofuels, because they’re really not familiar with them. The more we can do to educate people and help them understand the impact they can have, it’s a good thing.”

The project is gaining attention outside Lawrence, among regulators, academics and even fuel marketers themselves. All are angling to find reliable, consistent data that can indicate which alternative fuels might offer the best economic value, mechanical efficiency and environmental benefits.

So far, Williams’ team has brewed up only about 700 gallons of biodiesel… certainly not enough to make a huge impact on any energy market. But it’s a good start. And the next move is to start testing the clean, cheap fuel in some university equipment, such as lawnmowers.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel Helping Ohio Schools

John Davis

It’s the middle of summer, and the last thing on students’ minds is how they’ll get to school. But those rides to classes this fall might be a bit cleaner as more schools across the country switch their buses over to biodiesel.

In Ohio, schools are getting incentives to run their diesel buses on the cleaner-burning biodiesel. This story from the Marion (OH) Star says the money is to help make up any difference in the cost between petroleum-based and plant-based fuels:

The Ohio Department of Development started taking applications in January for grant funding up to $25,000 for schools that commit to using B20 fuel, which is a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel.

Since the grant’s introduction, more than 20 Ohio schools have been approved for reimbursement in the difference between using biodiesel and petroleum diesel. Engines do not need any modifications to make the switch from petroleum to biodiesel. Soy biodiesel costs anywhere from the same as petroleum diesel to 10 cents more per gallon, according to CleanFuelsOhio.org. [Shelby Brammell, an educational consultant representing Clean Air for Kids] said it can cost up to 20 cents more.

Brammell is making the circuit around county fairs this summer to see how much interest there is in biodiesel for school buses. And after she tells parents that the green fuel is as biodegradable as sugar and 10 times less toxic than table salt, that interest increases dramatically.

Now, if only we can increase the students’ interests in scholarly activities that much.

Biodiesel

PA Trying to Keep Up in Biodiesel Incentives, Mandates

John Davis

Pennsylvania lawmakers have passed a bill that would significantly increase that state’s incentive to biodiesel makers and another that would mandate that every gallon of diesel be blended with biodiesel.

This story in the York (PA) Daily Record says the bill from Sen. Robert Tomlinson (R-Bucks) would up the incentive to 75 cents for each gallon and is expected to help the green energy industry while helping local farmers:

The incentive program would be capped at $5.25 million per year. No company could receive more than $2 million per year. Mark O’Neill, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, said an existing 5-cent incentive in Pennsylvania pales in comparison to incentives that top $1 per gallon in other states.

He said increasing the subsidy will create greater demand for soybeans, indirectly benefiting local farmers as the state’s six biodiesel companies increase production.

Pennsylvania producers say robust incentives in states such as Iowa and Indiana have allowed out-of-state companies to undercut their prices. Twenty-four states offer a production incentive of some kind, said Ben Wootton, president of Keystone BioFuels in Cumberland County.

“It’s killing all the producers in Pennsylvania,” Wootton said.

Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-West Manchester Township, who backs the plan, said he believes spurring domestic biodiesel production is a “national security issue.”

“I strongly believe that we have to reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” he said.Read More

Biodiesel, Government, Legislation

E85 Available at Florida Turnpike

Florida SealFlorida’s Turnpike Turkey Lake Service Plaza fueling facility has become the first station in Central Florida to offer E85 to the motoring public. Prior to this station, the only sites to offer the clean, domestic fuel to the over 500,000 flexible fuel vehicles are in the cities of Tallahassee and Miami.

Governor Charlie Crist recently made an announcement regarding the new station. The Governor’s office issued a press release which noted below.

“The rising cost of gasoline is affecting Floridians’ driving decisions, so it makes sense for us to offer a viable alternative. It makes even more sense to offer travelers the opportunity to choose ethanol and reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions.”

The addition of the E85 pumps heralds a $1.5 million Turnpike cooperative initiative with Martin Petroleum Corp. to offer ethanol as an alternative fuel choice at three of the most-heavily visited service plazas located along the 312-mile Turnpike.

Recognizing that more alternative fuel vehicles are appearing on Florida’s highways, the Governor lauded the addition of ethanol as a responsible, renewable fuel choice for both commuters and the millions of visitors who travel the Turnpike to reach their vacation destinations.

The Turnpike service plazas at Port St. Lucie/Ft. Pierce and Pompano will add ethanol later this summer.

Governor Crist also applaud the FDOT its role in helping state government lead by example. About one-third of the Turnpike’s motor vehicle pool is comprised of flex fuel vehicles.

E85, Ethanol, Facilities, Government, News

World Ethanol Leaders Address G8

Cindy Zimmerman

Canadian RFAOfficials from Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, the European Bioethanol Fuel Association, Brazil’s Sugar Cane Industry Association (UNICA), and the US Renewable Fuels Association have written a letter to the leaders of the G8 nations underscoring the critical importance biofuels play in reducing the growing demand for oil and the corresponding escalation in prices around the world.

EBioThe letter reads in part, “Were it not for the increasing production of world biofuels producers, oil consumption would expand by 1 million barrels per day. As the leaders of the world’s most industrialized nations, you can imagine what would happen to oil prices in the absence of biofuel production.”

UNICAThe biofuel industry leaders also cautioned against the unfounded assumptions being made regarding biofuels’ role in rising food prices, noting that stronger commodity prices provide the necessary incentives to spur increased grain production worldwide.

RFA
“As is always the case, context is critical. Biofuel production consumes just 3% of world coarse grain supply. With the incentives a strong global grain market provides agricultural producers, increases in efficiency and productivity by farmers the world will advance far more rapidly than they have in the past, plagued by years of neglect…For developing nations, biofuels offer tremendous opportunity for job creation and economic opportunity, as well as an avenue to avoid repeating the fossil fueled mistakes many industrialized nations have made.”

The groups cautioned world leaders against taking any renewable energy resource off the table, particularly one that is already helping to meet the growing demand for liquid motor fuels in many nations.

The letter concludes by pointing out, “If one of the goals of G8 leaders is to help ensure the long-term economic health and energy security, biofuels must be part of your strategy.”

Read the letter here.

Ethanol, International, News, RFA

First Victory for Team Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Team Ethanol scored its first IndyCar Series win Sunday at the Camping World Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, NY.

Team Ethanol VictoryAppropriately on Independence Day weekend, it was an all-American win for the Rahal Letterman team, which is sponsored by the ethanol industry – including ICM, POET and Fagen – with driver Ryan Hunter-Reay at the wheel.

“It’s a dream come true,” Hunter-Reay said after the race. “American kid winning with ethanol on the side of the car. It’s an American team – Bobby Rahal gave me the job and now we’re in Victory Circle.”

Hunter-Reay is the third driver for Team Ethanol, which was initiated by Paul Dana in 2005. Dana was killed in a pre-race wreck at the start of the 2006 season in Homestead. Jeff Simmons took over for him the rest of that season and most of 2007 before he was replaced mid-season by Hunter-Reay who went on to become Rookie of the Year.

This is the second year the IndyCar Series has been fueled with 100 percent ethanol, so the victory is especially sweet for corn growers and the ethanol industry.

Ethanol, Indy Racing, News, Racing

Florida Gov Signs Alt Energy Bill

John Davis

Florida Governor Charlie Crist has signed a comprehensive alternative energy bill that is being touted as putting his state on the right foot for beginning true energy independence, while being realistic.

This story from the Walton Sun says the new law will encourage investments in alternative and renewable energy technology and will help reduce greenhouse gases:

This follows a year after the governor issued three executive orders with the intent of reducing greenhouse gases, increasing energy efficiency and removing market barriers for renewable energy technologies such as solar and wind energy.

However, Lynn Erickson, corporate communications for Gulf Power, said “We know that wind isn’t a viable option in Florida since only a couple of places can be used. It’s the same thing with solar.”

Last year’s proposed emissions standards were as stringent as California’s, said Erickson.

The newly passed energy bill puts a “more realistic tone” on it, but by issuing those executive orders he has kick started the whole process for alternative energy in Florida, said Erickson.

The article says Crist has also recommended for the 2008-2009 fiscal year a $200 million energy and climate change package, that includes $50 million for solar, wind and other renewable energies; $42.5 million to promote and develop biodiesel and ethanol in the state; and $107.5 million to encourage and develop green industries.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Solar, Wind

New Biodiesel Feedstock Brings Promise and Problems

John Davis

Camelina is growing in popularity as a feedstock for biodiesel for its high oil content, hardy nature and short growing season… especially popular in the Northern Plains, such as Montana, where conditions can be a bit tough.

But this story from The Prairie Star, a Great Falls-based publication serving Montana and parts of Wyoming, says researchers are offering some advice to overcome some of the oilseed’s shortcomings:

“What I see is it’s a rotational crop to improve wheat production,” said Kent McVay, cropping systems specialist at the Montana State University’s Southern Agricultural Recearch Center (SARC) in Huntley, Mont.

Weed control, however, can be a major limitation to camelina production, McVay said. Therefore, it is critical to select fields where prior management has led to limited weed pressure and weed seed production.

Camelina is resistant to flea beetles which are an economic pest of canola in Montana environments.

McVay said MSU is studying camelina used in rotation and in long-term rotations. The university is also researching camelina variety trials and water use of the oilseed.

McVay said the oilseed has also been studied at both Huntley and in Wyoming. “It will take a couple of years to really know if you get a yield boost using this type of rotation.

The article points out that, right now, there are no herbicides for camelina. McVay advises growers to cut down the broadleaf leaves if they’re going to rotate this crop.

Biodiesel