Senator Pushes for Higher Ethanol Blends

Cindy Zimmerman

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is continuing to push for the use of higher ethanol blends in regular car engines.

Chuck GrassleyLast fall, Grassley and several other senators wrote the Environmental Protection Agency requesting testing of blends of ethanol above 10% for non-flexible fuel vehicles. Now Grassley is asking car makers what they are doing in the area of research and testing on higher ethanol blends.

“It is becoming even more important as we see the maximum market demand for E-10 blends quickly approaching,” Grassley told reporters Tuesday. “It is believed that the E-10 market will be saturated by 2012 or 2013 at about 12 or 14 billion gallons a year. That’s about twice what we producer right now. It is critical that timely approvals be made for intermediate blends of ethanol-blended gasoline for non-flexible fuel vehicles.”

Grassley cites a year-long study by the state of Minnesota and the Renewable Fuels Association showing no problems with ethanol blends of up to 20 percent.

“When I was in Brazil in 2006 I saw first hand, non-Flex Fuel vehicles capable on running on blends of 20 percent to 25 percent ethanol,” he said.

Grassley says movement to higher ethanol blends requires cooperation between the public and private sectors.

Ethanol, Government, News, RFA

Partnership for Cellulosic Technology

Cindy Zimmerman

ConocoISUThe U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has entered into partnership with ConocoPhillips and Iowa State University to identify promising cellulosic biomass conversion technologies for the future. The collaboration will bring three independently established programs together to help identify the most efficient and cost-effective methods for making liquid transportation fuels from plants.

NREL“Research cooperation among government, industry and academia is needed to efficiently address the many questions about how to find the best ways to convert biomass to liquid transportation fuels,” said Tom Foust, technology manager for NREL’s National Bioenergy Center.

Each party is providing its own time and resources and the collaboration is expected to produce an initial report by January 2009.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, Government, News, Research

Biodiesel Additive Approved by Texas

John Davis

oryxe.jpgAn additive to biodiesel has been approved by the State of Texas for its low-emission program.

ORYXE Energy International’s ORYXE(R) LED for Biodiesel has received an unprecedented approval for use in the Texas Low Emission Diesel Program (TxLED). This press release from the company says it means fuel producers will be able to use the additive at a lower treat rate in biodiesel blends up to B20:

Under extensive testing at the West Virginia University Engine and Emissions Research Laboratory, ORYXE LED for Biodiesel eliminated the bump in oxides of nitrogen (NOx) associated with biodiesel. A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report summarizing published studies shows that biodiesel reduces all regulated emissions, with the exception of NOx.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) recently developed an alternative testing protocol for biodiesel blends. Under the original protocol, B20 fuel (80% EPA diesel and 20% biodiesel) treated with the ORYXE additive was tested against a clean, prescriptively blended TxLED fuel. The significant difference in the new protocol is that the petroleum diesel component of the B20 fuel can now be TxLED-compliant, instead of EPA diesel. Therefore, the additive only has to address the increased NOx created from the biodiesel portion of the blend.

“The additional approval is great news for Texas air quality as well as our customers. They can now utilize ORYXE technology more economically to comply with the low-emission diesel standards established for Texas,” said James M. Cleary, ORYXE Energy chairman and chief executive officer. “The fact that our product is the only additive to pass two different tests says a great deal about the effectiveness of our technology to reduce NOx.”

Company officials say the key is the lower treat rate at 1.25 milliliters per gallon of the biodiesel blend, which will mean biodiesel and regular diesel sellers can use the one additive for either fuel.

Biodiesel

Nilsson Named President of DMI Industries

John Davis

dmi.jpgDMI Industries, a leading manufacturer of wind generator towers, has named Stefan Nilsson as president of the West Fargo, North Dakota-based company.

A company press release says he’ll lead a company that has its fingers in several other alternative energy sources:

“I am impressed with DMI’s recent expansion activity and excited to help guide the company’s strategic direction and future success,” Nilsson said. “The wind energy sector holds tremendous opportunity, and DMI will continue to grow as a leader in tower manufacturing.”

A native of Sweden, Nilsson moved to the United States more than 20 years ago. He holds a master’s in mechanical engineering and received his MBA in International Business Management from the University of Uppsala, Sweden. He will relocate from Michigan to the Fargo area.

DMI is a heavy steel wind tower manufacturer with plants located in North Dakota, Oklahoma and Ontario, Canada. The company also has capabilities to produce equipment for a wide variety of industries, including agricultural processing; ethanol production; oil and gas extraction, processing and refining; and water and waste water processing.

You can read more about the company at www.dmiindustries.com.

Wind

Albany Ethanol Plant Approved

Cindy Zimmerman

Port of AlbanyThe Albany Port District Commission has approved a proposal to build an ethanol plant on port property which officials say it the largest development project in the history of the port.

According to the Albany Times-Union, the developer, Albany Renewable Energy LLC, would bring in 60 million bushels of corn annually — about what is produced in all of New York state — from regional and Midwest farmers.

The plant still needs to obtain financing and permits from the state Department of Environmental Conservation before construction can begin. Company officials say construction would take 6 to 12 months.

The Schenectady Gazette reports that the plant will be designed and built by ICM Inc. of Kansas, and that the company is also looking to acquire the rights to build another smaller production facility at the port. The total cost of the two plants could reach $350 million.

Albany Renewable Energy plans to send processed ethanol from its plant by barge to terminals at the major ports in Boston, New York City and Philadelphia.

Ethanol, News

Cellulosic Firm Surpasses $100 Million in Funding

Cindy Zimmerman

Range FuelsRange Fuels has announced that it has received private financing totaling over $100 million to complete the construction of the first phase of its commercial cellulosic ethanol plant located near the town of Soperton, Georgia. The first phase of construction for the Soperton Plant is targeted to produce approximately 20 million gallons of ethanol and mixed alcohols per year and is scheduled for completion in 2009.

Range Fuels uses a thermo-chemical process compared to most competing cellulosic processes which use biochemical technology.

The company will use woody biomass in the form of sustainably harvested forest trees and waste materials from Georgia forests.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, News

Latest Ethanol Podcast Features Industry Leaders

Cindy Zimmerman

The latest “Ethanol Report” podcast from the Renewable Fuels Association features comments from four ethanol industry leaders about the future of the ethanol industry and what role the RFA will play in it.

RFA PodcastFeatured are RFA Vice Chairman Tom Branhan of Glacial Lakes Energy in Watertown, South Dakota; Renewable Fuels Foundation chairman Bill Lee with Chippewa Valley Ethanol in Minnesota; RFA and RFF board member Dan Schwartzkopf with ICM’s LifeLine Foods; and Ryland Utlaut of Mid-Missouri Energy, a board member of RFA and past chairman of the National Corn Growers Association.

You can subscribe to “The Ethanol Report” by following this link.

Or you can listen to it on-line here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/rfa/ethanol-report-09.mp3]

Audio, corn, Ethanol, News, RFA

Water Treatment Company Focuses on Ethanol Plant Needs

Cindy Zimmerman

Fremont Industries has launched a new division to offer specialized water services to the biofuels industry. The new Biofuels Group division reportedly will help the ethanol industry become even better environmental stewards with a process that significantly reduces typical solid discharge levels from the water used during ethanol production.

Fremont Biofuels GroupThe innovative technology allows ethanol plants to recycle and reuse wastewater streams as an alternative to discharge.

“Starting with a plant’s re-engineered water balance, the design team optimizes current water use and then focuses on recycle and reuse options combined with creative equipment applications to reduce the environmental impact of the discharged water,” explained Chris Robbins, national sales manager of the Biofuels Group. “The result is reduced or elimination of plant water discharge.”

Fremont has been involved as a supplier for the biofuels industry for almost 20 years and they expect the new division to provide even more focused and committed resources to the unique needs of the ethanol industry.

EPIC, Ethanol, News

Ground Breaks on MO Biodiesel Plant

John Davis

Ground’s been broken on a new biodiesel plant in the Northern Missouri town of Moberly.

This story in the Moberly (MO) Monitor says the $16.5 million Producer’s Choice Soy Energy plant and soybean crushing facility could be in operation by the beginning of March 2009:

processconcepts.jpgThe almost 14-acre tract is filled with corn stubble today. But construction, to be done by Process Concepts of Pevely, MO, will begin soon. PCSE qualified for the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Producer Incentive program last October. Under those guidelines, the state will pay PCSE 30-cents per gallon on the first 15 mgy of biodiesel created during the first five years of operation. One of the conditions of the incentive, however, is that the plant must be producing biodiesel by March 1, 2009. It is estimated the plant could be completed in 10 months.

Mark Johnston, the general contractor, told the gathering Friday that Process Concepts had built four such plants in Missouri. He said the Moberly facility had a better chance of success than some others he was acquainted with since the plant here would be diversified by having the crushing plant in addition to the biodiesel. The plant is estimated to produce 5 million gallons of biodiesel annually with expectations to increase that to 30 million gallons in the future. In addition, the plant will have a capacity to mechanically crush up to 250 tons of soybeans daily. The soybean crush will provide feedstock for the biodiesel conversion as well as 65,000 tons of extruded soybean meal each year.

City officials say they will provide the infrastructure and tax abatements to ensure the success of the plant.

Biodiesel

Corn Forecast Still Historically High

Cindy Zimmerman

The first USDA forecast of corn acreage to be planted this year may be eight percent less than last year, but its still the second-highest acreage intention since 1949, according to the National Corn Growers Association.

NCGA officials also point out that the anticipated 86 million acres of corn is still only an educated guess at this point, since almost no corn has yet been planted.

NCGA“We’re always cautious when we review the March projections, because they are made before any seeds really enter the ground,” said Ron Litterer, NCGA president. “The corn acreage projections also have a tendency to go up. Last year, for example, there was a difference of more than 3 million acres between the March estimate and the final number.” Litterer pointed out USDA’s March report has underestimated actual corn acres in the each of the last four years.

If farmers actually did plant according to the forecast, they could expect to harvest about 79 million acres. If the average trend yield of 155.5 bushels per acre is realized, corn producers would be on track to produce approximately 12.3 billion bushels in 2008 – the second-highest production ever.

“Based on what we’ve heard from our growers, and if the weather goes our way, we’re confident we will produce another good crop,” Litterer said. “We’re committed to meeting all needs – food, fuel, feed and fiber, and we are heartened by the trend toward higher yields that maximizes how much corn is produced per acre.”

A more accurate estimate of planted acreage can be expected from USDA at the end of June.

corn, Ethanol, News