SW Missouri Biofuel Hub

John Davis

It looks like a 50-million-gallon-a-year ethanol plant is in the works at a site near Nevada, Missouri… just up the road from $90 million plant that will make soy-based biodiesel.

Officials with Ozark Ethanol LLC recently met with the Vernon County Commission and citizens to discuss the plant. According to this AP story in the Springfield News-Leader, not much officially is being said about the plant except a general location of where it will be built in Southwest Missouri:

But Vernon County Presiding Commissioner Bonnie McCord said the location being discussed is near the intersection of Missouri 43 and U.S. 54, which is just down the road from the soybean-diesel plant now being built by a company called Prairie Pride.

For both companies, location is part of the attraction.

MCGAVernon County lies in west-central Missouri on the Kansas border, with roads and rail lines that would easily connect the plants with farmers in both states supplying the corn and soybeans.
But it’s not just location, location, location that’s driving the two plants:

Gary Marshall, chief executive officer with the Missouri Corn Growers Association, said four ethanol plants are operating in Missouri right now, and five are under construction.

“The demand is very, very strong and continues to be very strong,” he said of ethanol.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News

Plant Materials Key to Bioenergy

Cindy Zimmerman

NRCSUSDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is on the forefront of developing plants that could be used as future energy sources through the NRCS Plant Materials Program. National Program leader for Plant Materials Bob Escheman says that is part of their mission to solve resource concerns.

Bob Escheman“The Plant Material program began back in the middle ‘30s when the Soil Conservation Service was established,” Escheman said. “We are now getting into bioenergy where we are working with universities and other producers.”

One of the plants they are working on developing for energy is switchgrass, which became famous when President Bush mentioned it last year in his State of the Union address.

“We’ve been growing switchgrass since the 1950s and we are trying to find where we can best grow the plant for bioenergy uses,” said Escheman.

One of the main problems of using switchgrass as a biofuel has been the amount of ash which is created after burning it. To solve this problem, the Plant Materials Centers (PMC) at Knox City, Texas and Elsberry, Missouri, along with the USDA Agricultural Research Service and Mississippi State University are cooperating on a study to investigate how the timing of harvesting affects biomass yield and the biofuel-quality of switchgrass.

Niles GlasgowThere are 27 regional NRCS Plant Materials centers nationwide, including one in Brooksville, Florida. State Conservationist Niles Glasgow, who is also chairman of the National Plant Materials Advisory Committee, says bioenergy research is an exciting area for the program.

“One of the big things we have to start looking at is what kind of plants are going to produce the most amount of mass that can be turned into fuel,” said Glasgow.

He notes that Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson is very interested in making the Sunshine State a major player in alternative fuels. “And we know that will not be from growing corn, it will be from growing grass” or different types of sugarcane.

Both Escheman and Glasgow believe that the role of the Plant Materials Program in developing sources for alternative fuels is just beginning.

Cellulosic, Energy, Ethanol, Government, News, Research

Biodiesel By-product as Beef Feed

John Davis

MU logoUniversity of Missouri researchers are testing to see if glycerin, left over from biodiesel production, is a viable feed source for beef.

In a press release on the MU web site, Monty Kerley, professor of ruminant nutrition in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, is looking at how effective feeding glycerin would be. He’ll be testing the rowth of 60 calves through November, feeding some groups 5%, some groups 10%, and some groups 20% glycerin of their total diet. There will also be a control group that gets none. Kerley will look at growth performance and meat quality:

Kerley“We’re really looking at the energy value and how it compares to corn,” Kerley said. “When the animal consumes glycerin, it’s absorbed, and the glycerin is used to make glucose. Actually, it’s like feeding sugar to a cow. Because it’s liquid, there are two things we worry about – one, how much can be used in the diet before it changes the form of the diet; and two, is there a limit to how much glycerin can be processed by the animal? We’ll feed it to them for a period of 160 to 180 days.”

Similar experiements are being conducted at Iowa State University where researchers are looking at using glycerin for poultry and swine feed (see my post on April 12th).

Kerley says economics will play a large role in determining glycerin’s use as well. Right now, glycerin goes for about 4 cents a pound… corn costs 8 cents a pound. If glycerin as a feed source takes off, it will make those biodiesel plants just that much more viable.

Biodiesel

Don Scott Travelling With EcoJet

Chuck Zimmerman

Don ScottI think I know how Don Scott feels. Don works for the National Biodiesel Board and is following Jay Leno’s EcoJet car on Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour. Jay’s car runs on biodiesel.

You might remember me being invited by New Holland to go along on a trip to Jay Leno’s Garage with NBB CEO Joe Jobe. We got to meet Jay and see the EcoJet being worked on in preparation of this national tour. The EcoJet will also be on display in Nashville June 10 at the CMA Music Fest where New Holland will once again be working with country music star Michael Peterson on their second annual Celebrity Tractor Race. I’ll be writing from there here and also on AgWired.

Getting back to Don. He’s writing about his trip on the NBB website so you might want to follow along with him.

Biodiesel

Tyson Defends Using Biodiesel Credit

John Davis

TysonTyson is defending the use of a biodiesel tax credit by the meat-producing giant and oil giant ConocoPhillips.

A recent IRS ruling that the two companies could take advantage of a $1-a-gallon tax credit brought criticism from the National Biodiesel Board (see my post on April 18th) and the threat of legislative action by a Congressman from Texas (see my May 24th post). Now, in an article on Cattle Network.com, Tyson says they, along with ConocoPhillips, should get to use the credit because it will help spur growth of alternative fuels, such as biodiesel:

“Our initiative is about increasing the supply of renewable fuels and contributing to U.S. energy security efforts,” Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson told Meatingplace.com. “We believe our alliance qualifies for a federal production tax credit, which will be based on the number of gallons produced. It is not a jobs credit or an investment tax credit.

“It’s true the renewable diesel made from animal fat will be produced and distributed with existing refineries and fuel distribution systems,” Mickelson added. “However, ConocoPhillips has publicly stated it will spend $100 million in capital expenditures to enable it to produce the fuel. Tyson will also make capital improvements in order to begin pre-processing animal fat from some of its North American rendering facilities.”

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) has introduced a bill to repeal the IRS ruling and narrow the tax break’s scope to what Congress had originally intended.

Biodiesel, Government

Biodiesel Boat Out for Sure This Time

John Davis

EarthraceIt looks like it’s truly the end of the road, or the water in this case, for a biodiesel-powered boat trying to set a record for a ’round-the-world trip.

Previous reports of the Earthrace abandoning its bid were dismissed by the crew. The record attempt looked in serious jeopardy earlier this spring when the boat ran into mechanical and biodiesel fuel supply problems. But the crew decided it could restart the race and continued its attempt. On May 18th, David Perez with the Earthrace’s ground crew sent this note to Domestic Fuel:

Just wanted to let everyone know that the world record attempt is absolutely, positively not abandoned. We have an official restart/finish line in San Diego, CA and are currently en route to Salalah, Oman doing good time.

Please visit our website for updates on the race and thanks for your continued support … we here at Earthrace believe failure is not an option and with your help, we are determined to fight our way to a victorious end !

Cheers,

David Perez
Earthrace Ground Crew
Race Leg Sponsorship

But the Earthrace has run into more problems, suffering structural damage to the main hull while crossing the Mediterranean Sea. The damage occured when the boat hit a strong storm on route from Port Said, Egypt to Malaga, Spain… the third severe storm she had hit in three weeks. The crew found a two meter crack (6 feet) in Malaga. They made repairs, but shortly after leaving the port, it was apparent the repair would not hold. In this release on the Earthrace web site, the crew was crushed at the realization the record-breaking attempt would not happen this year:

Earthrace skipper Pete Bethune said “ The whole team is pretty devastated right now. We have all put so much time, money, and effort into this record attempt; it is pretty upsetting to have to abandon the race. We can all feel proud of what we have achieved with the limited resources we had, and we do take some heart from that”

Bethune went on to shot “We gave it our best shot.” “The Earthrace project was created to promote the awareness and use of alternative fuels such as biodiesel. And whilst it is disappointing to miss out on the world record, we have certainly succeeded in our overall aim of promoting biodiesel, and we will continue to build on this success during our upcoming European promotional tour”

But Bethune hints they might be trying again… as early as March of next year.

Biodiesel, International

Traveling with the Wind

John Davis

This past long weekend, I had the chance to travel back home to Iowa to one of my favorite fishing spots in the entire world: Spirit Lake. This natural lake is up in the northwest corner of the state, and it takes nearly 10 hours to get there from my home in Missouri. Full of walleyes, it is a destination I gladly load up the family car with the wife, the kids, and the dogs, and hit the road for a butt-wearing 10 hours behind the wheel.

Windmills #2As I was in the homestretch of my 500-plus mile trip, burning plenty of $3.25/gallon gas, I noticed an alternative fuel source turning above the farm fields just a few miles off Highway 71… windmills.

Windmills #3For years, I’ve seen the turbines in the distance. Now that I’m reporting on this type of energy source, I decided to get a closer look. Turning at a corner where many times my family and I have stopped for gas and snacks, we made our way to where the white turbines turn in the constant breeze of an area known as Buffalo Ridge… a high spot of land that seems to catch every breeze… and a natural for the approximately 260 turbines along its flat plateau. Locals say it is one of the largest wind farms in the world. It’s no wonder nearby Storm Lake earned its name and reputation of constantly have a significant chop on its shallow waters.

The turbines are spectacular to see… looming over the farm fields, whooshing as the wind turns their huge blades, generating power that will be available for many years to come… possibly forever.

DinosaurIn the meantime, I thought about the gas station back on the corner of Highway 71 where I turned. In front of the pumps is a concrete statue of a dinosaur, symbolic of the fossil fuel that flows from those pumps. I thought how fitting a symbol for that type of fuel. Dinosaurs are extinct and won’t be coming back. Much like the concrete in the statue, the oil industry in many ways is immovable – stuck in a dwindling supply that will become extinct in its own time, maybe sooner than we think. Contrast that with the constant motion of the turbines. If the wind supply is ever exhausted, we’ll have more problems than how to light our homes. Even the more stationary corn and soybean fields below the wind generators hold the promise of renewable fuel in the form of ethanol and biodiesel.

Dinosaur #2The wind did have some drawbacks. When we finally arrived at our destination of Spirit Lake, the wind was fueling some good-sized waves… too big to let me chase the much-desired walleyes and northern pike like I would like to. At least for a while. The next day the winds calmed, and we picked up plenty of walleyes… and the biggest pike my Dad has got in more than 70 years of fishing – 37″ long, weighing 10 pounds. That’s big enough to make even a concrete dinosaur smile.

Wind

Ethanol Expansion and Education

Cindy Zimmerman

Amy KOne former and two current Democratic presidential candidates are sponsors or co-sponsors of a bill introduced by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) intended to expand consumer access to 85 percent ethanol fuel, or E-85. Primary sponsors of the bill with Klobuchar include Barack Obama, (D-IL), Kit Bond (R-MO), George Voinovich (R-OH), and Dick Durbin (D-IL). Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Hilary Clinton (D-NY), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), and John Kerry (D-MA) are also co-sponsors of the legislation.

According to a release from Klobuchar’s office, the Ethanol Education and Expansion Act of 2007 would work to reduce prices at the pump for consumers by providing grants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to farmer-owned ethanol producers to install additional E-85 pumps at rural gas stations as well as the equipment needed to sell E-85 directly to gas stations.

Sen. Klobuchar will work to include the legislation in the 2007 Farm Bill, which the Senate is expected to take up in the coming months.

Energy, Ethanol, Government, News

No New Records

Cindy Zimmerman

RFAApparently no new records to report, but ethanol production still remains strong, according to the latest figures.

The Renewable Fuels Association reports that production of domestically produced ethanol in March averaged 384,000 barrels per day while demand was 414,000 barrels a day, which is an increase over last year by 83,000 b/d in production and 34,000 in demand.

Ethanol, News

US BioEnergy Makes New Move Into Millennium

Cindy Zimmerman

US BioenergyUS BioEnergy Corporation, one of the largest producers of ethanol in the United States, just got bigger.

MillenniumThe company has agreed to acquire Millennium Ethanol, which is constructing a 100 million gallon ethanol plant near Marion, South Dakota, expected to begin production in the first quarter of 2008. With this acquisition, US BioEnergy will have 8 plants in 6 states with expected total production of 700 mgy by the end of 2008.

Gordon Ommen, CEO of US BioEnergy Corporation says they are excited about having Millennium’s approximately 900 shareholders, many of whom are farmers, become shareholders of US Bio. “This fits well with our existing shareholder base, including CHS and their 325,000 farmer owners.”

Ethanol, Facilities, News