Groups Urge Congress to Fund Cellulosic Development

Cindy Zimmerman

AFBFThe American Farm Bureau Federation and several other ag and industry organization are urging Congress to include adequate funding for two programs that will move cellulosic ethanol closer to reality – the biorefinery grant program and the cellulosic loan guarantee.

According to a release,The two programs were created under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The biorefinery grant program has been announced at $150 million and applications for new cellulosic facilities have already been received by DOE. The cellulosic ethanol loan guarantee program is administered by the DOE, but funds to run the loan guarantee office have yet to be appropriated. The department estimates $7 million is required to support this program.

Other groups lobbying Congress for appropriate funding or the two programs are the American Coalition for Ethanol, Environmental and Energy Study Institute, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Corn Growers Association, National Farmers Union and the Renewable Fuels Association.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, Government, News

Carnegie Mellon Research Could Improve Ethanol Efficiency

Cindy Zimmerman

CMU Grossman Carnegie Mellon University chemical engineers say they have found a new way to improve the efficiency of ethanol production.

According to a university release, Carnegie Mellon researchers have used advanced process-design methods combined with mathematical-optimization techniques to reduce the operating costs of corn-based bio-ethanol plants by more than 60 percent.

The key to the Carnegie Mellon strategy involves redesigning the distillation process by using a multicolumn system together with a network for energy recovery that ultimately reduces the consumption of steam, a major energy component in the production of corn-based ethanol.

“This new design reduces the manufacturing cost for producing ethanol by 11 percent, from $1.61 a gallon to $1.43 a gallon,” said Chemical Engineering Professor Ignacio E. Grossmann, who completed the research with graduate students Ramkumar Karuppiah, Andreas Peschel and Mariano Martin. “This research is also an important step in making the production of ethanol more energy efficient and economical.”

Ethanol, News

Purdue Scientist Honored by President

Cindy Zimmerman

Purdue Scientist A senior research scientist from Purdue University was among those honored to attend the President’s State of the Union address last week, thanks to her groundbreaking work in cellulosic ethanol.

According to BoilerStation.com, Nancy Ho was asked to attend the event by the White House and sat near First Lady Laura Bush.

“I will treasure this all my life,” Ho said Thursday. “And it is important for the biofuels and cellulosic ethanol industry. I think that was the message, too.”

Ho used genetic engineering to make a yeast that will change the sugars found in the plant residue into ethanol, something that normal yeast won’t do.

Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., has also recently honored Ho by naming her an energy patriot for September 2006.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, Government, News, Research

Hungary’s Largest Biodiesel Plant to Start in May

John Davis

Europeans seem to be as keen on alternative fuels as their American counterparts… maybe even more so. This article from the Budapest-based on-line financial journal, Portfolio.hu, says the country is about to open it’s biggest biodiesel operation to date.

Öko-Line Hungary Kft. will start production at the country’s largest biodiesel plant near Bábolna (northwest Hungary) in May, with an initial output of 25,000 tonnes, Gergely Novák, the company’s business development manager said.

The company plans to double annual capacity to 50,000 tonnes from 2008, Novák added.

If my math is right (and please correct me if I’m wrong), I believe that means the plant will be producing about 7.5 million gallons of biodiesel a year and is expected to reach more than 15 million gallons a year next year.

The story goes on to say that Hungary has a couple of other biodiesel plants, but the output is only about one-tenth that the new one will be. The Hungarians seem to be also having some of the same questions we’re having in this country: Will it make money? The new operation was originally built about 10 years ago, but investors went bankrupt. Of course, oil was much cheaper then.

Biodiesel, International

State Legislatures Across Country Taking Up Biodiesel

John Davis

Interesting little thing I noticed over the weekend… a BUNCH of articles about a BUNCH of state legislatures taking up biodiesel measures. Last week, we told you about Missouri’s legislature taking up a biodiesel requirement. My news alerts have clued me in to similar measures in California, Arkansas, Washington state, and Wisconsin (just to cite a few). Of course, this follows on the heels of President Bush’s call for more renewable fuels and reduction of foreign oil dependance in his 20 percent reduction of gasoline usage in the next 10 years.

Gov Jim DoyleThe state lawmakers seem to following suit with goals also to be more environmentally conscience. In Wisconsin, for example, Governor Jim Doyle released a press release (reported on WisPolitics.com) saying “With new technology, and a commitment to renewable fuels, Wisconsin can lead the way – reducing global warming and helping this nation kick its addiction to foreign oil.”

Sen. Dean FlorezThe Fresno (California) Bee reports State Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, introduced seven bills this month in hopes of making (biodiesel) common. His new bills would promote the production, sales and use of biodiesel with tax breaks and mandates. Florez’s Senate Bill 70, which would establish California standards for biodiesel as a fuel, mentions a 20% mix, known as B20. The fuel can be 100% biodiesel, or it can be a mixture of petroleum diesel and biodiesel. Florez’s bills would require school buses and state vehicles powered by diesel engines to use biodiesel fuel.

This AP story in the Seattle Times says that lawmakers in Washington state will consider a bill that would provide incentives to increase the production and use of biofuels in Washington. The incentives would go to farmers to grow crops like canola, and to various government entities to replace or retrofit big polluters like school buses. A key provision calls for spending $5 million to help local governments replace 700 aging diesel school buses with newer models. It also provides money to retrofit other old buses so they run more cleanly.

Of course, they say watching laws being made is like watching sausage being made. We’ll stay on top of it so you can avert your eyes.

Biodiesel, Government, Legislation

Fuel for Thought at EPCOT

Cindy Zimmerman

GM EPCOTGeneral Motors and Disney have teamed up to bring the wonder of fuel cell technology, hybrid vehicles and ethanol-powered cars and trucks to life with the newly opened “Fuel For Thought” display at Walt Disney World Resort’s Epcot® theme park near Orlando, Florida.

According to GM, “Fuel For Thought” is comprised of interactive kiosks and games, a special floor projection, plasma wall elements, bright graphics and messaging, vehicle displays with information conveyed through lighting and video, and live narrated presentations.

The walk through “Fuel For Thought” begins down a livegreengoyellow.com pathway designed with brilliant graphics and a plasma wall with an expansive photo of a cornfield. As visitors pass by, they will see the cornstalks parting in a wavelike fashion. The opposite wall is dotted with porthole-like windows that provide an introduction to different GM environmental activities throughout the world.

Ethanol, News

New Officers For NEVC to Continue Record Growth

Cindy Zimmerman

NEVC The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition recently elected new officers for 2007.

The new chairman of the organization is Greg Krissek of ICM, Inc. and Vice-Chairman is Bernie Punt of Siouxland Energy Livestock and Coop.

NEVC reports a dramatic increase in E85 infrastructure in 2006, assisting in the establishment of 569 new stations in 2006 to a total of 1,087 as of January 1, 2007.

They also saw a healthy increase in membership last year with 83 new corporate members joining in 2006.

The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition is a non-profit membership organization that serves as the nation’s primary advocacy group promoting the use of 85% ethanol as a form of alternative transportation fuel.

Ethanol, News

Power from Peanuts

Cindy Zimmerman

Peanut Lab The National Peanut Research Lab is looking at how farmers may be able to make their own peanut-based on-farm fuel.

Research agronomist Wilson Faircloth says they have spent the past two years field testing different peanut varieties that can be used to make biodiesel. “We are now at the point where we are beginning to build a biodiesel pilot plant at our lab in Dawson where we can show farmers how to take peanuts from the field to the fuel tank in a self-contained fuel system,” he said.

In an interview with Southeast Agnet at the recent Georiga Peanut Show in Albany, Faircloth said they are planning to complete a plant by mid-summer that will fully meet the diesel demands of the research lab. “Our diesel demands are 3-5,000 gallons per year,” he said. “So for an average farm this will be about a quarter-scale plant.” The budget for the plant is less than $25,000.

When the plant is complete, Faircloth says they plan to have a demonstration event for farmers in the area.

Listen to an interview with Faircloth by Southeast Agnet’s Lee McCoy here: Listen To MP3 Faircloth Interview (3 min MP3)

Audio, Biodiesel, Research

Florida Ethanol Plant President Sees Bright Future

Cindy Zimmerman

US EnviroFuels The president of Florida’s only ethanol plant under construction was a featured speaker in Indian River citrus country this week.

Bradley Krohn of U.S. EnviroFuels plans to use corn from the Midwest to produce ethanol for a 40 million gallon a year plant at Tampa Bay, but he believes there is good potential for Florida producers to grow alternative crops to make the fuel.

“This represents a tremendous opportunity for Florida growers to either diversify with an alternative crop or for citrus growers who are plowing up groves due to canker and are interested in growing a new kind of crop,” Krohn said in an interview this week with Southeast Agnet and Citrus Industry magazine.

Krohn says his plant could potentially use up to 100,000 acres of commodities grown in Florida. “That’s just for one plant. If you were to go to ten ethanol plants in Florida, that’s ten times 100,000 acres.”

He notes that Florida is the third largest consumer of gasoline in the country, behind California and Texas, consumer about 8.6 billion gallons of gasoline each year. He says it would take 20-25 plants like his just to provide a 10 percent ethanol blend for gasoline in the state.

Krohn also has an interesting perspective on the competition between livestock and ethanol producers for corn. “I think there’s a great opportunity in Florida to bring back slaughterhouses instead of sending cattle out to the midwest for finishing,” by creating a local supply of distiller’s grains to feed and finish cattle in the state.

Listen to an interview with Krohn by Southeast Agnet’s Gary Cooper here: Listen To MP3 Bradley Krohn Interview (7:45 min MP3)

Audio, Ethanol, News

New York Investors Buy Planned North Dakota Biodiesel Plant

John Davis

What might be a measure of how successful biodiesel will be? Well, some might argue the number of investors willing to plunk down money in these ventures. Earlier this week, I told you about how Missouri saw a sharp increase in biofuels investors. Now, New York investors are buying a biodiesel plant still just in the planning stages near Minot, North Dakota. In this story from the Associated Press in the Bismarck Tribune, the Kinetic Group’s Jeremy Dockter (a native North Dakotan – and now living in New York), explains why they made the move:

“The key is finding markets, not only in North Dakota but also other countries and other states,” Dockter said.

When finished, the plant is expected to produce 60 million gallons of canola oil… half going to biodiesel production and the other half going to edible oil.

Biodiesel