O2 Diesel Helping the Environment

Cindy Zimmerman

Spearfish Tree Planting For every student that rides an 02 Diesel bus in Spearfish, SD, the Arbor Day Foundation will plant one tree in Custer State Park which was devastated by a forest fire.

At a celebration this week marking the start of the Spearfish school system using buses powered by the O2 Diesel blend of ethanol and biodiesel (see previous post), Kevin Sander, Director of Corporate Partnerships with the National Arbor Day Foundation said, “The National Arbor Day Foundation is excited to collaborate with O2Diesel. The company’s efforts to provide cleaner fuel options for vehicles is right in line with the Foundation’s environmental mission. The trees planted through this partnership will also help absorb CO2 emissions, resulting in cleaner, healthier air.”

Pictured are West Elementary School students planting a tree at the ceremony Wednesday.

Biodiesel, EPIC, Ethanol

Imus on Ethanol in the Morning

Cindy Zimmerman

ImusNationally-syndicated radio show host Don Imus will soon be extolling the virtues of ethanol on “Imus in the Morning,” according to officials with the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC).

Imus was named one of Time Magazine’s 25 Most Influential in America in 1997 and his morning radio program remains one of the nation’s mostly popular, especially on the East Coast where it originates.

EPIC Senior Director of Marketing Reece Nanfito says they heard Imus was talking about ethanol on his show and how he used flex-fuel vehicles on his ranch in New Mexico, and “we decided that this would be a great way to reach people with a positive message about ethanol.”

Known for his edgy and sometimes controversial style, Imus is also very environmentally-conscious, which is why he chooses to use ethanol in his vehicles, according to Nanfito.

“Imus in the Morning” will feature 60-second “live read” commercial spots for ethanol on October 3 and 4. The spots will promote ethanol as a fuel that is “good for your car, good for your country and better for the environment.”

According to Wikipedia, “Imus in the Morning” is carried by about 90 radio stations across the United States. Arbitron analysis puts the program among the most listened to radio talk shows in the United States with about 3.5 million radio listeners per week.

EPIC, Ethanol

Ethanol-Powered Tractor Research

Cindy Zimmerman

SRC The Saskatchewan Research Council has reportedly modified a 7110 Deutz tractor to operate on 100% hydrated ethanol.

According to a news release, “SRC has been conducting research and development in the area of natural gas vehicles since 1985 and continues to explore the feasibility of using hydrogen and ethanol as alternative fuels,” Saskatchewan Research Council Minister Eric Cline said. Ethanol Tractor

The release goes on to say that SRC’s unveiling of the ethanol-fuelled tractor is timely. Saskatchewan Industry and Resources is expected to announce an increased mandate of 7.5% ethanol in gasoline in the near future.

The research council converted the 20-year-old former diesel tractor to use ethanol by putting in a new fuel tank and spark injector.

Ethanol, Research

Riding the O2 Diesel School Bus

Cindy Zimmerman

City Home Students in Spearfish, SD will be breathing easier this school year now that Spearfish Public Schools in South Dakota and Dakota Trailways have announced that all district school buses will now be running on O2 Diesel™, a new, cleaner-burning fuel blend of ethanol-diesel.

The first of these newly converted buses was unveiled at a news conference at West Elementary School in Spearfish on Wednesday, according to a press release.

“Using O2Diesel fuel affords many benefits to my community as well as for my business operation, “ said Mel Ladson, President of Dakota Trailways. “It improves the air quality in and around the buses. Using ethanol creates manufacturing jobs, supports the local farmer, and the agricultural economy.”

The introduction of this cost-effective, ethanol-diesel fuel in school buses is part of the O2Diesel CityHome™ Program, a national air quality initiative that enables municipal transit systems and school bus operators to make the switch to O2Diesel™ fuel without straining their budgets.

The new program has several pilot programs in the Midwest through the joint efforts of O2Diesel and the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

Biodiesel, EPIC, Ethanol

Boise Biodiesel

Cindy Zimmerman

Boise Mayor Boise, Idaho Mayor David Bieter has issued a directive to use biodiesel fuel in city vehicles as often as possible, with the goal of reducing petroleum consumption and cutting smog-causing emissions.

According to a press release from the Mayor’s office, the announcement was made Monday during a ceremony to mark Idaho Renewable Fuels Awareness Days during the month of September and the opening of the first public biodiesel pump in the Boise area.

“Biodiesel is gaining popularity because it’s good for the environment and can be used in almost any diesel vehicle built in the past 10 years,” Mayor Bieter said. “By moving to biodiesel as much as possible, our city fleet will be cutting petroleum use in those vehicles by 10 to 20 percent – one to two gallons with every fill-up. We hope businesses and the public will follow that fine example.”

The ceremony on Monday was held at the Main Street Stinker Store (stinker??). A total of 11 Stinker Stores in the Treasure Valley area will now offer biodiesel. The stations upgraded their pumps after receiving a $124,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Idaho Department of Water Resources. Find the full list of Treasure Valley biodiesel pumps in this story from KTVB.

Biodiesel, Government

New Broin R&D Man

Cindy Zimmerman

Broin Companies Broin Companies has hired Dr. Mark Stowers as the Vice President of Research and Development. Stowers will join Broin Companies from MBI International in Lansing, Mich., where he has served as the President and CEO since 2001. MBI International is a leading firm focused on the development, scale-up, and commercialization of products from biotechnology.

“We are extremely fortunate to have someone with Mark’s background and expertise to head our research and development division,” Jeff Broin, President and CEO of Broin Companies said. “MBI International is an industry leader in technology advancement and Mark is known around the world for his work with biorefining processes and cellulose to ethanol conversion. He will continue to maintain our position at Broin as a leader in research and development while taking us to new heights in this fast-paced changing industry.”

Cellulosic, Ethanol

Chevron California Cellulosic Collaboration

Cindy Zimmerman

Chevron Chevron Corporation and the University of California, Davis have “formed a strategic research collaboration to pursue advanced technology aimed at converting cellulosic biomass into transportation fuels.”

According to a press release, the joint research effort will coordinate with the California Biomass Collaborative to focus on renewable feedstocks available in California, including agricultural waste such as rice straw.

The objective of the Chevron-UC Davis research is to develop commercially viable processes for the production of transportation fuels from renewable resources such as new energy crops, forest and agricultural residues, and municipal solid waste. The collaboration calls for research in biochemical and thermochemical conversion, as well as a demonstration facility to test the commercial readiness of these technologies.

Cellulosic

MO Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

MO Ethanol MO Ethanol is on the way.

The grand opening for Missouri Ethanol will be Monday, Sept. 25 on the plant site near Laddonia, Mo.

The event will include public tours of the facility and a fly-over from the Vanguard Squadron, the world’s only 100 percent ethanol-powered aerobatic fleet.

Several dignitaries will be on hand to celebrate the event, including U.S. Senators Kit Bond and Jim Talent, U.S. Congressman Kenny Hulshof, Missouri State Senator John Cauthorn, Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton, Missouri Corn Growers and Merchandising Council CEO Gary Marshall and Broin Companies CEO and President Jeff Broin.

Built through a partnership between Broin Companies, East Central Ag Products and North East Missouri Grain, LLC in Macon, Mo., Missouri Ethanol will consume approximately 17 million bushels of locally-grown corn to produce 45 million gallons of ethanol and 134,000 tons of premium Dakota Gold Enhanced Nutrition Distillers

Ethanol, Facilities

Melon Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Melon Ethanol How about a nice juicy slice of – ethanol?

The National Watermelon Association is preparing for some research with USDA, the University of Georgia and an ethanol plant in Florida to use the estimated 700 million pounds of watermelons that are wasted each year for ethanol production.

“We’re really excited about this,” says Watermelon Association Executive Director Bob Morrissey. “This could be a brand new market for watermelon growers.”

Listen to this report from one of my favorite people, USDA Radio reporter Gary Crawford. Listen to MP3 Melon Ethanol (1 min MP3)

Also, here is a link to a really good story about this potential ethanol feedstock from the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association publication Harvester.

Audio, Ethanol

Hawkeye IPO on Hold

Cindy Zimmerman

Hawkeye Hawkeye Holdings, the holding company that owns Hawkeye Renewables of Iowa Falls, IA has announced that it has “temporarily delayed the initial public offering of shares of its common stock.”

According to a press release, Bruce Rastetter, CEO of Hawkeye, said, “We have decided to temporarily delay our IPO in light of current conditions in the equity markets, and the recent pullback in the energy segment in particular, which are not conducive at this time to achieving appropriate valuation. Hawkeye is enjoying record earnings and sales as a leading privately-held company in the renewable fuels market and will continue to make planned investments in new facilities as well as seek attractive acquisition opportunities in pursuit of our growth plan, and we remain on track to break ground next month on our new plant in Menlo, Iowa.”

Ethanol