Cellulosic Ethanol Research Moving Forward

Cindy Zimmerman

Dyadic Dyadic International, Inc. of Florida and Abengoa Bioenergy recently entered into a three-year research agreement to commercially develop a cost-effective enzyme production system for cellulosic ethanol.

Abengoa Bioenergy is considered to be the second largest ethanol producer in the world with production facilities located in Europe and the USA. Dyadic pioneered the stone-free method used to make “stone-washed” blue jeans with an enzyme isolated from a fungus which they are now redesigning to use in ethanol production.

Dyadic’s President and CEO Mark Emalfarb says “Abengoa Bioenergy is a visionary company and an important first partner for Dyadic for its biorefineries business. Additional partners will stand to benefit not only from access to Dyadic’s technologies specific to their area of interest but also from the core technology development program that is fundamental to efficient production of ethanol, other biofuels, polymers and other chemicals from biomass, thereby reducing our dependence on foreign oil.”

Read the release from Dyadic.

Listen to an interview with Dyadic officials about this technology from a previous post. Dyadic Interview (8:00 MP3)

Cellulosic, Ethanol, News

Interamerican Ethanol Launch

Cindy Zimmerman

Interamerican Ethanol The launch of an international trade organization for ethanol will take place Monday in Coral Gables, Florida.

The Interamerican Ethanol Commission will be launched with a breakfast and press conference featuring Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Inter-American Development Bank president Luis Alberto Moreno and Roberto Rodrigues, a former Brazilian Minister of Agriculture who is now president of the Superior Council of Agribusiness, FIESP in Sao Paulo.

According to a Dow Jones report, the three will sign a protocol of intentions to build an ethanol research and development think tank “somewhere in the Americas.”

The new venture is being coordinated by Florida FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas), an organization of Florida governmental and corporate leaders with the goal of increasing cooperative trade between the U.S. and countries of Latin America.

During the launch event on Monday morning, the Indy Racing League and the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council will be recognized with a special award for their efforts on behalf of ethanol.

Ethanol, International, News

Going Green With Map Muse

Cindy Zimmerman

Map Muse Finding alternative fuels is easier when you have a muse to guide you.

Map Muse is a mapping website with the goal of helping people find places related to their interests. Recently they added alternative fueling stations to their list of interests under the category of Going Green.

The site has maps for a variety of alternative fuels including E85, biodiesel and hydrogen with written descriptions, photos, and links to websites.

The website also allows for the public to add, enhance or update the information.

It does seem to take a little longer than normal to load, but you can check out the site at http://find.mapmuse.com/interest/category/Going_Green.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Facilities, News

Expanding Ethanol Employment Opportunities

Cindy Zimmerman

NECCA Nebraska community college is getting nearly $2 million in federal funds to increase educational opportunities for the ethanol industry.

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) has announced that Northeast Community College in Norfolk will receive the grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.

“This is important news for Nebraska,” Hagel said. “The growing demand for alternative sources of energy requires educated professionals in Nebraska with a strong understanding of the technical, economic and agricultural needs of the rapidly expanding ethanol industry. This grant will put Northeast Community College at the forefront in training a well-educated work force for the ethanol industry.”

Ethanol, News

Aloha to Renewable Energy

Cindy Zimmerman

Heco The Hawaiian Electric Company, also known as HECO, is proposing to run a 110 megawatt power plant entirely on renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.

According to the Honolulu Star Bulletin, the commitment to power the plant completely on biofuels was finalized last week and made public Monday.

Robbie Alm, HECO’s senior vice president for public affairs, said the state’s promotion of alternative energy played a role in the company agreeing to the 100 percent commitment.

As of April, 80 percent of all gasoline sold in Hawaii is required to be blended with 10 percent ethanol. Additionally, lawmakers this year passed a bipartisan package of bills aimed at lessening the state’s dependence on imported fossil fuels through conservation and development of alternative fuels.

The first ethanol processing plants in Hawaii are expected to come online by 2007, while three of the state’s largest landowners — Maui Land & Pineapple Co., Grove Farm Co. and Kamehameha Schools — in July announced the formation of a partnership to study the viability of a large-scale biofuels industry in the islands.

Read more.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News

A Day Without Ethanol is Like a Day Without Sunshine

Cindy Zimmerman

Xethanol Xethanol Corporation is planning to build a biomass-based pilot production facility in Florida, utilizing waste citrus peels as raw material for making ethanol.

According to a company release, the venture is located in Bartow, Florida, the heart of the state’s citrus industry. The venture is expected to establish a pilot plant to produce up to 50,000 gallons of ethanol this harvesting season. The pilot plant, which will increase to over 500,000 gallons per year (GPY), is co-located at a facility owned and operated by Peace River Citrus Products, Inc., a leading producer of orange and grapefruit juice and other citrus products.

Read more.

Ethanol, News

New Ag Committee Chairs Disagree About Ethanol Tariffs

Cindy Zimmerman

According to a report from Truth About Trade & Technology, soon-to-be Agriculture Committee chairmen Sen. Tom Harkin and Rep. Collin Peterson are in disagreement over the lifting of tariffs on imported ethanol.

After earlier reports indicated Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, would support a lifting of tariffs on ethanol imported to the U.S. from abroad, the Minnesota Democrat Peterson took a hard line against such a move Friday.

“Are you serious?” Peterson said Friday after learning of Harkin’s stance on the tariff. “I’m not in favor of that. I think we’ve got plenty of ethanol production in this country coming online to meet the demand of this industry, and I for one am not interested in making any changes in the foreseeable future in that.”

In addition to diluting a now vibrant corn-based ethanol marketplace in the U.S., Peterson said allowing tariff-free ethanol imports would hamper efforts underway to develop cellulosic ethanol production, support for which Peterson says he hopes to include in the 2007 farm bill.

Read more.

Ethanol, Government, News

Grains Council Sees Increased Exports of Ethanol By-Product

Cindy Zimmerman

Tight world grain supplies and expanding corn based domestic ethanol production have created improved marketing options for U.S. feed grain producers. However, the U.S. feed grains industry should not abandon international market development programs and efforts to preserve its hard won world market share of feed grain and co-product exports based on the current trends, according to Ken Hobbie, president and CEO of the U.S. Grains Council.

Speaking to attendees of the Council’s First Ever Joint International Marketing Conference and 47th Annual Membership Meeting, Hobbie noted four areas on which the Council should focus efforts over the next three years – customer servicing and education; promotion of distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS); building demand in countries and regions with whom the United States has free trade agreements while exploring opportunities in large markets with great potential like China and India; and issues related to market access and biotechnology acceptance.

Read more from the USGC and the Associated Press.

Ethanol, International, News

More Corn Staying Home

Cindy Zimmerman

If only a quarter of proposed new Midwest ethanol plants come on-line, up to half of corn in Midwest states currently sent for export could be diverted to domestic ethanol production, according to a new report by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).

“Staying Home: How Ethanol Will Change U.S. Corn Exports,” by IATP’s Mark Muller and Heather Schoonover, looks at the stunning growth planned for ethanol plants in the Midwest and their potential impact on corn exports. The paper includes data on how corn exports for individual Midwest states could be impacted by new ethanol plants, including, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

The reports recommends that in the next Farm Bill “policymakers should focus on building and diversifying opportunities for renewable fuels and energies; promoting farm practices and cropping systems that build soil health and improve water quality; and ensuring that farmers and rural communities benefit from these new opportunities.”

Read press release summary or check out the IATP site for the full report and video interview.

Ethanol, News

See You in San Antonio

Cindy Zimmerman

It’s time to register for the 2007 National Biodiesel Conference, scheduled for February 4-7 in sunny San Antonio.

Attendance at the annual conference has doubled every year since it started in 2004 and this year it could top 2,000 – so early registration is highly recommended. Better get hotel reservations early too as rooms in the hotel blocks are moving fast, with some possibly sold out.

According to the National Biodiesel Board, the conference will feature “an impressive slate of world-renowned figures like James Carville and Mary Matalin, and Merle Haggard, who will tie biodiesel into the national and cultural landscape of our times. The event’s offerings don’t stop there: more sessions and a much larger exhibitor list at the expo will make this an educational and networking event not to be missed.”

If you can’t make it, not to worry. Domestic Fuel will be providing regular updates from the event and we will once again be hosting the Biodiesel Conference Blog live, on-site with pictures, audio, video and more.

Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference, conferences