Ethanol Plant News Briefs

Cindy Zimmerman

Verasun VeraSun Energy Corporation, the nation’s second largest ethanol producer, has begun construction on its newest 110-million-gallon-per-year ethanol production facility near Hartley, Iowa. The plant is on schedule to begin production in the first quarter of 2008. (Read full release)

US Bioenergy US BioEnergy Corporation has set the terms of its pending initial public offering at 9.4 million common shares with an estimated, per-share price range of $15-$17. US BioEnergy’s will be the third IPO by an ethanol producer this year, after VeraSun Energy Corp. and Aventine Renewable Energy Holdings Inc. (Read AP story)

The company has also acquired options to purchase land near Altamont, Ill. as a possible location for a 100 million gallon per year ethanol plant. (Read more here)

Broin CompaniesBroin Companies, the nation’s largest dry mill ethanol producer, will celebrate the grand opening of Prairie Ethanol on Dec. 2 at the plant site near Loomis, S.D. The event will begin with the Vanguard Squadron, the world’s only 100 percent ethanol-powered aerobatic fleet, performing a series of fly-overs. (Read more from Broin)

Ethanol, Facilities, News

Coal, Natural Gas, or Other?

Cindy Zimmerman

Frontline An Iowa-technology company released a report last week that is fueling debate over whether ethanol plants should be powered by coal or natural gas, or something else.

The Frontline BioEnergy study found that coal-powered ethanol plants release up to 92 percent more carbon dioxide than those powered by natural gas.

Frontline’s analysis of a plant that would produce 50 million gallons of ethanol a year show a coal-powered facility would release as much as 207,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year while a natural gas-powered plant would emit 108,000 tons.

Read more from the Associated Press.

Frontline’s mission, according to the company website, is “to lead the nation in biomass gasification solutions for energy and products.” The technology they advocate involves converting solid carbonaceous materials
directly into a synthesis gas or syngas that can be combusted like natural gas.

With further processing, syngas can be converted into ethanol and other products, providing bio-based alternatives for an array of petroleum-based chemicals. Gasification can provide advantages over conventional combustion technologies in conversion efficiencies, emissions and process flexibility.

Ethanol, News, Research

Looking at Bright E85 Future

Cindy Zimmerman

NEVC A recent pledge by the nation’s top automakers to produce more E85 vehicles is great news for the industry, according to the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition.

“The automobile manufacturers are behind this effort,” said NEVC Deputy Director Michelle Kautz. “Daimler-Chrysler, Ford, General Motors and Nissan all agreed that they’re going to have half their production flexible fuel by the year 2012. We’re very excited about that.”

The car makers issued a joint statement making that pledge after meeting with President Bush recently.

The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition recently published a 2007 E85 Purchasing Guide with the latest information on E85 and FFVs. The latest information is also available on the NEVC website.

“We update our website daily with new E85 locations and all flexible-fuel compatible vehicle models,” said Kautz.

There are currently over 1,000 E85 fueling stations, compared to just about 400 this time last year. By next year, Kautz says, “We’re hoping at least 5,000 stations.”

Listen to an interview with Michelle here: Listen To MP3 Kautz-NEVC (3 min MP3)

Audio, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News

Running on Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

ThompsonFormer Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson is considering a presidential bid while he serves as chairman on the board of a new ethanol plant.

Thompson, who also served as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Bush administration, last week announced that he would be forming an exploratory committee for president next year.

In the meantime, he will be working on plans for a 120 million gallon a year ethanol plant as chairman of Global Renewable LLC, a Whitewater, Wis. company that has unveiled plans to construct and operate the plant in the Town of Sharon. The plant is expected to be operational in October 2008, and will require approximately 38 million bushels of corn annually.

Read more.

Ethanol, News

Biofuels Expected to Dominate Farm Bill

Cindy Zimmerman

It was already a given that energy issues would dominate the writing of the 2007 Farm Bill, but even more support for domestic fuels like ethanol and biodiesel is expected now that the House and Senate Agriculture committees will be run by corn belt Democrats.

Forbes reports that with Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa steering the committees, “The consensus is that this makes it even more likely that we’ll have some aggressive biofuels policies adopted,” says Nathanael Green, a biofuels expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Green’s group would like to see ethanol plants, which are powered on natural gas or coal, switch to renewables such as wind.

“We’d be interested in seeing a grant program that would help these ethanol facilities adopt these technologies,” Green says.


Read more from Forbes.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News

Biodiesel Board Chairman Re-elected

Cindy Zimmerman

Brinkman For a third year, the biodiesel industry has chosen farmer-leader Darryl Brinkmann to lead the National Biodiesel Board.

A soybean grower from Carlyle, Ill., Brinkmann has the charge of leading the organization as chairman during yet another year of intense growth and change for the alternative fuel.

Brinkmann has served as a board member for the nonprofit trade association since 1998.

Based in Jefferson City, Mo., the board is dedicated to coordinating the biodiesel industry and educating the public about the fuel. Its membership is comprised of state, national, and international feedstock and processor organizations; biodiesel suppliers; fuel marketers and distributors; and technology providers.

Read more from the NBB.

Biodiesel

Case IH Supports Biodiesel

Cindy Zimmerman

Case IH Case IH is the latest equipment manufacturer to announce support for B20, a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent diesel.

The company has announced that customers can use B20 in most Case IH engines and B5 (5 percent biodiesel) in all Case IH engines. In addition, Case IH uses biodiesel blends as the factory fill in most cases.

“One hundred percent factory fill of a biodiesel blend is a logical next step in the process of embracing biodiesel,” said Randy Baker, president of Case IH North America. “Adding to demand for soybeans while producing the crop is the type of strategy our customers like to pursue,” Baker said. “It’s good environmental stewardship and good business.”

Read more from Case IH and from the National Biodiesel Board.

Biodiesel

Giant Soybean Plants Could Provide Cellulose For Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Giant Soybeans Bigger, stronger soybeans could help meet the demand for cellulosic material to produce ethanol.

USDA Agricultural Research Service chemical engineer Justin Barone and ARS geneticist Thomas Devine believe the giant soybean plants could be “specially bred with strong cellulose, for use in briquettes and wood substitutes, or with weak cellulose better suited for cellulosic ethanol production.”

In the photo, Devine measures one of his large biomass soybean plants which grow up to seven feet in height without lodging due to their stong sapling-like stalks.

Read more from USDA-ARS.

Ethanol, News, Research

Brazil Opens First Ethanol-Biodiesel Plant

Cindy Zimmerman

Reuters reports on a first for Brazil’s biofuels industry:

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva showcased Brazil’s prowess in the alternative fuels industry on Tuesday when he inaugurated Barralcool, the first integrated biofuels plant that will produce cane-based ethanol and biodiesel from oilseeds.

Brazil, with its huge agricultural potential, has for decades had the world’s most advanced biofuels market. After the oil crisis in the early 1970s, it launched the ProAlcool ethanol programme to lighten dependence on crude imports.

Read more.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News

Southridge in the Southeast

Cindy Zimmerman

Southridge Southridge Ethanol has popped up recently as a company with “a mission to become the ethanol producer of choice in the southeastern region of the United States,” according to the company website.

Just in the past month, the company has announced it’s intent to acquire ethanol plant equipment from South Louisiana Ethanol; that the Quitman County Mississippi Economic Development Committee has agreed to subsidize half of the costs incurred in building a new railroad spur for the plant; that they would be featured in the December issue of Ethanol Producer Magazine; that they met with the Quitman County Economic Development Board; and that they signed an agreement with Agri Systems for consulting and engineering.

Southridge has also gotten some negative attention for a stock push by market traders like Stock Market Alerts, who have sent out paid releases and emails promoting the company’s stock as a hot investment opportunity.

Ethanol, News