Ethanol and Water Mix

Cindy Zimmerman

Oil and water may not mix, but ethanol and water do.

According to this story from the Pratt (NE) Tribune, field tests were recently done in Nebraska on a valve that is bolted onto an existing engine that allows it to run on a mixture of ethanol and water.

Ecosense The valve, designed by Ecosense Solutions of Missouri, can be attached to an internal combustion engine (it attaches to the top of the manifold) without drastically changing the basic engine. It was field tested on a stationary irrigation motor in Nebraska.

Bottom line was that with a mixture of 80 percent ethanol and 20 percent water, emissions were reduced by half and there was a cost savings of $2-3 per hour to operate the engine.

More testing is being done to fine tune the system, but the article says that irrigators in California are taking a close look at the valve because of emission laws that will take effect in 2007 and make it difficult for them to meet those standards using natural gas which is getting very expensive.

That’s the nutshell version – be sure to read the whole article for details.

Ethanol, Research

IRL Finds Better Mileage With Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Indy Car Series According to this Indianapolis Star article in the Des Moines Register, the Indy Racing League is getting better fuel mileage this year on ten percent ethanol. “Of course, the league’s cars aren’t known for their fuel efficiency; traditionally, they burn through a gallon in less than two miles.”

Next year, the league will fill its cars with 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol. The entire racing industry will study this move. If successful, it could spark a sweeping change in racing. The league’s engineers are confident it will proceed smoothly.

Ethanol, Indy Racing

Bill for Biofuels Investment

Cindy Zimmerman

US Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) has introduced legislation to create a “Biofuels Investment Trust Fund.”

According to a Nelson release, the fund would “direct tens of millions of dollars through the Department of Energy and USDA into research that will increase and diversify biofuel production in the U.S.”

The trust fund would especially focus on the development of switchgrass as a dedicated energy crop. According to Nelson, “The United States must continue to push ahead with research and development of biofuels and cellulosic ethanol represents the next generation of this important alternative, renewable fuel.”

Nelson formed and was the first chairman of the Governor’s Ethanol Coalition when he was governor of Nebraska in 1992.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, Government

Earth Biofuels News

Cindy Zimmerman

Earth Biofuels Earth Biofuels Inc. subsidiary, Earth Ethanol, has agreed to buy half of South Louisiana Ethanol LLC, which owns an old ethanol production facility near New Orleans.

The plan is to reconstruct the plant, located in Plaquemines Parish, to produce at least 65 million gallons of ethanol per year. The plant is located on the Mississippi River and within the Gulf Opportunity Zone, an area the federal government has targeted for rebuilding through tax incentives after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Earth Biofuels also recently announced another addition to its star-studded board – legendary NASCAR-driver Rusty Wallace.

According to a company release, Wallace joins fellow advisory board member Julia Roberts and Board of Directors members country music legend Willie Nelson and actor Morgan Freeman in promoting the use of renewable fuels such as Earth Biofuels’ biodiesel and ethanol.

Wallace is a former NASCAR Premier Series champion and 55-time race winner. He ranks as one of the top-five money winners in NASCAR history.

Biodiesel, Ethanol

Broin High on Ohio

Cindy Zimmerman

Broin Companies Broin Companies is officially announcing plans this week to build a $100 million ethanol production facility near Leipsic, Ohio with Summit Ethanol. In addition, Broin is exploring three other Ohio locations for ethanol facilities, two of which are Marion and Fostoria, both located in northwest Ohio as is Leipsic.

According to Bob Berens, Broin Companies Director of Site Development. “We have not committed to building on any location other than Leipsic at this time. However, the potential exists to develop and construct additional ethanol facilities in Ohio and the locations we have targeted have met the preliminary screening we apply to our business model. We are excited about the potential that Marion and Fostoria offer, but will only pursue the option if the fit is perfect for Broin Companies and the communities involved.”

Ethanol, Facilities

Chinese Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Reuters reports that China is emerging as a global ethanol exporter. According to the article, exports of Chinese ethanol – made from either corn or cassava (tapioca) – have gone from zero to over 500,000 tons this year.

China is the world’s third largest ethanol producer, behind Brazil and the United States, even though it only had four plants in 2005.

Ethanol, International

Center Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Ill Corn Illinois Corn Growers Association representatives were on hand to witness the groundbreaking of Center Ethanol Company in Sauget last week. The plant will use 19.2 million bushel of corn annually and will be able to produce 54 million gallons of ethanol per year.

“The current boom in ethanol is still reliant on entrepreneurs and local business leaders like those here today. Center Ethanol is to be commended for their leadership and vision to drive this new business opportunity. A lot of sweat equity goes into paving the way for an ethanol plant. Educating lenders, potential investors, and local economic development officials takes time and effort,” said Rod Weinzierl, Executive Director, Illinois Corn Growers Association.

Ethanol

Illinois River Energy Expansion

Cindy Zimmerman

Illinois River Here’s another from the “Better Late Than Never” file. Okay, so it’s only a couple of weeks old… sent August 18.

Illinois River Energy announced plans to double the size of its ethanol production facility under construction near Rochelle, from 50 million gallons of ethanol per year to 100 million gallons annually. The plant hasn’t even opened yet and already they are expanding! Production is scheduled to begin in December.

Ethanol, Facilities

US Farms Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

US Farms It’s a holiday so I am cleaning out my email and catching up on some posts that should have been done already.

Like this one – received on August 10 – better late than never!

US Farms of San Diego established a wholly owned subsidiary – Imperial Ethanol – dedicated to establishing a leading ethanol processing facility located in Imperial County, Ca. According to the release, the company plans to construct a 50 million gallon per year ethanol facility with capabilities of expanding to double the production or 100 million gallons a year. The company plans to use sugar beets and sugar cane as the main stock for the ethanol.

Kind of interesting, since it doesn’t say where they plan to get the sugar beets and/or cane. They don’t grow a whole lot of sugar beets in California (about 3 percent of US production) and no sugar cane at all (it’s all in FL, LA and HI). This company specializes in horticultural products – like veggies, floral and nursery plants. So, I would be curious to know where they plan to get their feedstock for this plant.

Ethanol

Lugar Summit

Cindy Zimmerman

Indiana Republican Senator Dick Lugar copped some headlines this week with his Purdue University Summit on Energy Security. The summit drew about 900 leaders to the Purdue campus to discuss energy issues, including Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, Purdue President Martin C. Jischke and U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind.

In his keynote address, Lugar called for a national program “that would make virtually every new car sold in America a flexible fuel vehicle. We should ensure that at least one quarter of filling stations in America have E85 pumps. We should expand ethanol production to 100 billion gallons a year by 2025, a figure that could be achieved by doubling output every five years. We should also create an approximate $45 per barrel price floor on oil through a variable ethanol tax credit to ensure that investments keep flowing to alternatives. And we should enact stricter vehicle mileage standards to point automobile innovation toward conservation. The plan I am proposing today would achieve the replacement of 6.5 million barrels of oil per day by volume — the rough equivalent of one third of the oil used in America and one half of our current oil imports.”

The Purdue summit website has summit presentations, comments from Lugar, Jischke and Daniels, and audio files from the event.

Ethanol, Government