#Ethanol Wins The Race Every Time

Joanna Schroeder July 1, 2016

During the American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen NASCAR XFINITY Series race that recently took place at the Iowa Speedway, Chuck Zimmerman had a moment to catch his breath and chat with Syngenta newbie Marcos Castro, the marketing manager for Enogen. Castro joined the team about two months ago and said his role is to promote the Enogen brand and the Enogen technology.

“It’s a really great technology that we’ve created specifically for the ethanol industry that really creates value across the board,” noted Castro. He said he already enjoys working with ethanol plants and growers in the surrounding communities.

The NASCAR ethanol weekend was a first for Castro and he said that its a fantastic venue to promote ethanol, Enogen and Cellerate. “I’m blown away by the sheer opportunity to be a part of this because I’ve never seen in other sports the proximity of the fans and the whole community of racing. It’s really unique,” said Castro. “I was very fortunate to be a part of the different things going on today to see first hand the interaction between the race car drivers and everything going on, and I think this is a really good fit for what we’re trying to do – to take the message about ethanol to a broader audience.”

Chuck asked Marcos who was going to win and while Marcos hoped the best driver would win, he stressed, “I think ultimately ethanol is winning the race. NASCAR is really showing what a great fuel American grown ethanol is and what it is doing for communities and what it is doing for the country.”

To learn more listen to Chuck’s interview with Marcos Castro here: Interview with Marcos Castro, Enogen-Syngenta

You can find lots of photos from Iowa Speedway race weekend here: Enogen Syngenta NASCAR Photo Album

American Ethanol, Audio, corn, E15, Enogen, enzymes, Ethanol, NASCAR, Syngenta

NBF Elects New Board Member

Joanna Schroeder July 1, 2016

The National Biodiesel Foundation (NBF) has elected Lindsay Fitzgerald who works for Ames, Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group (REG), to its executive committee. NBF was created to advanced initiatives important to the commercial biodiesel industry.

“I am excited to be a part of such an amazing Foundation that focuses on biodiesel research and education. Over the past several years, REG has been a constant supporter and donor to the Foundation, and I have seen the benefits first hand,” said Fitzgerald. “Now is a perfect opportunity to become fully involved in the NBF’s daily activities and decision making.”

Fitzgerald is based out of Washington, DC and joins the NBF on behalf of REG. Prior to joining REG, she worked on Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) implementation at the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) as Director of Regulatory Affairs, and before that at the US Environmental Protection Agency.

“We thank Lindsay and REG for volunteering her time and experience to the Foundation. We look forward to working with her over the next several years,” added NBF President Mike Cunningham. “Through donations to the Foundation, we are able to support important research and educational activities needed for biodiesel’s growth.”

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel

Australia Invests in Biojet Fuel Production Biorefinery

Joanna Schroeder July 1, 2016

Australia is one step closer to opening its first biorefinery dedicated to producing biojet fuels and renewable diesel. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is providing $2.4 million in funding support for Southern Oil Refining to develop and construct a biocrude and biofuel laboratory Yarwun, near Gladstone in Queensland. The lab-scale project will have the ability to grow into a commercial-scale biorefinery. The $5.3 million project is scheduled for completion in March 2019.

ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said there was clear potential for biofuel production and refining in Australia. “Our agricultural industries have an abundance of plant waste that can be ideal biocrude feedstock and there are several potential markets for selling green fuels including aviation, shipping and defense.” Frischknecht continued, “ARENA has previously supported Australian companies like Muradel and Licella to develop innovative technologies for producing biocrude but there is currently no way of refining this into large quantities of useable biofuels. A new biorefinery would be the first step in providing the missing link in the development of an Australian biofuels industry.”

Frischknecht said Southern Oil Refining has struck in-principle agreements with Muradel and Licella for the supply of biocrude for refining, demonstrating how ARENA-supported companies can work together towards achieving commercial outcomes pointing out that the economic opportunities of the project could be significant.

“The United States Navy has a 50 percent target for alternative energy sources by 2020 and the Royal Australian Navy has signed an agreement to explore using more environmentally friendly fuels, significantly increasing demand for green fuels,” said Frischkencht. “Major Australian airlines are also considering these fuels to meet industry-agreed emission reduction targets, with Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia recently announcing a partnership to investigate options for locally-produced aviation biofuel.”

Frischknecht said the project would help to determine whether a compelling business case can be made for building a biorefinery capable of producing renewable diesel and jet fuels. As part of the project, the lab will characterize ideal biocrudes and biofuels as the basis for creating the refinery blueprint as well as develop new protocols for the conversion of biocrudes to drop-in-fuels.

advanced biofuels, aviation biofuels, biojet fuel

It’s cookout season – What do you bring to the table?

Jamie Johansen July 1, 2016

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What does Brexit mean for ag?”

It’s been about a week since the United Kingdom voted themselves out of the European Union. I will have to agree with the majority in this poll. It is too early to tell the complete global impact this decision will have on the agricultural industry. The value of the Euro is in question and markets are down around the world. The rest is yet to be seen.

Here are the poll results:

Major consequences – 11%
No impact at all – 16%
Too early to tell – 63%
Don’t know – 5%
Don’t care – 5%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, What cookout cuisine do you bring to the table?

The holidays bring family and friends together and those get togethers are always centered around food. The 4th of July is typically all about cookouts. America’s favorite foods remain affordable for the 2016 grilling season. When it comes to cookouts, what do you bring to the table?

ZimmPoll

Iowa Home of American Ethanol #Enogen4Energy

Joanna Schroeder June 30, 2016

#4Energy4Enogen was a hot, fun summer weekend that took place at the Iowa Speedway during the American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen race weekend. Ethanol supporter, NASCAR fan and vice president of market development for Growth Energy Kelly Manning (#Kelly4President – some of the race fans nominated Kelly for President during the weekend) told Chuck Zimmerman that activities around the race and all-around ethanol weekend are extensive.

“This is the best track for us. Frankly it’s in the backyard of one hundred ethanol plants and thousands of farmers and there is lot’s of product being produced in this area, so Iowa Speedway is like home to our program. These folks are a good operation,” Manning said. He noted that ever since Growth Energy/American Ethanol began in NASCAR about six years ago, it was to showcase NASCAR cars and trucks running on 15 percent ethanol. “And really back then this was the proving ground to make sure they can run on the track effectively with a high octane, a high horsepower fuel, and that same fuel can be used in your passenger car.”

Ethanol truly came to life this weekend and one element of ethanol showcase was driver Ty Dillion in the No. 3 Kum & Go E15 NASCAR race car.

American Ethanol was formed about six years ago (Growth Energy was formed in 2009) and even before then Syngenta has been passionate about the industry and what they could do for biofuels, said Manning who continued, “They were the first large scale ag company that invested in Growth Energy and got behind all of our efforts. We’re out there working side by side with them and excited to help promote their products such as Enogen and Cellerate.”

Manning added that now is still the time to promote E15 (the cars are filled up with a green E15 ring) and by the end of the year there will be more than 1,000 retail locations offering consumers the choice of E15 at the pump.

To learn more about American Ethanol’s promotion of E15 and Growth Energy’s long-term partnership with Syngenta, listen to Chuck’s interview with Kelly Manning here: Interview with Kelly Manning, Growth Energy

You can find lots of photos from Iowa Speedway race weekend here: Enogen Syngenta NASCAR Photo Album

American Ethanol, Audio, E15, Enogen, Ethanol, Growth Energy, NASCAR, Syngenta

Brookhaven Nat’l Lab Engineers Plants with Less Lignin

Joanna Schroeder June 30, 2016

Brookhaven National Laboratory is working on the challenge of converting lignin into biofuels and other bioproducts. A research team is looking at the possibility of engineering plants with less lignin. The idea is not new – other research teams have tried but their work resulted in weaker plants and stunted growth, reducing the plants ability to be used as a biomass feedstock.

Postdoctoral associate Yuanheng Cai, biological research associate Xuebin Zhang, and plant biochemist Chang-Jun Liu in the Brookhaven Lab greenhouse with transgenic trees designed to improve biofuel production.

However, led by Chang-Jun Liu, the lead author on the project, they have discovered a novel enzyme involved in lignin synthesis in aspen trees that increases access to biofuel building blocks without altering plant growth. Their research, published in Nature Communications, resulted in an almost 50 percent increase in ethanol yield from healthy aspen trees whose woody biomass released 62 percent more simple sugars than native plants.

“Our study provides a useful strategy for tailoring woody biomass for bio-based applications,” said Jun Liu who notes that lignin makes up about 20 percent of aspen’s woody structures, with cellulose and hemicellulose polymers making up approximately 45 and 25 percent, along with other minor components. “The lignin forms a barrier of sorts around the other polymers. Digestive enzymes can’t get through to break down the cellulose and hemicellulose to release their simple sugars.”

In this study, the scientists explored a creative new strategy for modifying lignin’s structure based on detailed analysis of enzyme structures that were previously solved by Liu’s group using x-rays. The scientists used biochemical analyses to identify a variant of monolignol 4-O-methyltransferase that had a slight chemical “preference” for reacting with one specific type of lignin precursor. The scientists reasoned that this variant had the potential to depress the formation of a particular lignin component.

To test this idea, they transplanted the gene for this variant into a strain of fast-growing aspen trees. The scientists then grew the altered aspen trees alongside untreated control trees in a greenhouse on Brookhaven’s property.

The trees that produced the engineered enzyme had slightly less total lignin in their cell walls. But on further analysis, the scientists found that these trees also had dramatically altered lignin structure, with a significant reduction in the level of one of the two major types of lignin components normally found in aspen trees. Read More

advanced biofuels, biomass, Research

@EthanolRFA Hosting 2nd #Ethanol Octane Webinar

Joanna Schroeder June 30, 2016

The Renewable Fuels Foundation, the education and research arm of of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), is hosting another webinar focused on ethanol’s unique octane properties. “Gasoline Refining and Blending 101,” will take place July 7, 2016 from 11 am – noon CT. This is the second webinar of five dedicated to discussing the importance of using ethanol as a blend component in America’s gasoline supply as well as the potential role ethanol can play as a low-carbon octane source in future fuels. The webinars are being conducted by MathPro, Inc., a firm specializing in technical and economic analysis of the petroleum refining sector.

“These webinars present an excellent opportunity to learn more about the tremendous octane benefits provided by ethanol – both in today’s fuels and in the fuels of tomorrow,” said Karen Andersen-Schank with CHS who is a RFA member company. “I would recommend this series to the industry.”

The first webinar in the series took place June 15, 2016 focused on “All About Octane”. The first webinar in the series, “Gasoline Blending 102 (with Ethanol) will take place on July 28, 2016. Additional webinars include “Future CAFE Standards” taking place August 8, 2016 followed by the last installment on September 8, 2016. All of the webinars will take place from 11 am to noon CDT.

John Payeff with The Andersons, Inc. whose company is an RFA member, added, “Petroleum refining is an incredibly complex topic. The webinars provide a rare opportunity for ethanol producers and supporters to learn about the economic and technical considerations facing refiners, and to examine how ethanol fits into the picture in the past, present, and future.”

Click here for additional information. The webinars are offered to RFA members at no charge. The fee for non-members is $250 per session or $1,000 for all five webinars. To reserve your spot, email Missy Ruff or 202-446-1944.

Audio, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

.@NASCAR #E15 Race Offers Fans ‘All American Fun’

Joanna Schroeder June 29, 2016

Jimmy Small is in his third race season as president of Iowa Speedway. The American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen is in its fourth year while the American Ethanol sponsorship is in its fifth year. Small told Chuck Zimmerman in an interview during #ethanol race weekend that year after year they want to continue to grow their partnership together and work towards building the ethanol message platform as high as they can.

This year is the first that ethanol race weekend was tied to an XFINITY series race. With the new opportunity, Small said they worked together to put on a super weekend – a weekend that has never been done at the Iowa Speedway before. And they’ve done it. On Father’s Day weekend, no less, where all eyes were on Iowa.

“We take pride in being not only fan friendly but family friendly,” said Small. He explained that they had activities throughout the weekend for all ages including a Q&A session where kids got to ask drivers questions. “The fans enjoyed asking drivers questions. This almost never happens and the drivers loved it.” There was also a lot of entertainment with most promoting the NASCAR Salutes program celebrating patriotism and honoring those who have served America in the armed forces and continue to serve.

Small noted one of the things he enjoys most about ethanol race weekend is the authenticity of the Syngenta sponsorship. He said the company is very important to the Iowa Speedway, in part because Enogen corn is grown in the fields surrounding the track and this Enogen corn is being used to produce the E15 that is fueling the race cars. “You can see the Enogen corn growing in the infield by the ‘Field of Dreams’ sign and we take great pride in having the Enogen corn growing in and around the Speedway,” Small added.

Small left us, and the NASCAR crowd, with this message: If NASCAR uses E15 in their race cars, imagine how well E15 will perform in your vehicle.

To learn more about Iowa Speedway’s partnership with Syngenta and Enogen, listen to Chuck’s interview with Jimmy Small here: Interview with Jimmy Small, Iowa Speedway

You can find lots of photos from Iowa Speedway race weekend here: Enogen Syngenta NASCAR Photo Album

American Ethanol, Audio, E15, Enogen, Ethanol, NASCAR, Racing, Syngenta

.@Syngenta Supports #Ethanol #Farmers with #Enogen Corn

Joanna Schroeder June 29, 2016

During the American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen race weekend, racing writers and photographers gathered for a media briefing held by the ethanol industry to learn more about the high-octane green fuel that is powering the NASCAR race cars around tracks like the Iowa Speedway. One of those reporters was our own Chuck Zimmerman who sat down with Chris Tingle, head of marketing for Enogen with Syngenta, who said its great to be a partner with Growth Energy and the Iowa Speedway to bring ethanol to the consumer.

Chuck asked him what message did he want the media to take away with them?

Tingle replied, “When you really think about, ethanol started with moonshine and moonshine started NASCAR so we’re all really related in the circle of evolution. But I think as we’ve progressed as a society, we’ve failed to realize the benefits of products like ethanol. So we’re here to partner, to bring flexibility not only to ethanol but also around E15, and to get that technology to consumers through supporting the flex fuel pump program that helps get infrastructure in place for consumers. We’re also highlighting all the technologies we have around the ethanol space in which Syngenta is a pioneer in the industry bringing products like Enogen, partnering with Quad County Corn Processors with technologies like Cellerate, just showing our sustainability commitment to ethanol.”

Tingle stressed that one of the greatest benefits of ethanol, other than saving consumers money at the pump with a higher octane fuel, is the benefits to rural America where the ethanol facilities are in operation and the farmers are growing food, feed and fiber from crops such as corn.

“Corn growers were very innovative and smart many years ago in really investing and supporting the ethanol industry and getting it off the ground as a market for their corn,” Tingle explained. “And the result of that today is roughly 40 percent of the corn grown in the U.S. is going into an ethanol plant while 2/3 of this corn comes back out as dried distillers grains [DDGs] for the feed industry. So we’ve got two sustainable industries out there – one for the corn farmer and one for the animal producer using the dried distillers grains.” He noted that these ethanol plants and farms are located in rural economies providing jobs where community members spend their paychecks in local businesses.

“So Syngenta is really proud to support the ethanol industry,” added Tingle. “We bring products to help make it more sustainable and helping our growers stay in business. In 2016 alone we’re going to have put almost $26 million dollars in grower premiums back into the rural economies of our Enogen growers.”

To learn more about Syngenta’s commitment to the ethanol industry and corn farmers listen to Chuck’s interview with Chris Tingle here: Interview with Chris Tingle, Enogen-Syngenta

You can find lots of photos from Iowa Speedway race weekend here: Enogen Syngenta NASCAR Photo Album

Agribusiness, American Ethanol, Audio, corn, E15, Enogen, Ethanol, NASCAR, Syngenta

BIOX & World Energy Purchase Houston #Biodiesel Plant

Joanna Schroeder June 29, 2016

BIOX Corporation is continuing to grow its biodiesel business with the announcement of a 50-50 joint venture with World Energy to acquire and operate a 90 million gallon biodiesel plant in Houston, Texas. This is the company’s second acquisition this month with the purchase of the Methes Energies biodiesel facility in Ontario. Each company has invested $10 million to the project and the deal is expected to close by the end of June 2016.

BIOX and World Energy have partnered to purchase the Green Earth Fuel #biodiesel plant in Houston, TX.

The facility, formerly known as Green Earth Fuels, is located within the Kinder Morgan Liquids terminal on the Houston Ship Channel and is the third largest biodiesel production facility in North America. Plant commissioning and start-up will ramp up over the third quarter of the this year.

“This joint venture with World Energy and the acquisition of a 90 million USG facility provide BIOX an opportunity to significantly expand and diversify our production capacity in combination with a high quality partner,” said Alan Rickard, Chief Executive Officer of BIOX. “It is a large scale asset that is well positioned to supply biodiesel for compliance with the Federal Renewable Fuel Standard in the U.S. market. As we see the distribution of our products from our facilities in Ontario shifting from the U.S. market to fulfill the mandates under Ontario’s Greener Diesel initiative, this acquisition provides us with a strategically positioned production facility from which we can address the U.S. market in partnership with World Energy.

Gene Gebolys, Chief Executive Officer of World Energy, added, “World Energy and BIOX have been biodiesel industry pioneers dating from the very beginnings of the industry. This venture enables us to lever our collective strengths to serve customers better than ever before with unparalleled logistical access by rail, truck, barge, ship, and pipeline to the biggest biofuels markets in the U.S. and beyond.”

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel

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