.@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

Chicago Area Thorntons Offers E15 & E85

Joanna Schroeder June 29, 2016

Illinois drivers now how more choices at the pump when fueling up. Thorntons has opened a new station in the Chicago area introducing their own brand of E15: Unleaded15 as well as E85. Sen. Bill Cunningham made an appearance at the Thorntons retail location in Oak Lawn, Illinois to celebrate the newly opened store.

“We congratulate Thorntons on their work to expand consumer choice at the pump to their customers and we are proud to partner with them through the Prime the Pump initiative,” said Emily Skor, Growth Energy CEO. We are equally thankful to Sen. Cunningham for taking the time to highlight the importance of renewable fuels and for his work to help Illinois consumers get access to E15.”

Skor continued, “Ethanol is an American success story that’s giving consumers a choice at the pump for a cleaner, higher-octane, less expensive and homegrown fuel. We commend Thorntons for bringing more fuel options such as E15 and E85 to consumers who are demanding higher performing, lower cost fueling options.”

E15, E85, Ethanol, Growth Energy

FFA Educates #NASCAR Fans about #E15

Joanna Schroeder June 28, 2016

The Twin Cedars FFA Chapter was out in en mass during the recent American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen to educate race fans about ethanol and E15. Chuck hung out with the high school students and their advisor for a while over the weekend to learn why they wanted to be a part of the race weekend.

Mrs. Johnson, who is an Ag Ed instructor and supervisor for the Twin Cedars FFA Chapter out of Bussey, Iowa, said that for the past several years, their FFA Chapter has been partnering with Syngenta during the American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen race weekend to go around and speak with fans about E15. They also raise money to assist the industry with increasing fuel infrastructure for mid-level and higher blends of ethanol. And, she said, for every dollar they raised Syngenta matched with a dollar. Syngenta also donated a percentage of the funds to help support their FFA Chapter.

Chuck asked the high school students what got them interested in being at the races and they all said it was a great way to raise money for their chapter.

To learn more, listen to Chuck Zimmerman’s interview with the Twin Cedars FFA Chapter here: Interview with Twin Cedars FFA Chapter

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

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

#Biodiesel Industry Storms Capitol Hill

Joanna Schroeder June 28, 2016

The biodiesel industry is storming Capitol Hill today to share the widespread benefits of the advanced renewable fuel. Nearly 100 leaders are calling on legislators to strengthen the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) as a new report released found that in 2015, the biodiesel industry produced 2.1 billion gallons of biodiesel and renewable diesel that supported $8.4 billion in economic impact across multiple sectors along with 47,000 jobs and $1.9 billion in wages.

The study, conducted by LMC International and commissioned by the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), also found that increasing biodiesel imports – nearly a third of total biodiesel use in America in 2015 – are eating into domestic production and its positive economic impact. Should this fuel have been produced domestically, the industry would have been able to support 21,000 additional jobs.

Anne Steckel, vice president of federal affairs for NBB, said the study underscores the benefits of strong policy that encourages further development of the domestic industry. “Ending our dependence on oil is an opportunity, not just for the environment and our national security, but for the economy and for American workers,” said Steckel. “This industry is supporting tens of thousands of jobs from coast to coast, and we’re just getting started.”

The biodiesel producers, feedstock suppliers and other stakeholders in DC today are calling for higher Biomass-Based Diesel and Advanced Biofuel volumes under the RFS going in to 2018. In addition, they are calling for reform of the biodiesel tax incentive, set to expire at the end of this year, to become a $1-per-gallon incentive for domestic production only. Under the current blender’s credit, biodiesel imported to the U.S. qualifies for the incentive.

NBB believes EPA should set stronger volumes of Biomass-Based Diesel under the RFS, calling for at least a 2.5-billion-gallon requirement in 2018. LMC found, with 2.5 billion gallons of production, the industry would support 81,600 jobs and $14.7 billion in total economic impact if all production were domestic. The impact is 55,000 jobs and $9.8 billion in total impact under a split of two-thirds domestic production and one-third imports.

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, NBB, RFS

.@EthanolbyPOET Expands Cover Crop Research

Joanna Schroeder June 28, 2016

POET is continuing its sustainability research as the need for biomass continues to grow as the company heads out of its start-up phase and into full production at its cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in Emmetsburg, Iowa. The company says the program is part of their ongoing commitment to assisting growers in making sound management decisions around harvesting crop residue for cellulosic ethanol.

Corn biomass residue. Photo Credit: Joanna Schroeder

“Agriculture is the solution to so many of the world’s challenges, and there’s an enormous opportunity in cellulosic ethanol,” POET CEO Jeff Broin said. “As this industry starts to grow, we’re working to make sure that it’s done in a way that is as sustainable as possible.”

In 2014, POET DSM launched its first cellulosic facility, Project Liberty. When in full production, the ethanol plant can produce 20 million-gallons-per year using crop residues such as corn stover. With new avenues for the biomass came a need to better understand the affects of harvesting on land management and soil health. With this in mind, POET has worked with Iowa State University and the USDA for the past eight years, monitoring the soil under various residue removal practices.

In addition to this ongoing research, POET Biomass added two fields of cover crops (a mix of tillage radish and oats) last year to ascertain what impact field cover has when paired with a variety of tillage practices and residue removal rates. This year they are planting rye as a cover crop and adding a third field to expand the variety of cover crop species and mixes to assess their specific soil benefits and the economic implications.

“One year of data is too soon to make any bold statements, but we’re certainly optimistic about pairing cover crops with biomass harvesting for cellulosic ethanol in the future,” said Associate Biomass Research Scientist Alicia ElMamouni. She added that the goal of the research is to determine how cover crops affect soil health, biomass harvesting and feedstock quality as well as the quantity of biomass that can be sustainably removed.

biomass, Cellulosic, Environment, Ethanol

#Ethanol Helps Consumers Save $$ at the Pump

Joanna Schroeder June 27, 2016

Ethanol’s exposure was ramped up at the Iowa Speedway during the American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen. One person who got media and NASCAR fans alike exited about the high-performance E15 racing fuel was Delayne Johnson with Quad County Corn Processors. His ethanol biorefinery broke some speed records of its own two years ago when they successfully launched the first cellulosic ethanol production technology of its kind that converts the corn kernel fiber into cellulosic ethanol.

Chuck Zimmerman caught up with Johnson during the race weekend to learn more about the technology. Johnson said that his plant is also using Enogen corn and when you combine that with the Cellerate technology, you get more ethanol per kernel. In addition, he said they are delivering more than $1 million back to local corn farmers in premiums for their Enogen corn.

But the money track doesn’t stop there. “We’re also pleased to allow consumers who save a dollar to a dollar fifty a gallon on the gas they are buying today because of the extra supply ethanol provides,” Johnson said. “Ethanol really is good throughout the supply chain and is good for the American people from a national defense standpoint and from a reduction of imports of crude oil, and we’re just pleased to be part of the process.”

Quad County Corn Processors is one of the most efficient ethanol plants in the country. One reason is because using their proprietary technology Cellerate, they take the fiber left over after the production of traditional corn ethanol and convert it to cellulosic ethanol enabling the plant to producing another 6 percent of ethanol out of the same kernel of corn. “When you add Enogen and Cellerate, you’re able to increase the throughput of our plant by more than 20 percent so far but we believe we can do better than that.”

To learn more about Quad County’s Cellerate + Enogen ethanol and DDGs, listen to Chuck’s interview with Delayne Johnson here: Interview with Delayne Johnson, Quad County Corn Processors

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

advanced biofuels, Audio, Cellulosic, corn, Enogen, enzymes, Ethanol, NASCAR, Syngenta

Developing the Road to Faster Biomass Breakdown

Joanna Schroeder June 27, 2016

A major challenge of using biomass for bioenergy is the breaking down of biomass into cellulose that can be used as the basis for biomaterials. One researcher is trying to overcome this barrier when using perennial plants for renewable energy. Feng Wang, associate professor of physical chemistry at University of Arkansas, has been awarded $400,000 from the National Science Foundation to study this challenge.

A University of Arkansas researcher is investigating a critical roadblock to harvesting biomass from perennial plants, such as grass, for the purpose of creating renewable energy. Photo Credit USDA.

“Biofuel derived from perennial plants, such as grass and common weeds, is most desirable because these plants grow on marginal land and can be harvested repeatedly,” said Wang, who works in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. “But first we have to solve the problem of breaking down cellulose fibrils before biomass can be considered an economically viable source of renewable energy.”

Wang explains that cellulose fibrils are microfibers of inert carbohydrates within plants and give wood, for example, its durability. Through pretreatment chemists separate these fibrils into individual carbohydrate chains that can be digested by enzymes but this process takes a long time. However, Wang and other chemists are studying ways to speed it up.

According to Wang, computational modeling is an important route toward understanding this process. He and his team is developing computer models of cellulose fibrils to help scientists understand how they interact with water, alternative solvents and enzymes. His and other models will also lead to the design of catalysts for the pretreatment and hydrolysis of biomass. Wang will use a method called adaptive force matching, which relies on a process using repeated iterations for developing simple but highly efficient and accurate force fields.

“The beauty of this method is that it allows us to develop accurate force fields without using complex energy expressions,” said Wang. “And maximizing its simplicity will enable larger structures to be modeled efficiently.”

Using the adaptive-force-matching method as a reliable protocol for mapping the molecular energy landscape of cellulose fibrils will have broad impact for computational chemistry and material research in general, Wang said. The ultimate goal is to understand the mechanisms that prevent scientists from making clean and renewable fuel from biomass, which would decrease reliance on fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions.

advanced biofuels, bioenergy, biomass, Research

Strong Senator Support for Final #RFS

Joanna Schroeder June 27, 2016

As the week came to a close last Friday, 39 U.S. senators sent a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy calling on the EPA to step up on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The letter urged the EPA to ensure the final 2017 RFS rule “promote[s] growth in the U.S. biofuel sector and capture economic opportunity rather than drive investment overseas.” The 2017 proposal calls on refiners to blend 14.8 billion gallons of conventional biofuels in 2017, slightly below the 15-billion-gallon level envisioned by Congress when it expanded the RFS in 2007.

“We thank the lawmakers for their leadership to ensure EPA finalizes a strong RFS that gets the program back on track. In proposing a lower conventional biofuel target for 2017, the EPA is catering to the oil industry by relying upon an illegal interpretation of its waiver authority and concern over a blend wall that the oil industry itself is creating,” said RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen who last week testified on behalf of the RFS during the Energy and Power Subcommittee Hearing. “The RFA has demonstrated just how easy it would be for obligated parties to reach the 15 billion gallon statutory volume for conventional biofuels next year—through rising gasoline demand, increased E15 and E85 and 2 billion surplus renewable identification numbers available to refiners.”

Dinneen added, “Meantime, continued uncertainty has caused investments in new technology and advanced biofuel to languish or move overseas. It’s time EPA follows the statutory requirement and increase the conventional biofuel target to 15 billion gallons.”

Emily Skor, Growth Energy CEO, who gave her first keynote speech to thousands of attendees last week at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop, also commended the senators for their RFS support. “We must not turn back the clock on the progress we have made, and commend these Senators for protecting America’s security and economy through the RFS. The EPA must return stability to this policy to ensure that we keep America moving forward. The RFS decreases our dependence on foreign oil, improves our environment by reducing harmful emissions and displacing toxic chemicals found in gasoline, and gives American consumers a choice of a less expensive, higher performing fuel.

The RFS is our nation’s most successful energy policy. We stand united with this group of bipartisan Senators in sending a message to EPA that our support for this policy is unwavering, and that EPA must set the final RVO volumes to 15 billion gallons as Congress intended,” Skor concluded.

Comments for the proposed 2017 and 2018 RFS rules are being accepted until July 11, 2016. Click here for information on how to submit your comments.

biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Growth Energy, politics, RFA, RFS

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