High Octane Discussion at #RFANEC

Cindy Zimmerman February 17, 2016

With “Fueling a High Octane Future” as the theme for the 21st annual National Ethanol Conference, it was appropriate that the first panel focus on ethanol’s high octane properties and how they translate into high performance.

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Senior Vice President Geoff Cooper moderated a panel of experts including Brian West with Oak Ridge National Laboratory; MathPro president Dave Hirshfeld; and Tom Leone, Powertrain Research & Advanced Engineering for Ford Motor Company.

The discussion included the basics of what octane is, how octane is measured, and how ethanol fits into that equation. Listen to the panel here: NEC16 Octane/Performance Panel

2016 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, RFA

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder February 17, 2016

Whitefox Technologies Limited has announced that it has signed an agreement with Iowa-based Pine Lake Corn Processors (PLCP) to install the first Whitefox ICE Solution in the Midwest. PLCP operates a 30-million gallon per year ethanol plant in Steamboat Rock, Iowa. Whitefox’s technology reduces energy consumption, increases production efficiencies and contributes to the production of low-carbon ethanol.
On February 9, 2016, President Obama released his $4.15 trillion fiscal year FY2017 federal budget proposal, a 5 percent increase over 2016. In his final budget request, President Obama is seeking to increase funding for his top priorities—including clean energy and climate action. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute has released an issue brief looking at the FY2017 budget proposal as it relates to energy.
Alliance BioEnergy Plus, Inc. has announced that it has formed a strategic alliance with Harvesting Technology for the inclusion of their licensed and patented advanced separation process that the Company will utilize alongside its CTS cellulose conversion process in ethanol applications.
On the stage during the World AG Expo was Biogest who presented their biogas technology that they company says helps farmers see financial benefits from stover. The facility on display featured an integrated system capturing the entire stover process beginning with the harvest, to the special pre-treatment, to finally generating electric power and thermal energy in the biogas plant.

Bioenergy Bytes

ACE Video Highlights #E15 Market Potential

Joanna Schroeder February 17, 2016

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has released a new animated video targeted to retail fuel station owners and encouraging them to offer consumers #E15 at the pump. The piece highlights the rapidly growing number of vehicles on the road that can use E15. The video is located on the Flex Fuel Forward website, a source where retailers can share their experiences with E15 and other mid-level and higher ethanol blend.

“The number of vehicles on the road that can use E15 is huge – whether you’re talking about cars that are warrantied for E15, or those that are approved by EPA to use E15,” said ACE Senior Vice President and Market Development Director Ron Lamberty. “We wanted to show that ‘math’ to station owners, and we especially wanted to show the E15 market potential compared to premium and diesel – because those are the fuels oil companies usually push when station owners consider changing or expanding their fuel slate.”

“In the past few years, as oil companies have limited the fuel grades retailers can offer, and station owners change tanks over to premium or diesel, I feel like we haven’t done enough to make it clear how big the E15 market is.” Lamberty added, “We’ve told people about the E15 opportunity – probably thousands of times. Now we can show them. And if that dramatic difference doesn’t convince them to give E15 a shot, they don’t really want to know…”

Lamberty unveiled the animated video during the Western Petroleum Marketers Association EXPO in Las Vegas, Nevada.

ACE, E15, Ethanol, Retailers, Video

USDA Secretary Visits #RFANEC Again

Cindy Zimmerman February 16, 2016

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited the National Ethanol Conference for the last time in the position he has held under President Obama for both terms.

During his appearance, Vilsack announced some good news for the ethanol industry – new research showing significant improvement in ethanol production efficiency.

“This study we just published today looks at the ratio of the energy used to produce a gallon of ethanol and the energy that it creates, and the ratio has improved significantly,” said Vilsack.

According to the study, between 1991 and 2010, direct energy use in corn production has dropped by 46 percent per bushel of corn produced and total energy use per bushel of corn by 35 percent. Moreover, between 2005 and 2010, direct energy use fell by 25 percent and the total energy use by 8.2 percent per bushel—meaning that between 2005 and 2010, the energy required per bushel of corn produced dropped by about 5 percent.

“The bottom line is, today, more energy is being produced from ethanol than is used to produce it, by factors of 2 to 1 nationally and by factors of 4 to 1 in the Midwest. There are many reasons to be optimistic about the future of the bio-economy and the role biofuels and advanced biofuels will play in that future, and I am confident this administration has acted aggressively to expand the groundwork to support that brighter future,” Vilsack said.

Listen to Vilsack’s address to the NEC here: USDA Secretary Vilsack at NEC16

Vilsack answers press questions on Cuba, FFVs, ethanol efficiency and more – Sec'y Vilsack NEC press avail

2016 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, RFA, USDA

RFA Launches #FlexMyChoice Campaign

Cindy Zimmerman February 16, 2016

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) launched a new campaign today at the National Ethanol Conference (NEC) designed to help the industry voice support for flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs).

The “Flex My Choice” effort is aimed directly at automakers, auto dealerships, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) due to the fact that automakers have begun to limit FFV models as the government phases out CAFE credits for producing FFVs.

“The auto companies claim there has not been meaningful consumer demand for these vehicles and the incremental cost, albeit trivial, cannot be justified in the absence of a more balanced CAFE regime,” said RFA CEO Bob Dinneen during his state of the industry address. “The ethanol industry needs to demonstrate the continued enthusiasm for FFVs. We want to raise our voices so that E85 and other mid-level ethanol fuels remain viable options for consumers.”

As part of the campaign, RFA intends to distribute 75,000 postcard pamphlets to targeted parties across the country in the hopes of changing the conversation on the future of FFV production. The postcard pamphlets will contain five panels: the first panel is a brief introduction to the issues; panels 2 through 4 are individual postcards to General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (the “Detroit Three”); and the fifth panel contains a pledge that consumers can drop off at their local auto dealership. Additionally, the campaign launched two petitions on www.Change.org directed at the automakers and the EPA respectively.

RFA vice president of industry relations Robert White says the campaign intends to ensure that consumers have choices when it comes to buying and fueling their vehicles. “Thanks to USDA, the ethanol industry, and agriculture, 2016 will mark the largest expansion of E85 stations in history; it is not the time to stop the momentum,” said White. “This campaign will send a clear signal to the automakers, their auto dealerships, and the EPA that there is a real demand on the part of consumers for more vehicle choices, more choices at the pump and increased access to higher ethanol blends.”

White explains more about the need for the campaign and how to participate in this interview: Interview with Robert White, RFA

2016 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

Audio, E85, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Flex Fuel Vehicles, National Ethanol Conference, RFA

Former Oil Company President at #RFANEC

Cindy Zimmerman February 16, 2016

The former president of a big oil company was very critical of the oil industry during his keynote address at the 2016 National Ethanol Conference in New Orleans Tuesday.

John Hofmeister was president of Shell Oil Company for three years, but after he left the company in 2008 he founded Citizens for Affordable Energy and wrote a book called “Why We Hate the Oil Companies: Straight Talk from an energy insider.” Straight talk was definitely what Hofmeister shared with attendees at the NEC.

“Oil is a contrived market,” Hofmeister began, talking about the current state of low oil prices and how Iran and Russia are impacting the situation with Saudi Arabia. “This is a contrived situation that has been created because of geopolitical considerations…and which can’t last very much longer.”

“What does this have to do with ethanol?” he asked. “I think it has everything to do with the United States’ absolute requirement to become fully energy independent to not be the victim of a contrived oil market.”

Hofmeister questioned why the United States imports seven million barrels of oil a day instead of developing “the alternative fuels we have in this country that can dismiss any dependency on foreign oil forever.”

Listen to Hofmeister’s insights here: John Hofmeister NEC16 Keynote Address

2016 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, Oil

State of the Ethanol Industry at #RFANEC

Chuck Zimmerman February 16, 2016

This morning at the National Ethanol Conference, Bob Dinneen, Renewable Fuels Association, gave his annual State of the Ethanol Industry Speech in front of over 1,000 attendees. He said that the domestic ethanol industry remains strong and touted its ability to successfully navigate the vagaries of the markets and overcome the perils of policy uncertainty.

“The strength of the U.S. ethanol industry is seen in its record production – 14.7 billion gallons, its record blending demand – 13.75 billion gallons, record feed production – 40 million metric tons, and record greenhouse gas reductions – 41.2 metric tons,” said Dinneen. “Those aren’t the stats of an industry in retreat, that’s an industry confident, defiant, and prepared to weather any storm.”

Dinneen called the U.S. ethanol industry the “cornerstone” of the rural economy, noting that it added $44 billion to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product and paid $10 billion in taxes last year. He drew a sharp contrast with what he characterized as the “boom and bust cycles” of oil extraction which, he said, can wreak havoc on economically-vulnerable communities.

You can read his full speech here.

You can listen to Bob’s speech here:

Speech on State of Ethanol Industry - Bob Dinneen, RFA

2016 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

Audio, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, RFA

New BIO-Yeast Could Improve Biofuels Production

Joanna Schroeder February 16, 2016

Quinn Dickinson, research specialist at the University of Madison’s Wisconsin Energy Institute who also works with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), has helped to design a new strain of yeast that he believes holds great promise in improving the efficiency of making biofuel from biomass such as switchgrass.

Dickinson’s goal is to solve a problem in the biomass to biofuels conversion process, namely that in some cases, solvents are so good at breaking down biomass that they often hinder the next critical step of the process, fermentation.

GLBRC assistant research specialist Quinn Dickinson picks a colony of a new yeast strain that could reduce the cost of biofuels produced with ionic liquids.

The precursor to this finding was research Dickinson was conducting with fellow GLBRC colleague, Jeff Piotrowski, who is now a principal scientist at Yumanity Therapeutics in Massachusetts. The two were working on ionic liquids, solvents that can deconstruct different kinds of biomass into relatively pure streams of the plant’s sugar but which are also toxic to the kind of microorganisms that ferment those sugars into fuel.

“Ionic liquids are a particularly promising technology for deconstructing biomass, but their toxicity to fermentative microbes has posed a challenge,” said Piotrowski. “To really harness the power of this solvent — and to enable a bio-based economy — we need microbes specifically tailored to tolerate the specific toxicity of ionic liquids.”Read More

advanced biofuels, biochemicals, biomass, bioproducts, Research

DOE Announces Biomass to Biofuels Funding

Joanna Schroeder February 16, 2016

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced up to $11.3 million in funding to develop flexible biomass to hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways. The goal is for these roads, per se, to be able to be easily modified to produce advanced biofuels and/or bioproducts, depending on market demand. Using a DOE example, one pathway could consist of a route to a platform chemical that could be converted to products or renewable fuels. Another idea is a pathway that co-produces both biochemicals and advanced biofuels rather than one or the other at any given time.

Photo credit: Joanna Schroeder

The grants are being funded specifically through the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) who has a goal of meeting the 2022 cost target of $3/gallon of gasoline equivalent (gge) for the production of renewable hydrocarbon fuels from lignocellulosic biomass.

One approach BETO has taken previously to achieve this goal is to focus on conversion pathways that produce biofuels, with little or no emphasis on coproducing bioproducts. However, with the knowledge that adding the production of co-products or value-added chemicals and products can help incentivize the de-risking of “front-end” processes required to convert the biomass to biofuels, BETO is also looking to expand to pathway to product process.

Therefore, the intent of the funding is to identify research and development (R&D) projects that propose a conversion pathway that may flexibly produce bioproducts and biofuels. According to BETO, the proposed pathway must illustrate a realistic approach to producing cost-competitive renewable hydrocarbon biofuels. These pathways could consist of a route to a platform chemical that could be converted to products or fuels, or a route that coproduces chemicals and fuels. Successful applications will include a clear justification for producing the target molecule(s) from biomass, a compelling narrative explaining how the target product(s) will enable biofuels, and supporting techno-economic analysis and life-cycle analysis.

Interested parties can learn more about this opportunity and application requirements here. Applications are due February 26, 2016. An informational webinar for potential applicants will take place at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Feb. 16, 2016. A recording of the webinar will be posted on the EERE Exchange website.

advanced biofuels, biomass, biomaterials, bioproducts

Preview of National Ethanol Conference

Chuck Zimmerman February 15, 2016

The Reverend of Renewable Energy, Mr. Bob Dinneen, Renewable Fuels Association, in traditional fashion, provides us with a preview of the 21st National Ethanol Conference. The Conference kicked off this morning at English Turn Golf & Country Club with the annual NEC tournament. The weather threatened but held off for a beautiful day.

Bob says the agenda includes some great speakers including John Hofmeister, former president of Shell Oil Company and Founder/CEO, Citizens for Affordable Energy and our U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. It’s a very political year which he says is going to keep things interesting. In fact, we will also hear from Mike Murphy, Political Analyst, NBC News and Paul Begala, Political Analyst, CNN. That might even be entertaining.

Bob says that after the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia the whole tone in Washington, DC changed. Between that tragedy and a shortened Congressional season due to the political conventions it will make it very hard for much action to be taken.

Here at the conference Bob says he wants to encourage members to look ahead, find and build new markets, feel proud of their industry. We’re also going to have a session on how to communicate with the consumers of today.

You can listen to my interview with Bob here: Interview with Bob Dinneen, RFA

Audio, biofuels, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, RFA

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