Industry Awards at #FEW15

Cindy Zimmerman June 2, 2015

Awards were presented at the 2015 Fuel Ethanol Workshop on Tuesday morning, honoring those who have helped the ethanol industry move forward.

The High Octane Award was presented to Ray Defenbaugh, CEO of Big River Resources in West Burlington, Iowa. Defenbaugh serves on the board of directors for both the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy. His words of encouragement for the industry after Friday’s RVO announcement from EPA are “Don’t quit, don’t stop, and do not surrender.”

John Caupert, director of the National Corn Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) at Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville, received this year’s Award of Excellence. Caupert has more than two decades of experience in the agriculture and biofuels industries and was hired to the NCERC post in 2006.

Interestingly, both Defenbaugh and Caupert are “Salukis” – graduates of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale – and even had the same academic adviser! Congrats to both for well deserved recognition.

Presenting the awards were BBI International VP of Content Tim Protz and chairman Mike Bryan.

2015 Fuel Ethanol Workshop Photo Album

Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by

Ethanol, Ethanol News, FEW

CHS Acquires Patriot Renewable Fuels

Joanna Schroeder June 2, 2015

CHS Inc. has acquired the Patriot Renewable Fuels ethanol plant from Patriot Holdings, LLC, Annawan, Ill. The Annawan, Illinoise facility produces 125 million gallons of ethanol annually, and is the second ethanol plant that CHS has purchased. In June 2014, CHS acquired the former Illinois River Energy plant at Rochelle, Ill. The facility will be rebranded as CHS and it’s 68 employees will become CHS employees.

“CHS will pursue ethanol manufacturing ownership in strategic current and new geographies that allow us to add value for our owners across our ag business and energy enterprise from inputs to value-added fuel and feed ingredients to the marketplace,” said Gary Anderson, CHS senior vice president, North America grain marketing and renewable fuels.

Gene Griffith, Patriot Holdings, LLC, chairman, president and CEO said CHS was a marketer of the plant’s DDGS (distillers dried grains with solubles) and ethanol products. “CHS is the right fit to take this business to the next level,” Griffith said. “The Patriot board of directors is confident that CHS is committed to continuing to grow the business, which bodes well for all suppliers delivering grain to the plant.”

biofuels, Ethanol

E15 Goes on Summer Vacation – Again

John Davis June 2, 2015

On the heels of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) cutting of the amount of ethanol required to be mixed into the nation’s fuel supply, the agency’s inaction on another front means 15% ethanol blended fuel is going on summer vacation again as the government forces retailers in many areas to needlessly restrict E15 sales to flex-fuel vehicles (FFV) only from June 1 through September 15.

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw calls June 1 Petroleum Monopoly Day. “Iowans want to buy E15 and retailers want to sell it, but the EPA has yet again put the power in the hands of Big Oil to restrict the option of E15,” said Shaw. “This blatant market manipulation is proof positive that we need a strong RFS to crack the petroleum monopoly.”

“EPA continues to refuse to treat E10 and E15 the same during the summer. As a result, EPA prevents consumers from purchasing a cleaner-burning, lower-cost fuel and thereby actually helps buttress the artificial ‘blend wall’ that Congress has directed them to tear down,” Shaw added. “It’s almost comical that for three and a half months a year, EPA hands the fuel market over to Big Oil resulting in higher prices, more smog forming emissions, and more carbon emissions. How does that make sense?”

EPA has refused to equalize the vapor pressure regulations for E10 and E15 during the summer driving season, running from June 1 through September 15. This allows the petroleum industry to provide Iowa wholesale suppliers and retailers with only the E10 blendstock, cutting E15 out of the market. Ironically, according to Iowa RFA, adding the extra five percent ethanol to summertime E10 actually lowers the vapor pressure and reduces evaporative and tailpipe emissions.

E15, EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, Iowa RFA

2015 FEW is Officially Underway

Cindy Zimmerman June 1, 2015

The 31st annual Fuel Ethanol Workshop officially kicked off Monday with the ribbon cutting for the trade show after a beautiful day for the annual FEW golf outing.

Helping BBI International Vice President for Content Tim Portz with the ceremonial opening was Ron Beemiller of WB Services, sponsor for the trade show opening reception, and Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis was recruited to make some opening remarks. Naturally, those remarks centered around EPA’s proposed volume obligations under the RFS announced last Friday. “They got the first one wrong a year and a half ago, they got this one wrong,” said Buis. “We stopped the last one, we’re going to change this one.”

Watch below:

The photo album is started and we will have lots to share from FEW this week, thanks to our sponsor Novozymes.

2015 Fuel Ethanol Workshop Photo Album

Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by

Ethanol, Ethanol News, FEW, Novozymes, Video

ACE Launches E15 Retailer Website

Joanna Schroeder June 1, 2015

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has launched a new website for retailers focused on E15: www.FlexFuelForward.com. The site is designed to answer retailer-focused questions about E15, E85 and mid-level ethanol blends.

“When convenience store owners consider a new product, the information they trust most comes from people like them – other retailers who have already done what they’re thinking about doing,” said ACE’s Senior Vice President, Ron Lamberty. “Fuel marketers thinking about new fuels want to hear from another retailer that adding those choices increased gallons, and led to better customer counts and higher profits – and that’s what we’re hearing from retailers who added E15 and flex fuels.”

“Unfortunately, most station owners don’t know anyone who sells E15 or flex fuels, and what they think they know about higher ethanol blends is warped by fictional ethanol horror stories, written by people who have never sold a drop of either product,” Lamberty continued. “That’s why the centerpiece of the FlexFuelForward.com site is a short documentary that introduces three fuel marketers who saw through the anti-ethanol ghost stories and added E15 and flex fuels to their product mix. Their real-world results show the doom and gloom predictions have not come true, and the rewards have been higher volume, more customers, better margins, and higher profits.”

FlexFuelForward.com provides additional fuel marketer-focused information to help station owners decide to add E15 and/or flex fuels, including links to fuel, equipment and government websites that have even more detailed information. “This site is aimed at capturing the attention and answering the main questions of marketers who have not responded to the ethanol industry’s other campaigns,” explained Lamberty. “We want to address the top concerns that are keeping station owners from considering E15 or flex fuels, and from there, point them to the people or information they need to get another E15 or flex fuel location built.”

Lamberty concluded, “We can’t bring experienced E15 and flex fuel marketers with us to every trade show or retailer workshop ACE attends. So we’ve done the next best thing – we’ve brought their stories to a place where they will be available 24/7, for marketers who live and work in the 24/7 convenience store world.”

ACE, biofuels, E15, E85, Ethanol

USDA Restarts Biomass Crop Program

Joanna Schroeder June 1, 2015

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has restarted the Biomass Crop Assistance Program that provides financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners interested in growing and harvesting biomass for renewable energy.

According to USDA, financial assistance is available through BCAP for costs associated with harvesting and transporting agriculture or forest residues to facilities that convert biomass crops into energy. Eligible crops may include corn residue, diseased or insect infested wood materials, or orchard waste. The energy facility must first be approved by USDA to accept the biomass crop.

Beginning today (June 1, 2015) facilities can apply for, or renew, their BCAP qualification status. $11.5 million of federal funds will be allocated to support the delivery of biomass materials through December 2015. Last year, more than 200,000 tons of dead or diseased trees from National Forests and Bureau of Land Management lands were removed and used to produce renewable energy, while reducing the risk of forest fire. Nineteen energy facilities in 10 states participated in the program.

Financial assistance is also available to grow biomass crops that will be converted into energy in selected BCAP project areas. New BCAP project area proposals will be solicited beginning this summer and accepted through fall 2015, with new project area announcements and enrollments taking place in early spring 2016. This fiscal year USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will allocate up to $8 million for producer enrollment to expand and enhance existing BCAP project areas. The extended proposal submission period allows project sponsors time to complete any needed environmental assessments and allows producers enough lead time to make informed decisions on whether or not to pursue the BCAP project area enrollment opportunity. This fiscal year USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will allocate up to $8 million for producer enrollment to expand and enhance existing BCAP project areas.

advanced biofuels, Agribusiness, biomass, Renewable Energy

Report: Farmers Can Grow Food, Fuel

Joanna Schroeder June 1, 2015

According to research conducted by Russ Gesch, a plant physiologist with the USDA Soil Conversation Research Lab in Morris, Minnesota, farmers can successfully and sustainably grow food and fuel. Gesch specifically looked at growing Camelina sativa with soybeans in the Midwest. Gesch’s study was recently published in Agronomy Journal.

Camelina is a member of the mustard family and research shows is well suited as a cover crop in the Midwest. “Finding any annual crop that will survive the [Midwest] winters is pretty difficult,” said Gesch, “but winter camelina does that and it has a short enough growing season to allow farmers to grow a second crop after it during the summer.”

Soils also need to retain enough rainwater for multiple crops in one growing season. Gesch and his colleagues measured water use of two systems of dual-cropping using camelina and soybean. They compared it with a more typical soybean field at the Swan Lake Research Farm near Morris, MN.

Researchers planted camelina at the end of September. From there growing methods differed. In double-cropping, soybean enters the field after the camelina harvest in June or July. Relay-cropping, however, overlaps the crops’ time. Soybeans grow between rows of camelina in April or May before the camelina plants mature and flower. Camelina is being used today to produce aviation biofuels.

Researchers found multiple benefits of Relay-cropping – the technique actually used less water than double-cropping the two plants. Camelina plants have shallow roots and a short growing season, which means they don’t use much water. “Other cover crops, like rye, use a lot more water than does camelina,” said Gesch.Read More

advanced biofuels, Agribusiness, Research

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder June 1, 2015

Trina Solar has announced that it provided Osaka Sangyo University (OSU) with its newly developed Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC) cells and modules for OSU’s Solar Car, the “OSU-Model-S”. The OSU-Model-S will compete in early August in the IFA Suzuka Solar Car Race, the largest international solar car race taking place in Japan.
Green Charge Networks was named as one of the “15 Smart Grid Companies to Watch in 2015″ by Smart Grid News. Smart Grid News differentiated Green Charge from other energy storage vendors based on its strong customer base, with an emphasis on schools and industry partnerships and no-cost business model through $56 million in equity funding by K-Road Ventures.
The Geothermal Resources Council (GRC) is reminding the global geothermal community to make their nominations for this year’s GRC Awards by June 19, 2015. The awards recognize distinguished colleagues in the geothermal community from around the world. The winners will be honored at the GRC Awards Luncheon at the GRC Annual Meeting being held at the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino, Reno, Nevada, September 20-23. The theme for this year’s meeting is Geothermal: Always On.
U.S. Senators Dean Heller, Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Jon Tester (D-MT) have joined in introducing the Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act (S. 1407) to simplify the permitting process for solar, geothermal and wind projects on public lands. A hearing is scheduled for June 9, 2015.

Bioenergy Bytes

EPA Proposal will be Hot Topic at FEW

Cindy Zimmerman June 1, 2015

The new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal for volume requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard will be a hot topic at the 2015 Fuel Ethanol Workshop this week in Minneapolis.

Advanced Ethanol Council (AEC) Executive Director Brooke Coleman will be on the program tomorrow morning to talk about what the proposal means for the advanced biofuels industry. “The good news is it is clear that EPA and the Obama Administration want to send a signal to the marketplace that domestic renewable fuel markets are going to grow. The blending targets are definitely stronger and theoretically create new markets,” says Coleman. “But Clean Air Act regulations have to have backbone to actually achieve their ambitions, and EPA is still allowing the oil industry’s refusal to comply with the RFS to be cause to slow the program down.”

There continues to be concern in the industry about how the proposal will impact investment in advanced biofuels. “Renewable fuels are a huge opportunity for the United States to achieve President Obama’s climate change goals, capture private investment, create jobs and save drivers money. Today’s proposal undermines all of that,” says Adam Monroe, president of Novozymes Americas, a biotechnology company that provides enzyme solutions for biofuels production. “The EPA’s aspiration should not be a slow buildup in renewable fuel volumes, it should be an economy driven by clean technologies, supporting thousands of new jobs and billions in private investment. That all starts with aggressive goals for the RFS.”

Novozymes will be featured in many of the workshops at FEW and will be sponsoring our coverage this week.

Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by

advanced biofuels, AEC, Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News, FEW, Novozymes

Biodiesel Helps 4-H Students Learn Science

John Davis June 1, 2015

Some Minnesota 4-H students are learning more about science, thanks to biodiesel. This story from the St. Paul Pioneer Press says this knowledge could help these kids fill an expected 1,000 person gap in those able to fill the business, science engineering and agriculture jobs in this country each year.

For junior high and high school students, “4-H involvement could lead to college, university or even trade school and an ag-related job,” said Josh Rice, who runs the science of agriculture programming at University of Minnesota Extension. “Agricultural awareness is a very important piece of this. There are ag jobs out there and it’s not just production agriculture. It can be marketing, processing, distribution and even social science.”

Minnesota is the first state to start a 4-H Science of Agriculture Challenge, which is a team competition showing science and engineering understanding. The teams have three or four members between grades six and 12 who share a common interest. A coach guides them through the scientific or engineering process. The teams also meet with a mentor from the industry, who gives guidance and an inside view of an agricultural career.

Brian and Anna Prchal of Montgomery and their cousin Tyler Fromm of New Hope teamed up to work on biodiesel.

Jodi Prchal, Brian and Anna’s mother and a fifth-grade teacher, is their coach.

Brian created biodiesel from used fryer oil at a local restaurant. He describes the process in detail on how to transform that oil into fuel.

“You can burn straight filtered vegetable oil in a diesel engine, but it gums up the engine,” Brian said…

Jodi Prchal says the critical moment came when they tried it in an engine. Brian had bought a single-cylinder, nine horsepower diesel engine and it ran smoothly on the biodiesel.

The article goes on to say that Brian learned how to make biodiesel for just 70 cents a gallon, as opposed to the $4 a gallon conventional diesel goes for. Anna and Tyler learned how much cleaner the biodiesel burned and how much better it was for engine wear.

Later this summer, they’ll present their work to a panel of judges and compete for scholarship money. Organizers would like to see this state program go nationally.

Ag group, Agribusiness, Biodiesel

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