Biodiesel Giant REG Adds Harding to Board

John Davis

reg-logoBiodiesel giant Renewable Energy Group has added an international business veteran to its board of directors. This company news release says Peter J. M. Harding was elected to the post.

Harding has served in leadership roles for international businesses involved in commodities trading and asset management. Most recently, he was the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Westway Group, Inc. (“Westway”), a liquid storage and liquid animal feed business, from May 2009 until his retirement in June 2010.

“Peter Harding has had a distinguished career where he gained expertise in the different industries that are part of the REG supply chain,” said Jeff Stroburg, Chairman of the Board. “His diverse skillset and business know-how will be a great asset to our board and our company.”

Harding has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of New Orleans College Prep since 2008 and was appointed Chairman of the Board in July 2013. From 2003 until joining Westway, Mr. Harding served in various roles at ED&F Man, including as member of their Executive Committee, Board of Directors and Managing Director of their Molasses & Palm Oil Trading, Feed Products, Third Party Storage, and Biofuels Division. He also served as Chief Executive Officer of Westway Holdings Corporation from 1997 to 2006. Concurrent with his service as Chief Executive Officer, he served as President of Westway Terminal Company, Inc. from 2001 to 2004. From 1995 to 1997, Mr. Harding also served as Chief Executive Officer of ED&F Man’s North American Cocoa Processing Group and prior to that as Chief Executive Officer of Savannah Cocoa, Inc. from 1992 to 1995. Mr. Harding served as Vice President of Sales & Marketing of Refined Sugars, Inc. from 1985 to 1989. Additionally, Mr. Harding owned and managed an asset management firm and commodity fund during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Mr. Harding attended the Harvard Business School program for Management Development in 1985.

Harding’s term will expire in 2017.

Biodiesel, REG

PacificAg Can Help Ethanol Plants Go Cellulosic

Cindy Zimmerman

pacificag-logoThe largest and most experienced biomass harvest company in the country wants to help ethanol plants develop or expand operations into the production of cellulosic ethanol by saving time and money on supply chain development. PacificAg, which is already supplying biomass for plants in Iowa and Kansas, enables cellulosic biorefineries the ability to source cost-competitive biomass for biofuel and biochemical production.

PacificAg started in the residue management business nearly 20 years ago harvesting forage crops for feed in Oregon and CEO Bill Levy says they have expanded to meet the needs of the growing biofuels industry in the Midwest.

pacificag-harvest“We can save an ethanol plant the time and money in developing a supply chain,” says Levy. “It’s a very specific supply chain with very specific challenges and I think we have a lot of experience overcoming these challenges and developing these supply chains quicker than anybody else.”

Biomass products include corn stover, wheat straw and milo stover products because of their abundance and supply. “What we’ve found in the Midwest is that not all growers are accustomed to removing this supply,” says Levy, stressing that a major component of their suite of services includes a balanced residue management program.

There are two critical elements an ethanol plant must consider when ramping up cellulosic ethanol production: year round biomass supply and sustainability around biomass residue harvest.

Harrison Pettit, a company partner who works with ethanol plants to help them get their biomass programs off the ground, notes that market needs for advanced biofuels industry are long-term and year round. “Ethanol plants are built to operate for more than 30 years.”

How does a grower know if he or she should participate in a biomass residue harvest program? Pettit says the first question to ask is, Are you within 100 miles of a cellulosic ethanol facility? “If you are a corn grower, wheat grower or milo grower, then you really ought to give us a call,” says Pettit. “If you really want to learn about how a residue management program can benefit your ground and benefit your bank account, then we want to talk.”

Learn more about PacificAg and the services they offer for both farmers and ethanol plants in these interviews with Levy and Pettit.
Interview with PacificAg CEO Bill Levy Interview with PacificAg partner Harrison Pettit

Audio, Cellulosic, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Farming, feedstocks, sorghum

Greenbelt Resources Recognized for Biofuels System

John Davis

new_economy_awards_logoA company that turns locally available feedstocks into biofuels, as well as fertilizer, animal feed and filtered water, is being recognized for its green efforts. Greenbelt Resources picked up the “Best Biofuels and Biochemicals Solution” in The New Economy magazine’s annual 2014 Clean Tech Awards.

Greenbelt Resources’ small scale systems, can be more energy efficient than traditional large-scale plants due to its patent-pending energy saving membrane-based dehydration module. Where deployed, these systems reduce waste outflow, reduce transport of the F’s, minimize environmental impact, produce overall cost savings and foster local job retention.

“Our unique modular local-scale technology turns industry assumptions upside-down and proves the practicality of cost-effective local resource utilization,” says Floyd Butterfield, chief technology officer of Greenbelt Resources. “Recognition by The New Economy proves that global business leaders share our vision of a distributed energy source future.”

“We envision future off-grid installations to be capable of converting locally grown crops into fuel for both transportation and home appliances, fertilizer, animal feed, distilled water, heat, electricity, and connectivity,” emphasizes Darren Eng, CEO of Greenbelt Resources. “For example, a community in Africa could utilize the system to convert local feedstock into fuel for vehicles and heating stoves, distribute excess electricity to a local grid providing children light at night for their studies, and provide families with clean drinking water.”

The award will be presented at the London Stock Exchange in March of 2015.

biofuels

China Approves Imports of Biotech Corn

Cindy Zimmerman

syngentaSyngenta announced today that it has received approval for the Agrisure Viptera® trait (event MIR162) from China’s regulatory authorities, formally granting import approval. The approval covers corn grain and processing byproducts, such as dried distillers grains (DDGs), for food and feed use.

The Agrisure Viptera® trait is a key component of Syngenta’s insect control solutions, offering growers protection against the broadest spectrum of above-ground corn pests and enabling significant crop yield gains. Agrisure Viptera® has been approved for cultivation in the USA since 2010 and has also been approved for cultivation in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Syngenta originally submitted the import approval dossier to the Chinese authorities in March 2010. In addition to China, Agrisure Viptera® has been approved for import into Australia/New Zealand, Belarus, the European Union, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan and Vietnam.

corn, Distillers Grains, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Exports, Syngenta

Leifmark, New Holland Bale Stover for Ethanol

John Davis

leifmark-new-holland-1Baling corn stover is part of the next generation of cellulosic ethanol, and two major players in the green fuel and agribusiness markets are moving that process forward. Leifmark, LLC and New Holland Agriculture recently teamed up to test equipment and methods used to gather, bale, and store the corn stover left behind after the grain harvest in two Iowa cornfields.

Paul Kamp, Leifmark’s Chicago-based partner, coordinated the 520-bale collection. “Using local specialists and best practices, we showed stover harvesting on area farms is very practical. That’s good news for three ethanol producers now considering new businesses making cellulosic ethanol from biomass.”

Developing more efficient methods and equipment brings down the overall cost of stover, says Kamp, whose company markets Inbicon Biomass Refinery technology in North America.

“Couple lower stover prices with a predictable supply chain,” adds Kamp, “and you reduce risk perceptions with biomass. So future plant owners can feel confident putting their capital into cellulosic ethanol projects.”

New Holland Agriculture’s Scott Wangsgard emphasizes that “technology companies like Inbicon have certain specifications for corn stover bales. To meet them, we’ve been designing specialized equipment that also boosts collection efficiencies.”

New Holland used a high-capacity baler and automated bale wagon that picks up, transports, and stacks the 3′ x 4′ x 8′ square bales required for Inbicon’s refining process. Officials say the square bales handle more easily than round ones, store in much less space, and pack tighter so flatbed trucks can haul more tonnage per trip.

Cellulosic, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, New Holland

Researchers Turn Biodiesel By-Product into Lactic Acid

John Davis

chem-worldResearchers have found a way to turn a biodiesel by-product into a chemical important to the production of plastic. This article from Chemistry World says work in Switzerland has found a sustainable method to synthesise platform chemical lactic acid from waste glycerol.

The increasing demand for biodiesel means an oversupply of glycerol and, currently, any excess glycerol must be disposed of. Glycerol corresponds to around 10wt% of the fuel made. Predictions expect glycerol production from biodiesel to reach about 3.7 million tons in 2020, having seen around 2.5 million tons produced in 2014.

Lactic acid is commonly used to produce commodity chemicals like acrylic acid and pyruvic acid. However, polymerising lactic acid can give a biodegradable plastic called polylactic acid (PLA). PLA has a variety of applications as a packaging material and is anticipated to be a greener replacement for the common synthetic polymer PET.

The article goes on to say this new process for synthesising lactic acid makes the production cheaper and more sustainable.

Biodiesel, Research

China May Reopen Market for U.S. DDGs

Cindy Zimmerman

distillers_grains_ Photo US Grains CouncilNews out this week that Chinese officials committed to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack that the ban on imports of U.S. distillers grains (DDGs) containing the MIR 162 trait will be dropped is being met with optimism by the ethanol industry.

“While we are still awaiting the official regulatory announcement from China regarding the approval of this policy, it is welcome news for America’s ethanol industry,” said Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis. “I would like to personally thank Secretary Vilsack for his leadership and steadfast commitment to ensuring a resolution to this issue. Additionally, the many hardworking professionals of the USDA and the USTR deserve praise for their dedicated work behind the scenes and for their persistence in working with their Chinese colleagues to re-establish market access for U.S. DDGs.”

“China has always been somewhat schizophrenic with our protein feed,” said Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen in an interview today. “There are times when they desperately want it and can’t get enough of it, there are times when they will erect these mysterious trade barriers so that we can’t get our product in there … We think we may be getting through it now.”

According to the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, one of the outcomes of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade meetings was in the area of agricultural exports related to biotechnology traits. “China announced that it would approve the importation of new biotechnology varieties of U.S. soybeans and corn ­… and also that it would pursue a regular dialogue with the United States focused on the benefits of the increased use of innovative technologies in agriculture, for both the United States and China.”

Distillers Grains, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Exports, Government, Growth Energy, RFA

Ethanol Report on RFS Anniversary

Cindy Zimmerman

ethanol-report-adToday, December 19, marks the seventh anniversary of the signing into law of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 which expanded the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

In this Ethanol Report, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen remembers that day seven years ago and talks about its accomplishments so far and how EPA needs to move ahead with the law as written. He also comments on the report out this week from the Bipartisan Policy Center recommending changes to the RFS.

Ethanol Report on RFS Anniversary
Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, RFA, RFS

E85 Ethanol is a Popular Fuel in Iowa

John Davis

Three Brothers Car Repair E85 pumpE85 ethanol is becoming a popular fuel in Iowa. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) says motorists in the state bought more than 3.3 million gallons of E85 in the third quarter of 2014, the third highest E85 sales in any quarter on record, and a more than 350,000 gallon increase (12 percent) over the second quarter of 2014.

“It’s encouraging to see motorists stepping up to improve air quality in Iowa while taking advantage of attractive E85 prices in the third quarter of 2014,” stated IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “Price is often a motivator for consumers, but there are many reasons to use E85, including the energy security, environmental and local economic development benefits. And, while falling petroleum prices may curtail E85 sales in the fourth quarter, a record setting year for E85 sales in Iowa is still within reach.”

In Iowa, E85 is a fuel blend containing between 70 and 85 percent ethanol. E85 is currently sold at more than 200 fueling sites in Iowa, and can be used in all flex-fuel vehicles (FFV). To determine if your vehicle can use E85, please check your owner’s manual, the vehicle’s fuel cap, or click here for a list of FFVs.

A list of E85 retailers in Iowa is available here.

E85, Ethanol, Iowa RFA