IRFA: Big Oil’s Ethanol Lies Don’t Pass Sniff Test

John Davis

Iowa-RFA-shawSURPRISE! Big Oil is spreading lies about ethanol, trying to compare the fuel to Canadian tar sands! I know you could just die from a lack of surprise on that one. But no surprise, the folks at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association are not taking it lying down.

“The truth must be that, for whatever weird reason, [oil companies] raise more money attacking corn ethanol than they do attacking the Canadian tar sands,” fired back IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw during the recent groundbreaking of the Quad County Corn Processors biorefinery in Galva, Iowa, ticking off how the tar sands use more water, produce more carbon and greenhouse gases, and take more energy to mine and ship the tar sands than corn ethanol. “To compare that to corn ethanol is just ridiculous. It does not pass the sniff test.”

Monte added that the Quad County Adding Cellulosic Ethanol (ACE) project, where a cellulosic processor has been bolted on to an existing ethanol plant, makes Big Oil nervous. Projects like this one are bringing out desperation in the oil companies, pointing out how more cellulosic plants are scheduled to come online in the coming months… and that means that much more share of petroleum’s monopoly on your gas tank will be going away.

“Big Oil has lost 10 percent of its market in gasoline to ethanol. They do not want to lose another 5 percent,” pointing out the billions of dollars on the line. Monte went on to say don’t underestimate just what oil companies will do to preserve their stranglehold on your wallet. “They’re wrong, but they’re not stupid.”

Monte went on to make sure that people know the truth when they hear the oil companies’ lies.

“We just have to work through all those falsehoods put out by Big Oil.”

You can hear Joanna’s interview with Monte here: Monte Shaw, Executive Director IRFA

Visit the Quad County Corn Processors “ACE” Groundbreaking photo album here.

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Iowa RFA

U. Tenn. Develops Biodiesel Contamination Detector

John Davis

zilingxue1Researchers at the University of Tennessee have developed a biodiesel contamination detector. A news release from the school says the device, which can detect trace amounts of contamination, is the work of chemistry professor Ziling (Ben) Xue and doctoral student Jonathan Fong.

“The ability to detect biodiesel at various concentrations in diesel is an important goal in several industries,” said Xue. “There is particular concern over biodiesel contamination in jet fuel, because at higher levels it can impact the thermal stability and freezing point of jet fuel leading to deposits in the fuel system or gelling of the fuel. These issues can result in jet engine operability problems and possible engine flameout.”

Xue and Fong tested several dyes and found that the dye Nile blue chloride, dissolved in alcohol, can be made into a thin film with high sensitivity toward biodiesel contamination in jet fuel. They tested small strips of the sensor and found it could successfully detect amounts of biodiesel contaminant in diesel as low as 0.5 parts per million—ten times below the allowable limit of 5 ppm in the US—in less than thirty minutes.

The researchers point out the need for a quick and easy, direct way to detect biodiesel contamination because of the increasing safety needs in the vehicles biodiesel goes into. The new sensor can be used in a field-ready, portable reader.

Biodiesel, Research

Biodiesel Hits Big in Big Apple

John Davis

nbb-logoBiodiesel becomes the new King of Queens… and all the other buroughs of New York City… as a mandate is signed into law that requires all city vehicles to soon use a biodiesel blend. This National Biodiesel Board news release welcomes the news for the largest municipal fleet in the country.

A broad bill to reduce the emissions of pollutants from City vehicles includes several measures focused on biodiesel. Mayor Mike Bloomberg signed the bill [Wednesday] to mandate all city diesel vehicles use fuel blended with biodiesel. The new law requires a fuel blend of 5 percent biodiesel (B5) by 2014, and of 20 percent (B20) by 2016, during the warm weather months. The bill also calls for the City to conduct a pilot program to study the feasibility of using B20 year round.

“We have an obligation to leave our city – and our planet as a whole – better than how we found it,” said Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn when the bill passed. “To this end, the Council has passed ground-breaking legislation to reduce our carbon footprint. Today, we continue in our efforts to make New York City cleaner and greener than ever before.”

New York City Councilman James F. Gennaro, honored by the National Biodiesel Board with the 2011 Clean Energy Leadership Award, sponsored the bill. “I am proud to have been an early supporter of the expanded use of biodiesel fuels that have created an entirely new green industry based right here in New York City employing hundreds of people,” said Gennaro. “Together with the crucial backing of New York City Council Speaker Quinn, we’ve proven that environmentally sound policies that have a net positive effect on the health of millions of New Yorkers are great job-creators.”

The city fleet has nearly 8,000 diesel vehicles, almost all of them already using biodiesel blends in important roles, such as Central Park management, snow removal and garbage collection. When the blends go up to B20, it’s expected to add up to 2 million gallons of biodiesel use annually.

Biodiesel

Illinois Governor Supports More Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

fps13-govDuring a stop at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois last week, Governor Pat Quinn was asked about his support of ethanol and the Renewable Fuel Standard.

“I drive a car that believes in renewable fuels and I think it’s important for the governor to get the word out that we have to not be dependent on foreign potentates for our oil,” Quinn told reporters. “We have lots of opportunity in our own backyard to grow our own fuel.”

The governor would like to see more E15 fueling cars on the road. “We’d like to move it up to E15, that will help our Illinois farmers and help reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” said Quinn.

Listen to Governor Quinn’s support of ethanol: Illinois Governor Pat Quinn

Audio, Ethanol, Government, RFS

RFA: Facts Erode Big Oil’s Narrative

Joanna Schroeder

Congress is preparing to return to work and there are two issues top of mind: The FAARM Bill and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). During the break the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) took a look at some of the Big Oil’s summer arguments against ethanol and created a narrative around why these are not valid.

E85 Price in Des Moines Iowa 9-4-2013“While Congress has been away, much has happened to set the record straight on ethanol,” explained Bob Dinneen, RFA’s President and CEO. “Rising gas prices have made the value proposition of ethanol compelling for consumers. Indeed, drivers turned out in large numbers over the summer to purchase record volumes of low cost, renewable E85. Academics and government officials spoke out on successfully scaling the blend wall.”

Dinneen also noted that the growing potential for a bin-busting harvest has undermined the food vs. fuel canard, and USDA’s data has proven food inflation is not being driven by ethanol and the RFS. “Slowly, but surely, Big Oil’s heavy handed scare tactics are eroding under the weight of honest data and consumer demand,” he said.

“By the way, in case you missed it, Summer 2013’s “Best Beach Read” award goes to the API/AFPM for their 2014 RFS waiver request,” continued Dinneen. “It has everything, except legal standing, that a fun breezy summer novel should have — futuristic fiction, scary twists and turns, and even a romance with monopolies. In return, RFA penned a compelling and critical review of the API/AFPM tome, laying bare the lack of legal and technical support for a waiver,” concluded Dinneen.

To read in full RFA’s review of the American Petroleum Institute (API)/American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) 2014 partial-waiver request click here.

RFA has released a brief “Big Oil’s Fiction vs. Fact” Below are a few of these issues that Big Oil has raised and the ethanol industry has defended.Read More

advanced biofuels, biofuels, E15, E85, Ethanol, RFA, RFS, RINS

Offering Biodiesel Options to Ethanol Plants

John Davis

Ethanol producers are always looking to find ways to get more value out of their operations. Well, one company is offering ways for those plants turn more profits by adding on biodiesel. At the recent American Coalition for Ethanol’s (ACE) “Unite and Ignite” conference in Des Moines, Iowa, Joanna caught up with Bernie Hoffman with WB Services, a renewable energy company offering a wide variety of plant optimization packages.

WB Services1“We have a number of things that pay back in roughly a year or less,” he said, adding that the capital costs are not high, so payback comes quick.

WB Services has two big technologies that help add value to corn ethanol plants. One is a refining technology that produces renewable diesel that is a match for the ASTM 975 standard for petroleum diesel. The other is a process developed working with Novozymes to produce a biodiesel using an enzyme, as opposed to a traditional transesterification process usually used in biodiesel production. Both of these technologies take advantage of the corn oil produced by an ethanol plant and is intended for either stand-alone operation or, more likely, as a bolt-on with an existing ethanol plant.

“We’ve done both, but our focus has been the ethanol industry so we’ve designed around the bolt-on concept,” Bernie said, adding that the ease of integration really makes their technology the most attractive. Plus, he said since the process is feedstock agnostic, there’s a great variety of plants this works with. “Restaurant waste oil makes a very nice fuel; brown grease, which is typically a low-grade by-product of animal processing; yellow grease, which is an abundant feed stock in the market,” and more.

Bernie said from concept to running operation, it takes about 18 months for a renewable diesel operation but only about six months for a biodiesel refinery, with most of that six months waiting for EPA approvals.

If you’d like to know more, just check out the WB Services website.

Listen to Joanna’s interview with Bernie here: Bernie Hoffman, WB Services

Visit the ACE 26th Annual Ethanol Conference photo album.

ACE, ACE Ethanol Conference, Audio, Biodiesel, Ethanol

Global Solar PV Module Installations to Increase

Joanna Schroeder

According to a new report, “Solar PV Modules – Market Size, Annual Production, Average Price, Competitive Landscape and Key Country Analysis to 2020,” solar module installations saw a significant increase from approximately 1.4 GW in 2006 to 29 GW in 2011, but the industry has started to move away from the initial spur.

Solar PV Modules CoverGlobalData’s latest report finds that the growth of the solar PV module installation market in 2012 was much lower when compared to the previous year, with only 30.25 GigaWatts (GW) installed. In 2013, installations are forecast to fall slightly to 25.4 GW, due to reduced government support in several countries, such as Spain, Italy and Germany. From 2014 onward, annual additions are expected to remain stable until 2020.

Germany was the largest consumer of solar modules in 2012, with annual installations of 7.6 GW, followed by China with 5 GW. China continued to be the largest manufacturer of solar modules in the world, boasting 66% of the total global module production in 2012.

Harsha Nagatham, GlobalData’s Analyst covering Alternative Energy, said, “With domestically available polysilicon, a favourable regulatory environment and an easily available inexpensive labor force, companies such as Yingli Green Energy, Trina Solar, LDK Solar and Jinko Solar have been leading solar module manufacturing with annual production capacities of over 1,000 MW each.”

According to the report, solar PV module prices have also dropped drastically since 2006, when the average price was $3.8/W. In 2012, the price of a module was $0.91/W, and it is expected to fall further over the coming years, reaching $0.25/W in 2020.

Nagatham concluded, “Solar PV is the third-largest deployed renewable technology in terms of installed capacity after hydro and wind. Emerging countries in the regions of Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa are expected to be the major markets in the future due to an increasing focus on green energy to help fuel economic growth.”

Electricity, Energy, Research, Solar

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFThe Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) has announced that Iowa’s first cellulosic ethanol project to break ground, POET – DSM Advanced Biofuels, LLC, is the IRFA’s newest member.  POET – DSM’s Project LIBERTY will be a commercial-scale, cellulosic ethanol plant that will produce 25 million gallons of next generation ethanol from corncobs, leaves, husk and corn stalk annually.
  • The first ever biofuel ethanol plant in Guyana has gone online. The 1,000 litre a day capacity demonstration plant is a cornerstone of the government’s energy and transport policy, which includes moving towards a 10% ethanol blend. The unit will use black strap molasses as a feedstock, which is essentially a waste stream, from Guyana Sugar’s Albion Sugar factory. The plant will produce two streams of pure ethanol and pure water which can be re-used with no further treatment needed. The technology for the plant has been supplied by Whitefox Technologies and Green Social Bioethanol.
  • Greenpeace has issued a new renewable energy initiative focused on Delhi. The nonprofit is challenging inventors, engineers and tinkerers to design a portable renewable energy-powered water pump for the farmers of the Indian region of Bihar. These farmers currently rely on diesel-powered pumps that are not only expensive to run, but accelerate global warming. Participants in the first challenge could win 30,000 euros and turn their concept into reality. Concepts must be submitted by November 15, 2013.
  • Range Energy has purchased 7,118 short tons of refined beet sugar for $900,000 from the USDA as the only ethanol producer to buy sugar under the Feedstock Flexibility Program. The sugar was purchased from Denver-based Western Sugar. The USDA said sugar mill interest was encouraging but that transportation, volume of sugar feedstock and other concerns appear to have limited bioenergy company participation. USDA expects greater participation in FFP as these concerns are addressed.
Bioenergy Bytes

County Fair in Iowa to Feature Soybeans, Biodiesel

John Davis

isalogoOne of the largest county fairs in the country, bigger than many other states’ state fairs, will be featuring soybeans and one of our favorite soybean products, biodiesel. The Clay County Fair in Spencer, Iowa will have “Iowa Soybean Day” on Monday, Sept. 9, sponsored by the Iowa Soybean Association.

The ISA Clay County Fair exhibit will be located in Central Park and feature an “Ultimate Performance” sweepstakes. People who received scratch-off sweepstakes cards can redeem their prize at the ISA booth and learn more about the benefits of using biodiesel. Card prizes must be redeemed in person. In addition, staff from ISA’s On-Farm Network® will be present to discuss research, environmental practices to protect soil and water and the latest in aerial scouting. Visitors to the ISA exhibit can register to win $500 in biodiesel or an aerial scouting package and view a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze light-duty diesel passenger car approved for use with 20 percent biodiesel blends (B20).

“Using biodiesel is a win-win for all Iowans, but especially our farmers,” explains Randy Olson, IBB executive director. “It’s developed from agricultural resources, like soybean oil, so it empowers farmers to participate in the energy market and supports their own industry.”

Iowa leads the nation in soybean and biodiesel production … not just a happy coincidence. IBB officials point out that the use of biodiesel also supports the state’s livestock industry.

Biodiesel, Soybeans

US Biodiesel Imports Up, But So Are Exports

John Davis

eiaU.S. imports of biodiesel and biomass-based renewable diesel came in at 28.6 million gallons during June, a spike of more than 12 million gallons from May. Biodiesel Magazine reports that while the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) numbers show a lot more is coming in, the amount going out is also up, hitting 24.6 million gallons of exports in biomass-based diesel in June.

A majority of U.S. imports for June originated from Indonesia and Argentina. Indonesia shipped nearly 11 million gallons of biomass-based diesel into U.S. ports in June, while Argentina sent 5.25 million gallons. More than 6.8 million gallons came from Germany, while imports from the Netherlands, South Korea and Canada made up the balance.

The U.S. also imported nearly 22 million gallons of “other renewable diesel” in June, up from only 5.7 million gallons in May. In June, 17.2 million gallons of “other renewable diesel” came from Singapore while 4.7 million gallons originated in Finland—two Neste Oil strongholds.

Roughly half of the 24.6 million gallons U.S. exports in June went north of the border to Canada (12.8 million gallons), while 6 million gallons was shipped to Spain, and nearly 5.7 million gallons went to Malaysia. Australia received 126,000 gallons of U.S. biomass-based diesel while 42,000 gallons was sent to Taiwan.

More information is available on the EIA website.

Biodiesel, International