UNICA, the Brazilian sugarcane industry association, has announced that Brazil's sugarcane mills are continuing to prioritize the production of ethanol over sugar. However, ethanol production is expected to be down 6.14 percent from last year.
The October issue of Ethanol Producer Magazine is packed with on-theme content, writes Tom Bryan. The biomass feedstocks issue contains information about Project Liberty, dedicated energy crops, pelletized corn stover and wet biomass storage.
Search for better biofuels microbes leads to the human gut
By University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
September 26, 2014
Scientists have scoured cow rumens and termite guts for microbes that can efficiently break down plant cell walls for the production of cellulosic biofuels, but some of the best microbial candidates actually may reside in the human lower intestine.
A small town in southern Illinois has landed two grants totaling nearly $4 million for infrastructure projects to support a proposed ethanol plant. Project details on the proposed facility are expected to be released soon.
Consolidation is making the ethanol industry stronger, writes Mike Bryan. Companies that do not consolidate can still survive or even thrive but they are more vulnerable to changes in the market and commodities price changes.
Plant variants point the way to improved biofuel production
By University of York
September 25, 2014
Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council have discovered variant straw plants whose cell walls are more easily broken down to make biofuels.
NexSteppe recently announced it has raised $22 million in its third round of funding. New investors Total Energy Ventures and ELFH Holding GmbH join existing investors Braemar Energy Ventures, CYM Ventures, DuPont Ventures and others.
A group of university engineers and scientists is spreading the word about work being done in bioenergy and its potential to reduce climate impacts linked to fossil fuels while benefiting the economy, rural communities, and national security.
Local policies to promote alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) are among the most effective, a recent study by the Clean Energy Coalition finds. The study compares the number of alternative fuel vehicles in each state to the types of policies.
A new report published by the Biotechnology Industry Organization indicates U.S. EPA inaction on finalizing the 2014 renewable fuel standard has resulted in a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions.
A Peoria, Illinois-based ethanol plant owned by Archer Daniels Midland Co. is continuing operations after a minor fire was reported on Sept. 22. The incident occurred in an evaporator vessel that was down for repairs.
Walt Wendland and Chris Schwarck are proposing to build a corn and milo ethanol plant in South Dakota. If the project becomes a reality it would join Dakota Spirit AgEnergy as the only corn ethanol plants in the U.S. to breakground since 2008.
Quad County Corn Processors' state-of-the-art facility is now producing cellulosic ethanol from corn-kernel fiber. What was once a long shot has now become a reality, writes Bob Dinneen.
Clariant, Haltermann and Mercedes-Benz have tested E20 in a fleet test since January. Initial results prove the high quality and excellent properties of sunliquid 20 fuel, a fuel blend made with 20 percent cellulosic ethanol produced by Clariant.
Proterro and Bunge Global Innovation LLC have announced a pilot study of Proterro's sucrose-production technology in Brazil. Two of Proterro's photobioreactors have been installed at Bunge's Moema Fazenda sugarcane mill as part of the project.
GranBio has initiated production at the first commercial-scale plant for second-generation ethanol in the Southern Hemisphere. The Bioflex 1, unit built in Sao Miguel dos Campos, Alagoas, has an initial production capacity of 82 MMly (21.66 MMgy).
Vecoplan AG recently celebrated the grand opening of its new 17,000 square-foot technology center in Germany. The facility is equipped with more than 25 machines for the processing, recycling or repurposing of waste and biomass.
Adam Wirt of Poet writes about corn stover, the biomass feedstock of Project Liberty. Poet-DSM is currently producing ethanol at its commercial-scale facility.
Economists with Iowa State University's Center for Agricultural and Rural Development have published a new paper that estimates increased ethanol mandates under the renewable fuels standard (RFS) would have little impact on E10 prices.
Legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 19 aims to enact two-year extensions for several clean energy tax incentives. The bill is titled the Bridge to a Clean Energy Future Act of 2014.
Watch for a new monthly column about what's happening in the ethanol world in Canada, Brazil, Europe and other ethanol producing countries globally.
Many dedicated energy crops hold promise as feedstocks for next-generation ethanol. Extensive R&D is still needed, however, to overcome the challenges in making these plants viable for commercial applications.
Offering the first E85 in Baltimore, Three Brothers/A1 Auto Repair and Protec Fuel recently joined forces to launch a new E85 station to give more choice for the hundreds of thousands of flex-fuel vehicle drivers traveling in Baltimore, Maryland.
Rather than creating programs to convince retailers to sell higher blends of ethanol, the industry should talk to fuel retailers and create programs that address what marketers really need, writes Ron Lamberty.
Eighteen more retail gasoline stations will convert to Minnoco, a gasoline brand of the Minnesota Service Station & Convenience Store Association. The brand generally offers E15, E30, E85 and diesel, along with regular grades of gasoline.
In advance of important climate change meetings set for Septemeber, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance sent an open letter to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, outlining ethanol's power to reduce GHG emissions, writes Bliss Baker.
What was once only a dream has become a reality with the grand opening ceremony of Project Liberty.
USGC, RFA, Growth Energy promote ethanol overseas
By USGC
September 19, 2014
Representatives from the U.S. Grains Council, Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy traveled this week to Japan and Korea to explore the potential for U.S. ethanol in those markets.
Gevo reported an update on the progress of the side-by-side operational mode (SBS) of its plant in Luverne, Minnesota, on Sept. 18.
The International Renewable Energy Agency has published a new report predicting a major role for modern, sustainable biomass technologies in the world's energy mix. It includes forecasts for power, thermal and liquid fuels production.
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